InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Fragile Heart ❯ Chapter Three: Hearts have White Wings ( Chapter 3 )

Well, here we are again boys and girls. Ready for another chapter of "A Fragile Heart". Yes, there will be angst, this is a very angsty story, but I think there may be some sweetness in here yet. Wonder how long this fic is gonna be. Hehe.

Kasia. lol. You're reviews are always so cute and funny!

Ejineko. Sugar high huh? Well, tis cool by me if it's cool by you. I'll make it a point to look up your fic at the first opportunity, though it might not be for a while yet, unfortunately. (I have a list of "to reads" like ten miles long and not nearly enough time to read them in! It's pretty tragic, actually. And if that's not bad enough, my list of "to writes" is nearly as long!) But, thanks! Yes, it's true that Sess is a bit out of character, but the arc has led him in that direction, so rather than keep him 100% in character and make the story difficult to believe, I've let him adapt with the flow of the story. And, well, him being human at the current moment makes it a LITTLE more buyable. Just a little. But I don't think he's too too bad, so, meh. *shruggs* whaddya gonna do? As far as Kikyo…uhm…technically, I killed her in the last fic…and…hamsters? You have a very interesting imagination. *chuckles*

So yeah, disclaimer. Don't own Inuyasha. Now let me drink my iced tea in peace.

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"A Fragile Heart"

by: Banshee Puppet

Chapter Three: Hearts have White Wings

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Sunday. Inuyasha stared at himself in the mirror, still half-expecting dog ears to pop out of his mess of hair at any moment. He scowled at his red t-shirt and khakis, but most of all, he scowled at the dark brown work boots he wore. He really hated shoes. Probably even more than he hated cauliflower, and Sesshomaru kept insisting on cooking with it. Gek! 'Shit tastes like cardboard,' Inuyasha thought, crinkling his nose with a scowl. At least his mind was off of the immediate problem…for like…two seconds. He put on his watch, eyes widening at the time. "Crap! I'm supposed to meet Kagome at the arcade in five minutes!" He all but bolted out the door, grabbing his wallet on the way out. He'd have to run all the way there if he wanted to make it on time.

Today.

Today, was Sunday. Sunday meant he was spending the day with Kagome at the arcade because Sesshomaru was at the park with that little girl. Man, if it wasn't one thing, it was another.

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Kagome looked at her watch. Inuyasha was late…again. Well, in the interim, she decided, she'd play a round or two of DDR. It was right near the entrance, so they'd see one another when he got there. But she'd be damned if she was going to sit around in a fun place like an arcade waiting all day. A cocky-looking guy with brown hair smirked at the screen. He wore a pair of jogging pants and a cut-up t-shirt with a magic eight ball on the back, the little triangle in the bottom displaying the words "fat chance", shaggy brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. His cocky attitude made Kagome want to kick his dancing ass at this game, and he seemed to notice, as he leaned over the railing, blue eyes smirking down at her. "My name's Kouga. Who're you?" he asked easily, flipping some bangs from his eyes.

She got the oddest feeling that she knew him from somewhere, but chocked it up to deja-vu. "K-Kagome," she said. 'Great. Stutter like a little schoolgirl. He's going to think you like him or something.' She mentally rolled her eyes. It was just…he had such an odd aura…or something. He seemed…strong? Hell, Kagome didn't know what it was, probably just the deja-vu…or the way he was leering as if it was the most natural thing in the world. 'Animal.'

"Kagome, huh? You gonna challenge me? I'm the undefeated champion at this game, you know."

"You bet I am!" Kagome huffed.

So, you've got spunk!" he grinned. "Well, you remind me of my girl, so I'll let you pick the song."

Kagome rolled her eyes and stepped onto the platform, taking off her sweatshirt and hanging it over a nearby railing. "Whatever."

'Very cute,' Kouga thought. 'If I hadn't met Sango first, I could've fallen for her.'

But it was an absent-minded thought, and quickly dismissed. Because, contrary to what most people might assume of a trouble-maker like Kouga, truth was, when he set his eyes on a woman, whether she set hers on him or not, he was fiercely loyal. And his eyes were on Sango. Only Sango. No other woman could even come close to the pedestal he'd put the softball player on. It just wasn't humanly possible, and that was completely fine by him. He was sure, with her only other current option being the perverted playboy Miroku, she would come around eventually. He didn't think for a moment, that some unexpected competition might interfere with his plans. So, all but ignoring this, Kagome person, he danced. She wasn't too bad. 'I might even break a sweat this round!' he thought with a slight smile. 'Man, I was starting to forget this game was fun. I want to play against her again. Oh, I'm still gonna cream her, but…I'm going to enjoy doing it.'

At least, that's what he thought, until he caught a glimpse of something through the front doors that he didn't like, and his steps faltered.

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"Ah! Inuyasha! That's you, right?"

Inuyasha was about to enter the arcade when he turned around. It was Sango. She had her hair pulled back into it's customary ponytail and was wearing a pair of sweat pants with one of those sports tops, the kind that fits really tightly, but goes down to just above the belly button, and a faded peach baseball cap.

"Oi! Hey Sango. What's up?"

"Oh. You know, I was just at practice with the team," she said. Lifting her bat slightly and revealing the glove hanging off the end of it. "Stopping for some ice cream on the way home. You're welcome to come with me, if you'd like."

"Ah. I would, but, I'm meeting a friend at the arcade today. Another time?"

"Sure. Sure. How's you're head?" Sango moved her hand to brush his bangs aside and inspect the damages, but Inuyasha just crinkled his nose and swatted her hand gently away.

"It's fine," he said. "I'm hard-headed. I mean! I have a thick skull. I mean…" Inuyasha was about to give up. This sentence just refused to come out right.

Sango chuckled. "Don't worry about it Inuyasha. I know what you meant. So, another time then?"

"Yeah, that'd be good."

"Alright. See you then."

"See ya," Inuyasha returned, shaking his head slightly as Sango ran across the street. He couldn't help a slight smile. Even if she wasn't exactly the same as he remembered her, even if she didn't remember him, that was okay. Actually, in some ways, this was almost better, because the way things were now, in this time, in this place, things might just work out differently. 'I ignored her a little bit, back then. But, I guess it was because I had Kagome, and she had Miroku, and I had Miroku, and she had Kagome…but things are different now. Maybe this time around, it'll be me and Sango that become really good friends, like I was with Miroku back then. I'll still miss talking with him, I guess, but…all things considered, I think it would be okay, if things worked out a little differently. I wouldn't mind. Not really.' And, on that note, he headed into the arcade to find Kagome cheering over her DDR victory (okay, it was more like gloating), and none other than Kouga scowling at him. 'Whaddid I do?' he wondered.

"Hey! I'm gloating here, tough guy, and you're not even listening properly, no fair!" Kagome complained, poking the brunette in the chest.

Kouga blinked at her. "Huh? Che. You only beat me because I got distracted," he scoffed.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Whatever." And just as she was about to say more, she spotted a bright red t-shirt that could only belong to one person. "…Inuyasha!" She grabbed her sweatshirt and hopped down off of the platform. "You're late buster."

"Sorry Kagome. I ran all the way here though!" he defended himself, but Kouga didn't miss the moment of lost puppy-dog eyes he cast on the girl.

'Kagome. Why's that name sound so familiar? Is that his woman? No it's…oh. Oh!' Suddenly, he remembered detention with Sesshomaru the other day.

"Come on! Time'll go faster if you talk to me, you know," Kouga whined.

"…" Sesshomaru gave him a blank look that loosely translated as "no" before returning to the math homework he now had to catch up on.

"Fine. Be that way," Kouga huffed, proceeding to drum his fingers on the desk for nearly five minutes before Sesshomaru couldn't take it anymore.

"I would break all of your fingers, if I thought you wouldn't be bothered to start drumming infernally with your toes," Sesshomaru said dryly. "So how long do you insist that I…converse…with you, to prevent you from being an irrevocable annoyance."

Yep. That was the Sesshomaru that Kouga had grown to well, fear and loathe, actually. Kouga looked at the clock. Fifteen more minutes. "Fifteen minutes."

"Five," Sesshomaru amended.

"Ten," Kouga compromised, getting the feeling he was putting his life on the line.

"Fine," Sesshomaru said, but didn't bother to say anything. Almost a minute passed before Kouga thought of a topic. "So, I hear you're dating a middle-schooler these days, Mr. Artist."

Sesshomaru gave a curt nod.

"So, who is she, what's she like. You've got to open your mouth at some point over the next ten minutes, or I'm going to start drumming again."

Sesshomaru glared at him as he pulled on the cuff of his sleeve. "Her name is Kagome. She's a friend of my younger brother's. They're in the same class, though I'm not certain why. She's much smarter than he is."

"Kagome," Kouga thought. "I wonder if Sesshomaru knows his younger brother is in love with his girlfriend. Ouch."

"I'm going to get sodas. So just stay put for a minute!" Kagome told Inuyasha, who just nodded dumbly and did as he was told. She hadn't stopped speaking for almost five minutes, and he could still feel Kouga staring at him. He turned his head at the other boy and snapped, "what?!?"

Kouga just smirked. "It's got to suck, being in love with your brother's girlfriend," he commented idly. Seeing the looks the kid had just been giving Kagome, he no longer considered him a threat to his claim on Sango, so it was fine to chat with him and bait him like this for no apparent reason other than that it seemed completely natural to do so.

"Go to hell," Inuyasha snarled.

Kouga raised his hands defensively. "Just making an observation. No need to bite my head off."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Talk about people who never changed…

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Sango got her ice cream and ate as she walked, surprising herself by the train of thought her mind took.

'Inuyasha said he'd join me for ice cream sometime. He's such a sweetie, a little gruff, but…he's got a really cute personality. I can't help but laugh when he's around. He would have come today too, if he hadn't been meeting a friend. I think I like him…just a little bit.' She shook her head slightly. 'Sango! What are you thinking? He's in middle school!' She laughed at herself. 'Well, he's not so much younger than me though. And, well, why not? I'm allowed to have a crush too. I am just a girl, after all.'

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"Sesshou-kun?" Rin asked from the young man's side, dragging his attention back to her where they sat calmly beneath the shade of a large oak tree watching the other children.

"Hm?" He looked down at the girl, who was holding a daisy up for him. When he accepted it, and favored her with just the slightest twitch at the side of his mouth, Rin graced him with a gap-toothed smile so wide that her face might crack if she smiled any further, and she giggled.

She was such a beautiful little girl. 'But since she's an orphan…since she doesn't have anybody…' Though he never said it out loud, it bothered him to think of it. He opened his backpack and pulled out a small sketch pad and a silver pencil with little pink hearts on it and handed it to the girl. He'd bought it so she would have something to do with herself, rather than just sit and watch the other children.

Rin looked up at him, questioningly. "It's a gift," he stated simply, in that bored manner he had. "Use it as you like. It's yours."

"Does Sesshou-kun have one too?" she asked.

"A sketch pad? Yes. I do Rin."

"What does Sesshou-kun do with his?"

"I draw in it."

Rin gave him that grin again, the one that pulled at those invisible little strings attatched to his chest. "Will Sesshou-kun draw with Rin?" she asked.

He gave her a small, but true smile, and said, "Yes, Rin. If that's what you want."

The girl nodded, "Rin would like that very much."

What could Sesshomaru do? He pulled out a sketching pencil and flipped his pad open to an empty page, and began drawing a little girl with the most adorable smile, and this little side pigtail, a button nose, and also, a fragile heart. He wasn't sure when he'd made the decision that day. It was something lingering in the back of his mind for a while, actually. But, the decision, by the time he was walking home, a daisy and a little girl's drawing of two people sitting together under a tree in his hand, he had made up his mind. 'I'm eighteen. And I'll be graduating high school in a few months. That little girl without hope or family, who can still smile in spite of everything, I want to take care of her. I'm going to adopt her. I'm sure, Kagome will understand. This is something that I have to do.'

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Miroku noticed Sango leaning over the railing of the small bridge over the river near their houses, looking thoughtful. Her mind was wandering, he could tell, and though it DID make a prime target for groping, she looked so peaceful. He hadn't seen her like that in a long time, so he decided not to. Sango was a friend, after all.

"Oi! Sango," he called, waving.

Sango snapped out of her thoughts and groaned slightly. "Hey Miroku."

"Why so gloomy?" he asked, as he took a place beside her on the bridge. 'My best friend, really. Sango-chan is the only person who understands me.'

"I was just thinking," she said.

Miroku eyed her critically. "Oh! I see. It's a boy!" he teased. "So what's he like?"

"He's really cute. But, he's kind of young," Sango sighed. "Not like, cradle-robbing young, but…young."

Miroku chuckled.

"What?!?" the girl demanded.

"Hearts have white wings, Sango. You can't help what you feel, so what does "young" matter? If you like him, you should go for it."

"This coming from a guy who doesn't know how NOT to go for it," she remarked snidely.

"Hey! I'm hurt Sango! Really! You of all people should know why I am the way I am."

Sango sighed. "I know, Miroku. But if you would behave more seriously sometimes, people might take you more seriously."

Miroku shook his head with a slight frown. "You're really strong, so it's okay, since you already know everything, and won't leave my side. But…I don't want to get to close. I don't want anyone crying over me, when I die."

They sat in companionable silence for a while, watching the sunset. "All the same, I'd like to see you have your first boyfriend by the time I go you know! And I swear, if you pick that Kouga guy just to humor me, I'm going to come back and haunt you."

"Great, just what I need…to get groped by a ghost."

Miroku chuckled. "Soo…."

Sango eyed her friend skeptically for a moment. "White wings, huh?"

Miroku nodded. "White wings. So go for it, would you? You're too shy."

"Take better care of yourself," she scolded, changing the topic with relative ease. "You're not as healthy as you like to pretend you are, you know."

"Hai. And you hitting me all the time isn't helping, you know. I'm sickly, you know, you should humor me once in a while, Sango-chan."

And at that, Sango felt something rubbing against her posterior. She slapped Miroku so hard that he fell onto his ass, looking dazed. "PERVERT!" she scolded, but couldn't help but smile down fondly at the dazed young man. Cancer. She still had a hard time believing it. Her next door neighbor and childhood friend was dying, and there was nothing that anyone could really do for him. He still seemed so alive, and she just couldn't shake the feeling that this shouldn't be happening, that everything was supposed to work out differently. She just got the feeling that there was supposed to be more hope than this, a way to save him. But it was Cancer. There wasn't anything anyone could do. It made her feel a little helpless sometimes, but also, she was proud of him, because in spite of everything, he was determined to live every day of his life, right up until the very end.

She felt like she owed it to him, to be so brave, so if she really did like Inuyasha in the way she thought she was starting to like him in, she owed it to both of them to act on that. But she wasn't going to rush things either, she wanted to be sure. Because, hearts had white wings, but they were also pretty complicated little muscles, when they wanted to be.

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Okay, so there's another chapter! More sad stuff! *pouts* But, a little bit of sweetness in there. *chews lower lip* Oh, who am I kidding, it's pure angst. You know it. I know it. The birds and the bees know it. But I'm going to keep writing it anyway. R&R. and until next time,

Happy Haunting,

~Banshee Puppet~