InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hanyou of the Future ❯ Shopping Buddy ( Chapter 3 )

Shibuya: A shopping and entertainment district situated in the west of Tokyo.

Thanks to foamyfan15010 for beta-ing. And thank you to Dark Avenger for helping me out with a few extra errors.

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Hanyou of the Future

Chapter Three: Shopping Buddy

Kagome woke up crying early in the morning, startling herself as she opened her eyes to lingering memories of her friends in the feudal era.

She didn't know if she was ever going to see them again, but she wanted to have hope. She wanted to be strong as always because she was Kagome, and she was known for it.

When her hazy mind had cleared up, Kagome realized that she was in her own era, feeling secondary warmth around her and embracing her from behind. At first, instinct almost influenced her to freak out, but she calmed herself, realizing that Inuyasha was holding her through sleep deprived intentions.

She soaked in the feeling, grateful they could do something like this without awkwardness or fighting. Her happiness increased ten-fold as she reminisced about the many times she had admitted her love for him, wishing and dreaming that after all the violence they could be together - that they could grow and have moments just like this.

Kagome sighed, closing her eyes as she focused on his touch: his arms around her waist, his face against her back, and his breath fluttering through the thin material of her pajamas.

She sighed, and she almost giggled to the thought of her family busting into her room to such a scene, and that there would be a lot of awkward and embarrassing excuses from the both of them.

Actually, Kagome didn't know really how Inuyasha felt about her. She knew that he considered her special, and that he always wanted to stay by her side. But as for definitive feelings and intentions, both of them were at an impasse. She had only initiated a kiss once in a stressful situation, where Inuyasha later had shrugged it off huffily after Miroku had teased them.

Ever since then, nothing else had occurred. There was never time for it, not when they were tied to their adventures and struggling to find ways to defeat Naraku. Frustration, anger, and enemy interference had left their relationship stagnant.

Though, when everything was done and peace had been achieved, Kagome wondered if it would be alright to pursue Inuyasha and admit her feelings.

However, she hesitated because Inuyasha appeared dissatisfied at being stuck in her time, indicating to her that maybe he really didn't want to be here - that maybe he didn't want to be with her.

Yet, the way he was holding her now would prove otherwise; she just wasn't sure. As she fretted over such things, she took delight in the here and now with Inuyasha in her bed, worrying that this may never happen again.

So as she smiled and soaked in his warmth, her eyes became heavy and she succumbed to slumber.

Tomorrow she would finally go back to school, and she was glad that she would never have to miss it for her Feudal Era duties again. And when she came home, Inuyasha would be here waiting for her.

----

Inuyasha woke when the morning sunlight warmed his face peaking through Kagome's curtains. He looked to his side, realizing that he must have shifted in his sleep and was no longer holding Kagome.

He didn't know if he should be disappointed or not, since he wasn't embracing her but preventing an awkward scene whenshe realized he was holding her.

His inner relief stemmed from the fact that he didn't know what Kagome thought of him. He was worried, in a way, that maybe she had grown tired of him, and maybe didn't love him in the same way as he loved her.

He was stuck in her time and was more frightened then ever that perhaps Kagome only saw him as a friend - a very good friend, or some sort of platonic nonsense between a man and woman.

In Inuyasha's case, he had no other woman or person besides Kagome, and it would be impossible for him not to feel such a way about her, not after the way she had understood him and accepted him so much.

He just couldn't picture himself without her, even more of an indication that it would lead to something more.

He just didn't know how to get to that point.

So Inuyasha got up, softly climbing out of her bed and letting her get some rest before she had to go to school. He didn't know what he'd do now, so he left her room and crept downstairs to where her family was preparing breakfast.

“Ah, Inuyasha!” Mrs. Higurashi said smiling upon his arrival into the dining room. “Would you, perhaps, like to accompany me shopping today? I could use the extra hands to carry things. Souta and Kagome will be at school, and Grandpa will be tending the shrine while I'm gone. So, can I count on you?”

He nodded and shrugged, and she tittered happily at his response. He sat down at the table, not paying attention as Kagome's grandpa glared at him as usual, and Souta stared at him in awe.

“So, what did you and Kagome do last night?” Souta asked slyly, prompting an even harder glare from Grandpa. Inuyasha did not crack under the pressure, but Souta continued to tease him. “You guys were really quiet last night.” And then Souta leaned over and whispered. “You must be very good at that.”

Inuyasha huffed. “Quiet, kid.” For he was not in the mood for such things, not since he had been mulling over his relationship with Kagome all last night, and her little brother's insinuations were grating on his nerves. In fact, Inuyasha had never really completely thought about such romantic notions before.

And now, being away from adventures with demons in a peaceful time, he knew that it wouldn't't be long until his intimate desires would surface. His face warmed just thinking about it.

“Good morning!” Kagome said in a chipper voice. Everyone turned to greet her, and she took a spot at the table next to Inuyasha. She turned to him and smiled affectionately. “Sleep well, Inuyasha?”

Inuyasha looked down at her for a moment, feeling awkward as Kagome and her family awaited his response. He felt a catch in his throat and then managed to utter, “Uh…yeah, fine.”

Kagome seemed satisfied by that, while Souta snickered to himself on the other side.

“Kagome, isn't it wonderful? Inuyasha is going to accompany me shopping today,” her mother said, setting their breakfast down and seating herself at the table. Everyone readied their chopsticks and stated usual grace before the meal.

Kagome took her first bite and looked over at her mom. “That's good, Mom. Maybe you can take him shopping for some clothes.”

Inuyasha turned to her before taking a bite. “What's wrong with my clothes?” His tone seemed offended.

“Oh, nothing,” Kagome said, her voice muffled slightly as she swallowed her food. “It's just that in my time, your clothes will stand out. It's okay for the shrine, since people will automatically assume you're working here, but as for everyday clothes, you should have something more from this time. And well, you should probably have more than one outfit too.”

“I don't need any of that stuff. I'm fine with this,” he said with some annoyance. Kagome sighed and scrunched her face.

“Come on, Inuyasha. At least get one outfit to fit in. You can wear it when we go out and stuff,” Kagome said, trying to convince him. Inuyasha looked at her, sighed, and couldn't say no to her pleading eyes.

“Fine. Whatever you want,” he said, and he thought he faintly heard a whipping noise come from within Souta's mouth. He shot him a look, but Souta feigned a blasé look and continued eating his breakfast.

“Oh, that sounds great. We can go to Shibuya and find you something. It's been awhile since I went there, so we'll go before we get the groceries,” her mother said, clasping her hands together in elation.

“Shibuya? Isn't that a bit out of the way?” Kagome asked, feeling a bit jealous that her mother would go to such lengths for Inuyasha.

“Nonsense. If he's only getting one outfit, might as well be a good one,” Mrs. Higurashi said, noticing her daughter's disappointment. “I'll pick you up something while I there too. Maybe you can pick it out, Inuyasha?”

Inuyasha swallowed uncomfortably, not knowing what to say to such a request. Then he sported his usual stand-offish disposition, crossed his arms and shrugged. “Yeah, okay.”

Kagome giggled, and then leaned in close to him to whisper. “Remember, I like blue.” And he felt a pool of warmth rise in his body as he took in her husky tone.

After that, he didn't think this shopping trip with her mom would be so bad.

When she left for school, he and her mom waved goodbye to her as they walked in opposite directions toward the bus stops. Mrs. Higurashi patted his head covered in one of Grandpa's ball caps.

“So, ready to go?” she asked him as the bus came. He nodded, and he took off for a day's adventure in the city.

---

Mrs. Higurashi perked up when the curtain in the fitting room was drawn back and Inuyasha emerged. As usual, he came out dressed in modern clothes, looking as amazing as he did in the ten other outfits he had tried on before that.

Trying to keep her cool, Mrs. Higurashi silently swooned at each fitting, and she secretly envied her daughter at having such an exotic looking boyfriend. She was half-tempted to buy all those outfits for him, not caring so much about price.

His red robe certainly didn't do justice to his body's angles and frame. The modern clothes were form fitting, tight in the more favorable places and loose in others. She watched him turn around and then cross his arms.

“Well?” he said, and she saw the other women in the store ogle at him hungrily, blushing as he turned around and studying his every facet.

Mrs. Higurashi smiled, trying to avoid her eyes from staying too long on his behind, displaying more prominently in the khaki pants.

“They all look splendid. Would you like more than one?” she asked, her voice quavering slightly. She cleared her throat.

“I don't care. I guess this one is fine, and maybe those other two you said Kagome would like,” he said, only caring about the ones he thought Kagome would like and not giving a rat's ass about what that pushy sales woman had said.

“Excellent!” squeaked the sales lady beside Kagome's mom. “Would the gentleman like to wear one of the purchases?”

Inuyasha scoffed. “Whatever.” Groaning as he reached down and scratched at the constraining sandals that he was wearing. Mrs. Higurashi had suggested he wear shoes, since people in this era didn't go around barefoot anymore. Out of all the shoes he had tried on, a pair of simple wooden sandals was the least constricting of them all.

Mrs. Higurashi jubilantly made her way to the cashier station and paid for Inuyasha's clothes. When he realized he had almost forgotten about Kagome, he nudged her shoulder.

“Hey, weren't we going to get something for Kagome?” he asked.

Mrs. Higurashi turned to him with that perpetual smile of hers. “Of course, but not here. There's a special shop I'd like to visit for her.”

He nodded, realizing that if her mom thought it was special, that Kagome would indeed be pleased by it. He anticipated getting something for her, and he really didn't care about the shopping done for him.

“Don't worry, Inuyasha. Kagome will just love you in those clothes,” Kagome's mother reassured. He only hoped she was right.

“Why don't you meet her after school today and surprise her? You can give her your gift if you want,” Kagome's mother suggested, and she seemed to smile wider to that suggestion.

Inuyasha nodded in agreement, anticipating Kagome's reaction to his clothes, hoping she would approve. He looked down at his tight black shirt, outlining his muscles and adorned with a word that her mom had told him was English, saying `Bad' and accompanied by the kanji for it as well. He scrunched his nose as he looked down at the tan pants he was wearing; not liking the fact that he had to wrestle with the zipper, a new concept to him altogether. He played with the rosary around his neck, and he began to idly wonder why it was still there, thinking that he really didn't need it.

However, he didn't really about the rosary anymore. She hadn't used it in over two months for when that mangy wolf was about to haul Kagome off to his den after the battle with Naraku. If Kagome hadn't sat him, he would have ripped him apart for suggesting Kagome settle down with him. Inuyasha felt that was his right, not the damn wolf's.

He was lucky Kagome was perfectly charming to decline the wolf, and Kouga understood rather quickly that Kagome was going home. Inuyasha secretly wondered if Kouga knew all along that Inuyasha and Kagome belonged together, and he just hit on Kagome to annoy him.

“Inuyasha?” He heard Kagome's mom try to get his attention as his thoughts went astray. “It's time to go to that shop.” Inuyasha nodded as she led the way.

----

When Kagome got to school that morning, she didn't realize that she'd be screwed in her math class. Since she'd been absent for the quest in the feudal era, she didn't know anything about the huge mid-term exam coming up in her advanced algebra class. After barely squeaking by her first two algebra exams in the past, she was once again ill-prepared for this one.

As usual, her friends were no help to her, keeping their notes to themselves and not offering to study with her because they were busy after school. Her only hope now was Hojo, and although she disliked the idea of asking him for help, she had no other choice. It was either that or totally flunk the exam.

She just hoped that Hojo didn't ask her out on a date in addition to her plea for help. She crossed her fingers, and after school was out, she scrambled to find him before he left.

“Hojo-kun!” she yelled, flagging him down as he unlocked his bike from the school rack. He looked up and smiled when he realized it was her.

“Ah, Higurashi!” He waved back, and she saw that he was digging in his bag for something as she made her way over to him.

“I have something for you,” he told her, and Kagome couldn't help but smile to how predictable he was. He handed her something wrapped in tissue paper, and then gave her a beaming smile.

“They're medicinal hot and cold pads for you back pains.”

“Back pains?” Kagome inquired.

“Yeah, I heard from Ayumi-kun that you were sick last week from muscle spasms in your back. I hope these will help you. How is your back these days?” he asked with concern. Kagome smiled, half-relieved that her grandfather no longer was forced to come up with crazy excuses for her anymore.

“Well, actually, everything is great now, but thank you.” She took them from him anyway, not sure when she'd ever use them.

“Anyway, Hojo, I wanted to ask a favor of you,” Kagome said, looking up at him with pleading eyes. She noticed the faint blush on his face and inwardly groaned to that.

“Favor?” he stuttered.

“Yeah, could you please help me study for this math exam? I'm soooooo behind! I'd be in your debt forever if you do this for me.” She grinned with a toothy smile at him.

“Well, sure!” he said enthusiastically. “We can make it a study date.”

“Date?” Kagome asked as her stomach lurched uncomfortably. She didn't want to give Hojo any false hope, but she desperately needed his help. She didn't want to think about what Inuyasha would say if he knew Hojo's intentions. She hoped it wouldn't come to that, and that on the surface, it was just an educational meeting between two people and nothing else.

“Well,” she hesitated. She was more afraid of failing, and since she didn't feel the same way for Hojo, she opted not to give this chance up. “I guess so.”

“Great! We can meet tomorrow at the library, say right after school?” Hojo smoothed back his hair and Kagome noticed the anticipation in his eyes.

She smiled. “Sure!” She didn't want to give him more happiness than that. “Thanks so much, Hojo. I owe you!” And she took off, waving goodbye to him and thanking him again for his gift.

As she ran away, she noticed a crowd of students gathering around the entrance of the school. Kagome noticed that people were chattering and gasping in awe.

“Who is he?” one girl asked.

“He looks so gorgeous! He seems to be waiting for someone,” another quipped.

“Whoever that person is, I envy her,” another one said while sighing.

“Maybe he's waiting for a boy,” another responded sniggering, and the rest of the voices were drowned out as the object of their interest looked over at Kagome walking past the crowd.

“There you are,” he said gruffly, and now all eyes were on Kagome as the mysterious stranger walked over to her. He took her bag, and she stared at him with a stunned expression.

She looked him up and down, realizing that he was now wearing modern clothes, and he looked damn fine in them to boot.

“Uh…uh…” she stuttered, not finding the words. She couldn't keep her eyes off the black shirt that snuggly fit around his muscular chest.

“What's wrong? Don't you like it?” He looked down at his clothes, and he appeared concerned about how he looked in them.

“No!” she said a bit louder than usual, and his face fell at her answer. “No…I mean, yes, I like it. You look…” She paused and a heavy breath escaped her lips. “You look really good.”

“Well, good,” he sighed, relieved. “Now here, I was supposed to give this to you.”

He handed her the package, and he didn't seem to care that people in her school were still ogling them.

“This is for me?” She took the package hesitantly, and then meticulously opened the bag. She gasped as she saw a light blue shawl in a fine knit material. She cooed as she took it out of the bag and slid it over her shoulders. It was soft, and she caressed her hands over the material.

“Yeah, I picked it out. I hope, um…, it's not too ugly, or something.” He coughed, feeling strangely nervous all of the sudden.

“It's beautiful. I love it,” Kagome said, hugging it herself and looking at him. She wanted to run up and hug him, but at the corner of her eye, she noticed her class mates were still staring at him.

“Um… thanks for picking me up. We should go now,” she said, in a hurry to leave the scene and get away from intrusive eyes.

“Yeah…sure,” he said, noticing their surroundings and mirroring her discomfort. “Why the hell are they staring at us?”

“Well,” Kagome chuckled, as they walked back toward her home. “I think they're staring at you.”

“Me?” he questioned.

“Well, yeah, because you look so …”

“Because of my hair?” he interrupted, used to the reactions the humans had in this time if a person's hair wasn't black. Kagome's friends had reacted weird to him also, and Kagome told him later that they thought he was foreign and from a country where light haired people were native.

“Yeah…well something else too,” Kagome said sheepishly.

“Oh yeah, and what's that?” he prodded, curious to the strange smile she had on her face.

“Well, what I heard from a couple girls in that group was that they think you're good looking,” she said smirking at him, and then she took his hand in hers and squeezed it. “I don't know where they get that idea,” she teased.

He harrumphed. “Oh, you don't, huh? And I thought you knew me better than a couple of strangers did,” he said, playing her game.

She leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. “Oh? Well, maybe I still have a lot to learn.”

His ears twitched underneath the hat, and he delighted in the playfulness in her tone. He stifled a growl, and he felt heat rise in his torso, electrifying his sense from her contact.

“Listen,” he said in almost a whisper. He didn't know why his voice had come out so soft. “Let's go somewhere tomorrow, just us.”

At first, Kagome was ecstatic at the idea, but before she could agree, she suddenly remembered the study date with Hojo.

“I'd love to but …” She looked at him with a disappointed expression. “Hojo's helping me with my homework tomorrow. I'm really behind and in danger of failing one of my classes. He's the only one that will help me.”

Inuyasha let go of her hand and looked at her with a dejected expression. “Hojo…Is he that guy that helped you before?”

Kagome nodded, and she felt really bad for the fallen look on Inuyasha's face. She became surprised when he furrowed his brow in anger, trying to hold back something on his mind.

“It's only for tomorrow, since the test is the following day. Maybe we can go out after the test?” she asked, trying to revive his spirits. She took his hand back, even though it was slack in her grasp.

He nodded lightly. “Maybe.”

She continued to walk, leading him and still holding his hand. He seemed upset, and she only hoped he would get over it. Yet, more than anything she wanted to know what was bothering him.

She knew that Inuyasha was the one person she knew that hardly ever overtly shared his feelings, and this was one of those times where she wished everything was out in the open.

“Inuyasha, is there something bothering you? If you don't like me studying with Hojo, maybe I could just forget it and -“

“No, you need the help, right? Your school is important. I'm just…tired from the day.” He forced a smile. “Your mom dragged me everywhere, and I came right here afterward.”

“Oh,” Kagome said, only half-buying his excuse. But she didn't want to push the subject, especially with the unpleasant vibes coming from Inuyasha's expression. “Okay,” she finally replied, and they walked in silence the remaining trip home.

Suddenly, she felt him squeeze her hand in his just a little tighter. Her heart racing, she hoped he wasn't really worried that he could lose her to Hojo.

TBC …