Ton Up
By: The Hatter Theory
Chapter 6
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Inu Yasha
A Note: Sorry this is a day late everyone, real life sort of kicked my behind yesterday.
A Second Note: Due to FFNet's policy regarding adult content, I have created an account on ArchiveOfOurOwn where my uncut works can be posted. There is a link on my profile. To those that are of age (yeah yeah I know, Im being responsible, amazing, right?) feel free to explore.
Three days passed before his number flashed on her phone. She didn't see it because she was busy trying to ignore that he hadn't called and that the race was less than two days away. She hadn't gotten another call from Hayate, and she hadn't been in contact with either Hakkaku or Ginta. Determined to ignore the problem into going away -because she was convinced mulling over it would only make it worse- she went to the beach with her friends, made use of the spa facilities as if she'd never see them again, and finished her novel.
Except she couldn't remember what the novel was about or how it ended, the beach had been full of tanning and time to think, and the spa hadn't helped clear her head in the least. When her phone rang she was trying to wash the smell of the hot spring from her hair. When she walked out in nothing but a towel she was going straight across the hall to her room when the sound of talking stopped her.
It was Kouga talking. And Ginta and Hakkaku.
"Little sister!" Ginta called out, waving. Kouga turned, face immediately reddening when he saw her state of dress. Not even saying anything she rushed into her room and slammed the door, groaning as she leaned against it.
"Smooth Kagome," She muttered, regretting it in the next instant when she remembered how sharp youkai hearing was. Muttering darkly within the confines of her own mind, she rubbed her hair vigorously and quickly changed, pulling on a tank top and one of her summer skirts. When she finished, she took a deep, calming breath before stepping out.
To find a room curiously absent of almost everyone.
Kouga turned, smile lighting up his features when he saw her.
"Hey," He greeted, waving.
"Where did everyone go?" She asked, still embarrassed he had seen her in next to nothing and unsure of what to say next. Quietly padding on the soft carpet, she walked over to the small living room area and sat on the couch across from him, drawing her legs up under her and leaning against the armrest, determined to be the picture of composure.
"They mentioned about going to do some shopping for the race, whatever that means," He snorted, rolling his eyes. When she only nodded in return his easy smile faded and he leaned forward, concern etching his features.
"Are you alright?" He asked. "The guys said you didn't call-"
"I'm fine," She murmured quietly, mentally scrambling for something to talk about and finding nothing.
"When a female says she's fine a smart male runs like hell," He commented, obviously not believing her.
"You're still sitting," She pointed out.
"I've never been a particularly quick learner," He retorted. "Something's up."
"Nothing's wrong," She protested, bringing her knees in front of her and hugging them tightly. She wanted to bury her face in them but knew giving away how badly she wanted to hide would only provoke further questions.
"Tell me."
"I'm fine," She retorted.
"That word again."
"I promise, everything is fi-"
"If you say it again I'm going to drop you in the nearest body of water I can find."
"I'm okay."
"Kagome, what happened?"
"I was worried," She blurted, immediately wishing she could take it back. His surprised expression only made her feel that much more foolish.
"About what?"
"You left after we talked, I thought I said something wrong," She tried to explain, but the words were mangling themselves somewhere between her brain and her lips. He stared at her blankly for a minute that, to her, stretched into an eternity.
"You thought I was mad at you?"
When he said it like that, it made her wonder why she'd said anything at all.
"Shit," He muttered, leaning back into the couch and rubbing his face. "I didn't think about that. I had to get back to take care of an order. I'm sorry, I didn't think about how it might be, I mean, I told Ginta and Hakkaku to drop by-"
Relief flooded through her, and she ignored his fumbling in favor of getting off of the couch and going to set next to him. He stopped trying to figure out what to say when she wove her arms around his neck.
"It's fine," She told him, voice muffled. "Don't do it again."
"I won't," He promised. She pulled away, saw how awkward he felt reflected in his uneasy expression, and pulled back, blushing hotly.
"Look, I know it's last minute, but with the drive being so long, the race starts early," He said, trying to fill the silence. "The guys and I were talking. Do you want to stay with us tomorrow night?" He asked, flushing. When her mouth opened he barreled on, voice betraying his anxiety. "Not, not with us," He muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We've each got a room, you and Ayumi can crash in mine."
"What about Eri and Yuka?" She asked, feeling as awkward as he sounded.
"They can have one of the other rooms. It's not going to kill us to sleep on a floor or something."
"Not when you're used to caves, and you three could always share the bed," She added.
"Hey," He muttered reproachfully. "It's been at least three centuries since I slept in a cave or in a mutt pile."
"A mutt pile?" She asked, the words half choked with her laughter.
"And women say men are perverts."
"Well, it does sound pretty bad-"
"Don't go there. I can still drop you in the nearest body of water."
"You wouldn't dare," She laughed, relaxing. But it was the wrong thing to do, because the air whooshed out of her lungs and his shoulder pressing into her stomach uncomfortably.
"Kouga-" She hissed, wishing she could see his tail so she could give it a swift yank.
"Are we interrupting something?" A voice asked.
She groaned, covering her face with both hands when she realized it was Yuka's.
"She dared me," Kouga stated simply.
"I did not," She muttered.
"Dared you to what?" Yuka's voice asked, pitched with laughter she was trying to suppress.
"She said I wouldn't drop her in the nearest spring."
"Is that it?" Eri asked.
"What? No!" Kagome shouted, trying to wriggle free. His arm tightened around her legs and he bounced her once, earning an angry grunt for his efforts.
"Put her down," Ginta said.
"She looks mad," Hakkaku added.
"Now Kouga," Ayumi told him.
"Nah," He muttered, tightening his arm even further around her leg before walking to her room. Panic made her begin squirming anew when he opened the door, and she tried kicking her legs only to have him bounce her again.
"You keep doing that and I'm not going to be nice."
"Nice?" She sputtered as he bent and grabbed her jacket and helmet. "How are you being nice?"
"I'm not going to drown you."
"Kouga," She hissed, but was ignored as he walked back out, ignoring the stares they were receiving. She couldn't miss her friends amused stares or the thumbs up they gave. Which in no way helped her situation.
"Kouga, put me down," She muttered.
"Nope."
"I'm wearing a skirt," She added.
"I can see that," He retorted, waiting for the elevator. Her friends spilled out of the room, Ayumi with her jacket and helmet, and Yuka with her car keys jangling. Mortified that they were watching, obviously entertained, she covered her face with her hand and groaned. The elevator opened and when she tried to get down his hold on her tightened and he bounced her again.
"Put me down," She demanded as the doors closed.
"No."
"Stop being such a jerk."
"Stop being such a pain in the ass," He retorted.
"How am I being a pain in the, well?"
"You started it and now you're whining. And don't try to kick me again," He muttered, stepping out and ignoring the stunned gazes of the people waiting outside. The receptionist said nothing, and Yuka waved and said it was alright, just some friendly horse play, as they walked outside into the sunlight. A minute later he sat her down on his motorcycle and held out the jacket and helmet.
She glared at him.
"If you don't I really will carry you to the pool or the spring and drop you in," He promised.
She crossed her arms and turned her head, eyes closing and a small, derisive noise escaping her throat.
"Well, since you really want me to-" He began, bending to pick her back up.
"No, no," She muttered, grabbing the jacket and helmet as she realized that he probably would do it. He seemed satisfied, catching his own helmet when Ginta tossed it to him.
"Where we headed?"
"Don't know," Kouga answered, smiling before he tugged his helmet into place.
When they pulled out onto the road something felt different in the way he drove. Keeping her eyes on the distant scenery she watched the world fly by as the sound of the engine and other cars passing them vibrated through the helmet. The wind on her bare legs was almost hard, like a wall of pressure trying to hold her back. It was almost uncomfortable, except most of her was shielded by Kouga's tall form as he sped up.
Clinging to him, she tried to block out the noises around her and focused on the purring of the engine and the sound as it accelerated, how it felt to hold on to him. Her worry washed away, she was free to wonder, however silly and immature it was, what it would be like to actually be with him, if anything would change at all.
When he decelerated and turned into the small parking lot they'd gone to several nights before, she smiled and pulled off her helmet, waving as her friends pulled in behind them. Yuka hopped out, looking peeved and ready to say something until Eri said something to quiet her.
"This is a nice spot," Ayumi observed, smiling as she up her helmet on the seat of Ginta's motorcycle and pulled off her jacket. "It doesn't look like it gets a lot of people."
"It's doesn't," Hakkaku confirmed.
"It''s too rocky for most people," Ginta added.
"I think it's fine," Kagome said, smiling at her friends as she sat her helmet on the bike. She had just gotten her jacket off when she heard it.
"That word again," Kouga said, voice full of ominous warning. She only had a moment to try and stutter out a no before she was over his shoulder and he was running down the hill, obviously using his youkai speed and grace to keep from killing them both.
"Kouga don't you dare," She muttered, knowing full well that he could hear her.
"You should know better than that," He laughed just as they hit the surf and he crashed into the water, moving with surprising speed despite the resistance of the waves.
"Do wolves love the water or are you just special?" She muttered before she was dumped off of his shoulder and into the water. When she came back up he was smiling at her, wolfish grin showing far too many teeth for her liking.
"We might have a fondness for it," He replied, fairly preening.
"You deserve this," She retorted, calling on a power she hadn't used in years as she poked him with her index finger. She could feel the energy pulsing through her before to leapt the short distance to his arm.
"God, shit," He cursed, shaking his arm as if it would free it of the sensation. He turned back to her, eyes narrowed. "That actually hurt."
She made a disgusted sound and began walking for the beach when his hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her back.
"No way," He laughed, tugging her back. "If you're going to pull a stunt like that-"
"What?" She demanded petulantly.
"Well, we can either settle it here, or you can ride home in your friend's car."
"I'll have to anyway, I'm soaked," She muttered.
"It's still sunny out, you could be dry before we leave."
"No," She sputtered.
She felt a strange jolt of electricity and turned to stare at him, wide eyed.
"Was that-"
"Parlor trick," He chuckled, and she felt it again, the electric feel of youki jolting her arm again.
"I can't believe you would actually-"
"What? Play?"
And because it was playing, it was safe for her to push against him lightly, channeling her power through her hands. In the process, she propelled herself backwards and began swimming, determined to get a head start while he was still trying to get over the affects of her reiki.
She had only gotten a few feet when youki touched her foot, shooting up her ankle and paralyzing her leg. An angry yelp escaped as seawater splashed into her mouth, and flailing her limbs desperately, she tried to stay afloat and get her leg to move but failed. A moment later his arms were wrapping around her and he was pulling her closer to the shore until her foot -the one that could move and feel something besides small bolts of static running through it- was planted firmly in the sand.
"Are you okay?" He asked, concern evident as he held her up while waves pushed against her.
"I'm fi-" She stopped and glared up at him, seeing the faintest hint of amusement tinging his worry as she shut her mouth. More irritated than angry, she pushed against his chest with her finger, making sure she poked hard, and sent a pulse of her power at him.
He was oblivious to her staring as he cursed and rubbed the spot on his chest and the surrounding area with the heel of his hand. He was readying to say something, but stopped when he saw her expression.
"What?" He demanded.
"Your eyes."
"What about them?"
"They're blue," She stuttered, staring with growing horror as she realized what had happened.
"Change back," She hissed.
He was busy staring at fingers tipped in claws, his face quickly mirroring her own expression of panic.
"I can't."
"What do you mean you can't?"
"You did something, what did you do?"
"I just poked you like you poked me," She muttered.
"Hey guys!" Yuka's voice called out. Kagome looked past Kouga to see her friend walking into the surf. Kouga began to turn as well when she stopped him.
"Don't," She muttered, before moving a bit to the side, foot still immobilized and unable to hold her. "Yuka, we just need some time!" She called out, waving her friend away. Yuka, only ten or fifteen feet away, smiled slyly and nodded.
"Go Kagome, get him!" Yuka shouted back. Immediately Eri joined in on the catcalling.
"Please tell me you did not hear that," She muttered, covering her face with both hands and praying for a swift death.
"I'll remind you of it later," He muttered, pulling his hair free of it's pony tail and letting it hang down. "We currently have a bigger issue to deal with."
He didn't just sound angry, he sounded afraid. Looking up at him she saw that he was afraid and frustrated, brows knit together in concentration.
"I can't will it back," He muttered. "Shit."
"Maybe it'll fade?" She asked hopefully. Already the numbness in her leg was fading, bit by prickly bit, although sensation returning wasn't exactly pleasant. Maybe her power had affected him in the same manner, temporarily stunning whatever it was that allowed him to hide his real face.
"Okay. Let's just, give it time," He muttered, running a clawed hand through his hair.
"I'm sorry," She sighed, testing putting weight on her foot and finding it still too numb to support herself.
"I'm pretty sure I told you what would happen if you kept apologizing."
"Yeah, but this-"
"Is me getting put in my place by the universe, or some such hokey bullshit. I know you wouldn't do this on purpose."
His confidence in her only made her feel more apologetic, but sensing that the last thing he wanted to hear was another one, she opted for a different route.
"Tell me about your work."
He looked surprised for a moment before nodding, obviously searching for a place to start.
"We all loved our bikes, but we began working on them lot, messing around with them to see what we could do to make them go faster, make them run better. Eventually it became a way to make a living," He admitted. "We're good at it, and we enjoy doing it. Paperwork side of it is hell, but it's not a bad life," He added.
"What all do you do?"
"We're mostly just mechanics. We'll work with other people's bikes and get them to do whatever people want them to do. Ginta is good with engines and Hakkaku likes working through everything else."
"What about you?"
"I do both. I decided to build a bike and learned how. No going back after that," He chuckled. "We can build them from the ground up or modify them, fix them. Since we started doing work for Hayate, we've gotten more specialized, which means fewer customers but more money. It gives us a lot of time to fool around and try new things."
She listened to him talk about his work, something he was obviously in love with. Though she had only seen him riding motorcycles and never working on one, she could tell it had formed a cornerstone of who he was, and that it was something he lived for.
"I envy you," She admitted quietly, once he had finished. "I haven't found anything like that."
"Really?" He asked, surprised. She nodded, testing her foot and finding herself able to put her weight on it and walked, although somewhat awkwardly.
"I'm still figuring things out. I'm going to a small general college until I get a better idea of where I'm going."
"You always seemed like you had an idea," He told her.
"Try to hide yourself," She said, skirting away from the topic. For a moment she could see a look of fierce concentration strain his features, but nothing happened.
"I'm never going to piss you off," He chuckled, seeing his clawed hands and running his tongue over his fangs before shrugging. She began walking for the shore, stopping when the water lapped below her knees.
"They'll leave us alone if we stay in the water, I think," She told him, nodding at her friends in the distance. He said nothing but offered his elbow as she stumbled, foot still protesting.
"So no plan?" He asked.
"No. I couldn't figure out a plan, what suited me. I've never been really good at anything-" He made a derisive sound at that, but she continued. "I'm not especially smart or creative. For awhile mom and I talked about me inheriting the shrine, but I don't think I could stay there forever. Ever since I came back, Tokyo has seemed so small."
He nodded, eyes moving from her to look off in the distance.
"It feels smaller than it used to. It's part of the reason I come out here to help Hayate. There's still cities and everything, but it's not nearly as crowded as Tokyo."
"Why do you stay there?"
"Mostly business. More people there, more work, easier access. What about you? Why are you staying there?"
"I'm actually going to Shizouka for school. It's not far away, but it's far enough," She laughed. "I need to get some space from my family for awhile. They're still not entirely over me traveling through time. I guess it seems more fantastic if you haven't lived it," She laughed, although there was more truth to the statement than she cared to admit.
"Probably. But you'll only be an hour away. Plenty easy enough for me to make you don't slack on riding."
"I'll probably only be riding a bus when I move," She laughed.
"I'll make sure you get some practice."
"On what? Your bike? I thought we'd already established that there's no way I can drive it."
"Didn't look half bad trying though," He admitted. It was the first sort of compliment he'd given her, however nonchalant it was. He didn't seem to notice, and she wondered if he had meant it as a compliment at all. "Besides, I've never seen a woman cuddle a bike before. I think I need a picture."
"I wasn't cuddling it," She retorted, pushing against him with her body so that they listed to the side.
"Admit it, you were. Like every female, you just want a big, powerful machine between your-"
"You want me to zap you again, don't you?"
Her comment seemed to remind him of his inability, and he paused for a moment, brows furrowing on concentration. Slowly, sluggishly, his eyes changed to a muddy brown and the claws softened into rounded nails.
She missed the real him immediately.
"I guess we can join the others," She murmured, not wanting to but not wanting to seem too desperate to be alone with him.
"Why? They seem to be doing well enough."
She felt she did a good job of hiding her pleasure at his words, shrugging and nodding casually.
"So, now that that's solved," He said, smirking down at her.
"What?"
"Do your friends have a pool or something going? I could hear them telling the guys that we needed private time."
She groaned again, shaking her head until her hair hid her face. Her foot having regained feeling sometime during their talk, she stepped away and put some distance between them.
"You alright?"
"I'm fine. It's just, they're dead set on me having a summer romance. When I was traveling back and forth between now and the feudal era, they listened while I ranted about Inu Yasha and, uh-" He she paused, because the word 'you' had almost escaped, and she was more than sure he wouldn't appreciate the sentiment.
"And?" He asked, curious.
"Hojo," She muttered hastily. "He was a really well meaning guy of this time, but about as dense as a brick. I didn't date a lot in high school, so when they see me talking to a guy, any guy, they try to turn it into some movie drama," She finished. "The last time it happened they encouraged a guy for me and I ended up with more teddy bears than I can count even after I explained to him that I wasn't interested."
And she still hated teddy bears.
"I see," He said, nodding. "So they're just trying to get you to be normal?"
"I am normal," She protested.
"No, you're not," He replied flatly. "You traveled back and forth through time, you defeated Naraku, destroyed a cursed object that had managed to stay alive for centuries, all while managing to go to school. You're a miko that's friends with youkai, you like motorcycles and reading at the beach, and you're not interested in dating."
"It doesn't make me abnormal," She defended.
"It does."
"I like reading."
"The beach is for playing, having fun, doing things."
"And I bet lots of people know about youkai, and that there are other miko that are friends with them."
"Maybe," He acceded.
"Motorcycles are a perfectly fine way to get around, reputation notwithstanding."
He nodded.
"The jewel thing was a fluke, I was born with it inside of me. And just because I don't treat dating like it's a hunt for buried treasure or safari does not mean I'm not interested," She added, cramming them all into one breath and hoping she didn't sound too defensive.
He was nodding until she got to the last part, when a strangled laugh escaped. She was grateful for the laugh, because it meant he wasn't taking it as a come on. Although a small part of herself admitted -just to herself- that it was a way to get it out in the open without actually putting herself or him in a potentially awkward position.
"You would have made a terrible wolf," He chortled, looking far too amused for her peace of mind.
"Why?"
"We always treat it like a hunt," He joked.
"I remember," She muttered sourly, remembering all too well how persistent he had been. Despite her feelings in the present, his behavior in the past had driven her beyond the logical limits of tolerance and into sainthood.
"Hey, I admitted I was an idiot back then," He snorted. "Besides, not like the other guys you were hanging around were much better. The monk would have grabbed my ass if he could have."
She choked on her laughter, the image in her head playing out like a train wreck. When she finally composed herself, she looked up at him, saw the amusement in his gaze and tried to quell her impish grin, knowing full and well she couldn't.
"You have an awfully high opinion of your assets," She snorted, almost choking on the words as they came out.
"You saying I'm not good enough for a game of grab ass?"
"I'm saying Miroku might have been a pervert, but he wasn't suicidal."
"My ass. You forget the times I was there to see his mate pound him into the ground. You'd have to be suicidal to take on a woman like that."
"Sango was a perfectly good mate-"
"That he would grope and get hit by. With a weapon made of youkai bones. I'm failing to see where self preservation plays into that."
He made a fair point, one she had trouble refuting.
"Love makes people do crazy things," She finally said, shrugging. "Miroku and Sango balanced each other out."
"I guess," He finally said. "Come on, we need to get dry before we leave, or else you'll turn into a popsicle on the way back."
"If you hadn't dumped me in the ocean for saying fine it wouldn't be a problem," She retorted.
"What's a threat if you don't prove you're willing to go through with it?" He said with a smirk as they walked onto the hard packed sand of the beach. She noticed that he had taken off his boots, but his jeans and shirt were still wet. Her skirt had dried somewhat in the sun, but it still hung damply around her legs, and her top was still wet.
"I wish you had some sort of trick to make my clothes dry now," She sighed.
"I might be a youkai but I am not a miracle worker," He snorted as their friends spotted them and waved.
When they joined their friends there was nothing said about their walk in the water, but there were several questioning glances. Thankfully she was able to at least pretend to ignore them, and Kouga followed suit, ignoring the confused stares as they walked and spoke of the future, both immediate and distant.
Kouga again brought up the idea of them using their rooms the night before the race, explaining that it started early and his hotel was closer.
"We can get our own rooms," Yuka said. "No problem."
"It's not a money issue," Ginta started.
"The hotel is booked solid for the race."
"There aren't any rooms available."
"We checked," Hakkaku finished.
Kagome listened while Kouga explained how the hotel had actually overbooked, so getting a room truly was impossible, and that he and Ginta were more than willing to give up their rooms so they would only have to double up in the beds themselves.
"It's not the Kangetsuen, but it's decent," He finished.
Yuka, despite her love for things first class, readily agreed to the arrangement, saying it was a good idea and that she would be more than willing to make the drive. Knowing her friend was still plotting to throw them together, Kagome couldn't help but be worried. Hopefully they wouldn't attempt to do something on the eve of the race. Kouga disliked the track enough as it was, she didn't want him in an even worse mood because of childish silliness.
"I'll be busy most of tomorrow, so you guys can drive up whenever you want. The track will be closed to anyone outside of the race though. Besides, Meina will be there," He added with a sneer. "You'll be lucky to avoid her."
Kagome wanted to ask about the shadowy figure that was Meina, now that she had come up again, but didn't when the other began going over what the race would be like. She listened with half an ear, already able to see what would happen in her own head.
By the time they were ready to leave, her clothing had dried, stiff with salt, and she was more than ready to go back to the hotel and change into something clean.
"Hold tight," He told her. "The guys will direct them back, we're going ahead," He told her before shrugging on his helmet.
Even if he was still loud and brash and strangely unpredictable, it was easier to hold to him after their conversation. What had been the first stages of a girlish crush had quickly tipped into something a little deeper, her admiration of his passion tinged with a curiosity of what it would be like to have that passion directed at her.
Blushing despite the chill that pressed against her as he navigated the roads, she tightened her arms around his waist and tried to will those thoughts away. It took her the better part of half an hour, but by the time they had reached her hotel, she had forced them back into the box they had sprung from and could look him in the eye when she removed her helmet.
"So serious, what's on your mind?" He asked as she threw her leg over the bike and dismounted.
"Just the race. I've never been to one."
"No worries. I'll win and everyone will be surprised," He snorted as he gracefully got off of his bike.
"You're so sure of yourself," She laughed, walking for the hotel entrance.
"I've got a good luck charm," He said, shrugging carelessly.
"A good luck charm?" She asked, giggling at the thought. She supposed youkai had every right to be superstitious, given the nature of their existence, but the idea of one carrying a good luck charm, much less Kouga, was almost ridiculous.
"Yup."
"Well?"
"Well what?" He asked, looking down at her in confusion as they walked in.
"What is it?"
He was quiet and shrugged again, not saying anything when they stepped into the elevator.
"You can't just say you have a good luck charm and not tell me what it is," She wheedled.
"If I tell you it might stop being lucky," He retorted.
"That makes no sense."
"Does to me, all that matters."
"Fine," She said, slightly hurt that he wasn't willing to trust her and trying to find a logical explanation that would quash the hurt. He was a youkai after all, and she was more than aware that they lived by a different set of rules. It didn't stop her from feeling a bit left out that he wouldn't explain it to her, and by the time they got to the room, she was firmly telling herself that it didn't matter.
"You don't have the key, do you?" He asked, staring at the door.
She opened her jacket and reached into the inner pocket, waving it haughtily before sliding it through the lock and stepping in.
"I'm going to go shower, you're free to use the other," She told him, already walking for her room. He said nothing but headed for the other shower in the suite, and she determinedly put the idea of his charm from her mind.
Taking care to grab a change of clothes before she went to shower, she only dimly heard the sounds of him across the suite and hurried across the hall. Quickly getting out of the salt stiff clothes she hopped under the water and scrubbed vigorously, suddenly feeling itchy.
Even after she was clean she stayed under the spray of hot water, wondering if he would be gone by the time she got out, almost hoping for it. It would be nice to have some time to herself to relax and try to figure out what was going on in her own head. After a short eternity had passed, she got out and dried off, checking her foot for any sign of their 'game'.
There wasn't a bruise or scar, not even a blemish to hint at what he had done, and she was sure it had been as accidental as her subduing of his illusion. Grateful that there was no outward mark, she quickly dressed, pulling on her pajama pants and shirt and balling up her dirty clothes in the damp towel to have washed later.
When she stepped out, she didn't hear the sound of a shower, but she did see his head lolling backwards on the couch. Quickly dropping her clothes inside the door to her room, she walked over to the living room and almost laughed when she saw the rest of him.
Easily too tall for the bathrobes that arrived daily, his muscular legs stuck out from the bottom, stretched out in front of him and exposed almost to the knee. She couldn't see how short the sleeves were because his arms were crossed, tucked against his body, but it was easy to tell that his shoulders were far too broad, the neckline open and exposing several inches of tawny, muscled chest.
It might have been enticing, had the robe not been a soft shade of lavender. Or if his head had not been tipped back.
But Kouga, perhaps one of the most exuberant, tireless youkai she had ever met, was asleep.
Kagome watched him for a moment, his chest rising and falling, but otherwise perfectly still. In the quiet of the room, she could hear the light exhalations as he breathed in and out, rhythmic and deep. For a moment she considered waking him. He wouldn't want to be seen in nothing but a bathrobe. And why was he wearing it, anyway?
Quickly checking the bathroom, she saw his shirt and pants hung over the curtain rod of the shower and touched them, found that they were damp. She supposed he had washed what he could of the salt and grit out of them. He would be more sensitive to the feel and especially the smell of it, explaining his unusual choice of clothing. If nothing else, he was at least secure enough in his masculinity that he could wear what was obviously a woman's robe, even if it had to be uncomfortable.
But it didn't explain his nap. Kagome doubted that he would have willingly fallen asleep for her to find like that, which must have meant he was tired. Very tired.
Resolving to let him get at least a short rest, she went back to her room and grabbed her novel, then went back to the living room and took the couch across from him. After a quick glance to make sure he was still asleep, she opened her book and began reading, quickly finding where she had left off before.
For the first several minutes she would glance over at him, curious but afraid of getting caught staring at him like some creep. But little by little the book pulled her in and tuned the real world out. It was easy to get lost in the adventure of a man who was fighting a monster, perhaps more so for the silence.
But when she heard a muffled sound, she looked back up, surprised to see Kouga twitching violently. Staring for a moment, unsure of what to do, she saw him twitch again and something half lost in sleep escaped from his throat, sounding almost like a growl. Setting her book down she got up quietly, walking over to him and reaching out slowly to shake his shoulder.
Her hand had almost made contact when his hand shot out, faster than she could see, and grabbed her wrist. Eyes still bleary from sleep blinked open, settling on a half lidded gaze as he brought her hand to his face and inhaled deeply, immediately relaxing. His eyes closed and she felt him exhale into her palm before his nose pressed against the skin and he nuzzled it. A deep rumbling sounded in his chest, a pleased, relieved sound.
Unsure of what to say or do, she stood still, eyes locked on him as he inhaled again, breathe tickling the sensitive skin of her palm. When his eyes blinked open again, they were unfocused at first, heavy lidded and drowsy. Blushing when they drifted up from her palm to look at her face, she tried to smile but failed, confusion warring with shock warring with curiosity. In his half woken state, she saw something undefinable, strangely akin to pleasure.
And then it was gone, lost as awareness cleared his sight and widened his eyes.
"Kagome?" He asked, blushing hotly and dropping her hand as if it had suddenly bitten him.
"It looked like you were having a nightmare," She tried, stepping back once, twice, until the back of her knees hit the couch. Quickly sitting down, she brought her legs beneath her and hugged the small couch pillow, needing some sort of shield between herself and the newly awakened Kouga, who didn't seem to be aware of what he had done at all.
"I didn't mean to fall asleep," He muttered, blushing when he looked down and remembered what he was wearing. Uttering a quiet oath he stood and made for the bathroom, leaving her alone in the living room. The bathroom door closed quietly and she looked down at her palm, still feeling the warmth of his breath. It still tingled lightly, and she rubbed her fingers over it, remembering the light tickle as he had exhaled into it and the way he had inhaled, as if drinking in her scent.
When the door opened again she was scrambling for her book, determined not to let on that the strange gesture had affected her, if he even remembered what he had done to begin with.
"Where is everyone?" He rumbled, looking rumpled in his still damp clothes, his hair almost dry and hanging in a heavy curtain over his shoulders. "Was I out long?"
"Only for an hour or so," She offered. "And I don't know. They should have been back by now, but they haven't called."
"Idiots," He muttered, running a hand through his hair. "I've got to get back to Hayate and go over a last minute run through. Here," He told her, pulling a card from his pocket. "It's the key to my room. I don't know when I'll be back tomorrow, just in case."
She accepted the card, not moving to stand. Still off balance from what his sleeping self had done, she was having trouble untying her tongue and getting it to work. He pulled on his jacket and grabbed his helmet, looking down at it for a moment before giving her a lopsided smile.
"Umm, thanks for letting me catch some sleep, I didn't mean to just pass out on you."
"It's fine. If you need it you need it," She replied, waving it off as if nothing strange had occurred. "I'd rather you be rested before you race."
"I'm fine," He protested, but began walking for the door, looking uncomfortable. "I'll see you tomorrow, maybe we can grab some dinner."
And with that he was gone, leaving her alone with the key card and the strange feeling in her palm. Once she was sure that he had left, she looked back down at her palm, wondering if, in a half waking state, he had accidentally let some of his youki slip into the touch.
When her friends arrived, she was reading her novel, using the key card as a bookmark, and occasionally rubbing her fingers over the flesh of her palm.