Wanted: Chapter seventeen

Wanted
Chapter seventeen – The Morning After

-----------------------------

If only her bed would stop moving, she’d be able to get back to that rare, wonderful dream she’d been having that was long overdue.

Frowning slightly in irritation, Kagome shifted atop her moving bed, still floating in that blissful place where you were half-asleep and half-awake. She was quite comfortable actually, despite the constant moving of her lumpy bed, and Kagome sighed in contentment when her bed finally stilled and the young women felt a heavy warmth slide onto her back to rest there.

Kagome frowned again, wondering where the foreign warmth on her back had come from. It couldn’t be Buyo; he’s too fat to jump up on her bed anymore, let alone make the effort to climb on top of her body and make a pillow out of it. It wasn’t Souta pulling another prank on her. It was still way too early for him to be up and out of bed. So what…?

Wait a minute… Kagome thought hazily, her insides freezing when something slithered down her back and prickled the sensitive flesh just below the hem of her shirt with something sharp.

…Beds don’t move…do they? Swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, Kagome’s eyes slowly fluttered open, wondering if she was still indeed dreaming as two sleepy chocolate orbs were revealed, which abruptly widened when they took in the peaceful sleeping face just inches from her own.

.…Oh…my…Gawd…

Barely managing to stifle the scream building up in her throat, Kagome released a squeak instead and quickly scrambled off of her “moving bed” and dove for the opposite side of the room, tripping over herself in her haste while her face flushed with a deep shade of crimson as she silently watched the hanyou bolt upright at the feeling of something moving on top of him – “What the—?!” – and then promptly fell to the floor on his stomach with a solid thud, tangled in the blanket as the breath left his lungs in a whoosh.

Kagome watched his with a horrified expression donned on her face, a hand hovering over her mouth and her face still painted with a nice shade of cherry red. Ohmigawd, ohmigawd, ohmigawd, I was sleeping with – on top of Inuyasha! Ohmigawd—

“Damn it!” Rising up on his hands and knees, Inuyasha shook his head and averted his gaze to glare at the woman across the room who was currently trying to make herself be one with the wall. Pushing himself to his feet, the half-demon tossed the damned blanket back onto the couch and turned to Kagome, quirking a black brow at her.

“The hell’s your problem?” he asked her, seeming nonplused about the whole situation as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Kagome didn’t answer him because the events of last night were slowly coming back to her. The pictures in the barn, Inuyasha’s outburst, the ride with Kouga, Shippou’s screaming fit, the ride home with Inuyasha—

Oh God. The ride home with Inuyasha.

Kagome’s eyes widened impeccably as she recalled the very heated kiss in the truck that was still parked outside. Her face invented several different shades of red, the memory of the thunder and lightning storm coming back her to and how Inuyasha had come to get her after the electricity went out and then—

That was how they had ended up like that on the couch. Kagome had confessed that she didn’t like storms and then everything was so very clear from then on. What Kagome wouldn’t give for the floor to just open up and swallow her whole right now if it meant saving her from this embarrassment.

“Hello? You in there, wench?” A hand snapped its fingers in front of her face and Kagome gasped softly, blinking several times before her brown eyes came into focus again. Inuyasha was standing right in front of her with a slightly amused expression on his face. He must have moved when she was recalling last night’s events.

Blushing yet again, Kagome ducked her head and sidled along the wall until she was far enough away from him to push away and appear behind him. She avoided his gaze and bit her lower lip, an uncomfortable silence stretching between them until Kagome couldn’t stand it anymore.

She coughed lightly into her hand and stared down at her feet. “Um…I, uh, I didn’t mean to f-fall asleep on you like that. I’m sorry and, um…yeah, I’m s-sorry.” Kagome dared a peek up at his face and was shocked to see a light tint of pink dusting his cheeks, his amber eyes looking off to the side.

“Keh. Don’t—don’t worry about. It’s no big deal.” Inuyasha said, feeling awkward. How could such a tiny slip of a woman affect him like this? The only other woman he has ever acted this way around was…

His heart skipped a beat and he inhaled sharply, forcibly pushing that thought into some dark corner of his mind.

Silence again.

“So…”

“So…”

“What time is it?” Kagome blurted out for lack of anything better to say.

Inuyasha, thankful for the distraction, glanced out the window and shrugged. “I’d say around six o’clock.” He answered.

Kagome’s eyes widened. “Six o’clock in the morning?”

He shot her a look. “No, six o’clock a night,” he said sarcastically. “Of course six in the morning, you stupid wench.” He rolled his golden eyes and muttered something under his breath.

Kagome chose to ignore him. “You mean we slept through the whole night?” she asked no one in particular, a frown marring her pretty features as she stared off into space. Her teeth caught the pink softness of her lower lip and she began muttering to herself quietly. “If I remember correctly, we arrived at my house at around eight…”

Inuyasha stared at her, a faraway look adorning his handsome features. He clearly remembered what happened last night, and judging by how Kagome had blushed a few minutes prior, so did she. In the goddamned truck, no less.

He suddenly winced, remembering that it wasn’t his vehicle and that the owner is probably wondering where the hell he is right now. Inuyasha sighed, mentally cursing his bad luck. His own truck was probably sitting in some local dump somewhere, rusting away and creating nice little habitats for smelly little rats and other critters.

The dog demon shuddered at the mental image and bit back a whine. He liked that truck, damn it. And all because of that stupid fox kit…

Inuyasha perked up as something came back to him. Oh yeah…because of that stupid fox kit, he and Kagome had made some moving arrangements last night, as well as among…other things. His blood heated as he recalled the kiss he and Kagome had shared last night and he swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. It had felt so right to have her body beneath his own; her soft lips pressed against his mouth and he could still taste her on his tongue. He unconsciously licked his lips as his eyes strayed to the object of his thoughts’ mouth, something flashing across the tawny depths briefly before he averted his gaze back up to her face.

He found that she was staring at him now, a fine blush painting her cheeks.

Oops. Caught in the act.

Giving a blush of his own, Inuyasha cleared his throat and looked away, scratching the back of his neck uneasily while his fuzzy ears twitched uncontrollably.

Kagome saved them both the humiliation. “So, uh, would you like something to eat?” she asked, already making her way toward the kitchen without waiting for an answer.

Inuyasha didn’t bother to answer anyway and just followed her to the kitchen, allowing his eyes to wander anywhere but in her direction. He took this time to take in and appreciate the wooden furnishings of the Higurashi household. The inside was something akin to that of a elaborate log cabin, with wooden floors with thick rugs thrown over them and smooth wooden walls, polished to a shine with tons of pictures hanging in frames.

The kitchen was moderate enough, with marble counter tops and floor and wooden cupboards lining the walls. An island was located in the centre of the floor with two bar stools on either side of it, a small television sitting at the edge. The refrigerator was black and silver, one of the newest models, and all in all, Inuyasha was impressed. The only normal thing situated within the kitchen was the dinner table that seated at least four people comfortably. It almost looked like the kitchen back at the ranch. The only thing it didn’t have was the bar against the wall and the individual lights lining the ceiling. The lighting for this room was several hooked lamps jutting out from the walls near the ceiling and Inuyasha knew they were the kind that you could adjust the brightness with. They weren’t on right now; the early morning sun provided enough light to be able to see and cook.

He whistled low. “I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting a kitchen quite like this one to go with your house, Kagome,” Inuyasha confessed, hopping up onto one of the bar stools at the island.

Kagome shrugged, walking over to the fridge and opening it before rummaging around in its contents. “My mom used to be a doctor and she spent her money well. She retired a while back, though, when Gramps got too old to be unsupervised anymore.” She explained, shutting the door once she had what she was looking for: ingredients for pancakes. She headed for the cabinets next, collecting the necessities for her desired breakfast.

Inuyasha nodded and remained silent while she cooked.

As Kagome stirred the ingredients into a bowl, a small smile curled her lips upward and she allowed herself to release a soft giggle. This is a nice turn of events, she thought fondly. She remembered when Inuyasha had cooked her breakfast at his house; now it was the other way around. And it’s not French toast either! She laughed softly this time.

Inuyasha arched an eyebrow at her. “What’s so funny, wench?”

Kagome shook her head, choosing to let the “wench” comment slide. “I was just remembering that the last time we were in a situation like this, you were the one doing the cooking, Inuyasha.” She poured the contents of the bowl onto the pan and it instantly sizzled upon contact.

The hanyou blinked and allowed a grin to surface. “Keh. Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

A companionable silence commenced between them as Kagome cooked and Inuyasha watched, the only sounds being the sizzling of the pancakes in the frying pan and Kagome’s soft humming as she worked.

I wonder if she remembers what we agreed on last night, Inuyasha suddenly thought as Kagome hustled around the kitchen, grabbing two plates and glasses then setting them on the island with silverware. She went back to the fridge, pulled out a gallon of orange juice and set it on the top as well before going back over to the stove and flipping the delicious smelling flapjacks. Inuyasha had to wonder if they tasted as good as they smelled.

I wouldn’t mind waking up to the smell of this every morning—shit! Where in the bloody hell did that come from? Shaking his head, the silver-haired half-demon mentally kicked himself and set his thoughts straight.

Uh…what was I thinking? A pause. …Oh yeah! Moving arrangements. Turning his attention back to the woman currently serving him pancakes – they were done already? Where had be been? – Inuyasha waited until she made one last trip to the fridge to grab the maple syrup and butter before sitting down at the island across from him with a sigh, snatching a butter knife and then stabbing the butter with it.

Quirking a heavy brow at her and briefly wondering if she had anything against butter or if she was thinking homicidal thoughts toward it, Inuyasha shook his head before pouring some syrup onto his jacks and ate a few mouthfuls before addressing the subject.

“Kagome,” he began, idly dragging his fork through the thick sugary brown liquid on his plate.

Said woman looked over the rim of her glassed filled with orange juice at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Remember what we agreed on yesterday in the—…in the truck?” he asked carefully, unable to do anything about the images of last night that flashed through his mind. Christ, he won’t ever be able to look at that vehicle the same way again. He doubted Kagome would either.

Kagome froze in her seat, fork poised to pierce an unfortunate piece of pancake on her plate. Heat rose to her cheeks and she cleared her throat, dropping her gaze to her breakfast and fork now circling the earlier piece of fluff drowned in syrup.

“Yeah, I do,” she finally said.

Taking a gulp of orange juice, Inuyasha set down his half empty glass before continuing. “You know you still have to go through with it, right? It didn’t just disappear because of the other…thing that happened last night.”

Grateful for his choice of wording, Kagome sighed and nodded silently, finally popping the syrupy morsel into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully. Of course I know it’s not longer up for debate. I still have to…move in with him so I can take care of Shippou. The thought still made her shudder for reasons unknown to her.

“Good. After breakfast, you can pack up what you need and then we can head back.”

She directed a glare at him. “Excuse me, but I need to tell me family where I’m going to be. I can’t just leave without an explanation as to where I’m going to be staying, you insufferable pig.”

Inuyasha snorted. “Yeah, yeah, just make it quick, you ungrateful bitch.”

Kagome’s temper flared and she quickly polished off her plate and placed her dirty dishes in the dishwasher before she could say something that would really make his blood boil. She didn’t need an argument this early in the morning over something so trivial. Grabbing her purse on the way up, she stomped up the stairs and left him to his own devices. She needed to give her mother a call and give her the four-one-one on just what was going on.

Inuyasha watched her storm up the stairs, a satisfied smirk planted across his features.

Inuyasha: One.

Kagome? Zero.

He chuckled sadistically as he cleared off his own plate and stuck it in the dishwasher with Kagome’s. Having Kagome move in may not have been one of his brightest ideas, but, Inuyasha surmised, it sure as hell was just about to get a little bit more entertaining at the Takshi Ranch.

Grinning like that Cat that at the Canary, the hanyou whipped out his cell phone and dialed home.

-------------------------------

“No, Mom,” Kagome sighed, stuffing a handful of bras and underwear into a large duffle bag. “I know it’s not fair, Mom, but I agreed to it and he’s practically my responsibility anyway, so…” She sighed again and shook her head as her mother continued to ramble on, heading over to her closet and tossing out random articles of clothing. “But Mom, listen—oh, really? Do they have it in red? Ugh, I mean, I can’t back out of it now because I’ve already agreed to it and I just feel that it’s better this way. Besides,” Kagome continued, hooking all the removed garments over her arm and hauling them over to her bed. “This way I’ll be able to help around a lot more and I’ll save a lot of gas!

“I’ve only known Shippou for a day, but I already adore him and I’ve grown attached to him and I just can’t bare it to see him so heartbroken if I’m not there with him in his time of need, Mom. His parents died a horrible death, and he’s still coping with it. Please understand that I not only have to do this, but I want to. I want to be able to comfort him and make him feel better when he’s feeling sad. Do you understand, Mama?’

There was a pause and then a brilliant smile bloomed across Kagome’s face as she sat down on the bed. “Thank you, Mom. I knew you’d understand. This is important to me and I…” She trailed off and a small frown marred her brow. “No, he doesn’t live alone… About my age, I guess. Why? Mom, where’re you going with this?”

Another pause and Kagome’s face flamed. “M-Mom! How could you say that? Of course I’m not—he’s definitely not my—stop laughing at me, Mom! This is not funny!” Glaring at the air in front of her, Kagome huffed and waited for her mother’s laughter to die down before speaking again. “Are you quite finished? Okay then. Yes there are other people there.” Her eyebrow twitched. “No, Mother, he’s not in the room with me and yes, I did pack clean underwear—” Her brown eyes grew large. “C-condoms?! Mom! Okay, I’m hanging up now, love you, tell Souta and Gramps I love them too, bye!” Her phone snapped shut and dropped onto the bed beside her.

Kagome groaned and sunk her hands into her ebony hair. Sat there for a few minutes. Heaved a sigh then finally got up and finished packing. Didn’t want to keep His Majesty waiting.

Ten minutes later Kagome was packed and ready to go, her duffle bag containing her clothes while a smaller bag held daily necessities and toiletries. Walking down the stairs, Kagome heard Inuyasha’s voice coming from the living room and peeking around the corner, she saw him with his back to her talking on a cell phone. Rolling her eyes – wasn’t he the one who said to her “make it quick” with the phone calls? – Kagome sighed and dropped her stuff in the kitchen before hopping up onto the island.

Hey, long legs had their benefits.

As it turned out he didn’t keep her waiting very long because about five minutes later he walked into the kitchen, pocketing his phone. He looked up, looked at her, glanced at her bags, then back at her with a quirked brow.

Rolling her eyes again, Kagome hopped down from the island and snatched her things from the floor before striding to the door, brushing past him without a glance his way.

Inuyasha smirked and stifled a snicker before turning around and following her out the door.