InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Ties That Bind ❯ Condolences ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Kagome looked up at herself in the mirror. Her face was drained and pale, large purple bags sagged under her eyes. Her hair was pulled up off the back of her neck, the necklace her father gave her on her sixteenth birthday in plain sight. She caressed the little pendant, it was a bird, wings spread as if escaping into the sky. The reason he'd given it to her was because her name meant 'caged bird', but he'd told her he couldn't stand the thought of his little girl cooped up in a cage so he'd set her free. She tore away from the mirror and the memory, fighting another round of tears. She'd have the rest of the day to cry.


A little black dress was laid out carefully over her bed, taunting her. She stomped over to the hateful thing, ripping it off the hanger and dragging it over her body. It was a size or two too big as she hadn't been able to eat the last couple days, especially during her stay at the hospital. She angrily zipped it on and turned to gaze at herself in the mirror. It hung off her shoulders like a pillow case, her ankle was encased in a walking cast. She hadn't broke any bones, just dislocated them, besides that it was just an ugly looking sprain. It was a sorry sight to see even for herself. She sighed heavily as she walked out her door and downstairs, attempting to prepare herself for the onslaught of emotion the day was sure to bring her.


The ceremony was going to be held at the Bureau which was good because they were also going to pick up all the funeral expenses. She didn't think anyone in the family would have been strong enough to plan out the party for a dead man. She heard footsteps as they made their way down the staircase, she glanced up at her little brother. He looked so much older than his fourteen years with his black suit on. Actually her looked exactly like their father had the morning of his death. He pulled on his lapels and adjusted his tie, she noticed then the lines creasing his brow and her identical set of bags under his own eyes.


"Hey Souta..."


He looked up at her, "Its going to be a long day isn't?" He raked a hand through his hair, obviously fighting back tears.


She nodded. Would their family ever be okay again? Would they all eventually smile without this horrible pain just beneath the surface? She had to fight the urge to look at the door and start pleading that he walk back through it.


"Ready to go?" Mio came down the stars and Kagome noticed right there that her mother's heart would always be broken. It was in the very way her mother moved towards them, like a part of her was missing. Kagome could almost see the gaping hole in her mother's chest, right where her heart used to be.


Kagome didn't say a word, just walked over and wrapped her arm around her mother's. Souta held the door open and escorted them both to the car waiting outside.

~~~

Kagome was kneeling in the large room between her brother and her mother as countless people she didn't know bowed before her and her family and walked up the offering table to pay their last respects to her father. She'd surprisingly enough not shed a single tear since leaving the house, instead a strange numbness had taken over her. It was like all of her senses were encased in layers of gaze.


Until, that was, he walked through the door.


He wasn't wearing any red, instead he was wearing the traditional black suit, but that shock of silver hair was undeniable. He'd... had he been there to save her that unforgettable day? The memory was so short, the glimpse from that time had been so fleeting... She had to force herself to sit there in silence and watch him.


He was easily a foot or more taller than she was, his glorious shining hair was tied back at the nape of his neck. She tried desperately to catch his eye, but he kept his gaze on the floor. He bowed to them, turned and bowed to her grandfather. With a grace that seemed inherent to him he kneeled respectfully before the pictures of her father's smiling face, his beads placed over his hands in prayer.


Kagome could feel tears brimming in her eyes as she continued to watch this young man earnestly pray to her father's memory. He'd been the one there that day, she was sure in that moment. He'd been rushing to them to save them from the monster that had stolen her Daddy away from her.


As he finished to turn and leave, Kagome panicked. She ignored tradition and left to follow him. She didn't even register the surprised cries of her family, who were obviously offended at her show of disrespect.


He weaved in and out of people so quick she'd almost lost sight of him more than once. Determination built a fire in Kagome's belly, she had to talk to this man.


"Wait!" Kagome struggled to keep up with his hurried pace and reached out as they moved a little farther from the room.


He turned and looked her dead in the eye. A pair of gold eyes stopped her heart, they were so beautiful to look at it was hard to breath. She tilted her face up to him, confirming her suspicions that he'd be significantly taller than her. He was strikingly gorgeous, besides his unique coloring, his face was something women fantasized about. Strong chin, straight arrogant nose, chiseled cheekbones. In fact the only thing feminine about him was the contrasting softness of his full lips. She'd truly been saved by an angel that day...


An unexpected movement caught her eye and drew her attention to the crown of his head. She knew her eyes widened as she registered just what she was looking at.


The most adorable pair of silver puppy ears were nestled atop his head. They were constantly moving, picking up sounds like a high tech radar. The urge to reach up and catch was so strong she had to ring her hands to keep them from lunging at them...


Inuyasha hated when humans stared at him, especially this one. He'd heard her scrambling after him but was hoping that she'd give it up and just go back. Unfortunately he'd not had such luck, he'd known the moment she'd called out to him she was going to follow him until he stopped or left her in the dust. Unwilling to cause her ankle any further injury he's turned to face her.


When their eyes had met, he's been shocked. Her eyes were the most brilliant shade of indigo he'd ever seen. The salty smell of tears still hung around her, the moisture still clinging to her lashes, sparkling in the lantern light. He hadn't been expecting that, not many Japanese women had blue eyes and the day they'd first 'met' she'd been unconscious. She was so small, fragile even, and he could tell that she'd lost weight. Her mass of black hair was swept up in a pretty knot at the back of her head, it was so different when not coated in blood.


He watched her look at him, but when she caught sight of his ears dread sunk like a rock through him, landing hard in his stomach. He started flatten them slightly, avoiding the scrutiny.


"Cute..." The word broke the silence neither of them had known was there.


Inuyasha's ears pricked forward at the sound, had she just called his ears cute? Most people turned their noses up in disgust and she called them cute? He knew his surprise was plastered all over his face.


"Keh."


Kagome's eyes flared wide as she realized what she'd just said. It had slipped passed her lips without her consent, her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink, but she couldn't help but smile at his stunned reaction. It was almost as cute as his ears were.


Inuyasha could feel his face start to heat. Between that adorable blush she was sporting and the smile that was breaking out over her face it was hard not to get a little bit embarrassed.


Kagome bowed to him, "Hello, my name is Kagome Higurashi, I'm Haru Higurashi's daught--"


He crossed his arms defiantly. "I know your name, little girl." He said curtly, partially cutting her off.


Kagome's eyebrows raised at that. She'd known she'd been rude to stare but she didn't think it had warranted such a snide response.. "I-I'm sorry if I offend---"


"My lady you've done no such thing." A handsome young man with approached them from Inuyasha's right. "He's got such a nasty temper... It's a youkai thing."


He bowed to her, "My name is Miroku Tachibana. And this," he pointed to his ornery partner, "Is Inuyasha InuTaisho. Our condolences for your father Miss Higurashi."


She bowed, "Thank you. Please, both of you call me Kagome. Excuse me for being rude, but who are you?"


"We're with the Bureau. We both work as field agents, I'm his partner." Exasperation creased his face. It was quickly replaced by a smile. "We were told your father used to work in the field as well. His weapon of choice had been a bow, am I correct Inuyasha?"


He grunted his affirmative, no longer looking at either one of them. His stance was completely rigid, The sheer mass of his shoulders blocked most of her immediate view, not that she was complaining. He was by far the most handsome man in the room.


Kagome shook her head, "No one ever told me that he worked in the field. I'd never seen a bow in his hand a day in my life until..." She gulped audibly as the memories of that day came crashing back to her.


"Your father was one of the most skilled men of his day, he saved many innocent lives." Inuyasha told her, his eyes were serious. He wasn't the type to give flattery or compliment, not even at a dead man's funeral.


She smiled at him, understanding his comment for what it was, her father had been a brave, honorable man.


Inuyasha turned his gaze away at the smile. He fucking hated funeral's. They brought him back to time he'd much rather leave in the past. Besides that that fucking incense wreaked havoc on his sensitive nose, he was currently fighting back a wave of violent sneezes. He wished he could smell her in that moment, but it would seem fate was enjoying teasing him.


Her brow crumpled in confusion as something registered as strange to her. "I thought the only people who could fight the Rogue youkai were other youkai?"


Miroku jumped in again, "Oh no, m'lady, you see, humans like your father and I, we have special abilities innate to us. Some humans on this earth are born with excessive amount of pure spiritual energy. Many of us can harness this power into something very powerful. For instance your father could channel his energy into an arrow. Anything the arrow touched was instantly obliterated." He explained to her.


The blue light that day...it was like puzzle pieces falling together before her eyes. "How does it destroy the youkai?"


Miroku grinned at her, it was so disarming, she visibly relaxed. "The energy that we release is so pure, so positive it tends to overload the youkai's mostly negative energy, causing it to explode."

Kagome's focus drifted back and forth between the two extraordinarily handsome men. While all of this information was interesting and did answer some of her questions she really needed to ask Inuyasha what had happened that day, needed to hear him confirm that he'd been there.


"Uhm... Mr. InoTaisho--"


"Call me Inuyasha. Leave off all the other crap." He cut her off. Again.


She blinked in surprise, first he was snapping at her, then he was requesting that she use only his first name. She took a deep breath, grounding herself. "Well, I need to speak to you about what happened that day."


Inuyasha looked down at her then. She was gripping her hands together so tightly her knuckles were white. He almost grinned, he couldn't imagine how something so small came so packed with courage. However he knew she was far from ready to hear the details of that day.


"Oi, little girl, I promise you I'll tell you one day. But not today." Shit, they were all standing here talking at her father's funeral! She needed time to accept it before he poured salt into her wounds.


"But--"


He shook his head. He wasn't going to tell her today.


Anger filled Kagome at his refusal. How dare he not tell her? This was her father, her life! "Excuse me?"


Inuyasha almost growled with approval as he saw the fire that lit in the girls eyes. Her cheeks flushed with color and for the first time all day her posture didn't look so broken. "You heard me. You've got my word that I'll tell you." He said almost gently. As much as he loved this new spark of life in her, he didn't want to extinguish it so quickly either.


Kagome's anger was soothed by the quite tenderness in his voice. She realized that he didn't want to hurt her anymore than she was already hurting. Instantly she felt ashamed, she'd been so hellbent on discovering what happened that day she hadn't stopped to think about the consequences. But he had, she bowed her head, relenting to his wish.


Miroku stepped in again, having a knack for saving the moment from any awkwardness. "Well Miss Kagome, we've been here too long. Unfortunately we need to request your presence down at the station. We'll need to ask you a few questions about that day so we can record it. You're not in trouble or anything, we just need it for documentation sake."


"Oh, I see. Well, what day do I need to come down?"


"Tuesday morning. Inuyasha will be there to escort you, m'lady." He grinned.


Inuyasha gave him a dirty look. Kagome got the feeling that it hadn't been planned that way, and the poor youkai had been thrown into it instead. She smiled, "Okay."


Miroku bowed and they both turned to leave. Inuyasha looked over his shoulder, "Hey little girl, wear jeans and boots that day."


"Why?"


He never answered her. She guessed she'd find out why on Tuesday.



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Alright! This is the longest chapter yet, whoo! And I have reviews! Ya'll just dunno how freakin' excited that makes me! =]

@bk:
My first reviewer thank you! Updated as you wished. =]

@Inumimi:

I definitely needed some reassurance on the flow of my chapters, I don't think I'll ever be 100% on them but I'm not going back now! Haha. And thanks for your review doll. =]

@Goddess:

Whew girl! I loovved you review <3 You picked up on my little hints very nicely. Every question you asked me will be awnsered within the next I'd say.... three chapters. Hopefully some of them in this one. In this universe I want most of the Youkai/Human relations to be friendly, but this is no Utopia. Just like in all civilizations they will face opposition and certain levels of hatred. To some humans youkai will be a necessary evil in the government because without them the Rogue's would simply wreak havoc. This next chapter will be an enlightening (and did I mention partially fluffy?) one! Thanks sweets =]


Until next time!