Disclaimer: Nope…don't own Inuyasha…or any of the characters for that matter. (sigh) Oh well, life goes on.
Author's apology note is at the bottom this time.
Chapter 17- Talk Isn't Always Cheap
The five teens and two children sat at the table in the hotel dining area and ate their breakfast quietly. Sango looked as if she was about to burst out in a fit of giggles. Miroku had multiple bruises from trying to get the kids ready that morning. Kagome was shoving her food down and avoiding eye contact with a particular hanyou master of hers. That particular master looked quite smug for some unknown reason. Kouga wore a confused expression on his face, looking around at all the people acting strangely. Then there were the two kids. They were merrily eating their heavily syruped golden waffles.
Kouga was the one to break the silence. "Why are you all acting so weird?" He asked.
Sango started laughing right then, spitting out the milk that was in her mouth. Miroku looked up with an exhausted expression. Kagome turned red, and was the only one to respond with a 'nothing' while shaking her head harshly. Inuyasha only smirked even more when Kagome said that, and even let out a slight chuckle. Kouga still looked confused. He shook his head and decided to change the subject.
"So, Kagome. I take it you slept well with this…mutt…in your angelic presence?" The wolf youkai asked. Kagome just nodded quickly in response. "And I hope your sweet dreams weren't interrupted," he cast a glance at Inuyasha, who was still smiling smugly. "This idiot probably talks in his sleep and kicks all over the place." Kouga said in a whisper.
Kagome gulped. "Wha-what makes you say that, Kouga?" She asked nervously.
Kouga laughed slightly. "Well, he is a dog, isn't he? Have you ever seen one sleep? They growl and kick around like they're chasing after some prize!"
Kagome's face reddened significantly. "A prize, huh?" She mumbled.
"So, Kagome," the girl's head snapped up at hearing her name, "do I talk in my sleep?" Her master asked. The question seemed innocent enough, but she could tell by the arrogant smirk on his face that something was up. She narrowed her eyes at him and bit her tongue.
"Occasionally you do." Kagome answered cautiously.
Inuyasha leaned across the table a bit. "What kind of things?" His canines glistened when he asked.
Did he think she was some kind of idiot? Surely she wasn't going to tell him about what he said. Why did he even care? He's not acting as if he's trying to find out to make sure he didn't say anything stupid or revealing. Well, he did say something revealing, but not in am embarrassing way. Maybe…maybe he knew. What if he did it on purpose? He wouldn't. Kagome narrowed her eyes even more. 'He would.' She thought as she looked into his eyes, which seemed to be mocking her in a way.
Kagome leaned back and smiled at the hanyou. "Last time I heard you talk in your sleep, you said something about pink bunny slippers and yellow daisies dancing all around. There was another time you were mumbling about pina coladas and coconut bras."
"I never said THAT!" Inuyasha yelled, nearly falling across the table.
"On the contrary. I think someone needs a vacation. Hawaii, maybe?" The raven-haired girl asked tauntingly. There was no way he was going to get the better of her. No way.
Shippou watched this all in mild amusement as the others sat laughing their heads off. "I heard him talking this morning."
Kagome stopped laughing immediately. Even Inuyasha turned his attention to the kitsune youkai.
"You were awake Kagome, I heard you." The child continued.
"Shippou," Kagome started nervously, "when did your hearing get so good?"
The mentioned boy puffed his chest out proudly at this 'compliment.' "I've always had good hearing. It's in the genes I guess. My dad had really good hearing. At least that's what others have told me. So did my mom. The gods blessed me!"
Kouga rolled his eyes at his cousin's blabbering. "Stop boasting! Nobody cares! Why are we even talking about your 'wonderful' genes anyway?"
"Oh yea! I heard Inuyasha talking in his sleep this morning. He said something about needing and wanting to be inside of-agh…umph!" His sentence was cut short by a certain hanyou's hand.
"Don't…say…another…word…got it, kid?" Inuyasha threatened harshly.
Shippou moved his head up and down in a nodding motion the best he could under the circumstances. Kagome let out a silent sigh that she had been holding almost the whole time Shippou had been speaking. 'That was close. Too close for me. Thankfully Inuyasha stopped him.' Her brows neared at that thought. 'Why did he stop him though? Earlier he was wanting me to tell him what he said, but when Shippou up and offered, he shut him up.' He was playing games again. The girl quirked an eyebrow and her brown eyes set on him. 'He wants to play games, eh? Well, that's fine with me. But this time, let's have you be the pawn…'
"…Inuyasha" The said hanyou turned to Kagome. His face dropped. She looked really calm…too calm. 'This can't be good.' He thought as she laced her fingers together and her chocolate eyes bore into his amber orbs. "Shippou's right, you were talking in your sleep this morning. I thought it was rather interesting too." Her eyes never unlocked with his as she continued to talk in her smooth voice. "You said that you needed, and wanted, to be inside me."
The hanyou looked at her nervously. She was saying all of this way too calmly. He didn't like the way this was going. Why wasn't she getting flustered? Why wasn't she hitting him? Why was she just saying it as if it were no big deal?
"Inuyasha, why would you say that? Do you really mean it?" Kagome stood up and slowly walked over to where her master was sitting. Everyone's eyes followed her movements and Inuyasha's reactions. "Do you really want me?" Her nose was touching his and he gulped hard. This was backwards! He was the one that was supposed to act this way; all cocky and assured. Why was she doing this?
The girl reached up and placed a delicate hand on his chest, making his heart pound faster. If he had something to say, his words would've been stuck in his throat, because at the moment, he couldn't even utter a sound.
Kagome continued. "I take that silence as a 'yes.' In any case…" That's when she shoved him…hard. "you can't have me!"
Inuyasha fell backwards in the chair and landed with a thud on the ground. He was stunned for a moment, but his senses came back quickly. "Wh-what the hell was that for!" The angry hanyou yelled at the servant girl.
"You're sick." She said quietly. "You knew, you knew the whole time. You didn't say that in your sleep! You said it when you were awake, and you were planning to embarrass me in front of everyone, weren't you?"
Kagome was mad. No, she was furious. And she went on.
"Did you not think I would figure it out? You're such a jerk! I try so hard to be nice to you, so hard to take care of you, and this is how you repay me?" She was on the verge of tears now, and everyone watched with open eyes with slight surprise and amusement.
"You don't care, do you! You really don't care, and I do! Gods, you don't get it! You…are so…blind." She turned on her feet quickly and made her way through the crowd that had gathered and headed towards the elevator.
Those last few words of hers echoed in Inuyasha's head. They stung. He was blind, wasn't he? But, couldn't she tell when he was just playing around? He didn't mean to hurt me, he didn't mean to make her cry, he didn't mean to upset her like that. His white ears folded back against his skull and he hung his head.
Sango was the first to break the heavy silence. "Ya know," she directed at Inuyasha, "now would be a good time to go after her and apologize."
Shippou hopped up on the brown haired girl's shoulder. "Yea, you were a real jerk! Go apologize to her, she deserves it!"
Inuyasha snapped his head up and glared at the two. Where they really saying this whole thing were all his fault? (Well, yea, b/c it is, but he doesn't see that) He didn't say a word to them as he stormed off after Kagome. Sango and Miroku only shook their heads, Shippou and Rin were picking up the chair pieces that had scattered on the floor and Kouga…still sat there…confused.
0o0o0o0
Inuyasha stepped out of the elevator and stood momentarily in front of the suite door. 'What am I gonna say?' He thought. 'I could just come out and apologize. Yea, I'll just do that.'
He turned the handle and stepped inside the room. She wasn't in the living area; she was probably in the bedroom. He walked quietly to the room where he found her staring out the large window. He walked up to her, but not too close, he didn't want to invade her space at the moment.
"I…I…I'm…sorry." He finally said.
Kagome didn't move from her spot at the window. "Don't say it…if you don't mean it." She said quietly, almost in a whisper.
"But, I do mean it! Why would I say it if I didn't mean it?" His anger rose at her comment.
"Sometimes people just say it, so they can say they said it. Words are cheap; they don't mean anything." Kagome said sadly.
Inuyasha's anger melted when he sensed the hollowness in her words.
"People…say things but, they don't mean it. Empty apologies, empty promises, empty words…I hate people like that." She fiddled with the ring on her finger. The stone on it glistened in the morning light that was coming through the large window.
"I wouldn't lie to you, Kagome." Inuyasha assured her.
Empty promises. "I promise I'll save you…"
Empty words. "Yes, and remember, Kagome, I love you."
0o0o0o0
Kikyou stood staring out the window of the little house that she was staying in. A man in a dark coat stood beside her. "I know why I'm doing this, but why do you want to do this? You have yet to tell me." The man said.
"I made a promise to someone. No one deserves to live like this…no one at all. I don't know where she's at…but I have to save her…I promised her."
Promises; so easy to make, so hard to actually keep. Like words, they're cheap; they're never really true. They fill people with false hopes and dreams. Always remember the promises you make, and always remember those you make them to. Remember the face, remember the name, and remember the voice that rings in your head. Someone out there has not forgotten what you said.
Kikyou looked out the window at the sun that continued to creep over the horizon. A child's face fogged her mind, and the little girl's echoing words lingered in her ears. "Remember our promise…! Remember me!" The woman couldn't put a name to the face. Why couldn't she remember who it was? The girl…she knows she made a promise to the little girl. Yet that face seemed so familiar, as if she had seen her somewhere else besides her dreams. She felt almost as if she were breaking the promise she had made.
Kikyou looked to the man that was standing near her, appearing to be in deep thought about something. Did he have something to do with all of this? Her intuition was telling her he was part of her problem…and we all know that intuitions usually don't lie to us.
0o0o0o0
I'm very sorry people. My computer's been on the fritz and we're trying to fix it. It's been next to impossible for me to get on the computer, and getting online is even tougher. I know it's been about a month, and trust me I feel horrible about it. This chapter isn't as long as they usually are; it's not even four whole pages! Ugh! I hate this! All in all, what I'm trying to say is; it may be a while before I'm capable of updating again. I repeat myself- I'm very sorry. And since I feel so crappy about all of this, any reviews would be appreciated…from anyone.
And for those who are curious, the only reason I am capable of updating right now, is because I'm at my grandma's house for Thanksgiving break. I may even try to get the next chapter typed up.
DramaqueenABZ: I can't even remember what was in the review you last left me. Everything's been such a mess here. I hope you understand, and I thank you for it. I'll try to get the computer thing figured out and fixed, just so I can continue. LoL! Thanks again!
