Disclaimer: Still don't own Inuyasha...

Slay The Music

Scene Thirty-Seven: Tell Me Why the Wind is So Cold

"You're pass please."

"Oh—sorry, I wasn't paying attention," Kagome apologized to the security guard as she dug the ticket out of her pocket and walked through the V.I.P. doors.

She continued to walk in her own little world until she reached her car and got into the back seat with the help of some more security guards. She sighed and leaned back into the seat, taking her sunglasses off.

"It's good to be home," she said to herself as she watched the scenery go by.

In her mind—though she tried to keep it on simple thoughts—just kept wandering to Inuyasha. Her stomach flipped every time she was reminded of his name. What would she say? What if he rejected her? What if Sango was just joking? She bowed her head. She had to know how he felt—she had to even if it killed her.

"Better now than never, for never is too late..."

"Miss Higurashi, we're here at your home," The driver called to her.

"How long's it been? A couple of months?" She asked herself as she opened the car door and sprinted to the house.

"Welcome home, Kagome-sama, you have a guest," her maid, Yuki bowed to her.

"A guest?"

Kagome dropped her luggage haphazardly at the door and walked passed her maid. She stopped halfway through the foyer and dropped her purse as she gasped. That long flowing hair... those luminous eyes...

"Oh my god," a hand flew to her mouth, "Inuyasha."

"So the nightmares overseas are gone, you think they'll be any better back in the homeland?"

"At least people speak our language here, Sango," Miroku said running his hand through his unkempt plane hair.

"You so need to pick up a different language," Sango shook her head as she crossed her legs in the seat of the limousine.

A silence followed. Sango's eyes would not meet Miroku's no matter how hard he tried to meet her gaze.

"Is something wrong?"

"What do you mean, Miroku?"

"You won't look at me," he replied.

"What are you talking about?"

"Sango, I need to know," he looked at her with all seriousness.

"Know what?"

"If you love me or not. If you don't, I'll go away, you'll never be bothered by me again."

"Miroku, I..." Sango shifted so that she could look at him face on. "Miroku... I do love you, but I..."

"But what?"

Sango ran her hands through her hair, thinking of what to say and how to say it, "I just never pictured us together again—I just didn't think... I thought you were done with me. And there's all the women you've been with since then, all the negative publicity between us... Our lives aren't just our lives anymore. Our lives belong to our management, our music, and the rest of Japan. We can't just get together as if we're like everyone else—we're not. And I don't know if I could—"

She was silenced by his rough lips upon hers, silently begging her for the world to disappear. She kissed him back, slowly, suprised, not knowing what else to do... she didn't want him to part from her either. When they finally did part, they both stared deep into each other's gaze.

"We could go on forever pretending like the other didn't exist in the spotlight, but it doesn't make a difference in our private lives Sango... I need you to love me."

"I do too..."

"Inuyasha..."

"Kagome, I'm going to go away for awhile," he said, as he embraced her.

"Go? Go where? You just got back!"

"I know, but I have to go now or I'll never find Naraku."

"Naraku?"

Inuyasha nodded and turned away from her. "I don't want you to follow me this time... This time, I mean to kill him."

"What—no! Inuyasha you can't just kill him! What if they find out, what if you're arrested for murder?"

"I can't just let him go by! He's killed more people than you know, Kagome, and I'm going to make sure he doesn't kill you! I'm going to protect you from him if it's the last thing I do," I said forcefully turning back towards her.

"Kill... me?" Kagome sank to her knees, "he wants to kill me?"

"Kikyô explained it to me over the phone... You have something he wants, Kagome. You have something that none of the rest of us have—"

Kagome didn't lift her shocked stare from the marble tile of her floor, "And what's that?"

"Purity," Inuyasha replied as he kneeled down to her level and took her hands, "He wants your purity. He wants to taint your life so that you will be miserable and then kill you off so that I will be miserable."

Kagome looked him right in the eye—his words were so sincere, yet Kagome had the hardest time trying to believe that he meant it. "You would be miserable if I was gone?"

Inuyasha nodded slowly as if admitting defeat, "...I don't want you to go."

Kagome suddenly felt guilty for her resignation, "I quit though..."

"You quit?"

"The band I mean... I resigned last night even."

"You resigned?"

Kagome couldn't bring herself to watch Inuyasha.

"I don't understand..." Inuyasha said finally.

"You don't hate me now do you?"

"I don't understand, why would you—"

"I didn't want you to like me just because I was another rock star who happened to be a female in a short skirt. I want you to like me for being me, so I quit. I'm not like you guys anyway; I don't understand the business like you do... I don't like all that's expected of me sometimes. It's really demanding you know? I just wanna be Kagome for once in my life... Just Kagome... I'm sorry..." She lowered her gaze again and bowed low to the floor as if she had committed a cardinal sin.

"Kagome, you're being ridiculous, get off of the floor," he said standing.

She remained bowed low, not daring to move.

"Damn it! I said get up!" Inuyasha barked—getting increasingly irritated by her passive actions.

She flinched. His words were harsh and Kagome thought she knew what was coming.

"Hurry up," he demanded.

She finally stood up, slowly, but she kept head bowed to the floor in fear of Inuyasha's reactions.

"Kagome, look at me—for God's sake, Kagome, damn it, look at me!"

She peered at him through her hair, trying to avoid direct eye contact. Inuyasha frowned deeper and pulled her chin up so that she had no choice but to look him in the eye.

"You're being as bad as everyone used to be to me, you know that? You act different around me because why? I'm not human? I'm not a demon? I'm a rock star who gets paid a little extra? Am I to be pitied? And apologizing? What for? Kagome, you are your own person, or did you learn nothing on that bloody tour!" He said harshly, drawing her closer to him, "Right now, I could care less if you became world's biggest pop star again! I could care less if you were a beggar on the street! Right now, all I want is for Naraku to be rotting in the sewers and for you to love me!"

"What?" Kagome gasped.

Inuyasha suddenly embraced her, "Don't you get it, you idiot? I need you to be alive when this is all over, Kagome! You're the only one who doesn't look at me with pity in your eyes or a dagger in your hand. Kôga, Sango, Miroku, Sesshômaru, and everyone else—they all think I'm independent and that I can do this by myself... they don't see anything anymore! I know I haven't been the best person in the world to be around especially under all that pressure, and I know that we haven't spent as much time together as I would have thought... but Kagome... I'll protect you from Naraku, from all your enemies, and all your fears. I don't care who you are or who you're trying to be."

There was a silence as Kagome stared at the wall behind him as he continued to hold her in his arms. "Then why can't I go with you—to kill Naraku?"

"No, I won't put you in danger too, Kagome."

"But I want to be together with you when it's all over. Together, you and me," Kagome pleaded.

"But—"

"You'll protect me, right?"

"...Always," Inuyasha nodded slowly again.

"Then I'll go to," Kagome said, "And I'll be content to be myself if you wish it."

Inuyasha nodded more firmly this time. "Fine... but don't do anything stupid..."

Ick. Is it just me... or did Inuyasha seem a little bi-polar there? I hate it when that happens... I'm being deprived of reviews—I bet you guys think just because I said I'm going to finish the fic means I need no moral support. YOU'RE ALL SADLY MISTAKEN! I'm sadly uninspired and everything I'm writing for this ending is coming out of... cough places you probably wouldn't want to know of... please send ever free your love! This is probably my fastest update ever though... You guys are lucky it's spring break and I have no life otherwise I'd never post anything on two reviews you butt-munchers.

ever free's status: addicted to Korean drama "Full House" again—which got me addicted to Rain- again(of all people... he's so cute though!) whom, as I recently found out, is friends with my mom's friend who used to live in Korea so she knows where he lives. How sweet is that? ...Coming from one of 京's followers... the world is ending people! That was the longest status ever.