Mocha Latte
-Kitty
Chapter 9: Breakfast at Kagome's
He wasn't fully conscious when the first sounds of life began to stir in the bed across the room. A rustle of sheets, a soft groan, a deep long sigh. It roused him slowly, coaxing him back and then the rest of the world began to unfurl to his senses. The now familiar scent of old and new paper, something warm and welcoming, drew his conscious mind back to the world of the waking. He kept his body still for a long time after he returned to consciousness. His breathing remained deep and even. His eyelids never fluttered. His ears belied his mind's wakefulness, however, and they flicked forward to monitor the fast tapping of a pair of little heartbeats, nestled in a little knitted nest on the table beside him. And further away, a sigh from the bed told him Kagome still slept. The peaceful quiet of that little moment in time felt surreal to him as he slowly allowed his mind to wander. What a powerful thing it was, to awaken into a state of complete security, to feel safe and comfortable, wrapped in warmth and compelled to rise, not by some dire urgency, but the calm gentle breathing of a nearby and friendly presence.
"Mmmmmorning," she murmured, turning over on the bed.
Golden eyes cracked open and his ears flicked in her direction. A wave of comfort filtered through his body as his eyes focused on her. The frizzled hair and bleary eyes. Soft and welcoming in her shapeless sleepwear, she seemed to have merged with the bedsheets sometime during the night. He didn't even realize the smile that spread across his face.
Kagome grinned back at him, slowly coming back to life. With another groan, she hauled herself off the bed. She stumbled to the bathroom, closing the door with a gentle click. Despite the private nature of her activities, he found he was keenly aware of the sound emitting from the closed door. Eventually, the rushing water of the faucet was shut off and Kagome emerged, fresh faced though her eyes still held the dewyness of sleep. The closed briefly as she yawned, bumbling blindly back into the studio room.
"Nnnnnhungry?"
He wanted to say yes. The word was already lying in wait on his tongue but his jaws clamped shut. The walls that protected his heart remained steadfast and he could not bring himself to accept the offer.
She didn't seem to care that he hadn't responded.
"Coffee first, then I'm thinking bacon..."
She padded softly into the kitchen, her baggy pants trailing on the ground. A familiar clatter arose from the kitchen, the faucet and running water, then the click of the water kettle as she busily went to work grinding her coffee beans. Intermittently, he hear her humming under her breath and the lull of her gentle melody nearly brought him back to the brink of sleep.
The fridge door opened and shut, then a crinkling sound precipitated a waft of savory, smokey goodness and then his ears were alert and eager to discover the source of such delicious scent. The young woman glanced at him when he appeared at the doorway to the kitchen, nose twitching as he spied her by the stove. She smiled and laughed, holding up the plastic packaging.
"Can't beat bacon in the morning, can you?" She asked.
He had to hold back his salivating in response and only gazed at the package she held hungrily. Kagome laughed at him, then gestured him to enter the compact kitchen. It was a tight space, with hardly enough room for a single cook, much less two. But she didn't seem to mind, absently resting a hand on his arm as she maneuvered around him. There was an electric jolt that rushed through him in the wake of her fingertips and he stared dumbly at the chopsticks she held out to him.
"Think you can handle flipping the bacon so it doesn't burn?" She asked him, her voice breaking through his trance and spurring him into motion. Without a word, he grasped the utensils, only capable of obediently taking up position beside the stove after she flashed another warm smile his way. He was getting spoiled by the tender, casual treatment and there was a part of him that was alarmed by this. The other easily and gratefully surrendered to the comfort of her easy company.
Kagome was busying herself with her water kettle, carefully pouring the hot water through her coffee filter and licking her lips in anticipation of the dark, bitter beverage. When she glanced up at him, her expression quizzical, he felt a flutter of concern before she smiled again and nodded toward the thickly sliced bacon, urging him to throw it on the skillet.
Hot, sizzling fat immediately began to sing and smoke when it met the cast iron. He jumped, startled when a stray droplet landed on his arm. Kagome was on him immediately.
"Careful!" She exclaimed, pulling out a splatter shield for him to use. And then a fragrance like nothing he'd smelled before engulfed his senses and if he thought the smokey smell of raw bacon was delicious, the heady scent of it cooking was intoxicating and he had to be reminded to flip the strips of goodness before they burned. He could hardly wait for them to cool and was tempted to throw a smoking, searing slice in his mouth, headless of the burn.
"Calm down, dummy," Kagome laughed, "There's no hurry."
Kagome pulled down a plate from her cupboard, setting it beside him at the counter before disappearing to the couch, taking a noisy sip from her steaming mug of coffee. The baby rabbits were awake and she cradled them in her lap, their little twitchy noses reaching up to investigate the large finger that descended to stroke their soft downy fur. Inuyasha watched her in between tending to the stove and very soon emerged with a plate piled high. He hesitated before setting the bacon down, a fleeting moment of conflicted confusion reminding him that only a day ago, he'd been cold and wet and homeless. Kagome looked up at him, taking his bewilderment in stride and reaching out to grasp his wrist, urging him, stiff and unsure, to take a seat beside her, their meaty breakfast cooling to an edible temperature.
"I have to go to work today," she told him, stuffing a crunchy piece into her mouth. He was greatly distracted by the way the bacon grease caught the light and accentuated the roundness of her lips, full and soft. She paid no heed to his inattention and gestured to the rabbits in her lap.
"I'll stop by the wildlife rescue center to drop these babies off," she said. He blinked and refocused his eyes.
"Here," she said, holding up a small, jagged piece of metal. A key. "You might get bored cooped up here all day."
Golden eyes frowned as he stared at the key. Was she seriously granting him free entry to her home? For a long silence, he couldn't bring himself to move. And then as if she'd cast a spell over him, his hand reached up on its own, taking hold of the little metal key in his large, clawed hand. Kagome smiled at him.
"It's nice to have company," she said. She leaned back on the couch, sinking in to the cushions with another strip of bacon in her fingers. A shiny, round droplet of fat slid down her wrist and she raised her hand to lick the oily streak clean. He found himself captivated by the action, unable to tear his eyes away and then she smiled at him again, and it was like a blooming flower bud opening in his chest. The rush of warmth caught his breath and a bubble of emotion welled inside him. Bashfully, realizing he'd been staring, he cast his eyes aside, abruptly reaching out for a piece of meat and nibbling on the salty breakfast. They sat in silence for several minutes, neither feeling the need to speak and both completely content in the cozy, little apartment.
Eventually Kagome stood, readying herself for the day, and while she shuffled in the bathroom changing, he pondered this surprising existence he was living. Just a few days ago they'd been strangers. She'd kept her promise and never asked any questions of him, his past or who he was. How could she trust him into her home like this?
When she burst back into the main living space, dressed for the day in a loose fitting collared shirt and jeans, he'd come to the realization that he was indebted to her, not only for providing him shelter, but for saving him in the first place of the gaping hole in his stomach that had only just healed. So as she gathered up the little rabbits and turned to leave, his lips and tongue surged into motion to offer the only thing he could from a half demon that owned nothing but himself and the tattered clothes he'd come to her in.
"Inuyasha," he said, staring boldly into her eyes as she turned, her hand still on the door knob, "My name is Inuyasha."
A/N: hey folks, sorry for disappearing for so long. if you back and reading this, thanks for waiting! not sure what the hell happened but work has been nuts this year... last week was the first time in a long time that i was able to stay home and actually cook breakfast in the morning and then I felt like giving Inuyasha a bacon breakfast. haha, the more i write this story the more jealous i am of Kagome and her seemingly whimsical life in this fic...
anyways, a couple commenters have asked about their backstories, etc and i'll probably start slipping of bit of that into the upcoming chapters. at the same time, this fic is intended purely for my own sanity and I really only plan on writing chapters about little moments that help me relax (i.e. making coffee, or sitting down to a plate of cookies, etc), so it may take a while for the full backstory to come out... :P
