Broken Glass
Chapter Twenty-Four

"The sodas are a little warm, is that okay?" Inuyasha asked when he entered his family room. Kagome sat on the couch with a cat in her lap. Onyx, the small black cat, purred contently and nuzzled against her hand happily.

"That's fine," Kagome said quietly, smiling at the boy as he shut the door and moved towards her. Handing her a Sprite he moved towards the television and grabbed the movie they were going to watch.

"Let's see," he said slowly as he turned to face her. "Which would you rather see first… Pirates of the Caribbean or Shrek?"

Kagome watched as Onyx darted from her lap and retreated, as cats often did randomly. Kagome readjusted herself and leaned against the back of the couch, blushing at the fact that Inuyasha was looking at her.

"Erm…" she was about to tell him to choose for her but knew he wouldn't take that as an answer. Both of the movies were good, she realized. "Pirates," she finally decided.

"Excellent choice," he agreed as he slipped said DVD into the player and made his way back over to her. Clicking off the lights to give the screen a better effect, Inuyasha glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. "Besides," he joked, "I get to see my dreamboat Johnny."

Kagome giggled lightly and Inuyasha grinned. He sniffled. He still had the cold from walking in the rain. The smile quickly disappeared, however, when his split lip gave him a small jolt of pain. He hissed lightly and Kagome turned to look at him in concern.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked the boy. His lip had been split and he had a black eye from yesterday's fiasco with Naraku.

"We'd had a disagreement," he'd told her apologetically when she'd showed up for their movie date. They'd decided to stay at home rather than go to the movies. Besides, they were content in the room alone. Bubbie had given them some sidelong glances that suggested she knew what they were up to, but she didn't voice her opinion.

"I'm fine," he reassured her with a gentle smile. "I'm perfectly fine, sweetie."

Kagome blushed at the name and smiled lightly, feeling her heart flop. It was kind of sad how much she loved Inuyasha showering her with attention.

The movie began and they started to watch it. Within the first few minutes Zola jumped into her lap and rested his head against her leg. He purred loudly and his giant, fluffy white tail swished back and forth contently. She smiled and cooed, stroking the kitty's soft fur happily.

"I have to wonder," Kagome whispered quietly, her eyes not daring to look at Inuyasha. Nevertheless, she felt his eyes on her. "If you got injuries like this… how is Naraku?"

"You're actually concerned about Naraku?" Inuyasha sounded shocked.

Kagome closed her eyes and meekly nodded.

"How can you?" he questioned. "He's caused us so much trouble."

Kagome fidgeted and turned to look at him, her bottomless blue eyes staring at him longingly. "You and he used to be close, Inuyasha. Even though you've both moved on… you cannot disregard him completely."

"Kagome… I…"

Kagome smiled apologetically. "I know. It's okay."

They sat in silence for a long moment, Inuyasha's eyes on her and wide with disbelief. His eyes saddened and he nodded his head slowly. "You're right, I guess."

He sighed. "He's an idiot and a fool… I don't want to be around him anymore, but, I do worry for him." He smiled sardonically.

Kagome smiled as well. "I'm sure he'll be just fine."

The movie continued on and the two watched it for about fifteen minutes. Soon afterwards Kagome noticed that Inuyasha's arm was around her. Zola dashed away as Inuyasha pulled her close. She smiled and snuggled up against him, breathing in his scent and enjoying the protection of his body.

She closed her eyes contently and rested her head on his shoulder. Then she remembered she was watching a movie and reopened them. Hesitantly she wrapped her arm around his waist and blushed. She heard him chuckle and glanced up at him.

He was looking down at her and used his free hand to move and tap her nose. "You're blushing," he pointed out, which only caused Kagome's face to ignite into flames and duck her head. He laughed again. "You're adorable."

She smiled stupidly, despite herself, and glanced up at him. "Thank you," she murmured, unsure as to what else to say.

They sat for a long moment, both trying to concentrate on the escapades of Captain Jack Sparrow, but it grew increasingly hard. In the darkness of the room Kagome glanced upwards towards the twitching dog ears. Ever since she'd first discovered he had the furry appendages she'd wanted to touch them—as odd as that sounded.

She shifted, the only sound coming from her being the whisper of the blanket they had on as she pushed it back. He glanced at her and she ducked her head as she scooted closer to him. She cleared her throat and sat board stiff. She wanted to touch his ears. But she didn't want to be rude about it. She was unsure how to approach the subject.

"Hey, Kagome, are you okay?" Inuyasha questioned, noting the odd way Kagome was acting.

Kagome gulped and turned around so that she was facing him. Their noses were almost touching and he blinked in surprise, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "H-hey…"

Before he could stop her or question her, she grasped the twin dog ears between her forefingers and thumbs. He blinked in surprise and sputtered, forgetting whatever it was he was about to say to her.

She ducked her head, her cheeks turning a bright red. She gulped down another lump in her throat and felt the ears in between her fingertips. They felt soft. They twitched, trying to free themselves from her grip but she refused to let go.

"K-Kagome," he sputtered, his hauntingly beautiful golden eyes wide in fascination. "What are you doing?"

She blushed. "I…"

Instead of answering and making a fool of herself, Kagome ran her fingers along the edge of the canine ears. The pointed appendages twitched and she swore her face would never stop being red again.

She continued to rub the ears delicately, smiling softly at the sensation. Inuyasha's eyes had closed and his cheeks had turned pink. His lips were curved into a somewhat loopy smile and he looked like he was in a trance. She tweaked the ears before she was satisfied and returned to her position next to him.

"Kagome…" his voice whispered, the three syllables of her name breezing past her ear. She stiffened and turned to face him. His eyes locked with hers and he was smiling.

The smile on his lips made him look extremely cocky and arrogant. The loopy one was long gone and only a fragment of Kagome's memories. Kagome felt foolish. He tilted his head to the side. "If you liked my ears so much… why didn't you just say so?"

The movie behind them was forgotten and Kagome's heart thundered in her chest. She struggled to speak but it seemed that a hand had grasped her throat—preventing any communication (or air, for that matter) to pass through. She licked her dry lips and fidgeted.

He didn't take his gaze off hers. "Heh… Kagome?"

"What?" she mumbled, feeling like an idiot.

It had been a mistake. Inuyasha never liked his ears. They were the cause of his feelings of inferiority when he was younger. He couldn't tell anyone about them. Obviously he didn't want anyone to draw attention to them. She took in a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat. She shouldn't have done that. Inuyasha was upset.

His ears twitched on top of his head, the small appendages nearly hidden from view due to his unruly silver hair. He leaned forward and grazed his lips over hers.

"Do you like them?" he questioned when he pulled away.

Kagome's eyes were wide with shock. She blinked a couple of times, registering what he'd just said. She nodded timidly. "Yes…"

"How come?" he questioned and his face looked at her innocently. It was kind of odd, imagining Inuyasha as an innocent; they both knew that was far from the truth. But he looked at her curiously; he longed to know the answer. "How can you like these things on my head?"

Kagome's eyes widened in surprise and blinked. "I think they're…"

"How can you like the things that make me a monster, Kagome?" he questioned, cutting her off. He looked at her seriously, his golden eyes masked. He wasn't revealing his true feelings. Kagome felt her heart beat speed up. "These things that make me a freak."

Kagome's eyes softened and she scooted closer to him, her hands grazing over his cheeks daringly. He continued to look at her, unfazed by her gentle touch.

"You are you," she whispered. "I don't look at your ears and see a freak. I look at your ears and see that you're unique."

He snorted. "There's nothing special about this kind of uniqueness."

She closed her eyes and bowed her head, searching for his hands and grasping them. They were much larger in her hands and she gave them a gentle squeeze.

"You are you," she repeated. "You are not a freak. You are Inuyasha."

She lifted her eyes to him and didn't look away this time, her fathomless blue eyes staring deeply into his own. The oceanic gaze didn't falter as she tried to convince the boy before her that he was anything but a freak.

"Inuyasha…" She stared into the compellingly stunning gaze of his golden orbs and she didn't look away. "You are an amazing person. These ears mean nothing. If you didn't have them or if you did have them… it doesn't matter what you look like. I will always…" she trailed off, blushing. "Love you."

His face melted and his lips curved into the warmest smile she'd ever seen. His soft golden eyes stared at her tenderly and she felt as if her heart had stopped beating in that very moment. He leaned forward, his arms snaking around her waist and he pressed his lips against hers.

Her eyes widened in surprise before closing. 'You're such an amazing person. Do you even realize that?'

Unknown to Kagome, Inuyasha's thoughts were similar to hers.

All thoughts of him being angry had left her mind. The gentle presence of his lips against hers sent her tumbling over the edge and she felt her arms encircle his neck and hold him close. Their lips were locked and she felt him press firmly against her.

He leaned forward and pushed her to the couch, towering over her. The movie was long forgotten…

He pulled away and opened his eyes, staring at her. She stared back up at him, her eyes wide and her lips parted. He smiled.

"I love you, too."

"Wake up," declared a voice and Naraku turned away, making his back face his father. "Wake up!" the voice demanded again.

Naraku cracked open his eyes and stared at his wall. Another day of his mediocre life. He sat up and turned to stare at his father venomously. The man burped and didn't pay the death glare any mind.

"Errands to run," he told him in his disjointed, drunken sentences. He tossed a note at Naraku and the said boy read it.

"You expect me to buy beer for you? Are you an idiot?" Naraku sneered as he gazed down the list. "And cigarettes?"

"Hey," the man barked and burped again. He thumped a fist against his chest, trying to dislodge something. For a brief moment Naraku dreamed of the man dropping dead from suffocation. However, it was wishful thinking because the man was right as rain a moment later. "I've seen you get those things plenty of times. Don't act like you're so innocent."

Naraku's eyes lowered and he sighed, standing. He pocketed the list and stared at his father with dark eyes. He sneered and shouldered past his father. As he attempted to leave he felt a hand clasp his shoulder and pull him back.

"Show some respect," his father snarled, eyes angry. Naraku stared at him without saying a word. He would forever regret the day he ever ended up looking like his father. It was obvious they were related. Their dark, wavy black hair and their dark eyes gave away their relation. Naraku hated it. The man burped. Naraku's nostrils flared and he held his breath until the infernal stench passed. "I'm your father and you will not try to shove me."

Naraku sucked in a deep breath of air when he knew it was safe and snorted. "Whatever."

The man shoved his son and Naraku faltered in his step. "Don't 'whatever' me! Whatever means you don't care."

"I don't care," Naraku said calmly. This seemed to enrage his father more.

The man walked up to him, his eyes narrowed and his frame towering over Naraku. He glared down at his son. Naraku stood his ground, never once breaking his gaze away from the man he despised.

Naraku's father's hands clenched and the chubby fists threatened to rise towards Naraku's already bruised and bloody face.

Finally, the moment of tension left. The man snorted and turned around, marching towards the door. As he passed he knocked over his son's lamp and shattered it.

"Clean that up," he ordered. "You live in a pig sty."

"Here you go," Inuyasha chirped as he handed her a sandwich. She took it and took a bite out of it before he could turn around and grab his own.

"Thanks! I was hungry!" she said with a mouthful of sandwich. Of course, because of this, Inuyasha only heard incoherent mumbles.

"Er, you're welcome," Inuyasha guessed and shrugged his shoulders, taking his sandwich over to the table and motioning for Kagome to join him. When they were both seated they began to eat.

Their movie was long ago forgotten. They'd watched approximately half an hour of it and the rest was spent preoccupied with one another. Not that they minded much…

Inuyasha cleared this throat and took a sip of his soda pop. "Is it any good?"

"Great," Kagome said in between bites.

"Good," Inuyasha declared happily.

They ate in silence for a long moment. Both were hungry and it was well past the normal time they would be eating lunch. Brief sentences were exchanged but the majority of their time in the kitchen was spent consuming food.

As their plates began to clear, Inuyasha stood and collected their dishes. Washing them and placing them in Bubbie's dishwasher, the boy turned to look at her. "So," he asked casually. "What now?"

"Ah, there you are," a voice interrupted them. The two teenagers turned around to see Kaede wobble in with her cane and a smile on her face. Inuyasha returned the smile and nodded his head.

"Hi, Bubbie," he greeted. Kagome watched them.

'They love each other… but there's tension,' Kagome thought to herself. She could understand why. Inuyasha's grandparents didn't want him when he was a child. Bubbie also hadn't been the most understanding guardian in the world, Kagome realized with a small bit of remorse. Inuyasha was distrustful of his own grandmother. 'I wonder if they'll ever really get along…'

"Could you kids do me a favor?" Bubbie asked gently. "It's raining and I'm afraid I'll slip on my way to the mailbox. Would you get the mail?"

"Sure," Inuyasha said casually and shrugged. He turned to look at Kagome. "You can stay here if you'd like.

"No, I'll come," Kagome said with a small smile.

The couple put on their jackets and shoes before retreating into the dreary weather of February. Inuyasha sneezed and sniffled, causing Kagome to cast him a worried gaze. He shrugged it off as nothing when she was about to protest.

As they left the safety of Inuyasha's covered porch they were faced with an onslaught by the rain. Kagome removed her glasses as they were splattered with raindrops and opted to move down the road with fuzzy vision instead of being completely blind.

As they approached the mailbox it was evident they were soaked. "Slippery my ass… she just didn't want to get wet," Kagome heard Inuyasha mutter.

"It was sweet of you," Kagome offered as Inuyasha grabbed at the mailbox and opened it. Taking out their mail he slipped it inside his jacket quickly to shield it from the rain.

"We should run… this jacket's not good for block water," Inuyasha muttered again and grabbed her hand. Moving quickly they dashed across the street, Inuyasha's lawn and back into the house.

Once inside Inuyasha sniffled again and shrugged off his dripping jacket. He took out the slightly soggy envelopes that contained Bubbie's mail and placed it on the front hall's table.

He coughed. "Alright," he said with a smile. "I'm wet. Are you?"

Kagome nodded as she removed her shoes and shrugged off her coat. Inuyasha nodded his head and motioned to go upstairs.

The two headed up there and entered Inuyasha's messy room. Midnight and Onyx looked up from their position on his bed before falling back into their light cat nap. Inuyasha rubbed Midnight's head as he moved around the room, plucking clothes off the ground and tossing others over his shoulder. Kagome stood with a slightly bemused expression as he did this.

Finally, he approached her, holding out a pair of jeans and a shirt. "Is this okay?" Kagome took the things and nodded. "Good. You can use the bathroom."

Kagome smiled and retreated to his bathroom. Just like that other time she'd gotten wet and he'd let her borrow his clothes. Like the last time his jeans were baggy on her and slipped down her hips slightly. His shirt covered up whatever the jeans revealed, however.

Reentering his room revealed that Inuyasha had changed in her absence as well. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and smirked. "Did I ever tell you that you look cute in my clothes?"

Kagome's cheeks turned red. She ducked her head and fiddled with the hem of his shirt. She meekly shook her head from side to side, signaling that he had not.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Well, you are."

He coughed and sniffled. "Shouldn't have gone outside," he muttered.

Kagome took a step towards him, her hand outstretched to touch him. Hesitantly her hand touched his forehead. She hissed slightly and pulled her hand back. "You're hot," she whispered. Her hand touched his cheek, feeling its warmth.

"Why yes, I am," he agreed which caused Kagome to sputter in surprise.

"No… I mean a fever," Kagome muttered sheepishly, ignoring Inuyasha's lighthearted chuckle.

"I'm fine," he protested lightly, his cheeks pink. From Kagome's soft touch or the newly present fever he was not sure.

Kagome shook her head and retreated into the bathroom, ignoring his sniffles and coughs that obviously contradicted his protests of his health. She searched the cabinet for medicine that would help his fever. Her hand bumped into the bottle of Doxepin.

Her fingers lingered. 'It wasn't too long ago that I discovered you used those… Inuyasha… are you truly happy or is it these drugs? Can you ever truly be happy with me?'

She glanced towards Inuyasha, who was sitting on the ground with his TV on. He appeared to be playing a video game. He clicked away on his Nintendo 64.

'Inuyasha… are you happy?'

He must have felt her gaze on him because he looked up and paused his game. "Kagome…?" he questioned, his voice sounded scratchy. Why hadn't she noticed how sick he was getting? "What is it?"

Kagome shook her head and grasped a bottle of ibuprofen before retreating to him. She knelt beside him and handed him the bottle.

"There's some vapor rub in there, too," he murmured. "Will you get it please?"

Kagome nodded and moved back towards the bathroom as Inuyasha unscrewed the cap and swallowed three ibuprofen pills without water. Kagome returned shortly with the requested tin of vapor rub.

He took it from her gratefully and opened the cap. Glancing at her he scooped some of the medicine onto his fingers before slipping it under his shirt and rubbing it against his chest.

His shirt lifted a bit, revealing Inuyasha's slim belly. Kagome's eyes caught the thin line running across his stomach. Beneath his belly button, barely noticeable, were markings.

'More scars?' Kagome's eyes saddened. 'How much have you hurt yourself, Inuyasha?' She felt herself bite her lip and her blue eyes close. Was Inuyasha truly happy? Could he ever be happy again? He had so many scars. So much baggage. There seemed to be so many things preventing him from finding the true happiness he deserved.

He pulled his shirt back down and lifted his gaze to look at her. His golden eyes were sad.

"You have…" Kagome attempted to say.

"I didn't just cut my wrists, you know," he said casually, as if stating such a thing was not out of the ordinary.

"Where else?" Kagome whispered feebly, creeping towards him.

He sighed and stared at his wrists for a long moment. "Anywhere were there is a main artery, I suppose. My legs…" He motioned to his thighs. "My wrists and stomach you already know."

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Those are the only places, though. I never had the courage… to cut myself anywhere else."

"Inuyasha…" Kagome murmured. "Are you… is it…"

Her eyes saddened and she sighed. Mustering up her courage she spoke, "Are you happy?"

"Happy?" he murmured. He sat still for a long moment before smiling sadly. He looked defeated. "I honestly don't know."

Kagome sat next to him, her eyes sad and thoughtful. After a long moment she wrapped her arms around him, not saying a word. No words needed to be spoken.

"Thank you for walking Kagome home, Inuyasha," Mrs. Higurashi said later that night as she scrubbed at a particularly troublesome dish in her sink. Inuyasha smiled and waved, stepping inside the house after Kagome. "Would you like something to eat?"

"No, that's fine," Inuyasha said gently. "We ate before we came over."

"Good, good," Kagome's mother twittered as she scurried around her kitchen, cleaning up the remains of the Higurashis' dinner.

Inuyasha turned to Kagome and smiled. "I'll see you later, Kagome."

"Hai," Kagome agreed with a smile. "See you on Monday."

Inuyasha nodded his head. School was going to start up again soon and Bubbie wanted him to actually start doing his homework. With a small wave he turned on his heel and left the house, making his way towards his home a ways away.

As he walked down the sidewalk, hands in his pockets and the wind whipping his hair, he tilted his head back and stared at the sky. The rain had cleared up by mid-afternoon and revealed a startlingly gorgeous sky. The stars twinkled high above him, their small light leaving the darkness of the night unfazed.

'I'll cut through the park,' he decided mentally. 'It's faster that way if I cut through it.'

With that decision in mind, Inuyasha made his way towards the park and his home. Cutting through the thick foliage, Inuyasha made his way across the baseball fields. The park was abandoned at this time of night, of course. The chilly night air nipped at his cheeks and nose.

As he approached the center of the park he heard a snap of a twig and the darting of a figure. Immediately he was on edge and on guard. 'Who's out there?' he thought curiously and contemplated following the sound. Common sense kicked in and told him that it was truly none of his business. But then curiosity reared its ugly head and Inuyasha was off after the sound.

As he breached some stray shrubbery, Inuyasha was shocked to see Naraku standing alone. Naraku must have been equally as shocked to see Inuyasha because he took a step back and pointed something at him.

"Stay away," Naraku barked and the silvery moonlight reflected off the cool surface of a gun.

Inuyasha's eyes widened and he felt like his heart had stopped. "Naraku," he breathed, his voice sounding loud in the silence of the night. "Why do you have that?"

"My father was a member of the NRA," Naraku murmured, his eyes sad as he stared at the silver surface of the handgun. He fiddled with it, running his hand over its sleek surface. "It's rather elegant looking, isn't it? I hid it a long time ago from Dad after he started getting angrier."

Inuyasha frowned. "Why do you have it here?"

Naraku smiled sadly and the look in his eyes nearly broke Inuyasha's heart. "What do you care? You're not supposed to be here. Go home."

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha snapped. "Why are you here? And with a gun?"

"Once again," Naraku whispered, "You only see the criminal."

He cocked the gun but, to Inuyasha's surprise, instead of pointing it at the silver-haired youth, the gun's sleek opening touched the temple of Naraku's head. Inuyasha froze, his eyes widening in horror.

"No," he whispered. "Naraku, what are you doing?"

"What do you care?" Naraku repeated as his finger placed itself on the trigger. His eyes, void of emotion, stared out at him evenly, as if the gun was absent and they were simply talking. Inuyasha felt like he was on edge. "Wouldn't I be better off dead?"

"No!" Inuyasha insisted, taking a step towards him.

Naraku snarled. "Take one step towards me and I'll pull this trigger."

Inuyasha froze.

"I did a lot of thinking," Naraku went on, frowning and pulling the gun away from his head. He stared at the silvery surface and ran his hand over it again. "About how no one but you ever truly loved me. Not my mother… certainly not my father and my friends… heh, they aren't even my friends, really."

"Naraku…"

"Let me finish," Naraku said stubbornly and Inuyasha fell silent again. "In any case… I realized that the one person I loved… didn't love me back. He hated me. You hate me."

He tilted his head to the side. "So what's the point in going on?" he questioned.

"Don't say that," Inuyasha interrupted again.

Naraku glared at him. "You said so yourself that you didn't want to be my friend anymore. That we couldn't hang out anymore. That… that that girl means more to you than I ever did!"

His eyes saddened and he stared at the ground. "She can make you happy. Me… I have no one. I have no one!"

He pushed the gun against his head and tears spilled from his eyes. "Inuyasha," he said miserably. "Who said I wouldn't change for you? You were the most important person in my life! I would do anything for you! I just wanted… I just wanted to…"

He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Damn it, I told myself I wouldn't cry."

"Naraku," Inuyasha said as gently as possible. He held up his hands. "You don't need to do this. We can work this out. Suicide is not the answer… please… I've tried it Naraku… I tried to die. It's not worth it."

"How would you know? You're still alive. There's something beyond this world for me, I know it," Naraku's voice was so fatigued… so defeated.

"I'm fading away, Inuyasha," he whispered. "I feel like there's nothing here for me. I don't want to live! Why did you have to be here? Why did you have to make this hard?"

"Naraku, please," Inuyasha murmured. "You don't have to do this. I can help you. We can get you help."

Naraku pointed the gun at Inuyasha when the boy made a move to approach his old best friend. Inuyasha froze, his golden eyes sad. He had to stop Naraku. He had to.

"It really doesn't matter," Naraku murmured. His voice sounded defeated, as always, and he looked incredibly tired. He stared at the gun for a long moment. "If I'm dead, the world will be a much better place. No one will miss the delinquent, right, Inuyasha?"

"Naraku, no!" Inuyasha yelled out as he saw Naraku open his mouth and place the gun inside.

"Naraku!" Inuyasha ran towards the boy, his hand outstretched to snatch the gun. "NO!"

Naraku pulled the trigger.

Author's notes: I do not support suicide. I don't believe in suicide as a way of solving problems. Unfortunately, Naraku does.

And I'd like to give a huge, huge, huge thanks to Kyebu-Chan (Stars Came Out) for betaing the last two chapters due to the fact that Jordy has been unable to. She was on vacation and recently personal issues have arisen. And, just because my updates are becoming a little random does not give ANYONE the right to harass me with emails, got it?