Disclaimer: -beep- Segment not found. –pause--thrash!--slap!--whack!--kick!--punch!- All right, Rumiko, all right already! Yeesh! Inuyasha is all yours!

Author's Note: I'm so sorry it took me so long to update this one! ;D ;P ;D ;P ;D I wrote down a draft somewhere and I took forever trying to find it. I still haven't but I decided to update anyway, based on memory. The draft was sweeter and more well thought-out, but I'm hoping you'll like this all the same. ;D If I ever find it, I'll make sure to edit and revise this chapter, but for now—until I do find it—I guess this'll have to do. Here you go! ;P And thanks to my lovely, lovely reviewers! ;P This is the Part 2 I promised you when I abruptly ended the last chapter. :D

haunting hanyou: Rin went to Paris before the start of the story, but I'm going to elaborate on that a bit later. :D Sango started going out with Ingo to get Miroku jealous, but their relationship is fairly recent. The date mentioned in the last chapter was supposedly their first. :D Please keep reading—if you have any more questions they'll be answered eventually, and if they aren't feel free to let me know. Thanks for the review, and enjoy this next chapter! ;P ;D ;P ;D ;P ;D ;P ;D

Kawaii-CherryWolf: Yes, he does, heehee! ;P ;D ;P ;D ;P ;D ;P ;D It's something that's I'm not quite ready to reveal yet—let's just say everyone will know more about it later on, when Inuyasha feels like dwelling on that nasty experience.

Inuyasha: Never!

foo'addict: Oh, we're going to have to see about that...evil laugh...er...anyway, I hope you like this chapter, and thank you so much for the review! ;P Enjoy! ;P

jenfrog: Thank you, please keep reading and letting me know what you think! ;P Hehe...I'm a little unsure about this chapter, but I hope you like it. :D

demonpriestess07: Sorry it took me so long to update—I hope you'll like this chapter and find it was worth the wait. :D Thanks for reviewing! ;P

Sakura Ai: Thank you! ;P Don't worry, it's still a long uphill battle for this hanyou.

Inuyasha: snort Like Kagome would be able to resist me.

Kagome: Oh yeah, Sakura, I'm definitely going to be taking my time with this one...

iNuYaShAsweet: Heehee, hey! ;P I hope you like it and let me know what you think on this one—one word can mean a lot of things, haha! ;P ;D ;P ;D ;P ;D ;P ;D Thanks for the review! ;P

Nomadgirl66: Thanks, I'm relieved to know you like it! ;P ;D ;P ;D ;P ;D ;P Here's the update, and I'm sorry it took so long. :D Hope to hear from you soon, and enjoy! ;P

Shadow Girl63: Thank you very much! ;P ;D I'm glad you like it, and I hope you'll let me know what you think of this chapter as soon as you read it! ;D

Now here all of you go! ;P Let me know what you think, okay? ;D I'm pretty tense about it—heehee. :D

Chapter 5

The Remedy

"Kagome, duck!"

"Kagome!"

Miroku's arm shot out to keep Sango from lunging forward and he yanked her back just before a vicious slash of power ripped the street before them. Concrete and asphalt showered down onto them and they could hear the distant beeps of the car alarms that the slash triggered.

"Kagome!" Sango cried wildly, struggling in Miroku's grip. "Let me go, you bastard!"

Coughing from the particles swirling around her and shaking from the power that had missed her by mere inches on either side, Kagome lowered her arms from over her head and brushed the dirt from her eyes. Her legs were refusing to cooperate so she remained seated, though Sango's panicked voice cut through her shock and unlocked her voice.

"I'm here," she called out weakly, catching sight of Sango's white face as the air cleared.

"You little bitch."

Her relief evaporated as a threatening shadow loomed over her and tilting her face up made her meet a pair of raging golden eyes. His claws were spread in a decidedly aggressive stance, though they remained at his sides, but their location did not diminish her unease.

"How dare you mention that name!" he continued in that same ominous voice, and she flinched as his right hand twitched threateningly. "You don't even know what you're talking about."

"I-I—" she swallowed hard, trying to stop herself from shaking. Taking a deep breath she lowered her eyes, unable to bear the weight of his glare. "You're right. I'm sorry. I don't know what I'm talking about."

"Damn right!" Inuyasha balled his fists together so hard that his claws dug into his palm and his blood began trickling to the mangled ground. He told himself to calm down, but it wasn't the anger he was trying to control anymore. Pain was pouring out from the old wound in an ocean and every inch of his emotional and mental strength couldn't block it.

"Let me go, Miroku!" Sango hissed, her ears straining to hear what Inuyasha and Kagome were talking about.

"Stay out of it, Sango," Miroku murmured softly, his arm firmly in place around her. "She said something terrible and now she has to take the flak for it."

"Oh, you really are the most simple-minded—" She bit her tongue and gave him an exasperated look over her shoulder. "Don't you want to hear what they're talking about? When a girl brings up ex-girlfriends to a boy it always gets interesting! And this is something they're not likely going to be talking about so publicly again!"

Miroku took a tentative step forward, though his arm remained around Sango. Before she could manage a triumphant look, however, he paused and shot her another question. "Do you mean that Kagome feels...?"

She rolled her eyes. "What, and Inuyasha doesn't?"

A slow smile spread over Miroku's face and Sango felt a hot flush race through her as she imagined—well. She imagined, period.

"This should be interesting," he murmured, lifting his eyes and his arm as they began to move stealthily closer.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said sharply before stopping and evening his voice out as best he could. "I'll forgive you if you promise never to mention that name or anything about it ever again."

Guilt and fear almost made her do it, but something much stronger—and entirely different—made her say, "Why not? Inuyasha you have to talk about it sometime or it'll just—"

"Promise!" he ordered, growling and taking a threatening step towards her.

"All right!" she agreed, her voice rising in alarm.

His stance relaxed and she sagged with relief. He watched her shoulders slump and her breath return and he sighed, wondering at the guilt that she incited in him. She was in the wrong, he knew, and he had every right to be furious, but something about the terror he had seen in her eyes had unsettled him and made him feel—

Filthy.

He shut his eyes as pain ricocheted in his chest and Kikyo's voice rang in his ears. That had not been the first blow, and it hadn't been the last. Unwanted memories pressed themselves into his consciousness and he felt sick.

"Inuyasha?"

Kagome.

He opened his eyes and saw a different kind of alarm in her eyes. He stared at her, sitting amidst the rubble, her face streaked with dirt and her hair a sandy brown from the dust.

"The look suits you," he said gruffly, closing the distance between them and bending down. She flinched when his fingers closed on her shoulder and he glared at her. "I'm not going to hurt you!"

"Oh, sure, I'm so relieved!" she shot back shakily. "And you didn't just rip a street in half to get at me!"

He pursed his lips in impatience. "That was before you apologized. Now we're fine. Would you stop shaking, please? It's starting to bother me."

"Oh, yeah, I just love doing it, don't I?"

"You know, maintaining sarcasm as your second language will never be good for your social life."

She glared at him, yet though he didn't appreciate it he didn't snap at her anymore. The full effect of what he had almost done to her dawned on him and he felt a tiny prick of regret for the violence of his reaction. It had been years and no matter how painful it had been—and still was—he couldn't let it control him. He wasn't supposed to react this way to the pain of remembering what had happened. The thought of it making him attack Kagome with such force made him wince as guilt crept in to join the foray of emotions in his heart.

"I'm sorry, Kagome," he murmured softly, his hand cupping her nape as he leaned forward to press his forehead against hers. Wearily he sighed, his warm breath kissing her lips and releasing the remaining tension in her limbs. He moved his hands to her arms and began running them up and down in a soothing motion.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome whispered uneasily as goose bumps rose along her arms.

"Sorry," he said quickly, lifting his head and moving his torso away from her, sighing inwardly. Why did Kagome have to break every intimate moment they had? Leaning his forehead against hers was something he liked to do in particular, and though it was completely chaste she never allowed him the pleasure for very long. He pouted slightly but resisted the urge to sulk like a child. He'd get his way sooner or later anyway, no matter how Kagome resisted him.

"It's all right," Kagome said quickly, lest he feel the need to comfort her again. She was still blushing and still tingling from his touch and the heat of his body. She smirked as gratitude at being covered in dirt and dust crossed her mind. It would make her shriek any other day, but when she was feeling the way she was at present, it went a long way in masking her reaction to Inuyasha.

At least I hope it does, she thought anxiously, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she averted her eyes from Inuyasha's intense gaze.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked so suddenly that her gaze swung back to him and held as some strange power locked her view to his eyes alone.

"Yes. I'm just dirty, is all." She sighed, staring down at the lace and silk of her clothes, already imagining the whale of a dry-cleaning fee she'd have to pay to get them spotlessly clean again. "I guess it serves me right for being so rude though."

He wasn't about to assure that it was or wasn't—he himself couldn't decide. Instead he focused on something she could answer for him.

"Why are you so uptight today anyway? You're still not mad at me about our report are you?"

She flashed him a laughing grin. "After the fat perfect score Mr. Kurosawa just stamped onto our report cards yesterday? Not a chance!"

He smiled back but didn't drop the issue. "So what's up? Why were you particularly pissed this afternoon?"

"Nothing," Kagome answered, shrugging. "It's just some stupid deal about—oh!" She cast her gaze around her frantically.

"What is it?" Inuyasha asked concernedly as she began groping wildly about the dirt and debris about her.

"My flower!" she cried frenziedly.

Inuyasha's eyes rounded out. "Your what?"

Miroku and Sango froze for the second time that day, hot flushes filling their cheeks as Kagome's frenetic, anxious declaration filled their ears.

"Er...did she just say...?" Miroku crooned softly, slow, lecherous delight filling his face as he leaned forward.

"H-Her flower?" Sango repeated in disbelief as confusion and embarrassment set in. A second later realization shocked into her. "Oh yes, her damned flower!"

---

Kagome sighed and stared at the mangled blood-red bloom lying on the table as Inuyasha made explosive comments all throughout Sango's version of the flower shop lady. Miroku was visibly enjoying himself—not because Sango's story was entertaining him as much as it was Inuyasha, but rather because he got to take advantage of her excitement.

"Now, now, Sango, calm down," he said pacifyingly, stroking her hand. "You'll knock your drink off the table if you don't stop flailing your arms about."

"I know, I know," Sango grumbled, reaching out with her free hand to steady her sherbet, making no effort to stop his attentions on her left hand. "It's just that that lady makes me so mad!"

"Why did you put up with her, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, and she was surprised by how pissed off he was. "You should never have to tolerate such rude behavior!"

"She was harmless, really!" Kagome reasoned with a smile. Inuyasha becoming annoyed on her behalf was something, considering the fact that he was rude ten times over and ten times more frequently than the old lady. On the other hand they had known each other for some time, and familiarity did relax a few formalities when it came to polite behavior, so...

"That's not the point!" He leaned in close, his voice hot and his eyes intense. "If you keep bottling up your anger with everyone else you'll just keep taking it out on me! Don't you see how I always end up taking the heat for everyone else who pisses you off? You're way too nice to all the wrong people and bashing my brains out every time I get on your nerves a bit! I'm one of the important people—the ones you should care about being nice to!"

Kagome blinked and then laughed, quelling the urge to deny that she was constantly blowing some steam off on him. "Well—there is something about you that sets me off. Er—since you seem to know that you're so special to me—maybe I'm just so comfortable around you?" She blinked her eyes sweetly at him.

"Right. Like you mean that. Keh." He turned his eyes away from her moodily and she wondered whether she shouldn't have treated something that affected him so much so lightly. Sure, it felt good to punch a hole in his absolute conviction that he was important to her, but—

"All right, I'm sorry," she said quickly, reaching out on impulse to grab his hand. His eyes shot to hers but he didn't speak. Struck by the heat in them—and the ones building in her cheeks—she lifted her hand and patted him awkwardly. "So that you won't be such a slave to my moods, I'll find some other outlet for my aggression."

"Outlet?" His hand turned sharply, facing upwards to clasp hers. Openly interested, he licked his lips. "Like?"

She tore her hand from his and grabbed Miroku—who was sitting next to her. "Like Miroku here!"

"What? What were you two talking about?" he asked distractedly, only tolerating the interruption of his Sango's hand fantasy because Kagome was holding him—he could feel the press of her chest against his back.

Inuyasha smirked, leaning back. "Yeah, like you'd bark up that tree with Sango sniffing all around it."

Sango choked on her drink, torn from her the mental violence she was committing against Old Lady Flower Shop. "What! I am not sniffing around Miroku!"

"Oh please, like I'm buying that bull."

Glaring at him, Sango thumped her chest and coughed, trying to dislodge the fluid caught in her throat. "You've got things mixed up. I'm into Ingo. Miroku's cousin." She checked her watch. "The one who I'm supposed to be on a date with. Damn, he's probably really mad at me."

"If you're serious about him, I guess I could put in a good word for you—an edited version of the chaos that delayed you." Miroku's voice and expression was sincere, and Kagome saw all too well how that statement hit home, making her want to crush Miroku's ribs.

A shutter fell over Sango's eyes, but she wrinkled her nose at him and jumped to cover it up. "Oh, that won't be necessary. I'll...make it up to him...and he'll forgive me in a snap."

Inuyasha grinned, amused by what she was implying. "Why, Sango, I never knew you were such a hussy." Miroku's got his work cut out for him in getting you to admit your feelings first.

"Well, she does really seem to like him, so you can be sure she'll be all too willing to make amends." Miroku winked at her, positively radiating encouragement. "Ingo doesn't stand a chance against someone like you."

Sango raised a brow. " 'Someone like' me?"

"Pretty, sexy, feisty, and smart." He reached over to pat Sango on the cheek affectionately. "You'll knock him dead."

Oh dear, Kagome bit her lip, knowing how much that hurt.

"Oh, yeah." She gave him a brilliant smile, though Kagome could see it didn't reach Sango's eyes. "Thanks, Miroku."

"You ladies sure are working at being more livable," Inuyasha commented dryly.

Kagome smirked. "Well, right now I'm not mad at you—or anyone else, really—and since the remedy to not getting myself cut to bits is calling people out for things they deserve. So since you've been agreeable, I suppose I should be as well."

"So to keep you this way I have to be 'agreeable.'" He said it lazily, but there was definitely something suggestive in the way he was looking. Which made Kagome want to squirm.

"Yes," she said with a smile, trying to hide her discomfort. "Agreeable."

He nodded thoughtfully. "I believe I can do that."

Which left Kagome fervently wishing he couldn't.