Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe or any of the popular name brand apps, products, services, etc. The rest is mine.

Chapter 13

"So...I'm going to talk to my editor...set up some appointments...But, I'll be in touch?" Kagome smiled nervously, toying with the hem of the shirt he was letting her wear.

"Yeah...sounds good," he swallowed, nodding his head as she bit the inside of her lip.

"Ok. I guess...I'll see you around?"

"Yeah," he replied, swallowing again, fidgeting with the red strap of his backpack slung over his shoulder. He ran his thumb up and down it again and again, as they looked at each other. It was like...despite last night, they still had more to say, yet...they didn't know how to say whatever it was.

"Ok then," she finally breathed, rolling up onto the balls of her feet before flattening them. "Later, Inuyasha."

"Yeah...bye…" he waved, his hand slightly curled in on itself as she unlocked her rental and climbed in. Her engine rumbled to life, and he watched her reverse and carefully peel away from the house, mindful of the gravel driveway.

Inuyasha sighed as she disappeared from sight - the dull rumble of the engine no longer audible. He was still sorting how he felt about….everything. She was going to help him decorate his house.

His.

…on the land that had been given to them. Built with the plans he had drawn up for them.

It was...weird. Something he had never thought would happen after he had finally found his way through the pain of their end, and began moving forward with his life. Was he just...taking ten giant steps back?

Or was this a good thing? Was entwining himself with her...a good thing?

He groaned, his head rolling back onto his shoulders. This wasn't a rabbit hole he wanted to go down right now. What he wanted was a hot shower and something more than poptarts in his belly...but that meant facing his mother.

Fan. Fucking. Tastic.

He knew it was better to nut up and face her sooner rather than later...but that didn't make it any easier. Their fight hadn't exactly...gone over well the night before. Still, he owed her an apology. She only wanted the best for him, even if what she thought was best as a little...misguided sometimes.

In his opinion at least.

Inuyasha sighed and grabbed the strap slung over his shoulder, rolling his stiff neck before he lumbered up the porch and opened the rickety storm door, and then the front door.

"I'm home," he called out, not expecting a response, and indeed - he was greeted with silence. He heard some shuffling in the other room, and his father appeared a moment later, looking him up and down.

"You look like you had an interesting night," he commented, his lip quirking up at the corner. Inuyasha was still in just his white tank top, and he was sure his hair was probably a bit messier than normal. He was sure he made quite the picture. "You smell like it too...Alcohol and Kagome…"

"Pops—"

"—Inuyasha, your business is your business, but I'm your father...so I'm only gonna ask you this once. Are you sure about this, son?"

Inuyasha sighed, a shuddering breath leaving his lungs as he ran a hand through his bangs.

"Honestly dad...I have no idea, but...I think…" he sighed, readjusting the strap on his shoulder, "I think I need to do this."

He watched his father's eyes search his face, darting back and forth as he seemed to come to a decision.

"Ok then," he nodded, wrapping an arm around his son's shoulders. "I trust ya," Touga reassured, giving them a tight squeeze before commenting that he really needed a shower. Something he knew already...his father didn't need to hound him about it…

"...But first, talk to your mother? She's beena wreck since last night."

Perfect.

"Yeah," he sighed, his words leaving in a whoosh as he exhaled. "I will."

"Now please," his father replied, shooting him a look that said he meant business. He might not have been eight anymore, but his father could still throw him over his knee and whoop his ass if he wanted to.

"I'm going," he grumbled, his ears telling him that his mother was in the laundry room.

He slowly meandered through the house, each step feeling like he was walking to his execution until he was outside of said laundry room. He sighed and opened the door, revealing his mother as she aggressively slammed the bristled end of a bottle of stain remover into a shirt. He was sure she was imagining that it was his head.

"Good morning, Ma," he greeted with a wince as she slammed the bottle down onto the edge of their top loading washing machine.

"Is it now?" she replied calmly, picking up the shirt and lifting the lid of said washing machine, tossing it inside.

"Ma…" he sighed, trying to keep himself from balling his hands into fists. He couldn't get angry at her. Again. He needed to apologize. "Listen...about last night…" He watched her pause, and...optimistically...he took that as a sign that she was willing to listen to him.

"I'm sorry for what I said 'n everything, Ma. I didn't mean to hurt you or nothing...I just...I needed to talk with Kagome. I think it was good for me. It's like I can finally put her behind me. Move on. I feel...freer than I have in years. I feel like I can move on with Kikyo witha clear conscious."

His mother was listening to him now. He could tell by the way her head turned ever so slightly to the side, like she was trying to hear him better. It was subtle, but he knew his mother, and that was a move of hers when she was feigning indifference.

"I feel like I can finally put everything that happened between us behind me. We talked about...how things ended last night," he confessed, and he saw her posture stiffen. "It was a good thing, I think. It hurt, but…I feel like I finally got closure, Ma."

His mother said nothing, instead picking up a bottle of detergent and pouring it into the machine before capping it.

"You know...She finally...Kagome finally told me that she didn't cheat on me."

Izayoi dropped the bottle of detergent, the cap barely clinging to the bottle keeping the liquid from pouring out.

"Ma!"

"I'm fine, Baby," she replied dismissively, picking up the bottle and shelving it in the cabinet above. She started the machine and crossed her arms under her bosom - her back still facing towards him as she took deep, calming breaths that made her whole body move with their rhythm.

"Ma?"

"What did she have to say for herself?"

Her words were calm. Quiet. A calm before a storm.

"You really want to know, Ma?" he asked cautiously - it was a mistake. He should have known better...and did the second the words left his mouth.

"Do I really want to know?" she hissed through clenched teeth. "Yes, Inuyasha. I do really want to know. Maybe your memory is a bit foggy, but mine sure as hell isn't. I remember pulling you out of bed every morning to make you go shower. I remember coaxing you to come eat. I remember finding you sitting out by the crick staring into nothing.

Maybe you don't seem to remember what she did to you, but I sure as hell do."

"Ma…" he sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Don't you 'Ma' me, young man - that woman destroyed you and took the better part of your youth from ya. I can still feel you clinging to me, sobbing and saying over and over again that she was pretending she cheated on ya to end things and you just didn't understand why. If she gave ya an answer, I wanna hear it. I wanna know why the hell she broke my baby!"

"She thought she really did it," he explained, sharing the details of his conversation with Kagome from the night before.

"So...that just makes everything ok with you, does it?"

"It's an explanation, Ma. It's more than what I had."

"And if she loved you half as much as you loved her, she woulda tried to make things right."

"Ma…"

"No! She coulda come back and make amends at any time. She coulda talked to ya long before now.

Now she's ready? Now she wants to heal?

She's a snake in the grass, Inuyasha. She ain't up to no good and I want you to stay away from her."

"That's gonna be pretty hard since she's helping me with the house."

That was a mistake. Oh god was that a mistake...It was like...he was looking at a fire slowly consuming a house, and instead of calling the fire department, he went out, found a bottle of gasoline, and just dumped it straight into said fire.

"She's...what?" his mother whispered lowly.

"I needed help with some things and she works at that fancy ass magazine and I took her to see the house and she volunteered to help pick out the paint and stuff and then I can move outta here that much sooner and give you and Pops some space and—"

"—and you'd rather ask that woman for help than me? I am your mother. I gave birth to you. I know you better than you do!"

"Well so does she!"

"Not anymore she don't! Baby...maybe she did, but she ain't the same little girl who grew up nextdoor no more. She hasn't known you, or spoken to you, in years. Why on earth would you do this Inuyasha!"

"'Cause it felt right, ok? It felt…" he sighed, his body slumping. "I miss my friend, Ma. Even if I never wanted to just stay friends with her, she was my friend first, and I miss her. I...I want that again. Having her help just felt right - I can't explain it. I know it's dumb to want it...but...I do and she did and she is and...and that's the end of it, ok?"

Inuyasha watched his mother's jaw twitch for a moment before she sighed, her whole body going slack and her shoulders drooped.

"I love you Baby...but I'm not gonna be here when she hurts ya this time. You're gonna have to learn from your mistakes on your own this time round."

"It's not a mistake," he adamantly reassured her.

"We'll just see about that, won't we?"

That was a dismissal if he had ever heard one, and Inuyasha shook his head as he turned to leave, mumbling something about needing a shower and making a call to Kikyo later.

"Good - if you want to be focusing on picking paint colors with someone, ya should be doing it with Kikyo!" his mother called after him, and he winced.

He liked Kikyo.

He did.

But...there was something about working on this with her that just...it didn't feel right. It wasn't that she didn't have good taste or anything. It was just that...Oh hell, he didn't know. It just didn't feel right. That's what he knew.

And he always listened to his gut when it was screaming at him.

Inuyasha lethargically made his way up the stairs to his room, his footfalls heavy on each step as he climbed up. He felt so drained after the latest round with his mother, and now he was desperate for a shower and a nap.

He pushed the door to his room open and swung his bag off of his shoulder, opening it so he could unpack his snacks for later. What he hadn't expected to see...were the articles of clothing laying on top.

There, above the marshmallows and half eaten tube of pringles, sat Kagome's wrinkled, beer soaked shirt...and above that, her bra.

"Aw fuck," he swore, running his hand across his eyes. They had been so caught up in their awkward goodbyes, that it hadn't even occurred to them that hey...maybe they were forgetting something? Like her bra?

This was great.

Just fucking great.

He had to find a way to get this back to her now without being awkward about the whole thing...Was it even possible to increase the level of awkwardness they felt around each other now?

He sighed, removing the shirt and undergarment from his bag, his thumb absently running across the lacy fabric.

Why the hell had she worn a lacy bra anyways? And in his favorite color?

Was she...maybe hoping…that he would see it?

No. That was stupid.

He wasn't going to read into this.

He opened his bag and angrily shoved it back inside. Who gave a shit. Her bra, her choice. It probably meant nothing, and he wasn't gonna pretend that she wanted anything from him anymore.

They were just…gonna act professional around each other from now on. Maybe find friendship again. Alla this? This was just a giant mistake and misunderstanding, and the next time he saw her, he was gonna deal with it.

Maybe he should give her back that shirt he had under his bed too.

No point in holding onto it anymore, right? He sure as hell didn't need it anymore.

Yeah.

That was exactly what he was gonna do.

"Oh good! I'm glad I caught you before you left," Kagome beamed, trotting down the wooden steps, closed laptop in hand. He had come in for a glass of water before heading back to his family's ranch to help look after the cattle there. It was hot as fuck out today - a fine sheen of sweat clung to him like a second skin, and he was already itching to shower.

"Yeah - just wanted to grab some water before I head out," he smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "It's hot out today."

"Oh...I know. My room is a sweatbox!" She laughed nervously, bringing her laptop under her breasts as she crossed her arms.

It only served as a reminder that he had yet to return her shirts...or bra...

It was still sitting in his backpack in his room. Every time he entered, it was like the fucking thing was looking at him, daring him to open it and peak inside at the lacy red fabric. He didn't though. He didn't need to imagine it against her skin, or the way her pink nipples must look against the red fabric…

"I thought we could look at some photos of lights before you left? I'll keep it quick, I promise. I just...wanted to get an idea what you'd like so I can do a little research on stores with that in mind."

"Yeah...I have a few minutes I can spare," he nodded, allowing her to lead him into the kitchen.

"Great! My editors have been eating you up by the way. Your whole story...they want more of it and are dying for me to start working on this. Do you happen to have any photos of the house when you began working on it?"

"I'm sure I have some on my phone…"

"Hmmm...better than nothing," Kagome murmured, placing the computer down on the kitchen table as he moved to the cabinets, taking out a glass to fill with ice and some water.

"Ya want some?" he paused, hand still on the open cabinet, craning his head to look at her. What he saw on her computer screen surprised him - he felt his eyes widen and his breath catch in his throat. She had his Facebook page pulled up, photos of him over the years stared back at them.

"Yeah - that would be great," she called back, moving her finger along the pad to close the screen, but he caught her hand before she could. Funny. He didn't even remember moving across the room, standing behind her.

"What's this," he pressed, feigning indifference.

"Nothing," she blushed. "I was doing research!"

"Dating back to 2015?"

"I was trying to see if I could figure out more about your taste!"

"By going through photos from 2015?" he replied, a thick brow raising as his tongue kissed his teeth. "I think ya deep dived, Kagome."

"I did not!" she sputtered, trying to move her hand to close his facebook page.

"You absolutely did!" he smirked, delighting in her embarrassment. He pulled her hands up to her chest, safely keeping them away from his mouse as he leaned over her shoulder.

"I didn't!" She insisted, a sweet blush dusting her features. God she looked so cute…

"Uh huh...sure ya didn't. Did ya see anything ya liked, Higurashi?"

"I didn't find anything helpful, if that's what you mean," she snapped back, and his grin only widened.

"Huh. Took ya till ya reached 2015 to figure that out?"

"I thought you might have had something useful up!"

"I probably do...you just can't see it 'cause we aren't friends," he mused, absently wondering how often she went onto his page, looking at photos of him over the years.

Making a split second decision, Inuyasha moved his hand across her mouse and hit the add friend button, and he felt her go completely still.

"There. Maybe that will help ya with your 'research'."

"How generous of you…"

"I thought so," he snorted, his thumb absently rubbing her arm.

He heard her swallow before she breathed his name, and he pulled away from her, mumbling something about getting them that water they wanted.

"S-sounds good," she replied, moving her hair behind her ears before she inhaled deeply. Almost as if she were trying to calm her nerves.

"Nervous," he asked, placing the glass of water beside her as he pulled a chair up next to her. He turned it around so the back was facing the table, and swung his leg around the seat, leaning an arm over its back as he sat.

"A little…" she admitted, pushing her hair behind her ears. "Is it weird? I'm worried you aren't going to like what I found…Or that you're going to change your mind...Or that—"

He placed his hand over her mouth, and watched her raise her brows at him.

"Stop...Just...stop worrying and show me what ya got, ok?"

"Ok."

A/N:

I know it's been a while…but…Guess what? I have through chapter 17 of this done, and I'm halfway done with chapter 18. Everyone go thank UnderwaterOphelia because I 100% whored myself out for early snippets of her fic Vices on AO3 in exchange for deep diving on this one. I have no shame. I'll admit it. You should also read it.

Chapter 14 is due to be released publicly on Aug 11, but you can catch teasers and find out how to read it early on my tumblr!

Till next time!

-LL