InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Stay With Me ❯ School Days ( Chapter 16 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha! The Frustration! All the Characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Thank her for the wonderful characters I have terribly used.
Chapter Sixteen
Alive. That one word kept running through her mind over and over. Her hanyou was alive. But he wasn't hers anymore. He had changed in those long seven years they were apart. His appearance, his voice, his attitude. Everything had changed. The most painful thing of all was to realise he hadn't known who she was. Speaking to her. Standing with her. He had never acknowledged her as his mate. Why? What would make him forget everything? What had happened to him during the plane crash?
Kagome pulled the brush through her thick hair. Once that was done she pulled it back with a small round elastic band. She walked around her room absentmindedly picking up her clothing and throwing it into her laundry basket. Her red dress still lay draped over the foot of her bed.
How many times had she caught a glance of red and silver in a crowd and immediately looked for Inuyasha's face? How many times had she heard a deep voice and turned to only find a stranger nearby? Where had he been? What had he been doing? Through all the questions one stood out the strongest.
Why couldn't he remember her?
* * * * * * * *
Sesshomaru sat behind his large desk in his office downstairs. He could feel the restlessness in Kagome's aura. She knew her mate was alive. She must have many questions for and about him. Sesshomaru just wasn't sure what to tell her at this point. Her mate was not the same college boy she had known. Now he was something much more dangerous. A hired body guard. The most dangerous one in the country at the moment.
The Taiyoukai turned his attention back to the man on the opposite side of his desk.
"Are we in aggrement as to Itou Inuyasha?"
The old man smiled at the great man he had heard so much about. He wasn't fooled by Sesshomaru's cold attitude. The resemblances between Lord Sesshomaru and Itou were very clear. They were related somehow. What Tanaka Akio didn't understand was why Sesshomaru never acknowleged that fact.
Tanaka studied Sesshomaru closely. The Taiyoukai sat very still, waiting for the response he wanted. His suit was neat and pristine, even after moving through crowds all evening long. His hair was pooled over the arm of the large chair. Sharp, and known to be deadly, nails tapped softly against the opposite arm of the chair. He looked calm and relaxed.
"Lord Sesshomaru, I believe we are. Would you like to inform Itou about his change in status or....?" The fox youkai lifted a brow at the Taiyoukai. There was no way Tanaka was going to miss being there when Itou was told. He may be a great deal calmer than when he first awoke from the coma, but Itou still hated it when things changed around him without his knowledge.
"I will tell Itou about the changes myself."
"Would you mind if I accompanied you?"
Sesshomaru nodded as he stood silently and walked towards the guest house where Itou Inuyasha and the other guards stayed. Tanaka trailing happily behind him.
* * * * * * * *
"He's going to be doing WHAT?" Kagome stood in the center of the kitchen staring at Sesshomaru as if he had just sprouted wings. All movement had stopped in the kitchen the moment she had spoken. Everyone stood in silence watching the scene. Rin seemed to be the only one not affected. She sat on a tall bar stool eating slices of apple with peanut butter on them.
"Itou will be walking Takeru to and from school. He has been assigned as body guard. I am unaware of the schools care conserning my nephew. He may one day replace me as Tai Youkai. I will not have simple humans affecting his growth with their offhanded ways. Itou Inuyasha is well trained and as a fellow hanyou he will know what to watch out for." Sesshomaru stood silently as Kagome absorbed the information.
A sudden sniff of peanut butter hit his nose as Rin lifted an apple piece to him. He took it from her with a nod before eating it whole. He turned his attention turned back to Kagome.
"Why him Sesshomaru? Why of all the times and all the guards have you chosen him?" Her eyes were glistening with tears that he easily ignored. Pink was filtering into her cheeks as she fought back the urge to cry.
"Who better to care for the child than...someone with extensive training and a background that will help him in his duties?"
Kagome shook her head slightly at his change in wording before remembering something.
"What about the teachers? Some of them knew Inuyasha. If he can't remember anything he's not going to remember them. What if they comment about their past?"
Sesshomaru looked as calm as ever. "I have already taken care of that. None of the staff is supposed to speak to him unless it has to do with Takeru's safety or schooling."
Kagome shook her head before leaving the room to help Takeru get ready for school. Everyone listened to her feet pad harshly against the tile floors before they dissapeared. Sesshomaru looked around at the still faces before lifting a delicate brow. Immediately all work started once again. Although everyone still listened to the quiet conversation between their master and his tiny lady.
"Do you work today Rin?"
"Nope." She smiled at her apple slices, before stuffing another in her mouth. She missed the expression of the youkai behind her completely. No one else did though.
"Can you be called in to work for someone else?"
"Nope." Another apple slice dissapeared.
"Do you have any plans for the day?"
"Nope." She licked the peanut butter off her fingers.
"Has your cell battery been charged?"
"Nope." Another slice was drug through the peanut butter mound on her plate.
"Can anyone reach you?"
"Nope."
"Is there anything going on in that head of yours?"
"Nope."
Rin finished off the last of her apples before that last comment hit her. By the time she turned back around Sesshomaru was gone. She looked at the head cook in confusion.
"Did he just...?" The cook nodded, trying hard not to burst out laughing. His face was turning very red and his belly was shaking silently. His apron fluttered with the harsh movement.
"Did I just...?" At this everyone in the kitchen nodded. Rin blushed before quickly leaving the room. The sound of a full room of laughter hit her ears as she entered the foyer.
She was just passing the front door when the bell rang. She changed direction and answered the door. Whoever was on the other side had no idea how to let go of the bell.
Inuyasha stood on the front porch. He studied the tiny woman before turning away from her. She reaked of the tai youkai. He could smell many other youkai in the manson. All of them were lesser demons. Probably maids. He tried to find the scent of the woman he had met yesterday. He could tell from her scent that she was mated to a youkai of some kind, but the scent was faint, almost as if he had not been around very much. The fact that she was mated was warning enough that he should leave her alone, not matter what his youki kept telling him. He just couldn't help himself.
Her scent was intoxicating. For some reason he just couldn't stop looking for that scent again. But nothing held the exact scent that her body held. Not just one, but many scents all mixing and combining to give off that one whiff that smelled like thousands of wildflowers and rich warm earth.
The little woman that had answered the door still stood there, tapping her foot slightly as he stared off into space.
"I'm here for Taisho Takeru." Rin nodded to him before walking away, leaving Inuyasha alone in the open doorway. He listened to her grumble about peanut butter and idiots for a minute before she dissapeared. He stood there quietly for a moment, trying to figure out what to do. Before he could actually figure something out Kagome and Takeru walked down the staircase and towards him.
She was simple today. A simple pair of jeans and a red t-shirt was all she wore. Her long hair was pulled up into a pony tail. Inuyasha almost laughed at the sight of her bare feet. She looked like an all around girl-next-door.
Kagome watched him nervously. Takeru had been very excited when he found out Inuyasha was going to be guarding him. Her little hanyou hadn't quit talking about it yet. She just wasn't sure how Inuyasha was going to react. Her Inuyasha had liked kids. He had made a fuss whenever she had her little brother tag along, but he had played and had a good time with the 'runt' anyway. But this Inuyasha she wasn't sure about. He had been nice enough to Takeru before so maybe some things about him hadn't changed. Maybe?
Takeru smiled as he reached the older hanyou.
"Are you ready to go?" Takeru nodded his head briefly, his small black tipped ears flicking forward for a moment. Takeru hugged Kagome quickly before running out the door and down the driveway. Inuyasha nodded silently to her before moving to follow his young charge.
Inuyasha quickly found that Takeru did not like to keep quiet.
"So your name is Inuyasha? Doesn't that mean dog demon?"
"Yes."
"That's cool. My name's Taisho. Wanna know what my name means?"
"Sure."
"It means warrior. Cool huh? My mom says my pappa would have liked my name. Do you like my name?"
Inuyasha looked down at the little hanyou carefully. He was so happy and excited. Bursting with energy. Where did it all come from?
"Yes, I like your name. It's a good one. Strong."
"That's what Uncle Sesshomaru said. Well he didn't really say anything....he just kinda grunted. But that's always a good thing when Uncle does it."
Takeru kicked a rock along his path, trying to think of something to get his body guard talking. Anything. Oddly enough Inuyasha spoke first.
"You said your mother thought your father would have liked your name? Where is he?"
Takeru grinned. That was an easy one.
"Mom says that he was in a plane crash during college. It was right after they were mated. They never found him. Aunt Sango told me that someone had put a bomb on the plane cuz they knew a school of youkai would be traveling on it. Why would someone do that? Just cuz you're youkai? I'm a hanyou and some people don't like me neither. One of my teachers doesn't like momma either cuz she had me and cuz she loved my pappa and he was a hayou too."
Inuyasha kept silent as Takeru gave over the information. Although he seemed to skip from subject to subject. Alot. It was a good question. What made people hate something different from them? Fear would be a main reason. Even an understandable reason. Unless you understand something you must keep your guard up to survive. It was basic instinct not to trust immediately what you do not understand. But why such hate? It was baffling to think that somewhere out there someone hated you, not because of who you where or even what you had done, but simply because you were born with a different lineage than their own.
Another thing that caught Inuyasha off guard was that a teacher hadn't liked Kagome. Who wouldn't like her? She seemed to be a kind person. Something he had learned was very rare. Just beacuse she loved a youkai and had given birth to a hanyou someone hated her. That thought alone brought out a wave of protectiveness that Inuyasha wasn't sure he liked. It was probably just wishful thinking on his part. He knew his mates name was Kagome, but surely it couldn't be Taisho Kagome. There was no way. Too many women could have that same name. Especially in Japan.
Takeru and Inuyasha walked the rest of the way to school in silence.
* * * * * * * *
Inuyasha yawned so hard he thought his jaw was going to break. A few of the little kids giggled behind their hands, while some of them just stared. At the beggining of the week that would have bothered him, but now it was just another curious factor of children. He had been slightly worried at first that all the little people running around would annoy him, but strangely it hadn't. In fact he was becoming curious.
It fascinated him how children thought. Things he never would have given a second thought suddenly came under the microscope. In fact everyday he was getting questions he had no idea how to answer.
"Mr. Itou? Why are pizzas round, but the boxes are square?"
"Mr. Itou? Why do girls like shiny things?"
"Mr. Itou? Why are people who ride motorcycles called bikers?"
"Mr. Itou? Why are people who ride bikes called cyclists?"
"Mr. Itou? Why do we have to do homework if we won''t ever use it again?"
"Mr. Itou? Why are girls afraid of worms?"
"Mr. Itou? Why do all my girl teachers smile at you?"
He had renewed respect for teachers. Well, almost all teachers. Some teachers just didn't seem to enjoy their work. One such teacher was boring him to death at the moment. He had no idea how the runts could pay attention to a guy that seemed to drone when he spoke. How in the world did he keep his students attention anyway?
"Are you done now Mr. Itou?" Inuyasha looked over at the teacher. Annoying little human. He just arched a brow at him.
"Disturbing my class? Are you finished? Although your studies are finished now, these students still must learn and you are keeping them from it."
Inuyasha simply stared at the teacher as if he was bored, on the inside he was boiling. He YAWNED. It wasn't as if he had started yelling in the middle of the boring lecture. Who gave first graders lectures anyway?
"I'll try to contain myself next time Mr. Nagasaki." Inuyasha couldn't help the boredom that slipped into his words. Well he could. Just didn't mean he was going to.
Nagasaki nodded his head right as the bell rang. All the little kids stuffed whatever papers they had out into their bags before running out of the room as quickly as the short legs could take them. Obviously they didn't like the snobby teacher any more than Inuyasha did.
It hadn't taken him long to figure out which teachers were youkai haters. Nagasaki seemed to be the ringleader. Or at least the most blatant about it. He treated the youkai children differently than all the rest. Almost to the point of being cruel. It made Inuyasha wonder why he had decided to work there to begin with.
"Mr. Itou?" Takeru stood in front of him, his black tipped ears twitching as Nagasaki moved around behind him. His tiny clawed hand grasped his red book filled bag.
"Are you ready to go now? Momma said she was gonna make CURRY for supper and I wanna help her." Inuyasha bit back the urge to cringe. He never could understand how the little guy could devour something so spicy. They made the ultra hot curry. While it did taste good, it sent Inuyasha's senses reeling.
"I'm ready. You have everything?"
"Yeah. Come on! Let's go!" Takeru grabbed the older hanyou's hand and dragged him off towards home.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I admit it. I have no excuse for being as late as I am. I can only say sorry.
Thank you to all who are still reading this story and all my reviewers.
NekoReiBaka - You asked once what Takeru's name meant. There's my answer. Hope ya like it!
~Addicted2pjs