InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Matter of Trust ❯ Emotional Rollercoaster ( Chapter 5 )

A Matter of Trust

By: TuxedoUranus89/InitialA

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha!! I swear it!! If I did, I wouldn't have to rub these ears I bought on a headband… *pout* Oh, and I don't own any of the brand names or companies listed in this chapter either. (or Mitsubishi, obviously)

LiveJournal Community: http://community.livejournal.com/tu89_ia_fanfics/

Author's Note: Ahhh, I need to get out of this four-page-chapters thing. I suppose something is better than nothing (and yes, on Word it shows four pages, I know on MM it says one page per chapter… I don't know why either, it's not like MM shows actual pages or anything. *rolls eyes*) Sorry for more groundwork last chapter, I like building tension and seeing where all that sexual frustration will go. It has an interesting, twisty path, like a river with exotic creatures. Dammit, now I have the urge to play Pokémon Snap. XD Oh, and all replies to reviews are going to be at the end of the chapter. =)

 

The scent of frying eggs, with traces of different spices mixed in, filled the apartment. Still shaking the water out of his hair, his stomach growled in response to the interesting scents. Getting creative with the spice rack, from the smell of it. He thought, wrapping his towel firmly around his waist and going into the master bedroom.

He fingered his way through his dress shirts, ties, and slacks, thankful that his car, his apartment, and the office were air-conditioned. These were nowhere near as arid and cool as his old firerat had been in the summer. Absently, he opened the drawer that contained the garments. On top of the folded red cloth was the beaded necklace she'd cursed him with for so long. He lifted it, fingering the worn, violet beads. How he'd hated it, the curse it put on him; but how naked he felt, still, not wearing them. He'd been shocked when she had removed them, some months before they'd mated, saying she didn't want to hurt him anymore. He'd put the necklace back on later, telling her he didn't feel right without it's familiar weight; he also privately told her that he felt less connected to her without it. She'd wryly suggested putting the spell back on him, but he'd silenced her with a look, and said having it around his neck was enough. He knew she'd regret it later, the next time he irritated her, but in his own defense, he was trying harder not to get on her bad side. Now, he weighed the beads in his hands, remembering the last time he'd worn them. How he'd taken them off a year or so after her disappearance, and storing them away. He'd already felt disconnected, a gaping hole in his heart, so he was trying his best to forget, and erase the hurt. Without thinking he slipped the necklace over his head, and moved his hair out of the way. A knot loosened in his chest that he'd never noticed before; the familiar weight of the beads was comforting.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kagome was humming to herself as she fixed the omelets, a light blush staining her cheeks. She couldn't get the image of him, hair mussed from sleep and completely bare, out of her head. She wondered when her modest hanyou had started sleeping sans clothing. He'd done so before, but only in their three days together, and for obvious reasons. She thought about asking him, and the blush deepened. Her arousal wasn't going anywhere either, and she worried about what his reaction might be. Especially after what he said last night…

It wasn't that she didn't want to share his bed, nothing like that. She was concerned about how she herself would react to such closeness after so much time apart. She couldn't deny that she wanted him, but it most likely wasn't in the best health interests of the baby if Mama and Papa suddenly started dancing the horizontal mambo. She nearly groaned as the thought of it excited her more, and steadied herself against the counter. This wasn't going to be an easy day…

“Did you use the whole spice rack?”

The man she was currently trying not to fantasize about waltzed into the room. She squeaked, and remembered her omelets might be burning. “No!” She exclaimed, her voice a little higher than normal. “I did not, it's just my new recipe!”

He smirked, chuckling, and left the room. She heard the door open and close, and his footsteps returning as she quickly flipped and folded the eggy-mixture and slid it onto a plate. InuYasha reached up past her for a mug as she fumbled with the glasses, his hand brushing hers, and causing her to blush again. “No caffeine for you?” He asked softly, going to start the coffee maker.

She shook her head, and observed the options in the fridge. “No, it's not good for me right now. Don't you have any orange juice, or apple juice, or mango juice… anything?!” She exclaimed, holding up the half-empty carton of milk in one hand and the pitcher of filtered water in the other.

He looked at her. “Mango juice? What is that child doing to you, wench?”

She tried to ignore the chills she got at being called `wench' again. “Nothing, I've always liked mango juice. I suppose I'll settle for milk.” She said, more for herself than anything. “I'm going grocery shopping later though, your selection of foods is pitiful.”

He rolled his eyes as the scent of fresh-brewed coffee reached his nose, waking him more than the hot shower had. “My food selection is fine, thank you. I told you, you're not obligated to be my maid, or my housekeeper or anything. I have some chit who comes and cleans the place twice a week, and that's more than enough because she always moves things, even when I tell her not to. I never find anything when she's done, and by the time I do, she's back again. And it's never in the same place twice.”

Kagome frowned. “Why do you keep her on then, if you don't like how she works?”

He shrugged. “No one else will do it. I scared `em off. And I'm never home enough, or have all the spare time in the world to clean the place myself.”

That made sense, but Kagome still doubted he spoke the truth about it. She'd figure it out later: she was starving, and feeding for two, and the omelets were still warm. “Come on, mister big-shot businessman, let's get you fed before you go on and take over the world.”

He followed, letting the hot liquid pour down his throat. She was setting the table in the same way she had the night before, and gestured for him to sit. Almost immediately she was devouring her breakfast. InuYasha had barely sat down, and could only blink at her. Thinking it was better not to make any kind of comment, he simple spread the paper out on his side and scanned the headlines. He absently speared a piece, and almost immediately regretted taking a bite as soon as the array of spices hit his tongue. He forced himself to not spit it out for Kagome's sake, and quickly downed half the cup of coffee, not caring about his scalding tongue: if it was burned, it meant that the non-complimenting flavors wouldn't linger. “Do you like it?” She asked brightly, and he was floored to see her entire plate was clean; not only that, but she didn't look ill in the least.

He coughed several times. “Uh… Kagome, what exactly did you put in there?”

She thought about it. “You didn't have everything I normally use… Oregano, cinnamon, some ginger, a bit of garlic, a dash of fennel, nutmeg, salt and pepper of course… I don't remember exactly. Tastes good though, doesn't it?”

He hid a shudder as she ticked off about half the spices listed in a common mixture for curry. “It's... good, yeah.” He lied. “I'm really not that hungry though, never am first thing in the morning. I should get going though, I left a mountain of paperwork last night, and that bastard will have my balls if I don't get it done. I'll see you tonight, and no shopping, got it?” He told her as he grabbed his suit jacket and black leather briefcase.

She huffed at him. “It's not shopping, it's food. You can't boss me around.”

He cocked an eyebrow at her. “I'm not bossing you around, I'm just telling you—”

“Telling me what to do is the same thing!!”

He frowned. “Fine, then please don't go shopping. Or food-getting. Or whatever the fuck you wanna call it.”

She pouted. “But I was going to make oden tonight…”

His stomach, still unpleased with the meager offerings of disgusting food, nearly growled at that thought. “I have vegetables. You'll spend too much money.”

She frowned back at him. “I won't, I know how to budget my money!”

A muscle in his jaw jumped. “I don't want you spending your money on food that's going to be at my place!!”

Kagome stood, a fire alight in her eyes. “And I don't want to spend your money!”

“I have more of it than you do!”

“I'm still not spending it!”

“Who said I was going to give it to you!?”

“You just did!”

“Well, who said I'd let you go shopping with it!?”

“I did! I'm going whether you like it or not!”

He fumed, and slapped a credit card down on the table in the front hall. “While you're at it, get more chicken-flavor, we're running low!” He shouted, and slammed the door behind him.

It wasn't until he was halfway to the office building that he thought, Wait, what the fuck just happened? He pulled out his cell phone and called the apartment. Instead of saying “Hello”, Kagome greeted him with, “What just happened?” He couldn't help it; he started to laugh.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Rin, don't even tell me he has no idea about this.” He said wearily into the phone.

-InuYasha-niichan, you doubt me?— Rin's cheerful voice asked. -Sesshy knows nothing. If he did, he'd be attempting to get it out of me.—

He sighed, wondering how his sister-in-law managed to pull the wool over his brother's eyes time and time again. “Well, I'll still be glad when this is over… I did remember to tell you the florist fears for his life, right? And how I really don't think Sesshou-maru would want flowers in the first place?”

-Of course you did, silly. And the flowers are for the ladies to appreciate. It's a hostess' job to appeal to everyone.—

InuYasha barely had a chance to think why he was doing all the work if she was playing hostess when she turned serious. -You really should try to find Kagome, you know. It reflects badly on the family that you've abandoned your mate. And at this big of a party, there will be whispers…—

He closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He hadn't gotten around to talking about that with her, as many times in the last few weeks she'd been pestering him about last-minute details. Apparently he wasn't snapping back at her as fast as he'd normally done, because she asked quietly, -Did something happen?—

He decided it would be better to just get out with it. “I did find her.” He ignored Rin's excited gasp. “It was purely accidental too. She was fainting in the middle of the road about three weeks ago and I caught her. I had no idea it was her, I just thought it was this crazy, pregnant lady wandering around in the middle of the city.”

-Pregnant? She didn't… did she?—

“It's mine…” He said quietly. “The well closed for her only seven months ago.”

-You're such an idiot.— Rin told him. -You didn't even know? Or did you just not care enough to find out?—

He didn't answer. He didn't know how to. He heard a sigh on the other end of the line. -Well, figure it out, and fast, because if she's with you again, she HAS to come to this. Pregnant or not. In fact, it's better that she's pregnant, that—

He growled. “Rin… please shut up…”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was very late when he came home. He smelled the lingering odor of oden, and heard the TV crooning some sappy love ballad in the middle of a movie. Feeling a bit guilty, he saw she was once again fast asleep on the couch. There was a note on the table, along with the card he'd left behind:

I~

Left you some oden in the microwave if you were hungry

at all when you came home. And I didn't go overboard on the groceries,

just enough to last us for another week or so. (and I bought extra chicken

Ramen for you too)

Love,

K

He ran his thumb over the character `love', his face unreadable. Turning off the TV again, he gently picked her up and carried her into her room, as he'd done the night before. She stirred when he laid her down. “Inu…Yasha?” She murmured, sleepily opening her eyes.

“Hey…” He said quietly, pulling the covers over her.

“What time is it…?” She asked.

“It's late. I'm just going to eat the leftover oden and go to bed myself. Go back to sleep, Kagome.” He said softly, brushing the hair off of her face.

She smiled, and curled up with her pillow. “G'night…” He started to leave the room, and whispered, “Good night” as he closed the door behind him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They were developing a pattern, he decided over breakfast a few days later. She would be up before sunrise, and take over the bathroom first thing, waking him when she was done. It was almost a test of wills, to see how long they could torment each other before finally thrashing it all out in bed; he noted that the smell of her arousal seemed to linger around her body longer and longer each morning, and he'd taken to relieving himself during his own morning showers, just to make it through the day without wanting to break something out of frustration.

He'd also decided to actually request something for breakfast, after that first horrid morning. He tried to keep it simple, something she couldn't experiment with, to save his poor taste-buds more agony. They'd have an argument, usually over something small and insignificant; it also seemed to be a test, to see how well they could still set each other off without seriously hurting the other. Usually those arguments left him more befuddled than the old ones had: Kagome's increase in hormones and mood swings also seemed to add to her lack of ever making any sense at all to begin with.

Oh yes, then there were the mood swings. On the one other night he'd actually worked a nine-hour day instead of the usual twelve or so, he'd watched, bemusedly, as she'd gone from perfectly cheerful to cold-shoulder, to piping mad, and finally ending in an hour long crying jag that refused to be soothed by him, the strangely large supply of Ben and Jerry's ice cream she'd been compelled to buy (all of which seemed to be either Chocolate Fudge Brownie, or Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream), or even a bath. He also had no idea if he had been the one to cause all of these strange, disconnected adventures through the female mind, or if it had just been something she'd seen on TV or read in a book or magazine that day. InuYasha felt it was better if he didn't ask. The days he hadn't made it home early, she was usually found asleep on the couch, with a note on the table about dinner. He always carried her to bed, and more often than not she slept through the transfer. It was a nice pattern, he realized. They could settle into this way of doing things, this system, and easily do it the rest of their lives.

He still had yet to tell her about Rin's extended invitation towards her. He supposed, with it being this coming Friday evening, he should tell her about it, but he hadn't figured out a way to bring it up, and she'd never mentioned it. He felt a little guilty about not saying she would be welcome to come when he'd first mentioned it; in his own defense, he couldn't see how he would have thought of it at the time. She smiled as she walked into the dining room with the tray, this morning's meal being instant-oatmeal, (again, something she couldn't experiment with). He decided it was now or never. “Kagome… you remember that stupid party is this weekend, right?”

She nodded, blowing on a spoonful of the stuff to cool it off. “With how many times that office phone rings and messages from various event-coordinators every day, it's hard to forget.”

He swallowed his own spoonful. “Well… er… you know that you're invited, don't you?”

She didn't say anything for a few minutes, and he wondered if he could have said it more tactfully. “Are you… sure that's alright? I mean… I'm hardly in the right kind of shape for such an event…”

He frowned, cocking an eyebrow at her. “I don't care what you look like.” He told her. “I think you're beautiful, Rin wants you to come, and we can get you something decent to wear for it.”

He ticked off the other two questions he felt would come next. Kagome was staring at him, her eyes brimming with tears. “Y-You think…”

He panicked. “Aww, c'mon, Kagome, don't cry about it!” Goddamnit, it's to fucking early for her to cry!!

She smiled, and dabbed at her eyes with her napkin. “I'm sorry… it's just… it's been so long since you've…”

He felt his ears go back in guilt, though she couldn't see them under the spell. Have I really not called her beautiful since we met again…? “Well, I should've said it sooner. You're beautiful anytime, but now… I dunno…”

He turned red, fumbling on how to say his thoughts. It'd been too long since he'd finally opened up, and then shut back down; it was hard to open up again. “You… er… it's like… uh…” She smiled in encouragement, and suddenly, that was all he needed. “You glow.” He stated simply, and blushed furiously.

She stared at him, lost for words. He watched her nervously as she stood, putting her empty bowl and glass on the tray again. She moved like she was going to take his half-eaten dish, but instead cupped his cheek and lightly kissed him. He was, if possible, even redder when she pulled away, and was relieved to see she was also a light shade of crimson; he could also smell her arousal returning with full force, which didn't help the tightness growing in his pants. “Thank you.” She said simply, and took his empty mug and the bowl back into the kitchen on the tray.

She gasped when she was spun, and his lips came crashing down upon hers. She moaned as his fingers raked through her hair, and rested against her neck, tipping her head back to deepen the kiss. She grasped at his shirt, feeling weak at the knees, and his other arm wrapped around her back, holding her upright and fitting what he could of her against him snugly. They were panting when they broke, and stared wide-eyed at one another, faces flushed; the heady scent of arousal was heavy in the air. After swallowing once or twice, he said quietly, “I'll be home… early tonight. Really early… s-so we can find you something to wear.” She could do nothing but nod, and he cautiously kissed her forehead before fleeing, leaving her standing, dumbfounded, amidst the morning dishes.

Some hours later, Kagome was still reeling in shock from the passion she had felt, and doing nothing more than reliving the moment over and over again in her mind as she lay on the couch. There was an empty bowl and a spoon sitting next to her on the floor, evidence from an ice cream craving earlier (Chocolate Fudge Brownie today). She was brought out of her daydream by furious knocking at the door, and dim voices on the other side. “Coming!” She called faintly, and fought her way to her feet, resting a hand on her swollen stomach as she went to the door.

She peered out the peep-hole and was surprised to see two people with shockingly red hair on the other side. Curious, she opened the door. “Hello, can I help… you…?”

Her eyes widened. The man was staring back with just as much amazement. His voice was faintly familiar, but much deeper now with so much age. “Oh my God… Kagome?”

She gripped at the door, looking between the man and the woman. “S-Shippou?!”

 

((Aaaaahhhhhh, I wanted to end at the kiss, but I decided to go another paragraph to bring Shippou into things. =3 Poor little guy needs to show up eventually, ne? (though he's not quite so little anymore!!) And I have no idea if a girl's best friends (Ben and Jerry's!!) sell outside of the US… I'm going to guess that it's probable? But they probably wouldn't sell Stephen's ice cream brand in Japan. XD But it's my own little tribute to an amusing TV persona, so whatever. =D Oh, and I promised I'd do reviewer responses, so here's some of that:

Chikyu ~ Reviews make me happy. =)Oh I have plans for a ton of sexual tension, don't you worry about that. *evil grin*Oooo, skiing vacation abroad, that sounds like fun!! I hope you have fun and I hope this is worth the wait!! (and no breaking anything!!)

Xagzan~ Ha, while I'm not going to be pregnant for several more years (let's hope so anyway), I'm pleased that you and the other reviewers have liked my take on it so far. And I try to throw some guy-humor in, like how girls never make sense when we argue. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!!

Tricia1224~ Aww, thank you!! =D

i_heart_inuyasha~ I know. *tear* There's a few other layers to the cake of InuYasha (this cake is NOT a lie!!), so he's got some emotional problems to sort out here - again. Poor Kagome's going to be going mad within the next few chapters, I might have to throw in a bit of citrus for her sake soon. =)

LadyCash~ Well, lemonade is sweet, (as I sip my own bottle of it), so maybe it's the whole `when life gives you lemons' thing… or maybe this is just a really bad pun gone too far. Thank you for reading!!

Kagomesdouble07~ They'll eventually share a room, but I'm not sure how I'll introduce that. It won't be for another few chapters. It's all a part of the master plan, don't you worry. =)

CatLover260~ Yes, there's some form of patience behind that adorable scowling face. I suppose he would've had to learn it, or his company wouldn't be quite as thriving… he'd've killed the first person to piss him off. ^__^ Slowly but surely things will fall into place; it's not an IY/K story for nothing!!

THANK YOU EVERYONE SO MUCH FOR READING!! Even all the hits it's received, so overwhelmingly large for only being up for about a week!! *tears up* I'm so grateful, you make a girl getting over writer's block so happy to be writing again!!! See you next time!!))