Under the Goshinboku

REPOST AS A ONE-SHOT, TWO CHAPTER AFFAIR FOR PERSONAL PURPOSES (namely simplicity for the preoccupied authoress) AS OF JULY 2006


Also, special thanks to.....:


Anon
SoutasSister
::sms::/radiojunkie84...
inu hanyou nikkie
Fuji
Phoenix
smurfside
SakuraWings
Colleen
Isis
Skanky-Hime
Danielle
Maeve
cyn
fallenangel7583~NSI
Mysterium
Faye
Snowfall
jodibetz
joy
Rinlover
Spud
Shooby
Echo
Tusuke Kounami
pat
InuYasha Obsession Grizzly
sumblink2


Seriously, you guys have made this all worth while...^_^
O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O
WARNINGS

‘Popcorn novel’ stories like this and other such fan fictions are meant to celebrate the enjoyable nature of a healthy (fantasy?) sexuality, with no other intent than that of providing entertainment and maybe even insightful musings.


Corrupting the youth is not meant to be among its intentions. So scram, kiddies

After all, innocence is a precious thing: it can be lost and never re-found.


Also, let me mention that ALL characters and general settings, plots, or other are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi. Ergo, I’m not making a profit off of this, or whatever else my twisted little mind may come up with based on that tangent...
O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:OO:O:O:O


Dedicated to my Magpie Sisters, especially Samwise ^_^



Recommended soundtrack: Sleep, by Melissa Etheridge

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Nimble fingers thumbed through the vast pages of a slick magazine. The soft swishing of pastel caked pictures were the only vocalization of the restful silence, aside from the gentle hum of a tired lamp. Kagome sighed wistfully, drinking in the delicate sights of the foreign advertised silken-bred dresses; of gorgeous material in plumes of color, tucked within the folds of creased pages aside from various perfume sample cards here and there in between.


She hadn’t really meant to spend so much time gazing emptily at the thing. When Yuka had passed it along into her possession, she’d half-hazardously tossed it inside her knapsack with hardly a second thought; promising her excitable companions that she’d glance over it later, as truly intended. At the time, she had been in a rush to get out of the classroom, having been on cleaning duty. Definitely not on the best of days either; she had wanted to make it home in time to restock her supplies, take a bath, and finish up her latest (both figurative and literal) assignments before a certain hanyou came bounding out from the Well-house with a raw tongue and ill temper. It was nothing short of a miracle that he had yet to put in an appearance.


But rather than poring over her geometry homework, as she really ought to be doing, here she was: mournfully strewing through the glossy sheets of lovely promises. Taking on the forms of voluptuous skirts, scantily cut fabricated blouses, and bejeweled dresses of shimmering glitter…taunting her over their true purpose; for a school dance she’d never even have the chance to attend.

Kagome snorted quietly, absently stroking a finger over a strawberry hued gown as her restless thoughts meandered elsewhere. Rain crackled against the pane, growing heavier as if to remind her of its growing presence just outside the window. Thick tendrils of her damp hair curled in locks about her pensive face, suspiciously smelling like apple shampoo as they partially obscured her preoccupied vision.


It’d been a mistake, she decided: InuYasha had been right. She should never have even bothered coming home today. She blinked. Now that was a scary thought. In what alternate reality was she in that her favorite hanyou was right? Next, she’d probably succumb to that tuberculosis Gramps had lately convinced everyone she’d been suffering from. Or maybe come down with those fabled warts two weeks prior…? She absently tucked a stray lock of hair out of her eyes, fighting a second sigh that was threatening to emerge past her lips.

Soft hands meandered wistfully across a sapphire and azure ensemble. It wasn’t that she wanted to attend the dance. Her forehead creased in thought. Actually, no, that wasn’t quite true. She did secretly yearn to go…pamper herself with a long, hot bath and then adorn herself in yards of such elegant, western-styled fabric…To be whisked away by–

She snapped the magazine shut, tired of pining away over something that just wasn’t feasible. She pushed away from her desk and set about fumbling for her brush, absently flicking insistent raven hair from her eyes. ‘Oh well, it’s not like I had a date or anything any way…’ She forced a chuckle, trying hard to swallow the thick, birthing lump in her throat. ‘and…even if I did somehow manage to go…even with a friend like Houjo—— InuYasha wouldn’t…She frowned. Wait a minute…Since when does ‘he’ have a say in anything like this…?

A sharp crack just outside her window made her jump, making her take a sharp intake of breath, nearly flinging away the brush in her startled grip. She peered warily just outside her window, suddenly aware of the fact that a thunder storm was currently raging out of doors. She resumed brushing vigorously, ill-at ease to be home alone during a violent thunder-shower. She made a face; admittedly her puppy-eared companion had indeed been right…just this once.


She should never have bothered to come home today…Not only because she was having a tough time dealing with a declining normal life where schoolwork, and now a related social function, was concerned. Her family was away for the weekend as well…She’d have to reread her mother’s note again to remember exactly why. Something to do with Aunt Satsu…I think… The fact of the matter was and still remained that she would be kicking herself over it in the next few days to come. For she was now guilty of ‘sitting’ InuYasha, perhaps a bit more aggressively than necessary, after rather fruitless haggling only to have it amount to some pointless attempt at collecting shards of a far different importance: pieces that once made up her now so-called-life.

She continued combing through her hair heatedly, abandoning the brush in favor of giving use to her nerveless fingers. Oh well, it didn’t matter, anyway. She didn’t regret the changes time had thrust upon her dish. Although sometimes everything was a bit hard to swallow—all at once, at least. There were some things about her life and its evolving changes of maturity (all brought about by a once-deceased-centipede-youkai) that had been brought forth since her fifteenth birthday that she really felt she could do without: such as the fierce reprimand she’d be pointlessly receiving, once she returned, courtesy of a sharp-tongued companion with honey-drenched eyes.

But still, friends were the family you chose. And in that distinction, she had a loving one back in the Feudal Era; fully equipped with the typical dysfunctions even blood-relations faced every now and again. So she didn’t usually regret much; she had her obligations like most people, though hers literally stemmed from the past. And in truth, she’d give anything if only to follow a particular monk, a tajiya, a kitsune, a neko-youkai, and certain hanyou forever and again to the ends of Japan and Beyond if given even half the chance.

Yet as could be expected, the living of dual lives, one of which mainly consisted of fabrications spun by herself and Gramps, was more often than not a bit much for an average ninth grader to keep up with easily. she chose to do. Just like she felt she ought to have the right of choosing to go to that school dance. And—and if InuYasha chose to get in the way…it wasn’t like he should expect her to back down or anything….Since when was she the one to play the part of a shrinking violet? And it wasn’t like they were… involved… or anything…


Kagome huffed out a rather frustrated sound of irritation past her lips, just as another splintering crack of thunder rattled the house, causing her to grit her teeth as she fought to de-tangle her hands from an instinctive flinching grip within the now partially dried locks.

Suddenly, far different type of crash made her jump, startling her to the very roots. An aphrehensive squeal died in her throat as she realized…it was the sound of tinkling glass, and it had come from downstairs. And it wasn’t just some stupid tree branch…those were too far from the house.

Further more…whatever had caused such a thing….was now inside the house…since Kagome could even hear its raucous breathing…She swallowed, throat drier than sandpaper.


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Her breath hitched, her hands quickly arranging themselves down to her lap. Okay… ‘Don’t panic…don’t panic…’ She swallowed convulsively, fisting her hands at her sides for courage, or possibly just a better grip on reality. Kagome got up from her chair as she fought to think of something practical. Correction: something more practical other than hyperventilating.

The gently buzzing lamp hunched over the disarrayed fashion magazine, which now lay forgotten in her sudden haste and harsh light of painted illumination and shadow. The guttural ripping of thunder and rain still rattled the window pane, making Kagome fidget as she fought to ignore its presence…straining to hear anything from the presence of well…whatever was downstairs…



She paused momentarily, drinking in the facts of her circumstance…at least from a more rational part of view: Perhaps it was nothing…her mind could be playing tricks on her…it could be InuYasha. She shivered involuntarily, blaming it on a nonexistent draft and the thin fabric of her worn bathrobe rather than on the settings of real fear as they blossomed their proof across her crawling skin. Finally deciding there was nothing else for it, Kagome shifted nervously toward her bed, getting onto her hands and knees before desperately searching among the dust bunnies as she strove to find some mode of weapon that would serve as protection… She smiled wryly at her own thoughts, however a crackle of thunder snapping through to her senses soon wiped that clean away.


She kept fumbling beneath the bed, anxious at the sound of her own heartbeat thrumming a tattoo in her chest …Courage is about facing your fears, not running from them…And if you’ve never feared something, even just a little bit, then you’re not all that brave in the first place…just careless….unfeeling, too….…Oh, geez, Kagome...FOCUS



Kagome’s arm snapped back more abruptly than intended as she heard the stairs being taken two at a time, and as a result wound up smashing her wrist against the underside of the bedpost, making her hiss in dread…and pain, yeah, there was definitely pain there, too.

“Ow ” She bit her lip, albeit a little too late. Whoever was bounding up the stairs had increased their pace at the sound of her, in the direction of her bedroom, no less. ‘You idiot,’ she scolded herself. But even as the passing thought washed though her mind, her bedroom door slammed open, and she struggled to react accordingly with the dark-haired intruder.

“Hey, Kagome— ”


“Take that ” She hollered waving the ‘emergencies only’ hair spray can aloft as she let it rip. The intruder let out a yell, the now deadly aerosol’s contents catching him full in the face. It took another moment for Kagome to register that she was currently attacking her best friend.


“InuYasha ” She shrieked, guiltily throwing away her make-shift weapon. ‘Oh, gods, that had to hurt ’ She’d just caught him full in the face, the eyes most definitely, with a chemical substance.




“The fuck you think you’re doing, bitch ?”



“Sorry I just, I mean—I didn’t know it was you, and—I just—I....” His cursing continued, unabated, ignoring her profuse apologies like one would the brunt of a moth’s wing were it to skitter past.



He pawed relentlessly at his aching eyes, something for once other than demon blood the cause of making them red.


“Damn it, what the hell was that shit? ” She shifted her weight awkwardly, momentarily distracted by the fact that he was in his human form as she sat up from her crouched position on the floor from the side of her bed…


That’s right…she’d forgotten that it was a New Moon, tonight. Not that she could really tell with the storm and all, though…The carnal growling of nature followed by an adjacent flash made her flinch in confirmation of this understanding. She pushed back her ebony, re-snarling strands warily as she replied to his question.

“It’s, uh, hair spray, InuYasha…” He finally stopped smearing the crap out of his eyes to glare at her, his normally warm-brownie eyes that bespoke of his human heritage (on such nights) tinged with an acidic intensity further touched up by agitated veins.


“What the fuck you using that stuff for, you stupid wench? You nearly fucking blinded—”


The remnants of Kagome’s temper splayed themselves together and her guilt was swept away at the consequence of his bitter tongue.

“You jerk What did you EXPECT me to do? You broke into my house, so what was I SUPPOSED to think? Automatically assume it was just some random coincidence? What if it had been a burglar? Sit Boy ”

Upon rambling the dreaded subjugation, more so out of habit than real fury, the rosary slammed him into the ground, making a sickening crack as he plummeted to the floor boards, face-first, thereby reawakening her original sensible stance of guilt. She sprang to her feet, stumbling slightly as she ungracefully quickened to his side; not an easy job in a bathrobe. It briefly registered in her mind that it was a good thing she wasn’t lounging around in a towel like she had been earlier—otherwise she’d have given InuYasha quite the show. Not that she would have really minded though….She gave herself a mental slap at the Freudian slip.

She began stroking his back awkwardly as if to soothe the pain, not really sure how she was going to make this up to him. She gave a wry smile; Ramen was definitely out of the question…That certainly didn’t bode well. She sighed, her bangs hiding her eyes. He was sure to make this more difficult. Or more to the point: he was sure to throw a temper tantrum and inevitably never let her forget this little incident...In private at least. Mighty inu hanyous such as he were never made to kowtow...let alone be subdued or even submissive in their human form. Oh, boy...She was in for it... Of that, Kagome was certain.

“You stupid, fucking wench ” Yup, she was right. How unfortunate.

She brushed the ebony hair out of his eyes as he struggled against the spell, trying to meet his fiery gaze with her own apologetic one, while at the same time resisting the urge to smack the hell out of him for referring to her with obscenities yet again. She had a name, darn it


“InuYasha, I’m very sorry. Really, I didn’t mean to…It’s just that…” She smiled wearily, currently unaware that he couldn’t see her expression, as his vision was still pained and slightly obscurred. Or so she assumed.

“Well, you scared me. I didn’t recognize you at first, and…as for the subjugation...it just sort of ...ah....slipped out...Kind of out of habit, you know? And…uh…at least you know I’m not completely defenseless if an intruder really did come knocking…Like that incident with the Noh Mask....Right?”


The last part was more of a half-hearted squeak in defense. She felt him tense as he strove to rearrange himself into a kneeling position. He cocked an acrid look over his shoulder at her, “ Idiot. Who the hell else would it be? ‘Sides, a fucking intruder wouldn’t even TRY to break in around here….….when everyone in the region probably knows there’s a crazy bitch living here...Wouldn’t come near you...Damn it ...”


He swore darkly at his sore limbs as he gingerly made to get up, furiously using his fire-rat sleeves to scrub at the ever-watering eyes hair spray had graciously left him with; pointedly ignoring Kagome’s protests and attempts to help him up and over so that he could perch on the bed, legs kicking sulkily. Upon reaching said destination, a brief silence descended, only to be eclipsed by a crack of thunder and the flickering of the lights. The rain continued pounding against the glass...as well as probably all over downstairs hallway, thanks to InuYasha’s choice of entrance. She swallowed all the vicious comebacks she felt building up inside from hearing all of his unnecessary insults (she was sorry, already…geez) and voiced a few of her more ‘polite’ questions aloud.

“So what were you doing, breaking into the downstairs hall window like that? Mom’s going to have a fit…” She tried sounding empathetic, but there was still just a little measure of self-absorbed anger in there as well. Seriously: was the using of a door beneath him, or something? As intelligent as it might sound, it wasn’t usually locked...What with living so far up in a shrine and all.

Any way, he didn’t exactly go around breaking down reed mats or the like in Kaede’s hut while they were in the Feudal Era…Or in other places of residence, for that matter. So why...? Something else occurred to her.


“And another thing, why the heck didn’t you SAY it was you in the first place? You scared me half to death I mean, I’m already on edge because of the thunderstorm…” She gestured sourly toward out of doors.


InuYasha callously picked at the mess currently sticking to his face and hair caused from his priestess’s weapon of choice, striving to shrug nonchalantly as he did so.



“Keh. You worry too much. Anyway, I assumed you’d know it was me...” There was the hint of a pout in his tone of voice, but she could have imagined that. He was obviously still pretty ticked off about her assaulting him. Kagome rolled her eyes; she felt the urge to lean forward and flick at his now human ear for good measure, but refrained. He didn’t really like it when she touched him when he was like this…at least, not to that which she’d yet noticed.

“What, So I should expect you to come crashing into all my windows this late during a storm for now on without stopping to question whether or not it could be an enemy? Don’t be an idiot, InuYasha.” He fixed a glare at her before resuming his futile attempts at cleaning off his face. He wasn’t making much progress.



The lamp continued to buzz raucously in the pregnant silence that filtered through the stuffy air, until it became clear to her that he wasn’t, as per usual, going to admit being in the wrong. She shifted uncomfortably on the mattress, acutely aware of their proximity as she inspected her nails and forged the first step forward toward solving the argument. As usual.

An argument HE started, no less. Again, nothing unusual. Her skewered logic claimed at having no involvement in the matter, despite by way of causing her friend and protector intense amounts of pain just recently, while in his more vulnerable form, no less. It all escaped her for now; right this moment, she was being sacrificial…A regular martyr.

“Okay, I guess I was kind of out of it…” He snorted as if this should have been obvious, “and…yeah, it didn’t help that you scared the living daylights out of me….” She smiled at him faintly, briskly tightening her robe ties as she sat up, latching onto his hands to better drag him to his feet.


“Anyways, lets just get you to the bathroom so you can wash off your face...and maybe your hair…that’s not exactly a good look for you.” Her thin giggle trailed away when he snorted and gave her another dirty look. But he brooked no verbal argument, dutifully following after her from the room. As much as he would usually go out of his way to spite his companion(s), what with his predictively impulsive to fiery anger, his eagerness truly deep ran for ridding the stinging shit from his now ever-burning eyes instead. At least for now.


Upon arriving in the lavatory, which still held the remnants of a mist in fragrance testifying in the recency of Kagome’s earlier bath, the girl tried to convey with the utmost simplicity the proper functionality of the sink. Apparently it would seem she was paranoid he would go about breaking other things than the damn window without first receiving a drawn out explanation. Stupid wench. Resisting the urge to growl, however meagerly in his human state, he nonetheless hastened to the plumbing fixture and plowed right in as the cool water spouted forth.


A deeper clap than ever before belched forth from the roaring thunder that echoed throughout the rattling foundation of the very shrine. The dull irony of this: a quaking thunder-shower raging outside while he, cloaked within the haven of indoors, was going about gargling through chilly water. So much for staying dry, he stalely mused. Still, he secretly felt all the better for it; not only was the irritable, sticky substance (that stung like hell) nearly gone from his person, it did quell with some relief the yearning for a long swim in compliance with this dastard humidity. No wonder the sky had broken out... in wet tension and wrath...He shuddered slightly, making Kagome misinterpret his sudden convulsion for an answer to a chill despite the humidity. At least, he hoped she would. Maybe she hadn’t noticed his small slip in composure...


He heaved a sigh that erupted into bubbles in his cupped hands, his mind thrashing about inside of his personage. It wasn’t like he’d intentionally swallow up such a wording choice akin to some drunkard, like Moushin, would sake...He wasn’t perverted like Miroku. Well, he hoped not anyway. But sometimes he had his doubts; hence his consistent, violent protests to the occasional accusation and...very idea.

He stole a quick look of the girl, from the corner of his reasonablely soothed eyes, in a fragment of reflection that danced and played across the medicine cabinet. InuYasha could help but notice (grudgingly) that she had most definitely not been expecting him. He smirked internally: at least, not by the means in how he’d gained entry. Honestly, he couldn’t blame her. The brilliant scheme hadn’t exactly settled in his own mind yet either–even when he’d been first fumbling with the window latch, after unsuccessfully trying the front door, in the quickly dampening rain. He’d cracked open the pane by accident, and while guilt had consumed him in a meaningful passing moment, he’d figured to hell with it, and resorted to impatiently breaking through the rest of the glass to get in.

It had taken a great deal more effort than he would have liked, thus his raucous breathing (with which he had unwittingly alarmed Kagome) as he’d taken the stairs that led to his priestess’s chambers. When he’d heard her small yelp of pain, he’d doubled his pace, cursing his human blood that prevented him from assuring himself of knowing whether or not she was seriously hurt.


Obviously, she hadn’t been.

Not enough, at least. He’d been convinced of that just as soon as she’d poisoned his vision and clothing with that ‘hare sprea’...whatever the fuck that was. Secretly though, all irritation aside (both physical and mental) he was a little proud of the fact that the girl had enough wits about her to fend for herself when he was presumably not around.

As these pesky thoughts chased themselves about his head, Kagome in the meanwhile couldn’t help but notice how...well...sticky InuYasha’s Fire Rat raiment had become (she cringed at the innuendo). All thanks to her paranoia and their general tussle involving hygiene products. Making a guilty sound in her throat, she carefully slipped her arms on either side about his waist. Without stopping to ponder on his possible reaction further, she immediately set about undoing, or rather loosening, the front ties of his hakama from behind in order to ease the slipping off of the bedraggled, messy garment that was now creating crimson-like puddles from its sleeves all about the damp floor and counter top.





Unexpectedly, InuYasha lurched forward at the feel of her arms draped around him...with her hands being...There...Fire unwelcomely erupted in his gut, and he hastened to remedy the situation. He ducked and then twisted away from her, grasping her wrists more so in order to keep them in plain view than whatever threat they might have offered. He ignored the counter top’s biting linoleum at his ass as he pressed against it, striving to make as little physical contact with Kagome as he held her in front of him. He stiffened, catching a slim glimpse of packed cleavage that was teasingly just begging to be further explored and liberated from the folds of her terrycloth raiment. He then noted how good she smelled…despite the telltale traces of heavily perfumed soap. She was damp…presumably having to do with having just bathed…As it was her chest was mere inches away from his own, and his stomach knotted at the possibilities...simultaneously, he found himself hoping that she didn’t have the sense to look down and catch sight of his now throbbing shaft.



“ What the fuck are you doing, you stupid wench? ...” He found himself sputtering defensively. A telltale, raw blush partially stained his cheeks; not that she seemed to bother with noticing that minor detail, any way.

“ I’m just trying to help you get your shirt off....it needs to be washed” She snapped. She tried to wriggle out of his vice-like grip; in addition to that, the sheathed sword of Tetsusaiga, lashed at InuYasha’s narrow waist, was prodding painfully into her hip. However, mortal or not–New Moon or Full, the boy still retained a good portion of his leashed strength, and was currently using it to his full advantage. Damn him.

“Let go of me ” She shrieked. The thick hollow of his eyes, made so by the illusion of being dark and brown rather than their usual amber, narrowed waspishly at her. Bringing him back from whatever distance his mind had desperately sought to remain, despite his iron will toward lustful daydreams. However, in his signature, authentic way, InuYasha’s heart and mouth set about conveying totally opposite messages.

“Make me, bitch ” Tears of rage glittered within her eyelash-laced orbs, her temper matching his.


“Stop calling me a bitch My name’s Kagome, you jerk You insufferable idiot Ka-go-me ” Overwhelmed at the feel of her sentiment in the hot puffs of breath heaving against his throat in her anger, he released her. Suddenly, she was away; whirling from the doorway and stomping down the hall in a fit.


He cringed slightly: Shit, he hadn’t meant for things to get that far. He stumbled after her, hesitantly at first–still wary of her temper. His own short respite in composure now having defused long ago. For the most part it had been an act...A distraction at best in denial of the carnal urges that so often now swam thickly within the very blood rushing through his...veins.



Surprisingly, it occurred within his thick skull that fighting with her like this, in her bathroom no less, while in his human form.... he felt even more weakened than when the visage of his ears had first slipped away like oil over silk, leaving in their wake the dwindled physical manifestation of being nothing more than a mere mortal.


Loth to admit it, other than to himself at least, it painfully occurred to him as to how much he hated this...hated the guilt and shame her emotions evoked within him...Made him feel like the worthless bastard he really was. It was different when he was a hanyou...When he could sense her splitting moods (what he quietly referred to as the ‘inevitable’)...Detect the delectable tension of her body, like the cord of a bow she herself so often commanded with her enchanted arrows. Smell the way her scent would turn spicy, and make him yearn to best her beyond a verbal sense...

When pitted against another, in temperament as a hanyou, he felt, almost, like an equal. Almost as though he were somehow strangely in command of the situation; unlike times on the New Moon like this: when he felt blocked and clothed; as if sewn inside the figurative fabric of cotton-mouthed-mutterings; in deprivation of awareness toward Kagome’s usual mercurial nature. ....Gods knew he wasn’t the most perceptive of creatures, let alone even with his hanyou abilities... He was all too painfully aware of that minor detail. But still, strength coupled with anger could only make you feel stronger. What with his life being the way that it was (or at least how it had been), on some level or another he figured he needed all the reassurances of holding his own that he could get. Maybe that was part of the reason why he provoked her into fighting all the time...


Aside from the times he felt blustering was his best, and sometimes only, self-defense from his nosey companions. And, perhaps, maybe... when he wasn’t lost in the craving to catch that spicy spike in her scent that he could discreetly attain while she was in heat. Secretly, he often mused how grateful the priestess ought to be that he (usually) retained an iron-clad sense of control and discipline...He grit his teeth: a few moments ago had been proof enough, what with her sinful body pressed against his with her arms entwined about him...InuYasha gave an impressive growl in his human form, trying to ignore the ache that was gaining strength once more in his body. Trying to build up some irritation toward the future girl instead–another self-defense maneuver. The latter wasn’t too long in accomplishment...Especially with that poisonous look she had given him.

Another earth-splitting sound of cracking thunder racked across sky, the lights of the upstairs flickering almost nervously in answer. Sheer wisps of lightening snapped briefly across the room of Kagome’s window as InuYasha poked his head bravely around the door frame.



“Oi Don’t start cryin’—“ He narrowly dodged a slick pamphlet that was aimed at his head, catching her biting response in the aftermath.







“I’m NOT CRYING, you ungracious prick Now get out— ” He dodged the ever-famous trash can, gritting his teeth while he hit the floor in an artful dodge of luck, all the while sneaking in past the threshold. Thunder racked across the volume of Kagome’s shriek, and the lights danced in a myriad of molted shadows and grating darkness. It was then that the pastel hues from Kagome’s first ammunition, whispering their notice in lush color, caught his attention. He snatched up the magazine from the mats and briefed a glance. Taking the risk of becoming a vulnerable target in the process.








“What the hell is this?” She ignored him, too preoccupied in hunting for her geometry book in the dire hopes of putting the darn thing to good use for once… Thunder once again rattled the glass within its frame, the rain streaking across its surface like liquid silver. The curtains shivered in the flickering light, giving her a lapse of hesitation not

unlike a hiccup. As if in a daze, it occurred to her just how dangerous the storm was as the rain violently rattled against the shrine grounds. What if the wind’s ravaging breath
took hold of a tree branch and knocked out a power line or something…? They could be in danger, here, if a fire broke out or the phone lines went dead. After all, the shrine was quite isolated…


“Oi Answer the question, wench ” Kagome jolted back to reality, swallowing her mounting paranoia in favor of a more productive, routine route. Wrenching the belt of her robe tighter to insure its stationary position, she keened an angry gaze toward the
source of her ire, to say nothing of the sweat she felt lathering her back from the persistent humidity. All that effort put into taking a short-lived bath only to end up stinking like a cabbage once again...Life just couldn’t stop picking on her, could it? She decided to just give up on the lost cause of finding her worthless math book; she’d make InuYasha comatose herself


“I’m waiting, bitch ” His tone was idle as he hunkered over the glossily thin book, crouched down over the floor, pretending to be thoroughly engrossed with the strange articles and pictures. Having her pissed off was better than her crying, right?...And the pictures actually did sort of pique his curiosity. Were these things human women wore in this era? He couldn’t recently recall seeing any...Then again, maybe they were reserved for special occaions...She stormed over to him, her left eye beginning to twitch in her upset.





“That is NONE of your BUSINESS Now gimme that ” She made to shove him out of her way as she lunged for Yuka’s property, intent on retrieving the glossy dress advertisements and ripping it out of his marauding hands before clocking him one. He
slipped easily out of her range, dodging over to her bed in the breadth of a heartbeat. InuYasha’s sudden movement became her miscalculation, causing her own momentum
to plummet her to the floor. He hardly even spared her a glance, settled comfortably on the mattress.

“Nah, ah ah…..You didn’t answer my question, wench.” She gritted her teeth, raking her hair out of her face as she fought to regain her temper.


“And YOU don’t deserve an answer Now give that back ” He stuck his tongue out at her impudently.


“Make me, bitch.” With an enraged shriek she flew at him, for once forgetting about her power over the rosary in her lapse of rage. He tensed his grip on the magazine, waiting for the right moment as she tackled him. On some level, it occurred to him that he hadn’t meant to provoke her this far. But then again... When he judged its passing, he flicked out his wrist, pushing the article further out of her reach along the mattress. As she strove to retrieve it, he promptly reversed their positions, pinning her down and restraining her arms. Their breathing was thick and harsh, the buzzing neon lamp and the crackling of the thunder their only companions to the silence. He gave out an unwitting smirk, flexing his grip in order to remind the girl of her current predicament.

“Well…?” She glared at him, barely masking its undertone that bespoke of payback. As it was she was secretly having trouble being pressed down by his hard stomach and
muscled thighs…There was no small promise that she would have her share of plume-hued bruises come morning...


“ ‘Well’ what? ” InuYasha grinned outright, partially ignoring her delicious scent amidst the fake ones her bathing soaps emitted that poured from her flesh at their contact. He buried his face in her hair, blocking her vision with his own mortal locks, while breathing against her ear:



“You know what I want to hear…” The edge to his words made her stomach lurch with uncertainty...and want...., but she brought herself back to earth when she heard him chuckle.


“It’s a dress magazine, all right ? There, are you happy? Now GET OFF ”

His head tilted almost of its own accord, not unlike a puppy. He knew what a ‘mag-ha-zine’ was simply due to the fact that he’d picked up on Kagome reading a few of them while back in the Feudal Era. Presumably, she ought to have been studying. Especially since they were strategically folded perfectly in between the pages of what he noted to be her history textbook. Knowing her, and recalling her consistent habit of yammering on about ‘living the actual subject through experience,’ and other such bullshit, he figured it was just a justification she used in order to put off studying that particular subject, guilt-free.

Still, it was a bit of a surprise to learn that she would be looking over one about clothes.



“Why even bother? You never wear anything–“


A might crack sounding from the thunder cut him off, and suddenly, they were plunged into darkness. Too bad part Kagome’s premonition had been dead on (for once): apparently, they’d just lost power. Lighting illuminated the startled couple before quickly licking away again into the mouth of ebony darkness and shadow. Kagome shifted uncomfortably, finally remembering her state of slight under-dress thanks to InuYasha’s unfinished statement. Said boy cleared his throat quietly while he gathered his thoughts, as uneasy as the girl beneath him, his tone surprisingly much softer; most probable in result from the storm.






“...You usually don’t wear anything like that.” He paused, “ I mean...You usually wear that weird kimono- thing from school...” Kagome bristled beneath him, unconsciously wishing that she could cross her arms to help express her annoyance.



“My school uniform is not ‘weird,’ InuYasha; it’s just easier to go back and forth between the worlds with it rather than having to change outfits all the time...” Her voice trailed off for a second, minutely wondering if perhaps she ought to enlighten her companion with the other implications as to why she wore her uniform: sure, what she had said was true, but still...there was that small lingering fear of something going wrong.


She’d first traversed time with it on, and with the jewel closer to being completed every day, there was that tiny part of herself that dreaded when the Bone Eater’s Well might close up for good. She was torn; much like InuYasha had been torn between herself and...well....a part of herself (Kikyo). Like him, she was torn between past and future–but maybe in a less figurative sense. With all the uncertainty of what she wanted
in the long run being dangled maliciously before her eyes, she did the same act as he: She pigeon-holed.

That was to say she ignored the issue–of what would com e to pass if the quest for shards should end, whether from closure on the Well’s part or the journey itself, and hoped for the best. All by clinging to her own little eclectic eccentricities for hope of comfort and luck...Repeatedly wearing the same outfit being one of them. Old habits, it would seem, die hard. Then again....



Staring up through the flickering shadows brought about by the storm, at InuYasha’s bemused face, she thought better of it. Opting instead to change the subject and elaborate with a different answer.


“Besides, if I ever did wear anything like that, I’d get youkai guts all over it–better to muck up my uniform rather than a formal gown. It’s less expensive.” She couldn’t quite decipher his facial expression, even when the lightening stole across the painted shadows. He seemed...unimpressed.


“Keh. Why would you need ‘formal’ shit, any way, Kagome?” She fixed him with a glare, flexing against his grip as a reminder of their current disposition. He hastily loosened his hold, however, much to her surprise, he nonetheless didn’t retract his hands from her wrists. ‘Probably afraid I’ll punch his lights out...’ She guessed, wriggling slightly. ‘...And maybe he’s not too far off the mark...’ her gaze darkened, silently promising herself that as soon as he ‘did’ release her, she wouldn’t be far off the mark, either.


Unbeknownst to his companion, InuYasha was having difficulty reigning in his composure–or rather, temper. He suppressed yet another flinch at her unabated writhing...Gods, didn’t she knew how tempting–er–difficult she was being? Sure, there have been genuine curiosity in his question, but it was more so a distracting maneuver. Although whether for her ignorance of his thickening shaft, or how delicious he knew she smelled, he wasn’t quite sure. Not that it mattered, anyway....He bit back a small groan as she gave another resounding buck in the attempt to get him off of her. But...he couldn’t...somehow, he couldn’t help himself. He blamed his weak human blood for his lack of control, even as he secretly reveled in the pooling of it in his groin.


“Because believe it or not, I DO have a life here, InuYasha And sometimes, I like to go out–“


“Go out? ” he barked suddenly, “Out where? What, you mean with that Hobo guy?” His grip tightened unconsciously, his hot breath lathing her neck in his quickening frustration. She gave him a disgruntled look, trying to mask the small leap her heart had just made into her throat at his body language. Toward his dominating presence straddled over her...She felt vulnerable beneath him, and somehow it bothered her that this didn’t irk her nearly as much as she would have guessed otherwise. Thunder rumbled in the late night sky, coming from farther off this time around. Rain continued crackling against the window pane, but it had lessened some and lost much of its ferocity.

“No, just ‘out’. You know, with friends? Like with Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi?” She sighed wearily, the chill of her breath sweetly wreathing through and about his face–the heated stare he was casting her in the cloaking darkness. She resigned herself to explaining further...maybe if she did he’d cut her some slack. Literally. Her wrists were starting to go numb, and she was paranoid about the safety placement of her bathrobe, at the moment...


“You see, there’s this school dance coming up, and I’d really like to go...” InuYasha snorted, interrupting rudely.


“No way in hell, bitch. We’ve got jewel shards to find ”


“Now just listen for a minute ” She snapped, “Do you want to hear this, or not?”


“...”

She took his silence as the consent that it was, and continued.




“ Any way, a school dance is what people my age do for fun...Socializing, getting dressed up in really nice clothes, dancing...”

“Dancing? ” He parroted back at her. She gave an annoyed look, squirming once again as she elaborated distractedly.

“Yes, ‘dancing’. That’s partially why it’s called a ‘school dance’, you goof. Anyway, we all go out to it, enjoy ourselves, and maybe afterwards head over to WacDonald’s or someplace with our date–“



“Date? ” He sputtered angrily, a potent threat lacing his tone. Kagome flinched slightly. Shoot, she hadn’t meant to let that last part slip by...she nonetheless dared to hope that maybe he wouldn’t know that a ‘date’ meant–


“You mean as in that fucking ‘courtship’ type of shit? ” She mentally groaned. Crud. Now that was just the frosting on the cake...she’d forgotten that she might have explained the term some time ago....double crud. She was thrust back into the present when InuYasha’s voice continued to darken; wrath rolling off him in waves while the rest of his thoughts and emotions lay indiscernible beneath the curtain of hair that now sheathed most of his face.

“You LIED to me, bitch ” She swallowed, sputtering in her intent to cut him off before he built up the situation into something that it wasn’t. But he continued, the tightening grasp of her wrists her only warning that he wasn’t about to shut up.


“So you’re off fucking little human boys on these stupid ‘dates’ when you’re supposed to be with me on the other side of the Well? Where the hell are your priorities, you stupid wench.....? ”


“Damn it, InuYasha, would you just be quiet and LISTEN to me for once? Get off your soap box and stop yelling at me ” Kagome’s mind was swimming; her chest heaving to catch her breath in the nervous tension left after her shouting. Had he really just admitted that she belonged with him...? She pushed it to the back of her mind, as she began laying out the dotted line in truth for her companion to see.


“What’s with these horrible accusations, InuYasha? What, is it about my abandoning the quest? Is THAT why you’re on my case about this? Obviously, I haven’t yet–so why would I even think about calling it quits now? It means as much to me as it does to you, especially since we both know I’m the one responsible in the first place. So why should matters concerning my dating be any of your business? You’re being overprotective and down right ridiculous I’ve never let any other relationship from my time interfere with what goes on beyond the Well–and there never will be; not my friends in school, not my family...why would a ‘courtship’ be any different? I don’t even have TIME for that kind of commitment. You should know that by now ”


Silence met her interrogation, save for the pattering of a now gentle rain just outside her window. Her gut was twisting deep inside of her, making it feel like her stomach was a melon that had been split wide open beneath her skin. Or that nausea was an eel wriggling stealthily up her throat. InuYasha’s expression was unreadable in the darkness, his long black hair covering most of his facial features like some personal grotto of introspection. Unwittingly, it seemed, he released the grip he had on her wrists and settled back on his haunches. His hands settled on his thighs, his whole body taught and strained like a bow or some wild animal fit to pounce as he continued to hover over her.

Gratefully, Kagome set about massaging her hands, grimacing as she tried to restore circulation. She eyed her friend warily, unnerved at his silence, and worried about what he was thinking. Hoping to smooth things over, or at the very least: get him to reveal what was really on his mind, she began again.

“InuYasha...I care about you. You know that, right? And I care about Shippou, Sango, Miroku, and Kaede, too...I could never leave you all, at least not without a fight.” She grimaced slightly, realizing that last part had sounded better in her head. She tried again, this time jokingly as she returned to the subject that started the whole mess in the first place.


“Besides, it’s not like I said I ‘was’ going to the dance. Only that I wanted to. Besides, it would be hard trying to find a date who could actually ‘dance’ in the first place.” InuYasha broke in at length, his fists clenching as his tone strangely stayed at an alarming monotone.

“ What about that Houjo-guy?” She was a little startled, at first, that he had actually remembered the boy’s name. Correctly, to say the least. Then again, she secretly doubted he had ever really forgotten it in the first place...You never really fail to remember a threat. ‘......wait...’


“No...he’s actually kind of klutzy,” she mused light, “and not nearly as graceful as–” realizing that she’d said too much, she shut her trap. He raised his gaze a bit, the root beer tint of his eyes questioningly perceiving her through the tangle of his bangs.


“Graceful as.....who?” She dropped her eyes from his, nervously fidgeting as she strove to avoid answering. Why wouldn’t he get off of her, already...? A surprisingly gentle hand cupped her chin, guiding her face to meet his own hungry stare...Or maybe that was longing....

“....You....” She murmured quietly, closing her eyes and flushing in chagrin. A quick ripple of movement, more like a pulsation, danced across the flesh of her companion, and she felt his claws lengthen as they tapered from where he was still delicately holding her chin. She quickly snuck a peak: the moonless night had ended, his snow-white hair and honey-drenched eyes testified enough, to say nothing of the puppy ears that quirked attentively in her direction. Distractedly, she wondered at how quickly the time had flown by. She’d taken her bath around two a.m., after having finished the bulk of a few missed class assignments...and then she’d begun reading the magazine about a few hours after that... ‘Huh, maybe time hasn’t really just flown by, then...’


“Me?” He dead panned, withdrawing his hand. Kagome felt herself blushing furiously, wishing the mattress would just open up and swallow her. Did he really have to draw this out...?

“You think I’m graceful...” He intoned for clarification. She withheld a sigh at his behavior: okay, so maybe he did feel the cruel need to stretch it out a bit. ‘Sadist.’


InuYasha fixated his gaze on the girl beneath him, taking in the delicious scent and perfume that was pure and genuinely her. She thought he was graceful....he grinned. Not quite what he would have wanted her to have in mind, but it wasn’t bad. In fact, this was pretty good. She’d practically admitted to wanting to attend this ‘skool dance’ with him. Not Houjo. No Kouga. HIM. He felt the heat of his youkai blood thicken.


Maybe...just maybe...this meant that she wanted him...as much as he did her? A resolution made, he sat up. Kagome’s relief was short-lived as he dragged her up after him, tucking her bridal style within his willing arms as he rushed out of a hurriedly opened window. She emitted a squeak of apprehension as he bounded in a blinding speed toward the Well House in the Pearly, wet dawn.


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A/N: Please review I like reviews

Personally, I’m much more satisfied concerning the progress of the story thus far than when I first posted it.

No surprise as to where this is all heading.......Chapter 2 with its big fat lemon with be posted by then end of this next coming weekend (the 23rd at latest)...but I’m always open to working harder to get it posted sooner with some positive persuasion involved


Suggestions, complaints, scrutiny, and compliments are all around welcome; I’m here in part to cater to the audience ^_^ Thanks for reading


~STR