Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Inuyasha. Nor do I own Kagome, Sesshoumaru, Rin, Kagome's family, or any of the other copyrighted characters that may or may not appear in this fic. So please don't sue me, and enjoy the story!
Notes: So here it comes, the beginning of the first of two story arcs. This is setting up for the culmination of all the stuff I've been trying to build up in other chapters, and this "first" part of the story ends in chapter 18, setting the stage for the next arc to begin to be created. So in my mind this is a 2 part story, though I'm not really distinguishing it that way other than right here.
Sesshoumaru is hard to write here because he's being subservient, and I don't like writing him that way! So I guess I better get cracking on this story and get to the good parts, huh? Wish me luck!
Happy New Year everyone! Enjoy the next chapter! I'll be trying to write some more as I sit here recovering from my massive hangover.... ~_^
Learning to Let Go
Chapter 16: Brotherly Love.
Although Inuyasha's way of traveling saved her some time, she was still rushed. She locked herself in her study as soon as she got home and didn't come out for hours. She didn't even realize what time it was until Inuyasha knocked loudly on the door of the study.
"Hey! Aren't you going to eat something?"
"Not hungry!" Kagome called back, turning the page of her math book. She was making good progress, but there was still a lot she wanted to get done before Monday.
She glanced up at the clock and sighed. Eleven thirty. At least she was caught up on all the work she'd missed during the past week, though. Stifling a yawn she went back to her math homework.
@@@
Morning found her face down in her textbook, a pencil still clutched loosely in her hand.
"Mmmph" she said, lifting her stiff neck with a groan. She blinked owlishly at the sunrise, seeing that it was already about 9am. How late was I up last night? She wondered, standing and stretching carefully as her muscles protested.
Shower, she thought, in somewhat of a daze. I'll feel better after a shower. The hot water helped relax her knotted muscles, and she paused only to snag a quick breakfast downstairs before returning to her study.
The words seemed to blur before her eyes as she struggled to keep focused, to keep awake. Finally she shut her book with a sigh. "I guess that's good enough. Now I just have to read for sociology."
She rummaged around in her bag for the book, but didn't find it. She frowned vaguely before remembering that she'd left it beside her bed since she didn't have sociology on Fridays.
When she entered her room though, all she could look at was her bed. I'll just lie down for a minute," she thought hazily, crawling in under the covers fully clothed.
@@@
Kagome's eyes flickered open slowly. It was dark in her room. Was it morning yet? All coherent thoughts were pushed from her head as her eyes adjusted and she became aware of two large golden eyes staring at her.
Kagome screamed, bolting upright in bed and nearly falling off the other side in her haste to get the lights on.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Inuyasha growled, standing quickly from his crouch, ears flattened against her head as her shriek echoed painfully in his sensitive eardrums.
"I - I - what are you *doing* here?" she demanded, relieved and a little angry at how he'd scared her.
His eyes darkened. "It's 8:30. Didn't you tell your friend you would be at her house by eight?"
Kagome gasped. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" she yelled at him, forgetting that just a moment ago she'd been furious with him for entering her room uninvited. He appeared just as confused by her sudden change of heart, covering it with a glare. She bolted from the room, grabbing her keys on the way out. "Come on!" she called back to him. "Rin's going to *kill* me!"
In typical Bostonian fashion she broke every law of the road on the way into Cambridge. Still, it was 9:00 when she rang the doorbell of the house. Inuyasha was hanging back, scowling, and Kagome knew he was still wary of the house after what had happened last time they'd been here, and maybe still upset by the abrupt way she'd acted toward him at the house. She sighed - later on she'd make it up to him somehow. She was too nervous right now.
Rin opened the door for them, looking a little concerned. "I thought you weren't coming," she said.
"I fell asleep," Kagome admitted sheepishly. "If Inuyasha hadn't woken me up when he did I probably *would* have missed it completely. Is there still time to see him?"
"Yeah," Rin confirmed, smiling and letting them by her into the house. "I was just about to take him dinner."
"You feed him?" Kagome asked, curiously. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?
Rin flushed guiltily, leading them into the kitchen. "Sometimes Kikyo forgets to do it. Or doesn't feed him on purpose. So I do it." She picked up a tray of food and moved toward a closed doorway. "He doesn't know you're coming - I didn't have a chance to tell him." She glanced back at Inuyasha uncertainly. "Maybe you should stay outside for a minute - so we can break it to him slowly."
Inuyasha shrugged. "Whatever."
Kagome blinked, a little confused by his sullen reaction, but nodded determinedly. "Lets go in.
@@@
The room was dim, and Kagome waited for her eyes to adjust as Rin moved forward. "Sesshoumaru?" she called softly.
There was the sound of fabric brushing against the wall, someone on the fringes of the room standing up, and then light flooded the air so suddenly that Kagome flinched back. When her dazzled eyes could see again, she looked over toward the source of the light.
And froze. God he's tall, she thought dazedly, staring unabashedly at his imposing figure. His relation to Inuyasha was clear - the long, silken white hair, the piercing golden eyes. The features were more refined however, chiseled as if he were made of fine marble, and two red stripes ran parallel from his cheekbones and disappeared into his hair on either side of his face. He was beautiful - almost effeminately so. And yet there was an indefinable masculine quality about him that made it impossible for him to be mistaken for anything but a Yokai male. Kagome noticed that strapped to his waist was a sword similar to the one Inuyasha carried - further evidence that they were related.
The golden eyes flickered to her, and she stared, entranced. Perhaps he wasn't carven of marble at all, but rather ice - for his expression, his emotions, were so closely guarded that it was as if a mask rested over his face.
"This is Kagome," Rin said quickly, her voice pitched to be soothing. "She's my friend from school, and she wanted to meet you."
Those amazing eyes, so different from Inuyasha's expressive intensity, assessed her for another moment before he inclined his head slightly and knelt gracefully to repeat the gesture of servitude that Inuyasha had shown Rin the other day.
"Don't!" Kagome cried, freezing him in place. "Please," she added in a more moderated tone. "There's no need for that."
Rin shook her head. "Kagome's crazy," she told Sesshoumaru in an amused tone. "She doesn't believe in treating slaves as lesser beings. Oh! I brought you dinner." She stepped forward with the tray, her eyes fixed on his face as if she were afraid he would reject what she offered him.
But he took the tray calmly and set it to the side. "Thank you."
His voice was deep, without inflection. The same flawless control, the icy lack of expression that Kagome had noted in his eyes showed through in his voice as well, and she bit her lip.
"You brought someone else with you," Sesshoumaru said to her, and Kagome's eyebrows went up. She noticed Rin's startled little jolt and wondered if this was the first time Sesshoumaru had spoken to a stranger - or spoken to anyone, for that matter - without permission. If that was true, it was interesting that he'd chosen her - perhaps he was able to read her well enough to understand that she wasn't one for tradition.
Kagome nodded. "My friend - my slave. I don't know how you're going to react - You know him." Sesshoumaru didn't move or break his steady gaze on her face. She took a calming breath. "Your brother."
There was no response, and Kagome had the feeling that more was going on behind those eyes than she could ever hope to comprehend. Then his eyes narrowed, flicking to a point behind her. "Inuyasha. You're alive after all."
Kagome turned and saw Inuyasha leaning casually in the doorway, his expression defensive and his body language defiant. "Sorry to disappoint," the hanyou said, a trace of satisfaction in his voice.
Sesshoumaru looked back to Kagome. "You allow him to dress above his station?"
Kagome nodded. "I didn't really want a slave - it was sort of an accident." She waited anxiously for another moment. "Aren't you two happy to see each other at all?"
"I told you," Inuyasha muttered resentfully.
Wide eyed, she turned her disbelieving gaze on his older brother. "Do you really hate him?" she asked in amazement.
"He should not exist," Sesshoumaru said unflinchingly, unyieldingly. "He was the cause of my father's death, as well as my slavery."
Inuyasha bristled, his eyes flashing dark gold in fury. "He was *my* father too, you asshole!"
Before Sesshoumaru could respond there was a thundering crash from somewhere above them, followed by a piercing shriek that made Kagome gasp.
"That pervert!" Rin cried, clenching her fists. "What's he doing now?"
"Miroku's here?" Kagome queried. "Oh right, he said he was living with you."
There was another shattering crash and a string of curses. Rin glowered at the ceiling. "I'm going to *kill* him! Kagome, will you help me get rid of whatever girl he's trapped up there *this* time?"
Kagome frowned, disgusted by Miroku's antics. Couldn't he keep his hormones under control? "All right," she agreed, before remembering the volatile situation in the room.
She glanced worriedly at Inuyasha, who was still giving his older brother a death glare and clenching his fists in a way that made Kagome worry that his own claws would hurt him. "Inuyasha, will you be okay if I run upstairs for a minute?" she asked. He gave her a noncommittal glance.
"No fighting!" Rin ordered, frowning in an echo of Kagome's worry. "None. We'll be back as soon as possible."
Another worrisome
crash had the two girls running for the stairs.
@@@
Next chapter is my longest yet cuz it's really important and I don't want to
break it into parts. So stay tuned for "Face Your Fears", coming soon!
