Broken Glass
Chapter Twenty-Six
Author's notes: Warning, this entire chapter is flashbacks and therefore will not have italics. These flashbacks involve Inuyasha and Naraku. Thus, there will also be some romance. To those of you who don't like that kind of thing, you can skip the flashbacks and miss a lot, or you can just read it despite your disgust. I do not want any hate reviews for this. If you plan on giving me one, shove it up your ass.
"Okay, smile," Inuyasha announced before the flash went off and a picture was taken. Naraku blinked and rubbed his eyes, grumbling about how the light bulb didn't need to be that bright. "You didn't smile!"
"I didn't feel like smiling," was Naraku's snide retort. Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he trotted outside of the photo booth and waited for the three pictures to print. They'd just finished taking their last one.
A few minutes, two dollars, and four snide remarks from Naraku later, the pictures dropped down into the slot and Inuyasha retrieved them. He looked over all three before nodding his head in approval and handing it to Naraku.
"Ta da," the said boy heard his best friend declare with a bright smile. Naraku looked over the pictures. The first one had Inuyasha blinking with his spastic smile on his lips. The second had Inuyasha giving a scowling Naraku bunny ears and the third one was Inuyasha still talking and instructing Naraku to smile while Naraku stared at him.
"I like them," Inuyasha chirped happily, golden eyes sweeping over the three pictures.
"Then keep them," Naraku said with a small toss of the pictures. The sheet of glossy paper danced on the breeze for a moment before it was snatched by Inuyasha's hand.
Said boy frowned. "What's wrong with you, Naraku? Did something happen?"
"Dad won't be able to pick us up," was all that Naraku said. Inuyasha frowned. It seemed that Naraku's fights with his dad were growing more and more frequent. Inuyasha was scared to go over there. But most of all he was afraid for Naraku. He didn't want his best friend to get hurt, especially by his own father.
"I guess we're walking then," Inuyasha said, never once losing his jocular expression. The silver haired boy led Naraku towards the carnival rides. "Come on, let's get on the roller coaster before it closes!"
The two eleven-year-olds rushed towards the said attraction and stood in line. When they reached the front, they gave the ticket man the specified amount of tickets and scurried onto the front car.
The rest of the trip to the carnival was spent in screams of mock terror and shrieks of laughter.
Inuyasha slipped inside the dark house later that day. He looked around, golden eyes sweeping over his surroundings. He was surprised to see that his zadie and bubby didn't rush towards him like they always did, asking questions about his day, gathering his stuff, offering snacks of all sorts, and other various things grandparents liked to do.
He slipped off his shoes and tiptoed up the stairs, searching for signs of his grandparents. Instead, he heard raised voices.
Frowning, Inuyasha inched towards the door of his grandparents' room. He stood stupidly, leaning against the wall and pressing his velvety soft dog ear against the door. He was about to knock when his grandparents' voices burst into a tirade of loud voices and oppositions.
"I don't care," he heard his bubby say through the thick wood of the door. "We can't stop spending so much money on a child that's not even ours."
Inuyasha reeled back in shock. They were talking about him! They didn't know he was home yet. They were probably not expecting him for another hour or so. Wide golden eyes stared in surprise. Did they know about the kids he was pushing around at school? Or was this something entirely different?
"He's sucking out all our money. He's too needy," he heard his grandmother's voice.
"That's not true, Kaede, and you know it," his zadie's voice rose to defend him and he felt his heart soar for his grandfather. He loved him. He'd protect him! "Inuyasha's barely an issue and he rarely asks for anything. He does his chores and earns his allowance. What more could you possibly want from him?"
"I want him out of my house. He's too much of a hassle. Look at us. We're supposed to be retired. We're supposed to be traveling. But no, we're dumped with a bastard child because your son and his little whore couldn't keep it in their pants!"
There was silence for a long moment. Inuyasha knew that his zadie was seething but trying to keep his cool. He always fell silent while he thought of the words to say. Inuyasha knew that he was a sensitive subject, as was his unknown father. He'd never been told what had happened to his parents. No one had answered him when he asked; instead they'd strategically switch the subject to something else.
But what did they mean by bastard child?
Inuyasha listened, intrigued by the words that the two were saying to one another. He was curious now, and perhaps that curiosity would be quaffed by the new information just on the other side of this wooden door.
"Don't act like he isn't your son, too," Zadie finally said.
"He's not," Kaede said snidely, a moment after Zadie. "He's your last wife's son. It's a pity that he didn't get your common sense. Running along downtown and sleeping with everything that moves. Honestly, I'm not surprised that he got that sixteen-year-old pregnant."
Inuyasha's eyes widened and he backed away a step. His father and his mother?
"Kaede, don't try to strike me down by insulting our son."
"Your son," Kaede corrected.
'That's right,' Inuyasha thought as he listened. 'Bubby's just my step-grandma. She's not related to me by blood. But she's the only one I know and I love her.'
"We should be fortunate that Inuyasha is so healthy," Zadie explained calmly, changing the subject.
"Healthy? You call those… monstrosities on his head healthy? And that's all because of that little bitch's inability to stop using cocaine when she was pregnant with the little shit." Inuyasha reeled back in shock, his golden eyes filling with pain. He knew that people wouldn't like his ears if they saw them. But his own grandmother? His bubby?
"Kaede," Zadie's voice had an edge to it that suggested that he was growing agitated with Kaede's behavior. "Do not insult Inuyasha. You know he's a good kid. He wouldn't want to hear this."
Inuyasha felt tears pooling in his eyes. His own grandma hated him. He was an obligation to his own grandparents.
"I don't care," his bubby stated with a small snort. "He's too much work for such a little reward. Why did your brat have to dump him on our doorstep? Why couldn't he have gone to some foster home?"
Inuyasha whimpered and fell to the ground. He pulled his knees to his chest and began to cry. His grandmother despised him! He was an obligation.
Silence reigned. Finally, Inuyasha's last hope, his zadie, spoke, "He is a lot of work, Kaede, and he probably would be better off with a foster home… but he has us, and we love him." Inuyasha didn't hear Kaede's response. His last hope had failed him. Zadie may care about him, but he was still an obligation to the older man.
He heard footsteps and Inuyasha scrambled to his feet. He stepped backwards until his back hit the wall. The door swung open and his zadie stood there—the hero that had failed him.
Inuyasha stared at him for a long moment, his tears quickly drying. His sadness quickly dissolved into anger.
"Inuyasha, we didn't know you were home," his zadie spoke gently. The old man smiled his crinkled, caring old smile but it wasn't the same. Zadie's image was forever ruined in Inuyasha's mind. Inuyasha glared, his eyebrows slanting over his eyes as golden orbs narrowed. "Inuyasha, is something wrong?"
"Get away from me," Inuyasha snapped as he stared at his zadie. His eyes shifted to his bubby behind him and his eyes narrowed at her. He had no tears to shed now, he was angry. He was angry that they lied to him. He was angry that they pretended to love him. They hated him. They didn't want him. He was never wanted by them. He was dropped on their doorstep.
"If you hated me so much," Inuyasha cried out, "Why didn't you just get rid of me?"
His bottom lip quivered and he ran away. He ignored his zadie's calls for him to stop so they could talk. Inuyasha wasn't listening. He was running on pure adrenaline. He swallowed the lump growing in his throat as he dashed away, tears streaking down his cheeks. His anger dissolved as quickly as it had arrived. He felt as if his heart had been ripped from him and smashed into a thousand pieces.
"Inuyasha, wait!" Zadie called from the top of the stairs as he made his way, slowly, downstairs to catch the young child. Inuyasha shook his head and shoved on his shoes before throwing the door open and rushing out into the night.
"Leave me alone!" he cried. "I hate you!"
A pebble bounced off his windowsill. Looking up from his Spiderman comic book, Naraku blinked and set down the said book. He stood and walked to his window, watching as another pebble bounced off the glass with a gentle 'pink'.
He opened the window and peeked his head out. Reddish brown eyes focused on Inuyasha far below. His lips spread into a large smile. "I'll be right down!"
With that, he disappeared from view and the silver-haired boy ran to the front door. He only had to wait a few minutes before the door opened and Inuyasha darted inside. Slipping off his shoes, Naraku and Inuyasha ran up to his room.
"We're in luck, Dad's away for the day," Naraku bubbled happily. "Wanna play video games? I got Golden Eye, finally."
Inuyasha shook his head, collapsing onto Naraku's bed and cradling his pillow against his head. Naraku's jocularity evaporated like rain in a desert.
"Inuyasha, what's the matter?" Naraku asked as he sat down next to Inuyasha. Said boy sighed and drew his hat off his head, letting silver tuffs of hair cascade down his forehead and jaw. Dog ears twitched towards Naraku before quivering and lowering against his skull. "Inuyasha?"
"They hate me," Inuyasha whimpered out as tears leaked from his eyes. He clenched the honey-colored eyes shut and sobbed silently against the pillow for a long while. Naraku, unsure what was going on and uneasy around tears, just sat there and watched as his best friend cried and tears slipped down his cheeks. The young preteen hated crying, especially in front of others.
A long while later, after tears had stopped and sobs had quieted; Inuyasha lifted his head and stared at Naraku for a long moment. Then he smiled.
Naraku drew back a bit, feeling uneasy and unnerved by Inuyasha's fake smile. It seemed so happy, too happy, like he truly didn't have a care in the world. Naraku could tell instantly that it was a fake smile.
"Inuyasha…"
Inuyasha's head tilted to its side in a curious manner and blinked. "Yeah, what?"
"W-what just happened? That wasn't normal. You don't cry for half an hour and then smile like nothing happened," Naraku said, exasperated. "You're scaring me."
Inuyasha's golden eyes lowered and he sighed. He was silent for a moment, recollecting what had happened. He inhaled and his small chest popped out. Finally, he told Naraku what he had encountered and what he had heard from his own grandparents' mouths. He left out the parts about his parents deserting him, though.
After Inuyasha was through, they sat in a long silence. Naraku frowned and bowed his head. "Inuyasha, I'm sorry," he whispered quietly, red-brown eyes peeking up towards him from under his brownish black hair. "That's a terrible thing that happened."
'Duh,' Inuyasha through wryly, but didn't voice his opinion. He knew that Naraku was trying to help him, just as the silver-haired boy had done for him many times before.
"Come on, let's play some video games to get your mind off it all. Mindless killings, hurray," Naraku said as he turned on his heel, threw his arms up in the air, and began walking towards his Nintendo 64.
They played for a few hours, happily distracted by the graphics and the killing sprees they were able to accomplish in the multiplayer section. As young boys tend to be. They laughed and pounded buttons randomly.
It wasn't until night came, and they began to feel tired, did Inuyasha realize he didn't want to go home. He stared out the window, staring at the dots that littered the sky like tiny fireflies, wishing that there was some way that he could go home without actually going home. He wanted to see his grandparents, but he didn't want to talk to them. They were probably happy he was gone.
'If I come back, they'll want to talk to me. But I don't want to hear it,' Inuyasha thought with a small sigh.
"You can stay here tonight, Inuyasha, if you'd like," Naraku offered as he slipped into his pajamas. Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder as Naraku left the room to brush his teeth. "You can steal some of my pajamas."
As his best friend left the room, Inuyasha released small sigh of relief. Sometimes his friend could be selfish and callow, but when he needed him most, he was rather mature for his age. He heard the faucet running in the other room and quickly pawed through Naraku's pajama bottoms. He was met with a hodgepodge of colors, but didn't take any mind of that. He grabbed some blue bottoms and slipped into them. He'd just sleep in the shirt he had on.
A few minutes later Naraku returned and he grinned cheekily. "I see you've decided to stay."
"Yeah, I guess I did," Inuyasha said with a small smile. He felt secure and protected in Naraku's house, provided his father was away. Naraku made him feel at home. Naraku was the only one that understood him. "I'm not very tired yet, though."
"Hey, me neither. Dad's not home so he can't enforce my bedtime," Naraku chirped happily. "Come on, let's play more video games."
So, the two preteen boys played deep into the night, switching the game periodically and switching positions occasionally. Laughter filled the room as one of them screwed up and crashed their car, or shot their own man, or lost the mini-game. It was all great fun, and Inuyasha was glad he'd decided to stay. Naraku always made him feel welcome, no matter what.
"My hand's getting tired, want to watch a movie?" Naraku asked and Inuyasha nodded. With that, the boy crept towards the cabinet that the TV sat on top of and opened it up to reveal a wide variety of movies. The tapes had been thrown inside from the last time it had been opened and had left a slovenly mess, but Naraku seemed to know what he was doing. He fished around and extracted some movies he liked to watch.
"Let's see," Naraku looked over the movies. "Which ones do you want to watch out of these? These are the only good ones I have. The rest are all crappy Disney movies I liked when I was younger."
Inuyasha examined the collection in Naraku's hands before pointing at one. "'The Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles' movie?"
Naraku grinned brightly. "That's a good one. I really like it."
With that, the tape was inserted into the VCR and the two boys sat back to watch the action unfold between the actors dressed in turtle suits and the bad guys they had to face.
"I love the teenaged mutant ninja turtles," Inuyasha said with a grin.
"Yeah, me too. Dad almost got me a backpack with them on it, but changed his mind and made me keep my old one," Naraku said with a frown like he'd been cheated out of the cure for cancer.
As the movie progressed, Inuyasha felt a yawn rip his throat. But he resisted the urge to fall asleep. He wanted to see the end of the movie. He'd never seen it before, and it was really exciting. He watched with transfixed eyes, trying his hardest to stay awake but finding his eyelids drooping before he pinched himself and bolted upright. Only a minute later, however, he would sag again as his golden eyes began to drop closed.
"Tired?" Naraku asked as a head lulled against his shoulder. Inuyasha murmured something and nodded numbly, trying to keep his eyes open but failing. "You're funny when you're trying to stay awake," he laughed. Inuyasha didn't move his head. "We can watch the rest tomorrow, if you'd like."
"Never!" Inuyasha declared and lifted his head, staring as the turtles battled it out with Shredder. Golden eyes relished in the fight scene until his eyelids fell shut again. "God damn it," he muttered.
Naraku stared in shock. "You swore!"
Inuyasha blinked and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess I did. It's not that bad, as long as Zadie and Bubby don't hear me."
Naraku nodded his head and grinned before returning his attention back to the movie. A moment later a head was resting against his shoulder. He rolled his eyes and lifted his shoulder and moved, which left Inuyasha's head to drop.
With a small cry the boy's head whipped up and he was glaring at his best friend. "What was that for?"
Naraku shrugged one of his shoulders. "Your head's too big."
"Hey," Inuyasha mock growled as he glared at his friend. He leaned in closer so that he could get a good look at his anger, as little boys tend to want to happen. Their noses were almost touching. They froze, but Inuyasha shrugged it off. "Don't make fun of my head. Yours is bigger than mine."
"Is not!" Naraku protested and stuck out his tongue.
They locked gazes and stared, not blinking. They didn't move their heads or their hold on each other. Finally, Inuyasha's eyes began to water but he resisted the urge to blink. He wouldn't let Naraku beat him in a staring contest.
He did blink, though. He blinked a couple of times, freeing a teardrop. Naraku watched its path as if fell down his cheek.
"No fair," Inuyasha muttered. "There was a breeze coming from the open window."
Naraku rolled his eyes and watched as Inuyasha quickly wiped his eyes. "Are you okay, Inuyasha?"
"I said I was fine earlier, didn't I?" Inuyasha said with a pointed look. His eyes and face were free of all evidence that there had ever been tears there.
The movie played on in the background, but Naraku didn't pay it any mind. He stared at his best friend and gently touched his shoulder. "If there's more, you can always tell me."
Inuyasha sighed. He supposed that Naraku wouldn't leave him alone until he knew the entire story. 'So I'll tell him the entire story,' Inuyasha thought sardonically. 'Then we'll see what he thinks of me.'
"Naraku," Inuyasha said lightly, his voice shattering the room's silence. "I need to tell you something."
"I'm always listening," Naraku promised and offered a small smile. Inuyasha was eternally grateful that he was his best friend. He was eternally grateful that Naraku didn't hate him, or judge him, or despise him, or feel obligated towards him. They were best friends. They'd always be best friends. His finger idly traced the scar on his hand.
Inuyasha told Naraku all he knew about his parents. How he'd assumed they'd been dead. How he'd always dreamed that when he died he'd meet them and he could have a real family. How he didn't even know what they looked like (Bubby had gotten rid of all of his dad's pictures). He told him how his mom was on something called 'cocaine' and that he didn't really know what 'cocaine' was. How they'd left him for his grandparents. And how his grandparents didn't want him…
By the end of it, Inuyasha was crying again, tears streaming down his slightly pudgy cheeks. Naraku crept towards him and hesitantly wrapped him in the hug. They both sat there awkwardly. Everyone at school told them that boys weren't supposed to hug other boys. But at this moment in time, it didn't matter. At this moment in time, comforting Inuyasha was all that was important to Naraku. At this moment in time, gaining that comfort from Naraku and feeling the much-needed security was all that Inuyasha cared about.
They sat their, their arms wrapped around each other, Inuyasha's head resting against Naraku's shoulder as he cried. Naraku felt his shoulder getting damp, but didn't dare disturb Inuyasha. His best friend needed to cry, and as much as it pained him to see Inuyasha so sad, he would let his best friend cry. He patted his back gently, moving his hand up and down soothingly as he felt the muscles tighten beneath his fingertips.
"Try to relax," Naraku whispered in Inuyasha's twitching dog ear. Inuyasha tried his hardest. Sobs racked his body, but his back muscles seemed to relax a bit. Naraku worked his hand over the muscles, soothing them into relaxation.
It seemed that hours passed, but it could very well have been a few minutes for all they knew. He'd seemed so happy a few hours ago, when they'd been playing at the carnival. Sliding down those huge slides, swinging on the large motorized swings, gliding on the gondola to get to the other side, screaming down roller coasters, and just having a good time, smiling and waving, screaming and shouting, running and playing. His best friend was in such pain right now.
Inuyasha finally pulled away once his tears dried. "Don't tell anyone about this."
"Never," Naraku promised with a comforting smile. "Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a hundred needles in my eye."
Naraku's words reassured Inuyasha and he nodded his head. He kept hugging Naraku and the said boy understood that he still needed that security. He allowed it. Just as long as this never left the room, he was sure he'd be fine.
Inuyasha lifted his head and stared at Naraku for a long moment. "Thank you."
The two words seemed to bring a deep silence. Naraku simply nodded, entranced by the look in his best friend's eye. The golden depths glowed with such thankfulness that he was surprised that Inuyasha wasn't bowing down to Naraku and declaring his undying gratitude.
Naraku didn't even seem to notice when Inuyasha's face crept closer and velvet-soft lips pressed against his own. Brown-red eyes opened wide in shock as he stared at his best friend. He felt himself go cross-eyed and quickly closed them, though.
The presence of Inuyasha's lips was a shocker. After all, it was Inuyasha, his best friend, not to mention a guy. But Naraku found himself melting into the touch of Inuyasha's lips. They seemed to stay like that for a long moment, thrown into a bit of awkwardness. Neither of them had ever kissed before and that was obvious in the way that their lips were pressed.
Finally Inuyasha pulled away and hid his face. "The movie ended," he muttered quietly, not daring to look at Naraku. Naraku looked and sure enough, the credits were rolling up the page. "We should sleep now."
After that there was only silence. Inuyasha quickly scooted into Naraku's bed, squirming as far away as possible. He faced the wall that Naraku's bed was up against and felt the wall's cool presence against his thighs as he pressed himself against it. Naraku was busy rewinding the tape and putting it back into the untidy cabinet.
Clicking off the TV, Naraku retreated back to his bed, where Inuyasha was waiting. The dark haired boy slipped into bed and rested his head against the pillow. With a small sigh, he attempted to sleep. The kiss occupied his head, however, and he found that the sandman had been abducted by kidnappers and wouldn't be visiting any time soon.
Silence fell and minutes passed. Finally Inuyasha worked up the courage to call out to his best friend. "Naraku?"
Naraku's eyes were opened in a flash. Fearing that Inuyasha was going to have another break down, Naraku turned over and faced Inuyasha's back. "What is it?"
There was silence for a long moment as Inuyasha collected the right words to say. "Do you… hate me now?"
Naraku was rather taken aback by the sudden question. "No, never," Naraku reassured with a gentle voice, which was quite unlike him. "Why would I?"
More silence. Naraku was growing impatient but didn't dare demand Inuyasha to go faster. He knew that wouldn't do any good.
"Because," Inuyasha finally said. "I kissed you."
Naraku's lips pursed in thought. "Why would I hate you because of that?"
"Guys aren't supposed to kiss guys," Inuyasha muttered. "Bubby told me so."
"Do you want to go by your grandma's word?" Naraku questioned as he gently touched Inuyasha's back. The boy stiffed but finally he turned around to look at his best friend. Golden eyes, petrified in fear, stared at Naraku's red-brown eyes. "I don't think it's bad… if you like it."
Naraku peeked at Inuyasha behind his bangs to see an almost shocked look on his face. He blinked and processed this information for a long moment. Finally, a shy smile crept onto his face.
"D-did… you like it?" Inuyasha asked with wide golden eyes. He seemed so hopeful, like a little boy on Christmas praying for that special gift. "I mean… er… did you…?"
The way he trailed off was simply adorable. He blushed and looked away, though that shy, hopeful smile still remained on his lips.
Naraku thought about it. Did he enjoy Inuyasha's kiss? It was definitely 'wrong'. Everyone told him that kissing a guy was wrong. It wasn't a normal dinner conversation, of course, but everyone at school said that boys hugging were bad… so surely boys kissing would be even worse.
'But,' he found himself thinking, 'His lips were soft. I guess I did like it.'
A blush stained Naraku's cheeks as he cleared his throat. He scooted closer and Inuyasha lifted his head. Naraku's hand shot out, grabbed Inuyasha's chin and pulled the boy close. Now it was Naraku's turn to lay his lips upon Inuyasha's.
When they pulled apart Naraku heard himself whisper, "Yeah, I like it."
The twelve-year-old boy released a small oof of surprise as he collided with another body. A similar squeak of surprise sounded from the body and revealed that it was a girl that Inuyasha had run into.
He was about to whip his head back and snap an insult at her, just to scare her up a bit until he recognized the girl as Kagome Higurashi. The girl that everyone loved to hate.
She scrambled around blindly looking for the glasses that had been knocked from her head. He knelt down, scooped up the frames and held them out to her. "Here."
She snatched them quickly; as if afraid he'd keep them from her. Which he didn't blame her for. People were known to do that. She didn't thank him. She didn't say anything.
As she adjusted her glasses she stared up at him. In the blinding sun she didn't really get a good look at him but she knew that he was one of the guys that hung around Naraku.
"Are you okay?" Inuyasha questioned then mentally asked himself why he cared. He didn't. He didn't care about her. "Not that I care or anything," he scoffed.
The girl still didn't say anything. 'She probably thinks I'm mocking her or something, by being nice.'
Indeed that was what Kagome was thinking. But she didn't say anything. She kept her head bowed and stood up. "Please leave me alone," she whispered out. "I don't feel like having anything dumped on me today."
His eyes fell on her yellow blouse, stained an ugly red from some ketchup someone probably threw at her. Her light blue skirt was in tatters near the hems and stained dark brown from mud. Someone must have pushed her.
It was in that moment that Inuyasha actually felt sorry for someone. He actually felt pity wash over him as he stared at the scapegoat of their school. She was constantly harassed, made fun of, laughed at and terrorized. Yet she still managed to not break down and cry in front of anyone. She still managed to come to school everyday.
It was in that moment that Inuyasha scoffed and walked away from her, not looking back. But in that moment he felt the pity reside in his heart and lodge itself in there. He figured it would disappear eventually. But it didn't. Every time he looked at her, every time he saw her being harassed, that pity in his heart twisted his gut and he had to look in the opposite direction.
Never once had he raised a hand at her because he felt she was too pathetic for him. People he bullied would bully her. Everyone bullied her. There was nothing special about an already bullied person. That was his reasoning for leaving the girl alone. He didn't want to be part of the crowd. Bullying Kagome Higurashi was like shooting fish in a barrel.
As he walked he heard a small cry of fright escape the girl and a scream pierce the air. Inuyasha whirled around in time to see Hiten drop a worm on top of Kagome's head. Her worst fear. Everyone knew what Kagome's worst fear was.
The girl fell to the ground and tears dripped from her eyes as the worm squirmed down her shirt. She tried to shake it out but it stuck to her back. She wept openly, begging someone, anyone, to get it out of her shirt.
People pointed. They laughed. They snickered and muttered to one another about how much of a wimp she was. How much of a brat she was. How much of a jerk she was. They whispered lies in each other's ears about Kagome's habits, her life, and her abilities. It mattered not if she could or could not do whatever it was she was said to be able to… it was just that way.
Like shooting a fish in a barrel.
But now… Now that he actually looked at her, the pity he felt for the pathetic girl overwhelmed him. He never defended her, of course, he wouldn't be soft. But he never looked at her or bullied her. It was far too depressing for him. Sometimes he felt the urge to protect her, but he quelled that urge by looking away. He couldn't stand it.
"I saw you," Zadie said calmly when Inuyasha walked in the door. The thirteen-year-old looked up and one eyebrow cocked upwards towards his hairline. Even at thirteen the boy was almost as tall as Zadie. He cleared his throat, watching as Inuyasha ignored him and slipped off his shoes. In his hands he held a bundle of clothes. "Inuyasha, look at me when I'm talking to you."
"Keh," Inuyasha snorted but did as he was told. He smirked at his zadie as he stood in the front hall, feet spread apart and arms crossed over his chest. "What do you want?"
Zadie sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. "I saw you at the shopping center. With Naraku."
"Yeah, so?" Inuyasha snorted with a roll of his eyes.
Zadie frowned. "Inuyasha," he said gravely, his own golden eyes narrowing. "I saw you shoplift those clothes. And not only that…"
It was slightly unnerving how idly Zadie spoke of Inuyasha's theft problem. He knew about it. He'd address it later. Inuyasha would do more community service, theoretically. Usually Zadie's soft heart melted and he kept it a secret. Inuyasha had already been through so much. Kaede accused him of being a wimp.
"I saw you…"
He trailed off as he prepared for what he was about to say. He rubbed his temples. "Not only that…I… I saw you kissing Naraku."
Inuyasha's lips pursed and his eyes narrowed dangerously. The golden depths swirled with anger.
"So?"
"So, I want to know what that was?" Zadie demanded.
Inuyasha snorted. "You kiss the one you date."
"Don't tell me that you're…"
"Gay?" Inuyasha smirked, enjoying the way his grandfather squirmed about the subject of this conversation. "So what if I am?"
"I can't believe you'd do something like that," Zadie said with a disbelieving look. "For you to kiss… a boy! You can't be gay! You're only thirteen years old! You can't be anything at thirteen years old. You don't even know what you want yet."
"How can you say that?" Inuyasha snapped angrily, his golden eyes flaring in anger. "Fuck you!"
He made his way towards the staircase but was stop by Zadie's hand on his shoulder. "Inuyasha we need to talk about this."
"I'm just going to throw my shit in my room," Inuyasha said casually as he glared at his zadie. "So let me go."
The old man released his grandson and watched as the said boy marched up to his room and throw the stolen clothes inside of the room. He'd make him return them later. Right now there was a more pressing matter at hand. Inuyasha was curious and he had to suppress this unstable curiosity now. He was about to shut the door when he saw his grandfather staring at him. With a growl, a sigh and a roll of his eyes, Inuyasha made his way back downstairs. Long silver hair swished behind him as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his baggy jeans.
"Fine, what do you want, old man?" Inuyasha asked with a disdainful sniff.
"Let's go find a place to sit down. The library, shall we?" Zadie led the way towards his library. They entered the dark room and his grandfather motioned to the seat in front of the desk.
Inuyasha, feeling like he was in a bad, clichéd movie, did as he was told and propped his feet up on the desk. "So what is it that you want, old man?"
"Inuyasha, we need to talk about this," Inuyasha's grandfather said calmly. "We need to find out why you feel the urge to kiss guys when you obviously can't be gay."
"I'm not gay," Inuyasha said casually and picked at the lint collecting on his black shirt. "I'm bi."
"You are not bi," Zadie stipulated and pounded his fist on the table. He breathed in and out, trying to calm himself down. Relaxing in his chair, he cleared his throat. "Inuyasha, you're too young to know whether or not you're gay or bisexual or whatever it is you've decided to be. You're too young to even date yet. You can't possibly be going around and kissing Naraku."
Inuyasha glared. Then he smirked. He knew the exact thing to say to push his zadie's buttons. "I love him and he loves me. What's wrong with that, old man?"
Zadie did indeed get his buttons pushed. He silently seethed. "You don't seem to get it. I don't care what you feel or what you think you feel. You're too young to be in love and you're way too young to know whether or not you're gay. And let me tell you right now, Inuyasha, you were not, are not and never will be gay. I'll make sure of that."
Inuyasha lost his cool then. He jumped to his feet. "You damn bastard. You good for nothing bastard." He clenched his fists and pounded them against the desk much like his grandfather had. Unlike his grandfather, though, the force of Inuyasha's fist knocked over the already wobbling lamp and broke it.
"You are a fucking asshole!" he seethed. "How can you sit there and tell me that you can dictate what I'm going to feel? How can you sit there and tell me with a straight face that what I'm feeling isn't true? You have no fucking clue what I'm feeling, you ass."
"Inuyasha, calm yourself."
"No, I won't," Inuyasha barked and swiped at his grandfather when he made a move to touch the boy. "Don't you ever dare touch me again. If you do, I'll make you sorry! I can't believe you. I thought that out of all the people in the world, you'd be the one to understand these feelings. I thought you'd be the one who'd care for me no matter what. I see now how wrong I was."
"Inuyasha, I do care for you. That's why I want to save you from doing such… unnatural acts."
"Unnatural? Unnatural!" Inuyasha nearly screamed out. He pulled on his silver hair and yanked at his ears. "Do I look natural to you, Zadie? Do I? I'm not human. I'm a damn freak. And Naraku is the only one who's been there to help me. He's cared and loved me for six years. He's my fucking best friend and he's been my boyfriend for two years now."
"T-two years?" Zadie felt like he was going to have a heart attack.
"I don't care what you say, Zadie," Inuyasha whispered harshly, dark golden eyes drinking in the old man. "But I have no respect for you now. I thought that I could always trust you. But I was wrong. You're nothing but a bigot. That's all you'll ever be."
With that Inuyasha spat at him, turned on his heel and ran away before Zadie could stop him.
The old man was alone in his library, alone and left with only his thoughts as company.
"I'm still the fucking same as I always was," Inuyasha seethed angrily as he walked beside Naraku. They weren't accompanied by the idiocy that followed them everyday. For once they were alone. They were finally alone. But they normally didn't show public displays of affection, simply for the reason that Inuyasha had explained to Naraku involving Zadie.
"That's retarded," Naraku decided.
"I know," Inuyasha sighed as he kicked a rock against a nearby trashcan. It made a loud clang but Inuyasha didn't really pay it any mind. "Obviously I wasn't going to tell him, until maybe a few years from now… provided we were still together and whatnot. But I had really hoped that he wouldn't behave like that."
Naraku sighed along with Inuyasha, understanding what Inuyasha was going through. He hadn't even bothered to think about telling his father. He knew the instant he told his father that his son was gay he'd be smashed into smithereens.
"There's nothing we can do about the older generation," Naraku said, trying to excuse Zadie's behavior. "They're old and stupid."
Inuyasha cracked a smile. "Thanks, Naraku."
Naraku glanced around before grabbing Inuyasha's wrist and pulling him off the sidewalk. He walked a short ways. When they were covered by a small group of trees, the dark haired boy pushed Inuyasha against a tree and pressed his hands against the trunk, encasing him.
"I have a serious question," Naraku told him, and he did indeed look rather somber. Inuyasha nodded his head to show that he understood. "Are you only going to stay with me so that you can spite your grandfather?"
Inuyasha blinked in surprise and shook his head. "No… Naraku… I'd never do that. I'll never leave you."
The words comforted Naraku and he smiled lightly. As corny as the boy's words were, of course "Good. Oh, and never say that again. Makes you sound like a real fag."
Their lips came together tenderly like thousands of times before. Inuyasha ignored Naraku's words for the time being. Naraku's hands wrapped around Inuyasha's slim waist and pulled him close. Inuyasha sighed and melted into Naraku's warm embrace. The boy was taller and wider than him and he always felt protected in his hold. His hands moved up and weaved themselves in Naraku's short tuffs of brownish-black hair.
As they pulled away Inuyasha's hands still cradled Naraku's head. Golden eyes stared up at Naraku. Inuyasha felt his heart pounding and he swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "Naraku… I…"
Naraku tilted his head to the side and smirked. "What?"
Inuyasha idly twirled a lock of brownish hair around his index finger as he stared up at Naraku. Naraku felt his smirk dissolve into a smile. "What? What is it?"
Inuyasha's cheeks stained a light pink and he whispered out. "I told Zadie that I love you."
Naraku's eyes widened in surprise and he blinked. "You did?"
Inuyasha nodded. "I did."
Naraku thought this over, registering what that meant. "And… what does that mean, Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha ducked his head and the twirling of hair around his finger ceased. His hands pressed against Naraku's skull and pulled him down. Their foreheads touched. "It means that I love you, stupid."
Naraku's hold on Inuyasha's waist tightened as he pulled the boy against him. Leaning forward he pressed his back against the trunk of the tree behind him. They were silent for a long moment due to the fact they were busy in other things besides talking.
When Naraku pulled away again his lips were curved into a true smile. "I love you, too, then. You fag."
They smiled at one another, happy that such a large secret had been revealed to one another. They felt secured at that moment. They knew the instant that they left the sanctuary of the forest cover they would be bombarded with life and society's expectations. But for that moment in time they were alone and they were together.
"How are things at home, anyway?" Naraku questioned as they both sank to the ground, staring at the clouds that could be barely seen through the thick blanket of leaves.
"Getting harder. The grandparents are being… difficult," Inuyasha sighed and closed his eyes. "It seems like every little thing is setting me off, too. I don't know why. I wish it didn't."
They sat in silence for a long moment. "I wish I knew why I keep getting angry," Inuyasha whispered, his voice feather soft. "I don't like yelling at Zadie. He just makes me so angry."
His eyebrows furrowed. "He doesn't think that I know what I want because of my age. I know I'm young but I know what I want." He glanced at Naraku and a hint of a smile grazed his lips. He shook his head. "I used to be so close to him. I guess it kind of makes me sad that we fight so much."
Naraku thought this over. "Well, he's being a bastard."
"He is," Inuyasha agreed with a nod.
"But I guess what I'm trying to say is that you can't let him get under your skin," Naraku said with a nod and a reassuring smile.
Inuyasha felt himself relax a little. Naraku was so different when they were alone. Outside in the world he was a tough, in-your-face, and somewhat cruel person. But with him he was kind and tender, almost. It was odd to see the difference between Naraku's two different appearances.
Inuyasha's hand brushed Naraku's and rested there, the skin barely touching. Naraku's red eyes glanced down at their light contact.
"You are such a fag," he joked and Inuyasha rolled his eyes.
"And you aren't?" Inuyasha asked with a grin.
"We've discussed this," Naraku said with a disdainful sniff. "I like girls. Girls are the greatest thing ever. You're just an exception, I guess. You're different from the other guys, and girls." He smirked. "Besides, you look like a girl. Small waist, long hair and big doe eyes."
Inuyasha wrinkled his nose. "Shut up."
"No," Naraku retorted, not missing a beat. Naraku patted Inuyasha's hand. "Don't worry, Inuyasha. When I look at you I don't see a girl."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Oy vay."
"Oy vay yourself," Naraku retorted, due to the lack of anything better to say.
"This place is nice," Inuyasha said lightly, deciding that a change of subject was in order. He saw Naraku nod out of the corner of his eye. They watched the light filter through the trees, weaving the world in a light green glow. "It's peaceful."
"If you excuse the cars going down the main drag," Naraku said sardonically. As if on cue, a horn blared.
Inuyasha's ears flattened underneath his hat. "Yeah, if you ignore that."
Inuyasha felt his hat being removed from his head and glanced at Naraku. Said boy stared in fascination at the furry appendages. He watched as they twitched and flattened, quivering at the slightest noise.
"I've always liked your ears," Naraku spoke and the dog ears twitched towards Naraku's voice.
"You're the one-man club," Inuyasha spoke with a hint of depression in his voice. It was a rather grim and morbid statement, after all.
They sat in silence. They two boys watched as the sun began to set. Inuyasha scooted closer and rested his head on Naraku's shoulder. Once again he felt secure and protected near his boyfriend. Naraku snorted and muttered something about fruitcakes but Inuyasha paid him no mind.
They sat in silence, watching stars dot the patches of sky that the trees didn't blow. "Look," Inuyasha whispered in awe as he pointed. "A shooting star?"
"You are such a girl," Naraku muttered.
"Be quiet." Inuyasha's nose crumpled as he spoke and his golden eyes relished the peaceful, serene look they saw in the dark security of the trees. He didn't want to go home. He wanted to stay with Naraku like this forever. "Make a wish, Naraku."
"All the wishes I normally wish for have come true," Naraku muttered.
"Ah, that's sweet," Inuyasha gushed out, sounding very much like the girl Naraku accused him of at that moment.
"I don't mean that as an 'ah, that's cute', Inuyasha," Naraku said with a snort. "I meant that the things I usually wish for, like stuff, I've already gotten."
Inuyasha frowned. "You shouldn't wish for stuff like that. You should wish for vague things that you can't accomplish on your own. Like world peace… or generosity, or something."
Naraku thought for a moment. "Okay, I made my wish."
"Hopefully it will come true," Inuyasha said as he beamed brightly.
'Inuyasha is such a different person when no one else is around but me,' Naraku marveled silently. 'He's a bastard to everyone else. But here… he looks almost innocent.'
Naraku didn't voice his opinion and didn't protest when Inuyasha wrapped his arms around his neck and rested his head against his shoulder. It was better if he left such a thought unspoken. He didn't want to spoil a perfectly adorable moment by making Inuyasha embarrassed.
"I hope mine comes true, too," Inuyasha chirped happily.
'Inuyasha really inspires me,' Naraku realized. 'I wish that I could be more like him. Even though he tries to cover it up and be an ass like me… he's a very caring and generous person. Anyone who wishes for something like more generosity has to be a good person inside.'
Naraku pulled his knees to his chest and shrugged Inuyasha off, despite his protests. 'He's nothing like me. He's not a lost cause. I'm a worthless, useless person. Inuyasha has a future.'
Inuyasha slumped against the tree as he fell asleep. Naraku cracked a smile.
'Just be my inspiration for a while longer, Inuyasha. That's all I ask.'
Author's notes: This story has been extended to thirty chapters, I hope no one minds
Fanart:
(By me):
www(.)deviantart(.)com(/)deviation(/)20042043
(By Inu-Kun):
www(.)deviantart(.)com(/)deviation(/)19996238
www(.)deviantart(.)com(/)deviation(/)20383052