Innocent Kisses in the Rain
After school, outside of school, Tokyo, Japan, July 10, 2004
Inuyasha stepped outside the building, and once more, all he caught of 'his' Kagome was a flitting extension of black fabric.
His eyes narrowed and he sighed, but turned away. She never walked home with him and Sesshoumaru anymore; he wondered why.
They had gotten together privately in the last week or so, but she seemed distant and uninterested, though every time she thought he was looking, she would slap on a bright smile and assure him that she was having a ton of fun.
He always feigned contentedness as well when he saw her like that, always copied her mask to make her think that she was actually cunning or getting away with something. Inuyasha wasn't the best one at reading emotions, so he had no idea what was going on, but he wasn't stupid.
Inuyasha turned to where his elder brother always appeared and sighed once more, with a little more chagrin on his breath than usual at the thought of his sibling.
Flashback
"Stop being stupid, Inuyasha." The straightforward and completely random remark caught Inuyasha off guard but a scowl automatically lit his features as he rose to his brothers silent but inevitable challenge.
"Shut up, what do you know?" Inuyasha spat back, his temper kicking in defensively at Sesshoumaru's first words - he hadn't yet barely a clue of what his brother was talking about.
Sesshoumaru, though, knew that his words were just words and held no meaning - his brother was just growling, not biting. Not even a strong "growl" at that, he was just putting insults together to fend the more collected one off. He hadn't even thought about his words before they fell off his ignorant tongue.
"I know much more than you, Inuyasha. You know nothing; so far in your life you amount to nothing but an arrogant, unaware, uncaring and foolish young child." Sesshoumaru said tonelessly, his slender hands transporting the clean dishes onto the shelf with an utmost carefulness that boasted of his serene calmness, grace and will to keep his temper. Inuyasha glared hatefully at his older brother's teasing perfection. One thing was true enough; he would never amount to his brother.
"Is that how you think of Kagome as well?" Inuyasha shot back, grasping for straws. His glare worsened when Sesshoumaru remained passive and organized mentally, everything in his control while Inuyasha was flailing to regain some amount of altitude. He had always lost his momentum after the first challenge was issued and answered, and his arguments were always weak anyway. All the same, he had an insanely flammable temper and would rise to any verbal sparring match.
"No," Sesshoumaru replied, "but Kagome is more mature than you will be in years. And she puts her mind before her mouth."
"Why are we talking about this?" Inuyasha sputtered for a moment and then readopted his death glare.
"Because you hurt her shamelessly and you know nothing about anything; you're stupid and without any form of experience." Inuyasha was about to disagree with as much fire in his voice as possible, when Sesshoumaru's unnaturally light hazel eyes sluggishly moved to meet his own, boredom shining through but a hidden emotion (that Inuyasha did not catch, obviously) that was concern and a slight spark of anger - maybe even protectiveness. Sesshoumaru responded to his unsaid defensive before Inuyasha even presented it -
"You were six, Inuyasha." He almost sounded tired with the statement, as if he had to remind the little brat that he wasn't married to the long "forgotten" Kikyou a million times a day.
"Mind your own business - you're such a moron!" Inuyasha stormed up to his room before Sesshoumaru could hold his intelligence and shrewd efficiency and overall perfection over his head again. He despised his older brother. He was so perfect and had better 'breeding' and gained the respect of everyone. Inuyasha was jealous as well. At everything that Sesshoumaru had that he didn't. And that Sesshoumaru treated him like dirt half the time, like he was ashamed that he was related to him; he hated how Sesshoumaru thought he was so much better and never made the petty mistakes Inuyasha did, and he hated how enigmatic and depthless he was, compared to how shallow and easy Inuyasha was. His maturity was gag-worthy, and the fact that Inuyasha's father always seemed to favor Sesshoumaru and take his side in every situation with 'sides'. Of course, this was how Inuyasha saw Sesshoumaru; he was too arrogant at the time to even consider wondering why Sesshoumaru seemed to dislike him.
End Flashback
Inuyasha shook his head and walked in the opposite direction of Kagome, casting one last wondering and slightly regretful look after her. Why was she unhappy? Why wouldn't she talk to him?
---------------
'Because he wouldn't understand. And besides, he'd lose his temper if I even began to explain my feelings. He's blow me off as soon as the words 'I like Sesshoumaru instead of you' passed my lips… Besides, it would probably completely break him…' Kagome sniffled in the cool wind that blew cotton and dandelion fluff into her face. She sneezed and looked up to observe the sky. 'I wonder if it will rain later today? Maybe rainy season finally is over…' Kagome lowered her eyes once more and continued walking home.
She wasn't as confused there…
---------------
Inuyasha glared heatedly at Sesshoumaru when his salute became visible, and haughtily stuck his nose in the air as he passed him, completely ignoring him. Sesshoumaru seemed to ignore in return his rude and evading behavior.
Their walk was silent and Inuyasha disappeared into his room as soon as they got home. Sesshoumaru shook his head and looked back out once more at the gusting green leaves.
He pulled his hair from the hair band and let it dance with the wind for a moment before he closed the door. He hated holding his hair up, but his teachers hated his hair down. It fell before his face whenever he slightly bowed his head and they had the audacity to believe that he was daydreaming or sleeping while his hair protected him. Maybe they were even stupid enough to believe that his upheld hair was the reason he got flawless grades: easy A's…
It felt more natural for it to be caressing his body though, like he had worn it that way since… forever… for a thousand years, since a time he couldn't remember, in every previous life he lived before reincarnation and the erasing of memories, it seemed…
He shook his head and turned back towards the inside of the house. He shouldn't allow his mind to wander like that; he'll turn into the wallowing puddle of woeful goop that Inuyasha had turned into ever since he realized his social skills were equal to those of a stuck up, uncaring idiot, and that he was only losing points with Kagome because of it… It was much simpler just having the social skills of a rock, then you would never know the difference between a sturdy kicking shoe and a sweet voice…
Sesshoumaru began walking up the stairs and opened the door to his room, backpack in hand. He had a test to study for…
---------------
As soon as the soft but sure and warning 'click' of Sesshoumaru's door sounded, Inuyasha snuck out again.
He was tired of sitting right under Sesshoumaru's watchful glare, and he was ready to have some fun. His brother was so boring…
He made as little noise as he could as he trudged back down the stairs and approached the door, his homework and his 'issues' forgotten at the moment as his only goal and thought was to get out…
---------------
The wind was cool but there was no rain, and there were no gray clouds.
Inuyasha dashed down the street and into the world, his full intention walking the two bus stops to Kagome's house and surprising her to show her how much he cared…
Buildings rose about his central spot in Tokyo, but he knew it would thin out before he reached the wooden shrine steps.
His shoes touched the pavement and his messy hair caught the wind and billowed about his figure - though not as much as Sesshoumaru's did, and Inuyasha had no doubt that his hair, when he was Sesshoumaru's age, probably was not going to twirl as aimlessly 'beautiful' as Sesshoumaru's did, quote the girls, either.
He absently kicked a rock, watching the sky glow a darker shade of blue with each passing moment as sunset approached within the next hour…
He felt around in his pockets and groaned - he would have to walk home in the dark; he forgot to bring money or anything else useful for that matter.
His brothers mocking words rung out in his head as Inuyasha glared at the expanding clouds: "You never think before you act… You're so hasty and live by the moment… Kagome puts her mind before her mouth…" Inuyasha never thought things through…
Inuyasha was about to sigh and retreat when he realized how far he was anyway… The park. How did he always end up at the park?
He stood undecided in the sand, his clothing gusting about him with the picking up of the wind.
Then he heard a voice. A soft voice - so familiar… Kagome?
"Inuyasha…" No, it definitely wasn't Kagome… But who?
"It's me, don't you remember Inuyasha? It's only been… seven years?" Her voice finally clicked… Inuyasha spun…
"Kikyou…"
"You forgot about me?"
"No - it's been over half my lifetime…"
"You didn't forget…"
"No." Inuyasha shook his head and summoned a smile.
Kikyou walked up to him, her sharp features and brilliant eyes captivating him… Her long black tresses lifted behind her, and he watched in awe as his childhood friend approached him…
---------------
"Do you still love me Inuyasha? You said you loved me once…" Kikyou murmured, leaning against him as best she could in the swing, while the sand gave way beneath her straining feet.
"Yes." He answered automatically, but something struck him…
Flashback
"You don't even know what love is!" Sesshoumaru snarled, glaring at Inuyasha through violently darkened eyes. It was the first and last time for a very, very long time that Inuyasha would see Sesshoumaru so enraged. He had been expecting merely a cold glare for his uncaring words but Sesshoumaru had reacted like baking soda with vinegar.
--- 10 minutes earlier ---
"Would you like to go see your mothers grave, Inuyasha? You could take a bit of time off school, and I'm headed there for a business trip anyway…" Their father smiled down at the youngster, only around seven years old, with an inviting smile.
"No, I don't want to." Inuyasha said distractedly, futzing with the phone.
Inuyasha's father blinked and recoiled slightly.
"Are you sure Inuyasha? You might not have this opportunity again for a long time…" He looked concerned now as Inuyasha finally thought to press the "on" button.
"No." He said stubbornly, pushing in numerals read off a neat piece of folded notebook paper. "I don't want to." He insisted, as if his brother had asked if he wanted to go to go to a movie instead of an amusement park for his birthday.
"Okay." Inutaisho said, turning away from his son as Sesshoumaru watched from the doorway.
------
"You would forsake the chance to look upon your dead mother's grave if only to sit on a kiddy swing with your sick little girlfriend? You would take pathetic puppy love over a purer love and a longer lasting love that was given from your dead, foolish mother?!" He roared and Inuyasha recoiled… Luckily, that was when Inutaisho came in and broke them up, but who knew if he had been standing outside the door, waiting for Sesshoumaru to say the words that he had wanted to say, in the proper tone.
End Flashback
"Yes, of course I love you…" Inuyasha said. The boy cringed as he remembered another clip of his brother's venomous hiss - "You don't even know the meaning of such a word, you pathetic little idiot… Stupid, idiotic little brat…"
Kikyou smiled shyly up at him, her muddy brown eyes smiling.
"I love you too Inuyasha. I missed you. Will you go out with me now?" Kikyou asked, a light blush tainting her cheeks.
Inuyasha was about to give the instinctual response - "I'm already going out with someone," when he finally, for once in his life, put his mind before his mouth…
"Of course Kikyou - I've missed you too…"