InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity ❯ Modern Perils ( Chapter 14 )

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

"This is terrific, Higurashi-san," Houjou said for the fifteenth time since they had sat down to eat. Mrs. Higurashi smiled warmly. Kagome ignored the comment.

She'd been trying to break it off with Houjou when her mother had unceremoniously invited him to dinner. That just figured. Kagome stifled a sigh. The last few weeks had convinced her more than ever that she didn't really want to be with Houjou. Trouble was, she didn't want to hurt him, either. `After we eat,' she assured herself. `I'll tell him as soon as we're finished . . .'

"We'll have a guest after dinner."

Kagome swallowed the food in her mouth and frowned as she stared at her mother. Something in the way that Mrs. Higurashi had made that statement sounded odd. She frowned and set her chopsticks aside. "Who?"

Her mother kept her eyes downcast and Kagome could discern the slightest hint of pink on her mother's cheeks. What was going on? "Actually, he's coming to see you. Well, to teach you."

"Teach me?" Kagome echoed as she lifted the fragrant tea to her lips. "What do you mean?"

Mrs. Higurashi sighed and pushed her food aside to concentrate on her daughter's face. "As you know, there's been a rash of muggings lately. It's been all over the news. Now, normally I wouldn't worry so much, but you do love your freedom, and I don't want to seem harsh by taking it away from you—"

It all made sense. Kagome sighed. The muggings her mother was talking about had been all over the news. What troubled her mother most, though, was that the criminals tended to target young women, and seven of the twelve incidences had happened fairly close to the shrine. Her mother probably thought that Kagome was walking around with a giant bull's-eye on her back. "Mama—"

"Hear me out, sweetie. I'm not going to make you stay home. But I did call and make arrangements to have a tutor for you. He'll be here soon, and he's going to teach you basic self-defense. That way I can feel better whenever you walk out that door."

So it wasn't as bad as Kagome had feared. She wasn't going to be confined to the shrine, and learning self-defense may come in useful. She acquiesced easily enough and smiled. "Oh. That's fine, then."

"Who did you get to teach my Kagome?" Houjou asked.

Kagome gritted her teeth. She hated it, how possessive Houjou was starting to sound. On the way home from school earlier, he had even told a few of his friends to stop teasing `his woman'. She wanted to slap him for it. Something about those words really grated on her nerves . . .

He hadn't always been that way. She didn't know what had happened to the normally shy, always sweet, generous boy she'd started dating just after she turned fifteen. There hadn't been any real signs that he was changing. Almost as though he was one person one day and a whole different person the next, Kagome had to wonder what had sparked the change. `Maybe he's possessed,' her mind joked. She smiled to herself. `Or maybe he's taken a crash course: How to be Possessive 101 . . .'

Kagome shook herself mentally and shifted her waning attention back on her mother's words. "I called the school and asked for a reference. Luckily, Inutaisho-sensei was in, and even luckier still, she had the man in her office right then; the substitute teacher—an Izayoi-sensei. Have you met him?"

Kagome nearly choked on her tea. As it was, Houjou reached over and began thumping on her back with the heel of his hand so roughly that Kagome lifted her elbow to shove him back and glared at him. She'd be lucky if she wasn't black and blue in from his `concern'. "I'm fine," she rasped out, wiping her mouth on her napkin and shoving herself away from the table.

Souta's eyes widened, and he grinned. "Izayoi-sensei?" he echoed enthusiastically. "He's cool! He came in yesterday and told our class the story of the Shikon no Tama!"

"It isn't just a story," Grandpa complained. "It happened, I tell you! There was a hanyou pinned to Goshinboku! Our Goshinboku!"

Souta waved a hand to shut the old man up. "Sure, jii-chan! Anyway, Izayoi-sensei really knows his history! The way he described the whole thing was almost as though he had been there! It was really cool!"

Kagome grinned as she started water to wash the dishes. Souta was still raving about Izayoi-sensei's storytelling abilities as she scraped the plates and cleared the table.

Izayoi-sensei.

He was fascinating. After their initial meeting, Kagome had thought of the teacher often, and much to her own discomfort. That odd feeling that there was something familiar about the man hadn't lessened. If anything, it had intensified.

It was the unsettling way he stared at her, like he knew her secrets, her innermost desires. Heat stole up her cheeks at that thought. She didn't want to admit to herself what those innermost desires were. It was something that she wasn't ready to admit to herself, let alone to anyone else. The strange feelings that came over her when she was around him, though . . . they frightened her and yet thrilled her at the same time.

They were currently studying basic gymnastics in physical education class, and Kagome hadn't been overly surprised at how incredibly flexible the teacher was. The natural grace she had sensed from the man had been proven correct. When he'd demonstrated balance on the beam yesterday, the other girls in the class had broken into twitters and giggles as he had made a show of hopping around only to catch himself on the thin beam. Kagome had just stared, mute.

Later she had tried to work on the balance beam. She'd stumbled. He had caught her, and something in his eyes had brought to life a stuttering warmth as sensation so beautiful had welled up deep inside her. "Be careful, Kagome. If you slip when I'm not watching, I may not be able to catch you."

Heart lodged in her throat, breath gasping and uneven, it registered in her mind that he didn't let go of her right away. Then he seemed to realize where he was, what he was doing, and his hands had dropped away. "Th—thank you."

He stared at her in that same disquieting way, a slight smile twitching the corners of his lips. "Stay off that until your heart slows down. I wouldn't want you to fall again."

She watched him turn and saunter away. It had taken a long time to get her pulse to comply.

`What is it about that man?' she asked herself for the millionth time since she had met him. Why did she keep catching him staring at her like he was willing her to remember something? That sad look in his gaze spoke to her heart, tugged at her memory but never made sense. Kagome shook her head. She had to be imagining things. Still . . .

"Kagome, dear, don't worry about the dishes. I'll take care of them," her mother said as she put her hands on Kagome's shoulders. "You'd better get changed. I doubt you want to do your first lesson in a skirt."

Kagome glanced down at herself. She hadn't changed out of her school uniform, and her mother was right. As she started out of the kitchen, Houjou fell into step behind her. Kagome sighed softly. She had to get rid of him, too . . .

He veered off toward the living room to wait for her, and Kagome caught his elbow. His smile was in place as he turned to face her, and almost instantly, he caught her in his arms. Kagome stifled another sigh.

"Houjou-kun, we have to talk," she said, forestalling him as he leaned forward to kiss her.

"Talk later," he commented as he leaned in to nuzzle her cheek. Kagome pulled away gently but firmly.

"I . . ." she trailed off then drew a deep breath. `Just get it over with, you weenie,' she chided herself. `Yeah . . .'

Houjou reached over and smoothed a lock of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. "You have the world's most adorable ears, Kagome-chan," he commented with a grin.

Kagome made a face and stabbed Houjou with a marked frown. "I don't want to see you anymore," she blurted out quickly, face reddening with every word. She steeled herself against whatever show of emotion Houjou would deal her.

To her surprise, Houjou laughed. "You're my woman, Kagome. Of course you'll see me."

Kagome's eyebrows shot up in surprise and she backed away a few steps in retreat. "Listen to me, Houjou-kun—"

He sauntered toward her, stalking her slowly. She retreated more. "Admit it, Kagome: you're meant to be with me. You know it. I know it. You're my . . . mate."

The word `mate' shocked her enough that she pushed Houjou back before she planted her hands on her hips, glowering up at him. "I'm not your `mate'," she pointed out. "And I'm not your `woman', either!" With a deep breath, Kagome gripped her temples between her hands, rubbing furiously. "You need to leave."

Houjou sighed melodramatically but did turn to leave. He stopped with his hand on the doorknob and faced Kagome one last time, a strangely cunning grin gracing his expression. "I'll leave for now, but I'll be back to claim you soon enough."

The fool actually had the nerve to wink at her before he stepped out of the house. Kagome stared daggers at the door as it closed before finally turning on her heel and stomping up the stairs. As satisfying as it was to hear her feet shake the floor, it did nothing to assuage her irritation as she tore out of her school uniform and dragged on a pair of cut off sweatpants and a tee shirt.

Why did she have the feeling that Houjou wasn't going to give up that easily? Deep, sparkling, laughing blue eyes danced before her. She blinked in surprise. What was that? Houjou had brown eyes. Why was she seeing blue?

`Baka!' her mind fumed as she viciously dragged her brush through her hair. Pulling the length up into a pony tail, Kagome winced when her own vindictive thoughts made her pull her hair a little too tightly. `Why can't he be normal and just let it go?'

With a growl of frustration, Kagome stomped out of her bedroom and back downstairs.

"Did Houjou-kun go home already?" Mama asked as Kagome stepped into the living room.

Kagome made a face. "He left. I . . . I told him I don't want to see him anymore."

Her mother didn't look surprised. Kagome didn't have time to wonder about that, though, because the doorbell distracted her.

"Why don't you answer that, dear? It's probably Izayoi-sensei."

Kagome hurried to the door and opened it. The substitute teacher stood there, arms crossed, tapping his index finger against his arm with a scowl on his face. His silvery hair was tied back, and he wore a short sleeved white dress shirt and jeans. She blinked in surprise but stepped back to let him inside. "You're awfully overdressed, aren't you?" she commented as he dropped his arms and stepped past her.

"Keh. Don't worry about me. It doesn't matter what I'm wearing. You can't hurt me," he pointed out. Then he glanced at her and frowned. "You look like you just rolled out of bed."

She flushed at his derogatory assessment. "I was told you were coming to give me self-defense lessons. If you were going to take me on a date, I'd have dressed for that, instead," she pointed out. Her eyes flared at what she'd just implied. Instant heat filled her cheeks, and Kagome swung around to hide her embarrassment. He laughed softly behind her. She lifted her chin proudly and led him toward the living room. "Mama, this is Izayoi-sensei," she said, jerking her head to indicate the teacher behind her.

Mrs. Higurashi stood up and smiled warmly, extending her hand to the teacher. "Izayoi-sensei, it's a pleasure to meet you. Would you care for a drink?"

Kagome frowned. Her mother wasn't acting like this was a lesson. She was acting like he had come to visit.

"InuYasha's fine," the teacher said, his voice almost embarrassed. Kagome turned to eye the man.

"InuYasha? Doesn't that mean dog—?"

InuYasha flushed slightly and turned away. "My parents had a weird sense of humor," he muttered.

Kagome nodded slowly. Mrs. Higurashi hurried out of the room just as Souta came tearing around the corner, nearly running straight into InuYasha. "Izayoi-sensei! This is so cool! Can you tell me more about the legend of the Shikon no Tama?"

InuYasha shot Kagome a quick, startled look. Kagome narrowed her eyes, wondering why he would do that. "Not now, kid. Beat it," he said.

"Don't talk to Souta like that!" Kagome blurted out before she could stop herself. Then she flushed.

InuYasha blinked in wonder at her outburst. Her embarrassment quickly turned into confusion when the man grinned. Specks of gold burst in his eyes, lighting the amber depths and making them glow. It was Kagome's turn to blink in surprise.

Mrs. Higurashi interrupted the odd moment as she returned with two bottles of water. She handed one to each of them and gestured toward the glass doors that led to the courtyard behind the house. "Jii-chan set up practice mats out back for you two. I thought it'd be best to practice out there. The house isn't really large enough inside."

InuYasha was the first to respond to Mrs. Higurashi's words. He nodded curtly and stalked over to the doors. Kagome shook herself mentally and followed, noticing as she did so how well InuYasha's jeans hugged his hips and legs.

As if he could read her thoughts, he turned on her the second the door closed behind her. "Stop that, bi—Kagome!" he growled.

"What were you going to call me?" she demanded.

He snorted and stalked toward Goshinboku. "Nothing. Sorry."

Her eyes narrowed slightly on his trim back. She knew what he was going to say, and he didn't sound sorry at all. "I'm starting to think this was a bad idea," she commented but followed him.

"Look, I said I was sorry," he growled. "Why do you always have to chew everything to death?"

"What do you mean, chew everything to death? I don't chew—"

"Keh!" he cut her off. "You do. You always do. You always have, and you probably always will. Damn, why do you have to do this every time we—?"

"What are you talking about?"

He glared at her another moment. "As if you didn't know." He stopped short and sighed as a strange sort of expression filtered over his face.  It was gone before she could make sense of it, though, and he shook his head. "Forget it."

Kagome shook her head slowly and made a face. "You're exhausting."

She stopped when he dropped onto the ground. That he had hunkered down so quickly didn't surprise her nearly as much as the way he was sitting. Knees spread shoulder distance apart and knuckles resting on the ground between his feet, he looked almost like a dog, sitting there. Kagome knelt before him, hands on her knees as she peered into his face.

He looked as though he was remembering something. His expression was a little shell-shocked, and Kagome had to wonder what could have made him look like that. "Are you okay? Izayoi-sensei?"

As if her words snapped him out of whatever it was he remembered, his eyes cleared and slowly focused on her face. A strange recognition flitted over his features, and Kagome was captured once more in his gaze. "You can call me InuYasha," he said softly.

"You're my teacher," she reminded him with a shake of her head. "I can't—"

His soft sigh cut her off, and his tone was gentle when he spoke again. "I'm not your teacher, Kagome. I never wanted to be your teacher."

His words didn't make sense. But for some reason, Kagome couldn't argue with him, either. "All right . . . InuYasha."

He looked like he wanted to say something but didn't. Moments stretched out into minutes while they stared at each other. Kagome couldn't look away, fascinated at the emotions that flitted across his features. Wonder, recognition, a vague sense of contentment, and, at last, an odd bewilderment tinged with sorrow. `Why does he look so sad?' she wondered as the vague flash of crimson and silver filtered through her mind again, gone as quickly as it had come.

"I know you," she said quietly, staring into his eyes.

His eyes flared a little wider, and he looked stunned. "You know me?" he echoed, his voice little more than a whisper.

She nodded then shook her head. He looked more confused. "I can't explain it. I just feel like I know you." She giggled softly. "Maybe it was in another life, like reincarnation." He didn't answer her. She shook her head. "Scratch that. I was rambling again."

He flinched. She didn't see it. Then he sighed and got up slowly. "Come on, Kagome. Your mother didn't hire me to keep you company."

She grinned and accepted the hand that he offered to help her up. "Okay, InuYasha," she remarked as she stepped back into the center of the practice mat. "Just bring it."

He stared at her a moment then grinned. She loved the sparkle that shimmered in his eyes, the way the darker brown faded toward his pupils to that rich golden sheen. Eyes like his couldn't be forgotten. They were the eyes she saw in her dreams.

He flipped his ponytail over his shoulder and raised his eyebrows at her. "Remember, then. You asked for it."