InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Grudging Loss ❯ Sunset Shrine ( Chapter 12 )

Chapter 12: Sunset Shrine

 

Inuyasha felt like he was flying. His motorcycle engine roared and his long black ponytail waved wildly behind him in the wind. He was darting around cars on the Pasadena Freeway he could feel the wind rush on by as he swerved around another car. Then he leaned over to his right in order to steer his bike onto the turn lane that took him off the freeway.

 

He was picking up Kagome as `Ash' today and he felt euphoric. His plans were finally coming together. Being with Kagome while he was `Ash' was a dead end. She needed to finally get to know him as `Inuyasha', as he really was, and today was the day. As far as she knew this would be the first time that she had seen him since their disastrous tournament match. He grimaced inwardly to himself as he remembered the arrow that had sealed him into a deep sleep and the way he had cussed her into tears afterwards. He steeled his resolve--he was going to change things starting today. Sure, he was picking her up as `Ash', but she would be at his band practice with him as he truly was, as `Inuyasha'. His mind raced through all of the varied possibilities that coursed through his brain. She would certainly accept a date with him--after all she had a crush on `Inuyasha'. She couldn't help but to love him, right? He smirked. If she acted around him the way all of the other girls did, Kagome would be his. Maybe then `Ash' could fade into the background while he made his moves. Yes, today was going to be a beautiful day.

 

He looked overhead to gaze at the grey-blue and wisps of clouds in the October skies. As he drove all he could see were blocks and blocks of concrete by the side of the road. Most of the buildings were one-story grey or beige warehouses that were plastered with graffiti. Soon the buildings started to look less run-down. He noticed a few signs written in Japanese, wide spaces with perfectly manicured parks, and blue-tile-roof buildings. He had arrived in `Little Tokyo', downtown Los Angeles' vibrant Japan town. He paused at a stoplight to look again at the address Kagome had given him over the phone `342 East First Street'. She said that she lived in the middle of Little Tokyo. He was already on First Street and on the 200 block. As he drove much more slowly he started to notice the buildings around him. The perfectly manicured bushes that lined the avenues and the red flags that streamed all over the Little Tokyo Mall. It was familiar. He had been here before, long ago.

 

He sighed as he became lost in thought. He used to come here with his mother. When he was young his Japanese mother often found solace among other Japanese Americans in Little Tokyo. He remembered their weekly trips to the grocery store at the end of the mall. `How long ago was it?' he wondered to himself. He must have been six or seven years old at the time. She had died when he was eight, so it had to be before then. `Mother,' he thought as he imagined her long, black ribbon-like hair that streamed down her back and her lovely violet eyes. Her eyes always shined down at him with love and he never forgot the way she had gazed at him when he was a boy. `Yash-chan' she had called him. He had felt so happy to be with her, his small hand holding her larger ivory hand. If she wasn't taking him to the Japanese grocery store to get diakon, `calpis' drinks or his favorite `pocky' candy—then she was taking him to a Shinto shrine in Little Tokyo. His eyes wandered as he tried to find the old shrine from memory, just as he was still trying to find Kagome's address. `342' he muttered to himself `342. OK. It has to be on the right-hand side, it's coming up.' Soon his bike pulled in next to a shrine at 342 East First Street. The sign on the corner read `Sunset Shrine'. He kicked down his bike stand and removed his helmet as he surveyed the premises.

 

His eyes widened as he looked up at the red torii gates that stood at the end of some steep concrete steps. This was the shrine his mother used to take him to when he was a little boy. A bizarre feeling of déjà vu fell over him as he wandered up the steps and under the torii gates. He knew that the purification area was off to his right and he wasn't surprised to see the purification fountain exactly where he last remembered it. A wrought iron dragon stood above the fountain and water cascaded out of its' mouth and fell upon the fountain below. He took up a small bamboo ladle and quickly cleaned his hands and drank a sip of water—just as his mother had instructed him to do long ago.

 

He turned to look at the shrine itself. There was the tree just as he had remembered. The huge Goshiboku tree towered over the shrine, casting dappled shadows of green and grey among the scattered yellow light. He shaded his eyes with his hand as he looked up at the tree. He smiled as he remembered the little girl who was always here.

 

His mind slowly drifted back to faded memories that he had half-forgotten. The little girl used to meet him here near the Goshinboku tree. Inuyasha looked up at the branches that gracefully danced in the breeze, the first time he had seen her was in those very branches long ago.

 

He remembered a day when his mom was busy on the shrine grounds so he had managed to do what all little boys do—he climbed a tree. But he didn't just climb the tree. He looked to make sure that no one was looking and he made a leap up into the tallest branches of the Goshinboku tree that was in the middle of the shrine grounds. He snickered a little too himself. He was imagining his mother running around frantically trying to find him when she was done with her prayers. That would teach her, he thought idly as he watched her far underneath him walking to the shrine to throw in a few coins and pray.

 

“What are you doing up here?” a small voice asked. “How did you jump so high?”

 

He was shocked as he turned around to find a small girl in a tattered shirt and overalls staring at him. She had long wavy black hair that was bound up in a ponytail, curious brown eyes and freckles all over her nose and cheeks. She giggled at him.

 

“Keh,” he responded with a pout as he folded his arms in front of him and turned his head away from the little girl.

 

She evidently wasn't dissuaded because she grabbed the branch he was on and swung her legs up and over it. Soon she had slid over next to him and was peering up at him. He tried to look away from her. But she just kept on staring.

 

“Your eyes are so cool,” she said while clapping in excitement. “You have pretty gold eyes.”

 

“Keh,” was all that he responded again.

 

“You know that's rude…” she exclaimed.

 

“Rude?” he asked while he still kept his face away from her. He was still looking at the shrine his mother was visiting and was keeping an eye out for her.

 

“Yes, I asked you a question and you didn't answer. Mom says that is RUDE!” exclaimed the little girl with a pout of her own.

 

“What question?” he asked.

 

“How did you jump up here? That was so neat!” she exclaimed again.

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “It's no big deal, I always do that.”

 

“Do what?” she asked.

 

“Jump really, really high!” he bragged while motioning with his arms how far up he could jump.

 

“That's so cool!” she exclaimed while clapping. “I want to jump just like you.”

 

“Well you can't,” added the little Inuyasha.

 

“Why not?” pouted the little girl in the tattered shirt.

 

“Because I'm sp-e-ci-al,” added the little boy. “My Mom told me so.”

 

“How special?” asked the little girl.

 

The boy rolled his eyes again. He put a hand to his baseball cap that was securely fastened on his head. His mom always kept it on him whenever they went outside. She had always told him that no one would be able to understand his `cute, little ears' or why he didn't look like everyone else. However, he felt like showing his ears to the little girl. Then she would know that he was indeed special. He grabbed the rim of his cap and took off the red and black cap he was wearing.

 

“Ohhh,” the little girl mouthed in surprise. “Can I touch your ears?”

 

“What? You crazy?” he asked as the girl slid over closer to him and placed one hand and then another on his small white dog-like ears. It was pretty strange at first to have her touching his ears, the very ears his mother had told him to always hide, but soon he relaxed as the little girl continued stroking his ears.

 

“Granddaughter!” Both Inuyasha and the little girl jumped when they heard the old man fuming under the Goshinboku tree. “Young lady! You were supposed to be helping me at the shrine today. Are you up there climbing trees again?”

 

The girl smiled sheepishly at Inuyasha and then yelled to her grandfather. “I'm coming gramps!” Then with a giggle and another smile she slowly grappled her way down the tree. He could see why her shirt was so tattered and why her sturdy overalls had patches at the knees. She must have loved to climb this tree.

 

Inuyasha leaned lazily against the tree trunk and then walked away from the tree. It was long ago and he forgot the little girl's name. But he remembered her toothless smile and her funny freckles that were splattered all over her face. He wouldn't mind seeing her again, whoever she was.

 

He looked around with a grin. `I wonder if that little girl with freckles is still here,' he thought while scanning the grounds. He did notice the girl's grandpa was still there—even though he looked more tired and worn than he had when he had last seen him over a decade ago. `Grandpa' was wearing his priestly Shinto robes and was sweeping the grounds with a broom. `If her grandpa was here, then she might still be here,' he mused. He turned around to see Kagome in her flowing miko robes. He had to try to not blanch as he looked at her. For some reason seeing her dressed in her red and white priestess robes unnerved him. The shrine shop sold folded paper and wooden shingles that people wrote prayers on and then tied to the Goshinboku tree. Kagome was taking the prayers off the tree and putting them in her basket. She was probably going to burn the prayers in a sacred fire and offer the prayers to the Kamis. He stood there motionless for a few moments as he took in the sight of her. She hadn't noticed him yet and he enjoyed looking at her. She wore a half-smile and she was humming to herself as she took a lock of her long dark hair and tucked it behind her ear. He looked at her ear, her long ivory throat, her nimble fingers that were untwisting paper prayers from the tree, her lips that were pursed in concentration and the beautiful way her brow furrowed as she went about her work. Soon her head cocked to the side as if she knew that he was looking at her. She quickly turned to him and a brilliant smile lit her lips.

 

“Hey Ash!” she exclaimed once she saw him. “I just need to change and I'll be right back out.” Then she turned to look at the old priest who was still sweeping the shrine's grounds. “Grandpa! I'm heading off. I need to go to band practice,” she called before scooping up her basket of prayers that she handed to her Grandpa before running toward her house.

 

`Grandpa?' Inuyasha asked to himself. `That would mean…' Inuyasha's eyes widened as he realized the little tomgirl he had played with as a child was now the beautiful miko, Kagome. The girl on his rival team, the girl who didn't seem to have any prejudices against demons, the girl who had declared a crush on him, the girl who said she liked his ears, the girl he was now trying to woo as Inuyasha…

 

“Kagome. You were that little girl,” he said thoughtfully. Then he grinned again to himself. “After all this time, damn…”

 

He was suddenly disturbed from his thoughts as a little boy made his way to his side.

 

“Hey. Are you big-sister's boyfriend?” the young boy asked.

 

Inuyasha turned to see a boy around ten years of age with short black wavy hair and the same round expressive eyes as his sisters.

 

“Boyfriend?” he asked.

 

“Yeah. Are you guys going on a date?” he asked as he eyed Inuyasha suspiciously.

 

“Um, no. I'm just driving her to band practice.”

 

Souta eyed Inuyasha suspiciously, “Yeah right. Then why do you look so nervous?”

 

“Keh. I am not nervous,” he stated as he folded his arms in front of him.

 

Souta looked back up Inuyasha. “Tell you what. If you let me ride your bike--I'll tell you some secret stuff about Kagome.”

 

Inuyasha looked down at the small kid who was grinning wildly. “What sort of secrets?”

 

“I'll tell you whatever you want to know, just ask,” said the little boy as his grin became more mischievous.

 

Inuyasha had to keep from rolling his eyes, but someone his curiosity got the best of him. “Deal. Just a quick ride on my bike. Kagome will be back out soon.”

 

“OK,” grinned Souta as he followed Inuyasha down the shrine steps.

 

Inuyasha stepped onto his motorcycle and kicked up the kickstand. “Come here kid,” he said while gesturing to him. “You can sit in front of me.”

 

The boy's eyes widened. “Cool!”

 

Inuyasha just smiled as he lifted the small boy in front of him. Souta's legs were too short to reach the footrests, but his arms could easily reach the handlebars.

 

“Here kid, this is how you ride a bike,” he said. “Watch my right leg.”

 

The young boy dutifully looked down as Inuyasha kicked down on the starter and the engine sputtered to life.

 

“Now look at my right hand,” Inuyasha instructed. “And put your hands on top of mine.”

 

The young boy's grin widened as he put both small hands on top of Inuyasha's larger hands. “This hand,” said Inuyasha as he gripped his right hand on the right handle bar, “controls the engine. Turning it this way, “ Inuyasha paused as he showed Souta how to twist the handlebar, “powers up the engine.”

 

Souta grinned as he heard the engine change from a sputter to a roar. “Cool, do it again!” the young boy murmured.

 

“This time you do it,” said Inuyasha with a smile.

 

The young boy grinned and twisted the black rubber handle to make the engine roar again. “Cool,” was all he exclaimed.

 

“Now,” said Inuyasha. “I'm going to let go of the breaks and you're going to SLOWLY increase the power to the engine.”

 

“Kay, great,” the kid murmured as he turned the handlebar slowly and the motorbike started to inch forward. Inuyasha's feet were still dangling over each side of the bike in order to keep everything balanced. Then Inuyasha simply grinned and turned the bike to full throttle and the motorbike sped away.

 

Souta didn't care that neither one of them was wearing a helmet and that they were speeding down a 35 mph zone at 50 mph. “Awesome!” screamed the kid as the wind raced on through their hair and wind whipped against their clothes. “Woo hoo!”

 

Inuyasha leaned to his right to make a turn. Souta gulped as he noticed the turn brought them mere inches from the fast moving asphalt. Then the bike righted itself to do the exact same maneuver three more times before they were back in front of the shrine.

 

Souta was breathing heavily and his heart was beating wildly from the sudden adrenaline rush of the bike ride. “That was awesome! What's your name?”

 

Inuyasha grinned as he kicked the kickstand down and turned the engine off. “Ash. My name is Ash.”

 

“You're so cool. Can you come here again? I want to learn how to ride a motorcycle. That was fun! Do you play video games, too?” The questions poured out of the kid with wild enthusiasm.

 

“Wait a second kid. I thought we had a deal. Secret stuff remember….?” said Inuyasha as he arched an eyebrow.

 

“Oh yeah, secret stuff. What do you want to know? Or what do you want? I think I could even swipe some of her panties for you.”

 

“What her panties?! Um…no or maybe yes, but you said secrets…” Inuyasha's face turned from unabashed shame to wonderment to seriousness in less than a second.

 

“Yeah. Let's see. She talks in her sleep. She loves chocolate. She's always had a thing for guys with long hair…”

 

“Go on…,” encouraged Inuyasha.

 

“She used to like this guy named Inuyasha….,” Souta's voice trailed off.

 

If Inuyasha's ears were showing they would have been perking up in attention. “Tell me about Inuyasha…”

 

“Oh, just some guy she had a crush on. I guess he used to come here years ago when they were kids. She always had a thing for him--even when they were kids. I don't know why though.”

 

Inuyasha frowned. “Continue…”

 

“Well, Suddenly he stopped coming. Then she saw him again in college.” Souta grinned. “She put up a poster of him in her room.”

 

Inuyasha smiled as well, “Really…?”

 

“Yeah. And she came up with this hair brained scheme to see him again. She even joined the `Holy Shikon Team' just so that she could meet up with him again. But I guess he didn't remember her or anything. She wouldn't tell me what happened, but she tore down his poster a few weeks ago and she refuses to let anyone at home talk about him.”

 

“Tore down his poster? Why?”

 

“I don't know,” said Souta as he kicked up a pebble on the street. “She was really angry though. Oh! If you don't know already there's one thing I need to tell you about my sister.”

 

“What's that?”

 

“Don't ever let her get angry at you,” spoke Souta with undue seriousness.

 

“Why's that?”

 

“There's nothing more scary than my sister when she's angry. Believe me I know,” answered Souta with a mischievous grin.

 

“Ash! Where are you?” Kagome's voice called out.

 

“We're down here Kagome,” answered Inuyasha as he looked up the shrine steps towards the torii gates.

 

“So kid…,” said Inuyasha.

 

“Souta,” said the kid.

 

“Souta,” repeated Inuyasha. “We'll continue this conversation later.”

 

“OK!” grinned Souta as he dashed away as Kagome walked down the shrine stairs.

 

Ash turned to look at Kagome and for some reason all he could do was stare. She wasn't trying to dress up or look seductive, but he couldn't help but drink in the sight of her. She was wearing incredibly short shorts that were striped in a plaid design of white and green. Her long tan legs flowed so nicely from the shorts and he had to wonder where she was hiding her panties under the small shorts. Then his eyes glanced up at her green spaghetti top and he couldn't help but to notice two black bra straps that were right next to the green spaghetti top strings. Her top curved so nicely to her form and her round breasts were so visibly evident under the green fabric. Then he looked up to see her long ivory neck, pink pouty lips, swirling brown eyes that looked at him curiously and her long black hair that was pulled up in a messy ponytail. He walked up to her in a daze and quickly took a wisp of black hair that was dangling on her shoulder and pushed it back behind her ear.

 

“Hello?” she said.

 

“Keh. Hi babe,” was all he said as he looked at her with a smile and he picked up her hand to put it in his. “I'm supposed to get you to band practice.”

 

She looked up at him quizzically. “Are you sure about this, Ash? I don't have to go.”

 

He smiled down at her and traced her jaw with his finger. “I want you to. I'll pick you up when you're done. OK?”

 

She glanced at him with admiration in her eyes or was it something else? Her face softened as she looked up at him and her arms started to touch his chest.

 

“Ash?” she asked with her eyes half closed.

 

“Kagome?” he asked as he started to close his own eyes and narrowed the gap between them by kissing her lips and pulling her softness against him. He really didn't mean to kiss her right there. He was going to stop all of his attempts as `Ash' to win her over. But his resolve just weakened into putty when she looked up at him that way. And her lips were so warm, her body was so soft, and he loved the feel of her skin against his calloused hands as he caressed her bare shoulders. `Maybe just one more kiss?' he thought.

 

“Ash?” she murmured. “I packed us a picnic. After band practice do you suppose…?”

 

“Suppose…?” asked Ash lazily, not really caring what either one of them said as long as he could have her warm body next to his.

 

“Suppose we could have a picnic after band practice?” asked Kagome as she pulled away from him.

 

“Yes, a picnic…,” he drawled lazily as he trailed after Kagome who was walking towards his bike.

 

“Great!” she murmured as she grabbed a spare bike helmet that hung to his bike with bungee cords. “It's a date!”

 

“Date?” asked Inuyasha in a daze. He wasn't supposed to go on a date with Kagome anymore. He was supposed to go on a date with her as `Inuyasha'. But somehow he couldn't tell her no. “Date…,” he murmured as he grabbed his own helmet and then stood on his bike and balanced it with both legs.

 

Kagome quickly slid in behind him and wrapped both hands around his waist, squeezing him gently in the process. He felt her warmth behind him and felt her breasts press up against him.

 

`You're going to be the death of me,' he thought to himself distractingly as he pulled away from the curb and drove to the West Hills for band practice.

 

Next Chapter: `Desire'. Yes, I finally have Inuyasha and Kagome see each other again in the next chapter. Sorry that it didn't happen in this chapter. I had meant for it to happen, but there was too much going on.

 

Please read and review! It makes me happy!

 

Author's Notes:

#1: 342 East First Street, Los Angeles, CA is actually a Buddhist temple in the middle of `Little Tokyo', but I changed it to Kagome's family Shinto Shrine for my story.

#2: `Little Tokyo' is a fun place to visit. I had my first `Okonomiyaki' (Japanese pizza/omelet) and I bought many of my first Japanese Anime there. It also has the largest Japanese grocery store I have ever seen outside of Japan. I loved their candy section, yum!

#3: Diakon=Japanese radish used in many dishes, Calpis=a carbonated milk-like drink that many of my Japanese-American friends insist on drinking instead of milk (Yuck!), Pocky=My daughter's favorite Japanese candy.

 

Big thanks to Theleb K'aarna and Blackdeathmessenger for being my betas for this chapter.

 

Review Responses:

Diamond369: Yeah. The man is dense, but he wouldn't be Inuyasha if he wasn't. Sorry that I had you fooled with Chapter 10. I planned it to read that way. I wanted the reader to feel the angst and to feel the same shock as Inuyasha. Did it work?

Blackdeathmessenger: Glad that you noticed your band, Heaven's Dead, is also in my story. They might show up again. *GRIN* Thanks for betaing.

Theleb K'aarna: Glad that you liked the re-write. Thanks for betaing.

TiffanyM: No problem. The next chapter is halfway written.

tokio-japan543: I wish that I could tell you how Kagome will react when she finds out the truth--but it'll spoil the story. Let's just say I had the `moment of truth' scenes mapped out from when I started the story and it will be dramatic. Hee hee…