Mocha Latte

-Kitty

Chapter 10: Dinner for two


He spent a long time standing beside the bed, the empty silence after Kagome's departure somehow holding his body still as he absorbed the peaceful warmth in the little studio apartment. There was a strange aching hollowness he felt, standing there in the silence. It wasn't discomforting, however, but oddly peaceful and reflective. Golden morning light streamed in from the open window and the floating dust gave the studio a magical feel. But it was also so empty. It was a wonder, how a space already so full of clutter could feel suddenly vacant without Kagome. It had been her energy propelling him forward since he'd reappeared at her doorstep and her absence put him at a loss, his thoughts frozen. It took his mind several moments to unstick, to turn to other things, like the cheerful cat figurines on the shelves that seemed to wink at him in the sunlight. He blinked. Then he huffed. And, feeling bold, he stepped up to the shelf to lean in and closer inspect the waving lucky cat. The thing winked again. A trick of the light? A hallucination. He frowned at the figurine. Seconds passed and no further life could be detected and Inuyasha turned to look around the rest of the room.

As it was that first night he'd woken injured and bedridden beside her, Kagome kept her apartment in a state of chaos. Scraps of paper, with splashes of color or whimsical doodles scribbled across them, lay alongside random articles of clothing, pillows, ribbons, and goodness knows what else. With very little floor space available to him, Inuyasha found himself tiptoeing between the haphazard objects on the floor, ultimately making his way to the disorganized wooden desk pushed up against the wall. He had a distinct memory from that first night, the sounds of swirling porcelain and tinkling glass. What sort of project had the girl been embroiled in?

Curiously, he leaned over the table, his eyes taking in every detail. The desk was well used and old, he feared if he breathed to strongly, the entire thing would collapse. The painted surface was worn away and the lines and patterns in the wood grain were smooth and relaxed. It was an artist's desk. That was very clear to him. With splotches of spilled paints and jars crammed with brushes, their fibrous tips still stained with color. He sniffed carefully, detecting traces of the various minerals used to create the vibrant pigments.

Besides the bathroom, the only other space to investigate was the kitchen. With just the slightest feeling of committing a transgression, he ventured across to the fridge. The scent was faint and cold but he recognized the beef stew container immediately and his hand began reaching for it before he realized it. Drawing back, he frowned, conflicted. She'd said he could help himself to anything. And she clearly meant it. He felt his heart shift inside his chest as he debated internally, the cold air spilling out from the open door and brushing against his bare toes. Sighing, he shut the door. No. She'd already fed him enough. How could he take more?

There was a clock in the wall of her room and it ticked off the seconds slowly. How long would she be away, he wondered. How long would he have to wait?

There was a loud thump at the door and Inuyasha sat bolt upright, disoriented and bewildered. He'd been sleeping? When did he fall asleep? What time was it? And then, more importantly, who was the intruder? He quickly leaped off the bed and planted his feet in ready position as he waited for whomever was at the door to enter.

Keys jingled at the doorknob and a familiar face burst through and he relaxed, surprising himself by the wave of concern he felt as he noted the sagging, worn look on her face. Her dark hair tumbled over her eyes as she leaned heavily against the door while removing her shoes and under her breath, he could hear a muttered stream of words.

"I hate first days back from vacation," she said to herself, "Too many emails…"

Tossing her hair from her face, she looked up at him and smiled brightly, all traces of exhaustion suddenly vanishing.

"Inuyasha! How was your day?"

His body reacted very physically to her smile and it felt as though his throat had to battle itself before feeling even remotely capable of responding.

"I… I ate all the stew," he managed to stutter.

The girl didn't miss a beat.

"That's ok, I was gonna go grocery shopping tonight anyway," she said, letting the door close behind her as she came all the way in. Her beaten old backpack was shrugged off beside the bed, landing with a small thud. She raised both her hands above her head and Inuyasha jumped, startled, when she let out a high pitched squeal. Her spine answered her with a little series of pops as she stretched this way and that, and then she sighed as she let her hands flop back down to slap at her thighs. Rummaging through an overstuffed dresser, Kagome pulled out a baggy pair of pants and proceeded to change out of her jeans right there in the middle of the living room. Inuyasha squeezed his eyes shut almost reflexively, only opening them when she spoke again.

"What do you want for dinner, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha was beginning to wonder if this woman ever cared to wait for responses to her questions. She was in motion, even mid question, and had pulled a large shopping bag out of seemingly nowhere and was motioning him towards the door, keys jingling merrily in her hand.

"Ah! Shoes are a must this time," she told him, handing him the pair of flip flops he'd discarded during their rain dancing venture. After he shuffled his toes into the straps, he looked up to find her assessing him with a steady, thoughtful stare.

He stiffened instantly, caution always his first reaction. She blinked when his body language changed and smiled.

"I think I could make a charm to give you more of a human look," she said, "It's probably a good idea since there's still a bounty on your head."

He was taken aback by this, surprised that she might have holy powers. Sure there were charms and blessed objects all over her apartment but that said nothing of the mystic capabilities of its occupants.

Again she didn't falter in the slightest when he didn't respond to her. Instead, she brought her palms together, interlocking her fingers so that only her slender index fingers lay extended against each other. She muttered under her breath and suddenly, he felt the familiar powers of a miko rise up to press against his own, her energies coming off of her in waves. Yin and yang always clashed and he so braced himself against the burn of her powers. His skin prickled and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and there was a brief, irrational moment where he believed she might do him harm.

"It's ok, I'd never hurt you."

Inuyasha glanced at her, surprised. And when she placed the charmed beaded necklace over his head, the enchantment was warm against his skin, soothing rather than abrasive and he frowned, taken off guard by the idea that a miko's powers could touch his demon energies so gently. Astounded, he stared at her, his eyes asking for some kind of answer, but Kagome only smiled and turned and led him out the door.

This was extremely bizarre. Inuyasha was experiencing the strangest, most surreal moment of his life, following this peculiar woman around the grocery store. Every shiny metal surface, from the sides of pots and pans, to the rounded mirrors positioned around corners of several aisles, nearly made him jump out of his skin as his dark haired, brown eyed reflection stared back at him. The girl had done the job well, her enchantment extending to his hands, masking the lethal claws with soft, rounded humans nails like hers. And all the while, the beads around his neck pulsed with a warm, soothing energy that was at once foreign and nostalgic. He just couldn't place it.

"You know what, I'm thinking steak," Kagome was saying, completely overlooking his distraction with staring at himself in the glass doors of the dairy section. She grabbed his hand and began marching along the perimeter of the store, quickly locating the wide variety of meat products available. The store was awash with sights and scents he'd never had access to in his life. Fruits of all shapes and colors, sweet and sharp. Vegetables smelling green and fresh like captured sunlight. And now in the meat section, he spent several long minutes sniffing the air while Kagome perused the steaks, the scent of cold and processed flesh initially unnerving him nearly as much as the sight of a wall of sliced carcasses. It was his first time in a grocery store and the myriad of choice was overwhelming. Kagome's hands hovered over the options, her fingers fluttering as she tried to make up her mind. Around them, other shoppers were busily making their choices and rushing home to cook dinner. As he slowly acclimatized to this alien setting, he began to take notice of the crowds around them. He'd never been able to walk out so boldly in public before, always forced to hang back in the shadows. The normalcy with which these bustling strangers treated him furthered the dreamlike disconnect he felt with his present situation. He could stand among the people and stare. And when they glanced up to make eye contact, they'd smile at him. Friendly, if slightly confused, smiles. Unsettled by these interactions, Inuyasha brought his attention back to Kagome, who was now leading him in a dizzying tour of each and every aisle while she searched for one last elusive item.

"Ah ha!" She exclaimed finally, triumphantly leading the charge with her arm extended like she was leading an army. The can of corn clunked cheerfully in her basket as she began to move toward check out, while he trailed after her like a duckling.

She led the way out of the store, and it took Inuyasha a moment or two of staring at her back before his arm reached out on its own. The bright eyed look of appreciation as she smiled at him sparked a warmth inside him, drawing a shy smile to his own face as he took charge of her bags. Typical of her carefree attitude, she whisked around and continued to her apartment, gate bouncy and upbeat and her hair swung in time with her strides. Once again staring at her back, Inuyasha mulled over this soft, delicate sensation rising up inside him, swelling like a slowly rising tide. It was at once powerful and fragile, and something to be fiercely protected, and brought to life by the presence of this whimsical and completely baffling young woman who was now beckoning him inside her home.

She was a whirl of motion as soon as they entered and immediately disappeared into the kitchen. The, by now familiar, clatter of pots and pans clanging against each other erupted from the doorway and he moved to peek inside curiously.

He should help, shouldn't he?

It wasn't fair of him to reap the generous benefits of Kagome's cooking and protection like some child burden. It wasn't honorable.

But, what assistance could he offer? The kitchen was cramped and he certainly had no culinary skills to speak of. Would he not simply get underfoot and cause accidents?

Kagome wasn't going to let him stay on the sidelines and motioned for him to join her. The handle of a knife was pressed into his hands and she set him to work, chopping vegetables in the corner while she sprinkled this and that over the red, marbled steak. Their backs were practically touching and his skin was flushed hot by the knowledge of her proximity. Eventually, she claimed the dice greens and set them to steam over the stove, replacing the knife with a pan and opening the window.

"Ok," she said seriously, "This is gonna smoke a ton. I need you to keep the smoke away from the smoke alarm."

Inuyasha looked up where she pointed, a little disc with a blinking light attached to the ceiling. The meat sizzled explosively when she laid it down on the skillet, smoking immediately.

"Start fanning!"

There was great urgency in her voice and he responded in kind, his superhuman strength creating a whirlwind in the tiny kitchen. Kagome began laughing hysterically, confusing him and he was already slowing when she grasped his wrist to stop him.

"Hold on! Hold on, I need to tie my hair up," she managed to say through her laughter, "It's like you're trying to blow me to Oz!"

Pausing in his mission turned out to be the wrong decision for the little disc above their heads suddenly began blaring the most atrocious, horrific sound he'd ever heard in his life. The pan fell to the ground with a bang but he could hardly hear it, his head ringing from the alarm, even as he pressed both hands over his ears in a futile attempt to block the din. Disoriented by the loudness, he hardly noticed hands on his shoulders guiding him out of the kitchen and only when the ringing in his head abated slightly, did he think to turn around and see what that crazy woman was doing.

Kagome was bravely facing off against the alarm, armed with the metal baking pan. She waved it frantically under the alarm to dissipate the smoke enough for it to stop screeching. It seemed an eternity before the alarm was silenced and even in the quiet, he thought he could hear the echo of the horrible sound. He heaved a sigh in relief, trying to force his shoulders to relax. But Kagome wasn't through with him yet.

"Inuyasha!" She called, "Inuyasha come here and keep fanning, I need to flip the steak!"

The experience left him in a considerably sour mood and he grumbled under his breath as he returned to the kitchen. Taking up his post as smoke alarm fanner once more, he slowly came to the realization that a savory, peppery, absolutely mouthwatering scent was saturating the air in the kitchen.

"Oh! This is gonna be yummy!"

Curiously, Inuyasha glanced over her shoulder at the searing meat. There was a brown, bubbling crust, sizzling in its own rendering fat, and it steamed and popped merrily in the cast iron skillet. As he swallowed several times to keep his salivating in check, Inuyasha began to think that perhaps the aggravation of the alarm going might just be worth it.

In very short order, dinner was plated and the coffee table in the living room was soon crowded with steaming plates and bowls.

Kagome sighed and sank down deep into the couch, a steaming mug cradled carefully in her hands. The floral, soothing scent of chamomile drifted around the room and Inuyasha found himself sighing as well.

"It was such a long day," Kagome groaned, letting her head fall back against the cushions, exposing the thing, soft skin of her neck. She tilted her head left and right, stretching the tight muscles, cramped from a day at the desk, and Inuyasha was completely transfixed. Strands of hair fell across her face and neck and he suppressed the strangest urge to reach out to brush them aside. And when she brought herself upright again, eyes soft and sleepy, to smile at him, a jolt slammed down his spine that left him tingling.

"Alright!" She said, rubbing her hands together in gleeful anticipation, "Let's dig in!"


A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!