InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Silent Affair ❯ Chapter 2

Down the road a little further. Author notes are going to be pretty sparse... I suppose y'all probably like it better that way. Enjoy!

 

 

Inuyasha awoke in the same position he often did when he forgot where he was, ears twitching agitatedly as he tried to determine where he'd ended up. Sitting against Kagome's wall, overly alert yet sleeping more soundly than he ever did in his own bed. Frowning, the hanyou massaged his face with his hands and took a moment to peek around the room. Kagome was in bed, asleep and completely unaware of his presence. Or at least he assumed she was unaware of him. He could never really tell and he could never get the whole truth out of her. Just last week she had been awake when he'd woken up in this very same spot but she'd made no move to acknowledge him. He growled faintly, dragging his stiff body from the floor and glancing again at the raven-haired girl in bed. Her eyes were closed but her right fist was raised near her forehead, her pinky sticking up in the sign for `idiot.' Golden eyes narrowed at her and he watched her giggle silently, one brown eye peeking open at him. “Ha ha, you're so funny,” he snorted at her before leaving the room and the sight of her laughing eyes.

 

Ten years had passed since the day Kagome and her brother had come into his life and so much had changed. Shortly after the attack on the Higurashi shrine and its family the Inu no Taisho had uprooted his own family and moved them to the States. There had been great protest from his sons and his wife, but he knew that Japan was no longer as safe as it had once been for his kin and for his wards. America was full of opportunities and open space for his family to grow and learn, to be truly free. Luckily for Inuyasha and Sesshomaru they had already started learning English in their studies at home. Sota was still young and so he picked up the language with great ease. Kagome was the only one excluded, choosing to stay at home instead of attending school like her sibling and the inuyoukai brothers. Inuyasha had completely understood her reluctance and had even helped her convince his father not to make her go. She still only wrote messages to communicate while using crude gestures when paper and pen were unavailable.

 

Then in seventh grade, Inuyasha had done some research in the library on his own, shocking his elder brother, who swore he didn't know how to read, when he came home reeking of old and musty books. There was an option out there for Kagome if only she would agree to it. The young hanyou brought the idea to her brother first, gaining his fast approval and support. The two them went to Inuyasha's mother, Izayoi, and got her smiling support as well before they approached his father. “You've obviously thought very hard about this Inuyasha,” he said, hiding his smile from his youngest son. He too had been concerned at Kagome's persistent life of silence. She couldn't go on like this forever. He'd noticed that the young girl had begun hiding away from her brother and Inuyasha, the two people she seemed to trust more than anyone. “I think it is a very good idea. You will learn it with her I take it?” Inuyasha nodded emphatically. “Then I support it fully. You must convince Kagome of course.”

 

That had almost been harder than convincing the Higurashi siblings to part had been that first horrible day. Kagome was stubborn and ashamed of her muteness. While she didn't want to continue having to write messages and wave wildly anymore, she also was afraid to learn not only one new language, but two. She'd seen how much work the two older boys put into learning English and feared that now she was too behind to learn too. Sota and Inuyasha had tried to teach her, speaking in both languages to her on occasion to get her used to it but she was so bullheaded, ignoring them when she'd had enough. “Come on Kagome, you can't stay locked up in the house forever. This way you'll be able to go out and talk to other people!” She had glared at him angrily, writing a quick and biting note in Japanese. `No. I can't TALK remember, baka?' Growling at her insufferable stubborn streak the hanyou had stamped down the urge to shake her senseless. “This way you can! I'm not letting you hide in here all your life!” he shouted, grabbing her arm and growling. She pouted up at him and he saw the shadow of tears in her eyes. “Please Kagome? I'm going to learn it with you so you won't be alone. We'll do it together,” he told her in a soft voice.

 

Inuyasha now remembered the first time she had signed to him to `stop yelling at her and leave her alone' and he had understood, shutting his mouth with a snap more out of surprise than actually obeying her. After that her progress had skyrocketed as had his own. The two conversed almost nonstop, mostly arguing and sniping at one another, but at least Kagome was communicating freely. Inuyasha had never seen her glow so happily as when Toga had hesitantly told her `goodnight' in sign late one evening as she headed to bed. She'd responded in kind, smiling brightly. “That girl has the most wonderful smile,” his mother had whispered to his father after she had left the living room for her bedroom. Inuyasha had found himself agreeing wholeheartedly.

 

That had been almost eight years ago now. It had taken them a while to gain the vocabulary in American Sign Language in order to have it in English but the two were dedicated and Sota was equally enthusiastic to learn to sign since the two older children made it like a game. The three could talk to one another without the adults, and the stuffy Sesshomaru, knowing what they were saying. He'd finally been able to introduce her to some of his friends from school and they had truly taken a shine to her. Miroku most of all. The boy had been brought up in a Buddhist temple and apparently had a great talent for such things. Inuyasha didn't really want to know what all those things were but the boy was loyal and almost as protective of his best friend as he was. Miroku picked up bits and pieces of sign from them as he continued to spend time with the pair and eventually he was able to hold entire conversations with Kagome without any vocal help from Inuyasha whatsoever.

 

Shortly thereafter the three had been more or less inseparable. They went anywhere and everywhere together. The only place Kagome did not venture with the boys was to school since she attended a Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing school instead of regular public school. Despite not having any problems hearing, she found herself able to fit in much better where everyone signed like she did. Inuyasha had come with her on a few occasions to basketball games or plays, finding he understood a lot more than he'd previously thought he would. It was amazing how much one simply picked up from being in the company of those who used sign all the time.

 

Trying not to let all his memories swamp him, Inuyasha made his way down the hallway to his own room and flopped down on his bed face first. Why did he keep waking up in Kagome's room like that? He rolled onto his back, holding his pillow over his face as he tried to block out the obnoxious light of the sun and the chirping of the early morning birds. What drew him there in his sleep? He knew he shouldn't be there, least of all now. Kikyo wouldn't be pleased. But it wasn't like he was sleeping in bed with Kagome, just in her room next to the door.

 

While the long time friends had been through nearly everything together, Inuyasha felt as though Kagome was pulling farther and farther away from him. Even when he found himself in her room in the morning, able to share a joke or two with her, he still felt the separation between them. His relationship with Kikyo had put a wedge between them that the inuhanyou didn't want to admit existed. Kagome was his best friend, his partner in crime and he loved Kikyo. He'd asked her to marry him hadn't he? So why did being with Kikyo make him feel like he was betraying the girl he'd sworn to protect when he was only twelve? Similarly he felt guilty for spending time with Kagome when he was now engaged to Kikyo. When had his life become so complicated? He'd never had problems like this with Kagome before. Though he supposed he'd never really even had a girlfriend before he went to college either.

 

At first he hadn't noticed the distance between he and Kagome, only thinking it was because he was away at school and she had remained at home to finish high school before she attended a junior college. She hadn't felt confident applying to any big four-year schools, convinced the “normal” schools wouldn't accept her with her… problem. Inuyasha knew she was wrong but hadn't said anything, not wanting to upset her. So they had parted. In body only. They kept up with one another through e-mail and talking on the Internet everyday and used text messaging when they weren't near a computer. As soon as he'd told her he'd met someone she'd seemed happy for him, telling him to spill all the details. But not long after she just got busier and busier, unable to talk when he had exciting details to tell her. She was distancing herself from him and Inuyasha was oblivious to it for a short while. Then he contacted her brother when it got especially bad, not having heard from her in three days was unheard of for the hanyou, finding that she was as interested in her brother's life as she had ever been. The siblings were in constant contact even though Sota was even farther away at prep school than Inuyasha. Shortly thereafter he had planned a trip home. Inuyasha thought it would be good for one of the three most important women in his life to meet the other two so he brought Kikyo along with him.

 

The initial meeting had gone fairly well though Kagome had refused to sign in front of Kikyo, even denying him a proper hello when he greeted her warmly. Kagome was cold, polite and utterly silent with her hands. At the time he had tried to brush it off as her natural shyness with strangers but deep down it had bothered him greatly. However as his and Kikyo's stay progressed she didn't warm up to the other young woman and would only sign to him if they were the only ones in the room, which was extremely rare. Inuyasha's parents had continually given him disapproving looks but wouldn't tell him what they were all about. When he had gotten ready to leave she almost hadn't said goodbye, avoiding him until he'd had to hunt her down in the tree they always used to sit under to study. `What do you want?' she'd signed angrily down at him from a low branch.

 

“I want you to say goodbye to me before I go back to school,” he replied with just as much anger. Turning her head away from him forced him to leap onto the branch next to her. She startled a moment but remained angry. Inuyasha didn't understand why she was so mad at him. She'd treated him like a stranger all weekend, ignoring him and avoiding his presence. It had hurt him deeply and Inuyasha still wasn't sure why. One thing he'd known for sure and still knew to this day was that she had blatantly refused to touch him at all and after having such a close friendship with her for nine years it physically hurt him not to be able to be near her. Just like it would pain him if his mother wouldn't touch him, it hurt that Kagome was keeping such a firm distance. She was trying to show him something through her behavior but he was too stubborn and confused to understand. “At least hug me goodbye,” he'd nearly begged.

 

`Goodbye,' she'd signed to him. `I'll see you when winter break starts.' And that was it. That was all the farewell he'd been given and he hadn't had the energy to protest her dismissal. Why did she suddenly hate him so much?

 

But it was different during breaks. He'd be home for a couple of weeks, a month or a couple of months and she would become more like the old Kagome he knew. Had it been the long separation that made her upset and having him around for longer than a few days helped? Or was it something else entirely? He did notice that no matter how long he stayed, if Kikyo came with him, Kagome was almost nowhere to be found. The third summer break, when Kikyo had come to stay for almost a month, Kagome had all but moved out. She stayed the night with her brother and his friends in their house they rented over the summer and came home really only to eat occasionally and change clothes. Inuyasha once again felt the pang of loss for her absence but couldn't grasp why she disliked being in his presence when Kikyo was around. Of course, that had turned on a light bulb in the hanyou's head and he'd realized that Kagome wasn't avoiding him so much as she was avoiding Kikyo. The epiphany was one that both shocked and scared him. Having the two most important women in his life besides his mother not getting along would not do. So armed with this knowledge he'd gone in search of Kagome and had been surprised to find her once again holed up in their tree. “Hiding again I see.” She glanced at him but didn't acknowledge him any more than that. “I want to talk to you about something.” He continued when she didn't move. “It's about Kikyo…”

 

Her reaction was swift and angry. `I don't want to talk about that.' Inuyasha had frowned up at her before leaping gracefully into the branch beside her as he'd done over a year and a half ago. `When do you start your internship?' she'd asked him in a blatant attempt to change the subject.

 

“Don't do that. You know I hate it when you try to avoid important things.”

 

`There's nothing to say,' she'd responded stubbornly.

 

“Obviously there is or you wouldn't be so angry. Why won't you at least try to get to know her?” Kagome had glared at him so hard, he swore he felt his ears burning under the heat of her stare. “You're both important to me and I want you to be friends. You get along with everyone else, why not her?” She hadn't responded. Inuyasha had threatened and cajoled but hadn't been able to get anything out of her. Eventually he'd given up, leaving her to sit alone in their tree so he could find someplace else to sulk. Then things had gone even farther downhill when he'd finally decided he was ready to ask Kikyo to marry him. The winter break of his senior year of college he'd brought Kikyo home once more to celebrate the holidays with his family. In front of his family and friends he'd gone down on one knee and offered himself to her. Kagome had left the room not waiting to see what his girlfriend said. Inside he was hurting for her obvious disapproval but he remained where he was until Kikyo accepted his proposal and fell into his arms laughing and crying. Later he'd tried unsuccessfully to find Kagome but so far she hadn't spoken to him for a week. Now, a week later, the only thing she'd been willing to sign to him was to go away or call him an idiot. He was getting tired of being ignored and mistreated and even though he was just as angry with her for abandoning him, he knew she was angry with him for something he couldn't understand but she wouldn't explain to him when he asked. Either way he'd still ended up in her bedroom this morning and at the moment, that was his biggest concern.

 

“She's not going to live like this forever Inuyasha,” came a gentle but firm male voice from the door. Growling at the insight in the young man's voice, Inuyasha threw the pillow across the room, narrowly missing Miroku's head. How did he always sneak up on him undetected?

 

“Who let you in?” he growled.

 

“Your mother, like always. She adores me you know.” Inuyasha snorted impolitely and sat up. There was a serious look on his old friend's face that he knew meant business. What serious thing could possibly have brought the dark-haired man to his bedroom at this early hour? Miroku made himself comfortable on the desk after closing the heavy door behind him. “You're hurting her and you don't even realize it, do you?” Inuyasha frowned, unsure whom the man was talking about now.

 

“Who, my mother?”

 

“No you idiot. Kagome.” The hanyou's frown increased. He was hurting her? He wasn't the one ignoring her, pushing her away, and abandoning their friendship of ten years. He didn't see how her tossing him aside like so much rubbish was causing her pain. “I'm just warning you before you lose her altogether.”

 

“What's that supposed to mean?” he shouted. Miroku said nothing more to him on the subject and refused to explain his warning. The two finally left Inuyasha's room to go into the kitchen where Izayoi was making breakfast. Kagome was already seated at the counter. Inuyasha tried in vain to catch her eye but she only smiled at Miroku and pulled him quickly into a conversation about school. Inuyasha pouted for a while until his mother told him to stop growling and eat. He felt like a pup again and the scolding only added to his irritation. He never realized until too late that this had been his last chance to save what little friendship there was left between them.