Chapter 36: Resistance vs. Compliance.

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Kagome curled her fingers into his cotton shirt, clinging to the man as if her life depended on it, which may as well be the case. His hands coiled around her, holding her to him, steadying her even as she lost the stability solid ground gave.

This would have been their first hug if that had been his initial intention, Kagome had no time to enjoy their new closeness, before he had launched them skyward.

She didn't dare to look down, the view she had from behind Inuyasha's shoulder, confirmed her theory.

Their image reflected back to them from the windows of the surrounding buildings, told her she was right. Although Kagome was lost within Inuyasha's form, she could see the part of her head that stuck out, her wide eyes taking up most of the portion of her that showed.

He was beginning to slow, she could feel the momentum turning on them, so that her hair lifted as their motion stopped, then dropped. Before gravity caught up to them, Inuyasha's foot touched on the glass panel, pushing them further up, with ease and grace. Much like a stone being tossed onto clear water; the windows cracked under their combined weight, like the rippling of a lake, not seeming to be an obstacle to the man who zig-zagged the rest of the way up.

Inuyasha saw his opening come in the form of the ending, the building to their right wasn't as tall, so that with a final kick off, and an unnecessary flip, he had them on the roof of the shorter building.

When setting her down, Inuyasha took his time, telling himself it was to secure the girl's balance. She might fall over, her knees might buckle, she could faint from the sudden rush of adrenaline. Nothing to do with the way she clung to him, or the rapid speed of her heart, beating wildly with his own drumming organ.

Knowing the girl's temper, he had expected a tantrum, or another blow for blow argument.

Of course, she would prove him wrong, yet again. For when she lifted her gaze, her expression showed him wonder and delight, no one could have faked such a raw show of emotions. Her blue eyes glimmered, at least, they seemed to do so to Inuyasha. Whose arms locked on their own accord, securing their hold around the girl, as his being reacted to her joy.

"Inuyasha! That was amazing!"

There it was again, the flicker he'd come to acknowledge as the Kagome effect. It was equal parts desire and longing; the attraction was deeper than the flesh and had a depth to it he chose not to explore.

"Can we fly the rest of the way, or do you need to recharge or something?"

Her question was so left field, Inuyasha dropped his hold on her, as a genuine laugh escaped him.

Inuyasha often snickered, had learned to chuckle from her, and now he could add loud barking laugh to the list. He had to step away from her, turn away as he leaned forward, the muscles in his stomach contracting from each hardy laugh.

"Kagome, that's so stupid!"

"What?"

Her wide eyes blinked up at him, genuinely confused, that made him laugh even harder now. Once his fit was over, Inuyasha straightened out, feeling about ten pounds lighter.

The breeze up here carried a certain freshness, so that as Inuyasha surveyed their area, he took deep relaxing breaths.

"I don't fly Kagome."

"Yeah? And what do you call this?"

Kagome picked the nearest edge and walked towards it, marveling at the view from up here. They had to be some hundred feet up, for him to have taken them there as easily as he did, Kagome would only fathom them flying to accomplish such a feat.

Peeking over the lip of the building, she peered down at the mass of bodies walking below, the city street looking small and insignificant in comparison. She was called back by his hand gracing her hip, turning into him, Kagome had wanted to end this moment with a kiss, but was swept off her feet by the man beside her.

"Jumping. Ready?" Before she could reply, Inuyasha had snatched her up in his arms, taking a half jog towards the other end of the building.

"Wait, wait, wait!"

Skidding to a stop, Inuyasha arched an eyebrow to the girl who continued to wiggle in his arms, "What is it now?"

Just as he had set her back down, Kagome went around him, settling herself on his back all on her own. Inuyasha blinked away his surprise, adjusting her better, he began his half trot again.

This time when he took off, Kagome had a front row seat for the show, she could see the tip off point where asphalt lay beyond it. As he pushed off on the ledge, Kagome held her breath, a grin plastered over her face.

Inuyasha took flight, that really was the only way to see it, as he jumped, he took them some 20 feet into the air. She felt the pause in momentum just as before, and like before, Inuyasha needed only to push off the next flat surface before he was taking them up the next towering building.

He hadn't done this in far too long, one benefit of sleeping where you work was the saved milage. As he scaled the building, he was acutely aware of the girl on his back, of the way she had held her breath. In an act that was entirely impulse, Inuyasha rushed them to the very top, the building standing at some 170 feet.

When he got them to the top, Inuyasha wasted no time in flinging them off the building, he took two steps before free falling back down.

There was nothing that could have kept the girl on his back quiet; with a shriek of joy, Kagome lifted her arms away from him to throw them into the air. The change of weight didn't hinder him at all, but for her safety, he threw a 'watch it Idiot' her way, before angling them towards the next building.

She thought landing would be difficult, but it had felt just like every other step he took, in stride.

They flew through the air, barely touching each building, before they were back into the skies again. They were but a blimp on the eyes of those who turned skyward just in time to see them and brushed off just as easily, the wind swept over her face, whipping her hair behind her in a blur of dark browns and blacks.

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Quicker than she would have liked, Kagome spotted the landmarks of her neighborhood, and knew her ride would soon be over.

To prolong the feelings she was experiencing, Kagome leaned down, arms coming around to circle Inuyasha. Her chin rested on his shoulder, while he slowed them down.

Inuyasha hadn't landed in front of her school like she thought he would, instead, he took them both down the backside of a local mart. Just down the street from the main gate, already he could hear the chatter from the students who had come out to check their scores, the school had posted everyone's results for the world to see.

When he turned to guide her along, Inuyasha found himself admiring the girl with wind-tossed hair.

She was shining, her cheeks had taken up a lovely blush, he was sure the rush of their little escapade was to blame. Her hair had fluffed out, looking like a lion's mane, but it was the smile on her face that made her beautiful.

Kagome couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear, even as she adjusted her clothes, she had a giant smile all the while.

It was the type of smile that made a man want to grab her by the face and claim her rosebud lips. He had felt their softness over their quick, innocent kissing, but this moment called for something else.

Before Inuyasha could put thought into action, Kagome had stridden back out, greeting the open walk with that radiant smile of hers. Begrudgingly, Inuyasha fallowed.

Soon they were standing on the opposite side of the street, the gates that wrapped around her little school intimated those that walked by, even his brave girl seemed to stall before crossing.

"Oh, I can't look! What if I'm last, what if I'm not even up there?!"

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha gently pushed her lower back, just enough for the girl to take the first step. The rest of the way meant nothing, Kagome crossed with confidence she didn't have before, weaving through the crowd of nerves and fear.

Inuyasha lost sight of her within the masses, the smells of the crowd kept him from smelling her, the same could be said about his hearing. He hated the city for this very reason, the pollution, the smells, and all the horrible screeching from one piece of technology to the next, this was his reminder of why he stayed within the tower.

Why was he standing out here? Looking from side to side, Inuyasha backed himself into the nearest wall, unintentionally growling at every figure that passed too close to him. It felt like the end of his rope when he spotted her, wedging herself away from two distraught girls.

If she shined before, this was her glow.

Kagome rushed across the street; arms extended as she prepared herself to jump.

He caught her easily, could have set her down away from his person should he have wished it. But he didn't want to do that, pulling her closer to him felt like breathing, an act that was natural all on its own.

"I did it! I passed! And I did it on my own!"

Her excitement had done him in, pressing her into him, Inuyasha captured her lips in a heated kiss. This was not their cute little pecks, this was his hunger eating him alive, demanding, urging.

Inuyasha grasped the hair at the back of her neck, delighted with her gasp, as he urged his tongue to taste as much as he could. He felt her shiver, felt her attempts to pull away, her decency telling her this was not the right place. But he cared less who watched, decency be damned, he was a man dying of thirst as she was his oasis.

Eventually she gave in, he felt it in the way she tilted her head for him, giving him more of her.

His instinct was to keep taking, her lips soft, warm, sliding.

They're tongues were wet, pressing against each other, demanding.

This time when she tried to pull away, he let her, stroking her tongue with his until the very end. Kagome had a flush to her that could only be her desire, her body was reacting to his in the same way, and when she pulled away, her tongue had strayed outside the confinement of her own mouth.

The growl that left him spoke for him, if he had been dying over his hunger before, her coy little tongue left him starving.

"Congratulations, Kagome."

Breathless, she gave him a sweet "thank you."

"Come one, I want to take you somewhere."

As he grabbed her hand and pulled her along, Kagome couldn't help herself, she blurred out the first thing that came to mind with his request.

"Like a date?" his pause mid-step should have been her first clue.

"No, Kagome. Demons don't date."

Chewing her bottom lip, Kagome scolded herself, knowing she had no valid reason to be filled with such disappointment. Whether it had been the dragging of her feet, or something within her scent that gave her away, Inuyasha exhaled a long sigh before turning back to face her.

"I wanted to take you to celebrate, are you willing to come along, or would you rather I drop you back off at the office?"

He hadn't wanted her think of this as a date, human emotions were fickle and easily roused, the last thing he wanted was for the girl to think of them as anything more than what they were. Whatever that was.

Kagome dug her nails into her palm, he was saying a lot without saying anything. Demons don't date... or maybe it was, demons don't date humans. Either way he had given her that ultimatum, go along with whatever this was, or call it quits now.

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Resistance vs. Compliance.

Looking deep into his brown eyes, furrowed brow, and the thin line of his lips. Kagome knew her answer almost immediately, feeling a sliver of self-disgust over how easily she was giving herself over to potential heartbreak.

Tightening her small hand in his, Kagome gave him a weak smile, "Let's go then."

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They didn't need to walk far, Inuyasha had an idea of where to take her, so that after a few minutes of walking they had arrived. She had expected fancy, a string corset mixed with hanging chandeliers, something that would have made her feel out of place.

Instead, he had surprised her with a casual western restaurant. Inside there was a stream of people, all in casual wear, much like the two of them.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kagome allowed Inuyasha to lead her inside, grateful to him when he opened the door for her. He said it wasn't a date, yet he still took her by the hand, ignoring the table the young hostess had presented them with, taking them to a secluded booth in the back.

The hostess was put out, but Inuyasha ignored her like he did with everything he chose not to deal with.

It wasn't a date, but he held her hand on top of the table.
It wasn't a date, but he still bought them a bottle of champagne to celebrate.
It wasn't a date, but he insisted on new wait staff, after the waiter had tried unsuccessfully to flirt with her.

Sipping on the bubbly golden drink, Kagome used the flute to hide her telling smirk, enjoying their not-date-date.

"What are you grinning at?" His growl was for show, at this point, Kagome had begun to differentiate between each rumble.

There was the deep belly growl that spoke of his anger, the louder growl that demanded attention, and this softer growl that spoke more about his annoyance at the waiter rather than anything else.

"I've never had champagne before, it's good."

He narrowed his eyes her way, aware that wasn't the reason for her Cheshire grin.

Their new waitress brought out their salads first, keeping true to their Western style, this salad was mixed greens with big cherry tomatoes and sliced cucumber. She ate around the cheese, not quite understanding why a salad would have shredded American cheese, even if this was cuisine from the states.

"Don't fill up, the steaks are the real hero of this place."

Picking the smallest meat available, Kagome didn't even blink when he ordered the 32oz steak, with the way he could throw back ramen, a decent slap of meat was nothing in comparison. While they waited, he brewed, whatever he had going through that head of his, Kagome could wait for his train to stop running.

Taking advantage of the bread rolls, Kagome pinched the fluffy tops off, munching away as if she wasn't aware of his searching eyes.

"Kagome..." Inuyasha grumbled, sliding the breadbasket out of her reach.

"What?"

"What did Shippo want with you the other day?"

"Gee, that's what you wanted to ask?" With his serious look on, she had thought he was chewing over something big. Kagome rolled her eyes, finishing the last bite that was in her mouth before disclosing to him the uneventful walk.

"Nothing else? He didn't ask you to go anywhere specific?"

"Nope. Just walk, he even made a point of telling me that it didn't matter where I went."

Mulling over her answer, Kagome took the opportunity that was having a half-distracted Inuyasha, to slide the bedrolls back to her side of the table.

"They must think Naraku has eyes on you at all times, I'm betting they're just trying to lure him out."

Shrugging as if it didn't affect her, Kagome ripped a top off another roll, "I don't know. Wouldn't you be the one who knows things like that?"

"Keh! Damn Shippo's been avoiding me..." He didn't give much else in explanation and she didn't dig deeper, her attention had been stolen by the waitress, who needed a side table to deliver their food.

Inuyasha's dinner was set out in three plates, one large plate for his extra-large steak, and the other two for his sides. While she was presented with her own plate, Kagome's smile was stolen as Inuyasha pulled her plate away.

"You're about to lose that hand, Inuyasha."

"Never mind that. Did they tell you when they'd be calling you again?"

"If they're not telling you, what makes you think they'd tell me anything?"

Cursing at himself, Inuyasha pushed the plate back under her, watching as she began the task of cutting her steak.

"You're not worried?"

Chewing her food delicately, Kagome had covered her mouth with her hand, putting too much thought on manners as she cleared her mouth before speaking.

"Of course, I am, but what's that got to do with anything now?"

"You gave your soul away to demons, Kagome. You don't think that has anything to do with what's going on now?"

"Inuyasha. I don't know why you're trying to argue with me now, but I've never had a piece of cow this big on my plate before, so you're just going to have to wait till I'm done eating to stress me out."

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But if they didn't discuss work related things, how would he keep them in safe territory? Especially when she fixed her hair over one shoulder, getting it out of the way so that she could continue to appreciate her food, he followed each forkful with his eyes.

Grumbling, he sat back in his seat, after a moment of just watching her, Inuyasha grumbled again, before taking up his own plate.

"Will you be there?"

Kagome asked him tentatively, eyes on her meal as if it were her only line of focus, which didn't match the way she pushed her food around her plate.

"What are you saying now?"

Chewing the inside of her cheek, Kagome didn't dare raise her eyes back to his, "I graduate next week, will you be there, or whatever?"

She was asking for too much, Inuyasha told himself this, attempting to contain the initial instinct to appease her. Her human event meant little to him; decades of human affairs made the next one that much more intolerable. If he went, it would be for her benefit only, and would have nothing to add to his goals.

Scenting her nerves, he stabbed the meat on his plate with his fork, feeling the gnawing ache to take that tart confusion out of her scent.

"I... won't, make any promises." He couldn't concede any more than that, this too was already too much.

"Can I ask you one more thing?"

Growling down at his plate, Inuyasha stabbed the meat in front of him with his steak knife, taking out some of the frustration he was feeling out on the expensive dish. "What now?"

"If you don't date, why take me out in the first place? I mean, we could have celebrated with ramen back at your place, or something like that, so why this?"

Scowling across the table, he had tried to answer her without the frustration that ate at his insides, but with clouded-dark eyes he sneered at her.

"Because I wanted to, do you get it yet? I do whatever I want, I don't have to have a fucking reason. If I want to hold your god damn hand, or kiss the fuck out of you, I fucking will. Get it?!"

He had kissed her, because he had wanted to, because he could.

As the co-owner of a multi-billionaire corporation, as the rouge Prince, and second heir to the West. He would do anything he damned well pleased, for whatever reason, even if there was no reason.

This is what he continued to tell himself.

The girl appeared to take this, smiling gleefully to herself, the two focused on the food right in front of them rather than each other. Their meal ended peacefully, both having relinquished more than either would have liked, trading resistance for compliance.