Hey all! Glad you liked the last chapter, you guys, and I'm glad you didn't have any complaints about the songs! I actually don't have a hell of a lot to say this week, but THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!
And I guess, you should all go look at my bio page, which has been redone, and go check out and tell me what you think of my new story idea, Blood Heritage. Everyone's a little different in this story. Inuyasha's not a playboy, cause he doesn't have time for love, Kagome's closing herself off from the world due to her shady family...anyways, you'll find out more once the last chapter of Caught in the Flash goes out, as at the same time, the first chapter of Blood Heritage will be up! I'm really excited for this story, actually!
As you might have guessed, Caught in the Flash does not have much further to go! I have five chapters left actually, including this one, so we're set to end on Chapter 18! Don't worry though, you guys have my new project, Blood Heritage to get into next, which I have to say, is completely different!
I was just wondering if anyone wanted to do any fanart for this story? I realize how big headed that sounds, but I just would love to see Caught in the Flash in art, and I don't care how good you are. We're all learning, even me, as this is my first fic. So if you have any art ideas for like the dresses or anything, just let me know, okay?
Wow, that's the shortest author's note I've done in weeks...Anyways, here's what I hope is a sweet, fluffy, and funny chapter (you'll see why):
Chapter 13: The Emmys and A Reunion
"Kagome! You didn't!" Rin shrieked disbelievingly at Kagome.
The girls were seated in small white chairs in a monochrome, light, sterile waiting room, as they waited for their dress fitting appointments at Matthew Williamson's boutique in central Milan. Each young woman had cups of espresso in their hands as they watched pristine secretaries and personal shoppers click past in their echoing spike heels. Evidently though, Rin wasn't aware that this was NOT the kind of place where you made slutty accusations at your friends in a shrill voice...
"Shhhhh, not so damn loud!" Kagome hissed, pressing a finger to her glossed lips. "Could you PLEASE be a little louder, I'm not sure an old man, with his head down a flushing toilet in the Australian outback heard you!" Kagome said sarcastically, smiling sheepishly at the angry looking suited man at the desk.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry," Rin said hurriedly. "But I swear you weren't supposed to be touching Inuyasha anymore!" she asked.
"That is a fair point, missy. What slutty little things have you been up to with him since we got here?" Ayame asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion as she glared at Kagome over her tiny espresso cup.
"They weren't slutty at all!" Kagome said heatedly, looking mock angrily at the smirking ladies in front of her.
"We never said there was anything! But now you just did!" Sango pointed out triumphantly, leaning on Ayame's shoulder and peering at Kagome's guilty face.
"Oh Kami..." Kagome groaned, pushing the heels of her hands into her eyes as she realized how she'd played right into their coy little trap...Dammit, she should've known Sango couldn't be trusted...Love did strange things to her...
"So what was it, huh, huh, huh?" Rin asked excitedly, bobbing up and down on her chair next to Kagome in their little circle.
"Nothing!" Kagome insisted heatedly.
"You sure 'bout that? You kind of left after Inuyasha's song, which by the way, I think said it ALL about you guys, and never came back..." Ayame said lightly, sipping at her coffee, looking at Kagome, deep in thought.
"I got tired." Kagome said simply.
"Uh huh..." Sango said dryly. " And then what, Inuyasha came into the room, and you two got it on whilst we were fending off angry grandmothers' walking sticks due to Shippou implying that he's our miniature slave!" she said madly, still shuddering at the memory of the night before. Jeez, Granny Louis had a mean right hook with that flowery looking stick...
Suddenly, shocking everyone, Ayame leapt down to the center of the small circle they'd created with their chair, got down on all fours, and with a feral growl, jammed her face into Kagome's groin through her jeans.
"OH MY FUCKING GOD!" Kagome screamed as she tried to squirm out of Ayame's grip on her thighs. "I'm being molested by my girlfriend!"
And just as suddenly as she'd got there, Ayame curled right back up into her seat and sipped her espresso again.
"You're fully aware of how totally pereverted that will have seemed to any sane person listening, right Kag?" Rin said, seemingly unsurprised by Ayame's behavior.
"Oh sure..." Kagome said sarcastically. "I get molested by Ayame all the time!" she said loudly, staring at Ayame who was sitting in her seat, sipping away nonchalantly.
"So?" Sango asked, as though looking for an answer, apparently unsurprised.
"Nah, she doesn't smell of sex." Ayame said, freaking everyone out with her crystal calm tone. "We still have a virgin bitch on our paws."
"Thank you, Animal Planet," Kagome said, her face horrified at Ayame's blatant sniffing of Kagome.
"But I'll tell you what I can detect a whiff of..." Ayame started mischieveously, her mouth curving into a wolfish grin at the tangy aroma. "I smell a lie..."
"Alright, sister, there's no backing out of this one." Sango said matter-of-factly. "What did you do?"
Kagome looked guiltily at the three most important women in her life. How could she not tell them? And after all, when she thought about it, she needed some kind of advice on how to deal with this anyway...It's not like she and Inuyasha were gonna be around each other much longer, and she couldn't leave without some kind of closure. She decided to tell all. Kagome, though confused right now, knew when to ask for help. Even if it did come in the form of three screeching harpies whom she loved dearly.
"I...We...made out in front of the room, and that was it!" Kagome said, finding herself backed into a corner.
"For the whole day?" Ayame said, somewhat disappointed.
Not really feeling up to the whole crotch-sniffing thing again, Kagome sighed deeply, and added the final detail. "And we had a lotion/massage oil/shampoo fight and nearly ended up making out covered in mud mask and rose oil whilst he was getting massaged earlier..." Kagome said, leaving out one tiny detail, just to preserve a little bit of dignity.
"Still smelling that lie..." Ayame teased with a grin.
"Fine, I massaged him for a while!" Kagome said, totally freaked out and exasperated by this point.
"Ooooooh kinky!" Rin said, her nose screwing up in delight.
"It wasn't kinky...it felt...fun, somehow..." Kagome said dreamily, reminiscing on the feel of Inuyasha's smooth, tanned skin and rippling, lean muscle undulating beneath her probing fingers.
"Fun how?" Sango asked excitedly, eyebrows waggling at Kagome.
"Fun like..." Kagome decided to throw caution to the wind, and just empty what was in her head at the moment. "Fun like...fun like the fun you and Miroku were having in the plane bathroom!" she said, turning the tables on Sango.
Sango's eyes widened and she laughed hysterically in shock.
"Wh...what makes you think I'd have sex in a bathroom!" she asked shrilly, subjected to the piercing glares of her girlfriends.
"Well...it is Miroku...he is a perv, and a hot one at that..."Ayame pondered aloud, banking on Sango's reaction.
"HEY!" Sango said angrily, standing up and glaring at Ayame.
"Uh oh..." Ayame said in anticipation, seemingly having released Satan into the world again.
"NO ONE, but NO ONE, gets to call Miroku a hot perv except for me, bitch!" Sango yelled defensively.
Realizing that the whole room full of fancy Italian mamas and gay Italian men were straing at the uncouth, cursing American, Sango turned to them, still riding her fire pony, and yelled, "What are you looking at?"
"Excuse me, ladies, but your dresses are ready for your inspection." A man in a white uniform came out and said to them as they all struggled to pull Sango down as she glared at Ayame.
"Thank you sir, we'll be right in!" Kagome said cheerily, as Sango yanked at her hair to get to Ayame. "OW!"
"Alright, alright, I'll leave her alone!" Sango said exasperatedly, sinking back down into the chair.
"You sure? All that taijiya blood running around..." Rin said, looking into Sango's eyes for any more signs of hysteria.
"Yes, I'm sure, let's just go." Sango said, realizing the trap she'd just fallen into.
And all four girls walked slowly into the room where their dresses hung on mannequins.
"Jesus, and you said nothing was going on..." Rin muttered as she shut the waiting room door behind them.
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One...two...three! Dammit, he wasn't even in the room. Inuyasha exhaled slowly, releasing the held breath he'd had as he walked slowly to the elevator, his alert golden eyes darting around the room, searching.
The rat-faced kitsune runt has escaped them on a sugar/alcohol induced high last night, and before Social Services got onto their case, as he guaranteed they probably were due to last night's occurrences, Little Annie Wannabe had to be found.
The guys had taken on the job before the Emmys that evening, to dispel any nerves and to give the girls time to do all those weird things, like shopping and hairdoing, and (Inuyasha shuddered at this as he stood in the elevator)...waxing...What could possible be fun about having your leg hairs ripped out from inside the deep layers of your skin, bringing all the dirt and follicles along with it? Not that he didn't appreciate smooth legs, but did they HAVE to do it like that?
And speaking of odd things women do...what had made Kagome sing for him like that? And more importantly, Inuyasha thought as he plumped down on the nearest plushy chair near the restaurant. If Shippou was like any walking youkai, he'd get hungry soon enough. And nothing could keep a demon from his food...Anyways, back on track. More importantly, what had made him sing back? Why that song, especially? He'd never even sung for Kikyou, let alone an audience, and yet here he was, having broken that record all for one wench he didn't even like.
Inuyasha gave a wry smirk as he looked out across the marble lobby. Even whilst he was telling himself that, he knew it was a lie. He didn't just like her. He loved her. He loved her smile, her sense of humor, her body, her hair, her eyes, her kind nature, her calming cocoa butter scent (AN: I'm sure I've said it's something different earlier in the story, but this is Kag's scent from now on, okay? It's my favorite!), her laugh, her arguments with him, her quirky little habits, her dress sense, God he could go on forever!
It almost disgusted him how much he loved her, and he'd have gone for her, because if there was one thing about Inuyasha, he never did ANYTHING in half measures. He drove the best cars, he earned the best money, he had the best stuff and best of all, he loved only the best. And he loved as much as he could.
Right, so now that was cleared up, he had one last hurdle to jump. Judging by her reaction from his impulsive actions last night, she was as into him as he was her, so nothing to worry about her. It was Kikyou holding him back. Funny, even though she wasn't here, she was still managing to fuck up his life. The secret he was hiding from Kagome was not something he could live without having her know if they were going to be together. But at the same time, what would she think of him if he told her? Could she still love him? Like her song, would there really be no sun in her sky once they were apart? It almost made Inuyasha laugh how they weren't even together yet, and it was still eating him up inside to be keeping this secret from her. The only other people who knew were Sesshoumaru, Miroku and his father. Could he let her into that fold? Answered with a resounding "yes" in his head, Inuyasha kept thinking.
If he let her know, he could throw himself into this wholeheartedly, but the thing was, she'd think him weak. How could any self-respecting female not? For allowing Kikyou to get away with what she'd done, he'd forever be paying the price of the guilt, each and every day for the rest of his life. What she'd done, in his book, was punishable by death. And she'd got off scot-free. How could Kagome trust him? With a secret like that, there was no love destined in his life...
Glimpsing a telltale flash of red fur dashing towards the coffee shop part of the restaurant, Inuyasha pelted out of the chair, all thoughts of Kagome, Kikyou and his mother momentarily dashed from his head.
As he ran towards the squealing ball of fluff, still clutching the sticky looking Coke bottle, he thought, he'd even been nice to Shippou since his little revelation.
And with that, he tackled the fluffball to the floor, holding his arms behind his back and growling out as he wrestled, "You godforsaken, lying, drunken, sneaky, manipulative little RUNT!"
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"I hate women." Miroku said as he lay sprawled over one of the several comfy armchairs around the edge of the marble lobby. After dragging Shippou back to the room, locking him in there with terrestrial channels only, cleared out all the clowns, magicians and exotic dancers and left him with nothing but salad to eat as punishment, they had put on their tuxes, cummerbunds and bowties, much to the youkai's discomfort, and were waiting for their respective women.
"Oh my god, the world is ending..." Sesshoumaru commented in a muffled voice, having covered his face with his restricting bowtie in frustration.
"I'm sorry. We were dressed in twenty minutes. They came back from the dress store three hours ago!" Miroku protested, looking to Kouga for support.
"Come on! It's not our business to know what goes on behind female doors. The world of shaving, plucking, warpaint, bras, and hairspray is not our world. The only part of female land we're interested is panties. Got it?" Kouga said wisely.
"My ears are burning!" Ayame said brightly as they exited the elevator.
The megawatt smile emblazoned across her beautiful features drooped a little as she looked at the dumbstruck men, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru once again creating a joint drool puddle on the floor.
Their women looked beyond sensational. (AN: These dresses took me a long time to think of, so make sure you read over them and visualize them okay? I didn't feel like trolling through all the prom dress sites and putting up the links...)
Ayame stood in front of Kouga, looking at them all quizzically, evidently unable to see how hot she looked. Her dress was strapless and tight, hugging every curve and crafted from a deep, ocean blue satin, The skirt draped outwards in tiers of silk and at the back, where a small V shape dipped, was embroidered a diamante star.
Rin bounded up next, whispering to Ayame, "You think they know about that drool on the floor?" Rin had opted for a sweet, classy, 50s style red prom dress look, in her trademark my-dresses-skim-my-ass style, which was oh-so-popular with the papers, wondering who this daring young woman at the awards was. Her short, mahogany hair was bound up in a half ponytail, with the loose hair flicking perfectly at the end. Red peep toe pumps completed the look, and was turning heads as she giggled lightly at Sesshoumaru as he covered Inuyasha's eyes, practically gouging them out with his claws.
"My bitch," she heard him growl.
Sango came out closely behind Rin, and her dress set Miroku whimpering at her, holding out his arms like a baby. Her calf length dress was stunning, made from midnight black silk, in a deceptively simple halterneck style. However, the defining feature of Sango's dress was that the top actually consisted of a criss cross pattern created from black ribbon, tied in tiny, elegant bows at the back. Her impressive decolletage was held up in all its glory by two stiff cups just like the ones on a balconette bra, giving her a formidable cleavage."Miroku, quit blubbering, people will think I have a puppy jammed up my dress." Sango scoffed, blushing with secret pleasure at his approval.
Once again, for dramatic effect, Kagome had kicked all the other out before them. If Inuyasha was going to think that she, Kagome Faira Higurashi, had spent a whole afternoon primping, plucking and, (she shuddered in her hiding place behind a pillar at this) waxing. If she ever wanted to pass out in pain cause she couldn't sleep, that's where she'd go. Anyway, if he thought she'd done all that just to come out like she didn't look like a goddess right now, he had another think coming.
And for the first thing, it never crossed Kagome's mind that she wasn't supposed to be trying to attract him. And secondly, ain't nobody could tell her she wasn't going to show off this dress. Matthew really had outdone himself this time, Kagome said, as she smiled and walked gracefully out from behind the pillar.
She almost glowed to Inuyasha as she walked surely and siftly towards them, her astounding dress making his jaw drop. Sure, Inuyasha wore the same boxers three days in a row most of the time, but that didn't mean he didn't appreciate good clothes.
(AN: Listen good, guys, this dress is complicated to explain, but if anyone wants to draw it for me, as I mentioned before about fanart possibilites, we'll see if it matches what I have in my head! Xxx)
Inuyasha's wide amber eyes raked slowly and ravenously over Kagome's voluptuous frame, which was currently encased inside a chiffon pleated dress, almost tie dyed in shades of bright orange, pink, purple and yellow. Each pleat was narrow and crisp. There was a large metallic gold leather band at the top, resting just on top of her dress. The dress itself, fell loosely to her hips, where an identical gold band rested on her hips, seductively following their every undulating move. The skirt fell loosely, just as the top of the dress. Inuyasha couldn't figure out how a dress like this, which barely showed any skin, could drive him so crazy, until he realized he was lying to himself. The dress did show skin, actually, and entire leg. Literally, it stopped just below her crotch, and one tan leg peeked out from a slit in front of it at each step she took. The outfit finished in yellow diamond earrings and necklace, with gold colored heeled sandals, Kagome looked every inch the summer goddess.
"Well?" Kagome asked, feeling uncomfortable under everyone's shocked gazes.
"You..." Inuyasha began, clearing his throat, and blinking quickly. "You look...pretty."
"PRETTY!" Kagome shrieked. "Just PRETTY?"
Sensing that this could only get worse if he didn't say what he was bursting with, Inuyasha leapt up from the chair and grabbed the hands of the fuming woman before him.
"You look sensational, babe..." he whispered in her ear, his warm breath tickling her ear, sending shivers down her spine.
Her face relaxed into a goofy grin, as Inuyasha ployed every distraction tactic he had, glancing meaningfully at his friends behind him and taking her arm, to the waiting black stretch limo outside.
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Meanwhile, a rather...peculiar...looking waitress, seemingly insignificant, peered around the corner, and whipped out a small walkie talkie from her apron pocket.
"Jeremy has just left the building. Let's go girls..." The red-lipsticked mouth curved into a crazed grin as she cackled under her breath...
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"Okay, this IS like hell warmed over..." Kagome squeaked, as she glimpsed the celebrities milling around the red carpet that was twice the size of the one at the People's Choice Awards. Glamorous women and hot men, worked the carpet, posing under the incessant hail of flashbulbs and begging pleads from paparazzi, barely restrained behind the barriers.
The inside of the limo itself was a flurry of activity as everyone pulled themselves together as the limo parked in front of the red carpet, a convoy of equally classy vehicles behind them. Certain women in black were pulling down their dresses, certain violet-eyed men were knocking back flute after flute of champagne, certain women in blue were plucking their eyebrows one more time, certain cobalt-eyed men were zipping their fly, certain amber eyed, flustered looking men were tweaking at their ties, certain brown eyed women were inspecting the celebrity runway happily, certain chirpy women were glaring at their reflections in the mirror and one certain self-important men sat stoically in the midst of the chaos around him. (AN: Phew)
"You think I could get a picture with Jake Gyllenhaal?" Rin asked, fluffing her perfectly coiffed hair nervously in the mirror.
Sesshoumaru growled, and tightened his grip on her waist, seizing her chin and turning it towards him, dealing out a kiss that looked like Rin wouldn't have lips by the time he was finished with her.
"Deja vu..."Miroku said, shaking his head at the pair in disbelief.
"Guess not, then..."Rin squeaked, coughing lightly as she struggled to regain her breath.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up!" Kagome yelled, a fangirl grin spreading inanely across her face.
Everyone stopped their various activites at her excited call.
"Jake Gyllenhaal's here!" she trilled, practically shaking as she pointed out to the handsome dark haired celebrity, talking and laughing with hysterical fans.
"Spare me..." Inuyasha groaned, his head falling into his hands.
"Don't worry, I've got her..." Sango reassured the weary looking group, and led the way out of the limo, into the glare of the Italian sun.
Even as a publicist, Sango was fully amazed at what went on around her. Entertainment Tonight were here, Nancy O' Dell was here, everyone was, and there were cameras rolling everywhere she went. She plastered on her smile and steered a gibbering Kagome out of the red carpet, towards Jake Gyllenhaal. (AN: Soooooooooooo hot, as you might have guessed by now!)
She figured that Kagome would never get over seeing him in the flesh if she didn't at least get to shake his hand, so Sango figured that as long as she was there, Kagome wouldn't have a restraining order placed on her head, though she could feel all the warning signs. For instance, the total crap coming from her mouth, her shaky steps that had nothing to do with the heels, and nervous hand wringing.
Inuyasha shot her a look as he removed his red tinted Gucci shades, not letting them get tangled in his shining hair, windswept and artfully tousled. Sango nodded carefully, knowing exactly what he meant. Equally dramatically, he replaced them and walked over to the fashion side of the red carpet, submitting himself and his friends to intrusive reporters and blinding flashes, which the shades were meant to protect his light-sensitive eyes against.
Funny, Sango thought as she continued steering Kagome past all the reporters, towards her little crush, how it almost hurt her heart to know how much Kagome and Inuyasha were in love. That little look had said it all, to her. Yeah, since falling in love, Sango considered herself enlightened and all-knowing on the subject. Kinda like God, you know? Anyway, Inuyasha's look had said to protect her, make sure she didn't embarrass herself and don't let Gyllenhaal lay a finger on her...
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"Mamasita, have we infiltrated as yet?" A muscular woman in a blue, sparkled halterneck dress whispered hoarsely into a walkie talkie, as she stood against the wall of an old warehouse near the Emmys location in Milan. With seven other androgynous ladies behind her, all talking quietly but excitedly, flashes of revenge racing through their eyes, they needed to hurry this up.
"Emmy security guards are not as tough as they'd like ya to think, let's just say..." A conniving, gleeful, deep voice crackled back down the radio waves.
"Nice, nice. All right, we're coming in now...Coast clear?" she asked, a wicked smile covering her face, cracking the layers of foundation on her cheek.
"What do I look like to you? Incompetent?" a indignant voice rang back out of the speaker.
"Messing witcha! Alright..." the woman rang back, beckoning the other women behind her, to sidle along the wall towards the back entrance, meant for caterers.
Lady Puff was about to exact her revenge on a certain member of the foulest sex known to man...
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(AN: I've never written a celebrity before, nor do I know Jake Gyllenhaal so here goes nothing! I'm fully aware that no celebrity on EARTH is this nice, but hell, who cares? I'm having too much fun writing this! This is just to build suspense!)
"Uh, hi, Mr Gyllenhaal?" Sango asked timidly, a bright smile plastered on her face still.
"Yes?" A kind voice replied, as he whirled round to face the girls, delivering a charismatic smile that set Kagome whimpering.
"Hi," Sango began, feeling more at ease. She stuck her hand out and shook his, saying, "I'm Sango Yamura, and this is Kagome Higurashi, my highly coherent (here Sango pinched Kagome's shoulder sharply) model here. I'm her publicist, and she, well, just wanted to meet you..." Sango trailed off, kicking herself for making Kagome seem like an obsessed fangirl. Which she was, but no need to show her up!
"Hey Kagome," Jake said kindly, taking her trembling hand and kissing it chivalrously, making eye contact with her the whole time, sending delicious shivers up and down her spine.
"Hi." Kagome squeaked intelligently and conversationally.
"How are you this fine afternoon? I hope you're enjoying the ceremony." Jake tried again, amused at the beautiful girl's complete loss of composure. He loved being able to do that!
"I...I'm great!" Kagome said brightly. "And how are you doing? I have to say, I was a huge fan of Brokeback Mountain!" she gushed, and paused. Did that make her sound as perverted as she thought? (AN: You have to see it to know, you guys! Lots of nakedness in a tent!)
"I...I mean, the-the script was top quality material, you know..." Kagome coughed out, inspecting her toes, her face flushed.
Jake chuckled goodnaturedly, and came up a little bit closer, the shadow of long dark eyelashes almost sucking her into their deep dark depths. Jeez, who was Inuyasha again? Kagome thought groggily, as her eyes slid half shut.
"Hee hee..."she giggled inanely, standing pigeon toed like a lovesick teenager.
"Uh, hi, I'm Inuyasha. I have five guns in the limo. Understand?" Inuyasha came up, putting a protective arm around Kagome, pulling her round form to him.
"Really, now?" Jake said threateningly, giving Inuyasha a discerning once over. "What kind of guns?" he asked conversationally.
"Glocks." Inuyasha stated shortly, then fixed him with a questioning look. "Why? I know Silver Shots are more fashionable these days but I can't get over the release on the Glocks!"
"I know! Me too!" Jake chuckled back, shaking hands firmly with Inuyasha. And in that moment, Kagome became completely disillusioned with celebrities. And she was proud to say she was never starstruck again.
Walking elegantly over to pose with her publicist demurely, Kagome chuckled to herself that both her crushes were now getting along, which could make her choice considerably more difficult...Please, Inuyasha didn't really have any competition.
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Right now, all Inuyasha could feel were the hairs on the back of his next rising, as were his hackles. He tried to relax, tried to have fun with the others, but somehow, it just wasn't possible. He felt...Jesus, and he felt stupid even saying it...he felt like he was being watched. Kinda ominous.
He attempted focusing on something else. Something that wasn't Kagome or the door at the top of the vast theater.
Everything seemed to be pointing towards a rough night. The heavy velvet curtains at the ten foot long windows flapped in the heavy wind, milky moonlight filtering, and putting unearthly beams of light above certain light. Inuyasha scanned the room, and shivered, seeing nothing amiss.
"What's up, man?" Miroku asked, leaning in and whispering.
"Just...Nothing." Inuyasha said, screwing his eyes shut, trying to dispel the intense feeling of being unsafe that burnt in his stomach.
"Come on, man, what is it? I haven't seen you this jittery since just after the transvestites attacked Jeremy. You kept wearing a football crotch protector and thinking they'd come around every corner after you. This has gotta be bad..."Miroku insisted, looking at Inuyasha as though he totally didn't believe a word he said.
"Alright, so I think we're being watched, okay?" Inuyasha said in exasperation.
"Umm Inuyasha..." Miroku said, as he glimpsed a familiar pair of plastic breasts behind Charlize Theron and Marcia Cross.
"I mean, I know it's fucked up and all, but it's just this ugly vibe I'm getting, and don't you dare tell me it's because I'm sex deprived, because if Sango knows what's good for her, you're the sex deprived one here, and don't think that because of this thing with Kagome that I'm not still getting my kicks, so it's not sex deprivation..."Inuyasha ranted onwards, ignoring his lie,thinking aloud and poking an accusatory finger into Miroku's chest.
"Inuyasha..."Miroku said in a heavier, more warning tone.
"And don't tell me that I'm just overreacting, cause I don't overreact to anything. Well nothing that important. Nothing that...Oh for Kami's sake I don't overreact at all, so I know we're being watched by someone, and I'm getting a really, really bad feeling about tonight-"
"INUYASHA!" Miroku snapped harshly, yanking on one of his forelocks.
"What? Fuck's sake, it's not as though THEY'RE back or anything –" he said, holding his hands up, ignoring the attention they were beginning to attract.
"Inuyasha, think again." Miroku said, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"The hell are you talking about?" Inuyasha asked, entirely confused. Then it clicked. Not like a bright, light-bulb kind of click. More like the click of handcuffs, iron bars closing down on you. "No..." he whispered.
"No, no, no, no, nooooooo..."He moaned, gazing in fear at the "women" above him, on the balcony. They had them surrounded.
The bitches had come back. To get him...and Jeremy, who was now quaking in fear.
"Inuyasha what's the matter with you?" Kagome asked, quizzically, tearing her eyes away from the brightly lit stage.
"We...we have to get out of here." Inuyasha choked out, grabbing hold of Kagome hand and rattling the table to get the others' attention.
He locked eyes with Sesshoumaru and cocked his head meaningfully towards the exit. Sesshoumaru glanced at the squadron of women surrounding them and immediately understood. He filled the others in with a smirk on his face. He hadn't seen Inuyasha this scared since a neko demon had chased him up a tree when he was five...
The women stood in the balconies around the place, a dozen or so in all, ignoring the protests of the rich celebrities behind them. Each wore one tacky dress after the other, in loud, plasticky colors. Inuyasha would know one particular member of them anywhere. Anywhere. Lady Puff stood, all alone, in the one directly opposite, a moonbeam turning her features grotesque, as a twisted grin darkened her face. She waggled her eyebrows at Inuyasha, sending a huge shudder through his body, and he knew what they had to do.
The chase had begun, and there could only be one winner...
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(AN: Bet you thought I'd end it here, huh?)
"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit..."Kagome cursed at each step as Inuyasha dragged her across the parking lot, and out, everyone else in close pursuit.
"What?" Inuyasha asked in exasperation, hauling Kagome along, seeing as she seemed intent on slowing him down and risking his sexual health!
"Shoes! Not easy, dammit! And I still don't know what's going on..."Kagome protested, picking up her feet faster.
"Alright already." Inuyasha sighed, stopping abruptly and turning to face her. Everyone else hurtled to a stop, catching their breath. Or at least, the humans were.
"This is the deal. Last time I was in Milan, I got a little drunk, you know, as you do. Miroku, equally drunk, suggested we go to this transvestite bar. Long story short, I cussed their very nature and belief on top of the bar, a bottle of vodka triumphantly in my hand and they tackled me to the ground after chasing me and Miroku halfway through Milan. Interesting stuff that was, don't think I've ever caused so much road rage...Anyway, they caught me, and..."Inuyasha winced in pain at the memory, and his heart sank as he realized he was going to have to tell Kagome something he found darkly amusing on some level, and yet on every other level, highly embarrassing.
"They caught me, and stole...everything from the waist down and paraded through Milanese Circle that way. I never corrupted more children at one time than I did that day..."Inuyasha said all in one breath, waiting tensely for her reaction, feeling the blood rage through his very veins as he glanced around for any sign of the he-shes.
"Ummm..."Kagome began. Then, deciding to fuck being nice and just do what she felt like doing, she sat down, directly on the asphalt, and began to laugh. Not just an average laugh, a hearty, rich, full, light laugh, lying flat out on the ground.
"She's truly crazy..."Ayame muttered, shaking her head at the girl cackling away on the floor.
"Fine!" Inuyasha said, outraged. "If you're going to laugh at my misfortune, considering you pulled a stunt like that not too long ago, that, may I remind you, nearly cost us our CAREERS!" That shut her up.
Kagome obediently placed a hand over her mouth and quivered silently, laughter rumbling though her torso as she put on a straight face and calmed down a little.
"Okay. I'm ready. No wait! Guys, I suggest any of you in heels take them off, okay? Cause if we're running, I refuse to let these bitches make my feet ugly!" Kagome insisted bravely.
"That's my girl!" Inuyasha said in relief, not even realizing that what had slipped out was anything out of the ordinary.
"You heard that too, didn't you Fluffy?" Rin asked Sesshoumaru, leaning against him as she panted.
"Yes, and I'm not Fluffy...anywhere anyone else gets to see, anyway..."Sesshoumaru said, blushing.
"You know what?" Inuyasha said suddenly, watching Kagome fiddle with the straps on her shoes, whilst watching Miroku try and pry Sango's off her feet. "Kouga, you up to carrying Sango and Miroku?"
"Do I look to you like I'm carrying Miroku?" Kouga asked dryly, raising an eyebrow at Inuyasha.
"True, I wouldn't either. Okay, Miroku, you're running, Ayame so are you, Sess, you're carrying Rin, Kouga, you carry Sango and I'll take Kagome. Got it? We'll move faster that way. These whores move fast if anything, and I don't plan on meeting them...at all." Inuyasha said, his voice all business.
"Inuyasha..."Kouga began.
"Shut up." Inuyasha snapped, cutting him off.
"If you don't shut up about my friend I will make you carry me and Sango" Ayame threatened as she tied her shoe straps around her waist.
"How are you carrying me?" Kagome asked, a little confused as to why Sango was clambering onto Kouga's back, laughing goodnaturedly.
"Hello, the way everyone else is!" Inuyasha said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"You sure you can deal with that?" Kagome asked, chewing her nail nervously.
"You don't weigh that much." Inuyasha said.
"Okay, first, I resent that, second, I meant can you handle me straddling you at high speed?" Kagome said bluntly.
"Umm..."Now this, Inuyasha had to consider. Horny, he was. Definitely. He hadn't womanized for a long time now. But...Sure he could, Jeremy was fighting for his life now anyway, so he wouldn't be coming out anytime soon. "Sure. Just get on."
And as soon as Kagome climbed onto his back, she breathed in his warm woodsy, cinnamon scent and fell into that dreamlike state between sleeping and waking.
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"Dammit, they nearly caught us back there!" Kagome said, breathing hard, as she threw another rotten fish head at the two transvestites attacking her and Inuyasha with trash. Somehow, everyone had gotten separated into twos or threes along the way into central Milan, where Inuyasha and Kagome had run into two particularly nasty transvestites, Jungle Jayla and Gyrata on the way.
"Well I have to say, bitch, clobbering Gyrata over the head with your shoe and saying that you swore on her stick-on pubic hair you'd scream rape if she laid so much as a finger on you didn't exactly help..."Inuyasha said sarcastically, remembering the sheer spunk with which she'd said it.
"Well,a) Did you see a better weapon around at the time?" Kagome asked defensively. "And b) She was mean, and she dissed Jeremy."
"Somehow, the poor little mite is getting used to it..."Inuyasha said wistfully.
"I know, but he'll get over it." Kagome said, patting his arm soothingly, as they ducked behind the derelict Chevy they were hidden behind.
"You think they can smell us? It's like bloodhounds, I'm telling you..."Inuyasha asked, glancing her way.
"Yeah, babycakes, you could call it that..."A menacing voice rang out from behind the broken windows of the Chevy. "I'll give you and your bitch two seconds."
"Aww shit..."Inuyasha cursed, grabbing Kagome around the waist and leaping onto the roof of the nearest low building.
"Hey! Who you calling a bitch?" Kagome asked indignantly, trying to squirm out of Inuyasha's grasp.
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"Okay, you get her from behind, Kouga, I'll distract and Sango'll get her walkie talkie. Plan?" Miroku said, clarifying with the other two. They'd managed to get themselves locked into Milan Cathedral, with one lone transvestite, out for Miroku's blood as well, since he'd made out with her without calling...
"I hope you know what you're doing.."Sango warned him, looking back suspiciously at Miroku, who was crawling out of the confessional behind her.
"Sure I do!" He said so brightly and surely Sango couldn't shoot him down. "At least, I saw The Matrix..."
"Yo bitch. Want a piece of this!" Miroku ran his hands down his body, playing the male stripper for all he was worth.
"Maybe, how sweet is your ass?" Esmerelda asked, doing a bad impression of being coquettish.
"Oh like sugar...babe..."Miroku tried to avoid shuddering visibly, and also avoided the evil eye contact he knew would be facing him with Sango.
"Myron is MINE, WHORE!" Kouga yelled triumphantly as he tackled her from behind a church pew, laughing as maniacally as Sango did when she got her walkie talkie out from the waistband of her thong.
"Oooh, Barbie ones, classy..."Sango quipped, disgusted with the material and candy pink design on the handset.
"Miroku, what do you want me to do with this?" Sango asked casually, pushing random buttons on the walkie talkie, picking up Radio Disney somewhere along the way.
"Umm, save me from being RAPED, MAYBE!" Miroku asked shrilly, from where Esmerelda had him pinned up against the altar, Kouga having been muscled into the baptism bath and knocked out cold.
"Good idea!" Sango said, jumping up and freezing. What the hell was she supposed to do? All she could see was a huge statue of Jesus, standing precariously on an ornate ledge just over Esmerelda's head. She really didn't feel like pissing off God right now, she was treading on thin ice with Him as it was. But she didn't really have a choice did she?
Sorry, sorry, sorry God, Sango thought as she took careful aim at the statuette and performed a perfect roundhouse kick to it, knocking it onto Esmerelda's head, squarely. Hang on, she thought, her grin of satisfaction fading a little. Two heads were falling there...Aw shit, she'd hit Miroku too. What was she meant to do with three unconscious, heavy people on her hands without looking guilty now?
Dammit, she always got left with the dirty work...she thought to herself before settling comfortably on one of the pews and fiddling with the walkie talkie some more. Maybe she could get through to the police if she was lucky. Ignoring the Radio Disney again.
She figured she had time to kill, she'd be smited for her sins later...
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"Sesshoumaru, I swear to GOD, if you leave me for a man, I will string you up from the ceiling by your fluffy balls and feed them to you!" Rin threatened, watching Sesshoumaru wrestle with a particularly beefy member of the Tranny Squad from the sidelines, holding a long baguette above her head as she watched her boyfriend make war with a man in a strapless pink dress.
"Rin, quit worrying, I won't. I have better taste in men." Sesshoumaru ground out, putting Anna Nicole in a headlock with a grunt.
"Wait!" Rin said, loudly. "Do you hear that?" she asked, watching around for the sound, which sounded like something vibrating on the floor.
"Fucking walkie talkie!" Anna Nicole cursed, where her face was being mashed into some pate on the ground.
"Hello? Can anyone hear me? This is the MPD, calling about a transvestite mob attacking innocent civilians. Can anyone hear me?"
"OOOOOH!" Rin shrieked, leaping down from the display counter and running to pick up the walkie talkie.
"Hi Officer, I'm one of said civilians, come and get us, the man is stealing my boyfriend!" Rin said hysterically.
"You what?" The officer said disbelivingly.
"I know." Rin said knowledgeably, "Anyways we're at Zizzi's Sandwich Deli in ummm, well some street in central Milan, you'll find it." She said, just happy to hear that the police were coming.
"Alright miss, we're on our way." The officer said, hanging up.
"Rin?" A crackly female voice crawling down the connection.
"Sango?" Rin asked in shock. "Is that you?"
"Yeah sweetie. Where are you?" Sango asked with relief.
"Some sandwich place, Anna Nicole followed us here." Rin said, clinging for dear life to the little walkie talkie.
"Joy. We got Esmerelda. Believe me, she's anything but a gyspy girl..."Sango said mutinously.
"Did you forward the police to all the walkie talkies?" Rin asked urgently.
"I could do that?" Sango asked blankly.
"God, did you not use these as a kid?" Rin asked.
"I had better things to do..."Sango said plaintively, feeling a little deprived all of a sudden.
Rin quickly explained to her how this was to work, and how to tell everyone.
She sat back once she was done, satisfied with her night's work...
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"Come on now Lady Puff, we..we..we love transvestites! Honest!" Kagome said nervously, backing away from the domineering woman with Inuyasha at her heels.
"Yeah? I'm sure you do baby, but I'm not so sure about your little puppy there..." she sneered as she advanced on them in the alleyway.
"I do, I do..."Inuyasha whimpered slowly, his ears flattening to his head.
"He does!" Kagome reiterated.
"Sure he does, little lady, so maybe I'll just take you instead..."Lady Puff said, her small eyes tearing hungrily over Kagome's lithe form.
All weakness and fear zoomed out of Inuyasha in that selfsame little moment. No one, but NO ONE, propositioned his woman and got away with it.
"Okay, now THERE I DRAW THE FUCKING LINE, CUNT!" Inuyasha said loudly, stepping in front of Kagome.
"Excuse me, small fry?" Lady Puff asked consdescendingly, glancing at his crotch.
Blushing madly, Inuyasha took her shoulder and pinned her up against the wall, all set to pummel his face in, when he heared sirens and saw bright blue and red light flashing out side the alleyway.
"Shit...the jig is up..."Lady Puff sighed theatrically, wrenching out of Inuyasha's now slack grip.
Two policemen in bulletpoof vest came around the corner with two blankets and a clipboard.
"Would you happen to go by the name Lady Puff, by any chance?" one officer asked, glaring up at her.
"Yup." She said simply, grunting.
"We're sorry sir...er..ma'am, but you're under arrest for sexual harrassment, stalking, felon, theft, armed robbery, illegal immigration and assault. We hereby also declare that a restraining order has been put into place. You and twelve other women we believe you know are not to come within 1km of a...member, known to his friends as Jeremy, I was told? I'll assume you're Jeremy then, sir." The officer said, looking at Inuyasha as he cuffed Lady Puff.
"Uh..." he decided to ignore Kagome's giggles as she wrapped herself up in the blanket and said. "Yeah, that's me."
"Thank you then sir, and goodnight." The officer said, wrestling a cursing Lady Puff into the car.
"Oy vey."Inuyasha said, pulling Kagome to him his arm around her shoulders, as they walked out of the alleyway, gravitating towards a little park.
"I know. Some night, huh?" Kagome said, looking up into his eyes, her brown ones sparkling in the moon.
"It was, it was. I'm never coming back here again, I'll have you know." Inuyasha said, smiling up at the stars, as he glimpsed a little park.
This little...ordeal tonight had taught him that he could die, very soon, even at the hands of evil penis-obsessed transvestites, and that he had to start work on hooking up with Kagome before it was too late.
And that began with releasing his darkest secret. It began with telling her the truth. His truth. The one that plagued his existence. And funny, but this little glade in the middle of Italy seemed like the place to do it.
Sure as the sun, Inuyasha steered Kagome towards a little swinging bench he'd seen miles away. This bench was in the midst of a little stone circle, enclosed in flowers and little birds singing their own nightsong, serenading them. They walked along tiny cobbled paths surrounded by miniature fountains and statuettes. Everything in this place seemed made for little people.
As they came up, in their companionable silence, Inuyasha gently sat Kagome down on the bench, allowing her to wrap up in the blanket and look at him worriedly, her forehead creased with concern.
"Kagome," Inuyasha began. "You know there's something between us. There is."
"I know that, and it's killing me." Kagome whispered, her tone deathly serious.
"But...nothing can happen...if I don't tell you something...something incredibly important." Inuyasha said, his voice cracking.
"What is it?" Kagome asked simply.
"It's not a good thing about me, and it's not something I'm proud of. Only three other people know on this earth today, and it's about to become four. I need you to know this though, before I say anything else concerning us. You need to know, and then you can make your decision. Okay?" Inuyasha said quietly yet surely above the trickling, soothing melody of the fountain slicing through the warm night air.
"Okay." Kagome agreed, her face set in determination.
"I'm going to tell you about Kikyou." Inuyasha said, finally lifting his pained amber eyes to her own, a maelstrom of emotion whirling through.
The truth was about to be unveiled to Kagome Higurashi, and it would change her life forever.
AN: It's just gone midnight, and I'm very very tired, since school is a total drag and I'm doing WAY too many extracurriculars for my own good...Anyways, I hope you liked this instalment, and as you can see, things are about to get serious. LEMON NEXT CHAPTER! EXCITEMENT! Anyways, see ya sometime next week, okay? Reviewwww! And remember my fanart note! Love Inukagchick11 xxx