A/N: Hi all! (As usual) it's been awhile, I'm so sorry! Hopefully this will be a satisfying read! Like the name of this chapter...the tides are "changing". ^_~ Also, thanks so much for reading and enjoying this fanfic, I've just realized it's been about 2 years since I've been writing this, and I know it's been a long haul to even get to this kind of chapter, so sorry about that! (I'm just a big fan of slow burn, what can I say? XD) I'm also currently finishing up chapter 10 and coming up with some more ideas for future chapters, so hopefully 2019 will be a year for some semi-frequent updates.
Side note, I hope more people write Inuyasha/Kouga fics? They're honestly so perfect for each other once they actually get to see eye to eye, that is.
Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 9
Changing Tides
It was anxiety. It was stress and overwork from his studies. It was some kind of strange, demented by-product of his own loneliness. Kouga wanted it to be everything except legitimately empathizing with Inuyasha. Except...that was exactly the case.
Kouga's life as a college student had really hit rock bottom. The girl of his dreams wasn't into him, but instead, was more interested in her dickhead of a boyfriend. Kouga then gets his shit kicked by this said dickhead. The dream couple break up. Next, the asshole turns out to be his roommate. The kicker? After the two eventually give into reason and play nice, there now was an unexpected development in Kouga's feelings.
That being, his recent feelings for Inuyasha Taisho.
This has got to be stockholm syndrome...or something fucked up like that, Kouga fumed. That has to be it.
His fists curled tightly around the straps of his backpack as he trudged down the campus hallways. The footpaths he took around campus were nearly muscle memory at this point now. Though effortlessly sliding through bystanders and turning down hallways without a single thought, his eyes weren't focused on what was in front of him. It was almost as though his sight was clouded. Completely and utterly distracted.
By the time he reached the outdoor courtyard, Kouga hadn't realized an enthusiastic voice aimed in his direction. Kouga paused and searched for the body to match the voice, and within moments the culprit was found.
Jakotsu was perched on one of the courtyard's picnic tables, and at this point he was certain the guy had claimed this particular table as his own. Kouga decided he didn't really have anything else better to do other than go say hi—either that or, maybe he was actually starting to appreciate Jakotsu's company. Maybe. As Kouga neared closer to the table, he paused before taking a seat. He hadn't realized there was someone else sitting with Jakotsu. He looked familiar, and Kouga quickly placed him as one of Jakotsu's roommates. The guy had his eyes glued to his phone, though, so he couldn't exactly get a great view of his face.
"Koooouga~! Hiya!" Jakotsu beamed, twisting his body off the tabletop and adjusting himself into the actual picnic seat. Kouga smirked slightly. He gave a quick salute to Jakotsu and then peered over to the guy, figuring he'd greet him as well, but...his eyes were met with a pretty rough glare. Well, time to pack the friendly greeting department up for today. He settled for giving the guy a staunch nod, but it didn't really matter. His head jerked back to the phone's screen before Kouga moved even an inch of his neck. As Kouga settled in the seat, his attention focused back on Jakotsu.
"Hey...Jakotsu, how's it hanging?" Kouga said, feeling more weary than usual. He didn't know if exhaustion was the cause of his current mood spell, or the fact that he couldn't even remember the last time he had communicated with a human being face to face. If it was the latter, he could thank his schooling for that.
"Ahh, fine I guess! Can't complain." Jakotsu nodded, though his eyes drifted to the corner as if he was weighing on his words for a moment. Perhaps to check and see if there was anything he could actually complain about. Soon enough, Jakotsu peered over to Kouga again and grinned wildly. Kouga prayed to the heavens to help him prepare his mind, body, and soul for whatever was making Jakotsu smile like that.
"Sooooooo...how's the demon?"
"The...demon?" Kouga narrowed his eyes, thinking. He didn't have to do very much of that, though, because Jakotsu quickly cut him off.
"Ya know, your roommate." Jakotsu said, humorously wiggling his eyebrows and propping his chin on the palm of his hand.
"Oh. Him." Kouga forced a drawled out sigh. Yes, just the person Kouga was dying to talk about. He blinked afterwards, finding it strange that he was feeling slightly indifferent about Inuyasha now. Obviously, of course he knew all too well that he was feeling different about Inuyasha—but finding himself in a situation where he didn't actually want to spit on his grave was somewhat...mind blowing. Inuyasha was slowly becoming less and less like he initially imagined him, that cocky hard-ass—well, the guy was definitely still all that, but Kouga was beginning to see him in a less polarizing way. Perhaps, Kouga wondered, if Inuyasha's harsh and arrogant attitude was a coping mechanism for how he was raised? Hell, if Kouga was in the same boat, he'd probably turn out like Inuyasha, too. And if that was just how his brother treated him...well, he'd hate to see what the guy's father was like. Granted, Kouga couldn't excuse or sweeten the fact Inuyasha had done some inexcusable things, but it was more like—as much as the idea made him cringe—he honestly was beginning to understand his roommate.
"Well?" Jakotsus eyebrows piqued, and Kouga cleared his throat after the realization that he has been staring off into space.
"Oh, he's a pain in the ass as always." Kouga waved off with ease, keeping up the charade and ultimately causing Jakotsu to laugh. Soon afterwards, he readied himself to change the subject to something more relevant to Jakotsu's area of expertise. "To be honest, something did happen though. His brother came in our dorm."
Kouga wasn't one for gossip, so either his familiarity with Jakotsu was rubbing off on him, or he had a hunch he could learn a thing or two about the Taisho family from Jakotsu. Or...maybe, Kouga half admitted to himself; a bit of both.
"His brother?" Jakotsu asked, seeming legitimately confused.
Disappointment flooded Kouga, realizing that Jakotsu was completely unaware that Inuyasha even had a brother. This left Kouga momentarily stunned, fumbling around mentally in an attempt to figure out how to carry on the conversation. He didn't know whether or not to tell Jakotsu the whole truth of the situation, or then again, it was best not to tell him the entirety of it. Kouga's dilemma, however, was what and how much of it to tell Jakotsu.
However, a familiar voice spoke up, catching the both of them off guard.
"Wait, who are we talking about?" Bankotsu chimed in, sounding a bit miffed to not have been included in the conversation sooner.
"Oh! Well, remember that fight at our party everyone was talking about? The one with Inuyasha?"
"Yeah?" Bankotsu cocked an eyebrow, completely unamused and not at all phased by the incident.
"Well, Kouga was the guy he punched! Remember?" Jakotsu frantically pointed at Kouga, causing him to cringe inwardly. He'd just recently forgotten that incident existed, but never mind, there it was again, clocking him in the gut by Jakotsu's unsympathetic outburst.
There was a slight pause on his end, then a sudden and loud, "Ohhh, right. I see." Bankotsu's eyes quickly widened in realization.
"I haven't heard of anything about Inuyasha having a brother though...he must not go to this college." Jakotsu mumbled, more or less seeming to be talking to himself in deep thought.
"Yeah, I don't think so either. He looked pretty old; not too old, but old enough to be in his late twenties. He also had a suit on." Kouga chimed in.
"Oh, I see..." Jakotsu nodded and trailed. He thought for a moment, almost readying himself to, most likely, hurl Kouga a ton of questions, but Bankotsu unexpectedly spoke up.
"Wait a minute." He said, his eyebrows furrowing together. "If this is Inuyasha Taisho we're talking about...then his brother must be Doctor Taisho."
"Doctor Taisho?" Kouga and Jakotsu asked in unison.
"Yeah, you've never heard of him? He's a doctor at the hospital in Tokyo, but he got super popular after being interviewed on that TV program about his research on coma patients." Bankotsu paused for a moment before continuing, attempting to hide his prior excitement. "Sometimes if you watch that morning news channel on 16, he's practically a regular guest now." He shrugged, leaving the conversation lingering in the air for a good while.
"Huh, I see...guess that explains a bit." Kouga nodded, resigning from the topic at hand. Jakotsu, on the other hand, was completely stunned and seemed desperate for more answers.
"What?! Inuyasha's got a top notch doctor as a big bro?! No way..." Jakotsu's gaze flashed from Kouga to Bankotsu, his eyes completely lit with energy. It was like he had a million thoughts in his head, so he concentrated for a moment. Then, he turned to Kouga with a cheeky grin. "Say Kouga, was he good looking?
"Wow. Now you're interested in doctors. No surprise there." Bakotsu grimaced, crossing his arms. His eyes trailed somewhere far off in the distance, putting his sour mood on display.
"Aww, are you why are you so mad all of a sudden, Ban-chan? I guess you really hate rich people, huh?"
"Yeah, rich people. This is exactly what this is about. Idiot." Bankotsu quipped. He shifted his entire body away from Jakotsu, then lazily pulled out his phone. Kouga felt awkward, wondering if this was some kind of joke in between the two of them, but by the look of Jakotsu's bewildered and frustrated expression, it most likely wasn't. Jakotsu opened his mouth, but paused, stealing a quick glance from Kouga. It was almost as if the guy had forgotten he was at the table. Still, Kouga didn't want to force them to "play nice" just for him, so he stared at Bankotsu and then back to Jakotsu, making a brief nod. Jakotsu smiled just slightly, then rubbed at Bankotsu's shoulders.
"Baaan, you're too old to be throwing a temper tantrum! You're so easily jealous!"
"I'm not JEALOUS!" Bankotsu's head whipped around, then cleared his throat. "It's nothing."
Oh, he's SO jealous, and it's so totally NOT nothing, Kouga instantly thought to himself.
"Really? Is it really nothing?" Jakotsu's voice recoiled slightly, softer and less energetic. There was a lack of confidence in it, but there was something very loving in there.
At that realization, and the fact he was actually able to pick up on these kinds of things now for some reason, Kouga realized that this lover's quarrel was getting a little too personal for his liking. Unconsciously, he shifted in his seat and made an uncomfortable noise, and Jakotsu quickly took notice. He slapped Bankotsu bluntly on his back, causing the guy to finally acknowledge something other than his phone.
"OW?" He narrowed his eyes. Jakotsu completely ignored him.
"Oh! Anyway, Kouga, what were you going to say about his brother? Sorry, we kinda cut you off."
"Well, there wasn't much...it's just that there was a huge scene when he came over. He practically barged in and started yelling at him. I guess it was all because Inuyasha hadn't been contacting his family after Kagome broke up with him."
"Damn, that must have been a nice scene."
"Huh?"
"Because it's like seein' justice getting served. Ya know, eye for an eye...? With your eye and all." Bankotsu smirked, pointing at his own eye. He seemed to notice Kouga's embarrassment to the past incident, so he quickly continued before Kouga could. "Not that it's still showing or anything, I just remember Jakotsu saying you had a huge mark on it. Seems to have healed up good, now."
"Oh. Yeah, ha, I guess the guy had it coming." After uttering those words, Kouga's smirk suddenly started to fade. His brows pinched together while in thought. Still, it was a little hard to stomach. "I mean, hell, even though the insults weren't hurled at me, they were still giving me the shivers."
"Really? So Inuyasha's Ph.d holding brother is a scary guy too? Who knew..."
"I can picture it. He seemed like one of those cool, calculating bastards when I saw him on TV. Those kind of guys can always dish out the sick blows." Bankotsu rubbed his chin contently at the thought of his analyzations, leaning over on the picnic table. Jakotsu pondered the subject for a few seconds more before his expression grew slightly confused.
"Ha—wait a minute, you actually watch those lame health interview shows?" Jakotsu's head whipped around, now fully invested in his conversation with Bankotsu.
"It was only one episode, and hey, they're not that lame."
"Haha, well that's a development coming from Mr, 'I only watch sumo wrestling and baseball'."
"Shut the hell up Jakotsu."
"Ha. Make me." Jakotsu gave Bankotsu a sly, sultry smile. If he ever needed an example of what attraction looked like, well, there it was right in front of him. Good for them and all, but Kouga didn't want to be a third wheel in this development. Hell to the no.
"Weeeeell, looks like my next class is starting, so uh, gotta run!" Kouga was already out of the vicinity by the time he heard Jakotsu call out his quick goodbye to him.
While on his way back to his dormitory, for some reason, his mind flashed back to the conversation between him and Bankotsu. His words own replayed: "I guess the guy had it coming". Was that really how Kouga felt? Of course not. Kouga knew that full and well. If there was any reality check that Kouga needed, this conversation with Bankotsu and Jakotsu surely served that purpose. Not only because the pair were a perfect display of two guys having obvious feelings for each other, it also put Kouga's own feelings into perspective. The feelings of hatred he felt for Inuyasha weren't there anymore...and it'd morphed into something way past normal kinship.
They'd both been taking turns playing the asshole game, and at some point, the game gets boring. It gets pointless. A deep, dark thought inside of Kouga loomed, knowing that it was worth it to stop the game and break the cycle...but how could he even begin to do something like that?
