InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Elsewhere ❯ Chapter Eighteen ( Chapter 18 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor do I profit from this.


“Give me the first taste
Let it begin -- heaven cannot wait forever
Darling, just start the chase -- I'll let you win
but you must make the endeavor
Full is not heavy as empty, not nearly, my love
Not nearly, my love, not nearly”

- Fiona Apple, The First Taste


Chapter Eighteen

The floodgate was cracking. What lay behind, he didn’t know. He couldn’t take this, he couldn’t handle emotions he had no control of, no knowledge of. He stilled himself, looked deep within to find his strength as he had in a thousand meditations before. He only found a void. A blackness lacking.

He let out a ragged breath and left out the side door.

.

Kagome woke to a beautiful morning. The sun shone through the window yet she was saddened that a shadow wasn’t blocking it. He hadn’t called or come by, even at night to her window. In two days this longing wasn’t gone or any less intense. She didn’t grieve. She worried.

His mind was troubled deeply she knew. Two days ago an intense wave of anger hit her so strong that she woke instantly from sleep. She would have fallen if she had been on feet. Her worry and anxiety deepened with every passing day. Her mother praised her resilience yesterday and she had screamed at her to shut up. She had too many reminders as it were.

Today she would be touring the university with Houjo and her friends. The world was buzzing all around her. She just wanted to sink deep into her own mind but knew this would be selfish. Too many people cared for her and needed her to be awake and alive. She slipped out of bed and began the tired task of taking a shower, finding something to wear, and being encompassed by humanity.

.

Deep in the forest Sesshoumaru rested at the foot of a tree. He had spent the last couple days in the wilderness, roaming. He had even met a few recluse wandering youkai. Still his mind was interrupted. Even after time…

He growled deeply. Soon enough he would have to return. This fate was tempting but not noble. He was intelligent and capable this would not be his end. He stood and began the trek toward home.

Upon entering his house the first thing on his mind was showering. Blessedly, this need buried many other weighty thoughts. The house was as he left it. However, the doors were unlocked and a note was on his kitchen table. He wasn’t going to read it, didn’t care. Melancholy also gave a wonderful release from thought.

Simply existing, without thought. Things would change. Being here meant no scouting, no finding suitable shelter. Being here was peaceful to a great fault.

At his bedroom door he froze. An all too familiar scent filled his nose. He twitched. Now he wished a thousand times he allowed Aki to attend to his personal space. He stepped in and walked straight to the bathroom.

The modern convenience of showering was marvelous. He enjoyed this shower almost as much as his first. He laughed scornfully. He had turned into a house dog in the last hundred years.

As he dried himself he knew he would see her, perhaps today, without her knowing. Her scent lingering in his room was like a slow unforgiving threat. In the deep of the forest he came to terms with this, seeing her was mandatory.

He was eager even now as he dressed himself, the normal dark clothing, and rid himself of his markings by masking his youki. He pulled his hair back and it felt familiar. The last two days he had let it free. No matter how much he tried to return to his ‘normal self’ it didn’t work. These human trappings were now a comfort. Anger didn’t follow that thought, his rage was weakened by lack of her…

He could feel his spirit sinking as he knew it would be the same for her. He closed and locked his front door and headed down the sidewalk on foot at a normal pace this time.

Her friends arrived early. Now sitting in her bedroom she wished she were ready to leave at that time. Moping around the house this morning hadn’t been a good plan all around.

“Houjo-Kun will be waiting forever to meet us if you don’t hurry Kagome-Chan, we thought you would be ready by now,” one of her friends huffed while sitting cross armed on her bed.

“Houjo… can… wait,” she panted, digging deeper into her closet trying to find something decently covering yet cool enough to wear on such a hot day.

“Oh, and he has… for you, all this time Kagome. When will you take him up on his offer before I snatch him?” said another sitting Indian style in the floor. Kagome just rolled her eyes and turned to the bed with outfit in hand.

“Snatch away…” she sighed as she slipped her tee shirt off.

“Kagome you don’t mean that, he’s been so true to you,” another replied lounging in her desk chair.

“Come on girls, he could do much better. Look at me, skinny and boyish with no boobs,” she said hoisting a skirt up. She really had gained weight.

“Oh come off it! Your boobs might not be as big as mine but at least you have some, besides, you’ve gained weight in your hips. You don’t look like a stick anymore,” Kagome looked in the mirror to find her friend was right, her posterior was rounding out.

“Great, now my clothes aren’t going to fit. I knew this summer would go to my ass,” she sighed. Her friends giggled.

“I know Houjo would go straight to your ass if you would let him…” one of her friends jibed. Her eyes rounded in surprise as the group broke out in laughter.

“You guys are awful!” she screamed, they laughed harder. It was time to go and she left her room in the wake of gossiping giggling girls.

.

As he leapt onto the roof he knew immediately her friends were there. Chatter issued forth from her window, he sneaked a peek to find her changing clothes. Finally, her warm real presence. From what he could gather she was going with them to meet some young male. He heard an off handed comment about her breasts. This would have been mere amusement for him only a number of days ago but somehow this tugged at him.

Deep down.

The need for her to feel accepted and adequate.

Adequate? What was happening to his mind? She was very adequate for a human, but… not for him? Then why did he mate her? He was skirting a danger zone, accepting her was something he couldn’t do then he felt her longing again. She thought she was inadequate because of him. She was bright, intelligent, inquisitive, and yes attractive for a human girl. She was lissome and appealing enough when his instincts called.

Then there was a rather rude comment about the young male. This was a bit disturbing and an angering emotion rose, this same emotion pulled at him while she was looking Tessaiga over. It dawned on him. Jealousy!

He almost laughed even at risk of being found. What a base and completely human reaction. However angering, it was real enough and he couldn’t deny it. A cruel grin danced across his face. This situation was ever pulling his spirit to a new low. He could hear the gods laughing now.

He shook these thoughts from his head and listened as the rabble left the room. He bounded into a far tree and observed them walking across the lawn toward the street. She hesitated and held herself back a bit.

Seeing her quenched something in him he knew only her presence could satiate. He sighed and she looked at the very tree he was concealed in. Did she know he was here? She shook her head a bit and caught up to her friends.

Trailing behind the group proved to be pleasant and relieving, he bathed in her warm fresh scent as it wafted to him. Two days was had been long. He stopped himself from going to her now. Soon enough they crossed the street to meet a rather tall and brown-haired boy, he could tell by his actions and his scent his thoughts toward Kagome.

He clenched his teeth a bit and laughed out loud at himself this time. They waited for a while then loaded onto a public bus. From the bits of conversation he caught, he knew where they were going. He took off at top speed easily avoiding human eyes.

He arrived many minutes before the bus hiding among a think wall of humans. The group left the bus chattering and were soon organized by a short, stalky human male that began showing them about. The stalky male seemed also to pay special attention to Kagome. He clenched his teeth again, this emotion was ridiculous and constricting. After about two hours the group retired to a corner restaurant to await the bus.

In the restaurant Kagome’s friends filled a small booth before she could sit down. “Hey Kagome, why don’t you and Houjo sit at that nice little table over there.” Her friends almost chimed in unison. Kagome looked to the left, great, a table for two.

Houjo pulled the seat out for her and she sat, he was always so polite. After ordering a quick lunch Houjo looked deep into her eyes. ‘Oh boy, this doesn’t look good…’ she thought to herself.

“Kagome… For a while now I’ve been… well that is I mean to say…” at that moment he took her hands into his. She almost jumped out of her skin, blushing on impulse. She could hear her friends sighing from the nearby booth. She slowly began plotting her revenge.

At that moment he seemed to fly back, quite violently, chair and all only to be quickly replaced with another chair and a face she had longed for over two long days. She felt faint, what was going on?

.

Upon entering the restaurant his intention wasn’t to harm the whelp. He had watched the through the window as the male took her hands and that was just a little too intense for him to stand by idle and allow. He cursed himself even as he went through the motions, unable to stop his feet and hands from reacting. He thought he had handled the situation well, in a respectable light.

Instead of shedding blood, which was his initial thought, he only ‘helped’ the whelp to another table altogether. But of course with a slight growl to accompany. Yes, he truly had lost his mind. He sat now, looking into wonderful dark eyes. This was exquisitely pleasing. Maybe this wasn’t completely crazy after all.

“Kagome, I see you are doing very well,” he stated, finally acting and sounding like his old self again. She stared at him with a gaping mouth. His amusement returned. Strange how after days of anxious sorrow, everything could so quickly wash away.

“I… was… just getting something to eat,” she sounded guilty even to herself. This was a strange situation, she felt as if she should be guilty. The gasp from the peanut gallery complied. She cut daggers in their direction seeing now that Houjo was standing glassy-eyed next to them.

“Did the university please you?” he asked not missing a beat. He finally felt… whole.

“Yeah, it was nice. What are you doing… here?” she asked in return starting to get a little red in the face. Her relief and sudden burst of energy was very apparent. “I was getting… worried,” she finished.

“You need not worry about this Sesshoumaru,” he replied looking deep into her eyes. She was blushing violently now. She knew that for some reason or another she should be angry but couldn’t remember why. “Seeing you again is… very pleasing,” he said softly. Thankfully their conversation had been drown out from the wave of chatter after his ‘display’.

“Yes, yes it is,” she answered, looking once more like that starry-eyed teenager he missed very much.

“Come, we will find a taxi,” he said flatly. She was on her feet in a second not giving a thought to her friends or poor Houjo, looking quite dejected.

“Hey guys, something came up… I’m going to get a taxi. I’ll call you later and thank you for the lovely time Houjo,” she beamed and turned to join Sesshoumaru at the door.

They were in a taxi soon enough, staring at each other. The taxi driver thought he was in for another make-out and or grope session in his back seat. He sighed heavily. Sesshoumaru gave him directions to Kagome’s house. She was almost sad he hadn’t given directions to his own home and blushed at the thought. He beamed at her with amusement in his eyes.

“I would like to meet your mother, and thank her personally for being… understanding,” he said. She very suddenly thought that might be a bad idea but could she tell him no? Not now, not ever again. She laughed a bit, thinking she never had said no to him. They sat in comfortable silence on the way to her home.
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