Day 11 of the 12 Days of Witchyness

I didn't have time to edit again, sorry guys.

Instance

Part II

He led her onto the dancefloor with nothing but the lightest of touches. Kagome felt the eyes of what felt like every person in the room and it made her want to run, as far away as possible. For a moment, her hand actually squeezed Inuyasha's, a near painful grip. The half-breed looked over at her for a moment, confusion warring on his face before Kagome forced herself to smile.

No one knew who she was. This was but a moment of time that she needed to get through and then she could make her escape. Inuyasha would never see her again, not unless she was saving his life, and that was what mattered.

"Second thoughts?" Inuyasha asked, tone sounding almost like a challenge.

"No. I'm just not a dancer," Kagome lied.

It was the very first time she had seen it, but Inuyasha's entire face seemed to transform. A smirk graced his features, not smug but not guileless either. It made him look younger. "Neither am I."

"Then–"

"Because everyone else in this room is horrible." Inuyasha leaned even closer, lips right by her ear. She could feel his breath on her cheek, could feel his chest against hers as he stepped in. "I'm the latest trend in this fucked-up political sphere. That means even those who have touted their pureblood race and belittled my family's legacy thanks to my demon father marrying my human mother are here. They're trying to get favour, to stick by my side so that if I win, they win. They're seen as heroes, as someone who believed in the little guy." He pulled back slightly, just enough to catch her gaze directly. "It's a gamble but with how the odds are starting to stack, it's one they're all willing to take."

Kagome considered that. She knew next to nothing about politics, had never invested herself in it. She had always felt like it was nothing more than a childish game, a choosing between two lesser evils. "What if you lose?" she asked carefully.

The half-breed smirked. "Depends. Many seem to think siding with me is akin to political suicide."

"And what do you think?"

"No matter how this goes, I'll always have a lot of fucking work to do." Inuyasha stopped swaying and it was only then that Kagome realized the song had ended. She stood there, unsure of what to do. Did she step back? Thank him?

Escape, her instincts screamed.

Another song started up, a similar smooth beat. Inuyasha pulled her the tiniest bit closer, though they were no longer flush. Not like they had been. "It sounds like you lose either way," she murmured, fighting the urge to look around the room. She could feel stares. Was she imagining the whispers?

Inuyasha tilted his head at that, an acquiescence. "To be fair, I had already lost by the time I was born."

Kagome didn't know what to say to that, so she said nothing at all. The two of them swayed on the dancefloor, tiny increments of movement. Over his shoulder, she caught the smiling gaze of Miroku, watching them from a nearby table. He didn't look sinister, but Inuyasha's words floated through her head. Political suicide. And what of the people that Inuyasha turned away? All of the people here and Inuyasha hadn't said a good thing yet.

Would any of them be angry enough to kill?

Stopping herself from hugging him closer – for protection, to better see around him – Kagome realized this job would be harder than the rest.

When the song ended and he let her go, she excused herself. She never said goodbye, never told him that she was leaving, but Inuyasha gave her a half-assed salute anyways.

She was pretty sure the half-breed already knew.

The following Monday found Kagome entering KH Protections Inc. first thing in the morning, coffee already in hand. She waved at Kaede but didn't bother to ask if Kikyo was in. She knew the woman and Monday mornings were never a joke. A part of her felt bad but it was one of the busiest working days.

And then Kagome remembered the stupid party and entered her office anyways, sans knocking.

Kikyo's head jerked up, a hardness in the set of her jaw and the sharpness of her gaze. It softened the second she saw her but that only lasted for a moment before she got back to her paperwork. "Why are you here, Kagome?"

"I don't know if I can do this."

That had her attention. "What?"

"This case is different." Kagome shook her head, unable to properly explain it. She had never been able to describe what her strange gift was, other than an instance. But Inuyasha brought out far more than it. There was electricity and burning and an intensity that she had never experienced before. "There's more to it, somehow."

Kikyo stared at her with those sharp, brown eyes. While her friend may not have had a gift like her, it felt like a power all the same, the way she seemingly stared into her soul. "Sit, give me a second, okay?"

Sighing, Kagome did as she was asked. She took another sip of her Americano and waited, staring at the cabinet behind her employer and listening to the woman's fierce scribbles. With each minute that passed by, the tension she never knew she was holding seemed to fade off, her shoulders relaxing. Of course. This was Kikyo's plan all along. Eyeing her, she took in the woman's long sleek black hair, the way it was loosely tied back but there were always pieces falling out.

For someone that came off as very rigid, as no-nonsense and at times cruel, Kikyo was one of the softest people she knew.

But then again, Kagome saw more to her than others. Kikyo didn't have friends, not really. Her whole life had revolved around taking care of Kaede, ever since the untimely death of her mother when Kikyo had only been twelve. Her father had been so busy with running the company that he hadn't really been around; they had never been close. Despite that, Kikyo had been primed to take over, working there in between school and monitoring Kaede.

Even though Kagome and Kaede were the same age, she honestly felt more of a connection to Kikyo. It was only a seven-year difference but they had both lived lonely lives. They had both been survivors, struggling each day to exceed expectations upon them. Maybe that was why.

Tidying up her papers and shuffling them to the side, the older woman turned her full attention back to Kagome. She interlaced her fingers and rested her chin on them, gaze never wavering. "Okay," she said, voice almost brisk. "What's going on?"

"I can't explain it," Kagome told her instantly, shaking her head. "I mean, since the beginning this has felt different. Everything has been so overwhelming, from checking his name on the list to seeing him at the party on Saturday, and then shaking his hand–"

"Wait," Kikyo interrupted, "you met him?"

"Not on purpose, but yeah. It was awkward not giving him my last name."

Rolling her eyes, her friend scoffed. "I told you to make one up."

"I'm good at fighting, not creating odd backgrounds of a fake life," Kagome replied. "I'm not exactly the creative type."

"Okay, okay. Fine. You met him. But you've met other targets before and it was never a big deal."

"He shocked me." Kikyo's lips turned down but she waited, clearly looking for clarification. So, with that in mind, she spoke her next words carefully. "When we made eye contact, it was kind of like what happened when I saw his name on the list. Less painful, more like a shock to the system. And then when we shook hands there was like this jolt. I don't– I don't really know how to explain it better than that."

"What do you think it means?"

"I have no idea." Kagome heaved a sigh. "But after we met, I tried to back off. He found me later and we–"

Kikyo's eyebrows rocketed upwards, incredulousness evident on her face.

"Wait, no, we danced," Kagome spat out quickly. "We danced at the party and then I left."

"You. You danced at a party with Inuyasha Taisho?"

Squirming, she went to take another sip of her Americano as a delaying tactic, only to find it all gone. Crap. She really needed to start ordering something with more staying power. "He asked me and it would've been weird to say no."

A tiny smile crossed Kikyo's face and Kagome groaned. "You like him."

"I don't know him," she argued back.

"But you like him anyways. Or, at least, you're intrigued by him. By how your gift is reacting to him." Kikyo leaned back in her chair, almost a mirror image of Kagome. "Is that why you don't want to do this?"

"Kind of," she answered slowly. "He's just…in the spotlight. He entered the room and everyone turned to look. It wasn't even his party. I just– I don't know what to do with that. I don't know how to protect him like this. He's bigger than any potential client we've ever had."

For a long moment, Kikyo remained silent. Those dark eyes flitted over her face and then stared out the tiny little window her office had. She was clearly thinking about something so Kagome waited. "This has always been your thing," she said eventually, haltingly. "As much as it makes money for the company, this deal we had is yours. I'm not going to make you do this."

But.

There always was one, and Kagome could tell what it was before her friend even opened her mouth. "But if I had a reaction to his name, that means his life is in danger. He could die." Privately, Kagome wondered if that was what scared her most of all. That she was intrigued by the half-breed and it put the stakes even higher.

Kikyo nodded. "I'm not going to lie to you."

"I've never wanted you to," Kagome answered honestly.

"Then stop panicking for no reason." Kikyo grabbed yet another manila folder – her desk was covered in them – and opened it. She grabbed a pen, looking all for the world like the conversation was over that she was getting back to work. "This isn't different than any other job. It only feels different, because you feel different. It's more of a spotlight but that just means you need to do a better job blending in the shadows. Got it?"

Kagome held back her smile and stood up, knowing a dismissal when she heard one. "Yes, ma'am."

"Ugh, don't call me that," Kikyo groaned. She shooed her out of the office. "And next time, come with a coffee for me, too!"

Blending in the shadows.

No big deal.

Kikyo – through likely illegal means, but means nonetheless – managed to get her bits and pieces of Inuyasha's work calendar. It wasn't complete, but it gave Kagome an idea of where to be and when.

As it turned out, Inuyasha led a pretty busy but pretty solitary life. His days were about going from place to place, meetings and panel discussions and even sometimes presentations. There was only ever one person that was with him, a curvy woman with a long ponytail and killer high heels. She walked with an air of indifference though Kagome had never seen her do anything but smile at someone who was talking to her. She heard the woman's name – Sango – on occasion, and knew that she worked with Inuyasha, though the how was still unclear.

But the two of them went place to place. Sometimes Inuyasha walked out of a place with a blank expression and wandering eyes. Other times he wore a scowl and glared at anything and everything that came near him.

Kagome wondered what it would be like to live his life for a day.

The easier it seemed to avoid his gaze, the closer Kagome got. It wasn't bravery, but more like she was shaking off the paranoia that gripped her after the party.

Inuyasha and Sango went to a restaurant one evening, one of these fancy, rather posh places. Kagome waited outside for quite a while, letting the minutes tick down in her mind before entering herself. She wore her hair up and kept her jacket wrapped around her tight. She wasn't wearing anything fancy, but the jacket would pass. She requested a table for one and found herself being led to a table just a couple rows over.

"Actually," Kagome murmured, being as discreet as possible. "Could I sit over there?"

It was just as close, but completely out of Inuyasha's sight line. The hostess made a face at her but complied, bringing her to a tiny table for two against the wall. At this distance, she could still hear parts of their conversation.

It was nothing exciting. A lot of it she didn't understand, but any names they negatively mentioned were typed into her phone. Later, she would have Kikyo look into them all. There were three names that made the list: Naraku Morikawa, Ryukotsusei Something and Tsubaki Else.

And then another voice, startlingly familiar, joined.

"Shit," Kagome muttered under her breath. She ducked her head, trying her best to hide behind her phone. With a quick peek, she saw him: Miroku, the blue-eyed man from the party. She needed to get out of there, because even though she wasn't in Inuyasha's sight line, she would likely be in Miroku's.

Her waiter came and fetched her the bill, even though Kagome was only partly into her appetizer. She tried her best to be as unassuming as possible, keeping her bangs in front of her eyes while Inuyasha's waved a different server over, asking for another menu. The server was polite enough, but it wasn't until he was walking by Kagome's table muttering that she realized his true thoughts.

"Fucking half-breed," the man spat. "Going around and poisoning the goddamn public with…"

Kagome couldn't hear him any longer but instantly she looked at Inuyasha and knew – she knew – that he could. It was like the human completely forgot about the fact that he was half-demon and that his hearing was far greater than a human's.

Maybe…

Maybe she didn't want to know what it would be like to live his life for a day.

It was eye-opening after that. Kagome had been further away before, so maybe that was the reason why, but all of a sudden, little prejudices would make themselves blatantly known all around the half-breed. He couldn't escape it. Whether it was someone yelling at him when he was walking to his car, or someone completely disregarding him for Sango instead. It happened too often to be excused away as the odd asshole. It was a constant barrage.

Every time, Inuyasha would call the person out on it with some sort of witty banter and a smirk. And then, when the asshole left the half-breed would stop somewhere and just breathe, his hands clenching into fists over and over again, eyes squeezed shut.

Kagome watched from the background, wanting to do something, anything.

She stayed in the shadows.

Watching Inuyasha hadn't given her any additional knowledge. There were the three names, sure, but Kikyo hadn't pulled anything from them other than political rivals. So nothing that incredibly stood out, which left Kagome at a bit of a loss.

But there were other things. Little, tiny pieces that she picked up without realizing. Inuyasha like black coffee but when he was having a bad day, he'd indulge in a caramel macchiato and savour it. He saw Sango virtually every day and they were friends, but he seemed to be best friends with Miroku. They talked on the phone every day and if Inuyasha ever did anything close to resembling a smile, it was then. He was a dog demon, which she knew, but he tended to avoid actual dogs like the plague. He always had a snack at 5 o'clock and dinner closer to 8. He lived in a mid-range apartment building, on the top floor.

He always kept his window curtains closed.

Kikyo didn't hand Kagome another list and it was because the potential of protecting Inuyasha was far too great to ignore. The first speech he was giving was at Glimmer Park on Friday, around one in the afternoon.

Thursday left Kagome sitting at her favourite coffee shop, Americano in hand as she started at her laptop screen. The big day was tomorrow and she still had nothing to go on. Her surveillance work didn't always produce any results, but it generally gave her a feel for what was going to happen, or who was targeting the victim. With Inuyasha, there were simply too many possibilities.

But tomorrow would be the day. It had to be. Inuyasha Taisho was a man of big, blunt statements. What was bigger than killing him on the day of his first ever run?

Shippo walked over then, a fresh cup of Americano in his hand. His floppy red hair fell into his eyes but it didn't hide the obvious concern he was feeling. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Kagome sighed, minimizing the screen. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Work?"

She sighed again. "It's always work." She reached out for the new Americano and took a deep breath. It smelled so good though this had to be her last one. Too much caffeine in her system and she would never sleep.

"Someone bought you that, by the way." Shippo said the words with such casualness that Kagome didn't properly registered them until a solid thirty seconds had passed.

She jerked up, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"The guy with silver hair, over there. He bought it for you. Said you looked stressed."

No. Slowly, Kagome looked around the coffee shop and shit.

Right there. He was practically right in front of her, on the other side of the damn shop. He was working on a tablet but she could see the way his lips were curled in a smirk. His tiny dog ears were pointed straight at her. What a bastard.

What are the chances? A tiny voice in the back of her mind demanded. This shop?

"How the hell did you find me?" she asked, staring at him. She knew he could hear, knew the half-breed was listening in.

Inuyasha didn't try to pretend otherwise. His golden gaze met her dark one. He raised a brow at her but offered no other solution.

It was Shippo's turn to sigh. "Please don't make this some sort of meet-cute," he whined. "I don't want to remember that I'm single, thank you very much."

"We already met," Kagome answered dismissively, though her traitorous body was blushing, she could tell. Pale features were sometimes the very worst. "Trust me, there's no meet-cute here."

At that, Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

Shutting her laptop, she packed up her things into her bag. Shippo waggled his eyebrows at her – obviously he wasn't too sad about being single – before returning back to the counter. Kagome dutifully ignored him, grabbed her fresh cup, and headed over to the half-breeds table.

She didn't ask to sit down.

"How did you find me?" she repeated, eyeing him. He looked a little tired today, his hair messy and gaze tired. There were dark circles under his eyes but maybe she just hadn't noticed before.

"What makes you think I was looking for you?" Inuyasha retorted, glancing up for only a second before returning to his tablet. "I'm kind of busy, you know."

"Tomorrow's a big day."

Inuyasha made a face at that but she couldn't figure out if the expression was a positive one or not. He seemed to hold his cards tight to the chest, with only the odd bursts of emotion like when someone was being an asshole. "I thought you weren't involved in the political world."

"I'm not but I also don't live under a rock."

"And what do you do again?"

"People watching."

The half-breed rolled his golden eyes. "Oh yes. How could I forget?"

His sarcasm was amusing. Kagome bit back her smile and tipped the coffee towards him in a salute. "Thanks for this."

Inuyasha hesitated a moment before thumbing off his tablet. He pushed it aside, crossing his arms on the table to stare at her. "So tell me," he started, "what were you doing here? You were clearly deep into whatever work you do like twenty minutes ago when I got here."

Shit, he had been there for that long? Kagome always picked the round table in the corner, her back to the wall so that no one would read over her shoulder. It was still discomfiting though, knowing that he'd been so close and she's completely missed it.

What happened to those survival instincts? What happened to checking every person, checking exits, reading the room?

She'd been too busy staring at Inuyasha's photo and life.

"Research," she answered glibly. She waved a dismissive hand. "The news. Nothing entertaining."

"No?" Inuyasha narrowed his golden gaze at her, leaning forward on the table. "Because from my point of view you looked frustrated."

"I thought you were busy," Kagome said innocently. "Why were you watching me?"

The half-breed scoffed, loudly, and it was only then that she realized just how close they had gotten, both leaning towards each other across the table. She studied the distance, wondered why her instincts weren't yelling at her to back away.

"What?" Inuyasha asked, noticing her lack of response. "What's that look for?"

"Nothing," Kagome replied, but she did lean back into the hard plastic chair. She spared a glance at Shippo, who was watching them with big emerald eyes. "I should probably head home anyways."

Inuyasha hummed, brushing at his bangs. His hair was loose, not tied back like it usually was during the day as he went to all those meetings. He was in casual clothes too, just a thick green sweater. It made him look softer.

Kagome wondered how pissed off he would be if she told him that.

"Do you usually come here?" Inuyasha asked, head tilting curiously.

She hadn't moved. She told him she was leaving and yet she hadn't moved a muscle yet. "Yeah," she murmured, "it's close enough to my place."

"You live nearby?"

"Pretty close."

Inuyasha smirked then. "So you must have been to Totosai's Diner then."

"Yeah, actually." Kagome gave him a strange look. "But basically everyone has. It's famous."

"Feel like a burger?"

Was he…? Was he asking her to lunch?

He must have read the incredulousness of her face because in one second the smirking, almost smug face went into one of blank impassiveness. He sat up, leaning back into his chair instead of close to her. "Only if– Not like–"

"Yeah," she interrupted, not wanting to hear him come up with whatever excuse to back away. Because she didn't want him to back away.

Her instincts were screaming at her to run anymore. If anything, it was the opposite.

Kagome didn't know how to feel.

"Yeah," she stressed, "let's go. I'm starving."

The walk over was quiet but once they got to the diner, everything seemed to change. Kagome had been to Totosai's Diner a few times in her life. It was always comfortably busy, a few tables open but a steady amount of people going in and out throughout the day. The moment she and Inuyasha walked in, the waiter grinned and waved, gesturing for them to get whatever table they want.

They made it to one of the booths and Inuyasha slid all the way in, practically try to hide in it. Kagome gave him an odd look. "What are you doing?"

"Wait for it," he muttered.

"Inuyasha! You're here!" An older man waddled out from the back. He was in his sixties, with bright silver hair and facial hair. He immediately sat down beside the half-breed, throwing an arm around him. "You've finally returned!"

"You're so embarrassing," Inuyasha mumbled. He pointedly wasn't looking at Kagome anymore and she found the whole thing massively endearing. "Off. Let me breathe!"

"But it's been so long! Totosai grinned then. "How have you been, my boy?"

My boy?

"I'm good. You know, saving the world." Inuyasha rolled his eyes at his own comment but Totosai merely smacked him on the chest and laughed.

He turned then, and his big dark eyes zeroed in on Kagome. "And who is this lovely lady?"

Sighing, Inuyasha waved a hand between them. "Totosai, meet Kagome. Kagome, Totosai. He's a close family friend."

"I practically raised you, don't give me that shit," Totosai said, elbowing Inuyasha in the ribs. The half-breed looked exasperated beyond all measure. "But Kagome, it's nice to meet you. I approve."

"Approve?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha groaned. "Not like that, shut up."

The old man sniffed. "I feel particularly unwanted here."

"Kind of because you are– Ow!" Inuyasha shouted, glaring at Totosai. "The hell?"

He simply pointed a finger at the half-breed. "Respect your elders. Now, Kaijinbo will be here shortly to take your order."

Kagome watched the old man go, eyes wide. The was like a tornado, bursting in and then whooshing back out. She turned her gaze to Inuyasha, who was glaring aggressively at the table. Not for the first time, she wondered what was going on in his head. "He seems nice."

"He's a pain in my ass," Inuyasha grumbled. "But he makes good food."

"And he raised you?"

The half-breed scowled. "He exaggerates. A lot. But he was around when I was growing up. He's a friend of my dad's."

Kaijinbo gave Kagome a menu and took both of their drink orders quickly. He disappeared, and Inuyasha tapped his clawed hands on the tabletop, watching her intently. His golden eyes narrowed and his lips pursed. "You know, I can't figure you out."

"There's not much to figure out," Kagome replied calmly, hoping to derail the conversation. "I'm kind of boring."

"You came to one of Ryukotsusei's so-called soirees. You can't be that boring."

She shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you."

"Maybe your last name?" the half-breed asked, gesturing out with his hands.

"But that will ruin the mystery," Kagome told him, trying not to smile. Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her. "Why do you want to know so badly?"

He scoffed. "I don't like not knowing and all I know about you is that your name is Kagome, you watch people for reasons unknown and you showed up out of the blue at one of the most exclusive parties. Ryukotsusei isn't a fool. A horrible monster, maybe. But not a fool. Do you people watch for him?"

"What? No." Kagome shook her head. She had overheard enough of Inuyasha's conversations to know that that would be a bad answer. Inuyasha seemed to despise the guy. "I don't even know who he is."

"You don't even–" The half-breed cut himself off and shook his head. "I can't believe it. I thought you said you didn't live under a rock."

"I'm really not into politics," she reminded him.

"But you knew about me." Inuyasha raised a brow at her.

At that, Kagome could feel herself flushing. She shook her head, misguidedly hoping it would disappear or Inuyasha would be distracted. "Well, you're a little different."

"Oh yeah?" And there he was, leaning forward again. He wasn't quite smirking, but he wasn't impassive either. Kagome liked to think it was the look of opportunity. "You know so much about me and I know next to nothing about you. Doesn't really seem fair."

He was close. So close. How was this table smaller than the ones in the coffee shop? Or did it just seem that way? Kagome couldn't help but look into his golden orbs, at the intensity brewing there. For the first time in a very, very long time, she wanted to actually share parts of herself, if only to even the playing field.

What would it be like to talk to him openly, honestly? To tell him about her gift? To touch him and feel the jolt of electricity yet again?

But she couldn't.

"Not much in life is fair," she reminded him, not unkindly.

Inuyasha snorted then, and whatever spell she felt trapped in dissipated instantly.

That night, Kagome couldn't sleep. All she could remember were those few lines of their conversation, Inuyasha leaning forward to be close to her.

You know so much about me and I know next to nothing about you.

If she saved him, if she was able to… Would the risk be worth it?

I know next to nothing about you.

Maybe.

She lay awake for a long, long time.

Glimmer Park was filled to the brim with people. So many people had gathered, some clearly in favourable support while others were simply there to raise hell. Kagome had arrived early, her pep talk with Kikyo fresh in her mind. She watched as the park got busier and busier, the stage and podium long set up. She did her best to appear nonchalant about the whole thing, hiding out and moving around but always sticking close.

When Inuyasha was up there speaking, she needed to be nearby. She needed to be ready.

An hour went by. Two. In that time, the swell of people grew. Introductions were being made on the microphone, some woman that Kagome had no idea about. They were talking about change, about morals, about a systemic disease that was failing them all. Kagome barely paid any mind. Her eyes were locked on the flash of silver hair to the side.

Inuyasha was there.

He walked onto the stage, standing by as the woman made a proper introduction. Cheers washed over them as the half-breed stepped up, his chin defiant and gaze impenetrable. He looked fierce. He looked like a fighter.

He looked nothing like the man in the soft green sweater, eating burgers with her and trying his damned best to learn her life story.

Every word he spoke was like fire. She listened to his speech, could tell by the way he weaved a tale that this was all leading to something. Kagome felt her body tingle, her gaze searching throughout the crowd. There were so many people and they were in a park. Where would the attacker be?

"But not anymore," Inuyasha snarled, fierce and beautiful. Kagome pressed herself closer to the stage, if only to stop herself from looking up at him. She needed to focus on the people around her, the flow of the crowd. Where was the attack going to come from?

As Inuyasha's voice rose, her anxiety heightened. Something should have happened by now. Was she wrong? Was nothing going to come of this?

"The time has come," Inuyasha exclaimed. "It's been a hell of a long time coming, but now we're finally here. This–"

Kagome saw nothing. Nothing was happening.

This couldn't be right.

"We will not–"

Kagome could feel it, in her gut. She wasn't wrong. She wasn't.

"And together–"

Time slowed. Kagome could feel the hum in her veins, the fuzziness in her mind that was desperately trying to scream at her. This was it.

The crowd held nothing. There was no one, nothing she could see.

Desperate – for an instance lasted only so long – Kagome turned to the stage to look at Inuyasha. His golden eyes were burning, his long silver hair blowing in the breeze. His fist was on the podium, his face flushed and she couldn't let him die, she couldn't–

A demon jumped from behind the stage, knife in hand. He had two steps to get to Inuyasha and she could see the shift of his features, the way she could sense something was wrong.

Kagome was on the stage, bodily shoving Inuyasha aside.

In an instance, anything could happen.

The attacker stabbed at her.

Kagome felt searing hot pain in her abdomen, a slice to the side, before she went for his throat, his arm, the weapon. She knocked it out of his hand viciously and despite his demonic strength, Kagome was able to surprise him enough to throw him down.

The crowd erupted into chaos.

Crowd control security jumped on the attacker and Kagome could feel herself being grabbed, being dragged off the stage. There was an arm around her shoulders and a familiar female voice ordering people around her to move, to get out of the damn way.

Sango, she thought hazily. A woman she didn't know but had watched enough to feel like she should know her. Hazard of the job.

A black SUV was suddenly before her and Kagome balked, trying to refuse.

"Get the fuck in," Inuyasha snapped. He practically ripped open the door, the vehicle squeaking ominously. She took one look at his furious gaze and made the decision that maybe, talking to him would be best.

She got in and Inuyasha followed suit. Sango pinned them both with her magenta gaze, yelling, "I'll meet you there. Don't be stupid." And then the door was shut and the driver was taking them away, far from the park.

The silence lasted only a second.

"Who the fuck are you?" Inuyasha spat out, staring at her with eyes so wide they were like saucers. Part of the shock maybe, the adrenaline from almost being stabbed in the back.

"Your protector," Kagome answered, as firmly and as calmly as she could. She tried to grab at his elbow but he shifted away, leaning more into the door. She raised an eyebrow at him, unamused.

"I have bodyguards," the half-breed snapped back. "I'm not an idiot. Security was there. I have people to protect me."

"Yeah? Did one of them get stabbed saving you?" Kagome winced as she placed her hand on her side. There was blood but the cut wasn't too deep, she could tell. More of a graze, but it still hurt like hell. With her other hand, she reached out for him, not touching but simply waiting.

Inuyasha was just staring at her but she had to believe. Kagome knew that whatever it was between them, it went both ways. The flashes, the colours, the words inside her head. Even if it wasn't the same, wasn't as powerful for him as it was for it, it was still there. Sparks, just like when they first touched. "No one is going to protect you like I can."

The stare turned into something else. She could feel his assessment, just like the first time they had met at the stupid party. She could practically hear the gears turning, the options presenting themselves before him. She watched as realization and acceptance finally slid into place.

And just like that very first, damning time, Inuyasha took her hand.

"I don't know a thing about you, Kagome," he stated, but it sounded like something else. But I trust you. For some reason, I trust you.

"My last name is Higurashi. Kagome Higurashi." She gave him a little smile and tugged, bringing him a little closer. "And I protect people for a living," she whispered. "That's why people watching is so important."

Inuyasha shook his head, his free hand rubbing down his face like he couldn't believe it. Like absolutely nothing was making sense. "Did Sango do this?"

"No," Kagome replied. "Just in the right place at the right time. You'll want to talk to my employer though."

That got the half-breed to laugh, albeit a bit too hysterically. "Right place at the right time?"

"Yes," she said, holding his hand a little tighter. "Instances like those don't show up very often."

Inuyasha stared at her with his golden gaze for a moment longer. She felt held in time, but it was nothing like her powers. It was more, bigger, stronger. "And will you stay?" he asked finally.

"If you want me to," she replied quietly, because even if Inuyasha didn't want to talk to Kikyo, didn't want KH Protections involved, she would be there. Kagome would have to be there.

Letting go of her hand, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gently pulled her against him. In the back of the car, Kagome relaxed against his chest, her own hand clutching at his dress shirt. She was getting blood all over it, but neither of them seemed to care.

She felt him nuzzle against her temple, his breath dancing across her cheek. Lips pressed against her skin, warm and comforting. "Don't you dare leave."

Kagome clung tighter.

This is basically the end. I don't honestly have plans to continue this (politics are a cesspool of bad ideas and this was only supposed to be a one-shot to begin with). But you never know.

I know I haven't responded to anything over the last 11 days but I wanted to whole-heartedly thank each and every one of you for your love of this story, and for what I've been posting recently.

You all mean so much, and your kind words have absolutely been what's kept me going.

Thank you, thank you.