Disclaimer; Awe come on! Everyone knows who made Inu-yasha by now. Fine, Inu-yasha is not mine.

A Ride Called Kagome

Chapter 10

(At long last I am updating, thank you for the 100 reviews guys!)

"Tickets to a chopper show?" Inu-yasha said in disbelief after he dropped his wrench on the cement floor with a loud cling.

"Yep, and I have three extra's?" Kagome said waving them in his face for a moment before hiding them behind her back.

Inu-yasha glared at her. "Tease," he dropped to his knees to pick up his wrench. "What's the catch?"

"No catch," she said with a smile, "I want you to come with me. We can get paint ideas for the bike. And maybe some more design ideas for the other stuff too."

Inu-yasha secretly smiled at the fact she had asked him to join her, but of course mathematics drowned some of his hopes. "Who are the other two?"

Kagome pulled her tickets from behind and looked at them. "I was thinking about asking Sango and my brother, but Kouga's busy as usual."

Inu-yasha looked at her for a moment and then turned his attention to the sounds of a toilet flushing in the far corner as Miroku immerged from the bathroom. His memory clicked to the one of the conversations that they had only days ago. He smiled evilly, and then composed himself. "What about Miroku?"

Kagome looked up from her tickets and thought back to Sango's intimate conversation with her before happy hour that day. She too smiled evilly and walked over as casually as possible, fanning herself with the tickets.

"Hey, Miroku--"

"Yeah, I'll go!" he said with a smirk, "And for the record, Sango and I are friends," he said pointing his screw driver at her, "we discussed this and agreed."

"What while she was on her back with you between her thighs?" Inu-yasha joked, only to have a greasy rag thrown at his face. He pulled it off and glared at the mechanic.

"Great," Kagome squealed with excitement. "Have your bikes ready to go and Sango and I will meet you at Exterminator's Bar in the morning."

Kagome skipped out of the garage, only to come back a second later and leave two tickets on Inu-yasha's work bench. "I'll see you at closing time," she said with a happy smile and kissed Inu-yasha's greased cheek before leaving.

Inu-yasha watched her leave with a quick wave as she hopped on her ride and left.

Miroku looked on and crossed his arms as Inu-yasha stared off into the distance where Kagome had disappeared, still playing with the rag in his hand.

"Jeez, will you two just quit it already? Gads, if the two of you go back and forth denying each other any longer I'm going to choke on the pheromones in this garage."

Inu-yasha threw the rag back at him, but Miroku caught it in his hand. Inu-yasha sighed and leaned over the lift that held up the bike he was working on. "I don't think Hojo broke up with her."

Miroku arched his brow. "What do you mean? You told me he said he was only going out with her to get to Kouga? He lost his chance when you beat him, right? So he should be history."

Inu-yasha groaned as he started to work on a valve. "She hasn't said anything. I can't make a move unless I know, Miroku."

Miroku snorted, "Then why don't you just tell her about what happened at the race."

Inu-yasha glared at him. "I promised her."

"Promised what?"

Inu-yasha stood up and rubbed his fingers in the rag. He didn't look at Miroku. "I promised I wouldn't let anyone hurt her again." He paused as he walked over to his bench and sat on his stool to look over the valve he had removed. "If I tell her she'll only be hurt, and if I don't she'll still get hurt if he tells her. It's up to her lame boyfriend, now."

Miroku walked over to him. "Just a thought," he said softly, "what if he doesn't break up with her?"

Inu-yasha looked at him like he grew another head.

"Think about it, what better way to get back on Kouga's good side than to be around the one person Kouga cares about most? He might use her to try and get another chance."

Inu-yasha snorted, "You think that jerk would be that smart? Come on, Miroku. You think too much."

Two chopper engines roared down the streets of Tampa, Kagome at the helm of her bike with Inu-yasha sitting behind her with his arms around her tiny waistline. Miroku rode his own chopper with Sango gripping on to his sides.

Kagome turned to look at the couple on the bike beside them. "Miroku decided not to wear a shirt today, I noticed," she said to Inu-yasha.

Inu-yasha kept his eyes forward. "Well, Sango didn't do any better. She's got nice abs like he does, they have the right to show off."

Kagome smiled, "I hope you're not the only one who noticed. I was the one who had to work hard this morning just to make her wear that denim jacket that comes up that high with her bathing suit top."

Inu-yasha glanced to the side and caught Sango's hand tracing the small cress in one of Miroku's abs and watching his stomach suck in a little from her touch.

Their in such denial, he thought to himself.

Miroku caught Inu-yasha just as he turned back to watch the road. His arms tightened their grip on Kagome's waist a little as they leaned into a turn.

Sango looked over his shoulder, "How the hell can they stand it?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Sango groaned, "It took me half of this morning alone just to convince Kagome to wear that shirt today. The one with the Orange County Choppers symbol on it in rhinestones, I almost killed her with a scissors when I cut six inches off the bottom of her shirt. Course, there's no argument when it comes to her shorts. They suit her better when she covers her butt more, it gives it more shape."

Miroku laughed a little. "Inu-yasha gave me a hard time about wearing a shirt today. He said since we were going to the beach I should show off what I have, and look at him. He's probably got a body twice as good as mine and he wears a grey tank with his faded jeans with the holes in the knees. He took better care in braiding his hair this morning."

Sango smiled. "True, but you have to admit, that tank doesn't leave a lot to the imagination anyway."

She giggled as she pressed herself closer to Miroku's back and put her head on his shoulder. Miroku did his best to simply stay comfortable with it, and though he was his mind couldn't get over the fact her hands were mere inches from death. It made him glad that his pants were straddling his chopper enough to hide what she was doing to him. Gads, trying to be friends and ignoring the sexual call between his body and hers was hard.

His mind kept jumping back to the night they slept together, and how her back arched into him when he entered her and ran his fingers down her spine. He remembered how she ran her fingers over his abs making his back bow and pushed himself deeper into her.

How in the hell were they keeping this friendship alive without thinking back to that night when they learned more about the other than any true friend would?

It must have been a week since that night and the call of her body was strong, not that Sango didn't feel his to hers either. She her fingers wanted to feel his stomach suck in when she touched him just right. She liked having this little power over him, and was secretly smiling that Inu-yasha had convinced him not to wear a shirt. She'd longed to feel that wash board tummy of his again. It took all her will power just to keep her from letting her hands drift to the front of his pants to see if his reaction to her touch was the same as it was that night. She wanted to feel his lips leave a trail of heat down her neck again, and feel him go deeper into her body when she built a fire in his stomach with her fingers.

How were they doing this? How were they keeping themselves from canceling their outing with Inu-yasha and Kagome and not speeding back to her place to be as loud as they damn well wanted to be at that moment?

When they arrived at the show, Kagome's hand clutched Inu-yasha's and pulled him into the crowd of people looking at the newest custom bikes on display. Most of the time Inu-yasha was drawn to the bikes done in the old school style while Kagome observed wilder styles of metal work. She would often stop and point out to Inu-yasha a certain tank style or a fender that caught her eye that seemed to look like it would cut down on air flow around the bike. Inu-yasha looked at all the different paint styles, from skulls to clowns, scenes of the shimmering night sky to flaming underworlds.

Sango and Miroku seemed to stay content with looking at the different events happening on the beach. Sure there was bungee jumping and crazy eating contests, but both seemed content with two hotdogs and two large sodas. Sitting watching the ocean as the waves crashed at their feet.

Kagome and Inu-yasha watched them from a far. "How the hell can they stand it?" Kagome groaned, "Seriously, are they both blind?"

Inu-yasha raised one brow as he looked at her and shook his head with a soft chuckle. "There's nothing you can do," he said, "You're brother is the main thing standing in their way."

Inu-yasha groaned as he sat down in the sand and propped his elbows on his knees. Kagome flopped down next to him and sighed as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I don't know anymore."

Inu-yasha looked at the mane of black locks clinging to his shoulder. "What's there to figure out? You should feel proud that Sango's staying faithful to you're brother, for the most part anyway."

Kagome picked up her head and glared at him. "And you think being some drag bike winner's prize all her life is good enough for her?"

Inu-yasha held his hands up in defense. "I'm not saying that."

Kagome glared at him for a moment before crossing her arms and hugging her legs to her chest. "It's not fair. I don't want to be someone's prize, and I know Sango doesn't love my brother anymore. She deserves the right to live her own life the way she wants to live it."

Kagome combed away a lock of hair with her fingers and placed her chin on her knee. "The truth is, if Sango leaves my brother, maybe he'll come back home to me and give up drag racing."

Inu-yasha stared at the young girl at his side. She suddenly seemed so sad and alone, and the fact was she was longing for her brother more than anything. For a moment he found his hatred for Kouga again, wanting the jerk to have never come into his life in the first place. But now, it was because of how he wanted the girl of his dreams to be happy. "There's one thing I like about riding the open road every now and then."

Kagome turned her head toward him and combed her hair out of her face to reveal a curious smile. "Really, what's that?"

Inu-yasha looked at the sand under his feet. "There are no rules or restrictions. It's just you and the road. No one telling you what to do or who to be…it's your own little peace of heaven…its freedom."

Kagome watched Inu-yasha as his eyes turned to look out at the ocean. He had become the strong silent type suddenly right before her eyes, compared to the man she joked around with in the garage. She felt her heart pound with a courage and faith she had never known before. Kagome felt the need to be something she wasn't, an active rebel. If her words couldn't get to her brother, than maybe an action would. She would find her own freedom.

She leaned into Inu-yasha's side and placed her head softly on his shoulder. Kagome breathed in his warm scent and felt at peace for the first time.

Kagome placed her hand on his arm and summed up her courage. "Inu-yasha, there's something I need to tell you."

Inu-yasha turned to her and their eyes met, and Just as Kagome's mouth opened to say what she needed to confess, another voice broke the pause between them.

"Kagome," a male voice said and she turned her attention to the man standing behind them. "What are you doing here?"

Kagome got to her feet, "Hojo…what are you doing here, I thought you said that you were going to be busy this afternoon."

"I was, but I got out of work early and I came here to find you only to find you getting all cozy with this guy."

Inu-yasha got to his feet to defend Kagome, but Hojo's eyes widened when he recognized who Kagome was actually with. "You," he growled.

"Hojo, don't!" Kagome pleaded as she placed herself between her boyfriend and Inu-yasha. "I asked him to come with me. Sango and Miroku came with us, too."

Hojo grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. "Look here, Mister. I don't care if she's helping you with that project of yours, but no one puts his hands on my girl."

Kagome winced, "Hojo you're hurting me."

Inu-yasha looked the brown haired jerk in the face. "Let her go, your problem is with me."

He shoved Kagome into his two friends behind him. "Take her to our bikes. We're taking her home."

"No," Kagome cried out, "I came here with Inu-yasha, and I'm leaving with him."

Hojo stomped toward her and slapped her against the face. "You better remember where your loyalties lie."

Inu-yasha grabbed Hojo's shoulder and spun him around. In a moment he had Hojo by his collar. "Hit her again, and I'll put you in your place you bastard."

Hojo grabbed Inu-yasha's fists and pulled them away from his neck. "Are you threatening me?"

Inu-yasha glared at Hojo to the point Kagome could swear his eyes were almost red. "Touch her, again, and I'll kill you."

Hojo sneered, "You are, aren't you?" Hojo shrugged Inu-yasha off. "Know this, Asshole. Anyone who threatens me…pays for it."

Inu-yasha showed no fear. "Then I guess I really owe you…after beating you at your own game in that race."

Kagome gasped, "Inu-yasha, don't!"

Inu-yasha got up close to Hojo's shocked face and said in a low, quiet voice. "Funny thing…I remember you telling me that the only reason you were with Kagome was because she was your ticket into Kouga's gang. I wonder what changed your mind."

Hojo sneered at Inu-yasha. "Don't worry," Inu-yasha continued, "I haven't told her our little secret…yet."

Hojo leaned in close to Inu-yasha until their noses almost touched. "Watch yourself, mechanic. You don't know what kind of shit you're getting yourself into."

Inu-yasha nodded, "We'll see about that."

Hojo whispered to the point that it sounded like a hissing snake. "If I see you with her again, you will be dead. I'll make sure of that."

Hojo walked away and grabbed Kagome's wrist and pulled her with him. Inu-yasha scowled and took a step toward to bring Hojo down, but Kagome's pleading voice stopped him. "No, Inu-yasha," she said, "I'll be alright…just…just go!"

Inu-yasha stepped back and stewed in his own anger. Until he felt Miroku's hand on his shoulder, "Hey, you alright?"

Inu-yasha exhaled as he watched Kagome get on to Hojo's bike, looking back at him with the saddest look in her eyes, that made his heart ache for her smile.

"Yeah…don't worry…I won't let that jerk get away with this."

Miroku and Sango pulled up to the Exterminator's Bar and looked out at the late evening fog rolling in around them. Sango looked out at the road as Inu-yasha drove by in a fury on Kagome's bike and passed them to head home. Miroku sighed and took a few steps down the road ahead of Sango. "He's not going to be able to sleep to well tonight."

Sango brushed her hair away from her face and looked at Miroku a little bit harder. "He loves her, you know. All the love in world and everything she could ever want…and he can't even get close to her. No freedom…no freedom to love who you want to love."

Sango looked at him, as he slowly turned back toward her. "Miroku--"

"Why can't we be together?" he said in a low voice.

Sango looked at him and then at the ground. "I told you it's tradition that's all."

"Do you love him?" he asked suddenly.

Sango felt everything in her entire being come to a halt. "What?"

"Do you love him? It's an easy question."

Sango scoffed at him and began walking toward her apartment door. "Don't do this to me, Miroku."

"Why not? If you love him you would say so, right? So just say so."

Sango spun around, "You have no right to do this to me. Don't ask me things like that."

Miroku yelled, "Just tell me, Sango. Are we just sitting here acting like friends because it's the only thing we can do to make up for what happened? Or am I just sitting here waiting for something that will never happen? Just tell me if you love him, and if you do then I'll stop this whole thing. You can kick me out of your life and go on living the way you did before I came into your life."

Sango stomped off toward her door and began to unlock it, but her frustration made it difficult to find her keys and put the correct key in the lock. "You're not being fair. You think this is easy for me? You think it's easy for me to look at him when I see him and try and hide the fact I slept with another man behind his back? No girl can help the fact she feels like dirt every time she has to kiss the man she knows she should be loyal to."

Finally, Sango threw her keys on the ground giving up on her door. She turned and looked at Miroku with tears beginning to pool in her eyes. "Do you think it's easy for me to sit there and watch him go and race wondering why am I sitting here wondering if he'll loose or win? Wondering when is my life going to change? Wondering when I'll be happy again? Well, I'll tell you right now…It's not easy…It's not easy being the person who has to watch everything happen on the sides. It's not easy living a life planned out for you. It's not easy living the same thing over and over again. It's not easy being someone's girlfriend but still feel like your single because you're so alone."

Miroku watched her as tears rolled down her cheeks, wanting nothing more than to kiss each one away. Sango summed up the courage to finish. "It's not easy being with someone you don't love anymore. It's not easy being your friend, either."

Miroku stepped toward her and got as close to her as possible until he could feel her gasping chest against him. "Why?" he said in the softest, gentlest whisper.

Sango swallowed hard, knowing everything that would come after this moment. She wanted to taste it, feel it, savor it…everything he had that she wanted more than anything in the world.

"It's not easy hating you…and I really hate you right now, Miroku…I really hate you…and it's not easy to hate you when I can't stop falling in love with--"

And that's all Sango said, for in the moment he heard her say the one word he wanted her to say for so long, his lips pressed hard against hers in a hunger he had held far too long. Her lips responded with a whimper and a hunger. Both of them knew what would come next, they wanted what would come next. They wanted the warmth of the other's skin, the taste of soft and heavy kisses. The feeling of quick tempo and soft pace, of passion and longing. The feel of restraint and release, of lust and love. The feeling that told them both they were alive and more than anything that they were free.

Though even though all of this would come, the moment before, the kiss that sealed there fate was seen by eyes that were not on their side. The only sound made from outside Sango's apartment, was the sound of a howling motorcycle engine in the dark. A sound that was drowned out by the need for forbidden passion.