InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Windows on the West ❯ Wise, But Still Young ( Chapter 25 )

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

Disclaimer:  I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

~sSs~

Sesshoumaru sent a thoughtful glance at a strangely distracted Kagome, and pondered on her recent behavior.  For the last two weeks, since her last trip home, she had been distant – obviously bothered by something, but unable to decide how to handle it.

On top of that, she had actually been avoiding going home, and from what he'd gathered from the others, that was definitely a first.

Now, as a pack member, she should bring all concerns to him as her alpha.  But he wasn't angered by her failure to do so – after all, she was human, and that race did not have a pack mentality.  He certainly could not blame her for a lack of knowledge, as it was his duty to enlighten her, and he had not done so.

With that in mind, he decided to confront her one evening, waiting until she'd disappeared to go gaze at the stars to follow after her, so that her privacy would not be compromised.

Settling himself down near her, and raising his gaze to the stars, he said,  “I have claimed you as pack.  As alpha, it is my duty to make sure of the well-being of my pack – in all matters.”  He glanced sideways at her, taking in her silence.  “As pack, it is incumbent upon you to come to me with anything that concerns you.”

Falling silent, he let her think on his words for a time, and waited.

Kagome sighed after a few, knowing what he was asking, but not sure how to explain things.

Sesshoumaru seemed to catch that.  “Speak.  If I do not understand something, I will ask.”

She nodded.  “Well... there is a boy at home that keeps asking me out on dates.  My friends encourage him all the time, setting me up on dates with him when I'm not around.”  She stared at the ground for a few moments, looking over at Sesshoumaru when he began to speak.

“What is this 'date?”  he asked, brow furrowed.

Frowning, Kagome thought about it for a minute, then said,  “Well, I guess you would call it courting.” She was startled by a low growl, but before she could turn to look at him, it was gone.

“Continue.”

“Oh!  Yeah... so anyway, they keep pushing me towards him.  But the thing is, I don't like him that way.”

He blinked.  “Then why do you not just tell him this?”

Her shoulders slumped a bit, and she shrugged miserably.  “Because I don't want to hurt him.  He's liked me for a long time, and just to brush him off seems so... I don't know... cold, maybe?”

The daiyoukai was silent for a time, thinking over her words.  Then... “Tell me, miko.  Did I not over hear you telling the slayer that what bothered you the most with Inuyasha and the dirt miko was that he kept you 'on a string' as you put it?”

Kagome nodded, eyes wide as she waited for him to finish.

“You are doing the same thing to this male.  If you had told him from the beginning that he should move on, then he might have already done so and found another female to spend his attentions on.”

Eyes widening even more for a moment, Kagome looked down again, frowning fiercely in thought.  I hadn't thought of it like that, but... he's right.  I'm just gonna have to buck up my courage and tell Hojo once and for all.

Looking back over at Sesshoumaru, she nodded.  “You're right, Sesshoumaru-sama.  I'll have to tell him the next time I go home.  Thanks for helping me realize what I was doing.  While telling him will hurt him, it will hurt him less in the long run if I just get it over with, freeing him to go find happiness with someone else.”

He nodded back at her, then turned to his own thoughts. She is wise in most things... but still young, as well.  I cannot forget that.  Unlike the miko, I would have no problem in telling a female I had no interest in her – I have done so before, after all.  The faster one faces the truth, the better, I have always believed.  Honesty is always the best policy – even though honesty often hurts.

After a while, his thoughts turned to other things, and those thoughts were forgotten.  

But somewhere inside, a voice buried deep was calling him a hypocrite – for he was currently guilty of deliberately hiding the truth from himself.

Sooner or later, though... the truth will out, and then he would have no choice but to face it, or be labeled coward by his own beliefs.





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