InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Oden Shop ❯ You Can't Dream ( Chapter 7 )

You Can't Dream

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

~*~Flashback(Sengoku Jidai)~*~

"Kagome-sama!"

"Miroku-sama! Don't do that ever again! You almost scared the daylight out of me! What are you doing anyway? Jumping down from a tree like that, you're not a monkey."

"Did I surprise you?" He grinned sheepishly.

She decided to ignore his silly question and continued to walk to Kaede's hut.

"Kagome-sama, were you expecting someone else? …It's only me… were you disappointed?" He asked suddenly out of the blue.

"Miroku-sama?" She turned and face him, it was quite funny to watch the monk sank his head down, giving her the impression as if he was saddened by something she just did, 'this is another act,' she thought and giggled.

"Kagome-sama?" He tilted his head back up, surprised by her giggle; he whispered shakily, his body was trembling, "sometimes your innocence can be crueler than my curse." After stating his comment he turned and walked away, leaving a confused Kagome.

~*~End of Flashback~*~

"Mom."

"Shippou, what is it?"

"Why did you never tell me about him?" He looked at her sadly.

Kagome scrutinized her adopted son closely. "How much do you know?"

"I didn't know anything, only that you were quite close to him for about three years," he paused for a moment and studied Kagome's face quizzically, "he loved you, didn't he? And we… we never knew… it must have been hard for him…"

"Shippou, am I bad? I can't love him; does it make me look bad?"

"You… for appearance sake, ask me that?"

She nodded, "yes, because I'm not the image of mother you once knew, I used people, Shippou, when I felt lonely I sought company in my friends, conversing, laughing, flirting, anything to pass the day, and when I felt not so lonely anymore I drove them away, I'm a bad person, Shippou."

"Kaa-san… why are you hurting this much? It's over, the wish didn't go well, but you're still here, what are you blaming yourself for? What are you mad at?"

She looked at him but he saw that her eyes were blank. And then he understood what she was trying to pull, she was feigning innocence! Right before him, as if he was still an adolescent in Sengoku Jidai, where was Kagome? Who was this imposter of her, who smelled like her, talked like her, walked like her, but not so quite like her, who was she?

"Kaa-san, sometimes I wish I am as stupid as I look, then I don't have to trouble myself to worry about you." He smiled weakly, he had thought that now he had found her again, they were able to fill the unhappiness in the world, the blank space of universal agony, he was a universal bastard, and like every other orphan he was seeking security in familiar things, but the way the matter stood was downright incomprehensible.

"Shippou… have you met him? Jinsei-kun?" She looked at him tentatively.

He nodded, and then he smiled, "Well at least from what I gathered, he isn't reborn as a lecher." They burst out laughing together.

"But I wish he could remember, when even a little," Shippou dropped his gaze, suddenly feeling lonely.

"He might, but in the meantime aren't I enough?"

"Kaa-san, you are my mother," he stated his sentence with a slight exposure of his inner turmoil, as if he was afraid she was going to doubt her place in his heart or his in hers.

She simply stroked his cheek tenderly and folded up the sleeves of her blouse, "now, I'm going to make you the best dinner you've never tasted before."

They heard the main door was opened and Sesshoumaru stepped inside, instead going to his room like he usually did he searched her scent and followed it to the kitchen.

Kagome could feel how her cheeks were burning hotly, but at the same time her face had to fight the sudden urge for twisting a smile, she gave up and tilted her head up, giving him the sweetest welcoming smile he had ever received.

Shippou was watching this strange encounter and felt lost again, why did no one ever tell him anything?

"I'm going for a bath," Shippou stood up and stretched his body, 'that's enough psycho-trip for today'

Sesshoumaru still stood before the kitchen, basking in her appearance and scent, his face was completely vulnerable as he was studying her, but something seemed to bother him, he stepped closer to her and whispered closely against her flushed cheek,

"Don't smile like that to anyone else."

And she turned more crimson than before. Heck! She was even biting her lower lip, he chuckled softly and kept his close distance, he was about to come closer when she exasperatedly hissed her discomfort, "Sesshoumaru-sama, I can't cook when you're hovering at me like this."

He grimaced at his name title that she used, he had expected her to call him intimately, and then he smiled, as he was addressing her, "Kagome-sama-"

And she paled visibly, he stopped, confused, had he said something wrong?

~*~

Before going to work, Kagome had to pick something up from the photo shop; she had ordered a new glossy poster for the new dessert dish at the restaurant.

"Hello, can I help you?" She was received by one of the employee of the shop.

"Yes, I wanted to pick up the poster I've ordered a week ago, here's the receipt."

"If you wait for a moment, please," Kagome nodded her thanks and waited. As she was standing behind the counter she caught a sight of a woman, she was probably on the thirty, another staff member of the photo shop assisted her.

Kagome didn't know why but she couldn't help but staring at the woman, the way she carried herself caught Kagome's attention, she overheard the conversation the woman was having with the employee.

"Mam, would you like to select the photos for framework?"

"No, not this time, thank you," the woman answered absently, she was studying the photos in her hand, and then she glanced at the photo shop employee, "you are looking at me inquisitively, are you going to ask me why I don't come as often as I did?"

"Mam? Excuse me… I didn't mean to pry-"

"It's okay, it's okay, it's okay…" And the woman stared blankly at the photos in her hand, the photo shop employee was fidgeting nervously, he was saved when another employee who acknowledged his uneasiness took the matter out of his hand.

"Miss, the photo poster you've ordered, here it is, please."

Kagome broke out of her trance, "what? Oh yes, of course, thank you." When she looked again, the woman was already gone, and the former employee was reprimanding his fellow worker.

Kagome left the shop feeling disturbed, the woman's eyes looked tired as if life had abandoned her, and Kagome had felt as if she should ask her why, or at least ask her the question she had suggested the photo shop employee to make, but that would be strange, wouldn't it? She didn't know her, and she knew for sure she never met her before, then why? Where did all this curiosity come from?

~*~

Kagome was standing on a platform of a bridge, something inside her was telling her to remember, she was changing, the cool wind of autumn was cleansing her memory, and she walked away.

At that night when everybody was sleeping she went into the kitchen and cooked herself a bowl of ramen, as she ate it, tears were appearing in her eyes, until they were dripping down into the bowl ruining the soup of the noodle, but this time she wouldn't give them away, all the tears she wasted, they would at least now become a part of her.

There was nothing lonelier than the image of someone eating a bowl of ramen and crying, the solitude of the scene was heartbreaking as her sobs becoming stronger with each passing second.

*end of chapter*

AN: I'm sorry for this chapter; it didn't come as good as I thought it would be, I blame it on too much of Mulholland Drive, well, at least I cleared some matters up, now you guys know, who Jinsei is, don't you? Remember what Shippou thought of on the third chapter, I quote:

% because even though she disappeared, he had thought that some of the group would be able to cope with that, but instead they all went their own way and never seemed to bear with what happened.%

Wasn't it obvious for you? I never meant Jinsei to be Inuyasha, this tendency for flirtatious teasing lovemaking was all Miroku, and I personally could never think of Jinsei as Inuyasha, I would've put numerous 'keh' in the previous chapter if I did.

So I apologized for all the confusion I stirred up, hopefully the storyline is recovering after this chapter, and I do hope that I don't disappoint you all. I understand if you don't want to review -except please do- you might think 'beh for this kind of crap she wants a review?' -but I do, I do-

Daniy: ah, you're so sweet, life is good for you, girl, as you are for life, now, don't forget to update, please?

Haily: I hope I cleared up the confusion, thanks for reading this fiction.

Musheesuh: I know, Jinsei is really is cute, I fell in love with him myself.

Incoh: you saw s.o.s.? it was a great series, wasn't it? Thank you, I'm so happy to read your review.

Rebajean: I quote: the slightly melancholy flavor of this bittersweet confection, I really didn't know one can fall in love in a sentence, I just did.

Mystic Hanyou: I put the chapter s.o.s. first because I have to end the Jinsei phase in Kagome's life, it was actually the matter of the last impression, I wanted the readers to also fall in love with Jinsei, thanks for liking my fic, I really appreciate it coming from you.

Aurora17: Thanks, so here's the update.

Sesshy_baby: Thanks, I'm not disappointing you, I hope.

For the post reviewer in a single spark:

Syrinx: I relished each single word on your review, I had to read it ten times, or more, after the ten I lost the count, you think yourself giddy? Then you haven't seen me giggling all day like a puberty getting her first bra, he…he… sorry for the comparison, but your review made me act silly, I was truly happy, thank you.

Sailorstorm: *smirk* so you're the dedicated college girl *smirk*

Kellie: sorry but that was the last appearance of Jinsei, I couldn't bring myself to torment him again.