Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Movie House Hanyou	By : Numisma Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > InuYasha/Kagome Views: 34577 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 19
- 20
- 21
His car was the only one on the road during most of the ride home.
Inuyasha glanced into the rear view mirror again, catching an odd view of the nearly passed out girl sitting in the seat behind the passenger side front seat. He sighed again, then brought his attention back to the dark road.
�Damnit, Kagome, why�� he trailed off in a halfhearted grumble, arching one side of his upper lip in a twitch like movement.
There was no response. Kagome was as good as asleep. She had practically nodded off shortly after being placed in the car. He had grabbed a six pack of Dasani and a loaf of bread from Kouga�s kitchen, much to Kouga�s annoyance as he hadn�t asked if he could take those items in the first place, and had ordered Kagome to drink as much water and consume as much bread as she could. While he didn�t know just how much alcohol she�d had, he could tell that it was a lot. Anything to help sober her up and help prevent the worst of hangover symptoms was necessary, he felt.
She�d gotten about halfway through her second bottle of water and eaten a few slices of bread before dumping everything on the floor of his Saturn and lying back, complaining of a throbbing headache, a ringing in her ears from the loud music, and a disgustingly bland aftertaste from the combination of bread and water, closing her eyes and letting her head slump limply to the side. By that time, he was maybe only three blocks away from Kouga�s.
Due to being kicked out of Kouga�s party, he did not get much of a chance to have his little talk with Miroku except while Kagome was in the bathroom. So, Inuyasha simply told his friend he would call him the next day and have said promised �discussion� but in the meantime thanked him for at least his partial look out job.
At the same time, he was also able to catch Sango and thank her for not having even hesitated to go to Kagome�s aid when she had seen Hiten trying to mess with the poor little drunk girl. Sango brushed off his thanks like it was nothing, stating that she would have done it for anyone who was a friend. Kagome had already started bringing her little brother out of his shell, and anyone who could do that was a friend to her.
From the back seat, Kagome�s body slumped farther toward the other seat with the slightly jerky movements of the car until she was practically lying down on the whole two person seat. At the next intersection, 46^th and Nicollet, Inuyasha stopped and stalled the car, despite there being no traffic and the light being iridescently green. Glancing over his shoulder, he looked at her worriedly. He listened for her breathing for a short while, then sighed in relief to realize that she was asleep.
Wordlessly taking out his cell phone, Inuyasha faced the intersection again and dialed the Higurashi residence�s home number. When her mother answered, he calmly explained the situation as he had planned to tell her:
�Kagome�s mom? Yeah, Kagome isn�t feeling well. She thinks she ate or drank something that didn�t agree wher.her. So, we�re leaving the party early.� He let her speak some before continuing, hoping she would buy his lame excuse. �I had some drinks, so I can�t drive her home. I�m gonna walr tor to my place, where she can crash on the couch,� he continued, making sure to emphasize the word �couch,� �on the first floor. I--�
Inuyasha refrained from sighing in exasperation at the woman�s next comment. �Yes, Ma�am, she feels really sick. She just needs to sleep it off. Oh, right now she�s still inside, with my friend Sango--� He was interrupted once again.
Upon hearing Mrs. Higurashi�s utterance, he tipped his head back and shook his head from side to side while rolling his eyes, all the while thinking, DAMN, Kagome, you better be worth all this trouble.
�Higurashi-sama, Kagome is not a burden,� he countero tho the somewhat concerned voice on the other end. He managed to throw in a false chuckle to ease her worries. �She will be fine. I�ll drop her off at home sometime in the late morning or early afternoon in plenty of time before her evening shift starts. Don�t worry. She�ll be fine.� Finally putting tomanoman�s mind at ease, he said goodbye to her and hung up.
Looking at the traffic light, he noticed it had just turned green again. A quick peek in his mirrors told him he was still the only driver on the road. �Well, just look at the shit you�ve gotten yourself into, Inuyasha,� he told himself sarcastically. �Lying to her mother about having had anything to drink just so you have an excuse to have her stay at your own placel sol so her mom won�t find out she got drunk off her ass and can barely stand up. Wonderful job charming the pants off her, eh?� He threw in a self-mocking shoulder roll as he stared himself down in the rearview mirror and then stuck his own tongue out at himself. Then, he pressed upon the gas pedal and continued making his way toward his own home.
�Keh. Why does stupid shit always have to happen to me?� he asked himself mindlessly wa sna snort and flared nostrils.
The Month From Hell had struck once again.
---
The sleek,terbterberry Saturn pulled into his garage at two in the morning. After much silent contemplation, still in the driver�s seat with his eyes closed and still wearing his seatbelt, Inuyasha breathed heavily and got out of the car.
Kagome barely stirred as he proceeded to remove her from the car. She wasn�t heavy at all, but she certainly was acting like dead weight. After some minorly cumbersome groping while trying to avoid �questionable� hand placement, he managed to get her into his arms bridal style, her head upon his right shoulder. Turning, he slammed the car door shut with his boot and made to exit the garage.
Once inside the house --opening the back door thankfully proved easier then he had worried-- he carried her upstairs and down the hallway to his bedroom. To the right of the doorway was his bed against a wall. Off to his left were his computer set up on a tiered hutch and a normal desk. In the corner diagonal from his bed was his closet.
Inuyasha surveyed his room with a quick, sweeping glance. Everything seemed in place. Turning, he approached his bed and gently set Kagome down upon the top covers on her left side. She moaned a slight whimper but otherwise made no sign of consciousness.
After shifting her position slightly to make her a bit more comfortable, Inuyasha made his way to another room of the house. He had some things to gather, he needed to turn on the air conditng bng because it was sweltering outside, and he needed to change his clothing.

Well she�s a pretty girl and I don�t ask for more

You know that touch of hers makes my heart beat like it never did before

I didn�t know that anything could be this good

She makes me do things I don�t really think I should

Like I don�t even care, as long as she�s there

She makes me go much further than I normally would

Can�t you see what you�re doin� to me

t yot you see that you�re makin� me bleed

Heartbreak Boulevard: Take you for a ride, mess you up inside

Heartbreak Boulevard: Comin� on so slow, never let you go

Heartbreak Boulevard: On the wild side, love�s like suicide

In his �special� storage room, a room typically kept under lock and key, Inuyasha dragged a metal tool chest that sat in a closet out into the room, opened it, and pulled out a carefully wrapped item that, as he peeled away the layers, revealed itself to be a dusty, raggedy and partially disintegrated three-piece set of clothing. He stripped down to his bare skin, barefoot as well, removed his bandana, and then gingerly clothed himself in the garments he hadn�t worn since 1866.
First came the white silk inner kimono top, or what had once been silk; it was mostly in disintegrated tatters. In the dim lighting it looked a pasty grey. Then he pulled on the deep red hakama, the gatherings at the ankles stiff and the matching thin obi nearly falling apart as he tightened it around his waistline. Last came the somewhat more intact haori, a bit threadbare nonetheless, as he slid his arms into the roomy, droopy sleeves.
Upon being fully clothed in haithaithful old outfit that he�d had since he was a very young hanyou child, Inuyasha strangely felt a stir in his youki. It fluctuated hillhilly waves and began to respond to the presence of the ancient fabric, slowly repairing the aged material. If she knows I�m a hanyou, she might as well know how old I am, and seeing me in this clothing will make it easier for her to swallow it all.
It had been so long since he�d last worn his old, disastrously flashy hinezumi outfit, so its youryoku atk alk almost felt alien at first. In a way, the sensation of the cool chill of his youki rushingng hng his skin as it magically restored the fabric to its former grandness reminded him of the strange sensations he often felt in his skin when he tripped on acid. It made him involuntarily shiver.
As his clothes slowly repaired themselves, Inuyasha stretched out his limbs a bit before closing up the little tool chest and putting it away. He went toward a desk with several lockable drawers and sifted around for a few small items in the wide but shallow top drawer. After png tng through the jumble for select pieces, checking the permanently molded kanji on them for indication of the eras during whihey hey had been minted, he chose two particular pieces and then shut the drawer.
Inuyasha went back to the closet and grabbed the one piece of his sword collection he kept there. He had cosplayed as Cloud Strife once, bringing this sword with him as an amusing prop to a convention just for shits and giggles. The blade�s size when it was fully transformed had wowed many convention goers, causing many to think it was a real Buster Sword, despite the obvious difference in blade shape. He sighed; it was time to wow someone else with the Tessaiga, one of only two things he had left from his parents, the other being the clothes he was now wearing for the first time in 137 years.
Carrying the sword in one hand by the scabbard and the mameita gin and hammered coinage in the other, Inuyasha left the room, locked it, and left for the poster room in the basement.
In addition to all his posters and his Moulin Rouge windmill standee, he kept something very special, something into which he had strangely invested some sentimentality, something that could never be replaced� only duplicated to keep it from deteriorating.
After finally leaving the poster room, the hanyou made his way back to his room and set his possessions down upon his desk. He wouldn�t need them until after she woke up. In the dim light he examined her form; she was still as she had been when he had left her there earlier. He had arranged her hands by her left shoulder, her arms folded in front of her chest lengthwise, so that she would be comfortable. She looks so peaceful sleeping, he contemplated.
And thankfully, she had not woken up and puked during the short time he�d been gone.

Actually, on second thought, Inuyasha mused to himself for a moment before leaving the room again and returning a couple minutes later with an empty bucket and a couple clean hand towels. Better be prepared.
He set the bucket on the floor in plenty of reach from the bedside at Kagome�s angle, then stuffed the hand towels beneath her pillow, careful not to wake her.
Kagome shifted slightly in position but remained on her side, a soft murmur escaping her lips. Her eyelids stayed shut, and she exhaled deeply. He knelt until he was practically in front of her face.
A clawed hand reached out to lightly pull some hair away from where it had fallen over faceface and tuck it behind her ear. Damn, girl. Why did this have to happen? And why now? His ears drooped somewhat. Why did you go do something so stupid? Man, I never should have invited you to the party, friends� request or not. You should be glad I stayed completely sober so I could drive you away from the party.

He shook his head and sighed as Kagome nudged her face against the pillow again and mumbled something incoherent even to his ears. I swear, someday you�re gonna be the death of me.
Inuyasha stood up again and checked the clock on his wall. People this drunk need to have an eye kept on them. I can�t just leave her up here and sleep on the couch downstairs. A quick glance over his shoulder at the sleeping girl on his bed elevated his worries higher than they already were. What made it worse was a tiny whimper of a murmur passing from her lips yet again, automatically dumping a load of accatedated guilt to mix in with his worry.
He looked down at his hands. That look on her face when she saw me turn to look at her when I had paused in my assault upon Hiten, and later� I don�t know what it was, but I didn�t like it. And later, when she asked what I�d done� was she disgusted at me for beating the shit out of someone who�d dared to touch her in ways even I won�t allow myself to, just out of revenge because someone else touched what�s mine? Dot sht she understand I�d never really kill anyone? I might say a lot, but truth be told, I�d never go that far. It�s just so easy to threaten people with bodily harm and then later to inflict it should they not heed my warnings. Hundreds of youkai have died at my hands, back when they were still prevalent in my homeland, but I would become sick to my stomach if a human were to die because of me. I know she heard what I said to her, but she was drunk; when she wakes up, what will she remember? Will she know in her heart I was just protecting her?

Clawed fingers curled inward, the sharp tips meeting in the midst of his palms and lightly poking into the skin like the tips of needles lightly tapping upon thick, tough, pliable material. Further disconcerting thoughts swam throughout his mind, only succeeding in bringing him down even more so than he already was.
He was worried that Kagome�s mother would question her about what had happened, and Kagome�s possible, uninfluenced response. There was also the fact that while she had not acted particularly adverse to the idea of his being a hanyou, she had been hideously drunk at the time. Hell, she�d been drunk enough to try to kiss him, so it was completely sensible to assume that her judgment was impaired by the liquor in other places as well.
When she woke up, would she still be so� so not freaked out over his hanyou nature? Would she still see him the same way, just with the newly accurate knowledge of his family bloodlines? Would she reject him as a possible future lover, now that she knew he was only half human? Inuyasha closed his eyes and shook his head, breathing heavily through his nose, his throat tightening.
He�d taken such cares to keep things hidden from her. Well, maybe not as tight as he had originally intended, he now told himself. She had, after all, ridden on his back that one morning on the way to the staff meeting, and while he had definitely put a curb on his actual speed, there was still no tha that she couldn�t have spent sleepless nights wondering about that.
Then, she had seen him render a seven or eight foot tall cardboard standee to little more than colored confetti with his-- yes, his claws. He had made a dreadful slip of the tongue earlier that night when he had threatened Kouga about his waterbed, referring ts cls claws for what they really were. He had barely detected a hint of a momentary halt in her breath shortly afterward, and it wasn�t simply his paranoia at work for him to assume that it had been specifically in reaction to his statement.
Before then, he�d always made sure to just call them fingernails if she was within earshot.
Then again, she had never really made any objection to the oddness of his appearance, he recalled. The first thing she had dared to ask him was about his tongue piercing. Not his hair, or his fangs --yes, they�re fangs, not some weird dental cosmetic experiment that reeked of an obsession with vampires-- and eyes, but something he had consciously made a choice to get done. That alone had immediately surprised him. Not enough so as to jar him from proceeding with his little �make Kagome squirm by mentioning oral sex� mission, but enough to have left a lasting impact on him.
As for his ears, well, since she see seen his driver�s license photo, which had clearly shown absolutely no presence of furry appendages sticking up from behind his temples, he could only guess that her questioning about why he always wore a head covering was simple but nosy curiosity.
Until tonight, she�d had absolutely no reason to suspect that he didn�t have human ears on the sides of his head. Of course she freaked out when she had discovered the lack of ears there.
And, to boot, her comment about how it could be humanly possible - Inuyasha shivered involuntarily - well, there�s no way she could have meant any ill will by it. It was just an expression, a figure of speech. She never could have known, without knowing he was a hanyou, just how insulting such anocenocent phrase could be if said in the wrong situation, said to the wrong person.

Innocent, just like Kagome, Inuyasha mused again as he unfisted his hands and brought them back to his side, turning toward her sleeping form. She�s so innocent and ignorant, doesn�t know the gravity of this situation. It�s such a page-turning event in whatever kind of relationship we have, if there is anything between us beyond just a simple friendship. Oh, fuck it - there is something there, but I simply won�t let things progress because� because she�s a danger. I don�t want to end up losing the security of passing as a human and living a free life. If the Kawarazaki family in Seattle had succeeded in getting me arrested eight and a half years ago, there�s no way I woulve eve ever had any sort of life as a free man.
Then, in a half-assed attempted at self-reassurance, Inuyasha recollected the final segment of his nightmare from the beginning of the month. Blocking out all of the trauma he had suffered from seeing Dawn in his dreams, he tried to see Kagome�s words and actions for what they were-- a request for him to trust her. She�ll accept me. She has to. He hoped he wasn�t just deceiving himself, hoped that Kagome wouldn�t change her tune in the morning. She won�t. She�s Kagome.
Lightly chewing on his lip, the hanyou made his way the short distance to the foot of his bed and sat right between her curled up feet and the wall, the mattress dipping under the weight and sending her just an inch or two closer.
She was still wearing her shoes, Inuyasha noticed, suddenly paying intense attention to her footwear. While he didn�t really abide by the Japanese tradition of not wearing footwear inside the home anymore - hell, for a couple centuries he didn�t even wear shoes or sandals or any other sort of footwear, opting to go barefoot like the hellion most people coming across him took him for - he did have one strict rule: shoes off for sleepy time, whether on the couch or the bed or� or wherever the fuck he felt like it.
Careful not to wake his uh� houseguest, he carefully slid off her dressy black flats and lightly set them down on the hardwood floor. Pivoting at the hips to look at her yet again - he just couldn�t seem to stop doing that, now, could he? - and letting his eyes wander along the hills of her hips and shoulder and the valley of her waist, he watched her breathe deeply in her sleep.

The hell am I supposed to do, just sit here and make sure she doesn�t choke on her own vomit if she throws up? Again, he still had no idea how much she�d had to drink, and he�d certainly heard horror stories of people dying in their sleep from alcohol poisoning, never waking up. And, Kagome certainly would have a low tolerance. He snorted in false humor at recollecting Miroku�s comment about her amazing enunciation skills.
Inuyasha realized he had few options if he was to keep a close eye on her, and the predominant one highly interested him at the same time as it made him uneasy. You know, I haven�t slept next to someone in more than five months. I really sle sleeping alone. It�s so lonely. I miss the warmth of another body next to me.
After battling with his inner voices for what seemed like forever over such a stupid and petty thing that at the same time wasn�t exactly the smartest thing for someone in his position to do, Inuyasha relented and made his decision.

He's a boy in the cage

A man of middle age

Wow, I think he looks like his mother

All his life a fashion show

A hard man's job - oh no

With a dress in a coalmine - no

Mother's boy

Small and shy

Somebody knew

(Somebody knew)

Somebody knew the moving downers

Love and fingers

So he left his motherland

To find a metalband

Now on Bravo's new cover

I can't understand

He's every father's upper

Mother's boy

Father's toy

Somebody knew

(Somebody knew)

Somebody knew the moving downers

Love and fingers

Inuyasha turned fully and crept farther up toward the head of the bed, careful not to trip over the ends of his long sleeves as they pooled around his hands and trailed off past his knees, then lay on his left side once he was about equally aligned with her slumbering figure, pulling himself flush against her back. He slid his left arm beneath her head and brought it across her chest until he reached her right upper forearm and grasped it lightly. With his right arm, he simply let it drape down her waist before tucking this fingers carefully between her and the mattress�s bedclothes. Finally, his rileg leg hooked around her legs, effectively pinning them to the bed with little room for movement.
After making himself completely comfortable, holding her form to his chest as snugly and desperately as he could, Inuyasha shut his eyes and listened to her breathing, almost willing himself to match her, breath for breath.
Kagome showed no signs of stirring, only a peaceful slumber that he hoped wouldn�t be her last. Almost nuzzling his face into the back of her neck, he pressed his nose into where her hairline most likely met with her nape, inhaling deeply and reveling in the scent.
Beneath the rank stench of normal cigarette smoke --Inuyasha could only stand smoking cloves, weed, and anything that smelled spicy and sticky sweet or fragrantly herby, and anything else made him gag as much as the reek of burnt popcorn-- and the sweat that had started to form at her hairline, beneath all that� he could detect the scent of the shampoo she�d used the last time she had showered. He held back a chuckle; what was it with women and fruit or flower scented hair products, anyway? Who could seriously want to walk around with hair that smelled like dying flowers? He smiled and hugged her closer.
Kagome shifted slightly under his action, sighing in her sleep. Inuyasha stayed alert for a moment more, then opened his eyes and tilted his head up and to the side for a fleeting glance down at how his limbs curled around her form, the red of his clothing as it draped over her appearing intensely dark in the lack of light and contrasted with the light glints of the metallic threads in her pants. They normally appeared a medium to dark grey, but under the sparse moonlight that streamed in faintly through his window, the fabric glowed dully. Her frame moved slightly within his grasp as she inhaled and exhaled.
Resting his head back in place and pressing the lower half of his face into her nape and the crook of her neck, he shut his eyes again and tried to relax. Self-berating thoughts pounded at his reserve, chastising him for getting so touchy-feely with her, but he chased them away, reasoning with himself that he was doing nothing wrong, was crossing no lines, was not jeopardizing himself. His lips as well as the lower one�s twital tal captive bead rings pressed lightly against her skin, and again he inhaled, this time taking in that scent that was nothing but Kagome. Just, Kagome.

Kagome, he repeated in his head over and over again, slowly feeling calmer. His worry never really left him, but the mixture of her scent right there - the first time he�d ever really been able to smell it so up close - and their now rhythmic and almost synchronized breathing slowly tapped away at his consciousness.

Receiving you, the games we ever knew now

Now get the pain, my heart�s receiving you

Inviting me, the scars we ever knew now

Now get the pain, your heart�s receiving me

If I could save the love I found

Every move and every sound

To get you closer (to get you closer)

To get you closer

If I could dance on holy ground

Every groove and every sound

To get you closer (to get you closer)

To get you closer

Believing you, the dues we ever knew now

Now get the pain, my heart�s believing you

Forgiving me, the stars we ever knew now

Now get the pain, your heart�s believing me

Inuyasha felt complete. He felt lonesome no more. He felt comforted. Worried, sad, and upset� but comforted nonetheless. Is this what it will be like when she can finally sleep in my bed every single night? If not, then I don�t ever want to wake up from this. Fuckin� kill me in my sleep, if this will be the only time I can ever have this. Fuck the gods, if they exist. Let me be happy for once. And Inuyasha drifted off to sleep.
---
�Sit the fuck down, right now,� Bankotsu ordered. �Your incessant pacing back and forth is irritating me.�
Jakotsu looked up and stopped in place for a moment. He was seriously stressing out. �But Ban, he�s so gonna kill me when he finds out I broke the confidenti--�
�Yes, I am well aware of that, but this is certainly your fault,� his boyfriend interrupted. �You had it coming.�
�Well you were talking about it with me, so this is partly your fault, too,� the other countered back, his voice vibrating with nervousness as he gesticulated wildly with his hands. �And how do we know Kouga has kept his mouth shut, hmm?�
�Because Inuyasha would probably beat the shit outta Kouga if he could trace it back to him,� Bankotsu calmly replied. �Now, sit down already.� He pointed at the chair on the other side of the kitchen table from him, his eyes on Jakotsu the entire time.
The taller male caught the piercing glare he was being thrown and froze. After a sigh he turned his gaze elsewhere to escape the imaginary spark of conflict that Bankotsu�s eyes were daring him to light on fire. �All right, I�ll sit.� He pulled out the chair indicated and sat. Silence stretched between the two. �Now what?�
�Now, we discuss how we�re going to try to reason things out with Umezu-san when he inherently comes for you,� Bankotsu slowly answered as if speaking to a dumb child.
�For us, not just for me,� Jakotsu interjected stubbornly.
Bankotsu rolled his eyes and sighed. �Tell me again why I�m dating you?� he asked rhetorically.
Sheepishly grinning, Jakotsu gingerly answered, �Cuz you�re an idiot?� Bankotsu glared at him. �Okay, okay, bad Heathers line, I know, and I was seriously kidding. Have a sense of humor. I think it was cuz we�ve been best friends and then some for as long as we�ve n ean each other?�
Bankotsu looked thoughtful for a moment, his arms crossed as he stared at the floor. �Yeah, I think that was it,� he answered honestly with a nod. �Hmmm. But, anyway, back to what we were talking about.� He narrowed his eyes. Jakotsu groaned. This would be a long night.
---
There were trees with hand-headed Medusa snakes for branches, snatching and grabbing at her as she ran through the murky forested area, searching incessantly for sopeckpeck of light. The air was chilly but slowly grew humid and sticky.
Kagome ran, her legs pumping, trying to escape from the creatures chasing after her, desperately trying to keep her breathing under control. The ground was moist and spongy, like an unsafe bog in the bayous of Louisiana. One uncertain and careless step, and she just might slip below the surface into knee deep swamp water and thrash about--
�Mama!� she cried out as she turned to look behind her and saw the world caving in slowly hundreds of yards behind her, the ground trembling with each squishy, mossy step. Utterly frightened, she stared forward again as she felt a rush of adrenaline, her chest heaving as she ran and ran.
A random hand-headed Medusa branch reached for her hair and grabbed hold while another clamped itself onto her knee just at the bend and began to creep and coil upward.
�Mama!� Kagome screamed again franticaller ter throat almost choking. �Inuyasha! Help me! Help me, please!�
---
Strange and painful sounding whimpers woke Inuyasha up from his very light rest, his ears perked at attention. He felt the girl in his arms thrashing about. Inhaling deeply and opening his eyes and lifting his head up so he could see her better, he saw that she was squirming about. Immediately he reacted by squeezing tightly around her, locking her within his arms and pinning her legs to the bed. She was panting slightly, and he could smell the reek of fear radiating off her skin.

Fuck! he cursed to himself. He furrowed his eyebrows in concern. His ear tips twitched fervently as he paid close attention to her soft little squeals and whimpers. Her eyes were closed, but the lids were squinted shut tightly, and she not only smelled scared, she looked scared. Her breathing became more and more erratic. She coughed a few times. Inuyasha widened his eyes. Fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK! She wheezed a few times, and he loosened up his hold.
Once her breathing went back to semi-normal, he tightened it again, binding her arms to her chest and keeping her legs pinned to the bed. Calm down, calm down! It�s probably just a dream! he mentally said to her, not wanting to wake her up. He preferred that she find out when she woke up for good that she was sharing a sleeping area with him, not in the middle of the night.
She gasped a few times and whimpered again before uttering in a low, creaky voice, �The trees are after me, the trees and their snakelike branches, and the world is crumbling, and somebody help me!�
Her frightened words tore at his insides. Looking at her suffer from her dreams made him think of his own terrible nightmare. He shut his eyes and moved his left hand up to her shoulder until he could reach the strap of her sleeveless top and pull it down over her shoulder, leaving exposed the flesh of her shoulder from her neck to where her upper arm met her shoulder.
�Gomen nasai,� he uttered regretfully, even though he knew she probably couldn�t hear him, and licked his lips.
---
From behind her as she ran, dodging bony fingers by the masses, came a sudden rapturous feeling flooding over her as a shadowy figure grabbed her from behind and then jumped upward at a frightening speed, carrying her along with. All she could hear were the sounds of the trees below squealing at their loss, the whistle of the wind, and a strange, hearty, deep-throated cackle coming from above her. The arms that grasped heoundound her midsection, just below her bust, became tighter.
The colors everywhere were blinding, still of a darker palette but slowly lightening as the figure who held her zipped onward and upward at some godforsaken angle and inhuman speed to some strange, unknown place that began to leak light toward them. Everything felt oozingly warm.
Kagome had been too shocked at her unprecedented rescue to continue screaming, but once she began to see light, she fell out of her temporary trance and began to kick her legs, not sure if her rescuer was a friend or some prey-seeking creature. �Mama!�
�She�s not here, but I am!� a familiar voice from above her called out over the wind. They suddenly descended back upon the treetops, Kagome shocked and screaming - she did not want to go back to those trees with their creepy Medusa branches tipped off with hands for twigs.
Upon impact with the top branches of a particularly full-foliaged tree and a resounding bounce, the figure immediately shot back upward, the wind whisking everywhere. The rapturous feeling flooded over her again, welling up and overflowing, and as they ascended into the sky, she felt all her apprehensions flake away. The figure tightened his arms around her again.
---
Inuyasha bit down hard, holding his arms rigidly as she squirmed and writhed, pulling at the skin until he hit the right spot. Kagome continued to whine and whimper, but her mumblings went soft, and she soon quieted down altogether. When he was certain she had calmed down, unsure if it had been half a minute or five minutes, he pulled his fangs away from the flesh quickly.
A few licks to the wound he had inflicted told him that barely any skin breakage had occurred. There was even less blood. He quickly cleaned off the agitated skin and then put her shoulder strap back in place. Keh, if she asks about it, I�ll just tell her I really suck at giving hickeys, he jokingly thought to himself, trying to make light of the situation. Within a few minutes, Kagoas bas back to restful sleep; he could tell by her breathing. Within moments, he put himself back into a light slumber, the only difference from earlier being that he grasped her to him a bit more firmly and protectively.
---
�Okay, that�s it.� Kouga narrowed his eyes. Zara, from her spot on the floor where she had just tripped over herself and fallen in a manner a bit short of grace, eyed him grumpily. �You�re way too drunk, and you have no ride home now. No fucking way I�m letting you crash here.�
�Huh? What about Inuyasha?� she asked as she tried, at first without success, to stand back up on her own two feet.
Kouga turned around in annoyance and removed his shirt; it was damn hot inside, and he would have to put the air conditioning on full blast after everyone finally left if he hoped for any chance of sleeping without overheating.
�He left a long while ago, with that little underage friend of his,� he answered as he wiped his face with his shirt.
�Aw, damnit! Ooooh, you got more work done on your wolfie back piece!� she quickly slurred out as she wobbled in place before stumbling again.
On Kouga�s back, particularly the entire lower area up to where the bottom of his shoulder blades were, was a massively detailed black and white outline of several wolves howling upon a craggy rock that overlooked an expansive ravine, a valley in the far distance. There was some light grayscale shading done so far on about half of the entire piece, but Kouga only spent time in the tattoo parlor about once every month or so, so it progressed quite slowly.
Looking back at her for a moment, Kouga nodded in affirmation. �Yeah, about another hour�s wort sha shading and another wolf done. Got it done about three days ago. Anyway, I�m sending you home.�
It was mostly silent in the house. DJ [spacebar] had already begun to pack up his equipment, asking some of the remaining party attendants for help in loading everything into the back of his little van.
Zara raised an eyebrow furtively. �How�m I supposed to get home if �Yash already left?� She leaned against a wall for support.
�I�ll have my sister drive you home,� was all Kouga said before he faced forward again and walked into anotroomroom. �Stay right there while I get her.�
�Yeah, okay.� Zara closed her eyes. �Damn, way too much alcohol. Fuckin� bitch, whoever is fucking around with my Visa check card number is gonna pay. Bitches. I�ll catch �em,� she droned on to no one in particular. Ever since a few days earlier, right before her birthday, she had noticed some strange charges made to her checking account for a cell phone bill that wasn�t hers, and she was not happy with things as they were.
Weaving through the now mostly empty hallways and rooms, Kouga came to a door from which trickled some very soft pop music. He knocked on the door a few times, calling out, �Rin, are you awake?� he flared his nostrils. If Zara was to return to any more parties, he would make sure she knew ahead of time who her ride would be. Otherwise, �Zara no attend my party, capiche?�.
Light shuffling was heard before a crack of light showed beneath the door, and he heard the creaking moan when the door swung open. A short, rumpled and sleepy girl blinked her eyes rapidly up at him as she stepped into the now open doorway.
�Mmmm, what is it?� She ran her fingers through her tousled brown hair.
�I need you to drive Zara home.�
�What time is it?� she asked, a bit annoyed at having been awakened for something as silly as that. Didn�t Kouga know that sleepiness was worse than being drunk when on the road?
�Almost four in the morning. Zara can barely stand up.�
�When did she become a drinker?�
Kouga shrugged his shoulders with a blank expression reeking of nonchalance, pulling out a set of keys from his back pocket. Rin reached out, still blinking in the brightness of the light in her room, and took them from him, then nodded.
�Okay, I�ll get her home. But if I can�t get to sleep right away once I�m back, it�s all your fault,� she jokingly accused, trying to smile, knowing she would probably be up for hours now anyway. Being woken up at four in the morning to drive someone somewhere was not exactly on her list of fun things to do when particularly sleepy. She made a note to grab a Red Bull before leaving the house with her older brother�s friend. �You owe me, Kouga Crenshaw, for this.�
�Yeah,� he mocking answered, rolling his eyes and smirking.
�Uh huh, yeah, whatever, bro,� Rin countered, smiling knowingly.
---
The feeling of sunlight upon her face and poking at her eyelids and an intense encasement of warmth slowly brought Kagome back to the land of the awake. Peeling her eyes open, she groggily shut them tightly right afterward; a slight headache still haunted her. When she dared open them once more, she took in her surroundings in complete surprise.
She knew she�d left the party but only barely recalled last being conscious while in the backseat of Inuy�s c�s car, her head throbbing and her limbs feeling numb, weak, and almost fuzzy. What she saw now made her wonder where he had taken her.
She�d assumed he would take her to her home, frantic mother and all. Instead, she found no recognition in the large room-- wait a minute, why did she feel so warm, and why did she have trouble moving her legs to stretch them out?
As her eyes adjusted to the light that filled the room, Kagome glanced down at her body. She was lying on a bed, on top of the covers, and someone wearing a top with long, droopy sleeves of a vibrantly deep, almost velvety red had his --was it a he? She couldn�t tell-- arms wrapped around her waist and her upper frame. Eep.
�Koko wa doko?� she mindlessly and breathlessly asked herself. Where in the hell was she? Obviously someone�s bedroo-- She froze, wide-eyed, in realization. Whose? Oh, she knew whose it probably was, now that she could see the h of of the person whose arms were wrapped around her. She�d know those fingernai-- no, claws, he called them claws, but yes, she�d know those claws anywhere.

What am I doing on his bed, next to him? What happened? Did I, did we do something we shouldn�t have? Did-- her breath caught in her throat again as she remembered fleeting segments of the party that occurred after she had downed drink after drink after drink with the cueball-bald guy and his goth looking girlfriend. She groaned and shut her eyes, embarrassed, when she recalled some of her drunken comments to Inuyasha�s ex-boyfriend, Miroku. Note to self: never, ever drink that much again. Her head continued to throb.
Waroistoist breath tickled the back of her neck, again causing her eyes to widen. She tried to turn over onto her back to look at Inuyasha, but the tight way he held onto her kept her from much progress, annoying her to a great extent. She wriggled a bit, trying to loosen up his grip; he only tightened his arms, pulling hloseloser and mumbling senselessly and incoherently. What does he think I am, a teddy bear? she thought in exasperation. At this rate, I�ll never be able to get out of bed-- Actually, the thought didn�t disturb her as much as she thought.
Then, another thought popped into her head: Either someone slipped lsd into my drinks, or Inuyasha has puppy dog ears on the upper corners of his head. Was I just really drunk when I saw what I thought I saw? Is he� really a hanyou? Kagome carefully freed her right arm and lifted it high over her head, reaching backward to where she assumed Inuyasha�s head would be; well, where else could his head be, when she could feel him breathing rhythmically upon her neck, right?
Her fingertips lightly tapped top top of his head, somewhere in the middle since she felt nothing but hair pooling down from his scalp. Those fingers gravitated farther to her right until they delicately bed aed against something soft, somewhat stiff, covered in soft but short velvety fur, and that protruded from his head.

Okay, so I really did see what I thought I did, and hear what I thought he told me, Kagome mused, thankful she had not gone insane. She lightly felt around for where the ear would meet with his head. She closed her hand around the ear; it felt about the same size as the palm of her hand. She slid her fingers up toward the tip; the ear twitched and t to to flick her hand away, its owner mumbling again and nudging his face into her neck even more. The temptation to giggle was persistent, but she resisted. She did, however, grin with mischief. I could have a lot of fun with this.
As soon as Inuyasha had settled again, she went for where his ear met with his head and lightly massaged the furry base, then softly began rubbing upward toward the tip, smoothing her fingers gently along with the fur in a repetitive motion.
In mid-massage Kagome felt the warm breath upon her neck stop, and a moment later something warm and wet-- Oh my-- is he licking me?! Something small, smooth and solid dragged along her neck, surrounded by the warm wetness that she knew must be his tongue. Yeah, okaaaaaaaaay, that has got to be a barbell in his tongue, and he is definitely licking me. Kagome�s eyes widened in surprise, and her hand froze in place where it had currently been hard at work scritch-scratching the base of his ear. Is� is he awake?
Breathing slightly heavily, she waited with trepidation for Inuyasha to do something else. Nothing happened, all was silent except for white noise, and her heart soon stopped pounding. I guess he�s just really weird, then.
Flitting her eyes across the room nervously, she licked her lips; they�d gone dry.
Her fingers went for the ear again, giving it such a vigorous massage that would send any self-respecting canine ear owner into a puddle, stroking it from base to tip, going with the way the fur grew.
�I see the power of cuteness compels you,� came his voice from right alongside her neck, almost directly into her ear, followed by a smnicknicker.
Unfortunately he had her undivided attention for only the first half of the sentence.
During the second half, she was more intent on trying to recover from having the shit startled out of her.
�Don�t� do that,� she finally gasped out, her chest heaving. She had long since retracted her right arm back to her chest and clasped her hands together in an attempt to calm down her racing heart.
Inuyasha, fully awake, responded with a self-amused laugh. �You�re so fun to pick on, you know that?�
�Don�t make me hit you for that,� Kagome warned.
�Crop�s in the car, girl.�
�I don�t need a crop to hit you.�
�But your aim would suck so much otherwise,� he replied, his tone so smug that Kagome felt she could hear him smirking.
Kagome jammed her right elbow into his ribs.
�Ow! Watch where you point that thing!� Inuyasha jokingly bitched at her, immediately letting out a fleeting warning growl, tightening his arms around her frame, and pinning her arms down. �It�s pointy!�
�That�s the point of it!� she replied back and feebly attempted, in vain, to force herself out of his hold. �Let me go!� Man, at first this was bordering on cute, but now it�s just damn annoying, she mentally grumbled.
�Nope.� Instead, he rolled onto his back, taking her with him, and swung his legs over the side of the bed-- how he did that with such ease and agility, she could not figure out-- before righting himself, effectively trapping her on his lap as he sat up straight on the top bedspread. She tried squirming, huffing and voicing her discontent all the while, but his grip was like iron. �Quit that, right now.�
His voice was stern and serious this time, immediately throwing Kagome the hint that it was in her best interest to actually obey. She went still and quiet and waited.
�You and I need to have one hell of a little talk. Is that understood?�
She had no idea what his expression was like at the moment, but his tone gave away almost a direness infused with much importance that was buried hidden underneath the harshness that lay on top.
�Yes,� she answered, somewhat feeling saddened. His mention of �talk� had triggered an instant recollection of the �talk� she had overheard about him, and she hoped she�d be able to bring up the subject without breaking down emotionally.
At her reply, Inuyasha stood up, forcing her up as well and placing her upon the floor in front of her before finally letting go and walking around to stand in front of her.
Able to see him for the first time since she�d fallen asleep in his car, Kagome gave him a once-over, then did a few more scrutinizing ones, her eyes yo-yoing. His appearance this time around was striking enough to warrant multiple takes, not just doubled ones.
Inuyasha, standing with feet shoulder width apart and his arms crossed and looking a bit perturbed, was dressed in loose, billowy Japanese style clothing whose styles she knew must date from several centuries back, his under kimono shirt a creamy ivory white and his haori and hakama a deep flaming red, and he was barefoot. He wore no head covering, so his ears, the same puppy ears she�d seen for the first time the night before, were completely exposed. The tips of them were set slightly back; Kagome was unsure of how to read them.
And, to top it all off, he was still wearing his lip piercings, which totally clashed with his outfit.
It made him look like a living piece of history standing right before her� except for the piercings, which stood out like sore thumbs.
The corners of her mouth curled up as she did her best to keep from laughing, but ultimately she was unsuccessful. She snickered a couple times and turned her head to the side to hide her smug grin, covering up the bottom half of her face with her hand and shutting her eyes as the giggles began to shake the entire upper half of her body.
The hanyou before her raised an eyebrow wryly. �The hell is so fuckin� funny, Kagome?�
With an unladylike snort as she fell into a laughing fit, she managed to half-coherently squeak out, �You look like something out of the fifteenth century, for the most part, except your lip rings really don�t go with your outfit at all. You look ridiculous. Oh, and those hakama look like Hammer pants!� She continued snickering, much to his annoyance, until she felt the need to sit down; she could barely stand up anymore, and her gut hurt. Another cackle escaped her lips as she planted her rear upon the edge of his bed and pointed, unable to look at him without the risk of bursting into more laughter.
Inuyasha�s ears flattened against his hair as he narrowed his eyes. �Well, excuse me, Miss Fas Pol Police! It�s been a long time since I last wore these clothes, and I�ve only had the lip piercings for thirty years.�
Kagome abruptly halted her laughter as soon as she heard the words �thirty� and �years� together in their proper context, her laugh dying right in her throat in a strange screech, like someone taking a hammer to a pane of glass. She gawkingly stared at him, saw that he made no attempt to pass off his statement as something other than truth. �Thirty years? Bu-but I thought your driver�s license said--�
�And I haven�t worn these clothes since 1866,� he interruptingly added with complete seriousness.
�Eighteen sixty-si--� she repeated dumbly before cutting herself off in a choke and diverting her gaze to the side, the whites of her eyes ringing her irises. �Uh�� Thi-this can�t be-- no, wait, if he can be a hanyou, then who knows that else is possible?!

�Kagome, look at me,� he commanded.
Kagome met his eyes and leaned back on her arms, her elbows locked. Inuyasha sighed and stole a sidelong glance before softening his gaze upon her, cocking his head slightly to the side before he began to speak. �I-I need to tell you the truth about myself,� he said solemnly and with a hint of sadness before his eyes flashed with determination. He turned around and walked over to his computer to pull away the roller chaiom tom the desk, then positioned it a few feet in front of her and sat down, his hands upon the armrests.
Kagome watched him intently, waiting for him to start. He seemed deep in thought, as if trying to decide where to begin first. Finally he cleared his throat and said, �My name is and always has been Inuyasha, but I sure as hell am not 28. I�m actually 628, born in 1375 to my mother, Izayoi, and my father, Touga. I told you the truth about my mom, but my father was an inu taiyoukai. They both died when I was very small, so I�ve basically been on my own for most of my life. All I have left to remind me of them is that sword you see over on my desk,� he paused to point, �which I got from my father, and the fuku I�m currently wearing.
�For the most part I�ve always lived within a hundred miles of what�s now the Tokyo prefecture, but I remember being in Kyoto back in the early 1400s, and I saw Kinkakuji when it was finally built.�
�Kinkakuji? The Golden Pavillion?� Kagome questioned aloud, interjecting at his pause before he could go on. �I-I�ve been there several times before. And um,� she trailed off, taking note of how he peevishly cleared his throat. The beginning stages of the glare he was sending her way made her feel apprehensive for interrupting him. �Why do your clothes look so new, if they�re more than six hundred years old?�
He flitted his eyes off to the side and then returned to watch her like a hawk. �They have something called youryoku that is intimately connected to my demonic aura, or youki. They�re self-cleaning, self-repairing, and they never fade� as long as I�m wearing them,� he answered.
She nodded dumbly; she really had no choice but to believe whatever he told her.
�Now, as I was saying,� he continued, �I was pretty much your average ou rou roaming the Japanese countryside up until the end of the Sengoku Jidai, the Warring States Era. Shortly after the Tokugawa came into power, I began� well, I don�t really like using this term, but I began masquerading as a human. Survival and self-preservation called for it.
�So, ever since 1605, I�ve been passing for a human in society. I still wore this outfit all the time, but I covered up my ears. People didn�t accept me too easily cuz I still looked funny to them, but I didn�t really care. They didn�t bother or harass me, and that�s what was important.
�I began to have problems, though, seeing as how I could never stay in one community for very long. People were suspicious of me because I had a small wealth of silver and gold coinage, much of it a bit old, and I never aged. I had to move around a lnevenever live in the same general area for too long, you know. Then, to make things worse, this outfit of mine began to seem a bit too flashy, too eye-catching. So, two years before Edo was officially named Tokyo, I wore it for the last time. It�s been in storage ever since. Since then, I�ve worn normal men�s clothing in order to better blend in.
�When Japan officially opened all its ports to outsiders, Europeans especially, I began to take an interest in the English language. I�ve been speaking it fluently since about the turn of the twentieth century. Over the years since, I�ve continually scoured through dictionaries of all sorts: idioms, slang, you name it.
�In the mid 1890s I was living in a fairly urban area of Tokyo, or what was urban at the time, when some men from overseas came to showcase a new device. It was called a cinematographe. Kagome, this was the very first motion picture camera, excluding that kinetoscope thing Edison created, and the Lumiere brothers had sent camera operators all over the globe for tours. They would film the people there one day, develop the motion picture film the earliest they could, and then show the little 52 second long reels of film either that night or the next day. I saw these little films and became instantly enamoredthe the technology.� His voice began to thicken with excitement, and his eyes lit up as he made hand gestures to fit alongside his words. He even managed to smile a bit.
�Lumiere�s films were so popular in Tokyo that I eventually was able to get a job as a benshi--�
�What�s a benshi? That�s a word I don�t know,� Kagome asked, hoping he wouldn�t get too annoyed at the interruption this time around.
Thankfully, Inuyasha did not seem to mind and began to explain, that glint of excitement still there. �Basically, well, these films were silent documentaries, so I stood next to the screen and explained to the viewers what was happening on-screen. It may not seem too glamorous, but in actuality, a benshi was regarded with much prestige. I�m not shitting you. And I did it because I enjoyed it. Ever since those little film tours, I�ve been stricken with a fascination for film and motion pictures.�
Blinking, Kagome furrowed her eyebrows. �I didn�t know you were into film that much.�
He grinned widely, his fangs showing, and leaned back in his swivel chair, staring at the ceiling for a brief moment. �Oh yeah, big time. I even got to be in one of those little documentary strips, and I paid the cinematographe operators enough in silver and gold so that they would let me keep the print. I saved it.� He paused to look down into his lap, his tone becoming pensive and his eyes returning to hers when he continued.
�It began to deteriorate over the years, but I kept making new prints over and over again until when they stopped making film stock containing nitrate, I think it was. The latest print I have is a biittlittle, so I doubt I ought to show it on a projector, but the images are still mostly intact per frame. In addition, back when I first got the print in the 1890s, I got photograph copies made of a number of the frames. I�ve got all that stuff in a special box over on my desk along with my sword and some old money, all of which I wanna show you later,� Inuyasha said enthusiastically, bringing his hands to his lap and slapping his palms several times in a row upon his thighsill ill grinning smugly.
�Why not now?� she asked in a slightly pouty tone. This I have got to see, Inuyasha on film from the nineteenth century! Wow!

�I�m not done talkin� about myself. There are a couple more things, and then I�ll show you,� he promised with a nod of his head. Kagome returned the nod and gestured with a wave of her hand for him to go on.
�In 1929 I joined a cine-club in Tokyo that a man named Akira Iwasaki had formed called the Proletarian Film League, or Prokino. We watched underground films, international films, banned films, newsreels, documentaries, and so on, and some members were filmmakers themselves. In 1931, I met my estranged half-brother--�
�You didn�t tell me you had a brot� Ka� Kagome interrupted almost accusingly.
�Yeah, well, I do. I just prefer not to talk about him.�
�Then why did you bring him up in the first place?�
�Because, there�s a point to this,� Inuyasha promptly replied, his nerves obviously becoming slightly fra �I �I can�t stand him, really. Different mother, same father. He�s a full youkai. Youkai and humans are practically racist against each other, and both are racist against hanyou. Anyway, I happened to run into him for the first time in a couple centuries back in 1931. And�� he trailed off, sighing, �from him I found out that he was willing to acknowledge me as his brother. He said it was because I�d managed to survive ong ong as I had, while the remainder of youkai and hanyou had be pre practically extinct. Sesshoumaru was the last youkai I ever saw, and I haven�t seen any hanyou since the eighteenth century at least.�
Standing up, a strangely dejected look upon his face, Inuyasha walked toward the desk and mussed around in one of the drawers until he found something. Bringing it back, he handed it to Kagome but remained on his feet.
�This is a photograph taken of me and Sesshoumaru back in 1931, shortly before Japan seized Manchuria and went after Shanghai. After our brief, somewhat civilized meeting, he moved to Germany. I haven�t seen him or heard from him since. If he still lives, he is my only living family. Dislike or not, he�s still my half-brother,� he finished up, somewhat somber.
Kagome looked from Inuyasha�s face that clearly expressed something other than a death wish for his half-brother to the photo. It was definitely something from the 1930s, faded and washed over in shades of grey and sepia. It was even dated in stylish kanji that denoted the year to be Showa 6. A figure who looked achingly like Inuyashut wut without the lip piercings and dressed in early twentieth century style clothing and wearing a Western style hat like something out of a noir film, stood stoically beside a slightly taller, similarly dressed figure of a similar build but with a thinner, longer face, slightly pointed ears, hair whose length put Inuyasha to shame, and� tattoos on his cheeks? And a crescent moon on his forehead?
�What are those on his face?� she asked, pointing.
He told her they were facial stripes. �He had tried using skin tone foundation to cover them up, but they were still a bit visible. He�s got �em on his wrists too, but they�re easier to hide. He also masqueraded as a human so they�d leave him alone, as he told me. Anyway, imagine this guy here in the photo,� he went on further, pointing at Sesshoumaru�s head with a clawed finger, �with the same hair and eye color that I have, and make those stripes on his cheeks a maroonish red color, and that�s what he looks like.�
�And the moon?� It was very faint, she noticed.
�That�s a marking he got from his mother, I think. I never met her. It�s a dark bluish color, in real life. He usually told people it was a tattoo.�
Kagome scrutinized the photo again. It felt immensely strange seeing an old photo from before her parents were born that actually depicted the very person standing in front of her as if he hadn�t aged a single hour. Even though it was a mere photograph, she could almost feel the utter sternness the photographed Inuyasha�s eyes held deep within them, and a strange coldness and air of disconcern seemed to emanate from the youkai she now knew to be his sibling.
�Inuyasha,� Kagome began, �this is just� amazing. All of this. I mean, yeah, it�s a little bit of an information overload, but even as jarring as it seems, it�s� almost fascinating.� She looked back up at him; a tremor started in the hand dominantly holding the photo. �Um, why do you doubt he still lives? If you had little enough trouble surviving to this point, what�s to say that Sesshoumaru would have had any trouble?�
Inuyasha�s expression was unreadable before it turned to one of gloom, displeasure and reprimand. With a glower and a huff, he rudely and wordlessly snatched the photo from her hand and walked back toward the desk. He placed his hands upon the desktop and leaned down, hunching over, his ears twitching back and forth perturbedly.
�What? What did I say that�s obviously pissed you off, Inuyasha?� Kagome demanded, annoyed at his change in demeanor and behavior. The hell is going on? One minute he�s talking about how he hates his brother, the next minute he gets sappy about his brother being his only remaining family, and now he�s back to being a sourpuss cuz I asked about if his brother might still be alive? After no answer and no movement from him, she tried again. �All I did was ask about--�
�I know what you asked about. I�m not deaf. My hearing is so keen I can hear your heartbeat from over here,� he almost snarled at her, still not turning around.
She crossed her arms and asked, �What�s with your attitude problem?�
�Look,� he grumbled loud enough for her to hear as he turned his head, his eyes dead set in an ominous glare, �you�re not an idiot. I told you Sesshoumaru moved to Germany in 1931. Tell me you have no idea who was elected Chancellor of Germany two years after that, and I will seriously have to hurt you, Kagome.�
�Uh.� Kagome had no words, so she chewed her lip with tedium. Everything suddenly felt bleak.
�I saw Triumph of the Will at a Prokino screening back in 1935. That was his introduction to the world,� Inuyasha went on after taking a deep breath, refusing to name the person in question. Kagome fully understood why; dread began to pool inside her belly and crawl upon her skin. He continued, his voice scabbed with burns. �And looking backretrretrospect, I can�t imagine that Sesshoumaru could have stayed in Germany under that kind of a leader and be left well enough alone. They�d have tagged him for resettlement, I�m sure of it. Who knows what country he could have fled to? They took over so many European countries, I find it doubtful he could have escaped. The guy looks no older than 25; anyone not wanting to kill him would surely enlist him or die trying.�
He closed his eyes, squeezing them shut tightly, before going on. �Youkai or not, I�m not about to just automatically assume Sesshoumaru escaped the troops, or the camps. He and I were some of the last few remaining of our kind back in 1931. Who�s to say I�m the only one left? I don�t know, but I find it very likely.�
When his eyes opened again, Kagome found herself staring deep into his golden ones, dreadfully wishing to get off the topic of the Austrian historical figure who had orchestrated an entire nation into willingly committing genocide upon tens of millions of humans.
�And lastly, I came to America in 1995 with my best friend Miroku.� His tone was matter of fact, completely dissociated from the harsh, emotive tone from moments earlier. Strangely, his almost seamless transition gave her the creeps.
A feeling of unease dripped down the front of Kagome�s shirt. �Um, damn,� she uttered in a high pitched, stunned voice. Her eyebrows disappeared behind her bangs. She began to fidget with her hands. �Well�� She couldn�t find the right words on where to start.
�I came here because it was getting more difficult to stay in Japan without the authorities getting suspicious of me,� he explained. �They were on to me in certain Tokyo wards. Plus, Miroku wanted to move to America, so we decided to pack up our essentials, sell our house--�
�Wait a minute, you mean you two lived together?� Kagome quirked an eyebrow. This is interesting.
�Yeah.� Inuyasha shrugged like it was nothing. �We were boyfriends for about a year, and after that, he kept living as my roommate because we�re still best friends. So, yeah, we sold the place with most of its furnishings, hopped on a plane, and flew to Seattle and immediately bought a used car.� He paused, looking unsure what else he should say.
�And after a very stupid incident that never should have happened, we drove that car across the country and eventually came to Minneapolis,� he continued quickly. �I got a job at the movie theater in Downtown because it was low-key and I would be allowed to wear a hat at work, and of course, because I love movie theaters, the projection booth especially. I was on such good terms with the first two GMs that they let me hang out up there on occasion. Mr. Nick Ruston was my favorite, but he moved to Chicago in October. His wife attends college there and gave him an ultimatum that if he wants to live with her, he would have to move down there, because she wasn�t moving back up here.
�That�s when Naraku came, and Kagura, and Kanna.� His mood turned sour. �I don�t know what the fuck Naraku was thinking in hiring a new projectionist to actually live in the damn booth! Naraku also banned me from going up there, claiming it was no place for a supervisor to be. Fucker,� Inuyasha muttered grumblingly.
His ears went back and flat as he stared at some random spot on the floor, looking as though attempting to burn a hole into the hardwood with his glare. �That was my movie theater they came to and have fucked up. I�ve been there longer than anyone else, and I would never want to work anywhere else, or I would have already quit long ago. I like having such a simple job, and I get to boss people around,� he bragged smugly, looking back at her, �but hey, I�m a nice supervisor if you do what you�re supposed to.�
He smirked and winked, then slowly licked his top lip, the metal ball on the underside of his tongue very visible.
Kagome blinked and swallowed, unsure if she had any reason to feel unnerved. Did he just� mean that as an innuendo? She wetted her lips as a hitch caught in her breath for a mere moment.
He raised his eyebrow at her reaction, then shook his head and walked toward his swivel chair, grabbing it and bringing it back by his computer desk. He sat down for a moment and turned on the power. While it was booting up, he swiveled her way and ushered her over with his hand.
�Come on. I�ve got that stuff to show you. We can listen to mp3s while we look at it,� he offered before standing up again and making his way over to the plain desk with the large box, the sword, and a couple small, unidentifiable items on top.
She nodded; she still thought he looked funny wearing those lip rings as well as the ancient clothing, and she covered up a giggle. As she was on her way over to the desk with the things he wanted to show up, she widened her eyes in surprise. As it loaded up Windows of some version, Inuyasha�s computer began to play The Hamster Dance.
�What the hell?�
Inuyasha picked up his sword before turning to look at her. �What?�
�Why is your computer playing the Hamster Dance song?� Kagome was unable to keep back her laughter. Of all the things, why something as lame as the Hamster Dance song?
�Oh, that,� he drawled out, highly amused. �Cuz I think it�s funny. In fact, I can DO the Hamster Dance.� He demonstrated his own choreographed number, still holding his sword by the scabbard, dancing to the childishly amusing mp3 that lightly blasted from his computer speakers.
It looked like he was doing a cross between the Macarena and some square dancing. He even went so far as to sing along with the weird vocals. Kagome laughed during the entirety of it. �You are so weird,� she declared, shaking her head as she giggled.
�All right, enough of that,� he said with a smirk, turning back to his computer.
Within minutes, Kagome was in awe of his film footage while he showered her the two pieces of ancient money he wished to show off. He told her the hammered coinage, which was a small, rectangular piece of silver with kanji and dot-like flowers on it, was from the Genroku period. �I got my hands on this in the late 1690s. You�re not gonna believe me when I tell you how much it�s worth.�
�Yeah?� she asked with enthusiasm while some weird but pleasant music similar to the synthpop she had heard the previous night played from his computer. �Tell me already.�
�A good $700 or so. It�s been a few years since I got it appraised. I�ve got a little collection of other ones, too, from Tempo, Ansei, Kaei, Bunsei, Manen� you name the era, and I probably have at least one piece from it, whether it�s koban, goryoban, chogin, isshu gin, ichibu gin, mameita gin, hammered coinage, cash coins, or provincial coinage,� he answered with a smile, holding it up in front of her. �That,� he paused dramatically, ensuring he had her full attention, �is for you.� He placed it in her hand, pressing it against the creases in her palm until she curled her fingers around it, confusion etched upon her face.
�Why are you giving this to me when it�s worth so much?� She creased her brow, bewildered.
�Because, Kagome,� he replied, growing just the tiniest bit solemn, �you weren�t scared off after learning I was a hanyou. That�s what my last girlfriend discovered the night she left me. I had found out she had started doing heroin again after having been clean for what she told me had been several years. In midsmidst of our heated argument, I� I came out to her. She screamed, calling me a deformed freak, a monster. She uh�� Inuyasha lowered his gaze as he paused, �she didn�t actually tell me I could keep her crop. She just up and grabbed some of her shit and left. I never heard from her again. She left behind the crop and most of her toys and stuff.� He flared his nostrils with a snort before looking at her again.
There was an uncomfortable silence. Kagome broke it by numbly thanking him, not sure what else to say. He nodded wordlessly and moved to pick up a small, lopsided sphere of dull silver atop the desk. �This is mameita gin, bean silver with the God of Plenty design.� He held it up close so she could see a solitary blemishing impression upon the silver piece, a somewhat worn kanji she did not recognize. �This one�s not worth as much, but I still think it�s cool. This is also for you.�
Kagome set the two silver pieces aside on the corner of the desk while he opened the box containing the film memorabilia. Carefully, he sifted through the contents and showed her everything inside, piece by piece.
After putting the box away, he took up his sword, pulled it from its scabbard as he held it above his head, and intently watched Kagome�s expression as the blade transformed right before her eyes. He became utterly amused at her shocked and stunned, completely amazed expression.
�Whoa, that thing is� huge?� Her mouth gaped, gawking as he swung the sword around; her last word had been little more than a soft flutter of breath.
�Yeah, I guess you could say that.� Inuyasha slid the blade tip deep inside the scabbard and fully sheathed the tempered steel sword, sealing its transformation yet again. �That was the Tessaiga. One of the materials it was forged with was a fang from my father.�
Seeing Inuyasha show her all these things and having been told so much about him, being trusted with knowledge of who and what he was, made Kagome feel special. She grinned from ear to ear.
It almost made her forget about why she had gotten so upset and depressed that she had tipped back glass after shot glass after plastic cup of liquor she had never tasted before and now hoped she would never taste again.
Almost.
A small twinge of sadness niggled at her. For the time being, she was able to merely push it to the side and avoid thinking about it.
The song on the computer�s mp3 player ended, and the next one on the play list began. Its lyrics immediately caught Inuyasha�s attention, and he set the sword down on the floor before rubbing his hands together.
He had her recall the morning they had gone to Hell�s Kitchen, and his unexplainable speed feat. Then, as the main part of the song began, he moved with such incredible speed to the far corner of the room near his window that it had seemed to her as if he almost teleported there. He began to sing out the lyrics in mid-stanza along with Glenn Danzig�s prerecorded voice that streamed out.

�Am I beast or am I human

Am I just like you

Power seething, really reeling

Reaching out for you

�Am I demon

You need to know

�Faces of a million hells rage inside these veins

Pounding out deserved pain to anyone in need

Am I beast or am I human

Am I just like you

Power seething, really reeling

Reaching out for you

Am I demon

Need to know�

As if entranced, Kagome watched him match the words to the original singer�s, her eyes focused on his lips and his tongue as they moved. She paid attention to nothing else. As the song had progressed, verse by verse, he had frighteningly quickly run to another part of the room, nothing but a blur of silver and red passing in front of her or out of the corner of her eye, always keeping her pivoting her head or even at the hips to follow him by sight. If he wasn�t singing, he was smirking.
Danzig�s �Am I Demon� ended, and the computer began playing a more mellow instrumental. Inuyasha finally stayed in place, and Kagome no longer had to race to catch sight of where he would zip to next.
�Will you finally stay in one spot?� she asked, laughter taking hold of her. In response, she soon found him standing directly in front of her, a domineering grin upon his face. The movement was so sudden it made her jump and make an eeping sound. �Gah! Don�t do that!� She smacked him on the arm in feigned chastisement.
Inuyasha wryly replied, �I�ll do whatever the fuck I want to, whether you tell me to or not,� his eyebrow quirking upward and a smirk plastered on his face, left over from earlier. Before Kagome could shoot down his response, his arms tightly looped around her waist, pulling her firmly against him and catching her by surprise, the sleeves of his haori flanking her hips and rear.
Kagome tried to protest and pull out of his grip, but his arms were too tight, so she instead embraced him. Besides, she hadn�t exactly wanted to escape in the first place; it was just a reflex. The increase in intimacy made her salivate; she wanted to lean against his chest and just stand there, holding him, being held by him, and never move from the spot, never speak a word, just melt against him. But she feared not getting her way. Her chest heaved as she gripped him tightly. Those thoughts about� about what she�d overheard came picking at her again, refusing to leave her alone.
�Now, Kagome, look at me,� Inuyasha commanded, his eyes growing stern. He nearly meet foreheads with her. She swallowed her saliva again and met his gaze almost perfectly. �Kagome, since now you know my biggest secret of all, I want you to do something for me.�
His smirk disappeared, and his ears went back yet again, a sign that she now knew to indicate that he was either pissed off or annoyed. Kagome began to feel a bit unnerved by it, and it showed in her face. He was beginning to worry her.
The hanyou holding her slowly, and with his fangs bared, demanded in a low and gravelly voice, �Kagome, why in the living fuck did you get so shitfaced at Kouga�s party last night?!�
She balked, frozen for a moment and unable to answer due to the shock. Shit. A strange numbness made her arms feel feeble. It was like overhearing those two men all over again. Inside something broke, and she felt like she couldn�t breathe.
She stared intensely into his eyes, wanting to look away but forcing herself not to. She tried speaking a few times, but no words would form deep within her throat. Instead, a strangled whimper vocalized itself as her breathing became staccato.
No. Not like this. As much as she had wanted to broach the whole subject, the idea of the confrontation and the manner in which it seemed it would play out direly frightened her. How would Inuyasha react when she told him exactly what had prompted her out of character behavior, especially since he had just divulged to her so many secrets of his life, had exposed so much about himself that he�d previously hidden from her?
�Kagome?� Inuyasha�s voice, still stern, now budded lightly with growing concern. Shit, what happened to her? If she�s this saddened and downtrodden looking, it must have been something really bad. Why won�t she tell me? Did someone-- �Kagome,� he repeated, softening his tone and his gaze.
She was beginning to worry him. The way her arms trembled, the way she chewed her lip, that look in her eyes that somehow seamlessly meshed together a brimming fear and a desire to burst� everything melded together to play Puppeteer, and his normally highly under control emotions were the puppet whose strings it now held.
Kagome lowered her gaze, still silent as a grave, and simply tried to get a grasp on her emotions as well as her erratic breathing, slowly losing control all the while. No, not now.
�Kagome? Will you please tell me why you�re so upset? Did someone do or say something to you?� Inuyasha uttered questioningly, his throat tightening. Did someone other than Hiten take advantage of her? Closing his eyes, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead, almost right between the delicate lines of her eyebrows. Damn Miroku! The idiot! Sucking in his breath, he continued, �You�re scaring me.�
Kagome began to cry, the corners of her eyes glistening as she tried to hold back a sob and a sniffle. What will he think when I tell him he�s the reason I drank? His lips continued to press upon her brow; she could feel the metal rings press into her skin.
�Please, stop the crying. Did someone hurt you?� he asked, his lips moving against her brow. I suck at comforting people, damnit! Why�s she crying? Was it something I said? Was it something horrible that happened to her?

At his words, Kagome squeezed her eyes shut, whimpered, and managed to softly utter, �You did.�
Inuyasha�s only reactions, other than all his muscles going into temporary atrophy, were wide eyes and the twitching of his ears in shock.
---
A/N: yet again, the chapter has been chopped in half. It�s well over 13,000 words long, and would be pressing 25,000 if I were to not make the cut off right here. Lyrics used are from Shotgun Messiah�s �Heartbreak Boulevard,� And One�s �Love and Fingers� and �Get You Closer,� and Danzig�s �Am I Demon.�
Excerpt from the 19th Century 1801-1900 Standard Catalog of World Coins: �Prior to the Meiji currency reform, there was no fixed exchange rate between the various silver, gold, and copper �cash� coins (w pre previously included Chinese �cash�) in circulation. Each coin exchanged on the basis of its own merits and the prevailing market conditions. The size and weight of the copper coins and the weight and fineness of the silver and gold coins varied widely. From time to time the government would declare an official exchange rate, but this was usually ignored. For gold and silver, nominal equivalents were: 16 shu = 4 bu = 1 ryo. Commencing 1870, 10 rin = 1 sen; 100 sen = 1 yen.� If I recall correctly, 1 ryo became 1 yen during the Meiji currency reform.
Japanese vocab-

Youryoku - what keeps Inuyasha�s hinezumi outfit from deteriorating

Mameita gin - bean silver, pre-empirical tarytary unit, worth its weight in silver back then

Koko wa doko? - where is here? (the Japanese say this instead of �where am I?�)

Benshi - lecturer, rhetorician, narrator in Japanese silent cinema

Koban - Japanese oval gold goin

Goryoban - 5 ryo, large silver coin

Chogin, cho gin - large, oblong bean silver pieces

Isshu gin, shu - 1 shu, rectangular hammered coinage, usually made of silver and/or gold

Ichibu gin, bu - 1 bu, rectangular hammered coinage, usually made of silver and/or gold
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Movie House Hanyou