InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Because of Tomomi ❯ Hesitant Affection ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or the like. This story is for my own entertainment. (Well. You can be entertained by it too, I suppose.)

 

A/N: Poor Hojo… even spellcheck thinks he's a hobo.

 

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Because of Tomomi

Chapter Two

Hesitant Affection

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How, InuYasha wondered to himself, could he even remotely entertain the thought of living with humans? He'd rejected and reviled the idea years ago. Yet somehow he just seemed to fall into living among them. It began and ended with Kagome; he started staying among them to protect her, just because he needed her for the Shikon, then somehow that grudging, forced protection turned gentler and yet more fierce. It became his will rather than his obligation, and once he realized that change, he realized he was doomed to remain among humans as long as Kagome was among them. He was grateful for the times she ventured out of the village. He'd follow her, under the pretense of protection, but they both knew it was a thin lie. Kagome let him get away with it though, as she enjoyed his company none the less. She didn't want to make him change his mind by digging at his real purpose.

 

This was one such time when Kagome's knowing smile was silent. He walked at her side while she meandered through the forest, collecting herbs and roots that she and Kaede frequently used. He hadn't pushed the Hojo issue since he'd first brought it up. Damned if he made her mad again, but damned if he'd apologize. There were three years of her life that he didn't know about; three years of her agonizingly short human life since he'd met her that he was left out of. Oh he knew how she felt about him. He didn't, however, know if she'd had any feelings for anyone while they were apart. He didn't know if she felt quite as strongly for him as she had before. While he sat every day, thinking of her, returning to the well as if to prove to himself that it wasn't just Goshinboku that connected their eras, had she thought of him half as much?

 

“What are you thinking so hard about, InuYasha?” Kagome asked, breaking his stream of thought.

 

“Nothing,” he replied. He flinched inwardly at his knee-jerk response. Why couldn't he have said `You,' or, `How pretty you look,' or something that would make her smile and blush? Miroku was a master at doing that to Sango. He made it look so easy. And he'd done it for years. Was there just something fundamentally wrong with his own brain that made him unable to speak smoothly?

 

He flattened back his ears when Kagome said, “If you say so,” and continued to collect plants. He didn't miss how her shoulders drooped ever so slightly. She was disappointed.

 

He heard a crackle of twigs on the ground, and grabbed for Tetsusaiga. He wouldn't let her be disappointed again. He scented the air, cursing that whatever it was, was downwind. He couldn't see anything in the direction the sound had come from, either. He strained his ears for any other sound, but nothing came. Was he so uneasy that he was jumping for a fight? At least Kagome hadn't noticed the reflexive clutch for his sword. He could only imagine how she'd tease him for jumping at squirrels. She seemed to take up Shippo's job when the kit was away, he grumbled to himself.

 

Kagome turned to say something to him, but instead looked to something beyond him. Just as he was going for Tetsusaiga again, half-turning to face the threat, he was tackled nearly to the ground.

 

“Found you, found you!” Tomomi giggled, hanging from his neck. She kicked her feet, which no longer touched the ground.

 

Fighting a smile, Kagome tried to express to the girl just how much danger she'd been in. “Tomomi-chan,” she said gently, “you can't sneak up on InuYasha like that.”

 

“No ninja?” Tomomi blinked, turning to Kagome. Kagome had to fight to keep a straight face.

 

“No ninja,” she repeated.

 

The younger girl seemed to pout for a moment before lighting back up. “Youkai-iii!” she declared, and bit into InuYasha's shoulder. He yelped, surprised, and grabbed her under her arms to plant her jarringly on the ground.

 

“No,” he said. “No ninja, no youkai…” he noticed how her gaze slid to his sword. He put a restraining hand on her chest and a protective hand on Tetsusaiga. “And definitely no samurai!”

 

No samurai.

 

Tomomi dropped to her knees, her face slack. No samurai.

 

“Tomomi-chan!” Kagome exclaimed, coming to her side. InuYasha looked stricken. Had he said something wrong? Kagome shook the frail girl by her shoulders, trying to get a reaction from her. “Tomomi-chan!” she shouted again. “Can you hear me? Tomomi-chan!”

 

Tears began to roll down Tomomi's face, but the girl herself was silent. “There are no samurai,” she said. Her lips began to quiver. “Even samurai can't save…” Kagome didn't know how to console her. She didn't make a sound as she cried, and continued to stare blankly forward. Kagome wrapped her arms around the girl, tried to comfort her. Tomomi continued to whisper “no samurai.”

 

“Hey,” InuYasha barked, dropping to one knee next to the two women. “You don't need any stinking samurai. You can save yourself. So snap out of it!”

 

Blinking slowly, Tomomi raised her hand and gripped the sleeve of InuYasha's haori. “Youkai,” she mumbled. A slight frown shadowed her face, and she touched her cheek. Kagome pulled away a little when Tomomi jerked and stared at her hand in shock. She looked at the sky, confused. “Rain?” she asked. She didn't think too long on it before standing, breaking Kagome's hold on her. She'd already let go of InuYasha. “Rain?”

 

“It's stopped already,” Kagome said.

 

“Oh,” was the reply. Still she didn't look away from the sky, or what she could see of it through the canopy of leaves above them. She missed Kagome and InuYasha exchange concerned glances and confused shrugs.

 

~*~

 

“Tomo-tatoes,” Tomomi giggled, amused with the world she saw moving under InuYasha's feet. He had her slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, so she was indeed, Tomo-tatoes. Kagome walked beside them, carrying a basket loaded with the vegetation she'd left seeking. While she was continually amused by Tomomi's simple entertainment, InuYasha was rather irritated. He didn't exactly mind the crazy girl he was carrying - though she was a handful - but he minded that his time alone with Kagome had been compromised. It seemed to be happening more and more frequently lately, what with Kagome's miko training consuming almost all of her day. And by the time she finally got a break, she was tired and just wanted to sleep. Sure, she'd talk to him and see him throughout the day, but it just wasn't the same. There was always someone around. When they did happen to get time alone together, he never seemed to be able to work up the nerve to talk to her before one of them had something else to do.

 

Kagome seemed to be enjoying herself, though. And seeing her being so lively with the villagers, so tender with the sick, endeared her to him. He wondered if it were possible to care about her any more than he already did, and though he didn't think it was possible, apparently it was. He just didn't know how much longer he could stand always being around people when he wanted her alone.

 

Getting back to the village, Kagome and InuYasha stopped short, seeing a white horse standing outside Kaede's hut. Who in the world…? The stallion tossed his mane and reared a little as they passed him to enter. Tomomi flinched away from him, and InuYasha felt her hands fist in the back of his haori. Inside, they discovered Kaede tending to a young man who sat shirtless at the fire pit. His torso was wrapped with bandages, and he seemed to be in pain.

 

“Kagome-chan, InuYasha,” Kaede greeted them warmly. The young man looked up, and his face brightened.

 

Kagome's stomach plummeted. She knew that look. She knew that look damn well. It wasn't the look a sick person gives their doctor when they're grateful to see them. Oh, no. It was that same look that Kouga or Hojo wore when either of them spotted her. She half-hid behind InuYasha, at the same time trying not to. When the hanyou let Tomomi off his shoulder, she squealed and went on all fours next to the man to stare at his bandages. He looked startled, and then Tomomi poked him carelessly where there was blood on the white cloth. His scream came a second later, after his eyes had bugged out and he threw himself to the floor, away from Tomomi. Kagome felt horrible for almost smiling in sadistic pleasure. She just didn't want to deal with this man. However, she was still a miko, and he was in pain…

 

“Tomomi-chan,” Kagome scolded gently. “He's hurt there!”

 

There was no talking to the girl. She found his screaming hysterical, but Kaede shooed her away from the writhing man and she pulled away, still giggling. Looking cross, Kaede apologized to the young man led Tomomi out of the hut, presumably to take her to back to her brother. On her way out she told Kagome what she'd done for the man and what to do next. Tomomi was smiling as she was pulled along by the old woman.

 

Dismayed but not showing it, Kagome set about storing her haul. “I'm sorry about her,” Kagome lied. “She doesn't understand sometimes.”

 

The young man wheezed, gingerly touching his bandages. “Well,” he said, then turned to beam at Kagome. “Even under the circumstances, it's a pleasure to meet you, Kagome-sama.” With her back turned to him, Kagome didn't bother trying to hide the strain in her smile when she made a polite sound. “Ah!” he exclaimed. “Where are my manners?” He stood - obviously painfully - and approached Kagome. She turned to face him, but only because she had to. She didn't want him at her back. “I am Mitsuo Shigeru.” He bowed.

 

“Nice to meet you, Mitsuo-san,” Kagome bowed slightly in return. How could she get him out of here…?

 

“Please,” he grinned, “Shigeru is fine.”

 

“She ain't gonna be on no familiar terms with you, asshole,” InuYasha growled, angry at being ignored. Mitsuo jumped as if just realizing he was there. It didn't improve on the hanyou's mood any. He glowered at the injured man, then propped himself against a wall, resting Tetsusaiga against his shoulder. Kagome allowed herself to feel relieved that he'd saved her from coming up with a way to tell Mitsuo it wasn't going to happen - politely.

 

“Is there anything I can do for you, Mitsuo-san?” Kagome asked. The man in question glanced balefully toward InuYasha, and forced a smile.

 

“No,” he said. “I should be on my way. There are still things I can get done even injured.” He bowed after re-clothing himself. “Please pass my thanks on to Kaede-sama.”

 

Finally, Kagome sighed. He was gone. She had a sneaking suspicion that she hadn't seen the last of him, though. She tried to force the thought out of her mind as she set about the hut to prepare lunch. Kaede had a stew cooking over the fire, so all she had to do was pull out bowls and chopsticks. Still, she thought, busy hands don't think.

 

~*~

 

“Inu?”

 

InuYasha twitched at the shortening of his name, but tried not to mind it. It wasn't like fighting with Tomomi would get him anywhere, anyway. He turned to face the tawny-haired girl, who was half-hugging a tree, as if she was hesitant to approach him. And how could he blame her? He was practically exuding unrest even though he stood stock-still on top of a hill, overlooking the village. He turned back to the view of the valley. Tomomi came up to him quietly, careful not to provoke him with her hands clasped in front of her.

 

“Something bothers Inu,” she said gently. He frowned as he caught her scent. Her body language said she was afraid. So why didn't she smell like it? She didn't know him. She didn't know if he would attack her. He was half bothered by her lack of fear, otherwise he wasn't sure how he felt about it. The only other person who hadn't feared him to some extent on sight had been Kagome.

 

“I guess,” he replied.

 

“It's about Miko-chan,” Tomomi said matter-of-factly. She took InuYasha's silence as a confirmation. “Why does Miko-chan bother Inu? Why-why, when Inu,” she pressed her hands to her heart, “is in lo-ooove,” she spun around on her toes and let herself fall on her back, “with Miko-chan?” InuYasha was watching her incredulously now, but she just stared up at him with laughing blue eyes.

 

“How did you--?” he started, at a loss for words. “I don't--“ Tomomi giggled at him. He grit his teeth and dropped to sit cross-legged. “Fine.”

 

“So,” Tomomi persisted, sitting up and imitating his posture. “Bother bother?” InuYasha refused to answer her. Her expression slowly turned worried, and then stricken. “Does Miko-love bother Inu?”

 

“No!” InuYasha shouted on reflex. “I mean… yes, but - No! It's not that.” He looked away from her, hiding his arms in his sleeves. Tomomi leaned forward on her hands. He grimaced. He didn't want talk. But then it wasn't like the girl was capable of spreading his secrets. Who would take her seriously? He refused to look at her while he spoke. “Kagome was gone for a long time. I don't know if… she feels the same way for me as she did…”

 

He was startled by her bray of laughter. “Silly Inu!” she said, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. InuYasha bristled, his lips tightening. “Miko-chan cares so-ooo much!” When she said this she pressed her hands to hear heart and twisted back and forth at her waist. “So much! Silly Inu just doesn't see!”

 

Tomomi put her hands on her stomach when it growled. “Ooh,” she mumbled. She said nothing more, instead opting for half-skipping down the hill to the village. It was just as well. InuYasha had nothing to say to her any more. Did Tomomi know just what the hell she was talking about? Or was she rambling about what she saw in that misty little head of hers? He didn't dare to hope that she was right. It would break his heart too much if he believed and she was wrong.

 

Three years. They'd been separated three years, and he'd only had her back for two or three weeks. How had she spent those years? It wasn't like she had a surly hanyou to interrupt her from anything in that time. Her studies, her family, her friends… his expression darkened. Hojo. Three years with that bumbling idiot, probably chasing after her the entire time. Had she relented? Did she enjoy the attention? Did she accept him? Did she… touch him? Did she let him touch her? He swore under his breath. It was going to drive him crazy if he didn't find out. But then, a certain answer would drive him just as nuts.

 

He growled the entire way back to the village. He may be angry, but damn if he'd miss a meal because of it.