Yay! I promised you guys another chapter today and here it is. This one took a bit longer to write, but I think it was almost better than the last chapter...plus this one is almost double the pages of the last update. Anyway, thank you to those of you who reviewed so far. Please keep on reading and I will keep on updating.

Disclaimer: This story is not of my own creation. The plot is Madeline Baker's and Kurama and Kagome belong to YYH and INU which also don't belong to me.

Taking Chances

Chapter 8

Kagome awoke that evening feeling like something was wrong…of course it only took 60 seconds for her to figure out what it was that was bothering her. The most telling piece of information was the majestic ceiling…it was the wrong color, definitely not the color of her bedroom back home.

Sitting up in bed and clutching the cool, thread-bare blankets to her front, the raven-haired woman took a quick glance around the small room, as from outside the window several men's voices rose in agitation and the clanking of wagon wheels soon followed as it rumbled by. Followed soon after, was the sound of a muffled explosion, mostly likely from the nearby mill or perhaps from the echo of a reverberating gun. Kami, but how did people sleep through all the noise? Of course, Tokyo could be quite loud as well and yet she was so used to those sounds surrounding her that she hardly even noticed them anymore. Plus, people in Tokyo didn't wake up to distant gunshots in the morning.

The sound of a slight knock on the door, aroused her enough the climb out of bed. "Who is it?" She called from inside, stepping back when a young voice told her she had a delivery. "Oh." Kagome looked surprised when she opened the door to find two teenage boys, their arms laden with different materials and packages.

"Evening, ma'am," the taller one chirped, and Kagome's eyes softened as she was distractively reminded of her own younger brother, something that sent a pang of want to the pit of her aching soul. She needed to find a way home…and fast. Her family must be so worried about her by now.

"Hello," she smiled brightly at them, back to the situation at hand. "Come in." She stepped aside as the two boys entered the room and placed the packages on the bed as she directed.

Before they left, Kagome remembered something. "A tip!" She clapped her hands together when she remembered she had no money…at least the kind that would be used here. "I'm sorry, boys, but I don't have any money at the moment; however I'll see that you are properly taken care of later."

They both beamed at her, the younger of the two a teenager with a wealth of sandy-colored hair and pretty aqua eyes. "Thank you," the both replied, bowing courteously.

"No, thank you, boys."

When they were gone, Kagome turned to regard the packages sitting so docilely on her bed. Absently, she wondered who sent them and then rationalized that it must have been Kurama, reminding her that she really needed to get her own hotel room. After all it was only proper when she was currently living in some other man's. She couldn't stay here with him, much as the darker portion of her persona wanted her to, and she most definitely had to find a way back home. But what was she going to do until then?

Sitting on the bed, Kagome pulled on her own brand of shoes, a good dependable pair of walking sneakers. When she stood up, her skirts billowed out from around her legs, but served to hide most of her shoes. The parts that wouldn't be seen, she didn't necessarily worry about. After all, people wouldn't be looking at her shoes, right? She almost reached for her gloves, but decided not to. It was appalling, the things that these women had to wear, the many layers they were forced to endure. She would surely suffocate if she added even more unnecessary articles of clothing.

With a huff of approval, Kagome left the hotel, certain she was wearing enough clothes for three people. She was almost certain that the past was no place for a twenty-first century woman as her self.

Wondering where she should turn to first, Kagome figured she'd at least start with the Queen of Bodie. After all, it was the place where she had first encountered the mysterious man, in the midst of those weird dreams, and the place where she had initially appeared, seemingly out of the blue. So, without further adieu, Kagome picked up her skirts and hurried onward, making her way towards the Queen of Bodie saloon without paying much attention to the roving eyes around her. She was getting sort of…used to the attention and didn't much care what people thought of her state of dress.

Once inside, the Queen was already overflowing with miners and other men and she remembered, too late, that decent women didn't frequent saloons. Almost immediately, Kagome felt eyes upon her person and a scarlet blush threatened to attack her face. She stood there; tense and waiting. But nothing happened. Until…like that of her dream, Kurama appeared, although this time he was flesh and blood, not a ghost, not some illicit mirage, but a real honest to kami man. And what a man he was. He looked utterly sublime and oh so appealing as the beautiful man's head lifted and came to rest upon her pretty face. All at once he was staring at her with those equally intoxicating eyes and it was all she could do not to turn around and flee after the burning sensation his perusal of her caused her. It was as if by magic, as though he could feel her eyes upon his flawless body, and he glanced over, seeming as lost as she by their steamy encounter. At once, those haunting emerald orbs lit with feeling that took her breath away. There was a ghost of a smile on those sweet, cherry lips and Kagome wanted nothing more than to trace those lips with her own again. She figured his mouth may be the closest thing to heaven on earth, if she had anything to say about his last breathless kiss.

Her heart was racing as he got up and closed the distance between them, lithe body ambling slowly through the crowds until he reached her side.

"Hey," he called, eyes still locked with hers. "What are you doing here, Kagome?"

She shook her head in denial, not wanting to be seeing this anymore. She had come here hoping to go back home, but instead here was the illusive Kurama standing right before her, hands buried deep within his pockets while his streaming, luscious red hair fell unbound around his shoulders. The red gleamed off of his crisp white shirt, reminding her of blood…and of a certain doomed man's unfortunate demise.

"Kagome?" He touched her elbow to recapture her attention, zeroing in on her pink lips when she licked them almost nervously.

"I…I don't know. I guess I was feeling a bit…lonely," she replied to his question, searching deep within his eyes for the answers she sought. There was a certain shyness and natural charm about her that immediately set Kurama at ease.

"You don't belong here," he spoke softly in her ear, bending down and letting his warm breath spread itself across the exposed skin of her neck.

"I know," Kagome shivered, determined to fight the effect he had on her betraying body.

But his smile undid her, touched her in a way she was sure she would never recover from…nor want to. "Well, I suppose as long as you're here, you can come and keep me company."

She smiled back and took his offered arm, walking beside him towards a table where a couple of his buddies sat. There were three men already sitting down, laughing, smoking and drinking as they passed around cards and gambled their money away. Kagome noticed they were all quite handsome, though not one of them appealed to her senses as much as Kurama did. All three had black hair and dirty features, two had their hair tied back and one wore his hair in upward spikes, and Kagome figured they all must be miners…either that or they never bathed…as was the custom of this time. "Hiei, Kuronue, Yusuke, this is Miss Kagome Higurashi. She's a friend of mine and a true lady, so be careful what you say around her." His eyes gave off a clear warning to his some what startled friends, but they glanced at her warmly and stood up to greet her, remaining on their feet until Kurama pulled out her chair and helped her sit.

"The pot's light," Kuronue commented after everyone was situated, glancing all around the table at the group of men. He shot Kurama a challenging smirk. "You in or out, 'Rama?"

Kurama thought for a long moment before tossing in a few gold coins. "I'm in." He put his hand aside and picked up the deck. "You in, fellas?"

"One card for me," Kuronue said.

Yusuke took two, while Hiei simply sat content with his cards.

"Dealer takes one." Kurama elegantly took a card and sat back, looking quite aloof and serious, though the anticipation was clear in his expressive eyes.

Kagome looked at Kurama, wondering what kind of hand he held. Catching sight of her inquisitive face, he leaned over and showed them to her. Almost immediately, Kagome began to smile. He had a full house! But she caught herself in the nick of time and sat still.

"Hiei?"

"I bet five."

"I'll see that five," Yusuke threw in, "and raise you five more."

"Kuronue?"

Kuronue shook his head and threw down his cards. "Too rich for me."

Kurama simply called.

Yusuke spread his cards on the table, revealing three jacks, a nine, and a deuce, while Hiei growled in exasperation. "Beats mine," he finally muttered and also threw down his cards.

All four men looked to Kurama. "Well?"

"Full house," he declared triumphantly, spreading his cards on the table for all to see.

"Damn it!" Yusuke swore. "I swear if I didn't know you any better and that you weren't as honest as I know…" Yusuke shook his fist, but grinned good naturedly at his friend.

Kurama, white teeth still grinning in victory, glanced over at Kagome. "Do you want to play to?" He asked, upon noticing her pleasure at his own victory. There was a certain gleam in her eyes that spoke of wanting to watch more.

"Me?" Kagome asked, surprised that he had even asked her. After all, the ladies of this time certainly never played cards with men.

"Sure." Kurama glanced at his group of friends and swept back his hat. "You guys don't mind if the lady sits in, do you?"

"Hell-uh, heck no,"Kuronue chimed in.

"Seems okay by me," Yusuke added grinning. "It'll be nice to look at something pretty while we're all losing."

Hiei chuckled darkly. "I'll be glad to take your money."

Kurama divided his cash and stacked some in front of Kagome, her blue eyes snapping up in question. He was lending her his own money? He tossed two coins in the pot, one for her and one for him while Kagome couldn't help but curiously inspect the money she'd been given. Silver dollars, gold coins, and green backs. A rough estimate of the total and she came up with about five hundred dollars!

Kagome couldn't help the surge of excitement flow through her as her blue eyes flashed with anticipation. She had never been much of a gamble before, oh sure she'd played a slot machine or two, but that was sometimes boring and quite mundane. She just couldn't see how anyone could sit for hours upon hours at those machines. But black jack was her favorite game, though in her time it was almost too expensive nowadays. It was next to impossible to find a dollar table and Kagome had never tried any of the other gambling games in her time.

Kagome glanced around at the table before picking her cars up one by one; jack of spades, queen of spades, nine of spades, three of diamonds, and an eight of spades. She watched as Kurama picked up his own cards and looking them over, removing two and setting them on the table, face down. He looked up at Hiei.

"How many, Hiei?"

Hiei took two, as did Yusuke, while Kuronue took only one.

Kagome asked for one. She tossed her three of diamonds down and immediately gasped at the new card she received. What were the odd? She wondered.

"I'd say the lady got what she needed," Yusuke remarked dryly, while Kuronue laughed at his side and Hiei simply smirked at her. Kagome felt her face grow hot as she realized what she'd done, but was determined to not let it get to her. Kurama smiled at her, his own his twinkling merrily. "I think you could use some work on your poker face, darlin'," he drawled seductively.

"Maybe I'm bluffing now," Kagome shot back, trying in vain to wash away the color soaking her face.

She watched intently as all the boys threw in money, driving the pot up steadily after each hand. Finally it was her turn again and she raised an eyebrow. "So I need to throw in forty dollars to stay in the game?"

Kurama nodded. "That's right. Unless you want to raise the stakes…" Kagome was unsure what to do, though the challenge in the man's gaze set her blood aflame. She had never bet more than five dollars in her entire life. After an endless amount of deliberation, she finally answered. "No." But she did indeed stay in the game by chipping in her forty. (Do you understand? She stayed in the game, but didn't drive up the money pot. Sorry but I don't know a thing about poker so all the hands played are what is shown in the book. Only some dialogue is changed to fit the characters.)

"All right, darlin', show us what your hand." Kurama grinned at her and once again she felt the pitter-patter of her pounding heart from the easy smile he shot her. She grinned back as she laid down her cards, drawing out her win, one by one entire all cards were laid out on the table. She had a straight flush!

Kurama simply grinned again and leaned over, kissing her cheek and making her blush. "That's my girl."

The rest of the boys just groaned.

"Beginners luck," Hiei muttered. "Damn, I had a good hand too."

"Hell, er, heck," Yusuke cut in. "I had four of a kind."

"It doesn't matter, gentlemen," Kurama said, chuckling merrily. "It wasn't good enough. Rake it in, Darlin', the money's all yours."

"But it's really yours," Kagome protested lightly, though her eyes were glued to the money. She had never won anything in her life. The feeling it invoked made her swell with pride and determination to win again.

"Keep it," he told her.

"No, I couldn't."

Kurama sighed. "We'll settle this later." The elegant male began collecting the cards again, shuffling them with more speed than Kagome thought possible.

She opened her mouth and began to protest about the money again when one of the saloon girls sashayed up to the table, wearing a quite garish and low-cut dress, a pure lustful shade of red designed to draw all eyes to it…and her. "Drinks, boys?" The blue haired woman giggled drunkenly, one hand on her round hip.

"It's about time you got around this way, Botan," Yusuke muttered. "I want a whiskey, and make sure it's good, not that cheap stuff under the bar."

"Who's buyin'?" Hiei asked.

"I will," Kuronue replied.

Hiei nodded to Botan. "Make it a double."

Botan smiled flirtatiously as she turned and winked at Kurama. "And what will you have, Kurama?"

"Whiskey's fine. Kagome?"

Kagome shook her head while the woman left, after sending a clear signal of 'come hither' to the red-headed man. "I'll be waiting for you," Kagome heard her whisper. She smiled audaciously at Kagome and sauntered away hips swishing seductively as she left, blue hair dancing in the wake of her leave.

Kurama looked to Kagome who was watching him, one brow arched in wry amusement. He shot her an equally amused stare while the other men looked on amused.

Kagome once again picked up her cards as they were dealt, though this time her mind didn't register the hand. All she could see was the blue-haired woman leaning over the man's shoulder, breasts heaving in her flaunting dress, and she briefly wondered if Kurama would indeed go to her later.

"Kagome, are you in?" Kurama's deep voice cut through her mental defenses and drew her back to the game. She had a pair of queens, an ace, a four, and a seven. "Sure." She picked up a double eagle (a type of money piece, don't ask me what it is because I don't really know) and tossed it into the pot.

"Kagome, it's up to you," Kurama told her once they all had drawn their cards. For a moment she hesitated and then tossed in five.

Kuronue, Hiei, and Yusuke soon folded, while Kurama raised the pot. "I'm going to see your five and raise you ten."

Kagome felt a rush of pure determination and excitement pass through her vibrating body. Meeting his eyes determinedly, she smirked at his bold, assessing challenge.

"All right then! I'll see your ten and raise you another!" She called, feeling him regard her for several key seconds before he stayed.

"The pot's yours."

"Two pair!" Kagome cried triumphantly, throwing down her cards.

Kurama's easy grin slid across his face as he watched the delightful woman beaming from her seat beside him. She was sure something to look at, very pretty and such a delight to have around. She was utterly adorable with her long spun black hair and laughing blue eyes. Why, he didn't think he'd ever met such a bewitching person in his entire life.

"Well I'll be," he finally said. "Are you sure you haven't played before?"

"What were you holding, Kurama?" Everyone wanted to know.

"Three aces," he finally murmured dryly.

Kagome couldn't help it. She laughed, long and hard. She was having an absolutely wonderful time. Before she knew it, time was spinning out of her control and she lost track. She just kept telling herself time and time again, one more hand then she would leave. But for some reason she just couldn't bring herself to leave. She enjoyed bantering with Kuronue and Yusuke and Hiei. And she absolutely adored watching Kurama in his natural element. He was every woman's fantasy with those burnished, emerald eyes and silky, soft hair. She watched him for hours as he dealt the cards, long finely-boned fingers siphoning through them like a soft caress. And more than once did she find her mind running onto dangerous ground, wondering what it would be like to have those fingers caress her like he did those cards. Would his hands be as soft as they looked, or as rugged and hard as the rest of his flawless body? He was such a wonder to look at, especially when he appeared to be shamelessly looking back.

Every time their eyes clashed, like they were now, it was like sending shards of lighting straight throughout her entire body. Time stood still, people faded away, and it was only the two left, him standing before her, stepping forward to embrace her, to take her into his warm arms and never let go. His eyes burned into her own and set fire to her soul, while she felt a delightful shiver crawl down the back of her spine, not stopping until it reached her moist center.

His voice was low, husky, seductive, and casual as he came to her and whispered of the sinful things he could do to her body. She could practically feel those heart-shaped lips glide over her skin as they worshipped her skin, kissed the tips of her breasts and touched every inch of her baby-soft skin. More than once, she really wished they were alone simply so her mind could make everyone of her delicious fantasies come alive.

A loud, raucous shout from another table broke through their trance and Kagome glanced away hurriedly, afraid all her thoughts would be showing on her face, afraid he would see the feelings he invoked in her.

It was a short time later after her body cooled a bit, that he offered to show her around the town before turning in. Except one thought flashed through her mind and tortured her with its instance until she finally worked up the nerve to ask the question that had been dredging on her mind this entire time.

"Won't Botan be expecting you?"

Kurama sighed softly and glanced down; taking her hand in his own, as he gently guided her to her feet. "No, darlin', not tonight or any other night. Now, would you like me to show you around town a bit?"

She smiled shyly. "Yes, I'd like that." Glancing down, Kagome caught sight of her money, sitting so docilely in front of her. Almost immediately she shoved it towards him. "Thank you for the loan."

"Keep it," he told her, pushing it back towards her side of the table.

"No, I couldn't."

"And have any other money available?"

"No," she answered, a bit glumly.

"Then go ahead and keep it. You can pay me back later if it makes you feel any better."

"All right," she finally conceded. "You're very kind."

"Kind? Me?" Kurama inquired as if he'd never heard the term before. He laughed as he gathered up his and her cash, dropping their earnings into two separate pockets. Kurama grabbed his hat, set it on his head, and then offered her his hand.

Mesmerized by his very nearness, Kagome was hardly aware of anything else as he led her out of the Queen of Bodie. Outside, the air seemed unusually fresh after the stale, smoky atmosphere of the saloon and she was inwardly glad to be out of the heady smoke. All that smoke, combined with the dozens of unwashed bodies and the cheap, clogging perfume of the saloon girls, left her with a slight headache.

Kagome felt the nervous tension seep into her bones as acute awareness came from the walking enigma beside her. Looking up at him now, she hadn't realized how tall he was, or how the aura of self-confidence practically exuded from his masculine form. He was most definitely a man who knew who he was, a man comfortable in his own skin.

They walked on until Kagome sensed it the moment the air around them swelled again. And she knew he was going getting ready to address her again. "Kagome." She heard the confusion in his voice; saw the questions in his eyes as she raised her own determined opaque orbs to peer into his own. It appeared as if he was just as affected by her closeness as she was by his. "We've met before, haven't we?" he asked and she shook her head in denial.

"No," she defended.

"Damn it," he cursed, not bothering to apologize for his swearing. "I know that I know you. I've seen you somewhere."

"It's not possible," she once again denied.

"So is what I'm feeling right now," he whispered, sweeping her into his arms and kissing her the way he wanted to since the first time he saw her.

Kagome felt as if she were drowning in feeling as his lips were firm and warm against her own, explosive as he plundered away at the seal of her taunt mouth. He tasted faintly of whiskey and Kagome found herself lost in his eyes, enjoying the taste and feel of his rock hard body against her own. She moved closer, and closer still, until finally her entire front was molded impossibly close to his impressive chest, his arms buried in her luscious hair, hers clenched tightly on his shirt front. Shoulder met shoulder, thigh met thigh, and ambrosia filled her nostrils as she took in his husky, sweet-smelling scent.

No one had ever kissed her like this, made her body sing with such passion. She practically ached for his touch as the tip of his tongue returned to play across her full, upper lip. She opened to him on a sigh and let his sinfully wicked tongue drive full force into her equally receptive mouth. All at once, the flame surrounding them became an inferno.

Their kiss seemed to last an eternity, yet all too soon it came to and end. Breathless and dazed, they stood there staring at each other. Kagome felt as if this were her first time kissing a boy, even though she'd been married before. All at once, she was falling towards him again and opening her mouth for more of his pleasurable kisses. "More," she urged and kissed him again, his lips opening immediately to her own searching tongue. Her eyes burned with unshed tears, helpless to stop her heart from feeling pain. Oh please don't make me fall in love with him.

She'd been down that road before and didn't necessarily wish to travel it again. She'd never intended for anyone to open that portion of her heart again, determined to make it on her own. She did not want to be hurt again, especially if the man she became involved with happened to die within the next couple months. He's not real…this can't be real. Kurama cannot be…

"It's late," she finally claimed, stepping back and not allowing him to reach for her again. If he did, it would all be over. Her resolve would crumble and she would lose her heart, only finding sadness in the end.

"Yeah, must be all of eleven," he drawled slowly, sarcastically, voice husky with suppressed passion and disappointment.

"Well…it has been a long day…I'm pretty tired."

He regarded her closely, as if he wanted to say something more, but his mouth formed a quick, tight line, dark eyes all too knowing as they stayed locked on her porcelain face. "Come on then," he finally urged. "I'll walk you back."

"Kagome?" he asked, when they reached her room. "What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing," Kagome said too quickly. "You didn't do anything, everything is fine. I'm just, uh, just tired." She licked her lips nervously, hoping he didn't see the echo of want reflected in her smoky eyes.

She was almost surprised when he reached for her again but she backed away instantly, back coming to rest against the door. She flinched as his eyes darkened with anger. "Damn it, Kagome, what the hell did I do wrong?"

Kagome's eyes filled with tears and she held them back, wishing with all her heart he would just drop the subject and go away. More to the fact, she wished she could tell him the truth about her, about everything, about her appearance in his life. She wished she could tell him of the feelings in her heart, but knew it was too soon for any of that. Surely, he would never believe her anyway. Even now, standing here inches away from his body, she still couldn't believe it herself.

Finally, Kurama relented, giving her space and backing away. "All right, darlin'," he remarked softly. "I'll leave you alone. Good night."

She hardly heard herself voice the same phrase, so in turmoil was her mind, but she did notice when he called out to her again. "Kagome…here." He handed her the pocket full of her winnings. "This is yours."

Wordlessly, he deposited the money in her outstretched hand and Kagome's eyes watched his back as he, once again, disappeared from her doorway. Her legs betrayed her, walking out further into the hall just to see him one more time before turning in. "Where will you go? Where will you sleep?" She found herself whispering, haunted by her own words.

His eyes followed the movement of his head as he turned back around and regarded her slowly and casually. Kagome was surprised at the almost jealous feeling that exploded in her belly at the thought of him holing up with some other woman. His eyes were shadowed this time, though, and she could hardly read anything in them. It was probably just as well. She couldn't go on letting him in like this when she was so afraid to lose him…not to mention her heart in the process.

"Don't worry about me," he finally answered. "I'll find a place."

His gaze was deep, dark, and smoldering, caressing her like warm, summer heat, and then those jade eyes went blank, leaving her feeling empty and cold. It was most unsettling, the way the chasm of darkness caused her heart to wilt in shame and regret as he turned and walked away.

There. Whew, that was a lot of writing...not to mention reading as I had to pretty much read and type at the same time, all while trying to write everything my way. Let's see, a few things I should point out. Someone pointed out a few errors on the last chapter (one being that I spelled Bodie, Body, the other being something about names, I forget, but I'll figure it out later. Anyway, I just want you to know, those will be corrected tonight as well just to get things correct.) Also, it has been a long time since I've written this story. So I will probably make mistakes since its been so long. Do not hesitate to tell me, as I hate having anything innacurate. If its something like normal spelling and grammer, don't bother. I won't correct that unless something is spelled outrageously wrong. Uh, lets see, yes I made Botan and Keiko floozies (or doves like they say in this book) and I will admit I do have a certain distaste for both females, however almost all the women in this book whom Kagome interracts with are saloon girls. So in all actuality, this is how the story goes and I won't change it. There are no other "ladies" besides one or two mentioned in the beginning. Also, the boys that were playing cards are probably out of character, though I thought they were all appropriate for their parts, seeings as all have backgroundsas being troublemakers and thieves in the regular series. I have to admit, at first I had placed Inuyasha at the table, but I decided to go with Kuronue since he is my favorite character and I'm not as fond of Inuyasha as most of you probably already know from any of my other stories. So if any of you see a scene where I forgot to change the name, please let me know and I'll fix it. Just don't get too confused on me. Anyway, I think that's all for now. Stay tuned for the next update...probably tomorrow.

Ja ne.

Kura