Broken Glass
Chapter Twenty

"Naraku…" Inuyasha stopped, his foot poised to continue in his step. Naraku paused as well and turned to look at the one who'd spoken to him. "Where are we going?"

Naraku smiled and Inuyasha felt something within him freeze. His former best friend… the teenager before him was smiling like he used to. He didn't see any bitterness in his eyes.

But as soon as he saw it, it was gone. Almost as if it were a trick of the light shining through the trees as it sunk closer and closer to the horizon. Inuyasha and Naraku continued walking.

They reached a covered area in the park, usually reserved for barbeques, and Naraku sat down on a picnic table. Inuyasha followed suit, sitting on the opposite side.

They sat in silence. Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably. Naraku cleared his throat.

"I don't know where to start," he finally said.

"Start with telling me why you're here…" Inuyasha trailed off, resting his elbows on the picnic table and leaning against his palms.

Naraku's hand suddenly lurched forward and he grasped the golden locket hanging from Inuyasha's neck. Inuyasha jumped in surprise and stared at Naraku as the boy stared at the locket. His thumb traced the engraved 'K' on the front of it. The gold glinted in the dying sunlight.

"Your girlfriend gave this to you?" Inuyasha said nothing. "How is your girlfriend anyway?"

"My girlfriend," Inuyasha began calmly, "Is fine." He loved the feeling of calling Kagome his girlfriend. It felt great. Great wasn't a good work… but he couldn't describe the feelings within him. Things were looking up. Despite the Naraku factor, anyway.

Naraku sat back and stared at him, releasing the golden locket. He looked away.

"I've tried…" Naraku finally said. Inuyasha looked at him gravely. "I tried everything to make you my friend again."

"What does it matter?" Inuyasha murmured.

Naraku was silent. "What happened?" He waited until Inuyasha met his gaze. "What happened at Spring Creek that made you turn into this…?"

Inuyasha smiled. "Spring Creek wasn't bad, Naraku. I'm glad I went. True, at first I hated it… hated that my bubbie made me go… but…" His eyes softened and he let out a sigh. "It saved me, I guess, in a lame sort of way. I mean, if I hadn't gone where would I be now? What would my future look like?" He shook his head. "I don't expect you to understand that, Naraku."

Naraku frowned and looked thoughtful. "Why won't you just try?"

Inuyasha stood slowly and Naraku followed suit. Suddenly, Inuyasha placed his foot on the picnic table and walked across it. Naraku watched blankly as Inuyasha jumped down beside him and grabbed him fiercely. For a brief moment he thought he was going to be punched before he was encased in a hug.

"Naraku," he said slowly, Inuyasha staring ahead with a small frown. "We can't. We've burned the bridges… and once I go… we go… we can't return."

Naraku glared at the ground, silent for a long moment. "But I'm still here," he finally said.

Inuyasha pulled away. "I know…" Inuyasha eyes saddened. "But there's nothing we can do."

"That's bullshit!" Naraku protested, red eyes glaring at him. "You and I both know that that is bullshit!"

Inuyasha shook his head, his eyebrows furrowing downwards. "It's not. It's true."

"Bullshit!"

"Naraku, stop it." Inuyasha glared at his friend, stuffed his hands into his pockets and his frown deepened. "Don't be like this. I can't be your friend. I don't want to be your friend."

Naraku gave him what would have been a hurt look on anyone else. He snarled. "Fine. You damn…" he trailed off with a shake of his head. He gave him a glare. "You think you're fine now because you've got her. But what will happen when she finds out? Hm? About everything? Will she still think you're wonderful?"

"Go away," Inuyasha growled, his fists clenching. Naraku sneered.

"That's your solution for everything. Run away." Naraku's voice was bitter and quiet. He looked at him darkly, his red eyes burning with fury. He waved his hand in a random direction as if to demonstrate his point. "Whatever, do whatever the hell you want."

Naraku glared at him and turned his back, walking away slowly. When he was near the edge of the grass that Inuyasha had been sitting in before, he turned back. He gave him one last calculating look before shaking his head.

"You promised you'd never leave."

Inuyasha watched him go.

Kagome stood in front of the large white house with its porch and green front lawn. She stood stupidly with the slight wind blowing at her skirt. It was Tuesday and still no word from Inuyasha. 'Well, we talked yesterday… but I was sure he'd call or something. But no word from him.'

She frowned and took a hesitant step towards his house. 'Don't wimp out now! You've walked all this way! You can't just come here and then decide to leave. This was a long walk.'

She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, blue eyes staring at the house like she'd just seen it for the first time. With her glasses she could see the remarkable detail the frost created on the window panes and the way the ivy crept up the house like veins in a hand.

She licked her dry lips and took another step before taking one back. She stood there, staring up at his house. What if she was intruding on something? What if he didn't want to see her?

Finally she shook her head, turned on her heel and rushed home. She didn't want to infringe Inuyasha's wishes.

It had been one day since he'd talked to Naraku and he was still fuming. He sat on his bed, glaring at his ceiling like it had done him personal harm before turning to his side and staring at the wall that his bed was parallel to. He snorted and closed his eyes, wishing he could just sleep this vacation away so that he could get back to school and talk with Kagome.

He sighed. 'I've got to get this sorted out. No doubt Naraku's going to tell her soon. I know it will sound better coming from me… but what if… what if she…?'

He closed his eyes and shook his head. 'If she's scared away from that then…' his protest died. 'Then she has all the reason to be.' He sighed and pushed his bangs away from his forehead. He didn't know what to do. 'Would she hate me? I mean… I know Kagome's a fragile girl, but…'

He shook his head. 'Of course she would, you moron. She'd despise you after she learned about you and what you've done.'

He sighed and sat up, running his hand along the back of his neck. He inhaled deeply and looked around his still messy room. What was he going to do?

'I'll have to tell her soon. Better coming from me than him. Then I'll know for sure that she hates me.'

His eyebrows furrowed and his hand fisted. "Damn you, Naraku!"

Anger surged within him as he recalled what Naraku had said to him. And what he had said to Naraku. Alright, so they were both at fault in this case, but both were too prideful to admit that.

'Besides, Naraku's poison. It won't be good to be friends with him.' He pulled his knees to his chest. 'I can understand why he's upset, though.' He sighed.

Half an hour later he trailed downstairs and found Kaede fixing herself some lunch. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he realized how late in the morning it'd gotten. "Morning," Inuyasha mumbled.

"Good afternoon," Kaede corrected and watched her grandson flop down into a chair with a sigh. Kaede smiled. It was good to have Inuyasha home. He'd completed the program at Spring Creek Lodge in late January and he'd suddenly been whisked away to his new high school. They hadn't spent much time together but it seemed that, despite his attempts to remain disciplined, the old Inuyasha was shining through, just a little.

Kaede didn't like it. She served herself some food and offered her plate to Inuyasha. He took it and stared at the contents. Sighing at the leftovers Kaede had heated up, he began to munch on it with a hint of discontentment. He rested his elbow on the table only to be whacked away with Kaede's fork.

"No elbows at the table," Kaede scolded with a wave of her utensil. Inuyasha forced a tiny smile. "Is everything okay?"

"What do you mean?" He sounded defensive. Kaede mentally told herself to be careful. She was treading on thin ice.

"You seem distant lately." Kaede munched on her own food. "I'm worried, Inuyasha."

"There's nothing to worry about," he snapped and placed his elbow on the again.

Kaede whisked it away. "Didn't they teach you any manners in Montana?" she asked jokingly. However, it was the wrong thing to say.

Inuyasha was on his feet instantly. "You think this is some kind of joke? You think that the damn hell I had to go through there is some kind of joke? Do you think it's amusing how many years I slaved away at that damn school and didn't once complain?"

"Inuyasha, I…"

"It's your entire damn fault, too!" he snapped and pointed a menacing finger at his grandmother. "You should have told Dad and Mom to stay! You shouldn't have let them walk out of my pathetic life! You told me she loved me, but she doesn't, does she? You decided I was depressed and put me on drugs! Well guess what, Bubbie? I was a preteen! All damn preteens have moments of depression! And that quack doctor, too! Why couldn't you see that I was fine?"

Inuyasha stormed and threw his dish in the sink. There was a small clink as bits of plate fell to the bottom of the sink. "And you know what, Bubbie? That school was probably the greatest home I ever had. Which is more than I can say about this place."

And with that he stormed from the house, ignoring the small, choked sob that Kaede emitted from her dry throat.

He trudged down the street, not completely sure where he was going. Half a mile away from his house he realized he didn't have a jacket. Involuntarily he shivered. But he was thankful to realize he had a hat covering the very thing that made him a freak.

'I'm a freak.' The words resounded through his head. 'No one cares about a freak. No one can love a freak. Not even my own grandmother. She'd sell me away to a boarding school in a heartbeat.'

His eyes saddened and he came to a stop. He stared at the ground. 'Where am I?'

He looked up in time to see a car come whizzing past, its car horn blaring. He cringed at the sound and realized he'd stopped in the middle of a crosswalk with a red hand flashing on the other side. He continued moving, wary of the cars' brakes screeching as he moved away from the road.

He moved and looked around. 'This intersection…!'

He turned around and searched wildly for the sign. Sure enough there was the familiar sign of 'Please wear your seatbelt… in memory of Takeshi Cohen.'

He stared blankly at the sign and then the small wooden slab of wood that represented the spot where his grandfather had died. He hadn't been wearing a seat belt that day. Looking further down the road he could see other 'in memory of' signs. This intersection was a death zone.

He sat down before the slab of wood, the wind whipping his hair around as he sat. "Why, Zadie? Why did you have to leave me?"

He closed his eyes and bit his lip. "I changed. I tried really hard to change. But I'm becoming me again. Am I truly an evil person? Can't I make it go away? Can I never be a good person?"

The wooden marker didn't answer… simply because it was wood and because Inuyasha wasn't a deity with the power to speak to inanimate objects.

He sighed. "Zadie… it's all my fault you died. It's all my fault. I'll never be able to forgive myself. It's my fault you're dead. My fault you're never coming back."

He closed his eyes again and released a small, depressed sigh. "You'd never forgive me for yelling at Bubbie like I did today. You'll always be ashamed of me. Why can't I just make you proud of me? Why couldn't I be a good…" His eyes saddened and he licked dry lips. He stared at the marker of his zadie's accident. "…Son?"

"No! Stop!" Naraku cried as his father threw him against the wall. Inuyasha stared from under the bed, watching as his best friend was tossed aside like a rag doll by his father. Inuyasha was currently hiding… Naraku's dad didn't know he was here. He watched with eyes wide with fear… and a slight bit of awe at the man's power… as Naraku was thrown aside as if he were made of nothing. "Dad! Please!"

"Shut up, you little bastard," his father barked and threw his beer bottle against the wall. It shattered and Inuyasha cringed as shards of broken glass shot to the ground and fell under the crack of Naraku's bed. "You worthless thing!"

"Daddy!" Naraku sobbed and grasped as his father's pant leg, begging him to stop. "Daddy, please! You're hurting me!"

The young fourth-grader stared as his best friend of one year was thrown against the wall again. "I don't care! You deserve it!"

Naraku continued crying, his face contorted in pain, his cheeks and nose red and his lip quivering with his cries and pleas. The dark-haired boy continued to beg long after his father had disappeared to find another beer.

"Daddy… please, Daddy, don't hurt me! Daddy, I'm sorry! Daddy," Naraku bawled in the corner, his arms cut and his face bruised. Inuyasha silently crept from under his best friend's bed and sat beside him.

"Naraku…" Inuyasha whispered, his voice as soft as possible. Naraku cringed and continued to cry. "Naraku… it's okay, he's gone now. You're safe."

Naraku shook his head, and sniffed his runny nose. "Inuyasha…!"

Naraku fell to the ground and encased his head in his arms, sobbing to the ground and refusing to acknowledge his friend and the occasional cry of his name. Inuyasha sat stupidly, unsure of how to react to what he'd just saw. He hadn't know that Naraku's dad was like that… he didn't know that any adult could be like that.

"Come on, Naraku, it's okay." Inuyasha felt tears in his eyes, as well, unsure of how to react or what to say to Naraku. He just didn't know. This was all too much for his young mind to comprehend. "Naraku…"

Inuyasha silently helped Naraku stand and led him away from the room. They sunk away to the bathroom where Inuyasha searched for band aids. Naraku continued to cry quietly as Inuyasha stuck a bright pink bandage on his friend's forearm.

"Everything's going to be fine, Naraku," Inuyasha reassured, his golden eyes sad as he observed his friend's proof of pain and suffering. "Everything is fine, it's all going to be okay. I promise. I promise." He started to cry as well.

"Inuyasha… I…" Naraku tried to speak through his sobs and occasional hiccup, but was unable to say anything coherent. "Inuyasha, please don't leave me alone."

"I won't. I promise."

Naraku pushed the kid to the ground. Inuyasha stared in shock as he ran away. "Why'd you do that?" Inuyasha asked in bewilderment. Naraku looked at him and frowned.

"It's what my dad does when he doesn't like something," he said slowly.

"Oh…" Inuyasha frowned. Were you supposed to push someone down when you weren't happy with them?

"Try it," Naraku urged.

"But that's mean," Inuyasha protested. "I need to have a reason."

Naraku looked around the playground. "Want to swing?"

"Sure!" Inuyasha bubbled, happy for the change of subject.

"Well there's only one swing open. We'll have to ask that kid to move."

"Uh…" Naraku pointed at a kid and he walked towards him. The little second grader looked up, his wide green eyes staring curiously at the two. Inuyasha looked at Naraku and the boy nodded. "You get off the swing. I want it."

"But I was already here," the little boy protested, his green eyes narrowing in confusion. Naraku glanced at Inuyasha and nodded.

Inuyasha stepped forward and pushed with all his might. The kid fell backward and to the ground, woodchips falling all around as he landed with a thud. "I said move!" Inuyasha said as meanly as he could. The boy burst into tears and ran away. "Wow…"

Naraku was already swinging on the open swing. "See? Nothing to it. It's easy."

"I guess so," Inuyasha said slowly. It felt nice to have his way for a change. He smiled at Naraku. "Thanks!"

"Yep! Be careful, or else your hat will fly off," Naraku warned. The boy knew about his best friend's ears.

They swung in silence and Inuyasha silently stared at the horizon. The sun beat down at the elementary school children's heads and he pursed his lips in thought. 'It felt good,' he realized with a small smile. 'Maybe Naraku's right…?'

"Hey, those kids have some cookies!" Inuyasha suddenly said and pointed. "Want to go get some?" Inuyasha grinned and Naraku nodded before jumping of the swing and leading the way.

Thus marking the beginning of Inuyasha's journey down the wrong path, figuratively speaking.

Rain began to pour gently, the steel cold sheets of water pounding against his back didn't do much to soothe his sour mood. Golden eyes stared at the ground as he moved slowly. He bit his lip and lowered his eyes as he walked.

He wasn't sure as to where it was he was going, but he did know that wherever it was he wasn't going to get there quickly. He closed his eyes tightly and felt pressure in his chest. He placed a hand over his heart and gripped the material of his drenched shirt.

Bare arms, wet with rain, shivered as goose bumps rose where the tiny hairs covered his arm. He probably looked like a drowned rat, he realized with a bit of disdain. He gulped down the infernal lump that always seemed to get lodged in his throat. Wet hair plastered to his forehead and he tried to stuff it under his equally as wet beanie hat. No such luck, however.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and shuffled his feet against the ground as he waited for the light to change and enable him the right to cross the street.

"Inuyasha?" The voice roused him of his thoughts and he raised his head. He watched as a car window waiting for the light's change to roll down and a familiar girl to appear. She stared at him with shocked brown eyes. "Inuyasha, what are you doing out here in the rain? Get the hell in this car right now?"

"That's fine, Rin, but I'm close to home," Inuyasha said casually with a wave of his hand. Rin gave him a dark look and unlocked her doors with a click of an automatic button.

"Now," she said crossly and Inuyasha frowned thoughtfully. With a sigh he opened the passenger car door and stepped inside. The delightful warmth of the car embraced him and he released a sigh of relief as Rin cranked up the heat and pressed the seat warmer button. Instantly he felt his entire backside beginning to warm.

They sat uncomfortably for a moment until the light changed and Rin continued on in the opposite direction Inuyasha had been traveling. He silently closed his eyes as he passed the all too familiar intersection. He bit his lip and sighed gently.

"Something the matter?" Rin asked as she drove. She kept her eyes on the road but spared him a couple of glances. He wondered idly where she was taking him but didn't feel enough concern to express this apprehension.

"No," he said quietly, his eyes lowered as he rested his hand on the car door and felt the enjoyable faux breeze the car produced. "I'm fine."

Rin gave him a look which Inuyasha pointedly ignored. "Yeah right, Inuyasha. You're such a liar."

Inuyasha cracked a half smile. "You're one of those people who's hard to lie to, huh?"

Rin frowned. "You've classified people when it comes to lying?"

Inuyasha shrugged one shoulder. "Call it what you will. People react differently to different things."

Rin was silent for a long moment. "Inuyasha…? What are you doing?"

"If you're here to give me a lecture you can let me off at the next stop… I've already heard it from a variety of people."

"You know, Inuyasha, I like you. You seem like a really great guy and Kagome seems smitten with you, but you are a major asshole sometimes, you know that?" Rin said crossly with a disdainful snort and an upturn of her nose. She pressed on the brakes and her car came to a stop at a red light. She looked at him with a deep, calculating look. "Now answer my question."

Inuyasha smiled ruefully. "To be perfectly honest I have no idea what it is I'm doing right now. I'm just so… I don't know anymore."

Rin drove when the light turned green. She was quiet as brown eyes observed the road. Brown hair fell over her shoulder only to be idly brushed away with her hand.

Finally she spoke. "Inuyasha… I understand that things are hard for you right now. But…"

"Stop it," he cut her off with a fierce tone. He looked at her gravely as he gripped his seat. "You know nothing of what I'm doing for Kagome."

Rin's grip on her steering wheel tightened. "Inuyasha, I'm not accusing you of anything, I…"

"Do you think this is easy for me?" Inuyasha snapped. "Do you think I enjoy doing this to Kagome? To me?"

He sniffed and turned his head away, staring out the window. Rin looked at him with wild eyes. "No need to get angry, Inuyasha," she whispered. Inuyasha tensed.

"You know nothing," he repeated.

"I never said I knew what was going on," Rin replied quietly and silently drove, obeying when Inuyasha told her to bring him home.

Later that day, Inuyasha stared at the wall as he cleaned a window idly. Windex in one hand and an old rag in the other, he scrubbed away at the glass- watching streaks appear from the blue liquid's residue. He sighed and rested his forehead against the window and stared through the glass.

He sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. He was getting a cold from the frigid rain he'd walked around in for hours. When he'd returned home, Bubbie had given him her world famous guilt trip, consisting of saddened looks and silent treatments with the occasional wistful sigh.

Dog ears dropped as he sighed and moved onto the next window. He gave it the same treatment as he'd done with the other windows.

He stared at the reflection that mirrored himself in the dirty glass. Haggard golden eyes stared back at him. His lips were curved downwards and his cheeks and nose were red from his earlier escapade, despite that the rest of his face was a paled color. His silver hair was ratted and bunched together at his forehead. He saw bags under his eyes and his eyelids drooped.

'I'm tired,' he thought to himself with a pathetic sigh. 'I don't know how long I'll be able to withstand Naraku. Ignoring the fact he's a complete asshole… if I don't tell Kagome soon, he will and then all chances of being able to be at least friends with her will be out the window…'

He smiled lightly to himself. 'She's my girlfriend. I have to be honest.'

The realization soothed as well as frightened him.

He continued cleaning.

A few minutes later the doorbell rang and Inuyasha paused. Blinking he looked up towards the door on the opposite side of the hall. He sighed and dropped his rag and Windex onto the ground before walking towards the door.

'This had better be good.' He didn't want to talk to anyone today.

He opened the door and all of the air rushed from his lungs. Her hair was matted by the rain outside and her glasses were blurred from raindrops, but he could still see her shinning blue eyes.

"…Kagome?"

Author's notes: Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. My beta was grounded from the computer and therefore could not give it to me this weekend. It's only two days late, I'm sure you all understand.

Fanart:

(By me)
www(.)deviantart(.)com(/)deviation(/)17595199
www(.)deviantart(.)com(/)deviation(/)17597103

(By Lil'Inuyasha)
www(.)deviantart(.)com(/)deviation(/)17952253

(By Jefferyisone)
www(.)deviantart(.)com(/)deviation(/)18056550
www(.)deviantart(.)com(/)deviation(/)18073650