InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Serendipity ❯ Chemistry ( Chapter 14 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Late update, but I figure I'd toss you a short chapter just to suffice you guys' cravings for a bit!

Thanksgiving Break will be here in three days, so MAYBE I can update again soon!

I love you, my beautiful, beautiful reviewers!

:)





The halls were an eerie quiet, causing his own breathing echo in the distance. The entire restroom was empty, cold. He could see every breath he took as it began to fog up his reflection.

Damn air conditioner, what's the point of having it so friggin' cold in here?

InuYasha reached forward, twisting the nozzle that had a red symbol on it, and hot water sprang forth, the steam calming his nerves slightly. He coated his hands in the burning water, shutting his eyes harshly, yet exhaling rather slowly in relief.

The water was a remedy to the aching silence. He could feel his demonic side going back into submission, and soon after, he shut it off, his hands now calloused from the scorching water. His eyes slowly popped open and he smiled sadly.

Whatever it is that she's doing to me, it has to end here. I can't afford to lose control.

With that, he grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser and slid it across his aching hands, wincing in the process.

Why is my demon side so fascinated with her? This has never happened before.

Still pondering over his current predicament, he almost failed to notice the worried girl standing in front of the entrance to the boy's restroom, massaging her aching shoulder.
His eyes widened.

"K-Kagome?"

"Are you alright?" she asked quickly, forgetting her pain and examining his hands, her lips parting slightly in surprise at their rough texture.

His eyes landed on the spot on her shoulder where her hand had been clutching moments before.

He felt a sudden jolt in his heart, in turn making a lump form in the very base of his throat.

"How's your shoulder?" he asked in a small voice, ignoring her question. She followed his eyes to the black-blue bruise forming on her shoulder, and quickly pulled her shirt over it.

"I-it's fine, just a scratch. It doesn't hurt much, really."

His eyes softened at her white lie, knowing that she was in more pain than she let on.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Her eyes widened in surprise, but she smiled at that very moment, feeling him warm up to her presence.

Why do I like the thought of tearing down the barrier surrounding his heart?

That thought alone gave her butterflies, and caused a warm feeling arise in her cheeks.

He's slowly changing right in front of my eyes..I like it.

With that, she gently grabbed his sore hand and began to lead him down the hall, the soft smile never leaving her lips.

"Let's go to the nurse to get your hands looked at."

InuYasha could have sworn he felt her fingers cup around his and instantly felt the bridge of his nose redden.

Inhaling, he squeezed her hand back, causing her smile to brighten.

***

JULIET

Good even to my ghostly confessor.

FRIAR LAURENCE

Romeo shall thank thee, daughter, for us both.

JULIET

As much to him, else is his thanks too much.

ROMEO

Ah, Juliet, if the measure of thy joy
Be heap'd like mine and that thy skill be more
To blazon it, then sweeten with thy breath
This neighbour air, and let rich music's tongue
Unfold the imagined happiness that both
Receive in either by this dear encounter.

InuYasha watched the people on stage with mild interest. The dramatic lighting added to the emotions of the characters, bouncing off of them at numerous angles. He watched the way Kagome's eyes lit up while playing the love-sick girl, and how her lips quirked at every syllable she spoke. Realizing he was becoming mesmerized from the sight of her, he quickly shook his head, a blush staining his cheeks. Lately, he found his thoughts wandering in a different direction with Kagome. A direction he didn't dare go down. Now more than ever, she was practically spewing out questions for him. He began to think about the interrogation she had had for him only yesterday...

"This was done beautifully, InuYasha. I feel so honored," Kagome said in awe, a mild chuckle hiding behing her words. Her eyes were roaming over the paper thoroughly, scanning and processing every detail of the work. InuYasha shrugged, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. They were in the middle of another study session in her home. It was getting close to dark, as the sun began to meet the horizon. Kagome cocked her head, examining the piece of art from a different angle, her bare legs propped up on her study desk. The hanyou sat against her bed, noting how nice her toes looked with metallic polish coating them. Feeling embarrassed for having even noticed her toes, he looked away abashedly.

"Stop lookin' at the thing, will ya? It ain't that great," he grumbled, arms crossed, struggling within to sound grumpy. Deep down, he absolutely adored the attention she was giving his artwork. No one had shown nearly as much appreciation in it before, and he couldn't help but like her spoiling him with compliments. It made him feel..warm. Really warm.

Her eyes finally averted from the illustration, only to narrow at him.

"Hey, Buster, this is a rare delicacy. I'm usually the artist, not the.." She tapped her chin for a moment, attemtping to locate the correct word in the deepest corners of her mind, but came up empty.

"Hey, what's the word for the person being drawn? Is there even a word for that?" she questioned, more to herself than to him.
He rolled his eyes and feigned annoyance, but couldn't help the smirk that crept to his lips in excitement. She could have an entire conversation with herself if he let her, which would be both amusing, and very, very long.

"Maybe they never took the time to create a word for it. Subject could work, but it's so broad, and could be used for just about anything. They should have taken the time to create a word just for art subjects! It's actually kind of offensive, now that I really think about it! Is art not important enough to have a seperate title for the subject of the artist? as a matter of fact--"

He just continued to watch her have an argument with herself, her words going in one ear and out the other. His eyes didn't fail to miss how her head bobbed from side to side with each sentence she spoke. Nor did he fail to miss how she counted on her fingers, and how those thinly arched brows of her creased in her forehead, and how those usual sapphire eyes of hers' looked more of a dark shadowed ocean now, an incredibly, magnetic grey. He could practically see the colors bouncing off of each other in her eyes, as he noticed how they changed depending on her mood.

"Don't you agree, InuYasha?"

Hearing his name snapped him back to reality.

"Huh?"

"Hey! You weren't listening, were you?! You're an artist too, y'know! You should be just as offended as I am!," she snapped, pointing a accusing finger at him.

He raised a brow mockingly.

"You were blabbering on and on about art subjects. I heard ya, woman."

She stuck her tongue out at him, before her eyes landed on the beautiful view outside of her window.

Following her gaze, InuYasha also was stunned by the warm sunset. An orange film began to sneak its way into her window, landing directly on Kagome. The hanyou watched her silently, as the glaze of the fireball coated her, making her eyes shimmer like never before. It also provided a better view of her raven locks, proving that strands of blue hid in the very depths of them.

"InuYasha?"

"Hmm?"

Her gaze looked far away as she continued to watch the ball of fire slowly dissapear.

A second later, her eyes locked on to him so sternly, as if they appeared to be looking through him.

He gulped, feeling naked under her intense gaze. Her index and middle fingers held a wooden pencil against them, gently tapping it against the desk in a steady beat.

"Why is it, that at random moments..you.."

He mentally flinched.

He knew it was coming.

Her being the nosy girl that she was, he knew she would ask eventually.

"Why do your eyes..turn red?"

He exhaled slowly.

How could he explain this?

He could lie.

Ah, that would be so simple.

She'd never lie to you.

His mind said those five words so smoothly, so hauntingly.

He huffed, knowing that lying was out of the question.

"It's..a lot to explain," he grumbled instead, quickly looking at the wall behind her.

"I've got time."

He grunted, running a hand through his locks.

"Kagome--"

"I hardly know a thing about you, InuYasha. And yet, you know so much about me. Isn't that a little unfair?" she pleaded, playing with her fingers nervously.

She knew she was treading on unstable territory, but she couldn't stop herself.

"I'm not like you, though, Kagome. I have nothing to say."

She sighed, twirling a single strand of her around her index finger, her elbow resting on the arm rest of the chair.

"..Please?"

The single word made him sigh in defeat.

"Hell, I know I'll regret this later, but my demon side can be a little..unstable."

"Unstable?"

"Let's just say it has a mind of its own."

"How often?"

He raised a brow in confusion.

"How often what?"

"How often does your demon side..pop up?"

This was the hard part. He couldn't tell her why it popped up. That would just be flat out embarrassing.

"Dunno. Just here and there, I guess," he said with a nonchalant facade, shrugging slightly.

She eyed him suspiciously for a moment, before turning away.

"InuYasha?"

Kagome's voice rang through his ears, making the hanyou snap back to reality.

Students were grabbing their belongings and heading out for the day.

"You didn't hear the bell?" she asked, shoving her backpack over a shoulder.

He "feh'd" before standing at doing the same.

***

"You look unkempt, " Sesshomaru said flatly, his eyes roaming over Rin's disheveled appearance. Her eyes squinted menacingly at him for a moment, making him smirk, and plopped down on the stair beside his chair.

"Bad day," she grumbled, attempting to fix her sloppy hair.

"Hm."

"Don't you want to know what happened?"

He pondered a moment, knowing the curiosity was beginning to get the better of him.
He wouldn't show that, though.

She was human!

Ugh.

"Not in the slightest," he said, folding his newspaper in front of him, his eyes roaming over the not so interesting articles.

"Well, I'm going to tell you anyway!" She exclamed, leaning back on her elbows, her gaze out toward the now dark sky.

About ten minutes into the conversation, she finished her story about her irritating co-workers.

Surprisingly, she had kept Sesshomaru's attention the entire time.

"Just get a new job," he said flatly, his eyes still on the papers in his head.

She sighed, finally looking at him.

"I like writing articles, it's just the people that come with it."

Their eyes locked for a moment, a chemistry so thick forming between them, it could have been considered an entity.