Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.

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Nominated for Best One-shot & Best Lemon, Feudal Association, 3rd Quarter 2011
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~ Teahouse of the Rising Sun ~

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"It's coming your way, Inuyasha!" Miroku shouted in eager warning, smiling as he saw his demonic friend ready his sword.

"Kaze no Kizu!" the hanyou bellowed, smiling as the misshapen youkai monster that had been heading right for him took a direct hit, disintegrating into nothingness.

"Keh, thought you said this one was gonna be more of a challenge." Inuyasha jested with a smirk in Miroku's direction as he sheathed his sword, the unmistakable sound of cheering bystanders reaching his ears as he glanced back towards the townspeople that had hired them to take care of their youkai problem.

Inuyasha and Miroku were freelance youkai exterminators for hire. The official youkai slayers of the region, the taijiya, knew of them but usually left them alone. Honestly, Inuyasha wouldn't mind joining forces with the taijiya, though it seemed that particular partnership wasn't meant to be. They'd met with the headman once, and he had immediately been impressed by his daughter, a skilled fighter whose most trusted companion in battle was a nekomata, so the slayers definitely didn't have anything against him or his youkai blood, knowing he was one of the 'good' youkai of the world. No, it wasn't because of him that the taijiya weren't interested in an alliance, it was because of Miroku, or more specifically, what Miroku had done to the headman's daughter. He hadn't deflowered the girl or anything overly dramatic like that, Sango would have kicked his ass if he'd tried it; Inuyasha snorted at the thought. No, what Miroku had done was much less serious, a simple groping, as per his style, but Sango's father had taken even less kindly to the monk's indecency than the girl herself, who had given Miroku a nasty red hand print for his actions. That had promptly ended all negotiations as far as Miroku and Inuyasha becoming extended members of the taijiya community. On the rare occasion that their paths crossed while seeking the next extermination job Miroku would lay it on thick, begging for Sango's forgiveness and for a second chance, but the female slayer wasn't fooled by his act and always went on her merry way after a casual greeting in Inuyasha's direction.

Despite making a complete and total fool of himself to grovel so overdramatically to a woman, Inuyasha thought it unquestionably noble how Miroku never tried to steal business from the taijiya as payback for Sango's consistent refusals, never deliberately underbidding them to steal a job away; he knew the taijiya village supported itself on the backs of its warriors, and he wouldn't take food out of anyone's mouth. That was one thing that Inuyasha could say about his friend. Even though Miroku was a terminal pervert, at heart he truly was a decent guy with a decent set of morals. There were several different types of youkai problems in the world, after all, so Miroku left the larger, infestation-type of issues to the people who truly were the best equipped to handle such things. He and Inuyasha could easily take out a single, large foe, so he primarily stuck to possessions, something the taijiya couldn't deal with anyway, at least not without a spiritualist among them. He would force the youkai out of hiding with his ofuda, and once it was exposed, Inuyasha would finish it off. It was the perfect partnership.

Sighing as he kept his pace a few steps behind Miroku as they both approached the town leader to receive payment for a job well done, Inuyasha couldn't help the melancholy smile that graced his features. He still remembered with crystal clarity the day he had met Miroku. It had been both the happiest and saddest time of his life.

Twelve Years Earlier…

Izayoi ran as fast as her legs would carry her, ignoring the stabbing pain of the cold against her exposed calves as she prayed for a miracle to save her precious child. Gasping for breath as her congested lungs threatened to cut off her air supply, she cursed the tightness of her chest as she cradled her crying five-year-old hanyou son to her midsection, his tiny arms and legs locked around her body with a strength she needn't fear would weaken as she fled from the oni chasing her and her precious baby through a heavy patch of wintry forest.

Her father had protected them in the beginning. He didn't have to, but it had been his choice, as head of the household, that when she had discovered she was pregnant and confessed with fear of punishment of death that her lover was not human, he had decided to spare her life. At the price of his family's honor, he had announced to his wife and their other children that she and her hanyou child would remain welcome within his walls. Her father had been a kind man. Her mother and younger siblings were grateful that she had been spared, and her hanyou baby had been accepted among them as well as he could be. They would not directly help her with his care, but neither were they cruel to him. For over four years she lived at home happily, teaching Inuyasha why he was different, and why it made him special. Upon her father's death, however, her uncle saw things differently when he came in to take his widowed sister and her children back to live with him. With no hint of remorse or regret, she and her half-breed child had been excommunicated from the family, and by default from her entire village. Her father had died in a fight over her, with another villager after a night of drinking; it was secret to no one what she had done and what her child was. Nobody would take pity upon her, and she was cast into exile. Guilt ridden that she had ultimately been responsible for her father's death Izayoi hadn't even tried to argue, leaving with Inuyasha and whatever few treasures her mother had managed to give her in secret, along with her son's own possessions which had been gifted to her by her youkai lover once he had discovered she was carrying his child.

Wearing the robe of the fire-rat in that moment was protecting most of her body from the cold, though her legs were throbbing as she continued to scratch them against the bushes as she ran, the skirt of her yukata hiked up to allow her the mobility needed to escape. The oni was gaining on her. She never should have approached that cave.

At first Izayoi had tried to seek out her canine lover, the great Inu no Taisho, spending months searching what she knew to be his territory, but she never found him, and she knew not what had become of him. He had told her during their last encounter that he had to face off against a powerful dragon that was threatening their entire region; she feared he had not made it out of that battle with his life. She feared for her own life in that moment, for more than one reason, but only because her death would mean Inuyasha's death as well. She had to protect her child, no matter the cost. Weaving through the trees, she hoped to use agility to gain distance between herself and the lumbering monster crashing through the forest after her and her son. In the back of her mind a part of her knew her time was limited, anyway, as another coughing fit seized her lungs; a part of her was morbidly amazed that she hadn't collapsed yet, but the quiet whimpering of the boy clinging to her middle was a steady reminder of why failure was not an option. She couldn't leave Inuyasha all alone, but more than that, she couldn't let it end this way, at the hands of that oni.

Unable to stay in the Inu no Taisho's region forever, she had finally been forced to move on, hoping to make it to another village before winter began. She had made it to the other village, but she had been unable to keep Inuyasha a secret for long, and they were immediately cast back out into the cold. She had felt it when her sickness had set in, and in a desperate attempt to find cover once the snows had started falling, she'd headed towards the base of the mountains, seeking the shelter of a cave…

"Prepare to die, bitch!" the oni taunted, closing the gap between them and raising his massive right hand to deliver a deathblow.

"No!" young Inuyasha shouted suddenly, wide eyes peaking up above his mother's shoulder to stare in horror at the ugly monster about to take a swipe at them.

But as the oni's claws descended, a surprising thing happened. Tetsusaiga, the sword Inuyasha's mother had told him was for him one day, a gift from his father, which was currently strapped across his mother's back, glowed brightly as a barrier came to life around them, deflecting the oni's attack.

Repelled but uninjured, the oni only grew angrier. This human bitch and her mongrel brat had dared to seek shelter on his mountain.

But the oni never got a second chance to attack. Seeing his one opportunity as the oni was temporarily distracted in his confusion and rage, something inside Inuyasha's mind clicked into place in that moment, and ignoring his mother's surprised gasp he launched himself from her embrace, leaping over her shoulder to land facing off against the oni.

"Sankon Tessou!" he shouted as he swiped his own claws, knowing not where the words had come from.

The Inu no Taisho had told Izayoi that their child would possess the instincts of his youkai half, though they would be suppressed at times by his humanity. But in spirit Inuyasha was still an inu-youkai, and no inu-youkai could just sit back and watch someone they loved come under attack when they felt the power boil up within themselves to do something about it. The oni barely had time to cry out in a combination of surprise and pain as powerful blades of youki tore through his flesh. One blade managed to slice his throat, and while not powerful enough to actually sever his head from his body, the way the oni reached up with both hands to clasp at his throat as he tried to gasp, dark, thick blood oozing out between his fingers as his body collasped to the ground, told Inuyasha that his mother was safe.

That was, until she suddenly collapsed behind him, her overexerted body giving out in her relief.

"Mother!" he cried, spinning around to run to where she was.

"My brave little boy…you're not a baby any longer, are you…?" she murmured in praise, running the backs of her fingers against his cheek before a powerful cough tore through her lungs.

Inuyasha's ears flattened back against his head. He knew his mother was sick, but he didn't have any medicine to give to her. Tightening his father's robe around her body more snuggly, he prayed for the power of the fire-rat to protect her weakened body from the cold. He could feel the cold himself, as he crouched in the thick snow dressed only in a simple cotton jinbei, but he didn't care. It didn't affect him like it did his mother. She was human.

Desperate to do something, caught between wanting to go find help for his mother and being afraid to leave her side, Inuyasha almost missed it when the rapid crunch of footsteps in the underbrush started getting louder. Somebody was heading in their direction, and quickly.

"My my…I wondered what all the yelling and screaming was about." a seemingly human man said with a jolly expression as he looked over Inuyasha's work, the recently deceased oni lying only a few feet away, as the man then gazed directly into Inuyasha's eyes with a knowing smile and nod of complement.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Inuyasha growled threateningly, standing over his mother's body in a protective stance. The man only laughed, the sound unthreatening.

"You needn't fear me, boy. My name is Hachi, and I mean you and your mother no harm." His eyes softened as he locked his gaze with Izayoi's worried orbs. "Come, my Master Mushin's temple is not far from here. You will find shelter there."

"A temple?" Izayoi wheezed. "Surely you jest, we would not be welcome at such a place. We would be lucky if we were not executed on sight."

Inuyasha huddled closer to his mother at her words, as Izayoi pulled herself up into a sitting position, ignoring the pain lacing through her body as she held Inuyasha tightly in her lap.

Hachi waved his hand dismissively at her concern. "Nonsense…" he assured her pleasantly. "As a Buddhist monk, Master Mushin values all forms of life, be they youkai or human, it makes no difference."

"Is that so?" she asked, still disbelieving though a part of her was desperately hoping his words were true. She needed to know Inuyasha would be safe.

Speaking of the little hanyou, his nose was twitching a mile a minute when the breeze shifted, directing Hachi's scent to his nose.

"What are you?" he murmured in curiosity, his surprising words catching Izayoi off guard as she first glanced down at her son staring up at the man in wonder but no fear, before then raising her eyes back up to meet the stranger's gaze herself.

Smiling wider, Hachi reached up to the top of his head, seemingly plucking something from his hair that she could not see, though in that moment she wasn't sure if she could trust her eyes as with a sudden pop of energy the friendly man standing before them was no longer a man at all.

"You're a tanuki!" she breathed out in relief, knowing they were saved.

"Come, Master Mushin does not live far from here…" Hachi beseeched as he transformed into what Inuyasha mused looked like a giant tail. "Plus," he added as Izayoi and Inuyasha climbed onto his back, his elongated body lifting into the air to begin their flight, "I know someone else who I bet will be happy to meet your son." he commented to the human woman.

Izayoi was curious over Hachi's words, though she felt no malice from the youkai and did not regret her decision to trust him.

Arriving at Mushin's temple, they were accosted by the eager ramblings of a seven-year-old boy asking frantically where Hachi had gone off too. Upon discovering his friend's cargo, he ran screaming for Mushin who immediately ambled outside to see what all the commotion was about. Izayoi was rushed inside and immediately given a dry change of clothing and a hot bowl of soup, while Inuyasha found himself bombarded by question after eager question by the young monk-in-training who not only didn't hate or fear him for his youkai blood, but thought he was fascinating, wanting to learn everything about him.

"My name's Miroku, by the way." he said after a moment, belatedly realizing he was being rude.

"Inuyasha…" the hanyou replied with a hesitant smile.

"Inuyasha," Miroku repeated with a huge grin, wrapping his arm around the younger boy's shoulders, "You are officially my new best friend."

Inuyasha's smile widened.

End Flashback

Inuyasha sighed again as his thoughts continued to wander, only half listening to whatever Miroku and the headman were discussing. His mother hadn't lasted a full moon cycle after finding shelter at Mushin's temple. Whatever sickness had gotten a hold of her had refused to let go, and she had known she was dying, making him promise to be brave and stay strong when she left him. As a final gift to him, with the aid of some supplies provided by Mushin, Izayoi had taken the fire-rat robe given to her by the Inu no Taisho, cutting the fabric with blessed sheers that could penetrate the cloth in order to sew Inuyasha a protective outfit from it. Ordinarily any damage done to the robe would repair itself, but she had believed that whatever magics existed in such things would understand her purpose, and allow the robe to remain the new, smaller robe and separate hakama she had constructed. She knew the youki of the fur would merge with Inuyasha's own aura in time, allowing the garment to grow as he grew. In that way, she would always protect him. Glancing down over himself in that moment, Inuyasha smiled wistfully at the sight of his sleeves flapping in the breeze, the fire-rat indeed having grown with him to remain the outfit he still wore even do that day. Looking back on it, Inuyasha knew his mother would have died with or without finding sanctuary at Mushin's temple, so it brought him a sense of peace to at least know that she had gone in peace, knowing her son would be protected in her absence, in more ways than one.

Mushin had kept his word, a promise given to a dying mother, that he would look after her son. Inuyasha and Miroku had been raised as brothers, the human boy's own father having perished in a fight with a youkai. Miroku had already been studying under Mushin, who had been his own father's teacher before him, but upon his father's death instead of turning bitter against all youkai he had merely vowed to become a more powerful monk than his father had been, learning to hone his powers to a level Mushin constantly praised. Even Inuyasha had to admit, in all their travels and everything he'd seen, Miroku was definitely a very powerful monk, not that he wasn't without his own incredible power. Myouga, a flea-youkai servant of his father's, came by to check on him from time to time, telling him things about his father, about his heritage and his youkai powers. Inuyasha had originally met Myouga back when he'd still been living with his human family, but the flea usually only came by once or twice a year to check in, so he hadn't seen him at all during his exile with his mother in the wild, Myouga not making his next appearance until after his mother had died, at Mushin's temple. Feeling horrible for everything his young master had had to go through, the flea had hated being the bearer of bad news though he'd still been honest in telling the boy that his mother had been right in her fears; his father, too, was dead. But there had been a silver lining, introducing Inuyasha to Totosai, the sword smith who'd created Tetsusaiga. The inu-hanyou hadn't known much of anything about his sword, at first, but now he knew what all it could do, and what all he was capable of without it. He was humbled at times that a man like Miroku would be his friend, knowing all that he was capable of, the amount of pain and suffering he could cause if he so chose, but he imagined that Hachi had a lot to do with it, the illusive ol' tanuki being a long-time companion of Mushin's. How that relationship had developed, Inuyasha didn't have a clue, but he did know that Miroku's father had been raised to not automatically hate all youkai, and like his father before him, Miroku judged each person based on the good or bad in their hearts, rather than the content of their blood or appearance of their body.

Though that wasn't to say that the appearance of some people's bodies didn't hold direct influence over his decisions. Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the thought. Miroku still went on about it at times, how Sango was the one true love of his life, though that didn't seem to stop the womanizer from chasing after any pretty little thing at whatever town or village they stopped at, and this place was no exception. As they collected their payment for taking care of the youkai, some rice and sake that Inuyasha planned on taking back to Mushin as well as a few coins that would certainly come in handy at some point down the road, the hanyou couldn't help overhearing one of the locals also extending invitation to both himself and Miroku to visit the local teahouse.

He sighed in exasperation at Miroku's eager expression once the two of them were alone, heading to their room for the night, courtesy of the town's Innkeeper. If Miroku had his way, their room at the Inn would go unused.

"Forget it, monk."

"Why, Inuyasha, it is merely a simple ochaya, and we have been personally invited to attend by the owner of the establishment himself. How can you find it in your heart to say no to such an offer?"

"Like this, 'no'." Inuyasha replied, snorting to himself at the simple ochaya comment.

There was nothing 'simple' about an ochaya. They were entertainment houses where men could eat and get drunk while flirting with dancers and sake pourers. On the surface it was purely for innocent entertainment, and in fact the more reputable of such places were geisha houses, legitimate establishments owned and run by women who were not prostitutes, but Inuyasha wasn't that stupid. If this 'ochaya' was owned and run by a man then his women were not geisha, they were play-women, and their teahouse was a thinly veiled front for prostitution. Inuyasha was quite familiar with that type of teahouse, considering whose company he kept; while still proficient dancers and sometimes musicians, those girls would do anything you paid them to do, and he did mean anything. Inuyasha wasn't innocent to the goings on within the walls of the pleasure quarters, the part of a town designated for sexual delights. This was a large community, and there was no doubt in his mind that such goings on existed in this town. But while he had let Miroku talk him into enjoying 'pleasures of the flesh' on a few rare occasions in the past since entering adulthood, and in fact he wasn't against the idea of continuing to enjoy such things on occasion in the future, his best friend was overlooking something very important in that moment.

"Tonight isn't the new moon."

Miroku blinked, not immediately following his friend's logic. "Certainly, I am aware of that. I would not wish to drag you outdoors after dark on such a night, exposing your secret to an entire community."

Inuyasha just shook his head. That was true, if that night had happened to be his human night he wouldn't be leaving the Inn for anything, keeping himself locked away until dawn so that nobody in the large town would find out about his night of weakness, but what Miroku seemed to be overlooking was the fact that it had always been during his human night on the few past occasions he had agreed to go with him to a brothel. Usually it wasn't until after sunset that Miroku had even gotten him to agree to it in the first place; that had certainly been the case the first time.

They had been at home, at the temple, and Inuyasha had been grumbling as Miroku had gone on and on about his latest encounter with a courtesan, and how he really should try it himself some time. His argument had been, of course, that he was a hanyou, and that no woman would ever have him, even if money was involved. That was when Miroku had oh-so-helpfully pointed out that for that present night he was not ahanyou, and with some liquid courage courtesy of Mushin's private stash and transportation courtesy of an equally drunk and eager Hachi, the three of them had rushed into the nearest pleasure quarters, a place Miroku was intimately familiar with. Hachi had thrown on his human guise before they'd reached the establishment, and Inuyasha had lost his virginity in the most spectacular of settings, in the company of his two best friends. Honestly, looking back on it, he couldn't rightfully say that he regretted that night, or any of the other moonless nights since that Miroku had managed to talk him into accompanying him to such a place, but tonight he would be hanyou. Going to such a place in his hanyou form was out of the question.

"I thought you'd always lamented your inability to 'smell or taste them properly', if I'm not mistaken." Miroku suddenly spoke up in that moment, reminding Inuyasha of his presence, as well as past words he now regretted uttering.

"Feh…like I really want the smell of fear to cloud my woman's scent."

"But we are heroes…" Miroku argued, pointing out how the two of them had been specifically invited. Seeing his friend's continued reluctance, he conceded after a moment and added, "If you do not wish to partake in any of the more exotic entertainment, I will not hold it against you, but please join me tonight for drinks and food at the very least. I think you will be pleasantly surprised."

Finally, Inuyasha relented that just because that sort of thing happened behind closed doors, it didn't mean he had to take one of the women behind said doors. He could stay in the main room and enjoy free food and drink, watching the dancers. What would be the harm in that?

"Keh."

Dropping off their belongings in the room that had been given to them free of charge by the Innkeeper, Inuyasha accompanied Miroku to the bathhouse to get washed up. It wasn't in preparation for anything, he was just dirty after battling the youkai and wanted to get clean, feh!

Miroku snickered to himself at his friend's thinly veiled denial, knowing he was already considering the joyous prospect of enjoying female companionship while in his true form. The monk couldn't rightfully say he knew what it was like having heightened youkai senses, but supposing his own senses diminished greatly in strength one night a month, he would hardly want to reserve that night alone to when he was permitted female company. He would feel too off his game. Granted, Inuyasha didn't have a 'game', but even if his friend chose not to accept companionship for the night, he was glad he had decided to at least come with him to the teahouse. He was sure Inuyasha would have a good time for once being praised as the hero he was instead of treated as a servant or slave of Miroku's.

Unfortunately, that was the view of some of the places they'd assisted, that Inuyasha 'belonged' to him in some capacity or another. But this town had readily accepted the aid of the two of them together, as the partnership they were. They had heard of this town's problem while spreading word of their services in a nearby trading community, and it'd just so happened that somebody from this town had been in that trading village desperately seeking word of anyone who was proficient in slaying youkai. The man had initially been seeking a way to contact the taijiya, but upon hearing of his plight, Miroku had taken the job himself not to spite the youkai exterminators, but because this town's issue was urgent, and to wait the extra few days it would have taken for the taijiya to receive word and arrive could have meant more people's deaths. When Miroku had introduced himself and Inuyasha, the man had hardly even blinked at the hanyou's features, addressing him personally while meeting Inuyasha's golden eyes as he'd asked, "You will help us?" Inuyasha, momentarily surprised to have been addressed directly, had crossed his arms smugly and replied with, "That's what we do." The man had then spouted off his thanks and immediately led them to his hometown, which was less than a full day's travel from the trading village. The youkai had taken up residence within the town's main rice storage, not actively attacking anyone unless they tried to get it out or collect a barrel of rice. Rations for each individual townsperson were running thin, but more than that they needed to pay their taxes soon; the collectors would be coming by within a month's time. They needed to get to their rice, and there were already over a dozen men who had fallen dead at the hands of the youkai for attempting to do so.

Miroku and Inuyasha were genuine heroes.

Arriving at the teahouse, they were greeted as such, and Inuyasha was immediately glad that he had let Miroku talk him into joining him. While he had dined with others before, he had always been able to feel the unease in the room around him, and that inherent nervousness that most people had in his presence was, for the most part, absent at this place. Sure, there were a few people who glanced his way cautiously, but he could hear no whispers about the 'freak' or 'monster'. They were perhaps afraid of his power, having seen for themselves just what he was capable of, but that was a healthy fear; they probably feared offending him and incurring his wrath, but if it kept them on their best behavior then he could live with that. They were genuinely grateful to him for having saved their village, that much he could tell as a girl poured him a cup of sake with only the slightest hint of nervousness in her scent, more as if she were afraid of screwing something up than afraid of him directly.

The night passed by slowly, the sake and food never ending as the girls giggled at Miroku's antics. Not only did they not slap him when he groped them, but Inuyasha was pretty sure he saw at least one or two of the girls grope Miroku in return. It was no surprise when after a couple of hours Miroku excused himself from the table to head into a back room with one of the girls. The only thing that surprised Inuyasha was that he'd taken only one of them.

Having consumed enough sake to actually start feeling its effects, a passing thought that made Inuyasha momentarily guilty when he realized how expensive that must have been for them, the hanyou staggered to his feet about an hour after Miroku's departure, telling their host that he wanted to head back to his own room.

"Of course, sir, right this way…" the man stated, directing Inuyasha with a hand on his back further into the core of the building.

"No no…" Inuyasha started, shaking his head dizzily. "I meant my room at the-"

"Come now, it's rude to keep the lady waiting." the man interrupted with a knowing smirk.

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha was too drunk to argue as he let the man lead him down to one of their own rooms for the night, the only real thought in his head at that moment being that he owed Miroku twenty mon for winning the bet, their room at the Inn was going to go unused tonight.

Entering the room he was directed towards, Inuyasha was busy debating the merits of either keeping or sending away the woman whom he imagined would be sent to him shortly, so it caught him by surprise to discover that there was already a girl in his room, sitting nervously on his futon.

"H-hey…" he greeted lamely, momentarily awestruck by her beauty. He didn't recognize her from the main room, she hadn't been one of the dancers or sake pourers, but in his opinion she was easily the prettiest girl at the whole teahouse.

Or maybe he just though that because she was the one he was going to get to sleep with.

Shrugging it off in his drunken state, he made the immediate decision to keep the girl for the night, sending her what he thought was a playful smile. He didn't really think in advance about how smiling showed off his fangs, and he was first confused and then hurt when she gazed back his way with unmistakable fear in her eyes. It didn't take long for her reaction to deflate his mood, as well as a certain part of his anatomy.

Ah crap, I knew it…

"Just…just forget about it…I ain't gonna force ya…" he stated then, as if she had actually spoken her objections aloud.

Waving a clawed hand dismissingly, he pulled Tetsusaiga from his obi to lean against the wall, glancing back her way in surprise when she hadn't so much as budged from her position kneeling subserviently in the center of his futon, her head cocked to the side in mild curiosity as she gazed up at him rather than keeping her eyes lowered as he imagined she was probably supposed to do. A part of him couldn't help smiling again at the sight, just a little; she looked absolutely adorable with her head tilted like that, like how an inu would do, but even more than that he respected the fact that even despite her fear of him she wasn't too afraid to look directly at him. His memories of his mother were of a tough, independent woman not afraid to speak her mind or do what she had to do in order to survive; he wasn't really all that attracted to the traditional concept of females being submissive.

As Kagome continued to study the youkai standing before her she had no idea what he thought of her posture, too busy analyzing him to realize he might be doing the same. She wondered why he'd just said what he had, and why he was still just standing there, looking at her. Why wasn't he ravishing her viciously as the other women had said he would?

She had been chosen for him specifically; one could saw she'd drawn the short straw, although it hadn't so much been left to chance as it had been her master's personal decision. The youkai and monk, they had saved their town, their livelihood; they deserved the finest treatment their town had to offer, and that included a woman to entertain themselves with. While the owner of the ochaya would have relented had Inuyasha viciously demanded his choice of girls, if for whatever reason he specifically had his eyes set on one particular wench, he had hoped that that wouldn't be the case. Even if the youkai had started to choose a girl, as if merely selecting one at random, he would have assured the beast that he had the perfect girl hand selected just for him, hopefully with enough of a sales pitch that it would have convinced him.

She was the sacrifice. She was the least popular girl, brought him the least amount of money, and as a result, if the youkai was going to damage any of his goods, the owner had wanted it to be her, his least valuable possession. It was underhanded, yes, setting up a hero with the worst of his prostitutes, but he didn't believe the youkai would notice. They just rutted like wild animals, after all. He had even told Kagome that for her bravery, for doing this important thing for him, if she pleased the youkai and he left with no complaints her father's debts would be reduced, possibly by as much as five ryo. Considering she didn't have the right to refuse her master's orders either way, Kagome actually found a small measure of comfort in his promise; even though she knew his words had been incentive for her to be on her best behavior, the owner of the teahouse was a man of his word. If Inuyasha praised his night with her, her debts truly would be reduced.

That didn't mean she wasn't afraid, though.

"Hey…" Inuyasha said again, pulling Kagome from her thoughts to realize with a growing feeling of dread that she'd been spacing out, the youkai now crouching directly in front of her. "Are you okay?" he asked her suddenly, and openly shocked, she wanted to weep for joy at the simple question. Who asked a girl like her such a thing?

She was a yujo, a play-woman; she had been sold into prostitution to pay her father's gambling debts, but she was the worst in her trade, not from her looks or a lack of knowledge on how to please a man, but from her personality. She wasn't lustful; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fully conceal the sobbing child buried inside her heart, mourning the loss of what could have been, the life she should have had, and as a result most men complained about her. As a result of that her boss had been forced to lower her rate, as incentive, which of course meant it would take her that much longer to pay off her debts, especially since most of the regulars would still rather spend more money to be with a better girl. Now, she was usually reserved for her master's more rowdy guests, men just passing through their town whom he feared might be too rough with his more prized possessions. Kagome was no stranger to such abuse, although it usually didn't get too violent because she was never stupid enough to actually try to fight any of them off. She received the customers who just wanted to get laid, the men who wouldn't care that there was a crying girl hidden within the shell of a woman, picking her because she was the cheapest. When her boss had extended his invitation to Miroku and Inuyasha the use of his facility that night there had been no doubt in his mind, or hers, which woman was for the youkai. The other women had actually pitied her, none of them had been forced to bed a monster before, but even though they felt sorry for her they were also equally as grateful that it was her instead of themselves.

But if the youkai was truly such a beast, why had he told her that he wouldn't force her? Why was he asking her if she was all right?

"I'm sorry…" she murmured then, quickly shaking off her surprise as she threw on a smile that wasn't as forced as she'd thought it would be, stating "I'm quite all right." while reaching up to unfasten his robes.

Inuyasha surprised her again in that moment, her eyes filling with first confusion and then horror as he reached up to still her hands, stopping her movement. No, no no no no…if he didn't want her there would be hell to pay! She had to keep him interested in her so that he wouldn't go out and request a different girl instead. Leaning forward, then, she began kissing his chin, leaning down to reach his throat, her tongue sticking out to tease him playfully as she rolled it in circles against his skin, hinting at just what else she might be able to do with her tongue.

He groaned in what she was sure was pleasure, but then after a moment he pushed her back, resting both of his hands on her shoulders.

"I appreciate it, really, but you don't really want this, your scent says it all. It's okay, you can go."

The jig was up, she realized then. He could smell her fear. Why hadn't that possibility crossed her mind? Well, she knew very little about youkai, but with nothing to lose at that point…

"If I walk out that door I will be punished. Please, please allow me to stay with you. I will do whatever you ask of me."

The mild sting of rejection he'd been feeling over the girl's continual reaction to him was immediately replaced in that moment with a feeling of dread. Was it not being with him that she feared? A sudden feeling of protectiveness surged up within him from the pit of his stomach, and still feeling mildly tipsy from the sake meant that he didn't even bother questioning where the feeling had come from.

"What do you mean, you will be punished?" He didn't like the sound of that, not one bit.

Eyes widening in full-blown panic at his change in tone, Kagome lunged herself forward, wrapping her arms around him to keep him from getting up.

"Please, do not cause a scene. If my master thinks I tried to parley for my freedom it would be even worse than you requesting another girl."

"Okay…" he started slowly, trying to keep his temper. "Just what the hell is going on?"

Quietly, Kagome confessed to him her situation, explaining briefly what she'd gone through during the last two years of her life, and why she had already been waiting for him in his room.

Growling under his breath, something he regretted doing when he caught the spike of fear coming from the girl in front of him as she flinched slightly at the sound, Inuyasha then ran his right hand down over his face in exasperation, having completely lost his buzz in his agitation.

"Everyone thought I was going to viciously tear into you like some kind of fucking animal?" he asked her incredulously, rolling his eyes when he caught her gaze hesitantly creep up to the ears on his head.

As if they knew they were under scrutiny, his ears flicked back on instinct under the weight of her gaze, but then to his mild surprise and amusement Kagome didn't flinch or give any other kind of indication that the action had startled her further. In fact, she tilted her head again as she continued to stare at his ears, as if truly contemplating them. She actually smelled pretty damn good when fear wasn't clouding her scent, he realized then, and making the connection that the scent of fear was in fact gone from her, he got a rather wicked idea. Smirking then, he grabbed her right hand and placed it on his left ear, very glad that it was just the two of them because he would never live it down if Miroku ever found out.

"I may be part animal, but I'm inu, I'm domesticated…" he told her in a teasing tone of voice, flicking his ear back and forth. His heart warmed at the sound of her giggle as the tip of his ear tickled her palm; she truly was still an innocent girl at heart, despite everything she'd been forced to endure for the good of her family.

"Part…?" she asked after a moment, meeting his golden eyes with her curious chocolate brown ones as his words sank in.

"Yeah…" he confessed, tilting his head into her touch until she more confidently, fully closed her fingers around his ear, stroking gently. "I'm not a full youkai, I'm a hanyou."

Her fingers stopped moving, and for a split second he feared that after everything she would actually be even more disturbed with that knowledge, harboring the same disgust that just about all humans had when it came to mixing the species.

"Really?" she asked excitedly then, just about as far from disgusted as one could get, as she seemed almost overjoyed at the news. He couldn't help it, he chuckled.

"Yes, really."

She started rubbing his ear again, and he smirked. Even though she was probably happy to learn that he was half human from a lingering fear of being with a full youkai, he didn't take her wariness to heart as true prejudice. How was she supposed to react when he walked through the door with her head having been filled with such horror stories? To learn now that he was half human merely disproved, in her mind, the rumor that as a youkai he would show disregard for her own humanity.

"My mother was human." he continued then, since it was possible, though even rarer, that a hanyou could be born from a youkai mother, sired by a human father. Confirming for her that his mother had been the human told her that he was not only familiar with human females to some degree, but also that he inherently held love and respect for them. True, he supposed it was theoretically possible that the opposite could be true, that if for whatever reason he had grown to hate his mother he would then in turn hate other human women because of it, but such was not the case with him. He had loved his mother, and he loved women in general, not to the same degree that Miroku loved women, but he imagined he could certainly find a few different ways to get this one in his room to forget all about the fact that she'd ever feared him.

That thought had him thinking of something else.

"What's your name, anyways?" he asked her suddenly, and she released his ear merely in surprise by the question. Nobody had ever asked her that before, either.

"Kagome…why?"

He smirked again.

"Well, Kagome, I wanted to know what I should shout in my pleasure."

She blushed crimson at his words, and he chuckled, somehow proud of himself that he'd managed to make her blush even after everything she'd been through over the last two years. She appeared a little bit younger than him, maybe fifteen or sixteen, which meant she had to have barely been a woman when her father had sold her to the ochaya. She had most likely lost her virginity in this place, he knew, and from her brief explanation of why she had been the one 'chosen' for him, Inuyasha also figured it was a safe bet that she had never truly experienced all that much pleasure before. These types of girls, it wasn't about their pleasure, it was about pleasing the men, but in that moment all Inuyasha wanted to do was have her writhing in ecstasy below him. That would please him, greatly.

"My name is Inuyasha…" he told her then, before leaning forward to capture her lips in a passionate kiss.

Kagome gasped in surprise, or tried to, the sound swallowed hungrily by the demonic man before her, as Inuyasha devoured every inch of her. Kissing like that, it was new and strange, but also wonderful. Nobody had ever kissed her like that before, nobody had ever wanted to. As Inuyasha's arms wrapped up and around her body, pulling her closer, she melted into his embrace, eagerly allowing him to lead their dance. Always, Kagome was the one to remove her man's clothing before then disrobing herself. When she felt Inuyasha's hands delicately and carefully start to unfasten her own robes, clearly being cautious of his claws, she couldn't help the wave of excitement she felt rush over her. Inuyasha paused in his work for a moment, and then suddenly his nose was buried in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply, and quickly realizing that he could undoubtedly smell her excitement, instead of embarrassing her that thought merely excited her all the more.

He growled again in that moment, but for some reason the sound didn't frighten her this time. It seemed…different somehow, from his earlier agitation. Remembering what Inuyasha had jokingly said about being domesticated, she thought about his animal half, inu, and what such a sound probably meant. Truly analyzing the sound, it didn't seem threatening to her ears. Quite the contrary, it sounded more like a playful growl, like the type of sound a dog might make when playing with a toy. Reaching up with her right hand in that moment she found his left ear again, and he growled a second time, the sound definitely playful.

Sticking his tongue out and licking her neck Kagome giggled, but then suddenly Inuyasha got more serious, kissing and suckling her throat tenderly, and her giggles quickly turned into another gasp, as his hands which had remained busy made quick work of her obi to splay her robes open, exposing her nakedness. Before Kagome even had time to realize what was happening she was being pushed gently to lay back on the futon, Inuyasha's fully-dressed form towering over her. He trailed his tongue leisurely from one side of her neck to the other before swooping lower, teasing her nipples. She arched her back below him, shoving her chest up into his mouth, and he readily complied, capturing her right breast in his mouth while palming her left breast with his right hand. Swirling his tongue around her hardened nipple, he took a moment to inhale again, nearly overwhelmed by the pungent scent of her arousal filling the room. He had never smelled such a glorious scent before in all his life, except for a few lingering leftover traces that hadn't been washed off his person when he would regain his hanyou powers the following morning after ducking out during the predawn hours after a moonless night's encounter. It smelled much better fresh, and in higher quantity.

Remembering what Miroku had said, throwing his own words back in his face about wanting to properly smell and taste his woman, Inuyasha ventured lower in that moment, and Kagome cried out at the unexpected and wholly wonderful sensation of him lapping at her womanhood. If she hadn't already been dripping with excitement she was now, and he was drinking every ounce of it, savoring her flavor. Wanting to do this for her no matter what, eager to experience her reaction to receiving such pleasure most likely for the first time, he had been mentally prepared to endure a combination of any number of things, planning on continuing without complaint regardless of what she tasted like, but apparently Kagome prided herself on cleanliness, for which he was truly thankful, as she tasted clean and solely of herself. She must not have been needed for 'that' type of client too recently. As he delved his tongue as deeply within her center as it could go and he continued to taste only her own essence, he realized that one mingled essence mixed with hers would suit him just fine, namely himself, but in order to get to that point in the evening he would have to undress at some point in time. Of course, before he took his own pleasure there was something else he needed to finish first, namely Kagome.

Flicking the tip of his tongue rapidly against the nub of flesh that rested just above her opening, Inuyasha could not ignore how her body jerked and writhed below him. He grinned; she was close. Reaching forward with both hands, he held her thighs open, and then granting himself even better access he shifted his position so that his forearms were holding her thighs apart, freeing his hands to reach for her womanhood, which he spread open to fully expose herself to his gaze and tongue. Blowing gently, smirking as her flesh visibly throbbed, he closed his lips around her bundle of nerves, suckling as he had done to her nipples, swirling his tongue around and around before again flicking the tip of his tongue directly across her in rapid succession.

Kagome had been doing an admirable job of keeping quiet, probably unused to crying out in pleasure because to have done so previously would have only been an act, and as had been established, she wasn't the most flamboyant girl at the teahouse when it came to such performances. Some of the women were there by choice, but she was clearly not one of them and she had never before truly enjoyed being with a man. Until now. Gasping and moaning louder and louder, suddenly Kagome was crying her release, the first she had ever experienced by somebody else's touch.

"Inuyasha!" she screeched, the sound of his name squealed in such a manner absolute music to his ears. He had never given a prostitute his real name before, for fear of spooking them since his name was hardly human, but hearing Kagome call his name in that moment stirred something deep inside of him. He wanted to hear it again.

But at that point in time, he also wanted to cum, his straining erection throbbing almost painfully. Coming back into herself after a moment, Kagome blinked up at Inuyasha with a lazy smile that quickly turned sultry as she recognized the look in his eyes as one she'd seen more times than she could count. Immediately pulling herself up into a sitting position, allowing her robes to drop off her arms to fall to the futon behind her, she quickly set to work devoiding Inuyasha of his own clothing. Holding still and allowing himself that simple pleasure, of feeling Kagome's hands freeing his body of his robes, he waited until she had him down to his stuffed fundoshi before becoming mobile once more, reaching down to cup her hands and still her action as she reached for his final article of clothing.

"Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you." he told her softly, removing his loincloth himself.

Kagome was puzzled by his words, having figured it was pretty much established by that point that he wouldn't harm her, until she caught sight of his dark pink erection, his huge member so heavy with blood she could see his veins pulsing. It certainly looked threatening, but considering the man it was attached to she held no fear. Actually, a wicket little part of her in the back of her mind was even more excited to realize he was so large. Most of the women made fun of their clients' sizes during off hours; this would give Kagome eternal bragging rights, provided he didn't split her in half and leave her corpse rotting on the futon. Kagome was suddenly grateful for the experience she had, it definitely would have hurt had this been her first time.

"I'm not afraid." she told him honestly, and he knew it was the truth. He had smelt her spike in arousal at the sight of him, her sudden eagerness turning him on even further.

"Good…" he purred seductively, crawling over her so that she was forced to once again lie flat against the futon. "I want you screaming, but only in pleasure."

Slowly, carefully, he pressed his member inside of her, his eyes never leaving her face as he gauged her reaction inch by excruciatingly slow inch. Pulling back before fully seating himself within her, he wished to stretch her gradually, certain his girth was also more than she was used to. Judging based on what he'd seen during his few playful human nights, what he knew of Miroku's physique, not to mention his own human form, Inuyasha knew his hanyou body was far above human average in that regard. Pushing back in a tiny bit faster, he went a little bit further before pulling back out again, repeating the motion while going just a little bit farther each time. Pushing nearly all the way inside, Kagome's eyes suddenly widened, and he immediately froze.

"Are you okay?" he asked her worriedly.

"Do that again!" Kagome breathed out, and chuckling then, Inuyasha pulled out before sliding back home at an even faster pace than before.

Kagome gasped, moaning audibly while arching beneath him, and the immediate rush of moisture he could feel where they were joined, not to mention the accompanying spike in her scent, both assured the hanyou that she was not faking it. And here he had been worried that he might be too large for the girl. He smirked, pulling out and nearly slamming back inside only for the girl below him to gasp loudly, rocking her hips up to meet his thrusts. He chuckled again. Not only was he not too large for her, but apparently, it was as if she had been especially designed to receive him, her body housing something so well hidden that only he could reach it. He had to admit, he liked that discovery, and Kagome didn't seem to have any complaints, either. Finally, after a few more minutes of him gradually building up his tempo, she found herself in a situation very similar to the one her coworkers had 'warned' her about, and she was loving every minute of it. She knew what it felt like for a horny man to just ravish her body and be done with it, and that was not what Inuyasha was doing as he hammered into her, holding her cheeks with both hands as he lowered his face to hers for another passionate kiss. He was hitting something buried deep inside that she hadn't even known existed, and that was after delivering such incredible pleasure to the place she did know existed but all of her previous clients had never cared about. That he had done such a thing for her, and before receiving his own pleasure, it made Kagome's head spin almost as powerfully as his thrusts did, as he took her legs and hooked them over his shoulders before rising up above her on his outstretched arms, his hands planted firmly on the futon at either side of her head. She was practically folded in half, and she loved it.

"Faster!" she breathed, unable to do anything but enjoy the ride in that position, which was just what she planned on doing.

Increasing his speed even more at her command, Inuyasha was momentarily concerned about overtaxing her human body, but inhaling deeply through his nose assured him she wasn't in any pain. He didn't hold back, then, allowing her to feel the full force of his desire. If he got even the faintest hint that she might possibly be experiencing even the slightest iota of discomfort he would immediately cease and desist, but the way she was hoarsely groaning "More! Harder!" told him he didn't have anything to worry about.

Not that she was the only one making any noise.

"Fucking gods…" he panted, never before having experienced such pleasure.

While it was true his human skin was more sensitive to the touch, on the surface, there was unquestionably something much more primal about mating in his hanyou form. He had more skin to feel with in the location that mattered most, and he was capable of going much faster, and holding out much longer, than he could ever hope to accomplish while limited to his weakened, mortal state. He felt pain while in his human form, yes, but that didn't mean pleasure was also heightened that much more. He would suffer from all sorts of human limitations during the new moon: cramps, exhaustion, chaffing…none of that existed for him now. He felt elated, powerful, alive…he was exultant over being with Kagome in his hanyou form, and in that moment he knew what he would do for her in return as payment for giving him such a feeling. He would buy her freedom. Not immediately, he didn't know the amount of her father's debts although he doubted he had that much money to his name, but he had no other use for the few coins he would collect as payment at times and he usually ended up either donating them to Mushin for the temple or losing them to Miroku in a bet, which of course meant that most of the money ultimately ended up getting spent at a teahouse, anyway. From now on, he would be greedy; from now on, he would spend his money on himself, on Kagome, and in doing so it would get her that much closer to freedom every time. What could that hurt? Miroku had a 'favorite' at just about every teahouse in Musashi, so he seriously doubted his perverted friend would lecture him about risking emotional attachment by sticking to only one girl. He'd always been afraid to try it in his hanyou form, believing the girls would be frightened of him, or disgusted, but now that he'd found a girl who was clearly enjoying herself, he saw no point in either risking failure in trying some other girl elsewhere or in depriving himself of what he'd just found by never going back. Miroku would probably tease him good-naturedly and then more seriously congratulate him on his luck. He decided not to tell Kagome of his plan, though, eager to see the look on her face the next time he showed up. He also hadn't forgotten what she'd said about her master reducing her time if he were pleased with her performance tonight; he would definitely be putting in a good word with her boss on their way out in the morning.

In that moment, though, Inuyasha decided to stop letting his mind wander to all of his plans for the future, instead concentrating on that precise moment in time, and the pleasant sound of the woman gasping below him.

"Inu…Inuya…I…I'm gonna…ahhhhh!" Kagome cried out before biting her lip, desperately trying to keep quiet. He couldn't blame her, he mentally snickered; from what everyone else thought of what was going on in their room, if she cried out too loudly someone might just run in thinking he was killing her. As he felt her inner muscles clamp tightly around his shaft, her second orgasm rippling through her in powerful waves, he damn near thought she was going to kill him as his own release crashed down on him out of nowhere.

"Fucking…gah! Kagome!" he cried, wanting to keep his word though it was hard to remember her name, or even his own name for that matter, as the mind-numbing euphoria of the best orgasm of his entire life rendered him virtually brain dead, transporting him back into his drunken state as he felt completely dizzy and weak, every last ounce of strength zapped from his being as he emptied himself within her, giving her everything that he had, everything that he was.

With his arms growing shaky, no longer able to hold his weight, he let her lower her legs from his shoulders before lowering his top half to rest his body gently on top of hers. Remaining motionless, then, Inuyasha stayed like that for several moments, just catching his breath. He was honestly surprised he felt so warn out, not having thought that he could overexert himself, or at least not without seriously injuring the woman below him, though from the way Kagome was drawing lazy circles on his back with her fingertip he gathered that she was doing just fine. He chuckled. She was quite the little temptress, getting him to go so much harder than he'd originally intended, and being able to handle every bit of it; just something else to add to the list of things he liked about her.

"Are you supposed to leave now or do I get to keep you until morning?" he asked her playfully after a moment, tickling her earlobe with his lips and tongue.

She giggled below him.

"Certainly, I can stay with you until your departure in the morning. The happier you are with my performance, the better."

"Mmmm…good," he cooed, rolling off of her to lie on his right side beside her, propped up on his elbow. "Because I ain't finished with you yet." he promised gently, teasingly circling the index claw of his left hand around her right nipple.

Squirming under his ministrations, Kagome was surprised, but also delighted, when he leaned over her and began lapping the sweat from her body. A few minutes later, and Inuyasha had firsthand knowledge of just what his juices tasted like intermingled with hers. It didn't take him as long to bring her to her third climax, and with the act of tasting their combined essence bringing back his own state of arousal, it was then Kagome's turn to learn what hetasted like, as she finally showed him just how talented her tongue could really be. Inuyasha would definitely be praising her performance come morning.

...+...+...

The night didn't last as long as Inuyasha would have liked, though he kept Kagome awake during a good portion of it, enjoying her body in several different ways. Never once was he too rough with her, though never once did he have to tread more carefully than his instincts called for. The simple fact of the matter was that he wasn't the vicious animal her boss and fellow prostitutes had thought he was; he liked it hard and fast and passionate, but not to the point where he was tearing into her with his claws or biting down with his fangs. It was true that if he really gave it his all he could injure her from sheer force alone, his muscles strong enough to squash her body below his like a bug, but it wasn't as if he was unaware of how much force he was exerting, as if he could truly damage her in such a way simply from losing himself and failing to pay attention. He could no more 'accidentally' injure Kagome in such a way than a normal man could 'accidentally' punch his friend in the face while intending to flick away an insect. But they hadn't thought he would accidentally injure Kagome from an act of carelessness, they had thought he wouldn't care that he was injuring her, wanting only to satisfy himself as the crazy, lust-filled monster they apparently thought he was. That thought had him growling under his breath again, though he quickly quieted for fear of waking the girl currently sleeping in his arms.

Finally, after several hours of mutual orgasmic bliss, he had permitted Kagome to get some much-needed rest, relishing in the simpler pleasure of holding her in her sleep. Unlike during his few previous encounters with such women during his human nights he didn't have to slip out before dawn, which no doubt made his nighttime companions wonder just what kind of double-life he was living. This time, he had every intention of staying right where he was, in bed with Kagome, until the morning servants came by to 'wake' him. He hadn't slept a wink last night, not that he needed it, having much rather preferred to listen to Kagome's even breathing as she slept snuggled against him, his right hand resting softly against the center of her back. She had fallen asleep while gently messing with his ear, lying on her left side cuddled against him with her head pillowed on his chest and right hand resting on his lower stomach with her left arm stretched up above them and curved around his head, her hand delicately cupping his left ear. Her teasing fingers had gradually come to a stop and there her hand stayed, and while it surprised him that it didn't bother him, having her molest his ears so much, it was still true nonetheless that he didn't mind. She could mess with his ears as much as she wanted to.

Of course, all good things had to come to an end at some point, and so it wasn't much longer after sunrise that Kagome gradually started to stir. She surprised them both by leaning up to give him a simple good morning kiss, as if they were more than mere prostitute and client, but when her eyes widened in mild concern for overstepping her bounds he quickly put her worries to rest, returning her gesture with another tender peck before reluctantly suggesting that they both get dressed. A sound from outside his room had his ears turning after a moment, which caught her attention as she shot him a questioning gaze, and quickly thinking of the best way to show his appreciation for Kagome, he gestured for her to come to him, timing it just right so that he slide the screen to his room open, stepping out with his arm wrapped possessively around Kagome's waist with a huge smile on his lips right as two cleaning servants walked past.

Kagome couldn't help giggling as they scurried off after glancing their way, and after giving her a quick pat on the bottom Inuyasha reluctantly sent Kagome off towards her wing of the teahouse so that she could get breakfast with the other servants, sending him a farewell wink over her shoulder as she departed. Meeting Miroku in the hall, the monk's own sated grin unmistakable, he ignored his friend's knowing smirk as they were fed their own breakfast out in the main room for visitors. Before leaving, Inuyasha sought out their host, the owner of the establishment, asking him with all the bravado of a man wishing to negotiate future business arrangements just how much Kagome's standard rate was for a night, stating with confidence that he knew where he would be stopping again the next time he and Miroku were near their town. The man's eyes lit up with both surprise and joy, and after telling Inuyasha her price, a rate that was notably lower than what he and Miroku had usually paid in the past, he promised Inuyasha that Kagome would always be available for him whenever he wanted her, meaning if she happened to already be selected for another client and Inuyasha randomly showed up, the other guy would get bumped. Inuyasha mentally smirked; it was good to be the hero.

Heading back out on the road again after first stopping by the Inn to collect the rest of their belongings, things were quickly business as usual for the duo. Having a few supplies they wished to get back to the temple they headed towards the general direction of home, though not truly in a hurry they stopped at every settlement that rested along the way to see if anyone was in need of their services. They picked up a few more odd jobs here and there during their travels that gifted them with free meals and the occasional roof over their heads, but the smaller villages didn't house such exotic entertainment and so there wasn't a repeat of Miroku trying to talk Inuyasha into joining him at such a place. Which was a good thing, the hanyou thought, since he doubted Miroku would take 'no' for an answer now that he'd already experienced Kagome. She was proof that his fears had been ungrounded, the monk would say, assuring him that if it had happened once it could happen again. But while Inuyasha did admit that that was possibly true, especially if it was in another town they actually managed to save in some way so that they were again praised among the locals as heroes, there was a certain fondness he felt for Kagome that he just couldn't deny. It was true he might find that same feeling elsewhere, but it was also quite possible that he would not. Why tempt fate?

Finally telling Miroku of his feelings on the matter after giving up on dodging the lecher's questions, the perverted houshi constantly hounding him for details, Miroku's reaction turned out to be just about spot on to what he'd thought it would be. Miroku did try to convince him at first to try another ochaya in his hanyou form, even going so far as to recommend a few specific ladies that he'd shared some of their tales of adventure with who would almost assuredly be more than willing to meet the hanyou for themselves, but in the end Miroku did concede that there was definitely nothing wrong with sticking to only one girl. He was glad his canine friend had at least found somebody he was willing to be with while hanyou; one night a month wasn't nearly often enough, in Miroku's opinion, and that was assuming Inuyasha actually went once a month, which he did not. Once or twice a year was more like it, and Miroku would gladly swing back by that town again anytime his friend wanted if it meant increasing that number.

Shaking his head in amusement, the demi-inu just laughed off his perverted friend's eagerness. Honestly, it was a wonder they ever got any youkai slaying done at all, with as often as Miroku took time off for life's 'other' priorities. Inuyasha missed Kagome, he would admit, but he wasn't ruled by his hormones the way Miroku was, and so the hanyou was more than capable of waiting until his next opportunity to be with her just happened naturally. Saving his money, he did more hunting than he used to, catching and preparing their meals himself whenever possible while out on the road between villages so that their dried food rations would last longer, and need to be replenished at village markets less often. It wasn't as if he'd never done it before, though in the past he'd only ever resorted to hunting or fishing when they'd actually been out of food, but shaking his own head in amusement and his friend's antics, Miroku didn't protest the change, allowing Inuyasha to horde his coins for his own purposes. Even when they stopped at a town seeking work the hanyou refused to spend any of his money on lunch, waiting now until after they left to go catch himself something to eat in the wild if he was really that hungry. Unless, of course, they managed to land themselves a job at said town, which would then of course mean free food.

Things continued on that way for the next couple of months, picking up the occasional odd job here and there as they gradually made their way back towards Mushin's temple. It was a lucrative business, what they did for a living, especially since they had virtually no expenses. Miroku also wasn't necessarily the most honest man in the world, and so sometimes, during longer dry spells, he would outright lie about sensing a demonic aura in some random community in order to earn themselves a free meal or a place to stay the night indoors. He justified it by delivering a genuine blessing, applying real ofuda that ensured the presently un-possessed place would unwaveringly remain so for quite some time to come. Inuyasha hardly had room to talk when it came to Miroku's morals, though, having taken advantage of his friend's trickery on many a moonless night, definitely preferring a room indoors over spending the night in the woods, no matter how they'd acquired their shelter.

Miroku also didn't hesitate when it came to swindling a swindler, feeling it karmic justice for a thief to have his bounty stolen in turn. If they came across somebody in their travels whom they realized was in possession of stolen goods, a trades merchant that accepted wares from bandits, for example, Inuyasha would give Miroku a signal, such as tapping his nose to indicate that the strong scent of human blood lingered on certain items, and the monk would promptly start up on an act that convinced the tradesman his stolen goods were haunted by the angry spirits of their deceased owners. By the time their song and dance was done they'd have the criminals practically shoving their possessions at them, begging the holy man and his 'inugami' to take the cursed items away before they were struck down by some ghost's wrath.

It was after one such occasion that Miroku and Inuyasha both came into much more money than they usually ever did in a single day, dumb luck allowing them to stumble upon the shady man as he came up the opposite way along the road they were traveling down. Now in possession of the thief's treasure, they made an immediate detour back to Mushin's temple without further delay, wishing to unload and catalog their new possessions as quickly as possible. Miroku didn't usually like to take advantage of Inuyasha's youkai powers in such a way, not wishing for his friend to feel he was using him and didn't consider him an equal, but under the circumstances Inuyasha openly didn't mind carrying Miroku, along with all of their supplies, as he raced the two of them back at a speed that got them home in less than two days. Going through his personal share of the profits, it didn't take Inuyasha long to realize that he now had more than enough money to his name to buy himself another night with Kagome. He actually had enough money to buy himself another five nights with Kagome, but he would save the rest for later.

Waving his friend off, Miroku smirked to himself as Inuyasha took off running back towards the large town where Kagome worked, shaking his head in amusement as Hachi helped him sort through the items they could trade for more rice and other necessities for the temple. For the most part, Mushin survived on his own just fine, living off of the donations his shrine received from the nearby local community, Hachi often functioning as his go between, but Miroku knew the things he and Inuyasha brought back home were unquestionably a big help for his aging sensei. Mushin wasn't as young as he used to be, and if the old man wanted to spend his remaining days sitting around drinking sake then he should be able to do so.

...+...+...

Arriving at the teahouse where Kagome lived and worked, the master of the ochaya was understandably surprised to see him again so quickly, not that he'd even been entirely certain that he would actually ever see him again at all. While he'd believed the youkai when he'd expressed his desire to be with Kagome again, he had known that with their traveling ways the odds were favorable that it would be quite some time before they passed back their way again. Apparently, the youkai really wanted to be with Kagome again, as now, less than three months later, here he was, and without the monk, which strongly indicated that he had gone out of his way to return to their town by himself for one, singular purpose.

Which was perfectly all right with him.

Kagome seemed to be better lately, whatever kind of inconvenient depression the girl had been in for the last two years finally having been shook free, and he knew that it had to be thanks to whatever had transpired between Kagome and this youkai man. She had finally come out of her shell, though she still wasn't quite as popular as most of his other girls. She was pretty enough, but for the most part he dealt with repeat cliental from within their very town, and most of the men that came to him already had preestablished favorites and had no desire to change women. But Kagome looked upon her lot in life less direly lately, doing more to flirt with the few other travelers that came by as she poured their sake, in the hopes of getting chosen so that she would be that much closer to paying her father's debts. The only reason she had been kept away from the main room during Inuyasha and Miroku's first visit was to ensure the monk didn't wind up selecting her for himself. She would have gone out of her way to openly flirt with the youkai, to ensure from the very beginning that she would hands down be the woman he wanted, but of course she had been afraid at the time, dreading her upcoming encounter with him and having had no desire to see the animalistic lust in his gaze that she had imagined would be there if she'd dared to pour his sake. So instead some other girls had served Inuyasha his food and drink but had made no direct attempt at appealing themselves to him, fawning all over Miroku when it became apparent that the youkai was quite amused with merely watching his friend get all the attention.

As those same girls passed by in that moment they met Inuyasha's gaze with shy smiles, all of the women having heard Kagome's retelling of their encounter by that point. Inuyasha almost blushed under their scrutiny, silently amazed that apparently almost any one of those women would be willing to bed with him now, now that they knew he was a better lover than a fighter. Shaking his head in amusement, he paid the master his money, intending only to spend his night with Kagome; he didn't have extra coin with him for food or drink. But he was still a hero in their town's eyes, and so the owner delighted Inuyasha in that moment by declaring that again, at least this one extra time, in a final show of just how appreciative they truly were for his services, his food and drinks were again on the house. He agreed to accept the generous offer on one condition, which wasn't really a condition since the owner had been planning it anyway.

"Only if Kagome serves me." Inuyasha stated with a grin.

"Of course." the man replied with a warm smile, summoning someone to fetch the girl.

Kagome emerged into the main room unaware of just who awaited her, unaware even that she had been specifically requested, at least by anyone other than her master; her eyes lit up with both surprise and delight to see Inuyasha sitting at the center table, awaiting his sake. Later, once they were alone, Kagome told Inuyasha how much of her father's debt had been reduced thanks to her initial night with him, expressing her gratitude for everything he had done for her. Of course, it didn't take a genius to figure out what he was intending by coming to her again, and she smiled appreciatively before smirking seductively. After all, if he only wanted to help her get closer to her freedom he could simply donate the money to the teahouse on behalf of her debt. Such charities were permitted though they almost never happened. But no…Inuyasha wanted to get his money's worth; crawling on top of him as he was that time the one to find himself gently pushed back to lie flat on the futon, Kagome would make sure he got more than his money's worth.

She still had a ways to go before she would be able to consider herself a free woman, but if Inuyasha was going to continue coming back from time to time, then perhaps the next few years of her life didn't look quite so glum, after all. And after she finally was free to leave, who knows…maybe she'd still see Inuyasha again, on an even more regular basis. Something in the way he gazed up at her as she lowered herself down over his arousal told her that he wouldn't mind keeping her all to himself, and smiling down at him as she adjusted herself to his intrusion, she told him with her own eyes that she wouldn't mind it either, she wouldn't mind it at all.

~ Fin ~

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Monetary translations:

While it obviously varied depending on the exchange rate at any given time, a ryo can be thought of as approximately the equivalent to a thousand dollars, and at face value one gold ryo was equal to four thousand copper mon, which means mon were more or less quarters. Inuyasha's bet to Miroku of twenty mon was therefore a bet of five dollars, just a playful amount between friends.

I tried to research what the going rate was for a prostitute in feudal Japan, but after a couple of hours in google and wikipedia and still coming up empty I said to hell with it, so Kagome's rate was deliberately left unmentioned, which is fine because the amount of her father's debt and the frequency at which she provided her services were also left unmentioned, so there is no basis for comparison to calculate how long she should have actually been imprisoned as a sex slave, although one can assume she would be there longer than average due to her lower rate and less than favorable standing with the local cliental. However long the 'average' length of time was for those girls I couldn't find any mention of either, though she's there until the debts are paid, not until X amount of time has elapsed like a prison sentence. Roughly 'a few' to 'several' years, would be my guess. There are just too many variables to take into consideration, like how much of Kagome's income was actually going towards her father's debt instead of taxes or profit for the teahouse. I usually like to have all of my details in order before doing a story that involves historical elements of any kind, but in this case I finally decided to just not sweat the details and write the story for the sake of the story. Hopefully those of you who are avid history buffs at least appreciated the fact that I knew geisha and prostitutes are two separate things.