Back sooner than I expected! I was just so happy that I got so many reviews for the first chapter that I just had to thank you for it! So, I know that last chapter Inuyasha was completely OOC, but as I'm beginning to establish in this chapter, it does have a purpose. Not a huge one, but a purpose. No, I didn't just do it because it would be funny as hell to see him dancing. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Thank you all so much for reviewing, and please continue to do so, because I love it.
Chapter 2: The Dancing Hanyou
"No!"
"I just want to know how…"
"No!"
"I'm just curious. It is rather unusual, after all. If you just open up…"
"Fuck no!"
Miroku leaned against the tree and loomed over where the hanyou and miko were sitting, still arguing. "Your relationship will get nowhere if it's this one-sided. You know what they say," he began giggling, "It takes two to tango."
"Temee!" Inuyasha turned with fists clenched, but the monk had already evaded the chance of an immediate beating.
The monk's smirks only proved to escalate the hanyou's frustration. He should have known that dancing with Kagome would come back to bite him, even if it was under ten seconds. Now, everyone was either poking fun at him or pressing him for explanations. For the most part, he had been successful in running away from them whenever they did it, but there was the little problem of a certain trouble-making miko that kept him always within close range. He swore he would die from humiliation.
Shippou made his appearance, "Dinner's ready, you guys. Why don't you 'shimmy' on down to the fireplace."
Miroku and Shippou exploded once again into uncontrollable laughter as Inuyasha snarled at them once again. "You bastards! I'll kill you!"
He got to his feet as the others disappeared over the hill, but he didn't make it more than a step. "Osuwari."
"Agh! Wench!"
Kagome tried to suppress the giggles to no avail. "You know, they're only laughing because they know it gets to you."
"You!" He pointed a menacing finger at her from the ground, "You have no soul!"
Given his position, she didn't take the words to heart. Though he attempted to pull his chest off the ground again, he knew full well the spell would not release him for a few more moments. Any accusation he could make now just seem comical. All he could do for now was glare at the girl, "First you fucking trick me into dancing. Now because of that, no one will leave me the hell alone!"
His scowl didn't faze her. Not in the least. "Well perhaps I would be more sympathetic if you told me how in the world you learned to dance."
He wrinkled his nose, looking rather pompous, "Keh! Why is it so damn important? I ain't never doing it again. You can be sure of that."
"You know I'm not just going to let this go, Inuyasha. Might as well tell me. I promise I won't let them tease you anymore if you do."
A few more moments and the spell wore off, but Inuyasha didn't get up just yet. With his cheek still pressed against the dirt, he pondered if it was really worth telling her about. Something like this… it just seemed too dear to his heart to be exposed. Then again, he knew better than anyone that he couldn't keep a secret from Kagome forever. Maybe if he just got it over and done with…
She kept her gaze on him and he pulled himself up into a sitting position once more. His eyes didn't meet hers. He stared at the ground where he had been lying, as though it were his one and only companion. Though his melancholy demeanor disturbed her, she hadn't anticipated what his answer would be. "It was my mother."
Her smile, curious and innocent, suddenly faltered. He didn't see it, but he sure felt it hanging in the air. The young miko brought a hand to her face, fingers barely touching her lips. She murmured back, "Your mother?"
He nodded, and she felt her heart sink. How could she have been so stupid? She knew what a sad past her hanyou had. She knew, and she pushed him to tell her about the most dear, most painful memory. Inuyasha never talked about his mother. And although he tried to hide it from the world, Kagome knew that her death still ate away at him. It was in his character to hold it all inside, and there were times when Kagome wondered if he had ever even had a good cry about it. How could she possibly add to that weight in his heart?
"Inuyasha… I…" she stammered, "I'm so sorry… I-I shouldn't have said anything. We had no right…"
She turned her body away from him and wrung her hands nervously beneath her chin, trying in earnest to cleanse her hands from guilt. "… Oh, how could I have been so stupid?"
She gasped lightly as Inuyasha's clawed hand came out to pry one of her hands away. Quickly taking her palm into his, he squeezed gently as though she was the one in need of comforting rather than him. "It's okay," he replied softly.
She shifted back towards him, eying their clasped hands for a moment before gazing back into his eyes. No, it wasn't okay. Her ears could just pick up the sound of him gulping, and the chaos that soared past his eyes told her he was fighting against something immortal. Some malice that he wouldn't allow to die though it tore through him. He leaned back against the tree and caressed her knuckles with his palm as he shook his head in a kind of nostalgic manner. Staring at the empty autumn sky, he smiled, "I don't know what the hell she was thinking. She didn't even teach me much. Just enough to pass the time. I suppose she thought it would be good for me to know to be around people. Keh! Like I was really gonna be invited to a bunch of parties."
He was trying to laugh, forcing a smile for her benefit and hers alone. She didn't buy it. She couldn't remember hearing a true laugh from him. The realization of that chipped away at her all the more. There was such pain in his eyes. So much it seemed to billow from him like smoke. How long since he had laughed or cried? How long had he kept it locked inside? She dared to ask, "You really miss her, don't you?"
His answer was quick and sharp, "Missing would be pointless."
An uncomfortable silence followed. Inuyasha was hoping they could just forget about it at that, but Kagome couldn't let go. Her other hand came back to toy with the white hair splayed out on his shoulders. She eyed the task with too much attention, and the hanyou found himself worried about what she was thinking of. She glanced up and him again and opened her mouth to speak, but stopped short when she saw the look of worry in his eyes. No. She couldn't. What she would do was smile weakly for him and sigh, "I suppose you're right."
That voice, that look, those eyes… he swore he should just bury himself. After everything that had happened, it could only mean one thing. 'Damnit! Here I am, sulking about someone who died years ago. Kagome didn't just lose her mother. She also lost her brother, her grandfather, her friends… hell, she lost her whole life and future because of me. She doesn't deserve any of it. It's just so fucking unfair."
Her gaze lingered on his hair. The white strands that she has chosen long ago. They were hers now, weren't they? Hers to see? Hers to touch? Inuyasha was more beautiful then he could ever understand. He couldn't know just how many times she had stared at him in wonder, in absolutely awe of his strength and his passion, and most of all the sudden appearances of his heart. If she had been his mother, wouldn't she have loved his hair too? Loved everything about him? Kagome understood sacrifice. She had made more of them than most people she knew or heard of. And thinking that Izayoi had given up everything for her son, she couldn't help but grin again. If Izayoi did it, then Kagome wasn't the only one to have loved Inuyasha to the ends of the earth.
But when she suddenly smiled at him brightly again, he became confused. She had to have been in pain. But she wasn't even crying about it? He'd seen her cry about it before. What made now any different? Her eyes sparkled as she fiddled with his hair, "Then I suppose I have your mother to thank for the dance."
Her voice was sweet, angelic as he had always known her to be. He smirked, "Keh! Don't forget I'm the one who did it."
She let out a breathy laugh, "I know… and you know what?"
"What?"
She brought her face up closer to him as her hand maneuvered to his neck. Capturing him in a deep kiss, he instantly forgot his worries. He settled into the feeling of it as gently as mist. The striking face of evening reproached him for his sorrows, replaced the torn wound with a part of himself to be filled by her. Even under the mocking night sky soon to come, he shouldn't fear. Kagome was the one who would show him the morning.
How she managed to be stronger than him, he would never know. It was in her right to be sad. Shouldn't she be? Couldn't she be? After everything she held dear was taken from her? It confused him greatly. He had seen her cry countless times, sometimes for the smallest of things. To think that she could somehow keep from falling apart… how did she do it?
When they broke away from each other, she smiled to see his eyes filled with hope again. If she was good for only doing that, it would have been enough for her. "Thank you."
He seemed to be in a trance for a few moments, before he blushed and turned away, "Keh!"
They were interrupted by the sound of something shattering… a pot… then a voice, "Oh my God!"
'Sango…'
Inuyasha and Kagome got up as quickly as they could. As they ran back towards the camp on the other side of the hill, Inuyasha began to draw his sword. But he halted on the peak, then held out an arm to stop Kagome as she came behind him. She collided with his arm in a hard grunt, then sent a glare his way, which he did not care to see. They looked out, beyond their camp, to the fields of wheat. They could see Miroku and Shippou, still as rock as they stared, not even daring to breathe. They could see Sango, hands shaking, skin pale. She took a few steps, slowly, and then stopped. She wouldn't dare trust herself. Could she even keep herself standing?
Inuyasha sniffed the air, and Kagome watched as his eyes widened. Youkai? Human? She tugged on his sleeve to hoist herself up, trying to catch a glimpse of what he was seeing. "Inuyasha, what is it?"
He shook his head in dismay, "It can't be."
"What?" she asked, just before she spotted who he had seen, and gasped.
All she could do was whisper, "Oh my God."
The short figure in the fields came closer and closer. Stopping as he reached the opening at the end, he stared long and hard at the exterminator woman. A few more moments longer, and then, she had found her strength. Sango sprang forward, running as though trying to defy fate. Running to escape from herself, and this cruel dream that would steal away from her at any moment. She reached him, threw her arms around him as she fell to her knees; sobbed out loud into the valley as she squeezed him closer.
Everyone else relaxed, and smiled. As Inuyasha re-sheathed his sword, Kagome let a few tears fall… happy tears. The hanyou placed his hand on her back as he watched on. She cried for this. Despite his attitude for the behavior, Inuyasha didn't blame her for it.
Sango's tears dampened his uniform quickly, and had barely enough time to calm down before his voice sent another wave of emotion through her, "I remember… Aneue."
To be continued…
So, I generally want to make the chapters about this long so that I have enough time to edit, and I know that by the end of Butterfly Keeper, I was up to twenty pages, so I guess I kinda spoiled you. Unless I get into a situation where I won't be able to write again for a loooong time, I doubt I'll be making another chapter that long. I was seriously completely exhausted after finishing Butterfly Keeper. If the fates are nice to me, I may be able to get in a chapter twice as long now and then, but I can't promise anything.
So, yeah, some cuteness. Next chapter will get interesting. Another twist! Please respond, and I'll love you foreva.
HelikaAkileh: Ain't
so much the pressure I get from people. It's more that between all
the work, I'm just so damn tired all the time, I can't think
romantic thoughts, which I feel like I need to write well. But I
think about this fic everyday, so in a way, I'm always doing
something with it. Thanks for the patience and support. (hugs)
kyocat: Ya know,
I didn't consider that one, but you're right. Curse my
melodramatic ways! Well, thanks a bunch. (hugs)
Lacey Beans: Haha…
blonde moment. Took a few seconds for me to realize what TBK meant.
Thanks a lot. (hugs)
Princess of stars:
Me: Hmm, is that how you spell it? Linguistics brain: beginning.
Me: Why? Linguistics brain: What do you mean, 'why'? Me: Well,
where'd the extra 'n' come from? What's the allomorphy behind
that one? Linguistics brain: Aren't you supposed to be thanking a
certain reviewer? Me: Ah! …… Sorry I was late. Thank you! (hugs)
…. (I'm such a geek).
Toxic Panda: Well,
it isn't my first InuKag fic, but thanks all the same. (hugs) P.S:
I love pandas!
kawaiibritt: Aaah…
okay… Thanks for the patience!... Don't kill me! … I have more…
(hugs)
Kawaii-CherryWolf:
Wow, I really have been working too hard. I think you love
linguistics too much when you try to analysis the word 'fluffy'.
Ach! What am I saying? I'm so odd! I love fluff! Thank you a lot.
(hugs)
Star+Robin: I'm
absolutely in love with Kal Ho Naa Ho, and I'm actually thinking of
using the plot line to create another fic sometime. I highly
recommend it, and the song. It was like my summer theme! (hugs)
Jenn-silent breed:
Yeah, I know it was. Don't hate me, please. I just loved the
thought of him dancing. Oh well! Thanks for coming back! (hugs)
Rachynn: Kinda
OOC? I'd say completely OOC, but thanks for being nice about it.
But hopefully I'll make up for it later. (hugs)
trekker4life: The
next best horror movie! Dun dun dun! (hugs)
LiLDoggieDemon:
Both, actually. They may have finally gotten together, but I
never believe that staying in love is that simple. There will be
conflict, and most definitely happily-ever-afters. (hugs)
srg1: Well I'm
glad you were looking forward to the story. Reading really is the
best medicine, I think. Hope you're feeling better. (hugs)
issa-malv: It's
really good to hear that, cause I'm always thinking about it and
wondering whether I need to do better. Awful habit. But knowing that
it's turning out good makes me feel fantastic. (hugs)
Tairoru: I was
wondering myself. I was planning on waiting until I had a few more
chapters lined up, but I was just so excited about it, I couldn't
bear to wait. Thanks for enjoying it. (hugs)
Kamira: (gasps)
You took my 'toodles' and my 'hugs'? But I'm the cuddle
whore! You can't have them for free……… Okay, so maybe you
can. (hugs)
InuKagome: You
know those dancing Santa dolls they have in some places? Wouldn't
it be just awesome to have an Inuyasha one? I swear, if I knew how to
make things, I would do it. It'd be great merchandizing, I think.
(calls Warner Bros.) Damn! (hugs)
nekoxlove: Oh,
the story will definitely be finished. I'd never forgive myself if
I just let this story go. It's more a question of when it will be
done. (hugs)
butthead24: I
LOVE YOU TOO… but my heart belongs to Inuyasha. Sorry. Oh, whatever
shall I do? Teehee! (hugs)
nooneluvsme: No,
he doesn't dance, and especially doesn't giggle. But that's
what makes it so deliciously scary! Run away! I'm so glad you're
enjoying my story. And I'll try not to haunt you with Inuyasha's…
giggling. (shivers and hugs)
I LOVE YOU ALL SOOOO MUCH!
