InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ On a Leash ❯ Rain and Remembrance ( Chapter 29 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha…yet….

A/N: Thanks for the majority of kind, perceptive reviews. Don't worry, there will be more romance, as that seems to be the greatest outcry, and, yes, I do suppose the Mask of Zorro factor is here, huh? (I was kind of thinking that myself when I plotted out this idea). The family name Tanaka is just a random Japanese family name that I picked from a list my friend Erin found for me. (Thank you, Ed!). I think it's fairly common, but I don't remember.

In Japan a girl can be 16 to get married but a boy has to be 18, so he can provide for her. The story is rated for language, as FF is cracking down on misdemeanors, or so they believe. I'd rather not get in trouble. Of course, it says why it is rated as it is in one of the author's notes and in the summary…. Kagome celebrated the commercial Christmas, not the religious one.

This is dedicated to my wonderful friend Jazz the Wolf Demon. (Her writing is stupendous!) She totally rocks.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Rain and Remembrance

"So much to do…and so much to pack," Kagome said with a sigh as she folded another shirt and placed it carefully in her black suitcase. She grabbed a pair of socks and stuffed them also in her bag as Buyo loitered on her bed, contentedly resting on her pillow.

"You don't really need to pack all that-do you?" queried Inuyasha from the doorway. Sauntering into the room, he hopped on the bed beside his fiancée's bag, sitting with his legs a little farther than shoulder width apart. Reaching over he extracted a bottle. "Hairspray?" He leaned forward to get a better look within the suitcase while Kagome made sounds of annoyance. "How many changes of clothes do you actually need?"

The girl batted at the hanyou's hands as he leafed through her clothes, merely flicking them aside with his claws. She made a shrill 'eep!' when Inuyasha accidentally pulled out one of her bras-he'd been taken aback himself.

"Why is this thing so lacy?" he asked, holding it arm's length and then bringing it a little closer for inspection.

"Inuyasha!"

"What?" he inquired innocently. "No one is going to see it, so why does it have to be all frilly?"

"It makes me feel pretty." Kagome snatched it from his hands while she felt the hot blush stain her cheeks. Somehow, the prospect of explaining to Inuyasha why wearing it would make her feel so princess-like, was just shy better of having her eyelashes plucked out one-by-one.

He stared at her like she was insane for a moment before saying, as he tossed her can of hairspray into her luggage, "But, why do you need so many clothes? You can just wash them while you're there."

Hastily hiding the undergarment at the bottom of her packed attire, she abashedly mumbled, "Because we're going to be there for a month, Inuyasha. I have to be prepared. I don't want my clothes to get worn out from washing them too often."

Shrugging, the half-demon laid over the bed, his long legs dangling off the edge. It would probably be best if he let her finish packing. He didn't want to pull out another one of her unmentionables; he was still a bit hot in the face from that brilliant display. "Whatever. I was done packing a while ago."

Without looking up as she refolded some of her clothes, Kagome stated crisply, "Mama helped you didn't she?"

"So? I did some of it myself."

She didn't answer as she zipped up her suitcase, quite proud with all that she managed to fit in it. Sesshoumaru's driver would be arriving soon to take them to his summer home--Inuyasha's mansion. Kagome was anxious to see the estate, but she was also excited to learn proper etiquette. For some reason, she had always fancied the idea of learning to be polished.

Or maybe the idea of Inuyasha learning how to waltz was just too hilarious to get out of her head.

Kagome grinned to herself as her eyes unnoticeably fell onto her fiancé. I wonder what Inuyasha getting 'prepared' for the ball is going to be like…

Giggling to herself, she hefted her yellow backpack from the floor. It was heavy with school books, and the girl stared at her baggage and pack with a slight frown. There was no way she was going to be able to tote all of her stuff down the stairs in one trip. Frankly, she wouldn't be surprised if she tripped halfway down with all of it weighing her down.

Inuyasha sat up a little, still slumping, but his dog ears pivoted around. "I think the chauffer is here. You got everything, Kagome?" He slid off the bed.

Nodding, she began to slide the straps of her knapsack over her shoulders. "Yeah," she grunted, "I got it all." She reached over for her suitcase, only to have it moved from her grasp. Kagome peered from the clawed hand on the handle to the hanyou's face. "Inuyasha?"

"Don't worry about it," he said breezily, dropping the luggage onto its wheels. He snatched her yellow backpack from behind her head and she unwittingly wriggled free. He carried the other bag in his free hand and started out of her room.

"Isn't that heavy…?" Kagome asked, stunned.

His response didn't surprise her that much, though. "Not at all."

The girl smiled after him. She looked to her cat. "I guess Inuyasha possesses some chivalry."

Reaching over to pet Buyo, she heard her fiancé call, "My bag's in my room. You should be able to carry it, as weak as you are. I didn't pack as much junk as you did."

A narrow-eyed stare fixed on Buyo. "Well," she sighed, "I guess Inuyasha still has a lot to learn. I guess Kagura and Sesshoumaru were right-we're definitely going to need a month to make him refined."

Buyo purred and rolled over onto his back. He let out a long meow.

Smiling slightly, Kagome rubbed the calico's tummy. "I have a feeling you're agreeing with me."

"Kagome!" shouted Inuyasha from downstairs. "Hurry the hell up would you, you lazy woman?"

With a click of her tongue, she responded, "Ok, I'll be there in a sec! Buyo," she fondly massaged the chubby feline's ear, "wish me luck. I think I'm going to need it…. Or if anything, patience-I might accidentally kill Inuyasha otherwise."

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Inuyasha and Kagome cruised along in the large limousine, enjoying the ample supply of leg room and the TV, which the hanyou was flipping through channels. So far, all he found was game shows. With a sigh, he shut it off. "Count on Sesshoumaru not to have cable for this stupid thing…."

Glancing over, Kagome took the remote from his hand and turned the screen back on. Pressing two buttons, she went to the huge listing of channels they could get. Passing it to a stunned Inuyasha, she said, "It's satellite."

Temporarily awed, her fiancé channel surfed once more with renewed vigor.

Kagome went back to peering out the window. Dark clouds breathed in long tendrils across the sky that was no doubt a greyer shade of blue.

They had been driving for at least an hour, and in that time, she had completed a good portion of her English homework, and some of her science homework. Mama had called and said she was on a trip for a month, and Kagura called in also to confirm the story, and to make sure everything was straightened out; whatever that exactly meant, Kagome still hadn't figured it out when she'd called this morning.

While still in the city, the buildings had become less clumped as they traveled along. Kagome was able to see some more trees, but not nearly as many as at Kaede's house, which was to the north and the estate was to the east. Tokyo seemed to be tapering off, and Kagome turned to look out the other window, which greeted her with a wide stretch of water, sparkling up at her. "We're by the ocean…"

Inuyasha's attention diverted from Iron Chef to the girl. "Yeah. The house is supposed to be up a little farther. It's on a peninsula or something. We're going to be looking at the ocean for a while, Kagome."

She nodded. "I guess we must have already passed the fishing district. This must be the commercial area."

Shrugging, "Probably."

Kagome leaned back into the leather of her seat. She gazed briefly over to the hanyou beside her before turning to watch the last ten minutes of the cooking show.

It was when the Iron Chef clad in purple had been declared the winner that the limo made a slight upward climb. When the pair glimpsed from the TV to the window, they spotted a villa that could easily rival Sesshoumaru's city mansion at the top of the smooth path.

"Master Inuyasha," the chauffer said, as the tinted glass that separated him from his passengers rolled down, "welcome to your home."

When the limousine came to a smooth, level stop, Kagome and Inuyasha exited from opposite doors. The hanyou emerged closest to the seaside villa. His eyes panned upwards, taking in the home's exorbitant stature and the columns that lined the wide front portico-three on each side of the entrance. Like Sesshoumaru's, it was a shade of white, though a softer hue, like the color of the white sand beaches.

There was a beautifully manicured front lawn ahead, and when Inuyasha glanced back down the slope, he noticed the shockingly silver arched gates that closed off the entrance border of the property; he must have been too involved with Iron Chef to notice.

Inuyasha smelled the slightly balmy sea breeze that teased past. Vaguely, over the descent of the other side of the plain, he could spot the pale foam that broke against the large rocks that dotted along the light blue-green waters that lead to an almost indigo ocean. "Is this…really all mine…?" he asked in disbelief as another breeze, a little cool for the season, brushed his features. Servants had begun to line the entryway and two butlers hastened out to retrieve the couple's bags from the still-open doors of the limo.

Kagome approached him, smiling kindly. "It's amazing, isn't it, Inuyasha? This is the home your father left to you. You should be happy."

"…I am…" he admitted, his gaze flickering to her.

"Good."

Giving his fiancée a quick smile before seeing Sesshoumaru descend the porch steps, Inuyasha tilted his mouth into a smirk. "So, this is it, Sesshoumaru? Are we getting the grand tour right now?"

"Inuyasha," his brother said dryly as he neared, "it would be best if you walked through the estate and got a feel for it. The servants will carry your bags, along with Kagome's, up to your rooms."

"Sounds good."

With a wave of his hand, Sesshoumaru turned to enter the villa, the other two in tow.

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Kagome could not get over how beautiful the entire stretch of the villa was. It was a very brief tour, but it didn't surprise the girl considering Sesshoumaru was their guide. She got to see the spacious kitchen, various entertainment rooms, a gorgeous dining hall, several bedrooms-some of which belonged to the servants--, and many other rooms that she just couldn't keep track of. All of it was stunning, and with its high-ceilings, Kagome felt like a commoner in the emperor's court-insignificantly small.

She got a peek at her own room, which seemed just as welcoming and refined as many of the others. Vague light from behind the gossamer curtains entered the room, giving it an enchanted feel. Inuyasha's room was just as tasteful.

However, what made her solidly decide that she was going to explore the entire villa were the short glimpses of the ocean lapping along the strip of beach, which it turned out Inuyasha now owned. So, when Sesshoumaru glided off, Kagome began trekking down the polished wood floors with an enormous smile on her face.

"Hey, where are you going?" asked Inuyasha, turning away from his inspection of the attic's trapdoor at the end of the hall.

"Down to the beach," Kagome merrily replied. "It looks really pretty."

Shrugging, Inuyasha moved his attention, with a tilt of his head, back to scrutinizing the overhead passage. "I wanna know what's up there." His expression became absolutely wondering as he reached a hand out to the string and gave it a sharp yank. With a sigh and a puff of smoke, the honey-stained panel rocked down to the floor.

Curious as well, Kagome returned to her fiancé's side. "Well, we'll never know if we don't look."

"'We'?" he echoed back. "I thought you were going to the beach."

"I was," simply said the girl as she tentatively set a foot on one of the stairs. Finding it would hold her weight, Kagome began to climb up. "But, I'd actually have to walk to the beach and this mystery is right here. Why pass it up?"

Inuyasha shook his head as his fiancée flashed a bubbly smile at him. "One day, Kagome, that nosiness of yours is really going to get you in trouble." He started to follow her up.

"I'm not nosy," she protested. "If anyone's nosy, it's you. Besides, you're going to make sure I don't get into trouble, right?"

"Hmph. Of course."

Reaching the attic, Inuyasha and Kagome were greeted by a flurry of dust, which made the hanyou cough and sneeze until his eyes watered. He accepted the handkerchief the girl handed him and promptly covered his sensitive nose and mouth with it, muttering oaths beneath his breath, when he could spare it.

Besides the obvious thickness of dust, which told the pair that the last time someone had entered this attic, it had been quite a while ago, there were numerous trunks, furniture, and various trinkets littering the floor. More tinted light unobtrusively sifted into the room through the yellowing, moth-eaten curtain that covered a large rectangular window and faded its familiar patch of wood a little more.

Near to the window was an aged rocking chair, which Inuyasha neared, lowering the handkerchief from his mouth. His face was carved softly by a memory that Kagome did not know, and her heart ached to discover what he was thinking of when he lifted the beautifully decorated blanket from the back of it and sat down.

Carefully gliding over to him, Kagome saw the tender shade of gold in his eyes. It was so sorrowful and wistful, not at all like the molten gaze full of defiance and tenacity that she was so used to looking into. She at first reached out to him, and thought better of it and retreated. Instead, her own eyes were drawn to the faded, but not forgotten, love that came from every corner of the room.

As the sound of the rain tinkled like bell chimes off the outside molding of the villa and Inuyasha sighed softly, holding the coverlet closer, it dawned on Kagome. He's thinking of his mother…

It made sense. Maybe Inuyasha didn't remember this attic room, and had unwittingly come up. Or maybe he did know. Kagome was not sure which. She was somehow certain that this place must have been special to her betrothed and his mother.

She was even willing to guess so far that the blanket he now had in his possession was the one Setsuna covered him with before rocking his small body back and forth into sleep in the very same rocking chair that he could occupy completely on his own. Inuyasha had lost his mother at a young age, and Kagome held no doubts of how hard and bewildering it was for him to truly realize how much time had passed; he had been small enough for Setsuna to lift into her arms or sit upon her lap as they rocked to and fro, perhaps reading a fairytale to him before bed.

Maybe this had been his room as a child and had now been converted to storage-long stowed away and neglected, much like his short-cut childhood. It must be so hard for him… thought Kagome, chewing her lip slightly. She found her gaze on him. Inuyasha's countenance was cast into a dreary silhouette. I'll bet the last time he sat there, he couldn't even sit in it without sliding off, and his feet couldn't touch the ground…

The rain outside chimed a bit faster.

"You ever feel like you're trapped living a dream, Kagome?"

Startled by his abruptness, albeit his voice was calm and gentle, the girl looked to him in surprise. "Inuyasha…?"

"Heh." The half-demon glanced down to the red fabric wrinkled in his lap. One claw delicately traced the circles where the sun had faded it to a hue of rose. "I know it was a long time ago, but I can't help thinking about my mother and how much I wish she was still alive. She'd be at least seventy or so now. She was really young when she married my old man. I remember her best…Mother was always there. Dad was usually doing business, the same kind of bullshit Sesshoumaru does now, but he still managed to give me some good memories from when he did play with me."

Kagome closed her eyes as she felt tears begin to brim her lashes. And now they're gone…

"I feel like I'm living a dream. Coming here…it's like something from a dream I haven't dreamt in a long time, but kind of a dream that's there all the time." He finally lifted his eyes from the blanket to Kagome. "Does that make sense?"

With a nod, she answered, "It does. Was this your bedroom?" The girl had yet to open her eyes, and had tilted her face toward the ground-she didn't quite trust herself to not start crying out of sheer vicarious sorrow.

"Sort of." He could scarcely make out her visage, and looked to the window. "It was kind of like my playroom. I didn't recognize the rest of the house at first. My memory was pretty fuzzy. But, I remembered this place really well. Probably because it was the only place I spent so much time in as I did outdoors."

"So you grew up by the ocean?"

"For a while. I lived in the mansion in Tokyo for a while, too." His dog ears tipped in the direction of his fiancée at her soft sniffle. Inuyasha peered at her again. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she answered.

"Oh, don't give me that bullshit, Kagome. Now tell me what's wrong."

Kagome laughed lightly before opening her eyes. The tears had subsided, yet a faint trace coated her lashes. Smiling quietly, Kagome walked over to Inuyasha and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and rested her head in the crook of his neck. She felt his body tense up a little. "Inuyasha, I wish there was more I could do for you."

Inuyasha remained still for a moment, before gawkily moving his arm around her back and giving her a little squeeze. You've done more for me, Kagome, than you could ever realize. "I still have other dreams…" he whispered, holding her a tad closer. "I just don't know if they're really reachable…if I deserve them."

"You can achieve anything," Kagome murmured in return. "And if anyone deserves their dreams to come true, it's you."

Inuyasha went quiet for a moment, simply breathing the herbal scent of her hair before saying, "You wanted to see the beach, didn't you?"

Pulling far enough away to see his face, Kagome nodded. "Yeah. But it's raining."

A smirk crossed Inuyasha's lips, but it wasn't arrogant or devious, it was more mischievous. "So?" Somewhat reluctantly moving from the circle of his fiancée's embrace, the hanyou's smirk widened as an idea struck him. He rose from the rocking chair and set the worn blanket on the back of it again. He went to the window, drew the curtain aside, and opened the window. Rain perfumed the air and it wafted in on the cool wind into the musky room. "Come on, Kagome."

"What? You're not suggesting we go outside in the rain, are you?"

He grinned. "Why not? A little rain's not gonna hurt us. Come on." Ignoring her started sound of protest, Inuyasha snagged Kagome about the waist and leapt out the window. Her arms wrapped firmly around his neck as they dropped three stories through the rainfall until landing on the soft sandy beach.

"Inuyasha, we're gonna get wet!" exclaimed Kagome as the real downpour started.

"So?" he chuckled. "It's not that bad, is it? Didn't you ever play in the rain as a kid?"

"Of course I did," she countered as the rain dampened her raven hair while the wind teased it about. Kagome tried to frown, but at the joyous, genuine smile on Inuyasha's face, she didn't have the heart to do anything else but grin in return. "Have you ever danced in the rain?" she asked softly.

"I don't think so."

"Well, come on then." Kagome tramped up to Inuyasha and took one of his hands in hers and placed the other on her waist while moving her remaining one up to his shoulder. "It's not that hard. I'll lead this time."

Taking a gliding step rearward, the girl maneuvered the blushing half-demon to do the same. She smiled as she moved him around in a slow box-step with the ocean licking at their shoes, and the elements descending from the heavens fell upon them.

Inuyasha pulled her closer as he got the hang of their waltz. Everything felt simple and clean when he was with Kagome. It felt like the rain was washing away all the iniquities of his life.

They became a little more courageous and tried spiraling around, only to fall into short bouts of laughter and return to their box-step. Kagome leaned against Inuyasha's chest when he pulled her nearer. Maybe you're right, Kagome, he thought, resting a cheek atop her head. Maybe some dreams do come true, and that there are some worth living…but, they're only worth having if you're there… Like now…

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A/N: Repeat after me: writer's block sucks. I was stumped for a while how I wanted to get this chapter across, so after many songs and debates/fights with my muses, I came to this. Or, more like Kagome and Inuyasha came to this. There was something else I was going to say… Oh! Michelle Latta drew another fan art, and you can find the link to it on my bio page, or on my live journal (moonlightmiko). My mom wasn't feeling well, so had to proofread by myself again. Junior year in high school is supposedly the toughest year, so sorry if I'm not updating quite as fast. I'm not really all that pleased about it either, but I doubt any of you would appreciate a chapter with little effort.

Moonlight Shadow