InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Palm of Your Hand ❯ Undress the World ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: InuYasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi, not me. I'm just having fun and making no money doing it.

Undress The World

Back when the well had first closed, and Kagome still held onto hope, she had thought it was possible that youkai could still exist in the modern world. She was always on high alert when in a crowd. Trying to sense something. Anything. Maybe if she concentrated hard enough she could feel the tiniest tingle of youki. Something to give her the hope to continue looking. But what did she really expect to find? If she discovered youkai did still exist, then what? If InuYasha was still alive in modern times, wouldn't he have found her by now? He had known where she lived, where she went to school. Her scent… Yes, if he had wanted to find her he could have; but who was she kidding? If he was still alive he would have long since forgotten about her. Moved on with his life. How could she expect him to come back to her after five-hundred years when she herself had given up and flown the coop in less than three. In fact, she should hope, for his sake, that he did move on and find happiness.

But still, she hoped.

It didn't matter though. There were no youkai in her time. The only magic she had ever been able to sense was very slight and had only come from ancient relics she'd seen in museums, and occasionally pieces of what she assumed to be antique jewelry. The aura she sensed wasn't exactly youki, but it was something… Something wholly unfamiliar, and it intrigued her.

Coincidentally, one such piece of jewelry was a lapis lazuli donut pendant that hung from her roommate's neck by a thin black leather cord. By the time she met Ru she was quite used to sensing the spellbound jewelry, but had never before actually known someone who owned one. She was initially excited to find out the origins, but was disappointed when she finally asked, and Ru had informed her that the pendant was given to him as a child by his father, whom he believed had purchased it at an estate sale. He appeared to be completely ignorant of the magic contained within the stone.

As much as Ru complained about his strained relationship with his father, Kagome assumed he must hold some kind of attachment to him, seeing as how she had never seen him take off the necklace. Like Kagome, Ru had moved away from his family to try and make a life for himself. While he still kept in contact with his mother and sisters, and would even fly out to visit them from time to time; he had almost no contact with his father outside of receiving an occasional email, to which Ru rarely ever responded.

When Kagome first asked Ru about his father, he had claimed that their estrangement stemmed from his dad's inability to come to terms with Ru's sexual orientation. While Ru was his father's only son, Kagome had a hard time believing that was the real reason. In fact, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was flat out lying to her. From what she could gather from Ru, his father seemed to be a decent enough man in all other facets of life, and she had a hard time believing a decent man would shun his only son over something that he couldn't change. Although, over time it became clear that it was Ru who was doing most of the shunning.

Every once in awhile, usually after a little too much wine, Ru would let slip little clues as to the real reason he didn't see eye to eye with his father. Kagome had pieced together enough to know that it had more to do with passing on a legacy of success rather than genetics, and as an artist Ru's career path didn't quite mesh with his father's idea of success. Although, with only seeing one side of the coin, Kagome couldn't help but wonder if his father's supposed disappointment might have been mostly conjured up in his own mind. It was possible their entire relationship, or lack thereof, was based solely on misunderstandings, and both men were far too stubbornly reticent to set the records straight.

<<>>

Kagome leaned over the counter on her elbows, impatiently watching the sputtering stream of coffee fall into the carafe.

"That's not gonna make it go any faster, Kagome". Ru said as he exited the bathroom.

"If I thought watching things made them go faster I'd have been watching the bathroom door." she shot back.

"Hey, you snooze you lose. You know I don't like to schedule my bathroom time, and it's 'first-come first-serve' around here." he said.

"What were you doing in there anyway? Or do I even want to…" Her words died on her lips when she turned from her anticipatory gaze at the coffee pot, to find Ru standing in the kitchen, his hair now in a fairly short buzz-cut. She gasped. "Did you just cut your hair?!" she asked, shock apparent in her voice.

"No, it just fell off." he said facetiously as he took a seat at the table.

"Why?" She reached down to run her hands through it.

He shrugged. "Just bored I guess. Wanted to see what it felt like."

She giggled and shook her head. "I think I heard a serial killer give that same exact excuse once in a documentary."

He chuckled. "So I take it you're not a fan of the hair?"

She sighed. "I liked it long...but you look good… I'm sure you already knew that though, didn't you?"

"You know I wouldn't be vain without just cause." he said slyly.

"And are you vain?"

"Do you think I have just cause?" he smirked.

She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Fine. You have just cause. Happy now you conceited little prick?" she chided teasingly.

"Yes." Ru chuckled. "So, any plans tonight?" he said changing the subject.

"No, I'm off tonight." she eyed him suspiciously. "Why?" she said slowly as she narrowed her gaze.

"The charity auction is tonight. I thought you might be my date." he said, almost too casually.

"You're going to try and set me up with someone, aren't you." she said as she poured their coffee.

"Now why would you think that when I specifically asked you to be my date." he retorted.

"Only because I know you and your sneaky ways, and you're talking in your sneaky 'I've got something up my sleeve' voice." she said as she sat his coffee in front of him on the table.

"I'm not setting you up Kagome...but if you just so happen to meet a handsome stranger…"

"Aha! Sneaky voice!" she yelled as she poked a finger into his chest.

"Kagome, just go with me. Please." he pleaded.

"Where is it being held?" she asked as she hopped up to sit on the kitchen counter.

There was a pause. A sure sign that she wasn't going to like the answer.

"At 'The Locke's Gallery', downtown." he said quickly before sipping his coffee. Trying to be as nonchalant as possible.

"Wait...is that the one by the hospital? Above the Italian place?"

Ru nodded hesitantly.

"No way in hell! I told you I'm never going back there!" Kagome insisted, shaking her head forcefully in the negative.

He anticipated this reaction. "You can't let one bad experience keep you from ever going back there Kagome. They hold a lot of important shows there."

"One bad experience?!" she said incredulously. "Ru, I was drugged!"

"No, you weren't drugged Kagome, you took drugs. There's a difference. It's your own fault you didn't have enough sense not to take candy from a stranger." he chuckled.

Kagome had had several awkward and sometimes horrifying experiences when she was first trying to make it on her own. One of the worst had been when she had accepted a stick of gum that had apparently been laced with some sort of hallucinogenic drug. After spending a couple hours nursing her through a bad trip, during which she refused to remove her fingers from her ears, lest her 'brains fall out'; Ru was eventually able to view the incident with amusement. Kagome, on the other hand, still hadn't quite found the humor in it.

"But you've lived and learned," Ru continued, "and you've come a long way from that naive little girl you used to be...and you are coming with me."

She let out a slow breath. "I'll come with you...if, you can look me in the eyes and tell me you aren't trying to set me up with someone."

After a long pause Ru huffed. "You know, I'd really like to meet him." he snapped.

"Huh?" she questioned. "Meet who?"

"Whoever the hell it was that ruined all other men for you." he quipped.

"Why does it always have to be about some guy? You know I'm just not the relationship type." she said, barely hiding her agitation. It was a sensitive subject, which made it all the more clear to Ru that there was something she kept hidden from him.

"How would I know that, Kagome? I've never even seen you go out with the same guy more than once… Actually, scratch that, I do know you, and I know that you are the 'relationship type'." he said, making quotation signs with his fingers. "The fact that we've carried on what is essential a platonic marriage for seven years is proof of that. Why can't you just tell me? Wouldn't it make you feel better to talk about it?"

"How could it when there's nothing to talk about?" she snapped, sliding off the counter onto her feet, as if she were considering bolting.

"That's bullshit, Kagome, and you know it." he said, a little more harshly than he intended. He let out a long sigh, reining in his temper. "I just don't know what could be so bad that you couldn't tell me."

She did feel bad about keeping things from Ru. She knew it hurt his feelings that she kept details about her past from him, not that he would ever admit to having feelings. But how could she tell him? In her mind, all the scenarios of her telling him she was a time traveller ended in her being committed to a psych ward. Besides, how could she put her past behind her if she was forced to answer a million questions a day about it? She knew Ru, and he was a talker. She knew he would never stop grilling her about it if she told him. And it's not like he was so forthcoming himself. She knew even less about him than he knew about her, and half of what she did know was probably made up.

"It's not that it's bad Ru, it's just very complicated and very painful and I wouldn't begin to know how to tell you even if I wanted to." she said. "Which I don't."

"So at least you finally admit that there is something to tell." he said. "Well, you've succeeded in making me ten times more curious than I was to begin with, but I'll let it be... for now anyways."

"Thank you." she said, sipping her coffee.

"So you're coming with me then, right?" he asked again.

"As long as you aren't setting me up."

Ru just laughed and shook his head. Kagome took that as a yes.

<<>>

"You know I'd never go to these goddamn things if I didn't love you so much." Kagome said as they entered the gallery.

"It's nice to know you're so supportive of my work." Ru retorted sarcastically.

The only thing Kagome hated more than getting dressed up was being forced to make small talk with strangers. This evening promised both, and she was not looking forward to it. It always began within seconds of entering the room. Everywhere they went, people were drawn to Ru like a moth to a flame. People would immediately begin engaging them in conversation, usually about art, which she had learned just enough about from Ru that she could bullshit her way through a conversation on the topic. At least when the person she was talking to wasn't an artist themselves.

While Ru headed over to his painting, Kagome made her way around the gallery. Pretending to be fully enthralled with what she was seeing. She had discovered that the more interested in the artwork she seemed, the less likely strangers were to try and engage her in conversation. As she continued to make her way around the gallery, one particular painting caught her eye from across the room. It stood out from the other paintings because it wasn't abstract, and while it may have had some deeper meaning to the artist it didn't require dissection and was completely beautiful at face value without any hidden meaning. It was a watercolor painting of a plant with small, dark purple flowers with yellow stamens and blood red berries.

Drawn to this painting, Kagome made her way across the room. She had a passing thought that if she wasn't so poor she might have considered buying it for herself. She stood gazing at it for several seconds before a smooth, deep, feminine voice broke her from her reverie.

"Do you like flowers?"

The woman was tall and waif thin. She had flawless dark skin, which was heavily displayed in her backless silver silk dress, and her long black hair was in a thousand tiny braided strands that were tightly coiled into a large bun on the back of her head.

"Yes. I love them actually." Kagome said, slightly intimidated by the woman's regal appearance. "I take it you do as well?"

"Yes. In fact, I paint them almost exclusively. This particular flower is called bittersweet nightshade." The woman said. "Beautiful and deadly." she added with a slight smile.

This woman, while undoubtedly beautiful, was also extremely strange. The way she moved and spoke was almost ghostly. Kagome had met a lot of what she called 'artist types', so nothing really surprised her anymore, but there was just something about this woman. Kagome couldn't put her finger on it, but it was something familiar. She had an almost ethereal quality.

"It's really beautiful." Kagome said with the utmost sincerity.

Then she noticed something. Magic. While still very subtle, it was stronger than what she had sensed before from any other piece of jewelry. It was coming from an ornate ring on the woman's right ring finger. It looked like an antique, a large, oval sapphire stone set in a yellow gold band with intricate filigree. She felt utterly compelled to touch it.

"I'm Kagome, by the way." she said as she extended her hand to the woman.

"Solana." the woman said as she extended her hand in return. When Kagome grasped the woman's hand she wrapped her thumb around the back, placing it in direct contact with the large flat stone.

Then it happened.

Her blood ran cold. She couldn't breath. It felt like time was standing still around her, but no one else seemed to notice. Not even the youkai standing in front her.

<<>>

A/N: I decided to go ahead and post chapter two today, since it's technically been a week since I posted chapter one.

Warmest regards,

StoatsandWeasels