Chapter Six
It Begins
o0o
Kagome hung up her phone and reached for another slice of pizza. "Darn."
Inuyasha raised a questioning brow and took another bite of his breadstick.
She frowned before biting into her slice and chewing thoughtfully. "That was my last option! He's going to be away at some conference. I don't know who else I can trust. I'm certainly not going to call someone who might actually be interested."
Inuyasha sipped his drink as he lounged across her sofa, his feet on the arm of one end. Kagome glared pointedly at the offending shoes on her furniture and he rolled his eyes, but promptly removed them. "Why not?"
She swallowed her mouthful of food before replying. "Because I don't want to be in a relationship. I don't want to go on an actual date. I just want it to look like an actual date, to appease Sango."
Inuyasha made no reply to this, but merely shook his head at women and his lack of understanding of them.
Kagome chewed her food thoughtfully for a while. "There was that detective…the one who was in the board room with us, working with the grouchy lady? He was really sweet. Shippou, remember? I mean, maybe if I just explained to him the situation beforehand, he would…"
She trailed off when Inuyasha suddenly shot upright from his lounging position on her couch and leapt to his feet.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
He was tense and alert, completely still but for his ears, twitching atop his silvery head.
"Wha…"
"Shhh." He waved an impatient hand at her and Kagome shut her mouth abruptly, looking around warily.
"Are there any other windows in this place besides the ones in this room?" he asked in an undertone.
She looked confused. "Yes…there are two in my bedroom, why?"
He shook his head in silence. He was thinking fast, that much was obvious. Kagome could tell by the way his golden eyes darted about the apartment, from the front door, to the phone, to the hallway leading back to her bedroom and bathroom.
Kagome was about to open her mouth again when Inuyasha reached toward her suddenly and grabbed her arm. He pulled her off of her chair and behind him, next to the sofa, keeping one arm in front of her in a protective stance. He was still staring down the darkened hallway when he spoke quietly. "Don't move from here. Stay in this room no matter what you hear."
"I don't understand…"
He cut her off firmly, but quietly. "Someone's here."
Kagome watched him flex his long fingers and move toward the hallway. He disappeared into the darkened doorway of her bedroom, and Kagome stood still in silence.
A loud crash and the sound of breaking glass erupted suddenly from the far corner of her small apartment, and Kagome took a step instinctively toward the noise. She stopped, though, remembering what Inuyasha had told her.
'He can handle it. He knows what he's doing. He said you could trust him so…do it.'
She swallowed nervously and listened to the frantic shuffling coming from her bedroom.
'Trust him…trust him…trust him…'
o0o
Inuyasha strained to hold the lizard youkai against the wall of Kagome's bedroom. It had been difficult fighting in such a small enclosed area, but he was actually proud of the minimal damage he had caused. The window was broken, of course, from where the youkai made his entrance. Her dresser had been tipped over, but not broken, and one of her closet doors was hanging haphazardly on its only remaining hinge. A few pictures had been knocked over, but…overall the room was fixable.
He shoved the thin youkai against the wall again and brought one clawed hand up below the rapidly beating pulse in his sweaty throat. "Who are you?"
The youkai flashed his yellowing teeth in a cocky grin. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Inuyasha growled and pressed his claws a little harder against his throat. "No. What I really want to know is who you work for."
The youkai frowned at him in mock confusion. "What makes you think I work for anyone?"
Inuyasha scoffed. "Feh. You're too stupid and scrawny to have tracked it down already on your own. Someone else knows about it. I'm guessing it was the same someone who tried to have it stolen from one our scientists."
The lizard youkai laughed bitterly. "Yes, the same scientist who was stealing it to begin with. Loyal workers, you have there, Taisho."
Inuyasha growled again loudly and slammed the youkai's body against the wall in frustration. "Just what are you getting at?"
"You and your arrogant brother! You hold the jewel, you hold the power…you think you can rule everyone? We don't want to be in hiding anymore! We're youkai! We should be ruling these pathetic humans, not trying to live like them, hiding from them!"
Inuyasha pressed his claws more deeply at his throat, drawing blood. "Who are you working for, damn it?"
"Youkai…proud youkai who no longer wish to hide what we really are. Don't think we don't know about the prophecy, Taisho. We do. That girl in there holds the power, and we intend to get it." The lizard made a lunge for freedom, but Inuyasha swiped his claws, and the creature disappeared in a sudden explosion of dust and vapor.
"Damn." He wiped his claws on his jeans and took another look around the room before making his way swiftly out the door.
o0o
She was still standing where he left her, worry and apprehension frozen on her features. When she saw him coming down the hallway a look of deep relief swept across her face and her shoulders released their tension.
"You're ok, thank goodness," she breathed, before making her way quickly toward him.
Inuyasha stopped in his tracks as she reached out and began searching his features, moving aside his jacket to check his chest, lifting his hands and gasping at the blood there.
He cleared his throat and blushed slightly. "Um…what are you doing?"
She moved around behind him, brushing his hair away from his back. "Checking for injuries, what does it look like?" She moved back in front of him and reached a hand up to his cheek. "You're injured!"
He looked confused for a moment and looked down quickly over his body before looking back up at her. "What? I don't see any…"
"Your face! You have a scrape across your cheek, see?"
He put a hand to his face and dropped it, looking at her in disbelief. "Um…it's just a cut. I'm fine."
She looked confused for a moment and kept her hand up at the scratch on his cheek, nodding her head silently. Inuyasha watched in growing incredulity as she continued to bob her head up and down, silent and dazed. She looked almost as if she were trying to convince herself that he was, in fact, unharmed.
Her eyes were filling quickly with tears, and her face began to crumple.
'Shit, shit, shit…'
She bit her lip and kept nodding her head, a weak and watery smile gracing her trembling lips. "I know…I know. It's just…you're ok. And, I was afraid you wouldn't be…because no one ever is… but you are…" She bit her lip again and blinked quickly.
'Damn, damn, damn…'
She flung herself forward abruptly and wrapped her arms around his torso. Inuyasha looked at her in horror for a moment before sighing in resignation and wrapping his arms clumsily around her. It was obvious that she had been worried, and the attack on her apartment had been sudden. She had probably never experienced animosity that was directed at her.
He mumbled embarrassedly while patting her back, "It's alright…you're fine. Your bedroom is just a little messed up, but you're ok."
She breathed in loudly against his chest and leaned back slightly to look up at him. Her cheeks were covered in tears and her lip was trembling, and she was, overall, a mess. "Me? My room? You really think I was worried about that?"
He looked down at her in slight confusion. "Well…yeah. Isn't that what you're all upset and crying about? I mean…some guy breaks into your apartment and is trying to get to you…isn't that what you're all freaked about?"
She hit a small hand against his chest. "No, stupid! I was worried about you!"
They both looked down at her hand, resting against his solid chest before stepping quickly away from each other, flushed and embarrassed.
Inuyasha was staring determinedly at the ceiling when Kagome finally broke the silence. "I mean…I just…I knew you would protect me, that's all."
She sniffed loudly and dashed her hands over her eyes. "You promised you would. And…I trust you. I just worried that you would get hurt in the process."
He looked amazed at this revelation. "Oh…well…I'm fine."
She gave him a watery grin. "I'm glad."
They both stood in an awkward silence, Inuyasha unconsciously rubbing his hands against his jeans, and Kagome wiping at her eyes. She cleared her throat, finally. "Um…the bathroom is just over there, if you would like to wash your hands."
He grimaced at the blood on his claws. "Yeah, thanks."
When he had locked himself into the little bathroom, he leaned back against the door in relief. 'Damn, it's more difficult dealing with a crying woman than it is fighting youkai.'
He took a moment to calm down before washing his hands in her small porcelain sink, drying them on her lavender hand towel hanging next to the door, and stepping back toward the living room.
When he walked in this time, she was sitting once again in her favorite chair, a tissue in hand, and her tears under control. He sat back on the couch and tried to pretend that nothing had just happened.
No such luck.
"I'm sorry."
He looked up at her, but she was staring at the tissue she was holding in her lap.
She took a deep breath and continued. "I won't cry like this every time. I promise. It just all sorta came into focus for me…I really am in trouble. But…I sorta knew that already. It's just…I didn't think about the others that might be hurt because of me. And it didn't occur to me before that you would be in danger protecting me. I didn't grasp the fact that people would kill to get to this stupid jewel thing, and that they might actually kill you to get it. All because of me. And…I'm sorry."
He didn't know what to say, so he sat staring at her for a moment. He finally cleared his throat. "It's not your fault, you know. I mean…they're after the jewel, and if anyone is hurt because of it, it's not because of you. It's because of the jewel. The power. It's never your fault."
She nodded and wiped her nose again on the crumpled tissue in her hand. She glanced up at him nervously and sniffed. "I won't cry any more. I can handle it. It was just a shock. But…I'm ready now." She gave a soft, watery laugh. "I'm tougher than I look."
He gave her a half grin. "Let's hope so."
"Hey!" She grabbed the small throw pillow resting on the chair with her and threw it at his head. "I resent that!"
Inuyasha ducked his head and chuckled before they both grew quiet again.
He cleared his throat softly.
"There will be more."
"I know."
"They'll be stronger."
"I know."
"I won't let them get to you."
"…I know."
o0o
"So…?"
Kagome narrowed her eyes at her friend's grin. "So, what?"
"So, have you found anyone to go on that double date with you yet?"
Kagome grimaced and Sango sighed in exasperation. "Kagome, you promised!"
"I know! I know…I'm…looking."
Sango glared at her while grabbing the collar of one of the boys trying to run away, and setting him back at the table to finish his lunch. "It's tomorrow night, Kagome."
Kagome nodded tiredly. "I know."
"You gave me your word, Kagome."
"I know!"
Sango sighed and shook her head, her high ponytail swinging back and forth. She turned to go and get more napkins for the children when she froze, her eyes on the window. Or rather, on the man standing next to the window. "Kagome…"
Kagome turned and followed her friend's gaze. She looked back and forth between Sango and the object of her gaze a few times in confusion before her eyes widened in realization. "No…oh no. No, no, no. Don't even think about it."
"Come on, Kagome! It makes perfect sense!"
"How on earth does that make sense?"
"He's here…he's available, right?"
Kagome grimaced. "If you mean single, yeah…I'm pretty sure he is."
Of course this was a lie, because Kagome was not only "pretty sure," she was absolutely positive. She had pried him for information about himself for the past two nights and managed to finally get him to answer questions on his personal life only if she promised to shut up and let him watch the television for at least half an hour in peace.
"And he's with you pretty much all the time anyway, right?"
Kagome silently wished she hadn't told Sango that. Her friend had desperately wanted more information on the hanyou now working with them, and Kagome felt she owed it to Sango to explain some. Not all, but some. She told her that she had witnessed a murder, which was true, and that Inuyasha was there to protect her from those that might be after her to keep her quiet about what she saw.
'Well…at least part of it was true.'
She closed her eyes in frustration. 'She's right…you know she's right. He knows the situation, anyway. He knows I don't want a relationship. He knows I don't want to go out on a date. So…maybe he'll understand. Sure. We'll be like two mature adults making an agreement. He agrees to appear as my date, I agree to…well, it's an agreement anyway.'
Sango saw her friend's shoulders slump in defeat and clapped her hands together. "Great! So…go ask him."
Kagome looked up sharply at that and, without missing a beat, caught the spoon that was hurtling through the air and at her forehead, and placed it back on the table, never removing her incredulous stare from Sango. "What, now? Are you crazy?"
"Yes, now. No, not crazy. So…go."
"Why now?"
"Because you'll never do it unless I make you. So, go. Now." She shooed her away with the free hand not catching the cup of milk that was just about to be knocked over by a small elbow. "Go on. I'm watching the kids. They're just eating lunch. Go!"
Kagome shot her one last glare and fervently wished she worked alone before making her way across the room to the window where Inuyasha was staring moodily out at the street outside. Kagome had forbidden him to help with lunch time, due to the fact that yesterday he had nearly caused an all-out food war.
He glanced at her apprehensively as she approached. It was obvious that he suspected something.
She grinned brightly. Too brightly. "Hello, Inuyasha! Nice day, isn't it?"
"It's raining."
She giggled in embarrassment. "Oh yeah! Forgot!"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you supposed to come and ask me?"
She tried to look innocent. "I don't know what you're talking about."
He continued to glare suspiciously. "I'm hanyou. I can hear well. Very well. I could hear better if those damn kids weren't so loud. Now what were you two jabbering about? What do you want?"
She looked over her shoulder and glared at Sango once more before turning back to him. "Um…you see…you know how Sango kinda forced me into a double date with her and Miroku?"
He shrank back slightly as dawning apprehension stole over his features. "Aw, shit."
She clasped her hands in front of her and pleaded with him. "Please, Inuyasha? I mean…you know I asked everyone I know! I don't want a relationship right now, but I promised to get a date for tomorrow…please? Do this for me?"
His cheeks were pink and he looked indignant. "Why should I do it for you?"
"Because…because…because you have to be with me anyway? I mean…if I go out, you're going to have to be somewhere near anyway, right? And…and…I'll buy dinner!"
He thought it over for a moment before sighing loudly and turning back to the window. "Shit."
Kagome smiled. "Does that mean you'll go?"
"Damn it."
"Yay!" She clapped her hands. "Thank you so much, Inuyasha. You won't regret it."
"Somehow I doubt that."
"It'll be fun! You'll see."
He grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, "Fun, my ass…" but since he was doing her such a huge favor, she let it slide and walked happily back over to where Sango was dismissing the children from the table.
Sango looked over, caught one glimpse of Inuyasha's stormy expression, and grinned at Kagome. "Great! You got him to come!"
o0o
YAY! I updated! Huzzah!
This is too fun. Hope you are enjoying, please review! I feel the love!