Disclaimer: shakes head Still waiting for that ultimate sign from God.
Kagome pulled into the YMCA parking lot for the sixth time that week. She had gone there every day to take her mind off...her loss. And to see him, the man who looked so much like Inuyasha.
I never even got his name, she realized. I'm so stupid. What would I say to him, anyways? "Hi, you look just like my dead husband. Want to get a cup of coffee?" Instantly, Kagome felt a pang of guilt. She was thinking about another man...
As she walked into the pool area, still pondering, she bumped into someone's chest, knocking both of them off balance and onto the ground.
"Oooh," Kagome groaned, clutching her forehead. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going."
"It's okay, I was 'lost in thought' as well," a familiar voice grinned at her.
Kagome looked up and was met with amber eyes. She gasped, and pointed at him like a child.
"Y-you're that guy!" she exclaimed brilliantly. "The one I saw last week! You picked up my goggles when I dropped them. And you said you were coming to...to workout!"
Sesshomaru laughed a kind, warm laugh.
"That's me."
"But...but...you're back!" Kagome murmured, still shocked.
"Well, excuse me, miss," the man feigned indignance. "I do believe this is a public pool. I am free to come here whenever I want."
"Of course, of course," Kagome amended, realizing how foolish she had sounded. "Yeah, I was just...surprised, that's all. Of course you're allowed to come here!"
There was an awkward silence as the pair wondered what they should say.
"So..." Kagome began. "Want to join me for a swim? I'm much more of a challenge than I seem."
"We'll only do one lap, then."
On Kagome's shout of "Go" both of them leapt off the end of the pool and into the water, swimming as quickly as they could. Kagome relaxed mentally the minute she hit the water. It was cool, comforting. It made her forget all of the pain she had felt in the past month, and let her focus on the adrenaline racing through her blood...of the man one lane over whom she had to beat. Giving it one last burst, she touched the wall, and looked up. Sesshomaru was nowhere to be found.
Suddenly, a hand reached in front of her and she glanced at its owner. Sesshomaru stood on the edge of the pool, grinning.
"Join me for a cup of coffee?" he asked cockily.
"Sure," Kagome replied, although she had no idea why she did.
Several minutes later, Kagome had changed into a pair of blue jeans, a white tanktop, and a blue trenchcoat. She walked out of the YMCA, where Sesshomaru was already waiting in the lobby.
"Very teenager-ish," the man smiled at her outfit.
"Well that's just too bad, isn't it?" Kagome mocked.
The two of them crossed the street and headed toward the Starbucks that was not too far away. They ordered a cappuccino for Kagome, and a black coffee for Sesshomaru, before sitting down at a table near the window.
"Erm," Kagome said awkwardly. "How's your heart condition?"
Sesshomaru was surprised, but responded smoothly with, "I received a heart transplant last week. I'm trying to exercise more often so I can get used to this heart."
Now it was Kagome's turn to look surprised.
"Congratulations!" she smiled. "You're very lucky. Many people don't get transplants in time. In fact..."
When Kagome trailed off, Sesshomaru looked puzzled.
"In fact...?" he asked, indicating for her to continue.
"It's nothing."
"Okay," Sesshomaru decided to drop the topic for now. There was another awkward silence as Sesshomaru fished around for a conversation topic. He decided to ask a question that had been nagging him for some time now.
"Kagome, are you...are you married?"
Kagome looked away.
"I was. At one point in time, I was happily married with two beautiful girls."
Sesshomaru sensed the tension in this topic, but continued to probe a little bit further.
"What happened?" he asked gently.
"Some bastard hit my husband and my daughters," Kagome sniffled slightly. "None of them made it."
"I'm sorry," Sesshomaru said quietly. "Wow, that situation sounds so much worse than mine."
"Yeah," Kagome grinned through the tears in her eyes. "Fortunately, I donated my husband's heart so people like you can have happy endings."
Sesshomaru smiled. This Kagome was a really nice person. It must've been very difficult...giving up your husband's heart.
"So what about you?" Kagome asked, slicing into his thoughts. "You married?"
"Yes, and with a child on the way."
"Oh."
"...Yeah."
"Congratulations," Kagome said with a forced grin. "You must be over the moon."
Sesshomaru caught the forced cheerfulness in her voice, and also a bit of puzzlement.
"What?" he asked.
Kagome blushed.
"I know this is...rude and inappropriate...but...how could you...you know, do it, if you had a heart condition. I mean...I don't exactly think people with weak hearts are up to that...task."
The man across from her struggled not to burst out laughing.
"Artificial insemination, Miss Innocent Kagome," he said, choosing to ignore the cute blush that had began to flower across Kagome's face.
"Oh. I see."
Sesshomaru cleared his throat.
Meanwhile, a woman walked down the street and leaned against a brick wall. She sighed and stood there for several moments, obviously waiting for someone. Checking her watch, she realized that she was still ten minutes early. Plenty of time to grab a coffee from the Starbucks across...the...street...
Rin gasped as she saw her husband sitting across from a young, smiling woman through the window. She was furious. Taking a deep breath, she remembered the baby. No stress. It would be bad for the child. Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions. She's probably just a coworker of his. They bumped into each other while he was at the YMCA, and he asked her for some coffee. To...to...discuss plans! Rin knew she was trying to fool herself, but she wouldn't believe it. Sesshomaru wouldn't do that...
"What's wrong, Rin?" a smooth voice asked from behind her.
"Inuyasha!" she cried, flinging herself into his arms. "S-Sesshomaru is i-in that Starbucks...and there's...there's another woman!!!"
Inuyasha held the wailing woman close, rubbing her back and making comforting noises. He glanced over her shoulder and noticed that, indeed, Sesshomaru was sitting across from a beautiful woman having coffee. The woman who had once been his wife.
"Rin..." he murmured softly. "Rin, stop it. It's bad for the baby."
Rin's sobs lowered to sniffles.
"He's with some...some woman."
Inuyasha realized that she had never met Kagome before.
"No, Rin. That's not just any woman," he informed her. "That's Kagome."
"Your wife?" Rin gaped. "My husband is with your wife?!"
"Ironic, isn't it?" Inuyasha smiled coldly. "We're the ones who are actually supposed to be having the affair, and yet our spouses are cheating behind our backs."
"Don't say that, Inuyasha!" Rin cried. "We are not having an affair!"
"Call the truth what you like, Rin, but don't hide from it. It's true, and you know it! You and I love each other!"
"No!" Rin shook her head, feeling so confused. "I-I love Sesshomaru and you love Kagome and that's the way it should be! I mean...Inuyasha, you had kids!!! And I'm pregnant!"
"With my child!" Inuyasha glared. "You know it's true, Rin. You know that AI thing was just a cover-up."
Rin slapped him in the face before running away.
"Run all you want, Rin, you'll never get away from the truth."
My Corner
Okay, okay, I know this is shorter than usual, but please review all the same! I didn't mean to make Rin and Inuyasha the bad guys...it just kinda came out that way. I am making things up as I go along.
SilentBrat: Surprise! Inuyasha's not dead!!!
I'm really tired now, so I will be proofreading this chapter and going to sleep!!!!
skittles
