Author's Notes: Ah, sorry for the major delay on this, but I've been dealing with some real-life problems and just basic motivation in general.
First of all, I've gotten some rather rude reviews and emails basically asking me to stop writing on my other stories just to work on this. Let me just say that those highly offended me. Yes, I do enjoy writing on this story, but some of my other stories are my favorites, so having someone ask me to stop working on something I enjoy just because they wanted updates on just this was just very upsetting. It made it very hard to work on those stories, let alone even think about writing on this one. I write several Inu/Kag romance fanfics and I love them all very much. I cannot just dedicate my time to this one story because it is the most popular.
I greatly appreciate those who have made this story what it is- reviewed it, read it, liked it, etc, but I will not place it above all my other stories in what I enjoy writing just because it's the most popular. Honestly, I feel like these people are asking me to be a machine. A machine that can just churn out the next chapter of the story when I feel like it. Well, I'm sorry, I cannot. I'm human, I have real-life to deal with, and I do like writing on all my stories- not just this one.
If you do only choose to read this story- that's perfectly fine with me. But please, be considerate. I don't mind 'update soon!' or 'I can' wait for an update!' and such, but telling me to stop working on my other stories because they 'don't matter as much as this one,' is very hurtful to me as an author.
I'm sorry I have to bring this up, but I felt it needed to be addressed. It has highly upset me and as I stated above, made it very hard for me to write on anything. I'm not trying to punish anyone, but I can't write unless I feel motivated or inspired. If something kills that--- there's no way I can update because I find myself unable to write. I'm a fanfic author- I do this purely for fun and entertainment—but hurtful reviews like that take the fun out of it for me. All I'm asking for is a little respect from the readers of this. Please remember, I'm human not a machine. If I wrote like a machine, this story would be bland, rushed, and without emotion, and I'm certain none of us want that. Once again, sorry for taking up your time, but it needed to be said. Thank you for listening. :)
So that's out of the way-
One more thing- I had some really nice fanart done as a gift for this story by Eck (Evercool Resurrected) it's lovely- so check it out and let her know what you think here if you're interested: www. deviantart. com/ view /7978774/ (remove the spaces.)
This chapter has been revised on 8-4-04- Thank you to Mishakatt for going through and doing structural beta reading for me. :)
Without further ado- Chapter Nine:
Japanese guide:
Tadaima: I'm home!
Okaeri: Welcome home.
At the end of this chapter- During the last scene with InuYasha and Kagome's thoughts:
The thoughts during that scene formatted as follows:
Kagome's
}} InuYasha {{
Simultaneous (Both of them at the same time)
"A Fortuitous Blunder"
Chapter Nine
Hearing Only Your Heartbeat
By Kelly O'Connor
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InuYasha darted up from his spot beside Kagome's bed, the shrill sound of her alarm clock ringing in his ears. Stomping over to violently slap the contraption off, he glanced over to the bed to see his companion stretching her arms out with a yawn.
"Morning InuYasha." She tilted her head, voice thick with sleep.
Realizing his hand was still on top of the alarm clock, InuYasha speedily pulled it away, relieved when he noticed he hadn't damaged the object upon smacking it to stop the incessant ringing.
"Kagome." He acknowledged her.
"You know my family is already up, don't you?"
"Keh, yes," InuYasha grumbled, both of them noticing the obvious shuffling and ruckus coming from downstairs. "Knew we were gonna get stuck here."
Sliding off her bed to stand next to InuYasha, Kagome nodded. "I guess it was pretty much inevitable, ne?" The dark-haired girl shrugged and walked over to her closet, pulling out a plaid sundress.
"Your family is going to keep us all day…"
"Well then we just have to make sure they don't find out about the curse," Kagome tapped her chin in thought.
"Hmph, that shouldn't be hard then- all we have to do... is not touch." InuYasha crossed his arms in his sleeves, as if reminding himself of that.
Sighing, Kagome closed her closet door, then turned to look at Inuyasha.' "Right!" She exclaimed, pounding her fist resolutely into the palm of her hand. All we have to do is not touch anywhere around my family…Rubbing her forehead, Kagome snuck a look towards InuYasha, who still held his hands in his sleeves to avoid coming in contact with her. Oh, who am I kidding! We're doomed.
Regaining her composure, Kagome laid the sundress she'd picked out to wear for the day on her bed and averted her attention back to the Hanyou. "So, we'll go downstairs and eat and then… go stock up on food for our trip, okay?"
"Sounds fine to me."
"Okay then," She clicked open the door, and found herself halting as her front foot hit a large lump directly outside. "Eh?" Looking down, she smiled. "Buyo, careful or I'm going to trip on you sometime." Picking up the obese feline and scratching him behind the ears, Kagome motioned to InuYasha. "Come on, let's go. We can get Buyo some breakfast along with our own."
Nodding in the positive, the teenage boy followed, pausing for a moment to give Buyo a playful stroke on the head.
"Neh Kagome…" InuYasha began as they made their way down the flight of stairs.
"Hmm?"
"Don't ya think that Buyo has eaten something already this morning? I mean your Mom…"
"Probably, but I guess he's hungry again."
"Keh, stupid cat is gonna get fat."
"Umm InuYasha, Buyo's been fat forever."
"Well he'll get… fatter." InuYasha replied.
Kagome looked down to the lump of fur in her arms and just blinked. "I'm not sure that's possible."
"Err… I guess." InuYasha scratched the back of his head in bewilderment, averting his gaze away from the cat when they reached the bottom of the stairs rounded the corner into the kitchen.
"Kagome, InuYasha!" Mrs. Higurashi greeted them from her place at the stove.
"Mama, are you making breakfast?" Kagome kneeled down and let Buyo slink out of her arms and onto the floor. He then proceeded waddle to his food bowl.
"Yes, I am. I went to put your clean clothes in your room earlier and saw that you and InuYasha were back so… I decided to cook something up." She gave the couple a warm smile.
"Thank you Mama," Kagome glared at InuYasha, who then muttered a 'thanks' under his breath.
"It's no problem. It's nice to see you two back for a while."
"It does feel good to be home…" The younger woman remarked. Although under the circumstances… not so good. I'd like to be able to stay and relax but…
"Keh, but we gotta go back as soon as we can," InuYasha grumbled.
Mrs. Higurashi raised her eyebrows in his direction. "Why so? It isn't like you to be in a rush to get back to through the well," She let out a short laugh. "Well not anymore in any case." Mama added, recalling the days of Naraku when he'd impatiently wait for her to agree to returning to Sengoku Jidai.
"Ah well Mama," Kagome began, "The thing is well… we have something we really need to get done back there."
"We came back to get food and stuff," InuYasha explained.
"So you're going to head to the store this morning?"
"Actually we're going to head to the store right after we eat… if that's all right." Kagome stated.
"Oh it's fine!"
"Is there anything you'd like us to pick up while we're out Mama?" She offered.
Mama tapped her chin in thought. "I can't think of anything really." The older woman answered, looking back towards the stove. "So, what have you two been up to?"
"Keh, nothing," InuYasha managed, a light blush covering his cheeks. Mama's expression turned confused at the Hanyou's sudden embarrassment.
"Hehe, Mama, we'll explain it later!" Kagome cut in sheepishly, gesturing with hands in front of her.
"All right dear…" Mrs. Higurashi surveyed the two teenagers. I wonder what is going on with them… they seem downright embarrassed.
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Kagome sighed deeply as she and InuYasha journeyed back to the shrine; their trip to the grocery store had been successful and without any calamity due to an accidental collision. Glancing over to the Hanyou, she let a small smile cross her lips.
His arms full of groceries, Inu Yasha walked behind her, a grin on his face and a bandanna covering his ears. Kagome couldn't help but be amused by his good mood over their shopping trip. For despite the many, many times they'd gone shopping together, InuYasha never failed to get excited about traversing into modern Tokyo to purchase things to fill his stomach.
"InuYasha?" She ventured, figuring this a good time to discuss their predicament.
"Huh?" The silver-haired boy said, adjusting the sacks of groceries to a more comfortable position.
"I can't wait until we get back to Shuurei-sama's so we can find that other Miko…"
"Keh, if they can even do anything." InuYasha grumbled discontentedly.
"I'm irritated too!" Kagome sighed in exasperation over the situation. "We'll get it fixed InuYasha… don't worry."
"Hmph, it's still annoying as hell…"
"Yes, it is, but I guess once it's all over—I just want to forget about this whole mess, don't you?"
"Of course, shouldn't remember something so stupid anyway," He answered sulkily, burying his face in the tall pile of sacks and boxes as they began the lengthy walk up the steps to the Higurashi shrine.
"It will be over soon, but for now we just need to be careful around my family the rest of the day…" Kagome trailed off, recalling how close they'd come to touching at several points when they were out shopping. Although to be honest… I don't really feel right keeping this from Mama anyway…
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"Tadaima!" Kagome called as she and InuYasha stepped into the door of her home, the Hanyou immediately setting off to relieve his load of groceries in the kitchen.
"Okaeri you two!" Mrs. Higurashi shuffled in from the living room to greet them, noticing that InuYasha had fled to the kitchen. "We're all watching a movie in the living room so if you want to grab some popcorn from the kitchen and join us— it would be nice."
"A movie?"
"Mhmm, it's one that Satoru bought Souta for his birthday, but he hadn't a chance to watch it yet."
"I'll go get InuYasha then, hopefully he'll be able to stay still during it…"
"Well if he gets bored, he can always play with Buyo," Mama suggested.
"Poor Buyo…" Kagome walked towards the kitchen to let InuYasha know what was going on.
Once she'd entered she let a smile cross her lips as she observed InuYasha sorting through the bags double checking to make sure to get all his favorite foods. "You're going to cost my family a fortune with all that food you eat."
"Keh, you said we could buy it…"
"Jiichan should make you help at the shrine or something, you need to earn your keep." Kagome suggested playfully.
InuYasha crossed his arms in his sleeves and frowned. "What the hell do you think I do when you're at school?" The teenage boy snapped, defensively.
Kagome paced over to the counter to pick up the bowl of popcorn her Mother had spoken of. "I was just joking with you InuYasha."
"Keh!"
"Anyway- Mama, Souta, and Jiichan are watching a movie in the living room." She explained, leaning up against the counter. "Come on, let's go join them."
InuYasha frowned. "Most 'movies' are boring…"
"Well," Kagome popped a piece of popcorn in her mouth. "if it gets boring we can stop watching it."
The teenage boy felt a blush cross his cheeks as he thought of the last time the two of them had watched a movie together. I had my arm around her, and then she… Keh. He recalled the innocent cuddling the two had shared. "Well… what if we end up doing what we did last time though?"
Kagome felt her cheeks tinge pink as well. "We won't do that with my family in the room."
"Hmph, I guess not."
"You're being difficult InuYasha- let's just go." She snatched up the popcorn bowl and walked out of the kitchen, InuYasha, as expected catching up to stand beside her.
Kagome could hear an audible groan from next to her once they'd entered the living room. Looking to the television, she registered what InuYasha was preparing to complain about. She wasn't familiar with the movie the family was watching, but the screen was occupied by a romantic scene between what she assumed to be the main couple. "Oh InuYasha, don't worry, it won't be a really romantic movie. It's Souta's, not my Mama's."
InuYasha's chance to reply was interrupted, as his foot collided with the mass of fur known as the family cat. Caught off guard, he reached over to brace himself on the nearest possible object… Kagome's shoulder. However, before he could make contact with it, Kagome reached out to steady him herself, touching his back and bracing herself with a wince as she awaited the incoming impact.
Popcorn bowl flying out of her hands; family turning around at the sound of clatter, and Buyo letting out a mrow of irritation at the sudden movement, Kagome found herself once again--- falling on top of a very surprised InuYasha.
They came face to face when she landed, noses touching, and her knee in a very compromising position- directly in between his legs. Maybe they'll think it was an accident… I hope so… I…
Kagome opened her eyes, which she'd shut from the impact and blushed crimson when she saw how close she truly was to the boy. Only a few centimeters…
She didn't notice her family gaping, her cat crunching on the fallen popcorn, or the couple in the movie spouting loving lines that were oddly too familiar to what she was feeling at the moment.
It was silent, except for the loud drumming of her heart in her own ears, and the heavy breathing of the boy beneath her. Her eyes met with his, startled golden, filled with an underlying tinge of confusion. She wondered if his bewilderment was the same as hers—why was it so hard… to resist moving those few centimeters forward? Even with her family there, why did she want to close the gap so much?
It's just because you haven't been able to touch… you're frustrated, that's all… right?
The thoughts were Kagome's, but they were also InuYasha's as well. He too found himself only noticing her face above his, contemplating that small gap between them with irritation and bewilderment. Despite his sensitive hearing, at the moment it was only registering… her.
He felt strange, something deep within him that he'd never experienced before. He wanted to kiss her, needed to kiss her, knew that she was feeling the same way just by looking into her eyes.
So, their cheeks burning red-hot with embarrassment… they simultaneously pulled apart.
"What the hell was that?" InuYasha stammered out, his voice almost a squeak as he sat with his back to Kagome.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm her skittish nerves, she shook her head. "I don't know… I don't…"
"Umm… Nee-chan?" Souta's voice chimed in. The couple balked and felt their blushes returning full force, as if just once again realizing that the entire family was in the room with them… and had been. "What happened?"
"Now, now Souta!" Mama placed her hand on the boy's shoulder. "Did something happen in Sengoku Jidai that you two wish to let us in on?"
"That didn't really look like an accident." Jiichan pointed out from his place by the television.
"It wasn't… really," Kagome clarified, almost breathless from her odd experience moments before. "InuYasha and I well… we've been cursed."
"Cursed!?" Her grandfather exclaimed, interest more than just a little bit piqued.
"Keh yes, cursed--- and no, you don't have anything that can fix it," InuYasha explained, voice tinged with irritation and perhaps still a bit of shellshock from what had just occurred.
"Well, what kind of curse?" Souta asked.
"It's complicated…"
"It's stupid…"
"That too," Kagome agreed with InuYasha. "But… here goes." Beginning to explain the curse with periodic complaints and elaborations from the Hanyou, Kagome found her mind kept reverting back to the situation that happened just a few minutes before.
InuYasha's thoughts were doing the same.
InuYasha and I… we… I couldn't control my need to kiss him there…
}} Kagome was looking at me and… the only thought or feeling I had was… her and moving just… {{
A few inches further…
}} To close that gap…{{
If this keeps happening, this curse may cause us…to move…
}}Just a little bit more and we would have… {{
What will we end up doing? I should be happy but… instead…
Why am I scared?
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Chapter 10- InuYasha and Kagome have come to realize that they're ready to take another step forward in their relationship…