Ton Up
By: The Hatter Theory
Chapter 10
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Inu Yasha
A/N: So this is where I start giving fair warnings about censored material. This chapter is very lightly censored, nothing major since nothing major was occurring. However, I will begin giving warnings at the beginnings of chapters from now on if it is censored, so that THOSE OF AGE (yes, disclaimer kiddies) can go to the link on my profile and check out the uncensored version.
She blinked sleepily when she felt him shifting away, his warmth fading almost immediately. His name came out as a yawn when she pushed herself up, and she could barely discern his shape as she heard him rustling around.
"What's going on?" She mumbled quietly. He turned back to her, leaning down and brushing his lips over her cheek.
"Come on," He whispered.
Not even fully conscious, she changed into a pair of pants under the cover and followed him out, not even bothering with shoes as he pulled her from the room and through the halls. Rubbing her eyes sleepily with her free hand, she yawned again as he led her up three flights of stairs and onto the deck. The sky was just beginning to lighten and he took her over to the rail, their bare feet slipping on the wet deck.
Chilled by the breeze, she didn't shrug off his embrace as he wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. She did wonder what they were doing though.
"Kouga," She yawned, shivering as wind hit her front, not even close to being protected by the guard rails. "What are we doing?"
"Seeing something you can't see in Tokyo," He whispered into her ear.
She said nothing, waiting for whatever it was, and slowly she began to understand. The lightening of the sky was something she had seen before, although nothing so vivid, so colorful and far reaching as she was seeing now, the sun seeming to peek over the edge of the water and reflecting off of it. Pinks tinted the dark blue into violets and threaded bolts of orange through clouds as stars began to fade in the light. Reds and golds blossomed and dotted the horizon as the purples softened into lavenders and blue bled into them, turning it a shade of periwinkle.
The reds and golds faded as the sun became brighter, it's ascent banishing the stars completely and brightening the sky in a light blue that seemed to shade the whole world.
"I've always wondered if the sun's rising somewhere, all the time," He admitted quietly. "If I could go fast enough that I lived a whole day of perpetual sunrise."
It was a strangely whimsical thought, one that, in another life, wouldn't have suited him at all. But it cemented this new person, made her hum lightly as she leaned into him. A whole day that was a beginning, existing on a line that few people would ever consider existing, if it did at all.
"I think it would be nice," She murmured softly. "To find a place between, somewhere people don't even see the magic. Like a secret world."
His arms tightened around her minutely, although she couldn't miss it, eyes focused on the water and body attuned to his, seeking warmth and the solid assurance of him at her back.
They were quiet as the sun got higher and began to combat the chill, although his hold on her didn't lessen, and she didn't try to move away. The salt water misted the air and she could feel it on her face, light and tangy. His breath puffed against her skin and she held the idea of that secret shared between them, held by them both as they watched the world brighten into true morning.
"Come on, let's get you warm," He finally said, pulling away and taking her hand. Her attention had been so focused that she had been oblivious to the others that had walked onto the deck, some to watch the water, some to smoke or murmur softly on their cell phones. Still feeling separated from them by an invisible wall and kept safe from the mundane by his embrace, she leaned against him they walked back into the ferry and down the stairs back to their room.
The lack of windows offered complete and utter darkness as they both sat on the bed. Ignoring that they were both still in their jeans, she pulled him down and threw a leg over his, curling into his warmth. Unable to fight the dream like haze of the morning, she yawned a quiet goodnight and closed her eyes, quickly falling asleep.
Getting the truck out of the parking deck on the ferry proved to be more troublesome than getting it on it. The parking attendant was no less thrilled, and the operator at the Oarai port was less amenable to the idea than the one in the Hokkaido port had been. By the time they were pulling off of the boat, Kouga looked ready to spit bullets, and Kagome, unsure of what to say to make him feel better, remained silent.
"Sorry about that," He muttered, eyes on the road ahead of him. "Just, people that ask for bribes piss me off."
"He asked for a bribe?" She gasped, eyes widening.
"He asked," Kouga told her, inflection on the word asked making her assume -correctly- that it had not been granted.
"So who is Taki?" She asked a moment later, wanting to lighten the mood.
"Taki owns a gear shop and makes custom leathers on the side. I prefer to go to her, she carries better armor than most places in Japan."
"I've read some about armor, but I don't know a lot," She admitted.
"Different kinds of suits have different kinds of armor inside. Some armor isn't worth a shit," He said with quiet confidence. "Some is. If I teach you, you have to promise to wear your gear, or it's a no go."
"I promise," She told him, just as confidently as he had made his own declaration. "After what you told me, I'd prefer to be safe."
"Good," He said, a smile finally beginning to tilt up the corners of his lips. "We'll get you something basic for learning in, to get used to the feel of everything before stepping up. You need a new helmet though, the other one looked a little loose."
"I thought it fit pretty well," She mumbled, brows knitting together in confusion.
"It needs to be snug. You need to pick out something that feels right anyway."
Kagome couldn't help but picture something like Kouga's gear, the bright blue helmet and the black accented with blue. Excitement began to thrum through her, making her fidget as they drove down the highway. Kouga seemed to notice, chuckling quietly as they got closer and closer to the city. Unable to stand the silence, Kagome leaned forward and turned on the radio.
"You're going to put it on some girly station aren't you?" He asked as she turned the knobs, ignoring the programmed stations completely and looking for one she liked.
"Yup," She answered, flashing a cheeky smile.
"One condition."
"And what would that be?" She asked, finally finding her favorite station, grinning as he grimaced in distaste.
"You have to sing the next song that comes on."
"You're joking."
"Not at all."
And just as he finished his statement, a new song came on, one she had no hopes of singing because the singers were male and because she knew, beyond all other facts she knew about herself, that she was a terrible singer. Her solo in middle school aside, she couldn't carry a tune to save her life, and only sang in the privacy of her own room when she knew her family was gone. All of them.
"Come on," He goaded. "Scared?"
"I'll shatter your eardrums," She tried.
"Can't be that bad," He offered.
She took a deep breath and began singing, eyes closed and face heating up as she began to sing quietly at first, then gained volume. Wiggling in her seat, she began to move her arms, ignoring his presence completely. Complete silence reigned on his side of the truck, and the open windows made it easier to get lost in the tune as she turned the knob to turn up the volume.
It wasn't until she finished the song that she looked over to him. He was smirking. And she immediately felt self conscious again.
"That was awful," He admitted, smirk breaking into a true smile.
"You jerk," She snapped, not quite able to believe that he had said her singing was bad, and to be smiling while he said it.
"Hey, not everyone can sing," He said, winking at her. "At least you had fun while doing it. You're cute when you sing."
"Cute?" She asked flatly, eyes narrowing. It crossed her mind to throw something at him, but even if he didn't catch it -a likelihood given his youkai speed- she risked the chance of killing at least herself, if not both of them by distracting him like that. Cute was not exactly the adjective she wanted to hear. Cute was for little girls in princess dresses and poodles.
"Fishing for compliments?"
"No," She muttered sullenly.
"You're gorgeous," He told her, giving her a quick glance. "And it's nice to see you relax and sing. I don't mind that it sounds like a dying cat."
"Like you could do any better," She muttered.
"Nope. I sound like someone killing a parrot with a bag of rocks."
She couldn't help it, she snorted, then burst into laughter at the image that popped into her head, Kouga's mouth opening and angry, strangled squawks erupting as he held a microphone.
"I guess youkai can't be good at everything," She giggled.
"Never claimed to be," He agreed, relaxing back into the seat and flashing her another smile. "Just most things."
"Arrogant."
"Not really," He answered, a wolfish grin etching his features, making her roll her eyes, reminded again of his cavalier, easy confidence.
"You've just had lots of time to learn," She rebutted, earning an arch glare before he turned his attention back to the road.
"You're never going to stop giving me shit about my age, are you?" He asked, although there was no heat to his tone.
"Not a chance," She giggled. "So what else do you do?"
"This and that."
"That's not a real answer."
"I write here and there, mostly articles for bike and mechanic sites. Popular opinion is that I'm no good at fiction," He added with a rueful smile. "I go camping when I get some free time. I do some volunteer work with the local housing organizations, that sort of thing."
"Sounds busy," She admitted, slightly awed. Kouga seemed established, sure of himself. Mature. Suddenly she felt young again, very young and even childish compared to him.
"It helps pass the time," He agreed. "Maybe you can help with the new project. The garage is pulling together with a few others to sponsor a new house being built. We get to go out and show each other how incompetent we all are."
"Incompetent?" Kagome asked, more than confused.
"We get to help build the house, and most everyone there has no clue what the hell they're doing most of the time. The only reason I'm halfway knowledgeable is because I've helped out a few times before," He admitted.
"You've built houses?"
"Helped," He amended as he took the exit ramp and switched lanes smoothly. "I'm not a contractor. I just hammer what they tell me to hammer and carry what they tell me to carry. There are actual contractors that work on it, and they make sure we don't build something that falls in on someone's head," He chuckled.
"I would like to help," She said, nodding as she thought about it.
"Awesome." He seemed genuinely pleased with her answer, and she settled back into her seat, watching as braked at a red light and turned the knob to change the radio station.
"You should sing," She suggested.
"No."
"I did," She said, voice dripping with sweetness. "Scared?"
"Damn straight," He admitted, smiling as he turned and drove deeper into the city. Kagome watched the world around them, the amount of people bustling about almost surreal after the relative peace of Hokkaido. The crowds were much larger, the people moving more quickly, and she couldn't help but wish for the more languid pace of the smaller island.
When he parked, it was in front of a small warehouse, the lot in front of it empty, but two motorcycles parked at it's side. Kagome hopped out of the front seat and followed him to a door on the side of the building. He walked in without knocking, even though the door didn't look like a professional entrance. There was a small room with a desk and several stacks of papers, and he ignored it completely for another door, which opened into the much larger, open storage area.
"Hey guys!" Kouga called out loudly. "Got a favor to ask!"
The light sounds of production stopped, and Kagome looked over to a short table where a woman was working with a sewing machine. A man walked away from a workbench and the woman pushed away from the table with the machine, revealing the arms of a wheelchair.
"Kagome, this is Taki and Morete. They make some of the best armor in the world."
"Flattery gets you everywhere kiddo," The woman snorted, wheeling over to Kagome. "It's good to meet you Kagome," She said, extending her hand. Kagome had to bend slightly to shake it, but found herself surprised by the woman's firm grip. She couldn't keep her gaze from glancing at the woman's legs, or leg as the case turned out to be.
"Got t-boned a decade ago," She said, nodding as Kagome flushed hotly.
"I'm sorry," Kagome murmured.
"Could be worse," The woman said with a careless shrug. "Besides, people tend to take me more seriously when I talk about safety now, and the precautions we take with the armor."
"Taki's a shark," Kouga snorted. "She uses her leg as a way to get to buyers and get them to order more."
"Damn skippy," The woman laughed.
"It's good to meet another friend of Yuuma's," Morete said, extending his hand. "And ignore my wife, she's a good woman, just a pain in the ass."
"You love it," Taki laughed, moving past them to another table where a prosthetic sat. Kagome watched, unable to look away as the woman put it on and pulled the leg of her jeans down over it before pulling herself up and using a cane to walk a step or two.
"So, how did you two meet?" Taki asked, turning to face them.
"I knew Kagome back when," Kouga answered honestly. "We ran into each other at Hayate's. She was at the track watching."
"The race?"
"Nah, open track day, but we were the only ones there," Kouga said with a smile. "She was up in the stands, wanted to talk to someone about learning."
"Fortune favors the bold," Taki chuckled. "So I take it you're here for some gear then?"
"Wouldn't go anywhere else," Kouga smirked.
"Flattery kiddo, Morete, you could take some lessons from him," Taki chuckled. Kagome glanced to the quiet man that leaned against one of the work tables, arms crossed but a smile stretching his lips wide and his dark eyes shining merrily.
"You're small," Taki observed bluntly. Kagome flushed hotly under the woman's assessing gaze. "Which is good, we've got some gear that should be right for you. Not many smaller women out there wanting full gear. Boots might be a problem though. Do you need any rain gear?"
"Not yet," Kouga answered when Kagome looked to him in confusion. "She's only learning at the moment, we're using Hayate's until we come back to Tokyo."
"Taking a vacation?"
"Yup."
"Might take one of those myself some day," Taki snorted, walking over to the wall and staring at several boxes.
"Morete, I think these should be it."
The man began pulling boxes down until he reached the boxes Taki had pointed at. Kagome followed, unsure of what to say as Morete opened the flaps of the box to reveal several plastic bags with black garments in them. When he pulled one out, Kagome tried not to show her astonishment.
"This one's multisport, but for learning it'll be good," Morete said. Kagome took in the bulky front and the strange bulges in the arms and shoulders. It was nothing like what she had imagined, and it certainly wasn't the wonderful black, accented armor Kouga wore.
"Looks good. Got anything for her back?"
"Don't ask stupid questions," Taki told him, voice cutting. "If you're teaching her that means she's not some back warmer playing around. I'm going to outfit her right. Once she's gotten the basics down she can come back for something a bit more tailored."
Kagome wasn't entirely sure what to make of that, but she said nothing as Morete handed her the shirt and Taki nodded her head in the direction of the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and, knowing that they wouldn't have pointed her in that direction if she could just put it over her shirt, she quickly tugged it off and unzipped the front of the armor.
It was bulky and hot, but she could move in it, more than she had thought she would be able to. Her chest was slightly compressed, but otherwise it felt comfortable. She was about to open the door when a light knock sounded. Opening it, she saw Taki standing there, eyes narrowed in curiosity.
"Here. The armor goes on under the pants," She said, holding out to packages. Kagome accepted them gratefully and was about to close the door when Taki stepped in and pushed the toilet seat down and sat.
Unnerved by the other woman's presence, she stared for a moment, knowing she was supposed to change but too shy to do it in front of someone she barely knew. After a moment of hesitation, she quickly stripped down to her underwear and pulled the armor on, self conscious and awkward feeling until she looked to Taki, who was staring at the wall, as if understanding her need for privacy.
"I'm not sure how they're supposed to fit," Kagome said, looking down at the lumpy bulk of the pants.
"Squat," Taki said, gaze turned back to her. Kagome did as told and bent down, surprised again by the movement afforded by the armor. "Looks about right. You're pretty small, but those are fine for practice. The pants should fit over them."
Kagome pulled on the pants, not exceptionally happy that the lumps and bulges were still noticeable, but not vain enough to say no to the protection they would give her. Unlike Kouga, she was not a youkai and like Taki, she could lose a limb, something that was beginning to weigh on her even though she avoided looking below the woman's face.
"Yuuma was friends with my son," Taki finally said, gaze back on the wall. "Known him for about ten, maybe eleven years. They worked together in the garage, all four of them, hung around, they were all my sons. Even after Mikon passed, he stuck around, him and the boys. They didn't stop being my sons because Mikon died."
"I'm sorry about your son," Kagome murmured, taken off guard by the somewhat brusque women's sudden softening.
"Yuuma's a good man. I don't want to see him hurt. He's never brought a woman here before, and only an idiot would miss the way he's staring at you. So. Hurt him and I'll break my foot off in your-"
"Damnit Taki!" Kouga's voice shouted from nearby. Kagome jumped, face flushing hotly. Taki burst into laughter, using her cane to stand and open the door. Kagome followed her out, walking in her socks and into the main room. Kouga was groaning into his hand and Morete was tapping his foot against the floor, arms crossed.
"What?" Taki asked, brow raised. She looked amused, as if the entire situation, especially Kouga's embarrassment, was entertainment. And Kagome wondered for a moment if it wasn't in a way. Maybe Taki did see Kouga as a son bringing a girl around, and despite the woman's brusque manner, she couldn't help but like her a little for it. Not that she could figure out how to properly respond either.
"If you scare her off before he has a chance to actually-" Morete groaned.
"Kagome, maybe we should go look through gloves-" Kouga started.
"It's fine. And I'll try not to hurt him. Much. Male egos can be tender things after all," She said, winking at the other woman, who laughed at her statement, an approving smile on her face.
"Have Yuuma bring you to dinner soon," Taki said. "Don't forget the boys either," She added, giving Kouga a sharp glance.
"Yes ma'am," Kouga sighed, hand still over his face. Kagome walked over to him, socked feet padding silently on the floor and elbowed him. He looked down at her, embarrassment clear on his features.
"So, do the pants make my butt look fat?" She asked, wanting to break the tension. Knowing that her bottom looked disproportionately strange in the armor, she hoped he would see the humor for what it was. Morete and Taki both chuckled quietly when he looked to her and then them and shook his head, rubbing his face again.
"You know where the gloves are," Taki told him, still chuckling. "Morete and I will look through the helmets and boots and pull some down in her size."
The cane clicked on the concrete floor as the man and woman walked away to another corner of the warehouse while Kouga directed her to a workbench with several drawers beneath it.
"Sorry about Taki, she's a bit-"
"She's fine," Kagome assured him. "I'm glad you have people like her. Hayate mentioned you tended to be more of a loner. But I'm happy you have people."
"She's a bit of a crazy old bat, but she's good people, Morete too."
"She said you worked with her son," Kagome murmured as he opened a drawer.
"Yeah, Mikon. He worked in the garage with us. Found out he had a tumor, rode like he was dying," Kouga chuckled. Kagome was amazed that the memory didn't seem to hurt him at all, the opposite of what she had expected. "He kept going until he couldn't. One of the best mechanics I'd ever met."
Kagome was silent, surprised by the fond smile on his features as he pulled out several sets of gloves. She tried them on without having to be told, flexing her fingers until she found a set that felt comfortable. Morete had brought down several jackets, all either black or white that looked heavy.
"The shirt is for under the jacket," Kouga explained as she tried one on. "It's extra protection. The shirt's made for when you know you're going to be falling."
Kagome nodded in understanding, zipping the jacket up and trying to move her arms, which barely could with the added padding beneath the jacket itself. Two more jackets and she felt more comfortable, wheeling her arms around in a circle and then fully forward.
"Looks good," Kouga said, nodding in approval. "You just need some boots and a bucket."
"A bucket?" She asked dumbly, following them as they walked over to another bench. Her eyes widened when she saw several boxes, all looking like boot boxes from expensive stores, waiting. Several pairs were too small by a size or two, and a quarter of them were too big. She went through the ones labeled a size five and tried them on, feeling as if she was on display as she slid them on and off, answering when Kouga asked how they felt.
By the time she finished, she felt like she was pouring sweat, could feel it slipping against her skin beneath the armor and leather. Kouga seemed to notice, telling her to go change before they picked out a helmet. Only too happy to get out of everything and feeling a bit silly for wearing it wandering around anyway, she quickly stripped and pulled on her regular clothing, feeling like her skin could breathe again. It would be another thing to get used to, one she wasn't looking forward to in the summer heat.
When she walked out, a box was waiting for her, the boots she had picked out already in it. She carefully put everything else in it and looked down at the array of helmets. After she said the first felt okay she felt something hit the side of it and turned to stare at Taki, who was setting her cane back on the floor.
"Ears ringing?" Taki asked.
"No," Kagome answered honestly.
"Taki, you invited her to dinner," Morete said.
"And?" Taki grumped.
"She might think you're trying to poison her."
"Seeing to her safety," Taki chuckled. Kagome, still somewhat bowled over mentally by the woman's manner, said nothing, although she couldn't help but giggle at Kouga's obvious embarrassment. It was endearing in a way, as if she was meeting his parents and he was enduring the normal trials other people did during dating. Well, maybe not normal. Not once had she seen anyone like Taki, fictional or otherwise.
Five more helmets and she found one that was almost too tight feeling, pulling at her skin. Kouga said that's what they were looking for, and asked about different shields. Morete offered to go grab them and Kouga offered his thanks when the man walked off. Kagome pulled off the helmet and put it in the box.
"Just remember, it's good for one real wipe out," Taki told her. Kagome nodded in understanding.
"She won't be going fast enough for it to be a problem," Kouga assured quietly.
"Keep her in one piece," Taki said, voice turning serious. "And you, make sure he doesn't do anything too stupid."
"I'll try ma'am," Kagome answered.
"All you can do," Taki said, rolling her eyes in Kouga's direction. Morete came back, three shields in hand and tossing them into the box.
"It was good to meet you Kagome. I look forward to dinner."
"You too sir," Kagome answered. "Umm, I know this might sound rude, but how much do I owe you?"
"I've got-" Kouga started.
"Free, needed to get it out of here anyway," Taki said, already back in her wheelchair and rolling over to the sewing machine.
"I can't-" Kagome started.
"You're going about it the right way. Not enough people do," Taki said, leaning to be seen past the sewing machine. "Besides, I need to buy my way into heaven somehow."
"That's her way of saying you're welcome," Morete chuckled. "Give us a call once your vacation is over."
"Will do," Kouga promised, closing the top of the box and picking it up.
"Have a good day," Kagome said, waving to both Morete and Taki as Kouga led her out. She opened the door for him and walked over to his truck, surprised that he still seemed somewhat embarrassed by Taki's reaction to her.
"Taki's a little hard to get used to," He finally said as she opened the back door to the truck for him. A hand went to the back of his head and he shrugged, as if unsure of what to say next.
"She's different, but she suits your pack," She told him, hugging him before stepping back and smiling up at him. "Like I said, I'm glad you've had them. And at least she hit me with her cane while I was wearing the helmet."
"If it's any comfort she hit me a few times without one," He admitted, rolling his eyes as she walked around to her door.
"Really?" Kagome asked, eyes widening as she got in.
"Oh yeah, she's got amazing aim with that thing. I think part of it was having to deal with us for years," He chuckled. "One night she found out I'd had a couple of beers before driving over, knocked the shit out of me for it."
"Good," Kagome said primly.
"I'm a youkai, it takes more than a couple of-"
"But she's not, and her family isn't. You should know better than to set that sort of example."
Kouga made a face at her declaration before shrugging and starting the truck.
"You never did it again, did you?" Kagome asked slyly when he remained silent.
"Hell no," Kouga admitted. "That woman can read minds, I know it."
"Any other times you got whacked that I should know about?"
"We got in a brawl with some shitty little biker gang and she saw Mikon after. Blistered all our ears for it, even his. And gave us a good thumping for it too."
Kagome couldn't help but laugh, his expression so pained she wondered if he wasn't physically reliving the scenario.
"I'm starving," She finally admitted.
"I need to get the trailer back to the garage, then we can go grab something to eat and head back to the shop," He told her, pulling into traffic and beginning to relax again.
"I'm excited to see it," She admitted shyly.
As it turned out, it wasn't far from Taki's, although she was surprised by the size. It was smaller than the warehouse they had just left, and looked similar to an actual garage. A bike sat in the front window of what appeared to be a small office, and Kouga ignored that entrance completely, driving to a garage at the end and hopping out to open the door, pushing it up to reveal an empty space with only an oil stain on the floor. It was deeper than she had expected, and when he got back in, she tried not to appear too curious, although she failed when she looked to the left of where they had pulled in and saw the actual workshop, where a motorcycle, obvious only by it's shape, sat beneath a cover, and several toolboxes lined one wall while workbenches lined yet another. The space was bigger than it appeared from the outside, and she got out of the truck, eager to explore.
Immediately she was assaulted with chemical smells, and she wondered how Kouga, with his sensitive nose, fared among them. But he seemed perfectly relaxed as he got out and watched her turn slowly, taking in the shadowed recesses that lay beyond the light shining in from outside.
"This is where you work?"
"Yeah. Any welding and some of the heavier tooling is done at Taki's, they've got a welding shed. Just about everything else we work on out here."
"And this?" She asked, gesturing to the covered bike.
"It's the order I need to finish. Grab your jacket and helmet and we'll go grab some grub."
She walked back over to the truck and pulled out the jacket and helmet, donning them as he opened the back of the trailer and walked his motorcycle into the sun. Excited at the prospect of riding in the city, she walked out and looked up at the sky, happy to see that even though they had spent at least an hour, maybe two in Taki's warehouse, the sky still hadn't darkened. It was late afternoon, and she wondered if they were going to be grabbing dinner more than lunch when he walked past her and back into the garage. Following him, she saw him disappear through another door for a moment before walking back out, a helmet and jacket in hand.
"Spares?" She asked, surprised.
"Taki liked the idea of us looking like power rangers," He admitted, rolling his eyes in good cheer. "She's the reason our stuff looks color coded. She made up a few sets since we, and I quote, 'have more balls than brains'."
"I don't understand," Kagome admitted.
"Mikon's favorite color was orange, and one night when we'd been drinking and were being stupid, we painted our helmets our favorite colors. Shit job too, since we were less than sober by that point. Well, Taki saw it and said we looked like power rangers, so she made us suits to match. I think she did the black so her son didn't look like a pumpkin," He laughed, pulling the jacket on while she held his helmet. "It just seemed sort of natural to do our bikes next."
Kagome saw the logic in it, although she could also see Taki taking a perverse sort of glee in calling the males power rangers, using it as a nickname to embarrass them. Kouga pulled the door back down and locked it, accepting his helmet and pulling it on as he straddled the bike.
"Hop on," He told her.
It felt different to be in the metropolis that was Tokyo as she pulled herself up and wrapped her arms around his waist. He pulled out of the lot and blended into traffic. Immediately she realized they wouldn't be going fast so long as they remained on their current route. The sun felt twice as hot as they stopped several times for lights and even once for an accident. When he finally pulled into a small diner's parking lot, she was more than willing to throw herself off of the bike, although he seemed to understand how eager she was and helped her dismount before even taking off his helmet.
"Eat in or take it back?" He asked after pulling off his helmet. His hair was mussed, half out of it's pony tail, and she stared at him blankly for a moment, unable to look away from the messy picture he presented.
"What?" He asked, staring down at her.
"It looks like you're growing a giant lump on the top of your head," She confided.
"And?" He asked, pulling a glove off with his teeth and pulling the elastic band from his hair. When he shook his head, the glove flapped and she couldn't stop the snorting laughter, which only seemed to further annoy him.
"You looked like a wolf shaking itself dry."
"At least it doesn't look like I stuck my tongue in an electrical socket," He said, dropping the glove into his helmet and removing the other. She immediately reached for her hair and realized that parts of it were sticking up, courtesy of the new helmet's snugness.
"Fine, you win," She muttered, shoving the helmet into his chest and pulling the elastic out and running her fingers through it.
"Priss."
"I'm female," She pointed out primly, taking her helmet back and walking inside.
"Obviously."
"Meaning?"
"You still haven't answered the question."
"What question?"
"Are we eating in or taking it back?"
She looked at the diner and saw the amount of people inside.
"Let's take it back," She said firmly.
"Sounds good to me," He said, draping an arm over her shoulder and walking up to the building. He politely held the door open for her and she walked in, immediately surprised by how good it smelled inside and when several voices called out Kouga's human name.
"We usually grab lunch here," He told her, walking over to the counter and pulling a menu from behind it. The waitress with the other customer didn't seem to mind in the least, only waving hello as she continued taking the order.
"What's good?" Kagome asked, scanning the items.
"The slam special," He told her.
"Then that's what I'll get," She said, handing him the menu.
"Oi, Denyo, two slams!" Kouga shouted out.
"You're going to feed that little thing a slammer?" A voice called out, a head immediately coming into view through the order window. The man's face was sweaty and red, and a ball cap covered what appeared to be a balding head.
"I'll eat what she doesn't," Kouga laughed.
"Maybe I should make three," The man joked.
Kagome listened to them trade jokes and sarcasm back and forth, and she realized again that Kouga had built a sort of network, a group of people he was friendly with, even if he himself didn't realize it. Even one of the waitresses passed by and sighed dramatically when he introduced Kagome as his girlfriend, although Kagome had a feeling the woman hadn't been interested in Kouga in the least. Something about her demeanor, a genuine happiness for Kouga, suggested she cared about him, maybe as a friend or acquaintance, but nothing more.
The food, when it arrived, came in a neatly tied bag, and Kouga paid the bill before waving and calling out farewells to both the cook and the waitresses. Even when they were back on the road she was thinking about the people he had in his life, and wondered if Hayate knew about them, or if Kouga even understood that he had people like that. While she couldn't speak for the people at the diner, she thought about Taki and Morete again, and wondered if Mikon's death had made him withdraw from most people or if he was just selective about those that he allowed himself to grow close to.
When they got to the garage he walked the bike in and then closed the door and locked it, punching in a code to arm an alarm system before walking through the door he had before. She followed, surprised to see a narrow flight of stairs.
At the top she walked into what looked like a small living area combined with a kitchen with nothing but a small round table to separate them. Bookcases lined one wall and a small television sat opposite the kitchen. A couch and a small table littered with magazines and manuals took up most of the space, and she saw a door leading to either a bathroom or a bedroom, she wasn't sure.
"You live up here?" She asked after handing him the bag of food.
"Yeah. I don't need a lot of space, and it's handy when I want to stay late working. Discourages break ins too," He answered, although he sounded defensive.
"Awesome," She said, plopping onto the couch, hoping her declaration resolved any worry he might have had about her staying there for the night. He nodded and walked over to the kitchen, grabbing plates and silverware. She was surprised to see him using western style silverware when he sat the plates down and opened the bag.
"I hate chopsticks," He admitted. "Billions of ways to eat food and two sticks won out, somehow," He grumbled, opening cartons and distributing food onto the plates. "Makes no fucking sense when the main diet is rice."
He had a point, and though her family was partial to traditional methods, she was used to forks as well, putting the plate on her lap and leaning back.
"Shit, did you need something to drink?" He asked, looking as if he was mentally reprimanding himself for forgetting to be a good host. She doubted many people came up to the small apartment, and was willing to bet it was limited to Ginta and Hakkaku.
"I can grab it," She started, but he was already up and at the fridge.
"I've got water and beer," He said.
"Water's good," She demurred, not caring for beer when she hoped he would be showing her the motorcycle and letting her watch him work on it. He came back with two bottles of water and handed her one, grabbing the remote to the television and turning it on.
"Documentaries?" She asked, immediately recognizing the documentary channel.
"They run some interesting historical shows," He defended.
"Do you enjoy pointing out flaws?" She taunted lightly, earning an eye roll, although he changed channels. An action movie of some sort was running, and he sat the remote down, giving her a triumphant glance, as if he'd somehow won by putting up the testosterone driven movie. However, she was pleased to discover within ten minutes that he shared a habit she and her brother both had.
"There's no way that's possible," She said, hand waving at the television as a man shot two guns at the same time and reloaded by sticking the gun against cartridges at the side of his belt.
"Maybe," Kouga argued. "If he practiced a lot. I mean, it's not impossible."
"Improbable."
It was a habit that infuriated most of her friends, but one that she secretly delighted in with Kouga as they added their own monologues to the movie and pointed out flaws that made them both laugh hysterically, especially when the woman fainted into the man's arms and he gave an obvious one liner that had Kagome groaning.
"Women don't like that sort of thing?" Kouga asked, expression totally innocent, although she knew he had to be joking. Corny one liners had, hopefully, stayed in the feudal era and died out with Naraku. At least she hoped so. If Kouga spouted something like that in the present era, she wasn't sure she'd be able to refrain from laughing.
"Oh, you've saved me from the evil youkai," Kagome breathed, turning and falling into his lap. "Let me faint dead away even though I know we have to run to the boat to get to safety, thus adding dead weight to the party and decreasing chances of survival."
"You're too beautiful to leave behind," Kouga declared, making what she supposed he thought was a serious face, but one that had her choking on her laughter. "I can carry you, for I am strong and fast. We won't even need the boat!"
"What, you're going to run on water?" She snorted.
"Maybe," He chuckled, grabbing the plates and getting up. She followed him to the small kitchen, although he had a dishwasher, so she had nothing to do while he rinsed them and put them in.
"If you don't go ahead and ask you're going to burst out of your skin," He chuckled as he closed the dishwasher.
"I didn't think I was that obvious," She admitted.
"It's fine, and it's cool that you want to know more. Most people have no clue what the hell is doing what on a bike," He informed her. "I didn't think about it, but have you got an old shirt with you, one you wouldn't mind getting messed up in case I show you how to make adjustments or something?"
"I think so," She started, hesitant.
"It's fine, you can borrow one of mine," He told her, walking past her and opening the door. "By the way, bathroom is that door there," He told her, walking over to a dresser and pulling a drawer out. He tossed her a shirt and she accepted it, walking into the bathroom.
Even if he was rough around the edges, his apartment was neat, and the bathroom was no exception. Briefly she wondered if he spent more time in the garage downstairs or if he was just neat by nature. However, her thoughts were quickly waylaid by the scents embedded in the shirt as she pulled it over her head. She knew it was clean, but it still smelled like him, and she inhaled deeply, embarrassed when she caught herself.
Pulling it down before he wondered what was taking her so long, she noticed several black streaks running along the gray cloth and was glad she'd worn a pair of her older jeans. When she walked out, he was already in the living area and smiling brightly, almost as if he was the one that was being given something as he took the stairs quickly.
The lights were unnaturally bright as he flipped them on, and she was still blinking when he pulled the cover off of the motorcycle. It was much smaller than his, and the body of the bike itself was exposed, nothing covering it. The gas tank was also missing, making it look skeletal and miniscule.
"I've still got to finish the fairing and the tank for this one, that's all that left to do," He told her. "But I can show you how some of the parts work."
What had been theoretical and abstract suddenly began to make sense, a puzzle that slowly pieced itself together as he started with the engine, explaining that it was a four stroke and what that meant to the cooling system and how it worked within the engine. It was a fairly compact bike, and though she'd looked at a few diagrams in magazines, she hadn't fully realized how much was packed into such a small space.
He explained the process of fuel intake, pistons, cylinders, and he seemed to understand when he was talking over her head, chuckling and going more slowly, breaking down each part and how it affected riding itself. Kagome surprised even herself when she asked questions, somewhat gratified to see him warming up to the subject and looking pleased by what she asked.
Though she was woefully ignorant, he didn't seem to mind and she didn't feel the lesser for it, finally fully sitting and listening to him talk. While most men, or people, actually, had always seemed keen to talk about their passions as a way to make themselves look better or to feed their own egos, Kouga didn't seem to be interested in either, instead focusing on innovations made in recent years and how they came together. From the difference between magnetos and alternators to the materials the engine itself was made of, he explained carefully until she was sure her head was swimming with the information.
"Sorry," He finally said, rubbing the back of his head and flushing lightly. "I ran off at the mouth. You're supposed to stop me when I do that."
"I've enjoyed listening. I didn't realize engines were so complicated."
"They're not, once you understand how they work. It'll probably be easier to show you with a loose one or a diagram," He started, pushing himself up and offering her a hand. She gratefully accepted it, her knees popping and her bottom numb from sitting on the concrete.
"So, what was your first one like?" She asked as he stretched and ran a hand through his hair.
"A piece of crap," He chuckled. "No lights, the brake never worked, and the belt was leather."
She blinked several times, unsure if he was joking or if he was being serious. Despite his description, he was smiling and didn't seem to mind the memory in the least.
"Seriously?"
"Yup," He told her, walking for the door that led to his apartment. "Dropped it more than I care to think about, and ended up sending it into a tree."
"A tree?" Her words echoed off of the stairwell walls, and each echo seemed to amplify her disbelief.
"I jumped off and it kept going. I had no idea what the hell I was doing back then."
"I think I can understand why you and Taki had me get all the gear," She mumbled, wondering if she would do something similar. It seemed common sense that the older motorcycles would be much slower than the motorcycles of the current era, and she worried that falling from a bike for her would be significantly more painful and dangerous than from a much older, slower model.
"You'll be fine," He assured her. "Just don't fall."
"Wonderful advice," She retorted dryly, starting when she looked out the window in his living room and realized that it was dark outside. The lack of windows in the garage had dulled her sense of time, and she hadn't even thought to put on her watch when waking up that morning.
"I'll let you grab the first shower," He offered, scratching his head idly. "Towels are on the dresser."
It was strangely mundane to be in his apartment, alone with him, and for him to fall back onto the couch and grab one of the notebooks that had been on the coffee table. However, she didn't know what else to say, especially given the amount of new information she had taken in, and she was still trying to organize it when she took one of the towels from the pile and walked into the bathroom.
A cursory glance of the shower itself proved plain soap, shampoo and conditioner. Nothing was scented, and she supposed someone with a keen sense of smell would probably want to avoid flowery scents or the strange musks in most soaps made for men. It took a minute for the water to heat up, and when it did she quickly bathed, not wanting to hog all the hot water.
But when she began to dry off, she realized she had left her bag, and thus her clothing, down in the truck. Muttering a colorful oath under her breath and then blushing when she realized what she'd said, she promised herself that she wasn't going to let Kouga's speech habits leak into her own, and ran a hand through her damp hair before walking back into the bedroom and peeking her head out the door.
"Everything alright?" He asked, eyes still focused on a notepad while he scratched something out with a pencil. His whole body stretched over the length of the couch, feet dangling off the end as his forehead creased in thought. She wondered if he even noticed that she was dripping water on the floor.
"My bag is downstairs," She mumbled, face hot.
"Shirts are in the top drawer, shorts in the bottom one."
She was about to say something, but realized then that he was engrossed in whatever he was doing, and she remembered that he was taking time out of his own schedule, and felt a flash of guilt, making her withdraw to the bedroom and close the door.
Even stranger than being in his apartment was the prospect of going through his clothes. She was too shy to mention that even when she had borrowed a pair of his boxers the night before, she had still had underwear on beneath them. Sighing, she opened the top drawer and pulled out the first shirt she saw, pulling it on over her head and thanking the gods that it was big enough that it reached the middle of her thighs before facing a more daunting prospect. Gingerly pulling open the bottom drawer, she didn't even look when she pulled out a pair of shorts, closing it quickly and looking down at her hands.
Blue. The simple coincidence was not completely without it's irony as she slipped them on and finished towel drying her hair. The shorts themselves slipped halfway down her bottom, but the shirt hid that, which she sent another prayer of gratitude to the ceiling for before tossing the towel in the hamper by the door.
"I'm done," She offered, walking out and sitting on the arm of the couch. He was still focused on the notepad, a frown marring his features.
"Second," He muttered, making another note with the pencil. Kagome watched him, surprised by the frustration that pinched his features before he finally tossed the notepad and pencil onto the coffee table and rubbed his face, a gusty sigh muffled behind it.
"Everything alright?" She asked quietly.
"Arlen wanted my input on something and I have no idea how he's going to make it work," The youkai groaned as he sat up and stretched.
"Arlen?"
"An American acquaintance. We've spoken more through email. He's got some good ideas. And some bad ones. He asked my opinion about the rake and it's just going to turn the bike into a showy piece of shit that'll be too hard to handle for actual riding."
Kagome had no idea what that meant, but she slid down onto the couch and drew her legs up under her, leaning her body into his.
"If he asked your opinion, the he obviously values it. Tell him the truth."
"I will, I just wish people would stop with the impractical shit for everyday riding. It's not safe and it looks like crap."
"Most people speak badly of people on sport bikes," She reminded him.
"People speak badly of any rider," He sighed. "Like they think we all have a death wish or no brains to speak of. Idiots riding around on bikes that are engineered to kill them only reinforces the attitude."
Kagome knew that this was a deep seeded issue, one that he probably dealt with on a constant basis, at least if his reaction was anything to go by. Snuggling deeper into him, she didn't complain when he draped an arm over her and pulled her closer.
"Promise me you're never going to run around on some flashy piece of crap."
"You mean I can't make my bike bright pink with rhinestones?" She gasped, turning her face up to him, determined to keep her expression a mix of disbelief and horror. "But I wanted the pretty kitties stenciled on the sides in gold!"
The utter shock that froze his features as he contemplated the motorcycle, and she had no doubt that he had pictured it perfectly, made the statement worth it, even if the idea was repulsive to her.
But a minute later he laughed, although a sigh was laced into the sound.
"Thank you," He said, kissing the top of her head. "I needed that. Although gods know there's probably something like that out there."
"I promise I will never want something like that," She muttered.
"I know," He told her, standing and walking over to the bedroom. "You seem to prefer the canine persuasion anyway. I'll be out in a few."
With that he left her alone, and she looked around the small room, considering watching television but immediately discarding the idea when her eyes lit on the bookcases. Walking over to them, she scanned each shelf, unsurprised to find several manuals and books on everything from engines to electrical systems and fabrication. Remembering what he had told her in the garage, she picked what looked like a simple book on engines and walked back over to the couch, affecting the same position he had when she had walked out and opening the book.
By the time he came back out and sat on the arm of the couch, she was on a diagram of a V Twin engine, finger scanning the labels as if she could learn by touch. When she finally realized that he was sitting there, she closed the book with a guilty smile and sat it on the coffee table.
"If you want to borrow anything it's fine," He told her, head tilted to the side as if amused by her somehow. She pushed herself up and pulled her knees up to her chest, suddenly feeling very silly for having pulled the book down at all.
"It's fine," She tried, giving him a half smile that she didn't quite feel.
"It's fine if you want," He told her, moving onto the couch cushions. "I'm just surprised. Most riders only want to know the basics, and even the ones that want to know more usually don't start by reading engine manuals."
"Am I doing it wrong?" She asked, eyes widening. But honest, chest rumbling laughter met her statement, a smile stretching his lips and making his eyes bright.
"No, you're just being thorough," He told her. "More so than most people. Come on, it's past time for humans to be asleep."
"I'm more than a human," She reminded him, poking him with her finger while sending a small jolt of her power through her finger, making him jump.
"I can still throw you over my shoulder and toss you in bed," He chortled, standing up and waiting.
Feeling playful and even impish, she stuck her tongue out and burrowed deeper into the soft couch, immediately regretting it when his smile turned predatory. It was an altogether inhuman smile, and while it didn't frighten her, it did touch on something instinctive, something that, in normal circumstances, would have told her to run.
"Fair enough," He said, reaching down and kissing her lightly before she felt his arms wrapped around her slender frame and picking her up. With an unceremonious thump she was over his shoulder, eyes blinded by the white of his shirt as he walked over to the door and into the room, trying to dump her onto the bed.
At the last second she looped her arm around his neck, pulling him down more from surprise than from force. However, her own trick was easily turned on her, pinning her beneath him even though her arm was still around his neck. Claws pricked lightly into her sides, tickling her without any sign of stopping until she was flailing, releasing her hold on his neck and trying to squirm away.
"You are a pain in the ass," He finally breathed, rolling over onto his side so that he no longer had her pinned. She quickly followed the action, but straddled his waist and glared down at him, arms crossed.
"I fail to see how I'm the one that's a pain when you're the one being such a guy."
"I'm being a guy?" He asked flatly, expression reflecting his irritation with the statement. Kagome wondered why the word would cause such a response, but pushed ahead anyway, hoping to convey her joke with her tone.
"You slung me over your shoulder like I was a sack of rice," She reminded him.
"But-"
"Several times."
"Each one of them you dared me to."
"And you had to prove me wrong?"
"You're cute when you're annoyed," He told her, a smirk beginning to grace his lips.
"Is that why you keep doing it?" She asked, leaning down, her hair forming a curtain if still damp ringlets around them.
"Possibly."
"And here I assumed it was just an inborn talent."
"All talents require practice," He said, lips brushing against hers. She wondered if he was talking about annoying her anymore, his voice deepening slightly before he was kissing her fully. Deciding then that it wasn't important and that she didn't care, she kissed him back, shocked by the heat that followed the shudder that ran through her when his hands settled on her hips.
He seemed hungrier, more demanding this time, something different flavoring the kiss as his tongue plunged into her mouth and slid against her own. His hands tightened on her hips and pushed her back, creating a delicious friction that trilled through her like waves of electricity. Moaning into the kiss, she pulled away, desperate for breath and looked down. The pure want in his gaze was frightening and thrilling, making the heady need she felt beginning to throb through her blood seem all the heavier and more intoxicating.
"Kagome, I really don't want to be a guy," He muttered.
"You're not," She answered dumbly, not quite grasping his meaning in her daze.
"You-"
"Want to," She answered simply. Eri's warning about over complicating things echoed in her mind, and for once she felt like taking her friend's advice, leaning down to kiss the youkai beneath her. He groaned into the kiss, hands pushing up the shirt. She raised her arms, let him pull it over her head to bare her skin to his gaze.
For a split second she felt self conscious as his eyes widened. He pushed himself up until he was sitting, forcing her to lean back until she was kneeling in front of him.
"You're beautiful," He murmured quietly, hands moving to rest on her shoulders lightly, as if she'd break beneath the pressure before moving down over the smooth skin, every hard callus scraping lightly until every inch he touched ached in it's awareness. He didn't touch her chest, almost as if he wasn't sure she was actually alright with it.
Shyly, hesitantly, she pulled at the bottom of his shirt, tugging it up over his head and exposing dark skin that contrasted sharply against her own. Smoothing her hands over the exposed skin, she paused over his heart, feeling the beat beneath her palm and taking a strange comfort in it's surety. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips against his, tongue flicking out to brush over his upper lip.
And then they were a tangle of lips and tongue, curious hands moving and touching, learning slopes of curves and the hard lines of muscle. Her body buzzed, tightened beneath his seeking hands as she explored his chest and shoulder, tangled her hands in his hair and kept him close even as he began kissing along her jaw and neck, teeth nipping lightly. Every harsh breath was hot, moist as it puffed over her skin, shivers running through her as she tilted her head back.
It was almost too much, the ache bordering on painful as one arm wrapped around her waist and his free hand tangled in her hair. Even the air seemed to brush against her skin pleasurably until even inch of skin was charged, sensitive to the feel of the hair on his legs and the soft cotton of her boxers to the sweat slicked skin of his stomach.
When he pulled back, the air was almost freezing after the heat of his mouth, and she whimpered softly, needing more contact, more of him, mindlessly more of everything.
"I don't have anything," He growled against her chest, the words vibrating and thrumming over her skin. For several seconds the words didn't register, and even when they did, she didn't understand what he meant.
"Huh?" Kagome looked down into his face and saw the naked desire and pained frustration there.
"I don't have anything, protection."
Protection.
The memory of a brightly colored box immediately sprang to mind.
"Yuka put a box in my bag," She told him, panic abating when he nodded and untangled himself, pulling his legs from beneath her. He pressed a hard kiss to her lips before walking out of the room, and she watched him leave, eyes widening when she saw the red marks on his back.
'Did I do that?' She asked herself, pulling a blanket around her to ward off the chilliness of the room. She couldn't hear him as he walked downstairs, and after a minute had passed, she could feel the urgency fading, replaced by an oppressive awkwardness. The heat chilled, and so did her mindlessness, replaced by embarrassment and questions. Chief among them were how he viewed her, and if she was doing the right thing after all. Eri wasn't the paragon of wisdom. And she would rather ignore the sexual aspect of a relationship completely before doing something to make Kouga think less of her.
Groaning into the pillow, she heard him drop the bag on the floor and was afraid to look up, but did when she felt the mattress dip.
"You too?" He asked quietly.
"I feel so stupid right now," She admitted, pulling the blanket higher until it was over her head. And she did. It felt like a seduction only half planned and horribly botched, and the hot shame began to replace the pervasive chill that had acted like cold water. She was just thankful he had retained the presence of mind to think about protection. She certainly hadn't.
She felt the blanket being tugged lightly and the bed shifted. Looking up, she was surprised to see worried blue eyes that held as much anxiety as she felt.
"I don't want you to feel like you're supposed to do anything," He admitted. "I don't want to screw things up."
"I don't want you to think I'm, that I-" She started, feeling immature even as she said the words.
"I don't," He chuckled. "But I also know I can be an idiot, especially where you're concerned."
"I don't mind it," She admitted quietly, knowing he could hear and thankful, for once, that he had such keen senses. She wasn't sure she would be able to say the next words in anything louder than a whisper, and she prayed she wasn't pressuring him in the way he was afraid of pressuring her. "I want to. You feel," She paused for a moment, trying to find the right word. "Warm," She finished, flinching at her choice. Out of everything she could have picked, she wasn't sure she could have picked anything more oblique and irrational.
"You do too," He whispered, lips brushing against her own, although they lacked the intense hunger of before.
"The mood did die pretty quickly, didn't it?" She finally asked, voice filled with a sort of wry amusement she couldn't mask.
"I think we both stopped and let our fears kill it," He told her, pulling her close. "Plus it's cold as shit down there."
She couldn't stop the giggle from escaping, and when he began to chuckle, her giggles turned to laughter, followed quickly by his own. What she found so funny, she honestly couldn't say, but there was something funny about it, and the laughter shattered the awkwardness, letting her relax in his arms.
"Go to sleep, silly human," He finally sighed once the laughter had mellowed into contented hums.
"Sounds like a plan old wolf," She yawned, realizing then how tired she actually was. His warmth seeped into her, felt like a drug that pulled her under and into the darkness.