The Importance of Being Kept

Kagome swore her hair flew back when Inuyasha shouted at her. She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. He glared back.

"She got lost and ended up in Koga's woods," Shippou said. "Just like I did my freshman year."

"Koga was nice enough to take me to my classes after saving me from a bunch of riff raffs," Kagome said casually.

"Who would bother you if you're wearing my..." Inuyasha looked down. She wasn't wearing his bracelet. His left eye twitched irritably. "Kagome..." he said intensely annoyed. "If you were wearing my bracelet no one would have dared to come near you. What if Koga hadn't been around? Then what?"

Kagome knew he was right. Those guys would have done a lot of bad things to her, she was sure of it. She sighed.

"Didn't I tell you not to take off my damn bracelet? What is wrong with you woman? I'm only concerned about your protection, how am I suppose to protect you if you won't let me?" Inuyasha continued to scold her.

Kagome bit her lip. "Is the campus that dangerous?" Perhaps, she should wear his bracelet, after all, he'd been here longer than she and what she'd just experienced was a good example of what everyone had tried to warn her. She certainly didn't mind telling them about Inuyasha when she was in trouble. She was such a hypocrite.

"Hell yes! What are you, dumb or something?" Inuyasha glared at her. He grabbed her hand and began to drag her to the dorm." Take a damn shower when you get to your room. You smell like that dirty wolf. Fucking idiot's scent all over my girl. Just what did he do to make you smell exactly like him? He had to be close to you, touching you. Did he hug you? Try to kiss you? What did that asshole do!"

Kagome blinked as he ranted and rave. No one had gotten this angry or possessive about her before, especially since they'd only met yesterday. "He picked me up to take to my classes. Apparently, he can run really fast."

"He picked you up!" Inuyasha stopped and looked at her. The image of that wolf holding Kagome in his arms was too much. The skirt she was wearing was rather short that meant his arms were touching her bare thighs. "I'll kill him," he mumbled and proceeded to drag Kagome along with him again.

"Is he always like this?" Kagome asked Shippou who walked beside them trying not to laugh at Inuyasha.

"Not really, he wasn't like this with Kikyo and she was his girlfriend!" Shippou wanted to see just how irritated Inuyasha could get. "Hey Inuyasha, I also heard Koga asked Kagome to be his woman."

Kagome's mouth dropped open. How long had the fox been following she and Koga?

"WHAT?" Inuyasha screamed. Shippou stared up at him with wide eyes. Inuyasha turned to Kagome again. "Is that true?"

"I told him the exact same thing I told you. I don't belong to anyone!" Kagome said quickly. She had no clue Inuyasha had such a temper.

"Shippou take Kagome home," Inuyasha growled.

"You're such a little instigator!" Kagome told Shippou who was still watching Inuyasha in fascination. Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's arm with both hands. "Please don't start anything. It was my fault really! You're right, about everything! I should have listened to you. Koga was nice to me and I don't want you to get into a fight with him."

"Okay, Kagome. I won't go after Koga under one condition," Inuyasha said bending down to stare into her lovely brown eyes.

"What's that?"

"You wear my bracelet, today. I won't you to go back to your dorm, take a damn shower cause you stink, and put on my bracelet and then I want you to walk around campus with me so everyone will see you're mine."

"Are you kidding me?" Kagome stared up at him in complete shock.

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "What's it going to be?"

"Okay, I'll do it," Kagome gave up. There was no way she could win this fight. Inuyasha was even more stubborn than she was.

Inuyasha frowned.

"What? What is it now? I agreed to what you wanted!" Kagome asked exasperated.

"You like him that much? I never thought you'd be the type to fall for the "bad boy" types."

"I never said I liked him. I'm just repaying the favor he did for me which was save my life and help me get to class on time. The last thing he needs is for you to go after him and fight him for trying to help me out!"

"Stay away from that damn wolf, Kagome. He's nothing but trouble," Inuyasha warned her. This time he picked her up in his arms. "I can run just as fast as he can," he lied. "Walking back to the dorm is taking too long." He jerked his nose away from her. "I feel very disrespected having another's youkai scent, especially one I don't like, on something that belongs to me."

Shippou didn't bother to follow them as he watched Inuyasha shoot off with Kagome. "That was fun," he said with a grin.

Kagome never thought in a million years, she would end up at such a prestigious college, living in a prestigious dorm, and having a very agitated dog youkai barking demands at her. " Just grin and bare it, Kagome. Grin and bare it..." She said to herself after taking a shower and changing clothes. Someone had been kind enough to place the bracelet on a table in the living room. Inuyasha had yanked it up when he saw it and gave Kagome a pissed look. Now he sat in the living waiting for her to come out. The thought of sneaking out through the bedroom door made Kagome giggle, but she knew she would have to behave today. After all, she was the reason for his bad mood.

Inuyasha was sitting on the couch staring at the huge flat screen TV when she walked into the living room. He stood up when he saw her and walked towards her taking the bracelet out of his pocket. Kagome had changed into Capri pants and a red tank top. Her long black hair, still slightly wet from the shower was pulled up into a ponytail. Inuyasha smiled at her. "Don't you look pretty," Inuyasha said nodding in approval.

Kagome had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She gasped when he pulled her against him and lowered his nose into the crook of her neck. Why was he always doing that? She wondered as he inhaled deeply.

"My Kagome," Inuyasha said, happy that her naturally sweet scent had returned. He grabbed her arm and once again slid the bracelet onto it.

Kagome stared at it and held her arm up to examine it, noticing something for the first time. "Wait..I thought...are these real rubies and diamonds?"

Inuyasha looked at her as if she was simple. "Ofcourse, we don't just put anything on our "kept" women. This isn't a game to us. Did you think you were wearing cheap beads?" Inuyasha laughed.

"I can't.." she stopped when she saw him frown. "It's beautiful, Inuyasha," she said.

"It's beautiful on you and it matches what you're wearing. My colors are red and white, Kagome. It would make me happy to see you in them."

'Grin and bare it, grin and bare it', Kagome thought to herself. She smiled.

"Have you eaten yet?" Inuyasha asked staring at her admiringly. Kagome felt like she was being judged for the next supermodel.

"No, I haven't."

Inuyasha grabbed her hand. "Come on then, let's feed you. They got some great food at the student union."

The student union was a gigantic building. It had three floors. The first floor was where the students hung out. There was a large tv in the lobby and a little cafe on the side. In the hallway was the mail room. Further down was another more formal lobby with a grand piano and down from that was a bowling alley and a game room. On the second floor was the food court and the third floor let out onto a huge patio where students could eat outside under little decorative tables with umbrellas. Inuyasha wasn't kidding when he said the student union had great food. Kagome found herself surrounded by every type of restaurant she could think of, from fast food to sushi to Italian, it went on and on. She also flipped out when she saw the prices. She suppose they were so high because the campus was located outside the city and students would have to drive an hour just to get their favorite meal.

"This is a rip-off," Kagome said. "They are completely taking advantage of us. I have a cafeteria card. We could eat there, won't have to pay a dime."

Inuyasha frowned. "I haven't been in the cafeteria since my freshman year," he laughed. "The food taste much better here."

Kagome stared at the prices worriedly. She was completely broke except the three hundred dollars he'd given her which she was trying to save for emergencies. She watched him order three gourmet hamburgers, large fries and a large coke, then waited patiently for her.

Kagome blushed. "I'm not really that hungry."

Inuyasha stared at her as if trying to figure out something. Then sighed loudly when he realized what she was doing. "Order whatever, you want, Kagome. It's on me."

She blushed again. Inuyasha was not the most patient man in the world. "Will you stop wasting time and pick something out?"

"I'd rather have sushi," she said with a smile.

"Sushi it is, then," Inuyasha said.

After they'd gotten their food, he insisted they go to the third floor to eat so they could sit outside and enjoy the view. He was right once again. Kagome could see how beautiful the huge campus was surrounded by trees and full of green grass and flowers. She could see a hint of the ocean sparkling blue in the sunlight in the background.

"Okay, we need to go over a few things since you're new to this," Inuyasha said after taking a big bite out of his first hamburger.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked eating her sushi with chopsticks.

"Rules of being a "kept" woman."

'Grin and bare it, grin and bare it,' Kagome thought. She smiled.

"Rules no 1. I will always pay. Do you understand. I will always take care of you, that means whenever we're out at a restaurant, I pay. We go out to the movies or any other event, I pay. If you want to go shopping or need something, you don't go to your friends, you ask me. A youkai, especially a wealthy youkai will never allow anyone to take care of his woman except himself. Get it?"

Kagome nodded. "Can I have five hundred dollars?"

"Sure, " Inuyasha reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet.

Kagome's mouth fell open. "I was just kidding!"

Inuyasha gave her an annoyed look. "This is serious, Kagome. Quit fucking around."

Kagome giggled.

Inuyasha reframed himself from leaning over the table and kissing her. She looked so cute eating her sushi and giving him that dimpled smile. He cleared his throat.

"Rule no 2." He continued. "I wasn't kidding about wearing my colors. You will wear red and white as much as you possibly can and of course the bracelet never comes off in public. As a matter of fact, I think I'll take you shopping tomorrow."

"You will not tell me what color of clothes to wear, you macho freak," Kagome snapped at him. "I'm not a damn slave!"

"Most women would be honored to wear my colors," Inuyasha crossed his arms.

Kagome shook her head. "Just continue with your silly rules."

"Kagome, if you can't respect what I'm doing here, perhaps I'll just take my bracelet back and let you roam around freely on your own. You wouldn't last a day and by the way your financial situation looks, you're going to need me to help you out a lot."

Kagome stopped eating and stared at him angrily. "I can't believe you just said that!"

"Just shut up and listen," Inuyasha told her. He was beginning to feel like he was making a huge mistake. He knew she was new here, but what girl didn't want to be taken care of? If he didn't want her so badly, he would have given up on her yesterday.

"Rule no 3. You have to obey my wishes."

Kagome had just put another tasty morsel of sushi in her mouth when he said that. She nearly choked. "Okay, enough, no more of these ridiculous rules."

"I'm not saying you have to obey everything I say, just when I feel the need to protect you. For example, I forbid you to go anywhere near Koga's woods again."

"Like that would ever happen," Kagome said.

"Rule no 4. You cannot date any guys. You can't have male friends either unless they are my friends, then it's okay, like Shippou or Miroku, wait...maybe not Miroku."

Kagome stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. "And what about you? Are you going to date other girls and have female friends?"

"I already do, Kagome."

"Well that's not fair! You're acting as if I'm your girlfriend. We're not even in a relationship."

"Youkai never share their kept women. Deal with it!"

"No, I won't deal with it! All you're really saying to me is that, you want me to be your girlfriend, but you 're not ready for a serious relationship."

"I didn't ask for you to be my girlfriend yet, didn't think you were ready for that," Inuyasha said smoothly. "However," he leaned over the table so that his face was close to hers, "if you want to speed up the process, we can go jump in bed together right now. I swear once we make love it's going to be hot, passionate and completely dominating. You think wearing my colors are bad? Try wearing a permanent symbol on your neck that will never come off. You think being "kept" is bad, try being my girlfriend, Kagome. Your life would literally be mine," he whispered hotly.

Kagome's swallowed a large lump in her throat. Goosebumps began to rise on her arms and not because she was cold. The look in Inuyasha's eyes promised her things, dark, delicious, erotic, euphoric things. She move uncomfortably in her seat. Okay, she had to admit there was definitely an intense chemistry going on between them if he could turn her on so quickly. She also had to admit she was just as attracted to him if not even more. Hadn't she dreamed of him last night? A dream she tried hard to forget this morning because she was too ashamed to remember it. Her cheeks began to turn red. Who could blame her, Inuyasha was beyond hot. She listened to him through half closed lids as he continued.

" You see, even though Kikyo was my girlfriend at one time, I've never wanted her as much as I want you. There's something about you that makes me need you. Isn't that crazy? When I left last night, all I could think of was you, Kagome, and the only person I wanted to see the next day was you! I feel I have to have you around me or else I feel very empty. I don't know what this is. Maybe it's some sort of intense infatuation or obsession, but you're the first girl I've ever felt this way about and I intend to find out what is it about you that's got me so fucking sprung! So think twice about being my girlfriend, Kagome because I really do find you extremely and utterly attractive and I don't think you can handle me once we get that serious. You're not ready for that, not yet."

They stared at each other for a very long time. Kagome finally broke the spell and dipped her head to stare at the food in front of her. "I didn't say I wanted to be your girlfriend," her voice shook.

"Then please don't even bring up the word "girlfriend." You don't want me to start thinking that way, not now, Kagome. You're still so innocent."

Kagome slowly looked up at him. "You're the only male I've known that can speak so freely of their feelings and not think twice about it."

Inuyasha shrugged, "I've never been the one to hold much in."

Kagome looked down at her plate again, blushing hard.