"Inu…Yasha? Is that you?" Kagome whispered out as she took a step closer to him, trying to take in all his features. She watched him nod his head looking annoyed with her question. Her eyes ran over him; his clothes were sticking to his body from the rain, outlining the toned muscle that hid underneath. She felt a blush spread on her cheeks when she caught her eyes lingering too long on him. Wow, this was the first time she has ever seen him in clothes from her world, and it made him look normal, almost human to the point where even his white hair wasn't noticeable.
Hair…
White hair…
No…Black...
Hair…
"BLACK?! WHY ARE YOU IN HUMAN FORM?!" Kagome yelled out as she yanked the lock of black hair that hung on the side of his face towards her body, bringing her face close to his as she stared at him, looking into his brown eyes. How is this possible? It wasn't even night, it was day, and the new moon had already passed, so why was he in his human form?! What happened?
"Ow! Watch the hair!" Inuyasha barked at her, a deep red blush spreading on his cheeks as he looked from her eyes to her lips, his mind panicking on how close her face was to his. He needed to do something, anything so he could get out of this. So he went with his default, being a jerk.
Get off my back! Besides! You act like you never seen me in my human form…" Inuyasha growled at her a bit too harshly for his liking as he felt his face flushed, jerking his chin up. He grabbed both her wrists roughly, forcing her to release her grip on his hair. He knew she was going to freak out on him, but why did she have to go and be all violent.
"Why are you trying to pick a fight with me! The last time I check you only turn human at night! Does it look like the night to you?" Kagome's agitation seeped out with her sharp tongue as she yanked him close to her again by his necklace, her nose just inches from his. Why did he always have to be like this? God, he is so stubborn, why couldn't he just tell her what happened.
"Well, maybe if you shut up for once, I'll tell you!" Inuyasha growled, feeling himself getting more pissed off as he placed both his hands on her cheeks, towering over her, unconsciously pushing his face closer to hers until their noses brushed. They both froze, not even daring to breathe as their eyes locked until they both jerked back at the same time, averting their eyes while their faces became red as they were confident their hearts were going to burst from their chest from how fast they were beating.
What the hell was that? Damn, these human feelings are fucking confusing, Inuyasha thought to himself as he looked up to the sky, the rain dripping on his face as he tried to control his heart rate. He took a deep breath before he brought his eyes to look at her again. Kagome's shirt was completely soaked, leaving almost nothing to the imagination as he saw the transparent cloth hug around her breast, displaying the pink undergarment there.
"Here, put this on before you catch a cold Kagome," Inuyasha whispered with a blush on his cheeks as he draped his black jacket over her shoulders. Hell, he was a Hanyō but not a fucking monster, he wasn't going to let her walk around like that, so any guy with a brain could have impure thoughts about her. He felt himself blush more at his agitation. Wait what was he saying? No, he shook his head, that's not why he gave it to her. He wanted to make sure that she wouldn't get sick. Yes, that's right, totally not the thought of another guy thinking about her like that was the reason why he was starting to feel pissed off again.
"Oh, thank you." Kagome was taken aback by his sudden mood change, he was so mad at her just a second ago but now here he was being considerate of her, worrying about her wellbeing. But shouldn't he be more worried about himself, he was a human right now, and here he was throwing it around like it's nothing new. Was he putting on a front so he wouldn't worry her? Inuyasha is kind, isn't he? She blushed as she pushed her arms through the sleeves, bringing the collar up to her face; it smelled like him. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath of his scent; it was so lovely and seemed to calm her down.
Kagome's thoughts broke when she heard Inuyasha move, opening her eyes to see him crouched down in the mud, looking over his shoulder at her. She felt her face become red when she finally realized what he was doing.
"What are you doing?!" Kagome's voice squeaked as her eyes widened, looking around to see if any of her classmates were watching. Was he for real? Was he planning on carrying her all the way home? In the rain of all things!
"What the hell does it look like I'm doing?" He barked, a hint of annoyance in his voice as he stood, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He cocked his head to the side as he started to become agitated again, what's the big deal was, he carried her all the time back home.
"What? No!" She yelped.
"What's your problem? Just cuz I'm not a hanyō right now doesn't mean I'm a weak human like you" Inuyasha pointed at her, his voice agitated as he looked up and down her body. Why was she pissed at him?
"I said no." She gave him a stern look, her eyes piercing his very soul like a master disappointed with the disobedience of their canine. It caused a shiver to run down his spine as he felt like he was treading in dangerous territory; she wouldn't dare sit him as a human, would she?
"Keh! W-whatever, let's just go before the rain comes down harder." Inuyasha growled at her as he snatched her hand, tugging her along with him towards the school gates. The sooner they get out of this hellhole and get home, the better, he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep his cool, and the last thing he wanted was for her to sit him.
"Inu-" Kagome squeaked, her heart pounding hard in her chest, her face blushed as she stared at their joint hands. She was so flustered that she had to make sure she didn't trip into him as he pulled her along. Was this for real? Inuyasha had never held her hand and walked with her like this, and in public of all things! It was totally out of his character, but then again, he wasn't himself at the moment, right? No, that's not true…just because his appearance changed a bit doesn't mean he wasn't the same rude, crude, ill-tempered scoundrel that she fell in love with.
"Huh?" Inuyasha stopped, turning around to see that Kagome was holding the stick over his head, what did her mother call it again? An umbrella. Kagome must have found it when he shoved it in the jacket pocket earlier. The rain beating against the material reminded him of those long nights they spent together when they had to take shelter in an abandoned shack from the rain. He looked at Kagome, her face red as she pulled his hand closer to her, forcing him to take a step towards her until they were both under it.
"I don't need that!" Inuyasha barked at her, the blush consuming his face with a vengeance when he realized how close they were to each other and that she was still holding onto his hand. Kagome puffed up her cheeks as she covered his mouth with her other hand; taking him by surprise as he automatically grabbed her wrist that was over his mouth. He grabbed her harder than he wanted too, but it came second nature to be on the defense, and he wasn't used to people just touching him, let alone Kagome. However, it seems like she didn't care or notice that he grabbed her hand because she never took her eyes off of him, which was making him more nervous as he felt the blush return. She startled him when she pulled him closer to her with her other hand, forcing his lips to push into her palm. She was becoming agitated again with his stubbornness.
"Oh, be quiet, listen, you're human now, meaning if you don't cover up from the rain, you'll have just the same chance as me to get sick too." She warned him, watching him for a bit, trying to determine if he was going to retaliate before she let her hand fall from his lips. She could see his right eye twitch as she looped her arm around his, snuggling as close as she could into his side so that the umbrella-covered them both.
They walked in awkward silence, hearing nothing but the sound of the rain hitting the umbrella as they stole glances at each other without the other noticing. Inuyasha scratched his head, trying to ignore how Kagome's body felt like rubbing up against his side, how it felt like she fit just perfectly against him. He tensed his body at the thought, shaking his head. No, don't think like that. He glanced down at her; she kept her face forward and was walking in unison with him. He jerked his face forward when he felt the blush on his face grow darker when her arm tightened around his.
"Listen, I promise that I will explain everything to you when we get back home." He kept his face forward as he muttered, too nervous to look at her as he felt himself blush more from the increased contact.
"You swear?" Kagome questioned him as she leaned her head on his arm, not bothering to look up at him. Because she knew the moment she did, she would lose to his eyes; they might not be the amber that she loved, but they were still his.
"Every damn day," Inuyasha whispered with a smirk as he pulled her a bit closer to him, taking the umbrella from her so she wouldn't have to hold it the whole way home.
"That's not what I mean." Kagome pouted at him with a hint of annoyance as she playfully bumps into him.
He had a comeback for just about anything, didn't he?
That dork.
"Oh, my." Mrs. Higurashi held her hand in front of her mouth as she tried to suppress a laugh as she looked at the two soaked blushing teens at the doorway. It seems like her plan didn't go exactly as planned because she didn't take into account that the storm was going to get even worse than earlier. But it looked like the storm might have worked in her favor as she saw that her daughter was now wearing the same jacket that she gave Inuyasha earlier. It caused Mrs. Higurashi to provide them with a big smile as she greeted them at the door.
"Kagome dear, how about you go ahead and take a bath before you get sick. I've already got it already for you." She gave her daughter a sweet smile as she handed her a towel.
"Thanks, mama." Kagome gave her mother a huge smile and a kiss on the cheek as she ran up the stairs to enjoy her hot bath.
"Inuyasha, dear, you-" Mrs. Higurashi paused as she watched him. Inuyasha had a pensive look on his face as he stared at his reflection in the mirror by the door. She looked out towards the window; dusk was approaching fast and in just an hour or two they will all know if he will be able to change back. He must be worried; she wondered what he would do if he couldn't change back. She sighed out with a smile as she reached for the bag they left earlier by the door, pulling out some clothes for him. She placed her hand on his shoulder, causing Inuyasha to turn around to look at her.
"Here, you should get out of those wet clothes before you catch a cold." She smiled at him as she handed him a red t-shirt and black sweatpants that they bought earlier that day.
When Inuyasha came out of the bathroom, he saw Mrs. Higurashi motion him to sit on the ground in front of her as she took a seat on the couch. Inuyasha sat in front of her again like he did earlier today.
"We need to make sure that we get your hair dry or -oh sounds like you already caught one." She giggled at Inuyasha's sneeze while she untied his bun, letting the long locks fall into a towel she had in her hands. She rubbed the towel against his head, making sure to get at least the top of his head dry. The rest of his hair will dry once she brushes through it.
"W-wait you don't-"Inuyasha's face burned a crimson red as he sat there obediently knowing full well that there was no winning against this woman. Her hands had some strange power over him, always causing him to relax the moment her fingers brush through his hair, giving him a familiar calming feeling that his mother would give him.
"You know when Kagome was just a child, she would give that mirror the same look. I think she got it from her father because sometimes he would look at his reflection the same way. Even though she was only six years old, she was already wondering what her purpose in life was." Inuyasha looked over his shoulder at her, taking a deep breath when he saw her. She was smiling as she spoke about him; at that moment, she reminded him so much of his mother when she would tell him about his father, their unconditional love they shared for each other.
"Has Kagome ever told you about her father?" She asked as she began to brush through his hair, and just like earlier, the knots seemed just to fall away, giving her no resistance at all.
"No." Inuyasha was hesitant before he answered, shaking his head, why is she telling him all of this?
"I'm not surprised, she was young when he died, but that's a story that can wait for another time." She gave him a sad smile as she brushed through his hair one last time before she started splitting it into three equal sections.
"You know you remind me of him quite a bit. He had long black hair and quite the temper like you if anyone crossed him. But he was also gentle when he wanted to be; he was misunderstood too for the way he looked, being labeled as the delinquent at school. But he didn't let that stop him. He even told me after we started dating that he didn't regret that part in his life because even though it was difficult for him, he was able to meet me through it." She held the right section in her right hand, the left part in her left, and the middle section between her thumb and another finger on her right. She crossed the right section over the middle section, then repeat this with the left section, smoothing his hair down as she went. Her smile grew as she lost herself in the memory.
She remembered it was the beginning of senior year of high school when she decided to stop hiding the red string of fate that tied them together. She was walking to the front gate to head home, taking the back way because it was longer, and the trees were beautiful; that's when she saw him, Higurashi Shishido from class 2-C. She had known who he was since he started coming to this school two years ago, and how could she not since the rumors about him spread like wildfire the moment he transferred here. He was the delinquent with a scary face that refuses to cut his hair. Instead, he pulled it back in a low ponytail, who comes to school late, who went with a loose necktie, who rips the white sleeves off his uniform, wearing a black jacket instead; the student that the boys hated and girls feared and lusted after, that's what she heard. But she learned last year that he came to school late because he helped his parents at their shrine, who wore a jacket to hide the removed sleeves from his uniform because they were already torn from the fights that he didn't start but would finish. A necktie would be lost because he was always running to catch the next bus.
And here he was in his second fight that day; with Watanabe Eiji from class 5-A who might as well be double his size, had him trapped against the chain-link fence behind the school.
"It's not my fault; she looked at me, and it's not your fault you can't compare." This sassy remarked earned him a punch to the jaw as he was knocked back against the fence. He could taste the metallic taste of blood in his mouth as he spat some out, pushing himself up from the fence.
"Are we through with this? Because I do insist that nothing happened, this time." Shishido wiped the blood from his lip as he gave him a smirk at the last remark. A smirk that sent chills down anyone's spine that was unfortunate enough to be in its path.
"He said nothing happened, Watanabe." Kimura walked up to them, her signature pigtails swaying at her waist as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked between the two; trying to assess the situation. It seemed like he was getting in a fight at least once a day in the past two years. She didn't understand; he usually kept to himself at school, so why all these guys seemed to have it out for him, she didn't know why.
"Uesaka?" They both asked in unison, looking at her with wide eyes, shocked that she would put herself in this type of situation. Shishido felt a small blush grow on his cheeks as he looked at her; Uesaka Kimura from class 3-B. Kimura was quite famous at school even though she mostly kept to herself, due to her kindness and beauty, she was also a down to earth type of girl, not letting her popularity go to her head. She was the only person who would wave and flash a smile at him every time she saw him, resulting in Shishido to develop feelings for her. So seeing her like this, assertive, was quite the shock for him.
"That's right; listen to the lady. Nothing happened, but if you insist, then the next time something just might." Shishido gave him a wink with a cocky smile as he pushed off the fence. Kimura was taken aback from his cockiness; she knew he meant nothing by it, he was just trying to get under that Watanabe's skin, but come on, his lip was literally bleeding down his chin, and his jaw was already starting to bruise.
"You better watch your back, Higurashi!" Watanabe warned as he pushed him against the fence one last time, stomping away until he stopped next to Kimura. He snatched her arm hard, jerking her so that she faced him. She pulled her arm, instinctively into her body, feeling a bolt of panic shoot through her as she tried to break free from his hold on her.
"You shouldn't get involved with someone like him, you don't want to go and ruin that good girl reputation of yours, do you Kimu-." His words came out lewder than an actual warning, she felt her skin crawl when she saw him drag his fingers through one of her pigtails; implying that she would become spoiled for anyone else if she stayed by Higurashi. However, he wasn't able to finish his lewd comment before she felt someone rip her arm out of his hold and step in front of her.
"So you're "that" kind of guy. You're starting to piss me off; I better make sure you don't make it a habit to grab women; however, you please." Shishido had stepped between them and grabbed Watanabe by his shirt, taking a step away from her as he pulled him close to his face, staring him down, his smirk replaced with disgust. Kimura's eyes widened when she caught sight of his face; there it was, the scary look she heard so much about, but she afraid because he was using it to protect her. Kimura put her hand on his back, forcing him to pause, he could feel the irritation growing on his face; he knew what she was doing, she didn't want him to get in trouble, even it was in self-defense for her.
"You should get out of here before I get mad." Shishido shoved him forward, away from both of them as he glared at him. Watanabe looked like he was about to say something until he huffed, kicking the dirt as he stormed off into the school; no doubt going to inform the sensei that Higurashi threatened him.
"God, I can't believe we have guys like that at this school." Shishido spat out with disgust as he picked up his bag. However, he cracked out a playful smile once he saw Kimura brush out her one of her pigtails with frustration in her eyes like she was trying to get the grass out of her hair.
"Hey, thanks, I wouldn't know what I would have done if you didn't come by." He muttered out as he scratched the back of his head, trying to control the blush on his face. What the heck is wrong with him? He was supposed to be the cool guy, but here he was losing his composure in front of Kimura.
"Oh, you're welcome, I don't like it when people blindly blame others for problems that weren't even there." Kimura crossed her arms over her chest, pouting her lips with annoyance as she watched where Watanabe left.
"Are you sure they weren't true? You better watch out, unless you're not afraid to be tainted-" His smirk dropped, his eyes widen as the blush on his face grew when he saw her close in on him, placing her hands on his shoulders, getting on her tiptoes as she brought her lips just inches to his.
"Wai-K-ki-"He stuttered out; he could feel his brain going into overdrive as his body refused to function. What? Here? Now? What was she doing? They never did this in public, let alone at school. Doesn't she know what will happen if she does this, with him, here? There was no way he could deny her, she meant too much to him, and he would be lying if he didn't want it also. But she will be bullied if anyone found out about "them."
"I'm not afraid of you; I like you. Oh, and by the way, Shishido, you better get that jaw of yours looked at before it swells up anymore." She whispered as she pulled back, a giggle escaping her lips, placing her hands behind her back as she started walking back to the front gate, looking over her shoulder at him, giving him a big smile. He touched his jaw at her comment, the blush consuming his face as he stared at her.
"Ues- Kimura! Why do you bother with me!" He blurted out without really thinking about how it sounded. He could feel his cool guy demeanor fade when he felt the blush grow more profound, realizing that he yelled at her, coming out more like a demand than a question.
"I mean …he's right, you know, I will only cause more trouble for you." He muttered as he averted his eyes from her. He could feel himself panic when she didn't say anything, did she hear him? He brought his eyes up to look at her; she was just staring at him, playing with one of her pigtails, smiling.
You don't want to go and ruin that good girl reputation of yours.
"I'm with you by choice, even if you don't want people to know because you're afraid of what they will say. Have lunch with me tomorrow, Shishido; I'll bring your favorite." Kimura gave him a sweet smile as she waved him bye, leaving before he could say anything else; she could care less of what people thought about her. It was her life and so what if she wanted to include him in it. He wasn't a bad guy, just misunderstood, and she wanted people to give him a chance to see that he wasn't the terrible person; some made him out to be.
"Shishido, you will be late for school if you don't leave soon!" He smiled as he shook his head, placing the last remaining box on the shelf before he jumped down from the stepped. He wondered why he even bothered going to school; he usually got sent home early anyway because someone was always trying to pick a fight with him the moment, he steps on the school grounds.
He wore his jacket; he grabbed his bag on his way out of the house, walking slower than he usually did because today was different, and for once in his life. He was nervous about going to school because today is the day that Kimura wanted to have lunch with him, at school, school! He couldn't help the smile that grew on his face as he thought about her. They'd been secretly dating for over a year, but he made her promise him to keep it a secret because he didn't want her to be a victim of the rumors about him. He remembered how fast he fell for her, the girl who would wave at him every day regardless of what she heard about him, the girl that actually took the time to get to know him. But that smile quickly faded when he noticed a young woman with short hair who was wearing his school's uniform standing in front of the Goshinboku, staring at it.
"Excuse me, can I help you with anything miss?" Shishido asked as he stopped beside her, taking in her features; she reminded him of someone. It was strange; they rarely have people come this early to the shrine and a student on top of that.
"Good morning, Shishido, are you ready to go to school?" She turned to face him, giving him a sweet smile with a light blush on her cheeks. Shishido was startled, a blush creeping on his face as he looked at her suspiciously. Who was this girl, and how did she know his name? She was wearing the uniform from his school so she must know him from school, but no one would give him the time of day there to talk to him, except…
"Kimura." Her name slipped off his lips before he realized what he was doing. He covered his mouth with his hand, the blush on his face growing. How embarrassing; calling a stranger by the name of your girlfriend. However, what sent him over the edge with embarrassment was that the girl nodded her head at the name. What?! This girl also named Kimura, how was that possible?! Wait, no… could this be? Now that he looked at her more, he could see it; it was the same smile she gave him the day before.
"Kimura! Why are yo- your hair!" He blurted out, that's why he had trouble recognizing her because her hair was a ragged boy-short, like an amateur did it, just barely passing her chin.
"Do you think it's cute?" She asked as she tucked it behind her ear, her face red. She remembered how nervous she was standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom with a pair of scissors; she was afraid that he wasn't going to like it. But she felt like it was something she had to do, she couldn't stand looking at it after that guy ran his fingers through it, accusing her of being easy.
"I do, it's adorable on you, but…you know if you come to school with me like that, there's not going to be just rumors about me, but you know." Shishido whispered as he ran his finger through it. He dropped his hand and averted his eyes, looking at the Goshinboku as he continued to speak. It was terrible, she would get dragged into his crap now, and the last thing he wanted was for her to get bullied because of him.
"Let them; rumors don't make the person I am and never will, because I know who I am, and if it does, I guess I'm tainted then because I want to be with you." Shishido jerked his face to look at her when he felt her grab his hand; lacing her fingers with his, his eyes widen with a blush on his cheeks when he saw her; she was smiling as she watched the Goshinboku. He took in a deep breath and smiled as he turned his attention back to the Goshinboku, she's fantastic, she didn't have a care in the world and knew who she was and whom she wanted to be with and what others said wasn't going to change that.
"He sounded like a good man. It would have been an honor to meet him." Inuyasha's words ripped broke the memory as he looked over his shoulder at her, smiling at her.
"He was." She answered with a smile on her lips as she finished braiding his hair as she looped the hair tie one last time.
"You know, Shishido would tell Kagome every time he caught her looking pensive at her reflection that she was trying to find that person she was destined to save. And I believe that it took her so long to find that person was because they weren't of this time, I believe the person she was destined to save was you Inuyasha. So, I wouldn't worry too much about the future and enjoy the now because it might just help you find the answer you are looking for." Mrs. Higurashi patted the top of his head. Inuyasha froze, his eyes widened at her words. He could feel his face becoming hot at the thought as he looked up at the stairs towards her room.
Was Kagome born to save him?