InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Fated Summer ❯ Chapter 1

Summer romances were supposed to be flings that only served to pass time; three burden-free months in the sun with a person worthwhile. There usually were no deep connections, no real strings attached. That's what a summer romance was supposed to be like…but for Kagome and Inuyasha, it went far deeper than they had expected.

When she'd heard that she and her family would be visiting her grandfather in Okinawa, she was thrilled. Not much later than when the school bell rung for the last time her junior year, Kagome was on that roundtrip flight from her hometown of Tokyo.

She looked forward to spending her long days on the infamous Okinawa beaches, riding her grandfather's steed through his mile-long fields, and hiking up mountains to the very top to watch the sunset.

Though she would miss her best friend dearly, Sango would be just fine as her relationship with a certain pervert had just started to bloom in time for their vacation. Then there was the cheating ookami boyfriend…correction ex-boyfriend of hers who was still wasting money on making long distance calls to her.

Not that it affected her bills in the least…she ignored every last one of them.

She'd only been able to enjoy the fun she had planned for herself for about a week before she was informed that she would have to work part time as a caretaker to her grandfather's animals. Truthfully, she didn't mind too much. She loved the animals and already spent time with them on a daily basis.

And that's how she met Inuyasha Takanawa.

On her first day of work, she walked out the backdoor of her grandpa's house, and stepped onto the crunchy fields in her sneakers, denim shorts, and white t-shirt. She'd put her hand over her eyes to block the assault of the sun, and once they were able to focus, she caught sight of him; shirtless and in khaki knee-length shorts.

His white hair looked pristine and luxurious in contrast to the sun-darkened skin of his muscled body, a body that held nothing but definition and chiseled contours that made her mouth water. He had a firm chest, and a toned stomach divided into six hard packs, and a light patch of hair right beneath his navel that trailed down to places, she would blush to think about.

He was beautiful and radiating sex appeal.

Unbelievably though, the first thing she'd noticed about him were the fuzzy white ears atop his head that drooped helplessly from the assault of the sun. When she got over their adorableness, she found herself unable to stop gazing into the beautiful golden orbs that weren't even directed at her.

 

He was busy rinsing a horse with a hose, when he noticed her. Thank goodness the heat gave her an excuse for the flush overcoming her face.

He watched her and a tiny smirk tugged at his lips.

Still not taking his eyes from her, he turned the hose on himself, wetting his sweat-glistened chest.

She gasped sharply; her heart speeding faster than what would be considered healthy.

He seemed to take great joy from her disorientation, as a smirk fully blossomed on his face.

Suddenly, anger smoldered any desire she'd felt. If there was anything she hated, it was a gloating male.

She stomped over to him, got in his face, and demanded, like she owned the place…

“Who the hell are you?”

He didn't seem fazed by her abrupt attitude, in the least. “Inuyasha Takanawa, I'll be helping you take care of the animals. You must be Kagome; Kenji's granddaughter, it's nice to meet you.”

He held his hand out to her, pleasantly, which threw her off guard for a minute. Not because the gesture was primarily western, but because she'd completely expected a pompous, arrogant jerk who would answer with some pickup line before making a sexually suggestive remark that would prompt her to slap him.

Still, she looked at the hand skeptically, before she shook it firmly in a very professional manner.

Though her hand remained firm during the two second handshake, the rest of her tingled and shook in delight.

That was day 1, and that afternoon was spent getting her acquainted with the specifics of grooming each of the four breeds of animal her grandfather kept; the horses, the chickens, the goats, and the cows. Kagome found that her first impression of him hadn't been totally off the mark, he was arrogant.

That night, she realized that his arrogance wasn't the type that made her want to throttle him, like Kouga's had been, but it actually amused her because there was an air of humor around it.

As if to speak of the devil, her phone chimed, letting her know that she had missed another one of his calls. She rolled her eyes; what an idiot.

The next day, she went downstairs, dressed and ready by 8 a.m where she found Inuyasha waiting for her at her grandpa's kitchen table, eating a chocolate chip muffin.

He smiled toothily at her, and her lips twitched in response, reluctant to grace him with a smile.

“What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you” he said simply, “Kenji let me in. I made you a butter bagel.”

She couldn't help the little flutter in her heart.

“You made me breakfast?”

He nodded, “Yeah, I asked him what you liked, and I figured that the sooner you ate, the sooner we could start.”

“Thank you.” She said timidly, and sat across from him, sliding the bagel to herself.

“Why so far away, wench? I don't bite.” He smirked, and she rolled her eyes playfully. There was the arrogance.

She shook her head, “I'll stay right here; that way I could keep an eye on you and make sure your hands are where they're supposed to be.”

“You sure you're not just trying to get a better view of my eyes…again.”

She flushed. “Y-You took me by surprise, I didn't expect anyone there, yesterday!”

He chuckled, “Yeah, sure.”

That afternoon, he asked her questions that were a bit personal, about her life in Tokyo. She answered him honestly, telling him about Sango and Miroku and unwittingly, she verbally released the pent up rage born from the horror that was Kouga.

He told her, in a voice that was a tad serious, that she should change her number and stay with her grandfather permanently. She laughed, taking it as a joke, whether it was supposed to be one or not.

During their break, he took her to a diner on the beach where they continued talking, more about him than her, this time. He'd told her that he didn't have a girl, but he lived with his brother, Sesshomaru, and his wife, Rin. His parents died when he was nine years old.

That reminded her, “How old are you, Inuyasha?”

“Nineteen, what about you?”

“Seventeen…and a half.” She said.

“Keh, little girl” she stuck her tongue out at him, and he stared at her mouth even after her tongue went back in.

He continued on, telling her about his brother being a lawyer, and she was utterly shocked to learn that his family owned that mansion on the hills that overlooked the beach. They could see it through the large windows of the diner, if they craned their necks a little.

“Inuyasha if you're so rich, forgive me, but, why are you working for my grandpa?”

He smirked, “Why? Don't you want me around anymore?”

“Who said I ever did.” She teased.

“Ouch,” he clutched his wounded heart, before he answered her, “I'm here because Sesshomaru insisted I know the meaning of true hard labor.” He used air quotes. “I thought I'd hate it, but…it's turning out not to be so bad.”

He had an intense look in his eye when he said the last part, “W-Why is that?” she stuttered.

When he was about to answer, her phone rang in the specific ringtone she set for Kouga. She groaned, and didn't make any move to retrieve it.

“Aren't you going to answer that?” he asked.

“It's him.”

His face hardened, and he held out his hand. “Give me the phone.”

“No, no, no, it's okay really, I just ignore him”

“Give it to me,” he said, his tone was serious.

“Inuyasha--” she tried to reason.

“Kagome!”

When she made no move to hand it to him, he leaned out of his seat and was able to retrieve it from the phone case on her hip, ignoring her when she blushed at the feel of his hand brushing her thigh.

He flipped the phone open.

“Yo” … “It doesn't matter who the fuck this is.”… “Where she is, is none of your business because according to her, you have no fucking business calling her phone.” … “Look you flea-bitten wolf, I don't want to see your name on this screen again, you hear me! It's over, plain and simple, and if you keep harssing her, I will fly out to Tokyo to personally give you the message.”

He flipped the phone closed, and put it on the table, keeping it close to him. There was a minute of silence, as they waited to see if Kouga had the balls to call back. He didn't.

Inuyasha slid the phone to her. “You are over him, right?”

“Completely.” She said. “Thanks, maybe now I'll be getting some sleep.”

He gave her an incredulous look, “He fucking calls you at night, too?”

She nodded, “Yeah, sometimes I forget to put my phone on silent and he wakes me up.”

He shook his head, “Change town, change your number” he said in a sing-song voice.

She laughed.

That night, Kouga did call her back, but she ignored it as usual. She decided that Inuyasha didn't need to know about it, though.

~

The next day, she was up before he even arrived.

He found her riding one of the horses in the open yard. He didn't even announce his arrival; she had to spot him watching her, with a cunning smile on his handsome face, as he sat on his butt in the grass.

She rode up to him, and she noted with an inward smirk, that he took a wary scoot back.

“Morning” she greeted.

“You look good on those things” he told her.

“Well, I love horses.”

“You love me too, but you've yet to ride me.”

“Don't go there Takanawa, before I make Lucky here, trample you.”

“Keh, I could take on a horse.”

She raised an eyebrow, “oh yeah?” She made Lucky walk even closer to him, and she smiled widely as he skittered backward.

“Stop playing, Kagome.”

“Oh, but you could take him on, no problem, right.” She smirked.

Inuyasha stood up, abruptly. “Don't…”

“HYA!” she yelled, and Lucky booked.

They ran in circles, Kagome laughing like a maniac, and Inuyasha, impressively outrunning the mare. He leapt over fences as if he were doing an obstacle course, displaying the strength and power he possessed locked within those muscles of his.

Because he was a demon, or at least half, she knew he would be safe. Even if, by some miracle, Lucky were to catch up to him, and trample him, the worst damage would be a back ache.

When she'd had enough fun, she stopped her horse, and got off him.

She held her hands up in peace, as she approached the sullen hanyou.

“That wasn't funny,” he growled.

“It was a little,” she said, coming to a stop in front of him.

He gave her a look that clearly said that he didn't find that little joke of hers to be even remotely humorous.

It only made her giggle.

He glared at her like a little kid, “Don't talk to me, bitch.” And he started walking away.

“Oh, come on.” She pleaded.

“Now my legs hurt.” He whined.

“Well, that means you needed the exercise.” She followed after him.

“Keh!”

“Inuyasha,” she said.

“I said I don't want to talk to you.”

“You're being silly, how can you not talk to your bestest buddy?”

“Ex bestest.” He called as she was still a few steps behind him.

“Now, that one really hurt.” She said.

“Not as bad as my legs do.” He complained, and suddenly he had a limp.

She had to stop herself from laughing again. He was being ridiculous.

She jogged a little, to come before him, forcing him to stop.

“I'm sorry, Inuyasha.” She said, making her eyes large, and watery. It was the look that the people who knew her best deemed as her “poor puppy pout”

She saw him almost fall for it, before he turned his head, with a “Feh”

She sighed, and stepped closer. “I really, really am.” She tried again.

He didn't respond, so she brought her arms up and around his neck, laying her head delicately on his chest.

She felt him stiffen, initially, before he slowly brought his arms up and around her.

“Bitch, you know just how to make me forgive you, don't you?” his voice was soft, but rough at the same time, and the sound did funny things to her lower belly.

“I hope so.” She said softly.

He hugged her tighter, and kissed the top of her head, soundly. “Trust me, you so do.”

She giggled, and her eyes slid closed without her consent. “I'm glad.”

Lucky walked noisily over to them, bristling loudly.

“I think he's jealous.” She said, lifting her head, but not fully releasing him. He didn't let her go either.

“I would be too.”

“Hm….. Hey!” she said, suddenly. “Do you wanna ride him?”

He gave her a look that asked, `are you nuts wench?'

“I'd rather cut off my ears.” He said.

“That would be a serious crime, don't even joke.” She said, “Seriously, you could mount behind me.”

She flushed immediately after the words left her mouth, and she released him at the same time.

He, however, pulled her closer, “that doesn't sound like a bad idea.”

She slapped his chest, and freed herself. “You know what I meant, baka, I ride in front and you ride in back. It's really a lot of fun.”

She walked to the brown horse, and climbed on. Inuyasha made no moves to follow.

“Inuyasha, we have tons of fresh hay to pick up, and the tractors are like a mile and a half away, this would be the quickest way.”

“So? A mile and a half is nothing; I could carry you on my back.”

She groaned, “Come on, Inuyasha. When I was younger I used to ride these horses for hours and miss meals without even noticing. It's so much fun. How is it that you work with them daily, but you're afraid?”

He scowled, “I'm not afraid of a goddamn horse, but you better not sic that thing on me again!”

She rolled her eyes, “Yeah, you're not afraid at all.”

“Keh”

“Okay,” she said, “How about this. We ride Lucky to the tractors, and when we're done spreading the hay, I'll let you carry me back home.”

He looked skeptically at the animal beneath her.

“Puh-leaseeee” she begged.

He sighed heavily, “Fine.”

She grinned, and he walked cautiously over to her. He assessed how he was going to make it up to her, before he mounted, and grabbed hold of her waist.

He scooted closer, and she almost fainted at the feel of the hard body behind her. He rested his chin on her shoulder, and whispered, “You ready?”

She could hear the smugness in his voice, without having to look back at his smirking face.

She bit her bottom lip, and nodded, before jerking the reigns, and sending them galloping at an easy pace.

They rode and did their job that day, and he carried her back to her grandfather's house, as promised. She was overcome by that belly rolling, faint inducing feeling again, as he carried her effortlessly.

They said their goodnights, and she went to sleep with thoughts of him, and the knowledge that she was already helplessly falling…

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Three weeks later, Inuyasha didn't come to work. Her grandpa told her that he'd called and said he wasn't feeling well, but would probably be back to work the next day.

She took care of all their work, futilely trying to convince herself that the twisting in her gut had nothing to do with missing him. But who was she kidding? Without her loud-mouthed hanyou, it was far too quiet, far too boring, and so very, very lonely. When she was done for the day, and the sun had sunk well below the horizon, she hiked up the trail leading to the Takanawa mansion for the first time.

She'd debated bringing homemade soup to help in case he caught the flu, but figured it would be ineffective for a hanyou like him. He probably had a demon remedy, already working its magic.

Eventually, she made it to the stone steps of the mansions entrance, and came to a stop before the wide glass and wooden double-doors. The whole place screamed wealth.

Her grandpa's house was rather large too, but it was large in a vintage way. Instead of the stone and marble and glass that decorated the Takanawa's, it had creaky wood and brick.

And his brother was some kind of big shot lawyer, right? What would he think of her? What would his first impression of her be if he were the one to open the door and see her in the short denim jumpsuit, which was stained with mud from her work?

She was suddenly filled with anxiety, as if she were meeting the queen of England.

She took a step back and looked up at the house, willing herself to see into the window that would show her Inuyasha. His face would be just the encouragement she needed.

No luck. It was too dark to see anything and it looked like the curtains were drawn anyway.

But she was able to visualize him; Inuyasha lying sick on his bed. Her vision was of an Inuyasha that was in a way worse condition than he must be in if he would be back to work the next day…but still, Kagome was known for having an overactive imagination. For all she knew, he was curled in his bed, sweaty and panting in agony, calling her name.

She suddenly had the courage. She marched to the door and rang the buzzer repeatedly.

After what seemed like an hour, the door flew open to reveal a man with Inuyasha's remarkable beauty, shirtless and snarling down at her from his over six foot height.

Sesshomaru…

She remembered the name, and she remembered the relation; brothers. But of course, she wouldn't have needed to be told. He was far too young to be the father, and the resemblance was probably uncanny from a distance, yet there were differences between the two men that stood out like sore thumbs.

For instance, the golden gleam in Sesshomaru's eyes suggested maturity and superiority, completely unlike Inuyasha's, which burned with good nature and fun. Then there were the high feminine cheekbones that would not work on the face of any male, other than this one. Those, Inuyasha lacked completely.

And the most obvious difference, which Kagome noted before any other, was the lack of furry appendages that she'd been craving to touch for the past twenty four hours.

She could've moaned in despair at not having them between her unworthy fingers at that very moment. She could have and would have if a voice—also so very unlike the one she yearned to hear—interrupted her train of thoughts.

“And you are?” his tone was impatient.

Kagome blinked, and came back down to earth. She forced her eyes to train on his, rather than wander down to the lean, tempting, and unfortunately very bare chest of the brother. There was no time to waste, Inuyasha needed her.

“I'm Kagome. Higurashi Kagome. Uh, Inuyasha and I work together, and I wanted to check in and see if he was okay.”

“Kagome.” He said in recognition.

“Yeah, Kenji's granddaughter”

He nodded once, and his original snarl morphed into something that was just shy of being considered a small smile.

“He's fine Kagome, you have my word.” He said, his eyes sweeping over her attire.

“But…may I see him, please?” She folded her arms beneath her breast where a more prominent mud stain, smudged onto the jean material.

Sesshomaru wordlessly opened his mouth, as he seemed to be internally debating something.

“I don't--”

“Please Sesshomaru, I promise not to stay long, I just want to make sure he's...” she trailed off with a blush.

“It's not that I don't want you to see him Kagome. It's just that he's--”

“Oh god is it that bad! Is he so sick, he's contagious?” Even with the words she spoke, she took a step closer inside, looking ready to fly past the man in his own house.

“No, it's not that bad. He's--”

Sesshomaru suddenly stopped mid-sentence, but it wasn't because she'd rudely interrupted him a third time. The youkai looked behind him to a place that Kagome couldn't see from her spot outside.

“Hold on, Kagome” he said, only briefly looking at her, before again averting his attention.

Her eyebrows drew together incredulously, and she had to forcefully step on her right foot to keep it from tapping impatiently. She did not want to “hold on.” All she wanted was to see the baka, what the hell was the big deal? Why couldn't he just let her through, so she could magically heal him with her presence?

Sesshomaru's head bobbed a little and the side of his face moved, letting her know that he was mouthing words to someone. Then a sound… a whisper that she couldn't comprehend spoke to him.

Then there was a growl, one she would recognize amongst a den of hungry lions and bears. Inuyasha's growl…

She nearly soared for the sound.

The elder brother sighed and lightly hit his head against the doorframe, muttering something about cowardly baka's, before turning back to her.

“He, uh, he's not up Kagome, and he needs to rest if he's going to make it to work tomorrow. If he wakes up tonight, I'll let him know you stopped by.” He said.

The words made her lungs cave in, stealing her next breath from her. That ache, however, was nothing compared to the sting in her heart. This was bullshit, and for a lawyer, Sesshomaru wasn't all that convincing, though he probably wasn't trying to be.

Inuyasha was there and he didn't want to see her.

She'd worried over and missed him, with every cell in her body, and he didn't want her with him. Now, when there was nowhere else she'd rather be than by his side, he was pushing her away under the pretense of “not feeling well.” Bullshit!

The aches turned to burns as she ignited on the inside, hoping she wouldn't spontaneously combust. Rage consumed her.

Oh, what she wouldn't give for an outlet, a doggie-eared dummy to wail on. Sesshomaru read the trembling in her limbs and the flush on her cheeks for what it was, and took a step back, widening the door in an obvious invitation. Shock warred with the burn for all of one second, before his golden eyes flicked to his left… where the damn growl had come from.

She didn't need any more than that, Kagome walked right in, fists clenched at her sides. The mansion was beautiful, and she would have taken the time to admire it if there weren't more urgent things to attend to.

To her right, past the grand white piano, was a threshold that led to a large formal living room but contained a space devoid of anyone. The thudding of bare feet running up steps caught her attention.

Inuyasha!

She went right, taking to jogging than full out chasing, since Sesshomaru could still very much see her. Behind the living room furniture was a marble staircase. She didn't hesitate to run up those.

By the time she reached the landing, the footsteps were receding down the hallway to her left, and she looked to find a flash of a boxer clad leg, disappearing around the corner. She ran after it, her anger doubling at the thought of him actually trying to run away from her.

He was going to get it.

She rounded the corner, barely slowing down for any possible passerby.

The last door at the very end of the hall, decorated with brass knobs and polished wood, slammed shut with an audible click of locks.

Kagome stopped running to catch her breath, as she neared Inuyasha's bedroom door.

They were both silent, but ridiculously aware of the other's presence behind the slab of wood.

As oxygen quenched her lungs, it simultaneously calmed her. And she thought…

And she couldn't believe she'd just chased him. She couldn't believe that she'd had to chase him, when he should've willingly come to her. Not that he was under any obligation, after all, they were just buddies… but, it felt like more. He knew it, and she knew it.

Why…Why was he hiding? Did something change? Was he upset with her? She backtracked on yesterday, and then the past weeks. It had been the same as any other; full of laughs, and flirting, and the occasional serious conversation.

Did she do something wrong? Were the feelings that had intensified monumentally over the last few weeks, felt only by her?

No. That couldn't be right. The looks he gave her while she worked, the feel of his hands when he touched her cheeks and the truth in his voice when he spoke to her, they couldn't have just been platonic.

Maybe, he just didn't want her anymore. But how could he just suddenly not like her… unless maybe—and this realization made the most sense, while making her the most hurt—there was someone else… someone that had replaced her, or that had been there all along without her knowledge, and now he was just waiting for the right moment to cut her loose.

She tried to blink away the tears, but they fell anyway, too quickly for her to catch them all.

Of course… of course there was someone else. With guys, wasn't there always someone else? She didn't realize until then that she'd stopped believing that the moment she met Inuyasha, the oh-so-different Inuyasha.

She whimpered her misery, as her hands braced against the doorframes. They supported her, and she planned on using them before she would find her bearings to leave.

She heard a thump from Inuyasha's side of the door, and a very near sigh. He'd braced his hands on the door, maybe, or his forehead, his back?

“Please, don't cry” he said. His voice was soft, and her traitorous body rejoiced at the terribly missed sound.

She cursed her own stupidity. She hated when she misjudged the strength of hanyou senses. She immediately halted her sniffles, and cleared her throat.

“Don't worry, I'll leave and you won't ever have to hear me again.” Her voice squeaked towards the end, as a fresh batch of tears ran their course.

Was this really the last moment she had with him? Not even able to see his face, one last time? Who knew the night before would be the last time she would get to see it?

“What?” he sounded utterly befuddled, but she didn't allow herself to read into it.

She cleared her throat again. “I'm sorry I…I chased you. Can you please apologize to Sesshomaru for me? You don't *sniffle* you don't have to come in tomorrow. I'll tell grandpa something, because I know you wouldn't want to tell him you're quitting.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? Who's quitting?”

She squeezed her lids together. Was he really planning on coming back to work, with some bitch on his arm? Could he really be that cruel?

“You are Inuyasha, damnit!” she ran her bare knee into the door, and it hurt way worse than she thought it would have. Fuck, that was sure to bruise—stupid rich people and their thick ass wood...

She wasn't one to cry in physical pain, but this time she did because of the frustration of it all. Why was she the only one ever getting hurt!

She sobbed openly, as she sank to the floor and cradled her knee.

“Kagome? Baby, did you hurt yourself?” his worried voice was even closer than before.

“NO! You hurt me, you baka! It's you and your stupid mixed signals! Since the first day we met, I—I … and you made me think that…. I just thought that all the flirting, and sharing… I thought it meant something to you, Inuyasha!”

Her nose was red and threatening eruption if she didn't get a tissue…fast.

“K-Kagome…”

“It meant something to me… it meant everything to me. But now, it's like I don't know who you are. The Inuyasha who let me ride his back, and play with his ears, just yesterday, wouldn't make me have to chase him through his own god-damned house, wouldn't keep something from me, and definitely wouldn't be dumping me for some other… girl.” She grimaced at the word too tame for what she'd wanted to call the bitch.

She felt the door leave her back, but she didn't raise her head to look at him, no matter how much she wanted to see his face.

“You… you think I'm fucking someone else?” he asked, aghast.

Kagome should've corrected him, as “else” implied that they were having sex, which they weren't, but she kept her face down, and her throbbing knee, bent.

“How in the hell did you come up with that one?” it was a rhetorical question, but he still paused.

She took a moment to calm her hopeful heart, and ready it for potential disappointment.

She didn't protest when he crouched behind her and wrapped his strong arms around her shoulders. He buried his nose in her hair, as he usually did, and nuzzled gently. Kagome couldn't help but gracefully sink into him; if this was their last moment, then at least it would be with him holding her.

“I—I can't want anyone else, Kagome. It hurts to imagine not being with you.”

She managed to mutter, “Liar.”

He tightened his hold on her. “No, I'm not, and you know that. Somehow, in a mere month, I've come to care about you more than anyone.”

“Then why didn't you come today? You seem pretty healthy to me, track star. And why didn't you want to see me, and why would you run away from me?”

“You'd know, baka, if you would just take a look at me.” He growled.

He didn't lighten his grip on her though.

“What is it?” she asked when she tried to budge with little success.

“You won't… see me different, will you?” he asked, abundant worry in his voice.

“Inuyasha, you're scaring me.”

“Will you?”

“No, of course not, never because of how you look… I promise.”

After a moment, with an obvious reluctance, his arms slid down her body to land behind him, and he leaned back and sat on his butt with his head down, waiting for her to take a look.

Her heart beat nervously, willing herself to not fear what she would see. She did mean what she said, she could never judge him based on his looks, but she didn't want to be so shocked that it offended him.

She breathed deeply and prepared herself for whatever, and slowly turned around.