InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shingetsu Incorporated ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter 6

Kagome and the boys were lounging around in the kitchen, each with a tall glass of water while they waited for Inukigo to finish her phone call. The hanyou woman had gone and grabbed the cordless, then re-entered the kitchen and hopped up on the countertop as she dialled a number and waited. The boys started talking, but Inuyasha’s attention often strayed to Kagome, who was listening intently to Inukigo’s conversation.

“Konbonwa, Kaede-bachan. This is Inukigo……Yes, I know it’s been awhile since I’ve called, sorry about that. How have you been?……Glad to hear it. I’m sorry to be so blunt Kaede, but I really do have a very important reason for calling……well, would you believe that I have a rather powerful untrained miko standing here in my kitchen right now?”

There was a brief pause before the muffled voice of the other woman could be heard from the phone once again.

“Positive. She’s Inuyasha’s new friend, from school. We’re having a little get together and decided to have a small martial arts competition. We paired her up with Inuyasha, and it seems that his youki drew her powers out……Yes, from what she said, it’s the first time that it’s happened……You’ll probably recognize the family name; Higurashi, Kagome.”

Inukigo was silent for a few moments as the woman on the other end of the phone line spoke, then Inukigo nodded in agreement to whatever she had said.

“Yes, we thought so too, that’s why I called you……I know that you would have to speak to her parents, but maybe you could drop by tomorrow morning and speak with her first. Then we could all head over to the shrine together……Any time is fine Kaede, we’ll be here. Thanks, see you tomorrow.”

Inukigo ended the call and put the phone down on the countertop with a sigh.

“So she’s going to drop by tomorrow then?” Inuyasha asked.

Inukigo ‘hmmed’ and nodded, then looked at Kagome.

“Kaede is a miko who’s been a friend of the family since before either Inuyasha and I were born. And she was a friend of our mother long before that. You see, our mother had spiritual powers as well, and it was Kaede who taught her to control them when they first appeared. She’s very interested in meeting you.”

Kagome nodded.

“And she’ll want to meet my mother too?”

“Yeah. It’s standard procedure because sometimes parents are against having their child trained. In this age spiritual powers are uncommon, and many parents fear that their child will be labelled as an outcast because of his or her strange abilities. I doubt you would have that problem though. Coming from a shrine family, I’m sure they would be thrilled about it.”

“My grandfather definitely will, he’ll be able to brag to his friends,” Kagome said while rolling her eyes, “You said that you’d all head over to my place tomorrow. Why all of you?”

“Well,” Inukigo replied, “Inuyasha and I will come with you and Kaede at least. You see, it’s likely that Kaede will ask us to help you with your training.”

“She will?” Inuyasha asked.

“Yup,” Inukigo replied with a nod, “Because of Kagome’s age, it may be a little difficult for her to call upon her powers at first. That’s why she would need to train with someone who has youki so her powers will be drawn out. Like they were when you were fighting with her earlier. You and I would be the best candidates for it because we wouldn’t be permanently harmed by the spiritual energy if we get blasted.”

“I don’t know if I like that idea…” Kagome said quietly, thinking about what she had done to Inuyasha.

“Don’t worry about it too much Kagome,” Miroku soothed, “Inuyasha and Inukigo are at an advantage when it comes to dealing with individuals that possess spiritual powers. They can receive burns like the ones you gave to Inuyasha, but the worse possible thing that could happen to them would be for them to turn human.”

“Turn human?” Kagome asked curiously.

“Yeah,” Kouga supplied, “See, a full demon like me is at a big disadvantage when dealing with mikos or monks. If the spiritual energy is strong enough, then I could be “purified,” meaning that I would die. But Inukigo and the pup are only half demon, so if that part of them is purified they still have their human forms to fall back on.”

“Don’t call me pup!” Inuyasha cried indignantly, though for the most part he was ignored.

“I think I get it. I guess that I could deal with that. I still don’t like the idea of hurting either of you though…”

“It’s not that serious,” Kouga explained, then reached over and grabbed the hem of Inuyasha’s shirt, pulling it up so his chest and abdomen could clearly be seen and drawing a startled ‘hey’ from the younger half demon, “See, he’s already healing.”

Kagome’s face flushed as she got a full view of Inuyasha’s - very nice, she thought - chest and abs. The look was not missed by the three older occupants of the kitchen. Kagome saw what Kouga meant though. It hadn’t even been half an hour since she had blasted Inuyasha, but already the burns were healing.

Inuyasha grabbed his shirt from Kouga and pulled it down with a frown, though he was sporting a slight blush as well.

“Don’t do that!”

“I don’t think you should be so mad about it, Inuyasha,” Miroku said with a smirk, “Kagome seemed to like the view.”

Kagome was mortified and her face was on its way to resembling a tomato, and Inuyasha wasn’t far behind her. Sango chose that moment to come down over the stairs with a towel over her head as she tried to rub the water out of her hair.

“What’d I miss?”

“Um…I think I’ll take my shower now,” Kagome said hurriedly as she took the opportunity to get away and ran for the stairs. She dashed by Sango, who just stared curiously as the younger girl ploughed up the stairs. She then looked at her boyfriend, who seemed to be trying far too hard not to laugh.

“Alright,” she said with her hands on her hips and a frown on her face, “What did you do now Miroku?”

The man in question merely smiled.

“I just made a comment after seeing her face turn an interesting shade of red.”

Sango raised an eyebrow in confusion, taking in the blush on Inuyasha’s face. Inukigo saw that her brother was growing irritated and sighed.

“Kouga lifted Inuyasha’s shirt so Kagome could see that the burns were healing. She got a bit flustered and of course the baka had to call her on it.”

Sango rolled her eyes.

“When are you going to stop embarrassing the poor girl. Don’t make me repeat our match.”

Miroku blanched and raised his hands in defence.

“No worries.”

“Good,” she replied, then turned to Inukigo, “So, what have we got to eat?”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*

Later that night, after all showered and the junk food was spread around, Inukigo selected one of the movies they had rented earlier that day while out shopping and popped it into the DVD player. She joined her boyfriend in the oversized chair, curling up in his lap with a bowl of chips for the both of them resting on her own.

Kagome glanced at them from time to time with a smile on her face. She had known from the picture she had seen earlier that the two of them were very much in love. Seeing them curled up together in the chair only made it more apparent and Kagome could tell that they were much more interested in each other than in the movie they were watching. Inukigo’s eyes were on the screen but she was resting fully against Kouga’s body and looked like she could fall asleep at any moment. Her drowsy state was probably due to Kouga’s hands, one of which was kneading her back while the other rubbed her leg.

Miroku and Sango had taken the couch, though they weren’t quite as close as Inukigo and Kouga. Instead, Miroku was sitting at one end of the couch with Sango against his side with her head leaning on his shoulder. She had also brought her legs up and stretched them across the remaining space on the couch. Miroku had tried to slide his hand down to her backside, but a withering glare from Sango had him reconsidering and he settled for resting his hand on her waist instead.

Inuyasha and Kagome had piled pillows and blankets on the floor and settled down comfortably with chips and popcorn between them.

By the time the third movie was playing, Kagome was really the only person still giving the TV her full attention. Inuyasha had been shifting his attention from the movie to Kagome for sometime, being careful not to linger on her for too long from fear that she would turn and see him looking at her. The other four adults in the room peered at the teenagers with barely open eyes, quickly pretending to be asleep whenever Inuyasha looked over his shoulder at them. Inukigo had the distinct impression that he was getting ready to make a move.

And she was right. Inuyasha was working up the courage to make a move on Kagome, and had been for quite awhile. It wasn’t something he had planned to do tonight, but ever since the first movie had started playing he found that he couldn’t stop himself from looking at her. He was careful to only look out of the corner of his eye, and to keep his glances short so his sister and the other adults sitting behind them wouldn’t notice. But now they were all asleep (or so he thought) and he was in the clear. All he had to do was talk to her…easier said than done.

His mouth worked soundlessly a few times as he tried to think of something to say, and when he was just about to get something out, Kagome turned to look at him with a curious look on her face, effectively shutting him up.

“Inuyasha, are you okay?” She whispered, mindful of the “sleeping” adults. She had sensed his anxiety increase and was now a little worried about him.

A light blush spread across Inuyasha’s cheeks, which he prayed Kagome couldn’t see in the dim lighting of the living room.

“I’m fine. So, you have a good time?” He asked casually.

“Yeah…well, except for when I blasted you into the wall. Other than that it was great.”

Inuyasha sighed and moved closer to her when she brought that up again.

“Like we’ve already told you; that wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know anymore about your spiritual powers than we did, so how were any of us were supposed to know that they would be drawn out by my youki?”

“I know all that. I’m still sorry about it though. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“You won’t,” Inuyasha reassured, “As long as you’re not around any demons that don’t have a good handle on their youki.”

Kagome nodded, feeling a little better at his words.

“It’s just unsettling, to know that there’s this power inside me that I have no control over.”

Inuyasha nodded in understanding.

“With Kaede’s help you’ll have control over it in no time. And Inukigo and I will be there to help you out too.”

Kagome gave him a bright smile that had him blushing all over again.

“Thanks.”

“K-keh. It’s no big deal,” he mumbled as he averted his gaze.

He sensed that she was still looking at him and he ducked his head as he spoke softly.

“Kagome?”

“Hm?” She replied, feeling his anxiety rise again.

“I-I was wondering…if you…would you…”

“Would I what?” She asked softly when he seemed to be tripping over his words.

“Would you…like to go out with me?”

Kagome’s eyes widened as his nervousness finally made sense, then she beamed at him.

“I’d love to.”

Inuyasha heaved a sigh of relief at her acceptance.

“Tomorrow?” He asked.

“Sure,” Kagome replied with a nod, then she smiled again and leaned over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Inuyasha’s eyes widened, but his expression softened when he saw the warm smile Kagome was giving him and the blush on her cheeks. He returned the smile and before he really realized what he was doing he was leaning in and all his attention was focused on her lips. Kagome offered no resistance and he placed a soft, chaste kiss on her mouth. When he pulled away, Kagome had her eyes closed, but when she opened them she smiled widely before releasing a small giggle and flopping down on the pillows.

“What?” He asked, though there was humour in his voice, because he could tell from the look she was giving him that she wasn’t laughing at him.

“That was my first kiss,” she admitted sheepishly with a giggle as she tried to hide her face in the blankets and still look at him at the same time.

“Really?” Inuyasha asked, lowering himself down on the pillows as well so he was level with her.

“Yeah,” she said shyly as she rolled on her side to face him, “I feel all giddy.”

Inuyasha continued to smile at her, then it cracked into a grin.

“Well, can I give your second kiss too, then?”

Kagome drew her lower lip into her mouth as she considered it, then nodded and leaned forward to meet him. The kiss lasted longer this time and was nowhere near as chaste. Miroku and Kouga were dangerously close to cheering the young half demon on, but glares from Inukigo and Sango were motivation enough for them to remain silent and still.

When they pulled apart this time, they were a little short for breath but managed to smile at each other non the less.

“So,” Inuyasha said, hoping to prevent an awkward moment, “Where do you want to go tomorrow?”

Kagome lay back down as she considered it, then shook her head.

“I don’t know many of the places around here. Surprise me.”

Inuyasha nodded, then noticed the movie menu playing on the television screen. He then checked the time.

“It’s getting pretty late. We should all probably head to bed.”

Kagome nodded her agreement as she yawned widely, then stood up as he did.

“What about them?” She asked, pointing to the four “sleeping” adults.

“You head on up, I’ll worry about them.”

“Okay,” Kagome said, and she quietly walked out of the living room, “Goodnight, Inuyasha.”

“Night,” he replied as she disappeared around the corner.

Yawning himself, Inuyasha walked over to the chair where his sister was situated and started shaking her awake.

“Ooi, sis. Wake up, time to go to bed.”

Inukigo made a very good show of moaning and grumbling about wanting to sleep, fooling Inuyasha as he continued to poke and prod at her. Finally, Inukigo brought the act to an end, faking a yawn and rubbing her eyes as she looked up at her brother.

“Hm? What time is it?”

“Nearly two.”

Inukigo nodded, then waved him off.

“Go on, I’ll wake the rest of them.”

“Alright. Night, nee-san.”

“Good night, Inuyasha.”

As soon as Inuyasha was up over the stairs the others opened their eyes and Kouga gave Inukigo a kiss on the temple.

“You’d make a wonderful actress, koi,” he laughed.

Inukigo punched him lightly on the arm.

“Oh, shut up. Now, neither of you mention any of this at all,” she said, standing up and pointing at the two males in the room, “Especially you,” she added, glaring directly at Miroku, “You know how he’ll get if you make fun of him. Kagome seems good for him, and I want him to be happy, so no interfering, understand?”

Both men nodded.

“Okay then,” she found the remote and turned off the TV, then pulled Kouga to his feet, “Let’s go to bed. I really do want to go to sleep.”

The others agreed with her, and together the four of them trudged tiredly up the stairs and went to their respective bedrooms.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~

The next morning, Kagome woke to someone gently shaking her shoulder and whispering her name. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw kind golden ones looking back at her, and the owner of those eyes smiled warmly at her.

“Good morning, Kagome.”

“Morning, Inukigo,” Kagome replied with a yawn as she sat up.

“Sorry for waking you up,” Inukigo apologized, “But Kaede just called and said she’d be here in about an hour. I thought that you might want to get ready.”

“Thanks,” Kagome replied, carefully getting out of the bed so as not to disturb Sango.

“Oh, don’t worry about waking her up,” Inukigo laughed, “I’m going to get her out of bed now too so everyone will be up for breakfast. Kouga is waking up Miroku and Inuyasha.”

Kagome giggled and took a clean change of clothes, her tooth brush, and toothpaste with her to the bathroom. She decided to forgo the shower, since she had one the night before and would rather wait until evening when she was getting ready for her date with Inuyasha. She blushed when she remembered the kisses they had shared then giggled to herself in happiness.

When she finished in the bathroom and had returned her things to her room, she headed downstairs and found everyone at the table waiting eagerly for Inukigo to finish making breakfast.

“Morning everyone,” she greeted as she came to the table.

A chorus of ‘good mornings’ was her reply, while Inukigo waved over her shoulder.

“It smells great Inukigo,” Kagome complimented, “Do you need any help?”

“No thanks Kagome, I’m almost done,” she replied as she concentrated on finishing up a rolled omelette.

There was a pot of miso soup ready to be poured into bowls, the rice cooker was on, and the smells of grilled fish and fried eggs wafted through the entire first floor of the house. Tenchi was wandering around Inukigo’s feet, apparently not above begging for some of the delicious smelling food, but Inukigo walked around her so effortlessly it was as if the dog wasn’t even there. When she declared it finished, the rice and miso were spooned out into separate bowls for each person, and the fish and omelette were laid out on their own plates on the table. Before sitting down herself, Inukigo went to the fridge and pulled out a fairly large dish of pickled cucumber and placed that on the table as well. As soon as she sat down everyone said a quick ‘itadakimasu’ and dug in.

“This is really good Inukigo,” Kagome commented in between bites.

“Thanks. I love cooking traditional breakfast, since we really only have time for American style breakfasts during the week. Inuyasha is a good cook too though, we’ll see if there’s enough time for him to cook lunch like I said he would.”

“Nee-san…” Inuyasha complained as his face turned red.

“You’re going to cook for us Inuyasha?” Sango exclaimed, “What are you going to make?”

“I don’t know,” he grumbled as he continued to eat.

“Can you make tempura? I love your homemade batter.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Inukigo rolled her eyes at her brother’s embarrassment.

“Is tempura alright with you, Kagome?”

“Tempura sounds great.”

The rest of the meal passed without any more attention being drawn towards Inuyasha’s cooking skills, much to his relief. It was when the dishes were being washed that the demons of the group heard a car door slam outside.

“That’s probably Kaede,” Inukigo commented as she put down the dish towel she had been using and went to the front door to greet the old woman.

Kagome took a deep breath and prepared herself for the miko’s arrival.

“Hey,” Inuyasha said, having sensed her anxiety, “Don’t worry. Kaede’s a bit of an old hag, but she’s alright. She’s a great teacher, you’ll do fine with her.”

“Such a backhanded compliment could only come from your mouth, Inuyasha.”

The two teens looked up at the new voice and Kagome blushed. Inukigo was standing in the entryway, her arms crossed as she glared at her younger brother, and beside her was a hunched old woman, probably the same age as her grandfather, who was nearly two feet shorter than the female hanyou.

Inuyasha seemed unconcerned and shrugged.

“How’s it going, Kaede-baba?”

Kagome’s eyes widened and Inukigo did not look impressed.

“Inuyasha…” she growled in warning.

“It’s quite alright my dear,” Kaede said with an amused lilt in her voice, “I know you’ve done your best to teach the boy to respect his elders, but he is clearly a lost cause,” she ignored Inuyasha’s pout and instead focused on the teenage girl beside him, who became uncomfortable with the scrutiny, “My, Inukigo…you were right, that is quite an impressive aura,” she looked up and smiled ruefully, “This is going to be a challenge.”

****************************************************** ******************

Okay, this took soooo much longer than I thought it would (as always). School over the last six weeks was hectic…had so much work to do…anyways, I’m finished for the summer now, so I should have plenty of time to work on my stories, and hopefully get at least All Things Come Full Circle finished (not making any promises, but that’s what I’m aiming for). I’ll try to have the next chapter for Full Circle up in the next little while…sorry for the wait everyone!