A/N: Yeah, so this is now "two freaking years" and FOUR chapters! Ha!
I'm just messing around. I promise there will be at least an update twice a month, if not one every week. The only reason this is so late is because I moved into a dorm and it took a while to get the 'net.
Also, I apologize for the mistakes. If there's any glaring error, let me know.
Kagome guiltily froze as she heard her name, her gaze focusing on the man standing behind Inu-Yasha. "Houjou-san! What're you doing here?"
Houjou's eyes were wide, clearly surprised at finding his girlfriend in a coffee shop. But, when his focus dropped to her hand, she knew she was in trouble. Her eyes dropped to her lap, much like a child would react to being caught with his or her hand caught in the cookie jar.
"How could you, Higurashi?" Houjou gasped, his expression filled with betrayal.
"I'm sorry.. I just couldn't help myself," Kagome mumbled, while Inu-Yasha looked between the two in confusion. What in the seven hells? Is she not allowed to eat with any other males? Oh well, I guess this is for the best.. he thought, a smile pulling at his lips.
"You don't have to apologize," Inu-Yasha remarked, leaning against the table to size Houjou up. If he was this jealous, he may be the type to lash out at the other suitor. It would be like swatting flies to the hanyou.
"Yeah, I do," Kagome still looked down, her cheeks burning in both embarrassment and shame. Houjou's eyes bore holes through her, his hurt look remaining perfectly in place. She did not want to have to look at that. "It won't happen again.."
"What?" Inu-Yasha shouted, jumping up from his seat. Victory was so close! She could not vow to this Homo-Hobo-Whatever man that she'd never see the hanyou again!
"I wish I could trust you," Houjou sighed, never once looking away from her hands.
"It was just a slip-up!" Kagome protested, causing Inu-Yasha's right eye to twitch.
"It was a glazed donut! You know how bad those are for your health! I don't want to see you back in the hospital!" Houjou proclaimed, pushing Inu-Yasha out of the way to embrace Kagome in her chair.
"I know.. I'm sorry!" Kagome soothed, her cheek resting against his shoulder. Inu-Yasha's heart-strings tightened until they almost snapped like a cheap guitar's.
What..?
"It's okay," Houjou finally said, pulling away to glance at Kagome's eating companion. "Who's your friend?"
"This is Inu-Yasha," Kagome supplied, tilting her head in the hanyou's direction. His right eye still twitched from their antics. It angered him that his coffee date with the schoolgirl of his ancient dreams was ruined because of her love of glazed donuts. Curse that Hobo!
"Pleasure to meet you!" Houjou said, extending his hand to Inu-Yasha. The silver-haired man rumbled deep within his chest, though firmly squeezed his hand during the shake to show dominance. Houjou was oblivious to seeing Inu-Yasha the day before; however, Inu-Yasha suddenly remembered this man a little too well..
"So you'll help me study? Thank you so much!"
A single, furry ear twitched from hearing Kagome's melodic, soprano squeal. The scent of four strange humans radiated from the window below his spot on the roof. Three he knew to be the annoying girls that followed Kagome around in her era. The fourth, however, happened to be that of a male.
A male that wanted Kagome to be his woman.
"Ahh, it's really no trouble, Higurashi! Anything to make your life a little easier," he heard the man—Hobo? Or was it Homo?—declare. If only it was that easy to confess such things to Kagome. Then, he would be able to just spit it out: Hey, Kagome! Let's become mates after Naraku's defeated. I'll stay a hanyou for you because you say you like me just the way I am.
No. It was nowhere near that simple!
"So, once you have the least common denominator, you multiply the top by the opposites, then simplify, right?"
"Right! You've got it, Higurashi!"
"Houjou is such a great teacher!" Eri crooned, nudging Kagome in the side. Kagome, clad in a white, surgical-looking mask to prevent infection to her friends, laughed somewhat nervously.
That was something Inu-Yasha could never be: her teacher, her advisor, her helper He couldn't help her with anything in the crazy era she hailed from. The sounds, the smells, and the customs all left him baffled. He was quick to learn about the various things, such as not allowing anyone to see his ears, and that not many demons still lurked around the "villages."
The world changed so much in five hundred years..
"And then you form it into a triangle like this. Higurashi? Are you watching?" Kagome broke into a fit of coughs, causing Inu-Yasha to drop his head down enough to see into the window, his long hair caught in his right hand to keep it from blocking out the setting sun. Houjou held onto Kagome's shoulders, rubbing them gently with furrowed brows, while coughs racked Kagome's delicate frame.
It took all his self control not to rip those arms off the schoolgirl. Not to mention out of their sockets.
"Are you okay, Higurashi?"
"Ye-eah, Houjou-kun.. I'm (cough) all.. (cough cough) right!"
"You should not push yourself so hard," Houjou warned, his hazel eyes mirroring the concerned devotion he held in his heart. Inu-Yasha ground his teeth from his perch, and then quickly pulled himself back up. Ayumi glanced at the window, a quizzical sound issuing from the back of her throat. Yuka looked over at her friend, head tilted slightly.
"Is something wrong, Ayumi?"
"Huh? No. I just thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye."
This statement brought another fit of coughs from Kagome, fake at first, and then quite real. However, she succeeded at getting their attention from Inu-Yasha.
The said hanyou twitched atop his post, brooding over the open emotions from the human male below him. For all he knew, Kagome enjoyed that kind of expression. Inu-Yasha himself knew it would be difficult for him to ever reach that point, or if he even would. He learned at an early age that emotions are a weakness. Hell, where did it get him with Kikyou? He was open and got sealed to a tree for fifty years over it! He would much rather not have a repeat of that!
Yet, he knew that Kagome would never do that to him, even if her soul once belonged to the woman he loved all those years ago.
His thoughts had derailed considerably; he was supposed to be brooding over the stupid mortal below, not sighing over his love for Kagome! He could not afford to be shown up by that stupid HomoHoboHokoWhatTheFuckEver.
"So how do you guys know each other?" Houjou asked, the smile on his face almost swallowing Inu-Yasha. Why was he so happy?
While Kagome stumbled over the proper words, Inu-Yasha covered for her, realizing that a repeat of a door-slam to the face was unneeded. "We're friends from many, many years ago."
"Like childhood friends, huh? Well, you're always welcome at our house, Inu-Yasha!" Houjou declared, his eyes in slits from his expansive smile. The hanyou's eyes suddenly narrowed; when Houjou said his name, there appeared to be an underlying tone. It was like he held some grudge against the hanyou.. Did he remember him from the day before?
The smile was still firmly in place, but the hand cupping Kagome's shoulder was clearly possessive. Perhaps there was more to his stupid-exterior than meets the eye.
"Ah, I forgot my notes at school! Excuse me, Higurashi. Nice to meet you, Inu-Yasha!" Houjou proclaimed as he lightly kissed Kagome's cheek, then headed outside the coffee shop, taking the remnants of the glazed donut with him to prevent further temptation on Kagome's part.
Then again, maybe there isn't anything more to him.
Either way, Inu-Yasha only sighed; his perfect date with Kagome had been ruined. Who knew she'd actually go for Houjou?
"I'm sorry about Houjou-san," she softly muttered, drawing his attention back to the grown schoolgirl. "He just worries too much is all."
"Kagome.. Did you ever talk to your parents about the past?" Inu-Yasha blurted out suddenly, more of an attempt to change the subject from Houjou than anything else. Although, he did wonder if her family forget all about him, too, when the Shikon no Tama was completed. If not, why wouldn't they tell her?
"They just told me that I was so delirious that I must have walked into the well house and fallen in the dry well at our shrine. I didn't feel sick, but Houjou-san assured me that I missed most of my high school years. My grades and records were proof of that.." she trailed off, sighing. Inu-Yasha leaned across the table, his eyes narrowed. It seemed he would have to go to the shrine himself for answers. "I thought I was still fifteen and looking for Buyou," she mumbled, "but I was seventeen and lying in front of the Goshinboku.. It was so strange."
"You haven't really changed," Inu-Yasha assured her. "You're still the same Kagome I knew through those years."
"How sick was I back then?" she asked, her eyes locking with his. The longer she stared into them, the more strikingly golden they seemed. They were so peculiar, his eyes. And his silver hair reminded her of her dream. Wait! Did I dream about this guy? Oh, Kami, it was him, wasn't it? But, why the dog ears?
"Well, your face is suddenly red. Are you feeling sick now?" he asked, blinking. Kagome was staring at him awfully hard..
The woman in question squeaked, turning redder than his old, fire-rat kimono. "I'm o-okay," she stammered, the subject successfully avoided on both their parts. Mirai was right; there was no way she would believe them right now. Most likely, she would think they were crazy stalkers.
Kagome stared down at her now-empty coffee cup, her hands folded in her lap. She doubted she could look him in those beautiful eyes again. Somehow, it felt so natural.. For the life of her, she wished she could remember him. Why wasn't he around after she forgot?
"I better be getting back.. Houjou-san will be home soon," Kagome finally said, somewhat regretfully.
"I'll walk you back," Inu-Yasha quickly said, standing up with her. She smiled and nodded, the two setting off for her apartment. Kagome almost tripped in the crowd, so Inu-Yasha steadied her by her arm. The contact lasted much longer than necessary, only ceasing once Kagome's flushed face looked up at his own.
"What are your plans tomorrow?" Inu-Yasha asked to fill in the silence.
"I'm going to work at about one," she replied, a smile on her face. It was obvious she enjoyed her occupation, but she always had loved caring for children.
"All right. Kouga wants to spend some time with you that night," he muttered, trying to keep the disgust out of his voice.
"The other tall man with the long, black hair?" she inquired, trying to bring up a mental image. Inu-Yasha nodded. "Okay. I'll be ready by eight." Kagome had not gotten much time to talk to the other man, but if he was a past friend, she was willing to spend time getting to know him again.
Nodding, the hanyou stopped at the foot of her apartment stairs. "I guess this is it," Kagome muttered, almost awkwardly. Somewhere, deep inside of her, a voice screamed Don't let him leave again! The strong feeling baffled the woman.
"Yeah," Inu-Yasha breathed, fidgeting nervously. After a moment of mental-debate, he suddenly surprised both of them by crushing her into a hug. Her small arms and hands cautiously came up to wrap around his torso, while he buried his face into her hair. Even without a heavy inhale, he could smell the same shampoo she had always used in his era. He felt so complete, here in the future with his Kagome. For just a moment, he could pretend it had not been five hundred years since he last saw her every day.. And that he had not spent so much of his life dwelling over a love lost to time. It was worth every year, just for this..
Kagome had a strange sensation that she had been in this situation before. While the hanyou could clearly remember embracing her tightly before pushing her back into the well, trying to protect her from her incarnation's fate, all Kagome could remember was the sensation. If she had done this before, she had been so happy and so worried at the same time. He was still bleeding, that idiot!
Her eyes widened. Who had been bleeding? Inu-Yasha? Was he the man that had once held her like this?
As suddenly as the embrace was issued, it was retracted. Inu-Yasha pulled back, his arms going back to his sides. Her gaze was locked at her feet, at her painful high heels. Her head felt like it was spinning! Kagome barely heard his muttered See you later before her knees went out and she found herself sitting on the bottom step.
After a moment of trying to clear her mind, she raised a shaking hand to her cheek, only to find a fat tear clinging to her finger.
Inu-Yasha trotted back to his house, kicking any rock he saw in his path. Memories swarmed behind his eyes, but memories were all he really had anymore. He was living in the past, almost quite literally. A long, clawed finger traced the outline of the heart-shaped locket beneath his shirt, both of their screaming faces pressed together inside.
It felt so good to hold her like that after so long! Before, he usually only hugged her after she had done something completely reckless and almost gotten killed—usually for his sake—or if she clung to him first. There were several times that came immediately to mind, such as when she rushed into his arms after being sealed away from him, or when he lost his mind to his youkai side.
Tomorrow was sure to be a busy day, however. He planned on going to the Higurashi shrine to see if her family remembered him and go visit Kagome at work. Even if it was agreed that Kouga, Shippou, and he would take turns seeing her, he wanted as much time by her side as he could get. After this long, he felt he deserved it.
He was almost home, when he found a man in his path. The man smiled brightly, drawing a smaller smile from the hanyou. Inu-Yasha just knew his instincts were always right!
"Good to see you again, Inu-Yasha," Houjou said rather tightly, his expression somewhat darker than usual, but still holding the huge, unnerving smile.
"I'll bet it is, Homo-kun," Inu-Yasha sneered the suffix in his name, causing the smile to waver.
"That's Houjou," he corrected patiently, walking to stand close to the hanyou. By now, the crowded sidewalks had dissipated on the Inu-tachi's side of town, leaving them nearly isolated.
"I know," Inu-Yasha smugly replied, clawed hands resting on his hips. "Is there a reason you're this far out of your way?"
"Well, I saw that you weren't with Kagome, so I figured it would be a good time to confront you," Houjou shrugged slightly, the immense smile fading to a regular-sized one. "Stay away from her."
"Do you think saying that will stop me?" the hanyou questioned, an eyebrow disappearing under his thick bangs.
"No, but I'll do whatever it takes to protect what's mine," Houjou snapped, his eyes narrowing. "I know who you are."
This took Inu-Yasha by surprise. "What do you mean you know who I am?" His eyes narrowed in response, leaving them both looking quite comical to any bystanders.
"You're what made Kagome sick! Her jealous, two-timing, violent boyfriend from those two years! Her friends told me your name; you were my competition back then. But, I've won. I was there for her when you weren't, so don't think you can waltz back in here! She doesn't even remember you!" Houjou shouted, his words causing Inu-Yasha to visibly flinch. An old anger rose up inside him, boiling the blood in his veins. In a second, the hanyou had Houjou up by the throat, his feet dangling in mid-air. Surprised, Houjou kicked at his shins, gagging.
"You stupid bastard," Inu-Yasha growled loudly, sounding very much like the demon he was. "You don't know anything! You don't even know Kagome, so don't act like you own her."
Houjou grabbed at Inu-Yasha's wrist and managed to loosen his hold long enough to gasp out, "I guess they were.. right.. you really are.. violent!"
At that, Inu-Yasha dropped the man unceremoniously onto the pavement. Houjou skinned his hands on the rough surface, drawing a hiss from behind his clenched teeth. Despite his sore tail-bone, Houjou leapt to his feet, glaring at the silver-haired man before him. "Stay away from her! She's mine," Houjou warned, before rushing down the sidewalk, back toward his apartment.
Inu-Yasha watched him retreat for a moment, rumbling deep within his chest. Jealous, two-timing, violent boyfriend..? Is that what she told her friends about him?
Still growling, Inu-Yasha abruptly turned, heading back for his house. He'd just take his frustrations out on Shippou in a video game.
Silver hair, golden eyes, twitching dog ears.. The man was back, and everything was so bright, despite being a muddled dream.
"Can't you see?" she heard her own voice escape her lips. Her vision began to swim, blurring the colors together. Even though she could not see the man's expression, she knew it would be forlorn and apologetic. "I promised to be by your side! I'll always be by your side, even when you run off to her! I would never want to be with anyone else!"
Upon finishing her speech, she bit her quivering lip to prevent a sob, a small fist pressed against the side of her face. Everything was on the line. This is where he would say, "I don't care. I only care about her, not some whore like you."
Kagome clenched her eyes tightly together, the thin film of moisture spilling down her flushed cheeks. Why a whore? Why was knowing that so important right now? And, who was the "her"?
In a split second, she was crushed up against the man's body, her own arms tangled around him and into his hair, much like she had hugged Inu-Yasha earlier, in reality. She could feel his body against hers, almost shaking, yet she could not hear his voice. It was muffled in her dream-perception.
"Don't make a promise you'll easily break," she heard herself say, though had no idea what that promise may be. What did it matter? She was smiling, and that's all that mattered for now.
She opened her eyes and peered past the silver tendrils clinging to her damp cheeks. The line of trees seemed so vivid. Why did this man always remind her of the forest? She was always surrounded by trees, while in Tokyo, not many trees were left. You'd have to go to some kind of park for that, but there were never that many trees.
"Higurashi, are you home?" Kagome suddenly realized that she was hearing something outside her dream. Despite her mental protests, she was ripped from the dream and opened her eyes with a groan.
"Y-yes!" she called, rubbing her eyes. She could barely remember the dream now, yet the contentment still hung with her.
"Taking a nap so early?" Houjou asked, leaning against the doorframe. His smile didn't quite match his eyes.
"Yeah, I was kind of warn out," Kagome admitted, before realizing his palms were bleeding. "What happened, Houjou-san?"
Houjou ignored the question, instead advancing into the room. His usually light expression turned dark and serious. "I want you to stay away from Inu-Yasha, Kagome."
A/N: Oh no, Houjou's almost menacing! Good thing both Kagome and Inu-Yasha are much more strong-willed than Houjou, even if he almost means well.