Day 2 of InuKag Week 2020: Loyalty! This is a mostly direct part two of yesterdays prompt, Acceptance.
I would like you all to know that I had to look up the name for a "gear shift", because I just call in the PRNDL (Suite Life fans anyone?). I'm still not sure if that's even the correct term, but after several google searches I just went for "gear shift", although I almost just said screw it and called it a PRDNL LOL.
Anyways, I hope you all think of that when you get to the part. Enjoy!
Restaurant kitchens are noisy places. The bubble of the fryers as fries and onion rings are cooked to golden perfection. Peppers and mushrooms sizzling in a saute pan. Belted vocal announcements of "Behind!" and "Coming down!" bouncing off the walls, drowned out by the roaring of the industrial dishwasher.
Today though, there was nothing louder than the sound of a sharp chef's knife whacking away at the cutting board, sharp thuds cutting through the air. It was definitely not how you were supposed to use the tool, and the cutting board sure wasn't faring any better, but Kagome could have cared less about that in the moment.
Kagome was furious.
She didn't think there was ever a time that'd she felt angrier than she did now; which said something because the event that made her completely fly off the handle happened almost a week ago.
Several weeks had passed since the incident at Inuyasha's auto shop. Things had been going very well for the couple; Kagome's declaration of acceptance had put Inuyasha in a most loving mood. The following weekend, they visited a hot spring together, washing away the stress from the previous week. On top of that, Mama had called Inuyasha and personally asked if he could help her love things around the shrine for jii-chan, with the promise of a lunch date 'with her future son-in-law'. The term of endearment was a little embarrassing for them both, seeing as they had only been dating for a few months and obviously haven't talked about that, but Inuyasha had swelled up with pride at the thought that Kagome's mother labels him as family. Kagome would have bet three for three with all the good happening to them.
If only she had cut her losses sooner. Kagome's girlfriends from high school had been messaging her about hanging out. Apparently, there was a new bistro bar that just opened up downtown with great reviews, so Yuka and Eri thought it would be a good idea to check it out. Ayame ended up cancelling due to some work responsibilities, but hoped that she and Hojo would be able to go next time.
Kagome was a little nervous at first when she suggested to Inuyasha about going out with the girls. 'The Hojo Incident' was still a little fresh in the mind, and although Hojo wouldn't actually be there this time, Kagome remembered that he didn't leave the best impression to the girls that night either. Suffice to say, she was surprised when Inuyasha was all for going out, even if he seemed a little nervous. He really seemed like he wanted to start over with Yuka and Eri.
Things would be awkward at first, but Kagome was sure Inuyasha would win them over. There was no way they couldn't walk away from the night with a newly reinforced friendship.
Hell, she would have taken acquaintanceship over what actually happened. Kagome guessed that her first mistake was assuming Inuyasha was invited at all. Usually when they have a group outing and Hojo accompanies them, boyfriends are also invited; so when Ayumi messaged everyone about her and Hojo not being able to make it, Kagome assumed that this was not a girl's only night. When they arrived at the bistro, the daggering looks they shot at Inuyasha told Kagome all she needed to know. Unfortunately for them, Inuyasha was already there, and Kagome certainly wasn't going to tell him to just go home. They would just have to get over it. Besides, Inuyasha promised her he was going to keep a cool head when it came to Yuka and Eri so she could have a nice night with her girlfriends, and Kagome had all the faith in the world of her hanyou.
The evening started out okay, despite the obvious irritated looks from the girls. They ordered some drinks and appetizers, politely chatting about the goings on in everyone's life. Eri was talkative - although definitely more muted than her normal self - while Yuka was mostly silent, giving straightforward answers to most questions geared towards her. Neither of them spoke to Inuyasha at first, which Kagome found odd but decided not to make too big a deal out of it. Instead, she constantly drove the conversation Inuyasha's way, opening up segways for him to add his own two cents in when the moment was right. By the time the server arrived with their meals, the girls had at least started to acknowledge his presence at the table and no one had yelled at one another. The night might not have been perfect, but Kagome could be content with that.
It wasn't until Inuyasha went to the bathroom that the night took a dive for the worst, when Kagome made her second mistake: confronting her friends.
"What the hell is your guys' problem?" Kagome hissed, hoping Inuyasha was far enough away that he couldn't pick up what she was saying.
"What problem?" Yuka asked, although Kagome wasn't fooled by her sarcastic innocence.
"You guys have barely spoken a word to Inuyasha all night, and when you have said something, you've been stiff as a board about it. Could you maybe lighten up a little?"
"We're just trying not to provoke your hot-headed boyfriend over there," Eri chimed in.
"Ugh," Kagome covered her face with her hands. "Look, I know our last get together was...a lot, but Inuyasha really feels bad about his temper that night. If you let him, I know he'd apologize to you guys. He's trying really hard to be in good spirits tonight."
"Are you serious right now Kagome?" Eri shot back at her. "Do you even hear yourself right now? You're telling us to give him a chance when he has to actually think about being nice to people?"
"That's not what I meant, and you know it. Inuyasha isn't used to going out and interacting with other people. I know he's got a hard shell, but once you crack it, you'll see he's a really great guy once you get to know him, and it would mean a lot to me if you could try to do just that."
"We tried that last time Kagome, and he got angrier with every question we asked." Yuka argued.
"Well, in his defense, you guys come off really strong. He just felt a little smothered with the back-and-forth you two are so good at. I'm sure if you just tone it down a little, you'll have a great conversation together."
"Oh, so now we're supposed to change who we are every time your boyfriend is around?" Yuka yelled, getting louder with every response.
"N-no, that's not what I'm saying at all! I want you all to meet somewhere in the middle so you can get to know each other, Inuyasha included. Which he is trying to do!" Kagome didn't know what was happening. This isn't how the night was supposed to go. She knew that the last time they all got together, tempers were a little high, but she really hoped tonight would help cool everything down. Inuyasha was trying his best to settle between being a part of the conversation and letting the Kagome and the girls have their own time, she wanted him to be able to make amends so they could move on. Ayumi and Hojo were both extremely forgiving people, and Kagome knew that Inuyasha would have an easier time making things right with them when the time comes. It was Yuka and Eri that needed to be handled with care. And unfortunately, they seemed to be making that task especially difficult for Inuyasha.
Just when Kagome thought things possibly couldn't get any worse, Yuka effectively set off a bomb.
"The only thing he's capable of is being a hot-headed, impetuous jerk, just like most hanyous."
Yuka had continued talking after that, but Kagome didn't hear what it was, her words drowned out by the blood that pumped through her ears. In her mind, she recalled that day not even two weeks ago, when that man refused to have his car looked at by Inuyasha. How dejected Inuyasha looked knowing how people looked down on him, even if he tried to downplay how it made him feel. She remembered how angry she felt, that someone could think so terribly of him because of something he couldn't help. Yet, as soon as the words spilled from her mouth, Yuka and Eri - people that had been her friends since childhood, people who were kind despite their boldness - had become no different than the man who couldn't stand to do business with a hanyou.
"Excuse me?" Kagome asked, interrupting whatever Yuka was blabbering on about. "How dare you!"
"Kagome - "
"No!" She shouted. "You had no right to say something so awful! Inuyasha can be brash and grumpy, and doesn't always say the right thing, but being a hanyou has nothing to do with anything. How about you guys. Can you hear yourselves right now? I can't believe that two of my closest friends could say something so rude about him. He's been trying so hard tonight to get on your good side - for ME - and all you can do is talk down to him like he's beneath you!"
Yuka and Eri's eyes became as wide as dinner plates, but not just because of the verbal jabs they were being dealt. As Kagome started becoming more expressive by talking with her hands, a faint violet aura was starting to coalesce around her hands. The aura had a texture similar to fog, yet it appeared almost like steam pouring from her skin, slightly see through. The angrier she got, the clearer the wisps became. Kagome didn't seem to notice the change.
"You know what, we're not doing this," Kagome stood up from her chair and gathered up her purse. She looked up just enough to see Inuyasha walking back up to the table and grabbed his jacket.
"I am not going to sit here and make Inuyasha have to go through this. As far as you're now concerned, Inuyasha and I are a packaged deal. So if you want to see me, you'll have to see him, too. But let me be clear, I am not going to let you talk down to the man I love. You can call me back when you're ready to talk like adults."
Kagome turned on the spot and grabbed his arm, muttering a small 'let's go', before dragging him back to the car with her. Kagome had still not talked to Inuyasha about what happened that night. Not that he didn't try to bring the subject up, but she was quick to change the subject each time. Kagome didn't trust herself to not blow a gasket if she was forced to relive how angry she had become that night.
Yuka and Eri had blown up her phone with texts, but Kagome ignored all of them. She even went as far as to delete them. Of course they felt bad and wanted to apologize for how they acted, but they were trying to apologize to the wrong person. Inuyasha was the one who deserved their apologies. He was the one who had to sit through dinner with two people who thought nothing good of him. She could eventually forgive them, but only if they squared up with Inuyasha. It was the least they could do.
And, if causing a huge scene at a busy restaurant wasn't enough, Kagome, in her blind fury, had just blurted out to everyone who was in hearing distance that she loved Inuyasha. She groaned as she finally brought her cutting board to the dish pit to start cleaning up. She was almost a hundred percent sure Inuyasha had heard her declaration of love, which only made her feel worse. This was most definitely not the way she wanted to tell him that she loved him. They had only been dating a few months; what if she scared him off? Would he think she was clingy because of it? Or worse, what if he didn't feel the same way? She couldn't ask him to tell her right at this moment if he also loved her, too. That would be asking for far too much. So, Kagome had kept busy the past week, either with work or meaningless activities so they couldn't hash their feelings out.
Kagome spent the next half hour cleaning and taking a quick inventory of the walk-in cooler before clocking out. Inuyasha was waiting for her at the hostess stand. He had taken an early day to hopefully help put Kagome in a better mood than she had been all week.
He had been thinking about that night all week. Inuyasha had just been coming back from the bathroom when he felt a strong aura brush against his youki. At first, he was afraid a rogue youkai was about to start a rampage and became increasingly worried about Kagome. The aura didn't seem like it came from a youkai, but Inuyasha didn't know what else could produce such a sturdy aura. It wasn't until he could properly see their table that he realized what it was. Kagome looked like she was arguing with the two girls; her hands were glowing, purple wisps dancing around her wrists.
'Is that...reiki?' Inuyasha thought. True mikos and monk's were rare nowadays, and Inuyasha had never met one with enough power to be able to summon it. Kagome didn't seem like she noticed, putting all her emotion into her hands as she started waving them towards her friends. At first, he could barely make out what she was saying, but by the time he got to the table, Kagome was practically shouting.
The subsequent car ride home was silent. The energy around Kagome continued to crackle, keeping Inuyasha on edge until they had arrived home; only then did she calm down enough to rear her reiki back, which Kagome still didn't seem to notice. It was as if everyone could see it but her. Inuyasha was perplexed about her sudden burst of spiritual energy, but decided to table his thoughts on the subject; perhaps he would talk to Kagome's mother about it the next time he went to help over at the shrine. They spent the rest of their night watching television and still not talking about what happened at the restaurant before drifting off to sleep.
Inuyasha was still surprised at what he heard that night, to say the least. It was one thing for Kagome to tell him that he had value as a person in private, but to shout it to a whole section of a busy restaurant during the dinner rush was something completely different. Inuyasha didn't hear what her friends had said about him, but whatsoever it was must have been really bad for her to completely freak out like that. Then again, Inuyasha was pretty sure that the worst thing Kagome could think of was probably pretty tame compared to some of the things he's heard. It didn't really matter what they said though. Inuyasha couldn't deny how she felt about him now. Especially after hearing how she loved him.
He had expected her to bring at least that part up in conversation, but Kagome had been doing all she could to not have a sincere conversation with him. He had a feeling that was partly because of how angry she was. Kagome had been pretty tense the first three or four days after - tension, especially in the shoulders, was a sure sign of anger in that woman. But Kagome was the type of girl to get all her feelings out in the open, so not talking about it was extremely out of character for her. Inuyasha was confused by her behavior. Did she think he didn't love her? How could she not; Inuyasha spent almost all his free time with her. Kagome had even started joining his sporadic lunches with Sango, his only other friend, going as far to hang out with the girl without him. Hell, she even got the damn 'seal of approval' from Sesshomaru himself! Inuyasha had let her figure out her emotions all week, but it was time he put her back on the track.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome called out, a little surprised to see him there. "What are you doing here?"
"Just thought I'd come and pick up my favourite girl for the day."
"You know I drove to work, right?" She snickered at the small grin that had appeared in his face.
"Well, then it's a good thing I didn't drive here, isn't it?" He replied, rewarded with a small snort from Kagome. He walked them out the front door, grabbing her purse from her and wrapping his left arm around her shoulder.
"Wouldn't that be me picking you up then?"
"A technicality. It ain't like I'm letting you drive." Their laughter floated all the way to the back parking lot where Kagome's car was parked. Inuyasha made a spectacle out of adjusting her driver's seat, causing her to playfully slap him on the arm. Once they were on the road, and Inuyasha was sure that she wouldn't be able to roll out of the car if the urge came to her, he brought up Yuka and Eri.
"So, have you talked to them?" He asked carefully. Inuyasha could see her stiffen as soon as the words had left his mouth. She pulled up some random social media app on her phone and began to mindlessly scroll.
"Talked to who?"
"You know what I'm talking about wench. Don't play innocent with me."
"What's there to talk about Yash? I'm sure they're sorry and all, but until you get a heartfelt apology from them, then my hands are tied."
"Kagome, they're your friends - "
"Not if they're going to talk down to you! They've acted just like that horrible man from your job almost a month ago. We don't need people like that in our life."
"Kagomeā¦" Inuyasha didn't really know what to say. The thought of asking Kagome to give up anything so that they could be together was almost sickening; it was something he could, and would, never do. Yet, here she was, adamant about completely cutting ties with two people who she had known almost all her life, simply because of him. Inuyasha could feel his throat closing up, a myriad of emotions threatening to explode from his body. Kagome was so loyal to him, so good to him, and so out of his league. He grabbed her hand and held it over the gearshift, gently stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. He would do whatever it took to fix her relationship with those girls. But even if nothing could be salvaged, Kagome would always have him. He was content to serve her however she needed, and that's when it clicked for him. What they had was more than a passing encounter, or just a spring fling.
"I love you, Kagome," he muttered softly, bringing her hand up to kiss it tenderly. He heard a small gasp come from the woman beside him. Perhaps it wasn't the most romantic way he could have told her that, but it felt right. All he felt for Kagome in that moment was pure, unadulterated love. Kagome's grip on his hand tightened as they continued the drive home, the salty scent of unshed tears filling his senses. Inuyasha would have lots of plans to make, but none of that was important right now; it was nothing that couldn't wait another day. For now, he would take her home, and tonight would be just for the two of them.
