Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Waiting on a Wish	By : Quillwing717 Category: InuYasha > General Views: 42890 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
CHAPTER
7

His
way was definitely faster.

The
wind whipped at her hair and snapped the edges of his clothing around
them as they soared through the air. She could see the vast expanse
of the city below, and she stared in awe. Her hands tightened on his
shoulders, pulling herself a little closer to his back as he pushed
off the balcony of a nearby building, slinging them back into the
sky. He moved lightly, only just touching down on one rooftop before
leaping high again. She found it fascinating that he could keep such
perfect balance and control, even at so high a rate of speed.

A
slight flush warmed her face, and enjoyment lit her features. Her
heart pounded in deep, excited thuds, strangling some of the breath
in her lungs, and her stomach twisted into delighted knots. This way
of traveling felt especially intimate--the two them, pressed close
together, weaving their way over the city. She could feel the muscles
of his back moving smoothly and efficiently; she was hyperaware of
each tiny shift or adjustment his body made to keep them in the air
as long as possible before coming down again.

She
found it quite…exhilarating.

She
should be afraid--after all, a fall from this height would kill
her--but she wasn’t. InuYasha’s movements were effortless
and confident, and his arms held her close to his body, his hands
wrapping firmly around her jean-clad thighs. She knew he wouldn’t
let her go.

At
first, she’d been completely baffled when, right outside the
front door of the orphanage, he’d crouched in front of her and
held out his arms, gruffly telling her to get on. She’d
blinked, and then blushed--wondering how this was any different from
being carried in front of him--but climbed onto his back without a
word. He’d hooked her legs over his forearms and stood, lifting
her with him.

Making
sure she was secure, he’d muttered a brief, “Hang on.”
Then he’d leaped into the air, using first a tree, then the
fence to propel them up over the city. The distance and height he’d
managed in one vault had ripped a sharp gasp from her lungs. It
reminded her forcefully of the extreme strength that youkai could
have, especially those with human forms. She wondered how strong he
really was--stronger than she’d originally thought, she was
sure.

Her
initial awkwardness evaporated instantly in the first rush of
excitement, and a smile bloomed over her face. Contentment welled in
her chest--unexpected, but welcome. She wondered idly how InuYasha
could make her feel so protected and safe, even while in a controlled
fall several hundred feet above the ground. Sighing, she rested her
chin against his left shoulder, losing herself in the ride, enjoying
the feeling of being draped over his back as they flew through the
atmosphere.

Her
thoughts wandered back to the orphanage. Her smile widened.

InuYasha
had yelled at her. Somehow, though, the bite in his words and tone
shrank in consequence when she took into consideration his motives.
His anger that morning had only been concern for her welfare. He’d
known about the danger, and he‘d come after her to make sure
she was safe. She liked that he‘d worried over her--the fact
that he’d been so concerned revealed a lot about how much he
cared, whether that had been his intention or not.

His
temper, in retrospect, hadn’t been nearly as bad as it had
seemed at first. Thinking back, Kagome realized with a start that his
surprised reaction to her own fit of temper indicated that he hadn’t
expected her to take his yelling very seriously. He’d just been
venting the tension and worry of the night before.

He
cared more than she’d thought. The idea was…reassuring.

Her
apartment came into view much sooner than she would have liked. She
suppressed a sigh as he alighted nimbly on the balcony in front of
her door. For an instant, they paused on the landing, both savoring
the closeness of the unique position.

Then
InuYasha loosened his grip, letting her slide gently from his back.
His hands skimmed along her legs, his claws raking softly over the
rough material. The slight scraping sensation they created sent a
brief quiver through her stomach--and the lack of actual sensual
contact prompted a fleeting longing for her old school uniform.

The
one with the obscenely short skirt.

Fighting
back a blush at the errant thought, Kagome cleared her throat and
reached for her keys, glancing at him as she moved to the door.
“That’s…amazing, that you can do that.” She
was disconcerted to find she was slightly out of breath. “Do
you…travel like that often?”

He
shrugged, folding his hands into his sleeves, reflective golden eyes
following her movements intently. “When I want to get somewhere
fast, or when I want to avoid the regular ways of travel. I don’t
like trains at all, or the roads when they’re crowded.”
His lip curled just slightly, showing his disgust. “Too many
scents together in one place. They get to me.”

His
gaze turned assessing, taking in the excited flush on her skin. “I
have a very sensitive nose…in case you didn‘t
know.” His voice held just the slightest hint of a smirk.

Kami
help me, will I never stop blushing in front of him? Flustered,
she turned away, fitting the key to the lock. She decided that his
sense of smell wasn’t the safest topic for discussion at the
moment. “Aren‘t you afraid that the police will find you
a little suspicious, jumping over buildings like that? What if they
tried to stop you?”

The door swung open and she stepped into her apartment, kicking off
her shoes in the entryway.

InuYasha
followed close behind, shutting the door behind him with one bare
foot, and leaning negligently against the wall next to the kitchen.
“The human police?” He snorted, a small sound of
contempt. “Feh. Even if they could catch me, I’m a
hunter, remember? All hunters answer only to the Alliance. If the
Japanese bigwigs have a problem with something I do, they can file a
complaint with the Alliance paper-pushers. That’s what the
pathetic little bastards are there for.” His eyes scanned the
interior of her apartment, taking in the layout.

This
was her first real home away from the shrine. It was a small place,
cut in half by a short hallway, paneled mostly in wood. The kitchen
sat to the immediate left of the entrance, the living room to the
immediate right, and her bedroom and the bathroom were on either side
at the end. Simple in design, but it served her needs.

She
wondered what the place he lived in was like. Her little brother
Souta--an obsessive hunter fan since he hit middle school--had once
told her the kind of money a successful hunter could make. Sango had
said InuYasha was good at what he did, and Sango never gave
compliments lightly. That meant that InuYasha was very good.
Wherever he lived, it was probably much nicer than anything she could
afford.

Kagome
smiled at the thought, wondering how her tiny apartment compared to
what he had now, then quickly decided she didn’t care. This was
her home, and she loved it. Let him think what he wanted.

It
occurred to her that he actually stood in her home. She allowed her
gaze to skim over his careless pose--arms crossed within his sleeves,
a bare foot propped against the wall--and then down the hall toward
the Americanized bathroom. She was going to have to change her
clothes, and stand completely naked underneath a shower, with
InuYasha only a few thin walls away. She bit her lip as turmoil
twisted low in her belly.

Talk
about a temptation.

She
drew a deep breath and exhaled slowly, determined to calm the
jitters. Work was on her immediate agenda--not a peculiarly
developing relationship with a strangely compelling hanyou.
Remembering suddenly that she was hungry, she brushed past InuYasha
and into the kitchen.

“So
the police don’t have the power to arrest you? Does that mean
that hunters don’t have to follow the same laws as everyone
else?” She glanced at the clock and frowned.

He
focused his attention back to her, following her into the small
kitchen and leaning back against the doorjamb, watching her rummage
around in her pantry. “No. Everyone within the city limits are
bound by the law--including the sitting lords and hunters of the
Alliance.”

“But
if the police can’t arrest you for breaking the law, then it’s
pointless anyway, right?” She noticed him eyeing the cup of
dried ramen in her hand, and it occurred to her that he probably
hadn’t eaten yet today, either. She held up the cup,
suppressing a grin. “Would you like some?”

He
nodded so fast that she almost laughed. She turned to heat some
water, and he moved to sit at the tiny table that took up the
majority of the free space in her kitchen. “It’s sure as
hell not pointless. The police might not be able to punish anyone
associated with the Alliance, but the Alliance can. If an
Alliance hunter or lord is found guilty of committing a crime by the
Council, the punishment can be a lot worse than for a regular citizen
under Japanese law.”

“Worse?”
She glanced at him. “How much worse?”

He
shrugged negligently. “Depends. It’s usually physical.
Some lose a limb or have their powers temporarily sealed--although
stuff like that is mostly for minor infractions. Serious crimes are
dealt with by banishment or death.”

She
was horrified. “Death? But that seems so…extreme.”

He
darted a glance at her. “Not for a hunter.”

“Why
is a hunter different?”

“Feh.
It’s just the way the Alliance does things.”

She
frowned. “But--”

“Think
about it, Kagome.” He stretched out his legs, sprawling back in
his chair. “The Alliance is around to keep the peace between
humans and youkai. They use hunters to control the youkai who
threaten it. Most hunters--except maybe Sango’s family--are
youkai, with youkai powers. If the Alliance allowed its hunters to
run around doing whatever they wanted without fear of consequences,
they could cause a lot of destruction, and take a lot of human
lives.”

He
shook his head. “Something like that would cause serious
tension in the city. If the Alliance punishments seem harsh, it’s
only to make sure their hunters don’t cause the problems
they’re supposed to stop.” His brow furrowed. “Come
to think of it, the Alliance handles most crimes involving youki--the
police turn anything involving youkai powers over right away. Most of
the time, a hunter ends up handling it.” He shrugged again.
“Everything works out that way.”

She
set the two cups on the table and joined him. “You sound like
you agree with their policy.”

He
sighed, clearly not liking her statement. “I wouldn’t say
I agree with any of those bastards. I just don’t
disagree. Their reasoning makes sense. Youkai are stronger
than humans. We can do more damage, and our bodies can take more
damage--makes sense that the punishments would be harsher. Besides,
it keeps the humans happy. Nobody wants to stir up unrest because one
side thinks the other is getting special treatment.” He frowned
unhappily at his chopsticks, but still managed to grab half the
noodles and stuff them into his mouth in one bite.

She
watched him eat for a minute, picking at the noodles in her cup,
thinking. “Ok…what about last night?”

InuYasha
looked up, surprised. “What about last night?”

“You
were fighting last night, weren’t you? A lot of property was
destroyed. People got hurt. You had to have been using your youki.
Weren’t you breaking city laws then? But you don’t get
punished for that, do you?”

He
relaxed, and turned back to his cup. “Keh. That’s why
hunters are under the Alliance. When we hunt, we’re fighting
youkai who don’t care about human rules.” He snorted.
“How can we follow human laws when we’re tracking down
youkai who have no respect for them? If we did, the Alliance wouldn’t
have any hunters left to execute for not following their
rules--and the city would have been overrun with rogues a long time
ago.”

“So,
you follow normal laws just like everyone else…except when
you’re hunting?”

“Something
like that.”

“And
the Alliance can just kill you if you do something they don’t
like?”

He
paused mid-slurp and blinked. “Heh. I guess you could put it
that way. I never really thought about it.”

Kagome
sat back and strummed her fingers on the table. Hunters took on a
dangerous task to begin with, and now she learned that dealing with
the Alliance was just as dangerous as dealing with a rogue. She
narrowed a troubled gaze at the hanyou finishing his ramen. “You
do follow the law when you’re not hunting, right,
InuYasha?”

He
stopped, staring at her. “What?”

“I
mean, you don’t put yourself at risk by breaking laws that you
find stupid or inconvenient, just because you can. You’re very
careful to follow the laws in the city, right?”

He
hesitated, his gaze turning guarded.

Her
eyes narrowed further.

“Uh,
don’t you think you should be getting ready for work?”

She
sighed at his evasion and looked down at the table, a creasing
forming between her brows. Reaching out, she tugged at the sleeve of
his haori. “Just be careful, InuYasha. After all the trouble I
went through to save your life, I don’t want to see you dead
because you‘re too impulsive to think about consequences. You
put yourself in enough danger when you hunt.”

He
blinked at her bowed head, startled. His features softened slightly.
“Tch. Baka. Don’t worry about me. The Alliance doesn’t
go around executing their hunters for stupid stuff. I would have to
do something pretty bad for them to try and kill me.”

Her
fingers tightened in the coarse red material. “Just…don’t
do something stupid and give them a good reason.” She glanced
up. “I definitely wouldn’t like that.”

He
stilled, searching her expression. His hand moved to grasp at her
fingers. “Kagome…”

She
blushed, tearing her gaze from the amber of his. Her eyes fell on the
clock over her stove.

“Aiiiiii!”
She shot up from her chair. “Gods! I really am going to
be late!” She darted from the room, pausing only briefly in the
doorway to look back at him. “InuYasha, I’m going to
shower. Don’t you dare even think about coming back
here!”

“Feh.”
He crossed his arms into his sleeves. “As if I would peek.”
He paused, then sent her a measuring look from the corner of his eye.
“I’ll only do that when I have the right to.”

It
took her a minute. The flush on her face deepened, her eyes widened,
and she blinked in astonishment. Then, finding herself embarrassingly
speechless, she turned and dashed the few steps down the hall to her
bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

InuYasha
waited until she had gone before he let out his snicker. “Heh.”

He
glanced around the kitchen, then reached over and snagged her
half-eaten cup of ramen. No point in wasting it.

His
ears twitched as he tossed the contents into his mouth, listening to
her movements as she turned on the water. Huh. Silly girl. As if I
would really do something like…. An image of her standing
naked under the spray flashed through his thoughts, and he stopped
chewing. He blinked and shook his head to clear it.

Damn.
I’m getting worse than that perverted monk.
Annoyed, he stood. Determined to take his mind off temptation, he
tossed both empty cups into the garbage and wandered across the hall
into the tiny living room. A low beige couch, a nicely polished
coffee table, a small bookcase in the corner, and a television on a
stand were the only furnishings in the room.

He’d
already decided that he liked her apartment. It was much smaller than
what he had, but it was neat and comfortable, and everything reminded
him of her. He inhaled deeply. Her scent saturated everything.
He wanted that smell in his place, in his bed,
permeating the air that he breathed--he wanted her scent fused
inextricably with his own.

Somewhere
in the building, a door slammed and a child screeched. He winced,
irritated. He wondered how long it would take to convince her to live
with him. The neighbors he could definitely do without.

He
eyed the television. He bet she never turned it on. She was way too
busy to ever actually watch anything. She always seemed to be running
off to another destination, exhausting herself to help people. Or
falling asleep in chairs. Maybe that’s why she was always so
tired.

“Feh.”
Stupid woman. He’d have to make sure she took better
care of herself.

The
conversation with Kaede at the orphanage flashed through his head,
and he grimaced, swearing mildly to himself. He was still recovering
from the shock. The old bat had broadsided him, and she’d done
it deliberately. She’d been testing him.

He
shouldn’t have been caught like that. He should have recognized
immediately…

It
wasn’t really a surprise that he hadn’t remembered her
name, though. He’d only heard it once, many years ago, and back
then he’d had more important things on his mind than memorizing
the name of someone he hadn’t even known.

He
frowned. Hadn’t realized he’d known. A few things
had changed since back then. The big question was what her intentions
were.

And
then there was Kagome. His hands clenched at his side. If what the
old miko said was true, then protecting Kagome had just become a hell
of a lot harder than he’d originally thought.

Nothing
was ever simple.

He
sighed wearily, relaxing his stance. Fuck. This was harder
than he’d thought it would be, and he had a sneaking suspicion
that it would get worse. There were too many unknowns. It wasn’t
like he could complain--he had been warned. Blindly, he stared
across the room.

Power.

It
was always power.

His
lip curled in disgust. The last thing he wanted to hear about.

Power--excessive
power, the kind that drove both men and youkai to obsession--was a
royal pain in the ass. Rotten cowards everywhere sought out that kind
of power when it didn’t belong to them, and didn’t care
who they had to destroy to get it. It drew evil like a magnet. That
kind of power caused nothing but pain and suffering. It was dangerous
as all hell.

He
thought he’d been done with it.

And
now he had to deal with it.

He
hadn’t considered that her power would be a problem. But
if it did exist inside her…demons would be plaguing them for
the rest of their lives, even if everything else turned out all
right. FUCK!

He’d
really thought it was….

He
closed his eyes, his jaw clenching. Things were never what they
seemed.

The
old woman was right. The best thing was for Kagome to train, for her
to learn to control what was inside her. She needed to learn how to
protect herself--just in case he wasn’t with her. His lids
lifted, eyes resolute. He would find a way to protect her, no
matter what.

His
ears twitched and swiveled. The bathroom door slammed, followed
quickly by her bedroom door as she darted across the hallway. His
features smoothed out, and a grin twitched at his mouth as he
inhaled, taking in the warm, clean scent she left in her wake. In
the meantime…

When
she emerged from her room a few minutes later, he was waiting in the
entryway, one bare foot tapping impatiently.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She
spent the whole way over asking him stupid questions about his job,
just to see how he reacted. “Can you steal a car, if you had
to?”

He
snorted, not even breaking stride as he ran across the next roof and
sprang off the edge. “How the hell would I know? Why the
hell would I? Ask the monk.”

Kagome
goggled at the unexpected reply. “Miroku’s actually
stolen a car?”

He
snorted again at her tone, this time with involuntary laughter. “Not
that I know of. But I wouldn’t put it past him. It’s just
that he would know the rules better than I would. He breaks enough of
them.”

She
smiled briefly, pleased at the affection that threaded his voice
whenever he talked about their mutual friend. Then she shrugged,
deciding to drop the ridiculous line of questioning. For a moment,
she considered him carefully.

“You
know Miroku well, don’t you?”

“Heh.
Something like that.”

Her
smile faded, and her head tilted. “You and Miroku are both the
same as Sango, right? Because of your families, you’ve worked
in the Alliance your entire life.”

If
she hadn’t been so close, she wouldn’t have felt the fine
tension that momentarily invaded his muscles. “Mostly.”

She
blinked, and her brow furrowed curiously. “Mostly? What…do
you mean, mostly?”

He
didn’t answer.

She
frowned, slightly disappointed, but not quite willing to let it go.
“InuYasha--”

He
deliberately misstepped, missing the next rooftop and sending them
plummeting towards the cement forty stories below. She shrieked as
her stomach jumped through her throat, and she clutched at his
shoulders, digging her face into his back. Her question was lost in
her panic.

Suppressing
a chuckle, he kicked out at the nearest wall, pushing off with his
toes. He landed on one of the trees lining the road. He hopped deftly
along the branches for a few moments before bounding lightly into the
wide courtyard that fronted the multi-floored, cheerfully yellow
stone building where Kagome worked.

Cars
crowded the parking lot beyond the courtyard, testifying to the
busyness of the clinic--no surprise after last night. A couple of
humans sat waiting on the stone benches in the courtyard, while two
demons and a male nurse stood smoking over by the ambulance bay on
the side. A few of them glanced over briefly, curious at their
arrival.

Kagome
still had her head buried in the back of his neck, and her hands
still crushed the material around his shoulders. This time, his
laughter slipped out, a small snicker that sounded briefly before he
cut it off.

“You
can look now, we’re--” his nose twitched and he broke
off. A strange look passed over his face.

Kagome
lifted her head and peeked around, gasping when she saw they were in
full view of the glass double doors fronting the clinic. She twisted
slightly in his arms, sliding from his back and onto the ground. He
let her, sniffing the air suspiciously. He frowned, then sniffed
again. A black scowl twisted his features. “What the hell is
that smell?”

“Smell?”
Distractedly, she plucked her bag from his shoulder. Turning, she
headed for the entrance, waving self-consciously at the people who
watched from the ambulance bay. They just stared. She sighed. “I
don’t smell anything unusual.”

“You
wouldn’t.” He followed, right on her heels. This
particular stink seemed familiar, and it was coming from the clinic.
“It smells like…wolf.” Just a hint of a growl
underlined the word ‘wolf‘, and he glared at the clinic,
looking as if he expected the building to get up and attack him.

Kagome
stopped short, and InuYasha almost ran her over. She darted a
surprised glance over at him, her eyes wide. “Wolf?” She
bit nervously at her thumb, then peered at the entrance doors warily,
trying to see through their mirror surface. “Are you…sure?”

“Hell
yes, I’m sure. In fact,” golden eyes narrowed menacingly,
and his growl deepened, “I know this stench.” He started
for the doors.

Kagome
whirled, slapping her hands on his chest to stop him, uneasiness in
her midnight eyes. “Ummmm, InuYasha, thank you for bringing me
to work, but maybe you should…”

Behind
her, she heard the doors burst open. She winced at the crack of glass
against the stone wall.

“Yo,
Kagome! It’s about time you got here!”

Kagome
silently groaned at the brash, arrogant voice that echoed around the
parking lot, drawing the attention of everyone who hadn’t yet
been staring. She didn’t have to look to know who was talking.
Oh, no. Her head drooped slightly, jerking back up to stare in
shock when InuYasha responded with a snarl.

“Kouga,
you worthless bastard--what the hell are you doing here?”

“Dog-breath!
What are you doing with Kagome?”

Kagome‘s mouth dropped open. “You…you know each
other?”

His
lip curled. “Feh. Unfortunately.”

She
blinked, darting a look over her shoulder at the sneering wolf-demon
who stood a few feet behind her, arms crossed. His black hair sat up
in its usual ponytail, and his light blue eyes focused angrily on the
hanyou in front of her. She was surprised to see him dressed like
he’d been when she‘d first met him--all in brown fur. It
formed a band around his head, covered his shoulders, and wrapped
around one forearm and both his shins. A breastplate of armor
connected the fur on his shoulders to the short fur encircling his
waist. The rest of him was bare skin, muscle, and a supremely
overconfident air.

Kouga--the
young, current leader of the wolf-clan to the north.

She’d
seen him in the fur and armor only once before--a brief glimpse
before it had been removed--and she hadn‘t bothered to wonder
about it at the time. He’d since informed her that it was his
hunting garb, a symbol of his clan and his family, and he wore it
proudly.

So,
they’d both been part of the hunting last night.

This
could be bad. Kouga and InuYasha knew each other--and they didn’t
seem like old friends. She considered InuYasha. At the moment, he
merely looked annoyed. She had a sneaking suspicion that, if Kouga
said very much more, annoyed would be the mildest reaction he’d
had all day.

Time
to diffuse the situation.

Keeping
one hand on InuYasha’s chest, she turned to face Kouga. “Kouga.
What’s wrong? Did someone get hurt?”

Kouga
focused sincere blue eyes on her. “I’ve been waiting
specifically for you since this morning, Kagome. One of my men was
injured in the fighting last night, and the wound isn‘t healing
properly, so I brought him here. You’re the only one I trust to
fix him up, Kagome. No way am I letting one of those clueless humans
at the hospitals butcher one of mine. You have to help him.”

His
gaze darted back to InuYasha, narrowing suspiciously. He took a step
forward, bringing himself just inside her personal space, and Kagome
suddenly found herself uncomfortably sandwiched between two posturing
youkai males. Under her fingers, InuYasha tensed.

Kouga
glared threateningly. “Now, you tell me what you’re doing
with my woman, dog-breath.”

Kagome
closed her eyes and groaned softly. Of all the things he could
have said… “Kouga, how many times do I have to tell
you--”

“Your
woman?! Like hell, wolf-wimp!” InuYasha’s hand wrapped
around her wrist and he yanked her safely behind him, outrage clear
on his face. “How the fuck do you even know Kagome? And who the
fuck gave you permission to use her name?”

“InuYasha,
Kouga is--”

Kouga
smirked contemptuously. “She did, dog-shit, right after I met
her--not that it’s any of your business what I call my
girl.”

“Kouga,
I’m not--”

“Kagome
isn’t your woman, you bastard wolf!”

“Of
course she is, dog-boy. Kagome’s the perfect woman for me.
She’s smart, useful, and beautiful. She’s an excellent
youkai healer, and will be a great asset to my clan. Besides, I saw
her first. So sniff off, puppy--Kagome’s mine.”

Kagome
was losing patience. “Listen, you two--”

“Like
fucking hell.” The hanyou spit out the words like so much
gravel. He stepped forward aggressively, one hand grasping at the
hilt of his sword. “She can’t be yours if you’re
dead, you bastard.”

Kouga
took up a fighting stance. “Bring it on, dog-shit. It’ll
be amusing watching you trip all over yourself before I kill you.”

Kagome
started to panic, alarmed at how fast the situation had escalated out
of control. “Don’t you dare start a fight here!”
She reached out, grasping at the red material swathing his body,
tugging insistently. “InuYasha, please!”

InuYasha
halted, still growling. The hanyou and the wolf glared at each other
for a moment, both looking just on the verge of going at each other.

The
people waiting in the courtyard and around the ambulance bay stared
in rapt attention. They had even drawn the interest of some of the
nurses--Kagome could see Miso’s head peaking out the glass
doors as she watched avidly, turning to mutter behind her every few
seconds. Wonderful. Now I’ll never live this down.

Then,
to everyone’s surprise, InuYasha loosened his grip on the
katana and relaxed slightly. A malicious smirk quirked the edges of
his mouth. “Your woman, huh? Heh. Fucking funny, wolf-boy. Your
woman doesn’t smell a thing like you, does she?”

The
dig hit, and Kouga abruptly lost his sneer. He looked at
Kagome--whose face had flared a sudden, brilliant shade of scarlet at
InuYasha’s words--and sniffed. His blue eyes blazed with fury.
“Kagome, did this dog-shit try to take advantage of you? If he
did, I’ll rip him to pieces for you, right here and now.”

“No,
he did not take advantage of me!” Humiliated outrage
fused through her tone. “All he did was bring me to work!”

Reassured
by her adamant response, Kouga recovered instantly, meeting
InuYasha‘s smirk with one of his own. “You’re
lucky, dog-shit. I would have killed you if you had tried
anything. As for her scent--everything in it’s time,
dog-breath. Kagome‘s just a little shy in getting around to
formalities.”

Abruptly,
he turned to Kagome. Swiftly brushing past InuYasha, he clasped one
of her hands firmly between his own. “Kagome, Ginta hurt his
leg bad. Take a look at it, will you? He needs your expertise.”

“Why,
you--” InuYasha looked ready to go for his sword again.

“I’ll
be happy to, Kouga,” Kagome cut in hastily, stepping in front
of InuYasha and pulling her hand from Kouga’s grip. “Just
go inside and have Miso settle him in an examination room. I’ll
be there in a minute, ok?”

“Of
course, Kagome. I know you’ll take good care of my men. I trust
you implicitly.” He turned away, not even bothering to look in
InuYasha’s direction as he called back over his shoulder. “Get
lost, puppy. My woman has more important things to do than
coddle some mangy, panting dog-face. Oh, and keep your hands to
yourself--you’re putting your stink all over her.”

“Oi!
Where the hell are you going? I’m not done with you,
wolf-wimp!”

Kagome
dug her heels in and yanked again to keep InuYasha from charging
after Kouga as he disappeared back into the clinic--along with the
fascinated Miso, much to Kagome‘s relief. “InuYasha, calm
down.”

He
rounded on her, disbelief on his face. “Like hell I’ll
calm down! That disgusting wolf-boy thinks you’re his woman!”

Kagome
sighed, releasing the edges of his haori. “I know. But you
don’t need to worry about it. He’s been saying things
like that for months now.”

“What?!” He turned on his heel.

Ok,
so maybe that was the wrong thing to say. She grabbed for him
again. “InuYasha, there’s nothing going on between Kouga
and me. He just decided all that ‘his woman’ stuff on his
own. Nothing I say to discourage it gets through to him. It doesn’t
mean anything, I swear. He’s a friend to me, nothing more.
Please don’t start anything here.”

He
glared at her. “A fucking friend? How the hell do you
even know that flea-bitten wolf?”

She
breathed a silent sigh of relief that he seemed to be calming
down--for the moment--but kept her grip on his arm anyway. “The
same way I know you. He was badly injured in a fight with a rogue a
few months ago, and his friends brought him here for treatment. When
he woke up and found out what I do, he just…declared me his
woman.”

“And
you let him keep thinking that?!”

“I
don’t let him! It‘s just pointless to tell him
otherwise!” Kagome drew in a deep, calming breath, forcing her
voice to be reasonable. “I never agreed to it. Besides, he
never really tries anything. Kouga just stops by the clinic a few
times a month and…um…visits. That’s all.”
No point in telling InuYasha what Kouga said while he visited.
It would only make him angrier. “Kouga’s actually a
really good person. He cares a lot about his friends and his
responsibilities. He just…doesn’t understand the word
no. It’s nothing to get upset over, really.”

“NOTHING?!
When he goes around telling the world that you belong to him? Shit,
I’ll help that idiot wolf understand the word no!”
The snarl was back in his voice. He turned for the doors.

“InuYasha!”
Panic threatened once again. Ok, now this was a problem. She had no
real way of forcing him to listen to her, and she couldn’t
afford for the two of them to be in the same room. A fight between
two youkai inside the clinic could hurt a lot of patients--not to
mention get her fired. “This is a clinic! You can’t just
go starting fights here! Someone could get hurt!” Her heels
scraped over concrete as her grip dragged her along behind him.

“The
only one who’s going to hurt is that worthless wolf!” He
didn’t even look back at her.

She
cast around for a way to stop him, but nothing came to mind. Well,
something did…but it could cause more problems than it solved.

Ah!
No time! They were halfway to the doors. If InuYasha actually got
inside the clinic, she was sure there would be a brawl. Things would
definitely be destroyed, and people could be hurt. Neither Kouga nor
InuYasha struck her as the type to hold back because of their
surroundings.

Praying
that Kouga had already gotten Ginta out of the reception area, she
stopped tugging uselessly at his arm and grabbed at a lock of silvery
hair, yanking as hard as she could.

His
head tilted around, and his body followed. “Oww! Bitch, what--”

She
stood on tiptoe and met his lips with hers.

He
froze, a small sound of surprise rumbling somewhere in his throat.
She pushed her advantage, taking on the role of aggressor, turning
his own game back on him. Her fingers grabbed at his cheek, urging
him closer, and her mouth clung to his--as soft and seductive as she
could make it. After all, she wasn’t a complete novice at this
kissing thing.

For
a moment, he didn’t move, suspended with shock, and she was
afraid it wouldn’t work. Then he relaxed, his hands dropping to
wrap around her waist, pulling her firmly toward him. His head bent
over hers, deepening the kiss slightly, and his body crowded closer,
surrounding her with warmth and strength. His lips took over,
directing hers with gentle, coaxing brushes, teasing her mouth open.

Kagome
instantly forgot why she’d started the kiss. Her eyes closed,
and she melted against him, her hand sliding around to his neck to
press him closer. The fingers grasping at his hair let the strands
slide away, seeking out and curling into the more substantial
material covering his shoulders.

It
didn’t last nearly long enough. She heard him growl slightly,
and the pressure of his mouth receded, lessening gradually. The kiss
lightened, and his lips nibbled at hers, pulling away slowly,
brushing a few lingering caresses before releasing them. His mouth
paused, hovering briefly in the air over hers. Then he eased back,
staring at her with astonished golden eyes.

Her
heavy lids drifted upwards, and she blinked, emerging from the minor
haze he had induced. At his incredulous look, a blush spread across
her face, and she glanced away, only to be confronted with the
fascinated stares of the observers loitering around the clinic.
Groaning silently, she closed her eyes again, debating the merits of
leaving them that way.

“Just
what the hell are you looking at?”

Kagome’s
eyes popped open just in time to see the three males in the ambulance
bay hastily turn their backs. Those in the surrounding courtyard had
suddenly found the potted plants and flowering bushes littering the
area much more fascinating than the doctor and the hanyou embracing
by the front entrance.

InuYasha
glared menacingly for a few more seconds. “Keh.” He
looked down to meet her wide gaze, and this time it was he who
blushed. “Fucking people need to mind their own business,”
he mumbled.

Kagome
grinned up at him, and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “Aritgato,
InuYasha. That was sweet.” She stepped back, pulling out of his
arms. “Thank you for bringing me to work, but I’m safe
here. You can leave now.”

Her
words prompted another scowl. “Keh. If you think I’m
leaving you alone with that stupid wolf--”

She
sighed. “I told you, Kouga is a friend, nothing more. Can’t
you just accept that?”

“Not
until that fucking wolf does!” His arms crossed into his
sleeves in his customary pose, and he glared stubbornly at her.

Kagome
sighed, irritated. “InuYasha, you can’t just follow me
around all day--don’t you have things to do?”

She
saw the slight hesitation that passed over his face, but didn’t
have time to interpret it. “No.”

She
frowned. “You can’t come into the clinic.”

“What?!”

“No.
Not until I can be sure you won’t start something with Kouga.
Ginta is a friend, and I promised that I’d look after him--I
can’t do that with you growling over my shoulder.”

“Keh.
I won’t--”

The
musical tones of her phone startled them both. Kagome rolled her
eyes, pulling her bag from her shoulder and digging through it. “What
now?”

It
was Sango. Sighing, Kagome flipped the phone. “Sango, can I--”

“He’s
with you, isn’t he?”

She
blinked, staring at InuYasha. “What?”

“That
idiot hanyou who happens to be completely obsessed with my best
friend. The ass who disappeared without a word after the hunt last
night. He’s with you now, right?”

She
saw InuYasha wince defensively, and she realized he could hear
everything Sango was saying. She pressed her lips together to hold in
her grin. “Ummm, yes, as a matter of fact he is. Why?”

Over
the line, she could hear Sango sigh. In the background, Miroku’s
sanguine voice spoke up. “There, you see? Didn’t I tell
you he’d be with her? I had no doubts whatsoever. I don’t
think I’ve ever seen him so agitated over a simple rogue attack
in my life. It was obvious he was worried about Kagome.”

InuYasha
rolled his eyes and glanced away. “Keh. Stupid monk.”

At
the same time, Sango sighed again. “All right, fine. You were
right. I swear, Kagome, men are a pain. Sometimes their egos just
aren’t worth it.”

“Sango,
love of my life, you hurt me with--”

“Just…shut
up, monk.” Kagome’s mouth twitched at the smile she could
hear in Sango’s tone. She loved listening to their banter.

Before
she could say anything, Sango spoke again. “Kagome, tell
InuYasha…never mind--I know he can hear me. InuYasha, get your
ass over to the Alliance now. The Council wants the report you
were in too much of a hurry to give last night.”

Kagome’s
eyebrows shot up in surprise as she stared at the frowning hanyou in
front of her. “Nothing better to do?”

He
ignored her. “What the hell has Miroku been doing?”

Kagome
opened her mouth to relay the message, but Sango beat her with a
reply. “They want this one in person, not proxy, InuYasha.”

“They
can go to hell.” He scowled. “I’ve got better
things to do than bow down to a bunch of humans and youkai who think
they’re hot shit.”

Miroku
spoke up again, closer now, his voice serious. “InuYasha, it’d
be wiser for you to do as they ask. It’s not about money this
time, my friend. It’s about the attacks themselves. Something
big is happening.” He paused. “Besides, when was the last
time you actually bowed before the Council anyway? Just think
of this as another opportunity to deny them the respect they’re
so convinced they deserve.”

InuYasha
sighed and reached for the phone in her hand. She stepped back. “No
way, I want to hear this.” He glared at her. “What? It’s
my phone, remember?”

“Oh,
and that reminds me, Kagome. Tell InuYasha that the next time he
wants to avoid calls, he doesn’t have to turn his cell phone
off. There’s this marvelous little feature called ‘vibration’,
you see. It allows one to ignore calls without missing them
completely. I myself especially enjoy the way it--”

“Give
me my phone back, you disgusting pervert!”

“Ow.
Owowowowowow!”

There
was a slight scuffling noise, and Sango spoke again into the
receiver. “InuYasha, just get over here, now. It’s
important.”

Apparently,
he knew Sango well enough to recognize the seriousness of her tone,
because he blew out a breath and stared at Kagome, brow furrowed.
“Shit.”

Allowing
herself the smallest sigh of relief, she nodded her head
encouragingly. “You can go, InuYasha. I’ll be fine here.
I have to work until late tonight anyway.”

InuYasha’s
scowl darkened. “Dammit. Fine. But if that wolf so much as
touches you…”

“Kouga
will be on his best behavior,” Kagome promised solemnly.

“Kouga?”
Sango sounded shocked. “Kouga’s there? With you and
InuYasha? And they’ve seen each other?”

“Don’t
ask.” Kagome pulled a long-suffering expression. “You
couldn’t have called ten minutes ago?”

Miroku,
in the background once again, perked up. “Kouga and InuYasha?
In the same place? Has anyone died yet?”

Sango
sniffed delicately. “Not unless Kouga actually spoke to Kagome
within InuYasha’s hearing. Kouga considers her his woman.”

“Like
hell he does.” InuYasha glared at her phone again. Kagome
didn’t see why--it wasn’t like they could see him.

Miroku’s
first reaction was astonishment. “You’re kidding.”
Then delight. “Really? I see. That is a problem.”
He gave a keen sigh. “I imagine that was quite a conversation.”

InuYasha
growled. “Shut them the fuck up, will you? Tell them I’m
on my way.” He paused. “Hey. Why the hell doesn’t
Kouga have to come, too? He was hunting last night.”

Sango
heard him. “Kouga already appeared before the Council,
InuYasha.”

“Indeed--another
interesting conversation,” Miroku agreed. “Kouga has
almost as little respect for the Council as you do, InuYasha.”

Kagome
grinned, immensely enjoying the fact that four of them were managing
a reasonable conversation over just one connection--until she
realized how late it was. “Ah! Sango, he’s on his way,
and I’m late for work. I have to hang up, but I’ll call
you later, ok?”

“Fine.
And Kagome? Be careful. The city still isn’t safe today.”

Kagome’s
gaze flicked back to InuYasha, who still looked concerned. “I
will take the utmost care today--I swear.” She poured as much
sincerity into the statement as she could muster, hoping to allay
some of his unease. She was relieved when his shoulders lost some of
their tension.

She
turned to the front doors, flipping her phone closed and shoving it
back into her purse.

“Hey.”

She
looked back at InuYasha. He hadn’t moved from his position, and
his gaze had taken on that intense, indecipherable quality that
always gave her flutters in one part of her anatomy or another. She
inhaled, bringing air into her lungs.

“What
time do you get off?”

She
blinked at the softness of his tone. “Umm, my shift is until
eleven--but since I’m late, I’ll probably stay some to
make up.”

He
nodded. “I’ll be here when you get off. Don’t go
anywhere without me, ok? It’s still not safe.”

She
exhaled slowly, then nodded. Turning, she took a step. Then panic
hit, stopping her in her tracks. “Ummm, InuYasha? I think I’ll
be spending the night at the orphanage again.” She kept her
back to him.

“What!
Why?”

She
could almost see his scowl, and she bit back a smile, despite her
anxiety. She was actually starting to like that expression on his
face. “The children are sick, and so is their main caretaker. I
think I’ll be able to help more if I actually stay there.”

His
silence dragged out. Kagome swallowed.

“I
told you I wouldn’t let you run away, didn’t I?”
His voice was low and rough--and right up against her ear.

She
jumped, and electricity zinged along every nerve ending in her body.
He stood so close she could feel his heat against her back. Her heart
raced. Gods. How does he do this to me? She cleared her
throat. “The children are more important, InuYasha. I’m
their doctor--I have to be there for them. That’s not running
away.”

“Huh.”
Another long silence. She could feel his gaze considering her. “I’ll
be here to take you to the orphanage, then. Don’t leave unless
I’m with you, got it?”

She
stepped forward, away from the heat that was interfering with her
brain function. She refused to turn around and look at him as she
pressed against the doors. “InuYasha? You be careful too.”

He
grunted, and she stepped inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The
chairs were mostly full with people waiting to see a doctor. They
stared in fascination as she walked through them towards the
reception desk. Most were only mildly sick with viral infections or
minor to medium wounds. All true emergencies--and they had their fair
share in such a large city--were always shuffled quickly around back
for immediate care.

Miso
sat behind the computer on the desk, and her fingers typed rapidly,
but her gray eyes trained intently on Kagome as she stopped beside
her. Kagome liked Miso, had known her the longest because they had
started at the same time, and they were on a first-name basis despite
the professional setting. But if there was one thing everyone who met
her knew about Miso, it was that she lived for a good gossip story.
And if she personally witnessed it, well….

Her
eyes twinkled merrily as she handed over Ginta’s chart to the
young doctor. “Examination room four. I looked at him for
you--it would have been bad if Kouga’d decided to come see what
was taking so long and saw you in your little open-hanyou-PDA.”
Delighted laughter lit her tone, and Kagome knew she’d just
made her day. “His friend’s leg looks bad--it’s
slightly gangrenous, with major ongoing tissue decay. Most likely
poison.”

Kagome--who
was, frankly, over her embarrassment quota for the day--just shook
her head, ignoring Miso’s comment. “We’ve been
getting a lot of those recently, haven’t we?” She
frowned, thinking back to her first glimpse of InuYasha in this very
clinic. Had it really only been five days ago? She turned, heading
for the time clock.

“Oh,
don’t worry about signing in, Kagome--I already did that for
you.”

She
turned to stare at the nurse. “But I wasn’t even--”

Miso
shook her dark brown curls, a grin splitting her features. “You
were preventing a fight that could have caused major damage to our
equipment and patients. I’d call that working if you asked me.”

Kagome
sighed. “Don’t remind me, please.”

Miso
turned a mock sympathetic gaze on the doctor. “Having a hard
time today?” She shook her head in a dramatic, mournful manner.
“I understand. After all, having two incredibly strong, sexy
males almost literally fighting over you would put a damper on any
female’s day.”

Kagome
snorted, and turned, tucking the chart under her arm as she went to
find a coat. “That was stressful, Miso, not romantic.”

The
young nurse leaned back into her chair, watching the doctor as she
headed for the closest room in the blue-toned hallway behind the
reception desk. “Looked romantic to me--especially the part
with the hanyou mini-feast. Quick thinking, by the way. You stopped
him and you got a little treat. Yum. Care to share what the
whole meal tastes like?”

Kagome
giggled in spite of herself as she shrugged into her coat. “I
wouldn’t know.”

“You
wouldn’t?” Miso looked surprised. “Oh, wow,
really?” She leaned forward excitedly and picked up her phone,
dialing an up-stairs extension. “Hey, Juri? You already heard
what happened, right? Ok. As of right now, I’m taking bets on
how long it takes the great white-eared half-god to get Higurashi
horizontal. My money’s on within the week.”

Kagome
turned to stare, surprised not at the bet--she’d already
figured she’d be the subject of an intra-clinic pool before the
day was out--but at its wording. “What, Kouga’s out of
the running?”

Miso
covered the mouthpiece with her hand and shot her an incredulous
look. “Are you kidding? With your reaction to hanyou delight
out there? Oooh, no way. Kouga’s been coming around for months,
trying to get you to notice him--and gets nothing for his trouble,
the poor thing. Adorable ears shows up out of nowhere half-dead one
night--and no-nonsense Dr. Higurashi is all trembly and bothered
after only a few days?” Miso gave her sly look. “No
contest. This guy’s got your number, Kagome. It’s only a
matter of when he calls it.”

Her
eyebrows wriggled suggestively. “Lucky you.”

And
Kagome had thought she was done with blushing for the day…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ah,
school’s only just started, and already I need a break. I’m
just about out of my mind.

I
have a wonderful announcement: as of this chapter, blackberry has
graciously agreed to beta for me--thanks so much for the input, you
help keep this thing on track. (And, as a shameless plug, I’d
urge everyone who hasn’t already to read her story, Okaeri on
MM or FF. She’s an incredibly well-written author. Anything you
might choose to read of hers is going to be grammatically perfect,
plot-pleasing, and thoroughly engrossing. I highly recommend. J)

Anyway,
school aside, I’ll still be uploading for a while longer before
I’m caught up. So, everyone enjoy, and let me know what you
think. Cheers, your friendly neighborhood Quill.
- 7
- 8
- 9
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Waiting on a Wish