This is my first Inuyasha fic, so forgive the writing snafus. I had to
write a short story for English class, so I decided to tweak it and include
my favorite anime's characters. This is more of a glimpse into a section
of their lives than a complete story. Enjoy, and please review. All
comments welcome!
BTW, the flowers mentioned in the story have special meanings, which I will
explain at the end of the story.
Disclaimer: "Any society that needs disclaimers has too many lawyers." And with that astute statement Rebecca bolts from the room, snatching the ownership papers to the characters of Inuyasha. She is followed closely by the police and rabid fans demanding she share the wealth. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------
"GET IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE IF YOU WANT TO GO 45 IN A 70!" I shouted while passing the Lincoln.
I turned my attention back to the road, chuckling slightly. Here I am going to shout at him for driving fast at night, and I'm whizzing past cars at 2:45 am during a thunderstorm. That's besides the point, he knew better and shouldn't have done it in the first place. Shoot, I wish I could call his mother and see how he's doing, but of course I just had to go get mad at Kikyo or whatever the heck she calls herself now. Heartless, cantankerous, narcissistic... I trailed off.
"Yashi wouldn't want you speaking like that to me," Kikyo would say smugly.
"Yashi." How I hated that name; why couldn't Kikyo call him by his first name like everyone else? He introduced himself as "Inuyasha" when they first met.
I grinned. Meeting Inuyasha, now that was an experience. I was rushing around the corner to my next class, when BAM! I ran right into him. He apologized profusely, but I brushed him off and ran to English.
"That is how it all started," I muttered, clicking my wipers up another notch. The beginning of the best friendship I ever had. That year Inuyasha moved into my neighborhood, and we spent the entire summer together. Swimming, tanning, playing, you name it we did it. We grew closer over the next years and were practically inseparable; best friends who shared everything.
Well, almost everything. I fidgeted with the seam on my shorts. I had a secret crush I never told anyone, not even Inuyasha. That's because it was Inuyasha. Somewhere along the line I fell hard for my best friend, just like in those silly romantic movies. But this was no silly romance; I was serious. I loved Inuyasha-not that superficial desire-filled emotion people spout at each other without a second thought and take it back just as quickly, but real love.
Of course, then senior year rolled around, and my cousin Kikyo started at our high school. I frowned, remembering the revolting look on my cousin's face while she raked her eyes across Inuyasha's form. She charmed him so easily, so vindictively. Dating Inuyasha was Kikyo's way of getting back at me for some long forgotten disagreement we had over a trivial topic regarding something about me "stealing" her looks.
She had been the only one to guess, the only one to know how I felt. Kikyo didn't care for Inuyasha at all, not then and certainly not now. She was playing with him for her own amusement, for the triumph at seeing the pain in my eyes every time they kissed or I caught her cheating with another. It made my blood boil, but the knowledge that he didn't abandon me abated my fury. She could not kick me out of his life; I was still his best friend.
Last Valentine's Day had been one of those occasions where I was shown to still be important. I still don't know why I thought of that day, but it came to me vividly.
We decided to exchange flowers to save money. Kikyo and I exchanged potted basil and milfoil for the sake of appearances. Ugliest things you'd ever see. Nothing was unattractive when it came to Inuyasha, however.
He, of course, gave his girlfriend a dozen viscously off-setting blood red and pure white roses, with smatterings of forget-me-nots included for good measure. Kikyo smiled sickly sweet and gave Inuyasha a passionate kiss for the flowers later described as "trite."
She presented him with a hastily thrown together arrangement (saying it accentuated their eclectic relationship) of manchineels, scarlet geraniums, white narcissus, and lavender. He venerated her with the look in his eyes, not noticing her obvious lack of foresight. It turned my stomach, and my heart.
My smile picked up again, remembering Kikyo's look as Inuyasha presented his arrangements to me. I received two bouquets, making Kikyo dreadfully jealous. One contained simple striped roses; another irises, yellow tulips, daises, and acadians, with elegant ivy running between them. I smiled softly; not a romantic bouquet but a friendly one.
Inuyasha looked eagerly at me, happiness in his eyes. With timid hands I handed my best friend the small bouquet, hardly adequate for what I felt. Just an arbutus, begonia, gardenia, monkshood, snapdragon, jonquil, and motherwort; one of each. I told him I wanted to give a simple yet different arrangement, so I sought out the lesser-known flowers.
Inuyasha interpreted my gift the way he intended his to be, stating it could not be more beautiful and hugged me, promising we'd "always be friends." When he pulled back his face shown with the love of a true companion, and I almost fully returned the expression.
Of course, Kikyo stepped in and make sure I knew the romantic plans they had for the evening. As if she really cared.
Gripping the steering wheel tighter, I recalled the words my cousin said over her laughter.
"Yashi won't know if I'm there tonight and it's too late to go driving around the state; besides, I'm (gasp) busy." I had thrown my cell at the dashboard, effectively terminating its usage.
"Darn her..." I growled out between clenched teeth. If only I could tell Inuyasha what his 'perfect girlfriend' was up to every time his eyes were averted, but no. I sighed sadly. Kikyo would just deny it and make Inuyasha feel sorry for her, maybe even turning him against me. I didn't want to lose my friend, no matter what. He just meant too much-"Ahhhh!" I screamed, swerving to the shoulder to avoid the oncoming truck. Sometime during my reminiscing I drifted into the other lane.
"I could have gotten in an accident, just like...wow," I breathed out shakily, too stunned to move and look at the other vehicle. I sat in shocked silence. What if I had died, he would have never known. I would have never known... I put my head in my hands.
"I have to tell him. It'll be so hard, but, yes, I must," I said with determination, pulling back onto the highway. Even if it hurt our friendship, I had to. I couldn't keep hiding this, it was too much. If I didn't tell him, he'd never know. Thoughts of how I would begin to explain consumed my thoughts the remaining journey, but I made sure to pay better attention to the road.
Pulling into the parking space I breathed deeply. "I'm telling him, now," I grabbed my purse and turned off the engine. Running through the rain, I prayed I wasn't too late. I almost ran down a man on crutches getting into the elevator, muttering a breathless "Sorry" as the doors closed.
When I entered the waiting lobby, a tired but calm white-haired man tenderly hugged my soaking wet form, whispering, "He's fine. He's going to be fine." I almost collapsed from relief, but found myself gently pushed toward his room. "He'll want to see you."
As I walked to the bed I took in his appearance. Inuyasha had cuts across his face and torso, a bandaged arm in a sling and IV tubes running liquid into his body. To me he had never looked better; he was alive. I leaned over him.
"Inuyasha? Inuyasha?" I queried, gently touching his unscathed hand. His eyelids fluttered open and he cracked a smile upon seeing my face. He pulled me down for a hug. My eyes watered; my best friend was alive and safe.
As I pulled back he tried to say something, but it was too soft to hear. "What?" I asked, bending down to put my ear nearer to his mouth. His breath was hot and moist on the side of my face, but what happened next quickly chilled me to my core.
"Where's Kikyo?" His words tore through me, causing me to wince and shut my eyes. Kikyo. Of course, always Kikyo. He wants her, not me. I yearn for him, but he yearns for her. I unclosed my eyes and looked miserably at Inuyasha. He had no idea that with two words he had shattered my heart, again.
"She couldn't come tonight, but she'll be here soon. I'll stay with you until she gets here, alright?" The last part came out strangled and painful. Inuyasha, unconscious to my internal torture, just nodded and leaned his head back on the pillows.
I sat down in the uncomfortable chair nearby, pulling myself close to the bed. I started to open my mouth. Maybe it didn't matter, maybe I should still tell him.
Inuyasha looked at me curiously, "What is it?" escaping his lips.
I gazed into his eyes, eyes that loved me as a friend, a sister even, but nothing more. Shutting my eyes again, I sighed, smiling a small bitter smile. I gripped Inuyasha's hand and looked at him, simply shaking my head.
"Nothing," I breathed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------
Keep in mind that most flowers have a few alternate meanings, but these are the ones I intended when I wrote the story:
Basil-hatred
Milfol-war
Red rose-"I love you"
White rose-"Am I worthy of you"
Forget-me-not-true love
Manchineel-betrayal
Scarlet geranium-melancholy
White narcissus-selfishness
Lavender-distrust
Striped rose-friendship
Iris-passion
Yellow tulip-hopeless love
Daisy-innocence, "Do you love me?"
Acadian-platonic love
Ivy-friendship
Arbutus-"Thee only do I love"
Begonia-bweare
Gardenia-purity, sweet love
Monkshood-danger
Snapdragon-deception
Jonquil-"Please return my affection"
Motherwort-concealed love
There you have it. I'll probably create a tale revolving around the general idea of this short story, but this section is itself a one-shot. Thanks for reading!
Disclaimer: "Any society that needs disclaimers has too many lawyers." And with that astute statement Rebecca bolts from the room, snatching the ownership papers to the characters of Inuyasha. She is followed closely by the police and rabid fans demanding she share the wealth. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------
"GET IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE IF YOU WANT TO GO 45 IN A 70!" I shouted while passing the Lincoln.
I turned my attention back to the road, chuckling slightly. Here I am going to shout at him for driving fast at night, and I'm whizzing past cars at 2:45 am during a thunderstorm. That's besides the point, he knew better and shouldn't have done it in the first place. Shoot, I wish I could call his mother and see how he's doing, but of course I just had to go get mad at Kikyo or whatever the heck she calls herself now. Heartless, cantankerous, narcissistic... I trailed off.
"Yashi wouldn't want you speaking like that to me," Kikyo would say smugly.
"Yashi." How I hated that name; why couldn't Kikyo call him by his first name like everyone else? He introduced himself as "Inuyasha" when they first met.
I grinned. Meeting Inuyasha, now that was an experience. I was rushing around the corner to my next class, when BAM! I ran right into him. He apologized profusely, but I brushed him off and ran to English.
"That is how it all started," I muttered, clicking my wipers up another notch. The beginning of the best friendship I ever had. That year Inuyasha moved into my neighborhood, and we spent the entire summer together. Swimming, tanning, playing, you name it we did it. We grew closer over the next years and were practically inseparable; best friends who shared everything.
Well, almost everything. I fidgeted with the seam on my shorts. I had a secret crush I never told anyone, not even Inuyasha. That's because it was Inuyasha. Somewhere along the line I fell hard for my best friend, just like in those silly romantic movies. But this was no silly romance; I was serious. I loved Inuyasha-not that superficial desire-filled emotion people spout at each other without a second thought and take it back just as quickly, but real love.
Of course, then senior year rolled around, and my cousin Kikyo started at our high school. I frowned, remembering the revolting look on my cousin's face while she raked her eyes across Inuyasha's form. She charmed him so easily, so vindictively. Dating Inuyasha was Kikyo's way of getting back at me for some long forgotten disagreement we had over a trivial topic regarding something about me "stealing" her looks.
She had been the only one to guess, the only one to know how I felt. Kikyo didn't care for Inuyasha at all, not then and certainly not now. She was playing with him for her own amusement, for the triumph at seeing the pain in my eyes every time they kissed or I caught her cheating with another. It made my blood boil, but the knowledge that he didn't abandon me abated my fury. She could not kick me out of his life; I was still his best friend.
Last Valentine's Day had been one of those occasions where I was shown to still be important. I still don't know why I thought of that day, but it came to me vividly.
We decided to exchange flowers to save money. Kikyo and I exchanged potted basil and milfoil for the sake of appearances. Ugliest things you'd ever see. Nothing was unattractive when it came to Inuyasha, however.
He, of course, gave his girlfriend a dozen viscously off-setting blood red and pure white roses, with smatterings of forget-me-nots included for good measure. Kikyo smiled sickly sweet and gave Inuyasha a passionate kiss for the flowers later described as "trite."
She presented him with a hastily thrown together arrangement (saying it accentuated their eclectic relationship) of manchineels, scarlet geraniums, white narcissus, and lavender. He venerated her with the look in his eyes, not noticing her obvious lack of foresight. It turned my stomach, and my heart.
My smile picked up again, remembering Kikyo's look as Inuyasha presented his arrangements to me. I received two bouquets, making Kikyo dreadfully jealous. One contained simple striped roses; another irises, yellow tulips, daises, and acadians, with elegant ivy running between them. I smiled softly; not a romantic bouquet but a friendly one.
Inuyasha looked eagerly at me, happiness in his eyes. With timid hands I handed my best friend the small bouquet, hardly adequate for what I felt. Just an arbutus, begonia, gardenia, monkshood, snapdragon, jonquil, and motherwort; one of each. I told him I wanted to give a simple yet different arrangement, so I sought out the lesser-known flowers.
Inuyasha interpreted my gift the way he intended his to be, stating it could not be more beautiful and hugged me, promising we'd "always be friends." When he pulled back his face shown with the love of a true companion, and I almost fully returned the expression.
Of course, Kikyo stepped in and make sure I knew the romantic plans they had for the evening. As if she really cared.
Gripping the steering wheel tighter, I recalled the words my cousin said over her laughter.
"Yashi won't know if I'm there tonight and it's too late to go driving around the state; besides, I'm (gasp) busy." I had thrown my cell at the dashboard, effectively terminating its usage.
"Darn her..." I growled out between clenched teeth. If only I could tell Inuyasha what his 'perfect girlfriend' was up to every time his eyes were averted, but no. I sighed sadly. Kikyo would just deny it and make Inuyasha feel sorry for her, maybe even turning him against me. I didn't want to lose my friend, no matter what. He just meant too much-"Ahhhh!" I screamed, swerving to the shoulder to avoid the oncoming truck. Sometime during my reminiscing I drifted into the other lane.
"I could have gotten in an accident, just like...wow," I breathed out shakily, too stunned to move and look at the other vehicle. I sat in shocked silence. What if I had died, he would have never known. I would have never known... I put my head in my hands.
"I have to tell him. It'll be so hard, but, yes, I must," I said with determination, pulling back onto the highway. Even if it hurt our friendship, I had to. I couldn't keep hiding this, it was too much. If I didn't tell him, he'd never know. Thoughts of how I would begin to explain consumed my thoughts the remaining journey, but I made sure to pay better attention to the road.
Pulling into the parking space I breathed deeply. "I'm telling him, now," I grabbed my purse and turned off the engine. Running through the rain, I prayed I wasn't too late. I almost ran down a man on crutches getting into the elevator, muttering a breathless "Sorry" as the doors closed.
When I entered the waiting lobby, a tired but calm white-haired man tenderly hugged my soaking wet form, whispering, "He's fine. He's going to be fine." I almost collapsed from relief, but found myself gently pushed toward his room. "He'll want to see you."
As I walked to the bed I took in his appearance. Inuyasha had cuts across his face and torso, a bandaged arm in a sling and IV tubes running liquid into his body. To me he had never looked better; he was alive. I leaned over him.
"Inuyasha? Inuyasha?" I queried, gently touching his unscathed hand. His eyelids fluttered open and he cracked a smile upon seeing my face. He pulled me down for a hug. My eyes watered; my best friend was alive and safe.
As I pulled back he tried to say something, but it was too soft to hear. "What?" I asked, bending down to put my ear nearer to his mouth. His breath was hot and moist on the side of my face, but what happened next quickly chilled me to my core.
"Where's Kikyo?" His words tore through me, causing me to wince and shut my eyes. Kikyo. Of course, always Kikyo. He wants her, not me. I yearn for him, but he yearns for her. I unclosed my eyes and looked miserably at Inuyasha. He had no idea that with two words he had shattered my heart, again.
"She couldn't come tonight, but she'll be here soon. I'll stay with you until she gets here, alright?" The last part came out strangled and painful. Inuyasha, unconscious to my internal torture, just nodded and leaned his head back on the pillows.
I sat down in the uncomfortable chair nearby, pulling myself close to the bed. I started to open my mouth. Maybe it didn't matter, maybe I should still tell him.
Inuyasha looked at me curiously, "What is it?" escaping his lips.
I gazed into his eyes, eyes that loved me as a friend, a sister even, but nothing more. Shutting my eyes again, I sighed, smiling a small bitter smile. I gripped Inuyasha's hand and looked at him, simply shaking my head.
"Nothing," I breathed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------
Keep in mind that most flowers have a few alternate meanings, but these are the ones I intended when I wrote the story:
Basil-hatred
Milfol-war
Red rose-"I love you"
White rose-"Am I worthy of you"
Forget-me-not-true love
Manchineel-betrayal
Scarlet geranium-melancholy
White narcissus-selfishness
Lavender-distrust
Striped rose-friendship
Iris-passion
Yellow tulip-hopeless love
Daisy-innocence, "Do you love me?"
Acadian-platonic love
Ivy-friendship
Arbutus-"Thee only do I love"
Begonia-bweare
Gardenia-purity, sweet love
Monkshood-danger
Snapdragon-deception
Jonquil-"Please return my affection"
Motherwort-concealed love
There you have it. I'll probably create a tale revolving around the general idea of this short story, but this section is itself a one-shot. Thanks for reading!
