InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ His Wish ❯ High Rise Expectations ( Chapter 14 )

A/N: Guess what? This is the second to last chapter. Yay! I'm almost done. Not that I didn't enjoy writing this story, but finally!

 

Inuyasha is not mine. And my brain has melted from headache and sickness and so on.

 

I love reviews. They make me feel fuzzy. Also any questions you can e-mail if you want.

 

 

Chapter Fourteen: High-Rise Expectations

 

The ride ended sooner than Kagome anticipated. Pulling herself out of the stupor that the rushing wind and sense of comfort had lulled her into, Kagome glanced around. She was vaguely surprised to see that they had landed on the roof of a high-rise apartment building. She had been expecting a nice traditional style house in one of the less populated areas, with lots of privacy and plenty of trees for the hanyou to lounge in. Not a gleaming steel and glass, thirty-something story skyscraper crammed full of Tokyo citizens.

 

Running a hand through her wind tousled hair, Kagome mentally shrugged. Whatever. If Inuyasha was cool with it, so was she.

 

“Come on.” Kagome turned to see Inuyasha standing next to the roof access door. He was holding out his hand for her to take, a half-smile tugging at the corner of his mouth obviously entertained at her reaction to his housing choice. But it was really the glint in his amber eyes that made her pause. A flicker of amusement and eagerness heated his gaze and caused a curl of anxiety to twist Kagome's stomach into knots.

 

At her hesitation, Inuyasha cocked his head to the side with a puzzled look on his face. It was so cute that Kagome was able to calm her nerves and offer up a smile to her hanyou. Shouldering her pack and grasping Inuyasha's in her other hand, she crossed to him.

 

“Is everything okay?” he asked when she handed him his bag.

 

She nodded. “Fine. It's just not where I expected you would choose to live.”

 

Kagome giggled when Inuyasha scrunched up his nose and flattened his ears marginally. “Yeah. Sesshoumaru is the one who picked the place, not me.”

 

“Oh? But why here?”

 

Inuyasha shrugged as he swung the door open and gestured for her to go before him. She slipped into the dim stairwell and he followed, tugging the door shut behind him. Another lurch of uneasiness hit Kagome in the gut. She was getting closer to- `No, don't think,' she scolded herself. She watched Inuyasha fit his pack on his back and took a deep breath. `It'll be okay,' she thought. `Just remember that he would never hurt you.' She felt a warm smile spread over her face at the thought. He looked up in time to catch it and grinned back at her.

 

“Come on,” he said again, grabbing her hand and pulling her down the stairs.

 

“Which floor do you live on?” Kagome asked.

 

“Um, it's basically the top floor.”

 

She quirked a brow. “Basically?”

 

His mouth and an ear twitched slightly. “Well, it has two floors.”

 

Both eyebrows hit the ceiling. “Really?“ Kagome had only heard of two-leveled apartments in magazines about celebrity homes.

 

Inuyasha just nodded. “Yeah.”

 

“Cool.”

 

He shrugged, unimpressed. “I guess. Here we are.”

 

They had hit the second floor down from the roof. Inuyasha pulled this door open and let Kagome go through first. The hall she walked into was as bright as the stairwell had been dark. Sage green carpeting accented the cream colored walls and beautiful Monet prints were hanging along the hall. Glancing to the right showed a pair of elevator doors at the end of the corridor. There was another door, presumably to an apartment, between the roof access and the elevators. To the left, the hallway continued down past two more doors and around the corner.

 

Kagome drew in a deep breath and the scent of `brand-new building'. Turning to face Inuyasha, she asked, “So, which way?” He pointed to the left and proceeded down the hall. As they passed the two apartments, Kagome noticed that there were nameplates under each peephole. Naturally, she didn't recognize the names on the first two plates, but as they rounded the corner and came upon a third door, she read the name 'Taisho'.

 

Stopping in front of the door, she asked, “Hey, Inuyasha?” He halted and swiveled his head back towards her, his raised brow asking his question. “Isn't this you? Taisho?”

 

Confusion crossed his face quickly before Inuyasha shook his head. “No, that's Sesshoumaru's. Mine's next door.”

 

“Ah.” Suddenly Sesshoumaru's choice of housing made sense. He wanted to keep an eye on his younger brother (*everyone coos*). She continued on to the door Inuyasha was now standing in front of, searching his pack for keys. Kagome peered over his shoulder to read the name on his door. It said `Taisho' just like his brother's, but there was another name scribbled underneath it.

 

“Who's this `Hirai' person? A roommate?”

 

Inuyasha looked up from his search. “Huh?”

 

“Who's this?” Kagome asked again, reaching over to point out the name on the plaque. Inuyasha followed her finger to where it rested. Comprehension dawned on him finally. “Oh. That's, um, yeah, roommate, uh-” As he hemmed and hawed around his answer, Kagome got angrier and angrier. This was the third time today that Inuyasha had tried to slip out of telling her something and she was getting sick of it. It was time for him to come clean.

 

“Inuyasha, I know you`re hiding something.”

 

The hanyou sighed and turned to face the fuming girl, a falsely bright smile on his face. “I'm not hiding anything, Kagome. What makes you think I am?“

 

She crossed her arms over her chest and quirked a brow. The look said `you're joking, right?' loud and clear. “Oh I don't know, Inuyasha. Maybe the fact that you can't seem to come up with a good answer to my question. Or maybe it's the fact that I've known you for two years and can tell when you're lying to me.”

 

Inuyasha's ear twitched. He knew he was busted. He sighed heavily and ran a clawed hand nervously through his hair. “I don't suppose you'd believe that it's a surprise?” One look proved him right. There was no way she'd buy that excuse, even if it were the truth. He sighed again. “Look. I know what it seems like, but I need you to trust me about this, okay?”

 

He watched as his words sank into the girl's mind and her face softened. She uncrossed her arms to fidget with the hem of her shirt. “Alright, koishi. I trust you.” She gave him a tentative smile and he leaned down to kiss her, a soft brush of lips that sent both of them shivering. Inuyasha pulled back and grinned down at her.

 

“Now,” he said, turning back to the door, “where are those damn keys?”

 

He found them a moment later, hiding in one of his textbooks. After unlocking the door, Inuyasha pushed it open and entered his apartment. He kicked off his shoes, glad for the chance to get out of the horrible things. Of all the things he had to get used to in this time, wearing shoes was definitely the worst. Tossing his keys onto the hall table and his bag on the floor, Inuyasha turned to watch Kagome. She was taking off her shoes and slipping into a pair of guest slippers left to the side of the shoe pit. Her backpack was sitting next to his and she was glancing around.

 

“Wow” was all she said.

 

The apartment was huge. The entryway opened up into the most amazing space Kagome had ever seen. Pine floors led the way into the living room and dining room. Curtains covered the walls lining the living room, which was of the sunken variety with three short steps leading to the matching black leather sofa and love seat. A big-screen TV had been placed against a small half wall that separated the living and dining rooms. A simple, yet elegant chandelier hung over a sleek black dining table surrounded by six chairs. Papers were strewn across the glossy surface of the table as if someone had been there moments before and had just left. `Must be that `Hirai' person,' Kagome thought, as she explored the apartment.

 

The kitchen was located right next to the dining room with a side bar set between the two rooms. Black marble counter tops and silver accents gave the space an ultra modern style. All the essentials were there. The largest refrigerator Kagome had ever seen, electric stove, and high-tech oven, followed by every other appliance she could think of and quite a few that she couldn't even name, much less know what they were for. Figuring that she might as well start finding her way around, Kagome began opening and shutting cabinet doors.

 

“What are you looking for?” Inuyasha asked as he hopped up on the counter to watch her.

 

She pulled open one more cupboard and found what she was searching for. She held her prize aloft. “A glass,” she said, taking the dish over to sink and filling it with water. “I'm thirsty.”

 

“Ah” was all he said.

 

Kagome glanced around. “So, Inuyasha?” He cocked his head inquiringly. “How many of these cabinets are stuffed with instant ramen?”

 

The hanyou crossed his arms over his chest and huffed defensively. “I'll have you know that none of these cabinets have any ramen in them.”

 

She arched a disbelieving brow at him. There was no way that Inuyasha would live in this time and not have stocked up on his favorite ninja food. She was just opening her mouth to say so, when Inuyasha quietly added, “That's what the pantry's for.”

 

And to prove his point, he jumped off the counter and crossed over to a door next to the fridge and swung it open. Kagome craned her head around the corner and was confronted with the entire stock of instant ramen from three grocery stores. She blinked for a couple of seconds before finally dissolving into laughter. Inuyasha tapped his foot impatiently while he waited for her to regain her composure.

 

At last, Kagome's laughter petered out and she wiped a few tears from her eyes. “Oh, I'm sorry, Inuyasha. But that was just so funny.”

 

“Keh,” he snorted, his anger belied by the tiny smirk that played over his lips. “Come on. I'll show you the rest of the apartment.” Then he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the kitchen.

 

The remainder of the downstairs tour consisted of a library/office, a small guest room, and the balcony surrounding the living space. The view off the balcony was gorgeous to say the least. Kagome could just imagine sitting on one of the lawn chairs that had been set up and watching the sunset. Sunset had always been one of her favorite times of day and the corner lot apartment was a perfect spot to relax and enjoy the beautiful colors.

 

She sighed and closed her eyes, relishing the cool wind on her face. A warm weight settled over her shoulders and Kagome snuggled into her hanyou's embrace. They stayed like that for a few minutes, before Inuyasha nudged her back inside for the rest of the tour.

 

They rounded the sunken area and crossed to the stairs that led to the second level. Inuyasha explained that there were four bedrooms, three upstairs and the guest room downstairs. The master bedroom was situated over the kitchen and a medium sized room was next to it, with a bathroom on the opposite side. The third room was right at the top of the stairs and was of smaller dimensions. This room was Inuyasha's.

 

“But why aren't you in the master bedroom?” Kagome asked, slightly puzzled.

 

He shrugged. “Don't need that much space. Besides,” here he smirked a bit, “the Hirai's need it more than I do.”

 

She glanced at him questioningly. “You have two roommates?”

 

“More like four.”

 

“Four?”

 

“Yeah. There's the man and the woman,” he ticked them off on his fingers, “her brother, and their adopted son.”

 

“Oh,” was all Kagome said. She did find it odd that Inuyasha should have any roommates, much less four of them. `But I suppose Sesshoumaru must trust them to let them live here.' Her thoughts were interrupted by Inuyasha swinging open his door. He trotted in and Kagome was left to follow.

 

The room was plain enough. White walls, a decent sized window, and a basic closet, which Inuyasha was now rooting around in. A full bed was centered under the window and covered in red sheets. Kagome smiled to herself at the bright color. There was a small dresser in the corner and on it was a sword stand. And, of course, the Tetsusaiga was on the stand. It was still as ratty as ever, but it somehow seemed even more antique now that it was on display.

 

She padded over to the sword and ran a careful hand over its sheath. She remembered all the times this sword (and its owner) had saved her life. Kagome hoped that the fang would never need to be used again, but she knew that she would miss seeing it in action. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear Inuyasha creep up behind her. She jumped when he cleared his throat.

 

“Gah. Don't do that.”

 

“Sorry,” he shrugged. “I'm going to go change.” He held up the jeans and tee shirt that he'd unearthed from his closet. “I'll be right back.” She nodded and he gave her a quick peck on the cheek before he exited.

 

Kagome turned and flopped down on the bed. Now that her heart wasn't racing, her mind began to run circles around one fact. She was in Inuyasha's bedroom. That in itself had many interesting connotations, the least of which was that her hanyou now had a home. She knew that he had never had a physical home since his mother had died, so this was a pretty big deal. Or that's the way she saw it. Kagome had no idea what Inuyasha thought of that idea or that his much detested elder brother had been the one to provide the structure. `Definitely something to be talked about later,' she thought.

 

A yawn suddenly overtook the girl and she indulged in a bit of good stretching. This caused her eye to catch something that she had somehow missed earlier. There was a beautiful wooden folding panel leaning up against the wall almost hidden by the bed. It was ancient, that much she could tell. Some of the gold paint was flaking off, but that didn't subtract from artistry of the piece.

 

Kagome sat up and edged closer to the panel. At the bottom she could make what appeared to be a battlefield. And just above that there was a large four-legged shape. She scooted a little forward to get a better look. The colors had faded to pale golds, browns, and grays, but Kagome was able to see that the figure was that of an enormous dog. A soft gasp escaped her as she realized that this was a painting of the Great Dog Demon, Inuyasha's father.

 

She whirled around as the door creaked open and Inuyasha walked back in, now dressed in a pair of loose jeans and a white tee. He noticed where she was sitting and what she had been studying. His eyes widened slightly, more in surprise than anything else.

 

“Ah. I see you found it.” Kagome nodded dumbly. Inuyasha crossed to her side and gazed down at the picture, some emotion softening his expression. “Sesshoumaru gave it to me. When I moved in.” He swallowed harshly, as if he was holding something back. “He thought I might like to have it.” She slipped her hand into his and gave it a gentle squeeze. He returned the gesture. “Sometimes I don't know how to handle the change in our … relationship.”

 

“Just take it as it comes, koishi. That's the best you can do.”

 

He raised his eyes to meet hers. There was gratitude and fear there, along with the loving undertone that she was beginning to be more familiar with. They were leaning in for a kiss, when Kagome distinctly heard a door slamming downstairs and a voice calling through the house. Inuyasha's head whipped around, his hair swishing against her arm. He turned back towards her almost immediately.

 

“Can you stay up here for a minute?”

 

She blinked. Than nodded, adding a smile showing that she understood. A quick upturn of his lips was his reply and, with another squeeze of her hand, he was out the door again, clicking it shut behind him.

 

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