InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Guilty Hero ❯ Politics ( Chapter 14 )

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In this chapter: Kagome makes her first mistake.

Guilty Hero

Chapter 13: Politics

Kagome, unbeknownst to Inu-Yasha, worked diligently over the next few weeks to make him as comfortable as possible in her presence. The mere fact that she was a nurse had him on guard all the time, and the task was more difficult than she had originally thought. Truthfully, he was only making the situation harder on himself. Every time he lit a cigarette or poured a tumbler of whiskey that he probably could have gone without, he cast a sharp glance at her, daring her to comment. Most times she ignored it, or smiled at him, biting her tongue.

However, due to patience that she didn't even know she had, Inu-Yasha slowly relaxed in her company. His childish attempts to rile her ceased, and an uneasy truce was struck between them. Kagome could tell he was still waiting for her to slap a ban on his whiskey habit, but he no longer had his hackles raised, and often slipped into drunkenness in front of her with no concern of rebuke.

It was due to this progress that Kagome felt it was time to start building a friendship with the demon. So, one brisk autumn day in the middle of November, she hesitantly approached the couch where Inu-Yasha sat, scowling at the flickering television. He had just woken up an hour prior, and was nursing a slight hangover.

“Here,” she said softly, handing him a mug of coffee. “I made a fresh pot.”

“Huh? Oh…” Accepting the cup, he took a slow sip, and his pinched expression eased. He glanced up at her, then quickly looked away and mumbled, “Thanks…”

“You're welcome.”

This was an exchange that had gone on every morning for the past several days, although it did take Inu-Yasha almost a week before he learned to say `thank you'. Normally, once the pleasantries were swapped, Kagome would bustle away and find another chore to busy herself with while he tried to sober up with her expertly-made beverage. So today, when she sat down next to him on the couch, he was understandably confused.

Glancing oddly at her, he scooted further away, uncomfortable at their close proximity. “What?” he growled irritably.

“Well…” She looked down at her lap, where her hands were fidgeting anxiously. “I wanted to ask you something. I don't want to ask too much of you, and I hate to be a bother, but…”

“But…?” He was growing more and more anxious by her behavior.

Pulling her gaze from her lap, she stared pleadingly at him. “I need to go grocery shopping today, and it is such a hassle to carry all those bags up the stairs by myself. I've done it a couple of times now, and I'm just completely spent at the end. So I was hoping you might go shopping with me today and lend a hand. Perhaps we could stop and get lunch before hand, you know, and just get some fresh air, get out of this stuffy apartment for awhile…”

His anxiety leaking out upon hearing her explanation, he scowled and looked away, swallowing a mouthful of coffee. “Absolutely not. I'll carry your damn bags up the stairs, but I ain't going anywhere.”

“Please? It's just… We've spent all this time in the apartment, and it's such a lovely day outside. It's brisk, the sun's shining, there's a chill in the air…”

He stared at her as though she were an idiot. “What part of that sentence would sound appealing to me? Do I look like a bright, sun-shiny guy to you?”

She couldn't resist a bit of laughter escaping at his comment. “No,” she agreed, relaxing a bit. “But really, I do need help. You eat a lot, and those groceries are heavy.”

“I eat a lot because you make me eat a lot.”

“And it has done you a world of good. You think I don't notice, but I see how eager you are when I make you go on your rooftop runs.” Kagome had started making him take a `rooftop run' everyday to make certain he got fresh air and exercise. He had rebelled the first few days. However, he didn't rebel against the three square meals a day rule she had placed forth, for the meals she cooked smelled too tantalizing to resist, and he soon found himself pacing his apartment with pent-up energy; it was astonishing the difference the food made. And from then on, he no longer dreaded the moment when Kagome opened his apartment door and ordered him out.

He crossed his arms, taking care not to spill his coffee, and looked away, slightly put-out. She did have a point, much as he hated to admit. He had grown to love the feel and the bite of the winter wind against his face as he practically flew from rooftop to rooftop, running pell-mell without a care in the world. He felt like it was his few, precious moments of true freedom, nothing like the false, transparent freedom that whiskey fooled him with every night; he felt he had Kagome to thank for that.

Glancing at her pleading expression out of the corner of his eye, his scowl deepened. His conscience was telling him to give in to her, while his common sense railed against it, reminding him that there were several very good reasons why he should not go out in public during the day.

It was taking him so long to respond that finally Kagome sighed and stood up, giving him a disappointed smile. “Never mind, it's not a big deal. I'll just give you a call when I'm done, and maybe you could meet me out—“

“I'll go.”

She abruptly stopped talking at the interruption. “What?”

He glared up at her. “I said I'll go. But we aren't getting lunch, we aren't gonna window- shop, and we aren't leaving until this damn hangover goes away, got it?”

Her smile quickly brightening, she nodded in consent. “Got it.”

oOoOoOo

Inu-Yasha's headache didn't break until well after lunch, but once it did, he grudgingly emerged from the bedroom and met Kagome at the door, cramming a baseball cap on his head and slipping on a pair of sunglasses. Kagome watched with a slight frown, concerned that he still wasn't feeling well. She knew that hangovers made him sensitive to light and sound, and wondered if he was adding the garments as protection for his senses.

“Are you sure you're feeling well enough to go? I really can go by myself—“

A harsh growl cut her off. “I'm fine, dammit. Now let's leave before I change my mind.” And he stalked out of the apartment without her.

Blinking in surprise, she shut the door and quickly followed after him, taking the stairs two at a time until she caught up. His annoying habit of leaping down seven stories and leaving her to walk down the stairs was a thing of the past. She hadn't said anything to him about it, for they didn't often leave his apartment together, but he suddenly stopped doing it one day, telling her that he got tired of waiting for her at her car while she `dilly-dallied'.

The trip to the ground floor was made in silence, but once outside Inu-Yasha made for her car, waiting expectantly for her to unlock it.

“Actually, I'm not going to take the car,” she informed him, making no move to reach into her purse for her keys. “It's so nice out, I thought we would walk.”

“Walk?” he repeated incredulously. “You want to walk?”

“Well, yes! I know it will be annoying, carrying those bags back, but you're a tough guy, you can handle it.”

He didn't seem to notice her last statement. “So… We're not taking the car?”

She was starting to grow confused by his reaction, for he didn't seem to be angry at all, but rather worried. “Um, no. We're walking. It's good for you.”

Taking one last glance at the car, he slowly stepped away from it and mumbled, “No car. Fine. Let's go.”

Kagome set the pace, taking a leisurely stroll down the sidewalk, hoping to set him at ease. He had grown surprisingly tense , and was already lighting a cigarette between slightly trembling fingers. Every time someone passed by, he gave a slight twitch that did not go unnoticed by her, and then took a nervous drag of his smoke, clearly trying to calm his nerves. Figuring that he simply wasn't used to being around so many people, she decided to act as naturally as possible, wanting to give him some bit of familiarity in a place where he clearly felt uncomfortable.

“Ahhh!” she said suddenly, stretching wide. “Isn't it beautiful today? The sun's so warm, but there's the bite of winter and the smell of snow in the wind… I just love this kind of weather!”

“Mm.” He merely grunted.

Smiling at him, she continued with a new conversation topic, one he might more easily relate to. “So, you don't have to worry about being out too long. I have to meet up with Sango and Miroku at five for a performance review, so that gives us…” She checked her watch. “Two hours.”

“Performance review?”

“Yes. And, to be honest, I'm rather nervous. I've never had a performance review before. I hope I do well…”

Inu-Yasha flushed and stared at his shoes; he knew that her review depended upon his progress, and he really was uncertain if Sango and Miroku would see much progress made. He may be eating properly and getting a bit more exercise, but his drinking, which he knew was their main concern, had not been curbed a jot. He still ended up drunk on his couch almost every evening, with Kagome sitting quietly nearby, not doing a thing. While her silence certainly confused him, for no other nurse had lasted a day without reprimanding him, he rather enjoyed it. But it was sure to hurt her in this review.

“You'll do fine…” he muttered gruffly, flicking some ash off the tip of his cigarette. “Sango and Miroku, they put on a tough front, but they're a couple of damn softies.”

Kagome looked at him, pleasantly surprised. She hadn't expected words of encouragement coming from him, of all people. “… Thank you.”

Flushing darker, he quickly turned away and glanced around, anywhere but her direction. He caught sight of a hamburger stand ahead and blurted, “I'm hungry.”

“What? You said you didn't want to get lunch—“

“Well, I changed my mind. Here—“ He shoved a couple bills in her hand. “Get whatever you like. I want a cheeseburger with the works. You get `em while I grab a bench.” And then he strode off, leaving her to walk over to the vendor with a bewildered expression.

Reaching a bench a few paces away, he flopped down and put his head in his hands, letting out an audible groan. This trip outside was becoming more stressful than he had anticipated. It had been a long time since he had felt so flustered around a girl, and the feeling caught him off-guard. Glancing over at her to make sure she wasn't watching, he tugged his flask out of his back pocket and took a long swig in an effort to relax. It was foolish to let such a tiny thing bother him, but… He liked making her smile. It wasn't something he was often able to do, and he took pride in it when he did. But it had been years since a girl had affected him in such a way, and he simply didn't know what to do.

Taking one last swallow, he quickly screwed the cap back on his flask and tucked back in his pocket, then took a long drag of his cigarette to cover up the whiskey on his breath before Kagome returned, carrying two foil-wrapped burgers.

“Here you go—a cheeseburger with the works.”

Silently accepting the sandwich, he dropped his cigarette and ground it out, then slowly tugged the wrapping off and started to nibble. Kagome joined him on the bench, tearing the foil off her own burger and taking an enormous bite. Looking over as she chewed with her eyes closed in pleasure, he raised an eyebrow.

“What?” she mumbled around the meat. “I was starving. I'm so glad you mentioned something, or else I might have eaten my own arm.”

He snorted, then went back to his own meal, and the pair ate in silence. He was able to calm down by the time they finished, which had really been his only reason for demanding a hamburger in the first place, and as soon as the last bite was gone he stood up, obviously ready to go.

“I'm coming, I'm coming.” Kagome grabbed her purse and tossed her wrapper in a nearby trashcan. “Thanks for picking up the tab, by the way; you didn't have to do that.”

Shrugging apathetically, he grunted, “No big deal. Now let's go, I want to get home as soon as possible. It's too busy out here.”

She nodded and quickly fell into step beside him. “Yeah, you're right; it's strangely busy out today. Is there some event going on? I didn't read anything in the paper…”

The closer they got to the center of town, the busier and more numerous the crowds became. Inu-Yasha, who had slowly relaxed during their lunch, was now flexing his hands into fists, nervous and jumpy. He shied away from the vast numbers of people pressing in on them, and had to swallow a growl every time someone bumped into him. Constantly checking to make certain his hat was on straight and his sunglasses were set firmly on his face, he moaned when Kagome finally spotted the reason for the crowds.

“Hey, look over there! There's some sort of tent set up! I wonder what it's for…”

“Well, it ain't any of my business, so let's get going.” He tried to walk in the opposite direction of the tent, but Kagome snagged his arm and turned him back around.

“No, no, it is your business! Look, it's some candidate for the mayor's office doing a rally. You can see the banner from back here—`Unity Under Peace'. Do you know which candidate that is?”

“Look, Kagome, I really don't want to—“

“Come on, let's try and get closer. This is stuff you need to be hearing.”

As she dragged him closer through the crowd he tried to protest, but the din was unbelievable, and he couldn't be heard.

“—Certainly, this city found peace the day the demon Naraku was vanquished and a truce was made,” the candidate was shouting, his voice amplified to a painful decibel in Inu-Yasha's ears by the numerous speakers set up around the perimeter of the tent. “But what about union between the demons and humans? There has never been that final joining of the two! This city has, for too long, been following the politics of `separate but equal' concerning the lives of its demon and human populations! It is time to end it! It is time to bring unity under peace!! If we can coexist in harmony, why can we not live together in that same harmony?” This brought forth a roar of approval from the crowd, who were clearly a mixed group of demons and demon rights activists.

Inu-Yasha stared around him, panicked at the sight of so many people riled up; he knew he should not be standing in the middle of this particular rally. Being a half-demon, he was often begged to bridge the gap between demons and humans in the city; many government officials had approached the Order inquiring for his services for their campaign, but had always been turned away, for the Order needed to maintain a low profile. He had been instructed, very clearly and on several occasions by Sango and Miroku, to never publicly show favor for any candidate unless given permission by them. His support could make or break a candidate, and the entire Order could get in deep trouble.

“Dammit, Kagome, we need to leave now!” he snarled, trying to pull her away, but she still couldn't hear him, and her attention was fixed on the candidate.

“If we were to join our considerable forces, both the humans and demons of the city would profit! Our city would grow in fame as the only place in the world with a mixed population! We would draw in tourists, money, and create jobs! But none of that can fall into place without ---“ The candidate held his microphone out to the crowd, who obediently roared back, “Unity Under Peace!!” They erupted into cheering and applause, making such a din that Inu-Yasha couldn't handle the noise.

He staggered back, hunched over, and it was then when the worst happened. A rather overzealous attendee was jumping up and down, roaring his approval and waving his arms, and Inu-Yasha stepped back into his movement. He got slapped on the head, which knocked off his cap and glasses, exposing his triangular ears and golden eyes for the entire rally to see.

Kagome was by his side in a second, concerned by his reaction to the sounds. “Inu-Yasha!” she cried, shouting to be heard over the noise. “Are you all right? What's happened?”

“Don't say my name, fool!” he hissed, but it was too late. The damage was done. Several heads turned in their direction at the mention of his name, and the moment they spotted his white hair, chaos ensued. He vaguely heard the candidate shouting, “Bring him forward!”, and several hands grabbed him and pulled him towards the stage; they were so numerous that he was unable to resist.

When he reached the stage, he was urgently gestured forward by the candidate, and he had no other choice but to climb onstage and face the crowd that had now fallen silent, waiting with baited breath to see what would happen next.

Kagome, who was rather flustered by the rapid change of events that had spun out of her control, managed to catch Inu-Yasha's eye from across the crowd, sending him a confused look. However, what she got in return was a glare, burning with fury and hatred; he was trapped, and he was blaming her for it.

“Inu-Yasha,” the candidate said into the microphone, bringing the half-demon's attention back to the rally. Looking at the candidate, he was finally able to get a better look at his face; he was very handsome, with dark hair and a mole under his left eye, and quite young, but the look on his face was so confident and intelligent that the man's age seemed to make no difference in his campaign.

“This is the half-demon who has saved our blessed city. This is the half-demon that brought about the peace that we so desperately needed. This half-demon is the bridge between humans and demons!! He is the embodiment of our exact goal! Unity Under Peace!!” he shouted again with the crowd roaring along.

Grasping Inu-Yasha around the shoulders with a grip like iron, he said brightly, “Inu-Yasha, your presence here today gives the people of this city the chance to show you their gratitude for all you have done. It is truly an honor to have you here.”

This candidate was incredibly charismatic, and it gave him an eerie control over the crowd that Inu-Yasha had never seen in another official. They were fired up, desperate for more. At those words, the rally erupted into applause that lasted for several seconds, cheering and whooping. Fighting as hard as he could to hold his temper down, he smiled through clenched teeth and gave a half-hearted wave, which only served to make the cheering even louder.

At last, when the shouting and applause finally died down, the candidate said, “It is, with this hero, the `Savior of the City', that I make my final statement. This city needs to be united, humans and demons as one. With Inu-Yasha's support and I at the head, that goal can be achieved. So remember, vote for me as Mayor Muso, and this city will have—“

“UNITY UNDER PEACE!!!” And the crowd was set off again. Laughing at the enthusiasm, Muso waved regally, then nudged Inu-Yasha in the side. “Wave,” he whispered out of the side of his mouth, his pearly-white smile never breaking. “Give them what they want.”

Inu-Yasha, whose fists were clenched at his sides, could hardly keep the fixed smile on his face, let alone wave. He stiffly shook his head in disagreement and stared out at the crowd, waiting for them to disperse. It took several minutes, but when Muso finally turned away and turned off his microphone, they realized there was nothing more, and finally their numbers dwindled.

“Hey, thanks for showing up,” Muso said, no longer sounding as fake as he was when the mike was on and all eyes were on him. He clapped Inu-Yasha on the back and held out a hand for him to shake. “Your appearance made all the difference. I had almost lost them until you came along. It's nice to have your support.”

“Keep your damn paws off me, you sleazy bastard. You're fooling no one.” Without hundreds of eyes on him, Inu-Yasha was finally able to show the anger that had been building exponentially throughout the ordeal. Smacking Muso's hand off his back with enough force that he heard a satisfying pop! from the human's wrist, he stormed off the stage, nearly knocking over a member of the sound crew.

“Inu-Yasha…” Kagome said softly as he approached her, his stiff figure radiating fury as he brushed aside a few dawdlers. “I had no idea…”

“You need to shut up,” he snapped, reaching down to snag his trampled hat and leaving his hopelessly crushed glasses on the floor. Cramming it on his head to at least cover up his ears, he started to walk away from her, but she quickly caught his arm.

“Inu-Yasha, wait, plea—“ Her voice caught in her throat when he turned to look at her, for his expression was utterly terrifying. She involuntarily released her grip on his arm, and soon he was gone, leaving her standing alone under the tent.

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