Bye Bye, Baby!
Chapter Thirteen
"Got any threes?" Moriko chirped as she looked at her five cards in her hand. Two queens, two threes and one jack.
"No…" Inu yasha yawned and scratched his head, "Go fish…"
Moriko took the first card on top of the pile. She examined the card before setting it at the bottom of the pile and grabbing another. Inu yasha watched in indifferent curiosity as she dug around the deck until she pulled out a three. "I got the card I wanted!"
"Well would you look at that?" Inu yasha sighed and rested his head in his hand, his elbow propped up on the kitchen table. Moriko added the three of hearts to her growing collection.
"Got any fives?" Inu yasha tossed her a five. He knew for a fact that Moriko didn't have a five in her pile, but really didn't want to enforce the rules on the sweet little girl who was having way too much fun. "How about tens?"
"No, go fish," Inu yasha drawled and awaited her to go digging through the pile.
Moriko seemed to have some mercy on his soul because she picked the first card off the deck and said nothing, simply staring at her cards in concentration, her little pink tongue poking out between her lips.
"Got any queens?" Inu yasha asked uninterestedly. Moriko stared at her two queens and shook her head from side to side.
"Go fishy!"
Inu yasha grabbed a card. 'When is this god forsaken game going to be over? When's Kagome going to be back? Why do I care? Why am I asking myself so many questions?' he thought numbly and placed an ace in his hand.
Moriko grinned, "Got any queens?"
Inu yasha threw his two queens at her without a word.
Kagome tapped away at her notebook computer, writing an email to Sango. She couldn't fight the feeling that she was being watched. She paused in her typing to glance over her shoulder. The only thing she saw was a giant potted plant. Shrugging it off as paranoia, Kagome continued typing her letter to Sango. But that same feeling returned.
Kagome sighed and pressed the enter key, starting at new paragraph. She felt breathing on her back.
She tensed and slowly turned around; coming face to face with the violet eyed weirdo she was forced to remain in contact with. Kagome screamed.
After getting over the shock of being scared, Kagome grabbed the nearest thing she could find and stared hitting Inu yasha on the head, much to the man's protests. Kagome continued to beat him with the cordless mouse. Inu yasha whimpered and covered his head the best he could.
Kagome paused long enough to glare at him, before continuing her onslaught of torture. "Why… (Bang)…are you… (Bang)…always… (Bang, bang) bugging me?" she yelped in between hits. Inu yasha's hand shot out as fast as lightning and grasped her wrist, preventing her from hitting him again.
He rubbed his head with his free hand and gave her a sheepish smile. "Because you're so easy to bug!"
Kagome glared at him.
"What? Do you want me to lie and say I do it because I want to spend time with you?" he asked and flashed a toothy grin. Kagome gave him a dead pan look before turning back to her computer. She started typing again, ignoring the dark haired man.
Inu yasha stared at her, thankfully he was at an angel where he couldn't read the email. Kagome gave him a look out of the corner of her eye and continued writing.
Once again, Sango, I am shocked at the immaturity of my room mate…
It seems like every day Moriko becomes more intelligent in comparison to his stupidity. I thought about what you said at work the other day, I and I guess it just must have been my desire to have any man I can get my hands on. I would never, ever dream of wanting Inu yasha Takahashi. He is by far the most immature, annoying, rude, arrogant man I have ever met. And what's worse is that he's corrupted my daughter into-
"You know, it's not my fault that your daughter has a crush on me," Inu yasha muttered. Kagome shrieked and whacked him with her mouse.
"Haven't you ever heard of privacy?" Kagome glared at him, "Don't read my mail!"
"Well, you are gossiping about me, so I suppose I have a right to know what your writing about, don't I?" Inu yasha said innocently.
Kagome growled and rubbed her temples, taking in soothing breaths and letting it out slowly. "You are so infuriating…"
"I thought I was immature, annoying, rude and arrogant," Inu yasha said playfully and tapped her head with his knuckles. "Do you have memory problems?"
"Be quiet."
"Never!"
Kagome growled and kicked Inu yasha, making him whimper in surprise. "Now that was just plain rude. For shame! And to think Moriko looks up to you!" Inu yasha said in mock disgust. He smirked and dodged another kick Kagome threw at him. "Ah, how cute, little Kagome's mad!"
He snickered and ran away when Kagome began to get up out of the chair. She stood seething for a long moment before she realized something. 'Was…Inu yasha flirting with me?'
She felt a small smile appear on her face before she realized it. She shook her head furiously and flopped down into the chair. 'No! Of course he wasn't, he just likes annoying you!' she berated herself and finished her letter:
-loving him and wanting him to be her father! How am I supposed to tell her that it's not that simple? It's so frustrating. And what's worse is that he keeps sending me mixed signals. I don't know what to expect out of him, I have no idea what he's thinking.
Sango…how can you tell when someone is flirting with you? How can you tell if you like someone or if you hate someone? How can you tell the difference? Is it normal to be annoyed by his antics, and then when he leaves wishing he'd pay more attention to you? I hate to say this, but I've never felt this way before…
Help!
-Kagome
Moriko slithered through the apartment. To say she was sneaking wasn't the right word. Her bright blue eyes surveyed her surroundings as she searched for her destination. Her small, plump hands grasped the door jam as she glanced around the room. Finding no one to be watching her, she darted across the open space and dove into the next room, her blue eyes searching. If she had dog ears, they would have been perked and ready for any unnatural noise.
She glanced over her shoulder as she scurried, checking to make sure she wasn't being followed. With a small smile she turned ahead of her, and ran straight into a pair of legs.
She blinked and looked up towards the person she'd crashed into. She saw Inu yasha, just the person she wanted to see. "Hello!" she chirped.
Inu yasha smiled at her and knelt down to her eye level. "Hey sweetie, what are you doing in my room?" Inu yasha asked warmly as he picked up the little girl, holding her in his arms.
Moriko smiled sweetly and grasped the long wisps of hair that fell over Inu yasha's shoulders. "Looking for you!"
"Well, you found me," Inu yasha was only slightly miffed by the girl's grip on his long black hair. "So what do you need?"
Moriko suddenly hugged him, cutting his air supply as her arms squeezed his throat. Inu yasha's face turned slightly red as he tried to pry the girl from his throat. "Sweetie, I need to breath!"
Moriko sadly let him go and pouted up at him, her bright blue eyes filling with tears. Inu yasha paled, "Ak! No crying; it's ok, its ok, its not like I don't want to hug you. You were just choking me!"
Moriko's tears evaporated immediately and she hugged him tightly around his chest, her hands resting on his shoulders and her head placed just above his collarbone. "Ok…'
"So what is it that you need?" Inu yasha asked again, prying her from his body and placing her on his bed softly. Moriko smiled brightly up at him and grabbed his hand.
"Do you love my mommy?" she peeped happily.
"Wha-what?" Inu yasha asked and blushed brightly. Moriko peered up at him.
"Do you love my mommy?" she repeated, speaking slowly as if Inu yasha was illiterate. Inu yasha stared at her in shock and Moriko suddenly became shy, her cheeks turning pink as she looked at her hands. "I mean…because…mommy said that when two people love each other, they get married and have kids. So…I was thinking about how I don't have a daddy…because my other daddy ran away, and I was wondering if maybe…um…you'd like to be my daddy?" she peered up at Inu yasha shyly. Inu yasha continued to stare at her. "Because…I…um…because you're really fun and you're cool. So, I'd want you to be my daddy…"
"Moriko…" he said softly and lightly touched the girl's head.
"Don't say no!" Moriko pleaded and looked up at him with sad eyes. "I want you to be my daddy! Please be my daddy!"
"I…I…um…" Inu yasha was at a loss of words.
Moriko dipped her head back down and she resisted the urge to start crying. She really, really wanted Inu yasha to be her daddy. Why didn't he want to be?
"Do you not like me?" she whimpered, "Do you not like Mommy?"
"I didn't say that!" Inu yasha yelped and sat down next to Moriko. "Its not that I don't like you…its just…well…it takes a long time for someone to get married and have children. I can't just automatically be your daddy."
"Do you want to be my daddy?"
Inu yasha blushed and said nothing. Moriko pouted.
"Can I call you daddy?" she asked hopefully. Inu yasha smiled and blushed again.
"You'll have to ask your mother about that…"
Moriko pouted at the vague answer and nodded solemnly, bouncing off the bed and rushing from the room, leaving a very embarrassed and red Inu yasha behind.
He fell back on the bed and stared at his ceiling, a small smile on his face. 'Heh, keep dreaming pal.'
Days dissolved into weeks, as they often do, the sands of time stopping for no one. The life among the Takahashi/Higurashi apartment (as it was silently named by both parties) dulled to a slow trot instead of a stead fast gallop of snide remarks and saucy attitudes. Moriko's desire to call Inu yasha 'daddy' was never truly realized, though she would silently acknowledge Inu yasha as her father figure. Kagome continued with her job and feeding of her mock family. Feeding Moriko was hard enough, but Kagome soon discovered the extent of Inu yasha's table manners (Or lack of, as the case may be). Inu yasha appeared in many small commercials, all of which either had annoying jingles or a voice over.
The spring rain fell steadily outside the window, the small droplets of water splashing against the clear glass. The lights flickered and electricity threatened to disappear completely. Moriko and Inu yasha sat at the kitchen table playing Candy Land and Kagome stood leaning over a stove, adding some spices to her homemade chicken soup: one of Moriko's favorites.
"I win!" Moriko declared as her piece landed at the king's castle. Inu yasha sighed and flicked his piece across the table, it soared through the air and hit Kagome's backside. Kagome paused in her stirring to turn around and send him a glare. He smiled innocently at her.
With a disdainful snort she turned back to her cooking. "Imbecile," she muttered.
"Kagome, dearest, I'm hurt," Inu yasha sent a wounded look at her back. Kagome snorted. Inu yasha grinned and whispered loudly to Moriko, "Your mommy's mean!"
Moriko giggled happily.
Kagome gave him a defeated glare and sighed, before allowing herself to smile. "You two are impossible. You know, before you appeared, Inu yasha, I actually could convince my daughter to do stuff. You're tainting her mind," she joked. Inu yasha's smile widened and Kagome couldn't help but feel her heart speed up, something it had been doing lately and something she wasn't particularly happy about.
"Ah, I'm sorry, why don't I move out with Moriko so you don't have to endure your daughter's mind slowly falling under my control?" Inu yasha asked, his violet eyes twinkling.
Kagome gave him a flat look. "I don't think so."
Inu yasha sighed and laughed quietly, muffling his laughter by setting his mouth over his hand. Moriko watched the two adults curiously.
"Moriko, go wash up for dinner," Kagome said warmly. Moriko nodded furiously and skipped out of the room towards the bathroom.
Once her daughter was out of hearing range, Kagome started hitting Inu yasha with a spoon.
"Domestic violence! That's what this is!" Inu yasha protested as he was whacked by the spoon.
Inu yasha laid in his bed later that night, staring at his ceiling, something he'd grown accustomed to doing. He watched the reflection of the moon hit the window, where small droplets of rain still occupied the clear glass. The end result was odd designs dancing across his ceiling. He folded his arms behind his head and stared, his violet eyes hazed with sleep, yet struck with a case of insomnia.
His head was sore from Kagome's attacks involving a spoon. Though he hated to admit that the woman could inflict pain on him. Inu yasha ran a hand over his face, pulling at his skin as he groaned loudly. He wasn't supposed to be thinking about her at this time of night!
He wiped his brow and kicked his sheets off his body, the room feeling hot and humid. He felt a small trickle of sweat sweep down his cheek and he sighed, rolling over in bed, trying to get comfortable, despite the warmth of the room. He would have to remind Kagome to set the heat down at night now that it was coming closer and closer to summer.
His thoughts drifted back towards the hotheaded woman he was forced to remain in contact with. They'd spent a little over a month together, and he'd found the woman slowly growing on him. Despite her annoying ways, her squawking protests of his faults and her inability to treat him as a normal, functional male, she was pretty good companion and a great person to talk to.
Inu yasha sat up suddenly and whipped his hair behind his back. With a large groan, he stood and shuffled out of his room, walking along the hot hallway towards the bathroom. He needed a cold shower, the time of night be damned!
He slipped into the bathroom and quickly turned on the shower, hoping that this action would not awaken Moriko or Kagome. He checked the temperature of the water before slipping in, the water instantly plastering his long black hair to his body. He closed his violet eyes slowly and rested his forehead against the tile that surrounded the shower.
Meanwhile, the sound of water trickling down and splattering against any surface it could find awoke Kagome. She sat up numbly and rubbed her eyes, peering around uncertainly. Once the sound registered in her mind, she threw back her covers, and stepped out of bed. A small trickle of sweat ran down her cheek and she wiped it away. It was warm…
She opened her door and stared at the bathroom door across the way. There was a thin band of light coming from the bottom of the door, where the crack was, and out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Inu yasha' door was open and the irritating man was no where inside.
She balled her hand into a fist and lightly tapped on the door. Mentally slapping herself she realized that Inu yasha wouldn't be able to hear her over the pounding water.
Inside, Inu yasha continued to rest his head against the tile, a small, pathetic sigh leaving him. He lightly tucked his damp black hair behind his ears and stood straight up again, grabbing his shampoo and starting to wash his hair, finding it difficult to reach the tips of his long hair. He stared at the ceiling as the water from the shower's head poured against the dark mass of hair.
'I went into this shower to get my mind off things and now all I can think about is her…fuck…' he bashed his head against the wall a couple of times before stopping, realizing that pounding your head against a wall hurts a lot.
He had tried to deny it, over the last couple of weeks he had tried to tell himself that he simply wanted a woman, not the woman he seemed to want. He constantly told himself day in and day out that she wasn't his type, that they would never work out. Every time he saw her, he would constantly remind himself that she would never want him, even if he wanted her. So much denial.
He paused in his thoughts when he heard a pounding coming from the bathroom door. He already knew who it was. With a grumble, he turned off the water and threw a white towel around his waist.
With another grumble of annoyance, he threw open the door, "WHAT?"
Kagome stared at him, wide eyed, her hand curled into a fist, prepared to hit the door again. She stared at him for a long moment before Inu yasha realized that he'd just walked out of the bathroom half naked.
Though Kagome hated to admit it, he was definitely a sight for sore eyes, or however that saying goes…she blushed suddenly and averted her gaze, once she realized she was staring at a tanned chest. Despite the small little scar above his heart, his skin was flawless.
'And I thought Brad Pitt was hot?' she asked herself silently, and then quickly scolded herself for such thoughts.
"Um…" she said uneasily as she forced her eyes to remain on his face instead of his toned body glistening with water making him look-
'Ak, I cannot believe I'm thinking these things! I'm such a shallow bitch! Suddenly I see him without a shirt on…or pants…and I can't keep my mind off him. Geez…and why does he keep staring at me?' she looked up at him hesitantly again; he stared at her with an unreadable expression in his violet eyes.
"What are you doing up?" he asked suddenly.
"I should be asking you the same question," she teased, her cheeks painted a shade of scarlet. "Why…are you taking a shower at one in the morning?"
Inu yasha shrugged, "Too hot in my room." His hand subconsciously grabbed his towel to prevent it from falling down.
"Oh…yeah, me too," she said lamely and they stood in an awkward silence.
Inu yasha's eyes flashed with amusement, "Do you want to let me go and get dressed?"
'No, not really…' "Oh, um, right, sorry," she stepped aside and watched as he strode to his room, her eyes traveling down his back, watching the muscles ripple as he walked…his toned legs-
'Holy shit, Kagome, what are you; a sex fiend or something?' she pinched her arm to make sure she wasn't dreaming and watched the door close behind Inu yasha.
Inside Inu yasha stared at the wall. 'Was Kagome…checking me out?'
He began getting dressed and sighed softly. Great, he'd woken her up. Once he walked outside the sanctuary of his room, he'd have to endure one of her tiresome lectures about proper mannerisms.
He sighed once again and slipped the door open, staring at Kagome, who was walking away from his door. Confused, he left his room and followed her to the kitchen, where she was now. Kagome grabbed the tea pot and poured some water into from the water faucet. She hummed softly as she placed the kettle back on the stove and began making some tea. She turned to Inu yasha with a smile and offered an explanation, "I have a kind of tea that makes you sleepy. Moriko drinks it when she's sick."
Inu yasha nodded and flopped down into a chair at the kitchen table.
Kagome calmly sat down at the chair across from him, staring out the window that was positioned above the sink. The window was cracked open slightly, causing a cool breeze to aerate the stuffiness of the kitchen. The curtains that sat on either side of the glass swayed in the wind and Kagome closed her eyes, feeling the wisps of a breeze's caress against her cheek.
Inu yasha found himself staring at her and smiling, resting his head in his hand. Kagome, sensing his unwavering stare, turned towards him with a raised eyebrow, "What?"
Inu yasha shook his head, "Its nothing."
"Weirdo," she muttered.
He chuckled lightly. The tea kettle whistled as white steam rose from its nozzle. Kagome stood and began pouring tea. With a small smile she set a cup in front of him, he took it gratefully and sipped it. It wasn't coffee, but it was ok…
Kagome took a sip and then looked at him, slightly peeved to see him still staring at her. "What is it? Is there something on my face?"
"No!" Inu yasha blinked.
Kagome snorted, "Then stop staring at me, its unnerving."
Inu yasha sighed uneasily and took a sip of his drink, staring at the table.
"So, what are you doing up at this hour?" Kagome asked again, "Besides the fact that its blistering hot in our rooms."
"I was thinking," Inu yasha said absently and stared out the window, his fingers tracing the lip of his cup. Kagome watched the circular action lazily. His violet eyes watched the tree sway outside, the small, pathetic excuses for foliage looking out of place amid the concrete jungle.
"Sorry I woke you," he said suddenly and hid his blush by taking a sip from his tea. Kagome blinked in surprise.
"It doesn't matter, I don't mind," Kagome said lightly and sipped her cooling tea.
"OW! FUCK!" Inu yasha suddenly said as he took a too large of a gulp, he dropped the mug on the table and the hot contents spilled onto his arms, making him yelp again and stand up suddenly, the mug rolled off the table and hit the floor, shattering on impact and casting more hot liquid onto his feet. He cursed loudly and tried to dodge the ceramic shards that flew briefly though the air.
Kagome stood up quickly and stared at the cursing, disgruntled man who was hopping around her kitchen. She ran to the sink and turned on the faucet before grabbing the man's hands and rushing towards the sink, she didn't notice the blush on his cheeks as she shoved the large hands under the running water.
"Idiot," she berated him and went to find a dustpan and broom. As she turned to walk away she heard his voice,
"Am I?"
She turned back towards him, the seriousness in his voice stopping her from her verbal assault. He didn't face her, simply stared out the window with the water continuing to run over his hands. He stood motionless, his only movement the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Finally, he turned towards her, his amethyst eyes flashing.
She felt like she was rooted the floor, her blue eyes staring at the intense gaze he was sending her, what was wrong with him? She was torn between making a wise crack, or actually being concerned with his state at the moment. She stared at him in silent shock, his intense gaze never wavering, he didn't even blink.
"Am I truly as big of an idiot as you say?" Inu yasha whispered; he didn't know what he was doing either. He was speaking without thinking, perhaps? He didn't know, and he was scared of what he might say…
Kagome narrowed her eyes, "What is wrong with you? One minute you're semi-normal, and the next you're acting like this!"
Inu yasha continued to stare, saying nothing. The only sound in the apartment was the running of the faucet water.
The curtains ruffled behind him, the smooth breeze pushing his hair to the side, so it swayed to his side. He gripped the counter and turned off the faucet with his elbow, his lavender eyes never breaking the connection with her cerulean ones.
"I don't think I'm the stupid one here…"
"Oh, are you suggesting I am?" Kagome asked, growing agitated.
Inu yasha stared at her and Kagome felt herself fidgeting under his heavy gaze. Why wouldn't he stop looking at her?
"Stop…" she murmured.
"Stop what…?"
"Looking at me."
He looked away.
Kagome relaxed slightly but still felt uptight. When had she ever felt uptight around Inu yasha? I mean he was a moron…a…moron…right?
Inu yasha sighed deeply and pushed his silky black bangs away from his forehead, letting the palm of his hand rest upon his brow.
"Look, I'm sorry I annoy the shit out of you," Inu yasha said suddenly, causing Kagome to jump, "It's just the way I am. Upbringing or some shit like that. I can't really control who I am, as I'm sure you can't help being a nasty bitch at times." Inu yasha stopped and looked like he was choosing his words carefully. "I know I can be pretty idiotic sometimes, and stupid, and annoying as hell, but I'm going to try."
"Try…?"
"Try to get on you good side," Inu yasha blinked like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I want to be your friend, not just the stupid guy you share a house with…" he paused, "That didn't come out right." He ruffled his bangs with his fingers nervously and stared at the ceiling.
"I guess, what I'm trying to say is," Inu yasha turned away from her and stared out the window, gripping the counter like a lifeline. Kagome stared at him, unsure of these recent turn of events. He was acting so different…
"I guess I sorta, kinda like you…ok?" he said suddenly and whirled around to stare at her.