InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Matter of Trust ❯ Stormy Sundays ( Chapter 12 )

A Matter of Trust

By: TuxedoUranus89/InitialA

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha, but I wouldn't mind that firerat… it's cold!!

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

Author's Notes: Yay, thank you for all the reviews!! <3 It makes me so happy, and keeps me motivated!! Umm… I'd put something hint-like and tell you what was going to happen here, but I can't think of what to put. So, uh… on with the writing? Oh, an many apologies that this took forever to get out, so many papers to do, so little sleep, and my parents came up for the weekend, so my time is not my own… O__o

 

He was gone when she woke, blinking sleep from her eyes and huddling under the warmth of the blankets. Where he'd lain the night before was still warm, and smelled faintly of him; she moved to that spot and breathed in his faint woodsy smell, feeling enveloped in her mate. She dozed, smiling slightly, when the bathroom door opened, and he came out. InuYasha chortled quietly, and sat where she once had been. “C'mon, wench, that spot's not good for your back.” He told her softly.

“Mmm… smells like you…” Kagome mumbled in reply, displeased at the attempt to move her.

“I smell like me.” He retorted, but left her to doze where she was happy.

He'd just opened the closet to see what to wear when the phone rang. “Put some clothes on, shameless fleabag!” Shippou yelped, covering his eyes when the hanyou grabbed the extension on the table outside his room.

“I've got a towel on, moron.” InuYasha snapped before answering.

She stretched slightly, hearing her mate talking animatedly with someone, and grumbled at getting up; she had no choice, however, unless she wanted to do laundry and change the sheets later. InuYasha was getting dressed when she returned. “Your mom wants us over there for dinner tonight.” He told her as he pulled a t-shirt over his head.

Kagome smiled when she saw what it said: `3687 Days Since I Last Gave a Shit'. “That's fine, but you're not wearing that shirt, alright?” She commented, looking for a towel to cover herself with so she could go to her clothes.

He pouted at her. “I like this shirt.”

She gave him a look. “You're forgetting it's my mother. Yes, you've sworn in front of her and Grandpa, but swearing near someone and blatantly wearing it on your shirt are two different things. It's not like you have to wear your tuxedo, just not that. Is there a robe I can wear or something?”

She went to check on the back of the bathroom door when he settled the firerat haori on her shoulders. She glanced at him, and smiled as she shrugged her arms into the huge sleeves. “Still protecting me?”

He was tying it shut with the hakama's belt. “Always will.”

She smiled, and stroked his cheek, her hand barely sticking out from the large sleeves. He turned his head slightly, nipping at her fingers playfully. She raised an eyebrow. “Come on now, if you get started with that, we'll never get anything done today.”

He pouted at her. “Keh, what the fuck is more important?”

Stepping lightly out of his reach, she told him, “We're going shopping,” and went to get her clothes.

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

He'd seen way too many bras. And while he was easily able to imagine her wearing them, he much preferred the image of her without one. Saying as much, he received a dark look that sent a chill down his spine, and wisely said nothing else. He'd since wandered into the non-maternity section, and was idly wondering if he could get her to wear some of these lacy numbers after the pup arrived. “No, InuYasha.” She told him exasperatedly when he held up a practically see-through lace demi-bra and thong set.

He pouted again. “Why not?”

She just gave him a look. He held up what was clearly a leather bustier. “Ok, what about this?”

Kagome sighed. “No.”

The next set he held up, she laughed. “InuYasha, I have enough old school uniforms, we don't need to buy one that makes me look like a slut.”

He held up a pink babydoll. She considered it. “Maybe.”

He grinned. “I'll wear you down on the other ones.” He said, going to put them back.

“Like hell you will.” She retorted, going to the dressing room with her selections.

InuYasha was sorely disappointed that she wouldn't model them for him, though not for lack of trying, and they left twenty minutes later with a bag filled with leak-proof, nursing bras. Outside it was more humid than necessary, and Kagome almost immediately felt the effects of the heat. He kept a protective arm around the small of her back, remembering the last time. As it was Sunday, and his driver had the day off, they'd walked to a nearby lingerie shop; it was still a good block or so from his apartment building, but if she got too tired he could always carry her. She leaned against him, already perspiring and looking weary. He worried at her expression, but didn't quicken their pace; he wanted to get back quickly, but without another repeat of last month's outdoors adventure.

Kagome, as heated as she was, still found the ability to be wryly amused at the looks they were getting. To think that just a few months ago, when asked where the father of her child was, she'd received looks of pity, disturbance, or even anger when she'd said there was no father. Now, she saw the approving, smiling, and blissfully sighing people around her, taking in the fact that young love was still around in this age. She shook her head, not quite sure how many more blows her faith in humanity could take. “Need me to carry you?” Her mate asked worriedly, mistaking her movement.

She smiled at him reassuringly. “No, I can make it.”

Her hand drifted around his back, and wrapped itself around his hand; had he not been carrying the bag, she would have laced her fingers through his. He smiled, and she fingered the ring he wore. “You know, I nearly told you that you needed a hat before we left this morning.” She commented.

“Keh. I like my way better.” He retorted.

“I'll bet you do. I did catch myself, you know.”

InuYasha squeezed her side in reassurance. “I've never worn a hat since, you know? Painful in both memories and itchiness.”

She nuzzled his side. “I'm sorry…”

He frowned. “Stop apologizing, it's nothing.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but the look on his face told her she wouldn't win, no matter how hard she tried. He added another tally mark to the running scoreboard in his head, giving him a total of eight wins to her… well, he'd stopped counting sometime around the whole issue with that Band of Seven, so he wasn't even going to bother trying to think of a number remotely close to how many arguments she'd won.

Kagome sighed with happiness when they entered the lobby of the apartment building, and sighed with more happiness when they entered the elevator. “I love modern conveniences…” She commented.

He shrugged, not wanting to think about how she could have reacted to summer's heat five hundred years ago in this condition. They entered their apartment to see suitcases in the hallway. “Oi, leaving already, runt?” InuYasha called.

“In the morning; I thought it to be best to inconvenience you in every way possible until then.” The kitsune retorted, sticking his head around the corner.

“It's working.” The hanyou replied, knocking his fist against Shippou's head as he passed him.

Kagome gave him a look. “I still have to lecture you about being nice?”

InuYasha gave her a look back. “He's a grown youkai, he can handle it.”

Her look darkened, and he backed down, not wanting to upset her more than she already was from the heat. “I'm going to lie down for a bit… Shippou, I'd love for you and Itazura to come to Mama's with us later; she'd be overjoyed to finally meet you, even if you're not two feet tall anymore.”

Shippou nodded agreeably, and InuYasha just prayed that the old man had finally gotten over his sutra-throwing impulses; then again, he wouldn't mind watching someone else get the treatment for once.

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

“DEMONS!”

Both Shippou and Itazura had not been warned about Grandpa, as Kagome had forgotten and InuYasha just decided to keep his mouth shut for once. The three demon-blooded beings in their party had removed their rings once safely atop the shrine stairs, and apparently the twin kitsune tails twitching fluffily behind them had alerted Grandpa of their non-human presence. InuYasha had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing at the looks of shock (Shippou) and outrage (Itazura) from being pelted with sutras. Luckily, with the cooler head prevailing in Shippou, he was able to keep his usually mischievous-yet-kind mate from attacking the old man out of spite. “Never in my five hundred and four years have I ever—!”

The red-headed vixen was livid, but her mate dragged her away before she made too much more of a scene. Kagome, however, was reading her grandfather the riot act. “Grandpa! You'd think you'd be used to me bringing home strange demons by now! Stop attacking everything that looks suspicious!”

The old man looked fearful by his granddaughter. “But, Kagome—”

“Don't `but Kagome' me, Grandpa, you know better by now. Go apologize, and I'd better not see you do it again!”

As he sheepishly went to apologize, Mrs. Higurashi's laughter brought their attention to her. “Oh, sweetheart, I hope for their sake your children aren't trouble-makers.”

Kagome greeted her mother happily, with a bit of guilt for going off on her grandfather, and InuYasha smiled nervously before being enveloped in a mom-sized hug, including a good ear-tweaking. “It's so good to see you, InuYasha.” Mama told him, smiling warmly. “For everyone, I'm glad you and Kagome have found each other again… She was such a wreck after the well closed. And… let me guess, this is Shippou-chan that my daughter talked about?”

He looked guiltily at the ground as Mama went to introduce herself and greet the kitsune mates properly. Kagome touched his hand, and he looked at her. She smiled soothingly, giving him a look that clearly stated that it didn't matter anymore. He knew it did, at least to him, and he'd do his damndest to make it up to her somehow. Clouds had rolled in as the afternoon wore on, and thunder growled in the air; InuYasha's ears twitched at the noise. “Come on, let's get inside before it starts to pour.”

Souta was ecstatic to see InuYasha again; however, being nearly fifteen years old now, it was a cooler, more sophisticated excitement. As sophisticated as a fourteen-year-old boy could be, anyway. It took him a bit to process Shippou and Itazura, but readily accepted them as much as he had InuYasha. Aside from a constant stream of questions coming from her brother, and a smaller, broken stream from her mother, the dinner, in Kagome's opinion, went rather well; it was rather nice to be back home for an evening, listening to the storm make itself known outside, as her family continued their usual chatter. After she'd apologized, Grandpa looked much less subdued than before, and between Souta pestering InuYasha with questions about Mitsubishi, proceeded to go on about the history of the shrine for Shippou and Itazura's benefit. They didn't bother to tell the old man that they had known the founder of the shrine, and while not containing first-hand knowledge of its history, at least had old correspondence from the shrine's caretakers over the years. After dinner, Souta, same as ever, wanted to beat InuYasha, and Shippou of course, in his newest video game; they disappeared into the living room, while Grandpa wandered off to finish closing the shrine for the night, and Kagome and Itazura helped Mama with clean up.

“Things are going well, I take it?” Mama asked Kagome while she washed; Kagome was drying, and Itazura had put-away.

The raven-haired woman smiled. “It's getting better than before.”

Itazura smiled knowingly, and Mama caught it. She let that particular subject drop; for her own sake, she had made it a policy of not knowing her children's sex lives unless it was brought up by them. “How about marriage, then? Have either of you discussed it?”

Kagome shook her head. “No, we haven't. By his terms, we already are married, but by human terms…” She drifted off.

“Actually, the demon mating rites are just as legal these days as human ones. There's a bit of paper to sign and everything, there just isn't any pomp and festivities about it.” Itazura interjected.

Kagome looked at her with fascination. “Are they really?”

The red-headed kitsune nodded. “You just have to sign the license for the humans' legal files, and then go at it like… er… go about the demon ceremony. No fuss, and only as much effort as you want to put into it. I'm sure Sesshou-maru could wrangle something up for you guys to sign.”

Kagome thought about it, drying a bowl her mother handed her. She was slightly disappointed at not having her own wedding, but she knew her mate would just be uncomfortable with the ceremony of it anyway. Distracted by her thoughts, she jumped at the next booming crack of thunder, and dropped the bowl on the floor with a crash. InuYasha was in the kitchen in an instant. “Kagome are you alri—”

He stopped mid-sentence and growled as the lights flickered and died. Souta and Shippou's yells of fury were heard from the next room. “I was just about to win!!”

“Oh, you were not, I was toying with you!”

Mama was lighting a candle. “Don't move dear, we don't want you to cut yourself on the shards.” She said.

Kagome squeaked in surprise as she as suddenly lifted up, and set down away from the mess she'd made; her mate moved past her and started picking up the larger pieces, throwing them into the trash can. Mama got a broom and the dustpan. “Sorry, Mama…” Kagome apologized as she helped InuYasha finish cleaning.

“It's not a problem, dear, we have plenty more.”

After the dishes were through, Mama braved the storm to rescue Grandpa out in the shrine. InuYasha had disappeared somewhere after helping with cleanup, and the others wondered how they'd ever catch the taxis back downtown in this downpour. Another hour passed, with Shippou teaching Souta some foreign card game that involved a lot of swearing, until finally the storm began to grumble its way out of the city. Kagome took a flashlight and went to find her mate. She found him dozing on her old bed, and smiled. By the content look on his face, it still smelled like her after the few weeks she'd vacated it. “Enjoying yourself?” She asked, careful not to shine the light on his face.

“Always did here… Remember that time I caught those pigeons for you?” He asked, sitting up.

She blinked, and smiled at the memory. “And the carp from my neighbor's pond… And you wanted me to cook them for you! I still can't believe you; you slept for like two hours, after being mauled around like that, before you were bouncing all over Tokyo.”

He gave her a lop-sided grin. “'Course. Hanyou stamina and all.”

She shivered at the other possibilities his stamina gave them, and his grin widened. “Besides… it's all you in here. Well, you and a little of the pup now, but it's still… It's… calming.” He got up and nuzzled the top of her head, breathing in her fresh scent. “Let's go home.”

Unfortunately, the blackout was city-wide, which meant that the elevators were down. Kagome braced herself to take as many stairs as possible to get to her mate's top-floor apartment when she was suddenly swept off her achy feet and taken back outside. “InuYasha, what—”

The rest of her question was lost to a scream as she felt the very familiar sensation of leaving her stomach on the ground. “It's faster, and easier this way.” He grunted, bounding up to a streetlamp and using it as a springboard to a building's roof across the street. “Also, it's dark for once, in this blasted bright city, so it's not like we'll be seen.”

She hit his chest feebly, clutching his shirt with white-knuckled fingers. “Warn me next time!”

He kissed her forehead. “Warning.”

He took off again, to the top of a shed, and to the next-highest roof. She wondered how many buildings they'd have to scale before getting to level with his roof, but quickly forgot as she felt him pick up speed and leap out and up across the street. She hid her face, terrified, but let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when they touched down on the other side. “Keh, scared?”

She glared up at him. “I'm out of practice, and it's different being in front, and with someone else's life to take care of!”

While he could see her facial expression just fine, his own were hard to distinguish. “I'm not going to let you fall, I happen to be a professional at this. And even if I did miss-step, you should know better than to think I'd just fall haphazardly and endanger you and the pup.”

She didn't get the chance to reply, only sucked in a breath when he bounded up another rooftop. Her mothering instincts were kicked into high gear, but she did have to admit to herself that she did miss this, the swooping sensation each time his powerful legs kicked off the ground and they flew like birds to their next landing spot. She did miss being on his back as he did this, however, being able to feel his muscles bunching, stretching, and relaxing underneath her, his silky hair all around her. Three buildings, and one heart-stopping second when she thought they'd miss later, they met the two kitsune at the door on the roof. Shippou grinned at Kagome's pale face. “Scary? You should have come up with us, just an easy flight, straight up.”

She glared. “Either way, I was fully prepared to take the stairs—”

Her mate's finger pressing to her lips silenced her. “No, and you had more fun with me anyway. Don't lie, I can smell the adrenaline.”

He carried his pouting mate through the rooftop door, and downstairs to his apartment. He could tell the lack of air conditioning already, though it would take her a few more hours to begin to notice the difference; especially once the sun rose in the morning. He watched her change for bed, raising an eyebrow at the light nightgown she wore. She raised one of her own in reply. “I'm tired, and I want to talk to you about something.” She told him, climbing under the blankets with him.

He waited while she found the right words. “I don't know if you overheard or not… Itazura told me about how demon mating rituals are just as legal as human ones.”

He nodded, curious as to why she would bring this up. “Yeah, happened a while ago. Why?”

He could smell her blush. “Well… would you… ah… would you want to get one? Make it official, I mean? We don't have to do the human ceremony, I know how uncomfortable you'd be about it… I mean, Mama would be disappointed, and Grandpa would throw a fit, but if it's legal the way we are, I don't see why…”

She started a bit when he cupped her cheek. “It's just a piece of paper, Kagome. But, if you want it, we can do it.” He told her, kissing her lightly.

She smiled against his lips; even so, he could smell a slight sadness to her. She snuggled down next to him. “Besides, it's not like I can fit into a wedding kimono now anyway…” His ears pricked at this. So… she does want a real wedding… I think…

 

((The pigeons-carp thing, for those who don't read the manga, (since I'm not sure it's in the anime…?) was from chapter 392. (it's like a pointless in-Kagome's-time filler chapter XD) I read through that today and was like “AWW, HE'S SO FREAKING ADORABLE.” Because he's so dog-like and clueless in that chapter, and I want to hug him and take him home with me. XD (and he had a pigeon his head for like, three pages <3) I apologize about this draggy chapter, I'm seriously promising a much better chapter next time. The big problem is (aside from I found a translation of all the manga thus far and have been reading that and it's hard to differentiate from immature-kill-first-questions-later InuYasha and my more mature InuYasha… I'm almost done though, I'm at 410!!!)… I ran out of notes. Things stopped after the party, and my notes didn't pick up again until what's happening next chapter. So I was going on pure `let's see how much space I can fill up to take up time in a weekend before the fun things start happening' instinct and that's the biggest reason why it took like, a week to write this thing. That and all my papers, but those are out of the way, and if fate likes me for once, I can get a lot of chapter 13 done tomorrow, and hopefully get it out by Wednesday or so. GOMENASAI!!!!!!! Reviewer replies, gooooo!

Xagzan~ Hmmm… I'm not telling! =D Glad my first major citrusy piece went over well!

Ygfi~ Oh tell me about it, it's mid-terms that'll get me next. XP I'm thinking I can top it off at a nice fifteen chapters, and then possibly do some one-shots or mini-stories set in this same timeline… maybe. =D I might go to twenty, or maybe stop somewhere in the middle. It all depends on how dramatic things start to get… *evil laugh*

InuYoukai~ My apologies if you've been looking and lacking. T_T I had every intention of trying to get this done earlier this week, but my life wasn't having it.

Unistar411~ Yes, she did get to see him. I couldn't bear leaving that damn ring on him anymore, it's hard thinking about a scene and having to remember which form he's in. All that fun nonsense will be coming next chapter, it should be… interesting. =D

LadyCash~ I think I'm having a little too much fun with the Kagome-on-superhormones. At least that's what my boyfriend keeps telling me “Can you give the guy a break??” =3 But it's so much fun!! I hope things get better for you, I can kind of relate with an extra amount of hormones myself… sudden urges to cry over things like the movie Casper is a little overwhelming… (but the end, with the mom, and the sadness!!!)

Megumu192~ I'm a bit of a history buff myself, so it was both educational and geeky-fun to find something to bring into the story like that. <3 Stressful this week was, but hopefully things get better.

FluffyLady~ Now see, I don't understand the Sess/Kag pairing. (or, for that matter, the Sess/Sango pairing?!) I've read a few, and they don't do much for me. Maybe I still see Sesshy as being too cold. (and how I have a thing for both Sess/Rin and Sess/Kagura…) I'm glad you're enjoying this though!! And Naraku's death… follows how he dies in the manga. ;) So however that was resolved… is how it ended. I don't want to make up some random battle memory, especially since I'm only on chapter 410 of the manga, so maybe it will be explained later, or most likely it won't be.It's easier that way. (and possibly lazy, but I'm not focusing much more than on the vaguely hinted facts that Kikyou's gone and there isn't a Shikon no Tama anymore)

Caitypeach22~ Aww! *blushes* Thank you, I don't think I've ever received a digital standing ovation!! I'm glad you're enjoying this, I hope you enjoy the rest of it as well!

CatLover260~ Shippou's just fun to use for quirky comments, so I'll be sad to let him leave for a while next chapter, but if you hadn't noticed, continuously repeating names is a thing I don't like to use. Pronouns are your friends. XD So it'll be easier on my mind, but I'll miss the bouncy, quirkiness that Shippou and Ita throw into the story. And I am trying to let them be mushy, but still have the fighting going on too. Because I really don't think that if they became mates, InuYasha and Kagome would suddenly stop fighting. XD They're both too stubborn for that.

Thank you so much everyone for reviewing, and I hope to get the next chapter out very, very soon!!!! See you next time!!<3))