Teacher's Pet
Chapter 34: Morning Secrets
Finally, all of the games were over for the night. Ayame has passed out on the couch, the first to tap out. Koga followed suit soon after.
Pretty soon, it was just Kagome, Sango, Tsubasa, and Inuyasha left awake. There was a movie playing on the television, but none of them were really watching it. Finally, though, Tsubasa fell asleep, his body placed right behind Kagome while she was sitting upright. Inuyasha followed Tsubasa's example and laid under the living room table.
"Kags," Sango started softly, "why did you pass on Tsubasa's question earlier about you and Inuyasha?"
"Because…because I didn't want to answer it." Kagome said. There was nowhere left for her to run. She could no longer avoid Sango's questions.
"Why not?" Sango asked. "Look, I know you've been hiding some things, and it's time to get to the bottom of it all. I'm tired of Kanna and Inuyasha knowing more than me. They're always around you. It's like they've replaced me as your best friend."
"Sango, you know I love you. But there are certain things that I really can't tell you. I'm not the only one involved here, and you just…" Kagome sighed, "you can't keep a secret very well. Even if you don't tell anyone else, you're going to tell Miroku."
"He's my boyfriend, Kagome. My boyfriend and my best friend. Of course I'm going to tell him." Sango said like it was no problem at all.
Kagome shook her head. "That's the point, Sango. Miroku tells stuff to Koga. Koga tells Ayame. Then the whole school knows. Ayame can only keep her own secrets. Some kind of way, 99 percent of the things that I tell you end up circulating within the whole group. And I don't like that."
"So are you saying that this isn't the first secret you've kept from me?"
"No, it isn't. I've learned that even though I ask you not to tell certain things, you decide yourself whether or not you're gonna tell. Which is why if I tell you something, most of the time it's something that I don't mind anyone else knowing." Kagome explained. She knew that this needed to be said to Sango.
"But your mom…I never told anyone about that." Sango said.
"Because you didn't want to. I didn't want anyone to know about Inuyasha, but you told about that. I didn't want anyone to know last year when I huge ass zit on my forehead so I missed school. When I came back, everyone was looking at my forehead, expecting it to still be there. You just can't hold water, Sango. I'm sorry." Kagome got up from her spot on the floor and cleared the living room table. She took plates and cups from the living room into the kitchen.
On one of her trips, Kagome saw that Sango had fallen asleep. Kagome sighed. She really hated to tell her friend that, but she knew it was the truth. Sango just couldn't be trusted with anything that needed to be kept a secret. Kagome's head went to Tsubasa when he stirred.
"You never answered my question." He said.
"I thought you were sleep." Kagome said, picking up another cup.
Tsubasa shook his head. "I've had to pee since I laid down. But I wanted to see what you were gonna tell Sango."
"So you've been spying on me."
"Not really. I mean, I was already in the same room with you two. It's more of…overhearing a conversation." Tsubasa said.
Kagome couldn't help but laugh because she knew Tsubasa was right. "The bathroom is right there. Go before you pee on my floor."
Tsubasa got up and went to the bathroom. When he came back, Kagome had completely cleared the table. He went into the kitchen with her to help her wash dishes. After a few minutes of silence, Tsubasa finally spoke. "You're a very complicated young lady, aren't you?"
Kagome laughed a bit. "Why do you say that?"
"Because even though you said Sango can't be trusted with secrets, I know you still tell her secrets. And she's still your best friend. You trust her wih your life." Tsubasa paused. "There's something that you're not telling a lot of your friends. I just got here and I've already figured that out."
Kagome opened her mouth, about to say something.
"No, no. You don't have to tell me anything." Tsubasa looked at Kagome. "I'm not going to force you to tell me anything you don't want to." The two stood in silence, just staring at each other. Tsubasa leaned down slowly, going in to kiss Kagome.
"Tsubasa-" Kagome whispered, but before she could say anything else, his lips pressed firmly against hers, and her body melted against his. Tsubasa reached down and grabbed Kagome's waist, picking her up and placing her on the counter. Kagome couldn't think, her mind was in a haze. But finally, her common sense broke through and she was able to find herself. She pushed Tsubasa away and took a deep, shaky breath. "I can't. I just can't. Not…not right now." She finished softly.
Tsubasa was slightly out of breath as well. "Not right now?"
"I just got out of a relationship. The day we came to the restaurant, I'd only been single for the weekend." Kagome shook her head. "It's just too soon."
"I can understand and respect that." Tsubasa nodded. "But may I ask you a question?"
Kagome tucked her hair behind her ear. "Sure."
"Were you ever with Inuyasha?" Tsubasa asked.
Kagome smiled sheepishly. "Can you keep a secret?" She took a deep breath when Tsubasa nodded. She sensed that there was something she could trust about Tsubasa. "No, I wasn't. But I was with someone that I couldn't tell anyone about. Inuyasha and Kanna were the only two that knew. To get Sango off my ass, I just kinda told her that Inuyasha and I were together. That's why everyone's been looking at us funny because I'm still supposed to be with him."
"Oh." Tsubasa nodded. "That makes a lot of sense now. He was giving me the side eye though. So are you two…involved in any way?"
Kagome shook her head. "He has feelings for me. I've known for a while. I just ignore it, hoping that they will go away." How could Kagome not know that her best friend had feelings for her? It was obvious to her and everyone else around them. The feelings just weren't reciprocated. And even if they were, she'd dated his brother. That would be more than a little awkward. As Sesshomaru crossed her mind, Kagome's eyes filled with tears. She missed him. She really did. More than she would admit to anyone, even herself.
"Why did you and your ex break up…if you don't mind me asking." Tsubasa said.
"I have reason to believe he cheated on me."
"Reason to believe?" Tsubasa was confused.
"He would come home late at night smelling like expensive perfume, and when I confronted him about it, he couldn't give me a straight answer." Kagome fought back her tears.
"You lived with him?"
Kagome shook her head and sniffed. "I spent the night a lot."
"You miss him, don't you?"
Kagome shook her head again, a tear finally escaping. "I miss the way he treated me. I miss the way we were when we were together. But he cheated on me. That's something I don't condone."
Tsubasa reached forward and wiped one of Kagome's tears with his thumb. "That's why you asked me if I'd cheated before." It made sense to him.
Kagome gave a weak smile and nodded. "I just can't understand it. I can't wrap my head around why men and women cheat."
"You said men and women." Tsubasa pointed out.
"Yes. Both men and women cheat in relationships." Kagome said. "You sounded surprised that I said both men and women cheat."
"I was. A lot of women believe that they can do no wrong."
Kagome shook her head. "It doesn't matter your gender, sexual orientation, religion, race, anyone is capable of cheating. There are just those that choose not to."
Tsubasa nodded. Kagome yawned and he laughed slightly. "C'mon. You're tired." Tsubasa picked Kagome up and sat her on the ground. "You're interesting, Kagome. I would like to get to know you a lot more."
"I'd like that Tsubasa. I'd like that a lot." Kagome smiled and Tsubasa leaned down to kiss her forehead. They walked back into the living room and found a spot to comfortably settle down and sleep for the night.
The next morning, Kagome was awakened by Ayame in the bathroom throwing up. She shot up and ran some cold water on a towel and went to Ayame in the bathroom. Tsubasa woke up when Kagome moved and he watched as she tended to Ayame.
"Come lay back down on the couch." Kagome guided Ayame back to the couch that she'd fallen asleep on. She placed the cool towel on Ayame's forehead and rubbed her face. Kagome dashed to her room to wash her face and brush her teeth so she could start cooking breakfast for her friends. Even though Ayame was the only one hung over, Kagome started a pot of coffee.
Tsubasa entered the kitchen, scratching his stomach. Some time during the night he's taken off his shirt. Kagome watched as his fingers raked across his washboard abs and she had to blink to focus when she realized that he'd called her name.
"Whaaa?" Kagome managed.
Tsubasa laughed, his voice still deep and scratchy from sleep. "I said good morning. You're the only person that can wake up sexy."
Kagome smiled. "I could say the same thing about you." The words slipped out of her mouth before she had a chance to catch them.
Tsubasa smirked sexily. But instead of saying anything about her comment, he asked, "What's for breakfast?"
"French toast, omelettes, bacon, sausage, and grits." Kagome said, removing ingredients from their places.
"Hot damn! You're running a restaurant around here."
"Nah. I just really love cooking." Kagome laughed. "And I love treating my friends to awesome meals."
"So how often do you heave parties?" Tsubasa washed his hands and began to help Kagome prepare breakfast for her sleeping guests.
"Well, this is my annual Christmas party. My mom is out of town for work and my little brother is on a field trip until after Christmas." Kagome answered, cracking eggs into a bowl.
"What does your mom do that they don't give her Christmas off?"
"She is a lawyer." Kagome said, not wanting to go into detail about how her mother would rather not spend Christmas with her two children.
"Oh. Well, that makes sense." Tsubasa said, nodding. He knew that there was something else Kagome wasn't saying, but he wasn't going to push on it. Instead, he turned on the stove and placed it on one of the burners. "So, what do you want to do with your life?"
"What do you mean?" Kagome placed a slice of bread in the skillet.
"You're a junior. You seem like you've got your head on straight. Tell me about yourself. What do you like to do for fun?" Tsubasa threw the egg shells in the garbage.
"Hmm…I'm the captain of the cheer team. I've been cheering since I was a little girl. My dad actually wanted me to cheer. My mom thought it would get me interested in boys." Kagome laughed.
"That's a turn. Did cheering get you interested in boys?"
"Nope. I hated boys, mostly. Except for Sota and my dad. You wanna know a secret?" Kagome asked, flipping a piece of toast and pressing down on it.
"Sure."
"I didn't have a crush on anyone until I got to high school." She admitted.
"Seriously? Most people have crushes throughout their lives." Tsubasa laughed.
"His name was…wow I can't even remember his name."
"Does he go to school with you?"
"Nope. He kinda…doesn't go to school." Kagome looked away sheepishly.
Tsubasa was confused. "I don't…I don't understand."
Kagome sighed. "Ok, I'm gonna tell you what happened. He was a really sweet guy, a senior. Incredibly smart. He took me out, bought me nice things, even though I really didn't want them. He listened, paid attention to me. All the works. I'm not proud to say that he finally eased me out of my pants. I was 16 and thought I was in love. He promised me that everything would be ok, he'd always be there. Normal stuff. So yeah that happened. The worst three minutes of my life! I just laid there praying for it to be over soon. It was sophomore prom and he'd gotten us a hotel room. The hotel was really nice. He made that entire evening romantic." Kagome put three done pieces of toast on a plate and put three more down in the skillet while Tsubasa checked on the bacon. They moved in sync in the kitchen, not bumping into each other and moving very smoothly. "When it was time to leave, he took me to the hotel room and told me he loved me. I blame me being young because once he was done, he rolled off of me and told me goodnight. I didn't think much of it, and went to sleep, too. The next morning, he was gone. When I got to school, everyone was pointing at me and laughing. When I was at my locker, he walked right by me without looking at me. Sango told me later on that day that she'd found out him and his friends had made a bet that he could sleep with me before he graduated."
Tsubasa's fist tightened. Something about that made him angry. This guy had just used Kagome! She'd trusted him with everything and he'd used her and just thrown her away like she was nothing!
Kagome noticed Tsubasa was getting angry but she didn't know whether to be flattered or scared. Flattered, because he was angry because someone had used her. Scared, because Tsubasa didn't know her well enough to be so protective. "Well, at the end of the day I confronted him. I told him that I thought he loved me. He laughed in my face and started to walk away. I got angry and my emotions got the best of me. I closed my eyes and mumbled some words—I have no idea what I said—but when I opened my eyes again, he wasn't there anymore. I could still feel his aura, but I couldn't see him. And neither could anyone else. So I basically purged him from existence." Kagome shrugged. "I felt bad at first, but I found out he'd done several girls like that. And the three girls he'd had before me, he beat them within an inch of their lives because he said they 'annoyed him'." Kagome rolled her eyes. "He was a real pig. But I learned my lesson."
Tsubasa nodded. "You shouldn't have had to go through that."
"Well my mom never really talked to me about guys. And my dad died before I got old enough for him to talk to me. But the man that I marry will be like my daddy. He was the best man I knew." Kagome smiled as a stray tear rolled down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and looked at Tsubasa. "This is the second time you've seen me cry. I promise I'm not really this weepy."
"It's ok, Kagome." He stroked her cheek. "I promise." He was quiet as he watched her finish more pieces of toast. He took the bacon out of the skillet and began working on the sausage. "And since you've told me something that is near and dear to you, I will do the same."
"Oh, Tsubasa, you don't have to."
"But I want to." Tsubasa said. He paused for a moment. "My freshman year, I was with this girl named Ayumi. She was gorgeous. I liked her, a lot. I, like the guy you were with, convinced her to have sex with me. But the feelings were there. They really were. A week later, we got a new girl in school and boy was she hot! I'd completely forgotten about Ayumi. Another week passed, and I'd bagged the new girl. I was the big man in school. Played football, had the hottest girl on my arm. And I was just a freshman! For about a month everything was good. But then Ayumi started calling and texting me. Leaving notes in my locker, telling me that she had to talk to me. But I ignored her. I couldn't be bothered." He paused and swallowed hard. "Finally, though, Ayumi came to my house. She was angry and crying. She rushed right by me and sat down on the couch. I asked her what was up and she told me that she was late. Like…late late. I freaked out and asked had she told anybody. She asked was I insane because her parents would kill her.
Then I told her that she had to get rid of it. I wasn't ready to have a baby. And she wasn't either. We were so damn young. And I was scared! I couldn't be a father! She told me that she didn't want to…you know. But I told her that she had to. I told her that it would ruin her reputation if she didn't take care of it. She stormed out of my house crying and screaming in English and Japanese. She didn't come to school the next two days. When she finally did come to school…she'd done it. I could tell because her eyes were empty. Like she was missing something. And she touched her stomach a lot. She stopped doing all the extra stuff she normally did. She was a really smart girl but she stopped going to class. One day I caught her smoking weed. I told her that it was no good for her and she looked at me with her eyes so cold and empty and told me that I was no good for her." Tsubasa sniffed. "Three months later, she killed herself. Her last words to me were that I was no good for her. That's haunted me for the past two years, Kagome. It was my fault that she killed herself. It was all my fault." Tsubasa let a couple of tears fall from his eyes while he bent over the sink.
Kagome went to him and rubbed his back. "No, it wasn't just your fault. And you can't carry the blame on your shoulders. Look at me." Kagome didn't start back talking until Tsubasa looked at her. "You were both young. And you both made a mistake. She just couldn't handle everything that was going on. I knew Ayumi. She wasn't necessarily my friend, but I knew her. She had a rough home life. Her parents were going through a divorce and she didn't want to move to America with her dad, but she didn't want to stay here with her mom. She had been labeled as suicidal when we were in the 7th grade. That was before she met you. She'd taken a bunch of her mother's pills and tried to take her life." Kagome shook her head. "You're a good person, Tsubasa. I can sense that. I know you're a good person. You can't let this hold you any longer." Kagome let her powers flow into her hands. "I'm going to do something that I haven't done in a while. It's a bit of a healing, but it's more spiritual than physical."
Tsubasa nodded, giving Kagome permission to continue.
Kagome placed her glowing palms on Tsubasa's temples and closed her eyes. She felt the anguish in his soul, all twisted and black. She touched it, and released him from the pain that he'd been holding onto.
"What'd you do?" Tsubasa asked when Kagome stepped back.
"I eased your pain. You won't forget Ayumi because she will always be a part of you, but your pain won't be anymore. You can't keep letting that hold you back from being the best you can be. We all have to learn from our pasts. Learn, and move on from them." Kagome went back to cooking.
"I swear you're wise beyond your years, Kagome. You talk like you've been here for 71 years instead of 17." Tsubasa said in awe.
Kagome smiled. "My dad used to tell me that I was wise beyond my years. He told me I'd been on this earth before."
"He knew what he was talking about." Tsubasa started on the last omlette.
Fifteen minutes later, they were in the living room shouting, "Breakfast is ready!"
They startled the other six people that were resting on the couch and floor. Inuyasha shot up so fast that he bumped his head on the table. He finally rolled from under the table and groggily went upstairs to Kagome's personal bathroom.
Kanna went upstairs as well, but she went to the guest bathroom that was there. Sango and Miroku used separate bathrooms downstairs.
When everyone was back in the living room, Kagome told them the menu and told them to get their plates.
During breakfast, Inuyasha said, "So Tsubasa, we really don't know much about you. What can you tell us about yourself?"
"Um…I have a 3.6 GPA." He began.
"So you're a nerd." Inuyasha nodded. "Continue."
"I play the piano and I love to read."
"You're gay, too." He nodded again. "Go on."
"Inuyasha, please stop being a dick. You're getting on my nerves." Kagome snapped.
"What? I'm just trying to get to know your guest." Inuyasha played innocent.
"Don't push me because I will purify you and make you human for the rest of the weekend." Kagome warned him.
Inuyasha sighed, knowing that Kagome meant business. He just didn't want anyone else vying for Kagome's attention. It had been hard enough for him when his best friend had feelings for his brother, but now there was another contender. And Inuyasha wasn't happy one bit.