InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ I Do ❯ Chapter 9

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

By the time they reached the countryside, the sun was high, and just hardly beginning it’s slow descent towards the horizon. The drive had been quiet, and Kagome was thankful. With Inu-yasha dozing, and nothing but the sound of the rain’s steady tapping on the roof of the car, Kagome had been given quite a bit of time to assess the situation - and let the reality of things settle in.

She glanced over at the sleeping hanyou, smiled inwardly, and averted her eyes back to the road. Despite the final moments that the two had shared that fateful day a year ago, Kagome couldn’t bring herself to feel angry or upset. Inu-yasha was stubborn and naïve. He was jealous, and impulsive, and sometimes quite touchy about things. The truth of the matter was, his merely being there would, without a doubt, complicate her already deeply conflicting emotions. But, regardless of that, of the things said and the moments wasted all those years she had spent at his side - Kagome was happy he was there, with her.

Inu-yasha stirred a bit in his sleep, and Kagome glanced sidelong at him. Maybe it was the fact that his face held not a single line of age, or that his hair caught the pale light of the gray skies in just the right way, but Kagome was suddenly aware of how beautiful Inu-yasha actually was. There wasn’t that much to it, really -it was plain enough to see. But Kagome simply hadn’t looked at him in so long. It was almost painful to see him sitting mere inches away.

But, looking at him sleeping there, lips parted ever so slightly and bangs dousing his shut eyes in shadows - Kagome realized with a start that she had never considered the idea that Inu-yasha was a different person now. Her mind couldn’t answer the question her heart asked. And yet, what was one year to someone who had the blood of an immortal being running through their veins? Did a change really exist? Or had she merely imagined the shadows behind the amber of his eyes?

Now that he was actually beside her, Kagome was gripped with a sudden fear that Inu-yasha had indeed changed. She felt there was something different about him - she felt that she need only look in his eyes to see it. But just what was this change, whether it be imagined or real?

Was he the same Inu-yasha she had fallen in love with so seemingly long ago?

Kagome shivered a bit, and tried to focus on the road in front of her. Unfortunately, that distraction didn’t last very long. Inu-yasha stirred a bit more, and as his head slumped, it made fairly forceful contact with the window. Kagome couldn’t help but laugh. With a yelp, Inu-yasha was awake. After a few moments, during which Inu-yasha grumbled under his breath about the wretched modern era modes of transportation, he noticed that he was not quite alone, and not quite in Tokyo anymore.

“Where are we?” He mumbled groggily as he rubbed his head. Kagome shrugged. “The middle of nowhere?” She offered, still smiling. Inu-yasha stretched, yawning again and revealing two long, gleaming fangs. Kagome thought, for a moment, that they had grown in size - but she mentally shook herself, and decided firmly that she was so worried about change, that she was merely imagining changes to please her questing mind.

Slowly, but surely, the houses grew closer and closer together. Kagome knew that they were finally approaching their destination, and wondered if Inu-yasha would even like the place. “Hungry?” she asked, glancing at Inu-yasha. The hanyou was staring out the window, quite preoccupied with his own thoughts. He turned, a dazed expression on his face. “Huh?” He replied, stupidly. Kagome sighed.

“There’s this café up ahead, it’s a place I used to go to with -” Kagome caught herself. A place I used to go to with Kei. It was true, but it was a statement one’s better judgment screamed would not be appropriate to say. “With friends.” She finished lamely. And Inu-yasha merely nodded, before turning back to his thoughts and the rain-streaked windows.

“Do you even know what a café is?” Kagome asked curiously, and Inu-yasha half-shrugged. “Guess I’m gonna find out either way, right?” He half-grinned, and once again Kagome’s smile was back in place. It was amazing how the slightest glint in his eyes could melt her right down to her core. She realized, dazedly, that she hadn’t smiled this much since she had first started dating Kei.

With a pang of guilt, Kagome turned into the parking lot of the aforementioned café. Searching for a parking spot, she half-watched as Inu-yasha gazed around curiously. Obviously deciding that there was nothing of interest to be seen, he leaned back in his seat and assumed the same tired look he had been wearing since they had first gotten into the car.

“Don’t look so bored, Inu-yasha. You’re starting to look like your brother.” She said, her smile broadening as Inu-yasha’s expression went from tired to mortified to frustrated in the mere second after she had stopped speaking. “Don’t make me lose my appetite.” He quipped as the two climbed from Kagome’s small Toyota.

Kagome chose to sit on the balcony on the second level, where they were not stuck amidst the various scents of the various people in the building, and she heard no complaints on Inu-yasha‘s part. It was a warm night, although the rain had stolen away the humidity from the air, and the view was nice. Kagome was pleased that the builders had possessed enough sense to build a roof over the balcony - it was nice to hear the rain, and not get soaked by it.

A rather petite waitress took their order, her wide, blue eyes never leaving Inu-yasha. She seemed to be awed by the pure white of his hair and his bright, tawny of eyes. Kagome felt the once-familiar hot, aching jealously pool in the pit of her stomach as she watched the waitress nearly undress Inu-yasha with her eyes. “Does she have a staring problem?” Inu-yasha said to Kagome from the corner of his mouth as the waitress headed back inside the building. Kagome snorted into her water, jealousy forgotten, before recovering and shaking her head.

Inu-yasha was obviously nonplussed. “She finds you attractive Inu-yasha.” She explained, “Which is why she kept looking at you, even when she was taking my order.” Kagome giggled a bit, and Inu-yasha looked almost incredulous. He was startled when Kagome waved through the window to grab the waitresses attention. The small, blonde young woman made her way over to the table almost warily, as though expecting a scolding. Kagome wondered if the girl had a habit of hitting on random men, and getting rebuked by their significant others.

“Would you mind bringing me some more water?” Kagome asked. The girl was watching Inu-yasha in a manner Kagome could only describe as intently, and merely glanced at Kagome when she spoke. “But - you have a full glass, ma’am. Is there something wrong with that water?” The waitress asked, blatantly confused. The corners of Kagome’s lips twitched with a suppressed smile as she pretended to be surprised by this apparent revelation. Kagome shook her head, feigning a rather absentminded expression. She apologized and the waitress departed, with one more sultry glance at Inu-yasha.

The hanyou watched as Kagome laughed, a bemused expression coloring his features. “What?” He asked, sounding quite like a child who‘s parents had just used the “you‘ll-understand-when-you‘re-older“ card. Kagome shook her head as if to wave off the question and smiled. “Nothing, it’s nothing.” She added as he gazed at her determinedly. He may have been naïve, but at least he was cute about it.

Inu-yasha seemed to give up at that, and sat back in his chair, staring out across the view of the small city that the balcony offered. It had stopped raining, but the skies were still gray and laden with rain yet fallen. The subtle light of the candle at the center of the table did little to keep out the pressing darkness at bay. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Kagome asked softly, after the silence had settled in around them. Inu-yasha looked over at Kagome, and was startled to find her eyes already on him.

“Yeah,” He replied, his eyes locking with hers, “Yeah, it is.”

Kagome was surprised at how well Inu-yasha handled the meal. Usually, a few hours in her era was enough to drive him to the very brink of his sanity; what with all the scents, and strange looks and comments. But he did well - despite the fact that from the moment Kagome had mentioned the waitress being attracted to him, he completely diverted his eyes whenever she came around.

When they were finished, the waitress cleared their plates. She made sure to carefully lean in towards Inu-yasha, so as to give him a straight view down her shirt, had he been looking in her direction at all. Kagome found his shyness endearing. Though, she admitted to herself with a stifled laugh, she didn’t quite expect him to pull a Miroku.

At the thought of the monks name, all of the memories of her time spent in the past rushed back at once. She almost erupted with questions concerning Sango and Shippo, and Miroku - before realizing the waitress was still there, and it would sound quite odd to bring up a kitsune and a monk at the dinner table. The waitress slipped the bill under Inu-yasha’s hand, which lay limp on the table. He jumped slightly, before picking up the small piece of paper and examining it inquisitively.

Kagome took it from him kindly, questions momentarily forgotten, and scanned over it as she drew her small wallet from her purse. She nearly dropped it when she noticed the digits scribbled in pink ink at the bottom of the bill. Kagome couldn’t help but burst into a fit of giggles when she say the little heart and the name “Yumi”. The waitress has just given Inu-yasha her phone number.

Too bad he had no idea what a phone was.

Inu-yasha scowled slightly. “What’re you laughing at now?” Kagome placed the money for the food, the bill, and a viciously small tip, on the table and the two rose. The corner of the bill fluttered in the wind slightly, before it rose all together and floated away on the breeze. “C’mon, what’s so funny?” The hanyou pressed her, ocher eyes probing. Kagome just shook her head again. She wasn’t in the mood to explain modern women, or modern appliances. Not to mention she’d probably shown him how to work a telephone a million times before and he’d never understood the concept anyway.

Inu-yasha grabbed her arm before she could reach the door. There was a sharp intake of breath on Kagome’s part as Inu-yasha turned her gently to face him. Kagome was perfectly aware of their sudden proximity, and the people staring through the wide, picture window at them. As far as they could see, he had her pinned against the high-railing beside the door and their faces were almost close enough to be touching.

Kagome could feel Inu-yasha’s warm breath on her, and her heart began to thump wildly in her chest. The hanyou had a strange look in his eyes, a suddenly serious look. And, Kagome realized with a stab of some emotion she couldn‘t quite place, there was something vulnerable in the luminous amber. Kagome wondered if she would let Inu-yasha kiss her - if he even wanted to. Guiltily, Kagome realized she was willing to find out.

Their eyes locked, and Kagome could almost see the same doubts flooding through him. Would he kiss her? Would he put her in the position she feared the most? Would he give her the choice to forget, or remember, Kei? Kagome could still feel Inu-yasha’s hand mellifluously gripping her arm, and when he removed it, she tingled with the heat his touch left behind. But no sooner had his hand left her arm, it was on her cheek. His slightly calloused thumb slowly tracing the line of her cheekbone, Kagome felt the chills spread throughout her body. His eyes never left hers, and she refused to break his stare. Just as she began to wonder, for the millionth time in the few seconds that they had been in this position, if he would kiss her - he spoke.

“We should go.” He rasped. Kagome blinked, inwardly surprised at the sound of his voice. Was she really tearing him up as much as he was her? Without evening touching him? Kagome swallowed hard, finally beginning to remember where they were, and the disapproving eyes on their backs. Not trusting herself to speak, Kagome nodded. And as quickly as it had began, it was over.

Like a wave, the moment had broken against the shore, and faded back into the depths of the sea. Kagome both hoped and feared the idea that, like a wave, the moment would repeat itself. As they reached the small, red car, Kagome fumbled with her keys, and unlocked the doors. Why, oh why, did she have to be out of breath? Obviously, Inu-yasha could hear her. She could almost sense him listening from the other side of the car.

‘Maybe he’s glad he can still do this to me, even after a year.’ Kagome thought, almost vindictively. She pulled on her seatbelt with a little more force than she had initially intended, and put the car in reverse. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Inu-yasha was back to staring silently out the window. She backed out and nearly sped out of the parking lot.

Who did he think he was? Coming into her life, making her doubt everything she ever thought was right for her - and as Kagome sat there, mentally abusing Inu-yasha, she forced back the thought that she had always questioned this life of hers, had always wondered if it was love she felt for Kei - or something less. Silently, she sighed. And as they drove back the way they had come, Kagome stole a sideways glance at Inu-yasha. The light from her silent radio cast strange shadows on his face. Her eyes, however, caught his reflection in the window and she fought to keep focused on driving - and not on the most pained expression she had ever seen Inu-yasha wear.

Kagome pulled into the last gas station before the long stretch of country road, distracted and distraught. What horrible deed had she committed that karma was so determined to get her back for? Suddenly, Kagome wished that she was back in high school, back to collecting the jewel shards, back to banding together with Sesshomaru and Kikyo to defeat the greatest evil in the world. Because, suddenly, all of that seemed easier than facing the look on Inu-yasha’s face as he stared out the window, and across the barren landscape.

“Sorry.” He said, surprising Kagome out of her thoughts and shattering the thick silence that had fallen when she had put the car into park beside the gas tank. She glanced at him in a distracted, questioning way. But the moment her eyes met his, she had good idea of what he was sorry for - and how sorry he was. Kagome had never seen Inu-yasha so humbled before, and it was staggering, to say the least. “For what?” She asked, breathless - why was she still, still out of breath? - and then their eyes met again.

Before she could stop him - his seatbelt was off. Before she could even think of wanting to stop him he was leaning across her, undoing her seatbelt, brushing against her breast delicately. “For this.” He whispered hoarsely in her ear.

And abruptly, his hands were everywhere. His slender fingers, so alike to his brother’s, his father’s, were leaving trails of fire across her skin, in spite of the clothing she wore. His mouth was on hers, desperate, needy. Her head was against the window, his tongue slipping into her mouth, her arms around his neck, his hands snaking around the small of her back. Kagome could only imagine fuzzily how awkward they must look - him leaning across the cup-holders and such between them, her legs straight, and her waist and above twisted to meet Inu-yasha’s kiss fully.

It was wrong. In so many ways - she couldn’t really count at the moment - it was wrong. But nothing had ever felt as wonderful as his hand trailing up over the swell of her breast as the other held her to him; not letting her breathe, or move, or think. She imagined Kei, could see him clearly in her head, the cold, hard ache of betrayal contorting his face. And as quickly as her regret came, as quickly as her doubts filled her, they were gone. Inu-yasha was leaving a trail of searing kisses down her neck, and the interior of the car was spinning faster than she could keep up. And suddenly, his mouth was back up to her ear, and he was tickling and nibbling and driving her insane. She leaned against him, moaning ever so quietly into his neck.

And then the elderly gas station attendant was pounding on the glass with a wrinkled fist and his face twisted in evident disgust at their behavior. Inu-yasha lifted his head, noticed the old man, and Kagome swore she saw him sneer at the man before planting one more, delicate kiss just beneath her ear, and pulling away. In a daze, Kagome stumbled out of the car. She pumped and paid for the gas, but as she drew near to the car, the haze lifted - and she became tremendously aware of the position she had just put herself in.

By the time she had been back in her seat for a few seconds, the heat within the vehicle had set in around her, teasing her, daring her to make a move. She looked at Inu-yasha, and found he had been watching her. His eyes were vivid, predatory. Kagome almost closed her own eyes against the intensity of his stare.

She replayed the words that had started it all - his apology - in her head, and she felt stupid, if only for a second. She thought he had been sorry for the small incident at the café, but that had been nothing compared to this. With a hollow sort of ache, she thought of Kei cheating on her, of the sharp pain of the loneliness he caused her, of the suspicion creeping up her spine at the mere sight of him after a business trip - and how much it fed the need to feel Inu-yasha’s hands on her. She wondered if anyone could truly bring themselves to feel sorry for something that felt so sinfully amazing - and she forced herself to ask as much.

“Are you still sorry?” She asked him, quietly, meeting his eyes again. She knew his answer before he spoke it, saw the flames dancing behind the cool yellow of his eyes. She started the car, and pulled out of the gas station quickly. He wasn’t sorry for wanting her, he wasn’t sorry for kissing her, he wasn‘t sorry for the fire he ignited in her - he was sorry for asking her to choose; sorry in the same way she had always been when he had been forced to choose between her, and Kikyo.

Neither spoke for quite some time, and Kagome could feel just how uncomfortable the silence was becoming. She began fumbling with the radio. She settled on some rock channel, thinking to herself the music suited Inu-yasha’s appearance much better than he probably realized. All he needed was a piercing here or there, and he’d fit right in with al the music majors at her University.

Inu-yasha sighed quietly. Kagome glanced askew at him - and, there it was again, in the reflection. There was that same wounded expression, the same empty eyes and tightlipped mouth as he struggled against what his brain told him was right - and what his body demanded.

Then, by whatever means, he felt her eyes - and she met them, in that reflection. And Kagome knew, without a doubt, that the only thing Inu-yasha was sorry for, in that moment, was ruining the lone life she had ever known - since he had broken her all those months ago.

And suddenly, it was like someone had hollowed out her insides.

Ree: Well, this is basically my favorite chapter so far. Especially since it’s beginning to delve into the relationship problems we’ve all been expecting since I introduced Kei. I’m excited (and I hope you‘re all excited), because the plot is only going to thicken from here on out.

- insert broad smile here -

Oh, and if anyone’s interested, I’ve decided to hold off on the original characters (it really would be too complicated). I’m still debating whether or not to introduce Sesshomaru. What do you all think? Don’t forget to give me some input, and tell me how you liked it. As always, thanks a ton. <33