Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Castaways	By : SplendentGoddess Category: InuYasha AU/AR > Het - Male/Female Views: 8563 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi or VIZ Productions, and I do not gain financially from my fanfic in any way.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
Winner! Voted 3rd place Best AU and 3rd place Best Inu/Kag Romance, Feudal Association 2nd quarter 2011. Thank you very much!

Chapter 1 - Into the Ocean
Inching his way down the narrow aisle while doing his best to avoid bumping into people still sorting out their overhead compartments, Inuyasha grumbled irritably to himself as a crying baby and ringing cell phone both contributed to his oncoming headache.
Great, as if being suspended thirty thousand feet over the ocean isn't bad enough...
He hated flying. He hated it with a passion. He hated it more than curry, the new moon and Sesshoumaru combined. He would rather eat curry with Sesshoumaru during the new moon than subject himself to such torture. But, unlike his pompous ass of a half-brother who could merrily turn himself into a ball of light and dart across the pacific as nothing more than a UFO sighting, he was stuck in his corporeal, non-changing, half-human body, and forced to endure, as his brother had so eloquently put it, the 'abhorrent nuances' of humanity.
Still, considering the only other options would be to kindly ask Sesshoumaru for a lift - so not happening - or take a bloody boat, Inuyasha opted for flying as the lesser of three evils. It was either that, or stay in Tokyo and let his brother have all the fun when it came to dealing with the Los Angeles office. That so wasn't happening, either; expanding to the United States had been his idea, and he'd be damned if he let Sesshoumaru imply that he wasn't man enough to oversee his own personal branch of the family business. Under normal circumstances it wouldn't have been quite so bad, since he could have just taken their private jet, a craft his brother kept on hand for the rare occasions that they needed to shuttle one of their human business partners somewhere, but of course luck would have it that one such rare occasion had sprung up at the very last minute, forcing him to pay top dollar for a last minute public flight in order to not postpone his own business arrangements in Los Angeles.
Unfortunate circumstances, my ass... he mentally cursed as he recalled his brother's words when he'd told him use of the private plane would not be possible. He did that on purpose to get back at me for crashing his favorite limo.
Making his way to his designated aisle seat, he mentally groaned when a sudden tingling of reiki against the back of his mind had him glancing up to catch sight of who, or perhaps he should say what was occupying the neighboring window seat.
Just fucking perfect...
It was the 21st century, for crying out loud; surely the gods had gotten over their disdain for hanyou by now? But apparently not...for staring up at him from her seat with a look of surprise that quickly morphed into a disapproving frown as her eyes roamed higher to catch sight of his invisible ears, was a fucking miko. Oh, she wasn't dressed like a miko, not at all, but just because he was born to a noble youkai line, it didn't mean he was going to go parading around in a silk kimono, and just because this slip of a human woman still gawking at him had been born with spiritual powers, it didn't mean she had to wear miko garb everywhere she went, but she was a miko nonetheless.
Cursing under his breath as a passing flight attended told him to take his seat as the audio system dinged before the captain's voice announced they would be taking off shortly, Inuyasha slumped down into his seat, decidedly not looking at the woman next to him who was thankfully now staring at her lap.
The first few minutes of the flight were pleasant enough, he supposed, if you could call brain-shattering pressure in his skull pleasant. That stupid baby from three rows up wouldn't stop crying, but he just didn't have the heart to yell at the mother to shut her kid up when he honestly felt like joining the boy. Glaring hatefully at the useless headphones attached to the back of the seat in front of him, he brushed his faux raven locks forward, suddenly feeling self-conscious about the quality of his concealment charm. The woman sitting next to him could obviously see through it, but as far as he knew she was the only one on board with spiritual powers.
He could still feel her eyes upon him, the girl occasionally glancing his way for mere seconds at a time before she'd sigh and turn her head to look out the window at her right. If she was that uncomfortable just sitting next to him, there was no way she'd be able to muscle up the courage or courtesy to politely shimmy her way past at any point, supposing she needed to use the toilet or something. He was sure it was just bugging the hell out of her, being basically trapped in her seat for the next fourteen hours. Good.
"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to stare." she murmured quietly about twenty minutes in, the sound of her voice catching him off guard. It was the first time either one of them had spoken.
"Whatever."
Kagome cringed a bit at his tone, not that she could blame him. She wasn't stupid, and she knew how horribly rude it had been of her to stare at him as if he had silver hair and dog ears, but the truth was he did have silver hair and dog ears, or at least he did to her, and it had honestly just caught her by surprise. What on Earth was a youkai doing on a plane?
It was weird, seeing through concealment charms. It always had been. She could see the image the magic of his spell was projecting, that of a normal Japanese male, but she could also see the real him underneath it, almost like looking at a double-exposed photograph. She had to concentrate in order to block out the magic spell completely and see only the real him without the glamour, so that had been the initial reason for her extended gaze, as she'd focused on breaking through the concealment, because continuing to see both images at once would have given her a headache. Then as she'd mentally puzzled over the oddity that it was to see a youkai riding on an airplane - couldn't most youkai fly? - her eyes had drifted higher as she'd contemplated the presence of his triangular canine ears. Something in his aura didn't quite feel...Ah-hah! So, he was a hanyou. That explained his need for human transportation. Then she'd unknowingly frowned as she'd suddenly thought about how horrible it must be for somebody with such sensitive ears to have to endure the extreme pressure changes one experienced during flight. It was only after he'd slumped down beside her, clearly giving her the cold shoulder, that she'd mentally grimaced in realization of how her outward reaction to his arrival must have made him feel.
Choosing her words very carefully, because she knew she couldn't risk tipping off any of the benighted passengers as to just what sorts of creatures still roamed the world they lived in, Kagome whispered, "I was merely surprised to see you on this plane."
Eavesdroppers would probably presume she knew him.
"Don't I have a right to travel?" he grumbled back. Leaning closer to her ear he whispered hatefully, "Or are my kind beneath human rights?"
Glancing around nervously for fear of his words being overheard, Kagome hissed back, "It doesn't bother me that you're burakumin," choosing the human term on purpose since some fleeting prejudice still existed for those descendent of eta, though it was rare.
He merely snorted.
"Look," Kagome began then, the sternness of her tone surprising him as he glanced her way with slightly widened eyes. "Honestly, I was just surprised. You have to admit there aren't many others...like you...who would make use of a plane. And as for the staring, well...I was actually kind of feeling sorry for you, what with the cabin pressure and all. I figured it probably gives you a headache."
She turned away from him then, gazing back out the window without even bothering to wait for a reply. Inuyasha didn't know what to make of her, but one thing he did know was that he could smell dishonesty, and she wasn't being dishonest. That meant her reaction really had only been because of surprise. Another thing he knew was that his head was killing him, so she'd definitely nailed that one, and also...now that he thought about it, in all of the times he'd traveled back and forth to the United States over the last few decades, he had never once seen another youkai or hanyou getting on or coming off of an airplane. Every once in a while there might be one at the airport either seeing somebody off or awaiting someone's arrival, but that was different. She was right...he begrudgingly admitted to himself after a moment. Were he a human who had grown up knowing of the secret world of youkai all around them, he would probably have been just as surprised as she was to see one on a plane.
He remained silent for another twenty minutes or so, trying to figure out what to make of the girl beside him. She was young, early to mid twenties, tops, and she was wearing a cute little dark blue skirt and white blouse. He might actually think she was pretty if she hadn't totally screwed herself over in the 'first impressions' department. Then again, he thought with a sigh, he wasn't exactly winning any Mr. Charming contests, himself.
"You were right about the headache." he grumbled quietly, earning a hesitant glance from the girl.
"I have some Aspirin, if it'll help."
"Couldn't hurt."
Nodding, Kagome reached down for the purse sitting on the floor between her feet, pulling it up into her lap and digging through it a moment for the item in question. Handing him the small bottle of pills, she let him take however many he wanted. He swallowed the pills without water, handing her back her bottle with a mumbled, "Thanks."
"You're welcome."
The silence stretched on between them, and feeling awkward and unsure of where to look, Kagome quickly turned her head to gaze back out the window, a quiet sigh leaving her lips. She would have liked to engage the guy in causal conversation, but she could still feel the 'back off' vibe his aura was giving off. He probably didn't feel comfortable being so close to a spiritualist, and she knew she couldn't so easily redeem herself for the way she'd gaped at him like an idiot when he'd first taken his seat. That certainly hadn't helped matters any. The truth was, she actually thought he was kind of cute...check that, he was drop dead gorgeous. But he probably thought she was disgusted by his appearance, by the knowledge that he was mixed, especially since she knew that most people with spiritual powers didn't really approve of youkai and humans mixing although they had no right to prevent it. She sighed again...she'd never had a problem with youkai or hanyou, but good luck getting him to believe that.
Hearing her sigh, Inuyasha mentally sighed as well. It hadn't been his intention to create an enemy for the next thirteen-plus hours. He was usually a pretty friendly guy, the chick at his right had just rubbed him the wrong way, though he did relent that it hadn't really been her fault. If he were going to enforce the unwritten code that you only had one chance to make a first impression, then that meant he was pretty much screwed, too, since he'd been pretty dicky to her so far. Maybe he would grant them both a do-over, then, just this once.
"Inuyasha." he stated after a moment, his murmur so quiet that with most people wearing their earphones by that point, only she heard him.
Blinking, Kagome turned his way with an inquisitive look in her eyes.
"My name." he clarified, quickly adding, "My real name." since he was sure she knew how most older youkai would obviously go through multiple aliases over the years, not that any youkai parents of that day and age would be stupid enough to name their child something that labeled them as non-human. If he were as young as he appeared, also around mid twenties, then his given name would be something generic and unassuming, so being named 'dog forest spirit' not only told her what he was, but it gave her a ballpark figure of how old he was. He was from the era of proud youkai names, before their kind went into hiding, and sharing with her his true name, that was his peace offering.
She offered him a bright smile and replied with, "Kagome."
Nodding once, he turned his eyes forward, then, and she got the distinct impression that while her social faux pas might have been forgiven, they were certainly not on their way to becoming seat buddies for the remainder of the flight. Sighing to herself once more, she turned to again stare absentmindedly out the window. She couldn't see anything except the reflection of the stars dancing on the Pacific, the waning crescent moon having already set. It was going to be a long night.
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Glancing at the sleeping woman to his right, Inuyasha smirked to himself. Kagome had sat quietly staring out the window for the last two hours or so, never saying a word after telling him her name. He would've been willing to engage in mild conversation with the girl, but he'd decidedly planned on leaving that up to her, and honestly, the quiet had been appreciated. But gradually the boredom had apparently gotten to her because she'd started nodding off not all that long ago, and the Sandman had finally won as now she sat with her head tilted sideways, her slow, even breaths somehow soothing the pounding he still felt in his head to a dull and manageable ache.
Or maybe that was her Aspirin.
Either way he owed her one.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to scrutinize the miko more closely - fair was fair, after all - Inuyasha couldn't miss the way her pretty little face still looked so cute even in sleep. He had seen a lot of sleeping humans in his day, and most of the time, especially sleeping propped semi-upright, most humans did not still look all that attractive in their sleep, assuming they had been even relatively attractive to begin with. But Kagome's mouth wasn't hanging open at an awkward angle; she wasn't drooling, she wasn't snoring, and despite the consistent hum of her aura which just screamed of spiritual powers at such close proximity, she really didn't seem all that threatening, either. He had also seen plenty of sleeping beasts in his day, and observing the way her chest rose and fell slowly with each gentle breath, he didn't get the feeling that he needed to proverbially tiptoe around her for fear of waking the monster. Miko did not just go around killing youkai in that day and age, after all, though they were trained to be wary of them. Miko and houshi, they were the secret champions, the unsung heroes. They were the ones who put their lives on the line to save the world without the world ever finding out about it. Should a youkai turn evil, go mad or just plain ol' decide to rise in power in order to take over the world, it was the job of the world's secret spiritual police to stop them. She was, theoretically and potentially, his enemy, but only if he were the one to start any trouble, first. It was a human's world they lived in, in that day and age, and he knew that. Miko and houshi were not the bad guys, though that wasn't to say he personally thought of his own kind as the 'bad guys' of the equation. It was a bum rap, in his opinion, how spiritualist humans grew up learning to be cautious and observational whenever dealing with a youkai, as if his kind were the beasts that couldn't be trusted.
While he admittedly didn't know her history, she had obviously been taught about youkai at some point in time or another. Even if she hadn't been born to a shrine family, spiritualists were always scouring the cities for potential applicants. One, they could use all the help they could get, but two, they also couldn't run the risk of some random person not connected to that world being born with powers they didn't understand, and either thinking they were crazy or accidentally 'outing' a member of peaceful youkai society. As a precaution, every hospital, birthing center and family clinic had at least one spiritualist stationed as an employee at all times, to catch new miko and houshi while they were young. Well...all but the youkai hospitals, of course, which were disguised in plain sight as privately owned, member-only facilities. The youkai knew the spiritualists knew they were there, but so long as both sides agreed to keep the peace there wouldn't be any trouble. Mild prejudices still existed between their people, but nobody was stupid enough to say or do anything that would trigger an all out war, and even Inuyasha could admit that if some random power-hungry youkai ever did decide to cause trouble, it would be in everyone's best interest for that individual to be taken out as quickly and quietly as possible. He didn't appreciate how members of the spiritual underground always gave him uneasy looks, as if trying to determine if he were potentially one such threat, but he tried to take it as a backhanded compliment of sorts, because he knew his youki was stronger than even most full-blooded youkai, and it obviously made them uncomfortable to feel how strong he was. One thing he could appreciate, though, was that in one twisted sort of way, youkai and spiritualists were actually a lot alike. While they were natural born enemies, total and complete opposing forces, they were also sort of like two halves of one whole, like yin and yang. They were both beings of magic that had to live secret double-lives, both keeping what they truly were a secret from human society at large for the greater good. That made him and Kagome alike, in a way.
Inuyasha was pulled from his musings when the plane suddenly jerked in the air, just some mild turbulence, though it was enough to get his attention as Kagome bolted awake beside him.
"Morning, sleeping beauty." he teased, flashing a fang that only she could see as he smirked at her embarrassment for having fallen asleep. Might as well have a little fun with the girl.
Grumbling something inaudible under her breath, Inuyasha chuckled, suddenly deciding that the next eleven hours might not be so boring, after all.
"Pleasant dreams?"
"Wouldn't you like to know."
Surprised but also delighted by her fire, he decided to see how far he could push her.
Leaning over, he rumbled huskily in her left ear, "It's okay, you can admit it, you were dreaming about me, weren't you?"
Caught off guard by his rather uncouth sense of humor, Kagome gaped at Inuyasha with disbelieving eyes. Was this his natural personality, now that he was no longer giving her the silent treatment for staring at him? Or was he just trying to make her feel uncomfortable to get back at her for her earlier rudeness? Probably the latter.
Deciding to play along, then, she pursed her lips and cooed, "That's for me to know."
"Oh ho...miko plays with fire."
Since miko were an acknowledged part of human shrine culture and your average citizen merely had no idea they actually possessed the spiritual powers from the legends, it was okay to use the word without rousing any suspicions. Still, Kagome didn't like the way he'd said it, like it was her species rather than her title. To him, she knew that was how he saw it.
"I'm not really a miko." she stated then, wishing to separate herself from those who followed the life of the cloth.
"Certainly not dressed like that you aren't."
Kagome bristled at the dig, self-consciously glancing down at herself. Her skirt was short but it wasn't that short. It was longer than the skirts she'd worn in school. Her blouse was average, dipping down to a moderate V in the front but not revealing an indecent amount of cleavage.
"And what do you call your clothing?" she shot back, gesturing to his old faded blue jeans and red Naruto T-shirt.
"Comfortable."
"Uh-huh, the plane ticket probably tapped your bank account, so you couldn't afford any nicer clothes."
Why that little...
So she thought he was poor? Diligently ignoring the echoed memory of Sesshoumaru's voice telling him he looked like a vagrant as he'd left the manor that morning, he shot back with, "I have a Black American Express card that disagrees with you."
Without even batting an eye at what he'd implied of his true financial situation, Kagome merely shook her head and stated firmly, "If you can judge me based on my clothing then I can do the same."
Was she trying to make a point?
Heh...bet I hit a nerve, he thought with a smirk. Been called a whore before, has she?
"But we both know you judge me based on much more than my clothing." he stated almost matter-of-factly, his features stoic as if he didn't care and was merely stating the facts.
Instead of rising to the bait and shooting back something about how he deserved it, or how he was proving the validity of her beliefs by acting like the animal she presumed him to be, her eyes unexpectedly softened at those words, and the weird, almost understanding smile that slowly wound its way up her lips suddenly had him feeling very uneasy.
"Is that what this is about? I said I was sorry, though I suppose I can't blame you for not really accepting my apologies."
"What...?"
His mask gone, his expression was clearly confused; she'd really caught him off guard with that one. The next words out of her mouth made it even worse.
"I know I have no idea what kind of a life you've lived, though I'm sure you've had it rougher than I can probably imagine. I can't blame you for being defensive when dealing with...someone like me."
Ah crap...now she was the one throwing out her species into the mix, reversing the situation as if he only disliked her because she was a miko. Was it true? Surely he'd only reacted to her the way he had because she'd started it, staring at him so openly...although granted, she'd since apologized, explaining herself and insisting that her reaction had only been due to surprise, and of all things actually sympathy for what it must be like for him on an airplane. But with the general animosity he was sure most miko probably felt for his kind...
Damn it all...
Inuyasha mentally kicked himself even as that thought finished making itself heard, refusing to continue that line of thinking since he knew that ultimately, to automatically disdain her for being a miko was no different from the youkai he dealt with who hated him for being hanyou, and it would make him no better than they were. She had been telling the truth when she'd said it didn't bother her, what he was, and that she had only stared because she had been surprised by his presence. His nose would have told him otherwise if she'd come up with that on the spot as a lie to cover her true feelings. It would only be a self-fulfilling prophesy, then, if he convinced himself that she hated him for being half youkai to the point of acting cruelly towards her because of said hate, in turn causing her to dislike him merely for how he was acting. The 'I hate their kind because their kind hates my kind' merry-go-round was a dizzying ride, and one he decided in that moment that he didn't want to be on any longer.
Sagging his shoulders slightly, Inuyasha shot Kagome a weak smile, before mumbling hesitantly, "Truce?"
Her grin widened then, and nodding, she agreed, reaching over with her right hand so they could shake in the Western tradition. "Truce."
The next few hours of their flight were spent pleasantly enough, chatting mildly about nothing in particular. Since neither of them could have the type of conversation they'd really need in order to truly get to know one another, they settled on merely telling each other of their present day to day lives. Going first, Inuyasha explained why he was flying, considering how he clearly detested the act, telling her how he and his elder brother had taken over the family business after their father's passing and that he himself had fairly recently expanded said business to Los Angeles, and that every so often it was necessary for him to make a personal appearance to make sure things were running smoothly. He really was made of money, though he didn't much care for showing it off like his brother did, and he really had worn his favorite jeans and t-shirt for comfort. Being stuck on a plane for fourteen hours was bad enough without having to sit through such torture in a suit. Especially the shoes; he hated shoes. Gesturing to his sandal-clad feet, Kagome nodded her understanding. His toenails, while they weren't pointy like the talons on his fingers, they were clearly made out of the same hard white material, and they were longer than where one would normally clip their toenails. She imagined that he couldn't reasonably keep them trimmed any shorter, because they probably grew back to their natural length at an accelerated rate, which meant that wearing closed-toe shoes would indeed be bothersome.
When she asked why he chose to fly on a public airline, because surely he could have afforded to charter a private jet, his answer was that normally he did take their private jet, he and his brother actually owned one, but that at the very last minute the jet had suddenly no longer been available; a dirty tactic of his brother, he was sure. He had then tried to find a private jet for hire, but it was too last minute, so finally, booking the public flight had been his only option.
"Maybe one of your brother's associates really had called at the last minute needing a flight." she offered, as if she were his brother's mediator or something.
Snorting, he disagreed. "You don't know Sesshoumaru." he stated with conviction.
Nodding, she consented that that was true. Maybe his brother really was an ass. He certainly sounded like he fit the bill if he was really going to blame Inuyasha for his favorite limo getting totaled just because that happened to be the one Inuyasha had taken out. It had been his favorite, too. Kagome believed him that he hadn't really had anything to do with the traffic accident; it wasn't as if he'd been the one driving the limo. Of course, Sesshoumaru didn't see it that way, because if Inuyasha hadn't wanted to go out that night at all, then none of their limos would've been totaled. But Kagome didn't believe in coincidence and Murphy's Law; everything happened for a reason. Sometimes the fates merely showed you the path they wanted you to take and it was up to you to actually make the first step, but other times, it was almost as if the gods themselves were directing your life, placing you exactly where you needed to be.
Thinking about the demonic man that had been seated beside her, she smiled at that thought, knowing they had to have been brought together for a reason, although what that reason was was evading her at the moment. He was awfully attractive, though; those ears were just too damn cute, and now that she was getting to know the guy, he didn't really seem like that much of a jerk. Maybe she'd muscle up the courage to ask him out on a date after their flight landed.
Once it was the miko's turn to tell her story, she told Inuyasha that she was actually going home, that while she had been born in Japan, she had moved to LA five years ago, and she had just been back in Tokyo visiting with her family for her little brother's eighteenth birthday.
"I did grow up on a shrine." she admitted softly, added cryptically, "But that just wasn't the life for me."
He raised an eyebrow at that.
"So you ran away?"
"Sought other opportunities."
"Do they know where you live?"
"My family?"
He shook his head. "Your superiors."
She looked confused at first, but his knowing look quickly had her understanding what he was hinting at.
"I don't work for them..." she insisted, though at his persistent stare she reluctantly added, "But, yeah...they know where I am. I have to stay registered. There are people like the both of us in America, too."
"That's for sure."
America really was the proverbial mixing pot. Japan wasn't the only country with beings like youkai, and for as many humans from the different regions that had migrated to the land of opportunity over the years, so had the various beings those different races of humans all considered to be myth. Japan also wasn't the only country with humans born that possessed naturally occurring magics opposite and combative to those of their mythological creatures, and as a result, there was a UN of sorts in that day and age for the spiritualists of various countries. There was a global alliance between most different races of youkai, too, but it was all just a lot of political mumbo jumbo as far as he was concerned. Honestly, Inuyasha didn't want to have anything to do with that nonsense, and apparently, neither did Kagome. The thought made him smile just a little.
A smile that quickly disappeared from his face at the sudden look of horror on Kagome's.
"What is it?" he asked in a low, rushed whisper.
Turning her head slowly to meet his eyes with a look in her own that bespoke of absolute terror, Kagome didn't care about being overheard as she told him with a shaky voice, "I...I can sense the pallbearers of the next world."
His eyes widened in recognition.
"You mean...those creepy little demon-things that carry your soul away when you die?"
Nodding her head slowly, Kagome looked for all the world like a hostage in a bank robbery, afraid to say or do anything that might get her shot.
"Not everyone can sense them, but I...I've always been able to. I used to hate it but I've gotten used to it. But they...they don't show up until only a few minutes before..." She couldn't complete that thought, not that she needed to.
"Whose is it? Can you tell?" Inuyasha whispered, unaware if she could pinpoint something like that. He had a sinking suspicion as to why she was so terror-stricken rather than merely remorseful and perhaps even bitter about this particular 'gift', if you could call it that, but he refused to jump to conclusions. "Some old geezer about to have a heart attack or somethin'?"
Numbly, Kagome shook her head 'no'.
"I...they...there's usually three, maybe four, per person. I can sense hundreds..." she whispered.
"Fuck..."
"Yeah..."
"Can you sense any for yourself?" Inuyasha asked next, causing Kagome to recoil somewhat as if slapped.
"How the hell should I know? Probably! It's not like I've ever sensed them for myself before, now have I?!"
"Be quiet!" he hushed as a flight attendant came by.
"Is everything all right?" she asked.
"Just peachy." Inuyasha grumbled with a glare that quickly had the woman scurrying up the aisle.
Turning and glancing out the window into the gradually brightening sky of early pre-dawn morning, Kagome didn't notice the way Inuyasha was staring at her. She didn't notice the way he opened his mouth, or slowly inhaled, getting ready to say whatever it was that had been on the tip of his tongue seconds before the plane suddenly dropped over five hundred feet, everyone in the cabin screaming from the plunge as the oxygen masks fell from their compartments. A loud scraping sound preceded something metallic catching Kagome's eye, and she turned back to the window just in time to see a large piece of metal go flying past.
Shit! I think that was part of the wing!
Suddenly, the plane was spinning, falling in a downward spiral, with a panic-stricken pilot's voice begging everyone to remain calm over the loud speaker.
Cursing to himself that he was really going to let Sesshoumaru hear it for this one, Inuyasha was pulled out of his grumblings by the unexpected sensation of somebody squeezing his hand, and turning to his side with wide eyes, he was completely thrown for a loop by the way Kagome had reached for him, seeking comfort in his presence. His presence. She was holding his hand in a death grip, no thought in mind of his youkai blood, her eyes pinched shut as silent tears streamed down her face. Suddenly, Inuyasha felt an almost uncontrollable urge to protect her. He didn't know where the sensation had come from or why, but he knew not to fight his instincts. Unconsciously, inu-youkai did possess the natural instinct to protect, though only those people they considered to be theirs. Maybe it had something to do with his earlier passing thought that he and Kagome were alike in a way because they were like opposite sides of the same coin; he'd made a connection with the girl to himself and he couldn't ignore the feeling in his heart even if he wanted to, his inner youkai would drive him crazy with remorse. There was nothing he could do for the other passengers, their fates had already been sealed the moment the pallbearers had shown up, but Kagome couldn't be certain if there had been any pallbearers sent for her, and he would make sure that none of them got her.
Reaching over with his left hand to grab her arm and shake it gently to get her attention, he no longer gave a shit about secrecy as he yelled over everyone else's screaming, "Can you make a barrier?!"
"Only a purifying one!" she yelled back, "I never mastered the solid ones!"
"Okay then, come on!" he said as he tugged, forcing her to her feet.
"Where are we going?!" she shouted in confusion as she grabbed her purse on instinct before allowing him to inch them down the aisle the best they could with all the shaking and spinning, crying children and praying adults huddled in their seats all around.
"You wanna stay here?!" he asked incredulously.
Realization dawned as they reached the emergency door and he grabbed the handle. It was hard to stay upright on his feet with the way the plane kept jerking and turning and he quickly decided to ditch the sandals. He couldn't afford to botch this jump.
Shit, and my iPhone is gonna get ruined. Sesshoumaru owes me big time.
"What are you doing?" Kagome asked, her voice softer, a hint of hope in her eyes.
"Saving you." he answered gently, before effortlessly grabbing her and hoisting her onto his right hip, instructing her to wrap her arms and legs around him while he supported her with his right hand under her bottom. It was an incredibly awkward position for her, as if she were a small child, but he held her weight effortlessly and in that moment she didn't give a shit about propriety.
Moving her purse strap from her right shoulder to over her head, so that it hung across her body from her left shoulder and wouldn't fall off, she tightened her arms around him and told him, "I'm ready whenever you are."
As he tightened his grip on the emergency door handle with his left hand, a flight attendant appeared out of nowhere ordering him away from the door. He knew that opening it would depressurize the cabin, but since he already had spiritual conformation from the woman in his arms that everyone on board was dead, anyway, it didn't matter to him. Besides, they were descending so fast he seriously doubted they were still at an elevation that would cause everyone to pass out, and even if they were, that might be preferable. They had oxygen masks anyway, not that those would do them any good in the long run. He hoped Kagome wouldn't pass out, but they certainly couldn't stay on board so it was a risk he had to take. He didn't know if Kagome could survive the drop, but it was her only chance; he had to try. Ignoring the flight attendant, he opened the door, earning a new round of screams from everyone else on board. Keeping his position with his incredible strength as he gripped the edge of the doorway with his left hand, he gaped in horror himself at the true extent of the damage when he leaned out to look once the vacuum effect was over, staring disbelievingly at how over half of the right wing gone as if the panels had merely pealed back and torn away. And it was still continuing to shed new pieces, creating larger and larger gaps in the framework. It looked like the whole damn wing was about to fall off. There was no recovering from that, and so he felt confident that his opening of the door wouldn't turn out to be what'd led to everyone's demise.
Preparing himself as he inched his feet closer to the doorway until his toes were overhanging, he did his best to gauge their altitude and rate of descent, knowing he would only get one shot at this. Ordering over the incredible ruckus for Kagome to hold onto him as if her life depended on it, because it did, he counted to three and then he jumped, kicking off and launching himself as far away from the plummeting plane as possible.
He had been prepared to brace himself against the sound of Kagome screaming in his ear, but the girl remained silent, squeezing him so tightly that were he human she might have actually broken a rib or two. Settling the two of them into a vertical position after a moment of midair fumbling, Inuyasha took a moment to glance around them in all directions, and mentally praising the gods when he spotted a tiny landmass in the distance, he quickly took note of its position in relation to the rising sun. By the kami, he might just pull this off. Because they were going to land in the water, he had high hopes that Kagome would survive the fall, so long as she didn't panic and inhale a lung full of water. But surviving the fall wouldn't have done them very much good if they were just going to be stranded out in the middle of the ocean for who knew how long. Now, they had a real chance.
"You're going to have to straighten your legs now, I'm afraid they might bend the wrong way and break or pull something if you keep them wrapped around me like that when we hit the water." he told her after a moment, doing his best to continue gauging their rate of descent. At least with the morning sun breaching the eastern horizon he could see through the water below them deep enough to assure him that there weren't any hidden peaks they might crash into.
Silently nodding her compliance, Kagome let herself be weightless in Inuyasha's arms as he moved her to where he wanted her, not a difficult feat to accomplish when she was already weightless from their freefall. He maneuvered her to his front, as if the two of them were merely hugging, standing face to face to each other, except he held her up higher so that his feet were well below hers and would break through the water's membrane first so that when her legs came through it wouldn't feel like landing on concrete. Her arms were still wrapped tightly around him, not that he could blame her. Were the situation less dire, he might have been tempted to make a joke about the way her skirt was flaring up in the wind, or the feel of her panty-clad ass cheeks as her position against him inadvertently had him cupping her ass as he held her to him, but he would save those jokes for a few days down the road, once they had both survived this.
"Hold your breath." he instructed loudly as they neared the end of their fall, the plane having already hit with a fiery explosion that'd had her cringing at the sound. "Whatever you do, don't breathe in until we're clear, I'm not sure how deep we're gonna go, and don't try to swim up yourself, just hang onto me and be still, I'll get us both to the surface."
"Okay..." she whispered weakly before sucking in a big gulp of air, looking down despite her fear so that she could properly brace for impact.
When they hit, it was definitely a jarring experience, and it took all Kagome had to not allow all the air in her lungs to whoosh out of her at the impact. Her legs were spared the shockwave of breaking through the surface membrane, but suddenly plunging however deeply they had gone underwater...cold water...was definitely no picnic. Afraid to open her eyes, she kept them closed and merely concentrated on holding onto her rescuer. She felt it when Inuyasha released his own hold on her, and despite the highly inappropriate way he'd been touching her, she couldn't help the tiny part of her that wanted his hands right back where they'd been, only for the added security, of course. But it stood to reason that he needed use of his arms to get them both to the surface, so she did as instructed and hung on, trying her best not to get in the way as she felt his legs kick powerfully below her own.
Inuyasha, meanwhile, was mentally cursing up a storm as he did his best to get them both back to the surface as quickly as possible, which was surprisingly hard to do in blue jeans, though his youkai strength still meant that he was much better at it than a human would be. As soon as they were fully submerged he had immediately started kicking his legs in a desperate attempt to slow and cease their descent, but despite his best efforts, he was worried that they had still gone so far down that Kagome wouldn't be able to hold her breath long enough to reach the surface. He felt it as tiny streams of air bubbles started to leave her lips in quick bursts, the girl no doubt releasing some of the building pressure in her lungs in a desperate attempt at prolonging the need to inhale, and he silently begged her to hang on just a little bit longer. They had gone down further than he'd thought they would, though he didn't think their depth was enough to warrant serious concern of Kagome developing the Bends or some other kind of decompression sickness as a result of their rapid ascent. Besides, he didn't have much of a choice. First, prevent the girl from drowning, then worry about whether or not she developed some kind of a problem in her bones or skin.
Nearing the surface, he stopped stroking with his arms and grabbed Kagome around the waist, startling the girl though she didn't have time to worry about gasping in surprise while she was still underwater, because just as quickly as she'd noticed the sensation of his hands grabbing her sides, she suddenly found herself thrust up into the air, and she immediately took in greedy gulps of the precious substance. Inuyasha's head was soon to follow, the hanyou able to hold his breath much longer, which was why as soon as the surface had been within arm's reach he had thrust Kagome up above him. Now, as the two of them separated from each other and each kept themselves afloat on the water's edge, Inuyasha allowed Kagome a few minutes to catch her breath and get her bearings while he shook the water out of his ears.
"Ugh...balls in the stomach is definitely not fun." he grumbled more to himself. "You okay?" he asked her then.
Probably the deepest douche she's ever had... he mentally chuckled, though his humor was short lived as he caught the expression on her face.
Having turned to stare in a combination of shock and remorse, with a great deal of relief mixed in despite her guilt at feeling such a thing, Kagome couldn't tear her eyes away from the wreckage of the plane that wasn't too close but also not too far away, as she muttered under her breath, "That could have been me."
"It could have been, but it wasn't." Inuyasha replied, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Offering him a sad smile, she commented ruefully, "At least I don't have to worry about getting eaten by a shark with you here beside me. Who knows how long before any search and rescue people show up?"
Squeezing her shoulder lightly before releasing, Inuyasha said, "If we were truly stranded in the middle of the ocean in the middle of nowhere, waiting here for the authorities to show up would be your only chance, and I'd wait here with you, but no normal human should have survived that, so if we can help it it would actually be best to avoid getting found by the humans."
Despite her urge to point out that she was human, Kagome knew she had only survived because of him, because he had broken through the water for her and had used his incredible strength to get them both back to the surface after such a perilous plunge. Even if attempting such a stunt on her own wouldn't have killed her outright, she most likely would have broken a bone or two, and just ended up dying in the ocean helpless and alone when the first aquatic predator showed up. The fact that she was unhurt shouldn't have been possible, and the logical part of her mind, the part that had been trained for years by a powerful elderly miko, knew that it was her duty, and Inuyasha's as well, to keep the 'average' human population in the dark when it came to such seemingly miraculous things.
But what other choice did they have besides wait there for the rescue boats? The way he'd said it implied there was a second option.
Seeing the question in her eyes, Inuyasha pointed towards the eastern horizon and told her, "While we were dropping I spotted a tiny island in that direction. I don't think it's part of Hawaii, we hadn't been in flight long enough to be that close to the United States, but there's probably a whole bunch of tiny uninhabited islands all along the ring of fire. It's within swimming range, or at least it is for me, so we can wait there for my brother to come for us. As much of a dick as Sesshoumaru can be at times, as soon as he catches wind of my plane going down he'll either rush out here himself or send somebody else, because I probably wouldn't have died in that crash and he would realize the same thing I just said, about how we can't allow the human authorities to stumble upon survivors where there shouldn't be any. If it weren't for you I don't know if I would've jumped, but I would've definitely swam clear once the plane hit to avoid getting found by anyone other than a fellow youkai, and once Sesshoumaru finds out he'll know that I'm stranded and waiting for him. Hell, and supposin' I had died, then that'd be even worse, 'cause then they'd have my body and realize what I was. Just because of that slim possibility, I'm sure Sesshoumaru won't pussyfoot around. Even though the bastard won't admit it, he'll be relieved that I survived, even if his only excuse is because my death would have compromised the security of our species. He has friends everywhere, and so it'll just get reported that I...and you...happened to miss our flight, and that's how come we didn't die in the crash. We weren't on board."
Nodding her understanding to everything he said, Kagome glanced towards the east, towards the island she couldn't see, and said, "Well...I would only survive out here in the ocean for a limited time, anyway, with no water and no shelter from the sun. So going to an island to wait for rescue definitely sounds better, even if it makes the rescue itself take a little longer. I know you're probably right that your brother will rush out here as soon as he finds out, but how long will that take?"
Shrugging best he could, Inuyasha didn't want to admit that he'd been so pissed off at his brother the previous morning that he'd never bothered telling him exactly which flight he had booked. He'd chewed Sesshoumaru out before leaving the manor that he hadn't been able to book a private plane and had to take 'public transportation', but that'd been as far as it'd gone. He'd left the house early in the morning because he hadn't wanted to be in his brother's company any longer than necessary, and also because he'd heard horror stories about how long it could take to get through airport security and he hadn't wanted to risk missing his plane, so he'd gotten to the airport several hours earlier than he'd needed to be there and had passed the time in the onsite ramen shop. Sesshoumaru rarely paid that close attention to human events, so even if he caught wind of the crash it probably wouldn't be of any concern of his, or at least, not until the appointed district manager of their Los Angeles office contacted him to inquire as to why the younger brother failed to make their conference, which was in three days.
Maybe when he hears about the crash on the news he'll feel the tiniest bit of concern, or curiosity, and try to call me, then call the hotel... he hoped.
At least Sesshoumaru did know which hotel he was staying at, considering they owned it. It had just been easier to buy the place to ensure the presidential suite was always available for whenever either of them might need it. It was also standard procedure, he was sure, that the airline would go over the flight manifest and try their best to contact the next of kin of everyone on board, in the event of such a crash. That might take a couple of days, but so he was certain that Sesshoumaru would eventually find out; it was only a matter of when. In the meantime, though, it wouldn't do either one of them a bit of good to just sit there bobbing up and down in the ocean.
"The island looked tropical from what I saw, covered in green, so there's definitely either a direct water source or it rains all the time. Don't worry, after everything you just survived, I won't let you die" he vowed to the woman beside him, swearing to himself that no matter how long it took them to get rescued, he would do whatever was in his power to make sure she survived the ordeal.
The look Kagome gave him at those words was so touching that he found himself having to turn away, staring east while pretending to calculate the distance to the island as he concentrated on getting his rising heart rate back under control. Damn that woman. He would really find her attractive if he weren't still pissed off at her over the whole miko/hanyou thing. He was still pissed off at her, wasn't he?
Ah hell, like I can stay mad at the wench after the way she clung to me for dear life. There ain't a drop of prejudice in her body...
Before, calling the truce, he had merely decided to act civilly towards her for the sake of diplomacy, deciding to give her the benefit of the doubt for her initial reaction to his presence on the plane. That hadn't been to say that he thought the two of them would become best friends. Surely she still had an imbedded mistrust of youkai, just as he couldn't so easily shake off his natural wariness of spiritual humans. Just because he'd realized that it would be foolish to automatically hate her under the pretence of assuming she automatically hated him, there was a huge difference between not wrongfully hating somebody and openly liking them. He could be neutral about it, but that was as far as he'd been willing to go, or so he'd thought, chatting with her casually as he would likely have done with a normal human, merely for the sake of being polite. But something had definitely stirred within him when she'd suddenly announced sensing the servants of death, and the way she'd held his hand while silently crying as their plane had dropped from the sky. Under normal circumstances, he couldn't just arbitrarily decide to reveal himself to save a random human being. The laws of the youkai council demanded that their secrecy take precedence over individual preference, the good of the many outweighing the good of the few and all that. But because Kagome was a miko, that had actually given him the ability to save her, because she was already in the know and so therefore it didn't matter.
True, there wasn't really any kind of a contract between their people that warranted such an action. It wasn't as if he would have gotten in trouble with the spiritualist council if they found out there had been a miko on board and he had not saved her. They were the secret military in place to kill his kind should somebody of youkai blood get out of hand, so he was definitely not obligated to save one of them, and he doubted most other youkai would have bothered to do so. There wasn't any type of partnership between the youkai and the spiritualists; they were enemies on opposite sides of an ancient war that were each obeying the rules of their modern day peace treaty, nothing more. Perhaps it wasn't his youkai instincts after all but actually because he was half human, and it had been the human man in him that had gone soft in the face of her tears? Having both sides living within him, sometimes it got a little difficult to tell the two sides apart. He only knew what he felt at any given time, not necessarily knowing which side of himself had dictated those feelings. Whatever the case, though, what was done was done, and he would keep his vow; he wouldn't let her die, no matter what.
Gazing back towards the site of the crash, he momentarily contemplated leaving her for a moment to go to the wreckage of the plane in the hopes of finding some undamaged supplies from the kitchen, such as bottled water, but he quickly thought better of it when it would mean leaving her by herself in the open ocean, where sharks were a genuine concern. Especially since the crash would actually lure them there with the scent of blood. If it came down to it, he could always leave her alone on the island for a few hours and swim back out to the crash at a later time. He used to swim laps around the southern edge of Honshu as part of his physical training regimen, before the humans became too numerous and technologically advanced where such a stunt was bound to get spotted and monitored, so he could definitely handle an extended period of time in the water. It was mild torture on the ears, but that was a small price to pay for the bragging rights it'd earned him among his brother's companions when he'd won a fifty-kilometer race with a water-youkai. The aquatic demon might have had the advantage of not needing to breathe, but Inuyasha could move so fast on the surface of the water that he was practically pushing himself off of the membrane with each stroke and kick as if he were a dog running on all fours along the ground. In the end, despite the water-youkai's natural agility, his speed had simply been greater.
Of course, he knew he couldn't swim he and Kagome to the island at his top speed, otherwise the abrasions of the water would probably rip the poor girl's skin off. No, with her in tow he would definitely have to go slower. She might be a miko with her own brand of magic spells, but she was still a human; she was still mortal and just as fragile physically as any other human being. He wouldn't forget that.
"Okay, well...come on." he said at last, instructing her to fold her arms over herself to hold onto her purse and also to keep the limbs out of his way, as he swam by kicking his feet while back-stroking with only his right arm, holding her to his side with his left arm wrapped around her body like a lifeguard would do.
It was slow going and unnecessarily difficult with his baggy denim weighing him down as if his legs were tethered, but for about a half hour or so he tried to push through it, figuring he really had no other option. Finally, though, he just couldn't stand it any more and suddenly brought he and Kagome to a stop.
"Okay...pants gotta go." he muttered grumpily.
"Ex...excuse me?" Kagome questioned, blinking in confusion and shock at his unexpected comment.
"Feh, you ever tried swimming in jeans?"
"Well...no..."
Pissed off and a little embarrassed by what he was about to do, Inuyasha first reached into his pockets and pulled out his dead iPhone, his wallet soon to follow, handing both items to Kagome to put in her purse. Thankfully, her purse had a zipper closure.
"Here, do me a favor and stick my wallet and this hunk of junk in your purse. I doubt it'll ever work again, or at least not properly, but that still don't mean I wanna just lose it in the ocean."
"O-okay..." Kagome replied, still a little shaken up by the thought of what he was about to do. Taking his cell and wallet, she put both items in her purse and zipped it back closed.
Everything of hers in the bag was ruined as well, but at least she still had it, and their IDs were kind of important. She was thankful she had grabbed her purse if for no other reason than not having to order all new IDs and credit cards. Plus she had a few other items in her purse that she thought might just come in handy once they got to the island. That was, if she made it to the island without dying from embarrassment first.
As Inuyasha fiddled with his pants in the water Kagome diligently turned the other way, offering the man whatever privacy she could. The sound of his voice saying "No need to turn around, you're gonna end up seeing it all at some point anyway." had her face flaming anew, but she stubbornly kept her eyes averted until his pants were fully removed.
"Here," he said then, getting her attention by shoving his jeans in her face. "Hold onto these and do not drop them."
Gulping, Kagome nodded, clutching the faded blue fabric to her chest as if it were more precious than a newborn baby.
"You hold onto those, I'll hold onto you. I'll be able to swim much faster now, and if you...feel anything...sorry in advance but it can't be helped."
Instinct had her automatically looking down through the water at those words, and her face flamed even brighter at the realization that he didn't have any underwear on.
Get a grip... she mentally scolded herself, subconsciously tightening her grip on his pants at the command. This is hardly the time or place to think such things. This is a very serious, life or death situation. Be embarrassed later.
Successfully getting her emotions under control, Kagome stated her readiness to resume their journey, holding tightly onto his jeans and her purse as he tugged her along the ocean surface as fast as they could go before it would start to give her a friction burn. A few times as he kicked she noted that she could definitely feel...something...brushing against the side of her right leg, but she supposed he was probably just as embarrassed as she was, if not more so, so for his sake and her own she wouldn't say anything. Zoning out, she closed her eyes and concentrated on nothing but keeping her arms gripped tightly across her chest, holding onto her precious cargo while the tender way his left arm was wrapped around her body told her just how precious he thought his cargo was.
Judging by the position of the sun, it was about two hours later that Inuyasha announced that they were finally almost there, and opening her eyes to glance over her shoulder, Kagome couldn't suppress the giant grin that spread across her face as she caught sight of the small tropical island they were rapidly approaching. At first she thought that perhaps she could take it from there, and was about to tell Inuyasha that he could let go of her so that he could get dressed, but the way the waves quickly started swelling as they neared the shoreline had her immediately realizing she would definitely need his help for a while longer to avoid getting pulled right back out to sea.
"Ya ever gone body surfin' before?" he asked casually as he guided them up a particularly large swell before riding it back down.
"Can't say I have." she answered back, unable to mask the mild hint of amusement in her voice despite all that'd happened. Honestly, what was with this guy?
"I can't really do this back strokin' though, so here, climb on top of me." he instructed then, rolling them both over so that he was on his stomach and Kagome was on her stomach on his back.
Something about him being half youkai gave him the uncanny ability to float almost effortlessly, or maybe it was just that he was so strong that he had no trouble keeping himself at the surface of the water with sheer muscle power alone, but whatever the case, the added weight of her clinging to his back didn't seem to affect his buoyancy at all. His comment about body surfing quickly had her realizing his intent, so shifting herself the best she could, she made sure her grip on his jeans was tight before also reaching up to grip both shoulders, prepared to 'ride' him, as much as the term made her groan in her mind at the unwanted pun. While trying to get herself situated her knee accidentally rubbed up against his bare ass crack, and she couldn't miss the way he chuckled at the hitch in her breath as her body froze at the contact.
"Didn't know you swung that way, priestess, but if you want to molest me can you at least wait until after I'm done rescuing you?" he teased, causing an indignant squeak to come out of Kagome that had him laughing even harder as she quickly moved her leg.
The nerve! she silently fumed, though she refused to rise to his bait by saying anything aloud. She was certain he was only trying to mess with her. Maybe he was trying to defuse the tension of the situation with humor, but if that were the case then his sense of humor definitely left much to be desired. If that was his actual personality, as she had briefly contemplated back on the plane, then Heaven help her; her rescuer would end up being the death of her.
She had to admit, though, that he actually did seem to know what he was doing, as he positioned them both to ride the next wave, using the water's momentum to bring them both that much closer to shore instead of getting caught up in any of the backward currents that she knew she would've been hopelessly caught up in if she'd attempted swimming the rest of the way inland by herself. At the backwards motion that began around them, as the next wave formed, he paddled them both into position, and then down they went, zipping another several feet closer to the island that looked much larger than she'd first thought, now that they were upon it.
Finally reaching the shallows of the beach, Kagome dismounted from her hanyou boogie board once she had full confidence that she could handle it the rest of the way by herself. It wasn't as if she'd never gone swimming at the beach before, she'd just never been as far out into the ocean as the surfers, where the waves were larger and more dangerous. It was a little harder than normal to gain forward momentum with her Mary Jane shoes strapped on her feet, acting like heavy anchors that felt like they were keeping her in place as she tried to kick, though she could handle it, switching to more of a frog-kick style to get better control. Still, it made her sympathize with her rescuer's plight, when he'd had to shed his denim in order to gain more speed. Handing Inuyasha back his jeans, she had believed that he would pause a moment to get dressed while still under water, so it was yet another cause for mortification when he merely thanked her, taking the jeans and slinging them across his back as he continued to paddle towards shore. Ordering herself to keep her eyes forward, Kagome swam the rest of the way the best she could without unbuckling her shoes. She didn't know which would be worse, swimming ahead of him and giving him a possible glimpse up her skirt, or allowing him to get ahead of her and catching an eyeful of ass, so she did her best to stay beside him. He must have sensed her desire and decided to oblige, to which she was eternally grateful, as he continued to match her stride until they got into shallow enough water that they could each find purchase with their feet and walk the rest of the way onto the beach.
Don't look, don't look, don't look... Kagome chanted in her mind as the half-youkai who was very much a man, and very much naked from the waist down, walked along side her through the sand. Of course, it didn't help matters that her blouse was virtually transparent, her white bra underneath not much better. Glancing down at herself in the sunlight, she could clearly make out her dark tan nipples as they waved hello, protesting the cold by making themselves as visible as possible. Groaning under her breath, the miko who was not truly a miko quickly decided that propriety simply had to take a back burner to survival. She wasn't a puritan, so let him tease her. He'd just saved her life, so a little nipple action was the least she could do to repay him, she decided sarcastically. She just hoped he wouldn't rip on her for their color, since pink nipples were supposedly a symbol of purity. She could see him having a field day with that one, what with her being a miko and all, but she'd just never much cared for shallow fashion trends.
"Well that was certainly...unexpected." Inuyasha suddenly spoke up beside her, nearly earning Kagome's glance his way before she remembered herself and stopped her head from turning at the last moment. Chuckling quietly, he found her embarrassment so damn cute that it overrode his own.
"You don't gotta avoid lookin' at me, ya know. I lost my modesty over three hundred years ago."
Here we go... she thought, closing her eyes and mentally counting to three. She would not be bested by his smug-ass commentary.
"Okay then." she replied almost cheerfully, turning to glance his way.
Of course, she couldn't help the way her eyes automatically drifted across the full expanse of his body. Even though he was still wearing his t-shirt, the wet fabric was clinging to every muscular curve he possessed, revealing a strong chest and six-pack abs. Of course, the part of his body not covered by clothing quickly became the main focus of her scrutiny, a smirk of triumph making its way to her lips at the obvious tinting of pink on his cheeks when she glanced back up at his face as her inspection lingered much longer than necessary.
Ha! Take that!
He hadn't thought she'd actually take him up on his offer to ogle him, had he?
Doing his best to pretend he wasn't flustered, he thought to get her back by commenting on her own revealing state of dress, wondering if she'd realized just how see-through her shirt and bra actually were.
"Heh, guess the water was kinda cold, huh?" he smirked, gesturing blatantly to her exposed chest.
"You tell me." she answered with a nod towards his groin, grinning in victory as he cringed before turning away.
"Ouch." he joked lightly to hide his embarrassment, tugging on his jeans.
Kagome 1, Inuyasha 0, he thought, as he struggled with the wet fabric until finally getting his pants to obey him.
Properly covered, he headed past the miko and into the jungle that started just a few feet behind them.
"You stay here for a sec. I'm gonna go scout around and see if there might possibly be anybody else on this island, and also see if I can track down a stream of fresh water or somethin'."
Nodding her understanding, Kagome asked, "Should I try to fashion an SOS on the beach out of palms or something?"
"No, nothing that the humans might spot. Sesshoumaru'll be able to find us from scent."
"Okay, well...hurry back." she stated softly, making her way over to a rock large enough to sit on.
"Keh, miss me already, do you?"
"Don't flatter yourself."
Laughing quietly, Inuyasha started to turn to leave before pausing for a second, commenting over his shoulder, "By the way, I'm glad you don't bleach 'em. I've actually always preferred brown nipples over pink."
Her face erupted into crimson as he disappeared into the trees, the sound of his laugher echoing on the breeze as he left Kagome to her own devices for the time being.
Well... she supposed after a moment, At least that wasn't an insult...
Doing her best to shake off her embarrassment, she opened her purse, deciding to take both her and Inuyasha's phones apart just on the off chance that they might possibly still work after properly drying...not that either one of them would have a signal, unless his phone happened to be a satellite phone, which she supposed was possible though not too likely. She wasn't sure how long she sat there, but she was comforted by the fact that she still had Inuyasha's phone and wallet. Surely he wouldn't have ditched her...right? Laying back on the large rock, she decided to soak up some sun and dry herself off for a bit, as well.
About an hour in, curiosity finally got the better of her. Sitting back up she opened his wallet to check his ID, taking note that his current alias was 'Kenji Taisho'. It was a nice, generic, unassuming name, and yet still so fitting in its own right.
'Strong second son' definitely sounds appropriate, she thought, sighing wistfully as she relived her all too recent rescue. She would definitely be dead if it weren't for him.
With curiosity getting the better of her, Kagome continued to snoop for a moment longer, discovering Inuyasha had been telling the truth about his Black American Express card, not to mention a Black Visa, a Platinum Visa, and a whole slew of other cards she finally realized it was none of her business to be going through. The name 'Taisho' was glaringly familiar, she was sure she'd heard it on the TV several times over whenever her father had been watching the business news, so if Inuyasha was a part of the company she thought he was then he hadn't been exaggerating when he'd said he was made of money. Not that she'd let such a thing intimidate her. So he was rich, good for him.
Closing his wallet with a sigh, she sat it down on the rock beside her, next to their dismantled cell phones, and promptly went about emptying everything else out of her purse so that everything could dry off better. A few times she heard what sounded like somebody approaching, although she knew there was no way Inuyasha could sneak up on her with how powerful his aura was, so she brushed it off as sounds of the island, tropical birds rustling the foliage or something else equally harmless. She seriously doubted there were any predators she had to worry about, aside from an incredibly sexy inu-hanyou, that is.
Gah! Bad thoughts... she mentally scolded herself. Even though she had teased him about the water being cold, the truth was, considering that the water actually was really cold...
Maybe youkai just don't suffer from shrinkage... she silently pondered. If they did, then damn.
But where the hell was he? Glancing up at the position of the sun, she figured it had probably been another hour or so, give or take. Maybe he had actually found other people and so he was negotiating their rescue or something? She would be tempted to consider the possible that he'd gotten lost, but she highly doubted an inu-hanyou was capable of getting lost, at least not while there wasn't anything obscuring his scent trail. Around the time she was just starting to become seriously concerned, she suddenly felt a large demonic aura brush up against her senses, and immediately recognizing the powerful youki as belonging to her rescuer, she jumped to her feet to greet him as he reemerged through the trees.
"Sorry...didn't meant to be gone so long." he apologized sincerely instead of teasing her in the face of her obvious relief, to which she felt relieved all over again. She was once again leaning towards his brass humor being more of an act, with a genuine sensitive guy lingering just under the surface somewhere.
"Find anything?"
Nodding, he said, "I've got some good news and some bad news." His mostly laid back demeanor suggested the former greatly outweighed the latter.
"Which is?" she prompted.
Taking a breath, he informed her, "I found a few fresh water pools scattered about, tiny ponds full of rain water that smells pretty clean and should be safe for you to drink. Judging by how wet the ground is everywhere, it rained pretty hard here not that long ago."
Finishing with what was clearly the good news, he then added, "Unfortunately, this is definitely an uninhabited island, so we are officially stuck waiting for my brother to send out a demonic search party. I was hoping it'd turn out there were signs of modern-day life maybe just on the other side of the island or something, where I could use somebody's phone, but no such luck."
"You...you searched the whole island?" she asked in amazement. Sure, he'd been gone for a couple of hours, but that was nowhere near enough time to-
"Keh, it ain't that big of an island." he brushed off, interrupting her thoughts, adding with a smirk of pride, "And I am pretty fast."
Rolling her eyes, Kagome decided to give him that one. Small or no, the fact that he'd apparently searched the whole damn island in only a couple of hours was pretty impressive in her book. She also knew damn well that he wasn't really stuck there, regardless of what he'd said. It was clear to her that he could swim all the way to Hawaii, if he wanted to. He wasn't stranded at all, and was choosing to stay with her until help arrived. True, waiting for his brother would probably have been protocol, regardless. Just randomly showing up in the States would trigger questions, after all. But in that moment, the realization that this demonic man was willing to stay stranded with her in the middle of nowhere for however long it took somebody to find them, merely to ensure her own well-being...that really meant a lot to her.
"Thank you." she stated sincerely, catching him off guard with the heaviness of emotion lacing her words, since he'd thought she would've risen to his bait regarding the 'fast' comment.
"Uh...you're welcome." he replied lamely, a faint touch of pink shading his cheeks that he quickly hid from view by turning to face the trees. "Well, come on, I found a good spot to setup camp." he added as he crouched down.
Scooping up all of their belongings and putting everything back in her purse, Kagome turned back around only to stare in confusion as he glanced over his shoulder at her expectantly. It quickly dawned on her that he wanted her to climb onto his back.
"I can walk, ya know."
"Keh, it'd take you forever. Come on, you can trust me."
She would've been more inclined to believe him had he not suggestively waggled his eyebrows at those words, but if the place he wanted to take her to was really too much of a walk for her then she'd go along with it. Her shoes were still damp, after all. She didn't want to get blisters on top of everything else.
Climbing onto his back, then, she bit her lip to keep from protesting at the way his hands suddenly reached back to grab the undersides of her thighs, hoisting her up into position.
"Hold on tight." he purred, giving her legs a little squeeze.
"Try anything inappropriate and I'll flick your ear." she threatened, her voice sickeningly sweet.
Said appendages shifted a bit on reflex, though as he stood up and allowed her a moment to get properly settled as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, he teased, "And how do you know I don't actually like a little pain?"
"I guess if you decide to overstep your bounds we'll both find out."
Inuyasha wanted to scoff and comment that she could never hurt him, anyway, but considering the strength of her miko aura he thought better of saying something they would both know wasn't true. She could hurt him. She could probably hurt him very easily. Though an ear flick wouldn't really hurt, unless she put some spiritual oomph behind it. But she hadn't threatened to use her miko powers, now had she? It was all fun and games until somebody got hurt, or so they say, but he didn't fear her. The fact that she didn't fear him either was impossible to miss, and despite his better judgment he was thoroughly enjoying pushing her buttons.
Without saying another word he launched them both up into the trees, his ears flattening into his hair as a squeal of surprise ripped out of the girl's throat, her hands suddenly gripping him like a vice.
"Keh, told ya to hold on tight." he commented with a smirk in his voice as he ran at nearly his top speed.
A thousand and one retorts were just on the tip of Kagome's tongue, but she kept them all inside, not wanting to risk actually upsetting the man who currently held her life in his hands, again. Once her feet were back on solid ground, so help him.
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