InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Something to Protect ❯ Daddy Issues ( Chapter 3 )

Of course I do not own Inuyasha. That's Rumiko-sama's job. [/envy]

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

 

“No way! There is absolutely no way in HELL I'm doing this!”

 

Ears flattening on his head, Inuyasha closed the door behind him softly. Jessica was an absolute wreck. He'd managed to get her home before she freaked out on Lily, but now as he dead bolted the lock on her front door, he wondered if maybe he should've let her beat up the other woman to vent her frustration.

 

“Jess…” he offered, and she spun around, her eyes full of anger and pain. “No!” she barked, and he winced slightly.

 

She disappeared into the kitchen and he heard a loud clank and the sound of something being poured. He followed quickly, intent on taking her alcohol if that was what it was, anyway. But upon his arrival he was relieved to find that she was sitting on the island in the middle of the kitchen, looking sullen, a large glass of chocolate milk in her hands.

 

Her braid had become dislodged during their jump home and now her curly red hair cascaded over her shoulders and framed her face, hiding it from his view. Her head was bowed, her shoulders shivering slightly. His heart twinged with pain and he reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder. She didn't move.

 

He grabbed a chair and pulled it up to sit in front of her. Her eyes were squeezed shut, probably trying to keep tears at bay. He took the glass of chocolate milk from her hands, setting it down on the island beside her. Her hands were shaking. He grabbed them and held them tightly.

 

“Jessi, it's going to be okay.” He reassured softly. She sniffled and slowly leaned forward. He stood up and caught her, lifting her up, a hand behind her knees and her back. Slowly, he carried her into her bedroom and laid her down on the pillows. She looked up at him, her eyes sad and helpless. He pulled off her Mary Jane shoes and her socks, helping her out of her lab coat and taking her pager and stethoscope. He put everything on her window seat and kicked off his own shoes before sitting down on the bed next to her. She'd rolled herself onto her side, her red hair covering her face once again. He frowned and pushed it away, but she didn't respond.

 

“I'm not going to ask.” He said softly.

 

Surprised, her gray eyes shifted to his. He looked at her with a soft, sad smile. “But it'll be okay. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere.”

 

Tears welled up in her eyes and she closed them tightly, curling up into a ball. He sighed and climbed in beside her, circling his arms around her small frame. He buried his nose into her flowery hair and held her as she cried herself to sleep.

 

123456789123456789123456789123456789

 

 

“I really miss your hair in my face, and the way your innocence tastes… And I think you should know this… you deserve much better than me…”

 

One golden eye cracked open at the sound and Inuyasha grumbled as his sensitive hearing picked up the sounds of Jessica's cell phone ringing from the living room. The eye slowly drifted shut again as the music shut off abruptly, and he nestled his nose more into her hair, breathing in her scent and preparing to go back to sleep. She hadn't stirred, so he wouldn't bother with it. Sighing lightly, he was just beginning to doze once again when the same ring tone resounded in his ears. He instantly growled lightly and, his ears twitching, he managed to squirm out of his friend's embrace and leap out of her bed, landing on soft feet without disturbing her. Casting a quick glance over at her, Inuyasha smiled slightly as she curled up a bit, murmuring but still sleeping.

 

Leaping lightly over the couch, Inuyasha grabbed the phone and flipped it open. “Hello?” He scratched his head and yawned slightly, his voice still groggy from sleep.

 

“You aren't Jessica.” A female voice pointed out, and he blinked. “Well no shit.” He barked. “Who the hell is this?”

 

The girl snorted. “Her best friend. Give her the phone.”

 

Inuyasha scowled slightly, though he knew the girl couldn't see it. “As if. She's finally resting and I ain't gonna wake her up. Who is this?!”

 

“Paige.” She answered coolly. “I know she's been really tired. But as soon as she wakes up, can you have her call me? It's really important. Not an emergency, but important.”

 

Inuyasha yawned again, his ire already forgotten. “Sure.”

 

She girl sighed slightly. “Is she okay?”

 

He paused, and shifted a bit so he could see a small glimpse of her lying in her bed, sleeping soundly. “She will be.” He said softly in response to the woman on the phone. “She's got a lot on her mind, and she's tired.”

 

Paige seemed a lot gentler now. “You're Inuyasha, aren't you?”

 

He blinked, caught completely off guard. Clearing his throat, he answered. “Yes.”

 

She hesitated, and he could hear the small smile in her voice as she spoke. “I'm glad.” She spoke softly. “I'm glad that you take care of her.”

 

He found himself suddenly standing in the doorway of her bedroom, though he had no recollection of getting up and walking over. A fond smile graced his lips as he watched her breathing smoothly, one hand curled up by her peaceful face.

 

After a brief pause, he spoke. “Me too.”

 

123456789123456789123456789123456789

 

The stars twinkled brightly through Jessica's broad bay window and she stretched, yawning as her gray eyes fluttered open. “Blah.” She groused, pushing herself into a sitting position and groping for a hair tie. As she strategically pulled her curly red hair into a messy bun, her eyes fell on her bedside clock. 7:27 P.M. Yaah! Work! She groaned and leapt out of bed, dashing into the living room where she spotted a certain silver-haired hanyou sitting at the island, his blueprints scattered all over the counter. A pen was in his mouth, being chewed on thoughtfully, while a pencil glided over one of the design papers with the aid of a protractor. She watched him pause, doing the math in his head, before growling, and flipping the pencil around to erase vigorously. She blinked.

 

“You know you suck at equations.” She reprimanded him and he started a bit, looking up at her. She knew that he was usually hyper-aware of her whereabouts and emotions, but she supposed he'd sensed her peace and had become so absorbed in his work that he'd forgotten where he was.

 

He was a hard worker, he really was. Sure he wanted to do things on his terms and he was extremely stubborn, but he got the job done and he did it all the way. His honor was extremely important to him and that was easy to see.

 

“You know I called you in sick for work.” he shot back, and she slumped slightly, suddenly feeling a bit tired. “But of course.”

 

The stress lines on his face melted away and he stood up to guide her over to a stool, where she sat down and he smiled. “Feel any better?”

 

She smiled at him and stifled a yawn. “Yes.” She said honestly. “Thank you for staying with me.”

 

He chuckled lightly and pulled out 2 frozen T.V. dinners, peeling the plastic off of one and popping it in the microwave. “Stupid, what'd you expect? You should know by now that I'm always going to stick with you.”

 

She smiled at him, a bit brighter this time. “I know.” she said, and he grinned at her. The microwave beeped and Inuyasha grabbed the T.V. dinner out and grabbed a fork, setting it in front of Jessica, who laughed. “Ooh, so talented.” She mused, winking up at him. “First he sticks by me, then he makes me laugh, and now he cooks me dinner.” Using her fork as a `microphone,' she held it up to her mouth and spoke. “We all want to know, mighty Inuyasha. What on Earth enables you to be so incredible?”

 

Laughter sparkled in his eyes and he winked back. He leaned towards the `microphone,' playing along. “Supreme hanyou powers.” He answered, and with a grin he bumped her nose with his own and stepped back to place his food in the microwave. She giggled at him and dug in.

 

“Ooh, delicious.” She said between bites and he smirked. “Of course it is.” He said with a grin. “Anything that I touch is delicious.”

 

She rolled her eyes and took a bite of the roast beef. “Go ahead, tell yourself that. You need something to boost your ego.”

 

He made a face at her and sat down across from her. The two ate in silence for a minute, save for the occasional scraping of a fork against plastic. Finally, Jessica's movements stopped. Of course, her hanyou friend picked up on this. His ears swiveled and he looked up at her, placing down his own fork. She was staring a bit sadly into her corn.

 

“He disowned me.”

 

Inuyasha blinked, thoroughly confused. “Huh?”

 

“My father.” He voice quivered slightly. “He disowned me. That's why I don't want to help him.”

 

Golden eyes widened and he forgot his food, hopping over to the other side of the island. Sitting down in another stool beside her, he watched her expression carefully, one hand on her shoulder.

 

“You didn't have to tell me, I-“

 

“I wanted to.”

 

His eyes softened and she leaned against him, his arm going around her. “I'm sorry.”

 

Her head shook against him and he frowned a bit. “Don't be sorry over something you can't fix.” she said softly and he sighed.

 

“Just be here for me, okay?”

 

Smiling softly against her hair, Inuyasha did something he hardly ever did. He tilted his head slightly and kissed her forehead. “I'll never leave your side.”

 

She sighed and the tension flowed a bit out of her shoulders. She wrapped her arms around his waist and he pulled her closer, and for a long time, they held each other, the architect and the surgeon, the orphan and the unwanted, the hanyou and the human. Both hearts were broken; both hearts were praying that this one last time, this one last friendship, would not end up being the final hurt that made whatever small light of hope that was still left within them go out.

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

Bah, no cliffy. Just angsty waff. And the Paige thing isn't pointless, I swear. She'll be in to play soon, along with some other characters. :] Thanks for reading, and please review, help me improve or just give me loff. <33

 

Arigato!