InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Consolation Prize ❯ Double Blindess ( Chapter 8 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Standard Disclaimer: I am an equal opportunity torturer but that has nothing to do with RT owning Inuyasha and me being the owner of a shed full of 'playthings.'
Chapter Eight - Double Blindness
She sat, arms wrapped around her legs, chin resting on her knees watching tiny waves brush against the shoreline. It was mid morning after a night of spoken secrets. A night of spilling the contents of her heart and soul only to be handed silence. She snorted, he said talk right?
Her forehead dropped to the tops of her knees. She'd awoken to baked fish, a warm fire, and the comfort of a red haori, but no Inuyasha. That had been a couple of hours ago. Not bothering to look for the half-demon she had bathed in the cold lake and pulled on jeans, and sweatshirt before french braiding her hair.
On automatic, she'd eaten the fish and drank from the refilled water bottle before tidying the camp and wandering down to the shoreline.
How long would he keep them here for?
She picked up a small stone and hefted it outward till in fell in an arch toward the unmarred surface of water. With a soft plop the stone sank from sight leaving a cascade of ripples to move ever outward.
"Kagome?"
She stiffened but didn't turn. Instead she picked up another pebble and tossed it.
"Last night" he paused and she stilled "last night" he swallowed around the lump in his throat and tried again, "you never have been second."
Kagome turned and looked over her shoulder at him, she wasn't in the mood for this "Inu…"
He put his hand up and shook his head, "it's my turn. I listened last night, today it's your turn. Tomorrow," his voice grew quiet but his eyes never left hers "tomorrow if you want to, we can discuss everything but today Kagome, please just listen. I need to ask you some things, please."
'He said please?', She schooled her expression and silently turned back to face the lake. Tentatively he approached then sunk down beside her his eyes trained on the lake as well.
Silence stretched between them.
Within, Kagome mournfully stared into the empty space where she had horded her anger and hurt. Last night she had spent it's coin and today, today in it's place a huge gaping hole stared back her. She hadn't realized how much she had harbored. She tightened her grip on her knees and continued to stare out over the smooth surface of the lake.
Beside her, Inuyasha fought with himself. He wanted to scream his denials, scream his pain, but how could he. He turned and studied her profile, when everything, including his silence stood as proof of the lie.
"Kagome?"
She turned and looked at him.
His eyes stung at the emptiness he saw within her gaze, "did you ever wonder why I stayed with you?"
She blinked, and he dropped his gaze and idly picked up a smooth stone and cradled it within his palm. "I mean, did you ever wonder why it was you and not Kikyo after she had been resurrected?"
The stone's weight in his palm he looked back at her, "she could see the shards too, it had been our relationship destroyed by Naraku. So how come you never wondered about why I stayed?"
He studied her lips as they parted in surprise, before his gaze dropped back to the stone, "don't answer now. In fact" his eyes sought hers again, "just listen and don't say anything, okay?"
He took her silence as agreement and went on, "Did you ever wonder why I was so hostile to your returning to the future? Or that school of yours? Or why a day wouldn't pass after you went through the well that I didn't go get you?"
"Heck you know me, do you really think that kit or anyone else could make me do anything I didn't want to do?" a small smile appeared and she watched it, fascinated with the words leaving his lips.
Warming to his subject, assured of her attention Inuyasha's eyes returned to the lake as he played with the stone in his palm, "How come you never noticed how my anger always seemed to flare at it's worse when you were in danger, hurt, or doing something stupid that almost got you killed?"
"You know me so well, but maybe you don't know me as well as you think, because if you did" his gaze returned to hers, "you would have known what my anger and harsh words really meant."
"I'm not excusing them." he quickly added at the flash of anger in her eyes, "or the way I would blow up when that mangy wolf came around, but don't you see he wants to take away something that is mine and no one is going to take that from me, ever."
He tossed the pebble into the lake as the "ever" faded and turned to look at the girl beside him, "For someone so smart about everything else, you've been as blind about me and us, as I have been about you and us."
"Inuyasha?"
He shook his head, "think about it Kagome." He stood looking out over the lake, "think about the questions I asked you."
"You're smart" he looked down at her, "you'll figure it out and then we'll talk."
He turned heading back toward the camp, "I'll be around" he turned and flashed a smile at her, "there's no where else to go."
She watched after him long after he disappeared into the tree line. His questions running through her thoughts stabbing into the void within her.
Why had he stayed? She turned back to the lake and watched tiny waves brush the shore line, why?
He groaned. His head hurt, his lips hurt, his eyes hurt, hell the only thing that didn't hurt was his eardrums.
"Okay, I'm going to be nice." he groaned again, as the sweet voice teased his ear "I'm going to ask you one more time. WHERE THE HELL IS KAGOME?"
Yup there went his ear drums he groaned as they began to ache as well.
"I swear to you monk, if you've helped him to take her somewhere against her will…" Sango left the implied threat dangling.
"S-Sango my love" he tried to get past his swollen lip, "Inuyasha would never hurt Kagome."
Worried the demon slayer bit her bottom lip, "there is hurt, and then there is hurt, housi and he better not hurt Kagome!"
The monk shook his head in confusion then moaned in regret at the return of pain, "he won't."
Her glare was a frightening thing, and he shuddered, "you better hope he doesn't, Miroku, you better hope."
Hand against his throbbing, bruised cheek he watched her stand and move to the sobbing kit. He winced in sharp pain as his fingertip touched the corner of his lip.
A grateful Sango?
Inuyasha wasn't the only idiot.
xx
x
Chapter Eight - Double Blindness
She sat, arms wrapped around her legs, chin resting on her knees watching tiny waves brush against the shoreline. It was mid morning after a night of spoken secrets. A night of spilling the contents of her heart and soul only to be handed silence. She snorted, he said talk right?
Her forehead dropped to the tops of her knees. She'd awoken to baked fish, a warm fire, and the comfort of a red haori, but no Inuyasha. That had been a couple of hours ago. Not bothering to look for the half-demon she had bathed in the cold lake and pulled on jeans, and sweatshirt before french braiding her hair.
On automatic, she'd eaten the fish and drank from the refilled water bottle before tidying the camp and wandering down to the shoreline.
How long would he keep them here for?
She picked up a small stone and hefted it outward till in fell in an arch toward the unmarred surface of water. With a soft plop the stone sank from sight leaving a cascade of ripples to move ever outward.
"Kagome?"
She stiffened but didn't turn. Instead she picked up another pebble and tossed it.
"Last night" he paused and she stilled "last night" he swallowed around the lump in his throat and tried again, "you never have been second."
Kagome turned and looked over her shoulder at him, she wasn't in the mood for this "Inu…"
He put his hand up and shook his head, "it's my turn. I listened last night, today it's your turn. Tomorrow," his voice grew quiet but his eyes never left hers "tomorrow if you want to, we can discuss everything but today Kagome, please just listen. I need to ask you some things, please."
'He said please?', She schooled her expression and silently turned back to face the lake. Tentatively he approached then sunk down beside her his eyes trained on the lake as well.
Silence stretched between them.
Within, Kagome mournfully stared into the empty space where she had horded her anger and hurt. Last night she had spent it's coin and today, today in it's place a huge gaping hole stared back her. She hadn't realized how much she had harbored. She tightened her grip on her knees and continued to stare out over the smooth surface of the lake.
Beside her, Inuyasha fought with himself. He wanted to scream his denials, scream his pain, but how could he. He turned and studied her profile, when everything, including his silence stood as proof of the lie.
"Kagome?"
She turned and looked at him.
His eyes stung at the emptiness he saw within her gaze, "did you ever wonder why I stayed with you?"
She blinked, and he dropped his gaze and idly picked up a smooth stone and cradled it within his palm. "I mean, did you ever wonder why it was you and not Kikyo after she had been resurrected?"
The stone's weight in his palm he looked back at her, "she could see the shards too, it had been our relationship destroyed by Naraku. So how come you never wondered about why I stayed?"
He studied her lips as they parted in surprise, before his gaze dropped back to the stone, "don't answer now. In fact" his eyes sought hers again, "just listen and don't say anything, okay?"
He took her silence as agreement and went on, "Did you ever wonder why I was so hostile to your returning to the future? Or that school of yours? Or why a day wouldn't pass after you went through the well that I didn't go get you?"
"Heck you know me, do you really think that kit or anyone else could make me do anything I didn't want to do?" a small smile appeared and she watched it, fascinated with the words leaving his lips.
Warming to his subject, assured of her attention Inuyasha's eyes returned to the lake as he played with the stone in his palm, "How come you never noticed how my anger always seemed to flare at it's worse when you were in danger, hurt, or doing something stupid that almost got you killed?"
"You know me so well, but maybe you don't know me as well as you think, because if you did" his gaze returned to hers, "you would have known what my anger and harsh words really meant."
"I'm not excusing them." he quickly added at the flash of anger in her eyes, "or the way I would blow up when that mangy wolf came around, but don't you see he wants to take away something that is mine and no one is going to take that from me, ever."
He tossed the pebble into the lake as the "ever" faded and turned to look at the girl beside him, "For someone so smart about everything else, you've been as blind about me and us, as I have been about you and us."
"Inuyasha?"
He shook his head, "think about it Kagome." He stood looking out over the lake, "think about the questions I asked you."
"You're smart" he looked down at her, "you'll figure it out and then we'll talk."
He turned heading back toward the camp, "I'll be around" he turned and flashed a smile at her, "there's no where else to go."
She watched after him long after he disappeared into the tree line. His questions running through her thoughts stabbing into the void within her.
Why had he stayed? She turned back to the lake and watched tiny waves brush the shore line, why?
He groaned. His head hurt, his lips hurt, his eyes hurt, hell the only thing that didn't hurt was his eardrums.
"Okay, I'm going to be nice." he groaned again, as the sweet voice teased his ear "I'm going to ask you one more time. WHERE THE HELL IS KAGOME?"
Yup there went his ear drums he groaned as they began to ache as well.
"I swear to you monk, if you've helped him to take her somewhere against her will…" Sango left the implied threat dangling.
"S-Sango my love" he tried to get past his swollen lip, "Inuyasha would never hurt Kagome."
Worried the demon slayer bit her bottom lip, "there is hurt, and then there is hurt, housi and he better not hurt Kagome!"
The monk shook his head in confusion then moaned in regret at the return of pain, "he won't."
Her glare was a frightening thing, and he shuddered, "you better hope he doesn't, Miroku, you better hope."
Hand against his throbbing, bruised cheek he watched her stand and move to the sobbing kit. He winced in sharp pain as his fingertip touched the corner of his lip.
A grateful Sango?
Inuyasha wasn't the only idiot.
xx
x