Lest the Past Haunts Me

by mauigurl808

The past can be a haunting memory or a terrifying reality. For Kagome, she just wanted to pursue her love for dancing while trying to hide from her past finding her. Inuyasha, Kikyo's choreographer, would be the only one who would break down her walls and find his way into her heart. But would it be too late? Can anyone run from their past?

29. C29- We'll Work It Out

Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the last chapter and didn't get turned away by the drama and angst :) I know it was a lot... but everything was bound to come out eventually. And that's how it ended up coming out! We all know that Inu/Kag are meant for each other, so let's see how they work this out. I, for one, am excited and surprised about what's to come up soon. Before the concert. Inu hints at something at the end and I am TOTALLY excited for it ^_^

Anyway... I would like to post either a Thanksgiving chapter or a Christmas chapter before the end of 2022. So I will work on that. I was able to work on this chapter and grind at it for the past couple of days because I got covid so I've been isolating (which sucks). But my symptoms were much like a cold for the first couple days but I'm much better now. The only lingering symptom I have is loss of taste/smell, which sucks! But oh well...

I will try my best to update one (cross fingers for two) chapter(s) by the end of 2022. For now... Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Read at your own discretion- *Lemon*

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R2R- I will keep this chapter's "response to reviews" short

susu-anon: Haha! Thanks for your review. I felt and heard your words you were screaming at poor Inu lol. But I know you still feel sorry for him and understand where he's coming from. He just needs to understand from Kag's perspective and why she did/does what she did/does. As for a Christmas special... I will try to work on it :) Who said sexy time is over? Ever heard of "make up sex"? lol ;) Oh and thanks for warning me about fanfiction possibly shutting down. I appreciate the love to keep my stories alive.

hive-chan: Thanks for your review. I understand your frustration with both of them (Inu and Kags). Inu being hurt and accusing Kags to hurt her back while Kags running away when things get tough because she lied and hid the truth from Inu. They just need to work it out and agree to communicate. Hopefully this chapter is the start of that. Oh, and Inu is one of the best choreographers in Japan, and that's due to his "perfectionism" and his great work ethics and attention to detail.

anime-geek: Thanks for your review. I'm glad you liked the bit with Kikyo coming in at the end. I wanted her to be more supportive on Inu and his choices, while also working through her stuff. The more she's around the two, the more she realizes she stands no chance. So it's good for her to see. But also we can't forget that she was once a good friend to Inu before feelings changed everything, so I wanted them to get back to that. I hope Kik/Kags will have a good friendship in the future.

MinxieXCX: Thanks for your review. I'm glad you don't see Sai as the bad guy. He really isn't. He's just another man who fell in love with Kags and she needs to make the final choice. He really is a good guy, though. Naraku on the other hand... yeah. He's manager, so we can't do much without him. But maybe he'll be put in his place eventually?

Rosie B: Thanks for your review. I listened to that song by Demi. Yeah it is a dark, sad twist to where the story could go. I totally get it, especially with Inu/Kag's back and forth. I struggle to think about Sai and what will happen to him. Kags is so desperately and undeniably in love with Inu that Sai has no chance. But we see how he gets "let go".

xsophiex: Thanks for your review. I know we have a bipolar couple. But don't give up on them :) They'll find their way back. They love each other. Kags is still uncovering her flaws, her bad habits from her past, so to say. So the more she realizes the things she does and why, the more she needs to talk about them with Inu so that they both don't jump to conclusions. This chapter hopefully is the start of that.

ins-sitter: Thanks for your review. Oh man... the birthday party. Well... something exciting will happen before that. You might be more excited for that than the bday party ;) But I know there's so my hype and expectation for the party. We'll see how it delivers

vanessa: Thanks for your review. Loved the cigarette pause ;) I know... this chapter was a lot. But thank goodness everything's finally out there. I know these two are, like, bipolar. Hopefully this chapter they start to work on their issues in communication. And Kags is realizing things about herself that will hopefully prevent really bad decisions being made again.

amyreads: Thanks for your reviews. Yes, Midoriko tells Kags something about her trends with men. And I love Midoriko for her bluntness. But Kags starts to realize some things about herself, especially in the way she communicates (or lack thereof) and runs. So hopefully her and Inu can talk and work out their communication issues to prevent anything else major from happening again. As for writing more IY AUs... not planning on it. One story at a time. But I am planning on writing a Seven Deadly Sins AU. It's been on my mind for a while, since the final season came out.

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Inuyasha walked out of the elevator and noticed the two women at the receptionist desk on the side, moving to stand when they noticed him exit the elevator. What he didn't expect was to see his father standing at the desk.

"Lord Inuyasha," both women said in unison, bowing. His father cocked his head to look at him, his smile quickly leaving him.

"What happened?"

Inuyasha smirked, shaking his head. His father saw too much sometimes that it was irritating when it came to hiding anything from him. "I came to talk to Sesshomaru," he said, hoping that would stop his father's questions. He went to stand next to his father, noticing the many pieces of paper scattered along the desk. "What's all this?" he asked, picking one up to see that it was a projected pie graph of gains and losses.

"Your brother and I are looking over some projections the team put together after last night's meeting with Okano. And your deflection of my question won't help you." Inutaisho stared at his son with a look that knew and saw too much. "Are you wearing your rosary?"

"Yes, Father." He placed the paper down and started for the hallway, hoping his father wouldn't follow. But as usual, his hopes were dashed when he felt his father keep in step with him as they walked the hall. His father was dressed in a navy suit perfectly tailored to him, making him seem all the more powerful and respectable. Throughout the centuries, they had all found their niche, their passions that they chose to pursue in an era. Right now, his father and brother ran a multi-million dollar business and he chose to be a choreographer for a pop-star. He still had to run the company with his father and brother, but he wasn't as involved in the many business deals since a desk job really wasn't his thing. His father and brother was better at negotiations, paperwork and people than he was. He enjoyed more movement, a change in scenery and not being stuck in an office every day.

"Why the talk with Sesshomaru?" Inutaisho asked, keeping his guard up but knowing that something was off with his youngest.

"Sesshomaru's men have been finding out about Kagome's ex by digging into her past."

Inutaisho nodded, knowing everything that has been going on with that. Sesshomaru's men worked for their family and they were ordered to tell him their discoveries after telling Sesshomaru. He let his eldest lead the search since he knew Sesshomaru loved tracking people. It brought him a sense of victory and joy when he found his target, no matter if Sesshomaru ever outwardly showed that joy. However, he still wanted to be kept updated since he would also do what he could to help find Kagome's ex and kill him.

"His men have updated me every step of the way. They met with your brother last night."

"That's what I wanted to talk to him about," Inuyasha said with a nod, receiving a text from Sesshomaru this morning. After all that had transpired since last night, checking his phone only came after the others left the apartment and he had time to be alone in his thoughts. He needed to talk to Sesshomaru and then, hopefully, go see Kagome.

"Have you found something?" Inutaisho asked, curious.

"Yeah."

They didn't speak until they got to Sesshomaru's door and opened it, heading in.

"Is that why you smell like alcohol?" Inutaisho asked.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Even though he brushed his teeth, his stomach was still full of alcohol and with his father's nose, he knew everything. He saw his brother sitting at his desk, his head coming up once they had entered, and he tidied up his paperwork to give them his full attention.

"I drank two bottles last night."

"Two bottles? What happened?" Now Inutaisho was even more worried and curious since he knew what last night had been. And if Inuyasha did drink that much while human, he would've blacked out, probably even got sick.

"Kagome and I talked."

Now Sesshomaru's interest piqued, clearly hearing their conversation as they made their way to sit on the chairs across from him. "You showed her?"

"Yep."

Inutaisho waited, getting comfortable in the chair, but the silence stretched on. "Did she not take it well?"

"Oh no, she took it well. She accepted me," he said, sighing heavily, running his palms on the arms of the chair. "She told me about her childhood with hanyou children and I guess that knowledge helped with breaking the surprise once I transformed. She knew about it but had never seen it before. And she loved me for it. She loved me for who I am."

Inutaisho leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees, staring at his youngest. "Loved?"

The silence stretched on between the three of them. But thankfully, his family enjoyed the silence. So it was easier for him to remain silent, choosing to speak when he was ready. They didn't rush him and they didn't move. They simply waited.

"I think... Kagome wants nothing more to do with me." He brought his hand up, running his palm over his face. "I asked her to share her secrets since I shared all the secrets I had. She put up a fight at first... until I asked her about her real name."

Sesshomaru's eyebrow cocked. "And what did she say?"

"She got defensive at first, asking why I was digging into her past. When I told her that I was looking through her to find her ex, that's when she broke down. I swear," he said, remembering that look on her face, "The look of shear terror on her face when I told her that. If I had been myself, I would've smelt her fear as easy as seeing it on her face."

"Why was she afraid?" Inutaisho asked, confused.

Inuyasha sighed, thinking over everything they talked about last night. "I think she doesn't want him to find her. Or maybe she doesn't want any way for him to get to her. And if I find him, then maybe he can find her through me." Inuyasha shrugged not really sure. "All I know is that she's terrified of him."

Inutaisho noticed Inuyasha's stillness. His entire body was poised, his eyes focused on the ground in front of him. He looked to his eldest, who looked his way to confirm he noticed the change, but the two waited for Inuyasha to continue.

"I know who he is..." Inuyasha said slowly, envisioning Koga's face. He could feel his demon reaching, trying to escape, to tear the wolf's throat out for ever hurting and threatening Kagome. He had been to enough engagements to know about that repulsive wolf and had lived through enough years to know about that family and their disgusting businesses. "It's Koga."

Inutaisho stood suddenly and began pacing on his side of the room, the energy suddenly charging like electric sparks in the air for a few seconds. "Tell me."

Inuyasha glanced at his father quickly, sensing his father's anger. He inwardly felt a sense of calm with his rage and focus. He could also feel Sesshomaru's anger, though he wore his mask well, but the electric sparks in the room was caused by all three of their energies and emotions. Koga had no chance. His family did not get along with the Nakashima family, but over the years they have found an impasse and have tolerated one another. However, their relationship was like thin ice, any movement could break the tension. This was such movement and he knew his family would not tolerate the Nakashimas any longer now that his mate's life is threatened by them.

"His family were the ones who supplied Kagome's parents their dope. Her father dealt with Koga and brought Kagome along once. From then on, he wanted Kagome at every dope deal. He made a deal with Kagome's father to give him a lifetime of dope in exchange for Kagome's hand in marriage."

"So he's her ex," Sesshomaru reiterated, leaning back in his chair with his fingertips pressed together in front of his lips.

Inuyasha's eyes went to his brother's. "They're still married." That was one of the very few times he ever saw his brother show an emotion. Surprise. Even his father stopped pacing.

"Koga is the one who pushed Kagome over the second floor railing?" Inutaisho asked, his words coming out low and deadly, as if it meant nothing to him if Koga was married to Kagome. He stared out at the city.

"Yes." 'The wolf has a death sentence.' Knowing his father, he would exact revenge for Kagome. For someone to have hurt a member of his pack, his family, his father would not tolerate it. His father, the males of their family, were very protective of their females. And harm done to a family member was not taken lightly. It became very, very personal.

"My men came to me last night to update me on their findings. They discovered Kagome's parents were Takeo and Hanako Higurashi," Sesshomaru informed.

Inuyasha nodded. "Kagome's birth name is Kagome Higurashi. She became Kagome Nakashima when she was eighteen, and she and her mother moved in to live with Koga." Inuyasha stared at the ground, finding it easier to focus all his energy and anger out on Koga, imagining all the ways he could kill that wolf, slowly. "Koga was the one who raped Kagome. He was the one who hurt her and abused her."

"Any ideas?" Sesshomaru asked, knowing what they were all thinking about.

Inuyasha shrugged, his eyes finally coming up to his brother. "Call off your men. Have them stop looking into Kagome and Koga."

Inutaisho went back to his seat, his anger just beneath the surface now, controlled. "The demon court is coming up in a few months. I think I will have a word with the older Nakashima, find out what they know about Koga and Kagome. We've always had a tense relationship with the wolves. Now, more than ever, I would say that there is no relationship."

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha nodded their heads. Inutaisho cocked his head, looking at Inuyasha.

"Speaking of Kagome... what was it you were mentioning that Kagome might want nothing more to do with you?"

Inuyasha sighed, leaning his head back a little to stare up at the ceiling. "I hurt her last night." He didn't want to tell his family his mistakes, he was ashamed of them, but he wanted to get it off his chest. "I said somethings... things that I knew weren't true, but that would hurt her."

"Why?" Inutaisho asked, wondering what happened between the two during this talk last night. It would explain why Inuyasha smelled like alcohol, especially after his human night, which he never drank heavily as a human.

"She told me about Koga, and the fact that she's still married. She told me about her job and what she actually does. She doesn't work for Starlite but instead she works for a gentlemen's club." He let that information sink in, feeling that sense of betrayal and hurt again. But, even though he felt that, he also felt sorrow. He didn't understand why Kagome couldn't tell him these things, why she thought he would judge her. 'But I did...' That hurt. But it was the truth. He did judge her, and hurt her, and that was why she never told him to begin with.

"Inuyasha... Kagome has her reasons for not telling you these things. But the truth of the matter is that she told you. The two of you have only been dating for a couple of months, but for you it feels like a lifetime because she is your mate. But she is still human. You cannot rush her. You need to look at it from her perspective," Inutaisho said, understanding that those two just needed to communicate and work it out, all was not lost. "Kagome has been alone all her life. Her parents abandoned her, almost daily, if they were drug addicts and supplied from Koga. She never had real parents who showed her what love is like, or what a stable family environment is like. She's never felt safe. And it sounds like she still doesn't. If she's still married, that means she's running from Koga. She may have been running all her life."

"Kagome's married and she's a gentlemen's girl," Sesshomaru said, feeling his mate's wisdom urge him to speak up. "She's had the opposite upbringing from you. She doesn't know what it means to be safe or to be loved. Yes, she may have lied and held back some truth from you. But it's not personal. People do that to protect themselves because what they've been doing all their lives is protecting themselves."

Inuyasha took in their words and felt like the heavy weight of betrayal and hurt was lifting. They were right, and that only made himself feel worse for how he treated her once she felt safe enough to tell him. What was the first thing he did?

"I broke her trust," he confessed, closing his eyes in pain. "She told me... and I just got angry because I was so hurt she never told me this earlier. I was hurt and I threw everything back in her face. I asked if she loved Koga, even though I know she doesn't. Who could love an abusive, scumbag like him? I brought out every lie she told me once I was able to piece everything together. And... I got so angry. I was angry at myself for falling for someone only to be treated like this again, like I was nothing to them. I was angry at her for not seeing how much I love her and for not trusting me to tell me the truth. I was so angry... so I just accused her of sleeping with her clients at the club."

The last bit he whispered, not wanting to say what he regretted the most. He knew the moment it slipped out of his mouth that it was a mistake. In his anger, he just wanted to hurt Kagome the way that she hurt him. The way that Kiyomi hurt him. The way that none of them seemed to appreciate how much and how hard he loves. He would do anything, kill anyone, for Kagome. He would give her anything she asked. And still she felt the need to lie to him to protect herself. And he didn't want to listen to her to understand where she was coming from.

"I didn't stop to listen to her. She kept saying that I didn't understand what she does at the club... but I didn't want to hear what she did with them. I didn't want to hear any of it," he said, suddenly standing up to mimic what his father had done a few minutes ago. He began pacing on his side of the room, staring at the walls and at the city, pacing back and forth .

"I never heard her out. And I hurt her when I accused her of having sex with her clients."

Inutaisho watched his youngest pace, so much like him. He smiled. "Do you believe that she cheated on you?"

"Never," Inuyasha said adamantly.

"Then tell her that," Sesshomaru said, sitting to lean his arms onto his desk. "The both of you said some things that hurt each other. And the both of you sounded like you were trying to protect yourselves. You have to remember that you also have a hurtful past that changed you, much like Kagome's hurtful past changed her. The both of you are just trying to survive without getting hurt again. Unfortunately, the two of you did hurt each other, probably more than your past ever did because of how much you love one another. But that love is the only thing that can heal the pain."

Inuyasha stopped pacing when he faced his brother's desk, cocking an eyebrow. "You terrify me with how much you sound like your mate sometimes."

"I terrify myself," Sesshomaru said, emotionless, not liking that he sounded like his mate, soft and compassionate, when he was anything but.

Inutaisho chuckled, moving to rest his head against the chair. "Your brother is right, Inuyasha. What are you going to do?"

"Well... I want to go and talk to her... but I'm scared she won't forgive me." He went to sit back down, defeated. He battled with himself, unsure whether or not he should go see her.

"The only thing you can do is try," Inutaisho confirmed. "Go talk to her. Tell her how you feel and explain to her everything you need to. For the both of your sakes, you need to close this conversation and right the hurt that the both of you feel. I know that the two of you love each other deeply, more than this little fight or misunderstanding. The two of you just need to listen to each other and love each other through it. Like your brother said, the both of you have traumatic pasts that taught you how to avoid pain and live in self-preservation mode. But the both of you also love each other more than yourselves, so that's enough to at least try and work this out."

Inutaisho had no doubt that the two were destined for one another. The way his youngest acts around Kagome is nothing like how he acted around Kiyomi. This was the way of mates. This was what Inuyasha missed with Kiyomi and was getting right with Kagome, and that came naturally with his demon instincts. Without even thinking, without the ritual, Inuyasha had claimed Kagome as his mate, as was his right. Inutaisho had no doubt that the two will find their way back to one another.

Inuyasha nodded his head, getting a clearer perspective now. His father and his brother spoke truth and gave him clarity. He and Kagome really needed to talk. He was not willing to give up on them. She was his mate, and he would prove to her that he loved her, that he would cherish her for all time if she let him. Yes, he wasn't perfect. But he would love her in all his imperfections, to the best of his ability, and give her everything that Koga didn't.

"I wanted to tell you to call your men off," Inuyasha said again, looking at his brother, getting ready to leave as he leaned forward in his chair. "Was there anything new your men found?"

Sesshomaru bent to grab the manila folder out of the bottom drawer, placing the file on his desk. "On top of finding her parents' names, they found Takeo's death records and believe that Hanako is still alive on Shikoku Island."

Inuyasha nodded, his voice going deadly. "If her father was still alive, I would've killed him by now." Inutaisho and Sesshomaru agreed without saying anything.

"They also found the hospital where Kagome was born by tracking the parents' records. I have reason to believe that Koga is responsible for commanding the hospital to destroy all of the family's records. My men was still able to find enough to track back to this hospital. And the midwife recognized Kagome because of her blue eyes, so I believe that is the hospital where she was born."

"The Nakashima family owns that island," Inutaisho reminded them. "They have setup their main headquarters there and live there most of the year. It makes sense that they could have such power as to influence a hospital."

Sesshomaru placed a hand on the manila folder. "I will burn this if you have no need of it."

"Burn it," Inuyasha said with a nod. "I have all I need."

Sesshomaru nodded his head. "I also had that meeting with Sai Okano right after."

This piqued Inuyasha's curiosity as his ears perked and he paid attention. Not because he cared about the business Okano had with his family but because of Sai's relationship with Kagome. He remembered that night at the charity event when he found Kagome with her hand against Sai's chest, too intimate for his liking. He knew then that Kagome knew Sai somehow, from somewhere, but she wouldn't tell him and he never probed.

"Sai was very disappointed when you didn't attend the meeting. His reason was that you had something that he wanted," Sesshomaru said slowly, guessing as to what Sai wanted from Inuyasha.

Inuyasha smirked, leaning back into the chair again. "He's one of Kagome's clients at the gentlemen's club. So that's why he requested me to be at that meeting," he said with a chuckle. "I thought it was strange that he wanted me there when I've never done business directly with him. Last I saw him was at the charity event with him holding Kagome's hand against his chest. I guess he wants to fight for Kagome." The thought of another male fighting him for Kagome's love sent all of his possessive instincts into high gear. He needed to get to Kagome. He needed to hold her, smell her scent, and make things right with her.

"There is no fight, Inuyasha," Inutaisho said. "If Sai is Kagome's client, then she could've chosen him a long time ago. Before she met you and the two of you started dating. But she didn't. And that's reason enough to believe that she's never been with any other man but you, even those who seem to fight for her affection. She loves you and only you."

Inuyasha smiled softly, taking those words to heart. He was still afraid that no one would love him, because he was just a hanyou. He was afraid that no one would appreciate his love and see him for who he is, someone who just wants to love and be loved. He never let his guard down with anyone, let alone a woman after Kiyomi. He guarded his heart well and made sure to never let anyone in. He didn't want to get hurt like that again, not after investing himself so deeply into someone only to be abandoned and heartbroken. But it was different with Kagome. He felt it in his soul. She was his mate. He knew it with every cell in his body.

"Thanks..." He was grateful he had his family.

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"Kagome... I'm sure that's not what he meant," Ayumi said reassuringly, though she knew nothing about Kagome's relationship with Inuyasha. She didn't know their love life, how well he treated Kagome or how volatile their relationship was. Ayumi knew how volatile a relationship can be, and she didn't get that vibe between the two the first time she saw them together.

She remained quiet and calm, hoping to help ease Kagome's pain, as Kagome cried in her lap on the bed. It broke Ayumi's heart to see Kagome like this. She had seen Kagome go through an episode, many times in Midnite, but nothing like this. Kagome never sobbed like this, heart-wrenching sobs that broke Ayumi's heart. And Midoriko, feeling helpless and lost, watching her friend cry from a broken heart, just couldn't sit still. Midoriko stood across the bed, leaning against the wall with her hands in her pockets, staring at the ground. Midoriko never said a word the whole time since they got here.

Kagome had called them an hour ago, asking for them to come over before work. She needed them. And of course, they would be there. It wasn't like Kagome to call like that. It never happened, and this was a cause for alarm. So Ayumi and Midoriko had shown up an hour before they had to go to work and when Kagome had opened the door, she threw herself into Ayumi, crying. Ayumi had to take her to her bed and wait a few minutes to get Kagome to calm down enough to talk. Kagome told them what happened last night between her and Inuyasha, and the fact that she finally told him she worked at Midnite, but it took her a long time to get the whole story out with all the crying. It had been a little bit of a shock to Ayumi to hear that Kagome still hadn't told Inuyasha that she worked there. The two said nothing as they listened and waited patiently, giving her time while also consoling her. Ayumi stayed with Kagome on the bed, stroking her hair or her back, while Midoriko occasionally paced beside the bed, her energy and face giving away her foul mood.

From what Ayumi could tell, Inuyasha and Kagome's conversation last night had gone horribly wrong, and now it looked like the two broke up. For Ayumi, she had a feeling that this wasn't over. Mates can't just 'break up' as easily as humans can. But from what Kagome told them, it sounds like a lot happened last night, and there might be a lot to repair.

"I felt like he was condemning me," Kagome said, raising her head to grab a Kleenex from the box next to her to wipe her face for the hundredth time. "I felt like he saw me as a whore. Like I was sleeping with every man in Midnite."

"Is that what he said?" Ayumi asked.

Kagome shook her head as she sat up, out of Ayumi's arms. "No."

"You said that he just asked if you slept with your clients," Ayumi said, making Kagome nod in agreement. "To me, it sounds like he's just trying to figure out what it is that you do. And I will tell you... that if I found out that my mate was servicing other women... I wouldn't be okay with that. My first thought would be that he's cheating on me. It's just a natural response."

Kagome blew her nose but still listened to what Ayumi was saying. Could she really blame Inuyasha? Maybe not. Maybe he was jealous and hurt because she kept this from him. Still, her hurt and her anger at Inuyasha was trying to push away all logic and all rationalizations. Maybe Ayumi was right though, that he was just reacting out of jealousy and needed to know more about what his girlfriend was doing with other men. Still... it hurt that he thought so low of her.

"Kagome... do you ever ask yourself why you're a gentlemen's girl?" Ayumi asked, curious. Again, they've never talked so deeply before because that was an unspoken rule with everyone. No one asked questions. No one dug too deep into each other's lives or pasts. Work was work, they all had their alter ego, became a new persona, so that their real identity was hidden and protected. No questions asked. So she had never known Kagome's reasons for why she worked at Midnite.

Kagome threw the tissues into the wastebasket next to her bed and shook her head, looking at Ayumi with her red, puffy eyes. "What do you mean?"

"How did you get this job? And now that you work for Kikyo, doing something that you've aspired to do, why do you continue to work at Midnite? Especially now that you have a boyfriend."

She looked at Ayumi for a moment longer and then frowned, staring at her bedcover. "Onigumo," she whispered. "He found me on the streets. I came to Tokyo when I was eighteen. I was running from... my husband..." she said, hoping that these two would not judge or ask questions. "Onigumo found me in an alley and took me to Midnite. He fed me and gave me clean clothes and this apartment, all on the first night. He paid for the apartment until I could afford the rent. He took care of erasing who I was so that my husband wouldn't be able to find me, and he gave me a new identity. Onigumo was the one who saved me."

Ayumi frowned, pitying Kagome. "So... you're working at Midnite because you're indebted to Onigumo?"

Kagome blinked, thinking that over. 'Why am I still at Midnite?' She couldn't even answer that. Truthfully, there were a lot of reasons. She thought them over, thinking of how over the nine years that she has worked there, Sapphire has become who she is. Sapphire isn't just an alter ego. Sapphire is Kagome. Kagome is Sapphire. Over the years, she has become to love her job at Midnite for some of its benefits, but she didn't want to work there forever.

"I'm not sure..." she said truthfully, confused and tired from crying. She didn't want to lie anymore. How long has she been lying to everyone, hiding her true feelings so that she felt further and further away from them. Not only that, but she was getting further away from herself and her truth with every lie that she told.

"There's a part of me that loves working at Midnite. I love the attention I get from the men. It's almost like... I crave it." That was a shock to say that. For nine years, she has become addicted to the very thing that she despised about herself. Her looks. 'Bluebird.' Even Koga found her attractive as a child, and it was her attractiveness that brought about her unfortunate marriage and abuse from him. Her looks only got her the wrong kind of attention.

"That's natural, Kagome," Ayumi said, knowing the feeling. "I've worked at Midnite longer than you, and over the years I have grown to crave the attention the men give me. I enjoy the way they look at me, the way they crave my attention and how happy I make them. They see my company as a privilege. They see being with me as a prize. And that... makes me feel loved... in a messed up kind of way. But it's my way and it's how I want to live my life." Ayumi smiled in understanding as Kagome looked at her as if she shared the same feelings.

Midoriko stopped pacing to resume her position leaning back against the wall, crossing her arms across her chest, watching them.

"I crave that attention too," Kagome admitted, thinking of Inuyasha. "But I also get that attention from Inuyasha. He makes me feel..." she trailed off, smiling sadly. "I don't know. Inuyasha gives me something different from what my clients give me."

"What is that?"

Kagome thought it over. "Loved." She smiled at Ayumi. "He makes me feel loved. But... it's a different kind of love. Not the love that my husband showed me or the love from my clients... I don't want their love. That wasn't love. I want my clients to desire me, to need me, and then to leave me when they got what they wanted from me."

As she spoke those words, she realized how deep that hit. She was stuck in the same loop as her past. She never expected her parents to stay, let alone her father. He was the one who hurt her the deepest. The things he did to her... but also the things he said to her and did for her. The flowers he always picked for her, the words he always told her that lit up her child heart. But they were words and promises he never fulfilled. His betrayal was the first she would receive from a man, and it wouldn't be the last. From her father, she just expected that same treatment from all men. Men were all the same, and her father modeled that for her. Even the men at Midnite proved that to her. Men only wanted what they could get from a woman and then leave once they were satisfied. But Inuyasha... he was different. He never took from her. Everything she gave was because she wanted to give to him, she wanted to make him happy and he always wanted the same for her. The only thing he asked was for her love. He was the only man in her life whom she craved his love. No other man did that to her, made her crave him to stay in her life forever. She never once cared if people stayed in her life because they never did, so she grew accustomed to never getting attached to anyone. Inuyasha was the only one she wanted and expected to stay. And he left.

"I realize now that the men at Midnite are just like my father," she confessed, letting her own words cut new wounds into her heart. "Maybe I'm stuck in a vicious cycle of going after men who are just like my father... He never truly loved me, at least not the way I needed to be loved. And he always left me. Just like my clients. They don't truly love me and they leave before the night is over. I never gave my heart to any of my clients. It has always been just business with them. But with Inuyasha... he was the only man I gave my heart to. And he gave me his, but... but I broke his heart," she choked out.

Ayumi frowned and grabbed Kagome into a hug. "Kagome... the both of you hurt each other. But I'm sure that Inuyasha still loves you." She felt Kagome's arms wrap around her and Kagome started crying into her chest. Ayumi sighed, at a loss, gazing at Midoriko who stared at the ground with a scowl.

"Kagome... you need to decide if working at Midnite is more important to you than being with Inuyasha. There's a reason why there's unspoken rules at Midnite. There's a reason why all of the girls there are single. Working there and dating bring complications. If Inuyasha asked you to leave Midnite, would you?"

Kagome hiccuped, pressing her face against Ayumi's chest. "I... can't."

"Why not?"

"I can't leave Onigumo..."

Midoriko 'tsked'. "You owe him nothing, Kagome. You're not his slave," her stern voice interjected. Ayumi shot a glare at Midoriko, but the woman had had enough. She listened to everything Kagome had to say and she was angry. Not so much at Kagome but at the whole situation. "You don't have to stay at Midnite if you don't want to. You repaid Onigumo anything that he had initially put down for you. You've made your own way and your own money without his help. You're your own person. You decide if you want to stay or quit."

Kagome turned her head to look at Midoriko. She seemed so angry with her arms crossed over her chest and fire in her eyes. She leaned against the wall with a scowl, but Kagome couldn't understand what she was angry about.

"You don't understand..." she tried, but Midoriko cut her off.

"No, Kagome, if you ask me, what I see is a pattern. You say you have a husband... I won't ask about him or why you ran from him... You say your father didn't truly love you like a father should. If you ask me... you seem to have 'daddy' issues."

Ayumi bristled. "Midoriko!"

"Be quiet, Ayumi! If you won't talk sense into her, I will!" Midoriko's green eyes were filled with passion and anger. She didn't like seeing her friend like this. She didn't like seeing people who she cares about feeling helpless and powerless, as if they were broken. "When I say 'daddy' issues I mean that you run to men who treat you the same way your father treated you. He never stayed in your life. He always left you. He never truly loved you. If he loved you, he never would've left. And now... you run to men who treat you like that. Your clients treat you like that, even though that's what they're supposed to do. This husband of yours, I don't know, maybe he treated you like that for you to want to run away from him," she said, exasperated as she threw her hands in the air. "All I know is that your clients are just like your father. And now that you found someone who is the exact opposite of your father and your clients... you sabotage your own relationship with him!"

Ayumi released Kagome, slamming a hand down on the bed. "Midoriko! Enough!"

"Why! It's the truth! And it's unhealthy! And I hate seeing you like this, Kagome!" Midoriko said, furious at Ayumi for babying Kagome. "You deserve better, Kagome! You deserve more than Midnite, more than anything Onigumo can give you... you deserve to be happy and to be loved by someone who truly loves you. If Inuyasha leaves you because of this, then he is no better than your father and your clients. But it doesn't even matter if he comes back because you're only going to ruin your relationship with him."

Kagome moved, feeling confused, angry, hurt. She sat taller, pushing herself to the edge of the bed. "You think I sabotaged my relationship with Inuyasha?"

Midoriko raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms again. "Oh, get real, Kagome."

"How? What did I do but tell him about it?!"

"You didn't tell him about it!" Midoriko nearly screamed, feeling like she was losing her mind. "That's what you did! You didn't tell the person you love who you are. You are a gentlemen's girl. You are a married woman. And you didn't tell him about it! How is he supposed to love someone he doesn't even know!"

Kagome opened her mouth to speak, to scream out her frustration and anger at Midoriko, but she couldn't do that. She shut her mouth because everything Midoriko said was true. And it hurt to hear the truth. She knew Midoriko was only trying to help snap her out of it, but every word Midoriko said cut her because it was true. She had been living a lie with Inuyasha. She had been hiding a lot of things from him, and she couldn't blame him for wanting to judge her and leave her.

"You left him, Kagome," Midoriko continued, as if she had read Kagome's mind. "This time, it wasn't the man who left you, like your clients and your father. This time, you left him before he could leave you. That is how you sabotaged your relationship and your happiness."

Kagome felt like Midoriko just punched her in the gut. Everything she said was true. A part of her didn't want to hear it and shut out every word Midoriko said. But a part of her was grateful for Midoriko in helping her see and explain her own actions. It made sense. She did run away when the conversation became too much for her. But that was her way. She was a runner. She grew up running away, from people who would hit her for stealing food because she was starving, from people who tried to kill her because she was helping her parents get dope to cure their nasty withdrawals, from Koga who sexually, physically and emotionally abused her. All her life, she had been running. It was all she knew how to do. And it broke her heart to realize that about herself. But also to see that that was what she did with Inuyasha.

She broke down crying, again. Ayumi reached over and grabbed Kagome, comforting her in a hug, but this time, she didn't shoot Midoriko a reprimand. Ayumi knew that Midoriko was only trying to help Kagome. Ayumi just wasn't sure if Kagome was ready for it, not after her full meltdown and already broken heart. To add on another layer to last night's events would be a lot for Kagome.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door that snapped Midoriko and Ayumi's attention immediately. Midoriko snapped her head back to Ayumi.

"Ayumi." That was all she needed to say. Midoriko looked back to the door, not sparing the other two women a glance, and walked towards it, pushing out her jyaki to feel who it was. It only took a light touch for her to recognize that jyaki. She hissed, letting out a snarl when she grabbed the door handle and opened it.

Everything happened in a second. Midoriko saw Inuyasha standing there and she hit him in the left shoulder with her palm so that he went sliding back to hit the wall behind him. The wall shuddered but the impact left no real damage since Inuyasha was quick enough to brace for her attack, using his feet to slow the force of the impact. The next second she was on him, rushing at him to grab his neck with her hand, squeezing with all of her anger and rage at him.

"What do you want, half-breed?!" she snarled.

Inuyasha growled low, absorbing the pain in his neck, but still reeling from the attack. He hadn't expected it to happen. Even though he had felt her jyaki in Kagome's room, and another's, he knew they were Kagome's two friends he had met before. He didn't see a threat until it came upon him when the door flew open. Thankfully, he had incredibly quick reflexes and braced himself before he could slam into the wall. But now that the woman had him by his neck, squeezing and nearly digging her claws into his skin, all of his senses were on high alert.

"What the hell is your problem?" he growled, grabbing her wrist with his hand. He was taught to never hurt a woman unless she was an enemy and a threat. Right now, he needed to make sure what she was before he made a move on her, so he left her thinking that she had the upper hand.

"You're my problem! You hurt Kagome."

He glared at her green eyes, so fierce and angered. "That's none of your business. Where is she?" His eyes went past Midoriko's head to look inside Kagome's apartment, but he couldn't see her. No one was in the living room and he couldn't see who was in the bedroom. But he knew she was there.

Kagome would've bolted out of bed had Ayumi not held her down by the shoulders, keeping her still. "Ayumi, stop them!" she said, coming to full alert when she heard the loud crash of something hitting the wall. And then she heard Inuyasha and Midoriko's voices and knew that something was wrong. She just couldn't see them from her bedroom.

"Don't, Kagome. Midoriko knows what she's doing."

Kagome looked at Ayumi with confusion, as if Ayumi was crazy. "What are you talking about? They're fighting, aren't they?"

Ayumi nodded, but remained calm. "Just wait a minute. Midoriko just wants to make sure that you're safe."

"Inuyasha won't hurt me," Kagome defended, without a doubt. She knew that they may have had their fights and issues, but one thing she knew was that he would never physically touch her. He had told her that before and she believed him.

Ayumi nodded slowly. "Just wait until they both settle." She didn't release her hold on Kagome's arm, nor did she tell Kagome that they were in her barrier and no one would be able to see, hear or smell them.

Inuyasha growled, realizing that the woman wasn't going to give up Kagome. "Tell me where Kagome is." When she tightened her hold on his neck, he had enough and used his arm to hit hers up, twisting her wrist with his other hand. The quick move got her to release him and lose her footing. He pushed her back and she went sliding backwards, grabbing the sides of the doorway to stop herself.

"What do you want?"

"I want to talk to Kagome." He fixed his clothes and took a few steps towards her, watching as she relaxed from her crouch to stand back up. She was a neko youkai, a powerful one, and he had to appreciate the fact that she was loyal to Kagome. Still, Kagome was his mate, and no one can keep her from him. Not even this woman, even if she was so hell-bent on trying.

"For what?" Midoriko said, crossing her arms in the doorway. She sized Inuyasha up as he stood in the middle of the hall. He only wore jeans pants with a black shirt, very casual and normal, but he looked anything but right now. She tried to figure out for herself if she deemed him worthy to have another shot at Kagome. Even though it wasn't her decision to make, she didn't want Kagome to get hurt again.

"Not your business."

"It is my business since you hurt her last night. She's done nothing but cry all day. She doesn't deserve that."

"I don't disagree with you on that. But I also don't feel the need to explain myself to you. This is between me and my mate. You're not my concern."

Midoriko sized him up one last time, judging for herself his true intentions. But he just stood his ground, staring at her, and she could tell that he was losing his patience. Either way, he was going to make his way in and find Kagome. Midoriko knew that no one could come between mates. It was like a law to all demons. Every species had their ways of dealing with anyone who came between mates, and it was not always pleasant, or life-sparing. All she knew was that if Inuyasha wanted to talk with Kagome, then she would have to let them talk. She knew that it was the only way for the two of them to work this out. She liked seeing Kagome with Inuyasha. It was the only time she ever truly saw Kagome happy. And if Inuyasha made her happy, then she would have to trust that he loved her enough.

Midoriko turned around and walked to the center of the living room, hearing him follow behind her and close the door. She turned to see him stand in the living room, surveying the area and looking around and into the bedroom. His eyes caught everything and his ears stood on his head, swiveling, listening for movement. But she could tell that he couldn't find Kagome. She smirked, proud of Ayumi.

"Where is she?" he demanded, seeing her smirk.

Midoriko tilted her chin to the bedroom. "Ayumi."

Just like that, Ayumi and Kagome appeared on the bed as if out of thin air. Inuyasha was puzzled, trying to figure out what Ayumi's powers were to have caused them to disappear, even from his senses. He didn't smell anyone or hear anyone in this apartment, not even a heartbeat besides his and Midoriko's, until Ayumi let down her barrier.

Kagome suddenly stood as Ayumi let her go. She realized that Inuyasha couldn't tell that she was on her bed until Midoriko had signaled to Ayumi. She turned to look at Ayumi as the woman crawled off the bed to stand next to Kagome, regarding Inuyasha.

No one spoke as they all just stood there for a few breaths, two in the bedroom and two in the living room. But Midoriko was the first to break the silence.

"Let's go, Ayumi." With that, she walked right past Inuyasha without another look or word to him, and headed for the door.

Ayumi turned to smile at Kagome. "Call us if you need us. We'll check on you later." Kagome nodded her thanks, smiling as Ayumi followed Midoriko and the two left.

Inuyasha and Kagome were now alone in her apartment, both of them looking at one another, suddenly very aware that they were alone and that there were so many things that they wanted to say, things that should have been said, but both didn't know what to say. There was silence as they stood facing each other.

"Inuyasha..." "Kagome..." they both said in unison.

Kagome frowned, letting him speak first. But he didn't say anything else, so in her nervousness, she spoke up.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out, turning to the side to avoid his eyes. "I should have told you, Inuyasha. I never wanted to lie to you... but I never wanted you to see me... as... a whore," she said softly, slowly. She still remembered his face when he looked at her last night, the pain and the anger and the condemnation. She wrapped her arms around herself, closing her eyes. "I should have told you... about my husband... about my job... but I didn't want to lose you. I didn't want you to leave me..."

She was cut off when she felt Inuyasha's arms wrap around her, bringing her into his embrace. The feel of his strong arms around her and being in his tight embrace was a shock to her, but the familiarity of his scent mixed with a little cologne and deodorant made her entire body relax into him. 'Inuyasha...'

"I'm sorry I hurt you, Inuyasha," she whispered, her forehead against his shoulder. She felt him squeeze her tighter and press his cheek on top of her head with a huge sigh.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, too, Kagome." Inuyasha took a deep, calming breath now that he had Kagome in his arms. Everything felt right again. She was here, with him, and everything was right. He would make it right again.

"I didn't mean to accuse you," he said. "I wasn't accusing you. I was just... hurt. I was hurt that you didn't trust me enough to tell me everything. I told you everything that I hide from everyone, except for my family and close friends. I have nothing left to hide, no other secrets from you. And I felt like this whole time, I was lied to."

Kagome felt tears burn her eyes and she unwrapped her arms from around herself to wrap them up and behind his shoulders, clinging to him. She buried her face in his neck and cried, hating that she had caused him so much pain.

"I don't want our relationship to be like how it was when I was with Kiyomi. You're not her. I know you wouldn't hurt me like she did. I know you love me more than she ever did. And last night... I felt so hurt and betrayed that I just compared you to her." He reared back enough, released her just so he could grab her face to make her look at him. "You're not Kiyomi, Kagome. You're my mate. There is no me without you. We are meant to be together, soul to soul, and I know that in my heart to be true. Tell me you know that to be true."

Inuyasha's thumbs brushed the tears from her cheeks, his golden eyes pleading with her. "I do, Inuyasha. You're the only man I've ever loved. The only one I can't see myself living without."

Inuyasha kissed her with all the love and passion he had for her. She moaned at his aggressiveness, at the way her body responded to him. She would always respond to him. She was his mate. And even though she didn't know the full extent of what that meant in inu-youkai culture, she knew that it was an unexplainable bond. A bond that sealed both male and female to one another, somehow. And she did feel bonded to him. She couldn't stop thinking about him, couldn't stop loving him, couldn't stop her broken heart from wanting him back into her life. She just couldn't do life without him, and it comforted her to know that he felt the same way. That he hasn't rejected her after what he knows about her now. She loved him more than she did yesterday. This man, this hanyou, of hers. He had her heart and soul.

Inuyasha pulled back to look at her blue eyes. "You're mine, Kagome. I don't care if you're married in the human sense. In the demon race, you are claimed by me. I will tell you about the inu-youkai mating ceremony later, I promise. But you need to know that this stupid marriage means nothing to demons. It's only humans who abide by this ceremony."

Kagome nodded her understanding. She still didn't see how that would solve her marriage to Koga, but she believed him. For Inuyasha, she was never going to belong to anyone else besides him. And she truly believed him. She wanted only to belong to him, not Koga, and not anyone else.

Inuyasha smiled softly at her, and she returned the smile. He kissed her sweetly one last time, savoring the taste of her tears at the corner of her lip, before he pulled back a little, making her loosen her grip on his shirt. "Are you working tonight?" he asked.

She shook her head. "My boss is giving me the night off. I told him I'm not feeling well."

"Is that why your two friends were here?" he asked, giving her a look with a cocky smile.

Kagome chuckled. "Sorry about that. I called them to come over before work. I needed someone to talk to. Midoriko was a little wound up and angry, but I never knew she would take it out on you like that."

Inuyasha shrugged. "She just caught me by surprise. I didn't want to hurt your friend so I didn't put up a fight. But I get it. They're your friends and they were just worried for you." He appreciated those two and the fact that they stood up for Kagome, even against him. They had to know who he was. In the demon world, his family was royalty and everyone knew the Fujimotos. They would have to know who he was, and yet they still stood up to him for the sake of protecting their friend. He respected them all the more for it and was glad she had friends like that. He sighed.

"Kagome... we need to talk." He turned and grabbed her hand, heading to the living room couch. He felt like he was repeating what they went through last night when he told her that they needed to talk, but tonight was different. He felt her reluctantly go with him, and when he got them to the couch, he sat and pulled her down with him. She sat next to him and got comfortable, bringing her feet up beneath her while resting one hand on his thigh and the other over his heart, leaning into him. He stared at her blue eyes, eyes that he could get lost in, no matter the situation they were in. Right now, she looked nervous and unsure, but he could see the love and the hope in her eyes now that they were working things out.

"First off, you can't keep running when things get tough." He saw her turn her head in shame and he caught her chin to make her look back at him. "I know I was hard on you. And again, I'm sorry for what I said to you. I never, never wanted you to feel like a whore." He said it adamantly, his eyes locked on hers. "You are not a whore, Kagome. Do you understand me?"

She nodded her head, making him release her chin so he could place both his hands over hers. "I would never call you a whore and I'm sorry if I made you feel that way. You're not. You're my mate. And you're the most beautiful and important thing in my life."

She felt tears come to her eyes, as if she hadn't been crying enough all day. The only thing she's ever wanted to feel from a man was love. And he's the only man she wanted it from.

"I'm sorry I left. I was just so hurt and I felt like you would never see me the same again. You would always see me as some sort of whore," his face grew hard. "Even though I know that's not how you feel. But I just feared that I broke something between us and that we would never be the same again. I couldn't see working for you and Kikyo again, and I couldn't bear it if you left me... so I left."

"Why?" he asked her, pleading. "Why did you leave? Why do you think I would leave you? I told you that you're my mate, Kagome. Mates are bound together, soul to soul. There's no way I could ever love anyone else but you. There's no way we can love anyone else, at least not the way that we love one another. That's how it is with mates. We were made for one another."

She listened and took his words to heart. "I know you've told me some things about mating and I know a few things from Koga. But every demon species is different. And, coming from a human mentality, it doesn't hold the same meaning and the same depth to me. Not like how it is with you. The closest thing I can compare it to is marriage, and even with that, a partner can cheat or leave or kill their spouse."

Inuyasha nodded. "I know that. That's the way humans are. That's not the way demons are. When we mate, it's for life. There is no other besides that person. There's only one who completes us, body and soul. There's only one who fills the empty void in us. And we can spend lifetimes searching for that one, thinking we've found them when really, all we found was something to pass the time." He was referring to Kiyomi. His mistake and rush in wanting to mate with Kiyomi will always be his biggest mistake in life. "Sometimes we can give in to what we feel is true love, and believe it wholeheartedly. We really don't know who our mate is until we meet that person, so I couldn't have known that you were my mate until I physically met you."

Kagome tilted her head. "Is that how you felt with Kiyomi?"

He nodded his head. "I loved her. I know I did. But it pales in comparison with how I feel towards you. I wanted to be with her. I wanted her to be mine and to spend my life with her. I figured out after that it was a deep friendship love that I felt towards her. But I knew that you were my mate the moment you walked in to the studio that day," he said with a smile, recalling with vivid detail the sight and smell of her when she walked in. "It was my demon that knew the instant you walked in that you were my mate. And that was what my father and mother was trying to tell me when they didn't approve of me mating with Kiyomi. I wouldn't know until my demon claimed my mate. And it never claimed Kiyomi. With Kiyomi, I just wanted to be with her, call it my selfishness or my immaturity since I was only fifty years old. With you, I need to be with you. It's not just a feeling to love you and to be with you. It's an instinct, Kagome. It's a deeper, soul driven need for the other half of me. You are that other half of me, Kagome."

She smiled sadly, wondering how she had gotten so lucky. He looked at her, puzzled by her expression, making her sigh in weariness. "All my life... I've been running, Inuyasha," she tried to get him to understand. "All I've known is running. To never settle. To never get too comfortable. To never trust anyone. I've always had to run for my life, to protect myself. People would hit me if I stole because I was hungry, or drug dealers would try to kill me when I stole dope for my parents. No where I laid my head was safe and I never, in the first eighteen years of my life, have I ever had a decent night's sleep where I truly felt safe. I always had to be ready to run from anyone and anything that would hurt me." She smiled sadly at him, willing him to understand. "And I ran from you last night when you hurt me... running is all I know..." she said as an apology.

Inuyasha nodded, seeing tears fall from her eyes. He wiped them away and kissed her lips tenderly. "No more running," he said against her lips before he kissed her again. "I will protect you, Kagome. I will do my best to love you the way you deserve to be loved. We figure things out together. We move forward together."

She smiled when he squeezed her hand over his heart and brought it down over their other hands resting on his thigh. She nodded her head. "No more running. But I have to warn you... it's an instinct that I can't really control sometimes."

He smiled. "I know. I have instincts that I can't control too," he said with a smirk. "But at least now I know why you run. That won't make me feel like you're rejecting me."

Kagome frowned, shaking her head. "I would never."

"That's my greatest fear, Kagome. Last night... I felt like you gave up on us. Like you gave up on me and you left me... for good."

She shook her head, closing her eyes sadly as she dropped her head. "I wasn't leaving you... I was protecting me. I don't deserve you, Inuyasha. There's nothing wrong with you. There's everything wrong with me."

He chuckled softly and smiled sadly. "If you knew the things that I've done in the two centuries I've been alive... I am the one who doesn't deserve you, Kagome."

"You say you've killed before..." she said, looking up to see his nod. "I'm sure you've had good reasons to."

He shrugged. "Sometimes, yes. I grew up in a different time, a time when war and bloodshed was as natural as breathing. It was an every day activity when I was growing up, and my nature loved it. Killing and death happened every day. My family and I are royal in the demon world, which means we've won countless battles and wars, killed too many to count to maintain our status and our lives. Sometimes killing was necessary. And sometimes killing was just for the rush I craved."

Kagome waited, but he didn't continue. His eyes drifted to her chest and she could tell that he was lost in his thoughts. "Inuyasha..." she said, calling him back to her. "You killed for fun?" There was no judgment in her voice. She accepted that about him.

His eyes came back to hers and he spoke with little emotion, as if it was what it was. "I am a demon, Kagome. I cannot help my nature for bloodshed, for rush of the kill. It is an instinct I have, an animalistic instinct, one that I am not ashamed of but I know that a lot will not accept me for who I am. Add on the fact that I'm a hanyou. I've spent my life being rejected by everyone around me. My vassals respect and honor me because of my power and protection over them. But if I wasn't my father's son, if I was just a lowly hanyou, there's no way I would be accepted by anyone for what I am."

"That's not true," Kagome said, interrupting him. "You're a good person, Inuyasha. Even though I haven't known you all your life, I know your heart. You have a good heart," she said, placing her hand back over his heart, getting her face closer to his. "You have a rough exterior, yes. But I'm sure that's because you've been through what you've been through. Beneath that rough exterior, you have a beautiful and loving heart that you keep protected. I don't care how many you've killed or for what reasons. Your reasons are your own, as were mine when I stole or hurt others just to save my life. You don't have to tell me how many you've killed and all the reasons why. I could never reject you for that. You're alive today because you kept yourself alive. And I could never reject your heart..."

"You have my heart," he said firmly.

She smiled sweetly at him. "I could never reject you, Inuyasha. I love you too much, and need you too much to reject you."

He kissed her because he had to, because she was so close to his face, because she smelled so good. Did he need a reason why? He kissed her and poured all the love he felt for her into his kiss. She moaned and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into him. Her hands went to either side of his face as she straddled him. He loved her. His woman who ran from him, who had her own demons, some that chase her and some that she runs from. He would protect her from anyone and anything that would dare to harm her. He would die for her.

Kagome moaned as Inuyasha licked his way into her mouth, tasting her essence. She held his head for her to try and take over, but he wouldn't allow her to. His kiss set her on fire, and she rubbed her breasts into his chest, aching for him. His hands came up under her shirt, feeling the bare skin of her back and the lack of a bra since she had been home alone before she had company. Her nipples were hard, rubbing against him as his hands gripped her sides to push her back. She frowned at the distance between them but inwardly she felt butterflies when she looked at his eyes, where lust and love mixed dangerously.

"Kagome... let me just hold you for a bit," he said, surprising her. She nodded her head, too confused and full of need to ask why.

Inuyasha moved then, holding her back as he stood up and then held her up by her butt as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She felt his desire then, pressed against the place she needed him to be. She squirmed against him, wrapping her arms around his neck to see his face harden.

"Stop squirming."

She giggled as he began walking them to her bedroom. "I need you, Inuyasha."

He nodded, as if he knew how she felt. "I know. But right now, I just want to hold you." Actually, he also needed to talk more. He needed to know what Sai was to her. Koga, he understood because Kagome didn't have any feelings for Koga and he had his own feelings towards the wolf demon, things that he would see to once this concert was over. But Sai was an unknown to him.

He took them to her bed and went down on his knees, holding her until he bent forward to let her fall back, watching her smiling face the whole time. She was beautiful lying there beneath him. He let her go and unwound her body from him so that he could prop her pillows against the headboard to sit back against them. He laid his legs out in front of him as she rolled to her side to rest her head on his lap, wrapping an arm over his thighs. He rested his hand on hers and on the top of her head, taking a deep breath of her scent.

"Kagome... I need to know two things."

She nodded and he could sense her body tense up, waiting to hear what else he had to say. But she remained quiet, playing with the bottom of his shirt.

"What are your feelings towards Sai?"

She stopped her nervous fiddling, but didn't look up at him. She remained quiet for a time and he waited, not willing to move forward until she came clean about this Sai Okano.

"Sai's just one of my clients."

"One of your clients? Is that how you treat your clients outside of work?" She didn't answer. "I remember how you touched him at the charity event. My instincts were telling me that he's a threat. And I'll have you know, Kagome, that I don't share my woman."

"I know," she said firmly, getting offended. "I won't share you either."

"Then tell me what your feelings are towards Sai."

She didn't hear any anger from him. Only his decisiveness and seriousness. He needed to know what her relationship to Sai is. And up until this point, she never really thought about it too deeply. She never looked into what her feelings were towards him besides the obvious.

"Sai's one of my newest clients. I've known him for only a few months. He shared with me personal struggles he was going through with his company and from there, we formed a... friendship." She kept her head on his lap, not daring to look up at him. It was easier to talk about another man when she didn't see Inuyasha's expression. "Sai is very kind and loving. He's not like some of the other men."

"So basically he won you over with sweet talk and charm?"

Kagome moved to sit up, glaring at him. "No. You don't understand."

"Then help me to understand, Kagome. Because right now, I'm trying my best not to lose it and rip the man's throat out," he confessed. She stared at him, shocked. But she couldn't blame him. He did warn her that he had killed many for all sorts of reasons. And she accepted him then. Would she still accept him now if he kills for her, because of her feelings for another man?

"Inuyasha, I don't love Sai," she said, moving so that she was up against him, draping a leg over him, wanting to be as close to him as possible. "Sai made me feel seen. All of the men at the club promise to give us better lives. They want to save us from our job, to give us a good life, to take care of us the way we deserve to be taken cared of. Those men with their deep wallets... they think we need saving and they want to come riding in on a white horse to save us from a job that seems so demoralizing and degrading."

"Isn't it?" he asked, watching her every move. She looked at him with a mixture of frustration and disbelief, but he kept his face completely calm and unreadable.

"No, it's not," she said adamantly. "I don't feel demoralized. I don't feel less than those men." She turned so she didn't have to look at him, not wanting to shut down but wanting him to understand what it's like for her. "I feel... powerful. I'm the one in charge there. Even though it's men who are paying for me... even though I have an abusive past and I don't like men touching me... at the club it's different."

That was his biggest question. How could she work at a place where men touched her? He couldn't understand why she worked there, and why she's still working there. Unless there was something he didn't understand, like what she kept telling him, that he didn't understand.

"When you and I first started working together, you didn't like me touching you. You have an aversion to men touching you," he said, grabbing her chin so that she would look at him. "Is that true?" She nodded her head with his fingers still holding her chin. "Then why work there?"

Kagome frowned, looking into his golden eyes. He released her chin and she reached for that hand with both of hers, hanging on to him. "The man who saved me... he owns the club. It was an easy, available job to me at the time. And since then, I just never sought for another job. This job pays well and I enjoy it."

"So you're working there out of debt to that man?"

She thought of what Midoriko had told her earlier, and thought about the reasons why she's still there. After a moment, she spoke. "At first, it was because I felt indebted to him. He paid for the roof over my head, my clothes and my food, until I could make my own way. Since then... I've made more money than I thought I ever could. I have more money than I know what to do with." She quieted, thinking more of why she was still there at Midnite. "I don't feel like I owe him anything. I've repaid my debt."

"So you're there because you like it?"

Kagome nodded, watching his expression and how he took it.

"Why do you like working there?" he asked, keeping his face unreadable. He kept focusing on his breathing and keeping his patience. He called on the years he spent around his brother and father, and the way they were able to keep their patience and calm. He wouldn't have a repeat of last night.

Kagome took a breath, hoping that he wouldn't get angry or judge her for this. "I make my own rules there, Inuyasha. My boss wanted me to work for him when he saw my looks, and once I started working for him, he noticed that a lot of men wanted my services. I got a lot of the attention, and so he made me one of his top girls, along with Midoriko and Ayumi. The three of us are known as 'professionals' and we have the most exclusive clients of the club. But I had one rule when I started working for him..." she said, drifting off in her memories, remembering that night. "When he asked me to work for him, to be a gentlemen's girl, I immediately froze. He knew my past because he was the one who helped to wipe out every record and proof of my existence. He's the reason why you couldn't find anything in my past. And what you found, it was all lies that he helped to place there to protect me from being found by Koga."

Inuyasha now understood why she liked this boss of hers and why she didn't want to leave the gentlemen's club. That man protected her, he saved her and he gave her a new life. She felt a debt to him that could never be repaid. To Kagome, she owed the man her life because she literally did.

"I told him that the only way I would work for him as a gentlemen's girl is if I make my own rules. And I only had one rule: No one can touch me without my permission. He agreed to it and all the men who wanted to be my clients signed a contract that included my rule. That's how I'm able to work there. The men don't get to have their way with me. I have my way with them. I have the control," she confessed, turning to look out at her balcony as the sun was setting, changing the colors into a rich orange. "The men are at my mercy instead of me being at theirs. The power is... addicting... since all my life I had no control."

She took a breath, feeling like she needed to tell him everything now and see what that would make of their relationship after. 'No more secrets...' she thought, readying herself. "I crave their attention," she said, not looking at him because she couldn't bear to see his disapproval or hurt. "I crave the attention the men at the club give me. It's a bit twisted, I know, considering the past I've had with men. But I think that's why I crave it. My past has made me... messed up. I see abuse as love. I guess I crave the dark side of life since that's all I've known. So... that's why I haven't left. I enjoy working there because I like the attention I get from the men and I have the power over them. I also haven't left because I owe him my life."

Inuyasha waited for her to continue, but she didn't. She didn't even tell him her boss' name, which he knew she left that out on purpose. He looked out the window with her line of sight, noticing that the sun was disappearing beneath the buildings, erupting the sky into color. Finally, he knew why she kept telling him 'he doesn't understand'. He still didn't really understand, but he understood enough to understand why she did what she did. He understood now why she kept this a secret from him and why she's still working there. She was ashamed of the things she craved and she felt like she didn't deserve him.

"You think that you're messed up? Kagome, you don't know half the things I've done..." he said, trailing off. "You think that you crave the dark things in life? You haven't seen the things that I crave... especially with you..."

Kagome turned to look at him, shocked and curious. And for some reason, the tone of his voice set her body on fire. When he looked at her, she felt her womb clench at the intense lust she saw in his eyes. Her heart sped up, her body responding to this raw side of him.

"There's things I want to do to you, Kagome, that I know I can't because of your past. But that doesn't mean it's stopped all my thoughts of how I want to claim you, or how I want to tie you down and have my way with your body all night long." The image that came to her mind stirred her blood into a frenzy, especially when he brought his hand that she was holding onto her thigh. She released him as he felt his way up her thigh, under her shorts to splay his hand on her butt. He brought his face closer, inch by inch, and with every passing second, she felt her heart rate accelerate and her body respond to him in a way it never does with any of her clients. "I would never do that to you, Kagome..."

"Why not..." she nearly cried, tilting her head back as his head found her neck. She felt his breath hit her skin and it gave her goosebumps. She brought her hands to his shoulders to hold him close to her.

Inuyasha smiled against her skin and gave her neck a kiss, too soft and too quickly. "Because you're not ready for me to dominate you like that. But it's my nature, Kagome... and like I said, I can't stop my nature even if I tried. But if that scares you, if it's not what you can handle, then I will suppress my nature for you because I am your mate. I will always put your well-being before my own."

Kagome frowned, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Inuyasha... I'm not made of glass. I've taken care of myself all my life. I don't need to be saved and I don't need to be protected. I can handle your nature."

The two moved back so that they could look at each other, both with lust and love in their eyes.

"We'll take things slow..." He kissed her and she was the one who deepened the kiss, arching herself into him. He slowly sat back against the headboard, making her follow him back and move so that she was now straddling him. His hands went to her hips as she settled over him, deepening the kiss and making his blood roar in his ears.

"Kagome... tell me that you have no feelings towards Sai." He still needed to hear two things from her.

Kagome frowned, wondering why he wouldn't let this go. But she did feel like there was something she remembered that she needed to say. He needed to know, and she knew it would hurt Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha... there's something I haven't told you," she said, releasing his neck and sitting back. His hands never left her hips, keeping her seated on his arousal, but her eyes darted between looking at his and looking away out of nervousness. "When you and I broke up before... that same night I went to work..." she started, remembering the time she had with Sai in the Skye. "Sai and I..." she felt his fingers tighten on her hips, waiting for her to go on. "We kissed." She opened her mouth to continue, but didn't know what else to say, so she closed it. What else was there to say?

After a few moments, Inuyasha's voice spoke, low. "Did you kiss him because you had feelings for him? Or because you wanted to get back at me for breaking it off?"

His stark honesty struck a chord in her. He seemed to get to the truth so easily, or at least, he needed to get to the truth rather than live in a lie. She respected him for it, but it was hard since she was the one who was living the lie and hurting him.

"I was heartbroken and Sai was my male companion that night. Plus, I already had these feelings towards him since he became my client... so I guess it was a little bit of both."

"So you do have feelings for him."

Kagome shook her head. "No. The feelings I have for him are different from how I feel for you. It's not love. It's loneliness and sadness that I feel with him. And he fills that loneliness and sadness in a different way. He knows the dark side of me, he knows my alter ego, and I feel a connection with him that way. But it's not love, Inuyasha. I don't love him. I just feel a sense of companionship and connection with him."

Inuyasha said nothing as he watched her, trying to understand what she meant. He wasn't even sure if she knew how she felt towards Sai. And that meant the man was a threat to him. Sai wasn't to be taken lightly. Sai was now a male competitor. And he wasn't going to let Sai take Kagome from him.

"At least you don't love him," Inuyasha said, not knowing what else to say. It was enough for him to know that she didn't love him. It still made him uneasy to know that she feels an attraction and companionship with Sai.

Kagome shook her head. "I love you, Inuyasha. You make me feel more than Sai ever has. Your love is the only love I've ever wanted. I can't explain it... but I hope you understand that there will never be anyone else but you."

Inuyasha nodded his head, smiling. "That's how I feel with you, Kagome." He released his hold on her hips, running his hands up her sides and watching as her eyes grew heavy. He ran his hands up beneath her shirt, sitting up slowly so that he could feel her skin. She trembled as her eyes closed, tilting her head back. He could hear her breathing speed up and the racing of her heart. Her body responded to him the way he expected it to. He felt his way up to her breasts, hearing her breath hitch when he flicked both nipples with his thumbs. Her hands came up to grab at his biceps, hanging onto him while her head fell back at his touch. He watched her the entire time his hands cupped her breasts, kneading the weight of them in his hands, switching to squeeze her nipples in between his kneading. He couldn't get enough of the sounds she was making, the way she moved her head back and forth, squeezing his arms like he was her anchor. The sounds she made, the way her body moved over his erection, it drove him mad but kept him wildly wanting more of her.

"Tell me you'll stop working at the club."

Kagome opened her eyes in shock, bringing her head up to look at him. Her breath hitched when she saw the raw lust in his golden eyes. Her body softened and went on fire for him at the same time. But her mind was trying to comprehend what he had said.

"Inuyasha..." she tried, swallowing past the dryness in her mouth. "Don't ask me to..."

"Why not?" he asked her, bringing his lips to her neck to lick at her pulse. She moaned, shocked that he was playing with her body while asking her something so serious, using his power of sex over her. And he was so good at it, that she would do anything for him in this moment.

"Onigumo... I can't leave him..." she panted, tilting her head to give him better access to her sweet spot. He gave her butterfly kisses while his hands kept their torture on her breasts, tugging and pulling her nipples, creating that electricity in her core, drenching her panties with need.

"Onigumo? Is that the man who saved you?" he asked, licking his way up to her left ear to suck on her earlobe and then use his teeth to nibble on the soft flesh.

Kagome moaned loudly, turned on too much to care. He knew every spot, every weakness she had on her body. This lover of hers, he knew her so well, and he worshipped her body. She was wet, soaking for him and the pure torture of his mouth and hands brought a haze of lust that she couldn't think through.

"Yes... he's my boss... I... owe him... Inuyasha..." she moaned out his name.

He nipped her earlobe, biting down hard to cause a sting, making her jump. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding her close to him and his hands came around to her back, sliding down to grab her butt.

"You owe him nothing, Kagome," he said adamantly, using his tongue to lick the rim of her ear. She shivered at the goosebumps he gave her and she rubbed herself onto his erection, making him squeeze her butt in warning. "Tell me you'll quit." She whimpered and he continued his assault on her body, bringing her blood to a fever pitch.

"Inuyasha..." she cried with hesitancy.

He growled and in one swift move, he flipped them over. Her world turned upside down and he was now above her, between her legs. Her legs wrapped around his waist and he smiled inwardly. Even though she spoke against him, her body was submissive to him. He knew that even though she says she loved having control over men, she was still a submissive. She was his submissive. And his dominant nature craved that. Still, he couldn't push her too far, too fast, or else he could trigger her like how he had seen before.

He brought her shirt up so that he could feast on her breasts. He took one nipple into his mouth, hollowing his cheeks as he sucked her hard. She gasped and moaned his name just as loudly, squirming beneath him. His hand went to her other breast, tugging at her other nipple, and her hands went straight to his hair, holding his head to her. He growled and pulled back, making her whimper as he was suddenly gone.

"You don't get to touch me," he said, catching her eyes as she strained to hear him through her own moans. He watched her frown as she realized what he was saying.

"Put your hands over your head and keep them there." He waited, watching her as he sat back on his haunches, regarding her with that predatory stare.

There was a moment where none of them moved, gauging each other. Finally, Kagome was the first to move, obeying his command. She raised her hands over her head and grabbed onto the pillows. The position tempted him more with her breasts thrust out, waiting for him to continue his assault. And he took the invitation without another word. She watched him take her other nipple into his mouth and give it a hard suck. The sensation made her arch into him, squeezing her eyes in pain and pleasure. Her mouth opened but no sound came out. She felt him move to her side, straddling her right leg, and his hand was moving down beneath her underwear. She moaned when his fingers found her wet and wanting.

Inuyasha hissed as he released her nipple, not even bothering to lick his spit off her skin. "You're soaked."

"I need you..." she moaned, grinding her clit against his finger.

"Tell me who your mate is," he said, his eyes showing flecks of red. He wanted to claim her, body and soul, and she'd better know who it is who she belonged to.

"You are, Inuyasha. I love you. No one else. You're my mate," she said, seeing his demon fighting to break free and getting turned on by his raw lust for her. "I love you, Inuyasha, more than you know."

He grunted and plunged his middle finger into her, sliding in easily. Her gasp and moans spurred on his demon blood, pumping his finger in and out of her as he brought his head back down to suck her nipple again. He couldn't get enough of her. She owned him, the same way he owned her.

"Tell me you'll quit that job."

Kagome whimpered as he brought her body to a fever pitch. He was torturing her with his fingers in her and his mouth on her breasts. So many pleasurable sensations, and she could only squeeze the pillows to prevent herself from touching him. It was torture, pain and pleasure. But he worshipped her body. Unlike the men who were once in her life, Inuyasha worshipped her body like no one else ever had. He wanted her, all of her, and he didn't want Sai or Midnite between them. He wanted it to be just the two of them, and she completely agreed and felt the same way.

"Yes..." she said, arching her back when he hit her spot. His fingers knew exactly where to get a rise out of her.

Inuyasha growled, raising his head up to stare down at her. "Tell me you'll quit that job, Kagome."

She blinked her eyes open, focusing on him as her body was so wound up. "Yes. I'll quit," she breathed out, meaning every word.

He smirked and pulled his finger out of her, making her cry out in distress at his loss, and he moved off the bed to stand up. She watched him put his finger in his mouth, sucking her off his finger before quickly taking off his shirt, pants and underwear, now standing at the edge of her bed with nothing on. Her eyes couldn't help but stare at his full erection. He was so beautiful and virile. He noticed her gaze focused on his cock and he grabbed himself, stroking himself leisurely as she watched him. She saw a pearl form at the tip of his penis and her mouth suddenly dried, making her lick her lips.

"This is what you do to me, Kagome," he said, releasing himself. "I get so hard for you every time. You're the only woman who does this to me." He pulled her legs and turned her so that her lower body draped off the bed. He bent to take off her shorts and underwear. "I lose my mind thinking about your body, about your tight cunt wrapping around my cock."

Kagome whimpered, listening to his words. He was always so vocal when it came to sex and she loved it. It made her so hot for him when he spoke so nasty to her.

"Take your shirt off," he said, grabbing himself again to stroke up and down. She scrambled to sit up at the edge of the bed, now so close to him that she could lean forward and put him into her mouth. She wanted to. So bad. But he said she couldn't touch him. She swallowed hard and took her shirt off, throwing it to the ground next to him, all the while watching him stroke himself.

"I won't last long, Kagome. I need you to come with me." He watched her nod. "Stand up." She did as he said and he closed the space between them to kiss her roughly, making her moan. He bent his knees a bit so that he could rub the head of his penis against her clit, spreading her open as much as he could from their standing position. She moaned and grabbed his shoulders, but he just as quickly retreated away from her.

"Inuyasha!" The look he gave her set her blood on fire, on top of being denied him.

"I said no touching."

She frowned and bit her bottom lip, nodding her head. She didn't understand why he was so strict about this touching, but she would obey him. She wanted to please him and she wanted to be pleased by him. He had her so wound up that he held the only sense of release she needed.

"Turn around."

She did as he asked and she felt a hand in between her shoulder blades, pressing her down to the bed. While she went down, his legs came between hers and pushed hers apart, giving him space to stand. She stood at the edge of the bed, bent over on her elbows.

"I want you rough," he said, leaning over her to capture her earlobe again, tugging it with his teeth, making her whimper. "No touching. You'll be at my mercy. Just take what I give you."

Without another word, he positioned himself at her entrance and thrust hard into her, feeling her body convulse at the invasion of his cock. He growled, moaning at the tight sensation, closing his eyes in pure bliss as he listened to her cries. He was like a mindless animal at that point, with the feel and sound of Kagome all around him, he let himself go and he let his demon out.

Inuyasha grabbed her hips and thrusted into her, over and over, so deep that she was sure she would never forget the feel of him in her. She cried out at the pain and pleasure of it all, the sensations overwhelming and wonderful. She placed her hands on the bed to give herself a better brace and angle to take on his assault, and looked back over her shoulder at him. The sight of him took her breath away. His purple lightning stripes were back on his cheeks and she knew without seeing them that his eyes were red, with black pupils like the night. His head was faced up, his face looking a mix between pain and pure rapture.

"You're so beautiful, Inuyasha," she breathed out. Her body bounced forward, her breasts bouncing with each hard thrust of his hips. The sound of their skin slapping together fought with the sounds of their breathing and moans as they lost themselves in each other's bodies.

Inuyasha looked down at her with those red eyes, gripping her hips tightly, digging his claws into her flesh. "You're mine, Kagome," he growled out.

"Yes... yes," she moaned, moving so that her chin lay on the bed. "Ahhh... Inuyasha!" She gripped the bed and could only stand there and take his claim on her body. His pace never faltered and he never stopped. He was like an oiled machine that needed no break. And his consistent thrusting made her legs grow weak that she feared she wouldn't be able to stand any longer.

"Inuyasha... I can't... keep myself up..." she said in time with his rhythm.

"Put your knees on the bed," he said, his voice husky and low. Once she did, he took a better stance and thrusted into her with renewed vigor. She gasped at how deep he felt at this angle. She was also more at his mercy now that she could only kneel on the bed, grabbing at the sheets and grinding her head into the mattress. She was at his mercy. And it felt so good.

"Inuyasha..." She moaned at the intense feelings she felt for him, and the pleasure that he was building within her. He picked up the pace a little more and she swore she could feel him swell in her. His growls and moans got louder, as did the strength of his hands gripping her waist. She knew he was close to coming. It always made her come when he did. It was the sexiest thing to listen to and watch Inuyasha come. She also loved that she did that to him, that she made him lose himself and that she was the one who gave him that pleasure.

"Ah... Kagome... I'm coming... come with me..." he breathed out. He moaned with every thrust, acting like a wild animal lost to instinct. She felt her body get tighter and tighter, listening to his moans and letting him take her with him. Once she felt his hand come down to pinch her clit, she buried her head in the mattress and screamed, letting the orgasm wash through her. She heard Inuyasha come with her, the sounds of his grunts and moans taking her over the edge. She clutched the sheets in her fists as her body shuddered with his last thrusts before he held himself steady in her, releasing her clit to bring his hand back to her hips.

The both of them caught their breath as their bodies pulsed in time with their erratic heartbeats. Kagome moved so that her cheek lay against the bed and she could catch her breath. When her arms were getting sore holding herself up, she moved to push herself up and Inuyasha took himself out of her. She moaned as he knelt on the bed to grab her and move her to the pillows so that she could lie down. She laid on her back because she wanted to look at him. His face still held his markings, though they were slowly getting lighter and his eyes were showing more golden lines, growing more as the red was starting to fade. She licked her lips, looking up at him as he laid next to her on his arm and side.

"Can I touch you now?" she asked apprehensively.

Inuyasha smiled and nodded. She didn't wait. She grabbed his face and pulled him down to her lips, kissing him. She tasted and explored his mouth, running her hands up to his hair as he followed her down when she rested her head back on the bed. He deepened the kiss and she moaned when his hand found her breast, tugging at her nipple again. She tightened her thighs together, planting her feet on the bed as her clit pulsed with each tug of his fingers, her body so sensitive.

When they finally broke the kiss, she was breathing hard again. "Inuyasha... why didn't you let me touch you?" she asked with a pout.

He smiled, chuckling at the look on her face. "Because you think that you have control of your clients. Because I wanted to show you what I want to do to you sometimes. I don't want to scare you, Kagome, with my raw need for you..."

"I need you too, Inuyasha," she said, trying to get him to see that she wasn't afraid of him.

"But my raw need of you can be too much for you to take," he continued patiently. "There are things that I want to do that you're not ready to do. I'm a dominant, Kagome. It's my nature as an inuhanyou. We're possessive, jealous and can be very suffocating when it comes to our dominancy to protect our mates. My demon will always want you with the raw need it feels for you."

She watched him smile, his golden eyes twinkling at her. "What?" she asked.

"You're a submissive."

The word gave her pause. Sure she's heard of dominant/submissive from the culture of this day and age. But she knew the words to mean totally different things from what society uses those terms as. Her experience with those words go back to her sexual encounters with Koga and how he would dominate her in every way he could, drawing blood for his sick pleasure if that's how he wanted it.

"I'm not..." She remembered how she fought tooth and nails against Koga. She tried her best to kick and use her nails on him when she could. But in the end, when he subdued her, she could do nothing but submit. Still, it wasn't her choice. She wasn't a submissive until she had no other choice.

"You are, Kagome."

"No!" Inuyasha's eyes widened at her outburst and she pushed him back so that she could sit up against the headboard. He moved to sit too, keeping calm when he could see that she couldn't accept this. Her eyes glared at him, turning a dark blue, like a turbulent storm. "I was never submissive. I fought him off every chance I could. When he tied me down, I pulled against my restraints until the bruises hurt so much that my wrists and ankles bled and felt numb. I tried to bite him, scratch him, kick him, anything I could to get him off me. But... nothing I did worked. Koga was just... too strong..." She choked back a sob, shocked at herself for getting so emotional so suddenly.

Inuyasha reached for her, bringing her into his arms. "Kagome... what Koga did to you... that's not love. That wasn't even his dominant nature. That's his sick, abusive nature. He's a heartless psychopath. He wasn't trying to dominate you... he was trying to break you." He felt her shudder when the first wave of tears came and he heard her sobs as she cried in his arms, clutching to him for dear life. He let her cry and held her, as if by his sheer will alone he could heal her and protect her from anything.

"Kagome... you had no choice but to let Koga do what he did to you. But with me... you're a natural submissive. You're my mate. You're not his. You never submitted to him because you were never his. And he knew that. So he tried to break your spirit. But even when he tried, even when he pushed you over the railing... he never broke your will or your spirit." He pressed his cheek on top of her head, so proud of her for her strength. He knew she was strong willed and strong minded. He needed her to understand what he meant.

"You submit to me because you're my mate. Your body knows me and trusts me. You know me and trust me. I would never do what Koga did to you."

"I know," Kagome said, bringing her head up to look at him with her sad, watery eyes.

"I needed to show you that there are things that I need of you that you might not be ready to give me. You might want to. Subconsciously, you want to give me everything I ask, because you want to please me. And I wanted to show you that you can give me what I need because you submit to me. That's why I told you not to touch me even though you fought with yourself. That's why I took you from behind. I didn't want you to have any power to control the thrusting. I took away your power. The power you think you have over your clients to not touch you, I took it and used it on you."

Her eyes widened as she realized what he was saying, what he had done. She hadn't thought of it that way, but when he said it like that, it made sense. He was right. She wanted to please him. So much so that she was willing to give up all of her power that she basked in, the power that she had over men, she gave it up to Inuyasha.

"You freely gave me your control and you let me have control over you. That's what a submissive is, Kagome. It's not someone who's helpless and hopeless. It's someone who gives up their control and places their entire trust in that person. You gave that to me," he said, smiling at her as he moved to kiss her sweetly on her wet lips. "Your trust means everything to me, Kagome."

Kagome licked her lips, tasting her tears. "I do trust you, Inuyasha. I trust you more than anyone."

He nodded his head and kissed her forehead. "Good. Because I will protect you with my life. Trust me to know how to take care of you."

She frowned, staring up at him with lost eyes. "Do I make you happy, Inuyasha?"

He gave her a patient look, smiling at her. "More than I've ever been," he told her. "You give my life meaning."

She smiled, touched by his words, and brought a hand up to his cheek. "You give mine meaning too."

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

Inuyasha stirred, his ears twitching at what he thought he might've heard in his sleep or in reality. He flared out his senses, taking in the fact that he was alone in Kagome's apartment with her. She lay naked in his arms, curled into his side, their legs entwined together as he held her to his chest. But what woke him fully was the jyaki he felt nearby. The knock that came a few seconds later only confirmed his alarm.

He slowly pulled himself out from Kagome's limbs. She moaned, reaching for him but he avoided her reach and slid out of bed. She settled as he found his underwear and pulled them on, taking one last look at her. He walked to the door, recognizing this jyaki before needing to see who it was.

It was only when he got to the door did he notice all the locks and deadbolts. It was as if Kagome was trying to keep someone out, and he could only think of one person who she would want to with this many locks. He pressed his lips together, set on having Kagome come live with him. He could protect her better if she was living under his protection instead of here, alone. He dismissed the thought as the knocking started again and he opened the door.

Jinenji stood outside in a suit, staring at Inuyasha, expressionless. "You're staying the night." It was more of a declaration than a question.

Inuyasha nodded, leaning his shoulder against the doorway, uncaring that he only had his underwear on compared to Jinenji's tailored suit. "Yeah."

"The women said you hurt Kagome last night."

Inuyasha stared at Jinenji's green eyes, unflinching. Neither of them blinked as they sized each other up. Inuyasha didn't give away anything, leaning casually against the doorway, when he was poised and ready to fight if need be. Even though he knew Jinenji was Kagome's friend, he still didn't know this hanyou and could tell by the hanyou's jyaki that he was a force to be reckoned.

"Kagome's my mate. I don't have to explain myself to you."

Jinenji's face hardened. Both of them didn't move a muscle yet there seemed to be so much tension between them.

"If you hurt her again... you'll answer to me."

Inuyasha smirked, crossing his arms across his chest. "Fine with me."

"You think this is a game?"

"No. Kagome is mine. I answer to no one on my relationship with my mate."

Jinenji knew Inuyasha spoke the truth. Still, he didn't care if it was their laws. He was Kagome's friend and bodyguard and he was sworn to protect her, even from this hanyou who claimed he loved her as a mate. "What makes you different from Koga?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened for a split second before his face remained impassive. "If you know about him, why haven't you done something about it?"

Jinenji didn't feel like he needed to answer him. Instead, he took a glance past Inuyasha, but couldn't see where Kagome was. He didn't have to know what transpired between them to know that she was safe and sleeping. "Don't hurt her." With that, he turned and headed for the stairs.

"Hey!" Jinenji stopped and turned around when Inuyasha said nothing. "You work with Kagome." Jinenji nodded and Inuyasha walked out of the apartment, taking a few steps to Jinenji. "Are you her bodyguard?"

"Yes." He turned to walk down the stairs but Inuyasha stopped him.

"Tell me what club you work at."

"If she hasn't told you, then why should I?" Jinenji asked, heading down the stairs.

"Because I can easily track Onigumo either way. I will find the club using your scent or using my resources to find this Onigumo."

Jinenji smirked, walking down the stairs slowly, thinking it over. Inuyasha was an inuhanyou. Their noses were known to be one of the strongest tracking devices on the planet. He had no doubt that Inuyasha could trace his scent back to Midnite if he wanted to right now, since Jinenji did just come from the club now that they closed. Midoriko and Ayumi had asked him to check on Kagome, just to make sure she was okay. They filled him in on what happened and he assured them he would check on her, even using his key to get in if he had to. But he didn't need to when he felt the inuhanyou's jyaki in her apartment. Now, what was his reason for knowing the club?

"You plan to make a spectacle of her?" he asked, never changing his volume but knowing that Inuyasha could hear him clearly.

"No. I want to see this side of her she never shows me. And she gave me her word she would quit."

Jinenji's eyebrows arched in surprise. If Kagome truly said that, then he knew that Onigumo would move heaven and earth to stop her from leaving. And if Inuyasha was serious about his claim on Kagome, then this could become a huge ordeal. Kagome could be in jeopardy once she asked to leave, and Inuyasha better be ready to protect her. But Jinenji was all for Kagome leaving. He lost his patience with Onigumo and how the man treated Kagome. He wanted nothing more but for Kagome to leave, to make her name in the world with Kikyo, and to be happy with Inuyasha if that's who she wanted to spend her life with. He just wanted her to be happy. And over time, Onigumo treated Kagome differently, his jealousy and covetousness changing him.

Jinenji sighed. "It's Midnite." That said, he rounded the corner to continue heading down the stairs. He didn't once look back or listen if Inuyasha went back in the apartment. He said all he needed to say and saw all he needed to see in order to assure himself that Kagome was okay. With Inuyasha there, he knew Kagome would be safe. And considering the boy was nearly naked, he figured they made up and she wanted the boy there with her. So there was no reason for him to kick Inuyasha out.

As Jinenji got down to the first floor and made his way to the door, he noticed Onigumo heading to the door to head inside. He pressed his lips together, thinking of something to distract Onigumo.

"Onigumo, what are you doing here?" he asked as he opened the door and walked outside. Onigumo shrugged, keeping his hands in his jacket pockets.

"I wanted to check on Kagome since she called out sick. Is that what you're doing?"

Jinenji nodded. "Midoriko and Ayumi were worried so they asked if I could check on her after work. She didn't answer so I used my key and saw that she was sleeping. She's fine for the night. You should call her tomorrow to see how she's feeling."

He watched as Onigumo thought it over. It was two in the morning. They couldn't expect Kagome to be up this late without a reason to be. So the fact that both him and Onigumo came to check on Kagome, knowing she's probably asleep, was an overkill. Jinenji watched Onigumo as he looked up at the side of the building, thinking over his options. He wondered what Onigumo would've done if he hadn't been here first and had found Inuyasha in her apartment. Onigumo had a strange affection, call it lust or obsession, for Kagome. Too twisted for Jinenji's liking.

Onigumo 'hmphed' and turned around. "At least you checked on her. I'll call her tomorrow." He made his way back towards the club and Jinenji followed him from a distance, wondering on what day and in what capacity would Onigumo and Inuyasha meet each other.

---

Hope you liked this chapter and the make up sex. Those two just can't get enough of each other, even when tensions and emotions are high. But I am looking forward to a lot more mixing of Kag's two worlds and to see what Inu does next *hint hint* ;) LMK what you thought