InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Sealed Fate ❯ Chapter 27

Jiro had heard many tales in his life, but this took the cake. He had laughed with his friends when they would recount the various fibs women would make up so as not to date a man- they were married, taken, just visiting a family, a friend of his actually had a woman lie about the gender she preferred! But never, perhaps in the history of being let down easily, had a woman said that she time traveled and was in love with a half demon.

He was repulsed.

Why was Kagome lying to him like this? He had never known her to be anything but honest. The sincerity in her eyes was killing him.

It left him with a few options.

One- Kagome really had no interest in him. That couldn't be entirely true. She had seemed to warm up to his advances.

Two- Kagome had some interest in him, but just didn't want to date him, so she came up with this crazy story.

Possible.

Three- Kagome was delusional. She must have a history of mental illness.

No, he would have seen the signs before that. She had been depressed, but not `you need suicide watch' kind of depression. She didn't talk to herself or do anything outrageously abnormal.

Four- Kagome was being forced into telling this elaborate lie by the crazy man devouring their ramen.

That seemed the most plausible. What did this guy have on her? Was she in danger?!

It never crossed his mind that Kagome could be telling the truth.

“You expect me to believe this?” Jiro asked when she had finished telling her tale.

“I know it's a lot to swallow, but it's the truth.” She cast a worried eye over at the strange intruder.

He considered his options.

She must be in trouble. He lowered his voice to a whisper.

“Kagome, whatever kind of trouble you're in, please, let me help you.”

She cast sympathetic eyes on him. He wanted to travel back to Feudal Japan with her?

“Jiro,” She said touching his arm lightly, “Its not something you can help me with. Its… its only something I am able to do.”

“Kagome, that cant be true. I don't know what this guy has on you to make you go along with this, but I can help.” He said eagerly.

She frowned. “He doesn't have anything on me. I go because I want to. I have friends and life there. And, its my fault the jewel shattered. Its my responsibility to piece it back together.”

Jiro furrowed his eyebrows in frustration. She was still playing along with that bastard!

“Kagome, don't think I believe for one second this pile of horse shit that you're spewing.” He said, standing up abruptly. He grabbed her arm, pulling Kagome to her feet.

“Jiro, just wait-“

He was leading her out of the kitchen and into the back yard. Kagome struggled to stand her ground.

“Were getting out of here Kagome, and then were going to call the police. Then your going to tell-“

His words died in his throat, as he watched Inuyasha seemingly fall from the sky in front of him. He growled, an animalistic sound, his lips curling up to reveal his teeth- no, his fangs. He cracked his knuckles and readied his claws.

“Who the hell said you could put your filthy hands on my mate?” He spat, the promise of pain in his voice.

Jiro stepped forward, pushing her behind him. He squared his shoulders and tried to eye the beast evenly.

“Stay the fuck away from her.” Kagome tried to protest, but was cut off by the hanyous chilling laughter.

Inuyasha smirked, the look deadly.

“Kagomes not going anywhere with you, bastard. Shes mine.” He growled. “Only a fool would stand between a demon and his mate. If we were back home, I would have killed you for even looking the wrong way at my woman. But Kagomes always telling me that things are different here. So I'll give you one more opportunity to let go of Kagome, before I rip you to pieces.”

“Jiro, please, Im not in danger, Inuyasha would never hurt me.”

“Kagome, this thing-“

She whacked him hard in the shoulder.

“Don't talk about Inuyasha that way.” He set hard eyes on her in disbelief. “This is my fault. I shouldn't have expected that you would believe my story.” She sighed. “I'll just have to show you.”

“Show me?”

She grabbed his hand to lead him to the well house. “Come on.”

Inuyasha growled at the contact. She sent him a look that had him flattening his ears to his head.

“Jiro, climb down into the well.”

He looked at her skeptically.

“Do it before I push you down asshole.” Inuyasha said.

Narrowing his eyes Jiro heeded her request.

“Theres nothing down here.”

He said as he reached the bottom.

“Right. Now come back up.” She ordered.

He huffed as he made his way to the top. “I really don't-“

“Just watch.” Kagome said as she threw her legs over the lip, jumping down.

Jiros jaw fell slack as he leaned down to peer into the empty black well.

She was gone.

~.~

When she had reappeared, Jiro had almost fainted.

She had been telling the truth.

“Then, then you're really a-“ He stammered as he looked to Inuyasha.

“Half demon.” He finished.

“This isn't… you're.. this is impossible…”

“I thought the same thing at first.” Kagome said with a light smile. “But I'm really thankful. I've made wonderful friends there, and if it wasn't for the well and the jewel, I wouldn't have met Inuyasha.”

The hanyou shifted uncomfortably. Flattery always felt foreign to him.

“He said that you were his mate.”

Now it was Kagomes turn to fidget. A blush rose to her cheeks. “Ye-“

“Damn right she is.” Inuyasha said, wrapping his arm around her. His voice was thick with possession and pride.

“Jiro, I know that this is hard for you, I… If things had been different….”

The dogs demons growl cut off that line of thinking. He didn't even want to imagine if things had gone differently. The past year he had done enough of that to last a life time.

“He was that asshole that you told me about, wasn't he?” Jiro asked, his voice bitter with defeat.

“It… yes, he was.” Inuyasha chanced a look in her direction. “But, it was a misunderstanding he-“

“He hurt you Kagome, how can you just go back to him?”

“I hurt him too.” She said. “I assumed I knew when he wanted.”

“But even before that-“

“Its really none of your damn business what goes on between me and Kagome. But she seems intent to fill you in on all the details, so I'll say this once: I fucked up. Its my fault that she left, because I didn't let her know how I felt. Im an asshole. I can't tell you why she chose me, but know I'm damned lucky she did. I'm going to spend the rest of my life proving my worth to her. But that's my responsibility. She's my mate. There's no breaking that bond. Kagome is mine, for the rest of our lives.” He took a moment to look at Jiro, for the first time, noticing the pain in his eyes. “I understand how you feel. It fucking hell to give up Kagome. But this is your warning- make a move on her, get too close hell, even look at her the wrong way and I'll make sure it's the last fucking time. Kagome is mine.”

“Inuyasha!”

She couldn't believe him.

Well, she kind of could.

To call him possessive was to put it lightly, and that was before they had mated. Now, it was entirely different. He had a confidence about his claim on her that he hadn't before, and he wasn't afraid to tell it to the world.

If it wasn't so distasteful and hard for Jiro, she would have found that speech hot.

“Is this what you want Kagome?” He asked, eyes sad.

She bit her lip at the pain on his face. She nodded her head. “I'm sorry Jiro.”

Inuyasha had to bite back the urge to scream. Why was she apologizing to him? He should be the one throwing himself at the hanyous feet for sniffing around his woman.

Jiro let out a deflated sigh.

“Jiro-“ She started. He held up a hand, signaling her to stop.

“Don't apologize for your choices Kagome.” He looked at Inuyasha. “Even though this bastard doesn't deserve you, how the hell am I supposed to compete with a demonic abilities and time traveling?” He gave a little laugh. “If you ever change your mind and want something normal, you know where to find me.” He said, his tone slightly laced with humor.

Inuyasha tried to force down the vicious growl that was growing in his throat. Kagome had put the man in his place. It was only natural he would be remorseful after being let down. But this asshole was constantly nudging the line.

“We have to get going Kagome.”

“You're going down the well again?” He asked.

“Not yet. Later today. We have to go to the store to get supplies.”

“Supplies?” He asked with an arched brow.

“Yeah, I'll be there for a few weeks at least.” Jiro could only nod his head dumbly.

“I'll be right back. I have to get your hat Inuyasha.” She eyed them nervously as she made a mad dash to retrieve it.

They looked each other up and down. Inuyasha shoved his hands into his sleeves, considering the human before him.

“Its dangerous, where you're from?” Jiro asked.

“Feh. Depends on what you call dangerous.”

“But, you will keep her safe?”

“As if I would let anything happen to my mate.” Inuyasha barked out. “Besides, Kagomes strong. She's really improved with her bow and the last I knew, she was getting better control of her powers. Kagomes a fighter in her own right. But that doesn't mean I won't protect her.” Inuyasha said.

“Her… powers…” Jiro drawled.

“She's a miko. You didn't know?” Inuyasha arched a brow.

“No. Apparently, there's a lot of things I didn't know about her.”

“Feh. Probably for the best. She's very powerful. I've seen her purify demons to a crisp.” He said with a smirk, proudly remembering. “It was her seals that kept me from coming back this whole time. If she had been a weaker priestess, I would have been able to break through long ago.”

“I see.” He said, his jaw clenched.

“I…” Inuyasha started. “I don't like you. I don't like that you have been living in the same house as Kagome. I don't like that you have been sniffing around her this entire time.” He said, his honeyed eyes hard. He paused, as if tasting the words on his tongue. “But, thanks.”

This caught Jiros attention.

“I don't like that it was you or that it had to happen in the first place, but thank you for caring for Kagome in my stead. She told me that you really helped her out. I couldn't be there for her, so Im glad she had someone. Even if it was you.”

He didn't have time to respond, as Kagome walked towards them. Inuyash leaned his head down as she covered his ears with the hat. Holy hell his dog ears. It suddenly dawned on Jiro. He had been too overwhelmed with everything to fully applicate that the man before him, the man Kagome loved, was a fucking dog.

He pieced it all together than. Kagome had told it all to him, but it felt like it all came tumbling back to him, now that he accepted what she was saying as truth.

Inuyasha was the demon from the sacred tree. He had the arrow thrust through him. He had lusted for the jewel. That ex that Kagome spoke of, was the miko who had sealed his fate.

And Kagome was the one who had freed him to embrace it.

Kagome Higurashi was officially the weirdest person he knew.

She gave a smile to Jiro, fringed with sadness on his behalf, as she waved goodbye.

As she walked down the shrine steps, he kept his eyes on her. He could pick up bits of their conversation. He wanted to carry her, and she demanded to walk. She promised she would ride him when they went through the well. Jiro touched his forehead to see if he had a fever.

Watching her retreating figure disappear, he let out a sigh.

There was a reason he couldn't figure Kagome out; why she always seemed so special. She was destined for someone else, a heroine of the past. Apparently a powerful miko. She was a woman who was living the stories he told to patrons that visited the shrine. She was shaping history. He was honored to know her, to have held her, to have loved her.

She was an untouchable woman, for him at least.

He would always be thankful that his feelings for Kagome had blossomed. Although they may have never made it to fruition, she opened his eyes and changed him.

Wasn't this what Kagome had done? Given up the person she treasured most so that way they could be happy? Even… even if it meant being left behind…

He understood that now, better than he ever hoped to.

This pain…

He was glad she wasn't feeling it now. He would rather shoulder it than put her through this agony a moment longer.

It was going to hurt, giving her up. He was not such a fool as to think it wouldn't. He would compare woman to Kagome for a long time to come. But he looked forward to the day when he would find a woman to rival her, to make the feeling of love blossom again.

He hoped there was such a woman out there.