This chapter is accompanied by, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero's "Home".

AN: THANK YOU ALL FOR THE FANTASTIC REVIEWS! You all know how to make the aftermath of holidays feel nice and cozy.

RiceBallMaker94: Well, I added a little something in here for you. I think that it worked out pretty well. InuYasha and Kagome always make my heart burst, so hopefully you'll be happy with this chapter, too! :3

MissieMae: Yes ma'am! And no worries. It's amazing I had time to do anything over the holidays this year. I had that overcrowded awkward Thanksgiving experience at my in-laws (still not comfortable after all this time). And thank you a zillion times. I'm glad you liked it. This is the beginning of the party aftermath, so there's some goodies in here. Haha.

Andrea: Thank you for the review! Haha, I love Koga. I haven't used him too much in this piece, but I think he's going to show up a little more in some unexpected places. Kukuku.

LovesDepp: Thanks. I went back and read through the chapter and it cracked me up. I have no idea where it came from, honestly. Lol.

ninjamidori: Any kind of family gathering or party is more interesting and awkward than it should be. Haha. I know right? Don't die! I love you.

CityOfFallenAshes: Thanks hon! I think it's one of my favorite lines in this story. XD

Say0mi-Saki: You're always such a sweetheart. Thank you. Kagome's mom is written in the image of one of my friend's mothers growing up. I always felt bad when I came to her holiday functions as relief, and left shortly after. x.x I hope Kikyo grows on you in this chapter. She's a bad girl, though. ;D

Warm-Amber92: Kagome's family is a combination of mine and my husband's family, for the most part. A little sprinkle of my friend's passive aggressive mom and viola! Thank you. I was worried it wasn't going to translate well. I hope you like this one!

ONWARD.

` Jiru `

Huffing and puffing seemed to get Koga inside the house, leaving Kikyo to be scolded by her mother. It was an injurious interlude to an already awkward evening. To her dismay, she dug a hole in her mother's purse for the cigarette she kept hidden - it was probably stale as two week old bread. Yet, the stoic woman couldn't bare to deal with her sister's reaction and fled into the cold.

Leaning against the side of the house, she lolled her head against the weathered siding offsetting it with the darkness of her hair. She was humbled by the sweetness in the air and chill that nipped at her nose. There was something about gatherings that she disliked. It may have been the attention, the competition for privacy, or being forced into a situation, she, herself, wasn't quite comfortable with.

Still, as she inhaled that first stagnant plume of menthol, she shuddered. There were few things to make her pick up a cigarette, and her mother happened to be the number one cause. With a sigh, she brushed her hands over the silk of her kimono as she found InuYasha fleeing, as well. He packed his cigarettes in oblivion, eyes closed to the dimming evening and burned brightly beneath the flood-light.

Kikyo's heart tugged for him and she frowned blantantly as their eyes met. He seemed stiff, confused, almost upset. Straightening herself, Kikyo extended the lighter in her hands. "Needed a break?" She asked, barely brushing fingers with the man. There was no electrical current pulsing through her when they touched, or anything exburant for that matter, just skin on skin.

It took InuYasha moment as he hunkered in his coat, lighting his cigarette, to notice Kikyo was also damaging her lungs. "Do you even smoke?" He asked with a quirked brow.

Kikyo's eyes lit up and a smile tugged at her lips, "No. Mama does this to me, and that thing she made me apologize to." She trailed, biting her lip - a famed Higurashi habit - and looked at him hesitantly, "No hard feelings, right?"

InuYasha choked, wiping a hand down his face as he stared at her incredulously. "What the hell? Are you being serious right now?"

"How many years ago was it, InuYasha? You tell me that." Kikyo said, pointing her cigarette at him calmly. She obviously didn't understand how bitter he had been, it seemed.

"Several, I don't know." He shrugged in response.

"Why waste the energy when you have someone in there that loves you and the ground you walk on? You can't have hang-ups and love her, too." Kikyo exhaled a ghostly plume of smoke into the night air and flicked her cigarette away.

"I really don't need you to give me your insight on this. It's going to take some time, Kikyo."

"How much more time do you need? You've loved her for as long as I can remember. I couldn't help falling out of love with you. It just happened that way. I'm the past, and you need to let that go. Kagome's the future. Moving on, you know? Well, to put it bluntly, I love her, and I want her to have happiness and it's unfair to her to be put this situation."

Wordlessly, InuYasha clenched his jaw, flicking his cigarette across the flagstones. A heavy, damp hand slid through his gossamer hair as the wind kicked up. Kikyo shed an apologetic smile and reached across the distance between them. Her small fingers clenched his shoulder in reassurance.

Taking a deep breath, she placed the lightest of pecks along his cheek. "You turned out to be a pretty decent person, you know that? Thank you for watching over her and making sure she was happy." She said in a hum, patting his back as she slinked back into the house.

Looking over his shoulder, he watched her hide behind the heavy door as it closed. That hadn't been what he expected, but it resolved he deadend feelings that weren't quite at rest. He couldn't begrudge her forever for her feelings, and let the breeze cool his feverish skin. Ever since Koga had arrived, it had been sheer madness.

Kagome had hidden upstairs in her old room, huffing and puffing like an oversized drunk child. He'd barely even been able to make out anything she had said. She'd been crying, sniveling and screaming into pillows among other things. Licking his chapped lips, InuYasha found it in himself to go back into the dizzing, vertigo-inducing, ladder of insolence.

It almost made his palms itch trying to wrap his hand around the knob. It was like a sweaty, glistening circle of evil just waiting for him to bite. How he abhorred family gatherings; birthdays, holidays and the like.

When he parted it, he found all of the party members stilled by the creak. Every glassy, beady eye struck him like he was being stoned. They all gathered around the tables, drinking their wine and shots, as he was welcomed by a putrid warmth that made his stomach knot. Could today have been any worse?

First and foremost, Koga raised his glass to him with a rugged grin. "Nice to see you came back for dinner." He said briskly, finding humor in his own sarcasm. Ume rolled her eyes and patted the man's back like a child, whispering some nonsense in his ear.

Kikyo looked about dead as she stabbed a grapefruit over the sink. She really didn't like being there that much was an understatement. Sango and Miroku were drunkenly telling stories about their jobs, every now and then looking towards the man with sympathy.

The other middle-age patrons seemed to be less than impressed with his presence; seeing as he had taken a swing at Koga the moment he walked in the door. Kagome hadn't wanted any part of it, and it seemed like this whole fiasco was about to go berserk if he didn't stop the pressure building in his head.

It was like the room was buzzing every one of thier voices and the lights seared white holes into his eyes. Was he having a panic attack? He pulled at the collar of his shirt as he looked around. He was about to lose it when Ume snapped her fingers, drawing his attention away from the one dusty spot in the house - which was near the foyer. "Excuse me, InuYasha, could you go and see if Kagome is ever going to stop being a baby about this and come down?"

Blinking, he shook his head, "Um, yeah... I'll be right back." He muttered, finding relief washing all over him. In a moment, he had cleared the handful of steps separating him from the salvation of the split-level house. He could barely contain the shivering on his skin as he leaned against the cold-oak door and rested his temple along side it. His hand gripped the handle in the darkness of the musty hallway and he breathed.

Quitely, he rapped his knuckles along the side of the door until he heard Kagome's hoarse voice trickle from the other side. She sounded tired, exhausted emotionally... Outwardly frowning, he cleared his throat, "It's me, let me in. I'll climb through the window if you don't, so just make it easy on me."

Kagome raised up from her perch on the bed and shucked her television remote across the room. She wasn't in the mood to see him, either. Everyone made such a terribly huge ordeal over these things and it was never worth it to be subjected to the subset of their ideals.

With a sigh, the girl brushed a hand through her pillow-raped hair and parted the door. The smell of his cologne hit her first and she recoiled internally. Her eyes fell closed as she wrapped her fingers around in his coat as she pulled him into the room.

InuYasha man stiffened, feeling her mouth voraciously search for his. It hadn't been what was expecting, but obviously any other thought had gone out the window. Frantically, Kagome's hands dragged along his chest, fighting with the buttons of his shirt.

It was comletely blind. She needed this. She needed him. Each searching finger scraped against his smooth folds of his skin as she violently jerked at the fabric. InuYasha was equally as struck, bewitched by the grit of her teeth nipping at his collar. His own palms found the hem of her skirt, fumbling so carelessly with her undergarments. It didn't matter if they were on or off, pushed down or torn...

"Take them off." Kagome breathed into him, pressing her body against him. She could feel him through the coarse denim and shuddered as her flush became more prevailent. He nodded in response, fumbling with the nosy buckle of his belt. He hadn't had time to think before she danced her way to the wall. He pressed against her, feeling her breasts heave into his own chest.

There wasn't much to think of, as he scrambled to lift her up. Pressing his forehead against hers, InuYasha found her bottom as she jumped at the contact. Her long legs wrapped around his waist as he pushed into her folds. She lolled her head back, jostling with the motion of his body in hers. She wanted to cry out, and would have if his heavy hand had not provided its assistance.

Her teeth bit down as his warm mouth climbed the tower of her throat. She could feel the coolness of his hair soothing the aching heat that permeated through her pores. He was visceral, almost too aggressive. It was her fault. She had done this and needed to feel the distance between closed. Closing her eyes, she merely felt his body churn with each thrust into her, absolving that want with another.

Why was this craving so strong? She had yearned for him all day and to have this unjust environment to share it in was almost upsetting. She couldn't cry like she wanted, call out his name... There were few things that she wanted more.

Winding her fingers into his hair, she clenched her teeth and hissed at the feeling of his hips puncturing her. He mouthed her name almost soundlessly, easing the silence into a breathless serenade. Kagome frantically flailed her legs and tighened around his slender waist. Leaning into the strength of his chest, she clenched around him as he foolishly warmed the inside of her body.

Each shaking limb too them to the ground, and each breathe rattled their empty lungs. Kagome wrapped her arms around him, holding his head against her chest. Silently, he moved the askew sleeve back into place and drew circles on the bridge of her spine.

The room was placid, dark with the blanket of nightfall outside. They were all talking loudly and jovially downstairs, and he could feel the unrest in his bones. Kagome nuzzled him, fighting another wave of tears. These days were so emotionally draining. For whatever reason she had, she bristled and cleaned herself off with his forgotten boxers and just rested.

There were millions of things that could have been said, or done different, but the man merely soothed her the best he could. He cradled her and placed a few soft markings along her ear, her collar, shoulder... whatever wasn't strenuous to touch.

Reaching over to her bed, he pulled off the disheveled blanket and haphazardly laced in around her small frame. Her room still held a draught, which he wasn't surprised was never fixed. "Are you alright?" He rumbled quietly, cautiously.

Kagome's body moved against his absently. The back of her hand was covered by black smears of make-up that was labeled as "waterproof". "I guess. I really just want to go home and make some dinner and do something else." She sighed, trying her best not to snivel.

InuYasha glanced over his shoulder to the window and fumbled for his coat. The girl whined in the absence of his warmth and watched sourly as the man dressed. For something so new to her, she could still feel the sting of remorse him being in clothing, right?

Nimbly, his moved the window open and felt the wind zip in. He leaned out, looking down at the distance and found the old workbench was moved close to the house. Kagome followed, knitting her brows together as she stared at the glum looking ground. "You can't really seriously be thinking about this."

"Well, you want to go home don't you?" He smirked crookedly, slinging a leg over the lip of the sill.

"Yes, but I don't want you to die trying to get me there." Kagome retorted, flailing an arm as she straightened out her wrinkled and balled up dress.

"I won't die. Jesus, Kagome..." InuYasha grumbled, rolling his eyes as he carefully slid outside.

Nervously, he let his legs slide down the side of the house as he held onto the sill. His fingers were pinched by warped metal and he let go, hitting the work bench awkwardly. He hissed to himself at the sharp pain shooting in his ankles, but held his arms out for Kagome to follow.

With a wave of his hand, he motioned for her and she hestiated. Kagome took a few short glances over her shoulder before finally caving. Hanging her legs over the edge, she held her breath as she let go, finding falling to be a little more then nauseating. She'd pinched her eyes shut until she felt InuYasha's bony fingers jam into her arm pits.

It took all she had not to yelp and bit down on her lip instead. Their clattering was sure to make someone miss them, she seethed as she rubbed her sore underarms. It had only been a handful of feet, but it still hurt like hell.

Her poor feet were freezing and each bone in her toes felt like a cinderblock had been dropped on them with an equally brunt force. InuYasha winced at the girl and pulled his hair tye off with his teeth as he fixed his frazzled hair. "Is it sad that we just jumped out of a window to get out of there?" InuYasha asked almost playfully.

Had Kagome not been so disparraged by the cold, she probably would have been more excited. "At least one of us didn't have to pretend we had food poisoning. Onset would have been unorthodoxed, at best."

Rolling his eyes, he removed his coat and extending it to the girl. She looked surprised, but daintly took it and wrapped it around her small frame. Standing beneath the humming flood light, they looked around at the grounds, deciding to just go for it. Why the hell not?

It took some dance-like manuevering to make it over the needled flagstone - complimentary pinecones, pebbles, and fall trappings included.

InuYasha held her hand through most of the journey down the stairway, somewhat content at their escape route. Kagome kept scrunching up her nose, grimacing at the daunting, knee-grating prospect of those stairs. The street was only a few steps away and she couldn't wait to feel the smooth pavement of the sidewalk.

The wind kicked up, blanching them with the thinnest of cool breaths and she shuddered. "I'm fucking cold. I'm fucking hungry and still a little drunk." Kagome sniffed, trying to remotely be presentable.

InuYasha quirked a brow, seemlessly picking her up and swung her down to him on the pavement. The house seemed far less daunting, seemingly innocent from the street. A few cars breezed by and left them washed with the damp spray on the roadway.

"Can we go home, now?" Kagome figeted, holding her hair against her shoulders. InuYasha's differential eyes fell on her hopelessly and he grinned at the tiny fingers poking out of his jacket sleeve.

"Well, hop on. I don't want you walking home." InuYasha yawned, kneeling down for the girl to climb on. She stood in terror at the suggestion, but aquiested upon seeing the no-nonsense expression he gave her.

Adjusting to the warmth of his back, Kagome's arms laced around his neck as her legs lazily draped around him. She hadn't thought about the way they hung abou him earlier, and just indulged in the quiet cries of the city in the distance. She was tired, sore-eyed and so very humbled.

He smelled cozy to her and she played the loose hair near his temples, pushing it back behind his ears. She'd finally taken liberity in closing her eyes, breathing in the jarring cold air into her nose when he leaned his head back into her. "I love you, you know that?" InuYasha rasped softly, eyes still focused on whatever boring part of the city decided to light up.

Kagome felt her cheeks darkened, furiously escalating her heart into a palpitation; couldn't she have just gone home without hearing that? Adjusting was going to be difficult. The bones in her body were stiff. Was she supposed to respond? He already knew how she felt.

Before she had time to answer, the fastidious clatter of geta scraping against the pavement made her turn her head, and her vessal stop completely. A little ways behind them, Kikyo came barreling through the dim, murky light from the street lamps. Her kimono swished and her hair flew around her. She waved a hand in front of her neck, shaking her head as she hurdled towards her sister and ex-lover.

Kagome furrowed her brows when Kikyo's cold hand grabbed at her arm, as her body was still fully expunged of air. Leaning over, the woman caught her breath and swallowed a few times. InuYasha rolled his eyes, "Are you going to die?"

"No. No. I don't think so if I stay out of the house. I accidentally, um, how should I put this..." Kikyo raised up, cupping her mouth studiously as Kagome plucked a few leaves from the darkness of her hair. "I accidentally..." She paused, making that particular face where one tries to really decide if saying something aloud is the best option. "

"You accidentally what?" Her sister asked, still attached to InuYasha like a leech.

Kikyo rolled her eyes and motioned for them to walk. Leaning closer to her sister, she cupped her ear. Kagome immediately made a disgusted face and stifled a laugh. "Ew! You slept with Koga?"

"Kagome! Seriously! Eh!" Kikyo flailed, "Tradesies is wrong. I feel so gross. You can have him." She pointed to InuYasha, garnering more than a few amused expressions. "Havesies is fine. Just, can I spend the night with you so I don't have to go back in there? I really don't, um, want to look at anyone's face right now."

InuYasha shrugged his shoulder. "I don't know..." He sucked in a sigh through his teeth as the woman's expression flat-lined.

"I'll buy dinner."

"Done." The man said, feeling Kagome's fingers pinch the back of his neck.

"You don't have to barter for her to stay." She popped.

"Yeah, well, I'm not sleeping with her, so I gotta get something out of it." InuYasha remarked nonchalantly, leaving the sisters dumbstruck by his so eloquent prowess. Kikyo pressed her fingers into her temples, and followed behind, arms laced over her chest.

There were a lot of things wrong with the evening, but this would be better than any of the goings on at her mother's. And, in a way, it made her content to see her sibling smiling, laughing anything that made her forget all of her misery. InuYasha had always been Kagome's answer.