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Update Dates: Sundays and Thursdays
Undeniable
Love
Chapter
15 - Hojo's shattered heart
By:
Scaevola
Published
8/25/05
Updated
10/14/05
Kagome wiped the tears from her eyes as she pulled another bullet from InuYasha. Bandaging wounds from a blade or from the claws of a demon was one thing, but having to pry out pieces of metal and watch the blood ooze out after it was removed was too much.
Mrs. Higurashi had tried to help with tending to InuYasha, but ended up making things difficult. Kagome, in her distressed state of mind, only snapped at her. When Sota had walked in and paled at the site of his hero injured, Mrs. Higurashi had quickly used it as her excuse to leave the room, taking Sota away with a small reassuring smile.
"InuYasha will be fine," she said, gently hugging her son before leading him away.
Kagome's grandfather of course, had walked into the room and while everyone knew he did not approve of InuYasha and Kagome's relationship, he had thanked the half-demon when he heard about what had happened. He couldn't help but half-heartedly throw a sutra at InuYasha with a equally half-hearted "Be gone", ignoring Kagome's outraged shouting.
InuYasha was laying on the floor ignoring any pain he felt as Kagome removed the bullets. He tried to block out the scent of Kagome's tears and the sound of her small sobs, instead staring at a small spot in the wall, thinking back to those human weapons.
He was slightly surprised at how powerful they were, considering how small they were. They felt like being hit with an arrow, only they went deeper. Kagome called the weapons "guns" and the things they shot bullets.
He held one of the small pieces of metal that Kagome had just pulled out in his hand, studying it. The thing was tiny, and how it had moved from such a small weapon with such force was extraordinary.
Kagome had said they had larger guns too, and other more powerful weapons in her time. He shook his head in amazement. The things humans had done in 500 years amazed him.
Still, these guns were nothing compared to his Tetsusaiga. He'd choose his sword over a human weapon any day.
"I'm sorry InuYasha." she sobbed as she began to pull out the third bullet.
The hanyou glared at her. "What are you sorry about wench?" he said, ignoring the fact that Kagome's mother could hear. "You have nothing to be sorry about."
Kagome looked up at him with teary eyes. "You're always getting hurt because of me," she explained.
Unable to ignore her tears any longer, InuYasha brought his hand up to her cheek, gently wiping away another tear with his thumb.
"Kagome..." he sighed. "I don't care how badly I'm injured Kagome, as long as you're safe, I'm happy. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I let you get hurt."
He pulled her down to him, giving her a soft kiss. He watched her give him a small smile and nod, but he knew that she wasn't truly happy. She wouldn't be so long as he was injured, but he silently promised that he would do whatever he could to keep her happy from then on.
She quickly bandaged his wounds, holding back a fresh set of tears. When she finally finished, she got up to leave, but InuYasha grabbed her hand. He pulled her down again for another kiss, putting all the love he had for her into it.
The mall and dealing with InuYasha's injuries had taken most of the daytime away, and when InuYasha and Kagome separated, InuYasha noticed that it was close to sunset.
"I want to show you something," he whispered, still a little breathless from the kiss.
Kagome nodded, and let him lead her outside, to the Goshinboku. InuYasha held her close, before whispering, "Hold on tight." Then he leapt up into the branches, ignoring Kagome's scream at the quick jump. She smacked his arm when they landed on a branch.
"Give me more warning next time." she glared at him, but she couldn't help but smile.
InuYasha nodded, kissing her once more. He couldn't help it, she was so beautiful. He picked her up and settled her in his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. Together they faced the sunset, coming down only to eat, and then spending the rest of the evening in each other's arms.
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"So Lord Sesshomaru will not be joining us." said Naraku.
In front of him was Koga, who had just told him how Sesshomaru had responded to their plans.
Koga looked up at him. "If he sides with InuYasha, then this won't be too easy. Sesshomaru isn't exactly weak."
Naraku nodded in agreement. "Yes, but Sesshomaru and I have worked together before." He ignored Koga's incredulous look and continued. "The plan was to get the Tetsusaiga for him, and take InuYasha's life, but I tricked Sesshomaru. I think that is why he is unwilling to work with me again."
"So what should we do?" asked Koga.
Kikyo, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "If this demon you two speak of is as powerful as you claim, then perhaps we should deal with it first, before InuYasha returns with that miko."
Koga nodded. He had been surprised when Kikyo had explained the use of that well that InuYasha had jumped into before. He never knew that Kagome was from a separate time, but know when he thought about it, it did make sense. He knew now though that when he had Kagome again, he'd have to make sure she couldn't get back to her time again, or she could easily escape him. Oh no, he'd make sure his mate stayed with him and obeyed him.
Naraku considered Kikyo's suggestion. "Yes, that does sound like a reasonable idea Kikyo. The two brothers would prove to be a challenge if they worked as a team, and even if it is unlikely, considering how much they hate each other, it could very well happen."
The other two looked at him, waiting for him to go on. "Sesshomaru is a strong demon, he's very powerful and he certainly isn't rash like InuYasha. I don't think that it would be wise to simply go after him and try to fight him. He needs to be lured in. The easiest way of course, is a human girl that he travels with."
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The sun had risen several hours ago, and the Higurashi shrine was very busy. Everyone was awake. Mrs. Higurashi and InuYasha had awoke several hours ago, she not being able to sleep, and he just waking up at sunrise out of habit. The old man had gotten up not long after they did and after a quick breakfast, immediately went to go perform his duties around the shrine. Kagome and Souta had both woken up not too long ago and both were now racing through the house, getting ready for school.
At the moment, only Mrs. Higurashi and InuYasha were in the kitchen. InuYasha was drumming his claws on the table, impatient, as always, for Kagome to be ready to leave. The hanyou was dressed in a some clothes that they had bought the other day at the mall, a red t-shirt and jeans, along with a pair of shoes that were a size larger than they needed to be because InuYasha had complained about how his "feet couldn't breath" in the other pairs. On the table in front of him was a black hat, which he refused to wear any longer than he had to.
Kagome's mom sat across from him, sipping her coffee. She had already cleaned Kagome's and Sota's plates and put them in the dishwasher. She ignored the newspaper on the table and instead studied the hanyou across from her. She too felt bad that InuYasha had been hurt on her and Kagome's behalf, but she remained silent about her feelings. She was still a little shocked about what InuYasha had said earlier when she tried to thank him.
"Don't thank me, Higurashi-san" he said, waving her off. "You are Kagome's pack, and just like I'll do anything to protect her, I'll do anything to protect you."
She had been a little confused by InuYasha's use of the word "pack" but had quickly figured out that it meant family to him. Being a dog demon, she supposed that he would call a family a pack anyway. But what had truly astounded her was InuYasha's selflessness. He had been completely willing to give his life for Kagome and her.
She noticed she was staring at the hanyou and quickly averted her eyes, only to see Kagome walk into the kitchen, wearing her usual school uniform.
InuYasha stood at her entrance, a rare smile on his face. "Ready to go, wench?" he asked.
Mrs. Higurashi frowned at InuYasha's choice of words again, but said nothing, having realized that InuYasha had turned it into a term of endearment, in a way.
"Hai" answered Kagome, smiling. She had been looking forward to being able to see her friends again and go to school to catch up with her schoolwork.
She grabbed his hand and dragged him with her as she hurried out of the house. "Bye mama!" she yelled, still pulling the hanyou along.
Mrs. Higurashi smiled. "Have a good day, dear!" she called back. She looked at InuYasha; no words were needed. He looked back at her and nodded, silently assuring her that he would watch after Kagome.
The walk to school was pleasant, even InuYasha had to admit. InuYasha listened to Kagome chatter on about school and how she had missed her friends, barely understanding some of the things she spoke about, but he nodded and smiled anyway, happy just hear her voice and see her smile.
He was still a little worried and over protective of her though, he had wanted to carry her there, but she had refused, insisting that it would be awkward for her to be carried into school.
Instead they held hands, taking there time on their way to school. InuYasha's eyes constantly seemed to search the sidewalks under the brim of his hat as they walked, always on the alert for anything threatening. Kagome sighed, knowing that she'd never get InuYasha to just enjoy his surroundings and forget about potential dangers.
When they reached the school, most of the students were already there, milling about and talking amongst one another. As they approached, several students noticed InuYasha and Kagome, and that they were holding hands.
Whispers followed them, and although Kagome didn't seem to notice it, InuYasha's ears easily picked up their low tones.
"Whose that holding Higurashi's hand?"
"Did you see that guy? Silver hair? Yellow eyes?"
"He's kind of cute."
InuYasha ignored all of these, they were unimportant and he wasn't too concerned about them. But one comment got his attention.
"What will Hojo say?"
The name sounded awfully familiar. He though back to when he had heard it before, and then it hit him. He'd completely forgot about that guy Kagome had mentioned that one night, when she was angry with him. He stopped suddenly, forcing Kagome to stop to as he pulled on her hand.
"Kagome." he whispered. "Whose Hojo?"
Kagome's eyes widened. "Oh no!" she said. "I completely forgot about him!"
Kagome looked up at him. "InuYasha, you have to go, okay?"
InuYasha's eyes narrowed. "Why?"
"You just can't okay? I went on a date with Hojo when I had that fight with you, and I have to tell him about us!" she explained.
"So?" asked InuYasha.
"So, I don't want a fight to happen. It will be easier If I handle this alone. Please, InuYasha?" she begged, putting her hands together.
InuYasha was about to refuse, when he saw Kagome's three friends hurrying over. He quickly nodded his head. "Okay." he said, not wanting to have to talk with Kagome's friends. He hurried away, avoiding the other students.
Kagome sighed with relief and turned, only to see her three friends, Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi, all staring at her. "Who was that, Kagome?" asked Eri.
"InuYasha." she answered, turning around to see InuYasha leaving the school.
"InuYasha?" repeated Yuka. "Whose is he?"
"Isn't InuYasha your two-timing, selfish, arrogant, boyfriend?" asked Eri.
"About that," said Kagome. "He's not really as bad as I made him out to be."
Her friends raised their eyebrows, looking at her suspiciously.
"Well, normally when I talked to you guys It was after I had a fight with him," explained Kagome.
Yuka sighed. "Kagome, if your having fights with him at all then you shouldn't even be with him!"
Kagome frowned. No matter what, her friends would probably insist that InuYasha was a bad boyfriend. Even if they realized that InuYasha was a bad person, Kagome was unsure if they would approve oh him, simply because they wanted to get Kagome and Hojo together.
A call came from behind them. "Higurashi!"
Kagome turned to see Hojo hurrying towards them. He waved at them, smiling.
'How am I going to tell him about InuYasha?' thought Kagome, a little worried. She knew she had to do it, but she didn't want to hurt Hojo's feelings, she knew what heartbreak felt like, and she didn't want to put Hojo through that. Only Ayumi seemed to believe that Kagome should have a choice in who she loved.
Her friends squealed behind her. "He really likes you Kagome!" said Yuka.
Eri gave her a little push towards Hojo. "Go talk to him!" she whispered.
Kagome stumbled away, and then walked closer to Hojo. His smiled grew as she approached.
"Hi Hojo." she said, putting on a smile.
Hojo pulled out something from his bag. "Hi Higurashi! I hope your feeling well? Your grandfather told me all about your illness. It sounded serious."
Kagome nodded. "I'm fine Hojo, thanks."
Hojo nodded. "I was going to get you some herbs to help you get better, but I figured you have enough already" 'Got that right' thought Kagome. "So I bought you something for your new dog, Kagome." he handed her a leash, and a dog toy that was shaped like a bone. Kagome looked at them in confusion.
"My...dog?" she said, confused.
"Yeah, when I came to see you, you were still asleep, so I couldn't bother you. But I heard the dog growling when I got close to the door. Your mom said it doesn't like strangers." answered Hojo.
Realization dawned on Kagome. She knew that InuYasha had been the cause of the growling, and now Hojo had bought a leash...for InuYasha. She burst out in laughter at the thought of InuYasha wearing a leash.
Her friends looked at her, unsure about why she had suddenly began laughing. "Kagome...?" said Eri, trying to get her attention.
Kagome shook her head and waved, calming down. "I'm fine." she said. She looked at Hojo, who was looking at her expectantly. Realizing he had just said something and was waiting for her to answer, she asked, "What did you say Hojo?"
"I was wondering, since your not sick anymore, if you'd like to go out again sometime this weekend?"
Kagome noticed her three friends giving her glares, trying to get her to go with Hojo. She shook her head at them, and looked back at Hojo.
"I'm sorry Hojo, but I can't." she said.
Hojo looked a little disappointed, but quickly put his smile back on. "Oh well, some other time then?"
Kagome shook her head again. "No, Hojo, I mean I can't. I- I'm with someone else."
"Wha-What?" asked Hojo, hoping he hadn't heard right.
"I love someone else, Hojo. His name's InuYasha, and I've known him for awhile now. I'm sorry Hojo, I truly am." She ended in a small whisper, as though she were afraid of what Hojo might think.
You-wait...what's his name?" asked Hojo.
"InuYasha." answered Kagome.
"Sota said that was your dog's name..." muttered Hojo.
Kagome had to think quickly. "Oh uhh...yeah we named it after him because he gave it to me."
"And...you love him?" Hojo asked quietly, afraid of the answer.
"Yes. For awhile now. I'm sorry Hojo." Kagome apologized again, hoping that Hojo would understand.
"You bitch!" snarled Hojo. His complete change in attitude took Kagome and her friends by surprise. "I loved you! And you took it and threw it back in my face!" He raised his fist, as though to hit her, but when he realized what he was doing, he stopped himself, and quickly stormed off.
"Wow," breathed Ayumi. "I've never seen Hojo like that."
Kagome felt horrible. She knew Hojo must be hurting, she knew what it felt like after all the times InuYasha had gone to Kikyo. But she knew that, like her, Hojo would get over it. He would, right?
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Haha! woops, I didn't even realize I wrote "...after all the times InuYasha had gone to Hojo." And I know that InuYasha doesn't swing that way in my FanFic! I meant to put Kikyo there, lol. Anyway, it's fixed now, InuYasha is just your average, straight guy with necrophilia again.
