Wanted: Chapter sixteen

Wanted
Chapter sixteen – Moving Arrangements

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He caught up with the black car easily and he now followed a good distance behind it, being careful as he maneuvered his own truck down the road and as he turned the many corners to not be seen by way of the black vehicle’s rear view mirror, assuming that whoever it was must be human. Weak human eyes wouldn’t be able to catch the sight of his ice blue truck following behind the expensive car at quite a distance.

The car was alternating between speeding up at spontaneous points in time and very suddenly turning very sharp corners, but he skillfully sped up and maneuvered his truck to follow after his prey and easily catch up with a measured distance between them. He didn’t know who it was, but he was inclined to guess that it wasn’t just convenience to have been parked out in front of the ranch. Whoever it was must have had a purpose to be there; otherwise it would not have driven off so quickly. He himself had only just noticed it when the human Sango had moved herself away from the window, allowing better access to the grounds of the Takshi Ranch when the car had seemed to abruptly switch gears then speed down the road.

If Sesshomaru didn’t know any better, he could surmise that whoever was driving the automobile must have seen him staring at them for them to make such a hasty departure like that. But then again, he could be wrong. Perhaps it was merely a coincidence that the car had driven off when Sesshomaru had finally seen it through the window of the second floor.

But if that were really the case, then what would explain the hasty driving as it sped down the road, as if it were deliberately trying to get far away from the ranch?

Narrowing his golden eyes, Sesshomaru switched gears and sped up his truck, determined to find out just who the figure was behind the expensive automobile.

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Kagura glanced at her rear view mirror again and cursed under her breath, maroon eyes darting back to the road as her pale hands clenched tightly on the stirring wheel. He was still following her, damn it. After purposely speeding up and taking sharp corners as an attempt to lose the bastard, his truck always steadily caught up with her, taking the time to slow down or speed up if needed to maintain the same distance between them.

She had been assigned once more to get as much information on that girl Kagome as she could then report back to Naraku, her deceitful and devious boss. She hadn’t been able to find out anything she already knew, for the wolf a tad be resistant on giving information to a strange female about “his woman,” as he’d called her. In order for him to open up a bit more, she’d had to lie and say that she was a long lost cousin wishing to learn more about the young woman.

At this, Kouga had inquired how she knew what she looked like and why hadn’t she intervened when she saw her? Kagura had thought fast and responded that she had seen recent pictures of her (though she didn’t say where; she didn’t think she’d be able to conjure up a lie for that one) and that she wanted to “surprise” her cousin by showing up at her house later and commence with the reunion from there. Kouga had looked skeptic for a moment before he’d finally nodded, albeit slowly, and opened up a bit more.

Kagura had then gotten some of the more interesting snippets of the young woman. Though the wolf demon had confessed that he’d only known her for a short period of time, he was still helpful in getting some significant information, like finding out that her father had died when she was younger, the cause of death unknown and her age when it happened just as unidentified. She used to live in downtown Tokyo, but moved shortly after her father’s unfortunate demise. The young woman lived with her mother, grandfather, and little brother, who seemed about the age of seventeen years.

Unfortunately enough, though, time had been running short by the time she’d been able to get that out of him, having spent the majority of the time persuading him into just talking about her. She’d left with a short farewell, leaving the restaurant in time to see three thugs being hauled out of an alleyway by two policemen. One of the ruffians’ face seemed to have been beaten in rather roughly judging by how distorted his face looked. Kagura wasn’t much for blood and gore, so she’d promptly left the scene and headed carefully toward her hidden car, knowing that people these days vandalized pricey cars nowadays.

Coming back to the present, Kagura scowled at her rear view mirror and took another sharp turn, hoping this time to lose the persistent wretch. No such luck though, because shortly afterward she saw the unmistakable icy blue of the truck as it rounded the corner stridently, slightly fishtailing before smoothing out into a straight line.

Cursing again, the wind witch glared at the road ahead of her, desperately trying to think up a way to lose him, and fast. Naraku wouldn’t really appreciate it if she allowed herself to get caught and commence with an unnecessary interrogation she knew she would have to endure. Why else would he be following her? To steal her car?

…Well, it was a possibility, but Kagura highly doubted that that was the case.

So, determination and adrenaline from the thrill of this little game of Cat and Mouse keeping her pumped and ready for anything, Kagura stomped on the gas and floored it, her tires squealing slightly before gaining traction and flying down the road, the icy blue pick up truck behind her mimicking its actions as it followed.

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The sky was darkening into an angry gray hue as a muddy blue truck sped down the vacant road, the two occupants within it arguing about a certain subject that the female persona refused to let go.

“No.”

“But Inuyasha—”

“No.”

“Come on, can’t you just—”

“Goddamn it, Kagome, I said no! End of discussion! Not shut up and let me drive.” Inuyasha growled, throwing her a brief glare before turning his eyes back on the road with his infamous scowl planted on his face.

“But why, Inuyasha? I have no place for him at my house and my mother won’t be able to support an extra person in the house!” Kagome stated, determined to win this debate. “He’s already attached to everybody at your house; Miroku, Sango, he absolutely adores Aries, and I even think your father has taken a slight liking to him. Though I’m not so sure about Sesshomaru…” She bit her lip and twisted her hands in her lap. “Plus, my grandfather won’t really appreciate have a demon living in my house. He thinks all demons are vile and don’t deserve to live on his planet.” She gave him her best Puppy Eyed Look. “Please, Inuyasha. I can’t have Shippou at my house with my grandpa, because he’d most like ‘purify’ him with his stupid sacred sutras, and he’s just a child. He’s already been through so much, losing his parents and all and having him live with an old man who hates demons…” Kagome trailed off, her great brown eyes pleading with him as she stared almost longingly at his profile.

She just keeps goin’, doesn’t she? Always having a new excuse right after the last… Inuyasha sighed heavily and tightened his hands on the steering wheel, glancing at her through the corners of his amber eyes. They had been arguing about his for a good fifteen minutes now, five minutes after they’d left Takshi Ranch to Kagome’s own country house. The woman was damn insistent to have the kitsune brat stay at his house instead of her own, to which he’d immediately disagreed. And of course the bitch had to retort back, and thus brought along their current argument.

Turning the corner that led to her house, Inuyasha ground his teeth together and furrowed his brow, forcing himself to ignore that damned look on her face and focus on the road. What was it about that look that suddenly made so goddamned hard to refuse her?

The unbidden need to make her happy churned in his gut and he sucked in a sharp breath, his hands flexing on the twisted black leather of the steering wheel. Don’t give in, damn it… Don’t give in, don’t give in—

“Fine,” Inuyasha grumbled with a defeated sigh, ears pinning back against his head as Kagome released a high pitch squeal of excitement. Or was it victory?

“Thanks so much, Inuyasha! You have no idea how much this means to me! Shippou is just a child, and it would break his heart to be suddenly yanked away from the people he’s already come to know after a few hours and he’d be scared to be suddenly thrust into a different environment with different people and—”

“Wait a minute,” Inuyasha suddenly said, efficiently cutting off Kagome’s ramble.

The young woman blinked and looked at him warily. “…What?”

“Since I so graciously agreed to have the little runt stay at my house, we’re gonna have to make some…arrangements,” Inuyasha began almost casually, spotting the house Kagome had directed him to farther down the road.

Kagome leaned back against the door, eyeing him with slits of brown. “What kind of ‘arrangements’?” she asked carefully; hoping that whatever he was thinking wasn’t cruel or unnatural.

The scheming hanyou cast a sideways glace at her and refrained from breaking out in a smug grin at her guarded expression before turning back and bring his friend’s truck to a halt in the driveway of the Higurashi household. Kagome didn’t seem to notice as she gazed at him. Reclining in his seat, Inuyasha placed his hands behind his head and turned his head slightly to regard her with a neutral expression.

“Moving arrangements.”

Kagome stared at him. “Moving…arrangements…” she echoed slowly, not sure she really liked how that sounded.

Inuyasha nodded, lifting a hand to regard his sharp claws with an air of nonchalance. “Mm hm.”

Something churned in her gut and she gulped, licking her suddenly dry lips. “You…you can’t be serious…” Kagome said softly with a shake of her head, her blood heating at the thought of being that close to the hanyou.

“Oh, but I am, dear girl,” Inuyasha affirmed her, dropping his hand and casting her a fond smile.

Kagome’s heart skipped a beat at his smile. “You…you mean I have to…to move in with…?”

“Of course.”

Her face suddenly lost all color and she gaped at him, her chocolate eyes wide as her brain slowly processed his new and quite shocking bit of information. He wanted her to…to move…to move in with… Dear god, she couldn’t even finish the damn sentence it sounded so ludicrous!

“But-but Inuyasha, I-I can’t!” Kagome stammered, shaking her head vigorously. “My family! I-I just can’t leave them! I have things I need to do and—”

Inuyasha was suddenly there, staring down at her and with Kagome quite firmly pressed against the car door with his face inches from hers and Kagome’s face flamed at the proximity.

Amber clashed with russet as he locked gazes with her, his expression all but serious. “Either you move in, or the runt’s homeless,” he stated, his lids lowering slightly and causing them to almost glow in their darkened surroundings. “Those are my conditions, Kagome. Take it or leave it,” he said, his hand automatically rising to brace his weight on the door above her head.

Kagome remained silent, eyes wide as she stared up at the hanyou, the warmth from his body causing her heartbeat to increase rapidly and she swallowed the sudden lump that had formed in her throat. Her mouth was so dry she didn’t even think she was able to talk at the moment.

“Besides,” Inuyasha continued, shrugging one shoulder. “Since the brat seems to like you so much for some unfathomable reason, he won’t be such a nuisance to the rest of us since you’ll be there to keep him occupied. And,” He grinned, something Kagome didn’t quite catch flashing in his eyes. “Having you around to do some extra barn work is an added bonus.” He looked incredibly smug and Kagome wanted nothing more than to slap that grin right off his handsome face.

Instead Kagome just continued to stare up at him disbelievingly, wanting to desperately think he was only joking, but she knew he was being serious. She could see where he was coming from and she couldn’t help but agree. The kitsune did seem to have taken a keen liking to her and Kagome admitted that she was fond of the fox as well. So it was kind of logical that she did move in with the Takshis… You just couldn’t beat the inevitable sometimes.

Slumping against the door, Kagome sighed dejectedly and closed her eyes, knowing she was defeated. “When?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

Kagome shuddered as his breath fanned over her face and she nodded slowly, opening her eyes to see that Inuyasha was even closer than he was before and she bit back the startled squeak at the proximity. “Uh…”

Inuyasha didn’t seem to notice the look akin to uncertainty and confusion adorning her face as his gaze slowly slid down to settle upon her parted lips, so full and pink. His own lips parted and he licked his suddenly dry lips as something warm pooled in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t know what it was, but found he that didn’t exactly mind it as it spread and coursed throughout his body, making him feel hot and causing his breath to come in short pants. Inuyasha could feel her body heat seeping into him and her heartbeat thundering against his chest.

What would it feel like, to press his lips to her own, so soft and alluring? How would it feel to plunge into her warm cavern and explore every crevice, to allow her to search his own moist grotto with that warm pink organ of hers?

His heart raced in his chest and he exhaled shakily, wanting nothing more than to crash his mouth onto hers and ravage her thoroughly until she was breathless from his assault. Images flashed in his head unbidden and he gulped, forcing the lump in his throat to descend before it cut off his oxygen supply.

Kagome watched him carefully, the heat from his body warming her all over and she swallowed harshly, her lips parting to gulp in short breaths of air. What was happening? Something foreign was building up inside her and she had no idea as to what it was. She’s never felt like this before, and she wasn’t sure what it meant. She could feel his heart beat rapidly against her chest and she inhaled sharply, her lids suddenly becoming heavy. His breath warmed her face and she found herself squirming into a more comfortable position beneath him, silently watching as he moved as well, shifting so that his knees were situated on either side of her and his hands were braced on each side of her head.

Thunder rumbled overhead but the girl and hanyou either ignored it or just didn’t hear it as they continued on, wrapped up in their own little world and each other.

What…what’s he doing? Kagome thought in a haze as his head lowered and his nose sniffed delicately at the flesh at her neck, a deep rumble vibrating against her chest as he growled lowly.

It’s hot… Kagome thought to herself, squirming underneath him again and Inuyasha reacted by sucking in a sharp breath and growling in warning at her, to which Kagome instantly ceased moving, eyes wide.

Lifting his head from her warm neck, Inuyasha gazed down at the flushed woman beneath him, noticing just how hot she really was. He felt like his own skin was aflame as he dipped his head and very suddenly decided to find out just how her lips felt beneath his own.

Kagome’s gasp of surprise was drowned out by the deep rumble that sounded in the sky above them and Inuyasha took this opportunity to delve inside, groaning softly at the heavenly taste that filled his mouth and senses. She tasted sweet and bitter at the same time, the two mixing to create an addicting flavor that had Inuyasha’s head spinning.

Kagome whimpered softly and it was swallowed by the hanyou’s greedy mouth and her chocolate eyes fluttered close, returning his searing kiss as best as she could and allowing him to ravage her mouth as he took everything and left nothing untouched, his warm tongue stroking her own then retracing to slide across her bottom lip slowly, eliciting a barely audible moan from the woman beneath him. Inuyasha growled approvingly in response and sucked at her lip, drawing it into his mouth and nipping at it tenderly.

Kagome thought she was on fire as he continued his assault on her mouth, the pleasure his mouth was bring doing funny things to her insides and turning her brain to mush. She couldn’t think, couldn’t move, could only feel as his hand dropped down to her side to caress the flesh there under her shirt with his claws, causing a shudder to rip through her body.

Just as his wandering hand was about to travel farther up north, the sound of thunder clashing above them jolted them back to reality and Inuyasha abruptly pulled back, breathing heavily as he looked out the window to see that it had started down pouring, lightening flashing in the distance.

Regaining his bearings, he cursed under his breath and looked down at the breathless woman beneath him, locking gazes with her briefly before sighing and pushing himself off of her and sitting back in his own seat.

Kagome sat up and righted herself, pulling down at her bunched up shirt and messing with her slightly disheveled hair. Looking out the window, she winced and bit her lip, casing a glance at the hanyou beside her them looking beyond him at her house.

“You might as well go inside and wait out the storm,” she said softly, breaking the awkward quiet. “I don’t want you driving in this weather.” She blushed, though she didn’t think it was possible when her face was already quite flushed and averted her gaze to her lap.

Inuyasha inhaled and released it in a sigh, staring out the windshield at the rain that was coming down in heavy sheets. “Yeah,” was all he offered before tossing her his jacket then opening the door.

Shrugging it on without hesitation, Kagome exited the truck then shut the door behind her quickly before any rain could get in then ran for the porch, Inuyasha at her side. She unlocked the door, opened it and walked inside, steeping aside to let the dripping hanyou to walk in after her. Shutting the door, she peeled the jacket off before hanging it up to dry and headed toward the stairs, turning on a light switch on her way.

I wonder where everyone is, Kagome thought vaguely as she stepped onto the stairway. Oh well. They’ll probably call or something since I didn’t see a note anywhere. “I’ll go get some towels,” she called from the stairs. “Make yourself comfortable since it doesn’t look like you’ll be leaving anytime soon.” And she disappeared up the stairs.

Inuyasha grunted in agreement and looked around him, not wanting to move from his spot lest he track water all over the floor.

The Higurashi household was homey and it had that cozy feeling to it. The kitchen was average sized; big enough to allow at least four people dine at the table situated in the middle. The stairway was located right in front of him, going up then twisting halfway to the right. The living room, he noted, was farther back, seemingly very spacious with a large bent couch and loveseat set with an armchair pushed back against the wall. A single glass table sat between the television and couch, miscellaneous objects strewn about it. He could see from the angle he was standing in the wide fireplace located in the center of the wall farthest from him and the small decorations and picture sitting innocently on the hearth.

But what really caught his attention were the numerous pictures dotted about the walls, some old, some new, some in between. Most of them consisted of younger Kagome and a little boy with black hair about the age of ten or eleven, both with bright smiles upon their young faces as they made ridiculous poses for the camera.

Inuyasha chuckled and swept his gaze across the room, his golden eyes settling on a black and white picture with a man and a woman situated in it. The woman looked young and beautiful in a flowing white gown as she clung to the arm a handsomely dressed man beside her, his black tux seeming gray. Both had brilliant and loving smiles on their faces and Inuyasha could only assume that this was Kagome’s parents’ wedding photo.

But before he could study it more, the house was suddenly plunged in darkness as thunder boomed loudly overhead and lightning flashed not too far off.

Inuyasha cursed and would have gone searching for a light source of sometime had it not bee for the frightened shriek coming from upstairs.

“Kagome!” Inuyasha darted for the stairs, taking them two at a time as he climbed them and once he got to the top, he blinked rapidly, looking around and sniffing to find out where she was. “Kagome!”

“Inuyasha!” Her call was muffled but he heard it all the same and he rushed down the hallway, turning the corner sharply and headed for the opening door at the end. When he reached it, he found the dark silhouette Kagome sitting on the floor, two white blobs situated at her feet.

He walked in and crouched down, reaching out and taking her face in his hands. “Are you alright?” he asked her softly, his amber orbs glowing in the darkness.

Kagome jerked her head in the positive, a tremble taking hold of her body. “I don’t like storms, Inuyasha,” she confessed in a whisper, hugging her knees to her chest tightly.

Ears flattening against his head, Inuyasha took her trembling form in his arms and lifted her effortlessly, silently glad that she had taken the white blobs he assumed were towels with her as he lifted her from the floor. Secretly enjoying the way her arms swathed around his neck to cling to him, he shifted her so that he was carrying her bridal style and he walked back to the stairs, descending them slowly so as to not trip and jar the woman in his arms.

Once he reached the bottom, he made his way to the living room and gently set her down on the couch, taking a towel and tossing it at her. “Where are the matches so I can light the fire and get some light in here and maybe some heat?” he asked quietly and Kagome responded that they were on top of the fireplace in a little chest, along with some scrap paper to get it going. He quickly got the fire going then returned back to Kagome, pleased to see that she was somewhat drier than before.

Sitting down beside her, Inuyasha grabbed the remaining towel and dried himself off as best as he could then discarded the towel, along with Kagome’s, onto the floor. Lightning illuminated the house through the windows briefly, followed shortly by the roar of thunder and Kagome squeaked, curling into a little ball of protection as the storm continued its wrath outside.

Inuyasha whined softly and reached for the frightened woman, pulling her into his arms and holding her close. “It’s okay, Kagome, don’t be scared. I’m right here and I won’t let anything happen to you,” he promised her, gently rocking her back and forth. Kagome clung to him, burying her face in his chest as she wrapped her arms around his torso tightly.

Releasing an arm to grab the blanket that was thrown across the back of the couch, Inuyasha pulled it across them, making sure it was wrapped tightly around them before stretching his legs out and lying down, trapping Kagome’s legs between his own and the woman herself stretched out on the length of his body. He didn’t really mind this position much; in fact, he quite enjoyed it. With Kagome’s warm body sprawled out across his own and the couch proving a cushiony surface to lie upon, he was quite comfortable and he sighed then closed his eyes, tightening his hold the young woman dozing lightly on his chest.

She was slowly drifting off to the land of nod, and Inuyasha found himself accompanying her as a tongue-curling yawn escaped his mouth, his amber eyes slowly drifting shut.

Both of them were fast asleep when Kagome’s purse began to vibrate from its position on the floor by the staircase.