InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hanyou of the Future ❯ Dating Advice from Souta ( Chapter 4 )

AN: Thank you again to my ever-brilliant beta, foamyfan15010.

Hanyou of the Future

Chapter Four: Dating Advice from Souta

Inuyasha kept quiet as he and Kagome headed home after school. She probably noticed his short answers and slight scowl, but he didn't care.

He was honestly quite angry with her. He didn't know why she was going out with another guy when she had him. Oh, he knew that this Hojo person was useful in helping her with school, but he also knew that this same boy was interested in Kagome the same way he was. To Inuyasha, that meant that Hojo was a rival.

He felt insecure because Kagome had known Hojo a lot longer than Inuyasha had known her, and unlike him, Hojo was human. Hojo was also a resident of this time and was obviously more knowledgeable to things in this world since they went to the same school.

He felt scared too, unsure of what he would do if Kagome picked Hojo over him, and then he would be out of luck; moreover, he would be even more out of place alone and stuck in this strange time.

After all, she was all he had here, and if she chose someone else in front of him, it would just kill him.

So he had to quickly reveal his feelings to her, but he didn't know how. He had little experience with this romantic stuff, and he certainly didn't want to screw up and make things worse.

When they got home, he was even more upset since Mrs. Higurashi had cleaned the spare room that was officially becoming his. Now that he had his own room, he could no longer spend nights with Kagome and indulge in her wonderful scent. He wondered if they would ever experience a memorable night like that again.

Instead, he was moved to the spare room on the bottom floor of the house. Kagome's room was above his, but he could barely recognize her scent, and the only things he could hear were her light footsteps.

When they settled in bed for the night, Inuyasha murmured a good night to her, reminding her that he would walk her to school again since he had nothing to do. He removed his modern clothes down to his underwear, ready to jump into his futon. As he lied in his bed musing over his issues with Kagome, he suddenly heard a slight knocking on his door after all the lights had gone out.

His ears perked up, and he hoped that it was Kagome coming to see him. When he pulled back the shoji door, his hopes fell when he realized it was Souta.

“What?” Inuyasha snarled more than usual. Souta looked into his scowling face and slightly paled.

“Um…I need to talk to you about something,” Souta whispered visibly gulping. “It's about Kagome.”

Inuyasha moved out the way and invited him in. “This better be good, kid. I've had a crappy day.”

Souta nodded. “Yeah, I could tell. Look, are you mad about Hojo?”

Inuyasha's ears flickered at the name. He gave Souta a miffed look. “What of it?” he said before walking away and plopping roughly onto his futon.

“Well, you should be,” Souta quipped, crossing his arms. Inuyasha's eyes widened at Souta's tone.

“And why should I be worried about that stupid kid?” Inuyasha spat. Souta could see Inuyasha's fists clench. Souta inwardly smirked to Inuyasha's disposition.

“Because he'll probably steal her away from you,” Souta answered, and Inuyasha felt rage swelling up inside him.

“Keh,” he said pouting. “What the hell am I supposed to do about it?”

Souta's eyes widened. For the first time ever, Inuyasha did not deny that he wanted Kagome. In fact, he could tell from the hanyou's tone that he was seriously worried. Souta didn't actually believe Hojo could take Kagome away from Inuyasha, but the two of them were too stubborn to admit their feelings. Obviously, the tension was still between them, and even now when their quest was over and Inuyasha was living with them, their relationship had still progressed very little.

Souta felt it was up to him to fix it, so he played instigator. He only hoped Inuyasha would get a clue.

“Well, you see, even when Kagome is gone, Hojo comes over here, bringing her gifts and supporting her. He's very attached to my sister, and I'm pretty sure Kagome likes it when he lavishes her with gifts. Mom says Hojo is a real gentleman, and I can't see Kagome refusing that,” Souta answered, watching Inuyasha's expression contort into rage and disappointment. As Souta caked on how wonderful Hojo was, Inuyasha seemed to buckle under the pressure. “So you see, all girls like to get presents and to be treated like queens, and Hojo totally does that for her. It's only a matter of time until things get serious between them.”

“Serious?” Inuyasha asked.

Souta almost laughed to his next line. “Well, yeah, like kissing and stuff. Sooner or later, my sister's going to be sucking face with that guy, then they'll get married, have lots of babies, and you'll have to baby sit.”

“I'll have to what?” Inuyasha raged, and then he subdued his temper and lowered his voice not to wake everyone up.

“Settle down already,” Souta said, waving his hands at him. Inuyasha was positively enraged at such an idea. He was audibly growling and staring at the wall as if he was going to bust it down. He cracked his knuckles and fury stirred in his golden eyes. Souta was actually scared to get any closer to him. He hoped he wasn't pushing him too far. “You can do something about it.”

“What the hell can I do about it? I don't have any way to give her gifts. I don't have any money, and I don't know where to take her on dates. I don't know anything about this time or how things work. How can I compete with that?” Inuyasha lashed at him.

Souta lifted up his chin and looked at him confidently. “Duh, you're Inuyasha, hero of the Feudal Era and victor against all evil! Besides, you can always get a job if you need money. I know Mom was able to get your papers today. So now that you have an identity, you can get a job and then buy Kagome presents and take her to nice places. And don't worry about deciding on where to take her; just leave that to me.”

“Feh, I guess so,” Inuyasha snorted, still feeling doubtful. “I hope you're right. I don't want that bozo any where near Kagome, but she seems to think nothing is wrong.”

“Well then you got to look better than him…cooler. I know you can do it since that guy is such a major square. I mean, look at yourself compared to him! Has Hojo fought demons?” Souta asked, and Inuyasha shook his head.

“Has Hojo been on great adventures with her?” Again, Inuyasha shook his head.

“Can Hojo protect Kagome with a sword?” Souta paused and then concluded. “Does Hojo have dog ears?” Inuyasha gave him a strange look.

“Oh, come on, it's so obvious she digs your ears. You should see what she writes about them in her diary,” stated Souta. Inuyasha was thankful the darkness of the room hid his blush.

Souta cleared his throat hiding his snigger as Inuyasha remained dead silent, processing all the information he gave him.

“So all I have to do is get a job so I can buy Kagome stuff?” Inuyasha scratched his head. “And then what?”

“Tell her your feelings, obviously,” Souta sighed in exasperation. How could he be so dense? And then Souta saw Inuyasha visibly swallow even in the dark.

“I - I guess I should,” Inuyasha stuttered, realizing he had no choice. If he didn't tell Kagome fast, maybe he would lose her to that Hojo kid, and he certainly didn't want to be around when she kissed him, let alone watch over their kids! And he felt that he would rip the guy's arms off if he even considered touching his Kagome. He sighed. “I'll look for a job tomorrow, I guess.”

Souta beamed brightly, hoping that his encouragement (as wacky as it was) would motivate Inuyasha to finally get together with his sister.

It would definitely relieve the house of some extra tension. Things would even be more interesting when their relationship went beyond kissing, and finding them in awkward times would put the spice back into this boring old shrine.

“Well, great,” Souta said finally while yawning. “Now that you know what needs to be done, I guess I'll be off. Just think about it, Inuyasha. Night!”

Inuyasha nodded dumbly as Souta left, and then the gears started turning in his mind about what he could do to win Kagome away from Hojo, and to finally tell her how he really felt. And then he felt warmth pool between his legs, and he closed his eyes as he thought about holding her and rubbing his hands over her soft skin. He gritted his teeth at the coldness of the solitary room, knowing that all his thoughts were merely thoughts, and only touching her for real would subdue his want.

He wished the day would come soon where he could hold her without reservation.

----

As she came down the stairs that morning, Kagome felt a hitch in her throat as she gazed upon Inuyasha's form. She definitely would have to get used to him wearing modern clothing, especially when he looked so good in them.

Today he was wearing a black bandana over his ears. He wore a white wife-beater shirt with a black netted see-through top over it. He wore loose fitting black jeans, and as he stood in the kitchen helping her mom, Kagome could tell they were barely hanging over his hips. Then she saw a reflective material poking out the top of his pants, no doubt his boxers underneath.

And then she couldn't help herself, imaging him with nothing on but those boxers and black bandana, and the image reeled in her mind almost giving her a nosebleed. She blushed, slightly bothered by the onslaught of sexual emotions so early in the morning. Kagome wondered if every morning would be like this. She was afraid that one of these days she wouldn't be able to restrain herself from pouncing on him. That quick fantasy alone made her feel hot between her legs.

“Good morning!” she chirped, trying to push the heated feelings away from her mind. Inuyasha turned around with the same scowl on his face from yesterday. She slumped in her seat at the table, feeling horrible as she realized he was still mad at her about Hojo.

“Um…so Inuyasha, are you going to walk me to school today?” she asked as he approached the table. He set her breakfast in front of her and walked back into the kitchen.

“Yeah, if you want,” he answered, but not looking at her as he continued to set the table for everyone else. He sat down next to her but did not look at her. “I have to go look for a job today anyway. Your mom gave me my papers and hanko stamp.”

He handed them to her, and she looked them over. “So you're going to be Takei Koji legally. That's great, Inuyasha, but why do you need a job right away?”

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders. “Just don't want to be bored.”

“But I'm sure grandpa needs some help around the shrine. He could pay you for that,” Kagome suggested.

“Hn,” he agreed, staring at his food with little interest. “Doesn't matter, I just need some money.”

Kagome seemed interested now, and she stared at him intently. “What for?”

He suddenly appeared uncomfortable, and she cocked her head to him. What was he up to?

“Uh … just something. Don't worry about it,” he finally turned to her and flashed a mysterious smile. She felt her insides shiver hotly. He leaned in next to her and whispered, “It's a surprise.”

“Okay,” Kagome weakly chirped, and then her family said their grace and began eating breakfast. Once in awhile her eyes traveled back to Inuyasha, who seemed mildly content with the world. She was dying to know what he was up to, and the secrecy was even more tantalizing. She only hoped this surprise involved her.

When they got ready to leave for school, she immediately grabbed Inuyasha's hand as he walked beside her, and he didn't seem to object. Actually, he had clutched her fingers tightly, and he flashed her that same mysterious smile when he caught her looking at him.

She was positively on edge. What was he planning? What was he hiding? She bit her lip from the anxiety.

Kagome was mulling over things so much in her mind that she didn't realize a lot of time had gone by when they were walking, and she had already arrived at school.

He stopped as they stood outside the front gates of her school. Neither one of them released each other's hands, staring at each other and unsure how to say good-bye. Actually, neither one of them wanted to part, but the hard thing was communicating that.

Several people walked by them, noticing the scene and whispering in curiosity. A lot of people were jealous of Kagome, eyeing Inuyasha as a delectable piece of meat.

“Well…I have to go,” Kagome finally said. She felt Inuyasha squeeze her hand. She felt this sudden urge to kiss him, but that would seem rushed and out of character. They hadn't even gotten that far before. Besides, both of them seemed too uncomfortable enough for public displays of affection, so she had to subdue her own urges.

She didn't even know how he really felt about her.

She saw him give her a small smile, and then reluctantly let go of her hands. “Good luck on studying tonight.” She then noticed pain swirling in his eyes.

He was seriously bothered by the fact that she was going with Hojo tonight. She wished she could change all that and be with him, but it wasn't like she even cared about Hojo in a romantic way. Her meeting with Hojo was about school, and her feelings could never be the same as they were when she thought about Inuyasha.

“Um…could you come after my study date? The library closes at 5:30 so that's about as long as we'll be studying,” Kagome said, and she took off her watch and handed it to him.

He looked at the watch and nodded at her. “Sure, I'll be there.”

“Good luck on finding a job.” She winked at him, and he couldn't help but inwardly beam.

“Thanks.” He grinned mischievously, and he noticed she was blushing. He turned around and waved as he walked away. Kagome stood swooning for a moment, watching his form from behind.

She was anxious more than ever for 5:30 to roll around.

----

Inuyasha felt much happier after taking Kagome to school. He felt reassured as Kagome only seemed to consider this thing with Hojo nothing more than academic, and he could tell she anticipated seeing him later on.

Now, all he had to do was follow Souta's advice and find a job, so he began walking toward downtown Tokyo, hoping that he'd find something to his liking. In his pocket he kept his new identification papers, and he was grateful for the lengths that Kagome's mom had gone to give them to him. Kagome had told him it wasn't exactly legal what she did, but her mom had a lot of contacts in the government thanks to her dad, so it wasn't much of a problem. As long as he kept a low profile, nobody would ever question his residency.

Souta had told him that morning about the sorts of jobs he could get. He advised looking for jobs involving strength, like lifting or stocking supplies at a store. He even said that Inuyasha could get a job in the postal service in the back lifting and sorting mail, and interacting very little with people. Yet, Inuyasha didn't know about sorting stuff, and that job actually sounded boring to him.

It seemed hopeless, but he really didn't know what was out there, so he just had to look around.

“Excuse me!” Inuyasha was broken out of his reverie from a strong raspy female voice behind him. He turned around to the source of the voice.

A petite, long-haired woman looked at him with wide eyes and gaping mouth. “Wow, you're perfect!”

Inuyasha looked at her as if she was crazy. “Huh?” he replied rather dumbly.

The woman brought out a yellow measuring tape and began shifting it in various positions in front of his body.

“Uh…what are you doing?” he asked with confusion. This woman was certainly nutty, and he hoped she wasn't ill or something.

“Lift up your arms like this for me once,” she ordered, lifting her own arms out parallel to the ground to show him. He automatically complied, feeling more stupefied than antagonistic to the crazy woman's requests.

She exhaled a gust of air from her gaping mouth and clucked her tongue in approval. “I knew it! You are perfect! Oh, I'm lucky! My ass has been so saved!”

“Um…are you alright, lady?” Inuyasha asked, even more confused as the woman happily rambled on.

“Oh!” she yelled in surprise. “I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself. Wow, you must really think I'm nuts.” She chuckled and gave him a piece of paper, a card with names and words on it. “My card -- I'm Riho Taguchi, photographer of the male clothing line, Enamor.”

He didn't respond and continued to give her a deadpan expression.

“Um…yeah, so as I was saying, you're perfect. Most people would be jumping for joy if I said that to them, especially since I'm a well-known and award-winning photographer and my photos are featured in hundreds of best selling publications.” She flashed him a blinding smile.

He still didn't seem impressed, and Inuyasha looked at her as if she was speaking a foreign language.

“Um…so you'd be perfect for my photo that I have a deadline on today. My normal model ditched me, and I'm in desperate need for a fill-in. Unfortunately the photo is for a rather alternative magazine so my guy has to have more of an exotic look, and well, Japan has very few exotic looking people crawling around on the street. I'd be so grateful if you'd help me out!” she pleaded, bowing to him. Inuyasha felt stunned.

Then he suddenly realized what this woman was asking. “Is this a job?”

The woman looked up at him. “Of course! You'd be compensated handsomely for it. I was paying the last guy 30,000 yen per picture, but since you're an amateur I'd be willing to pay you half that for one picture, which still isn't bad. I need a total of ten pictures,” she said rather quickly, and the amount of money didn't really concern him at this point, but he was satisfied that this job would even pay him. He nodded, and then the woman began to dance in elation.

“Oh! This is great! Thank you! You will not regret it!” The woman then suddenly pulled on his hand and led him swiftly down the street and into a building. As they made their way inside, Inuyasha's senses were on alert as he looked around this new environment.

Suddenly, they stopped in front of a room filled with weird contraptions as a light shined down on the center of the room. Many other people scurried about engrossed in their own particular duties.

Riho leaned into him and whispered in his ear. “Now, don't be nervous. It'll be a quick and painless shoot. I'll even throw in an extra 10,000 yen for a final private picture.” Inuyasha saw the woman look him up and down grinning hungrily.

“Private picture?” he asked. Riho waved her hand listlessly in the air.

“Nothing big and standard issue; you have an option to let me take a picture with or without our clothing on,” she smirked at his quizzical look.

“Then what would I be wearing?” Inuyasha seemed confused, but whatever they wanted of him didn't involve killing, pain or anything too extreme. He deducted from the woman's description that he'd be getting paid for basically wearing their clothing and just standing there. But with the way she was smirking made him think that there was something else involved in all this.

“Well, it's not what you'll be wearing, it's what you won't be wearing,” she said cryptically. She grinned more than the muscles in her face could really handle. “You'll be completely naked, actually.”

“WHAT?” he yelled. She giggled nervously and shushed him.

“Come on, it's only for an extra 10,000 yen. Besides, it's only one picture, quick and dirty. You have nothing to worry about,” she confirmed. “Of course, it depends on how desperate you are for money.”

Inuyasha glared at her. He didn't really care about nudity; in fact, he didn't know what the big deal was about it. However, he was not dumb enough to realize that this woman was going to take a nude picture of him for something perverted, and he started to associate her with a female version of Miroku, wondering if that was really possible.

However, she was right. He did need the money, and he really didn't have to do anything to get it. An extra chunk of money could really get Kagome something special. He bit his lip as the woman stared at him, awaiting his response.

He felt a mental nudge, and then nodded while giving her a stern glare. “Fine, do what you want. The only thing I ask is that the bandana stays on at all times.”

The photographer gave him a curious look and then chuckled. “Fine, fine, I wouldn't want my readers to see your bad dye job either.” She began pushing him forward and then called over some girls that worked for her.

“Okay then, it's time for you to get ready. Yuri and Ruki, get Mr. - uh?”

“Inuyasha,” he replied.

“Cute. Get Mr. Inuyasha ready for the shoot, and bring out that black silky article first,” she ordered, and the girls bowed to her direction.

“Yes ma'am,” they said in synch, and then they pulled Inuyasha back into the dressing room preparing him for the shoot.

TBC…