Kiss and Control

"No Dad, I don't need a car!" said Kagome, absolutely frustrated.

"Kaggy, I don't see why you’re being so persistent about this. Come on now, we both know it won’t be a financial issue, and if you feel that badly about it, then you can pay me back after you’re done with college," said Mr. Higurashi.

"Dad...Daddy...I'm not one of your clients - please don't sit there and try to manipulate me into seeing your point of view. I really don't need a car. I didn't need one in high school, and the college is much closer." Kagome sighed, seemingly at the end of her rope. She and her father had been arguing since she had been released nearly three hours ago.

"Sweetheart, this isn't a matter of convenience - I'm worried about you. This town isn't the same anymore. The streets are filled with uncountable dangers - it's not just the street incident, there are thugs out there. Drug addicts, common criminals - it’s not safe for a young woman to be walking all by herself. In high school, you had your friends to walk you home."

Kagome’s father leaned in and pinched her nose. "Come on, Kiddo, I know you’re independent, I know you want to make your own way in life. But I'm your father, and I worry about you, sweetie. Can you blame me?"

The over use of pet names and pleading were starting to get to her. She figured if she didn't cave soon he would probably call in his lawyer to argue his case. It was typical of her dad – stepping into her life whenever it suited him, bearing all his check books and credit cards, willing to solve all of her problems with a little cash.

"I don't blame you, Daddy..." she sighed.

"Well then, just let me buy you the damn car. It doesn't have to be a Porsche..."

"Daddy!"

"I'm just joking! I swear, Kaggy, I’ll let you pick it out and everything. Just let me do this for my little girl. It's not like you'd let me pay your tuition or anything -"

"I've got a scholarship! I worked hard to -"

"And I'm not saying you didn't - all I'm saying is let me do this for you, and when you get done with college, you can pay me back. Deal?"

Kagome rolled her eyes and waited a minute before responding. Not that it helped - he knew he had won.

"Alright, Daddy--"

"Thank you."

"--but I get to pick it out."

"Of course."

"And I'm paying you back with interest!"

"I'll have my people call your people." Kagome’s father grinned as he held out his hand.

Kagome shook it, though she knew he'd never accept a penny from her.

'It's like a deal with the devil.'

~*~*~*~*~*~

Inuyasha winced as he slipped into the hot bath fully clothed. His body pulsated. The water would help separate his clothes from his skin, but that didn't make it less painful.

Taking a new sock, he rolled it up and shoved it in his mouth. It wasn't to keep himself quiet - he had a very high tolerance for pain - it was more to keep himself from cracking a tooth.

He used a pair of scissors to cut the sleeves at the seams so he could take off the part of the jacket that wasn't glued to his body. He then cut the sleeves up the center so that he could peel them back instead of pulling them off, which would only aggravate his wounds more.

It was like a hot wax from hell - the kind that didn't just stop at the hair, but the kind that took follicles and skin along with it.

The shower afterwards was painful, but the bottle of alcohol after that made it seem like a walk in the park (albeit a park filled with rabid dogs during a hail storm).

Inuyasha had spent the entire time cursing himself for his own stupidity. Not only had he risked his own identity, but his own life. And for what?

Maybe his inner youkai was right.

Maybe he did have a certain amount of sympathy for women.

The man all but growled as he placed the rosary around his neck.

'A human has sympathy for a cow, but that doesn't stop him from eating hamburgers.'

And that was the truth wasn't it?

As Inuyasha watched the wounds on his arms start to heal, he thought back to the girl with the large brown eyes.

"I hope she needs stitches."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Kagome winced as she rubbed her sore shoulder. Albeit the pain didn't really bother her on a mental level, she'd much rather be stuck with a couple of stitches than be scraped off the road into a body bag. A few minor bruises and cuts were nothing compared to what would have happened if her mystery man hadn't come along and saved her.

She hoped he was all right. After the way he ran (flew?) away, she assumed he was fine.

As she lay in her bed, she couldn’t get his face out of her mind. It was like a fairy tale.
Only in place of a dragon was a semi, and she was no princess by any means.

She was almost happy that he hadn't stayed. If he had, and he had turned out to be a jerk or some kind of weirdo, her perfect fantasy would have been ruined.

'The guy did jump through traffic to save me, though. What kind of person does that?'

"The handsome kind apparently..." she mused in answer to her own question.

At first, she had thought he was just a figment of her imagination, but apparently everyone else had seen him too. Her father had seen to it that the incident wouldn't make it to print, but boy, would it have made a good story. She just hoped her father’s influence was enough to keep all those journalists quiet. The last thing she wanted was to be made into some kind of spectacle.

Her father wanted her to stay home tomorrow - to rest, he had said. What he really meant was he didn't want her walking home by herself again.

"It’s like being five years old again..." she sighed.

It was a tempting idea, but she knew that she wouldn't risk falling behind in school. She would make it through Friday, then go car shopping with Daddy on Saturday. Sleep was hard to find, but when it came, her dreams were filled with a white-haired god whose golden eyes seemed to burn into her soul.

~*~*~*~*~*~

=== Friday Afternoon ===

Kagome laughed as her friends 'ooh-ed' and 'ahh-ed' over her story. The only one who seemed to be distressed was Hojo.

"Can't you guys see the seriousness of the situation? Kagome could have been killed!" he said, scowling.

"But she wasn't! Her mystery man was there to save the day!" Yuka cooed. "Oh Kagome, that’s the most romantic thing I've ever heard!"

"Some hero! Look at her!" Hojo blurted.

"Hey!" Kagome protested.

"I mean no offence, Kagome-chan, but that guy could have ripped your arm off! You had to have stitches for crying out loud! What kind of hero injures the person they're saving? A real hero would have stopped you before you walked across the street!"

"Hojo, honestly! Have you no sense of romance? It wouldn't have been nearly as romantic if he had done that!" Yuka complained.

"Besides, it sounds like it was a real spur of the moment kind of thing. What if the guy hadn't been close enough to stop her before? Let’s face it, stitches beat the hell out of being road kill," Eri stated calmly, as she sipped on her hot tea.

"Eri, really! Did you have to be so gruesome - I mean, road kill?" Yuka chided.

"Really, you guys, could we talk about something else please?" Kagome groaned.

Hojo sat up and looked at Kagome with the utmost compassion.

"Of course, Kagome-chan. It must have been a horrifying experience for you. It only makes sense that you'd want to forget it."

"What he really means is..." Eri sipped once more on her tea." ...that he wants you to forget about your mystery saviour so you can focus more on him."

Hojo choked on his coffee, his face turning both purple and red at the same time.

Kagome’s blush went unnoticed as Yuka patted the poor boy’s back, and Eri just about fell from the booth laughing.

"Really, Eri-chan! How can you say such things...even if they are true," said Yuka, causing Kagome’s blush to redden, Eri's laughter to increase, and poor Hojo's face to turn a brilliant shade of burgundy.

Luckily, Kagome was saved from further humiliation by a masculine voice.

"Excuse me, could you please give me directions to the local shrine?" a young man in a light blue dress shirt stood at the front of the diner. The cashier, also the hostess, smiled at the man whose back was to the booth.

"That would be the Higurashi shrine. There’s a road about three blocks over that'll take you straight to it, sweetie," she replied.

"Do you think you could write me directions?" He smiled in return, nervously running his hand through his hair. "I'm new in town and I'm horrible at remembering stuff."

"Sure thing, cutie."

The waitress smiled as she began to rummage through her pockets for a pen.

"Kagome," whispered Yuka. "Do you know that guy?"

"Uhh..." Though it was hard to tell from behind, she was almost certain she did not. "I don't think so..."

"Maybe you should offer to show him… besides he has a nice butt..." Eri grinned.

"Eri!" squealed Yuka.

"You guys!" Kagome scowled as she stood up. It would be rude of her to ignore the boy, especially if she ran into him again at the shrine.

"Um, Christy?" Kagome said as she approached the counter. She could almost feel her friends’ eyes burning into the back of her skull. "Maybe I could help."

The blonde waitress looked up and smiled once more.

"Oh, Kagome dear, how perfect! Young man, this is Kagome Higurashi, her family lives at the shrine."

"Yeah, um, hi," Kagome said, as the man turned around. For the second time in two days, she was left speechless. As the boy turned around, she was greeted by not only a handsome face, but a pair of the darkest blue eyes she had ever seen. They were almost violet. As the guy smiled, Kagome could practically feel her legs melting beneath her. When he extended his hand, she stared at it for a moment as if it were some holy object that she shouldn't be touching.

Eventually, she reached out shakily and took his hand. He shook it twice before letting go.

"Hi, my name is Yash. It’s nice to meet you, though slightly odd," he laughed. "Wow, this really is a small town." His eyes never once left hers as she shrugged.

"I guess so," she laughed nervously. "Uh… you were trying to get to our shrine?"

"Um, yeah, I have some personal business there. Are you a priestess at the shrine?"

"Not hardly," offered Eri, as she came to stand beside Kagome. She was beat to the chase by Hojo, who was practically wedging himself between the two. Yuka was soon to follow, giggling the entire way. "Kagome’s no priestess. The Higurashi shrine doesn’t have an attending priest or priestess."

"Oh well then... is it still open to the public?" Yash seemed to be disappointed.

"Please excuse Eri, she doesn't know how to act around people." Kagome’s voice was no longer unsteady. It seemed she felt braver with her friends at her side. "Our shrine doesn't have an official priest, but it is open to the public and I do handle the ceremonies and such, so I guess you could call me its priestess, though I haven't had any real training."

"Oh well, that’s a relief."

He looked at the girl’s friends and took a step back.

"Well, it seems like you were having a night out with your friends. I wouldn't want to interrupt. If you could just give me directions? I'm sure I could find it..."

"Oh it’s no problem, I could show you myself, if you would like."

"Really, I wouldn't want to be a burden..."

"Nonsense! Besides, if you want to get technical, it’s kind of my duty." Kagome smiled.

Yash smiled in return. "Well, when you put it that way..."

"Kagome-san is very devoted to her duties. I would be happy to drive you both to the shrine," said Hojo, whether to be helpful, or make himself known, Yash couldn't tell.

Eri leaned in and whispered in Yuka's ear "He just wants to make sure this guy keeps his paws off Kagome..."

The two girls snickered, earning a nasty glare from Kagome.

"Look, I really appreciate this..." said Yash, ignoring the two girls as Hojo paid for the drinks.

"Think nothing of it," said Kagome.

~*~*~*~*~*~

So far things were going swimmingly. Inuyasha had managed to make contact, and he could tell by the girl’s actions that she was attracted to him - on a physical level at least. Once he got a feel for her personality, he could better shift to fit her emotional attractions as well. Until then, he wouldn't be extreme in one way or another. Though the ride to the shrine, squeezed between the girl’s two friends, had been slightly uncomfortable, it hadn't lasted long.

He smiled and waved as the SUV pulled away, pretending not to notice the glower he received from the boy, Hojo. It was painfully obvious that the boy had the hots for the young Higurashi. It was also obvious that she did not return the sentiments.

The girl turned and looked at him.

"Well, here we are - home sweet home."

Inuyasha looked at the extremely tall staircase before him.

"Wow, that’s quite a hike, huh?"

Higurashi laughed. "You get used to it."

As they began to ascend, Kagome tried to strike up a conversation.

"So, what brings you to the shrine?"

Inuyasha huffed a bit, pretending to be winded before answering. "Well, it’s tradition, sort of..."

"Tradition?"

"Yeah..." he said slowly at first. He had rehearsed this talk all morning in his head. "Every year, I like to go to the local shrine and light an incense at this time."

"Oh?" she said. As they reached the top, she was actually surprised to see the boy panting a bit. Who knew someone with such a great body would be so spent after a few stairs. 'Guess I've been doing it so long, I don't notice anymore how hard it is on people who aren’t used to it...'

"Yeah...Uh... today is my mother’s birthday. She died about five years ago."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to pry..." Kagome’s sentence trailed off as she seemed to run out of words.

"It’s okay, really. I don't mind. It's kind of nice such a cute girl is showing interest in me..." Inuyasha turned to fake a blush. He could practically feel the heat rolling off the girl in waves.

"Oh uh...I...um..."

Inuyasha cleared his throat and laughed a bit. "So, could you show me the way?"

"Of course!" Kagome almost jumped as she led the way to the shrine building for prayers. 'He thinks I'm cute!'

Inuyasha studied the surrounding shrine, mapping it out mentally. It was well kept - the walk ways swept, and shrubbery well trimmed.

"Wow, your friend wasn't kidding. You really do keep this place in shape. Do you do all this by yourself?"

Kagome nodded as she walked through the familiar paths. "Some of the less used shrines are a bit dusty, but I try my best. My family has taken care of this shrine for many generations. My grampa used to take care of it, but he died when I was really young...My dad doesn't really take much interest in it. So it’s kind of up to me."

"I'm sorry about your grandfather. So do you go to school?"

Kagome smiled. Normally she would have been weirded out by being alone with a stranger, but there was something about this man that set her at ease.

"Yeah, I have a scholarship at the local college."

"Wow, I'm impressed. A college girl and a shrine keeper. Must be hard."

"It can be. Between studies and all of this, I don't get much time to myself, you know?"

"I can imagine. You've done a great job, though. Your grandfather would be proud."

"I'd like to think so... Well, this is it. Would you like to be alone?"

Inuyasha put on his most charming smile.

"Oh no, I don't mind. Please, I would be grateful for the company. I don't really know anyone in town, and I haven't had a friendly conversation all week."

Kagome blushed as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt. As she opened the door, she walked towards the altar and bowed before stepping back and allowing the boy to kneel.

She kept silent as he lit a single incense and placed it in the stone plate and bowed his head. It only took about five minutes to burn through, and Kagome couldn't help but study the man in the meantime.

He was definitely the most gorgeous guy she had ever spoken with, and it really surprised her how easily the conversation seemed to flow.

When he was finished, she realized she didn't want him to leave.

"Well, thank you very much, for the company and the directions. I guess I'll be going now. It was nice to meet you."

As he turned and began to walk out, Kagome’s heart clenched, and her mouth blurted out "Wait!"

Inuyasha turned around and feigned a look of surprise.

"I uh...um…"

'Now look what you've done! You’re in it deep now, girl!' she mentally berated herself.

"I… uh...Would you like some tea?"

'Nice save!'

Inuyasha smiled as he turned his body completely to look at her. "Tea?"

"Uh…yeah, we…um… we have a lot of special teas up at the house, and you said it’s been awhile since you had a friendly conversation..."

"Tea would be great," he said before the poor girl was left grasping for words again.

Yep, things were going swimmingly.


==========================
A/N: A big thanks once again to my Divine Beta Atelaar. And thank you to you guys who reveiwed!

In response to some of those reviews.

Im sorry but the ciggs stay.

And

Lol! I appoligize for belting you with a brickbat! It was never my intention....or was it?


Hopefully the next chap will be out soon, as long as life doesnt come at ME with a brickbat. Lol Thanks everyone for reading.