AN:

A Modern Cinderella Story

By: DemonSaya

Chapter Five

“You don't know how close I came to leaving you hanging.” Kagome said icily. She walked towards the benches and sat down on the far end. “You'd better have a good explanation for running off like that.”

All the things Inuyasha thought he would say fled his mind so quickly, he wasn't sure what to do. Finally, he blurted. “I was scared, okay?!” He hadn't meant to shout at her. He felt cornered, like a small animal, and she was the one about to turn him into lunch. “I didn't know what else to do...”

She glared at him and stood, ready to walk out. “Wow, I actually thought you might be sorry. My mistake-”

He grabbed her wrist, desperate. “Dammit, Kagome, I'm not good at this shit!” He said, his brow furrowing in frustration. “Please...” He took an unsteady breath. “Don't go, alright? Just give me a second...”

She could see he was struggling with this. A small bit of compassion surfaced and she plopped down on the bench next to him. “You hurt me a lot, Inuyasha.” She accused softly. “I thought you were my friend.” She didn't want to imply more than that. “I thought we had fun. I don't care that you're a janitor, you're still Inuyasha.”

He relaxed, looking towards her. He shook his head, laughing softly. “Maybe I cared.” He said finally. “Maybe I didn't want you to know about this...” He gestured at the jumper. He sighed, wringing the cap in his hands and looking at the floor. “Maybe I didn't want you to know my secrets. And then, when I finally was ready to tell you, you found out-” He shook his head. “It doesn't even matter, anymore. You know.”

She saw something was eating him. “Why should it? Why should it matter, Inuyasha? You're a nice person, you have more friends than I do. Being a janitor didn't throw them off-”

“I wasn't always a janitor, Kagome.” He snapped, then looked away. “In fact, my father had a nice cushy trust set up for me for when I turned eighteen. Only, I turn eighteen...and find out that bastard had stole my money only a week before.” He found himself sinking into his memories, the hurt, the anger, the frustration and pain resurfacing.

“What bastard?” Kagome whispered.

He glanced towards her. This could change things between them. If she knows that part of his life was spent under Naraku's fist, it could change things. But he had to tell her anyways. “When I was ten years old, my mother took the advice of some neighbors. Neighbors that seemed to think I needed a male influence in my life.” He paused, sighing. “So, my mother went out, met a business man, or more accurately a con man named Naraku Kuroshii.”

Kagome's eyes jumped wide, and realization flashed through her. “Wait a minute, you know Mr. Kuroshii?!” She wanted to hit him. “You didn't tell me-”

“Do you want me to finish or not?” He snapped, glaring at her. At her meek nod, he sighed. “They dated two months. Then they got married. My mom didn't notice that he had a slimy feeling soul. She was obsessed with finding me a father. So they married, and I lost my mother.” He growled under his breath. “It wasn't right away, oh, no. In fact, at first, they almost seemed happy together. And then mom started wearing long-sleeve shirts all the time, and turtlenecks, and thicker make-up...”

He laughed unhappily. “I was twelve when I found out that my mom was being abused, and had become an alcoholic.” He looked at his hands, not really seeing them. “About then, Naraku started in on me. The first thing he did was lock me in a closet. Then he started hitting me. My mom was upset, but she didn't know how to fight back. My real dad wasn't an abusive son of a bitch, so she never needed to learn.”

“Inuyasha...” She whispered.

“I spent most of my young life fishing my mom's head out of the toilet of a morning. Till I was sixteen.” A bitter smile turned up the corners of his mouth. “I came to their room one morning to do what I'd done every other day, and was shocked to find my mother in bed. I went to wake her up, but she...” His voice thickened, and his throat tried to swell closed. “She wasn't breathing...There was a bottle of pills and a bottle of whiskey beside her. She still had the razor she'd used on her wrists in her hand.”

Horror filled her. She reached out, hesitating to bring him from his private hell, but needing to let him know it was okay now. If she could figure out how-

“I swore I would get away from him. I wasn't going to let him drive me to that, too. So, when I turned eighteen, I ran. It was the longest two years of my life. And then I find out that he'd taken my inheritance, money that was supposed to be mine. I left anyways. I just disappeared. Found an apartment, got this job...”

He looked at her finally. “I wasn't ashamed of what I did. Never once. It's honest work, and at least I'm trying.” Inuyasha lowered his gaze again. “Never once, until I met you.”

Kagome's face was wet. She reached up and scrubbed it with the back of her hands. “Why would you...why?” She whispered.

He sighed, looking back at her. “Because you make me want to be more than I am.” He said, sighing. “And I don't think I can be.” He laughed without humor. “Imagine the gossip columns: 'Politician's daughter and a janitor'-” He stopped, blushing, looking down. “You deserve more.”

She reached up, lightly touching his face to draw his gaze back to hers. “What if I don't want more?” She said softly. She watched his eyes widen and blushed a bit. “Look, if you just want a friend, I can do that. But don't think you're going to push me away because you a janitor.”

“But...”

Her lips drew into a small frown and she started to stand. “Look, if you don't, just say so.” She was walking away and managed to trip on a step.

Inuyasha moved, catching her around her waist, keeping her from face planting on the hardwood floor. “Dammit, woman, you need a new pair of feet.” He said softly, steadying her. He moved down a step, putting them face to face. She was blushing, looking a bit humiliated. He bit his lip, debating what to say. He wasn't good at talking. Action he could do. Action he was good at. Taking a deep breath, he put his hands on either side of her face, holding her very still, and leaned forward, kissing her lightly on the lips.

Kagome's mind went blissfully blank for the first time in days. It was a light kiss, barely more than a brushing of lips, but to her she felt like he'd knocked her end over end, and she wasn't really sure which way was up. When he pulled away, she swayed towards him, her hands fisting in the jumper. His hands caught her biceps, gently steadying her. She looked up into his eyes and found him smirking just a bit. “You are about the most insufferable jerk I've ever met.” She finally whispered.

He grinned broader. He didn't answer her statement with one of his own, choosing instead to simply wrap his arms around her waist and hold her chest against his own. He licked his lips a bit, tasting her on them, and deciding that he liked it. Lightly, he nuzzled her jaw. “I don't want a friend.” He finally whispered. “I want you.” He pulled back and cupped her face in his hands. “Just you.”

Kagome blushed, a small smile turning up the corners of her mouth. She tapped her chin, pretending to consider what he'd said. “That's fine, I guess.” She said, wrapping her arms around his neck, threading her fingers through his hair. “Because it's exactly what I want from you.” She whispered, resting her forehead against his, seeing his eyes smiling at her. She loved those eyes. “I have a question, though...” She pulled back and began digging through her school bag.

Inuyasha probably would have said yes to anything she'd asked at that moment. Her eyes had a flicker of mischief in them, her lips turned up in the slightest smirk. When she pulled something from her school bag and handed it to him, it took him several moments to realize it was his sketchbook.

The one that had all the pictures of her.

He lightly ran a hand over the cover and sank onto the bench beside him. “You had it? I wasn't sure where I'd lost it.” He admitted. She sat beside him, her head resting on his shoulder. “Thank you.” He said softly.

She smiled. “There are lots of me, in here.” She teased, flipping through the pages. “But this one...” She opened it to the page with the crying woman and glanced towards him. “This isn't. Who is she, Inuyasha?”

He stared down at the page, his face serious. “Izayoi Akimoto.” He said, pointing to the Kanji in the corner. “My mother.” He glanced towards her. “I'd dreamed about her the night before.” He said softly. “She was strong, until Naraku got a hold on her. Then she fell apart.” He looked towards her. “I was worried for you and your mom when I saw the four of you at dinner. He and Onigumo were cast from the same mold. They're evil.”

She grinned. “You don't need to worry about me or mom. Mom's so busy with politics, she wouldn't notice a man if he fell on top of her. And as for me...” She tugged a strand of his hair. “I have you to protect me, right?”

He puffed a bit, grinning back at her. “Damn straight.”

The door to the gym opened and Sesshoumaru was standing there, a mostly deadpan expression on his face. “Miss Higurashi, your mother's going to worry.”

She rolled her eyes, and looked at Inuyasha. “I guess I should go...” She stood, pulling the sketchbook from his hands and pulling out a pen. She jotted something on one of the pictures of her and handed it back to him smiling. “See ya.” She kissed his cheek lightly and skipped down the steps.

Inuyasha watched her go, a small smile turning up the corners of his mouth. He opened the book and saw a series of numbers jotted onto the paper. Above it, she'd written call me. Her phone number, he realized. His grin broadened and he stood, going to his cart and setting the book on it, finishing his work. For once, he was actually looking forward to coming to work the next day.

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It wasn't perfect. He would have been a fool to think it was going to be. Yet, each day, they passed little notes in the crease of her wall locker, always being quite certain no one was watching them. After school ended, they'd meet in an empty classroom or the gym and she'd badger him into coming to the cotillion, something he was still drastically uncertain about. That would lead to an argument, which would lead to them making out.

But it never led to an answer.

That had been going on for weeks, now, and he still wasn't sure what to say when she asked, but he could see her patience was wearing thin. He had to give her an answer soon, and since she didn't care that he was a janitor, he'd need a good reason for his hesitance as well.

He had changed into his street clothes as soon as his work was done and stood beside her locker, waiting. As the bell rang he felt a lurch somewhere in the vicinity of his stomach when he realized he wanted to go with her. He wanted more than anything to go and have a chance to rub Naraku's ego into the fact that he was with the girl that the S.O.B. had chosen for Onigumo.

He wanted to spend the night with his arms around that girl walking towards him.

He saw shock on her face, then pleasure, and instinctively he knew it was because it was the first official time they'd be seen together in public. As a couple. He watched her approach and felt an insane urge to grin. A smirk turned up the corner of his mouth when she walked up and leaned against the locker beside her own.

“I heard there was a hunk blocking my locker, but I didn't know they were talking about you.” She teased lightly, pressing up onto her tiptoes and kissing his lips.

Right there.

In front of the rest of the students that were nearby.

You could have heard a pin drop in that hallway.

He nipped her lips lightly and pulled back smirking a bit. “Yeah, I decided to pick you up today, my brother's been getting that privilege and I don't really like that.” He saw Kagome's friends standing behind her, gaping at him. “These your friends?”

Kagome blushed, remembering they were standing in the middle of her school hallway and the gossip mill there worked amazingly well. “Um, yeah. Inuyasha, these are Ayumi, Yuka, and Eri...” She gestured at each in turn. “Guys, this is Inuyasha...my boyfriend.” She could see questions begging to spill from their lips and she slipped her arm through Inuyasha's.

“Oh, my god, is he who's taking you to the cotillion! You're so lucky!” One squealed.

Her smile faltered, and Inuyasha hugged her tighter. “Yeah, I am.” He said evenly, ignoring the stunned expression on the girl's face. He nodded to them. “If you'll excuse us...”

Kagome stared at Inuyasha in shock as he drug her up the hall from her friends, taking her books from her limp hands easily. “Inuyasha...really?” She asked, her breath stuck in her throat. “You will?” There was an uncomfortable look on his face and she saw him fidgeting.

“I want to.” He admitted. “I really want to. But I don't have anything I can wear to it, and to be blunt, I'm broke. I can't afford to buy a cheap suit, much less something that would look believable at something like that...” He looked away.

Her heart broke at the ashamed look on his face and she stopped, turning towards him. “You could show up in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and I wouldn't care.” She said softly, cupping his face in her hands, making him look at her. “I invited you because I wanted to dance with you, not because I wanted to see how you'd look in a stupid tuxedo.”

His eyes softened and he smirked. “You know that's part of it.” He teased lightly, flicking her nose.

She blushed. “Okay, so maybe I've been enjoying fantasizing about it. But I really wont care. I don't care what anyone else thinks. It has to be you, or I don't want to go at all.” She felt his finger under her chin and shyly looked up into his warm eyes. Her breath caught in her throat and she fisted her hands in his hair when he leaned down towards her, bringing his lips close to hers.

“I'll figure out something.” He promised, watching her eyes flutter closed and his smirk broadened. “For you.” He nipped her lips, then set her upright. She scowled and pouted a bit and he chucked her chin. “Your chariot awaits.” He gestured with his chin at the limo his brother was climbing from and chucked her chin lightly.

She glanced towards her keeper and saw him looking pointedly away, giving the illusion of privacy. She looked up at Inuyasha and crossed her arms. “I'm not leaving until I get a proper kiss.” She said firmly.

He started at her, stunned, then a broad grin turned up the corners of his lips. “Then maybe I shouldn't kiss you, because then you wont leave.” He teased. He saw her jaw gape and caught the nape of her neck, dragging her into an open-mouthed kiss, stunning the off-balance girl further. He studied her mouth with his tongue and grinned when her hands fisted in his shirt once again, and a raw whimper left her throat.

“Asshole!” She whispered fiercely when he finally released her so she could breath. She saw a warm smile on his lips and flushed. “Why do you always-”

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and caressed her cheek. “Go on, before my brother decides to come over here and impose his will on us.” He said, noting the way his brother was kind of looming beside the limo, obviously torn between being his brother and her keeper. When she lowered her face to hide a blush, he chucked her chin with his finger and smiled a smile that was just for her. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

She smiled, and walked towards the limousine, glancing back at him before she climbed in and Sesshoumaru ducked in behind her.

None of them noticed black eyes watching the scene, or felt the fury rolling off Onigumo Kuroshii upon discovering the girl he'd been trying to make his had been stolen when he wasn't watching, by his hanyou step-brother. He would have walked over and gutted him, but his father's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

“Let me the hell go.” Onigumo snarled in fury. “I'm going to kill him!”

Naraku watched the scene with undisguised interest. Then, a dark smile turned up his face. “There are better ways to destroy someone than murder. Ways that don't get you thrown in jail.”

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AN: Short chapter. Yeah, so short chapter again. Sorry it took me awhile. I've been working on chapters from a few other stories that need finished. Anyways, now everyone knows that she DIDN'T walk out and leave Inuyasha hanging. Ya'll know the drill: Love it, hate it, or think it's so sickeningly sweet you want to projectile vomit on the screen of your computer, let me know. C&C always welcome! Just click the little box at the bottom of your screen and drop me a line. Love, Peace, and donuts! DemonSaya