Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Just Stop Pretending ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

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

Shippo continued to babble inanely about anything and everything with such forced gusto the already strained atmosphere only worsened. The catalyst for such a strain was the newest member of the newly enlarged group. The regal woman sat quite stiffly though stiffness had naught to do with the strained atmosphere but was too be blamed upon the clay body the half of her soul rested in. Though crafted finely to display her striking features, it didn’t quite have the mobility and strength flesh and blood would have. With a simple dainty movement she brushed her ebon bangs away from her earthen eyes, to better observe her future.
Kikyo’s mud colored eyes watched stoically while Kagome conversed happily with the tiny fox kit as she haphazardly went through the mundane task of preparing an afternoon meal for the group. And she couldn’t help but to give begrudged praise to the younger woman for being able to pretend nothing was wrong, to go on as if pain wasn’t tearing through her body at random intervals. She gave a tiny tug at only thing they shared and couldn’t help but be satisfied by the sudden inhale of breath from her incarnation as pain swept through her body. An equally powerful pull told her that while Kagome would not relent and release she would not fight back either.
Just as the water was about to boil over Kagome took the pot from its resting place before dishing out the noodle “delicacy” introduced as Ramen. After all her friends had been served Kagome turned to Kikyo offering her a blow of the instant Ramen, presenting it as a peace offering of sorts, as if she could so easily be won over. She merely blinked at the offering before moving her eyes higher to take in the near mirrored image before her. “As you well know I need not eat to sustain my form, my life. And yet for three moons now you have offered me substance thrice a day. And for just as many time you have offered I have decline, why must you continue with this pathetic display. Do you like the embarrassment, or do you fancy yourself in the limelight? Do you wish to paint yourself the picture of perfection and purity? If so allow me to dispose of your delusions, you are far from perfection, and how can one so incomplete even grasp at the hope of being pure?” The cruel words were accompanied by a strained silence in which something significant occurred.
Sides were chosen. And suddenly something in the group seemed to shift.
Backed by Sango Miroku Kirara and Shippo, Kagome allowed a sad soft smile to grace her face. “How dull perfection would be.” She shook her head, before continuing. “I offer to make you feel more welcome.”
Kikyo merely raised a delicate brow and was about to speak only to be halted by Miroku. “The sun is still in the sky, there is still day light left, and we still have much ground to cover. I suggest we hurry our food consumption and continue on.” As if his word was final things resumed though with far more tension.
The day wore on and the group continued their journey, not once throughout the entirety of the day catching rumor or sense of any jewel shards, which put their foul mouthed alpha in an even fouler mood. At least until after dinner when he slipped away with Kikyo as he often did, never once taking notice of the all consuming sorrow that swept through Kagome. Shippo did and he felt his anger towards the half demon deepen, but didn’t dwell on it and instead focused on the young woman who was like a surrogate mother to him. Perching on her shoulder the tiny kit nuzzled the side of her face; she turned to him with an adoring smile and gave him a peck on his nose. “You always know what make me feel better little one.” She then turned her attention to Sango. “Shall we continue?”
“But-“
“I won’t let her win Sango, nor will I allow myself to win, she makes him happy therefore I am happy.” It was a sad smile that graced her face as she place Shippo on the ground and stood.
Sango followed suit a moment later, and gave a sharp nod. “Okay, come we’ll start with some stances to warm up. I think it’s time to up your weights again.” She spoke as both women disappeared into the foliage.
Catching Shippo’s worried glances Miroku smiled. “Don’t worry Shippo, Kagome is strong, and she has reason to not give in.” Miroku said as he gazed kindly at the worrying kit.
Yusuke Urameshi, the schools full time resident bad ass, and part time Spirit Detective, could take on a gang of human with bats and not flinch, could take on some of the most ruthless demons ever known and still come out on top. He feared no one. Was feared by most and those who didn’t eventually did. Who could and would take on the world couldn’t help but sweat bullets as an enraged brunette stomped her way through the crowds to get to him.
He began listing the things she could possibly be furious about. Skipping school, maybe but she was usually mad, not enraged. Beating up someone, nope he never had the chance with all the calls from Koenma. Speaking of toddlers he hadn’t recently skipped out on any dates nor had he been called away during one recently. So he remained clueless, at least until the adorable fuming woman reached him.
He wished he had remained clueless.
Instead of slapping him like she would have done so normally, she took hold of his uniform and tugged him along until they were secluded. She turned to him with her brown gaze and got right to the point. “Who is she?” His mind reeled, “she”, what she could Keiko be talking about. His brow furrowed.

With great hesitancy he asked his question. “…She who?” Wrong question.
If she was furious before then she was, well his vocabulary didn’t contain a word for this level of anger. And every word he thought of was simply too weak of a description.
She surprised him again with her restraint; he noticed her hand twitching as though she wished to slap him. “A couple of girls at school saw you out with a black haired girl.” He flinched internally; he knew exactly who those girls were to.
He made an attempt to run his figures through his gelled but retreated as they stuck. “Look she no one okay.”
No way was she going to buy that. “If she is truly no one than you would not mind telling me. Who. She. Is.” She was face to face, rather face to nose, with him now glaring menacingly. Gulping he frowned, but remained silent. Keiko began to deflate, and sadness quickly over came anger. “… If you no longer wanted me the least you could have done was tell me so.” She said meekly.
“It ain’t like that Keiko.” He willed her to trust him, but mental willing was unless.
“Then what is it like?” Anger was back, though not fully.
He contemplated his options for a moment. Even if he could convince Keiko that there was no other woman there would always be mistrust. On the other hand he could tell her, and hope she wouldn’t take it as him being embarrassed about her.
Either way he was screwed.
Damn.
Sighing, he made his decision. “Meet me here after school, I’ll take you to meet her.”
For the couple at odds the day seemed to drag by. This was fine for Yusuke, but not so fine for Keiko who couldn’t help but worry, thinking Yusuke was using his time to think of an excuse or an escape plan. Just let him try, she thought rather sourly.
When at last the final bell of the day sang out to the overjoyed populace, the couple slowly met up, pushing their way through the crowds and to each other. “Well?” Keiko tapped her foot.
“C’mon we gotta take the bus.” Was his gruff response.
The ride was usually quite short but just like school it seemed to drag on endlessly today. The strained and incredibly uncomfortable silence did nothing to help the situation. And when at last they reached their stop he couldn’t help but agree with the relieved sigh Keiko produced. “C’mon we still have a little walk before we get there.” Keiko nodded and followed a few paces behind Yusuke until he came to a stop in front of an intimating amount of step. She heard him mutter something along the lines of them being the reason he hated step.
Understandable, there was at least a flight more than Genkai had.
Dejectedly they began their trek up the stairs. And once at the top she was overcome by the simplistic beauty of it. If not for the rather modern house she’d have happily believed the place was stuck in time.
She didn’t get much of a chance to take in her surroundings before she was caught off guard by a yell. “Demon be gone!” Startled and slightly scared she couldn’t help the twitch of her lips as Yusuke was slapped in the face with a wad of some sort.
“Wanna try that again old man?” Yusuke yelled, but there was truly no sting to it.
“Oh it’s just you. Stupid punk, always trying to scare an old man. Well in my day…” The old man’s voice trailed off as he sauntered back to a rather large tree place next to the main house and resumed his sweeping all the while mutter angrily about stupid punk grand kids.
Grand kids? What? There was no way.
The door to the house opened and a pre teen with black hair and brown eye, raced out and as he got closer she couldn’t help but to notice all the similarities between the two. The boy skidded to a stop in front of Yusuke with an overly large smile on his face. “Hey squirt.” The smile deflated, but not the happiness.
“Gee I missed you to Yusuke.” The cocky grin on Yusuke’s face was enough to make the boy grin.
Keiko hadn’t even noticed the woman slide out of the house until she had taken Yusuke into her arms, with a bone crushing hug. “Mama missed you too.” The boy stated rather blandly.
The older woman turned towards Keiko with a polite smile on her face. “Judging by your appearance I’d say you’re Keiko.” Astound, Keiko merely nodded. The woman simile brighter. “It is nice to finally meet the young woman who has stolen Yusuke’s heart! Please won’t you both come inside, I can make you some tea.” Blushing but agreeing they followed behind her, as Yusuke answering a vast amount of questions thrown at him by the boy.
“Hey squirt is Kagome her?” It was a simple question but the look that past over the boy’s face told her the answer would not be simple.
“Sorry Yusuke, you just missed her.” Yusuke frowned then sighed, it was going to be harder to explain.
Once inside they were seated and enjoying the tea, Yusuke caught up with the family, specify steering away from the topic of school. Keiko took the time to study the cozy house, her eyes landed on a cluster of pictures. Admits the clutter she could distinctly see a young Yusuke the boy and a girl as the focus of most of the picture. So the family had known Yusuke nearly as long as she had, mayhap even longer. Coming out of her thoughts she noticed the woman staring at her with a small smile on her face, and Keiko couldn’t help but feel the woman was reading her.
“Yusuke, Souta, why don’t you both go put the groceries away?” The boy, Souta, seemed to read his mother and stood, noticing Yusuke’s hesitancy he took the older boy’s hand dragging him to the kitchen. They sat in silence until they heard the rustling of bags and the slamming of cabinets. “He never told you.” It was a statement.
“Told me what?” She was getting annoyed with… whatever all this was! It was so incredibly frustrating.
“About Kagome, about us.” The woman stood slowly and walked to the crowd of pictures picking the newest picture, a young blue eyed woman clinging to Yusuke’s back an impossibly large smile lighting her entire being up. Yusuke himself was smiling in the picture.
“They look so happy.” She confessed rather sadly.
“They are.” The woman agreed. “But not in the way you fear.” Setting the picture down she walked back to the cluster of photos and picked an older one. This one was a three person family, a husband a wife, and a blue eyed daughter about three years old. “This was my husband. And when Kagome, my daughter, was three he passed away. It was at his funeral that I met Atsuko, and her son Yusuke, who as you can see look much like my husband had. They called fourth the immediate family… we both stepped forward. She asked who we were, I told her. She said that was impossible, she was his girlfriend, and Yusuke was his son. I told her that was impossible that Kagome and Souta where his children. It was quite obvious what was going on… we had both been played.” She shook her head sadly at the harsh memory. “It took a while but… eventually Atsuko and I became friends. I wanted out children to be a family.”
“…Then this girl ... she’s his sister?” She queried disbelievingly. The woman nodded. “Then why wouldn’t he tell me?”
“He never speaks of Kagome to anyone. He doesn’t want her hurt-“
“Again.” Yusuke broke into the conversation. “She got bullied a lot ‘cause she was my sister- if they couldn’t pick on me then she was the next best choice. All because she was related to me.” He stood in the arch way staring the hard wood floors down when suddenly his eyes shot to hers. “Trust me Keiko I will never be like that bastard!” He said it with such ferocity, all she could do was nod.
The couple stayed for dinner at the insistence of the Higurashi’s.
And she had never known a more pleasurable meal. And was almost anticipating meeting Yusuke’s sister, assuming of course she was every bit as down to earth as the humorous stories the family shared about her portrayed her to be.