Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of it's characters.
A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews I've already received! You guys made it way easy and rewarding to push out another chapter. Thanks for your support. Your suggestions and any constructive criticism are more than welcome! Thanks for reading! :)
God, I hated Mondays. I stepped out of my car into the already almost full parking lot at the hangar. It was almost four in the afternoon, and the sun was already beginning it's descent in the sky. It burned my already stinging eyes. At least I worked nights. I would only have to deal with a dozen people questioning my puffy eyes, instead of the hundred day-shifters that I could easily avoid for the hour of work we shared. The only bad part about my job was that Inuyasha was on the same shift.
"That's what you get for falling for a coworker, you idiot," I berated myself, entering the fairly new brick building from one of the back doors. There was no way I was going in through the front today. I unlocked the tool room door, and Kaede greeted me with a warm smile. She was the oldest female coworker I had, and one of the only ones.
"Good evening, child," she said in salutation. Some people would be offended by her greeting, but I knew she meant it affectionately, not offensively. Anyway, I was one of the youngest people to work out at the hangar. Compared to her, I was a child.
"Hey, Kaede. How's your day been?"
"Not much of anything has happened today. Are you okay, Kagome? You look distressed."
I shrugged. "It's not really a big deal," I replied forcing a smile. She didn't push the issue. "I'm going to go the night shift meeting. I'll be back in a little."
I left the tool room, sauntering toward the conference room with a feeling of complete dread. I was going to have to face him at this stupid meeting. Maybe I'd get lucky, and Hojo would sit next to me. Sure, he was overeager and a little annoying, but he was funny and sweet, and he would offer a welcome distraction from my current situation.
I wasn't the first one into the conference room. I smiled half-heartedly at the young man seated at the end of the table. He was around my age, twenty or so, and I knew he was a mechanic. He smiled back. I never really talked to many of the people on my shift. I was the only girl, and I was quiet and shy, but I always tried to be friendly.
One by one, the rest of my coworkers filed into the conference room. Inuyasha took a seat across from me at the table. I looked down, trying desperately to avoid eye contact. One of the older guys took the seat next to me. My spirit sank. I wouldn't be gifted with the welcome distraction that Hojo could have provided. I tried to listen into the conversation going around the table as everyone discussed their weekends while waiting for the boss to start the meeting, but nothing really interesting caught my attention.
Finally, Carl, the night shift supervisor, entered the room, closing the door behind him. He took role, then divvied tasks up between the mechanics, briefing us about the days events. I never listened. None of it really applied to me, since I worked in the back-shops. My job was easy. Look up parts for the mechanics, issue them out, and order anything we didn't have. Usually nothing was needed, so I spent my evenings surfing the web and watching TV online. As long as these extra-curricular activities didn't get in the way of me completing any assigned tasks, Carl didn't really care what I did.
The meeting came to a close, and I hurriedly exited the room, still avoiding eye contact with Inuyasha. As I was rushing back away from the man who shattered my heart, Hojo called out after me.
"Geez, Kagome.. You're sure in a hurry," he commented genially.
"Yeah, that meeting's brutal. I hate Mondays, anyway. Just wanna get the day started so it can end already," I replied with a shrug. He nodded in agreement as I turned down the hall the opposite way, leaving him to continue walking toward his shop. I stopped in the bathroom, emptying my stomach of any remaining contents I had not already expelled upon arriving home from Inuyasha's, before meandering back to the tool room.
Inuyasha didn't come in all night. I almost missed him sitting there at the desk, watching TV with me on his breaks. I almost forgot to go to lunch without him coming in and asking where we were going to eat. When he didn't call on the way home from work, I broke down sobbing.
"It really is better this way," I tried to convince myself through my tears, the nausea in my stomach saying otherwise.
The week continued on this way, to my dismay. It was miserable. I had always used to look forward to work, and now I became nauseous just thinking about it. I wanted to shut down completely.
My roommate, Sango, worried, when she noticed that none of the hot pockets in our fridge were going missing. We worked different shifts, so we hardly saw each other throughout the week, but she texted me constantly to make sure I was still alive and functioning. At first, it was nice that I had someone that actually cared enough to worry, but I was really starting to get annoyed with her constant worrying. It wasn't like I had never had my heart broken before. It just hurt more this time than it ever had before.
After what seemed like an eternity, Thursday rolled around. I was looking forward to my three-day weekend. I needed a break from work. It was much easier to get my mind off of Inuyasha, when he wasn't around to constantly obsess over. What was even better was that Hojo came in and invited me over to watch movies with him and the rest of the electronics shop after work. It was going to be the perfect distraction.
I started watching the clock, impatient for the night to end. I was strangely excited to go out and do something. My aching heart (and stomach) definitely needed a break from all this depressed moping. It was so unlike the happy-go-lucky me that I was really starting to miss. How was it that Inuyasha could make me so crazy? It was like he had turned me into a different person. I noticed the long black minute hand lurch forward agonizingly slowly and looked down at my desk. Watching the clock was like watching a pot of water until it boiled. It would only make time seem to go by more slowly.
The door opened, and I looked up immediately, hoping for some playful banter or at least some menial task from one of the mechanics. It was Inuyasha standing in the doorway, struggling to make eye contact and looking like he was ready to bolt at any given second. I felt the pieces of my shattered heart leap up into my throat and silently willed myself invisible. It was to no avail. He stood there, a deep sadness reflecting in his perfect golden eyes as he studied me.
"How ya holdin' up?" he muttered, letting the door close behind him, sauntering cautiously toward my desk.
"I'm fine," I lied, turning my eyes back to the computer screen, hoping I sounded believable.
"That's good to hear."
"Is there something you need?" I asked, sharply, sounding more rude than I intended. My eyes were beginning to burn. I could feel the tears beginning to well up in the corners of my eyes.
"I just wanted to make sure you're ok. Sorry, if I'm bothering you." He went to turn away, as I struggled to choke back a sob. I didn't realize it was possible for my heart to fracture any more than it already had, but, here he was, breaking it even more.
"You should know that's impossible, Inuyasha," I sighed in defeat, wiping my eyes surreptitiously. I hated hurting him, more than I hated being hurt. I was putting his damned feelings first again. God, I was so stupid. He gave me a perfect half smile, melting my heart even more.
"Any big plans this weekend?" he inquired, changing the painful subject and taking a seat in the extra computer chair next to my desk. I was relieved. For as clueless as he often was, he could be surprisingly perceptive sometimes.
"Well, Hojo invited me to hang out over at his place tonight after work with the other guys in his shop," I replied, almost smugly, secretly hoping that he felt at least a twinge of jealousy.
"You gonna go?"
"Yeah.. I think I am."
"Oh, cool." He didn't sound like he thought it was very cool. "Don't drink too much, okay? I know those guys get pretty wild some nights."
"You sound like my mom," I said, rolling my eyes. I hated his concern for me. I was going to get trashed tonight, just to spite him. He sure picked a funny time to start acting like he actually cared about me.
"Don't say that," he replied in annoyance, his eyes narrowing.
"Well you do."
"It's weird not talking to you on the drive home after work," he admitted after a long, awkward silence. I cringed inwardly. Hadn't he broken my heart enough for one lifetime?
"Yeah, I know how you feel," I acknowledged to my chagrin. Stupid Kagome. Why was I letting him get the best of me? I was letting him know that he still had some stupid amount of control over me.
"Well," he started more loudly than he really intended, rising suddenly from the swivel chair he had been seated in, "it's about time to go home. I gotta go lock up my toolbox. Have a good weekend."
"You too," I mumbled, giving him a sad half-smile. I really could not wait to be on my way to Hojo's tonight. I was now, even more so than before, in desperate need of a good distraction.