InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Surreptitious Love Affair ❯ Out in the Open ( Chapter 2 )

 

 

 

 

Chapter 2: Out in the Open

 

 

After 20 minutes of silence, Kaede decided to leave Kagome be and left her room to attend her other duties. Not only was she Kagome's nurse, but also the head of the demon servants on the property. She might have been old, but that didn't mean she was soft. Yes, she made sure all personnel were working their responsibilities to the household and maintained order, but she wasn't strict and ruthless as many other foremen were. She had the respect of all the workers because not only did she treat them fairly but also because she earned it.

Kagome sat up after Kaede departed and hugged her pillow close to her. She knew her father was frigid and unresponsive of anyone's feelings but his own, but to make her obligate to an unforeseen engagement went beyond what she already saw in him. To engage two people so that two companies could become one and benefit from their future profuse amount of financial gain, is something that she downright refused to accomplish. She only wanted to lead an ordinary life, be free to choose, to fly away and spread her own wings, but such a thing was impractical.

Finally deciding not to wallow in more sorrow than she already was, she leisurely got on her feet and decided to do something constructive. She stretched her arm muscles before proceeding to her humongous bathroom and soak in her private hot tub. Closing the door to tell anyone that she was relaxing and didn't want to be disrupted, Kagome started to fill her hot tub and stripped down as she waited. She wrapped a towel around herself and opened the windows to let a fresh breeze in to further relieve her. Leaving them open; she walked over to her mirror above where her sink was and looked herself over.

 

When I look myself in the mirror, I see nothing more than a normal girl, a 16 year old who is no different from anyone else. Sure I may be wealthy to look my best every time I appear in public, but that's only to cover up my true identity. People call me “One of the Hottest Babes ever to grace the Earth”, or more specifically the male teenage population. Every time I pronounce myself to the public, the horny scoundrels just drool at my feet. I should be flattered by such attention and feel especially lucky to be famous, but I'm not in the least. Just because I'm the daughter of a famous businessman, every male in Japan goes gaga-eyed. I really don't see what could make them so fascinated by me. I look like an everyday, average teenager: Black hair that flows all the way down to my waist, brown eyes, a normal complexion, a small waist, full hips and breasts and normal toned legs. I get compliments about my figure all the time and now that I've heard them all, I've grown rather tired of all the attention.

 

She looked over to see the hot tub was near its' peak so she walked over and shut it off and turned on the super jets that always managed to hit the right spots. She slipped off her towel and set it aside as she plunged into the awaiting water. She rested against one side while keeping her hair dry as she pulled it behind her to rest against the marble that encircled the tub. Her whole bathroom was as big as an average gym and her sink, counter, shower; even the tiling was made of marble. Her hot tub was made from white granite but it was smooth, unlike other granite that was rough and rocky.

Relaxing in her hot tub was another way to ease her tension and she always found time for it. Another one of her comforts was archery. She found it exciting and thrilling as a young girl and begged Kaede to teach her, as Kaede was one masterful archer herself. She also likes to sing but was often caught singing along to her favorite lyrics when she was unaware of it. She sighed and decided to take the time she so desperately needed not for granted. For what seemed like a few hours, she was awoken by knocking.

 

“Who is it?” She demanded.

“Miss Kagome, forgive me for disturbing you, but it's time for me clean your room and your bathroom.”

A voice she immediately recognized as a maid who was assigned for cleaning and disinfecting the third level bedrooms and bathrooms, Kagome immediately got out and wrapped her towel around her and drained the tub. She found her bathrobe and after drying off and looking decent enough, she opened the door to find a cat demon standing politely and had her head bowed in respect.

 

“Umeko, I thought I told you not to do my room because it's practically clean already.” She inquired, wondering what made her forget what she asked her not to do.

 

“Not to be disrespectful of your wishes, but Madame Higurashi directed me specifically to do any and all rooms even if they appear to be clean.”

Kagome shook her head in disbelief. She knew her mother was also demanding but to have to clean what already was spotless was just stupid and just had to have everything perfect and not to have a trace of dust anywhere.

 

“Umeko, I'm instructing you not to do this room. My room is practically spick and span as it is and working to make it better, you'll be just overexerting yourself and wasting valuable time. So please, skip this room and move on. I'll handle my mother.”

She clearly stated. She knew her parents loathed it when instructing an employee to not carry out their demands and did it not only to piss them off, but to ease any workload the employee might have on them.

 

Umeko looked up and bowed once again. “Thank you Miss Kagome. I'll never forget your kindness. I am grateful for your compassion.” She looked up again and left the room standing proud and looking confident.

Kagome smiled winsomely at the grateful worker. When her bedroom door was indeed shut, she walked over to her walk-in closet that was a big as a living room and wandered through to pick a more comfortable outfit. She decided to pick one of her favorite blue jeans and shirt. If she wanted to feel normal, then blue jeans and a simple shirt was a step in the right direction. She heard her door open yet again and peeked out to see none other than Kaede and breathed a sigh of relief. She walked out and strolled to her bed to change. Kaede walked over to lock her door and close her curtains. She then proceeded to help her dress.

 

“Really Kaede I don't need help in dressing myself, there are some things that I can do on my own.” She said as she untied her robe and handed it to Kaede to put away. She walked to dresser and picked out a bra and underwear as she was completely naked now.

“Miss Kagome, how many times do I have to remind you that it's my responsibility to personally see to your well-being?” She shot back, coming out of the bathroom with a brush.

Kagome smiled at that, knowing how true that was. “I know. I just…I just want to learn things without always having help.” All her life she's had the help of Kaede to guide her, but reaching adulthood she wanted to take her own course.

After getting fully dressed, Kaede then instructed her to sit down and let her brush. With no argument, Kagome sat down on the edge of her bed and let Kaede brush her soft hair.

“I retrieved the mail while you rested and you'll be happy to know one of them is from Master Souta.”

Kagome frantically turned around, stunned at the revelation. “Souta?! I've been waiting to hear from him for ages!”

Kaede, deciding the brushing was enough, reached into her folds of her outfit and pulled out a letter.

“Aye, it seems too long since your younger brother wrote to you. Perhaps you would like to read it now?”

She was so excited that she snatched the letter from Kaede and carefully opened it. The letter was from Tokyo, where her brother currently was. She sighed as she pulled out the letter and began to read silently to herself:

 

Dear Sister,

I'm writing to let you know how I'm doing these days. Unfortunately I'm not doing too well. The pressure of keeping up with the immense assignments and having the teachers tell you what is required of you and what you can or can not do is taking its' toll on me. Being a 9 year old and learning at the level of a college student is wearing me out. I must imagine that it was like this for you when you were sent here. Being away from home and not seeing you, is like my freedom being slowly snatched away and I can't do anything about it! Sis, I know that you worry constantly for me and I appreciate your concern, but please don't work yourself up about it. I keep telling myself that if you succeeded here, then I surely can. Although my depression and confidence is slipping, I know that in a year from now, I'll be where I belong: At home with you and Mom and Dad.

 

Sincerely,

Souta

 

P.S., Say hello to Kaede for me!

 

 

Kagome just folded the letter and put it back into the envelope. She read every single word and the more she read, the more stressed she became. Never once did he write something as emotional as this, and knowing the pain and hardships he's going through because she experienced them herself! After setting the envelope on her bed, she balled her hands into fists. She couldn't handle the fact that her own brother was suffering the same way she did. When she was 5, she was sent away to an exclusive private school and remained there until she turned 10. She hasn't seen Souta since she was 12 and living without him was growing more and more intolerable.

 

“He sends his greetings and asks not to worry too much. He'll manage…somehow.” She said, whispering the last word to herself. She didn't want to reveal to anyone else that Souta was miserable and stressed out to the point where he wouldn't be able to handle it for very long, not even Kaede.

Kaede knew something else was eating at her but didn't ask about it. She knew quite well that Kagome missed her younger brother terribly and didn't want to show her weakness or feelings to anyone on the subject.

Concluding on the emotional aura that was surrounding the entire room, Kaede resolved to make the afternoon a pleasure and teach Kagome more of her archery expertise.

“Miss Kagome, would it lift your spirits if we ventured out and did some archery?”

Kagome perked her head up. Archery was one thing that she couldn't refuse. She turned her heel and at last gave a warm smile. “It certainty would! You know me all too well, Kaede! Let's hit it!”

She ran over to where her bow and arrows were, gathered them up and looked like a true archer. Kaede laughed at the response she got out of her and motioned to follow her. Kagome skipped merrily behind and shut her door on the way out. Archery was a sport that piqued her interest as soon as she came home from her 5 year education and was more than interested in learning. Luckily, Kaede was an experienced archer in her youth and was delighted to inculcate her wisdom.

 

They turned down the hallway to where the stairs lay and they saw a few workers cleaning and dusting. Kagome knew of all her father's workers' names and tried to manage a few good words when not in the presence of her parents. They passed the first few and were respectful as they walked by. As they approached the start of the stairs, Kagome stopped abruptly, staring at the last worker before their descent. The boy also stopped suddenly to gaze upon her. She knew she shouldn't just stand there and gawk all day but common sense left her at the moment. She let out a long sigh, knowing every time she saw him, nothing else mattered to her. There, standing at the stair post, unmoving as she was, was her secret love.

 

Oh Inuyasha, why does your beautiful golden gaze stop me in my tracks? How can your gorgeous silver hair attract me and why do your incredibly adorable ears make me want to reach out for you? I can't help but stop and wonder why you make me feel like this…and how you have the power to make my heart pound a hundred times a minute! How I wish I could just talk to you out in the open, but alas, I can't. My love for you is strictly forbidden as is it secret and fragile. Every time we have a moment alone together, I feel so vital and happy. I can talk to you about anything and I don't feel guilty or ashamed. Ever since you set foot here, I knew I couldn't resist you. I long for your touch, even though we're merely four feet apart. You're the only one who can literally console me. Sneaking out at night to just see and talk to you is something that I always look forward to.

 

Kaede stopped suddenly when she didn't hear accompanying footsteps. She glanced over to see her, staring at the Inu-half demon, while he just focused on her. She eyed them for a moment and quickly shifted her gaze elsewhere. She smiled and laughed silently to herself. `It seems to me that Miss Kagome has an apparent liking to Inuyasha. So it's true that she and Inuyasha have feelings foreach other. Too bad they can't express their feelings openly or else develop a great risk for the both of them and that wouldn't turn out well. It'll have to be up to me to keep their secret friendship under wraps for as long as possible.'

Sighing, she marched back up to the ignorant two who are still unresponsive to anything around them. When she stopped in front of them, she made her presence known, by clearing her throat to signal their attention. Both startled teenagers gasped and moved rather quickly away from each other. Kaede did nothing but laugh at them.

 

“Miss Kagome, why did you stop so suddenly? Was it to, oh I don't know, stare?”

 

Kagome felt an unavoidable blush rushing to her face and took a sudden interest at the carpet. `Nice going, Kagome, not only were you hopelessly staring at Inuyasha but unknowingly grabbed the sudden interest of Kaede! I have to be more careful, otherwise my secret is as good as out!Wait a minute, does she know?'

Kaede knew Kagome was as embarrassed as she could be, so she switched her focus to the other stricken teen.

 

“Tell me, Inuyasha; is it true that you can't help but focus on nothing when Miss Kagome makes an appearance?” She asked. She knew the word “BUSTED” was imprinted on the both of them.

Inuyasha just looked away, not wanting to face the fact that he was caught in the act as his own blush was starting to emerge. He was brought back as Kagome finally spoke.

 

“Uh, Kaede…I…how did you….?” Apparently she was at a loss for words. Kaede just continued to laugh quietly.

“Ah, you forget Miss, that I'm your nurse. Just because I'm old doesn't mean that I can't figure out a simple secret such as this. I've known since the day Inuyasha arrived to work here and it's quite obvious.” Suddenly looking at their surroundings this wasn't the place to explain all she knew, so Kaede directed both of them into Kagome's room, where they could discuss this in private.

“Kaede let me get this straight. You knew all along and you didn't say anything?!” Kagome asked, sounding not only perplexed, but also shocked.

“I figured what you didn't know wouldn't hurt. I wanted to ask you of your nightly escapes but I figured that I would not mention it until an appropriate time.”

 

“So, now that you know of this, Senior Kaede, will you continue to guard our secret?” Inuyasha spoke for the first time. During the discovery of his and Kagome's staring episode, he couldn't say anything to save his face. Calling Kaede Senior showed that he did respect her and didn't question her authority. He looked at Kagome, who in turn, looked at him back. `I want our secret to be kept safe. I don't want to stop seeing her orfeelingher soft touch. You mean more than anything to me, Kagome and I don't want to lose what we have for each other.'

 

“No need to worry, young one. I will take this secret to my grave. You have my word that I will speak not of this outside of this room. I have not revealed your meetings for 6 years and I won't start now. Have I ever failed you before?”

 

“No, Kaede, you haven't. I appreciate you doing this for us. The only time we ever have to ourselves is indeed during the midnight hours and that is still not enough.” She answered as she turned to Kaede. “I should have known that I could never keep anything from you. You're too wise and always looking after me.”

Kaede just nodded. “And I should have known that you two wouldn't stop sneaking off at night.”

Kagome looked down at the floor again but glanced up a few moments later. She shifted her gaze back to Inuyasha. “Well, we figured that if we couldn't talk to each other during the day…”

“…Then we thought it would be better if we met up at night.” Inuyasha finished for her.

 

Seeing that it was getting later in the day, Kaede decided to end this before something could unexpectedly happen.

 

“Alright you two, now that everything's out in the open, there's no further need to stand around any longer. Inuyasha, you need to get back to work or else you'll fall behind in your obligations and duties to this household.” She stated firmly. “I don't want to see you get berated for slacking off or failing to please Mr. and Mrs. Higurashi and I'm sure Miss Kagome doesn't want that, either.”

Inuyasha immediately pulled back and started to leave, but not before Kagome called out for him.

 

“Wait, Inuyasha….I need to talk to you about something important. Meet me under the cellar in the wine room tonight at exactly 12:30, okay?” He looked over and gave her assurance by nodding slowly.

 

“Okay, I will.” And he left the room, staring into her eyes.

Kagome looked over at Kaede, who still stood there looking quite pleased.

 

“What, Kaede?” Kaede shook her head.

 

“Nothing, I just like seeing how you do something that is against your parents' wishes and the Shikoku law. I don't have anything against you or Inuyasha, but be careful. If either of you gets caught, it could lead into a dangerous problem. I advise you to not let your guard down while you're with him. Anything could happen and I don't want to see you wounded, both physically and emotionally.” It was true that Kaede supported the secret romance brewing between them but was also worried of their safety. The old nurse walked towards Kagome and grabbed one of her hands.

“Promise this old woman that you will be cautious about this. I never worried before but something is telling me that you need to be more aware now. I've watched over you your whole life and I don't want to see this lovely relationship fall apart. Please…” She begged.

 

Kagome was touched by her worry for both she and Inuyasha and she knew that Kaede meant well. She pulled her hand from Kaede's and pulled her into a great bear hug. Kaede was stunned for a moment but hugged back.

 

“Thank you for everything, Kaede. I promise that I will. We will be careful. I trust you completely and I know that you've always looked out for me. And thank you that you never told my parents about this…thank you.” Kagome was always very emotional when it came to situations like this. She wasn't crying but was pretty close. Kaede patted her back, gesturing `you're welcome.'

They pulled back. Kagome then grabbed her bow that was set aside when they all entered the room. “Now why don't we shoot some arrows before the day is through? I might be a bit rusty but I can still shoot pretty far.”

 

“Aye child, you've come a long way and with more practice it won't be long before you would be considered a professional.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Really.” Kaede confirmed. “After 6 years of constant practice and patience, you've exceeded far more than I first thought. Now let's get to it!”

 

Kagome agreed and followed Kaede once more out of her safety net and into the back lawn where they would practice until the evening meal.