Hey guys, I'm finally back! This dead computer thing was really pissing me off, so I figure maybe it was fate that I was meant to start over where this story left off, so here I am, doing just that, starting over. I have to thank you guys for having faith in me, and wishing me luck in recovering my files, but since that could take forever, and I now have a new tower, I like to think I can start fresh. It won't be exactly what I had before, but I'm recalling as much as possible, and maybe this version will turn out better than the first (though I really liked that one, but, oh well. I had everything figured out just the way I wanted it, too! Inuyasha was about to make his debut!! Sniffle!!)
Deds:
INU- sarah - Well, yer gonna be cobwebby now, lol. Didn't I promise not to do this anymore, making you guys wait?? Blame in on the thunderstorm at the beginning of this month, it fried all my hard work! Piece of shit!! Still afraid of bees, lol.
mousymousyboing - Go to bed, you poor thing! You get less sleep than me, and I've been getting up at six to work out! I get lazy tho, so I completely understand. I didn't get much out of yer review, but u were crashing, so thats okay, as long as you like it, thats all that matters to me!
icemamodo - Aisu - Linell - Thanks! I hope you still like it, though I'm iffy, but the longer I write the easier it is to slip back into the mindset. If its awkward at first, thats why, lol.
MyInuYashaObsession - Well, I hope I still have your interest, since this is all new stuff. I've only written about seven pages more, so I promise the action will get better. I thought this chapter ended on a high note, anyway! Hope you like it!
Jennie - I think yer review got cut off, hun! It ends with I... but don't worry, I get the gist (wink!) My comp's retarded too, or it used to be. I had to return my broken laptop to pay for the new tower for this comp, so... yeah, no laptop... sigh. I'm trying to make Rach promise to give me hers when she gets her mom's lol!
Mystical Hanyou - Boy if you wanted some Sess/Rin action, you're going to get it, my friend! Originally, I was gonna wait a while to focus on them, and you may feel they are moving too fast but... what the hell! It's my story dammit, and I think we've all waited too long for love to bloom, so mock me if you must, but I hope you'll like what I have to give!! Opposites attract, thats fer damn sure!!
Aldreahart - Surge and fried comp or not, I am ploughing on! Sorry for the wait, but I figure, hey, if I don't write it, who will? This version is going to make the first obsolete, or my name isn't Shannon!!
sakura blossoms4 - Good. I'm happy!! And I have!
Animefancritic - Screw the comp! I am back in business! MUAHAHAHA!!!
X( ) - Thanks!!
I would also like to thank everyone who wished me luck in my endeavour to recover this story, but, since that operation is slow-going, I have resolved to make a new and better version! You guys inspired me, so thanks again! It's all you, dudes!! Without further ado, I give you...
Inuyasha: Grease'd
Chapter Four
When Inuyasha had cashed Kagura's check and handed over the money to the impound officer, he felt his heart grow lighter. They brought his Stingray around, and the first thing he did when he got in was check to make sure nothing had been stolen: his eight-track collection, his spare change, his spare tire...
Kagura crossed her arms and shook her head, totally understanding his motives yet enjoying the paranoia he was exhibiting.
Kanna asked, "What are you doing, Inuyasha?"
Kagura leaned over, but before she could say anything Inuyasha shouted from inside the trunk, "Checking to make sure nobody took anything!"
Kanna made an I don't get it face but Kagura whispered, "It's a car thing, you'll know when you get one."
"Ah."
When Inuyasha was satisfied that everything was where it had been when he had left it, he got in and followed Kagura"s car back to her place, a large, modern-style house with beautiful landscaping and several large trees lining the driveway, which was a good quarter-mile long.
Shiori muttered from the passenger seat of the Lamborghini, "There will be a barbeque at Twelve Oaks tonight!" but Kagura just raised her brow.
Inuyasha parked next Kagura and got out. "Nice house."
Kagura turned slightly red as the others stood gaping at her house, their mouths open to various degrees. She shook off her embarrassment. "Thanks. Shall we go in?"
Without waiting for them to reply, she led the way inside, through a bright, white marble-tiled foyer, up a flight of cedar stairs, and down a lusciously carpeted hall to her room. Opening the double oak doors, Kagura revealed a bedroom with a vaulted ceiling, red walls dotted with elegant dangling sconces, and a loft where her queen-size bed sat on a raised dais.
Both Shiori and Kanna stared, as if they had never seen a room so elegant as Kagura"s. Inuyasha was moderately impressed; his Father's bedroom was twice the size of this one, for one wall was covered in books, his own personal library.
Shippo said nothing, but his eyes were as wide as saucers.
Trying to ignore their reactions, Kagura led them up to her bed, which had a pull-out canopy to shade the bed from the sun that came in through the enormous skylight.
"Make yourselves comfortable," she offered, dropping her bag on the floor and leaving her keys and purse on the nightstand. "I'll be right back." Inuyasha watched her go, then suddenly called, "Kagura, where's the bathroom?" She pointed to a door as she left the room, without turning back to look at him.
He could hear the others whispering about the beauty of Kagura"s room as he opened and closed the bathroom door. Wow, he thought, if they think her room is huge, they should go pee.
Kagura came back five minutes later, a tray in her hand which she handed around to everyone. Inuyasha came back up, and Kanna said, "Kagura, I had no idea your family was rich."
"Yeah, well, I don't like to tell people. It just draws attention. Brownie, Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of the sweet confection piled atop the tray on Kagura's side table. He swallowed a large lump in his throat, and cleared it. "Umm, no thanks."
Kagura shrugged. "Well, let's get down to business. I assume you're allowance is somewhere in the range of mine?" She was referring to Inuyasha.
"Yeah, you could say that."
Kanna asked, "Do you have any fashion magazines?" Kagura handed her a huge wad from her dresser drawer, then re-seated herself on her bed. Shippo was still taking it all in from his seat in a plush chair, and Shiori sat in the bay window, taking in the view of the lake behind the Onigumo estate.
Inuyasha sat on the other side of the enormous bed, his foot dangling off the side. He watched Kanna pull a large book from her bag and open it, pulling out a pencil he hadn't noticed was behind her ear, and begin to draw furiously.
"So what's the plan? You guys sounded so sure of yourselves. Mind telling me what you're going to do?"
Kagura replied, "Kanna is going to design you an outfit to wear when you are posing as your alter ego. Shiori?" Shiori turned her head at her name. "My foster family runs a scrap yard. You can get your bike parts there." Inuyasha was impressed. Apparently they"d thought about this more than even he had.
"Shippo's dad runs Chang's Gas Bar, across town. He is a mechanical genius, so he's going to help you build your dream bike."
"Why don't I just buy a bike? Or borrow my old man's?"
Kagura thought about it. "Alright, that works too. Then Shippo can teach you to ride it, unless you already know how?"
Inuyasha looked down at the design in the comforter and traced it with his clawed finger. "Not exactly." He'd never even touched the bikes, his Father was so strict about them. They were rare collector's items, and now that he thought about it, was certain his old man would flat-out refuse to let him even touch them, much less ride them.
"On second thought, maybe I will build a bike."
Kagura smiled. "It will mean more to you if you do. I know; I love my job, even though I don't need it."
Shiori said, "You have a job? Where?"
Kagura leaned back on her pillows, her head braced by her arms. "I work at an animal shelter on the weekends. It stinks, and the animals never shut up, but it's worth it in the end to know that I'm helping an abused or abandoned animal find a good home."
Inuyasha thought about what she'd said. She worked, even though it was unnecessary. He'd never worked a day in his life, and, he reflected, it showed. He was used to service twenty-four-seven, Jaken always ready at his every beck and call to serve his slightest needs. He looked around at Kanna, who was from a middle-income family, but as an only child had been working a part-time job since she was fourteen. Shiori, from a very poor foster family which fostered not only her, but eleven other children as well, had been doing the accounting for the family since she was old enough to use a calculator. As a result, she was very good at Math. Shippo had been working in his father's gas station since he could walk, having taken up an early interest in mechanics. He was working on a vintage Bel-Air in his spare time, and when he was finished, he planned to auction it off and give the money to his mother for when his younger brother was born.
Kagura's voice derailed his train of thought about looking for a job. "I think everybody should have a job. I put the money I earn into a Savings account for when I go to University, so I'll have spending money to buy food when I'm on my own."
Inuyasha nodded. He could use the money he earned to pay Shippo and the others for helping him. He thought of Kagome, and thought, She's definately worth working for.
He looked up at them all. "Thanks for all you guys are doing for me. I promise to make it worth your while." Smiling, he asked, "Anybody know where I can get a part-time job?"
Shippo spoke up, "My dad's always looking for new guys to run the pumps. I can put in a good word for you, if you want."
"That's great. Thanks, Shippo."
Shippo nodded. "Kagura, this room is a trip."
Kagura smiled sardonically.
Inu G'ed
Kagome poured over her homework. It was twelve-thirty, and she had made hardly any headway in translating the Latin passage. Her math and history work was finished, but this Latin assignment would be the death of her.
I really need help, she thought, closing her eyes momentarily. They felt gritty, and itched something terrible.
Closing her book, she vowed to work on it tomorrow at lunch, then fell into bed, still dressed in her work skirt, her high-tops dangling off the edge of her single bed.
She rolled over, and opened her eyes. Where am I? was her first thought. She couldn't see anything through the mist. Getting up, she called, "Hello? Is anyone here?" Her voice reverberated back to her ears, repeating over and over in an eerily distant pattern. What the hell?
Behind her, she heard a grunt, and then a low chuckle. Turning quickly, her hands up in an unconscious gesture of defence, she yelled with more courage than she felt, "Who's there? Come out!" She was answered by a laugh that continued until it finally faded away, and she felt herself being drawn away from the blinding mist.
She opened her eyes. Her alarm clock read six-fifteen. Getting up to shower, she recalled the laughter from her dream, but try as she might, she could not rid the sound of it from her mind. It sent cold shivers down her back, even as the steam of hot water reached her outside the curtain in the family bathroom. She hoped never to hear that laughter outside of her head; it reminded her of Kikyou's new guy, and she began to feel dirty just thinking of him.
Inu G'ed
The following week, Sesshoumaru sat in his seat in Calculus, watching the back of Rin's head. He had been staring at her so long he hadn't even realised he was doing it. Mr. Myouga called his name, but Sesshoumaru didn't hear it. He was hearing her sweet voice calling his name, but when Hakudoushi punched him in the arm he was abruptly brought back to reality.
"Sesshoumaru, day-dreaming are we? Solve the problem on the board please, and do show your work. The rest of your classmates would like to see how you get your answer."
Getting up, Sesshoumaru did as he was asked, though Myouga's tone irritated him. He could feel her eyes on his back as he worked out the question with ease. Putting the chalk down, he glanced her way as he passed, but her face was shielded by her hair, brown and shiny in the sunlight reflected off the windows, which stood open to all the noise and traffic going by outside. His disappointment was a surprise to him.
Rin waited till he'd passed to tuck her hair behind her ear. She took a deep breath, the scent of his cologne filling her nose. He smelled so good.
She looked down at her paper. The question he'd just worked out, she had copied down, but how he'd gotten his answer baffled her. She sighed. Math was a completely different language to her, and if she didn't start understanding it soon, it would drown her desire to succeed despite her efforts, and she didn't think she could handle the look of disappointment on her mother's face when she told her that she'd failed.
Just then the bell rang, and Rin gathered her things, irrational tears of fear and embarrassment gathering in her cinnamon eyes. She knew any of the others with even a drop of demon blood in them would know she was crying, but she didn't care. She just wanted to get out of there.
Hakudoushi, smelling the saltiness that surrounded her, grinned maliciously and headed in her direction. Mr. Myouga turned to see what he would do, having also smelled Rin's distress, and he saw that Sesshoumaru was also watching Hakudoushi with a wary eye.
Are you falling for her, Mr. Takahashi? He wondered as he began to move forward.
Sesshoumaru came up behind Hakudoushi as he reached out to touch Rin, the other students glancing her way as they left the room, various looks on their faces. Some showed pity, others contempt, while the remainder showed sympathy. Sesshoumaru felt... what? He cared naught for this girl, or so he thought; stopping, he tried to go around Hakudoushi and leave the room. She wasn't his problem, and Mr. Myouga was coming, anyway.
Myouga saw the hesitation in his eyes, and then in his actions as he made up his mind to ignore Rin's situation, and felt himself begin to feel deeply disappointed in the boy for forsaking her.
Hakudoushi grabbed Rin's shoulder and whispered, "Whatcha crying for, bitch? Too dumb to-" Myouga smiled inwardly. He knew something was growing between Sesshoumaru and Rin!
Sesshoumaru's body had acted of its own volition, it seemed. His hand had lashed out and gripped Hakudoushi so hard around his throat that his words were abruptly cut off. He gagged and gurgled as Sesshoumaru lifted him clear of the floor, kicking and clawing at his wrist, tearing up the sleeve of his sleek black uniform.
"You need to learn some manners, asshole," he snarled, narrowing his eyes. Rin's eyes were wide, the tears she had already lost leaving drying trails of moisture down her cheeks. She watched, entranced, then confused, then flattered, that Sesshoumaru would come to her rescue, for she was helpless with fear in the face of any demon.
Myouga approached, and said, "That's enough, Sesshoumaru. I think you've sufficiently taught this rabble-rouser a lesson."
Sesshoumaru opened his claws suddenly and hmphed as Hakudoushi just barely managed to land on his feet. Rubbing his throat, he made a hasty exit, his eyes promising revenge. Sesshoumaru was unmoved. Rin, though, felt a malevolence from him that worried her for Sesshoumaru's safety.
Myouga couldn't help smiling at the two. Ahh, to be young and in love again, he thought, fond memories of his wife Shoga returning to him. He decided to help them along a bit.
"Mr. Takahashi, you have a spare now, no? Would you walk Rin to her next class? She still appears a bit shaken."
Sesshoumaru nodded once, then took Rin's hand and pulled her out of the room before either she or Myouga could see the red stain on his cheeks.
Rin followed like a lamb to the slaughter, but her red face was no surprise to Myouga. He had seen the attraction between them from day one, and had decided to do all in his power to foster their interest in each other.
Sesshoumaru pulled Rin gently down the hall till they reached the stairs, where he released her, but kept leading the way. Rin, intimidated by his silence, was quiet.
Finally they reached the girl's change room, and he said, "Here you are," then turned to leave. She knew she was going to be late, but her heart screamed for her to do something to keep him there a moment longer.
"Wait!"
He stopped. Then, hands in his pockets, he turned slowly toward her.
"I..."
Now that she had his undivided attention, she was at a loss for words. Damn it!
She looked up, and he was suddenly right before her, his amber eyes soft and intensely sexual in the fluorescent light. "You what?"
She felt a lump in her throat she couldn't possibly swallow. "I... Thank you."
His mouth flattened and pulled into a smile, something she'd never seen. He was handsome when he was being his normal self, but his smile was breathtaking. She sighed as his eyes bored into hers.
Sesshoumaru could smell her nervousness, and thanked God she didn't have his faculties, for he was burning. He never thought he could feel this way about a girl, let alone a human girl, but his demon was raging. Slowly, he leaned into her, whispering, "You're welcome," as she responded in kind, slowly closing her eyes as his lips neared hers.
Hearing someone coming behind them, he took her in his arms and pulled her around the nearest corner, out of sight, and planted a deep, sensuous kiss on her full lips, his temperature rising as she wrapped a leg around one of his, in an effort to have him as close to her as possible.
Rin, in all of her eighteen years, had never been kissed like this. There had been the timid kisses of curiosity in middle school, and there had been greedy, rough kisses from boys who just wanted a taste of her after she came into her looks. But this... this was what her dreams were made of. He kissed like he'd been born to do nothing else, and she revelled in the tenderness he showed her one minute, juxtaposed to the possessiveness of the next.
He felt like he was consuming her, and she wanted to let him, more than anything else, but she couldn't. She liked Sesshoumaru, but her mother and brothers would flip if they knew just how in love she was with him. They hated demons, because her father had been murdered by a demon. She remembered the look of terror on her father's face when they had identified his body, and her eyes flew open now, but Sesshoumaru's eyes were closed, drinking in the sweet taste of her lips.
He felt her hesitation, and released her, putting and inch of space between them. She was breathing hard, and as he peered into her eyes, he sensed a sudden fear there, that wasn't there earlier.
"What's wrong?" he asked, rubbing her arm comfortingly. If he had been on the outside looking in, he wouldn't have believed what he saw himself doing. He had never so much as had a kind thought about a human and yet this girl had made him forget everything he had ever known or disliked about humans. She had his heart in her hand, and he now felt his fear if she should decide to crush it. He had opened himself up; if rejected, he would never do so again.
Rin could see his concern for her in his eyes, which were mesmerising in their hue, but something in her heart drove fear into her veins, and she began to feel nervous for a whole different reason. Why was he kissing her? What did he want with her? Surely not her companionship?
She looked down and concentrated on the embroidered school emblem stitched onto his shirt. "Nothing," she whispered, but he tipped her chin up with his claws, his expression pained, but still gentle. She seemed so fragile, like a wounded butterfly.
"No? They why do you shy from me? Was it something I did?" Rin felt herself choke up at his concern. She searched his eyes, but could see nothing there except a desire to please her. Her fears dissipated and she smiled at him.
"It's nothing you did," she said, still whispering, "I'm just thinking too much, that's all."
Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he pulled her close. "I came on too strong, and I'm sorry. I just couldn't help myself. I think I love you Rin."
Her eyes flew open wide. He loved her? Oh, how she wished she could tell him how she felt! She squeezed her eyes shut and thought, What does it matter what they think? I love him, and that's all that matters!
Pulling away from her, thought it nearly killed him, he said, "Go to gym, Rin. Meet me after school?"
She wiped away the tear that had squeezed itself out and he kissed her eyes, before he left her there. Still shaking, she turned and went into the change room, her mind in a fog as she removed her uniform and donned her gym outfit. She barely even heard the lecture Miss Yura gave her for being very late, her mind was so far away.
Inu G'ed
Well, that's the new chapter. I promise to work diligently on this story, now that I have the motive and ambition to keep going, even after tragedy. I hope you guys weren't too bored, and things do heat up, so stay tuned! I have written most of my ideas down, so I'll try not to forget anything (I'm making this as close to the original as I can) so I'll try to stay a long way ahead, so I can update regularly. It may take me a few more days to update, but I wrote all this and more just today, so maybe I won't be too long after all. Lemme know what ya think!!