AN:

First off, I would like to apologize for the lengthy delay in getting this posted. Life hit me hard last week, and have been dealing with a lot of personal issues. So far, they have been resolved and I can resume enjoying writing my stories and creating my art.

I really hope that you like this chapter. I hope it isn't premature, but I just loved how it felt to write it.

And thank you again to my wonderful reviewers and readers.

Child of Dreamz; It got real, didn't it? ;D

NiceStories; Don't feel bad about telling me about my errors. If you catch them, I'm happy to watch myself and edit my mistakes. That's how you get better, you know? And, I live in Texas. It's a long way from Germany, but we can always try teleportation. And I'm glad that you enjoyed the last chapter, my friend. :)

Anime Lady PIMP; You'll probably like this chapter. Haha.

SexyxAngelx09: It's FINALLY here!

LoVe23: Thank you, darling.

ninjamidori: *flails with excitement* I really hope your ready for this one.

:megusta:

Enjoy everyone.

Chapter 12

Siren's Howl

The demons galloped away upon their tawdry steads. Darkness, which housed the evils, had slowly been dissolved by morning's golden hands. Its light peered through the slits of the wooden blinds that danced with dust in Kagome's room.

The absence of the warmth she had felt made her stir in the tangled sheets. The light hit her pallid face, warming the cold blows of the fan. She was silent as she parted her groggy eyes to see InuYasha's knobby back hunched.

He was foolishly smoking a cigarette in the house. His long hair cascaded in shining rivulets over his shoulders and it made her blush. Looking down, she stifled her breathing as she noticed her less than appropriate state of dress.

Her hands curled the thin sheet to her chest, averting her nervous gaze back to InuYasha's slow breathing. He was quiet. Overly so, and the girl found the courage to extend her lithe fingers to barely touch his back.

The man jerked around; the light catching his dark eyes to expose the tawny flicks that remained hidden. Kagome looked away from him as she fought the anxiety that writhed through her pounding heart.

The night before had been filled with torment and dismay. She couldn't wrap her head around how InuYasha was tending to her. It was sickening in a way.

Yet, as those eyes stared at her and a feeling of relief crashed upon her. A smirk curled the corner of his chapped lips as he exhaled the last plume of smoke. "You alright?" The man asked tiredly, trying his best to suppress a yawn.

Kagome pushed herself upright and nodded slightly, brushing back a strand of her hair. "I'm fine. Thank you for putting up with me. I'm sorry I'm being so difficult." She said, her voice hoarse and lazy from the reminents of her sleep.

InuYasha frowned at the knicks and cuts along her cheeks. He turned to her, brushing a bold hand across her cheek to remove the damp hair that clung to her skin.

The girl jerked, tensing beneath his touch. Her breathing deepened, trying to stabilize as the man bit his lip in response. InuYasha faintly knew what to do with this girl.

Part of him wanted to kiss her, reassure her that she would be fine. Yet he refrained for the fear of the newness that wasn't ready to replace the old withered feelings she held.

"You don't have to be afraid of me." InuYasha offered, finding his legs idly returning to the bed. He sat with his legs folded in front of her, back slouchy and listless.

Kagome scowled trying to place her thoughts. "You can't tell me what to do." She finally said, hugging herself as though her embrace would ostricize heself from his closeness.

InuYasha rolled his eyes and rested his head upon his hand. "You know, you if you didn't want to be around me, I could just leave." He said as a matter of factly. It was almost instantaneous that the woman's attention was caught.

He felt like he had caught a firefly and actually kept it from escaping. It was a proud moment, in some strange sense.

When the woman's mouth parted, it closed like a mouse trap. The point he made was valid and struck the small amount of pride she still clung to. Without him, Kagome knew that she would flounder in her own fears and drown within her doubt.

Flicking her stormy gaze over him, the girl felt as though she was empowered. It was the first time in almost a year that she had felt assured. He wasn't forcing her to do anything, just suggesting and exposing her to the reality that she was hiding from.

InuYasha chewed at his lip, trying to ignore how beautiful she was. All of her small imperfections were what made her human, and what made her so much more enticing. He'd eventually get the truth out of her, he ruminated.

Kagome felt as though a switch had been flipped. In that moment, she had realized that InuYasha had been staring and a genuine grin exposed her teeth.

InuYasha flinched when he met her eyes. There was something shocking about the way that she looked at him. There was no wonder that all of the men around here were throwing themselves at her feet.

His skin was flustered, much like the heart fighting against its normal tune. "Why are you looking at me like that?" InuYasha rasped, finding it hard to keep his face from contorting under her scrutiny.

The dark headed woman sighed and found the nerves in her body to be brightly burning. The moment she picked up her hand, she felt her heart beat throbbing in her fingers. It was as if she was being guided to touch him.

"I just don't understand you." Kagome said huskily.

InuYasha was her savior in a lot of ways. It may have been her delusional mindset, but it was certain that she wanted to see what he felt like. Fuck, after all that she had gone through with Bankotsu, she wanted to feel something of her own volition.

Curiousity betrayed her every languid move. Her hand cupped the man's scruffy cheek, feeling the abrasive strength in his jawline. It tensed beneath her touch and made her inwardly smile.

She hadn't felt anything like this is so long.

InuYasha bit back his breath, trying to withold any movement. He was drawn to her like wind to a wildfire. Kagome's eyes fell half-lidded as they silently moved to close the distance in between them.

A fraction of an inch remainded in between them. Hesitation hovered along their wills, stopping them short of what they wanted. InuYasha felt Kagome's breath upon his skin and shivered at the sensation.

His mouth parted slightly, hoping that he could taste her. The woman felt his hands bravely wind in her hair, bridging the gap in between them.

Kagome moved her lips in time with his, trying to figure out the feeling that rested within the kiss. It was curious, soft for a first.

The tired haze that had loomed over her was gone, replacing the feeling with an electricity that surged in an overwhelming presence. InuYasha pulled her on top of him, probing her mouth gently to feel the smoothness of her tongue.

Her body was tingling, nervous at the contact.

The man coiled his legs as to keep her away from a possible fright. Having her feeling his hardened state was something she didn't need. Delicately, he nipped at her lip, eliciting a gasp.

The woman pressed all of her worry and woe to the corner of her mind. Even if he wasn't a knight in shining armor, or would be trusted after she could stand on her own, he at least was deserving of this moment.

Graditude sumerged her when she realized how easy he was with her. He treated each touch as though it was cautious, not to frighten her away. It was against her better judgement to have catalyzed this result.

InuYasha indulged in the feeling of her weight upon him, crushing him with her warm skin and the nervous beating of her heart. It had only been a few blurry moments that felt like hours, but she pulled away when her thoughts tumbled over the walls she had built.

Leaning back, the woman ran a hand through her hair, looking down upon his flushed face as though she had defiled him. He eyed her with the same emotion. Neither of them spoke as the girl tried to gain her footing when she stepped onto the floor.

Her knees betrayed her, leaving her stumbling. InuYasha grabbed her hand, only to be pulled off the bed by her weight. He cut his foot on the nightstand, sending a stream of cursing out of his mouth as he fell atop of her.

Kagome's face was still red, puffy from the blood that puckered its lips against the palest layer of her skin. The girl closed her eyes, feeling the wave of embarrassment finally hit her like a slap to the face.

InuYasha turned away, trying to climb off of her when the sound of the door handle jostling made them freeze in place. The man's foot was bleeding, dripping along the wooden floor as his eyes caught the mortified expression of his adopted grandmother.

Kaede-baba held her chest, her heart beating faster than the pattering of childrens feet. Those old eyes of hers could have lied, but instead, they showed her the truth that she believed was true.

Looking beneath the son of a bitch, as she thought, laid her granddaughter, sprawled out and compromised.

Kagome's mouth hung ajar as tears formed like the dew on the leaves. Her lashes were soaked by the time that InuYasha had realized what had happened. Immediately, he pushed himself off of her and hopped on his good foot to sit on the side of the bed.

Kagome scrambled to her feet as Kaede barreled into her, wrapping her bony arms around her waist. Every inch of the old woman was rattling, shaken by the sheer sight of the girl. Her voice whailed like a siren's howl, beckoning the sailors to meet their deaths.

Kagome's thin hands gripped to her, hating herself solely for hiding from her beloved family. Kaede could barely jar the moment to curse and spit at InuYasha for his insolence.

Her soul was at ease again! Baba cried. The home that they had built was a shamble and a shell of what it had been in its glory, but none of that mattered anymore. The girl in her arms dragged her fingers in response, applying reassuring pressure.

"Baba." Kagome whispered, strained and almost mute. Her fear was gone completely as she felt the only familiarity she'd ever known. "I'm sorry you were worried." She sniveled, leaning back to look at the deeply formed lines in the woman's face.

Kaede pulled out her hankerchief, wiping away her face of the inundation. How glorious a sight it was to see her darling grandchild. Relief resounded in the room as a rekindled gentleness and joy filled Baba's eyes.

She inspected how Kagome had aged in the short time she was gone. Her eyes were no longer glistening with hope, or the love that she had yearned to hold. She was a version of herself that needed to be tended to like the flowers in the spring, Kaede thought.

The old woman's briar like hands cupped her cheeks and placed a kisses on either side of her face. "I'm just-just so glad you're home, Kagome." She sobbed, sounding garbled and distressed.

The young woman leaned into her palms and sniveled as she turned to look towards where InuYasha sat, watching the women faun upon one another. Uncertainty was rampant in his mind as he saw the devilish glare that Kaede cast in his direction.

He felt ill for a moment before he heard Kagome's delicate voice premeate through the room.

"Please don't be mad at InuYasha. He's taken really good care of me. I begged him not to tell you, I wasn't ready for you to-" Kagome gripped her face as she let out a strangled cry. "...to see me like this. That man did terrible things to me. InuYasha saved me."

The man flushed, finding her words to be far more romantic than the actual events had been. He pressed a worried smile on his face as he blotted the blood from his foot. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Baba." He glowered, finding his head falling to catch the brown hue of the floor.

Old Baba scowled at him, but she couldn't say anything that she was thinking. She was too kind a person to utter such fowl language. Besides, if what Kagome said was true, then whatever she said would surely break the girl's fragile heart more than it already was.

Sucking back a sigh, the woman shook her head, gray hair fluttering. "I didn't expect any of this when I came home. Papa isn't going to make it, Kagome. I had to come and gather up some of the things that he wanted." She winced, trying her best to be realistic.

It was no secret that death was coming. It knocked on their door plenty of times and they had evaded it with sheer luck. Fate had already been too kind to them for letting Kagome grace their lives again, asking for a second gift was too much.

InuYasha felt remorse cut through him as he hobbled to his feet. "I'll go get his things if you want. You need to spend some time with her and I'm pretty sure you don't want to see my face for a while." He interjected, feeling her dark gaze set him aflame.

Kaede shooed the boy away, leaving him to the chill that wafted through the rest of the house.

Deep down, InuYasha knew that being here was going to be the death of him. It seemed that the further he got into peoples business, the more it got him into trouble. The only good thing that he'd gained out of morning was stupidly kissing Kagome.

She deserved far better than him, he scowled as he buried himself with the confines of Kaede-baba's wrecked bedroom. No matter how badly he wanted to forget, he would never be outrun the hurricane that was done the hall.