Not that Social

Chapter 13

Chapter Warning: There's a flashback in the chapter, I'm warning you ahead of time because it switches to a first person POV. I just thought I'd let you know now, so it doesn't get too confusing when you get there. Thank you for yout time.


"What the hell were you thinking!" Kagome screamed once they sped out of the parking lot, punching Inuyasha lightly on the shoulder.

"What?" he asked innocently as he glanced over his shoulder for a moment before returning his eyes to the road.

"You know exactly what I mean," she mumbled, getting tired of the petty arguing.

"Sorry, I can't hear you over the engine!" he laughed, earning a sigh from Kagome. With his eyes trained on the pavement rushing beneath the tires he zoomed down the motorway, snaking between the other cars.

It took only minutes to arrive outside of the small shrine that Kagome called home. Judging by the lack of cars, she figured that her mother was still at work—leaving the shrine to be guarded by her grandfather. But knowing him, he was probably asleep in his room.

As the engine slowed to a stop, Inuyasha pulled the bike up to the curb right in front of the 82 steps that led to Kagome's shrine.

"Do you want to come in?" she asked as she lifted one leg and climbed off the bike.

"I'm not sure," he said, bringing his wrist up to look at the time. When he realized that he wasn't wearing a watch he shrugged. "I guess."

With a squeal of delight, she grabbed his hand and practically dragged him up the concrete steps. Both of them were panting by the time they reached the top, but Kagome refused to let go of his hand.

As soon as they reached the top, Inuyasha had to stop to take in the site around him. He was amazed by how different the shrine looked when the sun was up and took a moment to look around the grounds.

The large tree that he had used to climb up to her window was bathed in as seemingly ethereal light, making it look almost holy. Before he knew what he was doing, Inuyasha was walking towards the great tree. It almost seemed to be calling him.

"That's the Goshinboku tree," Kagome whispered behind him, almost afraid to break the peace that had fallen over them. "Grandpa says that it's watched over our family for centuries."

"Feh," he scoffed before turning away. "It's just a stupid tree."

"Right," she nodded. "Well, do you want me to make you some tea or something? Momma just went shopping and I'm sure we have some around here…"

They headed off towards the door, Inuyasha sparing a backwards glance at the Goshinboku before stepping inside. There was something about that tree that he couldn't place his finger on.

"You know," Kagome blushed as they sat down on the couch. "I just realized that this is the first time you've seen my house. Other than my bedroom, that is."

"It's very…clean." He smiled as he sat down next to her. "Do you do all this work?"

"Right, Ms. Organization here loves to pick up after the family." She stated sarcastically. "Mostly my mom does all the work, but I help out."

"Oh." The next few minutes went by in silence as they both tried to think of something to say. At one point Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again when he realized that it really wasn't that interesting.

"I can't take it anymore!" Kagome nearly shouted before jumping on Inuyasha and planting her lips firmly over his.

For a second, Inuyasha didn't know what to do. He had no idea that Kagome could be that spontaneous. He quickly got used to the feeling of her on top of him, though, and deeply kissed her back. Their tongues were trapped in a battle for dominance, and they only pulled away for gasps of air.

The moment seemed to be too short and yet last forever all at the same time, as Inuyasha flipper her over on her back. He couldn't help but stare at her for a second before lowering his head and kissing her again. With little effort, he shut down the spell that kept his youkai features hidden, smiling as her hands reached up to rub his ears.

And that's exactly how her grandfather found them.

"Demon!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, brandishing a broom that he seemed to pull out of nowhere. Rushing from his spot in the doorway, he began frantically smacking the broom over Inuyasha's back while shouting old prayers.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, old man!" Inuyasha shouted as he stood up, catching the broom by the handle before it had the chance to come down on his head.

"Y-You're a demon!" the old man shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the hanyou.

"Yeah, so?" Inuyasha mocked, pulling the broom away from the old man and tossing it across the room. "Are you gonna' do something about it?"

"Grandpa," Kagome chose that time to speak up. "You have nothing to worry about. This is Inuyasha."

"I have nothing to worry about! You brought a demon into our house!" Kagome knew that her grandfather could be a little old school, but this was getting out of hand.

"No, he's a hanyou." Kagome said smugly. "And you really do have nothing to worry about. He wouldn't hurt a fly."

"You don't know about that," Inuyasha mumbled hotly. At Kagome's questioning glance, he decided he should exaggerate. "You could have let him go on believing I was a full demon, you know."

"What difference does it make?" She fought back. Her grandfather could do nothing more than sit back and watch as his teenaged granddaughter argued with a hanyou in their living room.

"You're belittling me in front of your grandfather, that's what difference it makes!" Inuyasha shouted back, completely forgetting that the old man was standing there.

"Belittling? Such a big word from someone as arrogant as you!" Crossing her arms and turning away from him, Kagome made it very clear that the conversation was over.

"Whatever, wench." Inuyasha growled, also crossing his arms and facing in the opposite direction. They looked more like arguing children than dating teenagers.

"Uhm…Kagome?" Her grandfather ventured, trying his hardest not to piss his granddaughter off further.

"What!" she snapped, turning around and staring pointedly at the old man. He looked at Inuyasha for a second before mumbling "nothing" and scurrying off.

"So are you going to apologize to me or not?" she turned to Inuyasha, an angry look burning in her eyes.

"Why would I apologize?" he scoffed, refusing to turn around. "You're the one who started it."

"You're such a child sometimes…" she sighed.

"I'm the child!" He laughed bitterly. "Right, and you're the President of Siberia."

"Siberia, where did that come from?" she asked with a confused look on her face.

"Actually…I have no idea." They both laughed quickly, momentarily forgetting that they were in an argument. It quickly came rushing back to him though, and he set a scowl on his face. "I'm still pissed at you, though."

"Fine, whatever." She threw her hands in the air and collapsed on the couch. "You have to admit, though, that was pretty funny when my grandpa walked in."

"Yeah, I still have no idea where he got that broom from," he chuckled lightly and returned to his spot beside her. They sat there, once more reverting to silence, and just took comfort in each other's company. "Should we pick back up where we left off?"

She looked at him for a moment, as if trying to decide for herself, before answering. "I think the mood's gone…"

"Oh, yeah," he answered briefly, hiding the fact that he disagreed. The tension was building between them and the silence was killing him, he didn't know if he could take it much longer. "Listen, I should probably get out of here. There's some shit that I need to take care of, anyway."

"Don't let my grandpa get to you too much," she said as he stood up. "He can be very…traditional."

"Don't worry about it, I'm used to it."

Giving him a disappointed smile, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, taking the opportunity to rub his ears between her thumb and index finger. Within seconds she could hear the soft rumbling in his chest.

"You don't have to worry about that around me," she whispered gently before pulling away.

"Thanks," he smiled before turning and heading towards the door. As he reached out for the handle he turned around, "I'll see you tomorrow."

And just like that he was gone.


On his ride home that day, Inuyasha took special notice of how lonely his motorcycle felt without Kagome attached to his back. Clutching the handlebars tighter, he made a sharp turn off the highway and headed towards the mansion he called home.

It doesn't take long to get home when you drive thirty miles over the speed limit, and nobody knows that better than Inuyasha. Turning into the parking garage, and not bothering to break until he was inches from the wall, he let out an aggravated growl and climbed off his bike.

Not bothering to take off his boots as he stepped into the house, allowing the mud caking them to spill onto the white carpet, Inuyasha headed straight for the stairs. He slammed his bedroom door and plopped down on the bed, causing Sesshoumaru to peek his head out of his home office for a second before going back to work with a shrug. He was used to his little brother's actions by now.

"Fuck, that girl drives me crazy!" Inuyasha shouted to his ceiling. "What is it about her that has me going wild?"

With a frustrated growl, he pulled himself from the bed and walked over to his dresser. There was nothing in his room that could be described as organized, and his dresser was living proof of that. Scattered remains of dirty clothes, crumpled papers, and old food littered the wooden top. Above it hung a steel-framed mirror, one corner cracked from a long night of partying.

Inuyasha remembered that night and couldn't hold back the laugh that poured from his chest. There was nothing like a spot of destruction to get the blood pumping.

The top drawer of the dresser was filled mainly with boxers that he never wore, but there was something hidden beneath the piles of fabric that he needed to find. Pushing aside the drawer's contents, his hand grazed the edges of a metal box. The corners chilled his fingers and he wasn't sure if it was because of the temperature or the memories that the small box held.

With a sigh he lifted the box out of the drawer and sat back down on his bed. For a moment he just stared at the small package, not sure if he should open it or not. He knew that once the lid was removed, the flood of emotions wouldn't end. After a moment's hesitation, he grabbed a hold of the tiny combination lock and began to twirl the numbers around.

The first thing his eyes caught was an old picture of his mother. The edges were faded and one of the corners was missing, but the picture still remained as beautiful as when it was first taken. But it wasn't what he was looking for.

Moving the picture aside, along with a few legal documents and more photos, a grim smile spread across his lips as he picked up a pale envelope. The seal was already torn and the stamp in the corner was beginning to peel, but he paid that no mind as he quickly emptied the envelope's contents.

Out tumbled a worn hand-written letter and a wallet sized photograph. Immediately he felt the familiar clenching in his chest as he reached for the picture.

Inuyasha mentally slapped himself for not being able to control his emotions. His hands were trembling as he held the picture between his thumb and his index finger, his eyes locked on the pale face that seemed to gaze right back at him.

"Kikyou," he whispered, the name being carried on the air currents. The feeling of betrayal washed over him quickly and he could do nothing more than ride out the nauseating sensation.

It was at that moment that he came to a startling conclusion. It wasn't Kikyou's image he saw in the photograph—but rather he saw Kagome. Their faces were so alike that he could have sworn that they were sisters.

"Is this why I like her?" he asked himself, a slight feeling of guilt wrapping around him. "Do I only like her because she reminds me of Kikyou?"

He tried to chase away the negative thoughts by shoving the picture back into the envelope and sealing it shut. He couldn't deal with this now.

Carefully putting the contents back in the box, he was cautious to cover up the small hand gun that lay at the bottom before placing the box at the bottom of the drawer and climbing into bed.


It wasn't cold outside, but the slight breeze helped to calm my frazzled nerves. As I reached into my pocket to pull out a crumpled cigarette I noticed for the first time that there was blood on my knuckles.

With an agitated groan, I wiped the blood off on my coat and reached for my lighter. Within seconds I felt the nicotine fill my lungs, only serving to calm me down even more as my mind began to race.

"What the fuck was she thinking?" I mumbled around the cigarette between my lips, shoving my hands deep inside my pockets. "That fucking bitch."

As I said it I realized how malicious it sounded. Twenty minutes ago I couldn't imagine taking her name in vain, and yet here I was—calling her the worst name in the book.

"Feh, she deserves it," a puff of smoke rose up and blew directly in my eyes, causing them to water uncontrollably. I hated it when that happened. With an angry growl I stubbed the cigarette out and turned to leave.

Just as I reached the sidewalk I heard the door open behind me. I didn't have to turn around to know who was standing there.

"Please, don't go," I heard her call. I could smell the salt in the air and I knew that she was crying. A small part of me still wanted to embrace her and take all of her problems away, but I knew that those days were over.

"Why would I stay, wench?" I called over my shoulder angrily, not bothering to turn around. "There's nothing for me here."

I heard her step off the porch, ready to chase after me, when all of a sudden her footsteps stopped. I heard her whisper something and a gruff voice respond soothingly. So the bastard had woken up?

"Oi! Wait right there," he shouted and I could hear his boots thumping towards me. He wasn't worth my time.

I turned around to shoot him a dirty look, but I hadn't realized quite how close he was to me. As I twisted on the balls of my feet a hard fist connected with my jaw, taking me by surprise and knocking me to the ground.

"Motherfucker," I whispered absently as I pulled myself up and spat out a small amount off blood. My lip was split and every few seconds my tongue would subconsciously dash out and run over it. Bringing my gaze to meet his, I found that he was still standing there—finally giving me a good look at the man who would ruin my life.

He had waste-length black hair that tumbled down his back in soft waves and was wearing a purple button-down shirt. Something in his eyes told me that I had seen him before, but I couldn't place my finger on it.

"You cheated on me with this pouf?" I laughed and pointed at the man. "Wow, I have to be honest, that's a blow to my ego right there."

I heard Kikyou sob from her spot on the porch before the man lunged at me again. This time I was ready for him.

Deftly dodging out of the way, I crouched to the ground and swiped the feet from under him. He landed hard on the ground and shot me the dirtiest look I've ever seen. If looks could kill…

I didn't have time to finish that sentence as he jumped to his feet again. This guy just wasn't going to give up. With his fist raised he ran towards me, ready to knock me out. But he should have known better than to leave himself so open to attack. In one swift movement, I brought my fist back and rammed it into his nose, satisfied when I heard a loud crunch.

"Wow, I guess those self-defense classes Sesshomaru made me take really paid off," I mumbled with a chuckle. The guy was on his ass again, clasping his hands around his now bleeding nose.

"Naraku!" Kikyou shouted with tears in her eyes. She ran from the doorway and knelt down beside the man.

"So that's your name, huh?" I asked with a smile. It sounded familiar, but I wasn't going to let that out. "You better not fuck with me again, I'll take you out. And as for you, Kikyou, I don't ever want to see your lying face ever again."

With that I turned and strolled back towards my motorcycle. I could still hear her crying behind me, but this time I could care less.


Inuyasha couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him when he woke up that evening. His little nap had lasted longer than he had intended, and when he roused from his sleep he was surprised to see that sun was setting. With a groan, he pulled the covers back and climbed out of bed.

"Why do I keep having that damn dream?" he growled in annoyance as he made his way to the bathroom. The carpet felt soft beneath his feet and he absentmindedly tried to remember when he took his boots off.

He realized that he needed to clean his bathroom the moment he opened the door. There were piles of dirty laundry littered across the floor and every cleaning product was out of place, a stray hair brush teetering on the edge of the toilet bowl.

"It can wait for later," he sighed.

Inuyasha made his way over to the sink and turned the cold tap on with a flick of his wrist. The water splashed forward and began to fill the small porcelain bowl at a steady pace as he ran his hand under the cold faucet.

He found himself staring at the mirror. Or rather, he was staring at his reflection. The man that gazed back at him wasn't the Inuyasha he has known throughout the years. He was paler than usual and his face seemed sunken in. He took notice of the light purple lines that formed a half-moon under his drooping eyelids.

"You need to get more sleep, man," he scolded his reflection before splashing his face with icy water. A few rogue droplets landed on the hem of his shirt but he didn't bother to wipe them off.

As he turned to exit the bathroom his nose picked up the wonderful smell of roasted turkey coming from somewhere downstairs. Inuyasha smiled, knowing that Sesshoumaru was usually in a good mood when he cooked, and headed towards the kitchen.

"What the hell happened to you?" Sesshoumaru asked as his brother sat down at the table. "You look like you haven't slept in a month."

"Yeah, well I feel like it, too," he responded before reaching across the table and grabbing some mashed potatoes.

"I've been worried about you lately, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru made a mental note on how his brother refused to look him in the eye before he continued. "You've been coming home really late and your grades have been slipping. The principle called me today. Something about you giving him the finger…is there something you want to tell me?"

"Bite me," Inuyasha growled, digging into his food and pointedly ignoring his older brother's question.

"You know I don't accept that kind of behavior at this table," he groaned before picking up his own fork.

"I'm sick you acting like the father figure in this family," Inuyasha stood up. "He's gone, Sesshoumaru. So stop trying to replace him."

Before Sesshomaru could argue he heard the front door slam shut. He knew that there was nothing more he could do. With an exaggerated sigh, he rested his hand on his balled fist and continued eating alone.


Inuyasha had no idea what he was doing. He wasn't usually one to act impulsively, yet here he was rushing down the highway at ninety miles per hour. Okay, so maybe that was a lie—he acted impulsively all the time. But this time felt different.

The feeling of the wind wiping at his hair soothed his nerves slightly as he headed south, not even glancing at the cars that he raced past. Within in minutes he was pulling his bike up along the curb. Houses stretched down the block on either side of him, and he couldn't help but follow the tug at his heart the directed him up the shrine steps.

It wasn't until he was standing before the Goshinboku that he realized exactly where he was. Looking to his right, he could see a small light coming from Kagome's bedroom.

"How did I end up here?" he asked to no one in particular. "I wasn't planning on coming to Kagome's house…"

A slight breeze brushed past him and threw his hair around him in a brilliant display of flashing silver. Behind him the last remnants of the sun were sinking below the horizon, blanketing the courtyard in darkness.

"I shouldn't be here," he whispered, but he couldn't get his legs to turn around and guide him back down the steps. Instead, he found himself walking closer the tree. With one hand resting on its rough bark, he slid to the ground and leaned against the tree for support.

A part of him was content with just sitting there, knowing that Kagome was safe in her room and that he was allowed to be this close to her. If he concentrated hard enough, he could faintly pick up her scent wafting down from her half-open window. That was all he needed for his eyes to droop and his head to fall back.


Kagome tried to do her homework. Really—she needed to get it done. But every time she would stare down at the massive amounts of geometry problems her mind would wander to thoughts of a certain silver haired hanyou.

With an irritated groan she threw her pencil across the room and grinned as it landed in her trash bin. Linking her hands behind her head, she leaned back where he chair was slanted on two legs. Sighing happily, she glanced out her window briefly, expecting to see nothing more than the Goshinboku watching over her. Instead, she saw something that caused her to fall to the ground with a thud.

"Ow," rubbing her head, Kagome slowly climbed to her feet and headed towards her window. Sure enough she could make out the faintest shimmer of silver at the base of the Goshinboku. "Is that Inuyasha? What's he doing out there?"

Not knowing entirely what was going on, and still nursing a sore head, Kagome gingerly made her way downstairs and to the back door. She opened the glass door silently and stepped out into the night.

Inuyasha was sitting with his legs tucked up against his chest and his head leaning back against the trunk of the great tree, his ears drooped forward slightly and his chest rising evenly with each breath.

A warm feeling washed over Kagome then, realizing just how innocent he looked when he was sleeping. Taking a step forward, she stopped in fear of waking the hanyou up. A soft gust of wind blew past them both, ruffling the branches of the tree and causing Inuyasha's ears to twitch slightly at the disturbance. Just then she got the sudden urge to reach out and touch them…

Reaching a tentative hand forward, she inched her way to the top of the hanyou's head. The second she ran her fingers over the soft appendages she heard the low purr crawl from his chest. The sound was soothing and she quickly found herself sitting next to him on the ground.

'He sounds more like a cat than a dog,' she thought dreamily as she continued to rub his ears.

Just then he shot forward, clenching a clawed hand around her wrist, and looked around the courtyard with a startled look on his face. Apparently he had forgotten where he was.

"Good morning, sunshine," Kagome smiled cheerfully beside him, wrapping and arm around his own to try and calm him down. Once he realized where he was, Inuyasha leaned back against the tree and stared at her.

"I didn't mean to bother you," he said quietly, his eyes trapped on the hand that was placed on his arm.

"You did no such thing, I just happened to look out my window…" she trailed off, noticing something different about the hanyou. His ears were still drooped, despite the fact that he was now fully awake, and his eyes seemed glassed over. There seemed to be a sadness surrounding him. "Is something wrong?"

"Hm?" he seemed to snap out of his thoughts. "No, there's nothing wrong. I was just thinking, is all."

She smiled at him sadly; he wasn't telling her the whole truth. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

"It's none of your business," he answered defensively, then added almost as an afterthought: "don't worry about it."

"But I do worry about you, you seem sad about something."

"It's just that…" he stopped when he suddenly became aware of who he was talking to. There was no way in hell he was going to tell his problems to Kagome. "Nevermind."

"You know, you came close to actually talking to me there," she teased. "Well, if you want to talk, know that I'll always be there."

He stared at her for a moment, trying to find a trace a deceit in her features. To his surprise, there wasn't a dishonest expression anywhere on her face; just a warm smile and a pair of caring eyes.

"Do you ever worry about…" he began, but quickly lost his words. Looking up towards the sky for inspiration, he started over. "Do you ever get scared that you'll die alone?"

Kagome could honestly say that she didn't see that one coming. She knew that something was on his mind, but this was a bit heavy. She actually didn't know what to say, so she figured it was best just to be honest.

"Uhm…actually, no." Once she spurted it out she realized how lame she sounded. When Inuyasha didn't bring his eyes back to her, she knew something was off. "But that doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with that!"

"Yeah…I know." They were quiet then, neither of them making a sound. Kagome could hear the wind playing with the grass and it reminded her of that night they spent in the woods. If only Inuyasha would smile again like he did that night. The silence was suddenly broken when he looked down at her, "I just get scared sometimes, you know?"

"I know," she smiled back, trying to feel what he was feeling. She knew deep down that her words probably meant little to him, and that actions would speak louder.

Sitting up on her knees, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. It took a second, but he wrapped his arms around her planted his chin on the top of her head. Suddenly he clenched onto her, as if that simple hug was the thing that would take all of his problems away. And maybe, it a way, it was.

"I can't be alone," he whispered, his voice barely reaching her ears. "So don't you dare leave me."

Her breath hitched in her chest as the words left his mouth. Did he mean what he was saying? Did he actually want her there with him at all times?

Taking an awestruck glance up, she smiled. "I'll always be right by your side."


AN:

First of all, I want to thank everyone for over 100 reviews! I never thought I would get that many and, needless to say, I'm very excited.

At first I was proud of this chapter...but when I re-read it I thought it was lacking in detail. Tell me what you guys think and I'll see if I need to add more in the next chapter or not. Thanks again for waiting, and I'll try to have the next chapter up shortly.


THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL OF YOUR REVIEWS!