Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Fiddlestix.
Thanks to all who read the story and/or review it. I am surprised by some of them, and very happy for the people who have written to me over time. This chapter is for all who enjoy the fic. Thank you lots, and hugs to all.
Note: Translations for unfamiliar dialogues in this chapter are at the end. Do not take a peak at them before or during the reading, or else they might spoil the scene's effect. : D
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Chapter 17: Time that Goes on
It was a cool, silent morning inside the apartment when Kagome decided to sit down at the kitchen table to write. She stared at the pencil and paper in front of her, knowing that the week's Youkai Journal entry was do. In it she secretly kept track of the brother's growth in society and learning, as well as what new discoveries she had found about the youkai extinction, and Shikon Jewel. The day of the brother's first visit to the mall seemed far away, a notion supported by the number of used pages her second, thick book contained. The first book had been used up eight months ago.
The girl put her yellow pencil to her lips, gnawing at the red eraser, as if it helped the right words come to mind. The entry would serve as a last summary before beginning a third volume, so it had to be good.
"Days came and went like seasons, healing wounds that were embedded in the skin, when the mind could not erase the memory..." She stopped writing and grunted, close to erasing the line. Nope. Stay practical, she reminded herself. Almost sounds like Rin. On her good days, I mean… Kagome regained momentum.
"Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru grew in ways unexpected, having to build a new name for themselves in this concrete and electric city. They became accustomed to the fast paste and hectic routine with little trouble; the noise was what really bothered them. The loudness of the traffic; the sound of high heels on sidewalks; the dings, clanks and rings of gadgets, knobs and buttons…"
Taking on the job of watching over two demons had been no easy task. Deciding where they would live was the easy part; it was evident the boys could never be left to live somewhere other than under the watchful eyes of her and Rin, the only two who knew of their truth. In that way they also decreased the possibilities of destruction to a minimum.
"There was no denying their new surroundings and reality, but there was a recurring resistance to accept their inhumanity as a part of such advanced, mortal species. Deep down, the males believed that they would never fit in. As much as they could understand and mingle with a technological society, the demons would acknowledge the truth; they did not belong here, and so could not feel like they would.
"…At first." The sound of rustling sheets broke Kagome's concentration, making her lift her gaze up from the paper and over to the couch's pull-out bed. She stared at air until it calmed. Then she looked down again, feeling that she could continue.
"In time the impurity of the brothers was tainted with humankind, and they became just another face in the crowd. The youkai part of them was always there, though restrained. They still had uses for their otherworldly powers, but they were never a necessity. It was devastating, seeing they did not have the freedom of being their absolute selves. Hunting and exercising eased the unused joints of the body, but I know their muscles still yearned for…"
Kagome stopped at this, not sure as to what demons did exactly in their free time. How they would exercise could mean… "Yearned for the thrill of the kill?" She half-gulped as she finished the idea aloud. She wrote it down, adding a few last sentences as a side-thought.
"But For Rin and me, they will forever be our once-dogs, now companions of another lifetime, who…
"Who could never be replaced," she finished, noting how life for the four roommates had become more complicated after the day the Shikon Jewel had reacted in the transformation, but also more fulfilling.
Kagome sat back on the chair, thinking about the text in front of her. "'Fulfilling'? Okay; so sometimes. Occasionally. Hardly. Uh…almost never? Nah; it's been fun. Er…Well—maybe I should reflect on the choice of words…"
As she contemplated on it, the girl stood to begin making breakfast. She had already eaten, so the food would not be for her. She even thought making eggs was an elementary dish that wasted her talent and skills in cooking. At other times it would have bothered her to make it, but this occasion was different. It was the weekend—one of the few that Kagome had free of Masters' classes. Rin was out catching up on her acting rehearsals and auditions, Sesshoumaru probably somewhere near by.
The history graduate loved the quiet in the atmosphere; it was only then that she could stop to drink a cup of coffee, sit down on a comfortable chair, and lean back while taking a deep breath from the week's pressure of papers due and heavy investigations. She did not complain about the immense amount of reading she had to do, but at times she wished she could use the Jewel to stop time with it and leisure at her will.
The young woman cracked a couple of shells, stirred the insides into a bowl, and fried them in low heat. To her right, the clock ticked away the seconds; and as the big hand passed over the minutes, she swore she could have heard its click resound from a distance. There was nothing else going on in the room, or noise to distract her from her thoughts. Before the dogs had come into their lives, the girls were fine with the solitude in their sanctuary (having Rin act out every now and then was assumed); but now that all of it had been disturbed and their lives turned up-side down, she came to expect noisy, annoying, male presence. And that was before the demonic transformation. After, it was doubly apparent that Heaven would no longer reign in a house with such levels of testosterone.
At the moment Kagome was alone, and it made her notice how silent her house truly was. Her shoulders fell as she heaved an inner sigh.
There was no Rin running about, doing handstands or working on another play; there was no Daiyoukai to tinge the air with his stoic look and silent treatment; there was no hanyou of hers to brag or whine or get on her nerves with that scratchy voice of his.
She almost blushed at the emerging vision it brought to mind.
No. There was just Inuyasha, sleeping on the fold-out bed of the sofa, sprawled under sheets that left half his body naked to the coldness of the air conditioning. That's right, she told herself in all certainty, continuing to work on the food; no one's going to bother you while you make your toast or stir the batter. Inuyasha could gulf down three pancakes in two mouthfuls, she remembered. Yup. No one to dip their claws into my mix or steal the sausages before they're cooked. Nope. Not one.
However, it was unsettling the way the room stood still; the echo of the hands of the clock as they past one number after another and the sizzling on the pan added to its queerness. Then something, somewhere in the house, beeped.
Kagome came to grasp that in the strangest of moments she wanted to hear the raggedy squeal of a bad-humored pup, the stomping of his feet, and the worry-less attitude that made things alright. Before she had met him, she had wanted her world to be not-too-big and not-too-small, but just right; and, surprisingly, the notion still stood, if not firmer than before. Her unexpected company had become pleasurable companionship.
A loud yawn resounded in the room, making the girl jump. She turned off the stove having finished the meal and walked into the living room, where Inuyasha still laid sound asleep, unaware of the hour that it was. It was close to noon.
The young woman's eyes fell on a thick firefighter suit thrown on the ground close to the front door, which meant a week of dirty clothing for heavy washing. She dragged it and a handbag of the same color to the closet. When she came back Kagome searched for any stray socks, picking them up and holding on to them in hand. She stopped next to the sofa to watch the young man in his sleep as she straightened them outside in. He looked comical the way his mouth opened agape to breathe. His chest rose and fell in a steady pace, indicating lack of exhaustion from duty; otherwise, he would most likely be curled up in a fetal position, adorned with an almost uncharacteristic, peaceful expression.
The girl followed the length of his bare arms, which stopped at either end of the mattress bed, soft, curves of muscle more than evident on his tanned skin. She saw how his strong legs elongated out from under the sheets, the look of his abdomen causing a familiar sensation to grow inside the pit of her stomach. A part of her felt it wrong to watch him like this; but her knowledge of his guarding over her at night made her shrug. He would still creak open her bedroom door whenever he got home from each round to make sure she was there and well; that would never change.
If he does it, so can I, she rebutted,as if it cooled her cheeks any more looking away from him could. The fact that he would take the time to do such a thing when he should be too tired to even bathe (which she gladly saw that he did before jumping into clean bedding) added to the reasons why she adored his caring side. Even if he was half-demon, he was still half-human.
And, like humans, a hanyou needed his sleep.
It was why Kagome was unwilling to wake him; but Inuyasha consistently reminded her he'd rather accompany her on outings than stay home alone. Kagome had many plans to accomplish that day before dark, so she could not wait any longer for him.
A hand reached out to his shoulder hesitantly to give it a nudge…
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Hours after, a very awake and growling hanyou tried to remind himself just why he liked following Kagome around. Whenever she was left to do shopping, she returned more than just packed. She came equipped. The amount of baggage he was left to carry around the mall or from the car to their floor left him in an irritable mood. He could barely watch his footing from the amount of purchased items in his arms. The weight of it all, though minor for a super-being, was too much.
Once the door to their apartment was opened, Inuyasha was more than happy to let the bags fall to the floor, while receiving the habitual chiding from Kagome not to do just that. The girl had learned the hard way to carry the more fragile items in hand herself because of it. "Not even Sesshoumaru treated Ah-Un so badly", the hanyou mumbled, referring to his brother's two-headed dragon in comparing himself to a beast of burden.
Kagome never minded him, humming merrily as she walked to her room to tuck away new-bought perfume. Inuyasha's eyes closed in discontent from being ignored, but he just took off the baseball cap he had been wearing and threw it aside. It was one of many that he occasionally wore to hide his ears from public. They caught attention to himself more than his mane alone did, although not hiding them did not seem to mind anyone on the streets. Wearing nothing at all was, of course, far more comfortable, and his ears perked up in freedom of movement and fresh air.
Next, he scrambled for the containers of food they had purchased to open a box of ramen, stopping only when a familiar, sucking feeling began throbbing on his neck. He slapped the nuisance and looked down at his hand, the flattened image of an old flea stuck to his skin.
"Master Inuyasha—oh how you torment me so," the bug made out from his bent beak.
When Kagome came back, she took notice of his arrival. "Wise old Myoga; you should know better by now that it's impolite to snack on someone without their permission." At this the parasite popped back to his regular self, preparing for a bow.
"Then may I ask this kind, beautiful lady, if—"
"No," she interrupted, making him pout as his shoulders slouched in defeat. He commented on how hurtful it was to be aging in centuries, while no one took the time to understand him anymore.
"Why don't you go bug Sesshoumaru more often, huh?" Inuyasha flicked him off his hand and smirked as the flea fell into tears on the kitchen table.
"No love," he whimpered. Myoga's other lord would most likely kill him if even a drop of his blood was taken, not to mention if Rin were sucked in the lord's presence. If not for an open window, the pest would have been turned into flea dip the last time he tried it.
Myoga never felt appreciated and only seemed to cause trouble for his masters. For one thing, there was the whole curse-incident, whose blame had fallen on the inch-tall vermin. It wasn't that Kikyo had turned the men into canines and had left all useful conscience in the hands of a bug, no; Myoga's fault laid in the outcome of the use of his bit-sized brain.
Because of him, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had been reverted to their human forms.
Naked.
In the presence of women, nonetheless.
The inus had been seen as bare as they were brought into the world from the womb—as bare as they would never be again; especially in front of the same females which had lent them their home to reside in. It was both embarrassing and humiliating—not that they were insecure about what they had to offer—but because they could have someone to blame their mutt-misery on, and with purpose.
Whenever the issue was brought up, Kagome and Rin kept silent, remembering how not-so unpleasant a view they had witnessed when it occurred. But Myoga; it caused him extreme complications to his post as a guardian and squeezed the life out of what he had left to live (which could be plenty).
Another chaotic moment for the flea occurred when the girls had talked about getting the dogs fixed. He had dreaded imagining what Kagome had wanted to say with "trip to the vet" and "doing humanity a favor". All he had needed to come to the right conclusion was Rin's comment on the so-called Miroku living just across from their apartment, who was a perverted, lecherous, womanizer. Back then, Myoga had found himself to be speechless for the first time in many, many years. Dumbfounded and eyes wide open, he had tried not to blurt out the words that haunted his brain, racked his male dignity, and managed to say soft enough so the girls wouldn't hear, "Sweet mother of kami!" A shiver had run over his delicate limbs and froze him in his stance
If anything did come to happen, he would have been killed; and not just a threat from any inu, but a literal offense. Thankfully the girls hadn't gone through with their idea, which would have been as wrong as it was for rain to fall up, and enough to make his diseased lord roll around in his tomb (which would have been terrifying, since the boys' father would have had the capacity of causing a small earthquake, because of his powerful size). But the worst never happened; and when the brothers learned about it by mistake, Myoga had to go into hiding for two weeks from Inuyasha, a month from the older sibling. Even then Inuyasha forbade him lunch for time after, which was heartbreaking to the insect. Kirara, the neighbor's cat, turned into a second-hand buffet for a while as result—and cat blood never made him feel full.
Nevertheless, the flea's knowledge and effort on returning to the past and caring for the mutts was acknowledged and respected, just not expressed in gratitude. At least that was what the women continued to say to cheer him up.
"Quit teasing him, Inuyasha," Kagome chuckled. The hanyou feh'd and walked away, leaving the girl to tend to the bags on her own. "We have that dinner tonight, remember? You should take a bath while I finish this."
Over twenty feet away the hanyou cringed, stopping between strides, unpleasant memories catching up to him. Every month he, his brother, Kagome and Rin joined their neighbors Sango and Miroku for dinner. It had become one of those rituals that no one could remember just how it had taken place, and didn't matter, because it would not end anytime soon. It took place on the last Saturday of every month, at eight o'clock, on the highest floor of the most luxurious building in town, while sitting at the table of one of the most prestigious restaurants the country had to offer.
Not that Inuyasha disliked the tradition; there was just one particular, unwanted individual that never failed to make an appearance—and he was the most irritable nuisance that could have driven Inuyasha mad just by presence alone. Least to say, it had nothing to do with Sesshoumaru.
Regaining his steps, the half demon went to bathe as the girl averted her eyes to meet with Myoga's.
"You know; even though I know you don't have fault in anything, you could come out of hiding when Sesshoumaru is around, if you tried."
A miniscule digit opened the neck of his miniscule collar, as if to fight some rising heat from the pit of his stomach. "Lady Kagome," Myoga responded; "If I lived so dangerously, I wouldn't have reached the age I now possess." The quote from an old acquaintance of his made her smile, but with an ironic, sad nature. It reminded Kagome of loss and the mens' struggle to find a new meaning in life, a new reason to hope for.
"Hey, Kagome! Where's the soap!"
"If you need a new one, it's in the closet by the—" she stopped, remembering they had just bought a package of soap, because there weren't anymore left in the house. "I'll get it."
Going through the pile on the floor, she reached into some bags and grabbed a bar of soap, only to turn around and find the male behind her, now shirtless. Surprised and mildly flushed, she dropped the item in his open palm and watched him leave, thankful he at least had his pants on, rather than just the usual towel.
"Thanks."
"W-Welcome." Fanning herself nervously with her right hand, Kagome looked to Myoga to see if he had caught on to her heated moment. There was no doubt that he had, since he was already waving his eyebrows at her tauntingly. She threw a cheese puff at him and knocked him over.
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When Kagome had finished getting ready for the night, she knocked on the third bedroom's door to see how the male was doing. Before, when the girls were alone in the apartment, it had been used mostly for storage. Now it was the space for the men's clothes and belongings. The bed was used by Inuyasha if he were to arrive home from work and find it empty; but in the event that Sesshoumaru had the room in his possession, usually for reading or filling out documents of his own line of duty, the hanyou would sleep out. The sofa was part of a set of furniture that was influenced by the Americanized-apartment building, which most residents kept since first they moved in.
"Inuyasha. You've been in there for hours!" the young woman exaggerated. "What can you possibly be doing?" She was startled by the sudden jerk of the door as it opened; but not as much as it did to see her roommate with black hair and dark eyes, distraught. She froze.
"I'm not going. I ain't gonna be anywhere near that freak." He stated his words clear and frank.
Kagome looked his face over before catching on to what he'd said. She would forget to keep track of the new moons that happened once a month, which was when Inuyasha's body transformed into that of a normal human's, a quality only seen in hanyous. The look in his eyes and the nature of his voice when in this form were so different, they became enticing—along with his more expressive demeanor. His claws and fangs would be gone and replacing them was a personality that every other day would have been hidden to the world under animalistic silver and gold. Whenever he turned into the part of him that was pure human, the boy was more subtle to showing a piece of him that he would otherwise forever intend to keep secret. He was also most vulnerable, then.
Kagome spoke. "You know we have to go and you never get away with not-going." The mysterious manner of his eyes and eyebrows from her reaction told her that he must have been expecting a yell or a fight.
"Well, why not? Why can't we avoid not going just this once?"
"Because…" She attempted to find a justified answer, but having to wait for one was making Inuyasha grow tedious.
"Whatever." He shook his hand in the air and addressed her with annoyance in his voice. "Just don't take me out of your sight, or leave me alone for even one second, 'kay?" The girl smiled to him, holding back a chuckle, which made the male growl low. She then nodded.
Inuyasha moaned and turned away from the door frame to go through his drawer, picking up a perfume bottle to spray on himself. He stuck out his tongue as he smelled it. Not having a sensible nose that night did not exclude him from not-liking heightened, alcoholic potions. It was the reason why he sparingly used it, and why the women wore it in low potent and quantity. Applying it in the presence of Kagome was a means of showing gratitude to the woman who had bought it for him. She said it smelled nice.
Turning around to show himself to her, he fixed the tie around his neck. "So; do I look good enough?" Kagome's smile widened and she walked to him with her arms in front, slowly untying the ornament. Her unexpected touch and the closeness of her face to his made the surface of Inuyasha's cheeks burn.
"You don't have to dress this formal," she cleared. Her fingers went to open the first button of his shirt, fanning the collar wide to leave him more exposed. Her touch then traced the beads of his Rosary necklace one by one, stopping at a cream bone. He looked good in it, she thought.
When the male moved in front of her she then noticed her dallying. She let go and took a step back. "Sorry." The young woman often got caught in the moment while showing Inuyasha how to act or present himself to the outside—even if he had had more than plenty of practice in doing it himself. It had grown to be something more of an obsession than a motherly touch.
"Uh…Thanks."
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It was still light outside as Kagome and Inuyasha made it to the restaurant. The floor they resided on held many walls of glass that looked upon the horizon; the setting sun and midnight city underneath served as a spectacle that adorned inside conversations. The couple who had arrived first, Sango and Miroku, had never been told of the brothers' true identities; Inuyasha's human form surprised them every once and a while, and it took them a while to adapt to it, believing it to be one of his culture's monthly rituals.
After a brief greeting, the four began choosing their plates.
Sango scanned the menu, her eyes running over foreign language as she spoke to no one in particular. "There was an article in the paper this morning, where Inuyasha was photographed saving a young girl," she smiled.
"Oh?" Miroku followed. "I saw him on the news."
Inuyasha gripped his menu tight and looked to the side. His friends never meant any harm, but they could not understand that he cared less about having appeared in the media. Even the time his face was plastered over a billboard was revolting. Saving lives in the feudal era was never on his to-do list, mainly because being hanyou meant neither youkais nor humans accepted you for who you were, no matter how hard you wanted to fit in. So he saw no use in wasting his time in helping anyone. Even as a motherless pup he received no compassion from adults, so there was no favor to return or treatment to thank, least of all be in constant medium demand for his services to humanity. Being praised just made humans seem hypocrite.
If firefighting kept him busy and paid for food and rent, that was enough to lay content.
"Inuyasha, you're working on another week-shift the day after tomorrow, right?" Kagome broke in.
"Yeah," he said almost half-heartedly, knowing the little time he saw of his companions because of shifts.
"Well; I have the weekend off, so if you want to, maybe we could go to the movies again or something?"
Having the "weekend off" meant she had studied overtime to be able to cram a moment with him in pleasurable company. "Going out," he had come to understand, replaced saying, "I need to see more of you because I've missed you". His heart churned in his chest.
"Sure. Whatever you want, Kagome."
With a clearing of his throat he looked down to read his booklet, scanning over big words and tempting titles. A far giggle to his back notified him that Rin and Sesshoumaru had arrived.
The energetic girl bowed and greeted everyone joyously, taking her seat before the youkai took his to her side. The table for six was finally complete.
"Should I have the calamari this time, Miroku?" Sango asked, leaning to Miroku's side, pointing to a page of the menu.
Kagome began interrogating her roommate. "Really; when's the day you're going to arrive early to these things, Rin?"
Miroku touched cheeks with his partner, playing with the ring on her wedding finger. "Have the one with those Arabian symbols, honey," he suggested.
Rin sighed. "As if I like to be the last one at the table. The biscuits are always gone before I arrive!"
"…How about that Brazilian, goat plate?"
Kagome shook her head. Rin's auditions would take more of her time than actual rehearsals did, and she was involved in many works as a graduate, not to mention still taking classes in other concentrations of artistic manner.
"…The turtle sauce with the Canadian duck?"
Inuyasha grunted. "Just get beef ragout and cheese soufflé, like you usually do." He glared daggers at the overly-chatting couple sitting to his left. Dining at a place where they served around-the-globe banquets was bittersweet; usually more annoying than sweet.
"Touché." Miroku flapped a napkin and laid it on his lap.
Kagome closed her menu. "Don't mind him, Miroku. He's just grumpy because of you-know-what." Inuyasha harrumphed, doing the same as the other man with his tablecloth.
"So, Rin; how'd it go tonight?"
The girl looked to Sango with a frown. "Not good. We had to dance in pairs of twenty and I got the back. Hard to be seen when you're under five-foot three, huh?" She stuck her tongue out in between a chuckle. Sesshoumaru looked to her from the corner of his eye in all seriousness.
"By the way, have any of you seen my—" the actor was quickly interrupted with a scowl, and all eyes fell on Inuyasha.
"No," he spat, crossing his arms. "And I don't care a rat's ass where he is right now."
Sesshoumaru felt a smug smirk tug at his lips after a whiff. It was not long when the half-breed jumped from his chair with a screech, beet-red, holding onto his rear end. A caramel voice crept up from behind him, making the new-moon hanyou stop breathing, fear written all over his face.
"Why, my dear Inuyasha...You really think that? It's such a shame…"
Inuyasha jumped on the table's surface faster than the next phrase could come, showing his back to everyone. "Back off, you gender freak!" His words were hoarse, trembling as much as his body was. His claw-less hand pointed at the green-and-white-silked offender, shaking. The restaurant waiters dressed according to the continents their meals were served from, but this man's outfit exalted his position as co-owner of the place. The gem-covered sticks that held his hair together glistened as it reflected light, showing half the intensity of his eyes' gleam as they raked Inuyasha over with their lustful glare.
"Have you had your appetizer yet, my sweet, sexy, raven-haired man?" The effeminate-looking assailant licked his lips, as if already tasting the flesh on the hanyou's body.
"Jakotsu, leave the man alone," came a new, joyful voice from behind, and Rin clapped her hands excitedly at the arrival.
"Bankotsu!"
A younger male in white and purple silk smiled toothily at her, grinning from ear to ear as he saw her run over to him in open arms.
"How's my favorite girl doing! Miss me much?" He grabbed her and whirled her around in a spin, her hair and his waist-length braid flying in the air from the turn. Both laughed merrily and hugged as if they were two people who have just met after a long absence. Their foreheads met in a private exchange of adoration before Bankotsu turned to bow to the table to address her companions. When he did, Rin continued to talk low to him, giddily, her hands to her back, tying themselves into playful knots. Sesshoumaru had already looked away from the scene, not the least bit amused.
"Faites-vous bien ?"
Rin assented happily"Oui, comme toujours."
"Bom, bom. Eu imagino que o theatre nunca foi o mesmo desde que você veio no spotlight." Bankotsu rested his hands on his hips.
"Ja. Sie sollten sich mich in meinem nachsten Stück ansehen. Es ist eine Romanze. Ich habe die führende Rolle…" Rin gleamed with joy; then her eyebrows creased together, her head titling to the side. "By the way; как Jakotsu находилось в кухне?"
Her counterpart sighed. "Oh –плохой, реально. Из-за его... природа, много шеф-поваров отказывала; нанимающ больше женщин как работники, был разрешен случай. За исключением он, он хорош с ножами. Sapete." A smirk slowly rose to his lips at the last words.
The girl laughed. "Ik zou het geweten hebben."
After a thought, her partner dared question her of a personal matter. "Et votre petit ami ? Comment vous traite-t-il?"
Rin immediately got red, fumbling over her words in an apparent denial."Che cosa! Non è mio..."
Bonkotsu laughed. "Il n'importe pas. Votre visage l'indique tout." The girl just kept her head down, fighting embarrassment.
As they continued to speak in languages Sesshoumaru contemplated what they could be saying to one another, having understood a word or two from their conversation. Being around Rin long enough to learn a recurring utterance was expected; the girl spoke a new language every day, usually when talking with fellow actors, or trying out a new role in a different idiom to widen her expertise. But other than "yes", "theatre", "romance", "Jakotsu", "what, it's not mine", and "you", the ideas expressed between the two were unrecognizable and too much was left for the imagination. The Daiyoukai frowned.
It wasn't so much what the pair said to each other in secrecy that seemed to leave him uneasy; it was their constant wrapping around the arms and touching. They looked like they belonged together, expressing their care for one another as open as they did. It made them pop out from the rest of the people he'd encountered in the years in an unusual, repulsive way. Then there were the air-kisses on the cheek in public—to him, that was the most unfathomable displeasure he could witness.
The youkai turned to see if Inuyasha's torture brought him some measure of escaping the couple's scene.
"Let…go…of…me!" His brother was currently struggling to pry Jakotsu's arms off the death grip that encircled him, the same hands that were inching near his back and bottom for a possible pinch and grope. Their faces proved to be too close for comfort for the hanyou.
"Oh, come on, Inuyasha," the older man purred, hot trails of his breathe rimming the other's earlobe. "I know you want me…"
The prey clenched his teeth in exasperation. "Ka. Gome!"
Bankotsu exhaled heavily, walking over to the other side of the table. "Jakotsu—down boy."
Said man froze, looking toward him with pleading eyes. "Awe. But brother! I'm just having a little fun…"
"I don't think he enjoys it as much as you do," he pointed out, his sight falling on the shivering man. Jakotsu whined again, but let go of his grip on Inuyasha's collar, drawing back to retire into the kitchen in defeat.
"That's it. A good chopping will do you good," Bankotsu yelled back to him in a smile. When his brother was finally away, his hand fiddled with the back of his hair.
"Sorry 'bout that, as always." He showed a familiar charisma to Rin's as he apologized to their audience. "Are you ready to order now, fellas? Remember; you can have whatever you want. It's always on the house."
The group responded with dozens of pleads and Bankotsu merely nodded at each, taking mental notes. Inuyasha sat back down on his seat, moving closer to Kagome. Before Sesshoumaru could voice his own order, however, he was interrupted with a raised hand.
"You want the completely rare-cooked meat, right?" Bankotsu asked. The Daiyoukai just stared back in dead silence; everyone present knew by heart the only thing he asked for when he ate in public.
Bankotsu just smiled at him with glee, punching Sesshoumaru on the shoulder in play. "Ha! I love your sense of humor! Such a man!" He turned to walk away, calling back to him, "I'll go kill the cow right now and serve it to you myself!"
Rin waved a good-bye at the retreating man as a low chuckle began to rise from the romantic couple's corner.
In time a small group of men holding trays circled their table, Bankotsu in the lead. He placed a bowl of salad in front of Rin. "Bon apetite."
"Hai!" she thanked him. Sesshoumaru was given what appeared to be leftovers from a chainsaw massacre, hints of parsley leaf adorning it on top. He vaguely nodded his gratitude.
A bald chef came between Sango and Miroku, surprising them with a gush of fire that flowed from out of his mouth. "The beef ragout for the lady and the camaleón a fuego lento for the gentleman."
"Th-thank you, Renkotsu."
"My pleasure. Just call if you want to heat things up," he winked.
A short, bug-eyed male presented Kagome and Inuyasha their meals, then taking out a container of some sort from under his garments. "Would you want some…sauce with that oyster, girl?" He grinned in a discomforting way, stirring the yellow fluids inside the glass bottle. "I concocted it myself."
"Not so fast, Mukotsu." Bankotsu slid to their side and grabbed the potion from the cook's hand. "This hasn't gone through poison control inspection yet. Sorry." The short man grumbled in disagreement while Kagome and Inuyasha just looked at each other with wide pupils.
When the trio left, the friends were to free to chat as they pleased.
"So. Do you have any interesting stories for us, Inuyasha? I always love to hear them." Said man tried to hide an uncaring gesture as a curious Sango waited for a reply. He sucked in a mouthful of noodles.
"Please?"
Inuyasha knew that the sooner he complied, the sooner he would be left alone. It was always the same thing with him and his brother at the table; their neighbors were very interested in everything they did, and would question them about their days. His scrutiny would end and then would come Sesshoumaru's turn. Inuyasha wondered what he would talk about. The others hushed so he could start.
"The other day there was this family—the mother and step father were both doctors—who had three stories worth of state-of-the-art gismos and on-your-feet maid service. They even had two pools; one per each infidel party, I guess." Kagome huffed exasperated at his assumption.
"So anyways; this twelve year-old kid calls the department about his fire detector going off, and how he can smell smoke. We spotted the fumes and flames long before we arrived on the scene, and the first sign of life we see is his dog coming out of a pile of rubbish, dragging an unconscious body out of the yard, which was a blazing inferno. The damn bastard saved the kid's life." The women present oo'ed, heart-felt from the story. "…But before we were able to get our equipment out," Inuyasha continued, "the roof collapses, and down goes six point seven million dollars worth of concrete and hard-earned fool's money."
Sango swallowed a bite of her beef. "What do you mean?"
"It's a saying we got down town. The insensible couple was stupid enough to leave their son behind while they went out on some trip oversees; it finally gave the kid his chance at burning down the house. Literally." The hanyou smirked at the twist he gave on the rhetorical phrase. "Now the parents are spending their last days of freedom in court because of some "suspicious junk" that was found in the rubble—by yours truly" at this he tapped his nose twice as he proudly puffed out his chest, "and the miserable brat goes to his uncle in London, feeling like royalty. The kid's a genius and ends up happy; 'parents are brutes, and ruin their lives. Serves them right."
"That's so sad," whispered Rin, holding her next fork-full of salad to the side.
"If not mistaken, I think that was the Moto family," Miroku began. "Little Ken had visited the shrine a couple of times, saying how depressed he felt about staying at that big place, all alone. His dog, Sparky, was the only friend he had. I have to say; thank Kami for those animal's souls." His hands clasped together for a short prayer.
"I back you on that, monk," Inuyasha nodded, stuffing more noodles into his mouth. "Thank kami for inus. No one appreciates them enough." Kagome shot the man to her side a hard glare as he drank from his glass.
"Yes. Kirara sure is something," Sango smiled. "Shame your dogs ran away, Kagome, Rin. They were so adorably…Uh…What's the word?"
"Pains in the ass?" Inuyasha almost choked on liquid, his eyes wondering to the ceiling at Kagome's quick retort.
"No…more like…adorably protective of you. Like that time Koga came for your date, and Inuyasha bit his trousers." The woman hid a chuckle behind a hand.
Kagome shook her head. "It's like he never even left," she commented on the mutt version of the same name. "This Inuyasha here tries to beat Koga up every time they meet." The man in question harrumphed and crossed his arms.
"I have to. He's a jerk."
"Takes one to know one, baka."
Inuyasha growled. "Wench…"
Miroku looked to the other end of the table. "So. Sesshoumaru. Why'd you decide on leaving the stockbroker's business? I mean, it's like you and your brother—"
"Half," the youkai corrected him sternly, not looking up from his plate.
"…Right… It's like you and your half-brother can never decide what you want to do in life. But don't get me wrong; it's a compliment. You try out one line of responsibility and move on to the next thing like there was nothing to it. How is it possible? You can't get the credentials fast enough for the things you do. I mean, first an investigator, then a detective, and now a lawyer? What's your secret? What's your drive?"
"Entertainment." Sesshoumaru stared as the very raw meat on his fork bled, crimson droplets falling to the white plate underneath. Everyone looked away as it was popped into his mouth. Inuyasha cleared his throat to catch attention his away.
"Well, unlike you huma—I mean, you guys, us last decedents of our ancient tribe aren't only physically capable of doing just about anything twenty times better than the normal man, but can be equally as intimidating." Sango and her fiancé always had a hard time believing his words. They sounded too much like exaggerations. "You should of lived there with us. You could've learned a thing or two." Miroku did not show interest.
"Take him for example." The hanyou's eyes rolled to point at Sesshoumaru, internally incredulous that he was about to compliment his sibling on purpose. "The defendants always crack in front of him after one look, pleading to go behind bars if it means getting out of his face. Even the non-guilty ones confess to murder after meeting him. The bastard's like a demon." Inuyasha smirked. "Now tell me; do we need certification for something we don't even have to use speech for?
"I tell ya, it's a gift. I got bored doing cop stuff 'cause the rest of the officers were fat asses that couldn't keep up on foot and left me to do all the real stuff. And there was no fun in cuffing thieves when two more came up the next day to try the same thing. There was no spontaneity. No action. Ever! No one listened to me when I suggested we should just kill everyone that disobeyed the law to enforce fear on the rest. I said, 'Just kill 'em all. It ain't worth it if they never learn.' I thought it was an excellent idea, but the squadron never stopped looking at me weirdly since. The cowards."
The table was quiet for a moment, the engaged couple in shock. Their eyes went to Sesshoumaru's plate as he continued eating his uncooked food.
Kagome tried to ease the mood by breaking a loud smile. "Yeah. Good thing he's into extinguishing fires now, huh? I tell ya—if he did any more in the unit there would be no employees left to hire! He's capable of filling all positions…"
"Kagome. Why, I'm surprised you think so fondly of me," Inuyasha chirped.
"… With the exclusion of driving the fire engine," she continued, lowering her voice. "Which is hands-off, because he's known for being a speed demon." The hanyou pouted.
"Old people should be thrown off the streets."
"Inu! That's horrible!"
"Well, they should. Slow pokes."
"Blaming the elderly for wanting to break a speed limit isn't nice. Besides; Sessh's now into law. You should know better than to break it. He could send you to prison if he had to."
"You know those can't hold me, Rin. And," the hanyou stretched his luck, "my dear older brother would never do such a thing. We're fa-mil-y." Inuyasha looked to his sibling cockily, expecting a death glare of some sort.
Miroku wondered why it was that whenever he made the mistake of not addressing the two's familiarity correctly he was rebutted, and here Sesshoumaru acted like he had not heard Inuyasha at all.
"Feh. Told ya."
Inuyasha's overconfidence was counterattacked with a sting in his leg, which made him flinch and hug it, banging his head in the process. "Gah!" he seethed, falling to the side on the floor. Sango and Miroku looked to one another, assuming a kick had something to do with it. Rin bent over to find part of her roommate's pants sizzle in heat. Kagome made sure to locate the nearest exit in case they had to run.
Inuyasha climbed his way back to the table, baring his human teeth at the lord, who continued to eat as if nothing. "You… fucking…It's the new moon! Can't this wait 'till tomorrow, Jack ass! You know this's a bitch on my leg!"
The Band of Seven's refined reverie suddenly came to a halt as their table became the center of attention, hundreds of judging eyes falling on the occupants in disturbance and insult. Kagome slid into her seat to hide her face.
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Little more than an hour later the friends had finished their meals. Miroku wiped his mouth clean in a courteous manner as the women began getting up to leave to the bathroom together.
"Don't be long," Inuyasha warned Kagome, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "Or else I'm going to have to leave without you." The other girls giggled, understanding why he acted that way. They went on ahead while Kagome calmed him down.
"Jakotsu has a real liking to him, doesn't he?" Sango asked, not being able to withhold the humor the picture of the fanatic boy climbing atop the heterosexual held. The more women Inuyasha had to hide behind, the greater the odds of him being bothered by Jakotsu were. The restaurant's owner was like water on oil around women.
"Yeah. Poor Jakotsu."
"'Poor Jakotsu'? Don't you mean 'poor Inuyasha'?" The two laughed harder, but Rin secretly imagined the hanyou ripping the human into shreds with his claws, if he were to be touched in a place not even his mother would reach at when he was a child.
After going through the grand doors of the restrooms they began retouching their mascara and lipstick as Kagome came in to work on her eyeliner.
"He's alright now. I told him we'd go for ice-cream later."
Sango, the oldest of the three, walked over to her and nudged her side slyly. " 'Ice-cream', is it?" Her tone revealed more sinister thoughts. "Is that what you call it?" The mirror in front of Kagome fogged up from a gush of hot air she let out in surprise.
"No," Rin giggled. "She means that there is no way that Inu would leave her stranded here, even if it meant getting man-handled by his admirer."
Sango shook her head. "Seriously; I thought you loved your man more than that, Kagome. Sure he has…a more colorful language than every other out there, but he is still your man. And to leave him all scared and alone with people like Jakotsu running wild in the city is thoughtless. One of these day's he's really going to play for the other team, and then what? Don't come crying back to me."
"I keep warning her too, but she never listens."
Kagome rolled her eyes, just about to touch up her lips. "Stop critiquing my romantic life. It's fine."
"It's because you don't have one that we do, Kags." The older roommate's lip-gloss fell into the sink on reflect, a head hair standing on end.
"It's not like we're trying to make you feel bad, Kagome. We just worry you're not ceasing the moment when it arrives. You know; if he doesn't take action, it's then up to the woman to make sure that her needs are met. Break the ice. Nowadays we can't wait forever for a guy to find the guts to ask us out." True enough, even Miroku had been hesitant to some extent in showing his true feelings at first. "Then again…if he still hasn't asked you out after all this time, then there's definitely something wrong about him. Maybe he really is—"
"Don't say it! Don't say it. Inuyasha is totally interested in me, and I can prove it!" The other two stopped looking at their reflections and turned to the miko. Kagome fidgeted with what she could say next, having just blabbed out words she thought were not supposed to hold meaning to her, or could be evidenced, for that matter.
"Oh—I know about that, Kags," Rin spoke, seeing that the silence in the room was permission for her to butt in. "Duh. So what if he stares at you in your sleep?"
"He what?" Sango gawked. The illumination of the room suddenly dimmed, a lone spotlight blazing on Rin from above.
"And so what if the colors of his face lose tone at your smile, and when you near him he looks dreamily into your eyes, staring at them left-and-right, back and forth in awe, confounded in their mesmerizing beauty—" the girl's eyes sparkled as she spoke dramatically into the mirror, similar to when she conveyed a monologue at the attention of a crowd; "—those same eyes that have him fall into the desperations of the heart (the ones that burn your insides and kill you once over), requiring he fight the animalistic urge to take you then and there, to lose yourselves in warm, welcoming thoughts?"
Rin's voice fell to a whisper as she graced her lips with her fingers tenderly, her hues mystic and far-off looking.
"His breath, catching in his throat when his mouth has gone dry; his hands meticulously inching closer in between you two in this slow place in time, wanting to hold on to your maiden locks, caress the softness of your slick chin and neck and virgin chest; his mouth searching slowly, effortlessly, ever so close to your skin, to taste the sweetness of your thick, rounded, plush—"
"Rin," Sango chided, stopping anything vulgar from being murmured. Kagome's head was too preoccupied with envisioning the narrated scene to care.
"I was going to say 'lips'," the girl sighed, untouched by her descriptive words. "But yeah, you get the point." She batted her eyes, pleased at their thickness in the mirror.
Sango smacked her lips together, puckering them to relish her finishing touches. "And what about you, Rin? You sure you don't have a 'thing' for Sesshoumaru?"
"Can't say that I have," the girl answered, close to a heartbeat.
"Gees; you always answer so quick and so sure of yourself. Makes me wonder if you two even get along, the way you're always together." Unbeknownst to Sango, Rin looked to the door in silence and frowned.
"Do you want to take him out for ice-cream later, too?" A beaming Kagome received dull looks from her girlfriends, her attempt at making a joke unaccomplished.
--------------------------
Standing near the front entrance of the restaurant, claws in his pockets, Sesshoumaru picked up on the female conversation without problem. It was a usual girl-talk moment, in which he had been denied infatuation from the actor's side. Again. Whenever such an intimate question was asked, Rin would always give the same answer; her words were always spoken in a neutral tone and she never expressed a lie. He could smell it.
The youkai began closing his eyes, waiting for Miroku and Inuyasha to come back from hurrying the women. All males outgrew their patience with females every time. No exceptions.
To his surprise, though, he would not be alone in the wait; none other than Bankotsu appeared to his side, flashing a doggie bag at him from the front.
"So. Was it to your liking?" The human rarely came over to talk to the youkai—especially alone—so Sesshoumaru took this as small talk for something more important.
"It was satisfactory," he vaguely stated. Bonkotsu punched him on the shoulder for the second time that night, and it took everything Sesshoumaru had in his control to cease from hitting him back, with a hint of poison claw.
"That's what I like to hear." Sesshoumaru noted how perfectly white the man's smile was. He was then handed the luxurious bag filled with expensive cow slices, and he feared his talon would let seep venom through it if he was not left alone soon.
"Listen; I need to have a little word with you, Sesshoumaru. Man-to man?" Correcting his use of words would have been pointless, so the youkai merely looked on, hoping it was a very short talk.
But before he could think otherwise, Bankotsu's façade unexpectedly changed; his eyebrows furrowed, his stature seemed to increase, and his bright smile was lost in a tight frown. It was a complete contrast to his former character. The man almost toppled Sesshoumaru in height with his fiery glare alone, which was impossible, the Daiyoukai told himself; he was not that much taller than Rin. The transformed young man then bared his fangs out at him and a daring confrontation took part, unbeknownst to everyone else in the room.
"I know who you are," he accused, his voice more ominous than Sesshoumaru had caught on to before. "And I don't like someone like you messing around with Rin." His words came out of the blue. Not once had they been cross, and now this rebuttal. Being around Rin a lot meant the exact opposite—more jolly attention from the cook.
The space between them closed as his opponent came closer to him, poking his chest with a thick, pointer-finger. For the first time Sesshoumaru felt to be on the receiving end, like prey.
And then the youkai recalled having had similar treatment not so long ago.
Where did all these little people find the courage to stand up to him?
"Don't look at me like you're a know-it-all," Bonkotsu continued, apparently disturbed by his look—which had remained in the same, unmoved expression. The man fought his adversary with further prodding. Sesshoumaru found it became irritating.
"Look—I love Rin, and have to look out for her well-being. What good am I if I didn't?" His thumb and second finger pointed at them correspondingly with each pronoun, the jabbing finally stopping. "I'm telling you now that you're no good for her. Understand? Your influence is harming her. That egotistical, macho attitude of yours does no one good." The Daiyoukai wondered if his inu nature was something he had control over, or if he could blame it on the genes. Either way, this male had no business in judging how or who he was. He knew nothing of his history.
The allegation suddenly took on a different direction, taking Sesshoumaru by surprise. "All I've been getting from you since first I saw you are bad vibes. Believe me—I know about these things. You aren't the kind Rin should be hanging out with. You're evil."
Tell me about it.
"She may not realize it, but I do. She has too caring of a heart to see right through you. So if you really did care for her, as you try to act like you do, you'd do what's best for her and never see her again." The scent this male radiated screamed murder, and there was reason to think he had finally lost it. Not only did he utter rubbish, but no one talked to Sesshoumaru that way. He did as he pleased.
A pair of golden hues narrowed.
"What is it you're really after, huh? You have no real use for her, and she doesn't need your type. You make her miserable. I can tell by her eyes. She hasn't been the same since you've come into the picture. You're ruining her innocence. Kami forbid you ever harm her I'll…"
As Bankotsu's hands fell to his sides in fists, Sesshoumaru began to envision what type of honorary sword fight the two could start, if the human had his Banryu with him and they were five hundred years in the past. He was informed that this ancient weapon, which had been passed-down in the family for centuries, was massive, and that Bankotsu knew how to use it well. Ever since a child. Rin was attracted to that type, she said. Strong, bold, and doesn't give a damn about the crap being said in his face…
"So I'm only going to say this once," the human continued, his young voice still not considered a threat to the older being. "Unless you intend to treat her right, leave Rin alone. If I find her heart broken or her innocence corrupted, you're gonna pay!"
The Daiyoukai looked down at him, wondering if it was time for him to make a speech or bare his own, real fangs at the mortal. The least he could admit to was discovering newfound respect for this creature. He questioned if the grasshopper would make a good toothpick.
The demon did not move once from his spot until his companions came into view from the far end of the room; but before they came into hearing-range, Bankotsu locked eyes with him and said lastly, "I mean it. I have a sword, and I'm not afraid to use it. This ain't a threat; it's a death sentence. Stay away from my Rin."
Sesshoumaru blinked once, lost at how to counter his accusations. This man had no reason to treat him like this. He misunderstood his intentions with the girl, and knew nothing about him or the two's relationship. Most importantly, it was impossible not to make contact with Rin. He had no fault in that.
The youkai knew not what he could say that would make his night any easier. "You do know I live with her in the apartment—don't you?"
Silence was his answer, followed by the decreased thumping of the human's pumping organ in the youkai's ears. Then, a ding sounded as the elevator door opened.
Bankotsu's jaw finally dropped. An eye twitched as the blood left his face. "You…you…You're not…doing anything to her—w-with her, are you?" Sesshoumaru smelled the dirty implication in his tone, and the only way he could consider to answer that was with a smug smirk.
Oh, what a scoundrel he could be. The least he deserved after not melting the man on the spot.
Just as the group of friends neared them, the desperate restaurant owner rounded up the energy to scream, his bangs and long braid fluttering with his outburst. "Old man!
"Stay the hell away from my sister!"
"Bankotsu; what's wrong?" Rin asked, catching his temper from the back, not able to hear his exact words.
"Uh… nothing!" her brother exclaimed, taking the doggie bag back from the youkai's hands. It was dripping from a lime-green stain at a corner, which was odd, since The Band of Seven never used cheap containers. The bag even felt warmer than when Bankotsu last touched it. "I was just…handing Sesshoumaru the remains of your meal. But it's leaking, so I'm going to have to take it back." He exhaled profoundly after coming up with such a convincing excuse.
"Awe, that's too bad," the sibling sighed.
"Hey! But compliments to the chef, as always," Miroku cut in.
"Yeah," Inuyasha agreed. "Bonkotsu sure knows his stuff."
"Isn't it always surprising to find out someone like him can be related to Rin?" Said girl's chin fell in astonishment at Kagome's low blow.
Sango squirmed. "I know what you mean. Everything she touches gets burnt."
"Hey! That chicken was not burnt. It was crunchy!" Rin defended herself of a recent cooking experiment gone wrong, frowning deeply.
"Once she served me milk," Sango continued. "Milk. And it was crunchy."
"It wasn't my fault! I searched! The expiration date hadn't expired!"
"…And it couldn't even be cut with a knife. I know; I tried it."
"So you fought her food?" Inuyasha snickered.
"And lost," she said, apologetically. The group laughed as Rin harrumphed.
Sesshoumaru could not believe how it was that he had survived his recent dog years without being poisoned first. Of course, he was a toxic man himself, so that had to be it. And if it weren't for the fact that the girl never made her steaks well-done, he probably would have gone without eating. He hated fine-made meals brought over the fire. It tasted too much like human food. He was alone in his gratitude of bad-cooking, however.
"My pleasure, always" Bankotsu smiled, beginning to lead them outside with a bow. "See you next month!" He waved charismatically to the group, but Sesshoumaru saw that he received a cold stare instead when he looked behind him. The man had locked eyes with the Lord, his second and middle finger pointing to his own pupils until bucking at Sesshoumaru's, bringing to mind a snake charging on a rodent.
"I'm watching you," the protective brother mouthed dangerously. Jakotsu ran up to him from a ways off, waving.
"Inuyasha! Honey! You forgot to say goodbye!" At this the hanyou yelped, beating the rest of the pack to their cars in a sprint.
Miroku shook his head, turning to speak to Kagome. "You know what he needs? Ice-cream. We should get some."
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Translations for Bonkotsu's and Rin's exchange were done with the help of internet websites. They (most likely) are not entirely correct.
Bonkotsu: "Faites-vous bien ?"— "Are you doing well?" (French)
Rin: "Oui, comme toujours."— "Yes, as always." (French)
Bonkotsu: "Bom, bom. Eu imagino que o theatre nunca foi o mesmo desde que você veio no spotlight"— "Good, good. I imagine theatre has never been the same since you came into the spotlight." (Portuguese)
Rin: "Ja. Sie sollten sich mich in meinem nachsten Stück ansehen. Es ist eine Romanze. Ich habe die führende Rolle…" –"Yes. You should go see me in my next act. It is a romance. I have the leading role…" (German)— "By the way; как Jakotsu находилось в кухне ?" —"By the way; how has Jakotsu been in the kitchen?" (Russian)
Bonkotsu: "Oh –плохой, реально. Из-за его... природа, много шеф-поваров отказывала; нанимающ больше женщин как работники, был разрешен случай. За исключением он, он хорош с ножами."— "Oh— not bad, really. Because of his...nature, many cooks have resigned. Other than that, he's good with knives. (Dutch)—"Sapete."— "You know." (Italian)
Rin: "Ik zou het geweten hebben." – "I would have known." (Netherlands)
Bonkotsu: "Et votre petit ami ? Comment vous traite-t-il?"—"And your boyfriend? How is he treating you?" (French)
Rin: "Che cosa! Non è mio..."— "What! He's not my..." (Italian)
Bonkotsu: "ll n'importe pas. Votre visage l'indique tout."— "It doesn't matter. Your face says it all." (French)
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Edit: Much thanks to LadyAmarra for spotting errors in the German translation and pointing them out to me. Yeay!
…I must admit that I, Sugarsweet pie…have noticed the time-span between my last update and this one. It is humiliating. –dies- And then this chap comes and turns out longer than expected. –falls over-
More thanks: the "flea dip" comment I inserted after reading an old review a reader sent in for a previous chapter." Thanks to Murdoca for proof-reading the chapter before hand, pointing out all the mistakes I made, and commenting on how to make everything sound better.
If you are so kind to Read and Review, I'd greatly appreciate it.