InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Being Watched ❯ Being Watched: Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

I do not own Inuyasha & Co.

Chapter 1

Inuyasha waited at the station for the train home to arrive. Surrounded by nameless people, he looked at his watch and sighed, 'Damn it, the train is late again.'

Some girl to his left laughed loudly and startled him. He looked her way, saw her interacting with her three friends. She was trying to push a large book into another's backpack. He looked away and let out another sigh. Someone behind him bumped into him, and apologized. 'Yeah, thanks, you nearly knocked me off the platform, jerk. Sorry my ass.'

Finally, his ears under the red and white ball cap caught the sounds of the distant train coming. Every day was like that, it never failed. He wanted to get home so badly, and being surrounded by swarms of people who talked all at once, made him uncomfortable. His sensitive ears could pick up every syllable, every hum, and every sigh each human made, and his head couldn't take it. He enjoyed silence and the sounds only he'd make, or the music he listened to every now and then. Inuyasha lived alone, and liked it that way. No one to bother, badger, or annoy him. That was the life. Once a year he'd get together with a few people he considered friends, but they all had families, busy lives, and complicated schedules. Otherwise, he had only himself.

When the train finally sailed into the station and slowed to a stop, Inuyasha was pushed into the car by the people behind him. He stumbled into a seat and watched as impatient people packed themselves in like sardines. A woman was suddenly pushed and fell face-first into him. He stiffened and she placed her hands against his chest and leaned back. She got a good look at the man she fell into. They locked eyes for a moment, and just then, the train jerked to life. She lost her balance and he gripped her to his chest to stop her from hitting the floor beside him.

She gathered her wits about her and said, "Thank you."

Inuyasha's eyes grew a bit bigger. "You're welcome. You okay?"

"Yeah, thanks to you. You saved my life."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far. I just didn't want you to hurt yourself."

She stood from his arms, and gripped the bar beside him. "What's your name?" He asked.

"Kagome. What's yours?"

"Inuyasha."

"You take the train every day?"

"Pretty much. You?" She nodded. "I hate the train."

"Why do you take it then?"

"Because I have to. If I had a license, I would be driving everywhere. I don't like being surrounded by chatter boxes."

"What do you do? Where do you work?"

"Shibuya Studios. I'm an animator."

"Oh, wow! Are you working on something right now?"

"Yeah, but I can't really talk about it."

"Oh. Oh, my stop." She looked down at him and her eyes met his once again. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"We'll see." He looked on as she smiled, turned, and left the train.

He looked forward to see that a good amount of the riders left the car. He sighed again and stretched his legs out. After a couple more stops the train was almost empty. He stood and waited for the platform to arrive. When the door opened, he stepped through and then just headed up the stairs. Once he arrived on the street he turned right and kept walking for about a quarter mile past shops, restaurants, coffee shops and the like. People laughed, ate, commiserated and enjoyed life as he continued on alone.

Soon he arrived at his building, and walked in through the door. He climbed the stairs to his door at the top and went in. He set his keys on the table beside the door, removed his shoes, and went straight to his fridge. Empty. He sighed and shut the door. 'I knew I forgot something.' He stepped into the foyer, slipped his shoes back on, grabbed his keys and headed back down onto the street.

Later, after getting back from the supermarket, he cooked a simple meal, and turned on his computer in the living room, setting his meal on the desk beside the keyboard. He pulled up his account at work, and started doing some more animation for the show. His co-workers called him a workaholic, but he shrugged it off, seeing as he had nothing better to do. Working at home helped the shows progress stay ahead of schedule. He found peace in creating characters and bringing them to life on the screen. Vibrant, colorful, kind, and evil; all the characters he worked on meant something to him.

Ever since the future came, he felt he had nothing to live for, save for creating dynamic characters that seemed believable to his colleagues and fans of the shows he created. A lot of his characters were modeled after people he encountered in his distant past. That past with Naraku. Naraku was his arch-enemy, and a half-demon that messed up his life eons ago. He modeled the evil characters after Naraku in various ways, which allowed Inuyasha to conquer him repeatedly.

The concept brought him joy, since he felt alone in the world. Even today, he continued to wear red and white, and he kept his long, silvery hair tied back in a low ponytail. People who first met him always saw him as a rebel because of his hair and eye color. He hated when people stared at him. When he applied at Shibuya Studios, he presented a portfolio of his drawings that stemmed from life. The director and producers liked his work, and hired him on the spot.

Now, he creates instead of taking life away. Ever since Kikyo's death, he'd been alone. Miroku and Sango died off centuries ago, and he never saw reason to make new friends. He felt useless for a long time, and lived amongst the bamboo in the nearby forests surrounding rural prefectures near Kyoto.

Then civilization took over. They knocked down the old shrines from his time, and he felt out of place. He lived in the mountains for a while, and then came down when the mountains became tourist traps. At one point, he was hired to cut bamboo trees for building materials when a logger saw him chop one down with one hand out of frustration. He made good money, and put it away while he lived amongst the trees remotely. Then he later bought the flat which was centered in civilization. Soon after, he felt the need to see Kikyo. He grabbed a pencil, some blank paper, and drew her face. The sketch brought him comfort. He continued to draw her, Miroku, Sango, and other people he missed. The images brought him happiness.

While he sat in a café and ate his meal one day, he drew Naraku on a pad of paper. An animator walked past and asked him about the image. He told him it was inspired by someone from his past. The animator handed him a business card for the director of Shibuya Studios, and he later applied. That was over ten years ago. The money was good, but he didn't spend it, as he had nothing to spend it on. That night, he continued working into the night, while others slept around him.

Presently, the next morning, he got up out of his chair and readied himself for work. He experienced the same everyday drawl as yesterday. He got on the fairly empty subway train car, which gradually filled up until he got to Shibuya Station, but one thing did change- he saw Kagome get on that morning. She slinked in under arms, around torsos and between talkers to stand by a door just a few feet down from Inuyasha's seat.

She looked around after gripping the bar beside her, and happened to catch a glimpse of the cap he wore the afternoon before. When she saw the cap, she did her best to get closer as the train raced over the tracks and away from the station. When she dodged around a tall gentleman in a suit, she caught those gold-hued eyes. As soon as they caught hers, a smile seemed to appear in them, though his lips remained neutral. Inuyasha seemed to relax and sit back against his seat when she asked to switch spots with another suit holding onto the bar beside Inuyasha.

"Hello, again, Inuyasha." Her voice was like a song- it was beautiful, full of cheer, and warm to his ears.

"Hi, Kagome."

"Do you sit here every day?"

"Pretty much. There's only one stop before mine, so I have my pick, and very rarely have to move." He placed his hands on the seat bars and stood, offering his seat to Kagome.

"Oh, no, you don't have to, I'm fine."

"Please, I insist. I was just keeping it warm for you." His eyes radiated a gentleness she couldn't resist.

Before she could react again, her body just slipped around the tall floor-to-ceiling bar and planted itself into the warm seat. He took her position by the door.

"So, you got to know me yesterday. Now what about you?"

"Huh?" She looked up and saw the question in his eyes. "Oh, I am a paralegal. I work for Jun and Takara Law, just a station before Shibuya."

"Ah. You like your job?"

"Yes. I work for my father, Toru Jun."

"I see. Is your father on this train?"

"No, he lives just a block from the office, so he doesn't need to ride the train like I do."

"Left the family home."

"Well, I wasn't happy living at home. I will work for my father, but I can't live with him. He is a tough man, and lives every minute of every day by a tight schedule. I don't thrive in that kind of situation. So, when I came of age, I moved."

"Ah. And you like working for him?"

"He's not a bad boss. Just a bad father is all. My mother, bless her heart, is the reason I tolerated living with him through my childhood. She tamed him, so to speak. I've told her to leave him, and to be happy with a better man, but she refuses. So, I visit her every so often on my days off, but he's not someone I am proud of, really." She averted her eyes.

"I'm sorry to hear your dad's such a pill." She looked up at him, and saw a slight smile appear on his face.

"Thank you." The train stopped. "Oh, I have to get off."

She stood and Inuyasha cleared the way for her and surprised her when he got off after her. "Wait, this isn't your stop!"

"Oh, I'll be alright. Just thought I'd walk you to work, that's all."

"You don't have to do that," she turned from him to walk up the stairs.

"No, no. Really, it's alright. It's not that far for me from where you're going, I'm sure, so don't worry about it," he held a door open for her.

"Oh, all right, if you insist."

He stepped up beside her and continued along. "Are you hungry? Need some coffee? Anything?" He asked as they passed a café.

"No, I'm fine."

"You sure? My treat." He grabbed the door to the café and motioned her to step in.

"Inuyasha, I must be on time, and I have no time to spare. Maybe next time, if we can get an earlier start, I'd be happy if you'd treat me then."

"Okay, how about Monday?"

"Sure. What time shall your train pick me up?"

"How about, oh, say, an hour early."

"At 6am?!"

"Yeah, that way we can sit down, have a nice chat, and really put something good in our bellies rather than the bran muffin I'm sure you were eating this morning on your way out."

"How'd you…?" She eyed him in shock.

"I can smell it. And you seem a bit on the tired side, though I can tell you're trying to hide it."

"Inuyasha, when did I give you the permission to try to take care of me?" Her demeanor certainly took a turn for the low.

"I'm just saying, I'm here, and am willing to help if you need it."

"Inuyasha, you are a sweet man. Very generous, and… well, while it's nice having someone kind to talk to, I am not asking anything of you, all right?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

She sighed and looked him in the eyes, her gaze softening. "I don't mean to come off assertively, but these are things my father does to me, and I don't… You know…"

"Point taken. We'll get together and eat when you decide, okay? And not to take care of you, but to just get to know you. Sound good?"

She smiled. "Yes, that's much better."

They continued on for another couple blocks and then stopped before a twelve-floor tall, ritzy looking glass and steel building embossed in gold accents, circular doors, and nothing but suits coming and going.

"Here's my stop." He turned and stood before her, with a nervous look in his eyes. "What is it?" She asked.

He looked her in the eyes and licked his lips before looking down again. "Well, I guess I'll see you on the train later then. Have a good day at work." He looked up and smiled.

"Of course I'll see you later, I'll look for you. Thanks for walking me to work, I appreciate it." She returned the smile.

"See ya." He waved as he walked on down the street. She stood there watching him continue on. A little ways off, he broke into a run. She giggled and then walked through the nearest door.

Meanwhile, ten stories up, a stern face watched her interact with a young man wearing a cap, common clothes and a long, oddly colored ponytail down his back. He was dressed casually, carrying a dirty, worn, and grey knapsack across his chest that looked like he'd been carrying it since he was five. As soon as the slob walked off and his daughter entered the building, he stepped back away from the window with a scowl across his lips.

Kagome soon arrived at her desk, set her purse and briefcase down and heard her door close. She turned to see her father walking toward her desk; he was angry. She cautiously stepped behind her desk for protection from the storm sure to come.

"Who was that down on the street with you?"

"Oh, just some guy who rides the train I take to work and home. Why?"

"I don't like that he walked you to your job."

"Oh, father, it's innocent, I assure you."

"Oh, sure. He's poor, and I'm positive that he sees beautiful, rich you and thinks he can get in on your inheritance."

"Father, how can you think that? He's an animator at Shibuya Studios. He makes excellent wages!"

"I bet. He certainly doesn't look it, and I wouldn't doubt if he's lying to you."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, Shibuya Studios is over a mile away from your stop. I believe that walking you to work just cost him his livelihood," he stepped out of her office and shut the door.

She slapped her pen down on her desk and shook her head. She sat down at her desk and looked up Shibuya Studio's website to see the location. Her father was right, one and a half miles away, and the studio is open from 8:30 am to 5 pm. She bit her lip. She decided to click on the “About Our Animators” tab, and the first face she saw was Inuyasha's neutral picture staring back at her. Wearing that same ball cap, a red T-shirt, his hair back as usual, and his golden eyes gleaming beautifully back at her. She studied his eyes for a few moments. They were warm, speckled in black here and there, and just so soft, like the color of honey. His skin, as she saw on the monitor, and in person, was an unusual perfection. Not a blemish or scar existed on his face. His hair was a striking silver, and the length was very over the top as it reached down to his hips. She sighed, and wondered about his parentage, and where he's from.

Once he was out of sight, Inuyasha ran into an alley way, climbed up the side of the nearest brick building, and hopped from roof to roof to his job, still arriving on time.

He arrived at his desk, and his boss knocked on his door. "Morning, Inu. So, what's with the smile and very upbeat demeanor?"

"Oh, no reason. Just glad I made it on time," he turned toward his boss, and a sealed envelope was thrust into his hand.

"The slides you produced last night got you a bonus. Great job, keep it up. This is your best villain yet, Inu." He walked out and closed the door.

Inuyasha opened the envelope to see a check of 15,000 yen inside. He smiled and slid the check into his bag, slipped the bag back over his shoulder and headed out of his office to deposit his check into his bank account. Friday was bonus day for all animators, and he generally received the highest bonuses because he accomplished the most. He walked past his co-worker Toshi who had just looked at his bonus.

"How big this time, Inu?"

"Big enough to make you wish you had it." He replied with a smirk and then turned to leave the office.

“How do you do it?” His co-worker asked.

“Easy, I'm an insomniac,” he shrugged and left the office.

After he deposited his check in the bank, he decided to take his lunch early, and stopped off at the nearest fast food restaurant for an egg sandwich and some coffee. He wished Kagome was with him.

Later that day, Kagome's rough shift ended, and she looked a bit haggard. Her purse fell off her shoulder as she went around in the circular door to leave the building. Suddenly she bumped into somebody. She looked up to see Inuyasha standing before her.

"Hi Kagome. You alright?" She looked at him for a moment, and nearly fainted. He reached out, and helped her stand.

"No, I had a rough day…" She gathered herself and looked into those gorgeous golden eyes.

"Here, I'll walk you to the station." He put his arm around her and helped her along.

"What happened to you today? Is everything alright?"

"Not really, my father is furious."

"Furious? Over what?"

She stopped and eyed him. "Over you."

"Me? Why? I didn't do anything wrong."

"You're right, you did nothing wrong. This is what I was telling you about earlier. There's a reason why I can't live with him- no man I like is good enough for his daughter. Well, no man alive, that is."

"Well, I have only one thing to say about that."

"What's that?"

He looked her in the eye and said, "I don't give a damn what he thinks, and you shouldn't either."

She eyed him for a few silent moments, nodded and they continued on, with his arm around her shoulder. When they arrived at the station, he stood behind her, in the front of the platform as the train rolled in. They filed in, and he set her down in his seat, and sat down beside her. She leaned into his shoulder as the train accelerated. Inuyasha leaned away from her, put his right arm around her shoulders and she leaned into his muscular chest. She heard his steady, strong heartbeat, heard his inhalation, and relaxed into his warmth.

When her stop came up, she was asleep, and wouldn't rouse. So, when his stop came up, he picked her up in his arms, and walked to his place. When he arrived at his flat, he set her down on the bed, removed her shoes and purse and set them and her briefcase beside the bed. He laid an extra blanket over her and then shut the light off. He stood in the doorway and watched her for a few moments. She slept so deeply that she was unaware of where she was, or that she was off the train. He cracked the door and walked to the kitchen to grab a snack and get back to work.

A few hours later, Kagome roused from her deep nap to find herself in unfamiliar surroundings. She immediately sat up with a gasp, and fumbled for a light. She fell out of the bed, all tied up in the blanket. She crawled on the floor toward a shard of light, and reached for the light switch. Once the light turned on, the door bumped open. She looked up to see Inuyasha standing over her.

"Wha… where am I?" She asked as she slipped away from him along the floor.

"You fell asleep on the train. I tried to ask you where you live, but you were completely out. So, I took you home to my place."

She sat there on the floor panting. He kneeled down before her and swept her disheveled hair from her eyes with his fingers. "I decided not to disturb you. You said you'd had a rough day, and I thought you needed some rest. Are you hungry?"

She nodded. He held out his hand. She took it. He helped her to her feet and led her into his kitchen. She sat in the nearest chair at the small table.

“What do you have a taste for?”

"What do you have?"

“I have some leftovers from last night: some udon, pickled radishes, a few pastries, and the like. I could cook up some chicken, beef, salmon, or pork, whichever you prefer.”

“Salmon sounds good,” she said and he went straight to work on her meal.

She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, pulled her legs up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them. Not long after, her meal was set before her: pickled radishes, Udon in broth, and a cooked filet of salmon. He set chopsticks and a spoon before her and sat down across from her with a glass of water.

"Thank you," she said as she set the chopsticks in her hand and broke off a piece of the cooked salmon. She hummed her satisfaction of the taste. Inuyasha smiled inside his glass of water.

"Aren't you going to eat?" She asked.

"Nah, I ate hours ago. Plus, it's after 11 pm. I'm not too hungry this time of night."

Her eyes went wide. "It's 11 pm?"

"Yeah, you slept the evening away. Don't you get any sleep at home?"

She looked at her plateful of food and said, "Not really."

"Why not? Something going on?" She looked up and then back to her food and started eating.

"Come on, you can level with me. I don't know many people, so it won't get anywhere past this table, I swear."

She looked up at him as she chewed silently for a moment. "Well, it's just… um…"

Inuyasha leaned forward and placed his arms on the table to show he was listening.

“I'm just… not that comfortable talking about it."

"Why not? Maybe it's something I can help with."

"I-I don't know…" She looked in his eyes and saw the concern.

After a moment, his eyes held firm, willing her to reveal her issue. "Well, there's this… guy."

"Okay. And?"

"He watches me…"

"What do you mean? Watches you how?"

"He… I would come home and see binoculars following me. I close my blinds and curtains, but I'm afraid he can still see."

"Where do you live?" She shook her head. "Kagome, what part of town do you live in?"

"On Tani Street in Kana prefecture." Her breathing was labored, and she shuddered, pulling the blanket around her even more.

"No, not there…" She nodded.

Tani Street was known to be where the rejects of society lived and thrived; the less than fortunate. He rested his forehead in his left hand.

"I may work for my father, but he doesn't pay me well. I can't afford to live anywhere else. However, it's better than being under his thumb."

"Being watched by some sick freak with binoculars is better than being protected and loved by your father?!" She looked up to see surprise in Inuyasha's eyes.

"You're not living there anymore." He stood from the table and went to the bedroom.

A couple moments later, he had grabbed her shoes and said, "After you're finished eating, you and I are going back to your apartment and you're grabbing your essentials, and coming back here."

"But, Inuyash-"

"No ifs, ands or buts. You are not living there anymore."

He sat down in the seat next to her and faced her. "Look, I am by myself. I get paid a huge amount of money for what I do. I seriously just got a 15,000 yen bonus check today. I get one every Friday, and I have more than enough money to cover my expenses, however little they are."

"Inu, I…"

"You can have them." She looked at him in shock. "The money's yours. I'll give it to you at the ATM."

"But, that's not necessary."

"Oh, I think it is. You're a nice, kind, and beautiful girl who lives in the slums. And here I have more than what I need. It wouldn't be right of me to hold onto what I have and let you be victimized. I'm not selfish. You shouldn't hurt yourself because your father hurt you emotionally, that doesn't have to continue."

He reached forward and wiped the tears from her cheeks. He smiled and she returned the smile. "So, finish your meal, and we'll go, k?" She nodded, and he left the table for the living room.

Later, they left his flat and walked back to the station. The train came in shortly after and they took their seats. When they arrived at her neighborhood, he put his arm around her and held her close. His eyes and ears were peeled, listening to everyone, and seeing everything. She pointed out which building was hers, and they walked to the door. His face was in the dark. She looked with a gasp.

"What?"

"Your eyes, they are reflecting the light above the door. I've never seen human eyes do that." He blinked a few times, shifting his gaze.

"Yeah, they do that in the right light. Come on, someone's coming, let's get inside." She turned to the door and unlocked it.

When they arrived inside, the door slammed shut behind him. The foyer was filthy, worn down, unkempt and the wood looked rotten. They carefully made their way up the rickety steps up to the third floor, to the second door on the right. She unlocked the door and they entered. When she turned on the light, her apartment was clean, but very old. The wood on the floor was just as bad as the wood in the foyer. The walls were painted one too many times, and the wood trim was as white as the walls. The radiator obviously barely worked, as it was cold inside, and the lights were cheap fixtures.

He turned and locked the door as someone entered the foyer from below. He went to the windows and looked through the blinds for the binoculars. When he entered her bedroom, he saw the webbed shears and the dark over curtains were open. Through the shears he saw a flash. He approached the window, and swept the curtains open to see a house across the street with dark windows. There, in a dark window on the third floor of the old house, was a set of binoculars looking back at him. He scowled, growled at the window, and shut the curtains.

She walked into the bedroom asking, "I take it you saw the binoculars."

"Yes."

"You know, this is something that happens every day, and can happen anywhere, not just here in the slums."

"Yes, that's true, but who says that you can't be in a better place at least? You risk yourself dealing with worse than this every single day you come home. I'm sure you'd be able to sleep at night if you knew you were better protected."

"I know. I'm just used to this, is all."

He walked up to her as she packed her clothing into her suitcase. "For how long?" She stepped around him to grab more clothing from her closet. He grabbed her from behind and turned her around. "How long?"

"Two years." His arms dropped from her shoulders and he walked again to that window, watching through the shears. "I left my father's house two years ago."

"I believe there's a reason why we met on the train. Why you fell into my lap, Kagome." He turned to her. "I don't believe in coincidences."

"What do you mean?"

"I am to watch over you. Protect you. Don't worry, I promise not to be like your father, but I refuse to allow you to continue renting here. You don't have to live with me, you can still have your own place. We'll get this all figured out soon, I promise."

She nodded and continued to pack, while he turned back to the window. A moment later, she went into the bathroom to grab her toiletries. Inuyasha looked to her dresser to see a pen and a stack of post-its. He wrote a note on the back side of the post-it and stuck it on the window- a message for the peeping Tom across the street, 'She's moving tonight, so find someone else to watch, asshole!'

A/N:

I know what some readers might be thinking, as I thought the same thing while editing this chapter. It's not only long, but in reality, would Kagome have listened to, and followed everything Inuyasha suggested? Including remaining in his flat for the night? Probably not. But then, I am reminded of the series and how it all started between them. He really didn't give her much choice on what happened next after they met. He controlled the pace of things, where she ended up, and looked after her, even though she didn't ask him to. The instant connection in the series was a bit rushed, so to speak. He was an anti-hero in the beginning, and even threatened to kill her, and yet, she didn't mind him being in the same room with her. I guess, after thinking about those points, yes, it does fit, because in this story, as in the beginning of the series (in some respects) she was a bit passive, as she is in this story. She doesn't have many options, and she does the best she can with what she's got. So, yeah, even a bit rushed, this is the chapter of a nice short story, and I refuse to change it.