All this time, I thought Inu no Taisho was Inuyasha's dad's name. I just learned that man's name is Tōga. I wish that were relevant to this story, though . . . We'll see.
Enjoy!
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Auburn Strands and Red Threads #24
Being human was torture.
The waning of his senses was bad enough, but his emotions were amplified so much that it was hard not to get submerged in them. Happiness, anger, sadness, jealousy—all of it felt amplified to the max degree.
But being self-conscious while human—nervous while human—made his heart feel like it would burst and bleed at the seams. Having his skin flush with heat while being half demon was slightly uncomfortable, at worst, but the heat while being human was sure to burn him alive.
So, he had to focus on something to stay afloat.
Fork.
Inuyasha knew what that was. It was more effective than chopsticks, but he was always compelled to bite down on it.
Bowl.
He realized the flimsy ones that held ramen weren't the only types from the modern world. A certain person with auburn hair apparently had bowls with odd characters on them that made him think of Shippo's transformations.
He stared at his food, poking his fork at it. Orihime had made something a little different tonight, but he didn't know whether or not he thought it was strange. It was extremely hard to focus . . .
He looked up through his bangs and bit his inner lip. He could feel the heat rising out of his clothes. "You see humans all the time."
Orihime blinked, straightening her posture. She had been staring at him for a while now. "Yes, but you . . ." She smiled, eyes alight with intrigue, and leaned forward on the small table, her cheek resting in her propped hand. "I didn't know demons could change into humans at will. Well, shape-shifting, yes, but I don't think you're shape-shifting right now."
Inuyasha looked down at his meal. "It ain't at will, and it's not like it's praiseworthy. Besides, all half-demons have a period of weakness. My weakness just makes me human whenever there's a new moon."
"You don't like being human?"
He snorted, unable to look at her for long stretches of time. "All my strength is gone, so I can't exactly defend myself or anyone else."
Orihime's head tilted. "You're safe here, if that eases your mind."
"Yeah, but you never know."
"I'll protect you."
Inuyasha looked up, seeing Orihime smiling, and looked back down. "Yeah." He would surely burn alive tonight. "Okay."
"So . . . does this mean you get your powers from the moon?"
"No, I get them from my dad."
"But when there's no moon shining at night, you lose your powers."
Inuyasha shrugged. "Just the way it happens."
She laughed. "So, you're like a were-demon."
He frowned, looking at her again. "A what?"
She shook her head, leaning on the table again. "Your eyebrows are dark whether you're a demon or not. Does that have anything to do with your parents?"
Inuyasha looked at her for a while, wondering if he wanted to delve into this topic. "My mom had dark hair, so I guess I got that from her. Never met my old man, but," he paused, his brother flashing through his mind, "I guess . . . I get my demon hair from him."
"So, your father was full demon—and a strong one, from what I've heard."
"Heh, yeah." Inuyasha didn't have a strong desire to see his father, but he would love to see what the world was like when the old man was still alive. "Heard he was soft on humans, but it didn't stop him from being the best. Musta been strong to still have demon allies despite it all."
Orihime's lips pursed as she formed her words. "How come demons and humans don't get along?"
"I don't know what started it or anythin' like that, but demons don't like weakness. Even the strongest human is weaker than a demon, so demons do as they please. Humans don't like that all too much."
"It sounds like your dad was a kind man who really loved your mother then. Do you know how they met?"
Inuyasha scrunched his nose. "I was never old enough to care. Even if I was, I still don't think I'd ask."
Orihime's gaze fell to the table, her fingers drumming against it. She parted her lips, forming her words carefully. "Are you not able to ask your parents anymore?"
"Nah, my mom died when I was young, and my dad was always dead." He paused. "I actually visited his grave once."
"Are they buried near each other?"
"No-" He paused, stopping himself from saying his father's grave was in his eye. "Yeah, no."
"Well . . . I'm sorry to hear that. About your parents, I mean."
"Tck. Don't be. I'm sure they didn't have many regrets."
Orihime moved her food around for a minute. "So . . . when you say 'young', how long ago was that exactly?"
Inuyasha eyed her self-consciously.
Orihime pressed her lips together for a few seconds. "How old are you?"
"Age works differently with me, Orihime, but I've been alive for a," he paused, "long time." He paused again, suddenly curious. "So what's the deal with your parents? Why d'you live alone?"
Orihime pressed her lips together again, frowning at the ceiling. People generally didn't ask her about her parents. "I honestly have no memories of them." She surprised herself by how much that didn't bother her. "As far as I remember, it was always my brother taking care of me."
"You have a brother?"
She grinned. "Yes. Older. I mentioned him once before."
Inuyasha thought for a moment, vaguely remembering. "Where's he?"
Her grin faded, hands tentatively playing with the ends of her hair. "He died." Her brows creased. "He was in an accident."
"Oh . . . Sorry . . ."
She shook her head. "These things happen." She smiled at him. "I think he would have liked you, though. He had a soft spot for anything related to dogs."
"Yeah," Inuyasha grumbled. "Because he's the one I want to impress."
"What do you mean?"
Inuyasha stared at his food, drained of his energy. He didn't want to go down that road with her tonight or for a while—especially not while being human. Sighing, he slowly set his fork down and rubbed his eyes. "I'm tired."
"Oh! Do you want me to get a futon ready?"
"Futon . . . That's something to sleep on, right?"
"Uh-huh."
"Why would . . ." He stopped. "Do you think I'm sleeping here tonight?"
Orihime pursed her lips. "Well . . . your friend lives too far for you to walk right now, and I don't know if the trains will be going long enough for you to get there."
Inuyasha didn't give much that about what he would do about being human. He definitely did not intend to stay here with Orihime, but where would he go? It'd be too much to ask Kagome for a place to sleep, and he didn't know the hat guy and muscle guy well enough to sleep over there; he wasn't planning on going there tonight anyway.
The father of his enemy might be generous enough . . . but why would Inuyasha sleep outside when Orihime was offering her home . . . ? Orihime was willing wanting to spend a night with him, yet here he was trying to find a reason to say no.
"Inuyasha," Orihime said, "your face is turning red. Are you feeling alright?"
Inuyasha sighed, scratching his brow. "I dunno if staying here would be a good idea."
She stared for a moment, frowning slightly. "You've slept over before."
"And I was injured every time."
She paused to think. "If you're not comfortable with it, then I can walk you to Kisuke's or Kurosaki-kun's house." She smiled brightly, pleased with the alternatives. "I bet they'd both love to take this opportunity to get to know you better!"
Inuyasha squinted, frustrated by how he had already dismissed these options. A conscious night with Orihime could be problematic, but a night with the other people could be worse. He still couldn't accurately put a face to the Kisuke fellow despite seeing the man a couple times now, but another night at that Kurosaki house wasn't an ideal option.
But that big guy with muscles had been pretty cool . . .
And the father of that guy Ichigo was pretty okay, too . . .
He shook his head. No way could he get attached to them. "I'll stay here."
Orihime's eyes lit up. "Great! You can sleep in my bed!"
Inuyasha jolted, face exploding with color. "Wh-whaddya mean your bed? I thought you were gonna get a futon ready."
"Yeah, for me."
"Oh . . ." Why didn't that occur to him? "Right."
"Don't you want to try a bed from the modern world—consciously?"
"They're not the big of a deal, Orihime." Hers was the second modern bed he's ever slept in, after all.
"What do you usually sleep on in your time?"
"The ground."
"Oh." She waited. "Is that . . . all you ever sleep on?"
"I've slept on roofs a couple times."
Orihime stared at him a moment to see if he was joking, but then stared a moment longer as she looked him over. "But you have really good posture."
He didn't understand.
"Do you want to take a modern-day bath?" she asked.
"Eh . . . I tried that once."
"Did you like it?"
He scowled. "Too hot. I have no idea why you people like that kinda stuff."
"I can make it warm. Besides, I could help you."
Inuyasha froze, staring at Orihime a moment longer than he liked. "Help?"
Inuyasha sat nose deep in the bathtub, brooding.
Maybe it was his human form getting to him, but he expected 'help' to be a little different than the dry, clothed demonstration Orihime had given him about modern world bathing.
And, really, he was surprised he expected anything else at all.
His thoughts concerning her were beginning to progressively morph in ways he didn't really know how to make sense of. After he was sure she was not a threat, he wanted to be around her and protect her. He wanted to constantly make sure she was okay, and even then his emotions would be out of control with just verifying her safety.
Then he wanted her close to him. He wanted to reach out and touch her—her hair, her face, her hands—just because he wanted to feel closer to her and confirm that this was all real. Venturing into the modern world on his own without any of his friends to ease his mind easily made his experiences seem like foggy dreams. There were many times he could not believe he met someone like Orihime with her own other worlds to travel to and the many eccentric people in her life—some who actually accepted him.
With Kagome, for the most part, things happened in his own time. There was no need to question things then.
He was getting used to his new reality, and it was messing with him. He could look at Orihime and feel a plethora of emotions that put him on edge and kept him addicted, and other times he was at peace with his emotions, which sometimes led his mind to wander . . .
He'd think about situations involving just the two of them that made his heart flutter and ache at the same time. He thought of them spending the day together without worrying about any outside force causing problems. He'd imagine what it would be like if they both had feelings for each other that they both knew about and what it would be like to feel comfortable with her knowing. Sometimes he even thought about long term things, like a few years in the future, where they would have integrated both their lives—mutually sharing friends and eras with everyone getting along.
And sometimes he'd imagine things not so pure. Maybe even a little inappropriate, like, say, Orihime joining him in the bath. They would sit here, facing each other, unable to look the other in the eye as they tried to shield their bodies in the water. He'd sneak a glance at her and look away just as she would sneak a glance at him, and maybe one of them would begin inching forward. His heart would pound, but he would eagerly wait until a daring hand ventured on its own, gaining the other's attention, and Orihime would softly say-
"Inuyasha?"
He spasmed, water splashing out the tub.
"Are you alright?" Orihime called from behind the door.
"Uh . . . yeah." He sat up, his heart a wreck in his chest. "I'm fine."
"Are you almost ready?"
"Yeah . . . I guess." He stood, exiting the tub, and walked to the door to open it. Orihime stood there, hair pulled back into a ponytail, wearing a dark T-shirt and a pair of shorts.
"How do you like the swimming trunks?" she asked.
Inuyasha looked down at the dark water-pants she had him wear. "I still don't understand why you need clothes for getting wet."
"When you say it like that, it does sound funny, but people don't wear those to bathe." She smiled, walking around him to pull out a stool. "Sit, sit! I think you'll enjoy this."
Inuyasha scrunched a brow, walking over to sit in front of her.
Earlier, she asked if he wanted anything to wash his hair with, and she had been very surprised when he said he never actually washed his hair, per se. He cleaned it in a river or wherever when it got too dirty from traveling or battle, but he didn't use anything similar to the things she called 'Shampoo' and 'Conditioner'.
Orihime began to fill a bowl with water. "Try to keep your eyes closed, okay?"
"Yeah, got it."
Despite it being odd for anyone to have their head massaged, Orihime's soothing ministrations lulled him into a very secure calm. He didn't particularly like the fruity scent that stuck to him, but it was better than the smell of his enemies or water creatures on him.
What the people came up with in the modern world was . . . interesting.
He wondered what Orihime would show him next.
o0o0o
When she was through washing his hair, he was annoyed how his human hair could not easily be dried like his demon one. They had both taken turns wringing it out, then Orihime gave him a few towels to dry it with.
"Well," she said, grinning at his frustration, "I'll help you more after I take a bath, okay? I set out some clothes for you in my room."
"What's wrong with my clothes?"
"Nothing. I just want to see what you look like in modern day clothes."
He suppressed a smile, opting to roll his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."
He walked to Orihime's room with his things and took a moment to look around. He saw the clothes and a towel on her bed. He picked up the first article of clothing, which was a black short sleeve shirt. He picked up the second item of clothing which was a pair of dark blue pants. They were both made of material softer than anything he's felt in his time, but he wondered why modern world clothes didn't serve any practical purposes such as durability or protection.
Nevertheless, he put the clothes on, and while he found them comfortable, they did little to assure him he'd be safe in the event a fire broke out.
As he began drying his hair yet again, he felt oddly . . . odd.
Here he was in the home of a girl he was finally comfortable with saying he loved (at least to himself), and said girl had no idea how he felt. She had welcomed him even when he was less than friendly, had slowly weaved her way in his life, shared moments with him that should mean something . . .
But nothing.
She felt nothing for him, which should be a sign that he should give up, but here he was willing to ride this out until she made it clear she could never be won over. And, seeing how their time together was becoming frequent, he was sure she could be won over.
He knew trying to pursue anything more than friendship with her was a gamble compared to the obvious route he could have taken with Kagome, but he never felt this blissfully irrational.
There was always a way to plow through any given situation, but he would be content with working his way through this one because if he messed this up, there were not many ways to get a second chance, if any.
She felt stupid.
Or maybe she was shocked with herself.
Swimming trunks?
Washing his hair?
She gurgled, nose deep in the bath water. Her nerves and overactive imagination had caused her to be a little too eager to be by his side tonight, and she was sure Inuyasha suspected this wasn't typical modern world behavior. She didn't know what he thought of her after practically pushing him in a situation where she had to see him half naked, but she shamefully wanted to thank him for not questioning her on it.
Reclining, she wondered if things were changing. As if seeing Inuyasha in a new way wasn't confusing enough, she realized the way she was feeling was eerily similar to the way she felt on a daily basis.
For someone else.
Except . . . it was different with Inuyasha. With Ichigo, it was exhilarating and addicting, but with Inuyasha, it was terrifying and magnetic.
Terrifying because she could have sworn Ichigo was the end-all-be-all as far as her emotions were concerned; magnetic because she couldn't stop herself from wanting to know more about these new emotions.
Something about these new feelings made her anxious, and she could feel the beginning effects of yearning drizzle over her every time she couldn't see him. The fact that feeling like this snuck up on her all of a sudden made her wonder if she was actually feeling something different or if her emotions were just being deceived.
Ichigo and Inuyasha shared similar traits, so maybe she was transferring some of her emotions to Inuyasha because of how similar he was to Ichigo and the fact she was spending the most time with him. Perhaps she was unknowingly taking the easy way out because she felt as though Ichigo was unattainable. How many times had she felt she was an inferior partner for the rookie Soul Reaper? How many times did she list out the traits for a suitable partner for him and struggle to find those same traits in herself? How many times did she think about giving up and being content with just his friendship?
Too many to count.
But her feelings continued every time, and she never thought to change that.
Then Inuyasha came into her life, and she would have never thought their meeting would impact her life.
Inuyasha started coming around her out of necessity, and then because he simply wanted to, and she wanted him to, as well. He wanted to learn from her and protect her. He wanted to show her things she would have never seen on her own, and he had already gone through so much for her sake.
So . . . maybe these feelings weren't real. Maybe she was just overwhelmed by his generosity and friendship because everything between them happened so fast. And it wasn't like she didn't notice Inuyasha was nice to look at. Scowls and tough attitudes might be her type, but Inuyasha's eyes had always been striking to her. His golden eyes were outright beautiful, and his brown eyes were warm and electric.
His strength was also appealing. The few times she has seen Inuyasha put his strength to use, he was very impressive indeed. On a smaller scale, he could pick her up with ease, yet he could hold her without crushing her, even though he could. Just from running her hands over his muscles tonight, she knew Inuyasha—
Orihime ducked her head under water, staying there until she needed air again.
No more weird thoughts!
And no more absurd actions!
Anything she thought she was feeling was just a charade, and it would be an insult to Inuyasha if she actually allowed herself to succumb to her fragility.
Of course she didn't have feelings for the half-demon.
She and Inuyasha were good friends, and she really didn't need to do anything to mess it up—not like she wanted to mess it up.
She liked Ichigo, after all. She was just having odd thoughts for the time being.
And Inuyasha didn't like her anyway.
When Orihime came out the bathroom, Inuyasha noted she was dressed in a style similar to him, only with lighter colors. She looked at him for a moment, drying her hair, before turning to her desk.
Inuyasha frowned, sitting up. "What's that look?"
"Nothing," she said, distracted. "Actually . . ." She turned to him, her frown deepening. "I was thinking . . . Well, ever since we met, you've been around me a lot."
Inuyasha blinked at that, a bit caught off guard. "That bothers you?"
"No, but I think about the time I met Miroku and Shippo, and you all are pretty close." She paused. "I just think you should spend more time with them, maybe."
Inuyasha didn't like her wording. "So . . . Don't come here anymore?"
She inhaled sharply. "No, that's not what I'm saying."
"Then what are you saying?"
"I'm saying . . . I also remember you brought up that girl you like-"
Geez.
"-and I was wondering if you spent time with her like you used to."
Inuyasha sucked his teeth, his shoulders feeling heavy. He lied down on his side. "Why're you thinkin' about stuff like that?"
"She might get the wrong idea if you're never around." Orihime sat at her desk, twisting her hair. "I don't mean to be intrusive, but I also don't want to keep you away from your friends."
"I manage my time just fine, and they're okay with it."
Orihime bit her lip, fidgeting. "You mean, your crush is okay with you visiting me?"
Inuyasha huffed, very aware of her meaning. "She knows about you . . . and she's not my 'crush' anymore."
Orihime opened her mouth halfway but no words came out. Her expression was skeptical, but she didn't say it outright. "What happened?"
"Nothing happened. I just don't see her that way anymore."
"You mean you stopped liking her? Did you start liking someone else?"
"Something like that."
"Really?" She stopped twisting her hair and took to staring at him. "I mean . . . just like that?"
He grumbled, staring at her blanket. "It's not like it was easy." He huffed, a forced laugh. "Feelings change."
"Yeah, but . . ." She paused. "Then what about her?"
"Who?"
"Your current crush. Shouldn't you spend time with her? She'll never know if you're never around."
He felt like smiling, but her words were stinging the more she tried to pry. "That wouldn't work."
"Have you tried?"
"I've tried enough."
"Did you tell her how you feel?"
He sat up, fidgety. "Why are we talking about this? Crushes aren't really somethin' to get excited about."
"Oh . . . Sorry." She rocked on her feet before moving to sit next to him. "Well, hey, remember Kurosaki-kun?"
"Sure."
"He says he wants to get to know you. You two have never met under good circumstances."
Inuyasha looked at her pointedly. "That guy wants to get to know me?"
"Yes."
"He actually said that?"
"Yes."
Inuyasha's eyes squinted. "What's the catch?"
Orihime hesitated, confused. "There isn't a catch. He realizes you're not the enemy, and he wants to make amends."
"That guy hates me. There's no way he'd just change his mind alluva sudden and want ta chat around."
"He's really a nice guy," Orihime insisted. "Sometimes he's impulsive and may not always think things through, but he's able to admit when he's wrong." She shrugged shyly. "I know you don't trust him right now, but, please, give him a chance. He's not bad when you get to know him."
Inuyasha stared at her for a moment before looking away briefly. "Why do you like him?"
She blinked at him, eyes dropping to her lap. She bit her lip, forming her words as she went. "I thought you didn't want to talk about crushes."
"I don't." He paused. "But, looks aside, I just don't get what you see in him."
She scrunched a brow, peeking at him. "Looks aside?"
"Your hair is similar to his."
She laughed. "It wasn't on purpose, I promise."
"Never seen anyone else with it, yet you two both have it. Almost like you were made for each other."
Orihime smiled, but that comment didn't make her happy. From Inuyasha's mouth, it was very odd to hear.
"I don't know what it is," she said after a while. "It's not like I liked him when we first met, but I just knew."
Inuyasha made a face. "Knew what?"
"I knew I would like him." She laughed again. "I never doubted that, and I've grown to like everything I know about him. And the things I don't know, well, I like the mystery."
"Huh." But he didn't look all that interested.
"What do you like about this new girl?" she asked
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Everything."
"You don't sound too happy about that."
"Yeah, 'cause even the stuff I hate I like."
Orihime stared for a moment, letting those words sink in. "That's really sweet, Inuyasha . . ." She smiled at the concept. "She would love to hear that. Anyone would, don't you think?"
"Can we talk about something else?" He lied down, facing away from her. "Yer bummin' me out."
Orihime went wide eyed. "I am? I'm sorry . . ."
He didn't say anything nor did he look at her.
She sat on the floor and stared at him for a while longer. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Anything but that."
Orihime didn't know what to say simply because of the mood shift. She wondered if this meant the situation with the new girl wasn't going well. Orihime wanted to know more about the situation, but she didn't know why. Something about him having a new crush tugged at her, and she felt . . . off. He seemed to have serious feelings about this girl and that made her feel . . . off.
"What about training me?" Orihime said after a while.
He hesitated. "You were serious about that?"
"I don't have experience with fighting demons, and I'm sure there won't be many here. Even if there are, I can't make them help me."
Inuyasha was silent before he turned over, pushing up on his arm. He was almost close to her face, she noted. If she pushed herself up, she could—
"Yer askin' me to do what exactly?"
"To," she blinked, her mind going blank for a second, "help—me sense them more than anything." She shook her head slightly to think clearer. "When that man attacked me, I didn't feel anything other than his human presence. It's even that way with you. You're a half-demon, but I don't think I feel a demon presence in you."
"You're saying you can't feel anything?"
Orihime thought hard. "When you use your sword, I can feel how powerful it is."
"Yeah, but anybody can sense an attack." He closed his eyes, thinking. "Either way, I probably won't train ya."
"What?!" Orihime turned to face him completely, which put a bit of space between them. "Why not?"
"The only way to help you with demon training is to use real demons, and it ain't like I got a hoard of demon friends who owe me favors."
"It's not as if I want to fight them. I just want to be able to detect one."
"If you can detect a demon, chances are they can detect you, too, and, trust me, they don't just walk away from pickin's like us."
"But I can't just wait for them to come after me again. I don't know why one came after me in the first place."
"Yeah, ya do." Inuyasha pointed to her desk. "It's 'cause of that shard you have. Demons want it, and you have it. Askin' politely ain't exactly our style."
"So, I'm a risk all the time."
"Yeah, but it's more of a risk to go looking for trouble."
She huffed, crossing her arms. She looked at him with wide, desperate eyes, at a loss. "Then what am I supposed to do? I need to train with the new powers I have anyway so defending myself doesn't have to be your problem."
"Of course," Inuyasha waved his hand lamely. "You just want me to drag you near enemy territory in the hopes that you'll be able ta feel them."
"So I can protect myself and everyone else."
"Just leave the demon stuff to me. I'll take extra special care to keep them away from here."
"But I need-"
"Look," he snapped, "yer askin' me to put you in danger, and I don't want to, alright!"
Orihime froze, shocked that he yelled at her, but soon became shocked at why he yelled at her. Inuyasha was looking at her with fierce, brown eyes that were just as intimidating as his golden ones. His face was red, but his intense expression was slipping. She wondered if he hadn't meant to have an outburst like that. She felt bad for not realizing how her insistence on the matter of demon training might be stressing him out. She wasn't taking the issue lightly, but she did feel as though the time to learn was now.
"Inuyasha," Orihime said slowly, "I appreciate you worrying about me, but I am capable of protecting myself."
"I know that, but you don't realize what you're askin'."
"For help. Kisuke agreed to help me with my new powers, but they won't be much help if I can't find the enemy." She sighed, dejected. "Are you this protective of your other friends?"
"It's different with them."
"What makes it different?"
"A lot of things."
"Like what?"
"Like . . ." He groaned, turning over again. "You're different, okay? Just leave it at that."
Orihime didn't know why things were falling apart. Somehow, she was putting him into a bad mood, but she thought some of these topics needed to be addressed.
"What's going on? You're a lot more irritable tonight."
"I ain't irritable."
"Well, I've never seen you shut down so much." She climbed on the bed and sat next to him. "Is this because of your human form?"
"Sure."
"Maybe this is all pent up emotions from when you have your demon powers. You don't strike me as someone who likes to deal with his emotions."
"Maybe you're right."
They didn't say anything for a long time. Orihime tried to not focus on his mood too much. If she kept prying, he really would be upset with her.
To distract herself, she took in Inuyasha's human form. He didn't look so different from how he normally did. His demonness was limited to his ears, his strength, his eye and hair color, and his claw-like nails. Neither his face nor his body morphed in any significant way, and this was a far cry from what textbooks and other folklore had described a demon of any mixed breeding. She really wondered how his father—source of his demon half—must have looked like for Inuyasha to turn out this way.
"Hey . . ."
Orihime blinked. "Yes?"
Inuyasha hesitated, still face away from her. "Feelings change in the modern world, too, don't they?"
"Change? Yes, they change, but what do you mean?"
"Like . . . your feelings toward-"
Ha-ha! Ha-ha!
"Ah . . ." Orihime glanced at her desk. "Hold on." She went to her desk and picked up her phone, momentarily surprised by the caller. "Hello, Kurosaki-kun." She paused, listening. "Um, hold on." She covered the phone and turned to Inuyasha. "I'm going to take this in the other room, okay?"
He didn't respond.
"Inu-"
"Yeah. Heard you."
She hesitated, feeling the sting of his words. "What's wrong now?"
"Nothing."
"Are you sure? I . . ." She paused again, looking at her phone. "Well, just wait here."
She left the room, and Inuyasha couldn't have felt more irritated. Really, when he had his demon traits, he never felt so bothered by the Ichigo guy, but his human form was making him very, very pissed.
Didn't that guy see her every day at that school place? Didn't he see her enough since they were in the same era? Why the hell did he have to bother her when they weren't together, and who was the smartass who created devices for people to talk through?
He groaned, rolling onto his back. His life had always been full of obstacles, and he could never warm up to the idea that, despite overcoming each and every one, he had many more to overcome.
But maybe he hadn't been able to overcome every obstacle. The obstacles he had with romance were probably ones where he fell short.
With his first love, Kikyo, he had been willing to sacrifice a lot for her. He had been willing to become full human for her. They had not started out as the best of friends—it never started that way with any of his interests—but he had grown to care deeply for her.
But for reasons he still didn't know, she betrayed him and pinned him to that tree. The thought of her no longer stung or caused raging, conflicting emotions like it used to, and, sure, he still had a place for her in his heart, but the way things ended would always have him thankful that he was past it.
With Kagome, he didn't know what to think at first. She looked like Kikyo—was famed to be her reincarnation—but he could let a lot of his walls down around her. They could argue, they could express emotions, they could make no sense whatsoever, but he felt like himself. He didn't have to hide his random tendencies to explode, and she understood and accepted that about him. She knew sides to him Kikyo didn't—the utterly hard to deal with sides—and she was okay with that. Sure, they had their issues here and there, but there wasn't anything wrong with them. The only thing wrong was . . . him.
Because his feelings changed.
Because he met Orihime.
He was calm around Orihime and was willing to sacrifice a lot for her, but she wasn't looking for him to change. He felt like himself around her and she accepted him, but he couldn't express himself and explode like he wanted to. He was afraid to be fully open with her because he fully remembered how he acted their first few encounters, and he didn't want her to associate those times with who he really was.
Except that was who he really was, but he was not that irrational, hateful guy who was after her.
He's an irrational, deep-thinker guy who's after her.
So, that's why he was able to reach a new level of jealousy: Self-pity.
He was in love with her, but apparently he could only say that to people who weren't her. He was making more efforts to be around her, but he wasn't being productive in the slightest. He hated how he was able to feel emotions that weren't directed at him—like the intensity of her emotions towards Ichigo, but he was logical enough to know there was no reason for her to feel the way he wanted her to.
But . . .
He was so sure she could. He was so sure Orihime could have mutual feelings and the two of them could truly become comfortable around each other. One day, he'd be able to yell over the small things and she wouldn't think he was a lunatic. His comfort around her wouldn't have a time limit in fear she would question it—or worse, continue to see it as nothing.
And some day, he'd truly get to know all of Orihime's quirks and habits and not worry about if her affections for him were there at all. He wouldn't feel so jealous over what boy she was talking to because it wouldn't be a competition anymore.
But he wouldn't get there like this. There was no way for her to know if he didn't open his mouth and say something.
Why was it so hard to just say something?
Even if he did, would she understand? Would he have to spell it out for her, and would she even understand that he ended up feeling so strongly towards her? Would she think it was possible? Was that type of emotion from him even something she wanted?
He scowled, closing his eyes and resting his hands behind his head. "Tck, what do I gotta say to you anyway?" he muttered. "A simple 'I love you' wouldn't win you over, would it?" The truth of those words settled with him, and it made his chest hurt. "But that's the best way to say it . . . I love you, Orihime . . ." He groaned, pulling a pillow over his head, embarrassment washing over him. "I really-"
"Um . . . Inuyasha?"
He shot up, staring at the doorway. Orihime was there, staring at him curiously.
"Do you . . . sleep comfortably that way?"
"Uh . . ." He looked at the pillow. "Sure . . ." He peeked up at her, face burning. "Did you . . . hear . . ."
Orihime waited, bright eyes patient.
"Uh . . . n-never mind."
". . . Alright." She walked to her desk and set her phone down. "Well, I have school tomorrow and should really get to bed. I hate to make you go to bed early, too, but . . ."
He waved her worries off, lying on his side. "I'm tired anyway."
"Okay . . . If you're sure." She walked to her bed and retrieved a pillow. "You can sleep under the blanket if you like."
"Yeah. Got it."
She stood for a moment. "Good night."
". . . Night."
She left the room, turning off the light behind her.
Inuyasha wouldn't fall asleep for quite some time.
o0o0o
Inuyasha awoke the next morning to things moving about.
He opened his eyes, very aware of where he was, and could hear movement from another room. He sat up, stretching and yawning, and stared at the few rays of sun coming from the window. After a moment of sitting with no purpose, he sluggishly got up and changed into his normal clothes, secured his Tessaiga, then walked to the living room.
"Hey."
Orihime yelped from the kitchen, causing things to fall over. She turned to him, clutching her collar. "I-Inuyasha."
"You really can't sense demons, huh?"
"Oh, no, the, um, the ears."
"The what?"
She pointed to her head. "Your ears are, uh, there."
He touched his ears self-consciously. "My . . . ? You mean I'm back to normal?"
"Oh, um, y-yeah." She laughed, turning to place all the fallen objects back in place. "I didn't mean to wake you. I was going to leave something out for you to eat, but I guess I don't need to do that anymore now that you're awake. Oh, but maybe you're hungry anyway, in which case I can make you something really quick. Ah . . ." She stopped, looking forward then down again. "Um, are you still going to Kisuke's?"
"Uh," he nodded apprehensively, "yeah. I came to get somethin', after all."
"Right! Well," she spun around, clutching her collar again, "maybe we both should leave now. It's best for you to catch Kisuke while you can, and I shouldn't be late for school again."
He scrunched a brow at her. "You okay?"
"I'm fine!" She spun back to face him, smiling, but her eyes were shifting around the room. "I dunno . . . Uh . . ." She laughed, and he had no idea why. "Maybe sleeping on the sofa makes me act differently."
"Sofa? Is that another name for a futon?"
"Oh, um, no. I was too tired to set out the futon, so I just slept on the sofa."
He stared at her a moment longer. "Right . . . So, I'm gonna go . . ."
"Yes! Me, too!" She stumbled out of her kitchen and retrieved her bag near the door. She paused, peeking at him from over her shoulder. ". . .Coming?"
He said nothing as he walked her way. She opened the door and moved to the side so he could exit first. He was sure she was acting stranger than usual, but his mind wasn't ringing any bells over it. For now, he just marked it up as a minor oddity.
When they exited, Orihime locked the door and weaved her way around him to head down the stairs. He followed her, all the while wondering what was making her different today.
"Well," Orihime said as they exited her complex, not quite facing him, "I'll see you some other time, then?"
"Er . . . Yeah, okay." He paused, his confusion growing. "You sure you're okay? Yer acting-"
"It's the sofa!" She laughed, briskly walking away. "Sofaaaaaaa!"
He watched her, listening to her laugh the whole way down the street. Did his demon form perceive her to be strange? She seemed very strange every other time except last night.
He rubbed his head, shrugging the occurrence off, and began his search for the guy named Kisuke.
o0o0o
Inuyasha stood in front of the house, and he wasn't exactly sure what to do. If anyone but the big guy answered, he didn't know how social he could be because he wasn't all that used to the people of this world.
Or, better put, he wasn't used to the people who knew Orihime. They made him nervous.
Taking his chances, he walked to the door and knocked. When no one answered, he knocked again. Still no answer, and he took his chances with the doorknob. He tentatively twisted it and went inside, not going much farther than the doorway.
"Hey," he called. "Anyone home?" He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "I'm coming in."
He inched his way inside and went to the only room he remembered. He found a sleeping Kisuke, who was half-seated, half-sprawled on the table in the room. There were a lot of tools and other smaller things made of metal scattered around him. On the other side of the table, a man with brown, wavy hair was lying on his stomach, fast asleep. Inuyasha huffed, crossing his arms in his sleeves. He found the guy, who he would have woken up, but there was another guy he didn't want to get mixed up with.
"Hello there."
Inuyasha turned, seeing the big guy walking toward him. "Hey."
"Inuyasha, correct? I'm Tessai, in case you forgot."
"Yeah, I remember." His face, at least.
"Came for your prize so early in the morning? Must have kept you up at night."
"Yeah right." Though he was embarrassed now. "It's just nice to win things."
"Well, you're in luck. Kisuke finished it early this morning." He walked to the table and pulled something from under the man. "However, they didn't make this easy for you."
"They?" Inuyasha's eyes fell on the unconscious brown-haired man.
"Yes," Tessai said, obscuring his vision. "To make this work properly, there needs to be some extensive work on your part."
"Like what?"
"You see these?" He held up two metal instruments, both with one sharp end and one flat end. "These are the receptors that will link you across time. You will need to use whatever means of travel to place one in your time and then another in this time."
"Just anywhere?"
"No. Whatever location you place one in your time, you will need to find the same location in our world and place it there, too."
"What?! How the heck am I supposed to do that?!"
Tessai smiled confidently. "I did say they didn't make this easy. But here." He handed Inuyasha a small, dark orb attached to a long, thin metal necklace. "Once the receptors are in place, all you have to do is touch this sphere to them and a gateway will lead you across time. Be sure not to lose it, my boy. It's the only way to make the receptors work."
Inuyasha took the objects from Tessai and looked them over critically. The concept was simple enough, but how was he going to pull this off? The modern world had too many buildings and obstacles built over landscapes that used to exist in his own time, so how was he possibly going to find a decent spot? It wasn't impossible if he looked all over the country, but he'd be looking all over the damn country!
Inuyasha rubbed his head irritably. "Guess I better get started then."
"That's the spirit!" Tessai pat his back approvingly. "One more thing." He pointed to the dark-haired man sleeping on the ground. "You see that man there?"
Inuyasha looked at the sleeping man. "Yeah?"
"No, you didn't."
Inuyasha stared at Tessai for a long time. Ultimately, he nodded, giving a small smile. "Got it."
Later That Morning
"Orihime!"
The auburn shrieked, coming to a jerking halt. She blinked rapidly at stair steps before straightening herself.
"Okay, enough," Tatsuki said, releasing her friend's shirt. "What's up with you today? I understand you spacing out in class, but not paying attention to where you're walking is where I draw the line."
Orihime rubbed her arm, cheeks tinting. "Sorry, Tatsuki. I guess . . . I'm just having an off day."
"Off days aren't supposed to kill you."
Orihime laughed, rubbing her arm vigorously. "I slept on my sofa last night, so I'm not as rested as I'd like to be."
"What're you doing sleeping on the sofa?"
"Ah . . . Well . . . I thought it'd be different."
Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "Even if you did sleep on your sofa, that's not enough to do this. What's really bothering you?"
"Ah . . . I-"
.
"But that's the best way to say it . . ."
.
"Uh . . ."
"Hey . . ." Tatsuki placed steadying hands on her friend. "Do you have a fever?"
.
"I love you, Orihime . . ."
.
"I . . . don't know . . ." She sunk to her knees, burying her face in her arms. "I really don't know anymore."