InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ I Do ❯ Chapter 7

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Startled, Kagome woke. She peeked out from under the blankets, heart pounding madly. ‘Must be another nightmare.’ She thought, brain foggy with sleep. Rolling over, she inhaled sharply as she found herself face to face with a man. Kei. He slept silently, his blanket a wrinkled mess around his legs in his unconscious efforts to stay cool. A frown tugged at the corners of her lips - where, she silently told herself - a smile should be. But she couldn’t find it in herself to smile. Not when her wedding was weeks away - and her heart remained hundreds of years in the past, with a hanyou who had, quite possibly, forgotten about her. It didn’t seem fair. Not to Kei, not to her. She should be happy; she should be excited. Kagome sighed. But the truth was? She felt utterly miserable.

A hushed knocking at the apartment door made her jump. With a quick glance at Kei, she crept from the bed and made her way silently to the door. She looked through the peep-hole, only to find there was no one standing outside her door. Hundreds of scenes from various horror movies raced through her mind, and she decided the mystery of who had been knocking on her door was probably better left unsolved.

Her stomach in a knot, she headed back to bed.

Inu-yasha’s heart was still racing as he crept into Kagome’s bedroom with an exhausted yawn. His silver hair was unkempt and his eyes seemed distant. What had he been thinking, tracking Kagome’s scent through Tokyo at nearly three in the morning? He stripped the shirt that Souta had loaned him to sleep in, and fell back into the bed.

As usual, his thoughts were hazy, and he knew he needed something to take his mind off of everything that had been happening since he had come across the well. Coming into an entirely new era, being immersed in the vast, unfamiliar scents, spending sleepless hours in thought, seeing Kagome so entirely unhappy - and with another man, no less. It all seemed rather like the moments spent in Kagome’s time had been nothing but a dream; a not so wonderful dream. Any minute he’d wake up to find Kikyo wandering the earth and Naraku’s evil laughter filling the air. At least then he’d know how to deal with the situation.

Inu-yasha rolled over, facing the wall with a weary look to his face. He could smell Souta, who was still awake in his room, and considered getting up and bothering him. But Inu-yasha’s common sense won out as he realized, almost subconsciously, how cross Kagome would be if she knew he was annoying her younger brother at this time of night. He nearly smiled, before he remembered Kagome was all the way across town - sleeping in the same bed as her soon-to-be husband.

He closed his eyes, trying to block out the image of Kagome with Kei. Souta had told him a lot about the young man, fresh out of college and into the family business. Souta had also mentioned Kei’s month-long business trips, and more-than-obvious interest in other women. Inu-yasha had, of course, been furious. For the millionth time in the past days, he felt helpless. After all, Souta was determined to keep Inu-yasha from seeing Kagome before his hair was cut and he was properly dressed.

With a slight groan, Inu-yasha rolled onto his stomach. He’d felt restless, but he’d never felt so utterly drained at the same time. The hanyou buried his face into the pillow, and didn’t bother to lift his head as he smelled Souta approaching the room. The door clicked open, and the teenage Souta stepped in.

“Inu-yasha? Are you up?” He asked in a hoarse whisper, and Inu-yasha spoke into the pillow. Souta took his muffled reply as a “yes” and closed the door behind him. He took a seat on the floor, leaned against the desk, and sighed. He turned his eyes onto the half-demon.

“Why are you still up?” Inu-yasha asked, positioning himself so that he still lay on his stomach as he rested his head in his hands. Souta shrugged, and Inu-yasha frowned at him.
“Can’t sleep. Thinking a lot.” Souta finally replied, swinging his arms around his knees, “Mostly about you and Kagome.” Inu-yasha’s frown stayed intact, but the twitching of his ear betrayed his otherwise uninterested appearance.

“What about us, exactly?” Inu-yasha ventured, attempting to recreate Sesshomaru’s bored tone - and falling infinitely short. Souta shrugged again, this time his eyes avoiding Inu-yasha. The hanyou could smell the confusion as acutely as Souta could feel it in himself. “Well. If you’re not going to tell me, then I’m going to bed.” Inu-yasha replied with a rather immature huff, and laid his head down , face facing wall.

“Did anything happen between you guys, back in the past?” Souta asked after a few uncomfortably silent moments. Inu-yasha snorted in an incredulous way, but was inwardly startled. A few awkward embraces, a few not-so-awkward. A kiss. But what exactly was Souta getting at?

“Not really.” Inu-yasha lied, still facing the wall. Souta laughed softly. “I dunno. I guess I’m just still trying to understand why it is you’re back here.” He said, just as quietly as he had laughed. Inu-yasha felt compelled to turn and face the boy - and did so.

Souta appeared much older in the pale moonlight, as it filtered through the blinds. One leg was stretched out before him, while the other was bent, and his left arm rest on his knee. He seemed so suddenly serious that Inu-yasha was shocked for the second time since the boy had entered the room.

“Souta…What is it you expect me to say?” Inu-yasha said after a moment. He sat up, the cool night air creeping through the window and causing goose-bumps to rise on his bare chest. Souta didn’t take his gaze away from the floor - and there was that soft laugh again.

“A lot more than what you’ve said.” Souta shot back, causing the hanyou to scowl. “Like what? If you don’t know why I’m here, I shouldn’t have to tell you.” Inu-yasha sounded suddenly defensive, even to himself, and he couldn’t think of a single reason why he should be. He had come to grips with the fact that he had fallen in love with Kagome somewhere along the way. Why, now - of all times - should be fear speaking the thought aloud?

Was it the substantiation he feared? That, if he should tell Souta that he loved Kagome, it would suddenly feel so much more real to him than if he kept the thought secret? It had remained so for a year. So, why should he change that now? It was obvious to anyone who was looking, that was what Sango and Miroku had always believed, anyway.

With a pang of guilt, he looked down at Souta - only to find the kid had been watching him deep in thought. “Do you love her?” He asked, finally. There it was, that word. He felt, as if by admitting it, he would then be offering his heart on a platter; to be accepted, or refused. And which would it be?

What did a hanyou from down the well have to offer to Kagome? Surely with her powerful, wealthy fiance she was used to extravagance and sophistication, fine-dining and high class acquaintances to bring along. Where would he stand in a world he hardly understood? He would show up on her door-step, dressed in dark jeans and a t-shirt, hair cropped and nails clipped. And what would he say then?

“Well?” Souta interrupted Inu-yasha’s thoughts rather abruptly, a tone of urgency now in his voice. The half-demon sighed, casting his eyes downward. “Of course.” He muttered raucously, “Of course I do.” Inu-yasha could tell Souta was smiling from the winkles forming around his dark eyes.

“I knew it.” The boy replied confidently, the urgency gone so quickly it was like it had never been there in the first place. Inu-yasha rolled his eyes. “Then why’d you ask, smart-ass?” He retorted. Souta laughed, a much louder, happier laughter this time around.

“It takes some balls to admit it.” He said, climbing to his feet. He opened the door quietly and turned his head over his shoulder to look at Inu-yasha, “Doesn’t it?”
And with that, Souta was gone. The door clicking closed behind him. And leaving a somewhat stunned, and ever-increasingly confused Inu-yasha in his wake.

Inu-yasha woke up to find a dull, aching dread had settled somewhere in the region of his stomach. Once the morning fog lifted from his half-asleep brain, he realized he was getting his hair cut today. He sighed loudly, throwing the blanket off him unceremoniously.

Then a thought occurred to him - one that should’ve been on his mind ages ago. Who on earth would be able to cut his hair with a hat on? As if on cue, Souta walked in with a massive pair of scissors and a grin that, to Inu-yasha, seemed just a little too mischievous.

“OH NO YOU DON’T!” Inu-yasha roared, jumping to his feet while still on the bed. He pointed a finger at Souta accusingly and eyed the scissors suspiciously, “You put those away!” He made to take a step back, faltered, stumbled forward - and toppled off the bed towards the boy. By the time Inu-yasha was back on his feet, Souta was clutching his stomach in a fit of laughter that brought tears to his eyes. Inu-yasha rubbed his bare back, wincing slightly.

“I’m not cutting your hair Inu-yasha. Mom is.” Inu-yasha didn’t know whether to be relieved or worried. Kagome’s mom knew he was here now? Souta seemed to read his face. “Don’t worry, I explained it. Mom isn’t too fond of Kei either, so to be honest she’s kind of relieved and - “ At that moment, Mrs. Higurashi entered the bedroom with a kind, but impatient, smile on her face.

“Souta.“ She said, a slightly disapproving tone coloring her otherwise perfectly level voice. “Let’s not go telling the world that I’m not very happy with my daughter’s current wedding arrangements.” Souta shrugged, still smiling, and handed the scissors, handle first, to his mother.

Inu-yasha swallowed hard as he watched the scissors exchange hands. Without thought, his hands rose to grip his long, silver hair. He dropped it as the middle-aged woman approached him. Mrs. Higurashi took him gently by the hand and led him to the bathroom. She put the toilet seat down, and asked him to sit. He nearly whimpered in reply.

“H-how much are you cutting off?” He managed, voice cracking only slightly. Mrs. Higurashi laughed, and the sound was so alike to Kagome’s laugh that his fear was forgotten for a second. “Only up to your shoulders, Inu-yasha.” she replied, another kind smile on her lips. Inu-yasha had never realized how much Kagome looked like her mother until now, and the thought distracted him. But only until she snipped off the first chunk of hair.

Mrs. Higurashi was very professional about the whole process - even when Inu-yasha had run out of the bathroom, and around the house, wailing about his sudden lack of hair. Souta had been forced to tackle him, just to get him to shut up.

By the time they were finished, Inu-yasha appeared quite different. His once long, untidy silver hair now rested just above his shoulders, and was swept to the left to cover the spot where Souta had taken the hanyou by surprised and snipped off a little too much hair. Inu-yasha gazed into the mirror and liked what he saw. He was surprisingly pleased by the way the amber of his eye peeked out behind his make-shift bangs.

“Oh, you look positively dashing.” Souta said, sporting his poor British accent once again. As Inu-yasha laughed, Souta pulled a bag he had been holding from behind his back. “Now, let’s you get you in your clothes.”

Inu-yasha took one look at Souta’s rather menacing smile, and groaned.

When he walked out of the bathroom, Souta was stunned. Inu-yasha had never looked so astoundingly human - even when he had been human. His hair was so clean it was almost glistening in the light. He had a black bandana folded artfully, so that it flattened and covered his ears, but did not cover his entire head. The plain black t-shirt fit snugly, showing off Inu-yasha’s well-toned physique - and the dark blue jeans and black skating sneakers completed the outfit. Inu-yasha wouldn’t have looked out of place with a guitar in his hand.

“You know, Kagome doesn’t usually go for the tough guys.” Souta said, crossing his arms and looking the hanyou up and down. a surge of confidence clouded Inu-yasha’s thoughts. “She’ll make an exception.” He replied with a half-smile. Souta laughed.

“We’ll find out tonight, won’t we?”

Ree: Ahhh, finally! My internet is fixed for good this time, I hope. I‘m so, so sorry for how long it‘s taken. Hopefully, you’ll find this chapter to be worth the wait. Don’t forget to review and tell me how it was. And once again, thanks for the patience everyone.