Madame Masseuse
"Those Are Some Expensive Revelations"
There was a beautiful, silver car waiting for them in the roundabout outside of Kagome's front entry. A uniformed man stood at the back passenger door and everything.
Stepping into the cool autumn evening, Kagome wrapped her hands around her triceps. A stark wind came at them and her dress fluttered about and affixed to her legs. Kagome was quick to raise one hand to ward her hair from her lipstick, the other snapped to her thigh. She could have kicked herself for not considering outerwear that would complement her outfit. It was cold enough out that Kagome could see an echoing ghost of her breath.
Inuyasha took one look at her goosebumps and how she fought against the bitter wind before he started chuckling, his own hair whipping from his face. He looked smug in a nostalgic sort of way, as if seeing her chilled to the bone and harassed by the wind was a fond memory or something. With a teasing kiss to the top of her head, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, drawing her into the firmness of his body beneath his open jacket.
He tucked his chin against his chest to speak into her ear. "She doesn't believe in coats, huh?"
The hot breath in her ear worsened her goosebumps but she wouldn't let him know that. Kagome stuck her chin out proudly, like she didn't want Inuyasha thinking that being cold was an oversight. "This dress is too cute to be hidden beneath a coat, Inuyasha."
He scoffed at her comment like that was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. But Kagome wasn't ignorant of the way his eyes dipped to appreciate the goosebumps along the swell of her breasts and the way her nipples tented the satin.
As they approached the vehicle, Inuyasha nodded a greeting at the chauffeur before handing Kagome's bag over to him, taking the open door from the man's gloved hands. Inuyasha stood behind Kagome, gesturing for her to get in. She tried to ignore the tumbling in her stomach as Inuyasha's hand came to settle on her tailbone, ushering her into the plush, cream-coloured interior.
She couldn't remember the last time she so carefully and intentionally got into a car. But Kagome had a lot to be mindful of, considering she decided to go out tonight without any undergarments. Her heart gave a delicious little thud at the reminder of how bad she felt—to be wearing neither bra or panties.
She paused buckling herself in to look up at Inuyasha and the vainglorious smirk he wore. There was something rousingly sinful in the way he held his body to watch her get into the car. The broad hunch of his shoulders; an arm draped over the roof of the doorframe, the other holding onto the door; his body bowing into the car, chest and hips arched towards her. His eyes held a competitive sheen, hovering up and down her legs like he sought to glimpse something other than soft, ivory calves and maroon satin.
Kagome tongued her bottom lip as her eyes crawled up and up his torso. Her smoky, long-lashed, brown eyes feasted on the tightness of his dress shirt and the deep, unbuttoned V of his collar that teased the allure of chiseled, golden skin. Dark colours complemented him, giving his skin a glowing, stomach-tumbling appeal. Her eyes trudged up the long, lean length of his neck, her tongue twitching with the urge to taste, her teeth with the desire to bite. A breeze blew Inuyasha's hair around his shoulders, the silver catching licks of an infant moon. The phosphorous highlights drew Kagome's eyes to the hard line of his jaw, the brazen way he smirked at her flagrant, objectifying gaze.
Her eyes laboured on the heart-shaped curve of his lips, knowing the thick, wet organ that lay dormant behind white teeth. A hot, rolling sensation low in her stomach had Kagome clenching her thighs together in memory of yesterday, his tongue stroking, sucking, and flicking between her legs.
Inuyasha's ears tweaked towards her like he could hear the swelling tug of her reminiscing heart.
How the hell did Kagome ever get so lucky to be able to kiss this gorgeous hunk of muscle as often as she wanted? She decided she must have been a Nobel Prize Winner or some kind of saint in her past life to deserve getting to have as much sex with this man as she wanted after tonight.
Kagome grinned up at him, connecting the buckle of her seatbelt with a click. "Sorry, Inuyasha, if you were saying anything, I will be transparent that I was too busy appreciating how good you look to even pretend to listen."
What started as him scoffing a laugh turned into a barking guffaw. He leaned closer to her, his pectorals straining the material of his dress shirt. His eyes sparkled with his smile. "Don't worry, Kagome. I was too busy starin' at your tits to say anything."
Kagome giggled, peering down for a moment at the convexity of her cleavage. She couldn't really blame him for staring—her best asset looked even better in the additive of this dress. Square neck lines flattered her. Kagome's hand brushed past his hip to reach for her door, perching there. "He really seems to like my breasts," she said with a teasing grin and flourish of her eyebrows.
"I can't wait to show you how much I like 'em." His eyes glinted with an expression that looked equal parts playful and threatening. Even though his body was blocking the wind from entering the vehicle, the promise of those words made Kagome shiver.
She distracted herself from the warmth growing between her legs by smirking up at him. "That little hands-on sample inside wasn't enough?"
Inuyasha gave her look that loudly said, Are you fuckin' kidding me? Not even close!
She snickered, trying to draw the door closed but Inuyasha wouldn't step out of the way. At least, not yet.
There was something predatory about the way his amber eyes narrowed to track the sprint of goosebumps up her arms, like he was envious he hadn't been the one to make her flesh pucker. "I think she either forgot it's gettin' cold out or she likes being cold."
"Who likes being cold?" Kagome chuffed with a facetious expression before she finally disappeared behind the car door, having closed it herself, with Inuyasha's apparent permission after it bumped him in the ass.
Inuyasha chuckled as he rounded the Bentley sedan's posterior. The driver was waiting with the door open for Inuyasha, closing it once the half-demon slid into the backseat next to Kagome.
"What're the chances she intentionally didn't bring her own jacket 'cause she wants mine?"
He leaned towards her as the driver dropped Kagome's bag in the trunk, the chassis juddering in response. Taking advantage of their moment alone, Inuyasha brushed her hair away from her shoulder to kiss the juncture of her neck. His teeth had just grazed her flesh, eliciting a small gasp from Kagome, when his eyes pivoted to watch the uniformed man descend into the front seat. That was as good a sign as any for Inuyasha to retract himself from Kagome.
Despite Inuyasha's obvious annoyance that his attentions were cut short, it was probably a good thing—she looked too good. He could easily get carried away if his lips lingered on her too long. Inuyasha grinned at the little hitch in Kagome's breath from her own disappointment at the loss of his lips on her throat.
"Or maybe she's just lookin' for an excuse to get close to me," he spoke into her shoulder, his breath making her shudder.
The click of Inuyasha's seatbelt was loud and Kagome found her eyes snapping open with a startle and a blush, like she hadn't realized she closed them as soon as she felt his lips on her.
"Oops, looks like he's onto me," she said with a coy lilt to her voice, her eyes starting to glaze with lust. She giggled. "The last time I didn't have a jacket, you wouldn't lend me yours because that was too date-ish, remember?" She leaned forward to smirk at him, her hair falling over her shoulder. "Maybe I want to take full advantage of all my date privileges tonight."
Inuyasha squared his shoulders and leaned towards her, their faces close. "And what other little privileges does bein' on a date with me entitle you to?"
Kagome eyed Inuyasha's body in a way that was unmistakable of her intentions. She leaned towards him until her seatbelt was taut, bumping his chin with her nose as she took a loud, inhaling whiff of him to exaggerate her point. The richness of his musky scent had her heart pounding. She tongued an upper canine as her eyes slid back to his. "You know, I'm not really sure."
Inuyasha's smirk was all masculine pride. "Is that so?"
"Mmhmm." She lowered her voice. "Maybe I'll remember better when you're not wearing that suit anymore."
Their bodies swayed with the motions of the car pulling into drive and Kagome withdrew into her own seat. A laugh snuck between Inuyasha's teeth as he watched her wring her hands together over her lap. "She likes the suit, does she?"
Kagome gestured for Inuyasha to come close and she ran her fingers through his bangs when he bowed his head, his ears closer to her mouth. "She'll like it better off, I think."
"Is that so?" he repeated, his voice even lower.
"Mmhmm."
The heat of his breath on her chin had Kagome's thighs clenching. "She wants my clothes?"
"Well, maybe just your jacket for now, Mr. Taisho—but not because I'm cold," she added with a playful grin, "just for...safekeeping."
Inuyasha smirked. "You sure it has nothin' to do with the fact you think it'd be cute or whatever to wear my jacket on our date?"
"No, of course not," she laughed quietly, her eyes darting to the driver to see if he was paying any attention to how close the two of them were in the backseat. "It also has nothing to do with how much I love the way you smell and that I wouldn't mind being surrounded in your scent—" Kagome alternated fingering and fisting the lapels of his suit while she spoke— "or liking how safe it would feel, all wrapped up in something that's an acceptable substitute to your arms." Kagome tugged him close until his lips were near enough to kiss.
Inuyasha's fingers wrapped around her chin, catching her, stopping her, like he wanted to evaluate the expression she wore. He swallowed slowly, eager golden spheres speeding between hers as he tipped her head back, apprising the way she wore lust like an inextinguishable gleam in her eyes.
"All that from just wearin' my jacket, huh? I dunno how I could say no, Kagome—not when I'm all about pleasin' you tonight."
Kagome grinned at him so widely her eyes tapered. "Just wanting to take advantage where I can," she said softly. She slid her fingers down his arm until they settled beneath his palm on the leather seat. "You know, since you made me wait for a real date."
"Isn't there some saying about good things comin' to those who have patience?"
Kagome leaned in to kiss his cheek, whispering against his skin, "Oh, there will be coming tonight, Inuyasha, and while I expect it to be good, I don't wanna be patient for it."
Inuyasha turned quickly, wrapping his lips around her earlobe, causing a shiver of pleasure to straighten her spine as he smiled into her ear. "I know she's not patient. If she were, I wouldn't've had to take care of her yesterday." He bit down onto her lobe, smirking at the catch in her breath. "You couldn't wait one more day for me, darlin'?"
Kagome giggled a kittenish little sound, her lips beside his cheek, leaning into the palm she placed on his thigh. "I don't think your mouth was willing to wait for me, dearest. Besides, is that a complaint I'm hearing, Inuyasha? And here I thought you enjoyed taking care of me..."
"I don't know what I enjoyed more—takin' care of you or havin' you beg me to."
Kagome nuzzled his cheek with her nose, her voice throaty and quiet. "Was it everything you dreamed it would be?"
"What?"
She pressed her cheek to his, gripping his thigh between stiff fingers. She spoke in such a low, soft tone, her words were a dulcet breath. "Making me come for you."
Inuyasha struggled to withhold his groan as she backed away. He brought a fist up to his lips to cough into it as his cool, stoic surface crumbled, giving way to a lust-heavy breath.
"That's what I thought," Kagome snickered. She wiped her lipstick from his cheek then sat back in her seat, her body angled towards him.
He narrowed his eyes at her playfully. "Enjoy your little games while you can, Kagome," Inuyasha chuckled as a low, guttural warning, "but I'll be the one laughin' later tonight."
"And why's that?"
He declined his head with an expression that Kagome could only describe as sexually menacing. His voice was a gruff, rasping noise as he whispered into her ear, "'Cause I know how to make her beg."
Kagome's face winced and she quickly looked away from him, a blush dusting her cheeks. Inuyasha's chest rumbled with a pleased, grating chuckle.
She watched him for a few breaths, the smug way his handsome face lit up from his mirthful disposition. When his gaze met hers again, Kagome offered him a pleasant little smile. "Did you mean what you said, Inuyasha? About tonight being all about pleasing me?"
Inuyasha's head fell to the side as he seemed to contemplate her question. "I told you before that I planned to spoil you, Kagome."
"Yeah, I know." Her cheeks pinkened. "It's just...nice to hear that you want to make me happy. No one's really gone to any level of trouble like this before for me."
Inuyasha's fingers reached for hers. "I told you before," he said again, his eyes lowering to follow the flow of her dress, "you're too happy a person not to deserve happiness. If I can do that for you just this once, why wouldn't I?"
She looked up at him, her eyes wide and glossy with surprise. "You do a pretty good job of making me happy, Inuyasha. You don't need to take me out to do that."
Inuyasha huffed a laugh to stave off a flush. "It's really not that hard to make you happy, Kagome."
She grinned at that. "Really?" Her tone sounded coltishly combative. "Then tell me, Inuyasha. What makes me happy?"
"Me givin' in and lendin' you my jacket for one."
Kagome laughed a bright, lovely sound that had Inuyasha grinning broadly. "Alright, fine. You win that one." She leaned back into her seat. "I'll happily take up that date privilege and wear your jacket tonight, since you'll finally let me."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "What about the walk back to my place during that storm? I gave you my coat then."
Her laughter had her emerging from the lustful-turned-lovely shroud they made for themselves in the backseat. "Yeah," she tittered, "when I was already soaked to the bone and freezing! I don't think your coat really did much of anything except for being a sweet thing to do."
"Feh! At least I offered it to you at all!"
"Yes," she giggled, raising a hand to lovingly knead one of his ears, "and you're such the gentleman for it." Kagome startled when Inuyasha's palm slid over her knee, falling ever so slightly up the inside of her thigh that Inuyasha could still loosely say his hand was on her knee. Her hand receded from his ear as she leaned into him, her eyes on the driver. Her voice was so low it became husky. "Careful with those hands of yours, you."
Inuyasha grinned at her, leaning over the empty middle seat to kiss her cheek. "Just helpin' you stay warm, Kagome. She seems a little—" His eyes lowered to her hardening, touch-starved breasts— "nippy."
"Shall I turn the temperature up, sir?"
Inuyasha snorted a withheld laugh, turning mirthful eyes to Kagome who blushed and looked down at her lap. Her ears burned from the confirmation the driver could overhear them. It took all of her willpower not to cover her breasts with her arms.
Well, shit—that's only moderately embarrassing...
"Sure, thanks," Inuyasha replied to the chauffeur, his smiling eyes never leaving Kagome's face.
She chewed on the inside of her cheek, looking down at his hand as it squeezed her leg, then she swung her gaze to look out the window, surveying the landscape. A small reprieve from their flirting to calm her heated cheeks and racing heart didn't seem like a bad idea. Otherwise, Kagome worried they'd run the risk of going at it in the backseat, driver be damned.
A warm sense of security fell over her with his palm fixed upon her skin as Inuyasha turned to gaze out his own window.
Kagome wouldn't say she felt scared heading into the demons only side of Tokyo, but she was grateful for the protection she'd be granted by having Inuyasha with her—and his scent on her skin for the times he couldn't be with her, like in the restroom.
Obviously, Kagome had never been to the part of Tokyo that was intended for demons. She found herself wondering if that part of town would look any different, given it was inhabited by a different species all together.
Before her date, she had learned from some demon colleagues—who Kagome discovered were Sympathizers, who knew?—that, around the time of the Dawning, a small sect of Tokyo became a reserve for demons, a tract of land designated as demon territory. Even though demons could reside all across Tokyo, and did, it was quite common for them to prefer dwelling in demon territory, only heading into the more human parts of Tokyo to take advantage of various amenities.
Considering Madame's catered to a large demon audience—given Kagome's suspicions that Madame, herself, was a demoness—Kagome was sometimes surprised that her job wasn't located within demon territory. But then again, Kagome would likely not have worked there if she had to commute to the other side of Tokyo for work.
Humans were allowed to come and go from demon territory; however, there were many places, apparently—like this club Kagome would be visiting as Inuyasha's guest—to which humans weren't allowed access. Kagome had never found need, before, to visit that side of Tokyo. It also hadn't helped that her mother gave her the impression that it wasn't exactly prohibited for humans to visit the demon reserve, but there was an ignominy behind humans frequenting a place not meant for them. After all, there had to be some truth behind the rumours that humans may not necessarily be safe if they ventured alone into certain areas of demon territory.
Regardless where they were headed, there was a thrill igniting Kagome's blood at the premise of getting to experience something so different from her usual. There was also the exhilaration of being out and visible with Inuyasha, of being his in every sense of the word—even if it was only for the night.
Thinking about her own date had Kagome's mind drifting to a heartfelt hope that Sango would end up having a good time out with Miroku.
With her mind suddenly turned to her friend, Kagome whipped her phone out of her purse, her fingers graceful as she tapped her way into her text conversation with Sango. A cocky smirk and low chuckle teased from her lips. She shot off a quick, brief message wishing her friend a fun evening and another message loaded with implications that she couldn't wait to hear all about it.
Kagome felt Inuyasha's eyes on her and she lowered her device to her lap, offering him a smile. "Did Miroku tell you?"
"That Sango finally agreed to a date with him?" He snorted a laugh. "Yeah."
Kagome's heart gave a little hop that Inuyasha knew what she meant. Another chuckle stuck in her throat as her eyes turned back to her phone. "I really hope he's on his best behaviour tonight; Sango was nervous to say yes."
The shrug Inuyasha offered Kagome's reservation seemed a little affectless, cold. "Miroku is Miroku, Kagome. Sango's either gonna like him as he is or she's not. I've never understood why people do that shit—not bein' themselves hopin' someone will like 'em better for it. Seems like a waste of everybody's time."
Kagome chewed her cheek, her eyes narrowing. "Well, he's been wanting this date for a while," she commented, fishing for intel on behalf of her friend. "Do you know what his intentions are with her?"
"Why does it matter? It's their date."
"Yeah, but she's my friend."
Inuyasha scoffed. "Shouldn't you be more worried about my intentions with you tonight?"
Kagome rolled her eyes at his insinuated threat. "You already told me your intentions, Inuyasha." She leaned towards him to whisper into his ear, "Wine me, dine me, then fuck my brains out, remember?"
Inuyasha wore a sordid smirk that had Kagome's chest feeling tight.
She cleared her throat. "I'm allowed to worry about my girlfriend, especially since I think she has a crush on him. I'd be sad for her if he just wanted sex and nothing more."
Inuyasha snorted gruffly, his lips twitching with a denied grin. "If any human could put a demon's sexual proclivity to shame it would be Miroku." A curt laugh shot from his throat, as if his own words amused him that much. "But don't worry about your friend, Kagome—I think he likes her, too."
"So, that means what?" She looked up at him expectantly. "He wants a relationship with her?"
Inuyasha shrugged again, like that was the best way to describe his longest and closest friend. "I couldn't tell ya the last time Miroku was in a stable or serious relationship. He tends to go through 'em pretty quick."
"Considering he's out with my best girlfriend right now, that's not making me feel great, Inuyasha," she frowned.
He leveled her a hard stare. "It's their business, Kagome."
"Yeah, but there's nothing wrong with me wanting my friend to be happy. Don't you want the same for your friend?"
"Miroku is always happy, Kagome," Inuyasha stated, a gagging frustration in his tone. "Annoyingly so. Even though I'm sure it helps, the bastard doesn't need a woman to be a ray of fuckin' sunshine."
Kagome snorted. "You know that's not what I mean..."
Inuyasha sighed heavily. "I mean, sure, I guess it'd be nice to see him find somebody who could tame him into settling down. I mean, he sees what Rin and Sesshoumaru have and he's commented before he'd like to find somethin' like that for himself, but—" Inuyasha shrugged— "Miroku is Miroku," he said again, "so, we'll see, I guess."
Kagome withheld a much wanted growl of irritation. "What does that even mean? Miroku is Miroku?"
Inuyasha lifted one shoulder lazily. "You've met him a couple times. You've heard stories about him, I'm sure. He's just—"
"I've heard things from Sango," she butt in. "You never really seem to talk about him all that much given he's your closest, arguably even your best, friend."
Inuyasha's nose wrinkled a little, like the thought of Miroku being his best friend wasn't all that great. "There's not much to tell, Kagome. He's a playboy, pharmaceutical sales rep who doesn't take anythin' seriously, and the cretin's been in my life forever, stickin' around like fuckin' gum in my hair."
Kagome snorted at the simile. "How did the two of you meet?"
"Grade school," Inuyasha answered. "I was bein' bullied by some kids—which happened pretty much all the time back then—and Miroku, the idiot saint he is, saw the uneven fight and thought he'd jump in to even things out—" Inuyasha snorted stiffly— "except Miroku's always been a useless jackass who tends to make things worse despite his good intentions. So, when he started throwin' rocks at these kids, thinkin' it would make 'em run away, he busted up a school window, landin' us both in trouble."
Kagome giggled. "The bullying aside—which is awful, I'm sorry—that's actually kind of a cute story." After Inuyasha rolled his eyes assertively, Kagome asked, "So, you two just stayed friends after that?"
Inuyasha scoffed, crossing his arms. "He stuck around, yeah, which I guess you could say is the recurring theme of knowin' the guy." He chuckled a breathy sound, which, to Kagome, almost sounded a little wistful. "Miroku's mom was never in the picture, so he grew up with his dad until the guy got sick and died. Then Miroku went to live with an uncle. When my mom found out his uncle was a drunk, Miroku basically grew up in our house." Inuyasha cawed a throaty laugh. "Between me, Miroku, and Sesshoumaru around occasionally, my mom had her hands full."
Kagome smiled sadly, wrapping her hand around Inuyasha's. "That just makes me love your mom even more."
Inuyasha offered her a crooked, half-hearted smile, which Kagome returned in addition to giving his hand a few comforting squeezes. "So, yeah, I guess you could say we grew up like brothers, with my mom unofficially adopting the guy. I knew him for a couple years before my old man died and I guess our friendship solidified after that—like there was this forged bond between us or somethin' 'cause our dads died before we became men ourselves." Inuyasha sighed, shrugging again and looking like he did so simply for the sake of it.
Kagome held on tightly to his fingers and didn't let go for a few heartbeats.
Inuyasha's other hand rested atop Kagome's, his thumb scuttling over the sensitive nerves and veins in her wrist. He seemed to distract himself for a breath or two just focusing on how his thumb stroked her pale skin. "And Miroku's just been around ever since then," he continued as a sigh, "makin' it his personal mission to annoy the fuck outta me, which he calls bein' my friend or tryin' to make me less miserable in life."
Kagome squeezed his hand, a kind smile lifting her lips. "That's sweet of him—looking out for you like that, for being there for you despite how hard it sounds like you made it for him sometimes."
"He's a pain in my ass, Kagome. Don't go takin' his side."
Kagome threw him a rebuking look. "There aren't sides to take, Inuyasha," she chuckled, lacing their fingers. "But if there were sides, obviously I'd be on yours."
He grinned at that.
An unprompted shiver raked down Kagome's arms and Inuyasha leaned forward to turn on her respective seat warmer. Kagome smiled at him in thanks, not knowing a luxury existed like heated seats in the back of a sedan.
His responding smile was kind in a judgmental sort of way. "You really are kind of an idiot for not thinkin' about a coat."
Kagome scrunched her nose at him. Her heart had some nerve thinking that was a cute thing for him to say. "Well, pardon me for being so excited for our grand night out that I failed to consider the weather." A thought dawned on Kagome and she looked at him with wide, panicked eyes. "You don't have anything planned for us outside, do you?"
Inuyasha chuckled and shook his head. He rested his palm back on her knee, his thumb tickling the inside of her thigh as it skated back and forth. "Lucky for you, no. We'll only be outside goin' to and from places."
"Okay, phew." Kagome tossed a smug expression up at him. "Then you can just give me your jacket when we're in transit."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, you think so, huh?"
Kagome puffed out her bottom lip at him in a deliberate, feminine pout, which Inuyasha eyed wolfishly. "You don't wanna keep your date warm tonight, Inuyasha?"
His hair fell over her forearm when he declined his head to speak in her ear. His breath tickled. "Maybe if she asks nicely, I wouldn't mind lendin' my jacket once we get to the club."
Goosebumps burst down her arms from the heat of his breath, his lips scraping her ear, and Kagome was quick to rub at her flesh. "Because you like the idea of people seeing me in your jacket?"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "First, we're not seein' people tonight, since we're goin' to a place for demons." He grinned furtively at her. "I have a sneakin' suspicion you haven't been around many non-humanoids before, so I'm sure you won't be forgettin' we're among demons once we get there." He chuffed a laugh at that. "And second, hell yes! I want everyone we come across tonight knowin' you're mine, Kagome."
Kagome wanted to ask what he meant by non-humanoids but the emphasis he put on her being his was a bit too distracting to think about anything else.
"You want demons to know I'm yours tonight, Inuyasha?" She lifted her chin at him, exposing the long column of her neck and the depth of her cleavage.
He smirked, accepting the offered view with a leisurely plunge of his eyes. "You sayin' you don't like that I wanna show you off, Kagome? Parade you around in that sexy li'l thing you're wearin', feeling pleased as all hell that you're untouchable? That you're mine?"
A smile raised the corners of her painted lips. "Feeling a little possessive, Inuyasha?"
"You like that I feel possessive about you, Kagome?"
Kagome's smile elongated, her cheeks pink. Beckoning him closer with an enticing hook of her index finger, she planted a soft kiss to his lips when he humoured her and bent his head. "It's a little flattering—the fact that you feel so protective of me."
His eyes darted between hers like he couldn't understand what was so plainly visible in her expression. "I protect what's mine, Kagome." Then, as if something else occurred to him, he added, "You'll be safe tonight, you don't gotta worry about that."
She nodded, her eyes roving his face. "Because you'll be with me and because I'm also marked, right?"
He nodded in return, a shallow dip of his chin. "I can smell myself on your skin," he said with a lip-curling smirk, "plus, wearin' my jacket, you'll be even more doused in my scent. No demons would be stupid enough to risk touchin' what's mine."
She palmed his cheek as she looked into his eyes with a fond little smile. "Trust me, Inuyasha, I won't forget who I belong to tonight."
They sat there silently for a few moments, her thumb stroking the length of his cheekbone. Inuyasha's eyes seemed to soften like he withdrew into his head for those seconds, pulling together a trying statement.
"Not just tonight, Kagome," he replied with that taunting look in his eye and that canine-poking half-grin that did things to her. "You're mine for as long as I say you are."
She narrowed her eyes at him, like she could see beyond his words, to understand what that comment meant below the surface.
She knew he meant physically—that she was physically his after he had claimed her body by marking his scent on her. Yet, why did her heart ache like she wanted him to mean she was completely his, wholly his, in every possible way? A hollowness dug itself into her stomach from how badly Kagome wanted him to claim her heart as willingly and openly as he had her body.
"Or for as long as I let you have me," she replied cheekily, kissing him briefly on the lips, darkening the lipstick stain she'd left just moments before.
Inuyasha snorted as a way of disregarding her defiance, wrapping his hand around her nape. It was a domineering move and it made Kagome more wet than anything.
He leaned in suggestively, his eyes on her mouth. "After tonight, I don't think you'll be goin' anywhere."
"Why?" She asked hoarsely, her eyes on the closeness of his lips, her palm grilling his thigh in rough strokes. "Because I won't be able to walk later?"
Inuyasha grinned so widely it made Kagome laugh.
Her laughter transformed into a smirk as she wiped the soft stain of her lipstick from his mouth. "The car was a nice touch," she said quietly, as if concerned the driver would overhear that particular comment. "Although, we could have just taken public transportation like common folk."
Inuyasha grinned again, or maybe it was the same grin he'd been wearing from before, Kagome lost track. "Common? You? Not a chance. Besides, I told you, Princess—I'm spoilin' you tonight."
Kagome rolled her eyes at the nickname. "And he got me a Bentley," she teased, squeezing his hand when it returned to her knee, "he's so good to me."
"She knows her car manufacturers, does she?"
"Only the expensive ones," Kagome answered with a wink, her timbre rich with humour. "But, seriously, this was really considerate, Inuyasha. You clearly put a lot of thought into tonight. I appreciate it."
Inuyasha shrugged away her gratitude, his eyes slipping away from hers. "It just made sense. Then neither of us have to worry about how much we drink, and you don't gotta worry about your stuff while we're out." He threw her a sarcastic expression that tapered his eyes. "You weren't expectin' to lug your shit around with you all night, were you?"
Kagome blinked at him a few times until her face melted into a mischievous grin. "Isn't that what my dearest pack mule is for?"
Inuyasha snorted. "Pack mule, huh?"
"My dearest pack mule," she corrected, as if emphasizing that one word made the comment too sweet to be unacceptable.
Kagome giggled, leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek, quickly wiping away the lipstick stain. She wondered if she'd get to a point tonight where she stopped wiping away her lip prints. Maybe she could make a game of it—see how many she could leave on him to tally up once they got back to his place.
"If it makes you feel any better," she drawled, her palm circling his biceps, "I'd just be staring at your muscles the whole time you carried my stuff."
That got her a little half-smirk. "Oh, yeah?"
"Mmhmm." Her fingers dragged up his arm, his shoulder, her knuckles brushing his neck, before she traced the shape of his face with the pads of her fingers. It was wholly unfair how good he smelled. "Probably thinking to myself the whole time how lucky I am to have found such a sexy, considerate half-demon to carry all my stuff for me."
Inuyasha snorted, grabbing her fingers and bringing them to his mouth, kissing her palm then nipping the heel. "You're lucky I tolerate you, Kagome," he said into her palm.
"And why's that?" she laughed, wiggling her fingers at him.
Inuyasha slipped her index finger between his lips, sucking deeply to her second knuckle. Kagome bit the inside of her lip to stop herself from moaning, her eyes flicking to the driver in a momentary panic.
"'Cause I wouldn't carry shit around for just anyone."
Kagome blushed as Inuyasha released her hand. Her index finger was glossy with his saliva, the sight of which made her stomach and Kegel muscles twinge in memory of marking each other. "Is that a perk of having claimed you?" Her rickety voice asked.
"Among other things," he grinned.
Kagome giggled as she held his hand between both of hers, a fist wrapping around his thumb, sliding up and down gently. She wore a coy expression on her face, as if she had no idea she was doing something so suggestive with their hands.
Inuyasha gulped silently, watching the taciturn way she basically jerked off his thumb, and Kagome beamed at him underneath thick lashes.
"So," Kagome uttered, angling her body to face Inuyasha as best as her seatbelt would allow, resting their adjoined hands in her lap above her slickening, bare heat. "You gonna do a grand unveiling about what you planned for us tonight?"
Inuyasha removed one hand from her grip to play with the hem of her dress, his hot fingers tickling her thigh, her knee. "You don't wanna be surprised?"
Kagome giggled, her eyes watching those thick digits like she was enthralled by the subtle movements.
When his hand slid inside her thigh, almost touching behind her knee, his knuckles grazing her other leg, his palm slowly rose up her thigh. Kagome's pulse throbbed as her body took over, her legs widening on their own accord. She could hear Inuyasha's faint, rumbling hum of pleasure like nothing could make him happier than Kagome spreading her legs for him. His callouses caused her breath to stutter. She bit her lip to avoid squirming, from giving him the pleasure of a reaction. Those dangerous fingers disappeared no more than a few centimetres beneath her skirt before she started to fidget.
She felt a churning, hot ache sink beneath her naval from how badly she wanted his hands on those places she intentionally left uncovered. But Kagome covered his hand with her own to stop him.
Inuyasha gave her a look like she was more transparent than glass.
He wouldn't really have touched her if she hadn't stopped him...right?
Oh yeah, they'd been talking... Kagome blinked a few times to get the blood flow back into her brain. "I mean—I could be patient, I guess—if you really want to keep it a surprise. I wouldn't mind knowing, though."
Inuyasha spread his legs a little wider, his knee bumping the side of her leg. Without thinking about it—since that was the name of the game tonight—she began to brush her fingers up and down, from his knee to the crease of his pants at his hip then back, happy for the excuse to touch him.
Kagome grinned at the look of longing her fingertips inspired from him.
There was something about this constant contact of their bodies that she was really enjoying. It also made her realize that all of this taunting and teasing was going to be the longest pre-naked foreplay she'd ever participated in.
Oh, please, Kagome...the two of you have been engaging in foreplay, pretty much non-stop, for the past week.
His head dipped to observe the flow of her fingers, the gentle, tickling pressure she used when her fingers fell along the inner seam of his thigh, before his eyes returned to her face. "For tonight, I may've taken advantage of the fact that Sesshoumaru is a majority shareholder of the club. Maybe threw the family name around a little, too."
Her fingers falling still, Kagome blinked at him a few times while that comment about Sesshoumaru sunk into her brain.
Just how powerful was Sesshoumaru? He financed the retrofitting of Inuyasha's building. Apparently owned some banks? Now, she was learning he basically owned the most prominent demon club in all of Tokyo? Remembering how Maru called him Lord Sesshoumaru made a rumble of discomfort flit through Kagome's insides.
Given what Inuyasha had told her on Wednesday about his family and the angst being a Taisho—and a half-demon—sometimes caused him, Kagome didn't know whether to melt with appreciation for his thoughtfulness or reprimand him for doing something so unnecessary, like taking advantage of his family's prestige for her benefit. She wanted Inuyasha to know how much she lov—liked him—because he's him, not because he's a Taisho.
Maybe even a lord? Kagome needed to find a subtle way to ask him about that.
"Sesshoumaru is—what?"
Inuyasha chuckled. "Yeah, he bought up a chunk of shares a few years ago; Rin's a big fan of where we're goin'." His eyes turned to Kagome then, a leery smugness in the way he narrowed his eyelids and pinched his brow at her. "She's a big fan of you, too, Kagome."
Kagome's heart dropped into her stomach so violently she felt the echo of it throughout her midriff. "Oh—um, oh geez! She...told you about earlier?"
Inuyasha snorted, displacing his hand on her knee to intertwine his fingers with hers, holding her hand tightly in her lap. "Why didn't you tell me you met them?"
Them.
He knew she also met Sesshoumaru.
Guilt had Kagome's heart beating faster. "I don't know—I didn't want to make anything weird for you. I also didn't know how to bring it up. What was I supposed to say? Oh hey, Inuyasha—" She threw her voice for good measure— "I'm super excited for our date! You're looking deliciously handsome this evening... Oh, by the way, I ran into your brother and future sister earlier today. Your scary-as-heck half-brother knows you marked me and seemed kinda weird about it, and your sister-in-law invited me to some wedding event next weekend as your date—how funny is that?"
Inuyasha was silent for a few seconds, looking at her like she had three eyeballs before a laugh shook his shoulders. "You wouldn't've needed to say it like that—except maybe the delicious part," he threw in with a quirk of his eyebrow, the scoundrel. "Why'd you think it'd be weird for me knowin' you met them?"
Kagome shrugged, her eyes on his hand in her lap. She gave herself a few much needed heartbeats to catch her breath. "We're out for our first date, Inuyasha," she emphasized, as if no further explanation should be necessary. "I didn't want you feeling uncomfortable that I just so happened to meet the family, which I know can be something people put off until they've been dating a while or whatever." Kagome's pulse jumped into her throat. "I was worried you'd think it too much, too soon given how anti-relationship you've been." Her cheeks heated underneath the look he gave her. "Plus, I know things are kinda complicated with you and your brother. Call me selfish, but I didn't want to interject any weirdness into our night."
"Is this somethin' you're feeling weird about? Having met them?"
Kagome blinked at him, surprised by the question. "No, not at all! I mean—Sesshoumaru was kinda...intimidating," she laughed nervously, "but Rin was really sweet—I like her a lot. I promise I didn't not say anything because I was uncomfortable. I was only worried about you and how this would make you feel."
Inuyasha squeezed her fingers at that. "Kagome, I'm tellin' you, it's fine—I'm not upset or weirded out or whatever that you ran into them." He slouched in his seat a little, a look of amusement tinting his features. "I knew somethin' was up when my phone kept lighting up with text after text from Rin," he said with a curt snigger. "It wasn't until the fifth or so message that I saw she was tellin' me off for not tellin' 'em about you."
Kagome bit her cheek. "She really sent you a bunch of texts about me?"
"Yeah," he snorted as a laugh. "She's a sweet girl—I dunno what the hell she sees in my brother—but she's a fuckin' busybody." He said it in a way that sounded affectionate and it made Kagome smile. "I dunno what you said to her that got her so excited, but she went on and on about you until I finally told her to can it." He scoffed a mirthful sound that could have been a brusque laugh. "She called you my girlfriend, by the way." He eyed Kagome suspiciously, a devious curve to one side of his lips. "Where'd she get that idea?"
Hearing the word girlfriend come out of his mouth, and knowing he said it in reference to her, made it very difficult for Kagome to meet his eye all of a sudden. Her cheeks were so hot they felt sunburnt. "Sango told them we're seeing each other," Kagome answered in a small voice. "She kinda made it sound like we're, uh, together-together."
"I see," he answered after a pause with a thoughtful nod of his head. "So, Sango thinks we're together, does she? And now apparently Rin and Sesshoumaru do, too?"
Kagome stared and stared at her lap, lost for words, her ears burning with a muddled, heart-racing heat. She couldn't believe they were actually talking about this. And with an audience no less. Well, a driver who was sort of, not really, an audience, but privy enough to this flustering-as-all-hell conversation that it made Kagome's heart want to blast from her chest.
"What do you think, Kagome? Are we?"
She looked up at him, too absorbed in her own head to fully register the question. "Are we what?"
"Seein' each other?" Then, as if that wasn't clear enough, to make her heart beat even harder, he added, "Together-together?"
Why the hell was he asking her this? Shouldn't this be something he knew the answer to? If a pair was, in fact, a pair, wouldn't both halves know they were a crucial and necessary member of said pair?
Kagome looked up at him like she was surprised he wasn't teasing or bickering with her about this. It took a few seconds for her mouth to remember how to operate. "I, uh, know we claimed each other, uh, physically, from the whole marking thing yesterday, but—I didn't think—uh..."
What the actual hell sorta question is that, Inuyasha? Her mind lamented with an irate tone. How can you ask me that? You were literally telling me just a week ago that you didn't want big, emotional guarantees! You said you didn't want to feel like we were getting ahead of ourselves! You were the one who didn't want to weigh us down with definitions or labels or anything structured!
Now you have the chutzpah to ask me if we're together? Are you freaking kidding me?
Kagome felt overwhelmed and conflicted by the words he had uttered last Friday when she revealed how she felt about him, when she disclosed her change in heart about a physical relationship. She couldn't rectify that past conversation with what he just said, questioning if they were seeing each other, if they were together.
Could someone truly change their mind about what they wanted in such a relatively short span of time?
Well, yes—because that technically happened for Kagome.
The possibilities had her heart racing up her throat, her blood drilling in her ears.
If it was possible that Kagome had changed her mind about what she wanted with him, couldn't the same be said for Inuyasha? Isn't it feasible that his mind and his wants could change—do a complete one-eighty—in just seven days?
After all, the two of them had been quite busy in those seven days. They'd emotionally and physically covered a lot of ground together. He had somewhat acceptable impetus for a change in heart.
Inuyasha chuckled, stealing her wordlessness away. Kagome grew frustrated for how calm he seemed. She wanted to know why she was the flustered one. Inuyasha was supposed to be the emotions-make-me-weird one, not her!
He stroked his knuckles down a very red, very warm cheek. "Have I ever told you you're cute when you blush like this?"
Kagome blushed even more from that comment. "Glad to know my discomfort amuses you," she mumbled.
Inuyasha studied her for a moment before cupping her nape beneath her hair, his tone softening. "You actually feelin' uncomfortable, Kagome?"
"I mean—maybe more embarrassed than uncomfortable. Actually," she paused to giggle nervously—it had been a while since she felt this uneasy, intimidated, around Inuyasha and she felt stupid for it— "I don't know what I'm feeling." She swallowed past a lump in her throat that was all kinds of noticeable. She knew he could probably feel how clammy her skin was from how nervous and flummoxed she felt.
Inuyasha leaned towards her. She could hear the draw of air through his nostrils as he breathed in her scent. "What're you embarrassed about?"
When all Kagome wanted to do was deny her feelings, to hide from his question, to defer this conversation, her words from a lifetime ago came back.
Why is it our impulse to hide our true feelings under the guise of decency or modesty? Like yeah, the truth can be ugly, or can make one feel vulnerable, but isn't honesty supposed to be liberating? It feels good to tell the truth, doesn't it?
Yes, Kagome was feeling vulnerable, scared even of what this truth would mean and where it would lead them. But she knew that she'd be the biggest hypocrite in the history of hypocrites if she asked Inuyasha to be honest with her about overwhelming feelings but then hightailed it as soon as she had to address her own big feelings.
Don't panic. Be honest, her mind began to chant.
Inuyasha's expression seemed to sunder, like her own fear was infectious and had given him the sense that he, too, needed to be worried.
Kagome straightened in her seat, deciding she'd had enough of her childishness, of her panic, of her tendency to assume the worst when it came to Inuyasha.
Caring about Inuyasha—loving Inuyasha—wasn't anything to be embarrassed about or ashamed of.
It was about time she started acting like it.
"Maybe embarrassed isn't even the right word," she heard herself saying. "I'm mostly surprised, honestly, 'cause it sounds like you've maybe had a change in heart about what you want with me." She moistened her tongue to continue speaking, which felt like an arduous process. "I guess I was also startled by how nice it sounded—you referring to me as your girlfriend."
Inuyasha looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, his thumb stroking the sensitive flesh beneath her earlobe. That moment of silence lasted way too long for Kagome's sanity. His face looked blank, which had her heart pounding even more. Because blank could mean anything.
"Tell me what you're thinking," she whispered, her eyes slow to meet his.
He sighed a contemplative sort of sound.
Kagome didn't know what she was expecting him to say, but it wasn't what he ended up saying.
"My scent on you, from the type of marking we did yesterday, is different than if I had claimed you some other way—I don't really how to explain it. Demons can tell the scents apart, knowin' what kind of claim was made on a female."
Kagome's cheeks flushed, her head bowed towards him so she could whisper. "So, your brother would've been able to tell that you claimed me by licking me and not because we had sex?"
Inuyasha nodded. "It's still an obvious claim, bein' marked by saliva, but it's different, not as strong as other methods."
Which makes sense, she considered, since saliva marking is the most temporary.
Kagome wore a wary expression as she asked, "Why'd you bring this up?"
"'Cause Sesshoumaru knows that markin' a woman with my saliva likely means more than her bein' claimed cause we fucked."
Right, she thought, because there's intentionality behind marking with saliva. Whereas claiming just happens as a result of having sex.
Somehow, knowing that Sesshoumaru knew Inuyasha licked her made her stomach somersault even more violently. Kagome also couldn't shake the sudden concern that Inuyasha was talking about the two of them being together simply because his brother probably assumed they were.
She didn't know how to feel about that, but she wasn't feeling great.
Kagome sighed a lengthy exhale from her nose, embarrassment making her stomach spool. "Sesshoumaru sniffing me was so not the first impression with your brother I was hoping for."
"Second impression," Inuyasha corrected with a toothy smirk, squeezing her fingers. "You were yellin' at me in a parking lot the first time he saw you."
"That doesn't make me feel remotely better," Kagome snorted self-deprecatingly, prompting a mirthful rumble of laughter from Inuyasha's throat.
He squeezed her fingers again. "Sesshoumaru may be a crotchety old bastard, Kagome, but he's not nearly as much of an asshole as he used to be. You can probably thank Rin for that—she's mellowed him out a bunch."
"So, he's not being weird about knowing you've claimed me?"
Inuyasha knit his brows. "Why would he be weird about that? He's gonna be marrying a human in a couple of months."
"How did that even come about?" Kagome asked, happy for the distraction from discussing the status of her and Inuyasha's pseudo-relationship. "This intimidating demon lord who goes from hating humans to tolerating humans to loving one enough to marry her?"
"They're mates."
Kagome blinked at him like she didn't hear what he said, like she couldn't believe how nonchalantly and plainly he said it. "But...she's a human. You told me mating is a demon thing! How is that—?"
"Demons recognize mating as a relationship between two souls. Sure, it's somethin' significant for demon relationships, but it's never been identified that mating is specific to demon souls. Sesshoumaru said he knew as soon as he and Rin met, and since Sesshoumaru basically took over in power for my dad after he died, not too many lesser demons are really willin' to fight him on it." Inuyasha gave Kagome a few seconds to soak that in before he added, "So, Sesshoumaru and Rin are gonna have both a human wedding and a demon mating ceremony."
Kagome didn't know whether to feel perplexed, alarmed, or amazed by this news. "So, they'll do the whole biting thing, too?"
Inuyasha laughed endearingly at Kagome's modest expression. "They already have. Lemme guess, Rin was wearing a turtleneck when you met her today?"
Kagome blinked up at him like how could he possibly have known that?
Inuyasha chuckled a low sound in his throat at her reaction. "For how often Sesshoumaru travels, he didn't want to leave Rin unprotected. They completed the mating bite process once they got engaged."
"And a mating bite is the most significant form of claiming," Kagome stated, remembering Inuyasha's words from before. When he nodded, Kagome couldn't help but ask, "So, why the turtlenecks then? Is she embarrassed or something? Being a human mated to a demon? I'm guessing from your tone it's not all that common? A demon and human ending up together?"
Inuyasha scoffed wildly at that. "Not at all—it wasn't really widespread, public knowledge until my mom and old man."
"Your parents were mates?"
Inuyasha nodded.
That makes even more sense why Sesshoumaru felt weird towards Inuyasha's mom, Kagome thought pensively.
"And Rin's fuckin' ecstatic to be Sesshoumaru's mate," Inuyasha chuckled, addressing Kagome's other question. "She just hides the mark for now 'cause she says it's like wearin' a wedding band before gettin' married. She understands the practicality—"
"And possessiveness," Kagome snorted.
"—of them doin' it before the ceremony, but she's also sentimental about not showin' it off yet."
"So...she bit him back?"
He raised an amused eyebrow at her question and Kagome turned to face him with an incredulous lift to her brows. "What?" she laughed. "It's a legitimate question!"
Inuyasha laughed. "Yes, Kagome, that's how the mating bite works—it's reciprocal."
Kagome was silent to her musing for a few breaths. "Has Sesshoumaru or Rin told you at all what it felt like? Knowing and recognizing each other as mates?"
"Rin's far more emotive than Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha laughed, grabbing Kagome's hand and holding it in his lap, playing with her fingers while he spoke. "She said it was like love at first sight but less lame." Inuyasha looked at Kagome ruminatively while he spoke. "Rin described it to Kikyou, who then told me afterwards what Rin said. I've always been curious about the concept of mates, and obviously I didn't know what it felt like, havin' never met my mate, let alone knowin' if I even have one."
Inuyasha seemed to take a second for himself before continuing. "Rin described it like bein' an intense wanting. A longing and an irrefutable rightness when they were together. It was like somethin' inside her refused to let him walk away without her bein' tied to him in some way. An immediate comfort and attraction."
Kagome nodded like all that made sense. "And Sesshoumaru felt the same way about her, I presume?"
Inuyasha shrugged. "I would guess so—he hasn't said as much. All's I know is that when the two of them started hangin' out more, Miroku and I knew somethin' was up. Especially 'cause Sesshoumaru went from callin' her human to actually usin' her name, which, I mean, is a big deal for Sesshoumaru, since he doesn't really call humans by their names." Inuyasha chuffed a laugh. "Miroku once said it's like someone not namin' a pet 'cause they didn't wanna get attached when they'd just outlive the pet anyway."
Kagome scoffed a laugh at the analogy. As Inuyasha's words circled her brain for the second, third time, she found herself flushing. "Sesshoumaru, uh, called me your human after he sensed you'd marked me."
Inuyasha smiled at that. "Yeah?" When Kagome nodded with a pinkness coating her cheeks, he chuckled to himself. "I'd probably phrase it a different way than that, but...you are mine, Kagome."
"Yeah," she admitted. "I know that."
At least, physically.
"Do you?" The grip of his hand softened and his eyes widened and Kagome's heart kicked up several beats per minute.
"Well, yeah, you've made it pretty clear since claiming me yesterday. Besides," she added, straightening her shoulders and smiling up at him, "you're just as marked as I am, meaning you're just as much mine as I am yours."
"I suppose that's true."
"How does it feel?" Kagome asked, lowering her voice until it was a breathy echo of her regular alto. She leaned her face towards his so her lips could speak directly into his. "Belonging to some human?"
Inuyasha snorted, his nose brushing hers. "You're not just some human, Kagome." He leveled her a wry stare. "And I could ask you the same thing about bein' claimed by some half-demon."
Her lips barely grazed his. "You could never be just some half-demon to me, Inuyasha."
Inuyasha cupped her cheek. He bowed Kagome's head so he could rest his lips against her forehead in a little kiss that started hesitantly but turned into something tender and...lovely.
"Once we get back to my place, I dunno if I'm gonna be able to let you go after."
Kagome snorted a laugh against his Adam's apple, raising her head to look him in the eye. "You thinking about kidnapping me, Inuyasha?"
He chuckled at that, kissing the line of her jaw before sitting back in his seat. "Maybe," he grinned with a wicked, teasing little smirk, "you look awfully kidnap-able in that dress of yours." He sniffed a laugh. "I should tell Rin to design your clothes exclusively from now on, because I swear, Kagome, you look—" He stopped again, like he had done a few other times already and it brought a broad smile to lighten Kagome's features.
She giggled, giving his hand a little squeeze. "I'm glad you like the dress."
"I like what's in the dress more," he answered, his eyes lazily falling from her face to stroll their way to her breasts.
Kagome blushed. "Speaking of this dress and Rin—" She hoped that wasn't as awkward of a segue as it seemed in her head— "did Sesshoumaru happen to acknowledge meeting me at all?"
Inuyasha knit his brow like he didn't know why she asked that. "No, but then again, I'm used to Rin speakin' on behalf of both of them. Unless Sesshoumaru needs me for somethin' I don't typically hear from him."
"So, can I assume that means he doesn't hate me?"
Inuyasha sputtered an incredulous laugh. "Why the hell would you think he hates you?"
Kagome tried to laugh away her uneasiness. "I don't know! You're his little brother who he tolerates-slash-cares-about-slash-is-kinda-protective-over—" Inuyasha rolled his eyes at that with a throaty scoff— "Rin said they suspected you were seeing someone and I dunno—maybe I just feel like I have big shoes to fill or expectations to meet."
"Kagome." Inuyasha's tone wasn't exactly sour, but she could hear an intensity and seriousness that definitely wasn't there before. "There are no shoes to fill, you hear me? And no goddamn expectations. Yeah, okay, maybe Rin overstepped or jumped the gun a bit by inviting you to their wedding bullshit after you said we're goin' on our first date, but you don't have to prove yourself to anyone, least of all my brother."
He sighed heatedly and Kagome risked looking up into his eyes, eager to read the expression he wore. "When it comes to you and me, I know shit's already hard for you not to catastrophize—"
"I do not catastrophize!"
"—but I don't want this—you meetin' them—to get you all bent outta shape. I'm okay that they met you, that they know you exist, that they know we're seein' each other, but I don't want you worryin' you got a role to play or that anyone is expecting anythin' from you." He lifted their combined hands to place a kiss against the back of her hand. "Just enjoy yourself tonight, alright? Allow us to enjoy each other and don't worry about them."
Kagome chewed on the inside of her cheek, her face warm and flustered. "I was more worried about your reaction," she sighed. "They had front row seats to your relationship with Kikyou, given she and Rin were friends. After everything that happened between you two, I can appreciate if you didn't want your family to know about me, if you wanted stuff between us to be kept private."
"Kagome," Inuyasha groused on a breathy exhale, "you say that as if you expect me to be—I dunno—embarrassed about you or somethin'..."
"I don't think that," she said quickly, "but you had a very visible relationship for a while, and I can appreciate if you were hoping to keep what we're doing just between us. You've also been very clear up until now that you didn't want to feel pressured into a relationship. Your brother assuming we're in a relationship, because you've claimed me, could make you feel obligated to be in one, and I don't want that...for either of us."
"Kagome, just...no," Inuyasha said with a small, joyless laugh. "If I'm in a relationship with you it's 'cause I wanna be with you. I couldn't give a shit what Sesshoumaru thinks."
He snorted as if to emphasize his point. "I don't mind that they know about us, Kagome."
Us.
God, what a beautiful two letter word, especially when spoken from his full lips.
"If doin' the brunch thing next week has you feelin' uncomfortable at all, we don't have to—"
"No, it's completely up to you!" Kagome interrupted with a frantic waving of her hands. "Rin was really sweet, and even though I think your brother was trying to intimidate me—"
"'Cause he's an asshole," Inuyasha scoffed.
"—I really liked meeting them, Inuyasha, honest and truly. I'd be happy to go with you. That is, if you want me to."
He stared at her like he didn't understand. "Why wouldn't I want you to?"
Because then you'd have to introduce me to people who aren't strangers to you, people who knew Kikyou. Because then you'd probably have to say, 'This is Kagome, my Insert Noun Here'.
"Do you want me to go with you?"
Inuyasha sighed like this back and forth was getting old. "Kagome, you're mine. I've claimed you and I'm gonna be doin' a shit-ton more claiming tonight—" He cupped her jaw and guided her face forward so he could kiss her; he didn't seem to care about being marked by her lipstick— "I'm takin' you out for a meal tonight and happily showin' you off as mine. Why would I shy away from doin' that again next week?"
"Because..." Kagome fidgeted in her seat, her palms growing clammy.
He raised an eyebrow. "Because?"
"Because you said you were going to treat me like I'm yours tonight. And next week is...well, next week."
Inuyasha's eyebrow found a way to lift even higher to scrape his bangs. "And since she seems to have forgotten, I had also said that, if I like how it feels, I would keep it up."
Kagome blushed at that. "Brunch next week is also a family thing."
"And...that's weird for you?"
"Is that not weird for you? That you'd be taking me to something that you—that you—?" Would take a girlfriend to?
Before this moment, Kagome had never felt so in need of a label or a roadmap when it came to Inuyasha. She didn't know if she could manage finding her way through being Inuyasha's plus-one if the two of them didn't have more of a concrete understanding of what they were doing together outside of being physically and sexually claimed.
Kagome knew she was in panic territory and took a couple deep breaths, willing her heart to slow.
Inuyasha kissed her forehead. "The only thing that's weird right now is you, Kagome."
She snorted a laugh at that and leaned against Inuyasha's shoulder. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine," he said into her bangs, resting his lips there. "I can't say I was expectin' us to have to worry about this shit so soon."
Kagome peered up at him with a questioning gaze. "Define this shit."
Inuyasha chuckled. "Rin wanted a long engagement. Sesshoumaru travels for work pretty often, gone for weeks at a time, so we did the bachelor party when things were slower for him at the end of the summer. They're doin' a winter wedding with lots of parties and shit—both human and demon—between now and then to celebrate their engagement. I thought you and me would have some time to settle into things before we'd have to talk about you goin' to any wedding-related stuff."
She couldn't believe what she just heard. "You expected us to talk about this at some point? You thought you'd be taking me to wedding things?" Kagome's head was spinning to the point she braced a hand on the car door to help her feel steadier.
It didn't help.
What signs did she miss? Was there some conversation they'd had or exchange they'd shared where Inuyasha bridged the gap of what he used to want and apparently what he wanted now? How could Kagome not have suspected any of this?
Inuyasha's eyebrows creased like he didn't understand the question. "Kagome, I keep thinkin' you're missin' the point behind bein' claimed. If you're mine—you're my girl—why don't you think I'd be takin' you out and doin' shit with you like that?"
My girl.
Kagome felt her heart rush into her head, her pulse becoming all she could hear. She was dizzy. She felt faint like she couldn't have really heard those two little words. They certainly couldn't have been directed at her.
Did...did Inuyasha really think of Kagome as his girl?
When the fuck did that happen?
And how the fuck did Kagome miss it?
Kagome's cheeks were consumed with a reddish heat that had her heart revving its engine to take off. "M-maybe I'm an idiot or just dense—I dunno—but I...didn't think you...liked me like that."
Inuyasha's creased brows became even more wrinkled after that last comment, causing Kagome to panic and keep talking.
"Listen," she sighed, squeezing his hand, "I'm sorry we're having this conversation on a night when things are supposed to be light and carefree for us. I promise once we move on from this conversation I'll stop being all Kagome about this."
She squeezed his hand again like it would give her the strength to see her way through what she needed to say. "This entire time, Inuyasha, you've been upfront with me that you were fine to feel things out so long as there was no expected commitment or a requirement that something happen between us. So, I didn't think you could have feelings for me because that would imply an emotional relationship when you told me you don't want that."
She felt spurred into saying more when Inuyasha's brows creased so significantly it formed two solid ridges above his nose. "I-I thought what we're doing would be this fun little whatever where we'd have good sex, and be good friends, and yeah maybe it could turn into something more." She paused to take a breath, keenly avoiding Inuyasha's wide-eyed stare that she felt in her periphery. "But, I knew that also meant the possibility that this wouldn't go anywhere, that maybe you'd eventually grow tired of me, or just wouldn't feel attached to me that way, and that would be it."
Kagome's heartrate was out of control. She licked her lips, flinching when she remembered she was wearing a dark red lipstick and she probably had some on her teeth now.
"Everything you've just said has me feeling confused because—" Oh, fuck, here we go— "I've grown really attached to you, Inuyasha, and I had just assumed that things between us were one-sided—that I cared deeply for you but you were still working through what you wanted emotionally—which is so okay, more than okay. I assumed you just wanted to focus on the physical while you figured out the emotional stuff."
She steeled herself, having gotten to the point she wanted to make that she felt the least brave about. "But, I do need to ask you to help me understand what is going on here, Inuyasha. Because, it's one thing to hear you talk about physically marking me and claiming my body as a result. But, I'm hearing you call me your girl and saying that you might want me to tag along to your brother's wedding things, and my brain is making me want to assume there's something else going on, something emotional, and I'm just...confused and scared to be optimistic. So—" She decided to be brave and look at him— "Can you bring me up to speed and tell me what is going on?"
Inuyasha stared at her for a few heavy seconds like he didn't know what to say. "Now, I'm confused," he snorted as an embarrassed laugh. "Kagome, if there's somethin' goin' on between us, somethin' emotional, me callin' you my girl—is that stuff...bad or do you not—?"
"No!" she basically shouted, her face engulfed in flames when she saw the driver startle from her outcry. "Oh god, no, Inuyasha, it's not bad at all! I couldn't even begin to tell you how happy I'd be if there was something more between us! You know I have feelings for you—" She blushed, a nervous laugh coming to life in her throat— "I guess I just—I'm just a little shocked to hear that maybe you like me more than I thought you did."
"Kagome..."
She hadn't realized she had looked away from him again until she found her eyes autonomously seeking him out. She expected to find his face wearing a chiding or teasing rebuke, but there was nothing but kindness and a tender sort of sheen to his eye when she met his gaze.
His words were soft—probably the gentlest he'd ever spoken to her. "How could I not like you?"
She opened her mouth and then paused, not sure if that was meant to be a rhetorical question or not.
"Kagome, you—I was—" He paused, taking a deep breath, then started over. "Things with you have turned into somethin' I wasn't expectin', but that doesn't mean I don't like it." He snorted a chuckle, a light, little sound of awkwardness, as his hand found its way back on her thigh. "I know I said I was lookin' forward to seein' if there's romantic interest tonight, but I was an idiot for sayin' that, 'cause I didn't need to go on a date with you to know that I like bein' with you, Kagome."
Holy shit, what was he saying? Her body couldn't decide if it was hot or cold, if her heart was going to stop or explode. Was twenty-nine too young for a heart attack?
Inuyasha's grip tightened on her thigh. His words grew even smoother, velvety. "Then Wednesday night happened and it just solidified for me how much of a fuckin' moron I'd be not to keep you." Inuyasha rubbed at the back of his head like his brain suddenly caught up with his words and his cheeks coloured.
Kagome opened her mouth like there were words she'd be capable of saying right now, but she froze.
There were only his words circling her head, her pulse ravaging her chest, Inuyasha's hand preventing her from floating away.
Her brain couldn't think, let alone fathom speaking coherently.
"Listen," he mumbled, a fidget blossoming in his hips, "last week, you said you wanted me to be upfront with you about how I'm feelin', and I'm gonna be, Kagome, but—"
He paused to tongue his bottom lip, looking like it was taking a good shove of courage to get out what he wanted to say. He sighed heavily, his eyes darting back and forth, trying to process unspoken words on the tip of his tongue.
"I kinda had a plan for this over dinner tonight," he finally said in a tone that made Kagome yearn for him more than she already did. "The fact we're talkin' about this now, in the car, is, uh, kinda throwin' me." He scoffed a self-deprecating laugh that had Kagome smiling and fighting back happy tears. "Do you think, Kagome, your overthinkin'-prone brain would survive if we paused this conversation for like...an hour, so we can do this the way I wanted to?" He leaned forward to kiss her forehead again, taking a deep whiff of her hair that had Kagome's eyes shuttering closed.
How could I not like you?
I didn't need to go on a date with you to know that I like bein' with you, Kagome.
Inuyasha has feelings for her.
Inuyasha likes her. Like...he likes her likes her!
Was she still breathing? Was she even capable of speaking right now?
Is this was happiness felt like? Vast, boundless, cosmic happiness?
Holy fuck, what Kagome felt—the relief she felt—had her feeling like she could either scream, cry, or throw up.
You just need to answer him for now, Kagome.
Fuck, right! He asked me a question!
"Um, yeah—yes," she gulped. "Of course."
Inuyasha sniffed a laugh. "You look like you're panicking," he said in a hushed tone, his mouth beside her head, warming her hair.
"I'm not panicking," she said quietly in a timbre that completely undermined her.
"You sure?" He pressed a kiss to her cheek then leaned back to smile at her. "This kinda looks like a Kagome panicking face."
She snorted at that, a goofy smile sliding up her face. "I promise I'm not panicking," she giggled, feeling bubbles in her stomach and a lighter-than-air sensation in her chest. "I'm not remotely upset to hear that you wanna talk to me later about how you kinda like me back."
Inuyasha chuckled, kissing her forehead again, a colour to his cheeks she didn't notice before. "I promise I'll put your brain outta its misery at dinner, alright?"
She looked up at him, admiration and longing written clearly all over her face. "You seem oddly composed about this when my heart is feeling like it might burst."
"Burst with panic?" He teased.
She snorted, bumping his shoulder with hers. "What I feel is—" She felt her words falter from the look he wore, the soft, adoring way his eyes roamed over her face— "I promise it's not panic," she repeated.
"Can I ask for a truth, Kagome?"
"Words are a little hard for me right now, but I'll try," she answered with a humourless laugh.
Inuyasha chuckled. "You feelin' nervous about what I gotta say?"
"Maybe a little," she admitted, not wanting to allow her brain or heart to jump in and try to demand answers now, to fill in the blanks about what he was hoping to say, what he planned to say over dinner.
"Me too," he replied quietly, his eyes falling from hers.
"Good," she giggled faintly, "that makes me feel a little less dumb for wigging out about—" about possibly being your girlfriend, Kagome almost said before she stopped herself.
Inuyasha opened his mouth like he was going to tell her to finish that thought, but the motionlessness of the vehicle and the driver exiting the cabin had both Kagome and Inuyasha looking out their respective windows.
Turns out they were here.