InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Love is Blind ❯ Chapter 2

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

 

Chapter Two

 

 

 

Grabbing hold of the next plate her mother handed her, Kagome expertly dried it before adding it to the ‘done’ pile, sighing as she did so.

 

“You’re not still second guessing yourself, are you dear?” her mother asked at the sound, Mrs. Higurashi washing the last of that night’s four dinner plates.

 

Handing Kagome the plate to dry, the elder Higurashi woman moved on to washing the first drinking glass, slowing her movements when she noticed how much more slowly Kagome was suddenly moving as the twenty-five-year-old appeared to become lost in thought.

 

“I just...” Kagome started to say before sighing again. Finally finishing with the last plate, she added it to the stack then turned to face her mother, even though she could no longer see her. “How can he possibly want to go out with me?” she stressed.

 

Mrs. Higurashi stopped washing the glass, frowning slightly.

 

“Why wouldn’t he?” she asked in turn, in a tone of voice that had Kagome crinkling her nose.

 

“Don’t look at me like that,” Kagome replied, easily able to visualize her mother’s ‘disappointed’ face. “I’m not getting down on myself, I’m just being realistic.”

 

“Well, maybe he’s horribly disfigured and nobody who can see him gives him the time of day,” Mrs. Higurashi said then, in a seemingly nonchalant tone of voice, which earned a horrified expression from her daughter.

 

“Mom!” Kagome said, aghast. “I can’t believe you said that!”

 

“Just being realistic,” her mother replied sarcastically. “What?” she asked then, feigning confusion. “Would it bother you if he were ugly or scarred or something?”

 

“Of course not!” Kagome insisted without hesitation.

 

“Then why is it so hard to accept that your scars and blindness don’t bother him?” her mother asked then.

 

Crap, she’s got a good point, like always... the former miko-in-training realized with a defeated chuckle.

 

“He said, ‘cause we’ve already gotten to know each other a little bit, that he wanted to get to know me even better.”

 

“And do you believe him?” Kagome’s mother asked her then, in a genuinely inquisitive tone. She wasn’t reprimanding her daughter in any way. She simply wanted to know if Kagome believed this Yasha fellow.

 

“I...”

 

Thinking about it a moment, Kagome knew that while she could no longer ‘see’ into a person’s soul like she’d used to be able to do, despite her sensei Kaede insisting that her blindness should have actually enhanced her spiritual powers, not muted them, she nevertheless had become an excellent judge of reading someone’s mood by the sound of their voice over the last three years. Yasha had sounded completely sincere in his desire to take her out on a date to see if there was the possibility of a closer relationship there for the two of them. So the real question wasn’t whether or not she believed him, because she did. The question was whether or not she was ready to take that next step.

 

But how would she know without at least trying, right? She could always tell him afterwards that she thought they should just stay friends if she felt too uncomfortable at the prospect of getting closer to him, but the truth was, she did want to at least try. She was lonely, despite having a loving family that was there for her in every way. She wanted the kind of affection Yasha seemed to be willing to offer, the kind of affection his life was clearly also lacking.

 

He had never been on a date? Ever? He wasn’t a catch, according to him, and yet he didn’t want to settle for someone who would only be interested in him for his money. That, alone, told Kagome that, as far as she was concerned, he actually was quite the catch.

 

Looks didn’t matter much to her. Even before she’d lost her sight, it had always been what was on the inside that mattered to her, and even without her ability to see within the souls of others she knew that Yasha was a kind man who both wanted and knew he deserved genuine companionship from someone who wanted him for him and not his bank account. That was all she needed to know about him to at least be willing to go out on that first date. If she hadn’t felt that way, she wouldn’t have told him yes.

 

She finally told her mother yes in that moment, as well, in answer to the question of whether or not she believed Yasha.

 

“Well then, all I have to say is, have a wonderful time, dear,” Mrs. Higurashi replied, smiling broadly.

 

“Oh no, you’re not getting let off the hook that easily,” Kagome teased, as she and her mother got back to washing and drying the glasses from dinner. “You’re gonna need to help me with my hair and makeup!”

 

Laughing, Mrs. Higurashi pulled her daughter into a sideways hug and kissed the top of her head, while Kagome laughed as well.

 

“I’m looking forward to it,” her mother said.

 

o o o

 

The next day, Kagome was so preoccupied with thoughts of her upcoming date and going over a mental picture of her wardrobe to try and pick out what she should wear, that she completely tuned out the voice of her cellphone in her pocket telling her she’d arrived at her destination and had very nearly walked right past her bus stop. She typically always counted her steps to remain aware of how close she was getting, and also made sure to walk on the side of the sidewalk where the bench was located so that worst case scenario, if her phone malfunctioned, then even if she didn’t feel it with her cane first she’d walk right into it, rather than past it.

 

Somehow, today, she had done neither. With not hearing her phone, then if it hadn’t been for Kikyou, a fellow regular morning bus rider, speaking up as she walked on by, Kagome would’ve been late for work.

 

“Kagome-san?” was all the slightly older woman needed to say as she walked by in order to get her attention.

 

“Oh crap,” Kagome replied with a nervous chuckle as she immediately turned around at the sound of the other girl’s voice, belatedly realizing, then, that her phone had indeed spoken up just a moment ago. “I nearly walked right past the bus stop, didn’t I?”

 

“You did,” Kikyou confirmed. “Is everything all right?”

 

“Oh fine,” Kagome waved off with her left hand, her right hand holding on to her cane. “My mind was just somewhere else,” she admitted. “Thanks for getting my attention.” And she meant it.

 

“Daydreaming is a dangerous pastime for someone in your condition,” Kikyou lightly admonished, and Kagome somehow just barely managed to resist the urge to scrunch up her face at the miko’s reprimanding tone.

 

Oh, she couldn’t sense the older woman’s spiritual powers, what with her own powers on lockdown at the moment, but Kikyou had volunteered the information at one point or another, and had sounded rather pleased with herself while doing so, too, if memory served. Kagome had never bothered to share the fact that she was, or at least had been, a reiki user as well, and she’d also resisted the urge to lecture her elder on the merits of humility, not having felt confident enough at the time to be her old, argumentative self. In that moment, she also tried not to let her temper rise at Kikyou’s comment about her ‘condition’ because, at the end of the day, she had very nearly missed her bus because she’d been spacing out.

 

Hearing said vehicle approach only a few short minutes later, Kagome also realized she must have been walking a little slower than usual, unless the bus was early, which was unlikely. She was definitely glad the older miko had gotten her attention, otherwise her first clue that she’d walked too far down the sidewalk would’ve probably been when she heard the bus sail right past her. It wouldn’t have been that big of a deal – Kagome knew her home neighborhood far too well to truly get lost – but having to double back and wait for the next bus would’ve definitely made her late for work, which was something she wanted to avoid if at all possible.

 

“Try to be more careful in the future,” Kikyou continued then, as Kagome heard the bus come to a stop, Kikyou’s tone still admonishing yet bizarrely caring as well, as though she were lecturing a child whose feelings she did not want to hurt.

 

It had Kagome rolling her eyes behind her sunglasses.

 

She’d been taking the bus by herself in her ‘condition’ for around two years now, after all. She definitely could have done without the added commentary, but she had fucked up, and having a twenty-minute bus ride with this woman, Kagome kept her fake smile plastered firmly in place as they both boarded the bus and she scanned her IC card on the reader to deduct her fare.

 

“Yes, thank you,” she said before taking her seat near the front of the bus, mentally groaning when she could tell that Kikyou took the seat across from her on the other side of the aisle. Usually, Kikyou sat more towards the back of the bus.

 

Ignoring her presence for a moment, she addressed the driver.

 

“Can you please let me know when we reach Shikon Plaza?” she asked.

 

Sometimes it was a different driver, and the two usual drivers who both knew her and her stop by that point always greeted her as she climbed on board, so the lack of greeting from this driver had let Kagome know that it was not one of the two regulars.

 

“Sure thing,” an unfamiliar but friendly voice answered, the driver having immediately clued in to her blindness thanks to her red and white cane, and after telling the man “Thank you very much,” Kagome leaned back against her seat a little bit.

 

She refused to let her mind wander again, but she couldn’t really keep track of the bus stops along her route since the bus only ever actually stopped at ones where people needed to get on or off, and while she and Kikyou were not the only regulars the occasional fluctuation from just one added or missing person was enough to throw off her count. She didn’t want to program her phone for directions to her stop and annoy everyone around her with the audio play-by-play, since needing to keep her ears open to the world around her meant she didn’t feel comfortable using earbuds with her phone. In this situation it was better to just rely on the driver.

 

“So what had you so preoccupied?” Kikyou asked suddenly, as if they were friends, and Kagome had to stop herself from sighing in exasperation.

 

Immediately mentally scolding herself for that initial reaction, Kagome figured the woman was just trying to be nice, and there was certainly nothing wrong with that, despite something about Kikyou    just rubbing her the wrong way.

 

“It’s silly,” she began then. “I have a date on Saturday and I was just thinking about what to wear.”

 

“Really?” Kikyou sounded genuinely surprised, which was rare for the woman who’s voice usually betrayed no emotions. “I would not have guessed that, but congratulations, I suppose.”

 

Just what the hell is that supposed to mean? Kagome nearly had to physically bite her tongue to keep from blurting out the first thought to pop into her mind.

 

Was it really that shocking, that someone ‘like her’ could possibly have a date on Saturday night?

 

Suddenly, her own previous insecurities regarding the seriousness of Yasha’s interest in her went out the proverbial window.

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked aloud then, but not in a loud, pissed off tone of voice. Her voice was quiet, while her tone suggested she already knew exactly what Kikyou had meant.

 

Unfazed, and unapologetic, the older miko replied in the same neutral, matter-of-fact tone she normally tended to use with most things she said.

 

“There’s no need to get defensive,” she brushed off. “I simply hadn’t thought about you as someone who dates. But I am happy for you, if that’s what you want, and I hope you have a good time on Saturday.”

 

She didn’t sound happy. In fact, she sounded neither happy nor envious, or even patronizing, which might’ve been expected based on what she actually said, and for Kagome it solidified the thing that bugged her the most about Kikyou.

 

She couldn’t read her.

 

Outside of obvious pride whenever boasting about her own accomplishments, Kikyou seemed to have no other emotions – save, apparently, the ability to be surprised – and dealing with her made Kagome feel blind all over again.

 

That fact didn’t stop her from making her emotions known, however.

 

“For your information,” Kagome began, still keeping her voice down, “just because I’m blind now doesn’t mean my life is over.” Fabricating a slight exaggeration, because her insecurities were none of Kikyou’s business, she added, “My plans of falling in love, getting married and raising a family haven’t changed in the slightest.”

 

Kikyou actually snorted, which was at least an emotional response. Then she said, “Like I said, I’m happy for you. I never meant to imply I was surprised because of your blindness. I’m certain with only minor assistance you could be a wonderful mother, and at least it would give your life meaning.” Pausing to take a breath but speaking up again before Kagome had a chance to interrupt, Kikyou then added, “I, myself, simply have a much higher calling, and as such I’ve no time for such trivial nonsense.”

 

Kagome realized, then. It wasn’t that Kikyou thought she was being silly for wanting a family because she was blind, as if Kikyou thought such things were beyond her reach. Kikyou simply thought wanting a family was silly in and of itself. Now, if Kikyou didn’t want a husband and children, that was perfectly all right with Kagome, because to each their own, and she would never criticize a woman’s choice to put her career first, or talk down to someone who had no desire to be a mother as if there was something wrong with that decision, but for Kikyou to do the opposite, well...it just showed Kagome all she really needed to know about what type of a person Kikyou really was.

 

“Shikon Plaza’s coming up next stop, miss,” the bus driver interjected politely, and Kagome decided to hold her tongue rather than continue arguing with Kikyou. People like that...you couldn’t change their minds, anyway.

 

“Thank you,” she replied to the driver instead, beaming her most sincere smile his way, which she hoped he caught in his rearview mirror.

 

It was no act. Kikyou had annoyed her, true, but she was only annoyed with Kikyou. Long before she’d lost her sight Kagome had always made sure to never let a potentially bad mood of hers rub off on the people around her who weren’t responsible for her sour mood and thus did not deserve her ire. She might’ve exaggerated her smile a wee bit in that moment, but only to show Kikyou that her words had not brought her down. To everyone else she would be her usual chipper self.

 

As the bus pulled to a stop and Kagome stood up to exit, she decided to say one last thing to the woman who was probably so lonely she had had to build up that cold wall around her heart for protection. Kagome wished she could look into Kikyou’s soul to know for certain, but it was a good guess, at any rate. She also decided to take a page from Kikyou’s book and speak with an air of confidence while showing no emotion.

 

“If you truly are content with your life the way it is, then I am happy for you, as well.”

 

That said, she exited the bus and, extending her cane, headed towards work, her head ringing with the things she would have liked to say to Kikyou, though it had been the fact that she would be right there on tomorrow’s bus that had stilled her tongue. Trying her best to put it out of her mind, she made sure not to distract herself so much that she wouldn’t hear her phone again.

 

Finding the large rock in the landscaping along the sidewalk that Hojo had placed there as her special marker shortly after her phone told her she’d arrived at her destination, Kagome knew exactly where she was as she took that path down towards one of the many small shops that lined the street. One of them, a little farther up the road, was Mushin’s Noodles, and Kagome’s heart fluttered in her chest just thinking about it, but her lunch break wasn’t for four hours yet and so getting her head in the game, and out of the clouds, she opened the front door to Hojo’s Holistic Healing and stepped inside, the gentle rattle of bamboo chimes on the door announcing her presence as the pleasing scents of old wood and medicinal herbs tickled her nose.

 

“Higurashi, good morning!” Hojo greeted as he came into the front room at the sound of the door.

 

“Good morning, Hojo-kun,” she greeted in reply.

 

Slipping off her shoes in the small genkan, she placed them in their designated cubby, and after donning her pair of work slippers, she followed her friend and boss deeper into the old style natural herbs and remedies shop that had been in Hojo’s family for generations.

 

He had hired her as a favor after her...accident. Originally, she had wanted to study to become a nurse in addition to being a miko, but after losing both her sight and her powers she had become pretty much useless for either field, in her opinion, except that she hadn’t lost her desire to help people. She’d thought about still studying some aspects of nursing, perhaps ultimately getting a job as one of those emergency help line operators that people called on the phone, but in the meantime she’d just needed to do something so she wouldn’t feel totally useless, and her little job at Hojo’s Holistic Healing was perfect.

 

It was a family run business, one of the few remaining shops where you could get all natural, ancient remedies, and since they specialized in spiritual well-being being directly connected to physical health they also sold charms and talismans made by local reiki-weilding craftsmen. Unlike Mushin’s Noodles, no new competition ever moved into town as the city grew and modernized, so for the century-old shop business was booming.

 

While Kagome was off on Sundays and Mondays, the store was actually open seven days a week. Traditionally, only Hojo men and their wives worked in the shop, along with the occasional unmarried daughter, but her former boyfriend, Shin Hojo, had spoken to his father and gotten the older man to agree to give Kagome a job as a general assistant. Fortunately, for her, they had had the opening. Shin had been running the shop with his father and sister, but his sister, who had still been working there part-time to help out despite being married and pregnant, had just recently needed to go on maternity leave. She also wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, which her father most definitely supported because he believed in tradition, but so since she would not be coming back that had left the senior Hojo and his lone son running the shop all by themselves, until Kagome came along.

 

Her duties were anything she felt she could handle to help out, such as answering the phone, and sorting new deliveries of herbs since that was easily accomplished by smell. It helped that having had miko training for a few years, she was already familiar with most of the herbs they carried. They weren’t the sort of herbs you cooked with just to give your food some added flavor.

 

Inhaling deeply once she entered the back room, it smelled like their Wednesday delivery of herbs had already arrived and was waiting to be sorted. The back room usually did not smell of herbs like the front room did, except when their weekly shipment was sitting open, waiting for her to get to it.

 

“They just came in a short while ago,” Hojo said in reply to her obvious scenting of the room. “Everything’s already set up on the table for you.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

With Hojo going back out into the front room to take inventory while keeping an eye out for customers, Kagome got herself settled at what had become her station for sorting herbs. Having a seat on the cushion provided at the large, low table, the new shipment was on the floor to her left, as it always was, still in the box but with the tape already cut and the box open. In front of her, running lengthwise along the table from left to right, was a series of (currently empty) baskets, that she would be separating the various herbs into. Each baggie was labeled, but unable to read the labels she simply opened the resealable baggies one by one and identified the herbs by smell. She already knew which various herbs they carried, by name, and the baskets were arranged in alphabetical order. It had taken a little getting used to, at first, but working there for two years now Kagome was a pro. She knew each herb by heart and knew where each basket was located on the table without having to feel around and count the baskets off one by one to avoid accidentally putting something in the wrong one.

 

Getting going in that moment, it only took her a minute to get into the grove, and then she was like an herb sorting machine, and there she sat until she went through the entire box, pausing only a few times to answer the cordless phone that was also sitting to her left, next to the shipping box. Most of the time it was a question she could handle, and that also freed Hojo up to do other things, but if he needed to take the call she knew which button on the phone was the ‘hold’ button and then she’d call out for him to pick up the line.

 

Once she was done sorting all the herbs, she got up and took the large baskets into the other room one by one, handing them to Hojo who then refilled the various little wooden boxes lining his shelves that carried the little baggies of herbs, the leftovers still in the baskets getting put away under the counter where they kept their overstock. With that task done, Kagome and Hojo visited for a while in the main room while the shop had no customers, but she had the cordless phone on her and answered it any time it rang. Her cellphone, which was in her pocket, notified her when it was time for her lunch break.

 

Saying her temporary goodbyes to Hojo while handing him back the shop’s cordless phone, she grabbed her cane and then headed down the street to Mushin’s Noodles.

 

It was more of the same usual pleasantries at the small noodle shop. At first she didn’t think Yasha was there, but then he emerged from the back office.

 

“Almost lost track of time,” he said as he greeted her at the food counter. “I’m still getting the hang of all the freakin’ paperwork involved with running this place.”

 

“I don’t envy you that job,” Kagome said as she reached up to grab her bowl of udon soup from Sango.

 

“I got it,” Inuyasha said instead as he grabbed Kagome’s food and walked with her to the back booth. Once she got settled he placed the bowl in front of her and held out the spoon for her to grab.

 

“I can get my own food,” she scolded lightly, adding, “but thank you.” Laughing then, she joked as she accepted the spoon, “If you’re trying to practice pampering me in preparation for our date on Saturday, you’re doing a good job so far.”

 

Laughing as well, he said, “I would’ve pulled the chair out for you, too, if you’d sat at one of the tables.”

 

“Tell you what, I’ll let you get the door for me when I leave.”

 

“Deal.”

 

Falling into silence, then, Inuyasha watched as Kagome began slurping at her soup. She had to realize he was staring at her, but his attention didn’t seem to bother her; he’d be able to smell her discomfort if it did. Then Sango, ever vigilant as she was, came over with a bowl of beef ramen for him, and flashing her a grateful nod he began slurping as well, feeling much less awkward about sitting in silence with Kagome now that they were both eating lunch.

 

About halfway through her meal Kagome started chatting with him, and he was happy to engage in small talk with her. She asked about where they were going on their date, only because she wanted to know what to wear. Laughing again, she even told him about how she’d gotten sidetracked during her morning walk to the bus, daydreaming about their upcoming date like she was a high school girl again, and that if it hadn’t been for a fellow regular commuter getting her attention she might’ve missed the bus and been late to work.

 

“Maybe I should use earbuds,” she commented. “Or maybe just one, like a Bluetooth thing, because then I wouldn’t have to worry about wires getting tangled, and with one ear free I could still hear the real world around me while also being unable to ignore my phone speaking up directly into my other ear.”

 

“That’s a good idea,” he agreed, hating the idea of her accidentally missing her stop for real and missing her bus.

 

“In the meantime, I promise to pay closer attention,” she said. “Both to and from work. I’ve never actually missed my bus, yet, but if I did miss it going home it wouldn’t be nearly as big of a deal as being late for work, at least.”

 

“I could meet you at the store when you get off work and walk you to the bus stop,” he offered, before immediately thinking better of it and wishing he’d kept his mouth shut. Did he really want to risk either Hojo senior or his son asking her about ‘the hanyou’ from the noodle shop walking her to the bus stop?

 

Fortunately he didn’t have to worry about it, because Kagome immediately insisted that, while very sweet of him to offer, it was unnecessary. Quickly changing the subject, then, or rather, going back to the original subject of Kagome asking him where he was taking her to dinner, he went ahead and told her he was planning on taking her to Rêve D’or, a traditional French restaurant.

 

“Oh wow, I wasn’t expecting a place quite that fancy,” she said. “I don’t know if I’d fit in.”

 

And I do? he thought. “Nonsense,” he said instead. “You’re going to be my date, and that alone means you’ll fit in. I want to treat you, please. Don’t give ‘fitting in’ a second thought, and order whatever you want.”

 

“Now I’m really wondering what to wear, though.” Lowering her head a little, she unconsciously bit her lower lip in worry.

 

“Well, they do have a dress code,” he conceded, “but it’s not as strict for women. Probably any kind of dress would be just fine, so long as it’s not ridiculously indecent.”

 

“I’ll save that one for our third date,” she joked, and he was relieved for her sense of humor, chuckling along with her when she laughed while shaking her head. “I think I have a dress in mind,” she added then. “If you think blue would be a good look, then I’ve got a really nice blue dress that’s got a knee-length skirt and long sleeves.”

 

“That sounds perfect,” he told her. “And since you told me what color you’re wearing, I’ll make sure to wear a blue suit to match.”

 

“That sounds...nice,” she said, grinning a little. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

 

“You better be,” he teased. “I’m looking forward to it, too. It’s a wonderful restaurant; I really want to treat you.”

 

“Well if you wanted to treat me, you could, you know, stop charging me for my udon,” she teased then, not really serious, but he blushed nonetheless.

 

“I, uh...” He cleared his throat loud enough for her to hear, and she started giggling.

 

“Relax, Yasha, I was just kidding!” she insisted.

 

“But you’re right, though. I own the damn place, and if I’m hoping that maybe...I mean...the idea is that you will hopefully become my girlfriend, so yeah...it’s on the house, from now on.”

 

It was Kagome’s turn to blush at his words. She knew that that was the idea of them going out on a date, that they were both hoping there might be something there that would click between them, and then one date would lead to two or three, and yes, ultimately wasn’t the goal for them to be together romantically? Wasn’t the whole point of dating someone to test them out as a trial run for a romantic relationship? But even so, to hear him just blatantly say that he hoped she’d become his girlfriend...that touched a part of her heart she hadn’t realized she’d been using until now. She knew she liked him – she wouldn’t have agreed to go on a date with him in the first place if she didn’t – but now she realized that she really liked him, and really liked the idea of becoming his girlfriend.

 

“I’d like that,” she said, deliberately vague. Let him wonder if she was just referring to the free udon.

 

But he knew her tone of voice by now, and could also read her scent even though she didn’t know that detail yet, and he knew exactly what she’d meant with that comment.

 

“I’m looking forward to it.”