Insatiable

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does.


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Chapter 04: Skeptical Admirer
 

Miroku, Sango, Hiten and Kouga were sitting lined up along the bar waiting for their drinks to be served. His gaze caught where Inuyasha was standing. Shun was there with him. He smiled when he saw someone familiar. Finally, Kagome had arrived. Not taking his eyes off the three, he thanked Yuka when she gave him his shot. He was sure Kagome and Inuyasha were going to get along pretty well.

“Miroku, what are you looking at?” Without waiting for Miroku’s reply, Kouga turned to where Miroku was watching. “Oh, Kagome’s here already. That’s nice. And she looks great.”

Upon hearing this, Hiten was atwitter. “Kagome? She’s here? Where?” He almost shoved Kouga off his seat. “Damn, she looks so pretty.”

Sango and Miroku chuckled. Hiten had always been vocal about his crush on Kagome. Well, he was vocal whenever Shun was not anywhere near.

Kouga, however, scowled. “Hiten, don’t be too obvious with your crush on Kagome. Keep yourself leashed. Shun’s here. You know how he is.”

“I know. Geesh. I’m just admiring her.”

“Then admire from afar.”

“So Hiten, whom did you give the red envelope?” Miroku asked.

“Her.” Hiten pointedly looked at Yuka who was preparing Kouga’s sixth shot of tequila for the night.

“What?” Yuka reacted instantly upon hearing her name. She caught Hiten looking at her. “Oh, you. I remember you. You were that guy who gave me that red envelope with the cute puppy ears on it,” Yuka said smoothly, leaning forward towards Hiten seductively. “I'd say you're one cute-”

“So old lady,” Kouga interrupted her.
 
Yuka glared at him and hit him hard on the head.
 
“Awww! What'd you do that for old hag?” Kouga roared matching her dangerous glare.
 
“DO NOT call me old lady, hag, witch or anything pertaining to wrinkles!” Her glare packed so much heat Kouga would have burned. Yuka was only 40 years old. She was no old lady. “Do you understand me, BOY?” She hissed emphasizing the last word.
 
BOY! Kouga could not believe she just called him a boy. What the fuck! Kouga jumped. Nobody called him a boy since he was, well, a boy. He was Kouga. He was the wolf. He was alpha. He was starting to get drunk. And when he was drunk, he’d become obnoxious.

Moreover, he was easily provoked.

He sneered at Yuka. “But old hag, you must be really sooo giddy that you got to smooch with Inuyasha the other night. You better be. Because you know, with you reaching the 4-0, I bet that would be your only and last chance getting to kiss someone so youthful, desirable and wrinkle-free.” To finish, he smirked.

Yuka blinked, clueless on what Kouga was talking about. She ignored his whole comment about her being an old hag because the other comment bothered here. A kiss? What kiss? She did not know anything about a kiss. And with whom? Inuyasha? Who the hell was that?

“Shut up Kouga! Don't talk to Yuka like that. She’s like Kagome's older sister.” It was a good thing Sango was there to tell off Kouga.

Kouga crossed his arms and frowned.
 
“I'm sorry Yuka. He's a jerk sometimes. I hope you understand. He‘s on a time-off with his girl. You know how boys get cranky when they don't get some.” She winked at Yuka.
 
“Why do you have to tell her that Sango?” Kouga growled while Hiten laughed.
 
Yuka, on the other hand, appeared amused now. But inside, she was still itching to ask them about that kiss she was supposed to have shared with an Inuyasha. Whoever that Inuyasha was.

Hiten cleared his throat. He turned to Yuka. “Oh yeah, Miss…”
 
“Yuka,” she supplied. She'd get to the bottom of all this. She had overheard the group talking about a red envelope. It was possible that the red envelope was all connected to what Kouga had said. She had been curious about it from the start. But she had not bothered asking more about it when Hiten had handed it to her the other night. Well, first, because she was distracted. Hiten had looked way too hot that night that worrying something about a mere red envelope was the last thing on her mind.
 
“Right… Yuka. I’m sorry I failed to introduce myself the other night. I was in a hurry.”

Yuka smiled. At least Hiten was well-mannered. Unlike some. She passed a glare at Kouga who was still glaring at her.

“You must have been surprised. You know, with Inuyasha.” There was that name again. Who the hell was Inuyasha?

Yuka smiled pretending to listen and act like she understood him.

Hiten continued, “Out of nowhere, someone comes in your bar and asks for a kiss from you in order to get a red envelope back. I understand I’ve put you in a very uncomfortable position because of that. Sorry. You see, that guy? He’s Inuyasha and he has just arrived yesterday from Chicago and as a welcome present, we‘ve decided to prank him.” He pointed at Inuyasha who was drinking his beer.
 
Yuka's eyes narrowed. But she gave the red envelope to Kagome, which meant -

Oh shit! Yuka cursed in her thoughts, yet her face did not show it. And being the actress that she was, she gave a cocky grin.

“Oh yeah, boy, was I surprised. He sure was yummy!” Her gaze went to Inuyasha. She gasped in alarm at what she saw next. Because right in front of Inuyasha was Kagome. What the hell was Kagome doing there?


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Inuyasha could not believe his eyes, or his ears. First, the woman whom he had fantasized was now standing before him. Second, she had a name. Kagome. And third, she was already engaged to Shun. His mind did not have any difficulty grasping the first and second points. The last one, however, gave him an instant headache and a bad mood.

She was Shun’s fiancee? But how could that be? He was distraught. He tried saying that to himself again but his mind just refused to acknowledge that she was already not for him. He knew that that thought was a bit too much when he had only known her for a day, and he had only discovered that her name was Kagome at the moment. But he could not help himself with these feelings of possessiveness over her. He could not explain it. He just felt it.

And that frustrated him even more.

There was a part of him that suspected this was part of the prank. Was this a joke? Was she a part of some ploy that his friends had set up just to make him flabbergasted? Damn he felt like a lost puppy – like an angry lost puppy. He did not like these kinds of games. He did not like mind games. The only person who could get away with playing him with mind games was Sesshomaru. And his brother was not here.

But the way Kagome’s eyes widened when she saw him proved otherwise. That her body seemed to shrink under his gaze told him that she appeared to have been as shocked as he had been upon seeing her. Besides, his friends would never put him in this tight spot. Moreover, Shun would not let his fiancée to be a part of the second half of the prank. That would be just so un-Shun-of.

So what the hell was going on?

“What’s wrong, Inuyasha?” Shun inquired with a frown.
 
“Nothing,” he replied. He turned to stare at Kagome. His eyes spoke volumes to her as he gripped her sweaty hands. “Just thinking about something.”

“Nice to meet you,” he told to her, all the while swearing to himself that he would get to the bottom of all this.


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Oh my God! It’s him!

Something inside her was telling her to run. God, she felt like turning into a ball and hide in the corner. To say that Kagome was surprised would be an understatement.

He had been on her mind almost always yesterday. She had fantasized seeing him again. She had thought of the time she would get to meet him and know his name. But that was just it, she had fantasized. She had not expected to see him again. So seeing him now was more than shocking. For her, it was like being caught naked in front of a hundred people. She was frozen on the spot while a pair of intense amber eyes gazed at her. Well, he was not really gazing at her. He was more of glaring at her. And he was the man whom haunted her and her dreams since the moment she had met him. He was the man who had kept her awake last night.

Inuyasha.
 
And he was Shun’s friend. She thought, and then stopped, realization sinking in. He was Shun’s friend. And she kissed the hell out of him, and enjoyed it. What was worse was that when she did, she hadn’t even known him. She fidgeted feeling unsettled down the pit of her stomach that she almost trembled by it.

Wait.

Why did he kiss her in the first place? That night he had mentioned about a ransom. Moreover, when she had went home, she had discovered that the red envelope Yuka had given her was missing. She assumed he had taken it from her without telling her. Were the two somewhat connected?

“Nice to meet you.” She was taken out of her thoughts when she heard his deep voice. They were still husky as she remembered them. She looked down. His hand awaited before her.

She took a deep breath and shook his hand. She flinched at his grip. However, her eyes widened like saucers with his next statement.
 
“Say Kagome, you look very familiar. Have I met you before?” he asked raising a skeptical brow at her.

Kagome's eyes almost popped out of her sockets.
 
“Um… ah…” What could she possibly say? Say yes? Should she confirm they had met? But as far as she knew, he had only arrived yesterday. So if she said yes, she was implying that she had met him on that day. That would cause suspicions and that was one thing she did not want. In addition, she did not want to ruin her relationship with Shun, as well as his relationship with Inuyasha. Because knowing Shun, he would be infuriated and he would hold a grudge. So, she chose to deny it.

Avoiding his gaze, she whispered a “No.”
 
“Are you sure?” His molten eyes stripped her, not in a perverse way. His gaze, however, seemed to penetrate her skin making her feel trapped and exposed. What was he doing? Did he really want her to say yes and risk the possibility of Shun and all his friends knowing what had happened the night before?
 
“What's with all the questions, Inuyasha?” Shun asked him eyeing their still clasped hands.

Inuyasha released her hand. “Oh, nothing Shun. It's just that I may have met your fiancée before, last night… in this bar, as a matter of fact.” He grinned but she knew it was forced. She did not missed the skeptical look he gave her way.
 
“Really? Is that true Kagome?” Shun turned to Kagome.
 
“Um…” She was frantic. What should she say? Yes? No? She didn't know. But her explanation depended on what she would answer first. How would she explain this without mentioning the kiss they had shared? Without her sounding like a two-timing slut? Her mind went blank. She was about to suck it all up and yield.

But Yuka butted in. “Of course, you have… met her that is. She was bartending yesterday night when you came in.” She batted an eyelash at Inuyasha. “Hey there lover boy, nice to see you again. I should tell you that was quite some rendezvous we got the other night. You sure are one hell of a kisser. We should do it some other time.” Yuka usually had an unwavering confidence, but this time, her voice quivered.

Inuyasha glared at her.

Not knowing she was holding her breath, Kagome exhaled deeply. Yuka had such perfect timing. However she had found out that she was in trouble was not important to Kagome. What she cared about was that Yuka had just taken the heat off her.

“Is that true, Kagome? You were bartending last night?”

Kagome turned to Shun. “Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

She sighed. Shun was like that. He needed to know everything even with the most unnecessary things. “It was-”

“Kagura asked her for a favor… um … ah…. What was your name again?”

Shun looked insulted that Yuka did not know him. “Shun.”

“Right, Shun. Nice to meet you, by the way.” Most of the people in Sacred Arrow knew Shun, but they were not close to him because Shun made it a point to not mingle with them. Kagome was always irked with this.

“Anyway, tonight, we are having live stages. Have fun.” Yuka dismissed herself after blowing Kagome a kiss.

With a grunt, Shun ushered them to their table. Inuyasha followed them.

Her back burned. She could feel him watching her. She was highly aware of him. It was her fault though. When Yuka had left them, she had the unfortunate timing of looking at his eyes. And what she saw alarmed her. Though his face looked relatively calm, his amber orbs glinted dangerously with suppressed rage. She took a deep breath. She was going to dread the confrontation with him.


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Inuyasha was in a bad mood. It was most obvious because he had been scowling the whole evening. If he was not scowling, however, then he was glaring daggers at either Kagome or Yuka. Most of the time though, he was controlling himself from cutting off Shun’s arms since it was usually draped around Kagome’s shoulders, or tucked around her waist. He told himself that he should ignore them. And he did with difficulty. It was a good thing though that Kouga and Hiten were there. He had someone to joke around since Miroku was preoccupied with making out with Sango. 

His thoughts were interrupted with the loud cheers of the crowd.

Sacred Arrow had Live Stage tonight where the audience were given the chance to compete for the coveted title of being the champ. There were no monetary prizes, just a month’s worth of bragging rights.

“All right! Fantastic performance! Let's give it up for Mickee!” the emcee said up the stage.
 
“Yeah!” everyone cheered.
 
Kouga wailed. “Oh… HELL YEAH!”

Inuyasha covered his ears. Kouga was shouting way too close to his face.

“Okay, I’m gonna join.” He was still screaming. He stood up and briskly climbed the stage. He grabbed the microphone from the emcee as he raised his beer bottle.
 
“Oh shit, here we go,” Miroku said shaking his head.
 
“What's wrong with you, man?” The emcee sneered at Kouga.
 
“Oh nothing. Just give me the microphone dude and let me do my thing!” he told him. He had this gigantic grin in his face when he turned to the crowd.

“He-llo, everyone!” he bellowed. “Everyone having fun?”
 
“Yeah!” they cheered.

He motioned the crowd to keep quiet. Amazingly, they followed him.

His friends were watching him with big goofy smiles of their faces. Kouga had always been a PR person. He was great with crowds, especially loud crowds. There smiles, however, turned to apprehension when Kouga looked over to where they were seated. When Kouga had a wolfish grin as big as the one he was having right now, you should be afraid. His friends were definitely scared.
 
“Oh fuck. He's going to do something stupid again. Hide!” Inuyasha said as he hid under their table.
 
“Before we get on with the main show, please let me first hear you say HELL YEAH!”

“Hell yeah!”

 
“All right everybody! Now that we are all fired up, let's pick a song. But before I blow you away with my excellent singing prowess, please meet my friends over there at the center table!” he said as he pointed over to where his friends sat. Everyone cheered. On the other hand, his friends waved their hands shyly - a bit embarrassed but nevertheless having fun.
 
He signaled for the crowd to listen. “As a treat from me to you, and since I feel like there are many lonely people tonight, let me present to you the best looking guy I've ever seen and met in my entire life… Inuyasha!”
 
Oh fuck you, Wolf! Inuyasha cursed in his mind as he accidentally hit his head against the table from where he was trying to hide. Begrudgingly, he went up the stage and joined Kouga. On the way to the stage, he imagined wringing Kouga’s neck in front of the crowd. It was a good sight.

Kouga put his arms up his shoulders. “Say hello to the ladies, Inuyasha.”

“I’m going to kill you, Wolf,” Inuyasha hissed at Kouga before facing the crowd and said, “Hi.”

“Ah…” Kouga cooed. “Isn't he the charmer? And he's still single ladies.”
 
With that the ladies wildly hooted, whistled and cheered.

 “Okay, I have Inuyasha come up the stage for me because I need a shoulder to lean on with this song,” Kouga said forlornly.
 
“Yash,” he looked up at Inuyasha with puppy eyes and leaned his head on his shoulder. “Hold me,” he squeaked while Inuyasha sweat-dropped.

“Ayame, this song is for you. You merciless wench who had stolen my heart and brought it to Kyoto for 2 months, leaving me all alone and very hard each and every night!” Kouga ranted on clownishly. Inuyasha blinked while everybody laughed. Hiten almost dropped butt first to the floor if he hadn't held unto the table.
 
Love hurts
Love scars
Love wounds
Almost any heart
Not tough or strong enough
To take a lot of pain...take a lot of pain
Love is like a cloud
Holds a lot of rain
Love hurts...ooh...ooh love hurts
 
“Here you go, Yash. Sing your heart out,” Kouga said as he handed Inuyasha the microphone. Inuyasha's eyes popped as the ladies shouted at him. “I love you, Inuyasha.” “Inuyasha, marry me!” “Inuyasha, I’ll give you my trust fund. Just come with me tonight.” “Inuyasha, love doesn’t hurt. I’ll help you feel it good.” Their screams drowned his voice. Goodness, they were a wild bunch.
 
I'm young...I know.
But even so...
I know a thing or two.
And I learned from you.
I really learned a lot...
Really learned a lot.
Love is like a flame.
It burns you when it's hot.
Love hurts...ooh...ooh love hurts.
 
All of a sudden, Hiten jumped up the stage holding another microphone and still carrying his beer. Standing center stage, he stole the spotlight. In the succeeding verses of the song, he showed his potential. He howled like a monkey. And the crowd roared even louder.
 
Some fools think of happiness...
Blissfulness...Togetherness.
Some fools fool themselves I guess.
They're not foolin' me.
 
“Come sing with us, LECHER!” Hiten shouted to Miroku as he threw the microphone to him. Like some possessed person, Miroku embraced the microphone and bawled the words as he knelt before Inuyasha and hugged his leg.
 
I know it isn't true.
I know it isn't true.
Love is just a lie.
Made to make you blue.
Love hurts...ooh...ooh love hurts.
 
And the quartet crooned. All for of them out of tune. All four of them doing their own thing. All four of them looking like idiots. It was a good thing they were sexy idiots. And the sexy idiots were having a ball.

The crowd cheered them on as they neared the end of the song. Inuyasha looked at the crowd. They were wild. But his gaze was always drawn to their table. No matter how he tried to train his eyes to something or somebody else, his gaze kept on returning to Kagome. She was laughing with everyone. So was Sango. Shun was laughing beside her. His hand clasped hers tightly. She must have sensed that he had been staring at her because she stopped her gleaming and met his gaze. Her face appeared to be vacant, but he could tell from her eyes that she understood the silent words he spoke to her even in the dim room.
 
Ooh...love hurts.
 
 
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For the rest of the night, he had watched her. Kagome knew this because she had felt the heat of his gaze. Because of that she had also been conscious the whole night. Aside from the fact that she was guilty because she had lied about having met him the night before, she could also feel that he was irked by her presence. That was the least of her problems though. What really alarmed her was the fact that she was always aware of him and only him. Between Shun who sat beside her most of the night and Inuyasha who avoided her - if someone asked her how many shots these two had the entire night - she would have answered Inuyasha’s correctly and have gotten Shun’s wrong.

However, this, she should say, her mind had not played tricks on her when it told her he was the most handsome guy she had ever met. Because he was jawdroppingly hot - even with the permanent scowl he had the entire night. And it annoyed her further that she was thinking about that when she was with Shun. Dear God, she could hear thunder in the heavens.

They had decided to go home around one. It was still very early considering Sacred Arrow would close at five in the morning.

They were walking towards the parking lot now. She smiled at Hiten and Kouga who were supporting each other. The two were drunk, especially Kouga. He had been extra enthusiastic when it came to the tequila shots. Hiten had told her that Kouga was just drowning his sorrows and his frustrations.

Both of them had been very vocal about carrying on with the night, clubbing some more and maybe getting laid before the night ended.

“I will… hick… reward myself for… hick… being celibate… hick… for almost 2 months… hick,” Kouga had tipsily uttered as he staggered towards Inuyasha. Inuyasha caught him before he fell face first on the ground.

Kagome knew it was rude since she was now staring at them. Well, she was staring at Inuyasha in particular. But she could not make herself look away from him because for the first time that night, she saw him smile - up close and clear.

““Watch it, Wolf. Man, you’ve drunk more than you can swallow.”

Poking Inuyasha’s nose, Kouga taunted. “Ya know, Yash. Yarr… soo… unlucky… getting ta… kiss… thath oldth hag.”

“And you’re so dead when Ayame finds out you’ve gotten yourself drunk, baka.”

Kouga snorted. “Go ahead! Hick - Tell her! Hick - That way she’ll know how - hick - miserable I am. Perhaps, she’ll - hick - come home earlier.”

Kagome watched him as he leaned against his friend. He patted Inuyasha's shoulder before he walked off with Hiten and headed toward his car. Already seated in the passenger’s seat, Kouga waved a lousy goodbye to everyone.

“He’s really missing her,” said Sango as she and Miroku stopped in front of their car.

“He still has a few more weeks before Ayame returns.”

It had been a month and a half since Ayame had gone with her dad to Kyoto for a 2 month archaeological dig. Though Kouga called her everyday, still, he had been missing her. That was understandable because Kouga and Ayame had been together since college. They had met during their sophomore year and became friends. A year later, they decided to have a more than platonic relationship. Though Kouga often joked about entertaining other women whenever Ayame was away, all his friends knew that he would never be unfaithful to her. Everyone knew he was loco about her.

Kagome kissed Sango goodbye. After that, she was bear hugged by Miroku. By the time Miroku was done with her, Sango was already waiting for him in the car. This left Inuyasha, Kagome and Shun standing in the parking lot when the two had driven away. Now that the other four were gone, she felt the tension in the air. It was thick and very uncomfortable, particularly between her and Inuyasha. She fidgeted. She felt that something was coming. That something was going to happen. And that she was going to get hurt. Pretty bad.

Fortunately for her, Shun spoke breaking the tension temporarily.
 
“So Inu, I guess Kagome and I’d better be going. She was cooped up at work all day today and she really needed the rest,” he said resting his arm around her shoulders, slowly rubbing her arm up and down.
 
Inuyasha grumbled a “Yeah.” Everyone had noticed that he was in a bad mood the entire night. He had joked with his friends. But almost every time, she had felt that they were half-hearted. Shun had told her that perhaps Inuyasha was cranky due to the lack of sleep. From what she had overheard, it seemed that Kouga and Hiten had harassed him to waking up that morning. However, she had a feeling that the lack of sleep had nothing to do with it. She’d bet that the cause of Inuyasha’s sour mood was none other than her.
 
“Let's go Kagome,” Shun ushered Kagome towards the car. She had come on a cab because she knew Shun would drive her home.
 
“Oh,” she stopped realizing something. “Shun, I think I left my purse inside. I better go get it.” She turned around to enter the bar, but Shun stopped her.
 
“I'll get it. You stay here, okay?” he offered.
 
“Um, it's okay. I'll get it,” she argued. “You don't know where I’ve left it. So I'll get it,” she insisted. She really didn't want to be alone with Inuyasha at the moment. She knew it would be an unpleasant encounter.
 
“I'll just ask somebody inside. You stay here.” Shun did not give her any room for arguments. After giving her a chaste kiss, he walked inside the bar.
 
She fidgeted. How could standing an arms length away from Inuyasha seemed nerve wracking? She thought. Keeping her eyes downcasted, she started playing with her fingers. She saw him shift. She heard the rush of his jeans as he walked towards her, closing their distance until he stood in front of her. She dared to look up and gasped. He was staring straight at her with feral eyes. Kagome cringed at his predatory gaze but she steeled herself and stood her ground. She met his gaze with determination.
 
She watched as the corner of his mouth lifted. He was smirking at her. “You and your friend are remarkable liars, wench.”
 
“Excuse me? What did you just call me?” Her eyes narrowed with revulsion. Oh, she heard what he had called her. She was not deaf. And she was definitely not blind as she eyed the cocky bastard shrug his wide shoulders.  

“Oh, don't play dumb with me wench. You know what the fuck I'm talking about,” he said gruffly. “Tell me. What the hell are you scheming?” he growled as he gripped her upper arm.
 
A loud gasp escaped her lips as she was hauled closer to his body. He was so close, and her body stirred. But damn, was she angry at him.

“I am not scheming anything! And what is it to you what I do and don't do, jerk?” she snarled and struggled to free her arm.

But he did not free her. Instead, he brought his face closer to hers. He was practically breathing on her face.

“Listen and listen well. I'm sure Shun has told you that we are more than just friends. We're more like brothers. So anything regarding my friends, I make it my business. Anything, wench. Now tell me, what are you scheming?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“You‘re not Shun’s type. So, what's in it for you? ”
 
“What?” she glared at him incredulously. “Are you fucking insane? I don’t need an ulterior motive to be with Shun.”

But he ignored that remark. “Don't play with me, Higurashi. I have to tell you that I hate liars. So tell me the truth. What's in it for you? You’re just a bartender in a small obscure bar. Are you in it for the money?” His voice grew in volume as he shook her. With malice, he hissed lowly, “Do you even love Shun?”
 
She gasped, eyes narrowing as the implication of his stinging words sank in. She prepared to retort but the words that should have left her mouth got stuck in her throat.
 
“What? Cat got your tongue? Can't talk with your sweet little innocent voice? Tell me wench, where did Shun pick you up? Were you in a bar just like yesterday night looking all like an exquisite angel? Of course you were, weren't you? You let him kiss the hell out of you, didn't you? Well, listen to me wench. You may have tricked my friends into liking you but not me. Because both of us know that within that little innocent façade you play is a big fat liar and a scheming whore!”
 
SLAP!
 
Inuyasha's head bent to his right side with the force of her slap, a hand imprint visible. She gasped, hissing as she held her hand. It was burning from the impact and the stinging pain. She clenched and unclenched her sore fist as she stared at it. It tingled. Her vision blurred. She had been controlling herself from crying ever since he had started with his insult barrage. The slap was a reflex, a mechanism to control her anger but once she had let go of it, so did her tears, which now streamed down her cheeks.
 
Only but a whisper in the night, she hissed, “You son of a bitch!”
 
SLAP!
 
“How dare you?” she spat, her voiced laced with venom as she pushed him away. Her face was stained with fresh and old tears.
 
“You have no right to talk to me or about my friends like that. You have only just met me, you asshole. I do not deserve to be manhandled and be treated like some fucking whore!” Her voice sounded calm, but it was firm and furious. She rubbed her eyes while the other hand wiped her tear-stained cheeks. She was so close to sobbing now, but she held it off. Her shoulders shook from her efforts as she tried to hold her frustration, anger and hurt. She had told herself that a confrontation was coming, but she had not expected such hurtful words to be thrown at her.

She felt the change in him after she slapped him. It seemed that as the burning pain in her hand alleviated, his unreasonable anger was also dissolving.

 
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His heart broke as he watched her tears fall. He could tell that she was keeping herself from crying - from showing him that she was weak and that his words affected her. She failed. Her body was tense. Even though, he was not staring straight at her eyes, he knew they swirled with loathing and anger. More tears fell. And yet, she was as beautiful as he had remembered her in his dreams and on that one entrancing night.

Dear Lord, he should be struck by lightning. Here he was having had hurt her with flaming words and accusations and all he could do was still be infatuated with her.

He had been a jerk.

He was a jerk.

Out of all his friends, Inuyasha had always have a fragile relationship with Shun. Growing up, they had always been hot and cold with each other. They had not always seen eye to eye on many things. But he had always considered Shun as a brother. In fact, he felt that it was Shun who had always held him at arms length. Hell, the biggest reason why he had gone to America and stayed there for six years was because of Shun’s growing animosity towards him, which had gone to full blown hatred after one night. He could still remember that night after all these years. And after all this time, his blood still boiled with just the thought of it.

He had not meant to go so far as to accuse her of being a harlot. He didn't know why but he just lost it. He rarely lost control over his emotions. Perhaps, he was just angry because she lied to his face. And by lying to him, she had opened a wound that he had never really forgotten. After six years, he had not really forgotten that Shizuru had always been a liar.

As he watched Kagome beneath the shadows wiping her tears, he felt like kicking himself. He had no excuse for his actions. He should not have let his hatred of what happened in the past color his judgment over her.

Moreover, he was jealous as hell to know she was Shun's fiancée. And that she would never be his if that was the case. At the moment before he had blown up on her face, he could not seem to grasp his emotions as they were running wild.

One thing was for sure though, watching her hurt and wounded was tearing him apart. And he wanted to comfort her.
 
He slowly reached out to her, his heart breaking with regret and remorse for the things said and done. He raked his mind on how to make it up to her.

But she didn't let him.
 
“Don't you touch me. I might kill you if you do.”


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R & R!