InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ On the Road to Dealing ❯ Moving On ( Chapter 1 )

Moving On

 

 

Disclaimer: The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. The following story is for entertainment and not profit.

 

 

Her mother had warned her about falling in with the wrong crowd and now here she was, lured in by the promise of a good time. The evening had started innocently enough with Yuri suggesting a `girl's night out.' Kagome had figured it would be filled with brightly coloured pyjamas, hunky movie men, and copious amounts of popcorn; a `real giggle fest' in the comfort and safety of a well lighted home.

Squinting through the thick bar haze, she searched the undulating throng for the familiar faces of her friends, to no avail. She had offered to watch the drinks while they went off to join the hungry-eyed men on the dance floor, no wanting her bad mood at being tricked into a night on the town to affect the others. She guessed that she probably deserved it after forcing them to deal with her months of moping over something they would never be able to understand, even if they did believe her.

Shaking her head to disperse the memories before they began, Kagome slipped out of the circular booth. Her friends could get new drinks; they hadn't paid for these ones anyway. Straightening the white tank top Yuri had lent her and checking the pleats in her school skirt, Kagome made for the mass of shifting bodies that had swallowed all that was once familiar to her.

As she edged her way through the crowd a familiar face come into view, and then another, and another. She had found the friends that had abandoned her for the pulsating music and beer swilling men. Yuri was the first to notice her and quickly left the dark haired man she had been dancing with to embrace her, making it clear the Kagome was to be welcomed to the group. As she watched Yuri return to her male companion, Kagome resolved that tonight she would let the past go and enjoy her night out with her friends. As the pounding rhythm of the next song blended into the first, she felt a hand slip around her waist from behind. Unconsciously her muscles tensed as she fought to convince herself that it was okay to let this stranger invade her personal space; it was part of moving on. It was a good thing, but she knew that part of her would never be ready, not so long as she could still feel him at the edges of her senses.

****

He watched her, from his seat by the bar, sipping the brightly coloured drink one of the waitresses had brought her. Her presence had caught him by surprise, not just because he hadn't seen her in years, but because he would have thought her too `good' for such a `low' place. She looked different than he would have expected. Her hair was pulled back from her face leaving her neck exposed, her top was lower cut and sleeveless, but not that much different from what he had last seen her in. He couldn't help but notice that she still seemed haunted by the loss of his younger brother. The pain wasn't nearly as transparent as it had been the day she had knelt over the grave he shared with his first love, the two of them finally at rest. He remembered how he had admired her then for how she had fought to have the lovers buried side by side just outside the small village both had called home. He guessed that she would never look truly happy again, but the feeling of empathy she drew from him was unexpected.

He let his eyes follow her as she left the solitude of her booth and made her way to the crowded floor. She looked uncomfortable as she was greeted by the other girls he had seen her arrive with, even though her smile seemed genuine. He knew he had no right to interfere, and yet, as the man who had worked his way in behind her placed his hand on her hip, he found he couldn't stop himself.

****

At first she though she was imaging him, he was so unchanged, but as he drew nearer she saw he was not quite the same. His armour was missing, but his arm had returned, his hair was still long and as gorgeous as she remembered and he still wore the same unmistakable red and white haori. His fur stole was missing and his loose white pants had been replaced by tight black leather.

She felt the hand that had been touching her quickly removed. Everyone seemed to know that it was her that he was coming for and made space for him to enter. He was more than unexpected; he was part of what she had though she had lost.

“You do not belong in here.”

His voice seemed deeper that she remembered, not in tone, but in something more intangible, like emotion. It made her heart beat faster and her eyes well with longing to touch him, to assure that it was not just a dream.

“Come.”

She found herself following his command without hesitation. He led her through the parted crowd and into the parking lot. She was vaguely aware of her friends calling out to her over the din from the bar and the louder pounding of her own heart, but she couldn't bring herself to look back.

“Put this on.”

Kagome smiled as he pulled something large and white out of one of the saddle bags on the bike he had led her to. As she wrapped the familiar fur around her exposed shoulders he motioned for her to climb on behind him. She felt a little unsteady as she swung her leg over the seat and settled in. Flipping up the kickstand he brought the metal beast to life. As the motor rumbled between her legs, Kagome slipped her arms around the seemingly timeless man that had stepped out of her past and felt herself carried off into the darkening night.