InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Avoidance ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
I don't own Inuyasha & Co.
Well, another two weeks has gone by, and I'm ready to update this fic. I was relaxing earlier, and saw images of Koga, and I just had to set everything aside to get him on my laptop. So, enjoy as this unusual chapter unfolds.
Chapter 8
Oh, man…What a day. I had been working so many hours lately since I lost so much time in America all due to that mutt. Yeah, I had to make up hours so I wouldn't lose pay. I ended up waiting a whole two days before I could even set foot on a plane headed towards Japan. That woman, she got me good. How the mutt ended up on her side is beyond me.
I had seen him before. Him and his bad attitude. He treated her like shit so many times and I was floored to see him protect her. I don't get it. Oh well, I am so looking forward to arriving back at her apartment. Her scent calms me somehow. I can't explain why, but I feel lost when she's not around.
Okay, truth is, I'm obsessed. I don't know what started my need to be near her. All I can remember, was it was a year ago. She had just moved into my building, into the vacant apartment next to mine. I was so happy someone had finally filled those walls. When I got the chance, I greeted her at the door, and she was all sweaty and tired from unpacking. I offered for her to take a load off, and helped her unpack the food into her cabinets and her dishes into the new dishwasher. She took a glass of water, sat upon the tatami and chilled as she watched me work.
That was when she told me what she did for a living. I began to wonder what it would be like to travel to America. It sounded nice according to what she described. I decided to make my first trip on one of the flights soon after she moved in. She didn't know this, but I lied to her that time she saw me flying economy. I told her I had family in America, and I was finally able to go see them with the funds I had recently acquired. I really only wanted to be near her. I followed her, and she never suspected a thing. So, I continued.
Things were going good for a while, and then the mutt began flying on the same flights coincidentally. As I flew more often with Kagome, I began to notice a pattern in his flight schedule. There's no way he'd fly for business trips. Not with how he was dressed, and how little he had with him. Hell, I never saw him at the baggage claim any of those times. He just carried a backpack, and every now and then, he wore a hat. What was suspicious about him was his level of disguise. He was placing a charm on himself to hide his ears. Those appendages seemed odd enough, but a man with no ears at the side of his head? Come on!
Sure, like there're men out there with his attributes, who aren't albinos. He was just so suspicious. Then he got under Kagome's skin, and she became intrigued with him. She suddenly started to avoid me and made sure she spent as little time as possible in economy. Unfortunately, that was all I could afford. What bothered me, was that nut-job of a puppy boy was able to afford first class every single flight! How is that possible?
Man, just thinking about him gets my anger to rise and boil to the surface. I needed so badly to get back to Kagome's apartment. Back to her bedroom where her scent is the strongest. I was beginning to pant nervously at the water threatening to boil over the edges of my pot of anger.
Once I arrived at her window leading to her living room, I reached for the wood at the edge and pulled towards my body. Only, it wouldn't budge! I began to panic. I was unable to get in! I then climbed over to the window to her bedroom a few feet away, and tried. Once again, locked. I then leapt to my window and slid it open to climb inside. I ran to the front door, stuck a shoe in it just incase, and then ran to her door. Once again, locked shut. There was no way into her apartment, save for breaking in, or picking the lock.
Shit! I really panicked and lost my resolve. I knelt down before the door and sniffed. Damnit! The mutt's scent is a couple hours old, but definitely, this was his doing. He locked me out of my haven! That did it, the pot boiled over a hundred times deeper than normal. He crossed a line he shouldn't have trespassed upon.
I threw my belongings into my apartment and headed down the elevator. I followed his scent out the building, and down the street. His scent wasn't everywhere, so he had been very precise in his path. I followed it back to the market, and then further down the street `til I came to an alleyway. That was where the scent path ended. I looked up and saw that it was quite a leap if he had jumped onto the roof of the house. I gave it a shot, and made it, barely.
Sure enough, I made the right choice. The path continued on the rooftop. So, I followed it further, running along the rooftops until I came to the forest line. I sniffed the air a bit. Couldn't catch much, but I could faintly smell him in the direction leading to the old rundown shrine at the top of the hill. I had nowhere else to go, and following the scent trail distracted my anger so, I continued on to see where the scent trail lead, hopefully to Kagome…
@*@
(Kagome's POV)
I was so comfortable. Inuyasha has been holding close for a while now. Once we stopped kissing, we relaxed in each other's arms, and just reveled in the view of a clear night. He opened the windows to let a breeze in, making the temperature in that room cool off a bit.
I have to admit, this wasn't expected at all. When he first kissed me, I was shocked and bewildered. However, when he explained how he felt about me, it calmed my fears and I wanted to comfort him as I did when he turned human on the plane.
He's not such a bad person. A bit rough around the edges, strange to a point, but very nice as well. One thing I have learned as I've stayed these few nights is that he does have a soft side. A side he doesn't like to show. He's not a typical guy, but he can be a bit predictable in some ways. He was a mystery at first, but now that he's opening up, he's becoming transparent. He had lived here all by himself for centuries. Now that he has me here with him, he's freeing himself from those walls he hid behind from the world.
Somehow, it seems, I have become his world. It seems as if nothing else matters to this man holding me close. His hands are rough, large and frightening to a point. Just looking at them, I can tell he's been through a lot. I reached my hand out and touched his fingers. The tendons were almost visible under the taught skin. The knuckles very pronounced and visible, the nails like talons; very thick, long and sharp. I peeled his index finger from my sleeve and felt the nail as I examined it closely with my eyes. Its ivory color reminded me of bone.
“What are you doing?” he asked as his eyes watched me examine his nails.
“Your nails. They're the color of bone. They're very hard too.”
“Of course, that's because they're talons. Ya know, like a dog's claws,” he explained as my gaze shot to his, seeing the curiosity in his eyes.
“These are claws? Do they ever break?” I asked, gaining a chuckle from him.
“No. Never. I can't cut them or file them down. They are too tough.”
“Wow…Don't you cut yourself every now and then?” I asked gaining a nod from him as his smile faded.
“I've cut myself many times. But it's no big deal, the wounds heal completely within 24 hours,” he shrugged as his free hand began to run through my long black tresses. His eyes then gained admiration again as a sigh escaped his nose. “Are you enjoying being here with me, Kagome?”
“Yes, very much so. You have made me feel so at home here, I don't know if I could leave here when the time comes.”
“Well, it's not like I'm gonna kick you out at some point,” he said as his arms released me a bit.
“Really? You mean I can stay if I wanted to?”
“Look. I took you in to protect you, and I plan to do just that. Call this whatever you want, but that Koga jerk aint gonna just suddenly stop stalking you like that. Of course you can stay. At least for as long as you need my protection. You're free to leave when the need calls for it. You're not my prisoner, you're my watch.”
“But, is that all?”
“What do you mean?” he asked innocently.
“Ya know, what you said earlier, didn't you mean that?”
“Oh, that? Of course, but there's more to it than that.”
“What?”
He sat silently, thought for a few moments and then replied with, “I really can't explain it. Seriously, it's weird how I feel about you. I've been trying to make sense out of what's happened here, but I can't.”
“Make sense of it? In what way? I mean, the reasons are plain and clear to me.”
“They are?” he asked curiously, causing me to guffaw.
“Yes!”
“Then what are they?” he asked as he gave me his full attention.
“You realized you liked me and couldn't keep yourself from falling for the shrew.”
“Um…no, that's not it.”
“What? What is going through your mind?” I asked out of frustration.
“Nothing!”
“Obviously!” I spat as I stood and walked to the other side of the room to sit down and glare at him. “We had a nice mood going and everything, and your mind had to screw everything up.”
“What?! MY mind, what about yours, reading into everything too far to the point where you confuse the shit outta me,” he spat as he crossed his arms and returned my glare.
“Oh, shut up! We had a nice time for about two hours, and then you make everything some kind of mystery and call me wrong when I know exactly how you feel about me!”
“You know nothing about me, woman. Don't presume to understand what I've been going through as far as dealing with your presence in these walls,” he growled, his voice leaking venom so potent I felt chills run up my spine.
“Inuyasha, I don't mean to make you mad at me, but I would like to know what's going on here! If I'm so wrong about our relationship, then tell me. Explain this complicity here that is completely eluding me.”
“It's all you. There's something about you. I can't put my finger on it. But there is one thing I know for sure. You're not really my type of woman, and yet I need you desperately.”
“Desperately? How so?” I was beginning to feel uncomfortable now at hearing that word…
“My instincts feel a pull to you that I can't explain. I have never felt so drawn to a woman before. Sure, there was Kikyo, but what I felt with her is nothing like I feel with you, and all you did was annoy the shit outta me when I first met you!” he explained, spilling the secrets of his confused heart.
I watched him for a few moments, sitting there across the room from me as he looked out the window, shaking his head. “You are the most infuriating woman ever in my opinion…” he began and then paused to find the words only to continue a moment later. “But yet, you're somehow attractive to me. How is that possible? To be so attracted to a person who annoys and drives me insane?” he asked as he then threw me a look of utter confusion.
“I don't know, Inuyasha. I am searching for the answer as well.”
“I mean, even the energy you emit…It's somehow familiar, but yet not. I wonder if Koga has gone through this confusion and frustration as well,” he let out in wonder as his gaze dropped to the tatami beneath us.
“What are you saying?”
He looked up at me a moment later and his eyes bore through mine as if he was looking deep within my soul. The next moment, he began to crawl over, like a predator examining his prey before the pounce. I sat there, my hands clenching nervously as I watched him stalk me across the room. When he came to stop a foot away from me, his eyes continued their search of my soul. He blinked every few seconds, his eyes regaining their focus each time. I looked deeply into his eyes in return and saw wonderment, questions, and fear.
“Inuyasha? Something wrong?” I asked as his nose came a bit too close to mine, his breaths puffing across my cheeks, and caressing my lips as I bit them nervously.
“Nothing. And everything,” he replied softly as his eyes held mine for ransom.
“Explain,” I requested innocently as my breathing began to catch in my throat, my body involuntarily backing into the wall a bit further away from him.
“I see something familiar. You look…like her. It's hard to see, but I think I can see the resemblance.”
“Like who?”
“Kikyo. For some reason, I see her within you. How is that possible?” he asked suddenly as he finally backed off slightly, only to sniff me.
“I don't know. I've never seen her.”
“It's not something you can see easily. I knew her well enough to find her within you. Your energy, were you born with the gift? Or did you have to hone it?”
“I just did the things I can do. No one trains in the ways of a priestess anymore.”
“I thought so. It's true then. She was reincarnated in you,” he stated as he sat back on his haunches, eyeing me in a new way.
“You really think so? Could that be what's drawing you to me?” I asked curiously.
“No. I know for certainly that Kikyo had no contact with Koga before she died, and yet he's just as drawn to you as I am. There's something else involved here.”
“What could it be? What state was she in when she died?” I asked, hoping to get an answer that could lead us somewhere.
“Well, I know she died shortly after she sealed me to the tree, but according to the story told to me after I was released, she was burned on a pyre along with the Jewel. The Shikon Jewel.”
“The Shikon Jewel? It actually existed?” I asked in shock.
“Yes, it did. But it left this world just as quickly and easily as it came in. You see, the Jewel was a ball of spiritual energy, both positive and negative. Yin and Yang so to speak. Well, an ancient Priestess named Midoriko fought an army of demons for 7 days straight, causing them to wear her down to the point where she almost ended up eaten alive. At that point, a giant demon began to consume her. With her arms already gone, knowing she wouldn't last much longer, she called upon the last vestiges of her spirit and imprisoned the malevolent energy all around her into her own energy.
“What she didn't expect, was that her own soul would become consumed and forced out of her body. Completely expelled from her body in the form of a round ball, fraught with a storm of pure and malevolent energy within its small circumference. This jewel containing all that turbulent energy became a treasure sought by thieves, demons and the greedy. According to the way the energy works, it could be used for good or bad.”
“Did you ever hold it?” I asked intrigued by his story.
“Yes. It was almost too difficult to hold onto. The energy it emitted reflected the energy of the possessor. If the person holding it harbored a pure soul, then it would glow a very pure pinkish hue. If the holder bore a malevolent and greedy soul, or was malevolent in nature, the energy would turn the jewel dark, almost black.”
“Wow…” I whispered in wonderment.
“In my hands, it darkened simply because of the demonic energy pulsing through my veins. Not only that, but I was unable to ever use the jewel without losing control of the demonic energy within me. My form changed and I became an uncontrollable beast.”
“Oh, my. What gets me though, is if I'm her reincarnation, then what happened to the jewel?” I asked getting a shrug from him as he retreated within himself, showing signs of insecurity suddenly. “Did telling me all this bring about bad feelings?”
“Yes. It's not easy for me to talk about the past. Those were uncertain and frightening times. I'd much rather forget them, but I can't let go of my past. Makes me who I am.”
“Yes, a man of true strength and righteousness.”
“Keh! Whatever…” he said lazily as his senses peaked a moment later, causing him to go into alert mode.
“What is it?” I asked quietly.
“Shhh…” he sounded as he crawled closer to the windows, sniffing as his ears shifted to gather sounds.
`Is someone here? Is something wrong?' I thought as I then inched closer to the window to see what he was sensing. All I saw were trees blowing in the wind. At that moment, as I looked over to see him lost intently in his senses, I began to appreciate him not only as a man, but also as a beast with high senses so no one can get past without him knowing.
(Inuyasha's POV)
`This can't be! I smell that foul stench the breeze carries…It's definitely the wolf's scent. He's nearby.' I thought as I listened intently for any sounds indicating how close he has come. All I could hope was that the mansion will remain unfound, unnoticed. Right away, once I had gotten a more potent scent of him, I shut the windows I had opened earlier, and proceeded to bring Kagome away from the windows, turning off the lights.
“Hey! What are you doing?!” she shouted.
“Protecting you, what more do you want?” I spat with a hint of sarcasm.
“Why? From what?”
“Koga,” I replied. Now that shut her up.
“He found us? How is that possible?” she asked, her eyes showing intense fear.
“Well, I'm betting he's come to bitch at me for sealing up your apartment from him. I don't know what his problem is, but I have a feeling I'm about to find out,” I explained as I pulled her down the stairs from the tower.
“Ya know, all you have to do is ask me to follow you. You don't have to hurt me while dragging me down these stairs!” she exclaimed, causing me to drop her arm and give her a stern look.
“Fine, but you will do as I say. You will remain in your bedroom, and you will not come out, no matter what you hear. If you do, then you will compromise everything. You got that?” I commanded, hoping she wasn't stupid.
“Yeah, I got it. Just make sure he doesn't come anywhere near me.” She replied, as her arms wrapped around her abdomen, showing weakness. “Inuyasha, promise me one thing…”
“What's that?” I asked softly as I turned towards her to give her my full attention.
“Promise me that you will survive. I don't think I could live through what he may do to me…” she said with a slight shudder.
My eyes calmed slightly, and a righteous tone covered my face as I lifted her chin to gain her attention as I said, “You can trust that I will succeed and come back to protect you, hold you, whatever you need me to do to help you feel safe.” I then leaned forward to take her in my arms to comfort her.
“Inuyasha, thank you for everything you've done, and for everything you will do to keep me safe from men like him.”
“Kagome, please promise me that soon, you will tell me what he has done to you. Also, please tell me what brought you to this area, and into my life as a purpose,” I said as I closed my eyes while reveling in her aura.
“I will, after you come back and I know everything's okay. Also, I wanted you to know. Since I am a flight attendant, I have taken extensive classes in first aid. So, if you're injured, I can heal you and help you to be comfortable.”
“Thank you, Kagome.” I replied, then helped her to her room and closed the shoji. I then breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the tower where I could overlook the tree line quietly, awaiting that mangy wolf's arrival.
@*@
Well, this seemed a good place to end this chapter. I know, it's a bit short, but I guess that's what's happening now that I'm updating more often with little time each session to type. I'm just glad I'm back on schedule, not as distracted as I was, and that I can once again update weekly. Sorry for the cliffy, but this will allow the next chapter to be a bit more action packed, and focused, don't ya think? Well, `til next time, ja ne!
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