InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ De Nouveau ❯ Nogmaals ( Chapter 3 )

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

De Nouveau

 

By SaiyanBlack

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Chapter Three

 

Central Park was small compared to many of the parks in the area, but it had its charms. The one that Kagome liked the best was the beautiful rose garden that was at the end nearest the Boulder Art Center. The tall, sculptured rosebushes surrounded the area around a granite fountain and a white gazebo was nestled in a corner of the square, draped in ivy and roses. In the summer it was a scene out of a wedding catalogue, sans the blushing bride in the white designer dress, but in late January it was covered in a layer of snow and the rosebushes were bare.

 

Although, if it was romance you were looking for, there was a couple sitting at a bench near the fountain, his hand covering hers as they sat in silence. She leaned a little closer so that they brushed shoulders and he smiled down at her face with that arrogant confidence that a lot of men seemed to have around shy women. His head dipped down and he nosed her down-turned face with his, coaxing it up to him so he could kiss her slowly. The young woman sighed, caught in blissful waves of passion and contentment and let her companion wrap his arms around her and pull her closer.

 

In the gazebo, Kagome watched the couple absently, not registering the fact that she was observing the intimate moment because her mind was still revolving around the young man that she was waiting for. Her backpack was forgotten on the ground next to the seat that she had claimed, tilted onto its side and releasing some of its contents onto the painted wooden planks of the floor. A pencil had made its way about a foot from the top of the bag, caught within one of the grooves between boards.

 

Her thoughts were elsewhere, caught up in the whirl of emotions that seemed to surround her every time she thought about Inuyasha. He was a stranger to her and yet she felt as if she had known him for ages; he was so easy to talk to and his presence was comfortable to be around. She looked away from the romantic couple, finally realizing that she was watching their private moment and her eyes landed on the form of a tall young man walking around the fountain, hands deep in his jacket pockets as he avoided the embracing couple. His hair was as light as the snow and his amber eyes were glowing behind his bangs when he spotted her sitting inside the snow covered gazebo.

 

“Hey,” he greeted, walking up the few steps to take a seat beside her. “Sorry about making you wait, I think I hit every red light from 16th street.”

 

She laughed and looked up at him, “What speed were you going?”

 

“Forty-five,” he told her, “why?”

 

“Go forty-three, you hit every green light that way.”

 

It was his turn to laugh, “I'll have to remember that. How long have you lived here?”

 

“I was born here,” she said, shifting her position on the bench because her leg had fallen asleep. “My mom grew up here and when she and my dad met, they stayed. My grandparents still live across town.”

 

“Long history in Colorado then?”

 

“Not really. My great-uncle on my dad's side lives in California. My grandfather moved out to Colorado in the 1990's when he got married to my grandmother. He lives in Golden now.” She looked up at his face, “How about you?”

 

“I just transferred here from New York State,” he told her. “My dad and half brother still live in the city but I needed a change of pace, and the UC had all the classes that I was looking for.”

 

She nodded in understanding, then asked a question that she had thought of while sitting alone in the gazebo waiting, “What year are you in?”

 

“Third. I know what I want to do, but I'm still trying to figure out exactly how to do it. It may be hopeless,” he said with mock seriousness and she laughed accordingly. He smiled and chuckled. She pulled her jacket tighter around her, stuffing her hands into the folds to keep them warm. He noticed and reached out to pull her against his side, wrapping one arm around her shoulders. Kagome blushed, but welcomed the warmth that he provided, making herself more comfortable before asking her next question.

 

“What are you studying?”

 

“I have a double major in Chinese and Japanese, but I'm also studying Theories in Education and piano. What?” he asked, catching the surprised look on her face. She stared at him with wide eyes.

 

“I've never met a guy that's taking education,” she told him truthfully, “are you planning on teaching your majors?”

 

“Of course not,” he said with a look of disgust. “I want to open up a Martial Arts school, but my brother thinks that I may avoid future legal problems if I have a teaching certificate,” he looked down at her questioning face, “he's a lawyer in the City. My personal legal council without the bill.”

 

She laughed and he tucked her further against him before continuing, “I've been studying Asian languages since I was in fifth grade, but if I want any chance of being able to live in either country I need a deeper understanding of the language than just knowing what to say.”

 

“What about piano? Just a hobby?”

 

He nodded, “My mother used to play piano when I was little. I had to leave her mini-grand at my dad's when I left and I missed being able to play whenever I want, so I took the class.”

 

“Make's sense,” she told him. “I want to go into business and communications. Advertising and journalism have always interested me. As for business, I want to be able to help out Dad with the café, so I figured that taking a class about small business will help us both out.”

 

He looked surprised and asked, “Your dad owns the café? I thought you just worked there like Kouga.”

 

She shook her head, “Nope. I work there when he needs me, but I don't get paid for it.”

 

He nodded in understanding and they lapsed into a comfortable silence. She had no idea what he was thinking, but as she lay against him, wrapped within in his embrace and surrounded with his warmth, she found she no longer cared *why* everything was happening so suddenly. Only that it was. That little voice in her head was happy. Over and over it said, `This is right, this is perfect, this is where you're supposed to be.'

 

She couldn't help, but agree.

 

Inuyasha's head leaned down as he stuck his face in her hair, nosing around her ear for a moment before taking in a deep breath and sighing. She giggled as the rush of air tickled her face and neck and she could feel him smile. Suddenly, he radiated playfulness and she steeled herself for the attack by pulling away slightly. A flash of color against the extreme whiteness of the gazebo and snow caught her attention, made her freeze completely.

 

Sitting on the bench just across from them, was a couple in clothes from the early twenty-first century, watching them curiously. It was the strangest sensation and it sent a shiver down her spine, even as the young woman gave her a warm smile. The spirit's companion mirrored the reassuring grin, but it made Kagome's skin crawl, especially when he turned to face the young woman beside him and the back of his head came into view, giving her a good look at the gore that covered him. Inuyasha had stilled as well, but he pulled her closer when she shivered. She could feel him watching her, but it was several moments before he actually said anything.

“You can see them, can't you?” he asked, his face close to hers. She looked up at him in surprise and he gave her a small smile. “You can see the couple sitting in front of us, can't you Kagome? Did you know that they were in a car crash back in '05? Down on Foothills Parkway by the airport, but this is the place that they had their first date, so they came to the place they were emotionally attached to.”

 

“How…?” she asked, caught speechless. He could see them? Could he speak to them as well? Just as she could?

 

“They told me,” he replied, “I can't see them very well, but I don't need to see them to know when they're there. I can feel it on my skin, like thousands of spiders are crawling up my back. Is that how it feels to you Kagome? Does your skin crawl at the sight of them?”

 

His mouth was next to her ear and he forced her to look at the couple across from them. The deep sound of his voice gave her the chills, sending shivers up and down her spine as his words made the bottom drop out of her stomach. The spirit couple watched with a small amount of interest and the woman turned around for a moment, and she saw that he entire back of her t-shirt was ripped and destroyed, her back slashed and broken. She wanted to turn away, but Inuyasha wouldn't let her.

 

“How do they look, Kagome?” he asked, “Do they still have their injuries? Do they look like angels?”

 

“Stop,” she told him, closing her eyes so she wouldn't be able to see the two spirits. She felt as if the very air around her was pushing upon body and it made it hard to breathe. “Stop it, Inuyasha.”

 

The pressure in the air seemed to lessen, as well as Inuyasha's grasp on her shoulders. His breathing was a bit harsh, as if he was trying to calm himself after an emotional exertion. He began rubbing her arm to soothe her as well, pulling her until she leaned against him, her head resting on his shoulder.

 

“I'm sorry,” he whispered against her hair. He seemed to search for words, but settled with tightening his hold on her and repeating himself, “I'm sorry.”

 

Kagome nodded in reply and turned her face into his shoulder, letting him comfort her, even though he was the one that had caused the emotional turmoil in the first place. But he said he was sorry, and for the same reason that she believed he was safe, she knew that he meant it.

 

“I know,” she told him and a silence lapsed between them. He was so warm and the sound of his breathing was so comforting that she felt as if she could fall asleep right there, curled on the gazebo bench beside him. When she looked up for the other couple, they were gone and the only thing she saw were the bare rosebushes beyond the white railing. The other, living couple was gone as well, probably having left some time ago to find a place more private than one of the city parks. It was just the two of them in the rose garden, sitting together like any normal couple would.

 

“Hey, Inuyasha?” she asked and felt his questioning answer against the top of her head. The vibrations tickled. “My mom is your councilor right? Aimee Higurashi?”

 

He chuckled, “Oh, geez. Don't tell me that our lives are that ironic. We have a connection that neither of us understands, we can both see the middle plane in some way and now your mom is my college councilor. Wow, I can now sit down and write that romance novel.”

 

She couldn't help but laugh as if it was the funniest thing she had ever heard. Within seconds she was shaking with uncontrollable laughter, leaning against his chest heavily as she tried to stifle the sound in his jacket. She could feel him laughing quietly as well and the tightening of his grip around her shoulders. After several minutes, she was no longer able to keep silent or remember exactly why she was laughing, but it was contagious. Inuyasha was laughing because she was laughing, and she was laughing because he was laughing. It was hopeless.

 

Chest still shaking, Inuyasha lowered his head to hers; dropping light kisses onto her face. They were so light and chaste that Kagome wondered for a moment if she was imagining the feeling. She turned her face upward and she heard him mumble something like “crazy girl” before settling one of the many kisses onto her smiling mouth. It was like a bolt of electricity being sent straight to the center of her body, one that made her warm even after his lips had moved on across her cheekbones. She sighed, relaxing so completely against him that he had to pull her closer or she would have slipped down onto the bench.

 

A light tune began to play, but it took her a while to figure out why it sounded familiar. Inuyasha pulled away slightly to lean down, reaching into her bag on the floor boards and pulling out her cell phone, happily producing a high-pitched melody. He handed it to her and she reluctantly answered it.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Kago? Are you still at school?” her mother asked, as Kagome mouthed `my mom' in answer to Inuyasha's questioning look. He nodded and leaned back on the bench beside her, one arm thrown around her shoulders.

 

“No,” she told her mother, “I'm at Central Park with a friend. What's up?”

 

“Nothing, I just got off the phone with your father and he said that you hadn't shown up at the café yet. I just wanted to know where you were.”

 

“Okay,” she said, “Did Dad say if he needed me there today?”

 

“Only if you want to, dear. But he would like the help.”

 

“Alright,” she looked up at Inuyasha, meeting his gaze as she talked with her mother. He watched her silently, sitting with a careless air that didn't reach his eyes. The golden stare had an intensity that sent shivers up her spine. “I'll go over in a couple of minutes.”

 

“Okay, I'll see you later tonight then. Have fun, darling.”

 

“Bye Mom,” she said, then pulled the phone from her ear and ended the call. She smiled at the man beside her apologetically, but he only gave her a smirk in return before picking up her bag from the floor and standing. He held out his hand and she accepted it, letting him pull her to her feet.

 

“I'll give you a ride,” he told her, keeping her hand enclosed within his as he lifted her backpack onto one shoulder and pulled her out of the gazebo. “The café right?”

 

She nodded and he led her down the paved path and around the fountain. Back on the gazebo floor, a lone pencil lay caught between the wooden floorboards, unable to make a move after its young mistress as she and the man that held her hand walked past the boundary of bare rosebushes and out of the garden.

 

^*^