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This stupid blind date was already terrible! How in the heck had her friend Yuka thought she would hit it off with such a creep? For the first 10 minutes, he had repeatedly called her by the wrong name while maintaining perfect eye contact with her chest! Then after she asked him who he was really talking to: ‘Koyomi’, her breasts, or his actual date tonight, her? He spluttered and asked what she was talking about; but stopped staring at her breasts.
After that, they ordered an appetizer to split and from the moment the server left until the appetizer was delivered he spoke about himself non-stop. Every time she tried to even join the conversation, he gave her this look like she had insulted his grandmother and continued on. After the appetizer was delivered, they ordered gyoza; he put one on her plate and then the other 5 on his own. She felt herself blink a little in surprise, but figured maybe he was just very hungry and let it go. Until she saw him eat. He scarfed his food down like he was a starving man, only stopping to greedily gulp down some of his beer. He barely took breaths between bites, and most of the time chewed with his mouth open. She had all but lost her appetite when they delivered the food. And when he saw she hadn't eaten much, he reached over and grabbed her plate before even getting the words out of “Are you gonna finish that?”
She didn’t have time to give him a yes or no before he was already two monstrous bites in, so she kept quiet. Watching him shovel food in was enough to turn her stomach. After another few seconds she stood up and excused herself, “Onigumo, I need to use the restroom. I’ll be back.”
She stood up, and he barely looked up at her as she left. As soon as his eyes were back on her plate, she picked up her coat and purse before she went to the restroom. She seriously thought she should just leave. This date was an absolute nightmare. But she wasn’t, generally, a rude person. She would at least go fake being sick and excuse herself properly. Tell him she called a cab and go home.
She gave herself a few minutes before she left the restroom and found him perusing the dessert menu. “Koyomi, did you want to share a dessert?” She didn’t bother sitting.
“It’s Kagome. Ka-Go-Me. And thank you, no. I, actually, am not feeling very well. I called a cab and am going to head home. Thank you for the lovely evening. I’m sorry to have to head out early. But you stay and enjoy your dessert.”
She didn’t wait for his response. She turned and exited the restaurant and began walking. Sure, it was quite a walk, and she had been expecting a ride home, or else she never would have worn these terrible heels. But at least she was away from him. Nothing else could be worse than sitting through another course watching him inhale his food.
At least that’s what she thought. Until a flash of lightning lit the sky brighter than the sun and was immediately followed by an enormous crash of thunder. She stopped dead in her tracks, absolutely stunned for a moment. She hadn't paid attention to the weather today, and somehow apparently missed that there was a storm warning. She had on a light dress coat, a tight black dress, and black heeled pumps. Her small clutch purse was in her hand and she pulled her coat up over her head just in time for the rain to begin.
She was hoping it would be a gentle rain, or at least start out that way. But her luck was not looking good today. The downpour that ensued rivaled a monsoon and caused a deep darkness that was only disrupted by the blinding flashes of lightning. After trying to rush, she felt her heel give way under her foot and she toppled to the ground. She caught herself on her hands, but felt the skin scrape against the hard, wet pavement. She involuntarily hissed at the sting as she sat back on her butt in the wet. Her palms were bleeding, but not severely. Her heel, however, was cracked, so she pulled off her shoes and stood herself up again. She reached for her purse to get her phone so she could actually call a cab, but couldn't find it in her clutch.
After a few seconds, she spotted it. It had fallen out of her clutch and slid right into a puddle. She stomped her foot and felt her stocking tear against the ground. This was going to be a miserable night. She picked it up and tried to turn it on, but to no avail. Maybe if she dried it out, it would work, but for right now she was stranded in a storm, with no shoes, a thin coat, and no way to even call for help. She continued walking towards home. It was at least a couple miles, and she knew it was going to be a very long night.
It felt like hours had passed, though it was likely only about 30 minutes. She was cold and miserable, and her body was aching from the constant shivering. Then the wind began to blow. At least before the rain was falling in a downward direction. Now it was coming directly at her face, and her eyes were stinging. She had to find shelter. She started looking at the surrounding houses and finally saw one with a porch that was on the side away from the wind. It wouldn’t be much, but at least she would be out of the elements. Her coat was already soaked through and her dress was probably ruined too. She darted to the porch and walked up the steps as silently as she could. She huddled against the wall and tried to make herself small, in hopes of getting a bit warmer.
She pulled her wet coat up over her head, because any cover, even wet, was better than no cover. Her teeth were chattering and after a few seconds felt like they were going to chip from the force. She gently stuck her tongue in between them to stop them from clicking. But nothing she could do could stop the violent shivers from permeating her small form. The wind was blowing, but at least she was protected from that thanks to the house.
She felt her head drop to her chest and tried to jerk it back up, only to bash her head on the wall behind her. The resounding thunk brought tears to her eyes. And she sucked in a breath, trying to will the pain away. This had to be the worst night of her life for as long as she could remember. Then she heard footsteps.
Oh no, the occupant must have heard her. If they saw her sitting on their porch, they would probably call the police. Somehow the worst night of her life was about to get so much worse…
……
Inuyasha was dozing off on his couch watching terrible tv. The storm was raging outside, and the constant rain just lulled him into a deeper sleep. Until he heard a loud thunk that snapped him awake. He stood up and did a cursory inspection. All the windows were closed, the doors were locked, but he had heard a definite ‘thunk’. He finally opened up his front door and saw a small form huddled under what looked like a black sheet, shivering in the cold.
“What the hell?”
At his exclamation, a head popped out of the wet sheet and the woman let out a small gasp. She tried to stand, but wobbled slightly, and he was hit with the scent of tears and blood.
“Are you okay?”
Her bottom lip began trembling and new tears formed, “please don’t call the police. I didn’t mean to trespass. I’ll go.”
He shook his head and glanced out at the rain blowing almost completely sideways now, then back at the woman.
“Were you out walking in this mess?”
She tried to nod, but her shivering made it almost indistinguishable. Then her teeth began chattering, and the sound made his ears fold down against his head. Damn, this woman would be lucky if she didn't die of hypothermia.
“Ya can’t stay out here, and you really can’t be walking in this. Why the fuck didn’t ya call a ride or something?”
Her head dropped, “I didn't know it was supposed to storm, and I fell and dropped my phone in a puddle.”
“Keh. Damn, you’re having a shitty night. C’mon in and get warm, then I’ll see about getting you home.”
He turned and walked into the open door, and left the door open for her to follow. He went to the linen closet and grabbed several towels, making sure one of them was a big fluffy one for her. He then went to his room and grabbed a pair of sweats from his dresser and one of his tees he usually hung around the house in. She had to get out of those wet clothes or she’d be sick as hell come morning. If she wasn’t already. He headed back to the kitchen, and she hadn't even closed the door behind her. Her shivering was still just as harsh as it was outside, but her teeth seemed to have stopped chattering.
He went and gently removed her coat that was still slightly draped over her head and wrapped it in one of the other towels. Squeezing out some water so it could be thrown into the dryer. “If ya follow me, I can show ya the bathroom. I figured you can change outta those wet clothes. Then I can take your wet clothes and throw them in the dryer.”
He started walking towards the bathroom, but noticed after a few steps she wasn’t moving. He turned back to face her, and then the scent of her fear hit him. He let out a breath and tried to put things in perspective. She was a young woman in a stranger's house. She obviously was having a shitty night and didn't need him to make it any worse. He approached her slowly, then stuck his hand out. “M’name’s Inuyasha. I know ya have no idea who I am, or any reason to trust me, but ya need help. I know I can promise I won’t hurt ya, but I can see why that wouldn’t help much. Umm, the only thing I can think of is to let you use my phone and call a friend to tell them where ya are.”
He went to the living room and grabbed his cell phone and handed it over. With shaking fingers, she dialed a number. He even handed her his ID so she could give the address properly with his first and last name. He heard the phone ring several times before going to voicemail and saw the way her shoulders slumped in resignation as she left a voicemail. She said her name was Kagome, left his name and address and said she was safe but might need a ride home after the storm. Then she handed him back his phone.
“Did ya wanna call anyone else? I don’t want ya to think I’m gonna hurt ya.” She just shook her head. “N-n-n-no, you’ve d-done m-m-more than most would do.”
At her shivering voice, he wrapped one of the dry towels around her shoulders and tried to warm her up a bit. “C’mon. I’ll take ya to the bathroom. You can take a shower if ya want, but don’t let the water get too hot, it can send your system into shock.”
She looked up at him incredulously, “Ar-re you a n-nurse?”
He chuckled, “Doctor, actually. Well, not yet. I’m still in school for it. But come on. We have to get you warmed up.” He headed towards the bathroom and this time he heard her follow him. He set the spare clothes on the counter and the fluffy towel on top of them.
“I’ll make a pot of tea and you can take a nice shower. If ya need a ride home, I’ll be happy to give ya a lift.”
She shook her head, “No, you’ve done too much already.”
He just shook his head and closed the door behind himself. He had no idea how in the hell she had ended up on his porch in this terrible storm, but something had happened. It wasn’t necessarily his business, but he would be lying if he said his curiosity wasn’t piqued.
……
Kagome climbed in a warm shower and felt so much of the stress fade away from the day. It had been a nightmare. The stupid date with the stupid guy, to walking out and planning on walking the several miles home, what had she been thinking?! Oh she hadn't been. She just wanted to get away from the creep before he tried to come to her house for drinks. And if she had been smart enough to check the weather at all today, she might have known there was a terrible storm front coming in, but she had mistakenly been excited about this date. It was the first date since she and Hojo broke up over a year ago. She was excited and nervous. But now she would never go on a blind date again. Nor would she ever trust Yuka’s choice in men again! In her irritation she scrubbed herself a little too hard, leaving red splotches of angry flesh that stung when touched. Great. She was just making her night better.
She just wanted to go home and eat the half gallon of cookies and cream ice cream in her freezer. And now she’s in the home of a stranger using his shower. This night had been an absolute disaster. She climbed out and dried off before dressing in his clothes. She managed to wring her hair out and pile it on top of her head and kinda get it to stay. She hadn't been wearing any hair ties or clips, so she had nothing to keep it up with. At least she was warm, and she wasn’t dry, but it wasn't a freezing cold kind of wet anymore.
She left the bathroom and walked towards the noise of the tv. She found Inuyasha lounging on a recliner with a cup of tea on his side table and a steaming cup with a sugar bowl next to it on the table next to the couch. As she entered, she noticed his ears were silver and perched atop his head. Apparently, with being half frozen and terrified, she had missed his demonic traits. He was a hanyou, with gorgeous silver hair and puppy dog ears, that swivelled towards her as she entered the room. She walked slowly and sat on the couch.
“Thank you for everything, Inuyasha. I realize I was being very impolite. My name is Kagome.”
He sent her a smirk. “I heard it when you said it in your friend’s voicemail. But it’s nice to ‘officially’ meet you. I’ll go get your clothes and throw them in the dryer. Are ya hungry?”
At his mention of food, her stomach growled. She had been at dinner, but she realized she barely ate more than a few bites. He shook his head and stood up, “I guess so. Wanna tell me what you were doing walking around in the middle of a storm, Kagome?”
At that she almost bristled. “It wasn’t raining when I started, and to be honest, freezing to death was better than finishing the terrible blind date I was set up on. So I left to walk home.”
He stopped on his way to the kitchen, “Did you just say freezing to death was a better alternative? Damn, that must have been a terrible date.”
She let out a loud sigh, “It absolutely was.” He came back with a plate and a few slices of pizza. “Sorry, all I have is pepperoni. But I popped it in the oven when you went in so it would be hot when you finished.”
She couldn't imagine her grin could be any bigger. She took the plate and sat back on the couch. “Thank you. Now, care to tell me why you’re being so nice to a stranger who decided your porch was a good place to die?”
He chuckled and shook his head, “Everyone is prone to fits of insanity at times of stress and I just chalked that up to one of yours. So how did this guy make this date so bad that death was your best choice?”
She felt herself let out a loud ‘ugh’ just thinking about the creep.
“Hey, if ya don't wanna talk about it, that’s your call. I was just a little blown away. I mean I’ve had some shitty dates but never that bad.”
She smiled and shook her head, “Do you really wanna know?”
He sat for a minute, then nodded gently. She began the tale of him picking her up, blaring terrible music, and not even turning it down enough when she was trying to introduce herself. It continued on to him talking to her breasts while calling her by the wrong name, which she did state was probably because he never turned down the music to actually hear her name. By the time she told him about the way he ate, the look on his face was one of absolute horror. After she followed it up with him taking her dinner, it morphed into absolute confusion, then denial, followed by incredulousness. She had to stop to laugh at that. By the time she told him about leaving and her misadventures walking home, she was laughing about the whole thing, and so was he.
After that, she declared it was his turn to tell her about a terrible date. He blatantly admitted it was nothing compared to her night, but he did favor her with a story about this one woman. He really liked her, but she was still in love with her ex, who had broken up with her to move near his family and join the family business. She really had no interest in him whatsoever, but still tried to be polite and sweet. Unfortunately, she spent the entirety of their date talking about her ex. Telling him the things he would do and how he would do things differently. After an entire evening of being compared to someone else, he politely took her home, and she even seemed shocked when he declined the offer of a nightcap and some bedroom fun. He apparently had enough after that and told her he didn’t want to be compared to someone like that and left her at her doorstep.
Kagome was rolling with laughter. First that he had been so blatant, and secondly that he had dealt with it so politely for the entirety of the date! After that he asked her about her best date and she regaled him with a story of cute puppy love that was not meant to be, and how her first boyfriend had a crush on her for 6 years before ever asking her out. Then he had tried to plan a perfect date, and it was cute but sinfully boring. They went to a movie that ended up being positively terrible, then he took her to a restaurant that was so packed they waited for almost an hour before giving up and going to a diner, then he took her home and was so nervous that he walked her to her door, kissed her on the cheek, and sprinted away. But somehow the whole thing was endearing to her. They had dated for a few years after that, and that was Hojo. He was offered an amazing job, but it was out of the country. She said she couldn't go that far, and he said goodbye to her.
After that she tried to convince him to tell her about his best date, but he seemed to dodge the question. First by getting up to get more tea for them both, then to check on her clothes in the dryer, they weren’t dry yet. And lastly, to take her plate to the kitchen. After the last one didn’t work and she asked again he finally let out a long painful sigh, “I know this is gonna sound stupid, but this evening hanging out with you has probably been better than any other date I’ve ever been on.”
At his words, she stopped and watched his ears droop. Then she thought back to the last couple hours she spent with him. Had she ever laughed that hard on a date? Had she ever enjoyed spending time with someone so much? The answer was a definite ‘no’. “You know what, Inuyasha? I think you’re right. You turned this nightmare of a night into an amazing evening.”
His ears perked up, and she felt herself grinning. It seemed her response brought out his real bravado, because with a cocky smirk he asked, “Maybe you’d like to try a real date?”
She began nodding immediately. “I absolutely would. How about tomorrow?”
His grin almost split his face. “It’s a date.”