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"Hey, hon!"
"Hi. Sorry for calling so late." Her voice was soft, wavering through the receiver. Sango's brows scrunched together slightly as her smile quickly wilted away.
"What's wrong?"
"Can you come pick me up?" Kagome asked. There was a muffled sniffle, one Sango could tell was intentionally done away from the cell held in Kagome's palm.
"What happened?" She asked more directly, perking up straight in the padded kitchen chair she'd claimed. Inuyasha and Miroku slowly placed their cards facedown on the dining room table, their attention shifting fully to Sango's call, the half demon's lips slowly parting in what was simple to see was building concern. She stood from her seat and quickly headed to the opposite end of the living room for a smidge of privacy, keeping her back to the two men as if it were equivalent to a sturdy border. The silence on the line was clenching at Sango's chest, nervousness beginning to leak through as nothing continued to be said. "Kagome?"
"I'm at the bus stop on Ninety-fourth and Carlton."
"Kagome, what's going on?!" Sango urged, making sure to keep her tone hushed.
"I - I was - I was mugged." She answered. She almost seemed embarrassed.
"What? Are you okay!?"
"I'm fine." It was smooth. Convincing. "Can you please-"
"I'm on my way. Ninety-fourth and Carlton. I'll be there in five." Sango rushed over to the table, reaching over Miroku to grab her purse from the edge of the chair opposite him, plopping it down on the mess of cards along the tabletop. Kagome quietly thanked her and ended the call, and Sango was quick to drop her phone in the side pocket of her bag so she could utilize both hands in her search for her keys.
"Everything alright?" Miroku asked apprehensively.
She shook her head. "I've gotta go get Kagome."
"What happened?" Inuyasha spoke, his voice a touch more gruff than normal. As her brown eyes flickered over his way, she noticed the tension now riddling his hoody-clad shoulders. He's had a thing for her best friend ever since they first met. Though unspoken, she could see right through him from the start. She wanted to tell him. It was nice seeing a guy as edgy as him so soft for someone, no less her best friend, but knowing Kagome, she wouldn't want this sort of attention.
"Nothing." Sango cooly responded, giving another shake of her head and meeting his ember gaze, the jingle of her keys causing one of his ears to twitch as she finally pulled them out. "She's just had a really bad day and wants to spend the night to get her mind off things. Don't worry about it, kay?" She stepped toward him, bending at the waist to kiss her neighbor's cheek. "Thanks for having me over. I'll see you later."
"Wait. Babe." Miroku stood. Of course he'd know when she was lying. She turned around and gave him a warning glance, one that Inuyasha couldn't see, and he responded with a very small cock of his head, indigo eyes imploring for more.
"Everything's fine, I promise. She needs me, though, so I've gotta go. See you." She bounced to her tippy toes real quick to kiss him, then quickly curved around him to step out the door.
Kagome hunched forward on the uncomfortable, metal bench, her hands supporting her posture on the edge as she stared at the gum-littered cement beneath her black canvas shoes. Her setting was illuminated by the streetlight she sat beneath, a smooth sound provided by the tires of the cars passing by. She kicked aside a stray twig, dragged it back with the toe of her shoe, and then kicked it away again, attempting to keep herself busy enough to not stare at the phone in her lap. Bright headlights caught her attention for the umpteenth time since she'd hung up with her best friend, and Kagome shot her gaze toward the oncoming traffic. This time, though, a slowing vehicle drove outside the lines of the road, dipping into the curve created for the city bus just past where she sat and coming to a stop, hazards now flashing. Sango stepped out and threw the door shut, running over to Kagome just as she stood, and crushing her with a hug.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, thanks for coming." Kagome sighed, sinking into her arms.
Sango pulled away, holding her jaw and tilting her face up to the light to check her over. The poor thing had a busted, bottom lip, smudged blood marring a small portion of her chin from it, and her right cheek was angry and scraped. Her eyes were slightly puffy and red, as was the tip of her nose, and she was a little shaky against her touch. Again, she wrapped her arms around her neck, pulling her in for a suffocating hug.
"Are you sure?" Kagome nodded against her shoulder. Eventually allotting her some air, Sango loosened her grasp, guiding her away. "Come on, let's get you in the car."
As she dropped herself into the drivers seat after ushering Kagome into the passenger's, she locked the doors, looking over to her friend while she analyzed her condition in the sun visor mirror for probably the first time since the incident. A grimace made home on Kagome's face before she flinched from the way it affected her scabbing lip.
"Okay, what happened?"
Kagome was hesitant, softly rubbing at the redness on her cheek before gently placing the visor back along the hood of the car. Her dark eyes shifted down to her lap just as the inner lights dimmed off, then over to Sango.
"I don't really know what happened. I mean, I was mugged. He stole my purse." Kagome shrugged.
"And he hit you." It wasn't mentioned to be an ill-suited reminder, but as something she thought shouldn't be disregarded or shrugged off.
"Y-yeah. I stupidly tried to fight him off for my bag, so he threw me against the wall and slapped me a couple times."
"A couple times!? Kagome, your lip is bleeding!"
"No, really. Twice. He backhanded me, but I'm pretty sure he was wearing a ring."
Sango sighed, still stiff in her seat, turning her body to completely face her best friend. "Kagome, I need you to be absolutely honest with me. Are you sure you're okay? Do I - do I need to take you to the hospital?"
"I promise, I'm fine. That's all that happened." She assured her, turning almost as much to match her body language.
"Okay, what about the police? We need to file a report to catch this guy."
"Nah, it's not worth it. He wore a ski mask, so I wouldn't be able to give them anything other than he's tall and has a deep, burly man's voice."
"But your purse!"
"I'll replace my I.D., I'll see if I can shut down my debit card through the banking app as soon as I'm home, and he'll have successfully gotten away with a five dollar bill, a collection of old receipts, a whole bunch of loose change at the bottom of the bag, and my chapstick - which is oddly what I'm most upset about right about now."
"Here." Sango pulled her own purse from behind the passenger seat to the front, fishing out the Blistex from the inner pocket and handing it to her. "Keep it."
Kagome gratefully snatched the tube from her hand, once more yanking down the visor to utilize the mirror, guiding the chapstick carefully around the cut on her bottom lip. She couldn't fight off the habit of rubbing the moisture on her lips together, instantly regretting the action and wincing from the sting.
"Kagome, are you sure?" Sango tried again, leaning her head against the headrest.
"Yeah. It's too much trouble for what it's worth." She sighed, resting back in her seat after knocking the visor back up. "But - um -" Kagome pushed some rogue, raven strands of wavy hair behind her ear, glancing sheepishly at her best friend. "I don't really want to be alone tonight. Is it okay if I stay with you?"
"Girl, I didn't plan on taking you home in the first place." Sango smiled, pressing her hazards off and shifting her idle car into gear.
"Is Miroku over?"
Sango checked the oncoming traffic over her shoulder, waiting until it was safe and pulling out from the bus's curb. "We were actually at Inuyasha's playing poker when you called. He should have gone home by now."
"Oh no, do they know?" Kagome whined, sinking further down as if to hide from her own embarrassment.
"No, no, no. I swear, I didn't tell them anything."
"But they know something's up?"
"Well, yeah." She grimaced. "There was no way around that. But I told them you were just having an awful day and wanted a girl's night."
"And they fell for it?"
"Yup."
"Inuyasha fell for it?"
"Yup."
"Miroku fell for it?"
"Um - no. But he knows better than to pry. He'll be gone, Inuyasha won't even notice us roll up, and in no time at all you'll be sitting in front of the TV on the couch with an icepack in one hand and a margarita in the other." Sango flicked her blinker on, sparing a side glance at her friend as she waited for the light to change for the left turn lane. Kagome was staring down at her lap, sucking on her bottom lip as she nodded in acknowledgment. The red light switched down to green, and Sango took the turn slow, driving through the residential neighborhood until her apartment complex came into view, taking a right into the parking lot.
"Shit." Kagome groaned.
"Fuck." Sango hissed. Inuyasha leaned against the stucco wall outside his unit, arms crossed over his chest with a hardened expression. Right beside him was Miroku with his hands tucked into the pockets of his sweater, cautiously watching them pull into Sango's assigned parking spot.
Kagome felt her cheeks grow hot, brown eyes noticing Inuyasha kick off the wall, bouncing away from him, then right back to the half demon. Wash, rinse, and repeat until her friend pulled the keys from the ignition, bringing the soft rumble of the motor to a stop. She held them out for Kagome to take by the plastic of the car key, the pink puffball hanging down from a chain swinging back and forth until she dropped it in her hands. "Go ahead and go inside. I'll take care of them."
Without an ounce of hesitation, Sango threw her door open and slammed it behind her, jogging toward the two approaching men across the lot with her hands held out to stop them. "Wait, no. Give her some space, she's had a really rough night."
"What the hell happened?" Inuyasha demanded, hardly able to tear his ember eyes away from the girl keeping her head down as she exited the vehicle.
"Don't worry about it. What are you even doing out here?"
"Oh, because you didn't make it obvious at all that something bad had happened?" The half demon chided.
"Yes. Something bad happened, but it's over and things have calmed down. She doesn't necessarily want to be surrounded by people right now, though." Sango retorted.
"The more you push him away, the more he's gonna worry." Miroku plainly remarked.
"He has no reason to. Everything's fine now. Would you just-"
Inuyasha growled as he pushed passed Sango, his shoulder nudging her out of the way, deliberately crossing the lot to Kagome. There was a small yank at his sleeve before the fingers slipped their measly grip on him, along with a hissed version of his name, but it was easily in one ear and out the other. His goal was to get to Kagome, and he'd like to see anyone try and stop him. He didn't know why his adamance was so severe. All he knew was he didn't care how fine Sango insisted everything was. Unless he could see and hear from the person this centered around that everything was, in fact, dandy, then he wouldn't believe it.
Kagome had glanced over at him when she realized he was coming and stopped just in front of the hood of Sango's car, blinking shyly before ducking her head to the side again. Why did she keep doing that? She'd never been very bashful around him before. She was loud, and happy, and playful, and direct. Whenever she saw him coming, she'd usually go in straight for a hug. Now, she was holding herself, guarded, trying to smile it off while still staring away.
"Why can't he ever listen?" Sango huffed, only standing back because Miroku had physically stopped her from interfering.
"He saw through your lie before you even said it. Literally right after you left he called bullshit and went outside to wait."
"How could he tell?"
"Sango." Miroku deadpanned.
"You're almost as frustrating as he is, I swear."
"Look, he cares. Especially about her; you and I have both mentioned that he seems to be having a harder time keeping that a secret from everyone lately. He has weird ways of showing affection usually, but for once, this isn't one of them. Give him two minutes. She isn't pushing him away."
"That's not what matters right now!"
"Okay, so what is? Spill, because no one other than you knows what's going on. She didn't just have a "bad day," did she? Otherwise, I don't think you'd be making such a big deal out of this."
Sango sighed, shaking her head. "She was robbed and assaulted." She watched Miroku's defensive expression fall. "So, you can imagine she'd like an inkling of peace right now. She doesn't want everyone seeing her this way, it's humiliating."
"Hi." Kagome greeted feebly, glancing up at him as he neared. She couldn't help the nerves that were flaring, causing her to bob from one foot to the other and suck in her bottom lip once more, hanging her head slightly. She felt vulnerable, but at the same time, as he closed the distance between them and his presence washed over her, she began to feel inexplicably safe and warm. Inuyasha didn't say anything. For a small moment, he just stood before her. Then, he stepped in so their bodies were separated only by inches. In her peripherals, she noticed him lean forward, his head cocking to the side, short, silver strands sticking out in the stark contrast of the night.
"Hey," He whispered. It was more to grab her attention than to greet. Kagome spared him another small look before looking down at his shoes. Gentle fingers curled under her jaw, gliding along the soft flesh until he reached her chin, shocking her. She never jerked away, though. She'd flinched, but she didn't resist against his pull, tilting her head back so he could see her fully. "You don't have to hide from me."
Inuyasha knew he'd seen red on one cheek from her minor upward glimpses, but as the yellow lighting of a nearby lamppost illuminated her features, he realized it wasn't just the chill of the night that had her flushed. Kagome's brown eyes were wide, slightly afraid, watching him look her over, her plush lips parting slightly as he ran the pad of his thumb over the dried blood on her chin. There was some swelling near the cut, making her bottom lip appear pinker than it naturally was and attracting his thumb to curve up and drag over. Kagome's chin slightly wrinkled as it quivered, the corners of her mouth giving a tiny arch downward, and he could smell the fresh salt of tears brimming. It caused rage to bubble in his abdomen, seeing her this way. No one had the right to take her smile from her. No one had the right to hurt Kagome. Not with him around.
The bubbling was effervescent now, coursing through his bloodstream and making him want to snap, to break something, but he didn't want her seeing that sort of reaction. Not right now. Not after whatever the hell she'd been through, so he gritted his teeth, flexing his jaw muscles so he couldn't speak irrationally. Inuyasha grazed his thumb along her soft chin again in an attempt to calm her, giving it his all to soften the scowl he felt forming on his own face. When he felt as properly controlled as manageable, he sighed through his clenched throat, inching just a little closer to the girl.
"Who did this to you?" Inuyasha seethed.
Kagome's expression twisted sadly, the trembling in her chin and bottom lip bringing something to ache dully within his chest. She shook her head, looking down before shrugging her shoulders, and he tensed his fingers against her jaw so as not to allow her to completely turn away from him.
"I don't know. He came out of nowhere."
Crumbling quickly, he wrapped his arms around, pulling her into his chest, holding her tightly as she began to cry. Kagome clutched the back of his sweater; he could feel her fingers gripping the baggy cloth, and as he curled into her, stroking her hair, he caught the faint whiff of someone else. He held onto the scent, memorizing it to the best of his abilities.
"Are you alright?" He asked, tone husky and low.
She nodded into his sternum.
"I'm serious, Kagome," Inuyasha leaned back, taking her face in his hands and bending so he could look her in the eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay." She said brokenly, tears pooling at the tops of her cheeks. He wiped them away, running his fingers back through her hairline to push the dark strands to rest behind her ears.
"Does it hurt?"
"My lip does. A little."
"Let's get you some ice." Inuyasha tucked her back within his arms, positioning her at his side so they could walk towards Sango's apartment, her arms encircling his waist as she rested her head against his chest. Sango and Miroku met them at the door, and Kagome handed the keys over for her best friend to unlock the bolt and knob to let everyone in.
While Sango took Kagome to the bedroom to wash her face in the master bath and change, Inuyasha turned to Miroku, allowing the scowl he'd hidden to appear vividly. His friend passed on the story from Sango; what had happened to Kagome, what was taken, why she had marks. Inuyasha was furious, but he pressed his lips into a tight line to prevent himself from saying something loud or stupid, deciding instead to stomp his way over to the freezer to snag the icepack, wrapping it in a clean dishtowel from the cabinet nearby.
"You've seriously got nothing to say?" Miroku probed, cocking a brow.
"Nope."
"Nothing at all?"
"Shut up."
"Man," Sango's boyfriend nodded, impressed, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're really in deep here."
Inuyasha rolled his ember eyes, huffing out through his nose as he lolled his head to the side. "That's not even - would you just mind your fucking business? I'm trying to be nice. Like you're always telling me."
"Oh, but what's funny is I've never once had to tell you to be nice to Kagome."
"I think our definitions of funny are pretty different."
"I think you're gonna do something reckless tonight."
Inuyasha smirked, watching the girls reappear at the end of the hall, Kagome's hair now tied up in a messy bun. Loose strands waved around her face, framing her jaw perfectly, and she sauntered toward him in a pair of Sango's flannel bottoms and a tank top.
"For her," He rumbled softly so only Miroku would hear. "You fucking bet I am."
Kagome laughed into her blanket as Sango made an obnoxious joke about the romcom they watched, their pitcher of margarita on the coffee table running low and their glasses almost empty as well. As was natural for any other bad night, they'd ordered pizza, the pizza box sitting open next to it all with only three cold slices remaining. The boys had long been gone, and it was just the two of them enjoying a relaxing, unwinding, well-deserved girls night that had quickly made the stress of the evening immensely better for Kagome. Sango reached for a slice after finishing off her blended drink, nearly choking on her bite when a knock at the door startled them. They both glanced at their phones to check the time, bewildered expressions twisting their features when they saw it was just after three in the morning.
"Is it too soon to make a joke about being attacked in the middle of the night, because boy, I am not ready to die!"
Kagome giggled and tossed the closest throw pillow at her best friend, hitting her in the face. "I'm pretty sure if we were in any danger they wouldn't be knocking politely to square up."
"Then you answer the door!"
"Oh, no. If I'm wrong, I've taken enough hands for one night, thank you."
"Alright, if I die," Sango breathed, dropping her pizza back in the box and standing to make her way toward the entrance, wiggling her shoulders in preparation. "Tell Miroku he has a nice butt."
She peeked through the peephole, surprised when no one was in view, and then unlocked the door, cracking it open to peer out.
"Hey, Kagome." Sango called, a smile slowly growing on her face. "It's for you."
Kagome furrowed her brows in question, removing the quilt from her crossed legs and walking over. Her best friend opened the door wider and moved aside, a sly grin aimed her way. There was nobody there, so Kagome's brown eyes drifted to the floor, her heart giving a powerful sputter when she noticed her purse on the welcome mat, a red rose plucked at the head sitting on top of the hobo bag.
Crouching down, Kagome delicately picked up the rose, cradling it in one hand as she shifted through the open compartment of her purse with the other, shuffling through her belongings. As she pulled out her wallet, she flicked the buttoned tab open, folding it back to take a look inside.
"It's all here." She said, somewhat surprised.
"Gee, I wonder who could have possibly done this." Sango poorly acted aloof.
Kagome stood with her rescued bag in hand, stepping out to glance four doors down. The illuminated living room light was visible through his front window, and a rush of soothing warmth flooded her body, pooling in her cheeks.
"I'll - uh - be right back, okay?" She held her things out for Sango to take, not removing her eyes from the window lest they turn off. As the weight left her hands, all the while ignoring the taunting acknowledgement from her best friend, she bravely walked down the path, stopping just before the mahogany door.
It took a small moment to build the right amount of courage to knock, her heart pounding erratically, flutters tickling her tummy as she reached forward and rasped her knuckles against the wood. The wait was even worse. Then, the locks slid open loudly and she was looking at a slightly perplexed half demon in the doorway. His cheeks were briskly flushed, ember eyes shadowed from the night, short hair as ruffled and messy as usual.
And she couldn't hold back the smile, crooked at first as her grin grew.
Kagome looked him over. He was still donned in the same hoody, sleeves pulled up to his elbows, and the knuckles of his right hand red and scabbed. Nonchalantly, Inuyasha turned his palm upward, resting it on the doorframe so it was out of her view.
"What's up?" He asked huskily. He knew she hadn't been asleep, he could hear them giggling from outside. The last thing he'd expected, though, was for her to actually drop by this late at night.
"How'd you do it?"
"Hm?"
"My purse. How'd you get it back?"
Inuyasha smiled softly, giving two taps to the tip of his nose. "I've got a good sense of smell."
"I - I don't know how to thank you." Kagome felt something pulling her towards him, like a string attached to her finger was being yanked by an invisible force.
"Don't worry about it. It's not necessary, I didn't do it for glory or anything."
"But why did you do it? You could have gotten hurt."
"For you, dummy." Inuyasha quickly and boldly stated. "I wasn't about to let some creep get away with what he did to you. I'd rather rot in hell than see -" He stopped. Stiffened. The remainder of his sentence fizzled away on his tongue as he realized she was blushing, lips slightly parted and dark eyes glistening in the dim lighting that flooded out from his living room lamp. The cut on her lip was scabbed, and stretched from the seal to just below where the pink tint ended, a dark shade outlining the small wound, only making him want to run his finger over it all the more. As if the pad of his thumb could take the evidence of it all away.
"Than see..." Kagome gently pushed him to finish.
"Than see you cry." Inuyasha meagerly admitted.
She sucked in her bottom lip and he didn't hesitate to curl his fingers around her chin, softly rubbing the base of her mouth. "Don't do that. You'll make it worse." And as she complied, he dropped his hand.
"And the rose?" Kagome asked, pushing some hair behind her ear. The half demon scrunched his nose, looking off to the side.
"I just wanted to make you feel better."
"You did. Hours ago. Inuyasha, you sat beside me and willingly held the icepack to my face for fifteen minutes. And you didn't even seem remotely bothered by it. Everything kind of went away while you were there."
"I'd do it again." His voice came out low, gruff.
"I'd do it for you, too." Kagome reached for his right palm, bringing his reddened knuckles to her lips. "Thank you."
Inuyasha softened. Her touch always did something to him, but tonight was so much more. Slowly, but before she could let him go, he folded his fingers over hers, pulling her just a smidge closer so he could kiss her forehead.
"Go back inside, Kagome." He whispered against her skin. As she stepped away to leave, he leaned his shoulder against the doorframe. She turned back to look at him twice; once when she was midway, and again just before she fully entered Sango's apartment. When the door was shut and he knew she was safe, Inuyasha smiled, raking his fingers through his hair before stepping inside, himself.