InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Present Perfect ❯ Chapter 15 ( Chapter 15 )

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi

 

 

 

Check out house(2), the back view of Inuyasha & Kagome's house, as seen from the cliff, in FanArt.

 

 

Chapter 15:

 

 

Sesshomaru was sitting on their sofa, looking very annoyed, when they got back Sunday afternoon. Inuyasha realized that he didn't have the restraining beads to mask his youkai scent. Oh, well. Sesshomaru would have to find out sooner or later. Looked like it was going to be sooner.

 

“What are you doing here?” he asked his brother. “When did you get back from Japan?”

 

Sesshomaru slowly got to his feet, frowning at Inuyasha. He smelled the difference in the hanyou immediately. He didn't smell of human at all—he smelled—

Sesshomaru's restored arm shot out and grabbed Inuyasha by the neck, shoving him up against the wall. Kagome gasped, and her eyes flew to Inuyasha, silently asking him if she should help. He shook his head slightly—no—and his lips tightened in a grim smile. He could handle Sesshomaru. “Let—go,” he rasped, with the little breath he had left.

 

Sesshomaru dropped him. He walked back to the sofa and sank down on it, much to Kagome's relief. “Explain.”

 

Inuyasha rubbed his throat. “I already told you,” he said. “I can transform now. You can believe it or not, I don't care. Why are you here?”

 

“I came to check on the progress of your house,” replied Sesshomaru, and his eyes took on an angry glint. “And I couldn't get close to it.” He focused his gaze sternly on Kagome. “Miko, did you put up the barrier?”

 

Inuyasha enjoyed a moment of picturing Sesshomaru flat on his back like Kouga had been. He hoped his little youkai had been there to see it. He'd have to ask. “We both did,” he answered his brother. “It's our barrier.”

 

“And you would repel me?” Sesshomaru's voice took on a growly quality.

 

“We didn't know you would be coming back so soon,” said Kagome quickly, trying to ease the tension. Already she could see the markings on both youkai's faces. “I need to be there so I can key it to you.”

 

“I never said I wanted him to be able to pass the barrier when I'm not around,” protested Inuyasha. “I'll take you up there,” he told his brother, “but only Kagome or I can let you in.” Inuyasha faked the last part. He had told Kouga that only Kagome could do it—truth was, he didn't really know. They had created the barrier together. For all he knew, he could `key' it just the same as Kagome could.

 

“Then let's go,” said Sesshomaru.

 

“Now?” squeaked Kagome. “We just got back! I'm filthy!”

 

She wasn't filthy at all, thought Inuyasha. She smelled just fine. Still, he knew how she was about baths. If it was an unspoken rule that you never kept Sesshomaru waiting, it was an even bigger rule that you never denied Kagome her bath. “Fine,” he told her, ignoring the narrowing of Sesshomaru's eyes at his words. “You take a bath, get something to eat, and we'll leave in an hour. I'll take Sesshomaru out and show him my new tricks.”

 

“Are you sure?” asked Kagome. She wasn't asking about the bath—that was a given.

 

“Yeah, it'll be all right.” He turned to Sesshomaru. “So how'd you get here this time? You got a car?”

 

It turned out that Sesshomaru had indeed driven to the apartment from his hotel so that he could avoid awkward questions if one of Inuyasha's school friends happened by. He let Inuyasha drive the car back to the hotel since they wouldn't be needing it on their way to the house later. Sesshomaru was barely controlling his temper by the time they were finished parking in the hotel garage.

 

“Enough stalling,” he growled. “What is this trick you spoke of?”

 

Inuyasha grinned. In the semi-dark of the parking garage it was startling. He quipped, “Don't say I didn't warn you,” just before he transformed into energy and flew off in the direction of the setting sun.

 

Sesshomaru cursed, and transformed also, shooting after Inuyasha. Didn't the idiot know there might be cameras in the parking garage? He was so preoccupied with Inuyasha's recklessness that his ability to transform didn't register for a few seconds. When it did, Sesshomaru put on a burst of speed and overtook his brother. They really needed to talk. `Trick,' indeed.

 

Inuyasha led Sesshomaru to the little wild area near his school before he took physical shape again. He stood, hands on hips, and grinned at his brother. “Want to see more?” he asked.

 

Sesshomaru shook his head. Yes, no, not right this minute. “How?” was all that came out. Inuyasha couldn't have asked for a better response. It wasn't often that he got to astound the unflappable Sesshomaru.

 

“We're not sure,” he said, being honest. “The youkai here seemed to think I could do it already, and I never tried before because I always thought I couldn't do it because I was hanyou. Turns out I can. Kagome discovered that it was her beads that held my spirit in. Once she took them off, I could transform. We still aren't sure if it's something that I developed recently, or if I always had the ability but never tried before.”

 

Sesshomaru nodded thoughtfully. It made sense. Hanyou were once ostracized, thought tainted by their mixed blood. Even he had been guilty of that sort of thinking, long ago. He knew better now, of course, but his brother had only experienced the hatred and rejection of both his halves for his entire life. These days it was common knowledge that hanyou did not mean half power, as youkai had once believed. Inuyasha had spent his entire life proving that theory was wrong. It only made sense that it would carry over into this transforming power as well. It seemed certain that Inuyasha was hanyou in appearance only, possibly by choice. In all other aspects, he was full youkai.

 

“What else?” he asked at last. Inuyasha grinned wider, fangs gleaming in the fading light, and let his jaw lengthen into a snout, as his transformation into the Great Dog shape began. Sesshomaru stumbled backwards, and ended up sitting on the grass staring at his brother. Full youkai. Taiyoukai. Like himself. Like Father.

 

 

“So why did you really come back?” Inuyasha asked Sesshomaru as they waited for Kagome to finish getting ready. “Did Kouga talk to you?”

 

“We spoke. Now you know what happened to you all those years ago.” Sesshomaru spoke quietly.

 

“Yeah—I know. Why didn't you tell me about it when I asked you? Did you think I wouldn't go back if I knew?”

 

Sesshomaru lowered his head and did not reply.

 

“You did! I can't believe you thought I'd abandon my friends. Why do you even care?” Then realization hit Inuyasha. “Rin,” he said. “This is about Rin.”

 

Sesshomaru didn't deny it. “So you are going back?” he asked, to be sure.

 

“Of course.”

 

“And the miko?”

 

“You tell me. Kouga said she wasn't with me.”

 

“That is true. I never saw her again after we met that winter at Kaede's village when Rin began her miko training. You were alone when you destroyed the demons at the bone-eater's well.” Sesshomaru paused. “Will you bring her back with you?”

 

“And change what happened? Not a chance!” Inuyasha glanced nervously at the closed bedroom door. “She doesn't know it yet, so don't say anything.”

 

Sessomaru raised one eyebrow as if to say, who, me? Inuyasha had to agree. There wasn't one circumstance in which he could picture Sesshomaru having a heart to heart with Kagome—about anything.

 

The bedroom door opened, and Kagome came out, dressed in dark, comfortable clothing. Her hair shone and her eyes sparkled. Inuyasha sniffed, but he couldn't detect any noticeable difference in her scent, apart from the shampoo, soap, conditioner, make-up, nail-polish and hand cream smells. He sneezed. He knew better than to tell her she smelled the same as always underneath all that stuff.

 

“Ready?” He asked instead. “Let's go.”

 

Sesshomaru followed them to the porch railing and watched as Kagome climbed on Inuyasha's back. This should be interesting. He got his third shock of the evening when Inuyasha transformed and Kagome disappeared completely. So the miko had learned some new tricks of her own. He could still smell her, so he knew she was there. Interesting. He wondered what else she could do now, and he wondered, not for the first time, whether it was because of each other that they had so rapidly increased in power. He sighed, thinking again of Rin, and what could have been.

 

They arrived at the house at moonrise, and Kagome quickly took down the barrier. Later she would ask Inuyasha if they might possibly adjust it to allow Sesshomaru entrance, but to still give them warning when he breached the barrier. That would salve his ego, yet still give them a small measure of privacy. She didn't think they really needed protection from Sesshomaru anymore.

 

It was nearly finished. The back deck was done, and the hot tub was installed. Inuyasha wanted to see how they had done it, so he hopped over the railing and disappeared from the edge of the cliff. Even though she knew he wouldn't fall, Kagome's heart beat faster. She couldn't look, but she heard his voice from underneath the deck.

 

“Oh, I see,” he said. “Now it makes sense.” In a single bound, he was back up on top of the deck, peering into the empty hot tub from above. “The water goes here. It's like a big bathtub. What are these?” He touched the control panel gingerly with one claw. There was no faucet like he was used to.

 

“It's how you turn on the heat and the jets,” explained Kagome. Seeing his blank expression, she added, “You'll just have to wait until there's water in it. Then you'll see how it works.”

 

Inuyasha quickly lost interest in the waterless hot tub and wandered back inside the house to see what had Sesshomaru so fascinated. He found his brother inside their bedroom, which gave him the urge to growl just a little at this blatant invasion of his territory. The bastard could probably smell him and Kagome in the room. Sesshomaru was standing at the windows, looking out over the densely forested valley below. If he smelled them, he didn't say anything.

 

“You chose well, little brother,” said Sesshomaru. “This is a good place to raise a family.” He glanced once at Inuyasha, then focused his gaze on the scene below again. “Don't worry about the miko. I will make sure she is safe.”

 

The unspoken words hung between them. Inuyasha might not make it back. They might have been right all along, and he died at the well. No wonder his brother was worried he might change his mind. It explained a lot, like why Sesshomaru bought this land, why Sesshomaru was paying for this house. Why Sesshomaru was being nice to him at all. He didn't buy the line that Sesshomaru had mellowed over the years, no matter what Kouga said. Well, Sesshomaru didn't know him very well if he thought Inuyasha would back down just because something was difficult. He would survive this. He would find a way.

 

“You told me once it wasn't your job to protect Kagome—it was mine,” Inuyasha reminded him. “You were right.”

 

“No, I was wrong. You showed me that the day you saved Rin. I'm sorry for what I said to you back then. You saved more than just Rin and your friends. You saved the future of youkai. When we go back, I want to show you what your sacrifice that day has accomplished.”

 

“Wait a minute. You're going back with us?”

 

“Yes. I've arranged to stay here and finalize the paperwork on your house. We will all go back to Japan together when your school term is finished.”

 

“But Kagome already bought our tickets.”

 

“Easily changed. Now, Inuyasha, what are your plans for the interior? Do you want me to set up meetings with an interior designer or will your miko prefer to choose her own furnishings and layout? You have a very open floor plan here. Will you use shoji screens to define spaces, or will you leave it like this?”

 

Inuyasha had no idea. He hadn't really thought about it. “You'd better talk to Kagome about all that,” he finally told Sesshomaru. “Whatever she wants is fine with me.” Maybe he had been wrong earlier—maybe this was one subject Sesshomaru and Kagome had in common.

 

Kagome wanted to pick out her own furniture, but she consented to meet with Sesshomaru's designer to get ideas and go shopping for some of the items she would need. She thought the idea of using shoji screens would tie in the new world with the old world perfectly.

 

Sesshomaru, like Kouga, insisted on staying in a hotel. He had no real reason to go back to his offices in New York, so he rented the hotel room for the next month. It was convenient, since he had a car, and Kagome had lots of things she needed to bring up to the house which were too small for the delivery vans.

 

School was winding down. Kagome juggled working on the house with studying for finals. Inuyasha went to his classes as usual, and hoped for the best. Jen and Noriko were in different shows this time, so they got invited to both. Jenn was delighted that Sesshomaru was back. She entirely missed the strained greeting between Sesshomaru and Fenn, assuming from her glimpses of them over the summer that they already were friends.

 

Fenn made it a point to be around whenever Sesshomaru showed up. Inuyasha thought he was checking his brother out one more time. Inuyasha was glad. If for some reason he couldn't make it back, those two were the best hope these new world youkai had. He wanted them to get along. He had every intention of protecting Kagome himself, but it wouldn't hurt to have Sesshomaru and Fenn looking out for her too, just in case. He wanted Kagome to be very secure in the future.