InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fatefully Entwined ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

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

Kagome took a drink of water to hide her yawn. Of all of the dates she had been on in the last year, this one was definitely dipping near the bottom of the list. Hojo seemed like a nice guy, but she just didn’t feel any sort of connection with him. She found her thoughts wandering elsewhere as he went on and on about his hobbies and his boring job. 

 

To her relief the waitress approached their table with the bill. “Is there something else I can get for you? Some dessert perhaps? I would suggest the fruit sando, it’s our specialty. Very delicious.” Hojo nodded, smiling at Kagome hopefully. She knew he would probably be happy to continue the evening, but she was ready to leave. 

 

“No thank you. Dinner was so delicious I don’t have much room for more.” Kagome fibbed. 

 

“I’ll just leave this here for you when you are ready then.” the waitress said, laying the bill down on the table between them. 

 

Kagome leaned over to grab her bag from under the table, sighing with relief that this date was finally over. She popped back up, forcing herself to smile politely.

 

“I really enjoyed our time together tonight. I would like to take you out again soon. Would this next Friday work for you?” Hojo probed.

Kagome continued smiling, hoping that it didn’t appear insincere. She wanted to let this guy down gently, mostly because she couldn't bring herself to do otherwise.

 

 “Look Akitoki, I think that you’re a really nice guy, and I’m glad that I got the chance to get to know you better. But I just don’t think you and I are the right fit for one another.”

Hojo’s smile faltered for just a moment, barely long enough for Kagome to notice, then returned with a vengeance. “Come on, one more date. What about Saturday then? There is an old movie marathon running at this little park near where I live.” 

 

Biting her lip, Kagome felt her gut twist. She had been expecting that he might be angry with her at the worst. Having him completely ignore her rejection and insist on another date was either a huge red flag, or perhaps he was just very passionate? She hoped it was the latter. 

 

“I’m flattered Hojo. Really I am, but I’m going to have to pass.” 

 

“You aren’t being fair, you know. I’m just asking for one more date. I really like you Kagome, and I would like the chance to show you how perfect we could be together.” He insisted again. Kagome shook her head and unzipped her wallet. 

 

 “Thank you again Akitoki, but no thanks.” she answered as she pulled out enough money to cover her own meal and placed it down on the table. “I hope you have a good night.” She told him as she stood up and headed for the door.

Kagome let out a sigh of relief as she headed for the nearest train station from the restaurant. The train was pulling up just as she arrived, and she quickly grabbed one of the empty seats, doing her best not to take up too much space. The interior of the train car was a bit warmer than outside, and she was glad she couldn’t feel the biting wind any longer.

The ride was mercifully quick and uneventful, and as soon as they reached her stop she was jogging up the the street to her apartment building, grateful that her walk home was a quick one.

The lobby was pretty empty except for the doorman, Takemaru, that acted as security for the building. He was a very large muscular man in his thirties, more suited to bouncing at a club than as a doorman. He was very polite though, and friendly, and knew every tennant of the building by name. 

 

“Good evening HIgurashi san. I hope you had a nice evening out.” Takemaru greeted her fro behind the front desk. 

 

“It wasn’t awful I guess. I could do without the cold weather though.” Kagome answered as she pushed the elevator button. 

 

“Well, you’re in luck! I hear that all of next week is supposed to be much warmer. Spring is just around the corner.” he enthused  as he jumped up to open the door for a couple with a stroller as they approached.

 

Kagome turned her attention back to the elevator. A moment later the elevator dinged and the door slid open. She waited for the occupants to exit before slipping in. 

 

“Could you please hold the door?!” The woman with the stroller called out as she and her husband came jogging across the lobby. Kagome tapped the door with her foot before it slid shut, giving them just enough time to get inside with her. They offered her appreciative smiles, but stayed on the other side of the space.

Kagome couldn’t help noticing how cute the baby was. He had those chubby cheeks and large innocent eyes that always made her heart ache for a child of her own. He fussed slightly and tugged at his ear before spitting his pacifier from his mouth. Kagome quickly bent over to pick up the rubber nipple and handed it to his mother.

“Thank you.” She said, offering a grateful smile.


“You’re welcome.” Kagome smiled back before bending forward to take another peek at the baby. “Oh my goodness! Are you tired, little guy?” She crooned softly.


The tiny boy stopped his fussing and stared at her with large dark eyes. His cheeks were pink from the cold, and his chin was covered in a sheen of drool. She could just make out the small white bumps in his lower gums, the beginnings of his first teeth. “Hi.” She cooed, waving at him with her fingers. “I bet you keep your Mama and Papa up all night. Teething is the pits. Poor little guy.”


“Isn't that the truth. Do you have any children of your own?” The woman asked curiously.


Kagome shook her head, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “Oh, no. I’m still looking for the right guy. Maybe someday though.”


“A pretty girl like you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a man.” The woman’s husband added. The elevator stopped and the doors slid open and the couple stepped out into the hallway.


“It was nice chatting with you. Have a nice night.” The woman offered politely before the doors slid closed a moment later.

The rest of the ride up was quick, and Kagome was home before long. All of the lights in the apartment were dark, which meant that her roommate was out for the evening. It would be nice to have a quiet evening alone to unpack that last date.

She flipped the lights on and sure enough there was a note pinned to the message board. 

 

Spending the night with Miroku. Hope your date went well. Talk to you later! -Sango

Kagome kicked her shoes off, peeled off her winter coat and scarf and threw them over the back of the couch as she made her way to her room. Her yoga pants were calling her name and she was more than glad to oblige.

She wasn’t usually so excited to be home after a nice dinner with a guy, but recently she’d had a long string of disappointing dates. Sure, every once in a while you met someone that was nice, but more often than not the guy ended up being a creep. Hojo had only been a slight improvement.

Kagome had met Hojo once prior at one of her friend Eri’s parties. At the time she had found him funny and sweet, so she had gladly agreed to go out with him. She just hadn’t expected that he might just be a little too nice. Well, now she knew better.

She pulled her yoga pants on along with an oversized shirt and her favorite pair of socks before heading back to the kitchen for some tea. She pulled the kettle from the cupboard and put it on the stove before digging around in the pantry. The box of her favorite brew was almost empty, so she made a mental note to pick some up the next time she went to the market.


The shrill ring of her cell phone broke the comfortable silence and Kagome frowned. Digging the offending object out of her bag she saw her best friend’s name light up across the screen.

“Hey, Sango.” She answered.


“So how did your date with Hojo  go?” Sango started.


“Aren’t you supposed to be on a date with Miroku right now?” Kagome asked, cutting a glare at nothing.

“It’s alright, Miroku is just making us some snacks for our movie. I’ve got a few minutes, so dish!”


“How can I put this nicely? I had high hopes for this guy, but I can’t see it going anywhere.” Kagome admitted, settling down on the edge of the couch.


“Dang.” Sango pouted.


Kagome rolled her eyes. Sango had been on a mission to set her up with someone since her own boyfriend, Miroku had proposed. It had been one mediocre date after another.

“He was a sweet guy, but we really didn’t have anything in common. I tried letting him down easily, but that was a disaster.” Kagome pointed her finger at the back of her mouth and feigned a gag.

“ I’m so sorry. Eri seemed to think you two would be perfect for each other. Did he throw a fit or something?”

Kagome cringed. Eri was an old friend from High School. They still hung out together sometimes, but she was in the throes of her party girl stage, and that just didn’t appeal to her much. Plus Eri really was not the best judge of men.

“Not awful I guess. He just insisted that I wasn’t being fair and that he wanted me to give him another chance.” Kagome scoffed. “We really need to remember that Eri really has bad taste in men. I mean that body builder guy she’s dating now is kind of a low key jerk.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll admit that I  really should have known not to let her set you up.” Sango admitted guilitily. “But you can’t blame me for wanting you to be happy.”

The kettle began to whistle from the stove and Kagome jumped up, holding the phone to her ear with her shoulder. “I know your heart is in the right place, but if you really want me to be happy you have got to stop setting me up and let me meet someone on my own.”

Kagome poured the steaming water over the tea and headed back to the couch to settle in. “So, what are you and Miroku watching tonight?” She asked, skillfully steering the subject away from herself.

“We’re watching one of those Marvel comic movies. I’m not really sure which. Actually, I should go. Miroku just got back with the snacks. How about you and I meet up for coffee in the morning?”

“Sure. The usual place?”


“Yeah. Oh! Miroku wants me to remind you that you promised to guest speak for his class tomorrow.” Sango quickly added. “Keep your hands to yourself when I’m on the phone.”  Her muffled voice scolded sharply.

“I’ll be there. You lovebirds have a nice time.”

“Bye.” Sango answered distractedly before the line went quiet. Kagome laughed to herself and took a sip of her tea, letting the warmth of the peppermint cover her tongue. She would probably head to bed soon. It would be a busy day speaking to Miroku’s high school history class about the traditions of a Shinto shrine.

Miroku had asked for her help since she had grown up on an ancient shrine run by her family. She had borrowed a few relics that her grandfather had been willing to part with to use as visual aids. Hopefully it went well.

Taking the last sip of tea, Kagome dropped her mug in the sink and headed to her room. A good night's rest was the perfect remedy to her bad evening.