InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ 13 Ways to Kinda Say I Like You ❯ 5, Common Interesting… ( Chapter 7 )

Gomen, gomen, gomen…I'm sorry that this story has lain fallow for so long. Many of you have waited patiently (some not so patiently) for this part and I hope I do it justice. A quick note so you do know that I didn't just abandon you all, in the time that I haven't written, I've moved to Japan to work with the JET program. More importantly, I've also gotten engaged! Yea! So to say things have been hectic would be a smidge of an understatement…love you all. Hope you enjoy this and that it was worth your wait! I own no one they only live squished in the small space below my futon.

Darth Mer-Mer

13 Ways to Kind of Say I Like You

Chapter 5, Common Interesting…

Dear Diary,

It took me forever to think of something other than the shards that binds me and Inuyasha together. Granted, part of that was my own denial. But maybe this will help sort out some things that haven't been said yet. The book said "Common Interests" and I only thought about that in the sense of hobbies or sports. Of course Inuyasha doesn't play sports….granted he'd be great at track and the high jump. Anyways, I didn't think that other than instant noodles there was much from my time that held his interest. But I don't think that would be a good topic to have a conversation about…

The shards were out…my ankle is too swollen to walk and I have been sentenced to bed rest for the next two days. Stupid root. Although I did like being carried…I can't give up. Even though this may be really hard, I can't just quit! So I kept thinking and finally, it hit me. We have the most in common through the people we know. And since I know a lot about Sango, Shippou and Miroku…that left only one person that had a common bond between us…

This is going to be really hard…I hope I can do it.

Kagome

The snow fell quietly outside as Kagome shut the cover of her diary. In her other hand, she held the almighty book with her fingers marking her place in the pages. Her foot hurt…it had been a while since anyone had been in the hut with her. As far as she knew they were all still out looking for the proper herbs and who knew what else to make a compress for her. She hoped they would come back soon…it was dark and lonely and cold here by herself. Rubbing at her leg absently, she read the passage again.

"Many people start out as friends before becoming more. This is a wonderful way to begin a relationship because you have common ground to stand on before building a new life together. For instance, my husband was and still is very interested in Kempo when we met. Because of that, I started to study martial arts on my own too. Because of this, I think that he was able to influence me to be a better person.

"Now, some of you may be thinking of running off and copying your honey's every interest, but my advice is find something that can work as a bridge between you. Every relationship will work better if you each meet halfway. He goes down the bridge ten steps and you go down the bridge ten steps. Trust me, this way you won't get upset that you are the one doing all the work."

Kagome slid the book between her futon and the rough tatami mats on the floor. A bridge, huh? Something or someone that connected them. It hit her again how hard this was going to be. But if it could bring them closer, then maybe it would be worth the price of her pride. Again, she went through her little rehearsed speech in her mind. Taking a deep breath to collect her thoughts she closed her eyes and started to practice.

"Inuyasha? I was wondering if it would be okay if we talked about Kikyou…I know she was, I mean, is import-"

KA-THUNK!

What in the world was that noise? Kagome whirled around and stopped. Her eyes went wide. Oh no, she thought, now I've done it!

It was the sound made by a stunned Inuyasha as he dropped the medicine jar he had been holding to the floor. Standing motionless in the doorway, the hanyou tried desperately to shut his gaping jaw. Kagome wanted to talk about KIKYOU? Oh, ye gods, what had he done…she only brought up Kikyou if she was really, really mad at him. Usually he knew when he had done something wrong. He had become at least that good at interpreting the girl after their time together. But now, he had no idea what he had done. The color rose to his face as he stooped to pick up the jar. Maybe she was just mumbling…if he ignored it, maybe she'd forget about what she said. "The other's will be back soon." He murmured under his breath. "They're still trying to find some sort of salve for your foot." He carefully sat on the edge of the futon, refusing to look at the girl.

Ahh, crap. Kagome winced and smacked her head for her stupidity. All of the rehearsed lines and sensible statement she had worked so hard to think up had flown out her ears as soon as she saw Inuyasha standing behind her. "Ah, I see." She gulped. Her foot throbbed painfully under the thick padding of the blanket. Then there was silence.

The silence stretched on. Inuyasha coughed slightly and scratched at his ears to rid them of the snow. Good, he thought, no more talking about Kikyou. With a sigh, he slumped forward, his head still spinning from the implications of Kagome's words.

Kagome only sat, her face crimson in the light of the midday sun. Oh, good grief. She was NOT going to let Kikyou come between them even in thoughts when she could be somewhat useful as a tool of conversation! Dammit! Kagome's fists curled around the blankets as she looked up at the hanyou, sitting patiently at the foot of her bed. "Inuyasha, I want to talk to you about Kikyo."

Ah, shit. Here we go… His ears drooped as he cast the girl a sideways glance. "Why?" Then in an effort to avoid the topic all together, he dipped one hand into the pot of mashed herbs and lifted the coverlet over the girl with the other. If that didn't get her off topic, nothing would.

"Because, she was someone who was, I mean, is important to you and I know almost nothing about her!" Kagome was not that easily distracted. Her feet shivered as the cold air hit them…the pleasant warmth that had grown under the covers quickly dissipating into biting cold. Her ankle seized painfully. "Ow owowow." She leaned forward to pull her feet back under the cover but the boy stopped her.

"Hang on, these'll help." He swatted her good leg out of the way, allowing her to tuck and curl it under the cover again as he sat cross-legged in its place with his back facing her. Gently as he was able, he picked up her bad leg and settled it over his knee.

"Quite ignoring me!" Kagome smacked at the hanyou's back. Then she tensed as his fingers soothed the medicine over the swollen parts of her foot. "Who was she? She wasn't always like she is now, right?" Her voice dropped. "You wouldn't have loved her otherwise."

His fingers stopped. His eyes were hidden by the unruly tangles of his hair.

"I know you, you wouldn't have fallen in love with her all those years ago if she hadn't have been a different person. Why? What made you love her? Why was she so special to you that even now you still love her!" Kagome clapped her hands over her mouth in surprise and realized with dawning horror what she had just said. It was the first time she had even admitted such things to herself, much less to throw them in the face of the one she herself was trying so hard to get to love her instead.

He took a breath. And then another. Unsure of what to think or say. "You're right. She was different before Naraku tricked us." He cleared his throat as if the word had to fight their way.

Kagome bit her lips, she had come this far…at least he was talking now. "So, please, tell me what she was like." Her hands found his hair and tugged. When he looked back at her, she offered him her most brave and understanding smile. "I…I just want to know."

Okay, so she wasn't mad at him. But why on earth would she, out of the blue, want to talk about Kikyou of all people? Inuyasha shifted and continued to put the medicine on her slender leg. "She was so different…from all the other human I'd seen, you know." His voice got softer. "There was so much sadness in her. But back then she fought it." He smiled wanly, his eyes sad. "Not like now…somewhere, she just gave up. But before all the stuff with Naraku…she was gentle and refined." His fingers stopped to get more medicine, "And she had so much hope for the future. For herself, for the people she loved, even for me…she always had hope." Taking a deep shaking breath he continued. "That's why its so hard for me to see her like she is now. She has no hope left for her or anyone else. She just wants to die."

"Before, she was always worried about others. Even me. Every time I tried to attack the village, she's stop me and force me to talk to her. She was so sad, she wanted to be normal so badly. What others thought of her really mattered to her. Almost too much."

The reiencarnation of said girl shifted. "What did you all do when you were alone?" Well, nothing like a point blank question there Kagome. Like he'd actually answer that question…

"Usually, we'd just talk…" He whispered. "Kikyou had trouble relating to the other people in her village. One time, she even said she felt like the hanyou…with her powers and all." He chuckled low in his throat. "Sometimes she just wanted to get away from her life. It wasn't easy for her to be so powerful, you know. And the villagers always took her for granted. It didn't matter to them that she was just a girl or that she was tired of her life…all that they saw was the priestess who was supposed to protect them. So sometimes, we'd go away for a while and she could relax. And we'd talk." His cheeks were an incriminating pink, letting the young girl know that talking hadn't been all they'd done all the time. "But, she was important to me because she accepted me…and wanted me to be better."

"But, she wanted you to become human." Kagome turned sad eyes to him. "How did she accept you if she wanted to you change?"

"Well…" Damn, she had him there. He hadn't thought of it like that, he had seen it as a way for him to be better. "She just wanted what she thought was best. And she was human, so sometimes she made mistakes."

Here it goes, she thought… "Did you love her?"

Damn, girl was asking some personal questions all of a sudden. But the tone in her voice made him answer. And he answered truthfully. "Yes. I did."

Now for the hard one, "Do you still love her?" Well, yeah, this was going just splendidly. Have the man you want talk about his old flame in five easy words.

Here came another truthful answer… "I don't know. But I know I did before she changed."

Kagome shifted his hair through her fingers like sand. "I..I'm glad that at one point, she was different." The words choked in her throat. "I was worried, that since I have the same soul…that, that I would…end up like her." Her forehead gently bumped his back and stayed there, a warm, pleasant weight.

"Feh, I wouldn't worry about that." He snorted. "You're nothing like her." His eyes widened as he felt Kagome's anger build behind him.

"Oh, really?"

"I didn't mean it like that…" He managed to squeak out as Kagome's hands squeezed his neck.

Kagome raised an eyebrow over a glowing red eye. "How did you mean it, Inuyasha?" If he hadn't meant it like it sounded…

"You don't have to hope all the time!" He barked out. "You make things happen, you don't just sit and wish for things to get better. I don't have to worry about you getting sad enough to do something drastic!" He shouted and wiggled lose of the girl's clutching hands and turning to look at her.

Kagome's mind raced…now would be the perfect time for her to ask the same questions that she had about Kikyou only about herself. "Inuyasha…" She sat up straighter. "I-"

Shippou bounded through the door like a little streak of furry lightening. In half a second, he was in Kagome's lap and nuzzling against her. "We're home!" His small smiling face robbing her of her words, her voice and her hopes for asking Inuyasha about how he felt. But yet, she smiled, curled her arms around the little kitsune and kissed the top of his head.

"Welcome home…" The rest could wait until later.

Okay, Don't kill me okay…I'm rusty…and in a bit of a fowl mood. If you liked it, please tell me, if you didn't, go on and tell me but I won't listen…love you all. DMM