InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kindergarten Flirting ❯ Bonding ( Chapter 28 )

Kindergarten Flirting

Back in kindergarten, your mother would tell you that if a boy pulls your pigtails he likes you, and if he dips them in paint he loves you. That goes for the rest of your life too. Moreover, when you're an adult and work for the Hottest Man of the Year.

.xx.

Sango and Kagome needed to make a quick stop at the grocery store to pick up some things Kagome's mother needed. She was going to make her speciality, sukiyaki and sushi and required the girls to pick up some ingredients that weren't typically present in the Higurashi household, such as decided that they weren't going to discuss the Kaoru Morimoto and Stupid-Inuyasha conversations until they were at the shrine, changed into the pajamas and in Kagome's bedroom. Sango was quite intrigued; Kagome had already forewarned her about the renchaku and Sango had a bit of a moment where she threatened to destroy Inuyasha with her bare hands…

They were going to be up all night; deploring, discussing, dissecting, and deceiving.

Sango had to pick up Kohaku in a couple of hours and bring him to the shrine as well—it was going to be a packed night, but Korari had the sleeping arrangements all laid out: Kagome and Sango would share her bedroom, Jii-chan would take Souta's room upstairs, and Kohaku would unroll a futon and sleep in the living room where Souta was.

That was what Kagome called the epicness of "Mama Higurashi."

Korari called it a "woman's intuition."

The girls hauled their groceries up the shrine steps and entered the vicinity of the Higurashi shrine. They helped Korari put everything away before retiring to Kagome's bedroom where Kagome flopped onto her mattress and Sango spun around on her office chair.

"Do you wanna talk about it now or after you get Kohaku?" Kagome asked from her laying-down position.

Sango kept spinning on the chair, trying to see how long she could go without feeling like she'd throw her lunch up. So far so good…

"After I get Koko," Sango used a childhood name for her brother—she rarely used it anymore, but sometimes she'd let it slip, "I don't wanna get to the good part and have to stop talking because I'm off to pick my brother up from school…"

Kagome nodded in agreement. She was faintly aware of how her wrist was throbbing but decided to bury that in the darkest and deepest corners of her mind; Inuyasha who? Renchaku what? The thought of it was a ploy—to fuck with her mind. She would not let Inuyasha have the upper hand. She needed to devise an amazing plan, and that couldn't be done without the help of her accomplice: Sango Miyagi.

"You get Kohaku, I'll help Mama cook," Kagome instructed.

Sango agreed.

.xx.

The throbbing…

The constriction of her chest.

Kagome tried not to show the emotion of pain on her face as she stood beside her mother in their kitchen, rolling sushi. Her left wrist was almost numb and she couldn't feel her hands move; they were mechanical, following a pre-set order that Kagome and put in her brain. She trained her eyes on the sticky rice, thinking of wrapping a sushi nicely—tightly barrelled and perfectly done.

Korari wasn't aware of the turmoil Kagome was in, she was chattering about her week and how Souta's health had been getting a lot better; Korari's eyes were trained solely on the sushi. She mentioned how she missed talking to Kagome—"You're so busy," she had said, "having you standing beside me feels nice." Kagome could only meekly nod and offer a few words here and there.

It hurt to talk.

That damn Inuyasha. Kagome thought ruefully. If she had him in front of her right now, she'd curse him so that he'd plummet to the ground every time she said the word osuwari. Stinking dog-demon… he's such an idiot! Has noooo idea the limit in which you should prank somebody. Jeez!

"We're homeee!" Sango's voice echoed through the shrine. Getting a nod of approval from her mother, Kagome washed her hands and made over to greet Kohaku and Sango. Without so much as a nod, Kohaku joined Souta on the sofa and proceeded to immerse himself in an epic battle of Mortal Kombat. Sango took Kagome by the arm and dragged her upstairs—she knew by the way Kagome said hi that something was not right.

"Kagome?" Sango's voice was frantic as she pulled her friend into her bedroom. Kagome groaned as she fell to her knees, clutching her wrist. "Kagome!" Sango shook her shoulders.

"Call—Inu—yasha…" Kagome croaked, tears streaming down her eyes. Sango scrambled to grab Kagome's cell phone and fish through to find Inuyasha's number. Finally, after going through the list twice, she found it (the name that Kagome had put to identify her boss was Idiot Yasha). The phone rang three times before Inuyasha picked up and languidly greeted Sango (who he thought was Kagome).

"How may I be of assistance to you, wench?"

Sango's eye twitched. Kneeling beside Kagome, with an arm wrapped around her shoulder, Sango resisted the urge of throwing her family heirloom – a giant bone boomerang—at Inuyasha. "I'm Sango," she muttered bluntly, "and your ass better get to Kagome's shrine right now before she goes into cardiac-fucking-arrest. If she dies, I will personally scatter your body parts across the continents." Without waiting to hear his response, Sango hung up.

In spite of her pain, Kagome had to laugh. "I love your—" She gasped and paused momentarily before finishing her sentence—"threats…"

Before the word even left Kagome's lips, Inuyasha was crawling in through her window. It was as if her lungs regained the will power to work; air rushed into her body and the aching subsided. Kagome inhaled deeply and closed her eyes; Sango took a step back and peered skeptically at Inuyasha as he merely nodded at her in acknowledgement before striding over to Kagome and kneeling down in front of her.

"Wench?" He murmured. She didn't look at him but merely thrust her left wrist out to him—it amazed him at how much she learned in the two days she had the mark. He, gently, took her hand and ran his tongue over the mark. The gesture sent shivers up Kagome's spine and she began feeling normal once again.

She opened her eyes.

"You're an asshole and I hate you more than anything in the world. But thank you."

The smirk on his face made Kagome want to throw a shoe at him. Preferably a high heeled with a very pointy heel.

Asshole.

"You are very welcome," he winked before bringing her left knuckles to his lips and kissing them. Sango was watching from the side, her arms cross and her eye twitching uncontrollably. She wanted to maul Inuyasha for putting her best friend through this—although she was still unsure of what exactly was happening she knew that it wasn't fun. Both women watched Inuyasha pull a handkerchief from his back pocket and wrap it around Kagome's wrist. Without word he nicked the tip of his index finger and dropped two drops of blood onto the handkerchief.

"There, you won't feel the effects of the renchaku for the night," he leaned forward and kissed her cheek. Before pulling back he murmured I love you and added a quick it wouldn't feel so bad if I wasn't as possessive as I am. Forgive me…

Kagome's jaw dropped as she wordlessly watched Inuyasha wink at Sango before jumping out of her window. They didn't say anything for a good two minutes before Kagome looked down at the handkerchief… note to self: ask Yura…

"So now," Sango whispered, looking at her friend, "you tell me everything…"

And Kagome did. She told Sango about the renchaku, about the pain she felt when Inuyasha wasn't around, and how she wanted to shove his ears up his nostrils. Sango snorted at Kagome's threat—

"I know the renchaku is really archaic," Sango mumbled, "I read it in my great great great great great grandfather's diary, from the Feudal Era." Kagome watched Sango. "The renchaku, he wrote, is something a demon used on his woman so that she would feel like she couldn't be without him. Generally it's to prepare a woman because the male gets extra clingy when he beings courting her, and eventually mates her. I didn't know it was still practiced today… it was ideal in the Feudal Era because of how belittled women, especially female demons, were."

Kagome raised her eyebrow. "Great, but we really aren't practicing the renchaku since he didn't ASK me."

"Maybe it's him wordlessly telling you he wants you?"

"Fat chance."

"He did just tell you he loves you."

"And he's putting me through this shit."

"Maybe he's unaware of how much it affects you?"

Kagome wanted to smack Sango. "Whose side are you on?"

"Yours, but I'm exploring options right now. I don't think he's the kind of person to just do something like this," Sango pointed at Kagome's wrist, "as a prank. Remember at Kouga's party? He was about to rip the banquet hall apart because you told him that you weren't his."

Kagome nodded, slowly.

"I feel like this is him telling you he wants to be with you, but without actually telling you." Sango tapped her chin. "Maybe you can make this work to your advantage?"

"How…?"

Sango crawled over to Kagome and sat on her knees. "I know you like the guy—" Kagome snorted at that, "maybe quite angry at him right now, but I know you enjoy his company. Use this," Sango grabbed Kagome's left forearm and shook her wrist in between them, "to your advantage. He wants to be with you, so let him. And while you're doing that, you're close to him so this thing won't bother you."

"So you're suggesting that I go out with him and spend time with him?"

Sango nodded. "Yeah, until it wears off."

"And then I can push him off the balcony of our office?"

"Or ride his demon cock till morn," Sango dodged the punch Kagome threw at her while laughing. "I'm kidding! Yes, you can push him off the balcony of your office. But I doubt you'd want to do that…"

"Meh, we'll see. If this is him proposing to me, he needs a lesson in tactfulness."

"Maybe Miroku can teach him?"

"I said tact, not pervert."

Sango raised an eyebrow. "He's not that perverted."

Kagome raised both eyebrows. "Defending him, are we? Quite attached?"

Sango twitched. "Shut up! Change of topic: Naraku!"

That did the trick. Kagome inhaled deeply and leaned forward. "YES! What is the plan?"

Sango sighed. "We don't have a plan yet. Naraku wants to meet on Saturday – he says you and Inuyasha are going to his place on Sunday? – and discuss the finer points. He's leaving for Singapore on Monday and wants us do what we plan with Ryuukotsusei and Inuyasha."

Kagome frowned. "But Inuyasha leaves for Canada on Monday as well."

"Then you, me, and Ryuu."

"Great, fine, but what the hell are we doing exactly?"

"I'm trying to seduce Morimoto," Sango frowned, "it took a lot for Naraku to persuade me, but he got me. I can't believe you told them that I used to model!"

Kagome grinned. "I love you too… this blood thing is really helping."

Sango shrugged. "So long as you don't get another panic attack, I could care less if he tied an octopus to your face."

"Really?"

"Okay I might care a little if he did that."

Sango laughed as Kagome threw a pillow at her.

.xx.

It was seven in the morning, Friday, and Sango was dropping Kagome to work, Kohaku to school, and going to work herself. Kagome's phone rang at exactly seven—it was her wakeup call, Inuyasha.

"Hmmm?" Kagome groaned into the phone.

"Morning sunshine, sleep well?"

"Mmm…" Kagome moaned.

"Need a ride?"

"No," She yawned, "will you be on time today?"

Inuyasha chuckled. "Yes, I will be."

"Great. Wanna grab coffee before we open the office?"

Inuyasha was taken back: this woman was on a murder rampage since she found out what the renchaku was; what changed her mind? He wasn't one to complain, he jumped at the chance and agreed.

"Great… see you soon?"

"Yep," Inuyasha said softly, "love you."

"Bye bye," Kagome hung up before shoving her face into her pillow.

"Operation: Renchaku up Inuyasha's Ass has commenced?"

Kagome looked over at her friend. "We have wayyy too many operations, you know that?"

"Meh, oh well. I've already named the operation for when I try to get you and Inuyasha married."

Kagome froze. "… What?"

"Operation: Woof—OW!" Sango laughed when Kagome pushed her off the bed.

"Woof you, loser!"

.xx.

Yura was already in the office when Kagome arrived. She had taken Inuyasha's handkerchief off of her wrist and shoved it into her massive bright yellow purse. Yura greeted Kagome and informed her Inuyasha was already in the office.

"Thanks," Kagome said before heading to her office. She threw her stuff onto the loveseat and proceeded to trek towards Inuyasha's office. She didn't even bother knocking, barging in unannounced. Inuyasha was sitting at his desk, on his computer.

"Morning," she chirped and he glanced over at her.

"What's gotten you so chipper?"

"Coffee—let's go."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, why?" She placed her hands on her hips and Inuyasha took the opportunity to openly check her out. It was casual Friday and she had taken very good care in choosing her attire. She wore navy blue skinny jeans with knee high black boots, a backless white satin top that ruffled at the neck and swooped down in a low U neckline, and a salmon pink tank top underneath. Her hair was done in a meticulous French twist, thanks to Sango, and her nails had a layer of freshly painted red polish.

"You aren't… mad at me…"

Kagome rolled her eyes in an exaggerated fashion. "Inuyasha, one can't spend the rest of their life upset at something they cannot control—" He was really amused, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. I can't breathe unless I'm three feet away from you, and you… like spending time with me. So, let's compromise."

He stood up and approached her. Kagome watched him, daringly. She was not afraid.

She was not afraid.

She was not afraid.

Inuyasha wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to her body while he kicked his office door shut. In one fluid movement he had released her and pushed her against the door. Her breathing was laboured and the rise and fall of her chest was intoxicating him.

So sexy…

"I know you like spending time with me—well, you did before I bit your wrist."

Kagome blinked.

"I can assure you that this was not done in an attempt to hurt you," his lips were so close to hers. She had an unknown ache in her heart and she knew she wanted to kiss him. She missed kissing him. "I know it hurts you more than I want it to," he trailed his fingers down her cheek, "but that's because when I'm not around you, it hurts me and I get even more posessive… and when I feel possessive of you, you'll want to be more around me."

Kagome inhaled sharply. "So… if we court, you'll feel the need to be around me?"

Inuyasha smirked. "When we court, your pain is my pain as mine is yours. You will feel every emotion I do as I will feel yours."

"Oh…" Kagome was silent for moments, not knowing what to do or say. She was mad at Inuyasha, but she didn't want to be mad at him. What he did was uncalled for, but it wasn't permanent, it was going to wear off in two weeks' time…

So let's make the best of it? I think… And his ass is leaving for Canada too. I'm gonna die… ack.

"Shall we go?"

He smiled. "We shall, but first…" Kagome was expecting it. She knew he was going to kiss her and she was right; his soft lips enveloped hers and began working their magic. She didn't respond, unsure of what to do; should she kiss him? She wanted to… but she knew she shouldn't. She was torn between what she should do and what she wanted to do. Inuyasha knew she was having an internal battle and released his hold on her lips.

"Let's go, I'm craving a Danish." It was as if nothing happened. He opened the door for her and waited. She smiled softly at him as she exited.

Life, you're an asshole.

.xx.

Kagome was sipping on a latte and Inuyasha was drinking a coffee and munching on a chocolate Danish. The air smelt sweet and the moment of quiet was just perfect. "Hey, Inuyasha?"

He glanced up at her; he was reading the newspaper at their table. They were sharing a quiet moment together, and he could care less if they talked or not. "Hmm?"

"Have you ever loved anybody?"

He was taken back. "Excuse me?"

Kagome's eyes locked with his.

"Because… well, you've been alive since the Feudal Era. I'm just… curious?"

Inuyasha studied her, searching her eyes, trying to find a deeper meaning behind her question. When he was sure he found what he was looking for, he answered her. He answered her honestly.

"There was a girl a long time ago, before the industrial revolution, that I had something for." He revealed and Kagome listened intently. "Her name was Mido and she was one of the few people at that time that accepted me for who I was."

Kagome watched him, listening to the words that he was saying. She didn't know why she asked him, but it seemed like the moment was right. They were enjoying each other's presence, the moment seemed perfect. "I don't know if I loved her," he shrugged, "maybe I was just happy that somebody liked me for who I was, but she was as close to love I had ever gotten." His eyes locked with hers. "Until I met you."

Her heart froze. "And… Kikyo?"

Inuyasha barked. "That was a mistake and I will forever regret it. I enjoyed her company, to a point, but I didn't actually love her."

Kagome seemed to take it in; it made sense, he never really acted as if he really loved that woman.

"And you?"

Kagome snapped out of her reverie and stared at him. "Pardon?"

"You, have you ever loved anybody?"

Kagome shrugged. "Maybe I did, but my outlook on love has changed. My ex-boyfriend cheated on me with my best friend and I thought I loved him. Obviously I didn't love him as much as I thought I did… love depends on the situation, I guess."

"Loving somebody means you can't live without them, Kagome."

"But it also means being happy for them if they are happy with somebody that isn't you."

They both watched each other in silence before Inuyasha stood up, wiping the crumbs of his Danish from his mouth. He held his hand out to Kagome. "Time to work, come on."

She took his hand, unquestioning. The conversation they just had was lingering in her mind—she didn't know Inuyasha was such a deep person…

She glanced at him but he was watching the street for cars. She noted how his hand still held onto hers…

Maybe this renchaku thing won't be as bad? Until Monday… oh please don't let him leave…

.xx.