InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Such a Small World ❯ Chapter Fourteen ( Chapter 14 )

Kiba—So, it's been awhile since I've updated this story, but I figured that I needed to get it done and over with, which is the reason why I skipped a scene I wanted to do. However, I hope that everyone stills enjoys it, and I would like to thank everyone who nominated my story for the 3rdand 4thQuarter 2007 IYFG Awards.

 

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Chapter Fourteen

 

“You know, it's good to see you smile again, Kagome,” Sango said.

 

Kagome looked up from the small toy that she had squeezed between her fingers, allowing it to squeak quite loudly. She blinked, before saying, “I don't remember when I stopped smiling.” Then, she turned her attention back to the section of cat toys, looking up at the fancy feathers and down to the small round and colorful balls that jingled once moved. It had been a while since she had had to do any of this, whether it was to buy toys or simply cat food, but she was glad to have a distraction from her current troubles.

 

Sango rolled her eyes, placing a hand onto her shoulder. “You know perfectly well that I meant you stopped smiling for real. I know the difference, Kagome, and there's no fooling me.” She watched as Kagome ignored her, picking up and putting down things that she did not need to buy but still probably debated on for the kitten's comfort. “I could tell whenever you were trying to hide it, and when you were happy because you were finally pushing for something that you wanted to keep. But, I still wish you'd see the difference between Inuyasha and Hiei.”

 

“I know the difference,” Kagome replied. “Hiei is sweet—he cares and he loves me. Inuyasha was a jerk, and I never should have looked at him.”

 

“Hiei sweet?” Sango blinked. “Are you sure we're talking about the same person? I know that he loves you; that he cares, but sweet? Kagome, I really don't think that's the right word to describe him, even if he did give you that cat.”

 

“You said yourself that he's a good man, that he's good for me,” Kagome smiled. “But, even if you do say those things, you're not around him the way I am. Hiei can be very sweet, just not around other people. He can be gentle and loving, even if he tries to deny it.”

 

Sango frowned, “Then why did you doubt that he would want to continue your relationship?”

 

“Because I doubted him,” Kagome whispered, placing the next toy back into its bin. “I trampled on his trust, because I thought that he would trample over mine. Hiei might love me, but I know him well enough to know that once his trust has been destroyed, he is not likely to give it back again. I am happy that he has decided to try again, but I know that it will be hard to ever get him to trust me again completely.”

 

“You'll never do anything like this again, though,” Sango said sternly. She knew it was true, but she knew that she also needed to pound it into Kagome's head in order to make her believe it, too. “So, you'll never give Hiei another reason to doubt you, and if he loves you enough, he'll trust you no matter what. You don't need to worry about that, Kagome.”

 

Kagome wondered if her sister was basing this off of her relationship with Bankotsu, which was much different than her own. She loved Sango, but she wanted her to understand that their relationships were much different, no matter how cruel their men could both be. Sango had nothing to worry about, because Bankotsu had six brothers who could tell her everything about him, whether he was loyal to his woman or if he loved her. Hiei had no one that truly knew him inside and out that she could talk to, mostly because Kurama always told her that Hiei's secrets were his own, and when he was willing to share he would. But, she supposed, she was a fool, since she had never even thought of going to talk to him when the doubts began to rise—Kurama would have known what to do, he would have stopped her from making a mistake.

 

Sango noticed the way Kagome had stopped all movement, and squeezed her shoulder. “What are you thinking about, Kagome?” she asked.

 

“I'm such an idiot.”

 

“Everyone makes mistakes,” Sango said. “You can't be perfect, Kagome. I know I've already told you this, but you have to understand that Hiei has to take the good with the bad. You have to put up with his qualities, and he has to put up with yours. You're not stupid, you're just a woman who blanked out when you thought everything was turning out the way it had before.”

 

“I should have spoken with Kurama,” she whispered. “I could have stopped this from happening.”

 

“But it did happen. You can't change that now, and you shouldn't dwell on it, either,” Sango continued. “Yeah, maybe you should have thought about talking with Kurama, but you'll know to next time. Right now, though, you need to focus on getting your feet back on the ground, and your mind out of the past. You need to focus on what you want, on making Hiei trust you completely again, not on what you should and should not have done to make it this way.”

 

“I'm sorry,” Kagome smiled weakly. “I know what I want, I know that I want to make our relationship work. I just can't seem to stop thinking about this for some reason—I think it's because I don't have anything to distract me. I know why Hiei didn't want to come here, but I had hoped that Jakotsu would at least think about coming.”

 

Sango shook her head, “We can do without them. Besides, when was the last time that we had a real girl's only day?”

 

“I don't know,” Kagome laughed lightly.

 

“So, it's settled,” Sango smiled. “We're going to buy this stuff, return it to the shrine, and then we're going to do something without any men. Trust me, a day without them will do us both some good.”

 

“You just want to avoid Bankotsu.” Kagome returned her eyes to the toys in front of her, smiling a bit at the remembrance of the kitten she now had at home. Masayoshi. He was almost the most wonderful gift that she had ever gotten, but though he came in second, he was still the sweetest thing a male had ever given her. Sure, she had gotten jewelry, strange trinkets, clothing, and a number of other items that she still cherished, but she knew that Hiei had taken a few moments to think over his decision when it came to the kitten. He had known Masayoshi would make her happy, and having something to care for again would make her happy, since the kitten really only wanted food, water, a nice home, and affection for what it gave in return.

 

“Maybe so,” Sango scowled, “but that beast will soon learn that no one calls Higurashi Sango a bitch to her face and gets away with it. And once he has, perhaps I shall think about allowing him back onto the shrine grounds.”

 

Kagome could not stop a blush from powdering her face as she chose her next words. “What about when you're in the heat of the moment?” she asked, watching as Sango stiffened, blushing a bit. “Bankotsu seemed to think that it was perfectly fine for him to call you whatever he wanted when you were tumbling in the sheets, so why can't he—”

 

Sango scowled a bit more, pulling her hand away from its new home over Kagome's mouth. “Hush, you scandalous woman, you,” she growled, trying to stop her laughter. However, she could not get the light blush to leave her cheeks, heating her face the more she thought about what he had said. “You agreed with me completely earlier when I kicked him out, you cannot change your mind after all this time. It would be outrageous. I will not have it, not on this day!”

 

“Have you always been this weird, Sango?”

 

“Perhaps,” Sango smiled. She glanced at Kagome out of the corner of her eye the next moment, and cheered silently to herself when she realized that she had seemed to forget about her problems. Instead, she had returned to looking through the toys that she was debating on getting, though there were a million just like them in a box under the staircase. She supposed that anything to get her mind off of her troubles was worth it, and she was looking forward to having a day of quality time—it had been quite some time since they had had one.

 

OoO

 

“Is everything alright, Keiko?” Yukina asked. “You've been rather quiet.”

 

Keiko smiled at her friend, shaking her head at her concern. “I'm fine, Yukina, really. Rini merely asked me when we could go see Yusuke, and I'm not quite sure what to tell her. Actually, I'm pretty sure she's upset with me now, since I left her upstairs by herself.”

 

“Does Rini understand that you're upset with him?” Yukina replied.

 

“Yes,” Keiko nodded. “But she's too young to understand why, so she's been asking me the same question all day. I'm not sure what to do with her, since I can't just tell her what Yusuke's done. She'd probably hate me for trying to make her think her father's done something so wrong.”

 

“She's your daughter, too, Keiko. I'm sure that after a while she would see reason and understand your feelings,” Yukina stated. Yes, Rini was young, but she was smart girl. She would understand that what her father had done was bad, and see her mother's side of the story. Yukina was sure of it, since she had always suspected that little girl knew a lot more than she let on.

 

“But that will only be after there's a war zone,” Keiko mumbled. “She managed to not get my temper, but she has gotten Yusuke's stubbornness. I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years she started throwing punches because someone insulted her or her friends.”

 

“If you want, Keiko, I'll talk to her about it,” Yukina smiled calmly. “Rini has always been extremely good with me. I doubt she'll blow up on me like you believe she would you.”

 

Keiko laughed, “I remember the last time. I tried to tell her that her father wouldn't be coming home when she expected him, and she flipped. I saw so much of Yusuke in her that day, as she tried to turnover a good amount of the furniture in her way. I had to carry her kicking and screaming for him up to her room, and I don't think she calmed down until he got there.”

 

“Wasn't that the day that Koenma asked Yusuke to stay after hours?” Yukina asked. She smiled fondly at the memory, since the barely four year old had not understood the reason her father was not going to come home at the time he usually did, and had changed before her mother's eyes. She had never heard of any such violence from her since, but she was as sure as the sun would rise that somewhere it was hiding underneath her pleasant surface.

 

“Yes, he had to do some extra work that Koenma was afraid wouldn't be completed on time,” Keiko replied. “Rini didn't take so well to it. And I think that this situation is beginning to take the same turn that one did.”

 

Yukina nodded in understanding. She knew that Rini was sad about her parent's fighting, that she wanted them together, but eventually the little girl would get impatient. She had never been able to wait for anything very long, almost like she wanted the days to pass by faster just so what she wanted could come to pass. The little girl hated waiting, but Yukina did not want to see what the impatient child would end up doing should her parent's continue fighting. Yes, she was a good girl, but that did not mean she could not have a tantrum.

 

“I've already told her that Yusuke did something bad, and I've told her that I'd give him a chance to fix it, but I can see it in the way she moves,” Keiko sighed. “She's beginning to think that Yusuke's not going to come, and I'm not going to do anything to try to change it. And there's the problem, Yukina, because I won't. If Yusuke wants to be such an ass that he won't admit to his mistake, then I don't want anything to do with him anymore.”

 

“And you're not sure how that will make Rini feel?”

 

Keiko nodded. “Yukina, do you think she'll hate me if I decide that enough is enough?”

 

“I know that Rini loves you,” Yukina said. “I know that she doesn't like to see you fight, but I'm also sure that after a while, she would see the reason behind your judgment. She might not like it, and she might say she hates you, but she'll love you no matter what.”

 

“Yeah,” Keiko sighed. “Yeah.”

 

“I'll still talk to her if you wish it, though,” Yukina smiled again. “After all, she's already told me so much, I'm sure that she'll be willing to tell me the rest of her thoughts. And I'll try everything in my power to keep her from becoming too impatient with you.”

 

“Thank you,” Keiko smiled back. “I just hope that Yusuke gets off his lazy ass, or you can manage to calm her the way he does. I've never been very good at keeping my own temper down whenever she gets this way.”

 

OoO

 

The door opened with ease, as Kikyo twisted the knob. Pulling the keys from the center, she stepped into the apartment she shared with Inuyasha, allowing her smile to stretch out a little more. Oh, how wonderful she felt at the moment. Her night had been simply marvelous, but her day had become even more so once she had been given the chance to brag about her new conquest to her friends. It was always so laughable, since Hitomi and Emiko would complain about how she always managed to catch the best men.

 

Well, besides Inuyasha.

 

The very thought of him brought her back to the present, so she cast her eyes around the space she could see. She had frowned that morning after realizing Youko had gone, almost vanished, but even more so when Inuyasha had failed to call. She had searched for her clothing in order to find her phone, but once she had obtained the object, she found that Inuyasha had tried to contact her only once. It was so much more fun whenever she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket, or heard it ringing when she felt the need to leave it on, whenever she was away from him. And since he had failed to contact her phone more than five times, it meant he had failed to call Hitomi or Miwa's in case they had left theirs on.

 

Raising her hand slightly, she ran the fingers through her hair once more. However, the sight before her eyes told her all she needed to know. There was no reason for her to even try and look presentable, since it was clear Inuyasha might not remember any of this moment should she wake him. After all, from the alcohol bottles surrounding him on the couch, it was clear he would most likely have one killer hangover. Anything she told him would be at least half-forgotten, and anything he saw would be blanked out from the pain in his head.

 

Sighing, Kikyo wondered once more why she did not listen to her girlfriends once in a while. They had told her when she had first met Inuyasha that he might be a fun ride in the beginning, but eventually he would become more of a burden than anything else. Of course, they had spoken from their cold, black hearts, since they were always jealous that she could get such high-class and wealthy men. Kikyo knew that because they were such cold-hearted women that they were slightly wrong—Inuyasha would always be adorable, even if he were a burden. The fact that he had gotten quite a bit of cash from his dead daddy was a bonus, too.

 

Pursing her lips out, she remembered that she would have to buy something to wear for Sesshoumaru's get together. Something that would catch the attention of the camera's present, so that at every turn she could dodge them at the last moment. What fun she would have that night, too, since she did not wish to break up Inuyasha's fun with Kagura. No, because it meant that she got to play her game a little longer, pulling all the strings as if she was a puppet master. The only way to do that, if she so must go to this party on Inuyasha's arm, was to make sure that her face was never captured, her name never caught.

 

Yes, Kagura would question the fact that Inuyasha did not invite her to the party once the list of people present was handed her way. However, Inuyasha, as dense as he often was, would have a greater chance of dodging around Kagura's suspicion if Kagura never knew whom exactly it was Inuyasha had taken. Kagura might believe that it had been her Inuyasha took, but without full proof, she would not fall away from the catch she had gotten with him. Kagura was not that stupid.

 

So, Kikyo's game would continue, expand, until she got bored with it and told Inuyasha to break Kagura's poor, little heart. Kagura was not family, not related in any way, so Kikyo would have fun deciding how to dish out the stone-cold truth to her. Kagura would not be given the sweet goodbye that she had told Inuyasha to give Kagome, but instead have the facts thrown into her face if she had anything to say about it. After all, she had not wished to bring so much pain to her cousin while playing her game, but it had become inevitable as the game progressed—Kagome had been lucky, though, to walk away with only a broken heart. Kagura, however, would never be so lucky.

 

Stepping forward, Kikyo moved to Inuyasha's side. She leaned over him, before softly pressing at his ribs to stir him. A small smile spread across her face when his golden eyes opened a bit to gave upon her. “Inuyasha,” she called softly, “what in the world have you been doing all night?” To remain on the safe side, Kikyo decided to speak as if he was as clean as rainwater.

 

“Drinking, woman,” Inuyasha mumbled in irritation. “What the hell does it look like?”

 

Kikyo frowned, “Now, now, Inuyasha. There's no need to curse at me when I ask a simple question.”

 

Inuyasha mumbled again, this time something that could not be deciphered. He reached up through the fog in his head, and scratched lazily at his cheek. Yawning, he tried to roll onto his side, wishing that the day would pass by without him. The pain in his head was increasing with each word passing from his woman's lips, and he just wanted her to go away so that he could continue sleeping. However, as he finally managed to turn onto his side, she poked him again, this time a bit harder than she had before.

 

“Inuyasha,” Kikyo scolded, “you really should get up.”

 

“No,” Inuyasha complained. “Don't wanna.”

 

Kikyo rolled her eyes at his childishness. She did not ask much of him, simply to please her and do as she says. Was it truly so hard to do either of those two requests? “Inuyasha, you should get up. I'll make you something to deal with your headache. However, once you have managed to awaken completely, I want to be able to go out shopping. I need something to wear for Sesshoumaru's party, and you have to come to make sure it will be appropriate for the occasion.”

 

Shaking his head, Inuyasha buried his face into the side of the couch. He could not remember much from the night before, but he knew that he wanted nothing to do with his asshole half-brother. That bastard did not deserve his effort, or that of his woman. “Don't see why,” he growled. “Fucking bastard don't deserve anything he's got already.”

 

“I never said I was going to do it for him,” Kikyo huffed. “I said I needed something appropriate for his party or whatever it is he calls them.”

 

Watching Inuyasha try to bury himself into the side of the couch, Kikyo decided to go make him some tea first. He was going to be difficult this morning. However, Kikyo knew that from the moment she cast her eyes over the bottles of alcohol he had obviously consumed. On a normal day Inuyasha could prove to be denser than a large boulder, but on days that he had decided to drink, he was worse than a two year old.

 

“Damn, blasted woman,” he mumbled.

 

A two year old with a mouth that needed to be scrubbed out with soap.

 

OoO

 

“So, where have you been all day, pretty boy?”

 

Kurama turned his eyes toward the man smiling at him innocently, batting his eyes as if it would gain his attention. However, despite the fact that he was still uncomfortable with how much attention he got, Kurama was used to Jakotsu's nature. “I was called in to examine a body found around five this morning,” he replied.

 

Jakotsu nodded in understanding. “Shame,” he sighed, “I've been stuck here all day with Kagome's sweet, little cutie. It would have been so much better if you could have come by sooner.” Jakotsu leaned into the redheaded male, laughing on the inside as the other man inched away from him. He knew full well that Kurama liked his women, but it was fun to play with such a pretty piece of work.

 

“Oh?” Kurama frowned. “And where exactly has Kagome been all day?”

 

Hiei rolled his eyes, “Hn.”

 

Jakotsu giggled a bit at Hiei's response. “Oh, Sango decided that Kagome and her needed a girl's day out. So, they came home a few hours ago from getting things for little Masayoshi,” he stroked the kitten's fur, “to tell us. They've been gone ever since, leaving me all alone with mister silent over there. I really don't see why I couldn't have gone with them, but Sango insisted.”

 

“I see. So, Kagome is recovering from what has happened?” Kurama asked.

 

Hiei nodded.

 

Jakotsu's eyes flashed, “Of course she is! If my Kagome were not getting better, I would find this blasted Yusuke and smear his pretty face further into the ground for what he did to her! To take advantage of my sweet little Kagome in her time of need is a hideous crime, and ruining his pretty face would be a fine contribution for what he has done.”

 

Kurama's own eyes sharpened, “I take it that you've already done something to him?”

 

A wicked grin broke over Jakotsu's face. “Oh, brother Bankotsu and I would have done much more than we did if he didn't manage to sneak away. Shame, too, since I had so wanted to see how he would look with blood dripping over his pretty features.” He stared into Kurama's face, and noticed his look. “Don't give me that look. I've done nothing wrong. Besides, I hear that Hiei got a nice little swing at him when he was sweet enough to take Kagome out for ice cream. Didn't you, cutie?”

 

“I did,” Hiei nodded. “He tried to deny what he had done.”

 

“Good reason to hit him, I say,” Jakotsu nodded.

 

Kurama sighed. These two were lucky that Yusuke was not the type to bring police into his business. If he were, they would both most likely have a nice spot within a cell somewhere nearby—Bankotsu, too. So, he told them as such, though he knew that that was most likely the reason Hiei hit Yusuke. His logic would have most likely told him otherwise—then again, they were talking about the only woman Hiei would admit he cared for—and he would have backed down for a better opportunity.

 

Jakotsu snorted, “As if my brothers would allow Bankotsu or I to stay in a jail for long. And Bankotsu, after he was freed, would make sure to get Kagome's comfort back to her side. We simply could not bare the thought of her being alone and scared when all she needs is her little Hiei to be at her side.”

 

“Of course,” Kurama nodded. It was true. The Shimizu brothers had a lot of influence in this part of the country, and probably further than he knew about. Often times the things they did went overlooked because of some piece of charity they had given, or some priceless artifact Renkotsu had dug up was donated to a museum somewhere. The family held themselves on top so that those who strayed for a single moment were given a second, or third, chance in society—so the acts of violence far and between were overlooked when they happened.

 

Hiei glanced up, “And I am not stupid enough to put myself there. I might have felt the need to wipe the world clean of Yusuke originally, but I know that with people like you about, it would be easy to tell who had committed the crime. So I left him be, since I will not leave Kagome unless she wishes me to.”

 

“That's not entirely true if you hit him, Hiei,” Kurama chuckled.

 

Hiei ignored him, glancing down at his watch after a moment. He had nowhere to go, he did not even plan on leaving, but Sango had promised him that she would return with his girlfriend before eleven. It was only seven, which irritated him, since it meant he would have four more hours of listening to nonsense pass between Kurama and Jakotsu until Kurama decided to leave. Then he would have who knows how much time alone with Jakotsu and that stupid kitten, when he could be using the time to pull Kagome from her remaining sadness.

 

Jakotsu appeared bored with the subject, and sighed lightly, “I wonder what brother is doing right now.”

 

“Probably holding his bat close to his chest and wishing he hadn't pissed Sango off,” Hiei replied.

 

Jakotsu laughed a bit, waving his hand in the air. “You're so blunt, cutie! But you're probably right, since he usually looks to Banryuu when he's down. Though, I imagine that by now he's probably watching that porn he has hidden and really wishing he had not pissed off Sango. Brother's got a bad problem with that, and an even bigger one once he decides to do it!”

 

Kurama smiled in humor.

 

After Jakotsu quieted down, silence filled the air between them. Jakotsu squirmed in his seat, wishing that he could have gone with the girls; since he knew that Sango had probably wrestled Kagome into a movie she did not want to see and would soon be going off to buy something. Oh, how he wished he were there! At least then he could be helping Kagome pick out what she wanted to wear and giggle to himself about how much blood might come out of Hiei's nose when he saw her. Of course, he sighed, Kagome always put those things back onto the shelf, though.

 

Hiei leaned back, happy for the silence at the moment. He was not sure how much he could put up with both Kurama and Jakotsu.

 

“So…” Jakotsu said after a record three minutes, “what are we going to do until the girls come back?”