Inferno Six
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Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha
Hey guys, sorry if the previous chappie confused you but I was trying to mix in a general POV with a character one...I'll try to be less confusing for now on
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Two: Love at First Sight
Inuyasha had woken up early that morning in hopes he wouldn't run into his alcoholic father. Inuyasha believed that his existence was unnecessary. The only thing the guy is good for were free beers and a good laugh when he was wasted. His father had a foul mouth and an even dirtier mind. Inuyasha was sure his hands had a mind of their own. The guy cannot say no to his penis. As far as Inuyasha was concerned, he had enough of the bastard. The sight of him made him vomit. Inuyasha found it a wonder to see how much his older brother, Sesshoumaru, stood up for the asshole. It was as if he was blind or in complete self-denial.
But Inuyasha didn't give a rat's ass because he was too busy staying alive. He often wondered what it would have been like if his mother hadn't left them years back. Would it have been better? But he knew it was better this way; she didn't have to deal with his sorry ass anymore. Sometimes he wondered where she was and whether she still loved him.
Near tears, he brushed the thought aside and reluctantly sat up in bed and looked around. He noticed his brother was gone. Like a good boy, he went to school and had a job—the only income the family relied on. Their father sure as hell didn't have a job unless you count being an alcoholic bum as one. If you did, then he was an expert in the field. Inuyasha had tried to get a job several times but nothing seemed to work out.
Job #1: Sales boy at the local supermarket—He got fired for indecent conduct during work hours. Translation: he was caught making out with the boss' daughter in the employee stock room. 'Okay sue me, I'm only human. I have my needs too.'
Job #2: furniture deliverer—this job he actually kept for a whole three months before getting the pink slip. He was caught auctioning off the furniture downtown. He could have pulled it off too if the client who owned the furniture hadn't shown. He heard from a secret source that some guy was selling off furniture for a really good price—little did he know it was his furniture. He would have been put in jail if he hadn't had connections to a gang. 'See another perk!'
Job #3: Bathroom attendant—this job was doomed from the beginning. He was born to boss people around not be bossed around. After being accused of disorderly conduct [he was telling people to fuck off], he was released from his duties with a warning never to venture into janitorial work again.
Inuyasha was restless. He hadn't worked in almost three months and he was anxious to get in some money. Not only was his father not making any dough but his brother's money, working at a video store, couldn't buy them a decent meal. It figures, he thought. They always need to count on him.
He jumped out of bed with a sense of newfound hope and quickly took a shower which revitalized him. In his good slacks, a white button-down shirt and a tie, he was ready to go job hunting. The only problem was he didn't really know where to start. Annoyed, he grabbed the classified and ran out of the house. Seeing as he didn't have a car, he always needed to use the bus, which was a drag at times. Imagine bringing your date out on your hot set of bus wheels. His brother had a decent looking car, which he worked on for three years before it was near perfection. Sesshoumaru never let him borrow it. Inuyasha thought it was a fucked up thing to do but he just shrugged it off. He wasn't that close to his brother anyways. Why the hell would he lend him the love of his life?
The classified in his left hand and a bagel in his right, he began scanning the newspaper but found nothing. He was too under-qualified. He didn't have a degree...shit he didn't even graduate high school. Annoyed and frustrated, he crumpled the newspaper into a small ball and threw it behind him.
"Shit, stop throwing your garbage at people. You could have killed me!" screamed a voice from behind. Inuyasha turned around and saw Miroku staring at him in rage.
"Don't be such a wimp Oji. You've been hit with harder things than that," Inuyasha said, stuffing his hands in his pocket and continuing to stroll on the cemented sidewalk.
Miroku ran to catch up with him and then began to unfold the crumpled classified section. He laughed when he realized Inuyasha was trying to get a job again, "Did you ever think that maybe you aren't cut out to be a working guy?"
"Yeah but then I starve to death."
Miroku was a member of Inferno Six and had been since he was fourteen like Inuyasha. He had dropped out of school also but did so reluctantly. Miroku was a smart guy with a high hopes in life. But he found, through the influence of the gang, that those dreams were miniscule in comparison to Inferno Six. These were the instances in which Inuyasha had wished he had never agreed to be a part of it. He wished Miroku had continued his studies because he is positive that he would have been successful if he hadn't quit. Inuyasha isn't sure why Miroku had decided to quit school and enter the gang. He didn't talk much about his personal life and Inuyasha didn't pressure him to tell.
"Hey I heard the university needs a janitor. Oh wait, I forgot, you aren't good at that stuff."
"No, tell me where?"
"Are you sure? Remember..."
"Yeah yeah I remember stupid. But these are tough times. I've got to take what I can get. Besides you don't need to graduate high school to mop up puke on the floor."
"Fushigi University."
"Good, that's not where my brother goes."
"He goes to college? How can he go to college when you guys can't even afford to eat?" Miroku asked confused. He crumpled up the piece of paper again and threw it in the trash bin.
"We can't. He's living off loans and financial aids. He also does some work study, shelving books and stuff." Inuyasha felt a knot in his throat describing his brother's plights in order to get a college degree. He felt like a real loser then. But the feeling was fleeting and he cleared his throat.
"How did you find out about the job?" Inuyasha asked.
"I know this girl that goes there. She was telling me about it."
"Girl?" Inuyasha asked intrigued. He rather liked this subject of conversation.
"It's nothing. Just some bitch. No one," Miroku turned away and tied to change the subject, "So you going to take it or what?"
"Why aren't you?"
"I'm working for my dad right now—you know with the business."
"I thought you guys weren't on speaking terms."
"Technically we aren't but it's still a job and pays me."
Inuyasha let the subject rest, knowing the topic was a sensitive one. Miroku's relationship with his father was always rocky and dropping out of school had caused the two to break apart. They were practically strangers living under the same roof. Inuyasha had no idea they had spoken to each other. The thought was amazing seeing as his own relationship with his dad was bruised, broken, and twisting the wrong way.
"Yeah, I'll go look into it. That's school is uptown, huh?"
Miroku nodded.
"No big deal. I can handle those rich punks."
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Kagome had not slept much after conversing with Sango about her date with Sesshoumaru. She was already nervous and the date was still hours away. She had reminded herself many times to relax but nothing seemed to calm her down. After much tossing and turning, she threw herself out of bed and took an Advil for her head. It was beating like a fucking drum. The pill alleviated the pain slightly but it did nothing for her nerves. She was sure that if she took another pill, her kidneys were going to explode.Finally at the crack of dawn, her eyes grew heavy and she slept until her alarm woke her up about an hour later. She slammed her hand on the snooze button and unconsciously went to sleep again. When she finally woke up, it was near nine. She stared at the digital clock for some time before finally realizing that if she didn't wake up now, she would be late for the test she had studied all night for.
Screaming slightly, she jumped out of bed, which caused her head to ache again, and ran to the bathroom. Thirty minutes she kept repeating to herself. She only had thirty minutes but that was enough time. A two minute bath later, soap still clinging onto her naked body, she grabbed her towel and brushed her death. She decided that combing her hair and putting on makeup was unnecessary and not important. So, she grabbed the sweats hanging onto her chair and put them on. By this time, Sango had already woken up and was staring at the girl in wonder.
"See this is what you get for staying up all night."
Kagome didn't have time for chitchat. She needed to get out now and drive to her school in ten minutes flat. She grabbed whatever was on the table and just began furiously stuffing them into her bag like a crazed woman. Then she was out the door.
Sadly, her car refused to start and she realized she needed to take the bus. Luckily there was a bus coming in just three minutes which took a route towards her school. In a panic, she jumped onto the bus and told the bus driver that if he needed to drive over pedestrians and passing cars to get her to school in two minutes then that was what he needed to do. The guy gave her a confused grin and signaled her to go to the back of the bus. She ran towards the back and just held onto the railing in support, facing the side double doors for a quick exit.
But the driver didn't run over any pedestrians and passing cars. Kagome had only three minutes left and her clock was fast by five minutes. Unable to take in what was happening to her, she began to hyperventilate. The crowd just stared at her as she began to breathe uneasy. Her bag now on the floor, her hold on the rail was slipping. If she didn't make it to the test, she was doomed. The test, she kept repeating in her mind, was 30 percent of the final grade.
Finally, out of breath and thinking F's and D's, her hand slipped from the railing and her body grew limp. But she wasn't out cold; she was still conscious, just very weak. Before her body could make it to the ground, someone had ceased her fall and caught her by her back. She turned around and a boy with raven colored hair.---Inuyasha:
There aren't many people on the bus this morning. I'm glad—I hate the morning rush. The thought of foreign bodies colliding against my own sickens me, well except if it was some hot chick then it's no problem. I grabbed onto the railing, hoping to make a clean break for the university, which was only a few minutes away. Why I took the bus, only my lazy ass can tell you. God, come on people, we don't have all day. What's the hold up?
Some chick is talking to the bus driver. She doesn't look half bad except for the fact she looks like she just woke up. She's heading this way too. She smells good. Okay, looking at the opposite direction. She isn't even my type of girl. She is wearing neither a mini skirt nor a wonder bra.
She looks like she's going to be sick though. Shit, her eyes keep doing some freaky blinking thing. Maybe she takes drugs or something. And then she fell...
When I looked into her eyes, something happened to me and I can't explain what. It was like every muscle in my body was going on crazy. She was still blinking profusely when I caught her before she fell to the floor. She looked up at me and something in me snapped. What is this I am feeling? Is it love? I've never fallen in love with someone before so I don't know the feeling. I mean I've dated tons of girls but I've never come across a feeling like this with them before. I was always smooth Inuyasha. Now I'm a bubbling fool and I don't even know what to say to her. Well say something you idiot! I can't but she just keeps staring at me and I cannot help but stare back into her endless brown gaze.
She is so beautiful. I am actually speechless. I want to tell her I want her baby...no...that's too rash...heck it sounds insane. But I want to be close to her like this forever. She sees it in my eyes. She's backing off...---"Excuse me..." she muttered, regaining her composure. She bent down to pick up her books and then hung onto the railing again. Her face had turned an odd shade of pink now. Not only was she embarrassed from almost falling but from landing in some complete stranger's arms. She was losing it, she thought to herself.
Inuyasha couldn't help but stare. A spark had ignited inside of him that refused to die out. He needed to talk to her but what would he say?
"Are you okay?" he asked. He was turning soft. He could feel his insides melting.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a headache."
"Well you almost collided with the bus walkway. You don't know what kind of nasty foot stepped on it." Inuyasha looked up at the glaring glances and smiled in apology. He was growing more and more nervous by the second.
Kagome looked at him and couldn't help but smile. She quickly looked away and peered out of the window in a frustrated look of anxiety. Her mind was still fixated on her test which she was now three minutes late for.
Inuyasha could tell he was going nowhere fast. But a spark of hope began to form inside of him when he saw her smile. It was beautiful.
He looked at her one last time before the bus came to a stop and a couple passengers including Kagome departed the bus. Inuyasha looked around and hopped off the bus. He needed to follow her as if propelled by some invisible force. Out of the bus, he realized he was at the university. He looked around and realized he had lost her. But, he did not continue to find her. Instead he just planted his hands in his pocket and began to slowly walk towards the university in contemplation. He had never felt anything like that sensation before. Was he losing it? He wasn't the type to fall head over heels over a girl. They fell head over heels for him. This is impossible. But he knew it wasn't. She was in a disheveled mess and still he fell for her. He looked up and smiled. Maybe his tastes in women are getting lower...or higher. After all, it seems as though she goes to this school. That in mind, he headed for the office in search of a job.
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Kagome had done well on the test despite the fact she was over ten minutes late. The professor let her slide, telling her it was her own fault if she did poorly on the exam. But she aced it and by lunch, she was breathing normally. She only had two more quizzes to get through but those should be a breeze. She sat back and relaxed on the bench, waiting for Sango. She said she would meet her for lunch and Kagome was excited to chow down seeing as she didn't have anything that morning and her stomach was doing somersaults.It was almost noon and still no Sango. Kagome slumped back and sighed. It was then that she saw that guy that she met at the bus. He was coming out of the main office. He was kind of hot, she thought. But he seemed like an arrogant pompous jerk. Thinking about hot, she grew excited about her date with Sesshoumaru that night. She still hadn't picked out what she was going to wear. She still couldn't believe the guy asked her out.
It was then that the memory of the near fainting spell popped into her Sesshoumaru muddled mind. She had almost collapsed today. She never realized how much school and success meant to her until today. Her mind was so preoccupied on her test that she had completely forgotten to say thank you to the Good Samaritan. Oh well, she thought, it wasn't like she was going to see him again.
Sango arrived thirty minutes late, babbling on about some guy she met at the front office. Kagome listened to her in a half dreaming glance, thinking about her own hot guy.---"Do you have a date with some chick? I mean you look disgustingly happy," Inuyasha asked watching his brother get ready for his big night. The guy had a knack for fashion, Inuyasha had to admit. He wore a button down black shirt and a pair of dark gray slacks. He rolled his sleeves up and undid some buttons as to appear more like an untamable sweet talker rather than a guy ready to go to a business meeting. He gelled back his usually out of control hair and put on some cologne. Inuyasha watched his brother in curiosity; half wishing he had a date too. His mind abruptly turned to his memories of the mystery girl he met on the bus. He turned his head and sighed.
"What's wrong with you? Shouldn't you be out shooting some poor defenseless guy in the street?" Sesshoumaru asked, still meticulously styling his hair back in the mirror.
Inuyasha regretted telling his brother about being in a gang. He had slipped once when he came home with a couple thousand dollars and a gun. Of course, out of sheer curiosity, Sesshoumaru had to ask what the hell he was doing. Caught in a tight corner, he told his brother what he wanted to know and watched as Sesshoumaru's head boiled. Inuyasha stared at the hole in the wall with a smile on his face. Sesshoumaru had punched the wall in frustration after Inuyasha had confessed about being in a gang. Inuyasha felt bad sometimes—being away from his family in order to spend time with his crew and deserting them whenever they needed help. Hey, he thought, at least he was trying to find work.
He looked back at Sesshoumaru, who was done with his hair now and checking his clothes, making sure everything fell into place.
'Shit, this must be one hot chick,' Inuyasha thought. Not only did Sesshoumaru never date but if he did, he never went through all this effort just to impress her. She would be lucky if he decided to comb his hair. No, this girl was someone special.
Inuyasha, tired of staring at his dork of a brother, stood up and collected some of his things and then put on his jacket.
"Where are you going?" he asked, pausing for a moment from his obsession with his reflection in the mirror.
"Yeah you suggested I go shoot someone. It sounds like a good idea right now. I'm bored out of my mind."
"Are you shitting me?"
"What do you think?" Sesshoumaru thought about that for a moment and continued to stare at the mirror. Finally, he walked away from the mirror and gathered his things.
"Who is this chick?" Inuyasha asked curiously.
"No one you know."
Inuyasha turned to the door, took one last look at his giddy brother and walked out of the door, eager to cool his head and take a walk towards the hideout.---
Sesshoumaru watched his brother leave the room and slam the door. He sighed and sat back on his bed again, wondering what the hell he was going to do with him. He must have fallen out of his father's side of the family—a bunch of drunks and drugees. He didn't understand what he did wrong. He had tried to guide Inuyasha in the right direction. He thought he was doing a good job and then he got involved in this gang and now his life is going down the drain. In just a matter of years, his promising future is being trampled on by a life going nowhere.
He had worked so hard all his life to go to college and he thought Inuyasha would do the same. How else were they going to get away from his life? He couldn't leave his brother drowning in a sea of gambling and violence. The anger in him had increased through the years and he often sought silence to maintain his serenity. This is one reason why he hadn't talked with Inuyasha much. Every word that came out of his mouth made Sesshoumaru want to scream his guts outs. Inuyasha talked incessantly about his gang as if it consumed his every being. Sesshoumaru wouldn't be surprised if it didn't. After all, lately, he felt as though Inuyasha loved his pathetic gang more than he loved his own family. Who would blame hi, he thought, his father was a loser drunk and his brother barely talked to him anymore. He found the quiet places to be the most relaxing as apposed to places like bars. It is ironic that he met Kagome at a bar. Unable to control his rage towards his brother, he turned to alcohol for solace.
He was surprised to find someone like Kagome at a bar but was lucky to have bumped into her...literally. He didn't pay much attention to her at first but she continued to talk to him and he found her voice comforting. After a while, his eyes were glued to the intricate movement of her lips which were shaped perfectly. He was entranced by the way she bit her lip when she fell speechless. He figured that if her lips left him this mesmerized, he needed to know what the rest of her would do to him. When she gave him her number, he decided he would wait a week or so before he would ask her out. He could tell from the get-go she was interested in him. He figured the wait would make her want to go out with him more or be repulsed by him. Luckily, she wasn't repulsed. He had to admit that he was also very nervous of going on a date with her. After all, she appeared far more intelligent and sophisticated than himself.
He looked at the mirror one last time before exiting his room.
'Okay you can do this...' he muttered to himself.
I can't do this! I'm not his type. I could tell from the beginning he wasn't that interested in me but I kept talking and the poor guy had to give in. God, I always have that way with people. I feel like I forced him to ask me out! I didn't even know what to say to him. I kept rambling on about nonsense and like a good guy he listened to me. He looked so into what I was saying. I bet he didn't even understand a word I was saying. Heck, I don't even understand what I am saying. I want to go under a rock and die.
I was so bummed when he hadn't called. Like a loser, I went straight to the apartment that night and checked my messages for his phone call. But no such luck. I mean I should be use to it by now. I never had much luck with men before. They have always been put off by my over-achieving. In high school I wasn't very interested in the latest gossip or that pink was the new white. I had concentrated all of my energy on school and sports to the point of exhaustion. The dates I did have were meaningless and a waste of my time—time that I could have used to study.
When the dates were over, I would kick my self in the ass for acting like such a punk. The boyfriends that I did manage to have had all been like myself which had always bored me half to death. Sesshoumaru seemed to be a good guy but unlike all of the rejects I usually date. At least he went to college, right?
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Kagome scanned her appearance one last time in the mirror—a pink dress topped with a black tweed jacket and a pair of black pumps to match. She felt semi-confident in her apparel and grabbed her purse. Sango was fast asleep on the couch, the T.V. still on and her calculus book still in her lap. Kagome decided not to wake the poor girl up.She took a deep breath and headed out the door to wait for him on the front steps of the apartment. She was surprised to find him waiting in his car a couple minutes early. She couldn't help but blush. She watched him open the car door and jump out. He brought with him a single red rose. Upon giving it to her, she felt her heart skip a beat and she knew that he could be the one.
"Thank you," she said still perplexed and carrying the rose in her hand. He stood just inches away from her smiling. He smoothed back the strands of bang that had managed to escape the gel and kissed her on the cheek. He knew he was driving her wild and he liked the feeling of being in control of her feelings. He seldom showed any of his own and liked to keep it like so—calm, cool, and collective.
"No problem."
The kiss on her cheek had made her blush again so that now her face was reduced to a shade of crimson red. She was embarrassed. She had never felt like this before. She had always been in charge of her own feelings. It felt odd to have them being tugged by someone else.
"Shall we go?" he asked. She just nodded, not knowing where they were going but happy to be with him. He opened the passenger door and she hopped in. The car was an old Oldsmobile that hardly ever started and often broke down when pushed to over 50 mph. Sesshoumaru knew it was a piece of shit and he was a little embarrassed riding in it with a date but it was all he had. Kagome didn't comment on the state of the vehicle. She could relate seeing as her own car refused to start that morning as well. But she had to admit, her 1987 Corolla was a jewel compared to this.
'So what, he has a jalopy,' she thought, 'he's still and lets remember that he did give you a rose.'
Sesshoumaru turned on the engine, praying with all his might that it would start. When it did, he did secretly thanked God in his mind, and looked over at Kagome as if the car hadn't died a day in its life. He made sure to go under 50. Luckily the fastest he needed to go was 45. Sesshoumaru noticed she was nervous because her gaze was directed outside her passenger window. Her nervousness made him nervous. His palms went sweaty and his forehead was perspiring. She was thinking about something, Sesshoumaru thought. She was just too quiet.
When he stopped at restaurant, he was surprised to feel Kagome's lips on his own.---I hope you guys like it so far. To all of the Inu/Kag fans [like myself] don't fear, they'll get together somehow. If you've read my previous fic, you know it'll be a long and excruciating road to love. So enjoy! Please R&R!!!!