InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Ashes and Dust ❯ Where is He? ( Chapter 5 )

I do not own Inuyasha and Co.

Chapter 5

Where is He?

Rays of sun inched their way through the slits in the blinds to rest on Kagome's eye lids. Her eye lids felt the sun's warmth, and a golden hue rose behind them. Her arms reached up from beneath the comforter and all the way toward the ceiling as a yawn escaped from her mouth. She opened her eyes slightly and rubbed the salt from the corners.

She sat up and looked around to see she ended up in her room. The last thing she remembered was watching TV with Inuyasha after dinner. Then it hit her, the pain killers knocked her out so hard she didn't even know she'd been taken up to her room. She looked to the wall beside her bedside table to see her crutches and a note taped to one. She grabbed it and read with a smile.

“Honey, I will be at the doctor's today. Inuyasha hasn't come by yet, and didn't say last night if he was coming, but these are for just in case. I'll be home this afternoon. Love, Mom.”

Kagome smiled and set the note on the table beside the alarm clock and reached for the crutches as she lowered her feet to the carpet. With a crutch on each side, she used her strength to lift her body up onto her good ankle and rested her arms on the pads. She made her way to her bedroom door and opened it.

“Hello?” she called from her doorway. Only silence met her. She continued into the hallway and to the top step of the stairs. She bit her lip as she lowered the crutches to the first step down and then carefully stepped down, instinctually using her bad ankle to steady herself and hissing in pain. She stood there for a moment in thought and then grabbed the railing to remove the crutches from beneath her arms and only holding onto the bar, she tried to lower herself down, and once again, used her bad ankle.

“Hello?!” louder this time, still no response. She set the crutches against the wall beside her, and tried to figure out how to get down the stairs when it hit her that she left the landing without first going to the bathroom.

“Inuyasha? Please, don't play games with me. Help me, will you?” Still, no answer met her ears. “You have got to be kidding me…”

@*@

“Well now, there he is! Where've you been dude?” A man with brown hair asked as Inuyasha stepped up to a machine in the workout room at the gym.

“Not here,” Inuyasha replied slapping his friend a high five. “Have you made any progress?”

“Eh, not as much as when you're around. You know how hard it is for me to keep my ass in gear when you take a break.”

“C'mon, Miroku, you can't base your progress on whether I'm here or not. We have to do this together or apart. It's called being diligent and making it on your own terms. Didn't we talk about this already?”

“I guess I still need to be reminded.” Miroku lifted the fifteen pound dumbbells to his chest and released.

“So, what's new?” Inuyasha took a seat at the leg lifting station and grabbed his hand towel.

“Well, she's still being difficult, as you can see.” Miroku guided Inuyasha's eyes toward the woman sitting at the desk across the room. She had long straight brown hair held back into a scunchie and was dressed in workout garb. She seemed preoccupied with some paperwork on the desk.

“Have you spoken with her yet?” Inuyasha asked as he set his feet on the bars and pushed forward to lift the weights behind him.

“I can't bring myself to. Ever since I asked her out, she's avoided even making eye contact with me.” The man set the dumbbells on the floor before him.

“Well, no man has ever gained props for grabbing at a woman's ass while asking her out the first time. You never listen to me whenever I give you advice, do you? I told you to keep your hands off her assets.”

“But it's so round and juicy and…”

Inuyasha held his hand up and stopped pumping his legs. “Stop, right there, please…” He looked away, releasing the tension from the weights and let them crash to the floor.

The woman in question looked Inuyasha's way abruptly. “Sorry.” She took in his response for a second and then went back to her work.

“Oh my God! She actually looked this way!” A look of surprise spread of across his face.

“Relax, she threw that dirty look my way.” Inuyasha replied, dashing Miroku's dreams of catching her eyes once again.

“I guess I know how to get her attention now.” Miroku smirked as he picked up one of the dumbbells and set it on the bench with him.

Inuyasha shook his head as Miroku knocked the dumbbell off the bench and it crashed and rolled a ways onto the floor off to the left and another gym-goer tripped over the piece of equipment and fell to the floor.

She rose from her desk, and rushed to help the man, never giving a thought to the man who truly wanted her attention. Inuyasha busted out laughing and slapped his knees doubling over as his face went red. Miroku grabbed his gym bag beside the bench, stood and left the room in frustration.

“Wait, dude! Come back!” Inuyasha grabbed his things and followed his friend out of the fitness room and down the hall. “Hey, sorry about that, I just couldn't help it, man.”

“Thanks for laughing, you only made my pain worse. Ya know, where have you been, seriously? You know we come here every day, and you've stood me up every day this week. What gives? Come on, spill it!” Miroku dropped his bag on a nearby ledge and crossed his arms over his chest.

Inuyasha took a deep breath and sighed. “I've been helping out a neighbor of mine.”

“Helping out with what, a remodeling project? Buying groceries? I know who your neighbors are, Inuyasha. Which one?”

“The mother, Mrs. Higurashi. I've actually been helping her daughter.”

“Wait, her daughter? I didn't know she had a daughter.”

“Yep, and she's quite the pill, let me tell ya.”

“What does she need help with?”

Inuyasha scratched the back of his head. “She fell, sprained her ankle, and I've been helping her around the house.”

“Wait… She sprained her ankle, and she has her mom there with her. What does she need you for?”

“Well, it was my fault actually.”

“How? What did you do?”

Inuyasha explained the accident and Miroku had no reaction. “So, you have spent every day with this girl? Helping her to pay as a penance for what happened?”

“Yeah. She tells me to go home every time I pick her up and carry her around, and she hates it whenever I tell her I have nothing better to do.”

“Dude… What is it with you and women, man? You have better luck! Are you interested in her or something?”

“Well… yes and no.” Inuyasha shrugged.

“What does that mean?'

Inuyasha looked him in the eyes and then said, “I don't know, but I think I should go check on her.”

“But what about training for Ninja Warrior? I thought we were both going to achieve that together, right?”

“Yeah, we are. This is just until her ankle is better. She really messed it up something bad.” He knelt down and zipped the bag shut.

“Well, I guess I'll see ya when the brat feels better then.” Miroku huffed his way into another room down the hall.

“Whatever…” Inuyasha lifted his bag from the floor and made his way out the door.

@*@

Kagome finally made her way down the stairs, and then looked up to see she had left her crutches on the second step. She hopped her way across the hall to the wall and tried to hop along the wall for balance to make it to the half bathroom down the hall from the stairway. She got in, and closed the door.

A few minutes later, she heard a knock at the door. She finished up and then made her way out of the door to see Inuyasha's face through the window at the front door. She hopped along the wall and he watched her with a strange look on his face. When she made it to the door, she unlocked it and he entered to brace her before she fell.

“Where are your crutches?” He asked and then looked up the stairs to see them resting against the wall. He let out a sigh and continued to brace her.

Their eyes met and their breath stopped. He looked between the crutches and her before a question formed over his eyes. “Inuyasha, just pick me up already.” The look on his face was slight shock as she grabbed onto his shirt to gain balance.

He then leaned down slightly as his right arm went around her knees and his left arm embraced her shoulders. “Ready?” He asked. She nodded, and his right arm swooped her into his capable arms once again, where she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his left shoulder.

“Where do you want to go?” He asked shyly.

“To the kitchen, I'm hungry.” He padded toward the kitchen and set her down in the nearest chair.

Inuyasha then went to the fridge to see what he could grab to warm up for her. “You were right.”

He turned her way and asked, “Right about what?”

“That I can't do this on my own.” She made eye contact with him, her expression one of dejection.

“Oh. Well, I can show you what to do if you like. That way, if it happens again, you won't be in such bad shape.” He offered as he grabbed some left over beef from the fridge and set the dish onto the counter.

“I guess,” she replied as she rested her chin on her arms at the table.

“It's not so hard. I guess you're ready to do a bit more, seeing as you somehow made your way down the stairs. Oh, that's right, I'll get your crutches.” He left her sitting at the table for a moment and then returned with her crutches. He set them against the table beside her.

As he turned to leave, she grabbed his arm and lifted her head to look upon him. He made eye contact for a moment and then his eyes shifted to her hand on his forearm. When his eyes lifted to gaze into hers, she said, “I called for you, but you weren't here.”

“I'm sorry about that.”

“I thought with the importance you put on making me miserable the past few days you would have been here. I didn't expect to be met with silence when I called for you.”

Inuyasha dropped his gaze to the floor for a moment and then looked at her again. “So, you're saying you want me to make you miserable?”

She shrugged and looked down at her hand and the arm she held. His veins protruded between the skin and taught muscle inside the broad, strong arm. Her other hand skimmed over the soft skin, causing goose bumps to rise on the surface. His breath hitched in his throat as she lightly touched his arm, causing his heart rate to rise. He didn't know what to do but watch her examine his skin.

“These arms, they are so strong. What's the limit they can carry?”

Inuyasha swallowed nervously, the true number being quite high. “A lot.”

She looked up from his arm. “A lot? What's a lot?”

He licked his lips and looked down to her hands. “More than your 110 pounds.”

“So, you don't know the exact limit? You lift weights, so you have to know.”

He looked into her eyes silently. He couldn't tell her the truth; she wouldn't believe him. Not only that, but he hadn't been around long enough to fall to tell her. “Is there anything you want me to make with the leftovers from last night?”

“Don't change the subject! How much? It's obviously an insane amount since you lift my like I'm a bag of leaves!”

He pulled his arms from her hands and turned from her to brace himself on the counter with his hands. “That's not something you should worry about.” He turned to look over his shoulder. “Just trust that you are not that heavy to me, I can handle you, and that's all you need to know.”

“What are you trying to hide?”

He turned from the sink and rested his back against the counter. He crossed his arms over his chest and said, “I have nothing to hide. I just don't like to boast about my strength, that's all. I'm not that kind of guy.”

“You saying you're not arrogant?”

“You could say that.”

“Well, you seem proud of me whenever you pick me up, like I'm nothing but a bar of soap.”

“Will you stop comparing yourself to inanimate objects?”

“Sorry. I just wish I could understand.”

Inuyasha sighed, breaking the moment of silence that filled the kitchen. “Don't worry about it. How does your ankle feel today? Is it any better?”

“It still hurts, and I think I need it re-wrapped.” Her gaze remained trained on the wooden table before her.

After a moment, he crossed the kitchen and turned her chair to face him as he knelt before her and lifted her ankle to rest her toes against his chest. He unwrapped the ankle and the examined the swelling. His tender touch on her inflamed ankle caused her breath to stop momentarily. He did not look up as he inspected the injury. She looked at the black bandana covering the top of his head.

“Why do you always wear a bandana?”

His touch stilled for a moment. “Because it collects the sweat when I work out.”

“That doesn't make sense. Are you bald or something?”

“What?!” He looked up at her in surprise.

“Are you hiding a bald spot?”

“I am not THAT old! I can't believe that you think I have a bald spot!”

“Then tell me the real reason why you wear the bandana!”

He slipped the wrap around her ankle and secured it tightly. “No.”

“Yes!”

“How about no!” He looked up as he continued to wrap. “Now stop distracting me!”

She slapped her hands on her lap and panted a bit in anger as he finished the wrapping of her ankle. “Okay, now tell me.”

He looked up at her and said, “you want me here, or not?”

“What do you mean?”

“Look, you are asking me some very personal questions here, which I don't feel I have to answer. If this bothers you, then I can leave right now.” He stood and towered over her with eyes telling her he meant it.

“I'm sorry. I'll shut up now.” She shifted in the chair and he turned her back to face the table.

“Now, you never answered my question. What do you want with the leftovers from last night?”

“I don't care; make what you like with it.” She turned her gaze to the table, and Inuyasha looked in the fridge for condiments, and anything else he could use to create something good.

Kagome felt bad for inquiring too deep, and felt rejected that he wouldn't let her in. He'd only been helping her for the week, or so, but still, she'd hoped they'd gotten closer by now. Being close enough to smell his natural musk, which is an unusual scent at best, she felt the sting of rejection.

The kitchen filled with the sound of meat in the frying pan as Inuyasha dumped the leftover meat into the teriyaki sauce he found in the fridge. She turned her gaze to look at him as he stirred the meat in the pan, the steam rising up into his face. Even with the heat he still kept the bandana on. There was something under that bandana, there must be. Suddenly, he stopped stirring and looked over his shoulder to meet her inquisitive gaze.

"You're not going to drop it, are you?"

"It's hard. I don't mean to alienate you, or press the issue when you're saying there isn't one. I tend to have issues letting things go sometimes."

"Don't beat yourself up. It's nothing to be stressed over. I know there are things I'm sure you're not comfortable discussing for various reasons. I just deal with what's in front of me more than what could be, or what isn't being said."

"How do you do that? Can you teach me?"

"Whether someone has an inquisitive mind or not cannot be taught. I guess I have an issue with expecting people to feel the same as me, which is something I guess I need to work on." He turned around and began stirring the meat again.

"No, you're right. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable. I just have no idea how long you'll be helping me for, or how much longer I will see you around. I am the type of person that likes to get to know those I interact with on a daily basis. Is that weird?"

"No, it seems normal to me. I just... I know I'll never forget helping you, but as you said, we don't know for how much longer, and I don't know where this would go after that. I mean, I guess we could talk common interests and see if we're compatible as anything more than just me carrying you up and down the stairs."

"Okay, I guess we can ask questions then. Do you have any for me?"

Inuyasha set the plate on the table before her and took a seat across from her. "Well, let see... I know you're planning on going to school to retrain yourself in another field since the one you were in was not working out."

"Yes."

"Now, the question I have is, what is your passion? What would you rather be doing for a living?"

“That's the problem, I don't know what I want to do, or what my passion is. I guess you could say I'm doing some self-exploration, but I need to make an income.”

"I see."

"What about you? I mean, aside from Ninja Warrior training as you mentioned earlier. Where are you headed?"

"Well, that's where it gets tricky. I don't know any other skills I have aside from martial arts, possibly personal trainer, or manual labor, which I'm not enthused about."

"Ah, yeah, makes sense. You're meant for more than just manual labor."

"Thanks," he smiled.

"So, anything else?"

"Like what?"

"Any more questions?"

"Umm... What do you like to do in your spare time? When you're not injured, I mean."

"Well, I like to go on long walks outside on beautiful days. I like going to see movies when they come out, especially comedies and romantic films. I like action too, but I don't like horror films, they hurt to watch. Umm... I like to read, write a little, though I haven't done much of that lately since I've been frustrated and such with the pain."

"I can understand that."

"I've never dealt well with pain."

"Not many do."

"What about you? You deal well with pain?"

"I would say my tolerance is high. Though I rarely injure myself. I'm not a battle-scar proud kind of guy. I don't boast on my injuries."

"I can tell, though you are very active, and tend to take great care of your body. You don't seem like a klutz or anything."

"Tsch... Thanks," he smiled.

"Tell me, really, after Ninja Warrior, what's next?"

"Not sure, haven't really thought that far ahead. I might just continue on with it to defend my title."

"Are you sure you'll win?"

"What the heck kind of question is that?"

"I don't know, I guess it's just seeing it from the perspective of someone who has no chance of winning, and I don't know how else to see it."

He looked down at the table and said, "I choose not to think that way. If I believe in even a shred of doubt, then that's it."

"So, you're an all-out kind of guy then?"

"I guess, but if I don't succeed, that doesn't mean I'm not going to continue to do it for the win. It would be hard-earned then."

"I see. So, you're bored, and need a challenge."

He shot her a sideways look. "Why do you think that?"

"There's nothing else left for you, aside from doing the extreme rock/mountain climbing, sky jumping, deep sea diving, bungee jumping kind of lifestyle that adrenaline junkies live. All because they're bored with life, and can't stand to be complacent."

"My aim is different. I've always loved being challenged, and some of this stuff is much harder than climbing mountains and rocks. Think about it, a certain level of skill not only goes into training for the challenge, but also into building it. Try scaling across a wall with no floor to balance or rest your feet on covered in a line of round, slippery knobs that aren't very large. Try running across rotating logs. Try running up a looping ramp. Scaling up between two slippery walls to get to the other side without anything to hold onto. Things like that. Natural environments aren't like that. There's always some form of help in nature. When humans build it, unless it's built to standards for living purposes, is challenging."

"Ah, I see. Would you eventually take on building some of these obstacles?"

"Who knows, maybe? But I'm not shooting for that, really. I guess you could say this sort of thing is how I play." He shrugged with a smirk.

"So, question, what happens if you take a dive and your bandana falls off?"

His playful expression sank and he sighed. "Now you're just toying with me."

"Sorry, I'm fixated. How often do you wash that thing? It's literally the same red bandanna, or do you have seven of them, one for every day?"

"No, it's the same one, and I wash it every day."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Why not mix it up with a different color at least?"

"Because red looks best on me, that's why. I tried other colors in the past, but none of the other colors worked." He shrugged. "So, can we drop it now, please?"

"Okay, fine..."

Later that evening, Inuyasha had stayed later than expected. Kagome wanted to watch TV, and he decided to stay a while, since her mother had called and said she was running out for groceries, and had run into a friend of hers, who then invited her over for dinner. Kagome asked whether he would watch a movie with her, and he accepted, though reluctantly. They sat beside each other, watching the movie, a bowl of popcorn between them, and a couple tall glasses of water.

After a while, Inuyasha laid down on his side to watch, and eventually fell asleep. Kagome looked over to see him snoozing quietly. His eyes moved under the lids, and his lips were slightly parted as air went in and out. He looked innocent and angelic. His bandana was still on. However, as she stared at it, something moved underneath the fabric. She gasped and continued to watch. The movement occurred again. She reached over and lightly placed the tip of her finger where she saw the movement. She felt something that couldn't possibly be hair.

'What is that?' She kept her hand there, and pressed a little more, but then she found herself back on the floor and he was a top of her, pinning her down. She looked up into his angry eyes, and then it hit her. Her ankle was not in the right angle, and a shot of pain coursed up her leg.

He gasped and got up off of her. He looked at her ankle, which was at a nasty angle. He repositioned her leg, and checked it out. "I'll get you some ice. I'm sorry about that."

Now she knew something was up, and that he was definitely hiding something important. He brought a bag of ice out and laid it on her ankle. He grabbed a nearby pillow and propped it up for her.

"Kagome, I'm so sorry. I must have dozed off during the movie."

"No, no, it was my fault."

"What?"

"I, umm..."

"You what?"

"I saw something move under your bandana."

He looked away. 'Shit.'

"What was that?"

He didn't make eye contact. He reached around to the back of his head and untied the bandana. He hung his head down more before her and pulled the bandana off to reveal something extraordinary. On top of his crown of flattened silver hair sprung up a pair of furry ears. She gasped. He looked up at her through the bangs that fell over his eyes.

"Y-you..."

"I know."

"You're not human."

"Now that's where you're wrong."

"But wait, how did you? Are you a victim of experiment? Were you-?"

"I was born this way."

Her looked went from amazement to pity.

"Don't look at me that way. I don't need pity."

"I just..."

"Don't know what to think now?" She nodded. "You're not the first one. Well, now the cat's out of the bag."

"I'm sorry I pressed you earlier."

"Now you want me gone, don't you?" He was about to get up.

"No!" He stopped and looked her way. "Stay, please. Just let me absorb this."

He relaxed and rested his back against the wall. She continued to look at him quietly. His eyes never averted her gaze. One thing he noticed as she looked him over was she never showed a negative reaction, just curiosity. He saw longing in her eyes after a few moments. He moved closer and leaned his head toward her hand. She touched the nearest ear tenderly, processing the soft feel of the fur that had been tucked away every day from her sight.

"I like you this way better. You shouldn't have to hide this from me. Please take off the bandanna when you enter the house from now on. I like you as you are."

He lifted his head to meet her gaze. "I will."

That was when the front door slid open. "Kagome, I'm home!"

His eyes shot open in fear. "Don't worry, my mom will think it's cool, just wait."

"In here, mom!" Kagome shouted.

"Oh, you made it downsta-" She stopped when she saw Inuyasha. "Is that you, Inuyasha?"

"Yes, it's me."

She stared at him a moment, crossed the room, set down the groceries and reached to touch his ears. "They're real!"

"Yes, they are."

"I had no idea! No wonder why you wear those bandanas. No one else would understand. Oh, Hun, feel free to be yourself here from now on. We'll consider you one of us here," she said with a smile and a wink.

He let go of the breath he was holding, though upon inhale, he smelled something off, but he couldn't place the scent. He thought maybe the scent was from the friend she met with. She grabbed her groceries and put them away in the kitchen. He and Kagome continued watching TV and relaxed.

After the reveal, Kagome's mother cooked steak, vegetables, and served him desert. For the first time in what felt like forever, he felt like he was part of a family. They talked, laughed at his jokes, and wanted to know everything about him. Of course, he didn't reveal his age, but he felt more at ease than ever.

Later that evening, after putting Kagome to bed, Inuyasha left quietly, as her mother was doing laundry toward the back of the house. He walked across the lawn and looked back up to Kagome's dark window and down to the window where he could see her mother dumping clothing into the washer.

“Something's off, but I don't know what.” He turned around, put his hands into his pockets and went inside.