InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Treading Water ❯ 1- Living Nightmare ( Chapter 1 )

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**It was Sunday, Easter weekend.

 

Eri's grandparents had invited her to spend Easter break in New York with them so she had been gone all week. Yuka's mother was also heading to New York for a business seminar, meaning Yuka would be spending the holiday with her father. My parents had never been very religious so she had no plans. Miroku and his father were both Buddhist so Easter was just a nice vacation for him and I.

 

I was, in truth, very confused. I had always had more male friends than female ones. Growing up I played sports and got the highest marks in school. I never had time for gossip and make-up. I was somewhere between a nerd and a jock. It was natural for me to be close to Miroku, he and I had more common interests than Yuka, Eri, and I ever could. The fact that he was the best looking guy in high school just meant I had a little crush on him on top of the friendship I felt.

 

We had met first week of our freshmen year and were instantly close. Yuka and Eri had been good friends in preschool and were overjoyed to have found each other again. Miroku had followed Yuka to this high school from their previous school because he didn't want to lose his girlfriend of a year to a new school. And somehow I had also found a place with them.

 

Miroku and I were both athletes so we had fun with each other immediately. We also both had cats and big dogs. I made the tennis team and he was on the basketball and baseball teams, but we played any sport we could get on a team for before and after school. I remember the first time I won a game against him by sinking a fade away jump shot just before the buzzer his eyes locked onto mine, laughter and sudden respect sparking in those violet depths. I had felt something new for the first time, desire. And then guilt, we had been friends for a month and there I was standing there desiring my friend's boyfriend.

 

I forcefully trampled the crush I had on him. I had never had an easy time relating to other females and that crush couldn't make my life easier. But no matter how much I tried to fit in with Yuka and Eri I was always with Roku. School projects, tennis partners(the girls actually liked tennis, Yuka made the tennis team with me), it didn't matter what we were doing; as long as Yuka and Roku weren't on a date he and I always ended up together

 

He was smart, funny, romantic, gorgeous… He was everything I wanted. He did have wandering hands but they wandered all over Yuka, no one else. I knew if it had been me I wouldn't have minded, but she did.

 

Yuka and Miroku had been together for two years before she got tired of his *cough* ways. He hadn't taken the break up well, not having a place to release all of that hentai energy was took its toll. Yuka and Eri had decided to push Miroku on me, seeing that he and I were close. Life got hard for me when Yuka and Roku broke up sophomore year. He got depressed and kind of angry for a while and then decided to get her back. Yuka had played with him, told him lies throughout the relationship that she wanted me to reveal to him, she used me to help her break up with him too. He was such a trusting soul he thought I was being horrible to him, because he refused to believe Yuka could be so cruel to him.

 

For my part I had just wanted it over. I knew all her lies would hurt him eventually so when she came to me asking for help to break it off I helped her. In my mind it was better to get it over and done with than let her continue hurting him. I knew he would never look at me romantically, I never once thought breaking them up would benefit me. I felt like a double agent. He was my friend and I just wanted him free of her tangled web of lies, so I acted like I agreed with her, helped her.

 

He couldn't see it that way, he thought I betrayed him. I couldn't blame him for it though. I understood I might lose his friendship, in my heart I still felt it was worth it to set him free. I don't know if this makes me a good friend or just stupid.

 

Yet somehow things got straightened out one bright winter morning. Yuka confessed to the lies, he saw that she was at the root of his pain and didn't hold it against me any more. In fact we got closer, once I explained my logic, why I did what I did. I actually saw tears in his eyes, because I cared about him so. And that made me blush, and then he blushed. And then there was a sexual tension between us that had never existed before.

 

To say things got awkward would be an understatement. He still wanted Yuka back, she decided he and I should get together since that meant he would leave her alone, Eri and Yuka thought it was oodles of fun to play matchmaker and try to force us together, and all the while there's this energy between Roku and I that was bubbling under. Before then I had accepted the fact I would never have him, my affection for him was slowly becoming a kind of familial love. And then he started looking at me with eyes that saw me for me. I couldn't help wanting him again, but damnit I was not about to be a rebound, and he was not ready to let go of Yuka yet.

 

That was when he had started touching me. I mean really touching, more than the nudges and pats he gave everyone. We realized that Yuka would only let him touch her in ways he touched others. Meaning she wouldn't let him hold her hand unless she had seen him holding mine. So he would walk with an arm around my shoulders or waist, some days the four of us would collapse in front of the tv and his head would land in my lap or on my chest.

 

His eyes begged, pleaded for me to understand. In his mind if he and I held hands then Yuka would see it as something `friends' could do and she would hold his hand. I ended up realizing a lot later on that was exactly what manipulative little Yuka wanted him to think, she was just trying to get him to grope me.

 

Just last weekend we had been at Yuka's mother's house. Just the four of us, Yuka, Eri, Roku and me. Yuka said she was headed to the garage for something and dragged Eri downstairs with her. Maybe half an hour later we got up and looked out the window to see the two of them playing tennis in the driveway. When they saw us they made kissy faces, they had purposely left us alone hoping something would happen. Roku laughed and shrugged and said, “Well if they insist…” He had grabbed my wrist and leapt toward the stairs heading to the bedrooms, pretending to undo his pants as he went. I laughed and tried to pull my arm from his grasp. I ended up unbalancing him and he fell backwards off the stairs onto me, we landed in a heap laughing. It was just so ridiculous. I hit him upside the head and called him an idiot when we finally got up minutes later.

 

I was sitting on his bed when Yuka called. Since she was going to be with her father for the long weekend he and I thought it was just going to be the two of us. I had come by early in the morning and let myself in. His golden retriever and three rottweilers were thrilled to see me, and the treats I brought. He dashed in to grab the phone, a towel hanging loosely around his waist. I admit it, I took the opportunity to stare at him while he was on the phone. He almost had the perfect swimmer's body, and at that moment it was still dripping wet from his shower. His hair was just about long enough to brush his shoulders and it clung in locks around his face. When he hung the phone up he flashed me a truly happy smile and gave me a very wet hug, saying he was glad to see me. He got dressed in surfer fashion, pulling his underwear and pants on without removing his towel while telling me where we were going. He might have been comfortable enough with me to get changed in my presence but I didn't begrudge him his modesty. He's kinda like my brother, I thought to myself as I watched him, I bet in another few years I'll have forgotten all about this silly crush and he really will be a brother to me. I wanted to get over the feelings I had, and oddly enough the thought of no longer wanting a romantic relationship with him didn't hurt, I was almost excited. To me he was just one of those people I had to have in my life, it was just taking time for him to settle into the niche he belonged in. That's what I told myself, that's what I was desperate to believe.

 

Yuka's father is Philipino. That side of her family is huge, and none of us had ever met them before. So when Easter came around and she invited us to spend three or four days with them both Roku and I jumped at the chance. The house was on a cul-de-sac, a sprawling home with a large pool and paved back yard. Being in L.A. most houses were single story(except for Yuka's mom's place which was part of a complex), because of earthquakes, so all of the bedrooms took up the left side of the house while the kitchens, dining room, laundry room, and bathrooms took up the right side. The front door opened into the living room which had cozy couches set up next to low coffee tables, through a large archway and down a step was the television room. It was a huge room with a wood floor and a gigantic tv with karaoke machine permanently plugged in. It was a very geometric setup that split the house into uneven thirds. I never would have bought a house like that, but it seemed to fit seamlessly with their baby blue carpet, gold inlay wooden table and Jesus votive candles.

 

Her family was nice, huge but very nice and they all lived in the same house. She had one cousin who was maybe three years younger than us who kept leering at me and flirting. Roku ended up saving me by putting an arm around me and glaring at him. Hehe, my hero.

 

I think it was about eleven a.m. when her family left the house en mass to attend church. Considering that neither Roku or myself could understand tagalog they excused us from the services, leaving the three of us alone in the large house. Sometime around two p.m. Yuka, Roku and I were sprawled across the bed in the guest room waiting for some show to come on. I squeaked when Roku started a tickle war and Yuka almost fell off the bed.

 

Yuka leapt off the bed and raced out of the room, yelling that she'd be right back. I jumped off the other end of the bed and watched Roku crawl over to sit with his legs hanging off the edge of the bed. His feathered bangs looking slightly tousled, his pitch black hair still perfectly pulled back in his habitual dragontail.

 

“Yuka what are you doing?” I called. She was my friend but after all that had happened I knew better than to trust her at face value. Her voice came back slightly muffled and definitely a few rooms away.

 

“Getting something!”

 

“What are you getting?”

 

“A camera.” Came the muffled reply.

 

“Oh hell no.” I muttered. I stopped being photogenic when I hit ten years old. I hate cameras. She knew I hated cameras. She was, in fact, probably just going to tease me with it to watch me squirm and fidget and hide behind Roku to avoid being captured on film. I stepped back and quietly closed and locked the door. NO WAY was I going to dance to her tune. Roku chuckled.

 

“Sure, blame it on the camera, you just want to be alone with me.” He winked lecherously and motioned me over to where he sat. I laughed darkly but stepped closer to him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer until my legs hit the bed in between his legs and my tummy was flush against his chest as he sat. I used to daydream about being held lovingly like this, it felt so…nice. I started running my fingers through his hair as I spoke.

 

“Yes, of course, because my life's dream is to be the fuck toy of a good friend whose heart still belongs to a friend of mine. Hentai.” I said sarcastically as I smacked him in the head. On second thought that was perhaps not the best idea. When I smacked him his nose was propelled straight into my cleavage. My face heated and I heard his breath catch.

 

And then my world shifted. Literally. He used his leverage and pulled me down onto the bed, rolling us to end up above me. My brain froze. I had wanted him since I had met him. For over a year he had been my best friend. Maybe some part of me had always been hopeful that maybe one day we might have a relationship. But I was not going be a warm replacement body for the young woman who didn't want him anymore. I felt electricity lance through my frozen brain and shock my thoughts back to the present. I felt hands under my shirt and realized sluggishly they were not my own. His face was buried in my neck, his hips grinding into mine.

 

I panicked. I couldn't help it. I had never had a physical relationship with anyone, my last boyfriend was four years ago when I was twelve and we never even held hands. A small part of my brain wanted Miroku so badly, but most of my brain was in various stages of betrayed pain, outrage and plain anger.

 

I threw him off me, it wasn't easy and he was heavy, but fear and adrenaline are wonderful that way. I stood up quickly, pulled my clothing back into a semblance of normalcy and yanked the door open, not bothering to look back.

 

Yuka stopped me in the hallway and I noticed absently there was no camera in her hands. My anger flared anew, she just wanted to leave Miroku and I alone together, hoping something would happen. Yeah, well, something happened.

 

I didn't answer either of them as I grabbed my stuff and left. I was not going to cry in front of them, but as my car's engine came to life and I pulled away from Yuka's I could barely see through my tears.**

 

I sat straight up in bed, silent tears streaming down my face. I didn't recognize where I was. As I looked around I saw a window and realized I was at least one or two stories up in some apartment complex. Then it all came back to me.

 

It wasn't just a dream, I had lived that nightmare.

 

 

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A/N: Ok, piece one. I'm kind of curious as to see people react to this, so don't hold back if you have something to say. I know it's only five pages but condensing 18 months of my life and melding it with my story idea isn't the easiest thing I've done and I really don't know how much detail people want. You could always let me know…

 

 

 

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