The Delinquent Boyfriend, an InuKag AU oneshot

*A 'What If' scenario inspired by all those conversations Kagome had with her friends in the present

The first time she'd seen him, bloodied and bruised and draped over the roots of the Sacred Tree, she'd had half a mind to call the police, and more than half a mind to run back to the house and pretend she never saw a thing. His clothes were those of a street-fighter, and everyone knew better than to get involved with the gangs. What he was doing in such a quiet suburb was beyond her, but with any luck he'd simply wander back out again, back to whatever trouble he'd left in the first place.

She'd only made it a step or so before turning back to investigate the stranger.

His wounds looked bad but he was breathing, and it seemed that most of the blood was dried. And then she saw his ears.

That quiet meeting under Goshinboku tore a hole in her comfortable understanding of the world to let in the demons she'd thought were only stories. There was an entire infrastructure beneath her own, made up of brutal gang alliances and webs of blackmailing, allowing demons to exist beneath the radar of modern Tokyo. And her half-demon, whom she'd bandaged under the blossoming tree as he weakly growled at her care, became her guide in this new reality.

With his help she learned to recognize the imposters in the crowd, the ones who masked themselves with human faces but felt completely different. He taught her what corners of the city to avoid, which shopping districts housed swindling demons, even how to defend herself should an enemy make it past her defenses. But most of all, he taught her to trust his strength; to trust that he'd always come to save her.

From the very first day everything had changed, drawing not only herself but her family into a world of danger. Her family adjusted rather well. On days when he told them it was too dangerous to leave the protected grounds of the shrine, her grandfather would call in sick for herself and her little brother. Her mother would set an extra place at the table for their protector, and at night would offer him a room and a blanket so he wouldn't have to sleep in the well-house as he'd been secretly doing. Her offer was kind, but a moot point; every night he'd slip into Kagome's room and hold a silent vigil while she slept, determined she'd be safe at all costs. He was her knight in a blood-stained jumpsuit, wielding a length of steel pipe like a sword as his long white hair draped his shoulders like an ancient god.

But his language was rough, his face often scowling, and Kagome got in more arguments with him than anyone she'd ever met. His stubborn attitude and tendency to say the wrong thing led to screaming matches loud enough to be heard from the street. When she discovered how jealous he could be, she had to stop for a moment and remind herself that her secret friend had demon blood; as she bodily held him back from beating the poor boy who tried to kiss her, it was clear what different lives they'd led.

He never hurt her though – ever – and when he'd stumble into the hallway trailing blood and trying not to whimper, she'd forget to be mad at him as she carefully led him to her bed and patched him up with trembling fingers.

Everything in her life had changed, but she kept most of it to herself. She was only a teenager though, and her patience only stretched so far before she needed somewhere to vent. Despite her blurry details, her friends caught on quickly that she was dating a delinquent. Well, dating wasn't quite the word, but then she couldn't really explain what their relationship was, even to herself. She'd blow off steam about him after a fight, and her three friends would push her to dump him, move on, find someone who would treat her better. 'Nothing good will come of this' they'd say, and secretly Kagome agreed; but there was no way she'd leave him now.

She supposed she could have told him off, could have ordered him to leave her and her family alone, to get them out of this mess of street-fights and demons so they could live a normal life. Someone else had said that to him, not long before. Kagome knew he wouldn't really leave though; he might stop coming for dinner, might stop talking with her at night, but she could see in his eyes how attached he was to them, and she knew he'd never leave her unprotected. None of that was pertinent though, because she simply didn't want him to leave.

It was terrifying to realize she loved him. A girl her age, in her situation, shouldn't have fallen in love with a 'Bad Boy'. No one would support them, no one would believe her when she said that his heart was good and true, that his values were just as strong as his muscles, that every fight he got into was fueled by love and concern for others and never blood-lust. They'd never know him like she knew him.

He surprised her though. Over the few years she'd known him he softened, opened up, came to trust others at least in part. He was learning to call people 'friends', and by the time her own friends finally met him, they wondered why Kagome had made such a fuss over such a cool guy.

Inuyasha surprised her even more when, one evening as she changed his bandages, he pulled her down for a kiss. She'd wrapped him in a hug that had him hissing in pain as she brushed a wound, and the rest of the night they'd kept their kisses soft and light as she leaned his bruised body against hers. Kagome didn't hesitate after that to own up to having a delinquent boyfriend, wearing her hickeys proudly as her classmates whispered and friends giggled. Rumors spread and some confronted her, but they had no idea what was going on, and she didn't care to enlighten them. All that really mattered was her warm half-demon holding her at night, his combat boots and blood-stained clothes on the floor beside her bed, as she played with his ears and he whispered how happy he was that they'd met.

*Author's Note: I love thinking about what it would have been like if Inuyasha really were a guy in a street-gang. I also really love the concept that goes along with that, which is that Kagome really would date someone labeled a 'bad boy' because as long as he's not actually a bad person, I think she would. She's the kind to look beyond what people do to see them for who they really are, and I love that! I also really love the idea of Kagome gaining a reputation for it and actually loving it, because she doesn't seem like the type to date a street-fighting gang member, but she likes to use to point out that you shouldn't judge people by appearances. Anyways... I really love this concept and I wish I had more time and energy to write more but I don't. :P