Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha Characters.
Title: I'm Not Okay (I Promise)
Chapter Two: Investigations
The room was relaxed, long candle sticks on each small white table, and the views of the city outside the large, glass walls were breathtaking. Every waiter/waitress was dressed in finest black and white three-piece suits, everything seemingly professional and beautiful; especially the Italian dark paintings hung along the sheer white walls. On every table was a unique porcelain vase filled with red roses, the chains were cushioned velvet red and the carpet the same color.
But, Kagome hardly noticed the scenery, as she leaned over their small table, slurping her spaghetti noodles. Though she wasn't making any mess, Kohaku sat across from her, dazed and with a confused expression. She stopped to look at him mid-slurp, and raised an eyebrow.
"What is it, Kohaku? Do I have something on my face?" Her light, fluttery tone caught his attention within…three minutes.
"Hey! Are you listening? Geez, Kohaku, snap out of it!" He blinked, and his brown, chocolate eyes snapped out of their trance.
"Oh, what? I'm sorry."
She shook her head, and set down her fork. He, with a fearful look on his face, sat up straight as his body possibly could.
"Gods, Kohaku, I really don't get you."
"Pardon me? I don't understand."
"You, I don't understand you! You're this good-looking guy, you're living under the Onigumo Fund Building, and you probably go to a nice school, so what's with the nervousness? For god's sake, where is your self-confidence! For crying out loud!"
He winced, and she realized the harshness of her own voice. She reached across the table, and rested her hand on his shaking fist, making sure to soften her expression.
"Look, I didn't mean it like that. You're just such a nice guy, and all. I saw you earlier before you came over to greet us- you were just fine, ordering all the other bellhops this way and that. What is it about me that makes you like this? You can tell me, you know. I won't get mad," She nodded, as if to assure herself.
He blinked slowly, opened his mouth, closed it and then looked at her, as if to be making sure she would be true to her word.
"Well…actually, it's not you, Miss- I mean, Kagome," He spoke cautiously, trying to remember not to be formal.
"Well, if it's not me, then what's up?" She frowned, as it seemed he was starting to get nervous again. He squeezed his eyes shut, and then stood up.
"I'm sorry. It's just- whenever I think how close I am to Souta, like even when I'm near you or your father, I think about Souta, and then, I can't stop-" He bowed his head.
"Forgive me, Kagome. I am in love with your brother, not you."
For a moment, Kagome said nothing, just kept a stoic expression as he peeked at her from under his bangs, still in his bowing stance. Then, for no reason he could think of, she burst out laughing!
"Uh, Miss Kagome, I really can't see how this is funny, in any way…"
"…Oh Kohaku, that's awesome!" He almost fell, plopping back into his seat.
"What…what?" She was still chuckling, while staring at him with an amused expression. Then, over her plate she rested her chin in her hands, and grinned at him like a Cheshire cat.
"Souta, I never liked you that way in the first place. And secondly, I think you liking my brother is a cool thing."
"Oh…but, you won't tell him, will you?"
"Kohaku, I am your friend…I won't tell anything you don't want me to." He looked at her, with a bemused face.
"Friend?"
"Well, yeah, friend- you know what that is, don't
you? I'm sure you have other friends around here, too." He
cleared his throat, and sat back in his chair.
"Well…sure, my friends up on the top floor, including my sister, Sango. Instead of the employee's quarters on floor 3, I live with them on floor 14…"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa- time out here- the 14thfloor?"
"Well, yes. That's your floor too, isn't it?"
She sat back in her chair. "Kohaku, can you tell me about…these friends of yours?" He looked very puzzled, but complied with her request.
"Sure. …Including my sister, there's Rin Haragamo, and her boyfriend Sesshomaru Taisho, but he's a demon- he's got a crescent moon on his forehead, and white hair too. Then there's his little half brother Inuyasha, who's a half demon, but without the crescent moon- he looks exactly like Sess. And there's Shippo, a fox demon, but he's only a Kit in middle school. And Miroku, who's training to be a priest, and my sister Sango is his girlfriend. That's everybody, and then there is me."
She stared blankly at him, compiling with all the information he had just given her. Then slowly, she looked up at him.
"Okay. I was just wondering who was blasting the music, earlier." His face brightened with interest of the topic.
"Oh. Yes, they do that a lot, but today, there were there was a second stereo, playing a different, louder song. After that, the whole building was deathly quiet. Someone must have challenged them." She hid her smile behind a hand, remembering her secret triumph.
Kohaku picked at his slice of cheese pizza. "You should meet them sometime- they're all about our age, you know, except Sess- he's 21, and has a company of his own to run over at Taisho corporations. But yeah…I'll bet Yash could use a girlfriend, you know. He's never had a decent one, anyway." Kagome choked a laugh, and leaned over towards him.
"No way. Guys just don't cut it for me." His eyes widened in surprise.
"You mean, you're a lesbian?"
"Heh, I like girls too, yes. But no, it's just…I've had hard times…" Her face darkened, and he nodded in sympathetic understanding.
"Yeah…being gay isn't too good with acceptance, either. But…just meet him first, give him a chance! I promise, Yasha isn't that type of guy…rather, he's the one who needs acceptance. You're the only one I've met so far, who seems the type of person who doesn't care about differences." She frowned.
"What do you mean by that? He looked kind of cute to me."
He smiled sadly.
"Kagome…he is a half demon. Half breed, to be more precise."
"Uh…half breed?" He nodded solemnly.
"Yes, a half breed." Kagome confounded him with a puzzled look.
"So? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Does he got a disease or something?" This made him smile wider, and he folded his arms.
"Exactly, Kagome. He's completely healthy, a real gentleman when he comes around…now go tell that to the, what…six girls that have dumped him in the last few months?" Kagome gasped.
"Are you serious? Six girls? That poor guy…"
"And it was only after they found out he was a half demon, that they broke up with him. Now, he will hardly look at any girls. He's totally a grouch. He hasn't been to school for a week…only yesterday did Sess get him out of bed."
Kagome felt a deep, sagging feeling for this boy, a boy that she had never met…and felt a kind of urge to learn more about him.
"So…he's good looking, you say?" Kohaku's nervousness was non-existent, and he cracked a playful grin.
"Interested?" She blushed. Well, it couldn't hurt to meet the guy…
"Possibly. Maybe you'll pick me up tomorrow after work and bring me home with you…"
"Only if you bring me home with you to see Souta sometime." She extended her hand, and he shook it.
"Deal?"
"Deal."
Kagome threw her purse down beside her bed, kicked off her shoes and pulled her ponytail loose. She went and threw everything into her closet space; her jacket, purse, shoes, and was about to take off her halter top…when she looked out and remembered the glass wall that exposed her.
"Aw, great!" she wandered over to the glass door, where the cords to the thick black heavy drapes lie in her control, and she quickly pulled the cord to close them. Relieved, she then pulled her halter top over her head, peeled away her bra and pulled her jeans down. Then off to the closet once more, she found the silken green robe she had noticed earlier. It was like a kimono; falling to her ankles and large, billowing sleeves came to the tips of her fingers. Then, reached over to the bed to take her hair tie and pull back her hair, loosely, and was wondering where to shove her dirty clothing when she heard the slamming of a door.
Running down the hall excitedly, she was somehow happy to see it was her brother, setting his briefcase on the bar and pulling off his shoes. This time, however, he looked up at her and sort of smiled.
"Well hello, little sister. Don't you look nice just for going to bed?" Kagome really didn't get what he was saying, but she was glad he was smiling at her and noticing.
"Hi Souta. Are you off work for the night?" He groaned.
"Kagome, for future reference, don't even mention the word. Just cause I work so much, doesn't mean I like it." He made his way past her to around the bar, where he dug up a shot glass and poured a bottle of whiskey into it.
"Then why do you do it?"
"Why? It's my obligation to father. And at times, to myself. I have my reasons." She took this to mean, "No more questions" and decided to sit on a bar stool. He drank his whiskey in one swallow, and looked at her.
"You want some?" She closed her eyes, and mentally counted backwards from five.
"No."
"Suit yourself." He shrugged, and poured himself another glass, and started towards the hall, before turning around once more.
"Oh, Father should be home any minute now." Before she could say anything, he shot her smile down.
"And don't get your hopes up to do any talking with him. He'll be so drunk, he'll probably see mom when he looks at you. Even sober, I know I do sometimes. So, better lock your door." With that, and a bottle of whiskey, he trudged down the hall, and seconds later closed his door, cutting halfway through the silence before the cut was mended, and all Kagome could hear was her own breath.
She eyed the front door, anticipating her father's arrival- yet, she felt a horrible feeling in her gut that was telling her to follow her brother's advice. She knew what could happen, if a drunk guy suddenly saw his wife, or his desired lover on another person's face. Kagome shuddered with memories, lost in thought as she rested against the counter.
But, the silence didn't last for long…minutes later, she heard muffled steps, and a sudden noise at the door of somebody fumbling with the handle. Quickly, she jumped from the stool, and backed away silently to the hallway, as a red-faced Hiroki stumbled into the entryway.
"Honey, I'm home!" He laughed at his own stupid joke, kicking his shoes off and trying to get the left one off when it kept sticking to his foot.
"God damned piece of-" He lifted his leg up, but apparently hadn't enough balance to stay up. With a loud thud, he fell to the ground, mumbling curses, but laughed again when he realized his shoe had come off. On all fours, he looked up at Kagome, who suddenly looked terrified.
"Dad?"
"Hey-eyy… Misato, I'm finally home, just like you always wanted." He grinned at her, and holding on to a nearby barstool managed to pull himself up. Kagome stared at him in horror, and backed away as fast as he came towards her.
"Dad, you're drunk. You should go to bed."
"Misato, I've been…(hiccup) waiting for you…" All of the sudden, he unexpectedly lunged at her, and she shrieked as she turned and made a run for her room. Even drunk, he was still as fast as her, though thankfully not fast enough; for as soon as he came to enter her room, double white doors were slammed in his face.
Never the less, as she turned out the lights and ran out to the balcony, she could still hear him pounding on her door, screaming her mother's name. Shivering violently from the cold, she huddled in the right corner of the balcony, suddenly crying tears of fear. She had no idea that it would turn out this way; she never thought her father and brother were these kinds of cold, workaholic men. After the incident, when her father came to take her, she had hoped that maybe they would become a close, bonded family. And now, for the next three years, she was stuck here, in a cold place that could hardly be called a home, with men that could hardly be called family. Where was her salvation?
-End of Chapter Two-
Ah ha! Finally, a firm grip on where this story is going. So, please kindly review and enjoy…
Read the next chapter!
-Cztar Chan