InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Smell of Charcoal ❯ Thank You ( Chapter 1 )

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

The Smell of Charcoal
Chapter I: Thank You


The midday wind was subtle, calming as it combed across the grass. Clouds drifted by lazily, and she took note to the stark contrast they made against the deep blue of the sky. There on the hill, she was content to sit, finding pictures in the clouds and thinking silently to herself about things that didn’t really matter. The sounds of the world, birds singing, the cool breeze creating faint sounds as it passed through the trees - this was all she needed. Even as quiet footsteps began to advance toward her, the tranquility did not fade.

She knew who it was. Even by the sound of his approach, she could tell. She could recognize him anywhere, and as he silently took his place beside her in the grass, she smiled.

“What are you doing out here?” he finally asked, his gold eyes peering over at her from the corners of his eyes.

Closing her eyes, she sighed before laying back, lacing her fingers across her stomach. “Nothing,” he replied honestly, “Just sitting . . . thinking.” Turning her head, she gave him a bright smile before continuing, “How about you? Did you follow me?”

Turning his attention to the sky, he grimaced, trying in vain to hide the faint blush that had made its way to his face. “Of course not!” he sputtered, crossing his arms.

“You were worried?” she pressed, and her smile widened.

His response was a small grunt and a half-hearted shrug.

The girl’s smile softened with her eyes as she sat up to face him. A light red graced his cheeks as he stared intently at the sky, or rather, at anything but her. “InuYasha,” she spoke softly, and he looked at her once more from the corners of his eyes. “Thanks,” she finished, earning her the faintest of smiles from the man beside her.

From the hill, she had a clear view of everything that stretched out to the horizon. Laid out before her were several rice paddies, and ahead, she could see Kaede’s village in it’s entirety. Turning her attention back to the sky, she spotted something faint and glittering just at the zenith. “Look!” she gasped, pointing straight above, “the first star.”

“Tch,” was his only reply, and she grimaced.

“Hey, InuYasha,” she began, deciding to attempt an actual conversation, “are you still mad that I’m going home tomorrow?”

At that, he finally turned his head, looking rather put out and muttered a simple, “maybe.”

Her shoulders slumped at his reply and she sighed, bringing her knees to her chin. “I have a good reason, you know,” she tried.

He raised an eyebrow at her, “and that would be?”

She smiled shyly at him and gave a small laugh. Shrugging, she looked up at him through a thick trim of eyelashes and said, “You’re gonna laugh at me.”

His lips parted as if to reply, but her expression had stopped him. He hadn’t expected that sort of reply from the girl. “Just . . . ” he began, and sighed, unsure how to reply. “Try me,” he challenged, cocking his head to one side as she pulled her yellow backpack toward her and started digging for something. Now, he was curious.

“Here,” she said to herself, pulling out a small spiral notebook. After paging through it, she seemed to find what she was looking for because she laughed and looked back at him.

“Well . . . ?” he pressed impatiently.

He blushed slightly as she leaned toward him, holding the notebook open for him to see. There was a calendar on the page she pointed to, with various dates marked and written on in blue. “This,” she said, pointing to a day marked ‘Monday,’ “is today.”

InuYasha raised his brow, “Okay . . .”

She blinked, and then pointed to the next day: tomorrow. The date was circled in red with a little smiling face drawn beside it.

“Is that supposed to mean something to me?” he drawled.

For a moment, she looked a bit crestfallen. Shrugging, she closed the notebook and set it in her lap. “I wasn’t the one who marked that day,” she said slowly, as if to herself, “my mom did, the last time I was home. She wants me home tomorrow.” Meeting his eyes, she spoke vehemently, “I know why, and she knows that I know why, but she has yet to actually tellwhy!”

“Kagome, spit it out!” he retorted, more than annoyed at this point.

Staring at her hands, she began to twiddle her thumbs. “I think . . . my mom has a boyfriend,” she admitted, glancing at him expectantly.

Before he could stop himself, he let out a low, nasally sort of noise and covered his face with his hand.

“I told you you’d laugh!” she exclaimed, rising to her knees as she pointed a finger accusingly at him.

“I didn’t!” he replied, still covering his face as he tried to hide the amusement in his eyes.
She could see his grin, and she grunted. Sitting back down, she rested her chin on her knee and glanced over at him. “You’re such a bad liar,” she mumbled, and heard him choke back another laugh. “I’m serious, here!”

“Boyfriend,” he said, as if digesting the word. Sniffing deeply, he let his hand fall to his knee and turned to her, “How do you think she has a boyfriend?”

Kagome was silent for a moment, taking the time to place her notebook back into the proper place and shove her massive, yellow backpack aside. Pursing her lips, she shook her head, “She’s been hinting at it for quite a while . . . asking a lot of weird, hypothetical questions and stuff like that. In a way, she’s sort of told me indirectly.” She crossed her arms and shrugged, “She wants me home tomorrow so I can meet him. To be honest, I’m kind of nervous.”

“Well, if your mom likes him, then he must be a decent guy,” he said, surprising her. “Are you . . . okay with it?” he questioned, seeing her dispirited expression.

Passing a hand over her eyes, she sighed, “I guess so. I mean, if it makes my mom happy, then I can’t really do anything about it . . . even if I did have a problem with it.”

He was quiet, seeming to consider her words. She continued before he could speak, and he resigned himself to listening intently.

“My dad died when I was pretty young, so I don’t remember much about him,” she admitted, and part of him was happy that she was talking about her past so openly with him. “He was an artist,” she continued, smiling up at him as if that small fact meant the world to her.

He gave her a very soft, very genuine smile, and that seemed to make her feel better.

“Hey, InuYasha . . .” she hesitated, and he raised an eyebrow for her to continue. “Do you want to come with me tomorrow morning?”

“Ugh, Kagome,” he grunted, prepared to turn down her offer completely until she spoke again.

“I could introduce you to my father . . .” she began, and her words sent an ache through his heart. “I’m sure he would have liked you,” she finished, closing her eyes as she rested her cheek against her knee.

She was quiet after that, and he wondered what to say. As he stared at her in silence, she almost looked like she was sleeping. Her face was a perfect picture of melancholic beauty that tore at his heart. Moving slightly closer to her, he reached an arm around her shoulders. The unexpected contact startled her and her eyes widened as he pulled her into a loose, awkward sort of embrace.

“InuYasha . . .” she whispered, unable to form any other words than the ones she was about to speak, “. . . thank you.”