A/N: In the...extremely rare case someone reports this fic; you can find it on AO3, under the same name. I actually highly encourage those of you who aren't already reading this fic on AO3 to read it there. The format is much better, and the text messages are coded to look exactly like iPhone text messages (thanks to a code I borrowed from a friend). It's a more immersive experience, and I prefer updating on AO3 as well—I am slowly moving away from FFN. Thank you for reading.

Just to be clear this is not me saying that I will no longer update on here—I will, it will just take longer to receive an update on this site versus AO3.

Kagome, Inuyasha realized, was doing this on purpose.

She was taking longer than usual to get ready on purpose. It was her subtle way of both showing disapproval and annoying Inuyasha in one swift go; while it was clever, it was also unbelievably frustrating.

"Come on, Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled from the living room, slouching in the chair he was in. "What is taking you so long?"

He didn't get a reply; what he did get, however, was the sound of her door opening. The sound of heels rapidly rushing towards him and the overwhelming scent of honey and rose water that he'd become so accustomed to.

"Will you," Kagome started, moving her curtain bangs out of her face with a finger. "Stop rushing me? Please?" She added through grit teeth, eyes widening a little bit as she talked to him.

"We're gonna be late—"

"And I don't give a fuck," Kagome snapped in response. It was at this that Inuyasha moved to look up from his phone and he took a moment to look at her.

Is the hair new?

"Did you…do something to your hair?" Inuyasha muttered, motioning to his face with his finger. "Your whole…look is different."

Inuyasha wasn't just saying that to say it. It was true. There was something different about her; now that he thought of it, he didn't remember if the bangs were new or if they'd always been there.

He watched as she fiddled with the navy blue mini-dress she wore. Fabric ruched around her waist, the neckline dipping just enough to entice without showing too much. It was tight. It hugged all her curves in just the right places and Inuyasha wasn't sure if that was intentional too.

Inuyasha couldn't be sure, because Kagome always looked pleasant on fight nights.

"Yes," Kagome started, her voice having an angry night to it. "Yesterday. Now can you please stop rushing me? I'm almost done."

His eyes trail up to her face, where he was met with blood-red lipstick and smoldering eyes. "Uh, yeah, sure. No problem," Inuyasha said, and his voice trailed off a bit when Kagome turned on her heel and started walking back towards her bedroom.

Her hair was styled almost exactly the way it was last night. Almost exactly the way it was when he'd realized that their faces were mere inches away.

"Did you even hear me?"

The answer was no, he hadn't.

When Kagome's door shut with a click, Inuyasha let out a puff of air, cheeks deflating as a hand reached up to scratch at the back of his neck. "Damn," he said to himself, moving to sit back down.

Her scent still lingered in the living room. The sound of her heels still rang in his ears, yet it was quiet as he waited for her. A message from Miroku flashed across the screen of his phone.

[Miroku: You're gonna be late. ETA?]

Idk tf? We'll leave in like…30-45 mins?

His message was met with a straight-faced emoji.

Don't be mad at me. Be mad at Kagome.

[Miroku: You're both getting yelled at idgaf.]

lol. K.

[Miroku: Try to hurry up, please.]

Tf do you think I've been doing? Sitting on my ass?

His message was read but followed up by silence on Miroku's end.

…I've told her to hurry up already. I'm not trying to test her rn.

It felt like hours had gone by before Kagome finally emerged from her room again. "Ready," she called out as she strutted back to the living room. "Sorry."

"You aren't sorry," Inuyasha murmured, narrowing his eyes at her as he got up from where he was sitting. "You did this on purpose."

"Did what on purpose?" Kagome's voice sounded sweet and innocent, almost sickeningly so.

"Take forever to get ready," Inuyasha shot back, slamming the door shut behind them as they walked out of the hotel room.

"Did I?"

Inuyasha gave her a dirty look, his nose wrinkling up, his eyes squinting. "Yes?"

"Hm, funny. Didn't notice," Kagome said with a shrug. Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her.

"Look. I get it. You're mad."

"I'm more than mad, Inuyasha, I'm pissed the fuck off."

"I told you everything."

"I know," Kagome said, folding her arms over her chest. "I understand that. I am still entitled to feel my emotions."

"I never said you couldn't," Inuyasha responded. He was getting annoyed and Kagome could see it. She saw the way his eyebrow twitched, the ears atop his head swiveling and flickering. These were signs she'd learned to look out for.

"Of course, you didn't. Not directly—"

"What the fuck, Kagome."

"You simply implied it," Kagome finished her statement as they walked into the elevator. She hadn't noticed the security guards around them until they were inside the elevator, and the space seemed more crowded.

"How—"

"By stating that you told me everything as if that automatically means you're forgiven. As if that makes everything go away. Everything is not going away—"

"I never—"

"But you thought it," Kagome interrupted him. She looked up at him with furrowed eyebrows and pursed lips. "I know you did."

It went silent for a few seconds before Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak. Kagome pressed a finger into his chest, a white fingernail digging into his skin through the fabric, the feel of her fingernail touching him was enough to have him breaking eye contact. His eyes fluttered down to where she was digging into his skin. He used the knuckle of his index finger to gently lift hers, moving it away from him.

"Don't do that," he muttered darkly. "Stop trying to argue with me before a fight, Higurashi."

"This isn't me arguing," Kagome said, her voice back to innocence. Her eyes blinking up at him. "This is me explaining. Arguments and explanations are different."

Her finger came up to hook around the short Cuban link that rested at the base of his neck. It glittered under the bright light of the elevator as she tugged on it gently. The movement forced his head to move a little lower. "Maybe," Kagome hissed, "you should learn the fucking difference."

"You seemed fine last night," Inuyasha whispered as he pulled away from her. Her fingernail made a slight sound against the silver of his necklace. "What changed?"

"Nothing has changed Inuyasha," Kagome started, she glanced toward the elevator doors as they opened with a ding into the car park where their car was waiting for them. "You lied to me."

"I didn't lie—" Inuyasha said, practically speed-walking after Kagome.

Why is she running away from me?

Kagome paused momentarily in her steps as if she was going to cause a scene but decided against it. "Okay, sure. You didn't," her agreement was sarcastic, which he could clearly see through. Her body language and the tone of her voice told him that she didn't believe what she was saying to him.

"Can we not argue before a fight, please? I'd like to stay focused on my job tonight," And not focus on trying to fix this so we can move on.

Kagome climbed into the car before he did, and he tried his best to not stare at her when she did so. "I said I wasn't arguing. I'm explaining. If you believe that my explanation is an argument then you need to figure out why." She gave him a sideways glance as she fixed her hair. "Not all conflict is bad conflict."

Inuyasha ignored her last statement in favor of her first.

She was bringing up something that he had assumed was already over with and using it to argue. Or at least that's how he saw it. Kagome rolled her eyes at him when he said so.

"It was never over with. It never will be over with. The fuck did you expect me to say? 'Oh okay, cool!' And then keep it pushing for the rest of this shit? No, Inuyasha. It's going to take more than just one conversation for me to be…I don't fucking know—at peace about it."

Kagome's words were making his blood boil and he decided then and there that he was going to beat the living shit out of his opponent if he could hold on to what he wanted to say.

"Okay, Kagome," Inuyasha sighed in response as he shifted in his seat. "You win."

In his lap, his hands opened, flexed, and then closed again. His jaw was set and he swallowed a few times.

"It's not a competition," Kagome said after a few minutes of sitting quietly in the back seat with him. "…it's just not."

"Then what is it then?"

"Me explaining my feelings and why I'm still feeling the way I feel."

"Okay, well…I don't agree with that."

If there was anger that flashed through her eyes, Inuyasha didn't see it. Kagome took a sharp inhale, jaw clenching for a second before she laughed a little bit at his answer.

"Okay."

"Cool," Inuyasha responded.

"Fine."

"Are we done now?"

"Sure, Inuyasha."

Her response was met with a straight face. She gave him an empty smile in return.

"You're impossible," Inuyasha started, glaring at Kagome. Kagome leaned back, angling her body away from him before looking at Inuyasha up and down. "You are," he pressed.

"How am I the impossible one?"

"Because I'm sitting here arguing with you before a fight about your feelings, Kagome. I don't want to do this, I never want to do this, I don't think you understand just how much I do not need this right now."

Kagome could make out the camera lights flashing outside of the tinted windows, and the screams of the crowd that surrounded the outside of the hotel they'd left. "I don't know how else to explain to you that I'm not trying to argue with you—"

"You are!"

Kagome glowered at him, sighed, and then turned her attention down to her phone. "That sounds like a you problem—"

"Oh my fucking god—"

"Because I'm not trying to start an argument with you, Inuyasha. Not everything needs a reaction, you don't need to defend yourself from everything I say to you. If you want this friendship to be healthy you need to be okay with me telling you when you fucked up, how your fuck ups affected me." Kagome said lowly, staring at Inuyasha with a bored expression.

The security guard in the passenger's seat started to cough a little bit, no doubt at Kagome's words and his reaction had Inuyasha glaring at the back of his seat.

"I…feel like we're talking about fourteen different things at the same time right now, and nothing is making sense," Inuyasha sighed, running his hands down his face. "What are you mad at me for? And why?"

"I'm mad at you because of last night—"

"But I told you every—"

"The backendof last night," Kagome clarified. "When you lied to me after spending the whole night being so-called honest with me. You think I'm dumb?"

Inuyasha paused, eyes locked on Kagome's face as she waited for an answer from him. She was right, he'd lied to her.

Again.

When Inuyasha tried to speak again, Kagome merely shook her head. "Look…I'm not trying to stress you out before your fight, alright? So let's just…forget it for right now."

The car slowed down, making its way through the crowds of people surrounding the entrance to the arena. Inuyasha contemplated whether it was better to settle the dispute in the car before getting out or to put it on hold as Kagome was suggesting.

Before he had time to decide, Kagome reached toward the collar of his white shirt and pressed a kiss into the fabric.

"The hell is that for?" Inuyasha asked, pulling at it.

"Publicity," Kagome muttered as her car door opened. He watched as she climbed out of the car, and quickly followed after her, taking Kagome by the hand.

It was loud. The sounds and cheers were overwhelming on a whole other level.

The air felt different. Drier. It felt easier to breathe…somehow.

Myoga was speaking to him but he couldn't make out what he was saying, Inuyasha was just going to have to ask him later.

"Smile," the man in front of him asked, and Inuyasha bared his teeth. The man nodded when he saw Inuyasha's mouthguard. "Flip your hands over for me, Inuyasha."

Large, gloved hands flipped over. The man's gloved fingers brushed against his exposed palms. "You're good to go. Good luck, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha nodded and turned toward Kagome. Her hand reached up to him, bringing his face down to kiss him on the cheek. "Beat the fuck out of him."

Inuyasha laughed a little bit at her words and then turned towards the steps leading up to the octagon.

Kagome watched as Inuyasha crawled up the steps on all fours. Her eyes trailed over the muscles in his shoulders and back, following them as they moved under his skin. The change in Inuyasha on fight nights was always impressive to her, and it never mattered how much she hated him at the moment.

It was like he became this new version of himself. Disciplined, focused, locked in, and thinking only of destroying Menōmaru.

Inuyasha locked his eyes on Kagome as she made her way to her seat with Miroku, never tearing them away from her until he was sure they were okay. His vision was blocked, however, by Menōmaru. Menōmaru looked back at Kagome and then looked at Inuyasha. "Huh," he said, with a sly smile. "That your girl?"

Inuyasha's eyes darkened almost immediately, and his opponent gave him another smile.

"Now, wouldn't it be a damn shame, if I fucked her tonight?"

"You say that like she'd let you touch her—"

"Oh, you think I ain't got a chance?" Menōmaru asked, feigning surprise.

"I will gut you and feed you to the fucking stray dogs if you ever talk about Kagome again," Inuyasha said across the octagon. "And then I'll fuck your mother."

His words came out a little too naturally, they shot out so quickly he didn't have time to rethink what he'd said.

"Let's see you try," Menōmaru said.

The referee brought them together and shared the rules of the match. Inuyasha ignored his voice, staring at Menōmaru.

"Touch gloves if you want to," the referee said. Menōmaru stuck out his hand for Inuyasha to touch, but he pushed his gloved hand aside instead.

Inuyasha started off the fight strong. His reflexes were quick, his striking accurate.

Menōmaru's leg lifted, aiming at his side and Inuyasha was quick to tuck his elbow, using it to block the impact. He winced slightly at the sting that seared through his elbow, but he shook it off and brought his hands back in front of his face.

He threw a punch, breathing out as his fist connected with the side of his Menōmaru's face. Menōmaru faltered, head whipping to one side, and Inuyasha used that opportunity to duck and punch upward into the Menōmaru's chin.

Menōmaru stumbled to one side, but not without landing a punch into Inuyasha's side, right where his liver was. The pain nearly had his eyes bulging, and it caused him to drop his guard just slightly—but it was enough for Menōmaru to be able to land a good kick into his calf.

Ouch.

He felt his breathing become ragged as if the wind had been knocked out of him. It took a few seconds before he regained his composure and by then Inuyasha was angry at him.

Okay then, let's do this.

Noticing the new fire in Inuyasha's eyes, Menōmaru decided to move around Inuyasha, leading him in a circle. He attempted to kick his foot out into Inuyasha's stomach, but his ankle was caught, and his leg was pushed aside. The force of the push caused the Menōmaru to stumble and Inuyasha kicked hard into Menōmaru's ribs. He watched him gasp for air, stumbling back as his arm desperately swung forward to punch at Inuyasha's face. It landed on his cheekbone.

Inuyasha briefly glanced beyond Menōmaru, trying to determine how much distance there was between himself and the caging behind them. His Menōmaru checked the low kick Inuyasha gave to his calf, causing Inuyasha to tilt his head and smile a little bit.

So we're checking kicks now huh?

Menōmaru seemed less confident now, Inuyasha noticed. He kept moving his legs, the front-facing one touching the canvas only with the ball of his foot. Hands were constantly switching between guarding his face and guarding his stomach. Inuyasha took a step forward and threw his elbow directly across his Menōmaru's cheek.

The strike caused Menōmaru to throw a jab at his face but Inuyasha was quick to swerve it and lock his arm around his Menōmaru's neck, forcing his head to face down.

Quickly, Inuyasha walked him toward the caging behind them, pinning him against it.

"Take him down!" Inuyasha heard Myoga's voice say. "Force 'em onto the floor! C'mon!"

Inuyasha grunted at the sound of Myoga's voice, his head whipping to one side as Menōmaru threw an elbow at his face. Inuyasha threw one back, and then moved his lower body, angling his legs off to one side so he could raise one and kick his knee into his abdomen.

He felt Menōmaru's muscles contract, bracing against the kicks but as Inuyasha continued to drive his knee into him—each one somehow harder and faster than the last—his Menōmaru's stomach relaxed, no longer able to defend against the repeated attacks.

Inuyasha's breathing was becoming ragged again, stamina beginning to give out.

He needed to get Menōmaru on the ground or knocked out.

They shifted, Menōmaru attempted to push himself off the cage but Inuyasha swiftly slammed his upper body back against it. Inuyasha moved one leg between Menōmaru's. His arm hooked under his Menōmaru's so his hand was gripping onto his shoulder.

He was pinned.

His opponent used his unpinned arm to push against Inuyasha's bicep, his hand gripping his muscle tightly as he tried his best to push. When that didn't work began to punch upward into Inuyasha's stomach, and Inuyasha's free arm came forward to block as many of the hits as he could.

As soon as he felt Menōmaru begin to make him move, threatening to unpin himself from against the cage, Inuyasha knew that he'd made a mistake.

There was a scramble. Punches and kicks and movements came in rapid succession as both men struggled to change their positions. Menōmaru struggled to keep his composure, he was frustrated and it was showing through grunts and curses through grit teeth. Blood splattered against the canvas, it was hard to tell whose.

Inuyasha was dead silent as he focused on trying to move onto the floor. The balls of his feet were beginning to hurt and they were threatening to slide out from underneath him, but he'd almost had it. He just needed one more—

Shift.

Bodies came tumbling down to the ground, and Inuyasha made quick work of straddling his Menōmaru. His knees dug forcefully into Menōmaru's hips, and the sides of his fists came crashing down against the forearms in front of Menōmaru's face.

Menōmaru's shield broke rapidly, and he threw yet another elbow—this one came clean across Inuyasha's nose.

Inuyasha heard a deep crack from within his nose and instantly his eyes began to water. He felt pressure and a dull ache begin to form. He could smell the blood before he felt it trickle down his face, over his lips.

His tongue dragged across the surface of his lips, attempting to lick off as much of it as he could before it began to trickle down his chin, droplets of it landing on his opponents.

Inuyasha landed a jab right at Menōmaru's left eye in response. His arm came back as if repairing to give another one and then the bell rang again.

Round two was over.

Inuyasha got up from Menōmaru and walked back toward his corner. One hand was on his hip as the other came up to squeeze his nostrils, head tilted upward.

He didn't sit down, instead, he opted to stand against the cage as the doctor came into the octagon to inspect his nose.

"I think it's broken," Inuyasha hissed, moving his hand to allow the doctor to take a closer look.

He was asked if he could continue to fight.

"Yes," Inuyasha responded with a nod. "I can keep going."

Inuyasha looked out into the crowd momentarily and spotted Kagome. Her hand covered her mouth as she locked eyes with him. Inuyasha almost wanted to climb out of the octagon and tell her to stop being dramatic.

His face was iced again, but this time it burned. He could feel swelling begin to form on his cheekbone.

Inuyasha heard Myoga's voice again. "You have two rounds left after this third one, Inuyasha. You can finish him. He's starting to give out, you had 'em on the ground. Try to land a few good body shots this round, you're focusing too much on boxing him, not enough on getting him to fight you on the ground. You have a cut above your left eyebrow."

Inuyasha took a sip of water, swishing it around in his mouth, he could taste the blood mixing with the water. He swallowed and handed the water back to the medic who gave it to him. He shook his arms and took a deep breath as vaseline was applied to the cut on his face.

When round three started, Inuyasha went back into it no longer angry—but annoyed.

Why the fuck wasn't he finished already?

What the fuck was he doing wrong?

A punch—fuelled entirely by frustration—made connection with Menōmaru's ribcage. Inuyasha felt Menōmaru fold over, and so he followed it with a right hook to the jaw, forcing him off balance.

Inuyasha ducked the high kick to his head.

There was a bit of a lull as both men circled each other, each one trying to determine what to do next.

Inuyasha was the first to make a move.

Inuyasha took two steps forward. He threw stiff punches at his head, forcing his Menōmaru's hands up to block his face, and then he threw a kick to the front of his body, forcing him away.

There was a split-second pause, and then Inuyasha's leg was moving again. His knee shot up, and his hips twisted to the left. The foot he was balancing on pivoted, and Inuyasha's leg aimed at the side of his Menōmaru's abdomen before switching last second.

He leaned back against his non-kicking leg, driving his kick up into the side of his head with a whiplike motion.

Within two seconds Menōmaru dropped to the ground.

The cheer that came from the crowd shook Inuyasha's entire body, he felt high from the adrenaline that pumped through his body. Everything sounded distorted as the referee rushed forward, waving his arms in the air to signify that Menōmaru had been knocked out. Sweat dripped down Inuyasha's face, torso, and back, making his skin slick.

Medics rushed into the octagon. His nose was hurting again, more than before.

There was more talking more flashing lights. Inuyasha kneeled on the canvas, doing all he could to keep from unleashing a string of curses on live television but fuck did his face hurt so bad.

Something—someone blocked the bright lights that shone down on him, and there was a slight breeze as whoever it was crouched down in front of him. "Hey," Kagome's voice, delicate and soft, reached his ears. "Are you okay?"

Inuyasha opened his eyes and found himself staring directly into Kagome's. Big and brown, he distinctly remembered just how fiery they'd seemed a few hours prior—just how angry she'd seemed at him. "You ain't mad anymore?"

"Well," Kagome sighed, her hands clasping in front of her, hand over the other, fingers interlocking. The tennis bracelet she wore reflected the harsh fluorescent lights. "I'm more concerned about your face," she muttered. Her eyes flickered over the beaten face she was staring at. Blood smeared around his nose, it dripped down from the cut above his brow. His cheeks were red.

Part of Kagome thought that this was a bit like payback—a little bit deserved over what he'd done, or rather, said to her.

Part of Kagome thought that it wasn't even worth being upset at him anymore—he'd gotten his.

But she was, she was still very much angry at him. He'd lied to her straight through his fucking teeth, after championing being "honest" with her and telling her everything. It was hard not to be angry about something like that.

"I'll be fine," Inuyasha murmured. He winced as he got up, every muscle in his body felt tired and sore. "I just…need to see the doctor before we leave, I think my nose is broken."

It didn't take long for medics and sports journalists to flood the octagon. She stood up, grabbing onto Inuyasha's forearm to pull her body up from the position she was in. Kagome could feel them closing in around them. Cameras and microphones were shoved in their general direction and Kagome wasn't in the mood to deal with them. She wasn't even in the mood to be at the fight. She was tired, frustrated, angry, and for the first time in a very long time—Kagome made a face at the camera. She gave them a dirty look and made it clear that she didn't enjoy all the attention that they were receiving at the moment.

"So you're still mad at me?" Inuyasha asked, drying his hair with a towel. Kagome sighed at the sound of his voice, plopping herself down on the couch in the living room as she brushed through her damp hair. It'd taken them longer than usual to leave the venue, as he needed to see the doctor to make sure the injury to his nose wasn't in need of any emergency medical attention.

It wasn't, he was fine. it would heal on its own in a few days.

When Kagome didn't respond, Inuyasha walked out of his bedroom, running a towel down his hair. "Yo? You just gonna ignore me?"

"Shut up, Inuyasha."

"Oh," he laughed, nodding his head a little bit. "Noted."

"Oh what, you think I have no reason to be upset?"

"That's exactly what I think, yes," Inuyasha said sarcastically. "Look, I'm not trying to argue with you over this."

"For the last fucking time, Inuyasha," Kagome said through grit teeth. "I'm not trying to fucking argue with you over this. You lied, you fucked up—the least you could do? Apologize."

"I didn't fucking lie."

"You said you were jetlagged," Kagome muttered. "You looked like you were about to pass out. That's not jet lag."

"...Oh my god, Kagome," Inuyasha breathed. "You don't even see how you're trying to start something here."

"...Do you really want to go down that road right now, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, pointing her brush at him, she squinted. "Do you genuinelywant to do this, right now?"

"We're already in it."

"I fucking hate you, oh my god."

"Here we go—"

"Here we go? Here we go?!"

"YES! HERE WE GO, KAGOME," Inuyasha yelled, throwing aside the towel in his hands. "HERE WE FUCKING GO! WHAT ARE YOU GONNA BITCH AT ME ABOUT NOW?!"

"YOUR LIES, INUYASHA! YOU LIED TO ME!"

"Oh, I lied to you about being jet-lagged? Big fucking deal, Kagome."

"The issue here isn't necessarily the lie," Kagome said after taking a deep breath. "It's the fact that you lied to me after telling me everything—were you even being honest with me?"

"I…what?! Yes! Of course, I was being honest with you," Inuyasha said. He clenched his jaw as he leaned against the doorway of his room. "I was being honest with you about myself, Kagome. That's true."

"Well, I can't believe that you were now."

There was a long pause as Inuyasha cracked his neck and took a deep breath in.

"Context matters here," Kagome started, her voice soft as she stared down at the brush in her hands. "The issue isn't necessarily the lie, it's the context around it. You were being honest with me, telling me about everything. And then you're going to end it by lying to me?"

Inuyasha didn't respond, he just scratched at the back of his head. "I—"

"That was bold," Kagome said, laughing a little. "That takes balls."

"I am jet-lagged," Inuyasha said, and his attempt to double down had Kagome guffawing.

"Sure, except last night you used it to mask the fact that you were on something," Kagome hissed. "What. Were. You. On? Xanax?"

"I wasn't on shit—"

"That's BULLSHIT, INUYASHA!"

"I WAS TIRED!"

"YOU'RE AN ALCOHOLIC BUT WERE GONNA PASS OUT AFTER ONE DRINK? REALLY? YOU REALLY THINK I WASN'T GOING TO NOTICE THAT SHIT?"

"I WASN'T GONNA PASS OUT AND HOW DO YOU KNOW IT WAS ONLY ONE DRINK?"

"I FUCKING HATE YOU!" Kagome shouted from where she was sitting. Without thinking she flung her hairbrush in Inuyasha's direction, he was quick to duck the throw. "You're such a fucking DICK!"

"COME SAY IT TO MY FUCKING FACE!"

Kagome got up from where she was sitting and stalked toward him. "You want me to say it to your fucking face?" She asked, staring up at him. "You want me to say it to your fucking face?"

"Go the fuck ahead," Inuyasha said, glaring down at her. "Fucking say it then."

"I fucking hate you," Kagome said, "like genuinely." She could feel the blood rushing to her face—her chest and face felt hot.

"You don't hate my money though," Inuyasha spat back, glaring at her. "Oh, you love my money."

Kagome stared up at him for a second. Her chest was heaving, breathing heavily. Her hand came up and before Inuyasha had the opportunity to move his head, her open palm connected with his cheek in the hardest slap she'd given him to date. All the pent-up rage she'd been holding in for the past few months of her life culminated in the slap. His cheek felt as if he'd been burned.

He blinked, stunned. Gold eyes stared down at the woman who dared to stand up to him like that. She moved again, and Inuyasha quickly caught her wrist in the middle of the action.

"Were you going to hit me again?" Inuyasha asked, his voice low. Kagome gulped, leaning back as Inuyasha leaned forward. Kagome tried to yank her wrist out of his hand, her free hand hitting his forearm with the side of her fist. His other hand grabbed onto her wrist. He pulled her wrists in, holding them against his chest. Kagome tried to move, her body pulling away from him and she cursed at him through grit teeth.

"You're real handsy, aren't you?" He said, eyes low as he kept her wrists flush against his chest.

"Fuck you!" Kagome hissed. Inuyasha glared down at her, trying his best to stay calm even though every fiber of his being was yelling at him to scream back at her—he wasn't going to. He simply didn't have the energy to do that, not today, anyway.

"You need to stop attacking me, Kagome," Inuyasha whispered, looking down at her with bored eyes. "Okay?"

"Make me."

There was a long, heavy pause. The air around them was heavy with suspense. Hearts thumping like alarms.

Run.

Stay.

Kiss.

Look.

Kagome's eyes tore away from her wrists and up at Inuyasha. He stared at her like he was trying to decide something she had the answer to. Like she was the answer to the question in his mind. His eyes were like panes of amber-stained glass.

Cold.

Emotionless.

Kagome gulped, swallowing thickly. "Inuyasha—"

"Shut up," Inuyasha breathed, and his hands moved to cup her cheeks. Tilting her face up toward him.

The kiss came as a complete surprise and it caught her mid gasp. Her hands gripped the muscle of his biceps, fingernails digging into the muscle. When Inuyasha pulled away, he was met with defiance. Furrowed eyebrows, angry eyes, and a heart that beat against Kagome's chest like a fucking drum. He could hear it.

"I fucking hate you," Kagome muttered into the kiss. He moved, and before Kagome could do anything—she felt his tongue run across the smooth skin of her neck, settling on her sweet spot. His fangs gently nipped at the skin, and then his lips closed around the area. The grip she held on his biceps weakened, and she had to fight back a moan.

She was not going to give him the satisfaction of giving her pleasure.

But oh, she wanted to.

"I've heard that before," Inuyasha muttered in response, his voice breathy. "Say you hate me again and watch what happens." He whispered in her ear, almost as a dare. His fangs bit gently at her earlobe. Kagome felt a cold shiver move down her spine, and she let out a small squeak as he picked her up. Her legs wrapped around his hips, arms around his neck like ribbons.

"I fucking hate you," Kagome whispered, capturing his lips with her own. She could feel his chest rumble with a chuckle.

There was movement, and before Kagome knew it she was laying on the bed and Inuyasha was hovering over her, strong hands tearing apart her shirt, buttons falling to the floor. They traveled over the skin of her torso, feeling against her breasts, touching her in ways she'd dreamed about. He finished taking off her shirt and tossed it aside.

Gentleness and delicacy went out of the window when he helped her wiggle off her shorts.

He didn't want to make love to her, he wanted to fuck her.

Kagome moved, sitting on her knees before leaning forward, towards him. She blinked up at him with dark, eager eyes, and Inuyasha swore his heart stopped when she pulled and tugged at his pants as if her life depended on it.

Her heart was thumping so hard against her chest, excitement pumping through her body. She looked up at him as she opened her mouth, tongue sticking out slightly as she took him in her mouth. She could feel him tense up, his hands finding their way into her hair.

Kagome arched her back, moaning as she sucked him off.

Giving him pleasure made her feel good. It made her body feel hot, her mind going blank as all she focused on was sucking his dick. All she focused on was drawing out sounds of pleasure, but she also thought about just how much she hated him at the moment.

He'd angered her so much.

So. Fucking. Much.

"Fuck," Inuyasha whispered under his breath, eyebrows furrowed as he bit down on his lower lip. Kagome loved the sound of his voice.

She went deeper, feeling his dick against the back of her throat, looking up at him with tears welling up in her eyes.

Kagome wanted to make him fucking whimper.

"God damn, Kagome," Inuyasha said, gently pushing on her head, grabbing fistfuls of her hair; feeling her head bob up and down slowly, mouth a perfectly shaped O for him. She released him with a satisfying 'pop' of her mouth.

He wasn't sure where she'd learned that, and he wasn't about to go asking questions either. His hand let go of her hand and came down to her face, forcefully grabbing her cheeks and the pain felt so fucking good.

"Fuck this," Inuyasha breathed, and once again their lips collided one again; he could taste himself on her.

The kiss was sloppy, full of all the pent-up anger and emotion they'd had for each other. Kagome pulled him, falling back onto the bed as he hovered over her, hands grabbing fistfuls of the sheets. His fangs dragged down her neck, and Kagome shivered, her back arching into him.

"Fuck me," she breathed, her nails digging into the back of his neck.

"Not yet."

He kissed a trail down between her breasts, the panes of her stomach. Each one left a hot feeling on her skin in its wake, each one causing her to tense up, skin twitching. There was a light tap on her legs. His arms hooked under her, fingers pressing into the soft flesh of her thighs. His breath fanned out over her, and Kagome's eyes fluttered as he nipped at the inside of her thighs, getting closer and closer until—

Her eyes almost rolled to the back of her head at the feeling of his tongue. Her hands gripped the sheets of the bed in a white knuckle grip. Kagome made the mistake of looking down at him as he went down on her.

Big, beautiful, amber eyes stared directly at her as he took his time on her. There was a smile as she shifted under him, back arching to him. Her heels dug into the bed, toes curling. Each movement of his tongue draws out a louder moan.

He didn't want her to be quiet, he wanted her to show him how much she was enjoying this.

The muscles in Kagome's stomach tensed up, her head moving against the bed. Her legs started shaking and she tried to close them—run from him. But Inuyasha just pulled her closer with an angry growl.

Don't run from me.

He continued, keeping the same pace, keeping her close to his mouth. Eyes turned up to her to watch the reactions on her face. The quick rise and fall of her chest, jaw clenched, eyes squeezed shut until—

There was a sudden relaxation, the tense muscles of her thighs and stomach relaxing, and her breath came in shallow, ragged breaths. She cursed under her breath, breathing out his name like it was some type of prayer. Her hands shook as she let go of the sheets, resting against her chest, but Inuyasha wasn't going to give her a chance to rest.

His tongue glided against the skin of her stomach as he made his way back up to her, but Kagome was still trying to catch her breath from the orgasm that he's given her.

His hand grabbed onto her face, the pads of his fingers digging into the supple skin of her cheeks as he forced her to look at him.

"Look at me when I'm fucking you," Inuyasha said, his voice low and smoky. There was an edge to it that Kagome hadn't heard before and the very thought of him commanding her caused the knots in the pit of her stomach to turn into butterflies.

Kagome tried to turn her face away, but he forced her to look at him as he slid into her.

As much as she tried, Kagome couldn't bite back the moan that escaped her lips. She couldn't fight back the sigh of his name.

She propped herself up, an elbow digging into the mattress. her free arm hooked around his neck, bringing him closer to her, foreheads touching, eyes burning with both anger and genuine pleasure.

Fuck him.

"I hate you, Inuyasha."

"No, you don't," Inuyasha replied, his voice barely above a whisper. Her legs hooked around the back of his thighs.

Kagome kissed him, trying her best to keep doing so but it was impossible when every thrust felt like heaven, every movement of his hips brought her closer to nirvana. She had no choice but to take it, her mouth hanging slightly open, nose brushing against his. "Oh fuck," she breathed, her hand gripping the sheets again, trying to keep herself from jolting.

"Turn around," Inuyasha said in her ear, and Kagome grunted at the command.

Her defiance was attractive, and it only added to the anger he was taking out on her. He stopped, sitting back on his knees as he forced her legs off of him. His hands—large and rough—gripped into her waist as he forced her onto her stomach, and then they trailed down to her hips, lifting them up and pressing them against him, his dick sinking back into her pussy. Kagome let out a gasp as he did so, and Inuyasha leaned forward. Long silver hair fell like a curtain over his shoulder, tickling her back. Hot skin on skin as his fingers found their way into her mouth. "Take it."

There was a forceful thrust that had Kagome nearly jolting forward. Her arms out in front of her, she grabbed onto the pillow in front of her for dear life, as if it would somehow help her brace against him.

Her head jerked back as he wrapped her hair around his hand, pulling on it with every movement. The palm of his other hand pressed into the small of her back. Kagome let out another curse. Her voice broke up as he pounded into her while she said, "fuck, Inuyasha this feels so fucking good."

Her voice was more of a grunt, heavy with pleasure. Her eyes squeezed shut as he sped up, and she found it difficult to keep her hips up. His hands cemented themselves on the bed on either side of Kagome's body.

His hair stuck to his back, his forehead, his shoulders. His breath came out in heavy, hot pants. He moved, hands feeling against the dip of her back, thumbs coming to rest in the dimples of her back, and he pulled her hips back against him, drawing a moan out of Kagome as she gripped the sheets. Her head jerks back, face turned up to the ceiling as she grit her teeth. She was doing everything in her power to brace herself for him but her efforts for futile.

The grip she held on the sheets was beginning to falter, fingers hurting from digging into them. She couldn't stay up. Kagome let herself slip just slightly, stomach flush against the soft sheets. Het toes digging into the mattress, face pressed against it.

"You talked so much shit," Inuyasha said slowly, his pace slowing down, but each slow, rhythmic movement was better than the last. He leaned forward again, pressing kisses into her shoulder blades. A rare moment of tenderness in a flurry of roughness and primal instinct. "...You're a mess," he added, his hand coming around her throat, tilting her head back so he could look into her eyes.

They were red, her eyelashes wet from her tears, porcelain skin now blotchy and crimson—it made him oddly proud to know he'd caused this. The skin on her neck was sticky yet somehow slick with sweat.

The slower pace was a bit of a relief to Kagome, she felt like she could catch her breath. Like she could think about something other than how good this all felt, how good it felt to be treated like his plaything. Like a toy, he could toss around and do as he wished.

Their sexual connection was karmic, simply put. Ignited by anger and hate, that dissolved into devotion and worship like religion in the bedroom. And that was cemented, inscribed in Kagome's mind as she felt his skin against hers, his lips close around the skin on her neck, hand covering her mouth to muffle the moan, and he still pounded into her.

And it hurt so good.

So. Fucking. Good.

He moved, pulling away from the mark he'd left on her throat, nails dragging gently across the skin of her back, and then his hand once again settled into the small of her back, bringing her back against him. Kagome's hand came back—nails scratching against the tips of his fingers. He grabbed onto her wrist, pulling her arm back.

His muscles began to contract, thrusting became harder, and Kagome knew this meant he was close. She wiggled, hips moving back against him with a slight movement of her ass. His hand dug into the skin of her back, his face contorted. There was a hiss, a ragged breath, Kagome's walls tightened around him, and then she felt warmth fill her.

Inuyasha felt like he'd just come up for air. He could finally feel his heart beating hard against his chest.

He felt like a heavy fog had just been lifted from his mind, and it took him a while to gather himself, even after Kagome had slipped, he was still buried inside her. His hand rested on her back, feeling every shaky breath she drew in.

"You okay?" he asked softly, and Kagome nodded, her face buried into the sheets. She felt his hand brush away her hair, and then a kiss on her shoulder. "I'm sorry." His voice was barely above a whisper.

"For what?" Kagome asked, lifting her head, and turning to look at him. "What are we apologizing for?"

"...Lying. I'm sorry I lied to you."

There was a long pause, and then Kagome sighed. "I understand why you did it."

"It's still not right, though," Inuyasha muttered, looking over her splotchy red face, the way her long eyelashes clumped together, bound by the tears he'd created. There was an overwhelming urge to kiss her again—but do it right this time.

Do it softly.

Gently.

Take his time on her.

Kagome blinked away from him, and before he knew it she was rolling out from under him, her hair slipping away from him as she stood up. His eyes focused on the gentle curves of her silhouette as she pulled her hair up into a bun while she stared out of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the hotel bedroom.

"Kagome?"

"We have an interview later today," Kagome said suddenly, trying her best to calm the nerves that were beginning to build up once more, the redness that threatened to come over her cheeks. She could feel her ears and face begin to grow hot. "Try to get some rest, alright?" she added as she fumbled around for her shorts and pulled them back on—ass peaking out a little.

Coldness was rare coming from her, and something about it hurt. Something about it made his skin grow cold but he shook it off. "Yeah, you're right."

"Goodnight, Inuyasha," Kagome said, pausing at the doorway of his bedroom—and Inuyasha was a little hurt that she was leaving.

Why the fuck do I feel like this?

"Goodnight, Kagome."