The Principle of Existence
Summary: Due to a declining birth rate, the government of Japan imposes a drastic new law that forces healthy males and females to get together to make children. For Inuyasha, a hanyou, this may be a chance he thought he never had to have a family. But will he ever find love too?
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and Co. They belong to the wonderfully talented Takahashi Rumiko.
Warning: Adults doing adult things.
Chapter 10 Moving Forward
Showered with unscented soap, shampoo and conditioner? Check.
Unscented deodorant? Check.
Clothes washed with unscented laundry soap? Check.
Mama's perfume? Double check. Eh...maybe a triple check would be better.
Kagome ran through the checklist in her head a few more times. Mama Higurashi and Kagome came up with a plan for the night. It was a little something to help Inuyasha prepare for Kikyo. According to Kikyo's language teacher, things were progressing faster than expected. They had decided to move the completion date up a few weeks. That meant they had little time left, which was probably a good thing.
Tying her hair up in a ponytail, Kagome bounded down the stairs and headed into the kitchen where her mother was wiping the table down. Kagome adjusted her oversized yellow tshirt, pulling on the hem from nerves.
"He should be here soon. Are you sure this is a good idea?"
Mama Higurashi smiled. "Of course dear. Inuyasha and Kikyo will appreciate everything you are doing for them. Don't worry about it."
"Ok. And we have everything, right?"
"Yes. We do." Mama Higurashi set down the towel she was using to wipe off the counter and headed over to her daughter. "And everything will be fine. I don't know why you are getting yourself so worked up."
Kagome sighed. "I...I just don't feel like I'm doing a good job. That's all," she said, lying to her mother. Her mother could never know the crush she had for the irritable hanyou. She couldn't understand why her head would make her think that he was something special when he wasn't at all interested in her. She couldn't stop the inevitable heartbreak that was bound to happen here soon. Constantly checking in and spending some time with Kikyo didn't help alleviate anything. In fact, it made it all the more difficult to want to help them.
"It wasn't my idea to do this. I'd just stay out of the whole thing if they would let me," she explained to her mother. And she tried. She went down the offices in charge of this whole match game idea and begged to be able to resign. Reasons such as Kikyo doing so well and Inuyasha not interested wasn't enough to convince them otherwise. They instead encouraged her to try harder and do her best for the future of Japan.
"That's why I think tonight will be just what is needed," her mother replied in her usual cheerful smile.
Kagome smiled back, always feeling better when her mother reassured her of things. Her mother had that effect on everyone. It was why so many had unofficially adopted her as their own mother.
The doorbell gained their attention. Their guest had arrived. It was time to put things into action. Kagome ran into the living room area and stood there, waiting. The doorbell rang again. And then again, the person on the other side getting impatient by the decrease in wait times between rings. Kagome walked over slowly and opened the door.
She held her breath.
The sight of him made her dizzy. She took a step back to keep herself steady.
He scowled at her, crossing his arms over his dark blue t-shirt that stretched tightly across defined muscles, silver hair spilling down. His ears were twitching about, listening in on everything around him.
"What the hell took so long," he yelled out at her.
Kagome rolled her eyes and wandered off, leaving him standing there. She had to take several breaths. He looked amazing. Gorgeous. Hunky. Her mind thought up of a few more choice words to describe him before he opened his mouth. Yummy.
Not hers.
"Oi, are you going to invite me in or what?"
"Sure," she replied, disappearing into the living room. Kagome plopped down onto the couch, picked up the controller and resumed her game.
Inuyasha slinked inside and kicked his shoes off, snagging a pair of slippers. He closed the front door behind him and slowly made his way inside, unsure of what to do and what was going on. He spotted Kagome engrossed in her video game. She wasn't even going to acknowledge him. Whatever. He wasn't interested. Though...her game sounded good.
He walked over to couch she was sitting on and peeked at the television. Super Smash Bros. Good choice in game. Inuyasha watched Kagome play. She was pretty good. Not good enough though. She was a girl.
"Hand me a controller," he ordered, holding his clawed hand out.
"Grab your own," she snapped back, motioning over to the television where the game station and extra controllers were kept.
He narrowed his golden eyes at her, but marched over and grabbed the controller anyways. Someone was in a mood today.
"Scoot over," he barked at her. Kagome reluctantly scooted over. Having him sit so close to her...oh momma, this was a bad idea.
"Look at what you made me do," she said angrily as her player fell off the stage.
"Whatever. Restart it for multiplayer mode."
"Excuse me? I didn't invite you to play the game with me."
"Doesn't matter. Afraid you'll lose."
"No." She narrowed her eyes at him. Her anger and annoyance at him kept the hormones from getting out of control. Change in plans, stay angry at him for the remainder of this stupid job and maybe, just maybe she would make it out okay.
"Let's go. Dinner will be ready soon."
Mama Higurashi came out of the kitchen. She found her daughter and Inuyasha on the couch playing a video game. She smiled as she was reminded of the times when Kagome and Souta would play. They would yell and scream at each other. And then they would start the next round. Maybe this was Kagome's and Inuyasha's way to get passed things and start being on more friendly terms with each other. That would be nice.
"Dinner will be late," she told Inuyasha. "I'm ordering pizza."
Inuyasha was saddened to hear that they would be eating pizza. He could order pizza himself any night of the week. What he really wanted was some good old-fashioned home cooked food. That was harder for him to have. He could cook, just not very well. Ramen and other food was enough for him to survive off of. Nor did he have the time to cook. It was all work, all the time.
"It couldn't be helped, "Mama explained as she flittered about, picking up items around the house. "Golden Week is coming up and we get so busy around here with all the of the visitors to the Shrine. Kagome dear, are the supplies ordered for Kodomo no Hi?"
"Yes." Kagome jumped up from the couch, pressing pause on the game. "I placed-"
"What the fuck!" Inuyasha yelled at her, grabbing her arm as Kagome tried to run after her mother.
"Ow," Kagome let out as she tried twisting her arm out of his grasp. What was that stinging sensation? "Ouch."
"You don't pause the game like that."
"Geez. Sorry. Now will you let me go. I need to go talk to my mother about Shrine business."
Inuyasha shook his head. "You ain't leaving the game that easily."
Kagome narrowed her eyes at him, taking a quick glance at his grip on her arm. "You don't tell me what to do. The game can wait."
Was she challenging him? She was, wasn't she? Keeping a tight grip on her arm, he stood up, pulling her down at the same time so they were eye to eye, gold to silver. Kagome realized how close she was to him. She was afraid to breathe, afraid to take in his masculine scent. Swallowing the lump that swelled in her throat, she didn't back down.
"Finish the goddamn game," he ordered, his voice low, dangerous.
Any closer and she could kiss him. Just like that. She didn't feel the pain in her arm. Not right away. She let out a sigh and gave in. If she didn't, he wouldn't let go and she couldn't be that close to him. She was stupid for letting herself even think for one teensy tiny moment that there could ever be something. He had the hots for Kikyo. And she couldn't blame him. Kikyo was such a beautiful woman and Kagome was just a grungy child.
"Fine." Kagome could feel his grip loosen. She rubbed her arm as she crawled back onto the couch, further away from him.
Kagome restarted the game. He growled at her.
Mama Higurashi watched with amusement as the two young adults sat in the living room extremely focused on a video game. She shook her head as she went ahead and ordered the pizza. It was then that the yelling and cursing began. Kagome had such a mouth on her when she played these games. So did Souta as well. That reminded her, she needed to call her son about the upcoming Golden Week. There were going to need some extra help around the Shrine.
Kagome frowned. This wasn't how tonight was supposed to go. She wasn't allowed to have fun with Inuyasha. She didn't want to be on friendly terms with him. Her heart demanded it. Her mind refused. The internal battle was exhausting. But she had a game to play. She could focus on winning and be done with it. She needed to escape this before she was trapped for good. Her heart reminded her that it was too late. Despite how he treated her and what he thought of her, the attraction was there on her end. She was falling. She was falling hard and fast. She was reaching terminal velocity and when she hit the ground, it was going to shatter her to pieces.
Inuyasha glanced over at Kagome. He noticed her concentration. She was determined to win this. From what he knew of girls, they weren't competitive. She was supposed to let him win. To save him from any kind of bruised ego. He snapped his attention back to the game. No way was he going to lose. Not to her.
They mashed on the buttons and continued to spew curses.
Time-up.
Kagome jumped off the couch with a big smile on her face, her controller flying towards the television. She didn't say a word, but hurried into the kitchen, leaving Inuyasha alone on the couch. He stared at the screen. She had won. Just barely. A few hundred points. He couldn't believe it. He never lost when we played with Bowser. And to lose to Zelda. That didn't make sense.
He hurried after her into the kitchen to demand a rematch. She had to have cheated. When he entered the kitchen he saw Kagome and her mother sitting at the table eating pizza.
"Oh, there you are Inuyasha. The pizza arrived a few minutes ago. Please have some," Mama Higurashi offered. "However, if you'd like something to drink, please help yourself to whatever you want from the fridge."
Kagome tried not to look at Inuyasha as he strolled over to the table to sit down. She plopped her pizza down onto her plate, picking at some random vegetables. She didn't know how she did it, but she actually won. Not once had she won. All those time against her brother and his friends, she lost. Her role was more to help her brother get better at the game versus any real game play. Part of her felt bad for winning. She knew she wasn't supposed to win. Girls were supposed to let the guys win. It's how girls won the guy. Maybe that's why she won. She wasn't getting the guy.
"Sorry to say it, but your daughter cheats," Inuyasha stated as he sat down across from Mama Higurashi.
"Really?" she asked surprised to hear this from him.
"No way could she have beaten me with the Zelda. Not possible."
Mama Higurashi glanced over at her daughter who was just sitting there spaced out. "Kagome...won?"
"Yeah, but barely. Not sure how she did it," he responded between large bites of pizza.
Kagome hadn't chimed in on her successful win. "Kagome? Kagome?"
Kagome looked up. "Yeah?"
"Dear, could you find the list of volunteers from last year. We are going to need to make phone calls tomorrow."
"Sure. Excuse me." Kagome quietly stood up and exited the room.
Mama watched her with some concern. "It's unheard of...Kagome winning. She usually loses. Despite how much game time she's accumulated playing against her brother. Maybe she lost to them on purpose. But a cheater...never. It's not in her to do such a thing."
Inuyasha stood up and headed to the fridge to grab himself a beer to drink. He noticed the outside of the fridge. It was covered with pictures, covering many years. One stood out. It was Mama Higurashi with two young children and a tall man.
"This your husband?" Inuyasha asked. He never noticed him around. Surprised he hadn't met the man.
"Yes. That picture was taken when Kagome was nine and Souta was six or seven. My husband and Kagome were living in Seattle at the time. I had come over to live with him for a short period. Souta was visiting, but opted to stay here with jii-chan. It was easier for school."
Mama Higurashi stood up to join Inuyasha by the fridge so she could look at the picture as well. "He took us sightseeing around the city. Introduced us to the Japanese-American communities. Despite how close-knit the community is, so much is different. I had a difficult time adjusting."
Mama sat back down at the table and motioned for Inuyasha to do the same. She waited until he was seated before she spoke. "Despite how well Kikyo is progressing with the language, and how hard her family tried to preserve our customs, you both will have a lot of work to do. We are trying to make you uncomfortable so that you more easily accept what is to come." Mama laughed at that. "However, if you don't want that, let us know. Kagome has been struggling with this. Being given such a strange and difficult job…"
Inuyasha nodded. "I'm fine. I'm a hanyou. Life is never easy."
Mama Higurashi wrapped her arm around Inuyasha and squeezed. "He passed away many years ago, in case you were wondering why you haven't met him yet. He had a great job. Traveled a lot. Kikyo is a doctor, right?"
Inuyasha nodded. He liked listening to her talk. It was comforting. Much like we dreamed it would be if his mother were still alive. Motherly advice, pep talks, stories about his mother and father… He figured he would know more about his father if his mother were still alive. Instead, his asshole of a brother and the other full blooded cronies shunned him, denying him access to anything that belonged to his demon side.
"I imagine she will have a crazy schedule as well. So difficult to get used to. The random calls, long hours and even a few cancelled vacations." Mama Higurashi look over to the entrance of the kitchen and found Kagome standing there. She smiled at her daughter. "But if it works out, it's worth it."
"Here's the box from Golden Week last year. It should have the list of names of volunteers," Kagome said as she set it down on the table next to the pizza.
"Prepping for Golden Week wasn't just some excuse to order pizza?" Inuyasha asked.
Kagome shook her head. "No. After New Year's, it's one of our biggest events. Families bring their sons over to be blessed, and we have some activities for them to do. We expect this year to be huge with the government mandate. Families will no doubt be asking the gods for blessing for their sons and whatnot."
"We will want to make sure the grounds are clean to for midori no hi," Mama Higurashi said, adding to their mental list of tasks to be completed.
"Hey, Inuyasha, you should bring Kikyo here for kodomo no hi." Kagome saw the look of horror on his face when she suggested that. "You can volunteer. It would be great for her to experience some of what we do in Japan. Children are not celebrated in the United States like they are here. Besides birthdays."
"Kagome, what a wonderful idea."
"Keh, whatever." Though the idea of spending some time with Kikyo was exactly what he wanted. Kagome would be around to translate if needed, but it would be busy with children, wiping away some of the awkwardness that would exist if it were just the three of them.
A small chime sounded. Mama Higurashi pulled out a cell phone from her pocket. "Oh my. It's that late already. Jii-chan has finished with mahjong. Seemed it went well since he waited this long to contact me. Inuyasha, have a wonderful evening. Please, enjoy the rest of the pizza. Kagome, take it easy. I will be home in a bit. Will you be here?"
"I think so."
Mama Higurashi left. Kagome opened the box and started to pull out papers. Inuyasha stood up and glanced back at the fridge, looking at the picture again. He leaned against the fridge, sipping on his beer as he turned to watch Kagome go through the box.
"Sorry about your old man," he mumbled out.
"It's ok." Kagome closed her eyes as she tried to block out the events from that day. "It was a while ago."
And then there was silence. Kagome didn't know what else to do or say. She overheard most of what her mother said.
"I didn't want this job. I had no choice. I didn't think it was fair to either of you to have someone involved in your relationship. If you say so, we can drop this altogether. Mama will however insist that you come over for dinner."
She refused to look at him. He didn't answer right away. Was he trying to find the right way to say no? Probably. It was okay for him to say no. In fact, she needed him to say no. She needed him to stay away. Giving him this out was for both of them. He could focus on doing what he needed to do with Kikyo and she could not see him, be near him, hear his voice, think about him…
Why was this happening to her, with him? Was it because she never really had a real relationship? Was it the effect of being a hopeless romantic? Was it because everyone else around her were being paired up? Whatever the reason, she had to save herself. She knew from all of the movies and stories she read that it was never a good idea to fall for someone that was taken, to fall for someone that wouldn't fall for her.
Inuyasha sighed. As much as he wanted to take up her offer, he probably couldn't. He needed some help. He wouldn't admit it out loud. But he'd never been in a real long-term relationship. Never had to compromise. This would be the first compromise he would make. Deal with this for the short-term. The goal was worth it.
He pushed himself away from the fridge and walked over to the table. He didn't sit down. He stood across from Kagome. She wasn't looking at him, instead, she idly played with the papers in the box. He studied her for a moment. There was something different about her. He couldn't pin it down. He shrugged it off. It probably didn't matter.
"Let me know about help for Golden Week. I won't provide questions, but i think talking about stuff with you and your mom might be good." He set the beer bottle down on the table. "Next week then."
Kagome nodded. She couldn't find her voice. She didn't watch him leave, but heard the door close behind him. A moment passed. A sob escaped out. Quickly, she slammed her hands over her mouth. Luckily she was alone. Closing her eyes, she took deep breaths to steady herself. He was going to be the death of her. She would never be able to survive him.
She would try again. Tomorrow. Yes, she would march right down to that office and quit. There were a million excuses she could come up with. One of them would have to work. Anything to keep him away. Yet, the very thought of not seeing him again hurt her. But...why? Kagome shook her head, hoping to shake him out.
This job wasn't supposed to happen. It was a last minute decision. Short-term. This job was keeping her from what she needed to do. It was time to accept it. It was time for her to move forward.