Youkai's Siren

Chapter Five

Concentration had never been one of her strong points. Not even during her high school exit exam. Therefore, it did not surprise her when she was actually shaken back into the real world as she heard her name said multiple times in multiple voices.

Blinking innocently, Kagome looked up to see Sango shaking her.

"Kagome, are you in 'La La Land' today or what? Jeeze, I've called your name like five times!" At this, she blushed slightly and stood up, checking the strap on her guitar as she did so.

"Sorry Sango, guess I've been kinda...preoccupied." Sango seemed to catch on, and she leaned in so that they could talk without being heard. Or so they thought.

Had they looked over, they would have seen Inuyasha's black Metallica hat twitch.

"Did you get another visit from him?" Kagome nodded, still checking her guitar over again.

"He came in my dream again. I don't know how he does it Sango, but he's such a blessing."

It had been nearly a month and a half since the night he'd swept her from her hospital bed in the dead of night. She could vaguely remember a room filled with candles, a shadow watching her from above, and most of all, whispered words and hot breath against her neck.

Then, everything faded black. Her next memory was of when she awoke.

Her body was light, and goose bumps tingled across her skin. In her slumber, Kagome frowned. It was then she felt a pair of eyes staring at her. Focusing on the stare, she realized it wasn't meant in a harmful or frightening way. Rather, it was curious, awed, and, dare she say it, confused.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked directly to where the stare was coming from.

At the foot of the monstrous bed she lay upon, he stood with one foot propped up on a large wood chest, his elbow upon his knee. His expression, which she'd never really seen anything upon than just faint glimpses of emotions, was awash with confusion and such serious thought, that she lay transfixed for several moments before she forced her weary body to sit up.

Noticing her movement, he immediately halted his thoughts and closed off the mirage of emotions on his face.

"You've slept for some time." She nodded slightly, the smallest of movements, and unconsciously rubbed her arms as a slight chill ran across her body.

"How long?"

"Again, nearly a whole day. Forgive me, it was my fault again Angel." Upon hearing him call her this, she gasped slightly and looked up into his stunning golden eyes once more. By God, she could let herself be lost for eternity in those eyes if he'd only let her.

"Your fault?" He nodded before walking around the side of the bed and then sitting next to her with such fluid grace that she envied him.

"Yes, mine. I regret to say...passion clouded my control and I overwhelmed you with my youki. You fainted in my arms." At this she blushed. She wasn't embarrassed about the fainting itself. In fact, the embarrassment stemmed from the fact that she'd fainted in his arms, was probably carried by him to HIS bed, and she honestly had no idea how long he'd stood there watching over her.

Then, something suddenly seemed to occur to her and she gulped as she lowered her gaze to her lap, pointedly ignoring him as her brought up a hand and twirled a lock of her onyx hair.

"We...we didn't do anything, right? I can't remember and..." But she gasped once more as his hand let go of the hair and instead cupped her cheek as he made her look up at him, letting her see a fiery passion within his eyes.

"We did not do anything to threaten your innocence Angel. Although," He leaned down and she closed her eyes in bliss as he once again sucked on the lobe of her ear, before going lower and leaving open mouthed kisses down jaw and neck until he reached the junction of her neck and shoulder. There, he paused and continued talking, his breath tickling across her skin, "we could very have done many things. But for now, this shall have to do."

She had wanted to scream at first when she felt two very sharp, lethal fangs break the skin of her neck. He didn't bite deeply, but just deep enough to draw a small trickle of blood, which he quickly cleaned up via his tongue. As he finished, he turned her head and placed a kiss upon her lips so fierce and gentle at the same time, she'd forgotten about the pain.

Shortly after, he'd returned her to her apartment where she found Sota passed out in an awkward position in front of their TV, his X-Box controller in hand as he snored and drooled.

Now, he visited her frequently. Either in her sleep, or he would actually appear before her in the night. Strangely enough, she was never scared. Luckily enough, her brother was a deep sleeper so she really had no worries of her visitor scaring him.

He taught her things. He instructed her in stage presence, suddenly awakening a graceful swan within her that she wished she'd known about during high school. Thanks to him, her already strong voice had tripled in strength. Her shyness on stage and in the limelight was nearly gone, and she thanked him in everything she did.

Even when she played in the orchestra, she played better and she hardly ever missed the heated stares he sent her way. But neither had Sango, and therefore, Kagome was nagged into revealing the situation.

"I can see that. You've been doing a lot better lately, and that's saying a lot since you already kicked enough ass before now." Kagome smiled lightly, finally satisfied as she strummed out a chord and adjusted her amp.

"I owe him so much Sango. But besides that, he says...he says I entrance him. He said that from the first moment he heard me sing, he was captivated. He thinks I'm special Sango, and he doesn't even have to tell me so. It shines so brightly in his golden..."

"Oi! We have practice to do wenches! Enough talk about worthless shit!" Sango sighed with a grumbled that sounded suspiciously like a curse heavy, bloody threat towards Inuyasha. Kagome on the other hand, turned and looked at him with bewildered eyes.

She'd looked at him a lot this way lately. She'd admitted she liked him as more than her friend and band mate, and she knew if he'd look her way, she date him hands down. But lately, ever since that night in the hospital actually, he'd been acting distant towards her. He barely looked at her, and when he did, he would frown darkly and look away from abruptly. Also, his sour moods had developed quite a nasty bite over a short amount of time.

She watched him for a few more moments, hoping he'd look at her, but when he didn't, she realized he was pointedly ignoring her and she sighed before turning towards the front again and readying her pick above the strings, fingering the first chord.

"All right, first up is the Tatu cover we've been..."

"Kegs, isn't that a little rough for your vocals to warm up on?" Turning to see Sango giving her a slightly confused looked, Kagome shrugged and turned to the front once more, saying her reply over her shoulder.

"A few weeks ago, possibly." That alone was Sango's cue and she began to play her bass lines.

Having heard this song awhile back, Kagome had loved. But even with her love of the original, she'd broken out her blank sheet music paper and wrote a completely different version. The intro was darker, mostly bass, a little keys, and key effects. Gradually, she heard the keys getting heavier, signaling Kouga's entry.

Two measures later, and a few more key effects, Kagome brought her pick down in a loud rip before slamming a single chord and leaning towards the microphone.

"This was an accident, not the kind where sirens sound." Inuyasha came in, playing a counter melody a half octave lower than her own she played.

All in all, it was far different from the original. Another difference people who knew the song were sure to notice, was that she had darkened the sound of the vocals.

"Never even noticed, we're suddenly crumbling." Suddenly, an idea popped into her head and Kagome turned so that as she continued playing and singing, she was looking at Inuyasha.

Who, of course, was still pointedly ignoring her.

"Tell me that you've never felt delicate or innocent. Do you still have doubts that us having faith makes any sense?" At first, she wanted to growl into the microphone, but when she was awarded with a angry glare, she smirked and continued on.

"Tell me nothing ever counts, lashing out or breaking down. Still somebody loses cause there's no way to turn around." The next set of lyrics had been warped, to give the song a different feel. The words themselves were the same. But instead of female vocals, it switched to male vocals for a line.

"Staring at your photograph, everything now in the past." Being inspired by her personal favorite of Linkin Park, she'd convinced Inuyasha to pull a Mike Shinoda, and rap out that single line.

Truly, she loved messing with different songs and styles.

"Never felt so lonely, I wish that you could show me love." She stared hard into his eyes as she came back in, trying force him to notice a very blatant hint.

Apparently, the knuckle-head caught it due to the fact that his eyes widened marginally as Kagome fought the urge to laugh and sang out a slower, lower, and darker chorus than the original. She glanced out across the club, and nearly laughed when she saw Rin bobbing her head as she refilled stock behind the bar.

That girl really loved their cover of this song.

But her mirth was short lived.

"Show me love, 'til I'm screaming for more!" Suddenly a sharp pain erupted at the junction of her neck and shoulder.

Right where her mysterious instructor had sunk his teeth in.

Over time, the bite had faded, leaving a scar in the shape of a crescent moon. She thought it strange, but she'd shaken it off. But now, she actually stopped playing and shrugged her guitar off before laying it on the floor and proceding to place a hand over the concealed scar.

"Kagome? Kagome what's wrong?" She'd expected Sango to come to her first, but she was rather shocked when Inuyasha came over and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Come on, talk to me. What's happening?"

"I don't know. I was singing and then...it just started burning!" She hissed as it throbbed quite painfully, and she distinctly heard Inuyasha growl as his right hand left her shoulder and pulled down the neck of her t-shirt, revealing the scar.

Only, it wasn't as it usually looked anymore.

The whole area surrounding the scar was turning black and blue, and she gasped loudly when she felt a tiny break in her skin. Two trails of blood suddenly trickled down her shoulder, making Inuyasha growl again as he reached down and ripped a strip of his shirt off.

It was in that moment, Kagome found that for the first time, she was frightened of the youkai she'd come to care for in a strange way.

Don't let him touch you. Disobey me, and you shall suffer the consequences.

Kagome whimpered, but she listened nonetheless. For as Inuyasha tried to press the strip of material against the bleeding mark, she backed away with a slight jump. He faltered for a moment, but she saw him frown before he came towards her again.

Again, she retreated.

"Kagome, you have to let me put this on it. The blood's starting to flow faster and..." But she shook her head firmly with a slight whimper as a sudden sensation erupted on the already burning mark.

It felt as though something was being clamped down upon it. It was almost as if, though she knew it couldn't be possible, Sesshoumaru was biting her all over again.

"Kegs, let Inuyasha help!" Again she shook her head, and she began to worry when she saw the look on Inuyasha's face. But she sighed in slight relief when his cell phone rang and he pulled it from his jeans with a scowl.

'Guess fucking who...' He flipped open the phone and didn't even bother saying anything as a feral growl echoed in his ears, which were still concealed beneath his hat.

"What are you attempting whelp?" Inuyasha snorted and watched as Sango was finally able to press a cloth over the bleeding mark. He couldn't help but notice the terrified glances Kagome gave him.

"I should be asking you that fuckface. Stop fucking with her right now."

"Don't presume to give me orders boy."

"Oh shut the fuck up and get of your high horse! You're hurting her!" Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, a loud gasp from Kagome told him one of two things.

Either his brother had let go, or he had clamped down harder.

"Kami Kagome! The wound's sealed itself again!"

"Half-breed, you will stay away from her."

"Keh, like hell I'm gonna let you tell me what to do." Glancing over at the girls, Inuyasha turned and walked a few more steps away from them with a growl. "And besides, if you think I'm gonna let you fuck with Kagome's head and use her for your twisted pleasure then you have another thing coming."

With that, he flipped the phone shut.

"Inuyasha? Are you listening?" He turned around to see Sango standing with Kagome leaning frailly against her.

Kami, he'd never seen her anything other than perfectly healthy, and right now, he felt a deep surge of concern twist in his gut.

"Huh?"

"I was saying that we should call it a day and take Kagome home. The wound healed itself so there's really no need to take her anywhere but to her house."

'Like a doctor could help her at this point.' He wanted to shake his head at that thought, but it was true.

No matter how much he hated to admit it, Kagome was stuck in the ordeal and it was up to her if she wanted out or not. He couldn't help her, and that alone made him clench his fists so hard it drew blood as he answered Sango.

"Yeah, let's call it a day. I'll take her though, I've got nothing else to do today." He didn't fail to notice Kagome had visibly paled.

"Are you sure? I mean, I could on my way..." He shrugged as he began to pack up his amp and guitar.

"Nah, it's fine. Besides, maybe someone should stay with her for awhile." Again, Kagome's eyes took on such a light of terror that he wanted to run over and bring her into his arms to calm her.

But he snorted. One, he wasn't that type of person. Two, and when this thought crossed his mind he frowned, Sesshoumaru would cause her to suffer if he even thought of holding her.

Never before had Sesshoumaru placed this much interest in someone. There had been others before her, sure. But none had ever held his eye long. Midoriko had been first, before he was even born, and Sesshoumaru had slaughtered her.

With her dying breath, she'd cursed him.

Hidden within the walls of his childhood home, Inuyasha knew that the crystal orb her curse was contained in sat awaiting its day. When someone walked past it or touched it, her murmured words could be heard.

"When you finally love, it shall be unrequited. She shall turn her back upon you, and then, Koi, you will know what true pain is. You shall feel my pain, and when this happens, I will laugh in the world beyond."

For many years, so he heard, his father had searched endlessly for someone who could abolish this curse. But he did not know the full extent of the circumstances, and therefore, could do little to help his first born son. For instance, their father had no idea that when Midoriko had died, her body had faded away.

Leaving behind the crystal orb that would forever echo her curse into their minds.

Sesshoumaru had done well in hiding the orb, and Inuyasha had only seen it himself once. Even then, Sesshoumaru had nearly taken his head off.

The second woman had come nearly a century after Midoriko, and she hadn't lasted nearly as long. Within a month, her kin had found her in a barely recognizable heap of flesh and blood. Her name had been Ai, and she too had fallen for the tricks of his brother, falling so deeply in love with him that when he'd said that she was a disappointment, she'd opened her yukata and simply let him kill her. Ai's last words were a mirror image of Midoriko's.

"I do not die in vain. Some day, Koi, you will understand the pain."

There were many others, last no more than a few weeks, but they were never of any consequence like the first two. That is, until just recently.

Kagura had been a stunning find in his brother's eyes. She had been so gifted in voice and musical ear, and it had immediately drawn Sesshoumaru to her. Not only was she gifted by the Kami themselves in music, but she had such an unworldly beauty that she must have been gifted with their beauty as well. She had fallen for him just like the others, and for five years, they were in harmony.

But eventually, the sudden fairytale turned into sudden death. Having had his suspicions for some time, Sesshoumaru had followed his beloved one night nearly a year ago. She'd arrived at a place he didn't know, and his insides twisted with feral rage when he'd seen her run into the arms of another man. Kagura's death was the worst yet. It was quick and bloody like the others.

Sesshoumaru had tortured Kagura to death over three weeks. Her lover was nothing but a black smudge on the ground, and for the third time, he was forced to hear words he knew all too well.

"Heh, you miserable bastard. She'll tear your heart out and leave it in pieces on the ground."

Strangely enough, this statement had been the one that had bothered him the most. For it was well known that the ability to see the future, past, and present was in her family line.

But it must not have bothered him enough, for now he'd found another female to interest him. Although, and this line of thought made him frown as he looked at her from across the stage, Kagome was beginning to look more and more like a painting he'd seen of Midoriko. The soft curve of her face, the gentleness in her gaze, and especially the sometimes overwhelming spark of power that resonated from her small frame.

It was then, as he picked up his cased guitar and amp, Inuyasha realized that he needed to protect her from Sesshoumaru. Sure, he didn't love her, but she was his friend and that was enough to make his determination to protect her grow.

"Oi Kegs, let's go before traffic starts up." She nodded at him, fear still highly evident in her gaze as she did so, asking Sango quietly if she could take the guitar and amp home with her for the night. When the other girl replied with a yes, Kagome gave her a slightly fatigued smile and walked after Inuyasha, who was waiting for her by the back door.

"You know, I can just get a cab Inuyasha. Besides, I..."

"Keh, if there's a chance you'll run into Sesshoumaru then I'm not leaving you." Her eyes widened at his quiet statement, and fear made her hair stand on end again.

'Oh Kami, he'll be furious!' Inuyasha seemed to notice her fear as they walked outside, a light shower beginning to come down on them, because he sighed and gave her a look she'd never seen on him before.

Concern.

Concern filtered across his eyes and face, and resonated from every fiber of his being. Never before had she sensed such a thing from her friend, and it made him shine in a new light to her eyes. As he looked at her with that soft expression, her fears melted and she took several timid steps towards him, noticing how he fought with himself internally as he opened his mouth to speak.

"I won't let him hurt you Kagome. You won't end up like the others." Those soft words, mixed with his soft countenance, eliminated all reserve and tears clouded her vision as she suddenly through caution to the wind and launched herself into his arms, a loud sob echoing in the rear parking lot.

At first, he was shocked with his eyes wide and his body stiff. But as Kagome clung to him and cried for all she was worth, something inside him clicked and he gently set down the guitar case and amp before bringing her closer him with a deep sigh.

He knew he could never let Sesshoumaru harm something so precious. Yes, he realized she precious. Precious to her friends, family, and now, him.

But neither realized as they held each other, the object of their problems was watching them with heated eyes. Jealously, an emotion he still found confusing and new, boiled his blood and growled low as he watched them within the mirror positioned on his desk.

He didn't look away even as Inuyasha led her to the car, placing his hand in hers gently, but a knock at his office door was enough to make him growl and wave his hand, causing the image in the mirror to fade away.

"What!"

"I'm sorry to bother you sir, but the man you were talking to earlier has..."

"What line Mira!" He could smell her fear through the door, and it calmed him slightly to know how easily he could strike fear into people's hearts.

"Two, sir." He picked up the fine and pressed the appropriate button. He listened to the aging man and understood all he said, but Sesshoumaru glared at nothing in particular when the mirror images came back to him.

Inuyasha would not take her away from him, that much he was sure of. If he had to kill his own sibling, so be it.

A/N

Holy crap and a half, this came flying out in less than 24 hours! Jeeze, I need to get sick more often! XD

But yeah, it's a pretty boring chapter. Although, it does answer some of the questions I've gotten about this story. Some. sweatdrop

OH! BEFORE I FORGET!

A friend of mine pointed out a HUGE error in this story! I started out saying that Kaede is Kagome's adoptive mother, but I made a HUGE error in chapter three! I mentioned Kagome's real mother, totally forgetting about the adopted part.

So, in the next chapter, I WILL sort this out! I'm sorry for those of you who may have been confused! GOMENASAI!

Oh, and for those of you who don't already know, I've started another Sess/Kag story called Stray. I've based it on parts of the anime Loveless, which complete beauty in the way the animation flows. The Fighters and Sacrifices will be used, and several other bits. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna write the story of what happened before Stray, Inu/Kag, and probably another story of before Stray using a Sesshoumaru and Kagura pairing.

And possibly a sequel to Stray. Not sure yet. But just for the record, Loveless is worth watching even if it is short and a yaoi pairing. (Adorable yaoi pairing though LOL) Ok, well I'm gonna go work on Chaos, Stray, and Whispers for the rest of my day off. Ja ne! And Soubi rocks my world! XD

Blue

P.S.

Perversion is its own reward.