InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Just The Way You Are ❯ Secrets and Decisions ( Chapter 7 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: xbitternessx 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.13.2005 | Updated On: 09.13.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 1.4K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.13.2005 | Updated On: 09.13.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 1.4K | Status: Completed
Okay, guys, it’s almost six in the morning! But I’ve been working, for you! This chapter, for some reason, just would not go smoothly, but now it’s done, and I’m pretty proud of it. You’re just lucky I don’t have a car or a job right now, or this would be posted much later. Just kidding, I love ya.
*******
Kagome loved the plan. The only thing was, she’d have to let her mother in on it, which might take a little convincing.
Putting her schoolbooks away, she turned to Inuyasha. “You wanna watch a movie?”
“What for?”
“Well, I figured instead of teaching you to read, I could put some subtitles on, and you could learn some from that.”
“Sub-titles?” Kagome had to explain how they worked, and Inuyasha seemed thoughtful. “Sure, why not?”
Down in the living room, Kagome put a movie in, glad they had the television to themselves. Souta would be in bed before too long, and her mother was taking a bath. Her grandfather was probably still doing something in the shrine; she hadn’t heard his voice downstairs since dinner.
Inuyasha sat on the couch, and Kagome on the floor, leaning against it. “What are we watching?” he asked as the tape began.
“Oh, it’s some horror movie. My friend Eri told me I had to watch it, and I bought it, but never did. It looks awful.”
He scowled. “Then, why do you want to watch it?”
She smiled. “Not awful like bad. Awful like scary.”
“You want to be scared?”
Kagome shrugged. “As long as it’s not real.” And you’re here, she silently added.
“Keh.”
Inuyasha watched in absolute boredom, paying more attention to matching the words on the screen to what the actors were saying. But as Kagome continued to jump and flinch on the floor, he realized she was actually afraid. How was that possible? She’d seen countless numbers of demons, most of which had tried to kill her. What was so scary about some dead woman? As Kagome suddenly grabbed the leg of his pants, however, hiding her face, he thought maybe her fear wasn’t such a horrible thing, after all. He casually let himself slide onto the floor next to her. “You sure you want to watch this?” he asked.
“Mm-hmm,” she replied, eyes wide as they returned to the screen. He watched as the supposedly scary woman stalked the heroine through a stairwell. Kagome squealed softly, using Inuyasha’s shoulder to hide her eyes, peeking out every few seconds. Part of him wanted to laugh at her foolishness, but he reminded himself that she would probably move away from him if he did that.
Kagome was too involved in the film to notice when her mother entered the darkened kitchen, stopping to smile at the couple before she fixed herself some tea. Inuyasha saw her, however, and wondered if the smile meant what he thought it did. Did Mrs. Higurashi really approve of him? As much as it seemed obvious to him, he couldn’t believe it. He was the one that forced her daughter back in time, putting her in danger every day. He kept her away from her normal life, and friends, and all that stupid schoolwork that was so obviously important.
Inuyasha was almost disappointed when the movie ended, and Kagome got up to put the movie away. “Uh, do you want to watch another one?” he asked.
Kagome looked thoughtfully at her family’s collection of movies. “I guess we could. But nothing scary, okay? I don’t want to have nightmares. What about a funny movie?”
“That sounds okay, I guess.”
Kagome put the movie she’d chosen in before returning to her seat next to Inuyasha. He had a good feeling about the movie when it first made him laugh, and Kagome giggled as well. The fighting was terrible, and the villains were always hurting themselves. It sort of reminded him of Kouga.
His attention was diverted, though, when he felt Kagome’s head on his shoulder. Glancing down, he smiled. She was asleep. He guessed he could finish the movie another time.
Carefully, he picked Kagome up, laying her across the couch. The only sound she made was a contented sigh as he covered her with his fire rat haori. Returning to his seat on the floor, Inuyasha managed to turn the television off before leaning his head back to rest.
*
Mrs. Higurashi was met with a surprise when she came downstairs to begin breakfast. A smile spread across her face at the scene in the living room. Her daughter, snoring softly on the couch, while Inuyasha lay across the floor, sprawled out like an indiscreet cat. Almost reluctantly, she made her way to the couch, shaking her daughter’s shoulder. “Kagome?”
Kagome opened her eyes, looking groggily at her mother. “Hunh?”
“You have school today, dear. Get up, or you’ll be late.”
“Oh. Okay.” Kagome sat up, looking around in confusion before realizing she’d fallen asleep watching the movie with Inuyasha. Finding him on the floor, she smiled. She’d certainly never seen him look so comfortable. She wished she had film in her camera; she’d have blackmail material for quite awhile.
*
Inuyasha managed to amuse himself for awhile that day by finishing the movie he and Kagome had started the night before, but once that was over, he was at a loss. Going up to Kagome’s room, he looked at her collection of books. Maybe he could test his skills after so much subtitle study.
The first book was a thin paperback, and skimming it, Inuyasha was pleased that he knew almost half the words, but the book seemed idiotic. Something about an island and a pig, or something.
Putting it back, Inuyasha opted for something much thicker, pulling it from the top shelf, and going to sit against Kagome’s bed. Opening it, however, proved it wasn’t exactly a book. There were pages, but they were full of pictures. There were words written, though, under most of them. He supposed he could read those.
The first few pictures, he barely recognized. They seemed older, worn around the edges. Inuyasha did recognize a rather goofy looking version of Kagome’s mother, her arm slung around some guy. Was that Kagome’s father? He knew Kagome’s father was dead, but other than that, she didn’t really talk about him. It wasn’t like he shared his past with her, either, so he hadn’t pressed her for information. There were pictures of a tiny baby bundled in a blanket, and Inuyasha grinned at the caption that referred to Kagome as a cat. She did look a little feline, her dark eyes slitted as they stared up at him from the page. He flipped the page, eager to see what else there was. There were pictures of Kagome as a pup, her fat little tummy pushed out as she stood next to what appeared to be the Go Shimboku, or ate noodles, or carried a fat cat that looked like it might have been an ancestor to the often tortured Buyo. There were also pictures of Kagome that had numbers beneath them, and he realized they were pictures taken on her birthdays. Another few pages showed another infant, which he knew to be Souta.
Flipping through, other people filtered into the photos, which Inuyasha assumed were Kagome’s friends from school, since in some of them they were the uniform that he was so familiar with. There were many family photos taken on the shrine grounds, some more formal looking pictures of Kagome that made his heart race a little at her exposed shoulders and slight smile, and some hilarious snapshots of Kagome and Souta that looked like they’d been taken in the middle of a rather good tussle between the two.
Flipping past these, his eyes brightened when he reached the next page. He remembered this. Kagome had sometimes brought her camera thing over to his time, and one day, she’d insisted they all take a picture together. He’d forgotten about it, however, but there it was. He, Kaede, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kirara, all lined up against the fence near Kaede’s herb garden. Underneath, he read ‘My Friends.’ After that were another few snapshots: Shippou, Kirara sleeping, Sango slapping Miroku, himself chasing a screaming Shippou. But the ones after that made his breath catch short.
It was him. He hadn’t known about any of these. There were so many. In most of them, he was sleeping, which would explain why he hadn’t realized they were taken, but there were quite a few that he’d just missed. A picture of him fishing, sitting on a riverbank, staring off into space. But the pictures ended there.
Putting the album back, Inuyasha searched for another book, hoping to chase the thoughts away that had come with seeing those photographs. There was another thick book, and he picked it up, hoping maybe it would have more pictures. Ones that didn’t have him in them.
Settling across the bed this time, Inuyasha opened the book, his brow furrowing at the words. They were written, and the paper was thicker and rougher. Almost like the paper that Kagome brought Shippou to draw on. Looking through the script, he recognized many of the words, and one whole sentence. “Ayumi gave me this for my birthday.”
On the next page, the writing was erratic, much messier than the previous entry. The words ‘afraid,’ ‘demon,’ and ‘dog’ appeared on the page before he saw his own name near the bottom.
He’d found Kagome’s diary. He quickly wondered if he should just put it back where it came from. There was no reason for him to read it now, and he probably wouldn’t understand most of it.
But it couldn’t hurt to look, right?
He understood more than he thought he would, reading through Kagome’s perspective of her times in the Sengoku Jidai, and of some brief happenings in her own. It was when he reached the middle of the journal that he paused. He hadn’t understood most of the entry, but the line written beautifully at the end hypnotized him.
‘Inuyasha, my love.’
*
Kagome barely made it through school that day. It wasn’t her usual sleepiness that had plagued her through her classes. Today, it had been Inuyasha. Not that she wasn’t used to that, either.
What’s up with him lately? she thought to herself. I know he gets jealous, but he’s never been… helpful about it. I thought we’d already be back looking for jewel shards.
“Kagome?” She halted on the sidewalk outside of her school. She hadn’t been expecting this. Could she really stick to Inuyasha’s plan? She didn’t have time to make that decision before she was facing Seiji. He looked so handsome, smiling down at her, which only hurt more when her memory of Aiko returned. No, she couldn’t go through with Inuyasha’s plan. She just hoped he would understand.
“Kagome?” Seiji inquired. “Is something wrong? You seem sad.”
“Seiji… I can’t go to the dance with you.” She watched as his face fell.
“What? Why?”
“Because. I’m not ever going to be Aiko. I saw her, Seiji, and I’m not stupid.”
Seiji’s eyes widened. “K-Kagome, I’m sorry. I… I should have been honest with you. But I don’t want you to be Aiko.”
Kagome clutched her schoolbooks to her chest defensively. “You expect me to believe that? You had me looking like her clone!”
Seiji sighed convincingly, looking pained. “Kagome, I like you just the way you are. I swear it. It’s just… my parents decided years ago that Aiko and I should be together. You see, her parents are very well-to-do, as are mine. It’s almost like they’ve been trying to betroth us all these years. We’ve dated on and off since we were very young. But Aiko doesn’t care for me. She only cares about being better than everyone else. It’s just… I wanted you to meet my parents.”
“You did?”
“Of course I did. I just… wasn’t sure how they’d react. Aiko’s the only girl I’ve ever dated. I thought maybe if you… reminded them of her, a little, they’d take the news better. That was wrong of me, and I’m sorry.”
Kagome didn’t know what to think. “You didn’t think your parents would like me?”
Seiji took her hand away from her textbooks, holding it in both of his. “Kagome, everyone should like you. But my parents are very judgmental. I didn’t want you to be hurt by them. But I should have told you that from the start.”
“You’re right.”
His eyes locked with hers, seeming to examine her very thoughts. “Do you think you could possibly forgive me?”
“Seiji…”
“I promise. No more Aiko. No more lying. Okay? I really want to take you to this dance.”
“Well… I’ll have to ask my mom again.”
He smiled. “Great. I’ll call you later and see how it goes, okay?”
Kagome smiled back. “Alright.” She watched Seiji walk away, not being able to move from her spot. Moving would mean going home, where she would have to tell Inuyasha that his planning had been for naught, which would start a huge argument. She knew Inuyasha was only trying to protect her, but Kagome wanted to give Seiji another chance. His story seemed plausible enough; everyone made mistakes. She knew Inuyasha wouldn’t see it that way, however.
*
Inuyasha had long since put the diary away when he heard Kagome enter the house downstairs. How could he face her? He felt guilty, but not much. It was seeing the proof of Kagome’s feelings for him, right there in front of his face that made him fear seeing her.
“Inuyasha?” There she stood, before him, smiling. But something was off about it. She shrugged her backpack off, setting her textbooks on her desk. “Um, I need to talk to you.”
His mind gave a panicked yelp, but Inuyasha only looked at her blankly.
“It’s about Seiji. I talked to him today.” She gauged his face for a reaction, and seeing none, rushed on. “We talked about Aiko, and he explained himself. So I think it would be better if I gave him a chance to redeem himself, so I’mgonnagotothedancewithhimkay?”
Inuyasha shook his head as if there were water in his ears. “What?”
Kagome balled her shaking hands into fists. “I’m going to the dance with Seiji.”
Inuyasha looked at her darkly, but said nothing. Seconds passed before anything happened, which was Inuyasha pushing himself up from her bed, his haori brushing her arm as he marched past her, going out the window.
Kagome ran to the window, watching as Inuyasha ran straight to where she suspected he was going.
The well house.
*
Inuyasha was walking toward the well house, but had no intention of going there. He instead stopped beneath the branches of the modern Go Shimboku, which still bore the scar of his time spent against it. His hand came up to slide across the smooth area, where he’d spent a quarter of his life. Kikyou… He hadn’t thought of her in so long. What did that mean? Anything?
Growling with frustration, Inuyasha leapt up into the branches, tucking his arms into his sleeves as he sat down. What was Kagome thinking, he wondered? Did she even care that he was angry?
But he wasn’t angry. He was…
You’re hurt, you moron, he told himself. Something he’d been trying to prevent for so long. He glared toward the house, his nostrils flaring. How dare she make him feel this way!
Like you’ve never hurt her.
But it wasn’t revenge. That wasn’t like Kagome, and he knew it. She was always giving people second chances, including the ones that didn’t deserve it.
But do you deserve it? he asked himself. And if given one, would he take it? Or just hurt her all over again? Would she be happier with Seiji, even if he couldn’t care about her the way he knew he could, if he’d just get over his fear?
And there it was suddenly. The decision he’d been putting off for so long, sitting in his lap. He could lose Kagome to a fool that would never deserve her, and he could join Kikyou in hell, a victim to her hate for all eternity. Or he could swallow all his hurt and his pride long enough to some hard thinking, and admit to Kagome how he felt. And maybe one day, she could help him heal the scars from his past. Because they numbered far higher than the one that marred the tree in which he sat.
*******
(Just as a footnote, I figured they were watching The Grudge. I couldn’t think of a newer scary movie that I like much. Also, the very vague reference to the first book Inuyasha picks up is Lord of the Flies. It was the only book I was forced to read and liked. I doubt they have to read it over in Japan, but who knows?)
michael11
thanks so much! glad you like it.
lunar ice dancer
normal? well, i guess normal for them, maybe. and about feeling sorry for seiji... i almost do, too. i didn't want to make him a villian, just a normal teenage guy. oh, wait… aren’t they all villains? heh heh.
vbollman
the idiot will get it. aye aye. *winks*
shadowwolf_02
wow! you're one of my fave writers on here! i love "the chosen!" thanks for the comment, and also for that piece of info. i had no idea.
rainstorm61879
ooo, oooo, diary! it wasn’t really an inspiration for him learning how to read, but it all worked out in the end, didn’t it? and thanks a lot for saying the story wasn't rushed. sometimes i have a problem with that.
fallenangel17583
yeah, thanks for the advice. i realized i was starting to rush, and actually sat and wrote a very thorough outline. and don't worry, this guy's not done being bad. he'll deserve it.
Thanks, you guys for reviewing! It really pushes me to write.
*******
Kagome loved the plan. The only thing was, she’d have to let her mother in on it, which might take a little convincing.
Putting her schoolbooks away, she turned to Inuyasha. “You wanna watch a movie?”
“What for?”
“Well, I figured instead of teaching you to read, I could put some subtitles on, and you could learn some from that.”
“Sub-titles?” Kagome had to explain how they worked, and Inuyasha seemed thoughtful. “Sure, why not?”
Down in the living room, Kagome put a movie in, glad they had the television to themselves. Souta would be in bed before too long, and her mother was taking a bath. Her grandfather was probably still doing something in the shrine; she hadn’t heard his voice downstairs since dinner.
Inuyasha sat on the couch, and Kagome on the floor, leaning against it. “What are we watching?” he asked as the tape began.
“Oh, it’s some horror movie. My friend Eri told me I had to watch it, and I bought it, but never did. It looks awful.”
He scowled. “Then, why do you want to watch it?”
She smiled. “Not awful like bad. Awful like scary.”
“You want to be scared?”
Kagome shrugged. “As long as it’s not real.” And you’re here, she silently added.
“Keh.”
Inuyasha watched in absolute boredom, paying more attention to matching the words on the screen to what the actors were saying. But as Kagome continued to jump and flinch on the floor, he realized she was actually afraid. How was that possible? She’d seen countless numbers of demons, most of which had tried to kill her. What was so scary about some dead woman? As Kagome suddenly grabbed the leg of his pants, however, hiding her face, he thought maybe her fear wasn’t such a horrible thing, after all. He casually let himself slide onto the floor next to her. “You sure you want to watch this?” he asked.
“Mm-hmm,” she replied, eyes wide as they returned to the screen. He watched as the supposedly scary woman stalked the heroine through a stairwell. Kagome squealed softly, using Inuyasha’s shoulder to hide her eyes, peeking out every few seconds. Part of him wanted to laugh at her foolishness, but he reminded himself that she would probably move away from him if he did that.
Kagome was too involved in the film to notice when her mother entered the darkened kitchen, stopping to smile at the couple before she fixed herself some tea. Inuyasha saw her, however, and wondered if the smile meant what he thought it did. Did Mrs. Higurashi really approve of him? As much as it seemed obvious to him, he couldn’t believe it. He was the one that forced her daughter back in time, putting her in danger every day. He kept her away from her normal life, and friends, and all that stupid schoolwork that was so obviously important.
Inuyasha was almost disappointed when the movie ended, and Kagome got up to put the movie away. “Uh, do you want to watch another one?” he asked.
Kagome looked thoughtfully at her family’s collection of movies. “I guess we could. But nothing scary, okay? I don’t want to have nightmares. What about a funny movie?”
“That sounds okay, I guess.”
Kagome put the movie she’d chosen in before returning to her seat next to Inuyasha. He had a good feeling about the movie when it first made him laugh, and Kagome giggled as well. The fighting was terrible, and the villains were always hurting themselves. It sort of reminded him of Kouga.
His attention was diverted, though, when he felt Kagome’s head on his shoulder. Glancing down, he smiled. She was asleep. He guessed he could finish the movie another time.
Carefully, he picked Kagome up, laying her across the couch. The only sound she made was a contented sigh as he covered her with his fire rat haori. Returning to his seat on the floor, Inuyasha managed to turn the television off before leaning his head back to rest.
*
Mrs. Higurashi was met with a surprise when she came downstairs to begin breakfast. A smile spread across her face at the scene in the living room. Her daughter, snoring softly on the couch, while Inuyasha lay across the floor, sprawled out like an indiscreet cat. Almost reluctantly, she made her way to the couch, shaking her daughter’s shoulder. “Kagome?”
Kagome opened her eyes, looking groggily at her mother. “Hunh?”
“You have school today, dear. Get up, or you’ll be late.”
“Oh. Okay.” Kagome sat up, looking around in confusion before realizing she’d fallen asleep watching the movie with Inuyasha. Finding him on the floor, she smiled. She’d certainly never seen him look so comfortable. She wished she had film in her camera; she’d have blackmail material for quite awhile.
*
Inuyasha managed to amuse himself for awhile that day by finishing the movie he and Kagome had started the night before, but once that was over, he was at a loss. Going up to Kagome’s room, he looked at her collection of books. Maybe he could test his skills after so much subtitle study.
The first book was a thin paperback, and skimming it, Inuyasha was pleased that he knew almost half the words, but the book seemed idiotic. Something about an island and a pig, or something.
Putting it back, Inuyasha opted for something much thicker, pulling it from the top shelf, and going to sit against Kagome’s bed. Opening it, however, proved it wasn’t exactly a book. There were pages, but they were full of pictures. There were words written, though, under most of them. He supposed he could read those.
The first few pictures, he barely recognized. They seemed older, worn around the edges. Inuyasha did recognize a rather goofy looking version of Kagome’s mother, her arm slung around some guy. Was that Kagome’s father? He knew Kagome’s father was dead, but other than that, she didn’t really talk about him. It wasn’t like he shared his past with her, either, so he hadn’t pressed her for information. There were pictures of a tiny baby bundled in a blanket, and Inuyasha grinned at the caption that referred to Kagome as a cat. She did look a little feline, her dark eyes slitted as they stared up at him from the page. He flipped the page, eager to see what else there was. There were pictures of Kagome as a pup, her fat little tummy pushed out as she stood next to what appeared to be the Go Shimboku, or ate noodles, or carried a fat cat that looked like it might have been an ancestor to the often tortured Buyo. There were also pictures of Kagome that had numbers beneath them, and he realized they were pictures taken on her birthdays. Another few pages showed another infant, which he knew to be Souta.
Flipping through, other people filtered into the photos, which Inuyasha assumed were Kagome’s friends from school, since in some of them they were the uniform that he was so familiar with. There were many family photos taken on the shrine grounds, some more formal looking pictures of Kagome that made his heart race a little at her exposed shoulders and slight smile, and some hilarious snapshots of Kagome and Souta that looked like they’d been taken in the middle of a rather good tussle between the two.
Flipping past these, his eyes brightened when he reached the next page. He remembered this. Kagome had sometimes brought her camera thing over to his time, and one day, she’d insisted they all take a picture together. He’d forgotten about it, however, but there it was. He, Kaede, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kirara, all lined up against the fence near Kaede’s herb garden. Underneath, he read ‘My Friends.’ After that were another few snapshots: Shippou, Kirara sleeping, Sango slapping Miroku, himself chasing a screaming Shippou. But the ones after that made his breath catch short.
It was him. He hadn’t known about any of these. There were so many. In most of them, he was sleeping, which would explain why he hadn’t realized they were taken, but there were quite a few that he’d just missed. A picture of him fishing, sitting on a riverbank, staring off into space. But the pictures ended there.
Putting the album back, Inuyasha searched for another book, hoping to chase the thoughts away that had come with seeing those photographs. There was another thick book, and he picked it up, hoping maybe it would have more pictures. Ones that didn’t have him in them.
Settling across the bed this time, Inuyasha opened the book, his brow furrowing at the words. They were written, and the paper was thicker and rougher. Almost like the paper that Kagome brought Shippou to draw on. Looking through the script, he recognized many of the words, and one whole sentence. “Ayumi gave me this for my birthday.”
On the next page, the writing was erratic, much messier than the previous entry. The words ‘afraid,’ ‘demon,’ and ‘dog’ appeared on the page before he saw his own name near the bottom.
He’d found Kagome’s diary. He quickly wondered if he should just put it back where it came from. There was no reason for him to read it now, and he probably wouldn’t understand most of it.
But it couldn’t hurt to look, right?
He understood more than he thought he would, reading through Kagome’s perspective of her times in the Sengoku Jidai, and of some brief happenings in her own. It was when he reached the middle of the journal that he paused. He hadn’t understood most of the entry, but the line written beautifully at the end hypnotized him.
‘Inuyasha, my love.’
*
Kagome barely made it through school that day. It wasn’t her usual sleepiness that had plagued her through her classes. Today, it had been Inuyasha. Not that she wasn’t used to that, either.
What’s up with him lately? she thought to herself. I know he gets jealous, but he’s never been… helpful about it. I thought we’d already be back looking for jewel shards.
“Kagome?” She halted on the sidewalk outside of her school. She hadn’t been expecting this. Could she really stick to Inuyasha’s plan? She didn’t have time to make that decision before she was facing Seiji. He looked so handsome, smiling down at her, which only hurt more when her memory of Aiko returned. No, she couldn’t go through with Inuyasha’s plan. She just hoped he would understand.
“Kagome?” Seiji inquired. “Is something wrong? You seem sad.”
“Seiji… I can’t go to the dance with you.” She watched as his face fell.
“What? Why?”
“Because. I’m not ever going to be Aiko. I saw her, Seiji, and I’m not stupid.”
Seiji’s eyes widened. “K-Kagome, I’m sorry. I… I should have been honest with you. But I don’t want you to be Aiko.”
Kagome clutched her schoolbooks to her chest defensively. “You expect me to believe that? You had me looking like her clone!”
Seiji sighed convincingly, looking pained. “Kagome, I like you just the way you are. I swear it. It’s just… my parents decided years ago that Aiko and I should be together. You see, her parents are very well-to-do, as are mine. It’s almost like they’ve been trying to betroth us all these years. We’ve dated on and off since we were very young. But Aiko doesn’t care for me. She only cares about being better than everyone else. It’s just… I wanted you to meet my parents.”
“You did?”
“Of course I did. I just… wasn’t sure how they’d react. Aiko’s the only girl I’ve ever dated. I thought maybe if you… reminded them of her, a little, they’d take the news better. That was wrong of me, and I’m sorry.”
Kagome didn’t know what to think. “You didn’t think your parents would like me?”
Seiji took her hand away from her textbooks, holding it in both of his. “Kagome, everyone should like you. But my parents are very judgmental. I didn’t want you to be hurt by them. But I should have told you that from the start.”
“You’re right.”
His eyes locked with hers, seeming to examine her very thoughts. “Do you think you could possibly forgive me?”
“Seiji…”
“I promise. No more Aiko. No more lying. Okay? I really want to take you to this dance.”
“Well… I’ll have to ask my mom again.”
He smiled. “Great. I’ll call you later and see how it goes, okay?”
Kagome smiled back. “Alright.” She watched Seiji walk away, not being able to move from her spot. Moving would mean going home, where she would have to tell Inuyasha that his planning had been for naught, which would start a huge argument. She knew Inuyasha was only trying to protect her, but Kagome wanted to give Seiji another chance. His story seemed plausible enough; everyone made mistakes. She knew Inuyasha wouldn’t see it that way, however.
*
Inuyasha had long since put the diary away when he heard Kagome enter the house downstairs. How could he face her? He felt guilty, but not much. It was seeing the proof of Kagome’s feelings for him, right there in front of his face that made him fear seeing her.
“Inuyasha?” There she stood, before him, smiling. But something was off about it. She shrugged her backpack off, setting her textbooks on her desk. “Um, I need to talk to you.”
His mind gave a panicked yelp, but Inuyasha only looked at her blankly.
“It’s about Seiji. I talked to him today.” She gauged his face for a reaction, and seeing none, rushed on. “We talked about Aiko, and he explained himself. So I think it would be better if I gave him a chance to redeem himself, so I’mgonnagotothedancewithhimkay?”
Inuyasha shook his head as if there were water in his ears. “What?”
Kagome balled her shaking hands into fists. “I’m going to the dance with Seiji.”
Inuyasha looked at her darkly, but said nothing. Seconds passed before anything happened, which was Inuyasha pushing himself up from her bed, his haori brushing her arm as he marched past her, going out the window.
Kagome ran to the window, watching as Inuyasha ran straight to where she suspected he was going.
The well house.
*
Inuyasha was walking toward the well house, but had no intention of going there. He instead stopped beneath the branches of the modern Go Shimboku, which still bore the scar of his time spent against it. His hand came up to slide across the smooth area, where he’d spent a quarter of his life. Kikyou… He hadn’t thought of her in so long. What did that mean? Anything?
Growling with frustration, Inuyasha leapt up into the branches, tucking his arms into his sleeves as he sat down. What was Kagome thinking, he wondered? Did she even care that he was angry?
But he wasn’t angry. He was…
You’re hurt, you moron, he told himself. Something he’d been trying to prevent for so long. He glared toward the house, his nostrils flaring. How dare she make him feel this way!
Like you’ve never hurt her.
But it wasn’t revenge. That wasn’t like Kagome, and he knew it. She was always giving people second chances, including the ones that didn’t deserve it.
But do you deserve it? he asked himself. And if given one, would he take it? Or just hurt her all over again? Would she be happier with Seiji, even if he couldn’t care about her the way he knew he could, if he’d just get over his fear?
And there it was suddenly. The decision he’d been putting off for so long, sitting in his lap. He could lose Kagome to a fool that would never deserve her, and he could join Kikyou in hell, a victim to her hate for all eternity. Or he could swallow all his hurt and his pride long enough to some hard thinking, and admit to Kagome how he felt. And maybe one day, she could help him heal the scars from his past. Because they numbered far higher than the one that marred the tree in which he sat.
*******
(Just as a footnote, I figured they were watching The Grudge. I couldn’t think of a newer scary movie that I like much. Also, the very vague reference to the first book Inuyasha picks up is Lord of the Flies. It was the only book I was forced to read and liked. I doubt they have to read it over in Japan, but who knows?)
michael11
thanks so much! glad you like it.
lunar ice dancer
normal? well, i guess normal for them, maybe. and about feeling sorry for seiji... i almost do, too. i didn't want to make him a villian, just a normal teenage guy. oh, wait… aren’t they all villains? heh heh.
vbollman
the idiot will get it. aye aye. *winks*
shadowwolf_02
wow! you're one of my fave writers on here! i love "the chosen!" thanks for the comment, and also for that piece of info. i had no idea.
rainstorm61879
ooo, oooo, diary! it wasn’t really an inspiration for him learning how to read, but it all worked out in the end, didn’t it? and thanks a lot for saying the story wasn't rushed. sometimes i have a problem with that.
fallenangel17583
yeah, thanks for the advice. i realized i was starting to rush, and actually sat and wrote a very thorough outline. and don't worry, this guy's not done being bad. he'll deserve it.
Thanks, you guys for reviewing! It really pushes me to write.