InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ In the Eyes of the Beholder ❯ Undeniably Shallow ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine and never will be.

Author's Note: In case you were wondering, I don't hate Kagome! This is an Inu/Kag fic. But if things seem bad for her now, wait until the end of the story. ANGST! I just wrote out some detailed plans for it and they wound up being long. The plot is gonna get so twisted. *cackle* I can't wait.

P.S. You are gonna see a big obsession with Inuyasha's ears and hair in this chapter… ^_^

 

In the Eyes of the Beholder

 

 

Chapter Two: Undeniably Shallow

 

 

As Inuyasha slowly poked at a burnt grain of rice with his chopsticks, he sighed heavily, head drooping to rest on his fist. Boring, boring, boring. Although he had one of the biggest mansions in the region, no amount of space could destroy the raging feeling of loneliness that consumed him at every possible moment. His father, Inu Taisho and mother, Izayoi , died when he was very young. His half-brother, Sesshomaru, was currently away in distant lands, doing business deals with other powerful youkai. Not that I mind that much, Inuyasha thought with a smirk. He and Sesshomaru had never been on the best terms and he had no other brothers besides him. Inuyasha groaned softly,

damning himself for become so reliant on others.

 

For some reason that even Inuyasha couldn't explain, his mind wandered back to that young peasant girl that he had talked to earlier. She reminded him of another young woman that he had met while searching for Tetsusaiga. They both had the same black hair and big brown eyes. But the peasant girl was much more…talkative and more attractive…Shaking his head to snap himself away from such thoughts, Inuyasha pushed back from the table, wooden legs of his chair scraping against the hard floor as he stood up.

 

It was getting late. Dusk had already been creeping across the horizon when he had returned home and he had spent at least another hour picking at his food as he contemplated his current situation. Deciding to hit the sack early tonight, he padded softly into the foyer before speeding up the never-ending sets of stairs that lead to his room.

 

~*~

 

Inuyasha woke late the next morning. Caught in a terrifying whirlpool of blackened nightmares, it had been hard to tug himself into consciousness. When he finally opened his golden orbs, he blinked in a daze, rubbing sleep from his eyes and sweeping his matted hair from his face.

 

“I'm going to have to get one of the servants to brush this mess,” Inuyasha muttered to himself, surveying this pale locks and wrinkling his nose in disgust. Taking care of his hair was such a burden that he rarely, if ever, combed it. If you were six foot and had hair all the way down to your butt, maybe you'd understand.

 

Inuyasha laid in bed for a few more moments, relishing the early morning quiet, knowing full well that soon the manor would be bustling with activity and he would be pulled from the warmth of his bed. Someone knocked at his door and a flustered butler bustled in.

 

“Speak of the devil,” Inuyasha muttered to himself, trying to swipe his hair from his eyes unsuccessfully. Where was a servant when you needed on? “What do you

want?” He rose unceremoniously and stretched, cracking a few of his joints into life.

 

“We have a young woman who wishes to work for you specifically,” the butler went on, ignoring the rudeness of Inuyasha's behavior. If one had worked at the Inu manor for as long as he had, you knew how to deal with each of the residents. “She apparently is a very hard worker.” Inuyasha perked up immediately.

 

“Does she know how to comb hair?” Inuyasha asked eagerly. If so much pride wasn't wrapped up in his snowy locks, he'd opt to have it all cut off. It was so unruly and nothing could seem to tame the mess. Finger combing only resulted in knots, tangles, and strands of hair stuck to his talons. Blech.

 

The butler gave him a confused look before prattling on, “Jaken requests your presence in the hall to meet your new servant and assign her tasks for today. Be in the foyer in exactly fifteen minutes or there will be trouble.” Inuyasha made a face at the butler as soon as he turned his back.

 

Oh, how he hated Jaken. He was Sesshomaru's right hand man. When the older youkai had went to deal with business in the Eastern Lands, he had left Jaken to manage the place along with Myouga, who was a favorite of his dead father. Since Myouga wasn't around often, Jaken usually had complete control and the little toad hated Inuyasha's guts. That was why the hanyou was often outside, away from the cold loneliness of his house and Jaken's barking orders.

 

Inuyasha quickly washed, scrubbing off the sweat and dirt from yesterday's excursions. He dunked under the water in an attempt to rinse his hair. Resurfacing and spluttering, Inuyasha squeezed the remaining water from his hair and stepped out of the tub, shaking off the offending water droplets. He grabbed a fresh haori and pair of pants, shook his hair one last time, and raced down the stairs.

 

Before he could see his servant, Inuyasha was able to pinpoint her scent…It reminded him of flowers, cake, and sugar and seemed familiar somehow. He shrugged it off as he jumped the last few steps, grounding firmly on the landing. The girl had the hair the color of the night with glimmering flecks of cobalt slipping through the silky strands. She wore the common peasant's clothing. In all honesty, the girl was nothing special. Jaken stood before her, giving her a lay down of the rules, expectations, and consequences before his huge, yellow eyes landed on Inuyasha.

 

“Ah, here our Lord is now.” The hanyou could not help but feel the sarcasm oozing from those words because he knew that the only person Jaken respected was Sesshomaru. “Curtsey to him and show proper respect.” Inuyasha could not explain why his heart leapt into his throat as she slowly turned to face him. Maybe he was expecting her to be attractive? Yeah, that was it. It would be exceptionally nice to have something nice to look at as the days bore on.

 

The girl curtsied so fast that Inuyasha was unable to see her face.

 

“I-I am K-Kagome, my Lord,” the girl stammered, tripping over her words in nervousness. Inuyasha's right ear flicked as he heard her suck in a deep breath of air and tremble visibly. What's wrong with her? I'm not thatintimidating, am I? The girl called Kagome swallowed, straightened her back, and shakily looked Inuyasha square in the eye.

 

He had to clamp his hand over his mouth to choke back a scream. Holy…

 

~*~

 

After Inuyasha's rude reaction, Jaken directed a crestfallen Kagome to her quarters so she could meet the other servants, snickering rather loudly in between sentences. As soon as Kagome was out of earshot, Inuyasha rounded on the pleased toad.

 

“What the hell!? What…I mean who was that!?” Inuyasha hissed through clenched teeth. Jaken had deliberately given him an unattractive…no…ugly personal servant! Otherwise, Inuyasha was positive that he would not have gotten one at all. He hadn't laid eyes on a face such as hers in a while. A shudder rippled down his back. That Kagome was his personal servant, meaning she would have to be with him basically at all times…Even when he bathed. Inuyasha swallowed again, shaking his head in disgust. Ugh…Why me?

 

“Your personal servant, you idiotic half blood. And there will be no firing of this girl!” Jaken snapped, shaking his warty little head. “Now it is still early. Go to fetch her in a few. The butler mentioned something about you `wanting your hair combed', so that is her first task. Breakfast should be shortly. Other than that you're free. Miroku and Sango will be returning from their trip soon with new techniques for you to try out in the dojo.”

 

“Okay,” Inuyasha growled, bottom lip poking out as he sulked. At least his brother had a cute servant. Rina. Or Rin. Or something like that. Whenever Sesshomaru was walking about the manor, doing whatever dog lords do, Rin trotted loyally behind him, happy and bursting with energy. If you were a demon (or half, in Inuyasha's case) you could smell the attraction between the two, no matter how hard his brother tried to disguise it. But Inuyasha wouldn't have to worry about falling for Kagome any time soon…That was a fact.

 

“Oh and Inuyasha,” Jaken began with a small pulling at the corners of his pointy lips. “Try not to mate with the girl. At least not until she's acclimated…” Jaken got much satisfaction out of the disgusted roar that erupted from the white haired hanyou as he walked toward the garden, intent on discussing the flower arrangements.

 

~*~

 

Kagome had been mortally wounded by the look of revulsion in those haunting amber orbs…But it was to be expected. She should have braced herself more for his reaction because now it seemed as if Inuyasha had sliced into her tender flesh with the thin sword that always occupied his hip. She longed for at least a fragment of the beauty she had possessed before her imbecilic deal with Naraku. But, had I not made a deal with Naraku, I wouldn't be here…near Inuyasha. I wouldn't be under the same roof as Inuyasha. I wouldn't be able to touch Inuyasha. Though, now that she was there with him, Kagome wondered if being her regular self would have been better…At least Inuyasha would have given her a second glance and wouldn't have shielded his eyes from her as if he had been burned and covered his mouth as if he were going to vomit.

 

I hate it all! Kagome screamed mentally. The pimples, the ears, the nose, the eyes…Naraku really did a number on me! She sighed loudly as she was escorted down the hall by another servant toward Inuyasha's bedroom. The older boy avoided looking at her as well, which was another fatal blow to her ever shrinking self-esteem. Kagome was used to boys smiling at her, flirting with her, trying to court her…Not acting as if they would rather have their eyes pecked out by vultures than look at her. How would she ever steal his heart this way?

 

“Here you go, miss,” the servant boy bowed before disappearing down the hallway. “Inuyasha's bedroom.” Kagome swallowed the lump in her throat and fixed her tussled hair, knowing full well it would not make much of a difference either way. First impressions were crucial…almost like a test and Kagome was positive she had failed. Sucking in a deep breath, she struggled to calm her pounding heart, wet her lips, and knocked.

 

There was pregnant pause before she heard light footsteps and the door creaked open. It was obvious that Inuyasha was trying to contain himself this time, but by the way his bottom lip twitched in agony was enough to tell Kagome what was going on behind that expressionless face. But she chose to ignore it. Getting offended would only make matters worse and would set her even further away from her goal…which seemed to be slipping through her fingers faster than water with each passing moment.

 

“Come in.” Kagome loved the rough quality of his voice; it sent delicious chills racing down her back. Stepping inside his private quarters was like stepping into heaven. Inuyasha's scent could be detected even by her weak human noise - it was sweet, like the smell of the fresh pine needles that carpeted the forest floor, doused with something viciously and distinctly male. So caught up in the fantasy that she was entertaining in her mind, that she failed to take notice of the grand surroundings about her. The feeling of eyes boring holes in her stopped her short and she stuttered, blushing furiously.

 

“Sorry, my Lord.” A frown spread across his features.

 

“When Jaken is not around, just call me Inuyasha. I don't really like being called Lord,” he confessed. Kagome smiled inwardly…This was the Inuyasha she knew. He'd much rather blend in amongst the commoners than be held up on a perfect pedestal that he felt he didn't belong on. But he would never admit that.

 

“Okay, Inuyasha.” The hanyou didn't like how the gentle sweetness to her voice made him feel warm inside…Not one bit…So he decided to focus on something else.

 

“I summoned you to complete a very difficult task.” Kagome suddenly looked panicked. Was he going to make her clean? She hated cleaning with a passion…But if it was for Inuyasha...

 

“Yes Inuyasha?” She braced herself for a grueling task, preparing her small hands for blisters and her tender knees for scrapes. He rustled around in his drawers before presenting her with a large comb. Kagome's eyes shrunk to the size of dots. “Huh?”

 

“Comb my hair. It hasn't been combed for ages and I have mats and tangles everywhere. Don't cut it or I'll fire your ass!” he hissed. Kagome would have started if she hadn't caught herself. When he talked little while ago, I was completely comfortable…Why are things different now? A voice in the back of her mind told her that it was because she had lost a large amount of confidence…Well I'm just going to have to try and get it back…to make this work. I'll try to talk to him like I used to.

 

“Goodness Inuyasha! If I didn't know any better then I would think you were a girl,” she quipped, shooting quick glances at him to gauge his reaction. At that moment, their eyes met and Inuyasha stared at her very critically for a long moment, amber gaze probing into the depths of her soul.

 

“Shut up,” he growled lightly, smacking the comb into her hand. He plopped to the floor near the edge of the bed and beckoned for Kagome to come over. She hesitantly took her seat on Inuyasha's bed, looking at his glistening crown. As she continued to stare, she almost had to bite off her own hand to prevent herself from touching them…Those two adorable fuzzy little ears that were perched innocently on his head. A weird noise bubbled in Kagome's throat and the left one twitched slightly.

 

“So…cute…” Kagome whispered in spite of herself. It was taking every single drop of willpower that she possessed in her small body to prevent herself from reaching out and stroking them as she reveled in the velvety softness of them. She could just imagine Inuyasha leaning back, head on her lap, staring up at her with sleepy eyes, small smile on his face, as Kagome rubbed his ears.

 

“Don't you dare touch them,” Inuyasha muttered, flattening them down against his head as if that could stop her. “They're very sensitive and-” Before he knew it, the soothing feeling of someone gently stroking his ears practically lulled him to sleep and he struggled against the intense urge to let a soft growl rumble in his throat. He wanted to yell at her…scold her…stop her…But he couldn't. He was drowning in a sea of relaxing pleasure. Just as he was about to snap out of his daze, she stopped in an embarrassed manner, picked up a lock of hair, and began to comb it. Inuyasha weighed his options: Chew out the girl and risk being embarrassed or just let it go. “Oi…Kagoma…Be gentle. I'm tender headed.” My name is Kagome…

 

Silently relieved, Kagome nodded to no one in particular as she untangled the knots with her fingers before gliding the comb through the slightly damp, silky white tresses. For someone who claimed not to take care of his hair, it was extremely long, soft, and glossy…In general, she didn't particularly like long hair on men - it made them look feminine in her opinion. But, in Inuyasha's case, it made him look even more masculine with a dash of sexy. She sighed, getting lost in the work of detangling the fine strands.

 

This is definitely a start, Kagome thought positively. He didn't snap at me for playing with his ears and I'm in his room combing his hair…Granted, I'm his servant and that's what I'm supposed to do, I can't help but feel special. She held back a sigh. It's going to take a lot more than a comb to win Inuyasha's heart…I've only got three months to get him to seepast my appearance…This is gonna be hard…

 

And as Inuyasha reclined against his bed, satisfied that his hair was finally getting the attention it deserved, only one word was in his mind…Ugly…

 

 

Author's Note:What did you think? I couldn't resist Inu's ears…They're just too adorable! And I love his hair…I know he's being so shallow, but Kagome's mission is to change his perspective. Inuyasha wasn't always the sweet hanyou that he is now in the series…Kagome changed him. So why not change him in this fic?

 

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