Chapter Five: Gluttony and Abstinence

Having slept all day, I was wide awake long after my usual bedtime. At least, that's what I blamed it on and not the missing jinni/hanyou. It wasn't like I didn't know where he was, staring at the pale-colored glass as the vase sat on my table. That's where it was when I left my bedroom; where Miroku had left it when he and Sango left hours ago.

I made myself some dinner with extra to spare in case Inuyasha was hungry. Then I checked my email, looking for any new casting calls from my agent. When there was nothing, I scrolled through the pictures my mother sent me for my miai. But it all made me more restless and angry.

In a huff, I grabbed the vase and moved to the living room, slapping the glass down on my coffee table. I hoped to jar the man inside since he was ignoring me. Unfortunately, there was nothing that said he couldn't see or hear when inside the lamp. As much as I wanted the pouty baby's attention, the thought that he could hear, feel, and see what went on outside his prison almost made it worse.

So I surfed the channels with 'Inuyasha' between me and the screen. My feet were propped up beside him, my fuzzy sock-covered feet dancing in the reflection as I twitched. When my channel flipping got on my nerves, I turned it off and leaned in close to the 'lamp'.

"Are you really going to stay in there? Miroku was serious; he's not going to make any more wishes."

Silence.

I don't know what I expected. Maybe he was unaware when in the lamp? It made me feel better because that meant he suffered a little bit less. But it also angered me more because while he was in oblivious solitude, I was suffering.

So I flicked the glass.

It toppled over and fell, but nothing happened. Instead, it and Inuyasha remained silent. "This isn't fair! If you get to be stupidly ignorant, then I want the same!"

Smoke filled the room so fast; it choked me to tears in a mixture of shock and fear. When I wiped my eyes clear and the fumes settled, Inuyasha grimaced over me. "Who you calling stupid and ignorant?!"

Coughing the rest of the smoke in my throat clear, I pointed up at him. "YOU!"

He had his legs spitting mine as I had my legs propped up on the coffee table. The arms he had crossed over his chest flew out as he bent over me, slapping them to the couch behind my head. "The only stupid person here is you."

"How am I stupid?"

"I tell you something in confidence, and you blab it to your brother at first chance. So now, I'll be stuck in that lamp forever!"

"It's better than dying!"

"HOW THE HELL WOULD YOU KNOW?!"

Inuyasha was roaring in my face, and I had to force my eyes to stay open—they wanted to close up and cry.

It wasn't as though he was going anywhere, but at the same time, it felt as if Inuyasha was slipping away. It's why I grabbed him, pressing my hands firmly into his cheeks. "I'm sorry. I don't know. But I do know that I don't want you to die!"

He let me home him for a while, and I let him search my face with his blood-rimmed irises. I was telling the truth; there was no wish greater for me than for Inuyasha to live. And I thought if he could see that, he would understand. But as he began to pull away, my unwilling hands slipping down his cheeks until he grabbed my wrists and ripped my touch away.

Held still, his hands around my wrists and his eyes locked on mine, I couldn't turn away or wipe my tears. Inuyasha watched every single one with a frown. "I think…you've become too comfortable with my presents. I urge you to practice self-restraint."

"What the hell does that mean?!"

"It means I'm staying in my fucking lamp until you come to your senses. I'm not a pet; I'm not your friend. I'm a demon—a cold-blooded murderer."

I laughed darkly, and he held me tighter. "If that's true, then why don't you kill me instead?"

Inuyasha didn't like that. He didn't like that at all, tossing my hands away and turning to smoke.

oOo

I was starting to agree with Inuyasha…no, I wasn't; he was still a jackass. Day two of the hanyou pout fest, and I couldn't sit around my apartment and mope anymore. My mother and my career wouldn't allow it—which is what I would say if I had a career.

I didn't even get into the casting call I rushed to. They took one look and told me I wasn't old-looking enough. The truth was, they could make me look old; they just didn't want me.

Hard to feel bad about not looking old enough, though. I suppose that's why they said that I wasn't blonde or cute enough instead of the truth.

Miroku insisted we meet for lunch, which was first, so I was a little nervous. Even more when I showed up and he was alone. "Where's Sango?! Don't tell me you screwed up again!"

He smirked up at me as I sat across from him. "Since the only thing I ever screwed up with Sango was not asking her to marry me, we're good now."

"You mean…?" My heart tripped as Mirkou grinned broadly. Then jumped across the table to hug my brother. "Congratulations!"

After a nice moment, we sat back. Miroku's smile faltered. "What about you? How's your situation going?" I answered him by reaching into my purse and placing the filled lamp on the table. "He's still in there?"

"Twenty years sitting around inside, I think Inuyasha has us beat on patience."

"Can he hear us?" I nodded. "Inuyasha, you're not making your master happy!" Miroku tried, but even I knew that was a long shot. "Maybe I can order him out?"

"What good would that do?" I shook my head with a grimace, "no, even if he came out, he would go back in at first chance. Inuyasha has to come out on his own."

"Maybe I should finish my wishes? At least then he'd be moving towards a goal he's happy with?"

I growled, "he doesn't know any better."

We both jumped back when the lamp danced a little on the table. I laughed, imagining Inuyasha cursing my name for talking about him like that.

Leaning in, I whispered to the glass, "if you don't like it, come out here and shut me up."

Nothing. We waited five minutes in silence, and the vase didn't move again. "It was worth a try."

"I wonder if I can piss him off enough to come out?"

Miroku chuckled, "if anyone could, it's you."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Miroku shrugged, "besides, that's as pointless as ordering him out. No, like it or not, he'll have to come out for his reasons."

"His reasons may not be what you want, Kagome."

It was something that had plagued me since Inuyasha told me about his curse. We were stuck because neither of us would yield.

Lunch over, we stood to leave, and Miroku noticed what I had on for the first time. "You didn't get all dressed up for me, did ya?"

"No," I giggled, "I went to a call today."

"How'd it go?"

"Oh, so great. That's why I can't stop gushing about it."

Miroku rolled his eyes as we walked towards the subway. "Alright, I get it. But you're too pretty for a casting call. What are you up to?!"

I was blushing from the compliment while sweating from being caught. "It's...not my fault. Mom won't stop! And gramps…he already put my picture out there, so it would be rude…."

"You're going to a Miai?!"

"As I said, I don't have a choice. And…it'll be good for me. Unfortunately, not all of us have our soul mate figured out. Or waiting for us to get our act together."

Miroku stretched an arm around me with a satisfied grin, "Yes, I'm a lucky man, I know."

"Lucky? You have Inuyasha and me to thank!"

"This is true, which is why I owe him. A lot."

He didn't need to tell me; I was there. I was sure it was the main reason Miroku agreed not to make any more wishes. He had the love of his life back…while I was off to a Miai.

"Call me in twenty minutes with an emergency?"

"Yeah," Miroku chuckled, "that'll work on mom."

oOo

Mom and Gramps sat behind me while I knelt at the table. Leave it to my family to find me another traditional Japanese family in LA. The man, who was decent looking with his clean suit and styled hair, smiled as bravely as he could. But he still looked like he was going to puke.

"We are so honored to meet you, Higurashi-san."

They bowed their heads, and I felt even more out of place. "Kagome's fine."

"My son," Mrs. Kono, the son's mother, "is a licensed dentist and practices in…."

I blanked out. I have no clue what else they said, not paying attention until Mrs. Kono began to scream. "What is that?!"

It was my purse, and it was jumping around the room. It was at my side since I was late, but now it was making its way towards the other side of the table.

"Kagome, did you bring an animal in here?!"

That was better than the truth, scooping up my purse and making for the hall. "Uh…yeah…so sorry, found it on the street on my way here—poor thing. I didn't want to leave it. It's why I was late…."

"Oh my, quite the humanitarian!" Mrs, Kono cooed.

Her son rolled his eyes, and I was sure he had spaced out at some point too. "I'll be...right back."

Once in the hall with the door shut, I gripped the bouncing bottle inside my purse and yanked it out. Then I glanced behind me. Something told me, doing this in public would only make it worse.

Now in the small courtyard at the back of the house, I laid into Inuyasha, who was still quivering in the vase. "If you've got something to say, then come out and say it!" The vase continued to rock, but Inuyasha stayed put. "Okay, fine. Stay out here while I finish getting married off to this guy's mother."

She seemed more interested than her son did, so why not? It would get mom and gramps off my back.

I got turned around but was lost in a pillar of smoke. Then, hands grabbed my arms hard and pressed me against the side of the house. "This guy? Really Kagome? He has no respect for you or your family!"

Inuyasha was a sight for sore eyes, not caring in the least what he did or said. I only cared about getting my arms around him, shoving off his hold so I could put him in mine. He stiffened when I got my arms around his neck, but I didn't care; I finally felt happy with him outside the vase.

"I missed you," I admitted with ease.

He still wore the shirt I gave him, but now it smelled like him instead of me. I was rubbing my nose deep into his neck when he wrapped his arms around me too. "I…missed you too." I squeezed him tighter. "But that changes nothing! You need to let me go!"

He said that. He told me to let him go, but his grip on me only tightened with his request. It was clear; he wanted me to let him go as much as I did. "Why? Why do I need to? What would be so bad about you staying? With Miroku and me?"

Slowly, Inuyasha pushed me out and away from him. His eyes danced from me to the hose behind. "If you were my master…I could give you everything you want: fame and love. Everything you deserve."

"Then you would also have to give me a soul because I'd have to have lost mine to make wishes that selfish."

He growled, pushing me away further to pace angrily in the yard. "I never should have told you about my fucking curse!"

"Why did you?! Because you wanted me to know so I would help you! You don't want to die, Inuyasha; I know it!"

"Yes, I do."

"No, you…"

"YES, I DO! I don't want to live like this anymore!" Inuyasha was pulling at his ears in a complete breakdown, "I don't want to deal with selfish, self-absorbed assholes who are nothing more than gluttonous pigs!" He sat on his heels -rocking- and I fell to my knees before him, listening as he whispered. "I don't want to watch you live your life without me. I'd rather be dead. But I deserve this…I deserve this."

"No, you don't." I tried to pull him into my arms, but he pulled away instead, "you don't deserve this, Inuyasha!"

"You didn't see what I did…."

"And neither did you! You don't remember; you have no clue!"

"I saw enough! I saw the after. And if you saw it…you'd want nothing more to do with me." But then, it hit me hard; I fell off my heels and scrambled for my purse. "Kagome?!"

Inuyasha was pulling me, trying to stop me, but I already had my phone up to my ear. "Miroku, I need you to come make a wish."