Ton Up
By: The Hatter Theory
Chapter 12
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Inu Yasha
AN: This is the censored chapter, which has some citrus but no lemon. Lemony goodness can be found on AO3, linked via profile.
This time, when she walked downstairs, Kagome was wearing another pair of his boxers and one of her shirts, exposing a thin area of her stomach, a band where his shorts sagged and her shirt lifted as she stretched.
The paint gun wasn't on, but when she looked around, she saw that the bike had been fully assembled, the gas tank and fairing shining in the bright lights overhead. She stared at it, noting the difference to Kouga's motorcycle. There was the obvious size difference, and she wondered if the engines themselves were different, and how. Resolving to ask him, she cast her senses out, looking for him, and found nothing.
He wasn't upstairs either, she had checked. But his motorcycle was still parked in the garage. Curious, she walked back upstairs and grabbed her cell phone, which she had been neglecting since she had stepped on the ferry back, and flipped it open, scrolling through numbers and clicking on his name.
No answer. She shrugged and tossed the phone back into her bag, noting the dying battery and walked back into the living room, grabbing the engine manual and flipping through it, reading the overviews and trying to guess which Kouga would have thought appropriate for her.
When the door opened, she looked up, saw the groceries in his hands and scrambled off of the couch, eager to help him and ask her about the motorcycle downstairs.
"How did you get these?" She asked.
"Walked. There's a store near here," He told her, opening the fridge and putting in some staples, a small carton of milk and some fruit, some vegetables and even bread. When she glanced at the bread in question, he gave her a shrug.
"The downside to living above the shop is that the smells tend to get into the foods, so I don't store anything outside of the fridge or freezer."
She could see how that would be off putting, especially for him. Handing him things out of the bags, she leaned against the counter when he finished and stared up at him, unsure of how to ask what she wanted.
"I take it you went downstairs," He laughed, closing the door and leaning against the opposite counter, arms folded and a smile on his face.
"I did," She admitted, not very ashamed. Somehow she doubted he was worried about her walking around, at least she hoped he wasn't.
"I can see the questions. Go ahead and shoot," He said, walking over to the couch and slipping his boots off and propping his feet on the coffee table.
"I was wondering about the engine," She started.
"Four stroke single cylinder," He answered easily as she sat down.
Given what little she knew about engines, and she knew she didn't know much of anything, it still sounded small.
"It's meant to be light and sort of fast," He told her, looking at her when she remained silent. "You don't need anything more powerful than that right now. And anything heavier would be a problem for you."
Kagome didn't know if he was insinuating that she was weak or if he was referring to her size, although she admitted disappointment. In the magazines she had read, the motorcycles all had bigger engines and went faster.
"In Tokyo you won't be able to go as fast," He told her quietly. "And you'll need to get used to the weight first."
"I know," She admitted.
"You want to go as fast as I do," He guessed aloud. She nodded, giving him a sheepish smile and feeling guilty for not being as excited as she had the day before. Kouga was looking out for her safety, and she didn't want to repay his concern and the enormity of his gift with a hint of displeasure.
"Soon enough," He promised. "Let's just make sure you can stay upright first," He laughed. "Although, I admit I am a bit surprised. I thought you would have let your curiosity get the better of you by now."
Kagome couldn't help but be confused when he reached forward and grabbed the bag from the day before. He untied it and pulled two books out, offering them to her. Gingerly taking them, she saw that one was a book on motorcycle maintenance, and the other was a book on riding itself.
"Those should give you a better idea about context," He explained as she opened the riding book and flipped through, pages of text and diagrams immediately befuddling her. The maintenance book was no better, the pictures and huge blocks of text making her head swim.
"I didn't realize there was so much to it," She admitted, intimidated by the amount of knowledge presented in both books. And, given that Kouga had been the one to buy them, she was sure they were good books, he wouldn't purchase something sub par for her to learn.
"A lot of it becomes easy once you actually learn how to do it."
"I feel like I'm reading german," She groaned, eyes scanning a sentence and seeing something about electrical systems that sounded like something out of a science fiction movie.
"Like I said, it becomes easier once you apply it," He chuckled.
"Thank you," She sighed, looking over to him. That he had bought the books only moments before their first sort of argument stung her conscience, although she didn't want to bring up the situation again, too afraid of provoking bad memories when he was smiling down at her.
"No problem. Besides, if it gets to be too much, you can ask me."
"Trying to make me dependent?" She asked archly, joking with him.
"Well, I would be sort of like a god-" He started, stopping when she zapped him lightly with her finger. Kagome relaxed however, grateful that he had relaxed again. The day before seemed to have left no mark, and she couldn't help but murmur a mental thanks to the ceiling, hoping some unseen force heard it.
"So, we can go out today or-"
"Or?" She asked.
"You can go over one of the manuals and I can try and figure out how to tell Arlen that he's out of his fucking mind."
"The second sounds good," She giggled, shifting when he got up and walked to the bedroom. Minutes later he came back out with a laptop and sat back down.
Dutifully opening the riding manual, she began with the forward, immediately taken with the way the author's voice seemed to jump off of the page and the simplicity of the information provided. Kouga tapped away at the keys of his laptop. Absentmindedly she shifted, putting her back against the arm of the sofa and he slouched slightly, his feet finding their way back onto the coffee table.
He wordlessly got up three or four times, the second time coming back with two bottles of water and setting one next to her, and she murmured a distracted thanks, eyes still devouring the text. The basics of a few different motorcycles were presented, and she greedily poured over the information for all of them, pleased that the author had somehow broken down the information enough for her to understand without being overwhelmed.
Kouga eventually turned on the overhead light when the sunlight coming through the window began to dim, and she sat the book down, knowing if she tried to take in any more the information would become jumbled. Stretching lightly, she leaned over and saw a schematic of some kind on the screen that he was making notes on. When he noticed, he closed the laptop and sat it on the coffee table and fell over onto her legs, head on her lap.
"You know, I always thought having a female around would be annoying," He admitted. "But you're actually pretty quiet."
"I've been reading," She laughed, running her fingers through his pony tail. "You haven't seen me when I walk around trying to cook, the phone between my ear and shoulder while I try to explain something to one of the girls."
"As long as you're wearing what you're wearing now, I don't think I'd mind," He admitted. Unable to stop herself, she lightly tugged a lock of hair, earning a playful pinch. Within moments it had turned into something far more competitive, and active. His claws skittered along her side and she flailed, unable to stop the spasms of her body as he tickled her.
When they hit the floor it was with a solid thump, although she had managed to land on top of him.
"You do these things on purpose," She accused playfully.
"Maybe," He conceded, tugging on a lock of her hair to pull her face closer to his. The kiss was soft, at odds with their roughhousing. His hands moved to her bottom, reaching under the loose waistband and slipping over her skin. Immediately a thrill shot through her, awareness of him sending a delicate shudder through her, rippling beneath her skin. For a moment she allowed it, kissing him back as her hands traveled up to his chest. A rough groan vibrated over her tongue before she pulled back to nip his upper lip. His eyes looked almost dazed, and she smiled, hopefully a wicked smile, and pushed herself off of him, pulling herself back up onto the couch.
"So," She said, looking down at him, only just able to contain her amusement. His hands were still in the air, and he almost looked confused, as if he didn't quite believe the he was only holding air, and not her. "What's for dinner?"
When he remained that way for another moment, face contorting into an expression of bewilderment, she burst into peals of delighted laughter. A strangled sound erupted from his throat, and he was sitting up, glaring at her as if she had just offered him a birthday present, but the box was empty.
"Dirty trick," He growled, although she saw the corners of his lips twitching up.
"I'm not allowed to kiss you?" She asked innocently.
"That was more than just a kiss," He started.
"I wouldn't know. I need a teacher, isn't that what you said?"
"Smart ass," He muttered, standing and walking over to the kitchen.
Helping him cook wasn't as simple as she had thought it would be. The kitchen itself was small, and they bumped into one another more often than not. She was beginning to get frustrated when he grabbed her by the hips and sat her on the counter.
"Stay put."
Sputtering indignantly as he turned back to the stove, she was about to slide down when he shot a warning glance in her direction. Crossing her arms, she stayed seated on the counter until he flipped the steaks and turned to her, arms resting on either side of her body.
"I think it's time I showed you something," He declared softly, moving to press his lips to hers lightly before moving across her cheek, his breath puffing against her ear before he moved down, nipping at her neck and then her shoulder through the shirt.
Her body immediately began to respond to the light nips through her clothes, and when he tugged at her nipple through the cloth she felt her breath catch in her throat before he was moving lower, bending and nuzzling her stomach. Careless of his pony tail, she threaded her fingers into his hair, instinctively spread her legs when she felt his teeth lightly on her thigh. Warmth pooled between her legs and she felt him nuzzle the area, providing minute pressure. Her hips twitched as her legs spread wider.
And he was moving away, turning back to the stove as if he had done nothing at all. Her hands grasped at empty air before clenching into fists.
"You-" She started, flushing hotly.
"Don't want to burn dinner," He supplied, smirking over at her. Glaring sullenly, she crossed her arms and slammed her legs closed, keeping them so tightly together that her thighs began to ache. It was a welcome distraction from the tingling that had begun to spread from her sex to her stomach, a heat that had begun to grow only to abruptly stop. Her indignation proved to be ice water to the small spark that had begun to bloom and she hummed angrily.
"Don't dish it out if you can't take it," He told her, reaching past her to open the cabinet and pull out plates. "Is rare alright? I can leave it on longer."
"Rare is fine," She grudgingly admitted, still slightly miffed that he had teased her in such a way. While she knew it was illogical to be frustrated after she had done something similar, logic wasn't making the discomfort go away.
"Stop frowning, or I'll do something worse," He threatened.
"Oh?" She asked, immediately bristling.
"I'll eat your dinner too," He told her, slipping the steaks onto the plates and walking over to the couch. Kagome supposed that the table was there for show, considering that they had yet to eat on it. But she grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and followed him into the living room. Dinner proceeded in relative silence, the only sound coming from the television as they ate. When she finished, he grabbed her plate -having finished his own steak within minutes- and took them back to the kitchen. She heard the sounds of him rinsing and putting them in the dishwasher, and was reaching for the riding manual when he came back over and took it from her hands.
"What?" She asked, seeing his grin.
He said nothing, but he did kneel on the floor his arms on her legs and his head tilted just a fraction. It was impossible to miss the amusement in his eyes.
"Kouga, what are you doing?" She asked, beginning to grow perturbed by his smile.
"You're cute when you have no idea, you know that?"
"You said the same thing about when I'm annoyed."
"Remind me to annoy and confuse you more often."
"I'll make a note of it," She retorted wryly.
He heaved a sigh and she felt as much as saw him shifting, his face coming up to meet hers. At first he didn't kiss her, his teeth nipping lightly at her chin. Tilting her head down, she brushed her lips against his, expecting a deeper kiss. But he was traveling lower, down her neck and nipping at her shoulders, reminding her of earlier.
"Kouga, if you do it again, I might kick you," She stuttered when he ran his hands under her shirt. There was something decidedly sensual about his hands, rough from work, moving over her skin, contrasting with it's softness.
What felt likes hours later she felt herself coming back, exhausted and satiated until she was rolling onto her side, moving him effortlessly with her.
"Not going to kick me are you?" He finally asked, eyes meeting her own.
"I don't think I have the energy to," She admitted.
"Perfect."
When they packed everything into the truck, she couldn't stop the eager smile that resisted all efforts to hide it and jumped into the front seat. She had the two manuals he had bought for her in hand and opened the maintenance manual. As they drove, she read aloud and and stopped now and again to listen to basic explanations he gave her, along with different scenarios.
Knowing that they wouldn't be riding, she had opted for shorts and a plain shirt, even going with the flip flops she had brought along. With the windows down it was hard to focus on the manual entirely, and after an hour she sat them in the back seat and propped her bare feet on the dashboard, sticking her tongue out when he made a disgruntled sound, taking a moment to remind him of the way he propped his feet on the coffee table.
The ride itself was quick, and when they arrived she watched him argue with the parking attendants, a bemused smile twitching on her lips when she saw him looming over the scrawny attendant. Within minutes he was in the truck and driving onto the ferry's parking deck, grumbling under his breath. The parking attendant that was actually on the ferry immediately recognized Kouga and waved his hands, not in greeting, but to ward him off as he backed away, putting space between himself and the disguised youkai.
Kouga continued to grumble all the way to the room, which proved to be just as cramped as the one they had shared before. She sat her bag down calmly and turned to him, surprised to see that he was still frowning.
"You know," She pointed out, drawing his attention to her. "Tomorrow we're going to be with our friends again."
"Yeah," He said, not looking at her as he pulled off his boots. Shrugging once, she decided not to push it.
"I'm going to go take a shower."
"You took one this morning," He grunted, dropping the boot. She wasn't even looking at him when she made an affirmative noise and stepped into the cramped bathroom, closing the door behind her. Turning the water on and quickly shedding her clothes, she stepped in and pulled the curtain closed. Less than a minute later she heard the door open and he was peeking into the shower, a chagrined smile letting her know that he had finally caught on.
"I'm an idiot," He said, eyes going over her skin.
"Maybe," She giggled. When he pulled the curtain back she saw that he had already stripped, and when he stepped in she was forced against the back wall of the tiny shower.
"Maybe the shower isn't the best place," She began, stopping when his grin turned into a wolfish, almost smug smile.
"I'm a youkai, we'll be fine."
Less than ten minutes later they were both staring at the broken curtain rod that she had accidentally pulled down while looking for something stable besides the youkai holding her up before he was ignoring the shower and leaving it on -again- and walking into the room, tossing her onto the bed.
Proving that youkai possessed a stamina most mortal men would murder to possess, the only break they took was to watch the sunrise the next morning, and she had firmly decided that men's boxers were far more comfortable than women's pajama pants. When they finally returned to their room she curled up into his side to get a few hours of sleep before docking and having to deal with her friends, who would probably see her and be able to guess everything that happened.
But when they disembarked, Kouga arguing -again- to be allowed to drive his truck out, she felt the familiar spark of youki and turned, surprised to see all of her friends walking toward her, arms waving as they called out her name.
"Kagome-wow," Ginta said when he got close, eyes widening.
"What?" She asked, wondering if Kouga had left a hickey or bruise that was visible. She had checked in the mirror and not been able to see anything, but that didn't mean something hadn't come to the surface as she slept.
"Fun trip?" Hakkaku asked with a sly grin.
"Yeah. I got to read some interesting manuals," She defended, feeling a bit too exposed by the smirks dancing on the wolf youkai's faces.
"Reading."
"I bet."
"I did," She retorted hotly.
"What are you assholes doing here?" Kouga demanded. Kagome turned, grateful that he was there. Hopefully he would be able to stop the two other ookami from insinuating anything too blatant.
"Dude, couldn't you guys have showered first?" Ginta asked, arms crossing.
"You reek of sex," Hakkaku confirmed.
Kagome was about to start in on a tirade, but was surprised when Ayumi stepped in for her, firmly smacking first Hakkaku and then Ginta on the chest.
"What they decide to do is their business you two," Ayumi stated firmly. "Don't embarrass them."
Hakkaku made a strangled sound, something that could have been laughter, except a stern glare from Ayumi stopped it before it had the chance to fully form.
"So did he tell you?" Yuka asked, practically bouncing.
"About what?" Kagome asked.
"About your present!" Eri chimed in.
"You guys knew?" Kagome demanded, looking at all of her friends, who were nodding happily. She turned to Kouga, torn between hugging him for managing to somehow keep it a surprise even when he disappeared and wanting to smack him for trusting Yuka and Eri of all people with a secret. "You told them why you were leaving, but not me?" She asked sweetly.
"No, they told them. And I have to go get the truck," He said, expression hinting at his nervousness. She watched him stride away, leaving her alone with her five friends, all of whom looked ready to begin demanding information at any second.
"So that box," Yuka began.
"I could kill you. Blue shirt my foot," Kagome muttered.
"Then in that case, can I have it back?" Yuka asked, arms crossing and a smug smile forming. Kagome was about to tell her friend where she could put the box when she remembered that Kouga hadn't purchased the same kind while they were at the store, which meant it would be an entirely different kind, and her friend would notice.
"Shut up," Kagome muttered, flushing hotly when Yuka let out a triumphant shout.
"Seriously though," Ginta said. "A shower wouldn't have killed you."
"There wasn't one on the ferry," She lied.
"Bull, we had the economy rooms and they still had showers," Hakkaku rebutted.
"You're blushing really red little sister," Ginta added, the sly smile growing ever wider. Kagome had never felt more put on the spot than at that very moment, and she looked for something, anything to change the subject.
"Taki wants us all to come for dinner after the vacation is over," She blurted.
"Taki?" Ayumi asked.
Kagome immediately regretted her decision. How would Taki take Ayumi's almost passive, soft spoken shyness? An image of a steamroller hitting an especially adorable, wide eyed kitten came to mind and Kagome shuddered, running a hand through her hair.
"Taki invited you to dinner?" Ginta asked, eyes wide.
"Us," Kagome corrected. "Before she hit me in the head with her cane."
"Oh, that just means she likes you," Hakkaku said. Kagome saw Ayumi's almost frightened expression and made a note to ask if it would be okay for her friend to join them, or if it was even a good idea. The image of the steamroller persisted, and she wasn't entirely sure she could subject her friend to that.
"Oi, Kagome," Kouga called out. Kagome turned and saw the truck idling, the trailer behind it.
"See you guys at the hotel?" She asked.
"Sure you don't need some alone-" Ginta started.
"If you finish that I'll tell Kouga that you were telling me his secrets," Ayumi threatened. Surprisingly Ginta shut up, and even Hakkaku looked worried. Ayumi turned to Kagome and smiled, and Kagome wondered if Ayumi was as shy as she thought, or if the ookami had been pulling her further out of her own shell.
"Go ahead. We'll meet you guys at the hotel. You can both shower. Separately," She added, tossing a warning glance at both youkai. Kagome nodded, unsure how she felt about the qualifier, but knowing they probably did need a shower, or else she would be enduring taunts and innuendo from Ginta and Hakkaku all night.
However, it turned out that even though they did shower separately, and thoroughly for that matter, she still had to endure mild innuendo from the ookami and more blatant jokes from Eri and Yuka. By the time they walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner, she was ready to pull her hair out. The only consolation was that Kouga seemed to be almost as embarrassed by the attention as she was.
What had started as embarrassment quickly turned into mortification that shifted into anger. The only saving grace was that Yuka and Eri both invited their summer flings, and when the two new males showed up conversation quickly devolved to motorcycle and car talk, which quickly turned into a debate over which was better, cars or motorcycles.
Kagome could see that the youkai were clearly not impressed by Ken and Heiken, easily arguing everything the men mentioned. Yuka and Eri both looked on adoringly at their chosen partners, and she and Ayumi couldn't help but roll their eyes from time to time and giggling, sharing their own secret view, one they didn't have to confirm by actually speaking.
Obviously growing tired of the debate itself, Yuka suggested they all go see a movie. Kagome, still tired despite her short nap on the ferry, declined politely, ignoring the not so subtle guesses as to what she supposedly wanted to go do.
Ayumi, surprisingly, cited sleepiness as well. The others left, leaving only her and Ayumi with the three youkai at the table.
"At least she paid the tab," Kouga grumbled. "Her taste in men runs to morons though."
"They know absolutely nothing about cars," Hakkaku chuckled.
"I hope they don't bring them back again," Ayumi sighed, rubbing her face. "You have no idea what they're like when they're drunk. I wish I could have gone back to Tokyo with you," She said, looking at Kagome.
"Since we have an early start, you want to crash at my place?" Kouga asked, looking down at her. Kagome saw Ayumi's almost pleading expression and felt a needle of guilt. Even though she had wanted to spend time with her friends before college, she had been focusing on Kouga so much that she had barely spent any time at all with them, especially Ayumi, who she was closer to.
"I'm not going to leave Ayumi to hold down the fort," She said, shrugging. "I wouldn't want to be left alone with that bunch."
"She can crash in one of our rooms," Hakkaku offered.
"I can crash on Hakkaku's floor," Ginta added.
Kagome noticed the blush on her friend's cheeks and looked from her to the two youkai. It was obvious Ginta and Hakkaku both liked the shy girl, had been almost immediately, and to all appearances they had grown closer during her short trip back to Tokyo. Worried that some sort of rivalry might form, might already be forming, she gave Kouga a worried glance. However, he seemed entirely oblivious to it, making a joke about something Ken had said during the argument.
"It's up to you," She told Ayumi.
"It would be nice to avoid it," Her friend admitted, face burning.
"That settles it," Kouga said, standing and stretching. "You can toss your bag in the truck and we'll meet you guys there. Unless you want to ride with us," He offered. "I don't know if you and Kagome need to have girl time or something."
"I can ride on one of the bikes," She stammered, and she was the shy girl Kagome remembered again. Resolving to talk to her friend, and soon, about what was going on, she followed Kouga out, fingers lacing with his own.
She did go in with Ayumi while the youkai waited outside. When they were in the elevator and Kagome was sure they couldn't be heard by the ookami, she turned to her friend, the question already on her lips.
"It's not what you think," Ayumi said before the question had been voiced. "They're wonderful guys, but I'm not interested in that sort of thing," She said, eyes locked on the floor even as they stepped out of the elevator to the room. "It's just been nice to be around people not constantly doing something crazy or wild for the sake of summer vacation."
Kagome wondered if that was a not so subtle hint that Ayumi wasn't happy with her behavior, or if it was frustration from dealing with Yuka and Eri in her absence.
"I'm sorry I haven't been around more. I should have stayed here," Kagome began.
"No!" Ayumi said, eyes widening as she paused mid slide, the key card resting in the lock. "Not you. You're different. Kouga and you, you both seem to care for each other a lot," Ayumi observed, opening the door and walking in. "I guess it's because you used to know each other. But Yuka and Eri, they keep acting like it's the end of the world if they don't go out and get drunk and find the guys and go to clubs and everything. And I know they don't really care about the guys and the guys don't care about them at all. It's like they're trying to fulfill an idea."
Kagome realized the truth of Ayumi's statement, surprised by the depth of the observation.
"Everyone has ideas of what summer should be like, especially before they go off to college," Kagome murmured quietly, a halfhearted defense of how their friends had been acting.
"I know, it's just frustrating. You and Kouga, I mean, a man doesn't just give a woman a motorcycle, not unless he's rich or something. And Ginta and Hakkaku told me he hasn't really been interested in someone in a long time. It reminded me of you. Eri and Yuka, it's like their behavior only got more intense when they came out here. You, you didn't do anything like that in high school. And you're not treating him like a summer fling. I'm glad you're happy, after everything, you deserve it."
Kagome nodded, watching her friend pack a small bag with jeans and a couple of shirts, tossing in her swimsuit for good measure.
"Ginta and Hakkaku have been keeping me company. I think they could tell I was getting lonely. But they're friends, that's all."
Kagome nodded, not fully trusting what Ayumi told her to be the truth. Maybe Ayumi couldn't see it, but the two ookami were falling over themselves to please her. The only other explanation was that they had adopted her as pack, in their own way, which didn't seem as likely. Likewise, Ayumi seemed to be attracted to one of them, although she might not be fully aware of it, or if she was, she was hiding it.
"Alright. After I go riding tomorrow, you want to hit the spa? I'll probably need it," Kagome commented quietly.
"Sounds good," Ayumi giggled.
When they got back downstairs, Ayumi already had her jacket on, helmet in hand. Kagome was carrying the bag and waved to her friend, promising to meet her at the hotel before getting into the truck.
"Everything alright?" Kouga asked, pulling out of the lot ahead of the two motorcycles.
"Ginta and Hakkaku, they're close, right?" Kagome asked slowly.
"Yeah, why?"
"Just this thing with Ayumi," She sighed. "I don't want something bad to happen."
"They are pretty stupid for her. Don't worry, they'll sort it out. A woman won't split them up," He assured her. "If your friend is interested in one of them, they'll figure it out."
His easy assurance in them did little to soothe her worry. Maybe it was a lack of faith spawned by what she had seen her friends endure, most of it self inflicted, when it came to relationships. Even though she knew the feudal era had been an exception in many ways, Ginta and Hakkaku were youkai, which made them exceptions too.
"Stop worrying," He told her, draping an arm out the window and continuing to look straight ahead. "Things work out."
She wasn't so sure.