InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Flicker ❯ Pure Imagination ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Inuyasha…no matter how much I wish I did!

 

 

 

Ch. 1

 

 

 

One moment.

 

One moment was all he needed to clear his mind before doing the one thing he dreaded most. He briefly considered not keeping the appointment, but knew he'd catch hell from Sesshomaru if he didn't. The last thing he needed was his older brother on his ass again.

 

So rather than bolt, he leaned back against the wall, trying to relax tenseness in his muscles. He always got like this before appointments, trying to anticipate the outcome. It never did him any good, only made him even more nervous and anxious to get them over with.

 

He looked up as west train pulled into the station, people surging forward in one large mass. He pushed himself away from the wall and made his way toward the train, pushing past exiting passengers. Getting on the train was always a fun treat that always promised some major body part would be injured in the process. True to form, a particularly rotund lady carrying a duffel bag for a purse jammed her size ten pump onto his big toe.

 

“Goddamnit!” He cursed loudly, earning a disapproving glare from a few people as well as his attacker. He returned the glare and stepped aboard the train, forced to stand pressed against the doors that slid close seconds behind him. He was facing out, not really seeing anything until he came face to face with a vision he thought he'd never see again. Hell, he wasn't even sure he was seeing it now, but looking into those familiar gray eyes was like a shot straight though his heart.

 

She was staring in, a look of disappointment on her face until she locked gazes with him, her eyes widening in what looked like shock. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe as he stood transfixed. He was suddenly jarred from his hypnotic state as the train began to move forward slowly, taking him farther and farther away from those eyes…that face.

 

Even after the train had picked up full speed and left the station far behind, he continued to stare out the window, haunted by a pair of misty gray eyes.

 

~^~

 

“So, Inuyasha. What do you want to talk about today?”

 

Inuyasha sat on the couch sullenly, arms crossed. The guy asked him this every time, as if it really made a difference. He could start talking about baseball and the guy would always tie it in somehow to his personal life, making absurd assumptions and ridiculous suggestions.

 

With a heavy sigh, Inuyasha shrugged. “I don't know. How about the weather?”

 

The man leaned back in his seat, hands cupped under his chin. He peered at the tense man sitting on the black leather couch, his body language obviously defensive. He knew something was bothering the younger man, but he wanted Inuyasha to be the one to tell him. However, some prodding might be necessary.

 

“Are you still having nightmares?”

 

Inuyasha's expression instantly went blank, like somebody shutting down the power in a building. After a few moments of silence, he said, “I don't see what bringing this up is going to accomplish, Dr. Giles.” He avoided the doctor's gaze, not wanting to face that scrutinizing gaze. The good doctor might put up a front like he just wanted to be friends and talk, but Inuyasha knew better. All he really wanted was to pry and dig for stuff that was better being laid to rest.

 

He cringed at his choice of words and those gray eyes flashed through his mind. He was so startled by the sudden image that he gasped. Dr. Giles looked at him sharply, leaning forward in his chair.

 

“What is it?” He asked, his fuzzy gray eyebrows drawn together in concern. Inuyasha was sure it was just an act and he shook his head. “Nothing…just a cramp,” he muttered. Dr. Giles didn't look like he bought it but nodded once and wrote something down on his yellow legal pad. That irritated Inuyasha.

 

“It really was just a cramp,” he insisted, staring at the doctor pointedly. Dr. Giles looked up with a small smile. “I'm sure it was, Inuyasha.”

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes up to the mounted wall clock. Great. He'd only been there fifteen minutes and already he was itching to get the hell out of there. The doctor was being paid for a full thirty-minute session and would no doubt report back to Sesshomaru if Inuyasha ditched during the middle of one. Resigned to his fate, he decided to speed along the process.

 

“I have been having the nightmares…not as much, but they still come every now and then.” His voice was quiet and stared straight ahead at the large print on the far wall. For some reason, it always soothed him, drew him into the picture. The main focal point was a white gate, surrounded by forest, half open, leading to the unknown. He always wondered what the artist had been trying to convey with the image of the gate. Was it leading toward something or away from something?

 

Inuyasha realized the doctor was staring at him intently, waiting for him to continue. Clearing his throat, he went on, “They're still the same, too. Same place, same time, same…everything.” Inuyasha closed his eyes, remnants of the nightmares still fresh in his mind. He didn't need to remember them, though. The actual events that spawned the nightmares were well-imprinted in his memory.

 

“I still leave her and she still…” He couldn't finish the sentence. He buried his head in his hands and shook his head. Why reminiscence about his failure, his inability to save the one person he loved with everything in his entire being? It wouldn't change anything and it certainly wouldn't bring her back…

 

Gray eyes like a fog-filled sky filled his vision and he frowned. The woman at the station was not her, just some stranger who bore a passing resemblance. Even now, his memory of the woman at the station was fading, leaving him uncertain if he'd even really seen her.

 

But those eyes and that expression told him otherwise. She'd been just as surprised to see him as he had her, but at least he knew the reason for his shock. What about her?

 

“Inuyasha?” Dr. Giles prodded gently. Inuyasha looked up and blinked as if coming from a deep haze. For just a moment, he considered telling the doctor about the woman he'd seen at the train station. He quickly squashed the urge, predicting that he doctor would chalk it up to good old-fashioned hallucinations.

 

“I think our thirty minutes is up.”

 

Inuyasha stood abruptly already walking toward the door. Dr. Giles sighed and made a note on the legal pad.

 

“I'll see you in two weeks, Inuyasha.”

 

When Dr. Giles looked up, the young man was already gone.

 

~~~~~~

 

She could hear noise around her; people talking, laughing, hurrying to their next destination. She could even feel the air rush past her as the train pulled out of the station, moving faster and faster until it passed in a blur.

 

She was aware of all this, and yet she wasn't. All she was really focused on was the face she'd just seen through the glass windows of the train. That stark white hair and those startling honey gold eyes were all too familiar to her, which was what shocked her to her very core.

 

It shouldn't have been possible, couldn't have been possible for her to have seen what she just did.

 

Kagome tried to convince herself of that as she stepped back to wait for the next train. Of course she hadn't seen him…her mind had just been playing tricks on her. She rubbed her temples tiredly, willing to believe anything at that point. She clutched her portfolio closer to her, refocusing her energy on the task ahead of her.

 

If everything went according to plan, this could be Kagome's big break. As much as she admired the trials and tribulations of a starving artist, she was more than ready to leave those aspects of her trade far behind her. For what could be the millionth time since she left her apartment, she wondered if the pieces she'd chosen would be good enough. Did they really convey what she wanted people to see? Were they the pieces that would define her as an artist?

 

“Stop worrying!” She muttered irritably, stomping her foot lightly. The pictures were fine; Sango had even told her so. If Sango, the assistant gallery director of one of the most prestigious art galleries in the city and best friend extraordinaire, thought they were terrific then that should be reassurance enough.

 

Kagome took a cleansing breath and nodded matter-of-factly. As the distant rumble of the train announced its arrival, she tried to hold fast to the fact that she was talented and said talent would speak for itself. Keeping that in mind, Kagome waited as the train roared rattled into the station and came to a screeching halt. She boarded the train, holding fast to the belief that this would be the moment that could change the rest of her life.

 

~^~

 

Kagome fidgeted nervously, casting an exasperated glance Sango's way. The tall, slender dark-haired woman tried to reassure her with a small smile, but that only made Kagome's anxiety even worse. To her, the smile meant sorry-but-I-think-she's-gonna-go-with-someone-else.

 

She returned her gaze to the slightly chunky woman leaning over Kagome's paintings, her faded blue eyes scrutinizing the pictures mercilessly. Although she was much smaller than Sango's considerable stature and even smaller than Kagome's five-foot-six-inches, she was no less imposing.

 

Kaede Matsuo was notorious throughout the art community as a hard-nose who could make or break a career. Despite her infamy, she had an impeccable eye for art. Her shows always got top billing in national and international news and she held the record for discovering the most up and coming artists. To even be in the same room with such an icon was a dream in and of itself. Even if Kagome wasn't chosen to showcase Kaede Matsuo's next show, it was an honor to even meet her.

 

Kaede leaned away from the paintings and clasped her hands behind her back as she stepped back and took one last look at them altogether. Kagome couldn't bear to look as she looked down at her feet, finding the swirl pattern of her beige three-inch heels fascinating. She waited for the words that would abruptly end her stay…

 

“They're raw as far as paintings go...”

 

Kagome quickly raised her head, ready to thank her for her time, but she was interrupted.

 

“But there's an unmistakable uniqueness there, something real and tangible. I like it. Bring me three more of your best.” Kaede gave Kagome a curt nod and turned to leave, effectively ending any further discourse. Kagome stared after her retreating figure and then turned excitedly to Sango.

 

“Does this mean…?”

 

Sango nodded her head happily. “Yes!” Kagome gave a little shout of joy and threw her arms around her friend. Sango laughed and returned the embrace, adding a little extra squeeze. “See, Kagome? I told you this is what would happen! Your own show! Can you believe it?”

 

Kagome shook her head, dazed and happy. She'd dared to hope, but not too much. She didn't want to set herself up for disappointment.

 

“My own show,” Kagome whispered, leaning back. Sango nodded, her obvious joy for her friend shining in her deep brown eyes. “Thank you, Sango. None of this could have happened without you.” Kagome's tone was serious, her eyes conveying the true intent of her words. Sango smiled softly.

 

“What are friends for if not to give you encouragement and keep you…sane?” She said the last part with a bit of uncertainty, her expression suddenly wary. Kagome knew the reason for the change in Sango's attitude. Unbidden memories suddenly pushed their way into her consciousness, making her cringe imperceptibly.

 

“All that's behind me,” she said with forced cheerfulness, trying to sound reassuring. She was determined not to dwell on events past. Her mind wandered to her earlier incident at the train station and she frowned, wondering if she was lying right through her teeth.

 

“Everything's fine,” she said again, more to herself than Sango. “Everything's just fine.” Even as she uttered the words, an image of white hair and brilliant golden eyes came forth like a specter in the dark.

 

 

a/n: hmmm, like it? don't like it? let me kno, I appreciate any and all criticism!