Thursday, November 25, 2004

   InuYasha 28
There were just some days when you wished you could close your eyes and find out everything from the time you woke up had just been some horrible, twisted dream.

That you were really still tucked into a soft bed, the alarm just waiting to go off and tell you that it was all a nightmare. Nothing that bad could possibly happen in real life...

This just happened to be one of those days.

But fate and whatever else had decided to take a hand in controlling Kagome's life this month were being remarkably uncooperative.

"Hojo-kun...?" Kagome's voice was a blend of surprise, lingering embarrassment, and rapidly descending doom. 'Never think things can't be any worse than they are,' she berated herself over and over again, wishing she could find a tree and bang her head against it in frustration. There was no reason for Hojo to be here, not since he was accepted to university and SHOULD have been in classes himself. She had to have done something to seriously piss off at least one god, maybe more; there was no other explanation for this soon to be enormous mess.

After all, with the way her luck had been lately there was no way in hell this was going to be pretty.

"Higurashi-san, it's so good to see you're feeling better!" Hojo smiled broadly and reached out to take her hands. "I was so worried when your friends told me that you were out much longer than before."

Kagome winced, feeling the tattoo heat and begin pulsing painfully at the same moment she heard the unmistakable growl from behind her. She didn't have a chance to say anything, however, before she heard her friends all chorus in excitement, "Ah...Hojo-kun!"

Kagome smiled weakly at him, mentally counting down from ten to time the explosion as she asked, "You...ah, didn't come all this... way to see me, did you?"

"Aa," he nodded, perfectly oblivious to the half demon likely plotting his painful demise at that precise instant. "I was going to visit you at home, but now I'm so glad I decided to walk past the school. You look great!"

"She had a transfusion and she'd doing so much better," her friends swarmed around her, conveniently forgetting the man with the rapidly darkening expression right behind them in only the way girls intent on their idea of match-making could do. "Isn't that wonderful, Hojo-kun!"

Kagome felt three pairs of hands pushing her closer and the tattoo's pulse increased dramatically, "Ne, Kagome-chan, now you can finally go on a real date!"

"Oh shit," Kagome whispered to herself.

How he managed it, she'd never know, but one minute she was sandwiched in between her well-meaning friends with Hojo holding her hands and smiling affectionately down at her. The next minute she was nearly yanked off her feet away from all of them with a pair of strong, familiar arms wrapped tightly around her waist and a growl vibrating through her from head to foot.

Her friends looked immediately apologetic, realization and chagrin going through their eyes as they darted out from between what looked to be a prime confrontation they had helped cause. Hojo, not having been part of Kagome's earlier self-humiliation, only looked a little surprised and curious at the interruption. He turned his attention to Inuyasha as his smile never wavered, "Oh! Hello, are you a friend of Higurashi-san?"

Inuyasha never released Kagome, but one hand lifted, catching Hojo by the throat and lifting him up high enough that his feet dangled off the ground. His eyes narrowed, glowing fiercely as his clawed hand slowly tightened on the weaker flesh.

He was absolutely incensed. Hadn't this idiot just heard her yell out that she had him? What the hell was he thinking? Looking at Kagome like that and touching her was completely unacceptable, dammit! He tried to tell himself he was only concerned about the monk and the voices, but while that was part of the anger, the largest portion was just the thought that a human boy was touching her. A human BOY was touching her...

What if he tried to steal her away like the man's voice was doing? Would she go to be with someone who was like her instead of a half-breed? No, Kagome, would never do that! Not after she'd promised to always return, and not he'd heard her yell out that he was hers to her school. She wouldn't want to leave if she said that right?

But what if she didn't love him?

That thought sent a new surge of almost desperate rage through him and he lifted the boy higher.

Kagome's friends shrieked in surprise and fright, jumping even farther away and staring at everything in wide-eyed alarm. Kagome only distantly registered the screams and the shouts of students wanting to see a fight as she grabbed the arm he'd wrapped around her waist like a vice and yelled, "Inuyasha, stop it! Put him down!"

Inuyasha ignored her and the yelling around him, focusing his gleaming eyes on the pale face of the human boy who'd been looking at Kagome almost possessively. That was the look that had been enough to start those damn thoughts and doubts, kicking his instincts into high gear to defend what was his. The only thing keeping him from tearing out the boy's throat was the fear that had seeped into Kagome's scent.

Inuyasha forced his temper under control, taking deep breaths in an effort to calm himself for her sake. When he was certain the urge to rip the boy apart had passed, he turned his attention to making sure his claim was clear to this human.

"I want you to listen to me, little boy," Inuyasha growled, low and deadly, dragging him forward so they were face to face. "If I ever...EVER catch you touching my Kagome again, I'll fucking kill you, you understand me?"

Hojo was dropped unceremoniously to the ground, gasping and rubbing his throat as he gaped up at the dangerous looking man holding Kagome and glaring down at him in a way that sent chills down his spine. Everything about this guy just screamed that he was a threat, and Hojo's eyes went to Kagome in instant concern for her welfare.

Kagome tried to shove Inuyasha aside to go to Hojo's aid, but the hanyou only tightened his hold, turning his eyes down to her in a warning not to fight with him over this.

"I don't believe you!" Kagome ignored it and growled right back, bringing her elbow back into his stomach. Maybe it was the same thing that had started those uncharacteristic outburst, but she wanted nothing more right then than to challenge that demand in his eyes, "Hojo-kun is a friend of mine and you attacked him! You had no right to do that, Inuyasha!"

"He touched you. That gives me every right, Kagome," Inuyasha narrowed his gaze on the boy rising slowly to his feet, still rubbing his throat, but now with a wary, determined expression on his face.

"Higurashi-san," Hojo's low voice broke their renewed staring match. "Are you okay?"

Kagome shook her head when Inuyasha started growling again, "I'm fine, are you hurt, Hojo-kun? Inuyasha, let go!"

"We're leaving," Inuyasha turned to go when Hojo reached towards then, obviously intent on stopping the hanyou.

Kagome caught Inuyasha's hand when she felt him start to move, turning to glare up at the hanyou and hiss, "Apologize."

Inuyasha gave her a look that said she'd lost her mind, but laced his fingers with hers instead of going for Hojo's throat again, "Not a fucking chance, Kagome. We're going home. Now."

"Higurashi-san, I don't think you should go with him," Hojo frowned in concern. "He seems so...violent."

Considering the hanyou was still growling low and threateningly in his throat, Kagome didn't see how she could possibly convince Hojo otherwise and settled on digging her elbow into Inuyasha's stomach again, "No, nothing like that. He's just...overprotective with how I...I get sick all the time. I'm so sorry, Hojo-kun! He really didn't hurt you, did he?"

"I'll be all right," his voice was uncertain as he looked between Kagome and Inuyasha. "But you should-"

Inuyasha swore, dropping his hand from around Kagome's waist, but her sigh of relief was cut short when he caught the waistband of her skirt, "Inuyasha, don't-!"

Too late, he'd already pulled the fabric down to show the obnoxious human the mark that clearly displayed she was his. If he couldn't kill him, he'd damn well scare this boy off well enough that he'd never think of putting a hand on Kagome again, "See this?"

Kagome very clearly heard the indrawn gasps even as she squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face with her hands, "Oh God."

"This means you keep your distance, dammit!" Inuyasha waited until he saw the recognition of just what he was seeing click in the boy's eyes before he pulled her skirt back up.

"Hi-Higurashi-san?" Hojo took a step back, confused beyond belief and feeling more than a little dazed. "What...?"

There had to be something she could say, something that would help her save face in front of her friends after this brilliant display of possessiveness from Inuyasha. 'And here I thought I'd never be able to blush after being naked with him so many times,' she thought miserably.

Feeling as though she would forever look sunburned where Inuyasha was concerned, she sucked in a deep breath and stammered out, "He...he's my, ah, fiancé."

When Hojo's face fell sadly Inuyasha decided that had to be something serious to humans and grunted, tugging her back against his chest and giving the boy a sharp nod, "Damn right."

Hojo straightened his shoulders and held out a hand to Inuyasha, "I'm terribly sorry, ah, ...Inuyasha-san, I believe I...I misunderstood."

When Inuyasha just stared at his hand suspiciously, Kagome grabbed his wrist and forcefully extended his to shake hands with the slightly traumatized human, "I should be apologizing, Hojo-kun. I would have told you as...um, as soon as it happened-"

He shook his head, wincing as he withdrew his hand from the nearly crushing grip to give them a more respectful bow, "No, you've been quite ill. I understand, Higurashi-san."

Inuyasha was slightly mollified with the change, the human almost submissive in that painful politeness, and the growl died down a bit to a level only he and Kagome were aware of, "C'mon, Kagome. We're going home."

"I'll talk to you later, Hojo-kun," Kagome forced a bright smile on her face and waved at him when Inuyasha turned them around to stalk back towards the shrine.

"The hell you will," he muttered down at her, his ears barely catching the boy asking, "Was he growling or was that my imagination?"

"Wait! Kagome-chaaan!" Inuyasha was abruptly cut off when Kagome's friends raced around in front of him. They were watching him nervously, edging away to surround Kagome, their faces stern and disapproving when they focused on her. It was almost humorous at how quickly she stopped pushing at his arm and instead backed into him instinctively for protection.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Where's your ring?"

"When did it happen?"

Kagome just gaped at them as they rattled of a slew of questions, talking over each other and grabbing at her as Inuyasha's presence was pushed out of their minds for the second time that day with the rising curiosity of her little "announcement." Unfortunately, Inuyasha didn't seem to either want to or know how to come to her rescue over this one.

"Fuck," she whispered, just loud enough for the hanyou to hear her and start chuckling before she tried answering the chattering girls. "Well...it was when I was ill; we decided on the- ah, tattoo instead; and it was just...so sudden," she put her hands behind her back to cross her fingers and silently pray they'd buy that.

Her friends were quiet for a moment, digesting that and staring at her in speculation before one piped up, "But you're so young!"

Inuyasha perked up at that, going over possible explanations as to why that would be a problem. The only thoughts he could come up with had his smile slowly returning, the good mood he'd entertained before Hojo's appearance pushing aside the instinctive rage that the human had been touching Kagome.

Kagome coughed lightly, keeping her blush down with much more ease than she would have had without everything else that had happened, "We were going to wait until after graduation before we told everyone."

The smile turned smug, he'd been right after all.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Inuyasha bent down and kissed her cheek, flashing the shocked girls a dazzling grin and starting off again, "That's right, we'd appreciate it if you help us keep it quiet."

"I really do have to get home," Kagome called back at them, trying hard to ignore the fact that they wore the same dazed expression gracing Hojo's face just a few minutes ago. "See you later!"

She turned back to Inuyasha the second they were out of sight, smacking him upside the head, "What the fuck were you thinking, hn? You could have killed him!"

"I would have if you hadn't gotten scared!" Inuyasha snapped back, rubbing his head and fighting the urge to yank off the uncomfortable cap. "Dammit, Kagome, you yell out to your 'school' that I'm yours and then you went and got all touchy with that-that boy! What the hell was I supposed to do? I heard you all the way outside!"

Kagome covered her eyes at that reminder, groaning and stalking away from the now laughing hanyou, "And people think girls have mood-swings. Can we just forget that happened, Inuyasha? Please?"

"Why would I want to do that?" he quickened his step to catch up, folding his arms lazily behind his head as he walked. "Now everybody knows you're mine here and in our time."

"No, I meant about me getting carried away...wait, 'our' time?" she stopped abruptly, one brow arching at that.

"Oooh, you mean you want me to forget you yelling in your school," he did his best to make his expression thoughtful, but the tone of his voice readily conveyed there was no way he'd let that one slide.

"I'll remember this for the next new moon, Inuyasha," Kagome warned him and kept walking, determined to end the conversation.

Inuyasha's attention, however had caught on something off to his left as he distractedly called after her, "Oi, Kagome?"

So much for ending it, she sighed in defeat before she asked irritably, "What?"

"Didn't you say you had to buy some things while we're here?" he continued in that same tone, making her stop and turn to look at him in confusion.

'Oh damn, Shippo's chocolate,' she made a face, shaking that off before she folded her arms over her chest, "I'll get it before we go back, why?"

"You need those," Inuyasha pointed.

Confused, she followed the direction he indicated and frowned until she realized he was pointing to a girl. The "those" he indicated, from the way he was looking between the two of them, were the jeans the girl was wearing. Jeans cut lower than Kagome's, low enough to show the tattoo without having to pull aside the waistband.

"Absolutely not," Kagome growled at him, turning on her heel and walking off again.

"What? Then everyone would see it," Inuyasha frowned in genuine confusion and hurried to catch up before falling into step beside her. "It would make things a lot easier for both of us."

Kagome rolled her eyes before giving him a good glare, "Inuyasha, after what you did to poor Hojo-kun, you'll be lucky if I ever admit to anyone else that I even know you."

Inuyasha huffed his opinion of that and trailed after her, replaying everything in his mind until he was chuckling softly at the thought of what Kagome had said. But he waited until they were at the steps of her shrine before he flashed her a wicked grin and looped an arm around her waist. The embrace brought her to a stop, and nuzzling her neck, Inuyasha murmured, "I forgot to say thank you."

"For what?" Kagome sighed and leaned back into him. It was so hard to stay mad at Inuyasha when he was trying to be sweet and affectionate like this, and well...maybe she should cut him a break this once about grabbing Hojo. He didn't know that you just couldn't do things like that in this time after all...

"For telling your human friends you're mating with me."


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