InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Oden Shop ❯ S.O.S. ( Chapter 5 )

S.O.S.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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"Don't you like him?" Shippou asked her out of the blue.

Kagome looked up at him as she was slicing the radish, "like?" She smiled, "yes, I like him; he was surprisingly nice to me."

"But you don't like him the way you loved Inuyasha?" Kagome's eyes hardened, but Shippou didn't seem to notice her reaction as he sighed, "kaa-san, you're tormenting the man, he might not court you yet, but at least you can do is to stop avoiding any physical contact from him."

"Shippou, I assure you that Sesshoumaru has never had this intention, ever."

"How would you know? You're not him," he retorted.

"I know I'm not, but Shippou-chan, you're not him either," she answered and smiled sweetly, "I know what you're trying to do, it's not always so easy like you thought, if I consider him as mate-to-be then I would only end up hurting him, my feelings right now are very complex, and there are so many hearts that I need to take care of…" She paused as she realized she was rambling out her thoughts.

"I just don't feel like that towards him," she stated firmly. 

And then the phone rang, as she was about to get it, Shippou got up and got it instead.

"Mom, this guy is looking for you; he said his name is Hata Jinsei."

Kagome paled slightly and took the receiver from Shippou's hand, "Jinsei-kun?"

The voice on the line answered her, "Mom?" He laughed lightly as Kagome blushed, "I never told you about Shippou, but he was the one…"

"Sou da, something to do with the past?" Kagome nodded, she realized suddenly he couldn't see her and answered quickly, "Yes."

"It took me six weeks to realize you're not on vacation, when I questioned your tenant she was looking at me suspiciously, I'm sorry… I know you don't like people gossiping, but I had to know if you're simply moving out or going overseas."  

"It's okay, she gossips a lot, but they won't reach me here, I think… Jinsei-kun, why are you calling?"

"I was thinking, I promised you that I would never let you feeling lonely, and as this was the time of the year when we first met, when you almost did that, so I -"

"Don't call me ever again." She hung up abruptly.

"Mom?" Shippou frowned, he had heard the whole conversation and something about it disturbed him deeply, the way the talk seemed to lead to, his familiarity with her, his voice, as if she was trying to hide something, he wondered, was this one of the hearts she supposed to take care of?

"An old acquaintance, he could be quite annoying sometimes, aaah… I need some fresh air, Shippou, I'm going out." She escaped his questioning and moved swiftly to the door, almost knocking Sesshoumaru as he was about to get in, he put his hands on her shoulder, steadying her, dropping his briefcase in process.

"Are you okay?" he looked gently into her eyes as she looked up at him, startled.

"I'm fine," she shrugged away from his touch and frantically tried to flee him as he caught her arm, gripping it tight, he closed his eyes and uttered, "don't."

"Don't reject my touch, as if I'm repulsing to you," he spoke in tormented, strangled voice.

"Let me go," she hissed and he immediately released her arm as she ran off from him.

~*~

"I told you not to come and see me, and don't you ever try calling me again."

"Who is he, your 'son'? How could you possibly have an adult son? How old were you when you're having him? About two or three?" He asked mockingly.

"Shut up, don't be such an ass."

"Are you marrying some well-off old lecher? I would never think…" he paused and continued sarcastically in exaggerated tone, "Yes, there's something different about you, are you gaining weight? I wonder in how many years to come you'll end up looking like a swelling, boring housewife."

She slapped him, "don't ever contact me again." She turned around and was about to leave the room when she suddenly paused and spoke slowly, "you told me once, you'll never let me feeling lonely again, who says I'm not lonely when I'm with you?"

He clenched his fist and threw something to the wall that looked suspiciously like a little jewelry box.

~*~

"Yo, Shiki, wait for me!" Shippou finally reached him, although they were not very close, they always respected each other as they were taught to support each other.

"Shippou, morning, something's wrong?" He looked at the kitsune as he realized he was a bit nervous.

"It's about Kagome."

"Is something wrong with her?! Something happened?!" Alarmed, he almost shouted his inquiring.   

"No, nothing's wrong, she's fine," Shippou replied, a bit irritated, 'why does he always behave like an irrational idiot when it's about something concerning her?'

"Do you know something about a certain Hata Jinsei?" He blurted out.

"What?! Jinsei?! That brat! Is he bothering her again?"

"Eee? Brat?"

~*~

Kagome stumbled over a large stone, she dropped her grocery bags as she fell down, scraping her knees and palms.

"Ow." Blood was appearing on her scrapes, she examined her palms and tears started to form in the corner of her eyes. A hand reached out to her, helping her on her feet.

"Look at you, so hopeless, if you just stayed there starring at your palms and cry, they won't stop bleeding." He sighed and guided her gently towards a bench; he walked back, picked up her fallen grocery bag and stuffed the spilled articles back into the bag. He went back to her and he sighed once again watching her crying soundlessly.

"Here, let me take a look at that." He cleaned her wounds with his wetted handkerchief softly, and she bit her lip, tears still running freely.

"Done." He finished tending her wounds on her palms and knees; he gazed at her tenderly and started to wipe her tears with his thumbs.

"Jinsei-kun, stop it, how come you're here too?"

"I've been following you." He looked seriously at her, examining her reaction and then he let out a loud laugh, "Just kidding, I'm not a stalker yet, I was only skipping my last class when I came across you, I wanted to buy cigarettes from that store. Satisfied?"

She nodded, and he took her groceries, "Come, I'll drive you back."

She shook her head.

"Kagome, don't be silly, would you rather if I call you a taxi instead, either way I already knew your address, don't refuse someone's goodwill, and you'll be wasting transport money if you insisted-"

"Okay! I forgot how noisy you are."

"I'm glad I refreshed your memory." He grinned.

~*~

"I guess you won't need me anymore, don't you?" They were standing on the parking place, when he suddenly started to talk to her.

"I thought we said our goodbyes, Jinsei-kun," she replied carefully.

He ignored her, "aaah… I'll be missing our intimate dinners together, tell me, does your husband know about me? He must be that someone from the past, huh? You looked contented…" His head dropped down, he closed his eyes, his brow creased as if he was trying to hold back his pain.

He pulled something out of his pocket, a little jewelry box was making its appearance, he handed it to her, willing her to accept it, "I wanted to give you this over a romantic dinner together, that was probably cooked by you, and when we finished eating I would put this little box on the table and asked you sheepishly……."

"Now I just wanted you to have it." He was still holding the little box and refused to look at her, she made no move to take it.

And then he tilted his head and looked at her, his eyes shone with moist under the light of the street lantern, he nodded slowly, stuffed the box back in his pocket and walked to his car.

~*~

Sesshoumaru entered the apartment softly; careful not to make a sound as he felt a presence in the dark room.

He sighed, 'she should be in bed by now,' the only person he tried to avoid in these past few weeks was standing there in the dark as if waiting for him, but that just couldn't be, she wanted to have nothing to do with him, didn't she? She even kept her distance from him; they barely talked to each other except for casual greetings that somehow sounded so formal now.

She went to him, stopping him on his track, and looked at him long, searching any shows of feelings in his face since his eyes wouldn't meet her.

She held out her open palms and whispered, "They hurt."

He stared at her hands and then in her eyes, asking her mutely in disbelieve.

She continued to hold out the palms of her hands, facing upwards and whispered once more, "They hurt." Tears were forming in the corner of her eyes.

He held her outstretched hands gently, examining it, whispered, "They'll be better." He pulled them to his lips and he tenderly kissed her wounds.  

*end of chapter*

Sou da: "oh, I see"

AN: I know I made Sesshoumaru and Kagome, what would you call it, OOC, right? The story with the real them was that the moment she refuses his touch, there would be flying head the next second, but, hey, when Kagome's dead, there'll be no stories, right?

Now, shoo, read the next chapter, it's quite linked with this one.