He hated these nights. The nights when he was at his most vulnerable. He sat in front of the flour to celling windows next to his kitchen, watching the shimmering lights of the city that never slept. He often didn't sleep on these nights too, consumed with his human emotions and thoughts. On days like this he didn't even want to leave his apartment. He would spend his days watching movies, drinking and eating whatever he could find in his fridge. He only allowed Miroku to come to see him, and occasionally his brother. He ran a hand through his now black hair, as he reached for the bottle of wine that sat next to him, and took a swig of it. He looked over his shoulder as he heard the elevator ding. "Miroku?" Inuyasha called, as he turned his body and pulled himself to his feet. "Did you bring food?" He added, as he walked over to the elevator. He saw Miroku shaking himself off, with a pizza box in hand. He smiled as he snatched the pizza box from his friend, and walked over to the kitchen, setting it down on his island counter.
Miroku sighed, as he flipped the switch that turned on the lamps that were above the island counter. "Why do you insist on remaining in the dark during the night of the new moon? No wonder you're always depressed on these nights." Miroku said, as he threw his rain jacket onto the chair in front of the island. He opened the box and reached for a pepperoni pizza slice. "Kagome and Sango are coming over in a bit." Miroku announced, causing Inuyasha to give him a glare. Miroku simply waved him off, shrugging his shoulders. He understood that the night of the new moon was extremely debilitating for Inuyasha, and vulnerable—but he also understood that in order for Kagome and Inuyasha to overcome their differences, and stop being so belligerent toward each other, they needed to bond. He was getting tired of the constant complains from Kagome, and Inuyasha's berating of the woman every chance he got. "How was practice today?" He asked, as he leaned on the counter.
"Miroku." Inuyasha said, coldly. Miroku felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise as Inuyasha grabbed onto the collar of his shirt, dragging Miroku closer to him. His lips brushed against Miroku's ear, "I will personally kill you if you don't call that bitch and her friend and tell them to not come over." He let go of Miroku, pushing him away from him. Inuyasha glared at him as his hands balled up into fists. "Miroku this has to be the worst thing you've ever done to me."
"Really?" Miroku asked, as he positioned himself, ready to run away at any moment from his friend's wrath. "Are you sure? So, paying someone to pretend to be your girlfriend because you keep being a dickhead isn't the worst thing, I've done to you?" Miroku asked, laughing nervously. Inuyasha sighed, and lunged toward his torso, and tackled Miroku to the ground. Straddled, Miroku struggled to squeeze himself out of Inuyasha's grasp, which caused Inuyasha to tighten his inner knees around Miroku's waist. "Look! They don't know you turn human once a month, just say you dyed your hair black!" Miroku said defensively, holding his hands in front of his face, as Inuyasha got ready to punch him. "You and Kagome need to talk. Seriously." Inuyasha blinked and furrowed his eyebrows. Seeing it safe to put his hands down, he sighed and looked at his friend. His usual bright, golden eyes were now an amber grey, and his silver hair was now black. His claws disappeared and became normal finger nails, but his strength remained the same. "I need you two to actually act like you like each other, dude." Miroku said, and he took this time to flip Inuyasha over, so that he was the one straddling his friend now. "Otherwise, tabloids will begin to pick up on the fact that you two act really happy at fights and out and about, but it seems strained. We need this to look natural." Inuyasha rolled his eyes, and looked away from his friend.
"I'm a fighter Miroku. An athlete. I'm not an actor." Inuyasha grumbled, as he kicked Miroku off of him and got to his feet. "I don't like her." He added, shaking his head. "She's so... defensive, immature, uptight! I don't know. I wouldn't even be friends with her." He said, as he turned back toward Miroku, and extended a hand to him. Miroku glared at him. "Oh, come on, dipshit. If anyone should be mad here it's me. Do you really think it's the best idea to bring her and her friend to my home right now? It's the dumbest idea you've ever had, Miroku and you're so fucking lucky I'm not demon right now or I would rip your fucking head off."
"You could technically do that regardless." Miroku retorted as he took Inuyasha's hand and hoisted himself up. Dusting himself off, he went back to the pizza box and took out a slice. "Look...I know what I'm doing is fucked—will you stop glaring? -I know what I'm doing is fucked up. However,-Inuyasha I'm serious, please stop glaring-, you two need to have a serious talk about what you can do to better show respect toward each other. Mostly you, Inuyasha."
"Me?" Inuyasha snorted, rolling his eyes as he walked back to the spot where he left the wine bottle, and reached for it, taking a drink as he walked back to the kitchen, setting the bottle down on the counter. Miroku made a face, although Inuyasha ignored it. "Why me? I'm not the one in the wrong here."
Again, Miroku found himself exasperated with his friend's refusal to accept when he may have committed a wrong. Must he, at all times, be dense? Does it pain him to reflect on his own actions? Miroku thought, as he took a bite out of his pizza. "Have you talked to your lawyer? About the charges being pressed from the last time I bailed you out?" Inuyasha huffed. "Really, Inuyasha? You can't fight if you're in jail. I mean...you can, you just won't make money—just enemies." Although Miroku was more than sure that Inuyasha could hold his own in a jailhouse brawl, he wasn't too keen on the thought.
"Which Lawyer?! I have 3!" Inuyasha retorted, taking a bite out of a pizza slice. "I'll talk to one of them tomorrow. No promises it'll be the right one, however." Inuyasha then looked over to his phone, which laid on the counter. "It's kind of late...didn't you say they were coming? And what's with you and this Sango chick?" Inuyasha asked, wiggling his eyebrows at Miroku. "Have you fucked yet?"
"Not all men are dogs, such as you Inuyasha." Miroku said dryly, earning a growl from Inuyasha. "We are...talking. I'm really trying with her." Miroku clarified, although he himself had not much of an idea of what 'talking' meant. Inuyasha raised his eyebrows. "I really like her."
"Oh wow...seems like your womanizing days are coming to a quick end." Inuyasha responded, though he was mildly amused by his friend's newfound loyalty to a single woman. Since their adolescence, Miroku was always the lecherous of the two, as Inuyasha's sexual desires came and went, and rose and fell with intensity. Much of Inuyasha's life up to this point had been spent quietly observing Miroku's sexual escapades. They were always in abundance. "What a shame." Inuyasha said sarcastically.
"Shut up. You need to get over Kikyo."
Kikyo.
Ah, yes. Inuye3asha's first, and to this day, only true love. His heart still skipped a beat every time he thought of her, and no woman could ever attain her level of perfection. Unfortunately for Inuyasha, she was hard to keep once obtained and she was constantly cheating on him. Their relationship blossomed in his first year of High School, and continued until his career started to take off, and he moved to the states. It was a long, and grueling five-year relationship, fueled primarily by lust and sexual desire. He always got a burning feeling to reach out to Kikyo again, and it intensified every time he turned human. But he always fought it off. "I am over her." Inuyasha said, earning an empty laugh from Miroku. "I am I said!" Miroku rolled his eyes.
"No, you aren't, Inuyasha." Miroku said, as he heard the elevator ding and Sango's voice exclaim as she admired the apartment. "Look. It's our guest." Miroku whispered, and raised his eyebrows as he mouthed "be nice."
"No promises." Inuyasha muttered, as he watched Miroku call out to the women from over his shoulder. Inuyasha braced himself for the usual shocked expression.
"Miroku you never told me that Inuyasha had such a love- oh my god."
And, there it was.
Sango stared with a mixture of confusing and intrigue in her eyes, as she looked over Inuyasha. His usual silver hair was now black, he had human ears, darker eyes, and his skin was a light tan color. His usual sharp jawline was softer now, almost more feminine. Beside Sango, Kagome slowly put down the boxes of pizza and took the bag of liquor bottles from her.
"Inuyasha...you look quite different." Sango said.
"Well duh, captain obvious." Inuyasha spat back, and finished off his pizza slice, before reaching for another. Kagome glared at him from her spot next to Miroku, and Inuyasha felt his stomach flip as her large chocolate brown eyes connected with his dark grey ones. "Got something to say?" He said.
"Paparazzi was downstairs." Kagome grumbled, as she went to take a slice from the pizza box Miroku brought. "Just thought you should know." She then gave Inuyasha a once over and grunted. "So, on your license, what color do you put for hair and stuff? Silver slash black?" Her question was more to start a conversation, although she was mildly interested. She was taught in college that many half demons lose their powers on a particular night of the lunar cycle, although she had never seen one. Now that she did, she had to admit that she expected much more change from Inuyasha; but it seemed that although his physique had changed, he was the still the same arrogant bastard he was any other day.
"I put silver." He muttered back, although he couldn't quite muster the same intensity of spite this time. Kagome quirked an eyebrow at the man. "I put gold for eye color. I change twelve times a year. Not really that important." Inuyasha added, as he took a slice of pizza and then pushed the box toward Kagome. He grabbed the wine bottle he was drinking from and moved toward the living room area, plopping himself down on the couch.
"Wow...that went better than I expected." Miroku muttered to himself, as he turned his attentions back toward Sango, who's attentions he was still trying to win. "So, my dearest, have you slept on my offer yet?" Miroku asked, flashing a small smile at Sango. Sango rolled her eyes, and tossed her hair over her shoulder as she walked over to Kagome, who seemed to be in deep thought about what pizza she wanted to take a slice of. Miroku sighed as he opened the refrigerator and took out three beers. He handed one to Kagome and Sango, and made his way over to the living room area in front of the kitchen, where Inuyasha was mindlessly scrolling through his phone. "Are you still mad at me?"
"Fuming." Inuyasha replied, as he stared down at his phone. "And you're letting them help themselves to my fridge. How nice of you." He added, bitter anger in his voice. Truly, this had to have been the most inconsiderate, foolish, and violating thing that Miroku had ever done to Inuyasha. But what more could he expect from the same man that brought Kagome into his home a mere month ago? He took a small sip out of the wine bottle, before he reached onto the coffee table and grabbed the TV remote, turning on the TV. He heard whispers in the kitchen, before Sango and Kagome walked over to the living room area and sat down on his couch. He scooted closer to Miroku.
It was awkward for a while, as neither the men nor women knew of what to say to one another. It was clear that Inuyasha wanted everyone to leave, and it was also clear that Miroku was determined to stay. The only sounds that filled the silence was the movie that Inuyasha had found on the TV, and the chewing of food. Annoyed by the stubborn silence, Sango finally broke it. "So," She started, "Inuyasha, what was Miroku like as a kid?" She wasn't particularly interested in the topic, but seeing as Miroku was trying his hardest to catch her attention (a valiant effort, even she was willing to acknowledge) she figured what better way to get to know her potential boyfriend. She noticed a small smile creep onto Inuyasha's lips, as he turned toward Miroku, snickering.
"Oh, where do I begin." He breathed, shaking his head. Inuyasha had tons of stories about Miroku and his idiotic endeavors (as he should, due to a lifetime of friendship). "Where should I start Miroku? Maybe I'll start with that one time in grade 9-"
"We don't talk about that incident, Inuyasha." Miroku said sternly, as he took a drink from his beer. Inuyasha arched an eyebrow. "I'm serious, Inuyasha."
"What happened in grade nine, Miroku?" Kagome asked from beside Inuyasha, arching an eyebrow. His secrecy piqued her interest now, as she couldn't think of anything she had done in grade nine for her to be that guarded over. "Did you like pull a school prank and get caught or something?"
"One time, in grade nine, Miroku thought it would be a good idea to steal the answer key a teacher had of a comprehension test we had. And the idiot tried to break in to the classroom when the teacher, I think her name was or something like that, was grading things. Instead of turning away and abandoning the mission, Miroku decided it was appropriate to try and steal the answer key regardless." Inuyasha said, draping an arm over Miroku's shoulders. "He was suspended for like a month, the poor fool." Miroku groaned, and pushed Inuyasha off of him. "Oh, and remember the one time in grade 11, when you tried to fuck a teacher for an A?"
"He did what?!" Kagome and Sango exclaimed, earning a slow nod from Inuyasha. Although the women knew of Miroku's lecherous tendencies, they never saw him as the type to try to screw his way to something-or, well...actually, now that they thought about it, it seemed like something he would definitely do. Eyebrows twitching, the two women looked past Inuyasha to Miroku, who shrunk into his seat in the couch, slowly taking a sip from his beer. "Miroku!" They yelled.
Now I know the type of man he is. Nothing but a damn lecher. Sango thought as she shook her head. "And I'm supposed to trust you in a relationship?"
"Well, being in a relationship isn't exactly going to keep me from passing or failing a grade is it?" Miroku snapped back, giving a glare to Inuyasha, who simply shrugged and got up to get himself another pizza slice. "Besides, I was like...seventeen? I think..." Miroku scratched at his chin gently as he tried to remember his age. "I don't know. I'm twenty-four now, which means..."
"Miroku that's honestly disgusting." Kagome said, and Miroku widened his eyes at her and pointed a finger at Inuyasha, who was coming back to the living room with the boxes of pizza, so they wouldn't have to leave again.
"You can't honestly tell me you think Inuyasha is damned saint, can you?!" Miroku yelled, as Inuyasha took his place between him and Kagome. He shifted his now dark grey eyes between the two and blinked.
"What about me?" He retorted, taking a bite from his pizza slice as he changed the channel on the TV. "I haven't done a damn thing. I am a saint." He said, shaking his head a little as he talked. Miroku growled at him lowly, causing Inuyasha to shoot daggers at Miroku. "I said I haven't done a damned thing, Miroku-kun." Miroku gulped and was about to refute Inuyasha's claim when Kagome spoke up from beside Inuyasha.
"Oh, I know you definitely aren't a saint, Inuyasha." Kagome purred, causing Inuyasha to finally acknowledge her presence. He arched an eyebrow at her, and stared at her eyes. He couldn't decipher if she was flirting with him, or if she was genuinely referring to something he might have offhandedly mentioned, or his criminal record. Perhaps it was a mixture of everything. Kagome rested her temple on her fist.
"That sounds mildly threatening." Inuyasha said, as he cleared his throat and took another slice of pizza. "I seriously have never done anything as disgusting as that." Inuyasha muttered, shrugging his shoulders. Sango exhaled heavily from beside Kagome, causing Inuyasha to glare at her. "You got anything to say?"
"Just find it hard to believe is all." Sango said plainly, as she too reached for another bite of pizza. "What else has Miroku done?"
"He stole a cow once." Miroku blurted, attempting to change the subject. Inuyasha glared at Miroku, who simply glared back. "One time for our agriculture class we had to go on a trip to the farmlands and Inuyasha decided it would be a great idea to steal some farmer's cow and let it go into the forest."
"The cow deserved it." Inuyasha defended himself, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "The fucker was looking at me weird."
Interesting...his life has had so many weird moments, Kagome thought to herself, as she blinked and looked between Miroku and Inuyasha. "That still isn't as bad as you trying to fuck your teacher for an A. What the fuck is wrong with you? Aren't you supposed to come from a family of monks?"
"I think he says that just to sound cool." Sango said dryly, taking a bite from her pizza. "That or he actually does come from a family of monks, but they've lost their way over the years." Kagome and Inuyasha nodded in agreement, causing Miroku to sigh heavily and stand up from his spot on the couch.
"That's it," he said, "I'm leaving. I'm tired of you guys attacking me. I am a good person." He started, and walked toward the elevator. Inuyasha stared after Miroku, and watched as he pressed the button to call the elevator. He entered the elevator, and their heard the sound of metal doors sliding together.
"Well, talk about sensitive." Kagome muttered, as she reached forward and took a slice of pizza. Inuyasha nodded his head quietly, as he glanced over at the two women. He found himself, now, in an unusual predicament as he was left with two women he didn't know very well in his apartment. In addition to this, Inuyasha wasn't one to have guests very often, which is exactly how he liked it. His space, was his space. The only people allowed to invade his space were Miroku, Myoga, and occasionally Sesshomaru and Rin (when Rin drags Sesshomaru to Inuyasha in her own attempts to mend their relationship). He ran a hand through his black hair, and sighed.
The conversation had died down rather quickly, after Miroku left. Kagome half expected Sango to leave—as she had some questions to ask Inuyasha, but she wasn't going to pressure her friend to leave, especially seeing as the apartment was not hers. Her eyes landed on the large portrait of the magazine cover she spotted when she first came to the apartment. She could faintly make out Inuyasha's hair, it was white in the picture. She heard Sango shift uncomfortably in her seat and get up. Kagome's head snapped toward her friend. "Kagome, I'm going to call myself an uber home, okay? I think I should leave ahead of you because there was paparazzi downstairs when we arrived. I think me leaving before you would help the image of you two being a couple and all. Inuyasha are you okay with her staying for a little bit?" Kagome turned her attention to Inuyasha, who looked between the two and shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't really care." He muttered, "Just be careful walking through the paps, they can be brutal." He added, and waved a hand to Sango.
"Will do. I'll see you later, Kagome." Sango said, as she made her way toward the elevator. Kagome widened her eyes at Sango, who glared at her as a way to tell her to stay. Sighing, she waved a hand at Sango as she left. And then there were two, Kagome thought as she turned her head back toward the TV. The silence was suffocating to her, and felt paralyzed on her spot next to Inuyasha.
"Did Miroku also tell you about us having to have a talk?" Inuyasha asked, clearing his throat as he reached for the bottle of wine, and took a swig out of it. Kagome nodded her head silently. "He said something about us having to like each other or some shit."
"Yes, he said that to me too." Kagome chimed from her spot next to him. "It's too bad your personality is so disagreeable." Kagome added lowly, making Inuyasha grumble, and move farther away from her, so they were now sitting within two seats of each other.
"I could say the same thing about you." Inuyasha retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. Kagome huffed, as she turned her attentions to the TV, watching whatever action movie was playing currently, although she thought about anything other than the movie. "I don't like you."
"Why?" Kagome asked plainly. "I haven't done shit to you." She added, throwing her hands up in defeat. Inuyasha squinted his eyes at her. "I haven't!"
"You've slapped me, you've called me 'dog boy' repeatedly, you're rude, you scream a lot, you complain about everything, you're ungrateful and inconsiderate, and quite frankly you're the epitome of everything and anything that I hate in a woman." Inuyasha said quickly, and glanced over to Kagome, who seemed slighted by his comments. His gaze softened, "If anyone hasn't done shit here, it's me." Inuyasha adds.
"You repeatedly call me 'bitch' and wench. I told you I apologize for slapping you, but I'll do it again if you want me to. You're extremely rude and condescending, you do nothing but berate me every chance you get, you act like a spoiled little bastard most of the time. You think you're above me in some-"
"No! You think you are above me in some way!" Inuyasha exclaimed, pointing a finger at Kagome, who rolled her eyes at him. "Yes, you fucking do! I can see it all over that pretty little face of yours!"
"That pretty little face of yours"
The sentence stuck out to Kagome like a sore thumb, and she locked her eyes with Inuyasha's dark grey ones. She searched over his face as he tightened his jaw, his finger turning back into the fist he made with his hand. She watched as his face began to slowly turn red, and she moved toward him, causing Inuyasha to move backward one spot, his tailbone against the arm of the couch. Kagome placed her hands on either side of his thighs, on the leather of the couch. Inuyasha glanced down at her hands, and then looked up at Kagome. "If anyone acts entitled, and superior to others. It's you, Inuyasha Takahashi. You treat everyone around you like they're scum on earth because your entire life you've felt like it. Now that you're in a position of power you think it's okay for you to act like a complete ass to those around you." Kagome said lowly, her face close to Inuyasha. He could feel the warmth of her breath on his cheeks. "But you forget one thing: everyone around you right now is only trying to help you fix the mess you've made of your life. You have a chip on your shoulder from being a half-demon, and you think that's a damn good excuse to treat others like shit. Well, you're dead wrong. Sooner or later, they'll all scatter like roaches if you keep this act up, and god help you once that happens...pretty boy."
Inuyasha wasn't sure how to react. On one hand, he was angered that Kagome would make such bold accusations about his life to him; on another, he felt as though he had been slapped with a hard reality check. A reality check he'd needed for a while. He glared at Kagome, and inched his face closer to hers, covering her hands with his own. "You think you're so smart huh?" He said. "You think you know everything there is to know about me? You think you can just barge into my life and pretend like you know me? Like you know who I am? What I've gone through?" Inuyasha shook his head, and moved so his lips were against Kagome's ear. "You don't know shit about me, sweetheart, but you can find out...if you'd like." He teased, and then suddenly pulled away from Kagome. Stupid human emotions! No!
They locked eyes again, and this time the tension was different. It was still paralyzing, but Kagome felt a tingling sensation down her back as she hovered over Inuyasha's lower body. She clenched her jaw as she stared at him, and then finally broke her eyes away, looking over at the empty pizza boxes. Inuyasha stared at the woman, his eyes fixated on her face. His mind wondered how soft it might be, what her chapstick tastes like, what does her skin taste like. He groaned mentally, and cursed himself for these human nights. They brought forth emotions that he suppressed, and emotions that his demon self was able to ignore. But as a human, nothing could be ignored, his feelings were out in the open for him to wallow in and acknowledge and he hated that. He hated the fact that he couldn't simply ignore the fact that found Kagome and her stubbornness extremely attractive. He couldn't ignore that he felt alone in the world. He couldn't ignore the dread he felt about thinking that he will outlive his friends. He couldn't ignore the resentment he felt toward Sesshomaru for his negligence of Inuyasha. He couldn't ignore the fact that he hated his father for constantly bailing on him and Sesshomaru.
"I'm leaving." Kagome announced, as she backed away from Inuyasha and got up from the couch. "I'm calling myself an Uber home."
"Kagome," Inuyasha said softly, making Kagome glance in his direction. "Wait."
"What do you want Inuyasha?' Kagome retorted. "I'm trying to do everything I can to get closer to you so we can maybe ride this year out in peace but you fight me at every turn, dude. Literally. I'm trying my damn, because unlike you I actually am counting on the money I'm gonna get paid in eleven months, alright?"
"I just don't understand why I'm the one that has to open up to you all the fucking time!" Inuyasha yelled, getting up from his spot on the couch. He grabbed Kagome by the wrist, and stopped her from turning away from him. Kagome looked over her shoulder at the man, whose eyes smoldered with anger and annoyance. "Why can't you just be the first to do something for once!"
For a second, Kagome froze in her spot. She felt Inuyasha's hands wrap around her waist, and lift her up, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his hips, and her crossed her arms behind his neck. Her hands tangled into his long, black hair as she planted a kiss on his lips, feeling the heat from his body against hers. Kagome could taste the wine on his lips, as she felt herself pushed up against the wall, breathing heavily as Inuyasha's lips slowly worked their way down her jaw and to her neck. She felt his tongue slide slowly over the sweet spot of her neck, causing her breathe to hitch in her throat. She felt her skin be taken by his lips, a gentle nip and then suckling. "Inuyasha..." Kagome breathed, finally coming to her senses. "Inuyasha."
"What?" He responded, pulling away from her neck, disappointment in his eyes. Kagome looked at him, searching his eyes for any sign of the man she knew him to be. Someone who was arrogant and completely disgusted by her. She saw no trace of that now, only a man who desperately wanted to continue kissing her, and caressing her body. But there was something different about his gaze. It was like he wasn't looking directly at her. Like he was looking through her, to something else. Inuyasha placed his hands on either side of her tiny waist, holding her as she unwrapped her legs from around his hips.
"We can't do this." Kagome said, placing a hand gently on his chest. She could still feel his heart racing, as she looked up at him, shaking her head slightly. "I-...this is a mistake."
Inuyasha stepped away from the woman to give her space, running a hand through his hair, he turned away from her. "Um...yeah. You're right." He responded, "I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me." He muttered, his face turning red. Duh, your human emotions got the best of you, you dumb fuck. Dame Inuyasha! Dame! Dame! Dame! Dame! Fuck!
Kagome shook her head, as she walked past Inuyasha, gathering her phone from the coffee table. "It's...alright, Inuyasha." She said awkwardly, raising two fingers to her lips, touching the area where his lips had been. She walked to the kitchen and grabbed her purse from the countertop, and opened the Uber app on her phone. "I think I'm going to go home."
"Yeah..." Inuyasha said, as he let his body fall back onto the couch. He wished that the earth would open a big gaping hole for him to throw himself into, never to be seen again. "I think that's best." This is all Miroku's fault, Inuyasha thought, I'm going to fucking kill him one day, For real.
"Inuyasha?"Kagome asked from her spot at the counter, causing Inuyasha to look over the couch hesitantly. "When you kissed me...just now. When I made you pull away...were you thinking about someone else?"