Now THUNK is a spectacular author whose stories any self-respecting IY fan HAS to read! I promise you’ll love them! I’m not worthy! *bows*
Anyway, here’s another chapter! ^_^
Ehhh…I had a lot of trouble writing this one for some reason, so because
of that I made it short. Again, it’s angst, but hopefully I’ll soon
be past that stage and more into the waff stage, which is what I REALLY
like to write. But…uh…I predict not for awhile yet. ^^
Kaede had been right in her assumption that Inuyasha was close by and listening. He was, in fact, sprawled out on the roof of the hut, well within hearing range for that little conversation, and he did not like what he heard at all.
Quite frankly, he didn’t know who he was madder at. Kagome, for not trusting him enough as to actually be afraid of him—after everything they’d been through together, too!—or himself for having made her feel that way in the first place. But curse it! It wasn’t like he’d never threatened her before! He did it all the time, and she usually just blew it off or sat him a few times and after a few hours of sulking on the hanyou’s part, everything was back to normal again.
Well…except that she couldn’t sit him anymore, he remembered uneasily, and maybe that was the entire problem.
He frowned up at the sky, hands pillowed behind his head as he watched the twilight fade into the blackness of night. She hadn’t really meant all that, had she? She was just upset ‘cause he wouldn’t let her go home and he’d made her break her promise to her brother. He scowled and shifted uncomfortably. Feh! Silly woman! She ought to know he’d never kill her! After all, who would help him collect the shards if she was gone? They both knew that she was the only one who could see them, so even if he did threaten her she ought to know not to take it seriously! Inuyasha scowled some more, filled with righteous indignation.
He couldn’t maintain it, however, as memories of the sadness in Kagome’s voice kept trying to creep back to him.
He’d never been so…so cruel to me before…
I’d always thought that he liked me…just a little bit…
Now I wonder if I’ve only been fooling myself into hoping for something that…just wasn’t there…
The hanyou’s ears drooped at the memory. He hated it, but he couldn’t stop the regret from surfacing and it was all he could do to keep from punching a hole through the roof as the memory of his own words began to haunt him. He cringed slightly; he had been a bit unnecessarily cruel, hadn’t he? He supposed he couldn’t blame Kagome too much for her reaction, but he’d only been giving her what was coming to her for being so cruel to him all that time! After all, friends didn’t try and give each other broken backs for the least little offense, now did they? He pouted a moment, then sighed heavily. Still, what was said was said, and there wasn’t much he could do about it now. He wasn’t about to change his mind about the well, anyway, especially after what he’d heard Kagome say. No way would he chance letting her go in and possibly seal the well after her or something! Her grandfather didn’t worry him too much, but she was getting a bit stronger in her powers, so who knew if she’d be able to succeed where the old man couldn’t.
His ears twitched slightly. On the other hand, there was no way he would be able to tolerate seeing Kagome acting so depressed. It was the only thing that could chop at his defenses and he wasn’t that arrogant that he couldn’t admit (if only to himself) that seeing her looking so sad was enough to make him want to do anything he could to put a smile back on her face. Maybe he could be a little lenient, just this once. Maybe instead of making her stay until the jewel was completed, he’d only make her stay until they found another fragment or something. Yeah, that was an idea. They could go on a schedule. He sat up, ears perking with interest. For every two or three shards they found, he’d let her go back to her time and see her family (and stock up on more of that great ramen stuff). He’d go with her, of course. No sense in taking any chances, after all. And they’d stay only long enough to get her stuff; no more of this school crap that Kagome was always harping on. What did she need it for, anyway? She seemed smart enough to him as it was.
The more he thought about it, the more the idea appealed to him, and he couldn’t keep the smug grin from passing over his lips as he crossed his arms arrogantly over his chest. When he told her his plan, she’d be bound to cheer up! He was being quite generous, after all, and maybe this would make her realize that being afraid of him was silly. At the very least, she’d realize he wasn’t the cold-hearted bastard she seemed to think he was. He could be just as reasonable as she could when he set his mind to it.
Maybe he wouldn’t even wait until tomorrow to tell her. Why not tell her right now?
With that thought, he leaped to his feet and jumped easily to the ground, stepping inside the house and padding silently to Kagome’s door. He slid it open a crack and peered inside. The room was dark, but he could see Kagome lying there. She was still awake; he could easily see that her eyes were open, glittering slightly in the faint light as she stared up at the ceiling, hands folded over her stomach. He slid the door open further and crept inside, closing it behind him.
Kagome suddenly seemed to realize that he was there, and she sat up with a startled gasp, regarding him through wide eyes. He could hear her breath coming in short pants. She looked scared, which made him a bit irritated. “I’m not gonna bite your head off, wench,” he growled. “Calm down, would ya?”
She swallowed, hard, and slowly eased herself into a more comfortable position. A position, he noted uneasily, that would allow her to bolt at a moment’s notice, should the need arise. His irritation rose, but he held it fiercely in check. “I wanna talk to you,” he whispered, settling himself beside her cross-legged.
“About what?” Even whispering, he could hear the distinct tremble in her voice, and he winced.
“Look, I know you’re pissed off about the well, so I thought it over, and I decided that maybe making you wait until the jewel is completed is a bit of a long time,” he stated gruffly. She didn’t say anything, but he could sense she was listening. “So, instead of that, I think I’ll only make you wait until we get a couple of the shards. Then I’ll let you go back—only if I go with you, of course—so you can visit your family and restock supplies.” Meaning ramen, of course. “Soon as that’s done we go back, look for more shards, and then you can go visit again in another few weeks or months or whatever. Least your family won’t worry that way anymore.”
There was absolute silence for a long moment. Then, in a strained voice, Kagome asked, “What about school?”
“Feh. You don’t need it,” he sniffed. “The jewel’s a hell of a lot more important than your school stuff.”
“I beg to differ,” she replied tightly. “I wouldn’t expect an ignorant dolt like you to understand, but in my world if I don’t have an education then I don’t have any kind of a future.”
He bristled at that. “You should be grateful I even reconsidered to let you have this much!” he snapped, glaring at her furiously. “I can still change my mind, ya know!”
“I should be grateful.” Her voice was filled with disbelief. “I should be grateful?!” She slammed her fists against the coverlet and glared at him furiously. “Just where do you think you get off, you overbearing, arrogant, self-centered, stuck-up son of a pig?!”
Inuyasha’s jaw dropped as he regarded her in openmouthed shock. This wasn’t right. She wasn’t supposed to be yelling at him. She was supposed to be happy that he was being so generous and…
His thoughts stuttered to a halt as she abruptly leapt to her feet to pace the room furiously. “Y-you’re acting like a complete ass, trying to control my life for your stupid jewel that, quite frankly, I don’t give any kind of a damn about except that I’m the one who broke it, and you have the absolute gall to tell me I should thank you for it?!” She whirled around to glare down at him furiously, her eyes snapping. She didn’t seem afraid of him now. Now…she just seemed downright pissed. “You just don’t get it, do you?” She shook her head, and he was shocked to see tears glittering in her eyes. “Get out,” she hissed, pointing a shaking finger at the door. “Get out of here right now, or so help me I’ll…”
“Fine!” Inuyasha yelled, glaring at her as he stood abruptly. “I was trying to be nice, but if that’s the way you’re gonna be then forget it! I could care less about your stupid family! Let them think you’re dead! Who cares?!” He was snarling in her face, advancing toward her while she backed away from him, until she hit the wall. Her anger was fading rapidly in the face of his wrath, and she wondered if maybe this time she’d overdone it, allowing her temper to get the better of her. When he slapped the palm of his hand against the wood, she cringed away, squeezing her eyes shut as she waited for the claws to pierce her skin.
The action brought Inuyasha’s tirade to an abrupt halt as he watched her cowering before him, his hand only an inch away from her face. The anger melted from his expression as he gazed at her with faint horror, suddenly realizing what he was doing. When had things gotten so out of control? He’d only been trying to help…but somehow he’d managed to end up terrifying her all over again. It’s her fault, he thought angrily. It’s completely her fault! If she’s afraid, good! I tried to be nice!
Somehow…that didn’t make him feel any less guilty.
With a muttered curse, he ripped his hand away and turned to flee the room, practically bowling over a worried Kaede and Shippo on the way out. Kaede watched him in concern for a moment, then entered the room to find Kagome crouched against the wall, shaking slightly as she stared at nothing. When Kaede laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, she jumped violently, turning wide, tearful eyes up at the motherly face. Kagome’s expression crumpled, and without a word, she threw herself into Kaede’s arms and began to sob hysterically, while the elderly miko and the little kitsune attempted futilely to soothe her.
Within the forest, an enraged hanyou took out his frustration on the hapless trees, tearing them to shreds as he fought himself into exhaustion. When he finally could fight no more, he flopped down on the grassy earth and stared through dry, hot eyes at the whirling sky above, his thoughts tormented as Kagome’s stricken face flashed through his mind over and over.
Would it ever be the same, he wondered wearily. Would things ever be the same between himself and Kagome, or had their fragile bond—their friendship—been broken beyond repair?
And if it was…whose fault was it? Whose?
*sighs* More angst and even more angst. Now I’m getting tired of angst. I’ll have to try and add some humor to the next chapter, but this isn’t exactly a cheerful story. ^^;
Thanks for reading! Hopefully reviewing. ^_~ Hope the chapter wasn’t too horribly boring or anything. *grimaces* More will come soon, I hope, and with more action. Next up, they leave to find more shikon shards, but this trip isn’t gonna be all fun and games with everyone as depressed as they are.
Quickening
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