InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Simple Plan ❯ Understanding ( Chapter 3 )

Konnichiwa minna-san! It's Tenchu's Angel here with another chapter. Thanks so much to those of you that have reviewed. Please continue reviewing to let me know whether or not you want me to continue. Once again the Inu-tachi belongs solely to Rumiko Takahashi-sama and the only thing I own is the plot (and an Inuyasha plushie that I kiss every night before bed, but that's not the point). Anyways, on with the story.

 

 

 

 

“Oi, Kagome! You alright?” called Inuyasha when Kagome hadn't returned after a few minutes. Kagome swore mentally, cursing her bad luck and Inuyasha. What would she say if Hojo saw him?

 

“I'm fine,” Kagome called in response. Hojo released her (finally) from the hug and looked down at her quizzically.

 

“Who's that?” he asked, peering over her head and into the apartment.

 

“No one, no one. Just my cousin visiting from out of town,” Kagome said frantically, blocking Hojo's view. Too late, though, as Inuyasha came up to stand behind her.

 

“Who the hell is this punk, Kagome?” he asked, giving Hojo a dirty look and putting a hand on Kagome's shoulder. Hojo looked entirely puzzled at her `cousin's' hostility.

 

Kagome gave Inuyasha her most hateful glare and said, “This is Hojo, cousin Inuyasha.” She put emphasis on the word cousin and prayed he'd just go along with it. He gave her a funny look, but said nothing. Kagome sighed inwardly in relief.

 

“Nice to meet you,” Hojo said with an amicable smile, extending his hand to Inuyasha. Inuyasha looked at the proffered hand and then at Hojo, but didn't offer his own hand in return.

 

After a few moments of awkward silence, Hojo let his hand drop and said, “That's some costume you've got on. The ears and the wig are really realistic looking. The contacts are a nice touch, too. Is it for a play?”

 

Kagome inwardly praised God for her boyfriend's dense nature and said quickly, “Yes! It's for a play. And if me and my cousin here don't hurry up and get ready we're going to be late for it, and we can't be late. He's the main character.” Kagome began ushering him out of her doorway.

 

“That's too bad. We haven't gone out in weeks and I was hoping we could see a movie or something,” said Hojo, looking genuinely depressed. Kagome felt a bit bad.

 

“I'm sorry. Maybe tomorrow, okay?” she offered. He nodded and leaned down to kiss her goodbye.

 

A loud snarling had both of them turning to look at Inuyasha. He stood in the door way looking about ready to rip Hojo's arm off and beat him with it.

 

“Is he growling?” asked Hojo, staring at Inuyasha a bit fearfully.

 

“He's just, um…practicing for the play. He plays an inu hanyou,” Kagome supplied lamely, giving Inuyasha a warning look. He glared back at her and continued to growl.

 

“Oh, okay,” said Hojo a bit incredulously. Kagome nodded and pushed him to the stairs.

 

“Well, see you tomorrow,” she said hurriedly before dashing back into her apartment and slamming the door.

 

“What the heck was that about!?!” Kagome snapped as soon as the door was shut, barely refraining from swearing.

 

“I just didn't want to watch you two slobber all over each other,” stated Inuyasha, glaring at her. “So he's your boyfriend?”

 

“Of course he is!” snapped Kagome, still angry at him for being so difficult with Hojo. “What? Do think I just go around hugging and kissing random guys?”

 

“For all I know, you do,” snapped Inuyasha in return, and Kagome gasped indignantly.

 

“Why do I even bother with you?” she groaned, flopping face down onto the couch.

 

He's too much. I can't handle this. This is what happens when you have an exciting life. You just burn out, Kagome thought in exhaustion.

 

“Why?” came the quiet question after a few moments. Kagome raised her head to look at Inuyasha.

 

“Why what?” she asked.

 

“Why are you dating him?” Inuyasha asked, sitting down with his back against the couch she was sprawled on. “I mean, I could tell after only a few seconds that he's not all that bright. He's pretty average looking. And you can't tell me that a dense guy like that is very entertaining. So why are you with him? Guilt? Pity?”

 

Kagome considered for a few moments. “He's a decent guy,” she replied.

 

“Decent? That's it? He's decent?”

 

“A person shouldn't ask for too much,” Kagome said in a strange voice that made Inuyasha look at her. Her expression was very far away. “Asking for too much out of life only ever gets people in trouble. Decent and normal are fine with me.”

 

Inuyasha could tell there was something there behind that reasoning, but it seemed too personal to ask. Maybe when he knew her better, but not now. After a few moments of silence Kagome got up and walked toward her bedroom. She turned around halfway there and looked at Inuyasha.

 

“We should probably get you some clothes tomorrow. Souta's look a little small on you,” she said, trying to bring them back onto normal ground. Inuyasha nodded.

 

“Goodnight,” she said, walking into her bedroom and closing the door behind her.

 

Inuyasha lay down on the couch, but was up for many more hours thinking about Kagome and what he had gotten himself into. He decided, remembering the feeling of Kagome in his lap, that it might not be so bad.

 

 

 

 

 

Inuyasha was awoken the next morning by the sound of the doorbell. He jumped and fell off of the couch with a thud.

 

“If it's that asshole Hojo, I'm gonna…” he grumbled, rubbing his sore rear. Kagome came out of her room in a nightgown, looking tired and disheveled.

 

“Who the heck rings a person's doorbell at 7 a.m.? It's like cruel and unusual punishment,” she muttered, shuffling past him to answer the door.

 

The minute she had opened it a crack she found it flung open the rest of the way by her oh-too-chipper, morning person friend Sango. She had to dodge and barely missed being hit by the door.

 

“Good morning, Kagome,” she chirped. “Guess what? Lab's closed today! Apparently something really important was stolen yesterday and it could be closed for weeks! Isn't that great?”

 

Kagome stared at her groggily for a few moments. “This is why I hate morning people.”

 

Sango laughed and walked past her into the apartment. Kagome remembered belatedly that Inuyasha was there and turned to try to prevent Sango from seeing him. It was too late.

 

Sango turned and gave her a suggestive look after seeing the disheveled Inuyasha in Souta's pajamas. “Sorry, Kagome. Didn't realize I was interrupting something. And here I thought you were such a goody goody.”

 

Kagome blushed slightly and waved her hands frantically. “No, no! You've got it all wrong! He and I weren't doing anything!” Inuyasha looked slightly offended at her vehement denial, but Sango just laughed.

 

“I was just teasing, Kagome. Calm down. I know you wouldn't do anything like that. So who is he?”

 

“He is in the room you know, and is capable of speaking for himself,” Inuyasha said irritably. Sango turned to him, looking more closely.

 

“Are those…dog ears?” she said incredulously. Said ears flicked back and forth. Sango gasped.

 

“My God! They're real!” She turned to Kagome. “What is he?”

 

“It's kind of a long story,” said Kagome sheepishly.

 

 

 

 

 

An hour later they were sitting at Kagome's kitchen table, Sango looking slightly overwhelmed. Kagome had explained the entire situation to her, with Inuyasha filling in parts here and there. Kagome couldn't have not told her best friend, and she prayed that Sango would take it well.

 

“You do see why I had to do it, don't you?” asked Kagome, hoping her friend would understand.

 

“I do,” Sango affirmed, still looking slightly shocked. “I mean, you couldn't have just left him there. But…wow. You got yourself in deep this time, girl.”

 

Kagome sighed. “I know,” she said. “Do you know if they have any ideas of who might have stolen him from the lab yet?”

 

“I don't think so,” said Sango. “But they're not really telling us much. I mean, they wouldn't even tell us what had been stolen. You'd better be careful, though. They've got a lot of powerful people out there looking for him.”

 

“I know,” said Kagome worriedly, and then, looking at Inuyasha, “We need to find out more about your experiment so that we can defend ourselves better against it.” Inuyasha nodded.

 

“Well, if you need any help you can count on me,” offered Sango. Kagome leaned over and hugged her, touched by her friend's loyalty.

 

Pulling away, she said, “Actually, I think there's something you can help us with now. You're always really good at picking out Miroku's outfits. Do you think you could pick some out for Inuyasha? I'm horrible at picking men's clothing.”

 

Sango smiled. “Shopping trip!”

 

 

 

 

The trip to the mall was one long, tiring blur for Inuyasha. He was forced to wear a hat and sunglasses and, worst of all, shoes. He was then dragged all over the mall by two overly enthusiastic girls and forced to try on what felt like thousands of outfits. The girls would force him to turn this and that way to model the clothes as they oohed and aahed. Eventually they got out of the overly crowded, smelly place with a few outfits. They dropped Sango off at her own home and returned to Kagome's apartment.

 

Inuyasha flopped down on the couch, exhausted. “I will never understand why girls like that so much.”

 

Kagome sat with her back against the couch. “I don't quite understand it either. It's just…fun somehow.” They were silent for a few moments.

 

“Kagome?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Thanks for the clothes,” said Inuyasha quietly. “And…for everything. You didn't have to do any of it for me, but you did. You…You're a good person.”

 

Kagome smiled. “No problem,” she said, reaching over her shoulder to grab one of his hands. “We've all gotta stick up for each other, right?”

 

Inuyasha nodded absently, staring at their intertwined hands. Hers were very small in comparison to his own.

 

I'm going to protect you, Inuyasha vowed silently. No matter what.

 

 

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