I'd like to start off by saying that I'm really, really sorry. I truly am.
I was going to give you a bunch of lame excuses for not updating. In the end I decided not to. The truth is, I was out living life. Simple as that.
Actually, I completely forgot about how much fun I had writing this fic. It's a bit more mature than usual... mostly because a lot of the fanfics I'm reading these days are a lot more mature. I swear that no chapters will get any more... "mature" than this. Far out, I've used that word so many times... I simply can't think of another word for it xD;
The next update will definitely be sooner, some time next week if all goes well. Exams are next week however, so I won't be able to devote tonnes of time each day to it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha
Looking back over the past week, Kagome decided, was like reading an entire novel backwards in the space of a couple of minutes. So much had happened, she didn't know where to start or where to finish. Just thinking about it all made her head spin.
And so it was to her great surprise that Friday was actually… well… normal.
Of course, she had had to persuade Inuyasha first, which wasn't exactly an easy task. Eventually he agreed to allow the day to pass without any more unsuspected changes, although he did warn her that he intended to pick up where they left off the following Monday.
Staying true to his word, Inuyasha's only interference was during lunch, when he insisted that she buy something other than the usual meagre salad. Kagome decided on a chicken and salad roll instead and—woe and behold—actually ate half of it.
Kouga had returned for the first time that week after suffering from the flu. He and Inuyasha shared an argument—or rather, Kouga spent lunch yelling at the hanyou, who chose to ignore him completely. Kagome was more than a little relieved when the bell rang and Kouga departed for his next class.
Drama had been rather stressful. It wasn't really surprising, seeing as the performance was the following weekend. Mr. Toshu had managed to work himself into a frenzy over an unfinished backdrop and ended up yelling at one of the unfortunate minor actresses who had been asking for a bathroom pass.
The day concluded with Kagome's piano lesson, which wasn't going well, to say the least.
"Well, this definitely is a first." Mrs. Michaels murmured as Kagome stumbled her way through yet another unpractised scale.
"Sorry. I've been… busy." Busy? That just didn't seem to cover it.
Mrs. Michaels just smiled, showing all of her sparkling white teeth in powerful contrast to her chocolate skin. "Don't be sorry. Everyone has their bad days."
Kagome sighed. "I still feel bad."
Mrs. Michaels just stood up and stretched. "Well, don't dwell on it for too long. Come back next Friday and we'll try again."
Kagome got to her feet and bobbed her head, face still clothed in guilt. "Sorry again. I'll be better next week, I promise."
Mrs. Michaels just laughed and dismissed her student's apologies with a casual flick of her skinny wrist.
"Kagome, as my star pupil, you have my permission to not practice for one week."
Kagome flushed at the compliment. It was true; she was one of the woman's oldest and talented students. Kagome couldn't remember the last time she hadn't practiced. Whereas others seemed to make it their personal duty to just sit back and completely forget that they even had scales to revise, she was always diligent and refused to go to her lessons without being prepared.
Today was definitely a first.
Yet again, the entire week and been one first after another for her.
Stepping out into the chilly breeze, Kagome shivered and huddled further into her warm coat. She had to work later that night at the Ryukotsusei restaurant—Karan had called in sick. Kagome didn't really mind. The extra money always came in handy and Karan was a good friend of hers.
She didn't like the idea of walking to work in the cold, though. Perhaps she could convince Inuyasha to give her a lift…
He was waiting in the living room when she opened the front door, flipping through one of her many folders of sheet music. His eyebrow rose.
"I thought you had a piano lesson."
"I did. Turns out I didn't practice, so she told me that I could come home early."
"Oh… I guess that was partially my fault, then." Inuyasha scratched behind his ear sheepishly.
Kagome rolled her eyes and chuckled softly to herself. "Of course not. It has been a pretty full-on week, though. Did you find anything interesting?" she gestured to the folder he was still holding.
"Well, actually…"
The next hour and a half before Kagome left for work was spent playing, Kagome on the piano with Inuyasha sitting in the chair beside her with his cherished guitar.
-
-
Kagome was exhausted. She loved her job, that was for sure, but sometimes it was just so tiring.
Luckily the restaurant was just a couple of streets away from her house. Even though a year and a half of walking the same route home had calmed her nerves, there was still something about the pressing darkness that made her skin crawl.
Most wouldn't have dared to walk home this late at night. All manner of people chose to prowl in the darkness, where they could hide from the eyes of law enforcement and commit all manner of crime to their evil hearts' content.
Kagome knew this route was fairly safe. Not completely, of course—Kagome had found herself faced with a gang or two before. But she always kept her pepper spray handy, always in her pocket beside the week's pay.
She passed through the park, the swings creaking lightly in the chilly breeze. It was the same park she had hidden in all those years ago. The bush she had huddled under was still there; bigger than what it was before…
She shook her head. Dwelling on those memories was not something she wanted to do at that moment. Not while she was walking home in the dead of the night with only the streetlights to guide her.
"Found you!"
Kagome squeaked and spun around, drawing her pepper spray from her pocket and wielding it like a gun, ready to spray her attacker. She lowered it once more when she met those beautiful golden eyes, sparkling even in the dark. He was frowning, but not at the pepper spray.
"I went to the restaurant. They told me you'd already left. It's dangerous walking around on your own at this time of night."
Stowing her precious spray back in her pocket, Kagome sighed. "It's not like I haven't done it before. Besides, how was I supposed to know you were going to pick me up?"
"Because I-" Inuyasha began to say, but then thought better of it and shook his head. "Let's just get back to my house."
"Your house?"
"Yeah, I thought you could stay with us for the weekend. Rin's been dying to see you again."
"I saw her on Wednesday."
"Yeah, but this is Rin we're talking about."
"Good point."
They both chuckled lightly, images of the bubbly woman in both of their minds. Inuyasha bent down and gestured for her to get on his back.
"I swear I'll never get used to this." Kagome muttered as she obeyed his unspoken request. Inuyasha just chuckled again and set off at a run for her house.
-
-
It was 10:15 when they arrived at the Takahashi manor, Kagome in a clean set of clothes and clutching a bag holding all of her necessities. Ever the gentlemen, Inuyasha opened the door for her and gave a mock bow.
"Why thank you, kind sir." Kagome said, smiling.
"Not at all, fair lady." Was Inuyasha's reply.
"I thought I heard voices." The man that Kagome had met at the Ryukotsusei restaurant stepped into the foyer, smiling welcomingly at the newcomers.
"Hey, dad," Inuyasha greeted, "You've met Kagome, haven't you?"
The man—Inutashio, Kagome recalled—nodded, smiling politely at her, about to make a reply when a blur of black and blue raced between them, embracing Kagome with a force that nearly knocked her over.
"Kagome!" the blur, or Rin as Kagome could now see, exclaimed happily. Kagome smiled and hugged the pregnant woman back.
"Good to see you again, Rin."
"Come on, we have so much to talk about!" she said as she dragged the girl by the hand up the marble staircase, much to Kagome's bewilderment and Inuyasha's amusement. She managed a small apology and a goodbye before she was pulled out of their view and into a corridor, where Rin pulled her up another flight of stairs and into a room that could have only belonged to one person—the bouncy pregnant woman before her.
"I'm so glad you're here!" she was chattering, "I mean, we haven't had a chance to chat one-on-one in years. Can you believe it? The last time we had a real talk was the day after Sesshomaru proposed."
Kagome couldn't believe it. How could she have possibly gone so long without her friend's beaming face, her words of wisdom keeping her from straying into tragedy?
Yet again, she wouldn't exactly call the situation she was left in after Rin's departure living.
Together they both sank into a pair of beanbags, one pink and the other purple. Now that Kagome took a proper look around the room she could tell it wasn't a bedroom. There was no bed to be seen—only a couple of beanbags and a sofa pushed up against one wall. The floor was covered in magazines, randomly strewn clothes, bits and pieces of makeup and the occasional CD or other technological device. Kagome could tell from the places not covered with junk that the plush carpet was a deep plum colour and the walls were a simple cream—although posters of random stars took up most of the space.
"What kind of room is this?" she asked.
Rin laughed. "Well… I'm not exactly sure myself. It's my room, I guess; my personal escape. When the masculinity begins to get to me I retreat into here."
Hoisting herself to her feet, the pregnant woman began searching through the mess with a frown. Kagome watched her rummaging in puzzlement.
"What are you looking for?" she asked.
Just as she said it, Rin swooped into a rather large pile of clutter and emerged with a triumphant "Ah ha!", brandishing a lavender box. She returned to her beanbag and opened the lid to reveal the many bottles of nail polish inside.
"You remember, right? I used to buy those bottles of nail polish from the shop down the road for 2 dollars each. We'd go to my house and paint each other's nails using all the colours we had"
Kagome grinned. "How could I forget?"
Rin had been Kagome's best friend; the only one she could truly rely on. It was Rin who helped her after the particularly horrible beatings from her father, who dried her tears and made her laugh again with her lively personality and happy smile. The four years between them didn't affect their friendship in any way.
Two weeks before Rin's fifteenth birthday, when Kagome was eleven going on twelve, Rin met Sesshomaru Takahashi. Rin had complained for hours on end about how cold and downright snobbish the dog demon was, sparing no detail about how infuriated his icy demeanour made her. Kagome had drunk in every word.
"He sounds like such a horrible person!"
"Horrible? Huh, that doesn't even begin to cover it."
"All guys are stupid. I'm never going to fall in love."
"Don't say that, Kagome. Some day you'll meet a nice boy and you will both end up falling in love."
"No I won't."
"Hey, Rin knows everything, remember?"
A couple of weeks later, Rin had come to Kagome with wonderful news—or wonderful in her opinion, anyway. She and Sesshomaru were officially a couple.
Kagome was sure that she would never recover from the shock. What had happened to all the hatred, the anger, the sheer frustration? Was this really the same girl that had formerly despised the dog demon with every bone in her petite body?
Apparently so.
The following year when Rin was sixteen she announced that she was engaged.
Kagome had been more than a little shocked at the news. But after it had worn off, she was filled with happiness for her friend and proud that Rin had finally found the man of her dreams.
She was going to be a bridesmaid. Rin had even picked out a dress for her; a beautiful lilac dress that matched the colour of the sash around Rin's wedding dress's waist.
Then, right before the wedding, Souta was murdered. Naraku was sent to prison. Kagome didn't end up attending the wedding—she was too stricken with grief to even consider joining the celebrations. Rin married Sesshomaru and went on their honeymoon, but after that Kagome somehow lost contact. Kagome became bitter and cold, refusing to let anyone into her heart.
"So, how are things with Inuyasha?" Rin asked as she set to filing Kagome's long fingernails, bring Kagome back to reality.
"Oh, you know… same old, same old."
Rin snorted and rolled her eyes. "Oh come on Kags, we're both mature women. I want all the gruesome little details."
A feeling of deep foreboding was beginning to make its presence known in Kagome's stomach. "What do you mean?"
"You know very well what I mean, Miss Higurashi. I know for a fact that Inuyasha didn't come home to sleep last night, or the night before."
Kagome's cheeks flushed bright red. "Rin!"
"What? Come on, it's not that embarrassing. Sesshomaru and I do it. You didn't actually think Sesshomaru and I conceived by kissing, did you?"
Bad mental images were flowing into Kagome's brain and she shook her head furiously, trying to make them disappear. "You know Rin, some things are better left unsaid. And I'm still a virgin, I'll have you know."
Rin stopped filing and stared into Kagome's eyes, her own chocolate orbs filled with disbelief. "Virgin? You didn't honestly think I'd fall for that, did you? Inuyasha's already fed me that line."
"It's true! The last two nights he's just…" Kagome paused, struggling to find the words to describe their current situation. "He's just been there for me. I kind of… well, he knows about Naraku and Souta. And since he found out he's been refusing to leave my side."
"Aww, that's so sweet." Rin cooed.
"It gets quite annoying at times, actually."
"So no hot, wild sex?"
"No. Nothing of the sort."
"Do you want to do it?"
"…"
"Oh come on Kags; mature women, remember? You can tell me."
After a moment of hesitation Kagome whispered, "I want him. That's what I want, Rin. I want all of him; body, mind and soul."
They both sat in silence for a moment. Then Rin's face broke into a devilish grin.
"You do realise you're standing in his house, right?"
"B-but-"
"Kagome Chizu Higurashi. You are, under absolutely no circumstances, going to pass up on this opportunity."
"But his parents-"
"Honey, Inutashio and Izayoi are fine. They like you. Besides, Izayoi's always talking about how much she wants grandchildren."
"G-g-grandchildren?"
"Forget I said anything. But you love him, right?"
"Of course I do."
"Then stop making excuses! Now, time to get to work!"
"Work?"
"Just sit back and relax, my dear. I'll have you looking your absolute best in no time."
Knowing fully well that arguing was pointless, Kagome did as she was told and let out a long sigh. Rin's stubbornness was as solid as a brick wall. A big part of her was grateful for that.
-
-
Inuyasha sat in the main lounge room with Sesshomaru, tapping his foot against the soft white carpet. He was constantly crossing and uncrossing his legs and forever glancing at the clock hung on the opposite wall.
"Would you stop that?" his older brother asked, annoyance lacing his silky voice as he shot the hanyou a cold glare.
Inuyasha stopped tapping his foot. "Sorry." He said sheepishly. "What do you think they're doing?"
Sesshomaru shrugged, turning his bored gaze back to the television. "Talking about us, probably."
That got Inuyasha's attention. "Talking about us? But what would they be saying?"
"How would I know?"
"Well, you are a pure-blooded demon," Inuyasha pointed out, "You're hearing's better than mine."
"You expect me to eavesdrop on them?"
"Not eavesdrop! Just… you know… listen in for a while. Don't you ever want to know what they say when we aren't listening?"
"Rin tells me everything, Inuyasha. We do not keep secrets from each other."
"Oh come on. I never ask you to do anything. Please?"
Eventually he somehow managed to convince the stoic dog demon who, with a sigh, concentrated his sensitive ears on the voices coming from upstairs.
"You do realise you're standing in his house, right?"
"B-but-"
"Kagome Chizu Higurashi. You are, under absolutely no circumstances, going to pass up on this opportunity."
"But his parents-"
"Honey, Inutashio and Izayoi are fine. They like you. Besides, Izayoi's always talking about how much she wants grandchildren."
Oh dear. Sesshomaru tuned out the voices once more and shook his head at his wife's straightforwardness.
"Well?" Inuyasha urged.
"You'll find out later, little brother."
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"You'll see."
Inuyasha continued to pester his brother for a while until he came to the realisation that his attempts were futile. If Sesshomaru was certain that he would find out later, then chances were he would.
But what could it possibly be that made Sesshomaru so secretive?
-
-
Kagome tugged at the hem of Rin's short lavender nightie, biting her lip as doubts once again raged in her head. It was never too late to back out…
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kagome asked nervously.
Rin sighed and grabbed Kagome's hands, forcing them to release their grip on the satin material. "You look gorgeous. Inuyasha is going to love you."
Kagome sighed. "You're not going to let me chicken out, are you?"
The pregnant woman just grinned and shook her head. "Nope."
With that said, Rin grabbed Kagome's hand and lead her through a series of corridors, winding and twisting her way through the mansion until they stopped outside a door that could only belong to one person.
"Ready?" she asked.
Kagome swallowed. "No."
"Of course not. None of us are ever truly ready the first time round."
Kagome stared at the door apprehensively until Rin, finally realising that she wasn't going to open it, twisted the doorknob for her. The hinges made a slight foreboding creak.
The room was big and open, with a window taking up the entire left-hand side wall that overlooked the glowing lights of the city. To the right was a desk complete with computer and a clutter of other technological devices. Shelves of CDs lined the wall to the computer's left, whereas to the right sat a guitar stand and a rather untidy stack of sheet music. Inuyasha must have returned his guitar to its original position when they first arrived, for it leaned idly against the wall beside the folder of music he had brought to her house.
Photos and pictures ranging in age hung on all sides, but Kagome didn't pay much attention to any of them. Her focus rested entirely on the bed in front of her. It was huge; far bigger than she thought they came and looking much softer than she would have thought possible. The covers were a brilliant shade of crimson—Inuyasha's favourite colour, Kagome recalled. The bed frame was mahogany, with a delicately engraved headboard. Inuyasha had carved his name just underneath the maker's artwork. Kagome could imagine how furious his parents had been for ruining the furniture.
"Well, I'll leave you to it." Rin said with a wink, shutting the door behind her. Kagome was left alone in the huge, unfamiliar room in a small, equally unfamiliar nightie with nerves tearing at her innards with a ferocious force.
Trying not to think, she hugged her arms and stood in the middle of the room, waiting for Inuyasha's arrival.
-
-
Rin flounced into the lounge room with a happy grin plastered across her face. It wasn't exactly uncommon for the naturally cheerful woman, but there was something about her expression that spoke of an inner smugness; a secret that Inuyasha didn't know.
He guessed that it had something to do with Sesshomaru's mysterious words beforehand.
"Where's Kagome?" he asked.
Rin's smile seemed to grow at his words until he was sure that her face would break in half under the immense pressure. "In your room, waiting for you."
If Inuyasha had been confused before, it was nothing compared to what he felt now. "What were you doing in my room?" he demanded.
"You'll see." Was Rin's only response. Inuyasha wanted to question her further, but he figured that the sooner he went to his room the sooner he would get to the bottom of things.
As he walked to the room—he wanted to take things slowly, just in case what waited for him in his bedroom was something unpleasant—all the thoughts of what horrors Rin may have inflicted on his room flitted through his mind. He tried desperately to push the thoughts from his mind. Kagome wouldn't let Rin redecorate his room…
…Would she…?
Finally he reached his bedroom door. Kagome's scent was radiating crystal clear from the other side. With a short hesitation and slight grimace, he pushed the door open.
There she was. Kagome turned, her lips curling into a nervous smile as she recognised him.
"Hi." She said shyly.
Inuyasha was too shocked to respond. His eyes drank in her flushed cheeks, her satin clothing, her fidgeting fingers. Finally they returned to Kagome's face.
"I… I thought…" Kagome said so softly human ears wouldn't have been able to pick it up.
He stepped slowly and deliberately into the room, his eyes never leaving hers. With steady fingers he cupped her face and tilted it upwards, pressing his lips to hers and saving her the trouble of finding words.
-
-
As soon as his lips touched hers, all of the former doubt disappeared from Kagome's mind. She completely forgot about the demon ears that could no doubt hear them from downstairs. She forgot about all the barriers she had stretched across her heart over the years. At that moment there was only herself and Inuyasha.
She smiled to herself. So much for my normal Friday.
...Reviews...
Kattana: I completely agree with you. I really don't like girls like Kikyo... people who really don't care about something until all of a sudden they don't have it. It annoys me :(
Mirrorflower and Darkwind: Thank you! Sorry for the long wait...
Sassybratt: Thank you for the wonderful review! :)
brokenchaos: Lol I don't think anyone who reads my stories likes Kikyo...
Daeth101-Fox version: Sorry for not updating sooner...
TiffanyM: Aww thanks! :D You know what another awesome song is? Crush by David Archuleta. It's the only song I've been listening to all day.
JoBrosCupcakeSwirl: Thank you!
phoebe4448: Sorry... hope you didn't die... that would make me a murderer...
MeiunTenshi: Lol hope you liked it...
Say0mi Saki: Kikyo's good at ruining moods; not only in my fanfics, but in the manga and anime, too :(
InuxKags: You read it in one day? Cool lol. Sorry that the update was so slow.
Softly Spoken Words: Aww I'm glad you take the effort to review my stories. It really makes me feel good about my stories :)
Shini: Lol thank you! Chocolate... you've made me hungry now xD;
hpgrl95: Thanks!
thesims1231: Sorry the update didn't come sooner :(
the-real-inu-girl: Glad you liked it!
Please review, guys. They're generally what help motivate me to update :)