wk: I know! I know! I said I would update more often, but apparently, school has not given me the chance to... (Sighs) I'm SO sorry! But you guys finally have an update! Yay!

Chapter Six
Pleasantly Drunk

Kagome sipped her wine. Inuyasha had taken her to an expensive restaurant, as an obvious apology for his bad memory. And she had already agreed to let him pay for the meal. Feeling grumpy, she tipped back the rest of the glass. She was feeling a little tipsy, but what did that matter? She was sexually frustrated, and the object of her lust was pointedly ignoring her attempts to seduce him.

Playing footsie hadn't worked. She had rubbed her foot against his calf, but all he had done was move his leg back so she couldn't reach it, acting outwardly as if she hadn't done anything. She had dipped her finger into her wine, and then tapped that finger against her tongue, trying to look like a temptress. Fat load of good that did when his eyes were everywhere but on her. She had even tried to toy with his fingers, but he had moved his hand on top of hers to still it.

She was getting to the point where she was considering lunging across the table to get to him. She obviously wasn't that attractive, if she couldn't even hold his attentions. Feeling dejected, and no longer as sexually frustrated, she poured herself another glass.

"Hey, you shouldn't drink so much," Inuyasha warned. Kagome glared at him, a challenge in her eyes as she tipped the glass back to drain it.

"What do you care," she hissed, putting the glass back down. Their food came out, and Kagome poked at her food, watching Inuyasha eat heartily. He frowned when he didn't see her eat.

"I thought you were hungry?"

"Hungry as a hippo," Kagome drawled, forking up some peas to her mouth and pretending as if it was the best food she had ever eaten. "Mm! So yummy!"

Inuyasha's frown deepened. She was, obviously, very angry with him. He didn't understand why. Actually, he would probably understand her more if she tried to speak Spanish or French to him. His brain was, at the moment, mush. After all the tactics she had pulled through the course of the night, he was very desperate for a cold shower. His cerebral functions had halted, and all he could think about was peeling that delectable dress off her equally, if not more, delectable body.

She had stopped with her advances, something he was incredibly grateful for, because he wanted to wait until they had returned home to make love to her. If she had kept up her damn vixenish ways, he wouldn't have waited until they even reached his car. Well, he would at least get to the car, but that was doubtful. Perhaps the restroom…

Thinking about having sex with Kagome was not helping his situation.

Kagome poured yet another glass of wine. Inuyasha wondered how much alcohol the girl could take. She was getting tipsy, he could tell, but the alcohol would catch up fast and he would end up taking care of her drunken ass the whole night.

"Kagome, stop drinking," Inuyasha ordered, taking away the bottle from her. Kagome snarled, rising out of her chair to try to take it back. "Kagome, stop! Eat your food, and I'll let you have it back." It was a lie, but to a drunk Kagome, it was a deal.

"Fine!" she said, eating her food silently, glowering at him the entire time. When she was done, she held out her hand and looked at him expectantly. "Gimme." Inuyasha nearly snorted. What the hell was she? A child?

"One more glass, then it's gone," Inuyasha compromised. Kagome pouted, but didn't really say anything, swaying a bit in her seat. Inuyasha poured her the glass, and Kagome immediately drank it down. She slammed it back down on the table, and other patrons turned around to see what had made that noise. Kagome gave a very delicate burp, and laughed.

"Oopsie. Okay. It's time to go. Where's the cashier?" she asked, standing. Inuyasha quickly stood to steady her. Sliding an arm around her waist, he held her against him.

"I'm paying, remember?" Inuyasha said, leading her away from the table after leaving a few bills on it.

Kagome frowned. "No. I don't remember… Wait, yes I do! You're my sexy neighbor!"

Inuyasha grinned. "Yeah, I'm your sexy neighbor. Come on, then. Let's go home." He paid for their meal, and practically dragged Kagome outside. When the night air hit Kagome, she seemed to come to some of her senses.

"No! I'm not going home with you! You don't want to have sex with me!" she pouted. Inuyasha gaped at her.

"Not want to… What?"

"You've been ignoring me the whole night! You're a… a… jerk!" Kagome slurred, twisting out of his grasp to weave her way to his car. Inuyasha quickly caught up to her, murmuring an apology to a passing couple that she nearly mowed down. "No…" she moaned. "Don't touch me. I don't want someone who doesn't want me…"

"Kagome, I want you so bad it hurts," Inuyasha muttered, opening his car door and depositing the drunken girl inside.

"Then why did you ignore me?" she wailed. "Aren't I pretty?" Inuyasha closed the door and went to his side of the door. He started the engine, wincing as he saw her tears. "I'm not pretty!"

"Kagome, you're fucking gorgeous, so stop crying!" Inuyasha snapped, pulling out of the parking lot.

"Then why don't you like me? Am I too… aggressive? That's what Kouga said. He said I'm too aggressive sometimes. He said no one else but him would ever love me because I'm—"

"Don't compare me to that fucking wolf," Inuyasha growled. "I don't care if you're drunk. Don't do it." Kagome blinked.

"I wasn't." Kagome leaned in close, her torso pressing into his arm. Inuyasha hoped enough of his melting brain was left for concentrating on the road. "I like you. Sometimes, I think a lot. But sometimes, you just make me so mad!" Kagome pouted, her face falling to his shoulder. "Am I drunk?"

"Well, considering you drank nearly the whole bottle of wine, yeah, I'd think you're very drunk."

Kagome laughed. "I've never been drunk before. What a weird feeling. So dizzy." Kagome lurched back to sit in her own seat. "I forget what we were talking about."

Inuyasha figured this was a good chance to find out her innermost secrets. It was dirty, but hey, he had warned her to stop drinking.

"What are your deepest, darkest secrets?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome screwed up her nose in what he thought was an adorable way.

"I'm not stupid! You just want to know stuff like how I was lonely when I was a kid. And how my Dad passed away when I was little… and how I really want to have sex with you. Not nice sex either. I wanted hot and sweaty, but you pushed me away." Kagome paused. "See? You don't know that stuff about me. I'm a locked vault."

"Airtight," Inuyasha said wryly, his tone a bit strained after her confession about wanting to have sex with him. "Do you…" Inuyasha hesitated.

"Do I what?"

"Did you ever love Kouga?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome hiccupped, and considered the question.

"I guess, I might have, at one point in time." Inuyasha's heart fell, although he couldn't figure out why. "But it wasn't passionate, romantic love. Just like I would love a cousin maybe." Inuyasha snorted.

"He wasn't a very good lover," Kagome whispered, and Inuyasha gave a startled laugh. "I mean, he was okay. He pleasured me, but sometimes it was too short, or… I don't know. It didn't have that special oomph."

"Special what?" Inuyasha asked.

"Special oomph!" Kagome reiterated, annoyed. She rolled her eyes, as if Inuyasha should know automatically what she was talking about. Her right hand groped around until it found the adjuster for the seat. It lurched back and she was lying down. "I go to sleep now. Good night."

Inuyasha sighed when her soft snores filled the small enclosing of the car. "What a stupid chit," he muttered fondly, looking down at her as he pulled into their neighborhood. As much as he hated hearing about Kouga making love to Kagome, he was glad to find out she didn't really like it.

He would be damned if she didn't like his lovemaking. When she was sober and thinking straight, any memory of Kouga would be wiped away from her mind.

As he pulled up, Kagome awoke abruptly. "No! No cheese!" Inuyasha looked at her strangely, and Kagome looked at him with bleary eyes. "Ugh. Why are your eyes so hot? They're burning me…" She shuddered.

"Then why are you shivering?" he asked. Kagome seemed to think about this question long and hard.

"Um… I dunnoo… You tell me, loverboy." She laughed. "Loverboy. It sounds so funny!" Kagome then sighed as if she had just enjoyed the best laugh in years. "So, tell me, Inuyasha…"

"Tell you what?"

"Am I drunk?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Yeah, I'd say you are. You weren't supposed to get drunk off of wine, though, sweetheart."

"Don't call me sweetheart. It sounds too… icky. Like you love me or something." Her chin was on his shoulder. Inuyasha nearly sent them into a tree, since he had jerked, but quickly righted the car and parked it in his driveway. He took the key out of the ignition.

"Ha! Like I would love an impertinent wench like you," Inuyasha murmured, pushing her face off of his shoulder so that she careened back into her seat. Frowning, she waggled her finger at him.

"That wasn't nice! So what do you want with me? Sex?" Kagome whispered, her eyes narrowing into slits as her lips pursed into a mocking, thin line.

Inuyasha didn't answer. What did he want with her? Yes, he wanted sex. But each time he talked to her, he found he genuinely wanted to find out more. What made her laugh? What made her smile? What made her sad?

He was getting too close. Dammit, she was getting too close.

Inuyasha got out of the car, took a deep breath. He cursed as he thought he could still smell little tendrils of vanilla around him.

This was getting out of control. Getting angry with her, at himself, he strode around to her side of the car, cursing again as it started to rain. "Dammit!" He quickly opened the door, and pulled Kagome out by her arm.

"Ow! That hurts!" Kagome blinked, frowning up at the sky. Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Her eyeliner was running, her forehead was scrunched up, and she was frowning at him now.

"Kagome, it's just rain," Inuyasha said, pulling her along to his house, sighing when she stumbled several times. He picked her up, and she went limp against him, sighing as she wound her arms around him in her drunken stupor.

"It's raining," she whispered. Inuyasha felt his skin tingle where her lips were.

"Yeah," he said gruffly, awkwardly opening his door and entering. There, he unceremoniously dumped Kagome on the floor.

"Owww!" she cried out, but automatically slumped to the floor. Inuyasha felt a pang of concern, but that was quickly washed away by her snort of laughter.

"I sound like such a little girl," Kagome laughed. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, taking off his wet jacket. Kagome sat up. She pursed her lips in thought as Inuyasha moved into the bedroom. She got up, staggered, and followed. She was treated to a sight she wouldn't remember: Inuyasha had gotten rid of his wet shirt. Kagome watched, dry-mouthed, as he pulled out a dry T-shirt. He didn't put it on, but instead just held it in his hand. He pulled another shirt out, and turned, tossing it to her.

Kagome pulled the T-shirt from her head, where it had landed. "You knew I was here?" she asked. Inuyasha grunted.

"Of course I did, stupid girl. I could smell you from a mile away."

"Are you saying I smell bad?"

"Yeah."

"Hm… Well, I guess I could use a shower…" Kagome slumped on the floor again, unable to hold herself up.

"Put that shirt on. I'm going to take a shower." Inuyasha didn't wait for a reply. He grabbed some more articles of clothing out, and a towel, and headed for his bathroom. He went into the shower, unaware that Kagome was planning something outside of the door.


Kagome blinked several times as she stumbled to his dresser. She didn't want a regular T-shirt! She took a hair tie and put her hair up into a bun. Then, finding what she wanted, she fell onto the floor, bringing the cloth to her nose to take a sniff. She laughed, almost hysterically, at her situation. Boy, this whole seducing thing was actually kind of fun. Now that her inhibitions were just as drunk as she was, she was ready to rumble! Or tumble.

"Whatever," she muttered, peeling off her wet dress.


Inuyasha brushed his teeth, then put on his sleeping clothes: Boxers and a T-shirt. Yawning, he put his dirty clothes in the hamper. Muttering about taking care of a drunk girl, he opened his bathroom door.

And nearly passed out from all his blood concentrating in just one area. And it wasn't his brain.

"W-what… Kagome?" he stammered. Kagome was on her knees on his bed, with his reading glasses. That wasn't it. Instead of the T-shirt he had tossed at her, she had pulled out a formal, button-up shirt. And, he noticed while he was looking at the clothes she had discarded, that she wasn't wearing a bra. He swallowed. Hard.

"So," Kagome slurred. "Seeing as I haven't managed to… uh… What's the word? Oh yes… Seduce you earlier, I decided I would make up for lost time." She threw out her arms in a gesture of look at me. "So? What do you think?"

Inuyasha swore. Avidly. Viciously. Kagome frowned. "Is that a good thing? And I would appreciate it if you would stand still. I don't like the spinning." she asked, confused. Kagome leaned over to his nightstand, and that's when he noticed the wine glass in her left hand. The sneak had gotten more alcohol!

"Let's have a drink, shall we?" Kagome chuckled. Inuyasha was there in an instant, taking both the alcohol and the glass away from her. She whined, as if she was a baby looking for her bottle.

"Kagome! Stop! You've had enough!" Inuyasha said through gritted teeth. Kagome immediately looked contrite, her hands falling into her lap.

"Are you mad at me now?" Kagome asked, her lips pouty. Inuyasha could only take so much. He put the glass and the alcohol on the desk in his room.

"No!" he hissed out, going to the far wall, and banging his forehead on it.

"Inuyasha… Are you all right?" Kagome called hesitantly. Before he could answer, he heard a thump. He turned around, and saw that Kagome had fallen off the bed. There, lying on the floor with her panties in view, Kagome just began to cry. Inuyasha groaned.

"What did I do to deserve this?" he asked his ceiling, asking for Divine guidance in this matter. Seeing as an immediate answer was not provided, he moved to help Kagome sit up.

He immediately regretted doing so as Kagome murmured, "Inuyasha… I don't feel so good…"

He thought he had never moved faster, hauling her into his bathroom, and barely making it to the toilet in time. He snatched off his glasses off her face, and laid them on the counter. He stood there, trying to ignore the sounds of her retching, and when he thought she was done, flushed the toilet for her. The smells nearly made him sick as well.

"I told you to stop drinking," Inuyasha said.

"Ugh," was Kagome's intelligent reply.

Sighing, he went to the kitchen to fix her a glass of water. When he came back, Kagome was still lying on the toilet.

"That doesn't feel half as good as being drunk," Kagome muttered. Inuyasha snorted.

"Brush your teeth, and drink a lot of water before sleeping." Inuyasha held her up around her waist as she obeyed. He tried not to think about what she had on—a valiant effort he thought—and helped her rinse out her mouth. He even washed her face for her, wiping away the last traces of her eyeliner. He handed her the glass of water, rolling his eyes as she just stared at it thoughtfully. He took over, tipping it to her mouth.

She drank and drank, until there wasn't a drop of water left.

"Thatta girl," Inuyasha murmured, carrying her to his bed. When the hell did he become her mother?

"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered tiredly.

"Hn," he grunted as he laid her on the bed. He took out her bun, and just to indulge himself, spread out her hair on his pillow. Lust hit him. Hard. It had not been a smart move on his part, considering it was hard enough having to sleep next to her while she was like… like that.

"Are we going to have sex now?" she asked, looking up at him imploringly. Inuyasha coughed.

"Wow. Is that all you want?" Inuyasha asked, and Kagome shook her head.

"No, but isn't that all you want?" Her question stopped him cold, but he grit his teeth and covered her with the sheet. He was beginning to think it wasn't. And that was a troubling thought.

"No," he snapped.

Kagome sighed. "You confuse me. Just tell me what you want."

"I'll tell you when I find out. Now go to sleep."

"I don't want to."

"And why not?"

"I don't feel so good…"

"Oh for the love of—No! Not on the bed!"


Kagome awoke slowly, a fierce headache pounding behind her tightly closed eyes. She gave a groan, and froze when her mattress shifted. She automatically knew who it was. She could smell his scent. Especially from such close proximities. She knew if she opened her eyes, the world would be spinning.

She supposed she had two options. Pretend like she didn't wake up and go back to sleep—or pretend to, anyway—or she could demand to know what they had done last night. She wasn't feeling sore or anything like that in any of her… feminine spots. Unless… Was he a bad lover?

Kagome blushed at the way her thoughts were going. She decided she would wait until he would leave (he had to leave the house some time, right?). When he shifted again, she quickly closed her eyes and snuggled in. Hey, no one said she couldn't enjoy it, either.


Inuyasha watched the girl's lip twitch as she undoubtedly thought of something amusing. He rolled his eyes. Did she honestly think he was still sleeping? It was like… One in the afternoon. He had already called in at work, saying he was sick. And he didn't need to call in for Kagome, seeing as it was now Saturday. He thought she would open her eyes if he moved, but she hadn't done so. When she burrowed herself deeper into him, the thought that she might actually be enjoying their closeness crossed his mind.

So, he figured, what the hell. He would enjoy it too. He used the arm around her waist to haul her up. She squeaked, her hands fisting themselves at the top of his shoulders as he brought her head up to rest under his chin. He breathed in deeply, wondering if the smell of vanilla would be imprinted on his sheets from now on. And on himself, now that he thought about it. Damn wench had been all over him during the night. She had been restless, waking him up countless times.

After the second time she had thrown up, he made her brush her teeth again, and made her drink another glass of water.

He had felt as if he had a sexy two-year old under his roof. Even now, she was still in the shirt she had stolen from him, and her lace panties.

Okay, thinking of her panties were definitely not helping him stay platonic. Especially with the object of his desires lying on top of him. He made sure his hand was above her waist.

"I-Inuyasha, are you awake?" Kagome asked hesitantly, her hand coming down to fist in his shirt. Inuyasha sighed.

"Yeah?"

"What… What happened last night?"

"Do you remember any of it?"

"No…" Inuyasha grinned.

"We had sex like bunny rabbits, Slim. Especially since you seduced me with that shirt and panties. Of course, I took the heels off because they were digging into my back when you had your legs wrapped around—"

Kagome gave an undignified snort of laughter. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed.

"What the hell are you laughing at?"

"If we had sex like bunnies, then I must not have felt a thing. I must have slept through it!" she laughed. Inuyasha growled, and rolled, making sure she landed on her back underneath him. Her legs automatically spread and he was in between them, leaning down and sniffing delicately at the juncture of her neck.

"Listen, Slim. If I had had sex with you last night, you would definitely be feeling it this morning, and you wouldn't have been able to sleep through it," he growled. Kagome grinned impishly back at him, her headache forgotten as she curled her hands at his sides.

"Are you sure?" Kagome asked.

"Is that a challenge?" Inuyasha retorted. Kagome shrugged.

"I don't know. Is it? Because if we really did have sex last night—"

"Okay! Geez, stubborn little brat. We didn't have sex." Kagome gave a smug, triumphant smile.

"See? All you needed to do was admit. And really, Inuyasha… making up stuff about my outfit…"

Inuyasha looked down at her with such amusement that Kagome began to feel unease uncoiling from the pit of her stomach.

"Why don't you look at what you're wearing, Slim?" Inuyasha asked, grinning. Kagome looked down at herself, and shrieked. She pushed him off of her while he was laughing, and immediately went to his dresser. She took out a pair of jogging pants, and quickly donned them. She folded up the hem of her pants to her knees. Then, she took the discarded T-shirt she had refused for the button-up shirt from the floor, and went to the bathroom to change into it.

"Dammit, Inuyasha! You could have told me sooner!" Kagome yelled from the bathroom. "Ugh… I feel sick," she added.

"If you're going to throw up, stay in there," Inuyasha said lazily. Hangovers were just great.

"I don't wanna throw up. But I have this burning feeling in my stomach…" Kagome said, reappearing as the door opened. She staggered her way back to the bed, and collapsed onto it, face down. There was a mew at the bedroom door, and scratching noises.

"Shit. I'm going to get arrested for neglecting animals." Inuyasha rose from the bed, despite the temptation to stay there next to Kagome.

The mew came again, and Inuyasha sighed as he opened the door. "All right, kitty cat. Let's get you something to eat." He looked in his cupboards, and found another can of tuna. "Sorry, Kirara. This is all I have for you right now. I promise I'll go shopping today."

The disgruntled cat merely glowered at him, and he flinched. "I promise!" he repeated. Kirara seemed to give in, going to the can with an air of distaste.

"Of all the animals I had to watch, it had to be a demon cat," Inuyasha muttered, returning to the bedroom. Kagome was moaning into his pillow, apparently not feeling her best. She felt the mattress sink in as he sat on the bed beside her. Her moans increased in frequency and in volume.

"Are those sounds you're making desperate pleas for Tylenol?" he teased. She nodded, continuing her moaning. Inuyasha sighed. "A bitch like you is so not worth the trouble," he murmured. Kagome lifted her head to shoot him a dark glare, but the head instantly dropped again into his pillow.

"It spins…" she murmured.

He went back into the kitchen, getting a glass of water and two white pills. When he returned, she was in the bathroom, brushing her teeth. She glanced at him.

"Aren't you going to brush your teeth?" she asked around a mouthful of foam. Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "It's almost two, maybe two-thirty in the afternoon. I brushed my teeth when I woke up this morning."

"But you were in bed with me when I woke up," Kagome said.

"Yeah, I just wanted to lie down, but you attached yourself to me like a limpet. I knew I was irresistible, but boy, you sure proved that theory to be correct."

Kagome spit out excess toothpaste and scoffed at him. "Right. And we didn't even have sex when you had so many chances last night. So irresistible."

"Hey! I was doing the honorable thing! I can't take advantage of a drunken chit like you," Inuyasha growled. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. Right." She sighed. "Apparently, this is going nowhere. Even when I want you to have sex with me, you deny me." She rinsed out her mouth. "Tell me, Inuyasha. Am I that unattractive, or are you gay?"

Inuyasha nearly choked. "Gay?" He laughed. "Honey, I am so not gay."

"Yeah. Sure you're not." She pretended as if she had tears in her eyes. Inuyasha narrowed his. The stupid girl knew he wasn't. She was just trying to bait him, that stupid—! "I'll just have to shack up with someone else then. Pity. Maybe Kouga will get the job done."

She tried to push past him, but he blocked the doorway, deterring her from going into his bedroom.

"So let me get this straight. You've been wanting to have sex with me? And don't even think about going to that wolf shit. I already know you don't like him anyways," Inuyasha said smugly. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Well, duh, but…" Real annoyance lit her eyes. "Since you obviously don't find me attractive, and I repulse you, I can see that it's not going to happen."

Inuyasha gaped at her. She really believed that he thought she was not sexy? Anger rose up in him. He didn't know why he was angry. Probably because she didn't know the effect she had on him.

He caught her around the waist as she tried to duck under his arm. He practically threw her against the doorframe. His face was in her hair, and he was inhaling deeply. Kagome, strangely, remained impassive. He looked down at her, and found that she looked bored. "Kagome," he growled.

"Don't take that tone with me," she snapped, then leaned her head against the doorframe. "I don't like hangovers," she muttered.

"It'll go away in a few hours. Kagome…" Inuyasha stroked his hands down her arms, using his claws to lightly trace a line down her slender limbs. Kagome, despite trying to look as if she was too mature for him, shivered. Inuyasha's face lit up with a grin of triumph. He nipped her lip, and she yelped, glaring at him, but even the glare went away as he returned to kiss her deeply. She made a humming noise that he felt to the bottom of his toes.

Kagome languidly wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to pull him closer, if that was possible. The man had her up against the doorframe, and had plastered himself onto her. When he pulled away, Kagome's mouth nipped his chin and kissed his throat before moving back. Her eyes were unfocused, and her lips swollen. Inuyasha groaned and leaned in again. Her taste was more potent than any drug, and he kept returning for more, until his body was reacting without his knowing. He had picked her up, her legs wrapped around his waist, and he was moving towards the bed. He tried to reign in some control, but he felt that control shredding slowly. Actually, scratch that. That control was shredding—FAST.

Kagome had no idea what was going on. The dizziness she felt with her hangover was being replaced by dizziness from his scent. "Inuyasha," she whispered. "Please." She was a bit confused at her own plea, since she had no idea what she was begging for.

"Please what?" Inuyasha murmured, his hand trailing down her leg to her calf. There he traced small patterns, and he listened with rapt attention to the small noises she made in her throat. They almost sounded like whimpers, or little mews. His ears twitched continuously, which Kagome noticed. Her hand came up to rub one ear, and he groaned. Inuyasha's hands came up to slide under her shirt and rest on her stomach.

Kagome arched her body as his claw dragged down to the waist of her pants. Then, his hands went back up while her body was still arched and quickly took her shirt off. Kagome felt the cool air against her body and stilled. She blinked at him, and although the ardor she had been feeling had not cooled, she immediately became embarrassed as she remembered she wasn't wearing her bra. Her arm came up, but he stopped her with his hands.

"This might sound cheesy," he said hoarsely, "but you're absolutely beautiful." He gave her a quick kiss, and it had her humming, and his head bent…

"Inuyasha I'm not ready!" Kagome squeaked, her arms tearing themselves from his grip and coming up to cover herself. He reeled back, his hand coming up to his face to rub across it harshly.

"Kagome!" he grit out angrily. "You just said you wanted to have sex with me!" Inuyasha growled out. Kagome grabbed his shirt off the floor and donned it.

"Well… I don't…" How could she explain that she had become afraid when he had looked at her so intensely? "I can't…"

Inuyasha was suddenly there, and she blinked quickly in surprise. "For knowing for certain that you're not ready, you sure can't think of any reasons," Inuyasha bit out.

"Dammit Inuyasha! Don't push me!" Kagome growled. Inuyasha bit back an oath and walked out of the room. Kagome felt guilty. He was, apparently, ready for some hot, wild sex. She was too, but…

She followed Inuyasha out, her arms wrapped around herself, a surefire sign of her insecurity. What she felt for him was out of the norm. The passion that had ignited in her had scared her. Never had she felt that way with Kouga. Ever.

"Inuyasha, I'm sorry," she said, her voice a whisper. Inuyasha turned to look at her, and to her surprise, he gave her a pained smile.

"No. Don't let me pressure you into anything you don't want to do," Inuyasha said firmly. Kagome pouted.

"Inuyasha, it's not that I don't want to. It's just that… Oh! I can't explain it!" With the last part of her exclamation, she strode over to him, yanked him down by his hair, and kissed him. He immediately reciprocated, acting before his mind could protest.

Still, when his mind caught up (A good minute or two later), he called a halt to it by pulling back. "Kagome, you're confusing me. You're gonna have to explain it, because once it goes too far… There's no turning back."

Kagome bit her lip. "I don't want to explain it," she said stubbornly. And just when her lips claimed his again, his doorbell rang. They both tried to ignore it, but a loud banging on it had Inuyasha pulling away.

"If I have to repaint that door—!" He strode to the door and unlocked it before yanking it open and an unpleasant stench stung his nose. "Dammit!" He tried to close the door, but a foot shot through the crack to stop the progress.

"You son of a bitch!" Kouga snarled, his eyes bloodshot. He glanced at Kagome, who was surveying the scene with interest and with a healthy amount of trepidation. You took advantage of her! I can smell your stench on her from all the way over here!"

Kagome quickly moved to placate him. "Kouga, we didn't—"

"Shut up, bitch!" Kouga snarled. "I gave up my job, my life… Just so I could come here and woo you back. But I see you're nothing but a whore—" A punch in his face had him wheeling back from the door, but instead of closing it, Inuyasha opened it so he could go through and follow the wolf-demon outside.

"You might be drunk, but I won't let you talk about her like that!" Inuyasha snarled. Kagome ran out behind him, her lips thin from strain.

Kouga cursed, blood coursing freely from his nose. "You motherfucker… Did you think I wouldn't find out? She was supposed to be mine!" Kouga snarled. He turned to Kagome. "Maybe it's a good thing you ran off to this half-breed shit. So was the fuck good? Did he give it to you as good as—"

Before Inuyasha could move to strike him again, Kagome was there, and she slapped Kouga across the face hard.

"Leave, Kouga. You're not in your right mind. If you say one more bad thing about Inuyasha or me, then I'll have to ask you to leave my house."

Kouga scoffed at her threat. Then, he spat at Kagome's feet, which made Inuyasha surge forward. Inuyasha had Kouga by his shirt, up in the air. Kouga just smirked down at Inuyasha. A kick to the side of the head had Inuyasha flying. Kagome gasped and moved to go towards him, but Kouga held her back with a hand at her arm.

"Let me go, Kouga!" Kagome hissed, her eyes blazing with anger. "I definitely don't want to deal with you right now."

Kouga, in his drunken state, didn't seem to care what she wanted to deal with. Before she could react, he had her in his arms and was kissing her. She gagged when she tasted the alcohol, and tore her mouth away. Before she could do anything, Inuyasha was there, his rage palpable. He had his claws digging into Kouga's throat, and to Kagome's horror, blood was beginning to run down Kouga's neck. Instead of killing him however, Inuyasha punched him down. Inuyasha would have kicked him, but Kouga kicked out his legs, catching the side of Inuyasha's legs, and Inuyasha went down. Kouga then was on top of him, apparently about to beat the shit out of the hanyou.

Kagome, however, tackled Kouga. She landed on her back, and felt the impact jar her bones. As Kouga landed on top of her, his claws dug into her sides, drawing blood. However, adrenaline had her fighting back, oblivious to the pain that was blossoming. After just a second, however, Kouga was being lifted off of her, and he landed face down next to her.

"I am so not in the mood to deal with your shit! I should arrest you, you piece of shit!" Inuyasha bellowed. An elderly woman that had come out to her check her mail quickly scurried back inside.

Kouga struggled under Inuyasha.

Kagome knelt next to them, and said quietly, "Kouga-kun, please. You're not making me happy by doing this." At those words, Kouga stilled, and a great sigh escaped him.

"There's no chance anymore, is there? For you and me, I mean."

Kagome shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I gave you that impression."

"Then… Then I will leave tonight. No," he slurred quickly, watching Kagome open her mouth to speak. "I do not wish to stay here if there is no chance. I'll go and make myself into a better person so that when I come back, I can win you." He ignored Inuyasha's growl.

"Oy, this is the twenty-first century, you stupid shit. This isn't the medieval ages where you have to win a maiden's hand."

"Well, we'll just let her decide when I come back, won't we?" All of a sudden, he had thrown Inuyasha off of him, and was weaving back towards her house.

"I'll wait until I'm not drunk anymore, then I'll leave tonight. Thanks for letting me stay in the meanwhile. And Inuyasha," he addressed the cursing hanyou that was on the grass. "Take care of my woman until I'm back."

"You stupid, stinking low-life scum of—"

"Okay, then! Bye!" Kagome said cheerfully before pulling Inuyasha back, practically shoving him ahead of her and pushing him into the house.

"What the hell did you do that for? I'm going to teach him a lesson, and you can't stop me!" Inuyasha growled. Kagome had to use her whole weight while holding onto his shirt to deter him.

"He gave up! You give it up, too! I'm not some kind of meat prize that you win if you beat the other into a pulp!"

"I know you're not! But he challenged me!" Kagome threw up her hands at this.

"God! Men and testosterone was just the wrong combination!" Kagome snarled out.

Suddenly, to Kagome's complete chagrin and frustration, Inuyasha was gently leading her towards the kitchen.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kagome growled. Inuyasha merely gave her a look, and Kagome rolled her eyes. "I can cuss right now. I have the right to."

"You're bleeding," he said, his voice a low rumble, and she could tell he was holding his anger in check.

"Oh…" Kagome looked down at her side, which was bleeding freely. "I forgot." As soon as she said this, it seemed as if the adrenaline rushed out of her body and pain took its place. "Oh, ow!" She grabbed her side, clamping her hand over her bloody T-shirt. "Ow, ow, ow, ow… I'm going to kill Kouga!"

"At least our sentiments are the same now," Inuyasha said dryly.

"Well, I'm not actually going to do it. You're a cop! You should be setting a good exam—" She eeped as he suddenly lifted her shirt over her head. "What are you doing!" she shrieked.

"I'm looking at the puncture wounds, what do you think I'm doing?" He poked and prodded at her, making her wiggle and scramble to get away from him. At this, he heaved an exasperated sigh and picked her up easily by the hips, ignoring her squeak of surprise, and deposited her on the counter. "Now hold still," Inuyasha said, reaching over to one of his cabinets to take out what looked suspiciously like—

"Ohmygawd. Don't come near me!" Kagome shrieked, fighting him to get off the counter. She didn't care if she was bleeding over the counter and that he held her steadfastly. He swore when she bit his shoulder, and not lightly. "If you put that rubbing alcohol anywhere near—" she screamed as a half-saturated cotton ball touched her wounds. She put her fist to her mouth and bit down on a knuckle.

"Sorry," Inuyasha said gruffly as he tried to clean it as quick as possible. "You need to get it clean. Some demons have poisons in their claws." He thought he heard her mutter a vicious curse word, but decided not to rib her about it. He then took out a first-aid kit, and got some bandages. He wrapped it around her, making sure it was secure before moving back to admire his own handiwork.

"Inuyasha, I'm going to kill you," Kagome panted from her position on the counter.

"What happened to killing Kouga?" Inuyasha asked, and his anger came back, now that Kagome was tended to. "If he fucking shows his face again—"

"Maybe he will, maybe he won't. In the meanwhile, I think I can decide on my own who I like."

Inuyasha glanced at her. "So you like me?" he asked smugly, his hands going on either sides of her thighs, so that he was caging her legs on the counter and looking up at her. Kagome grinned and tweaked Inuyasha's nose.

"Not if your life depended on it. You're just lucky we got some chemistry," Kagome said. She pushed him away, hopping down lightly onto the floor. "Could I possibly borrow another shirt?" Kagome didn't wait for an answer. She walked into his room and pulled out another shirt from his dresser.

"Well, sure," Inuyasha said sarcastically as she pulled it over her head.

"I'll buy you a new shirt, since Kouga tore that one up." Inuyasha just shrugged.

"Keh. Whatever." Inuyasha put his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, let's go grocery shopping. If I don't go today, Kirara will turn me into kitty litter."

"Oh, okay. I need to buy some things for my house anyway." Kagome went to retrieve her purse.

"Are you going out like that?" he asked, indicating her overlarge T-shirt and his gym pants. Kagome shrugged.

"Why not? We're only going to the grocery store. Inuyasha, could you—"

Her words were cut off when he gently circled her waist with his hands, and kissed her. "I'm sorry I didn't protect you," Inuyasha rumbled. Kagome blinked away the haziness that settled over her when his lips touched hers.

"What?" she whispered. She didn't wait for an answer, and instead kissed him back.

"I'm also sorry that you thought I didn't want you. That will be remedied soon," he said when he broke away, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Kagome sighed. "So you say, but we'll see."

Inuyasha growled. "What do you mean we'll see?"

"Just that! We'll see!"

They argued all the way out to the car.


wk: To make up for my lack of updates, I made this chapter much longer than my usual. At least, it's a few pages longer than my usual, anyway. I will try to get the next update up soon!