InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Flicker ❯ Close Encounters of the Third Kind ( Chapter 2 )

Ch. 2

 

 

 

Inuyasha was in an even worse mood by the time he pulled up in front of his brother's palatial home. He parked haphazardly behind Sesshomaru's silver Range Rover and quickly exited his own modest-in-comparison red '67 Mustang. It was his pride and joy and he went to great lengths to keep it in flawless condition, but at the moment, he could care less if a meteor fell from the sky and made scrap metal of the classic car. His anger was solely directed at his brother.

 

He burst through the front door and bellowed, “Sesshomaru! Get your ass out here!”

 

Somewhere in the back of the house, a loud crash sounded followed by the hurried click of heeled shoes on the hardwood floors. Minutes later, a petite dark-haired woman appeared, her cheeks flushed. There was a slight frown on her pretty face and Inuyasha was instantly contrite for his less-than quiet arrival.

 

“What's he done now?” She asked, running a hand through her short bob, her brown eyes flashing. As he stood there staring down at her, Inuyasha realized that Rin could do far more damage to his brother than he ever could. There were few, well nothing, that Sesshomaru feared, but when it came to his pint-sized fiancée Rin Hizuka, it was a whole different story.

 

“As usual, made my life a living hell,” Inuyasha muttered. Rin gave him a sympathetic nod, knowing how difficult her boyfriend could be when he wanted things his way. One of his favorite pastimes, however, seemed to be tormenting his younger sibling.

 

“How bout you tell me about it over a cup of coffee?” She suggested. Inuyasha nodded, deciding a cup of Rin's special gourmet coffee would be just the thing to lessen the pounding that was starting up in his head. He followed through the foyer and into the spacious living room that looked more like museum, all exotic pieces and priceless artwork. When they entered the large kitchen, however, it screamed of Rin's touch.

 

It was country chic, sporting rustic appliances, fire-burning stove and unfinished wood floors. Sesshomaru absolutely abhorred this particular room, wincing every time he set foot here, but he kept his comments to himself for Rin's sake. She absolutely adored it. Needless to say, it was the only room in the entire house that Sesshomaru allowed Rin to do alone.

 

As she set about preparing the coffee, Inuyasha took a seat on one of the wood stools at the breakfast bar. “So tell me, what's bothering you?” Rin glanced at him before continuing with her task, letting him know that he had her full attention. Inuyasha sighed, suddenly not wanting to talk about it. He knew if he started again with his intense dislike of his therapy sessions, Rin would immediately ask him what had brought it on. Although he generally didn't enjoy his sessions, it was only when something had happened that he vented his anger afterward.

 

“Well,” he started reluctantly, “I saw something...someone today, or at least I think I did.” He avoided Rin's questioning look. He wished that she wouldn't ask him questions about it, but it was Rin and he expected no less. Plus, he wanted to get her take on it.

 

“I was at the train station on my way to my appointment and after I got on the train, I saw this woman…” Inuyasha frowned, realizing how ridiculous it would sound once he said it loud. What would he say? Oh, yeah, I happened to see someone today who I'm almost possible was my dead girlfriend waiting for a train to the afterlife?

 

Inuyasha shook his head in disgust. As usual, stress was getting the best of him. He was starting on a new client tomorrow morning for the firm and had barely had time to do any background work on the guy. Sesshomaru had been pressing him lately to take on more clients for Nasaki Consulting, their father's company that was now the top consulting firm in the country. They consulted on all kinds of fraud claims from insurance to art fraud.

 

“Inuyasha?” Rin set down a steaming mug of the fragrant brew in front of him and leaned against the countertop, staring at him with a look of worry. He glanced at her, taking a sip of the coffee and smiling appreciatively.

 

“Good,” he said, trying to change the subject. Rin frowned, letting him know that she wasn't so easily dissuaded. Then she stood upright, her spine stiff, her brown eyes wide as she stared at nothing. Inuyasha tensed, knowing what this meant. He put the mug down carefully, careful not to disturb her.

 

After a few moments, she relaxed, shaking her head slightly. Her gaze found his and once again, she regarded him with a look of immense sadness and sympathy, reaching out to place her hand over his.

 

“You thought…you saw her?” Rin asked hesitantly. Inuyasha sighed and nodded slowly. “The images were kind of blurry but…I did get a glimpse.” Rin looked down at their hands. “She was very pretty.”

 

Inuyasha winced and slid his hand from beneath hers and placed it in his lap. He didn't miss the look of hurt that flashed through her cinnamon orbs and immediately felt bad. On some level, he'd counted on Rin's psychic abilities to kick in, saving him a painful recount of what he'd seen, or not, seen.

 

“She was real,” Rin said quietly, as if reading his thoughts. “But it wasn't…Kikyou. You do know that, right?” The question was asked without censure or judgment, but Inuyasha couldn't help feeling like an idiot nonetheless.

 

“Yeah,” he responded. He took another sip. “The thing is, when I saw her, it just…took me back to the first time I met Kikyou when we were in the park. For just a moment, it was like nothing ever happened. Like she wasn't…dead.” Inuyasha's shoulders slumped and Rin was instantly at his side, embracing him tightly.

 

“It's ok, Inuyasha. No one expects you to get over this in such a short amount of time. It's only been two months and her death was very violent.” Rin suppressed a shudder at the memory of finding out just how Kikyou had died. If she couldn't even bear to think of it, what must it be doing to Inuyasha? She made a mental note to talk to Sesshomaru about taking it easy on him. He was dealing with enough without Sesshomaru riding his ass.

 

“It's fine, really.” Inuyasha insisted, gently pushing her away. He shifted uncomfortably on the stool and downed the rest of his coffee in one gulp, ignoring the scalding hotness that left a trail in its wake. He wanted to get out of there before Rin started bringing other things up that he didn't want to deal with right now.

 

“Thanks for the coffee,” he muttered, already heading for the front door. Rin started to call after him, but didn't. Inuyasha, like Sesshomaru, was uncomfortable with public displays of emotion. At least Sesshomaru confided in her in the privacy of their bedroom. Who did Inuyasha turn to?

 

~~~~~~

 

Kagome left the gallery late in the evening, still high of her incredible luck. As she walked down the street headed for the subway, she couldn't stop smiling to herself. Imagine! Kagome Higurashi a real-life artist! With a sudden start, she realized that she'd forgotten to tell her good news to the one person who obviously should have been the first to know.

 

Stopping, she dug into her purse for her cell phone and flipped it open. With a push of a button, she put the phone to her ear, barely able to contain her excitement. The line rang three times before a voice responded, “Hello?”

 

“Hi! It's me. Guess what!” Kagome giggled, her words rushing out. She waited, hopping from foot to foot like a little kid on Christmas Day. There was a beat of silence before the gruff male voice on the other end said, “Kagome, is that you?”

 

Kagome huffed, a slight twinge of annoyance dampening her mood. “Of course it's me, Kouga! Who else would it be?” A deep laugh rang in her ears. “I don't know, maybe I have a secret lover on the side, eh?”

 

She made a face, knowing he was teasing her but liking it nonetheless. “Very funny, Kouga. Now would you just guess already?” Again, she was met with silence and could imagine him cupping his chin and thought, his ice blue eyes narrowed in concentration. She almost laughed out loud but didn't because that would only lead him off track again.

 

“Umm, you won the lottery?” He guessed with a slight edge of amusement. Kagome couldn't help grinning. “No! Give up?”

 

“I still have some more guesses,” he informed her in mock seriousness. “How about you won a boat in some sweepstakes scam? No, you never enter those things…how about a puppy? You got a puppy!”

 

No longer able to hold it in, she burst out, “I'm finally gonna headline a show! Kaede Matsuo wants me to headline a show at her gallery!” Kagome was once again overtaken with the news and wanted to drop the phone and scream it out to the world.

 

“Kagome, that's great!” Kouga congratulated her with genuine happiness. Kouga was a smartass until you got to know him. Underneath all that joking and sarcastic humor was a man with a good heart.

 

“I knew you'd be doing your own show one day and look, now you're doing it. I'm proud of you, kid.”

 

Kagome smiled softly, touched by his sentiment. “Thanks,” she said. They made plans for a late dinner to celebrate and then said good-bye. Kagome flipped the phone shut and dropped it in her purse, still riding high on cloud nine.

 

She was just crossing the street headed toward the steps that would lead her down to the train station, when she stopped. She frowned, not immediately knowing why she'd stopped, more because of a feeling than anything.

 

Kagome glanced around, but there were only strangers, some walking in groups, some walking alone. None of them stood out to her or gave any indication that they'd gotten the same feeling. She was about to laugh it off as paranoia when another strong feeling washed over her.

 

Kagome gasped and spun around. The feeling was more like a pull, like something was calling to her. Her gaze was directed at a storefront window advertising antique jewelry. She walked slowly toward the display window, ignoring the strange looks a few people gave her. All she could see was the window, but she didn't know why it held her attention so completely…

 

When she was standing directly in front of the pristine glass, she suddenly knew why. The display window showcased a dazzling array of jewelry, sparkling under the streetlights. It wasn't the glittering diamonds or sparkling rubies that caught Kagome's attention, however. What held Kagome's gaze in such rapt attention was the smooth, round pink stone that seemed to glow from its confines behind the glass.

 

Hesitantly, Kagome put her hand to the glass where the stone shone. It was nestled in a bed of white lace, its thin silver chain spilling out around it. She closed her eyes and saw the stone, not there in the display window but some place she didn't recognize or recall. But she had seen the jewel…in a dream.

 

Kagome snatched her hand away and shook her head violently. She couldn't go through this again, not after what she'd been through the last time. Backing away, she turned to put as much distance between her and the display window as she could. In her haste, she collided with something solid and warm.

 

She put up her hands as a reflex and realized it was a person.

 

“Oh, I'm so sorry…”

 

Kagome's breath stole away as she looked up to make her apologies. She suddenly felt dizzy, the world spinning around her. She knew she was going to faint even as her vision began to darken, her knees buckling beneath her.

 

This time there was no mistaking what she was seeing right in front of her. Before her eyes fluttered closed, she glimpsed a startled golden gaze, the same one she'd stared into at the train station.