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A knock at his door broke him from his concentration, or what little he had been trying to maintain.
“Inuyasha? It’s time.”
He had been dreading this from the moment Kagome had asked him so sweetly, there was no possible way he would be able to say no.
He was about to go on screen. With second graders. And talk about himself.
Well, talk about his job. Kagome’s school had a career day event planned every year and though the whole quarantine thing had turned the world upside down, somehow those teachers had made it work. He had marveled at how Kagome slaved over lesson plans and online resources to give inspiration on ways to keep her class both entertained and motivated, all via Zoom.
So not only was the career day a nice change of pace for the kids, but also a welcome reprieve for the teachers who could simply sit back and let their guests take the reins for a few minutes. Selected parents and guardians of the students were chosen to participate and talk with the kids about what they did with their jobs day to day and why they liked what they did for a living, the goal being to help give the kids some idea of the path they would want to take.
Kagome had spoken personally with the guest speakers, via video call of course, and had gathered a wide array of job representation. Inuyasha had snuck a peek at her list and saw various positions: banker, caterer, doctor, scientist. The list went on. What he hadn’t been expecting was for Kagome to ask him to speak as well.
“I just think it’d be important for the kids to see art as a career path as well. I see parents shooting down those dreams all the time because they don’t think it’s a viable way to make a living. And there are so many kids in my class who I think would benefit from talking to you.”
Inuyasha had looked down at her from where they were snuggled together on the couch, his arm casually around her waist while she leaned into him and worked on her laptop. They had only made their relationship official a week ago and already she had him wrapped around her finger. He would do anything she asked of him...but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t complain about it first.
“Don’t know why you’d want those brats talking to me for. I ain’t got nothin’ they want to hear.”
“Don’t be silly, Inuyasha. You have plenty to tell them about. Could you just tell them what you do and maybe draw them a picture or something?”
“And when they see you brought a demon on video?”
“Half -demon. And I have some demons in my class so they won’t care. If anything, they’ll think you’re super cool looking.”
Inuyasha actually didn’t know Kagome taught demon kids as well as human. When he had been in school, the two were strictly segregated and as a result, Inuyasha hadn’t fit in anywhere. He knew firsthand about the cruelties of children, especially to those who were different from the norm. The memories of it made Inuyasha reluctant to agree to go back into that mindset of being at an elementary school, even for Kagome’s sake.
“Please, Inuyasha? I know it’s a lot to ask, but it would really mean so much. To me and the kids.”
He knew she would back off if he really insisted on not wanting to do it, but when she looked up at him with those big twinkling eyes, how was he supposed to say no?
“You’ll be there, right?”
“Of course. You didn’t think I’d leave you alone with big, scary second graders, did you?” she asked with a light lilting tone to her voice. He pressed a soft kiss to her temple, just because he could.
“Fine.” And she had thrown her arms around him and tackled him to the couch, peppering his entire face in kisses in between shouts of “Thank you! Thank you!” If it had been anyone else that had caught him by surprise like that, he would’ve thrown them off without hesitation and bolted back to his room. But with Kagome, he treasured every peck she seared into his skin, a pretend grimace plastered on his face while she smothered him. And when she finally calmed down, he was there grabbing the sides of her head to finally plant his own kiss to her plush lips. Only this one she allowed to linger.
If this is how Kagome reacted to even a small request from him, there wasn’t a single thing he wouldn’t do for her. And he would do them happily.
Inuyasha was feeling less than ecstatic, however, when the day finally came. Though Kagome had prepped him with things that he could say, he often found his entire mind going blank whenever he was expected to speak to anyone he didn’t know. And he knew it was just a bunch of kids he was going to be talking to, but just the thought of how he had been mercilessly bullied and tormented when he was that age...it was starting to get to him.
"Half-breed!"
"Mutt!"
"Mongrel!"
These were some of the names hurled at him on a daily basis. Usually followed by punches and kicks that knocked him to the ground. Threats on his life. To his mother. It was enough to have him locking himself away from anyone and anything that could possibly hurt him ever again. And if it wasn't for Kagome and her kind heart that reached out to him regardless of his mixed blood, he would still be alone.
When Kagome came to get him and he opened the door, she immediately offered him a comforting smile and took his hand as if she knew exactly what was going on in his mind. He saw her eyes shift up to the beanie on his head that was covering his dog ears but made no comment towards it. She knew how hard it was for him to be in front of others, the hat being their compromise to make him just a little more at ease.
“You sure you’re ok with this? I can just tell them you aren’t feeling well if it’s too much.”
Inuyasha just shook his head and gave her hand a light squeeze. As terrified as he was, he found deep down that he wanted to do this. Not just for Kagome, but for himself. Kagome made him want to be a better person and was helping him embrace who he really was, but it was up to him to put himself out there and follow through. And a class of distracted second graders who probably wouldn’t even remember this tomorrow was a pretty good place to start.
Kagome led him into her room and sat him down in front of her rainbow backdrop. He had been in her room multiple times, especially since they had started dating, and every time he was in awe of just how good it smelled. Her wildflower scent practically already covered their apartment, but to be directly at the source sent a wave of calm over him. And when she sat down beside him and took his hand in hers, making sure it was off-screen before turning the Zoom meeting on, he really felt like he was going to be ok. His anxiety always tended to simply disappear whenever she was beside him.
“Ok, starting in 3,2,1...welcome back, class!” Seventeen tiny faces appeared on her computer screen, each housed within its own tiny box. He could see most were human, some demon with hair, skin, and fur ranging from all sorts of colors.
“Welcome back, Higurashi-sensei!” The class chimed in unison. Kagome must really have these kids whipped to be able to respond to her perfectly like that.
“Who can tell me what time it is?” she asked, her voice much sweeter and pitched higher than when she spoke to him normally. Inuyasha watched as almost all the hands went up.
“Rin-chan, why don’t you tell us?”
“12:30, Higurashi-sensei!” a small little girl with long black hair with a single pigtail at the top of her head chimed in with a wide smile.
“That’s right, Rin-chan. Very good job! Now, I’m sure you all can see that we have a very special guest with us right now. I need everyone to give Inuyasha a great big welcome. Can we say ‘Hi, Inuyasha?’”
And sure enough, a chorus of “Hi, Inuyasha!” blared out from the speaker. Beneath his beanie, his ears were plastered to his head at the sheer volume of it. At least they hadn’t screamed in terror or booed him off. Judging by the faces that he could see, they hadn’t even seemed phased that Kagome had brought a silver-haired, amber-eyed guy who was obviously some kind of demon on screen with her.
“Thank you, everyone. I’m sure that made Inuyasha feel very welcome. Remember, whenever we meet new people we do what?” In unison, Kagome and her students chanted, “Listen with our ears! Look them in the eyes! Smile with our mouth!” Each phrase was emphasized by Kagome pointing to each area of the face they were referring to, using the hand that wasn’t preoccupied with holding Inuyasha’s under the desk.
“Very good now! Inuyasha is our guest today because he is going to tell us about what he does for his job.” Kagome turned her attention from the webcam to look at Inuyasha beside her. “Inuyasha, can you tell everyone what you do?” Hearing Kagome speak directly to him in the same tone of voice as she spoke to her kids stunned him momentarily, never having had it directed at him.
“I’m a...uh...graphic designer.” Kagome turned back to the camera.
“Ooooooh, does anyone know what that means?” Silence met her and Inuyasha could see several of the children shake their heads.
“Inuyasha,” she turned back to him, “What does a graphic designer do?”
He heard her ask him the question, but the moment her eyes met his, he got lost for a second. That sparkle held such a tight grip on his heart that sometimes it took his breath away. He was ready to lean in and kiss her when her voice broke him from his daze.
“Inuyasha?”
“Oh, I...draw things.”
“What kind of things?”
“Stuff like logos or advertisements. Anything the client wants.”
“So it’s your job to come up with designs that help people or businesses convey a message about themselves with just one look. That sounds kind of hard to me.”
“Uh, it can be. If the client is really picky or if I can’t think of any ideas.”
“But I bet you never give up and your clients are always happy in the end! So why don’t you walk us through a whole job from start to finish?”
So Inuyasha did what she asked. He talked about the different steps in the process from receiving a commission with their idea, to sketching it out, to finishing it. To him, this was all mundane stuff. There was no way the kids had to be even remotely interested in what he was saying. But as his eyes shifted to the screen momentarily, he was surprised to see that for the most part, they seemed attentive. Or were at least pretending to be.
“That’s so fascinating, Inuyasha. Don’t you think that’s fascinating, class?”
“Yes, Higurashi-sensei!” they chanted.
“Now it’s one thing for us to talk about it, but Inuyasha brought us some of his pictures to show you all some of the wonderful things he’s made! Hold tight for just one minute while I pull them up. Can I see your quiet signs?”
Inuyasha was surprised to see each of the children bring their pointer finger up to rest against their lips and hold it there in perfect silence while she pulled up the pictures that Inuyasha had sent her on the computer and shared her screen so all the kids could see the advertisement of some energy drink for demons that he had created.
Inuyasha remembered painstakingly hand drawing the sunset in the background in the multitude of colors that would appeal to a demon’s enhanced sight. To his amazement, the kids immediately ooohed and aaahed over it, breaking their silence, though Kagome didn’t seem to mind. He even saw one of the kid’s boxes light up as he yelled “So cool!” Looking closer, he could see the kid was some kind of kitsune with flaming red hair and a bushy tail.
“I agree, Shippo!” Kagome’s tinkling voice responded. “Inuyasha is very talented at what he does.” She gave his hand a squeeze and Inuyasha could feel his cheeks starting to burn. “Can you tell us more about this piece, Inuyasha?”
So he relayed the story of how he made and designed the piece and continued the same for each picture that Kagome pulled up. Every time she clicked to a new work, the kids cheered as if it was the most incredible thing they had ever seen. The admiration had the corners of Inuyasha’s lips curling up, though his blush never faded. And all the while, Kagome’s hand never left his. It was like his rock that was grounding him through this whole endeavor and he was so thankful to have it.
Eventually, the pictures ran out much to the kids’ dismay. They genuinely seemed to have enjoyed seeing what Inuyasha had created from scratch.
“I know we’re sad that we don’t have any other drawings, but Inuyasha has agreed to make something just for our class so we can watch him in real time! Isn’t that so kind of him, everyone?” And they responded with a cheer, though Inuyasha was disappointed when she finally released his hand so he could draw with it instead.
Usually, Inuyasha worked on an iPad or on his own computer, but for the purposes of entertaining second graders, the program on Kagome’s computer would work fine. She offered him her mouse, which he took, and was relieved when she felt her hand that previously held his rest on top of his thigh instead.
“Class, do you remember what the first step of the job is? Wasn’t it to talk to the client and see what they wanted?” Inuyasha just nodded at her.
“Well, class. Shall we gather ideas and take a vote? Raise your hand and when I call on you, tell Inuyasha what you think our class logo should be. Starting with...Bunza-kun!”
“A rocketship!”
“Oh, I like that one. How about Jippo-kun?”
“A fox!”
“Just like you! Now, Kawauso-kun?”
“A river!”
“How lovely! Satsuki-chan? How about you?”
“A pretty rainbow!”
“What a great idea! Inuyasha, do you think you have enough to work with?”
The hell was he supposed to do with all that? None of those things went together at all. But if Kagome asked him to do something, by god was he going to figure it out.
“Sure,” he said as he got to work. He started with the base of a wavy line for the river at the bottom. That was easy enough. Then he made a quick outline of a spaceship, squiggling a small fox’s face in its window. And for the rainbow? He simply ran through the colors above the spaceship, encircling it all within the shape of a heart.
After some quick shading with bright vibrant colors that would be pleasant for the children to look at, he presented what he had to the class. Not his best or most challenging work, but when the kids practically fell out of their chairs with how excited they were, he realized this was definitely his most rewarding. Kagome simply laughed and indulged them in their cheering for just a moment before she reeled back in.
“Wow, thank you, Inuyasha. This is truly wonderful! Do you like it, class?” She was met with a resounding YES!
“Sadly, our time with Inuyasha is almost up, but we do have the time for a few questions if anyone has any for him.” He slipped his hand back into Kagome’s underneath the desk and without hesitation, she intertwined their fingers, all without dropping her gaze from the computer screen.
“Rin-chan, I see your hand. Would you like to start us off?”
“When did you start drawing?” Kagome turned her head to him with interest, this being a question she actually didn’t know the answer to.
“I used to draw comics when I was a kid. About your age. And eventually, I started drawing more real things when I went out on hikes. Like mountains and rivers. That sorta stuff.”
“Shosuke-kun? I saw your hand next. What’s your question for Inuyasha?”
“Are you famous?” Kagome giggled at that question.
“Ah, no. I have plenty of clients but most of them don’t ever see who I am.”
“Why not?” Shosuke replied, but Kagome cut in.
“He works at his home so he doesn’t meet with them in person. Uh, next question. Soten-chan, how about you?”
“What kind of demon are you?”
“That’s not a question about his job, Soten-chan,” Kagome warned.
“Dog demon,” Inuyasha answered, not having a problem with it.
“Do you have any cool powers?”
“Soten-chan…” Kagome tried to lead them back on the right path.
“It’s ok. Uh, I‘m really strong. And I can smell good.” The class seemed pretty impressed with that as they began to rustle in their seats. They seemed to think the art was cool, but what they were really interested in was Inuyasha.
“Can you fly?” Someone chimed in. Inuyasha didn’t see who asked the question, but he responded anyway.
“No, but I can jump high and run really fast.”
“Is that your real hair?”
“Yeah, it’s the color I was born with.”
“Are you able to draw with claws?”
“Yeah, I have to be careful not to scratch anything though. My first iPad had marks all over it.”
As the class hounded him with questions about his demon heritage, Kagome’s eyes never left Inuyasha’s face, ready to jump in at any point if the questions ever came to be too much for him. Her other hand slid under the table to where their hands were connected and simply rested atop his own, rubbing soft circles into his skin to help comfort him.
But weirdly enough, he felt ok. They weren’t too invasive, just curious. And contrary to how kids his age had acted toward him when he was in school, they genuinely seemed interested in him. He even found himself laughing along with them after he answered a silly question about whether he peed outside or not.
“Ok, class. Don’t be crude! We have time for one more question. Shiori-chan, you’ve been awfully quiet. Is there something you would like to ask Inuyasha?” Inuyasha glanced over to Kagome as she spoke and noted there was something different in her eyes when she spoke to this child. As if she knew it was very important for her to say something to him.
Inuyasha’s eyes drifted back over to the screen and scanned the boxes for the one labeled Shiori. And when he saw the little girl with dark, tan skin and silver hair the same color as his, he knew immediately. This girl was a hanyou. Just like him. She seemed to struggle for words to come out past her cherry red lips, but when they did, she spoke in a soft voice, almost a whisper.
“A-are you a hanyou?”
There was silence over the class for a moment as everyone took in the meaning of her question. Inuyasha himself felt his eyes widening and his pulse began to race, his body immediately seizing up. Kagome was the first to recover.
“Shiori-chan, I don’t think Inuyasha-”
“Yeah, I am.”
Kagome turned to Inuyasha out of shock, her hands gripped him where they held him as if to tell him he didn’t need to say anything else.
But seeing this little girl before him, having Kagome beside him...it gave him courage. With his hand that wasn’t holding Kagome’s, he took off his beanie, revealing the set of dog ears underneath. He saw Shiori’s face light up immediately.
In fact, every face on the screen did before they erupted in cheers.
“So cool!”
“Awesome!”
“I wanna touch em!”
Shouts of joy and amusement made Inuyasha’s ears twitch as he took them all in. And seeing those ears actually move made the class all the more crazy. Inuyasha knew his lips were turned up in a lopsided grin, one that he gave specifically to Shiori.
When he smelled the salty scent of Kagome’s tears just beginning to brim, he looked down at her to see her beaming face shining up at him. He didn’t think anyone had ever looked at him with as much pride in her eyes as she did in that moment and he knew all of this was thanks to her.
As Kagome tried to gain the attention of her class again to wrap up, what Inuyasha recognized to be Rin’s voice chimed in above the others. He could see her waving her hand frantically in her little box.
“I have one more question, Higurashi-sensei!”
“Just one, Rin-chan. Inuyasha really needs to get back to work.”
“Are you Higurashi-sensei’s boyfriend?”
The whole class released a simultaneous “oooooooh!”
“Don’t answer that,” a flustered Kagome said to Inuyasha quickly. “We’ll be taking a fifteen-minute break. Please be back in your seats when our timer goes off!”
“Are you?” Rin still asked, desperate for an answer.
“I’ll see everyone soon!” Kagome grabbed her mouse and began to move it to set the timer and end the video.
“Are you?!” the whole class asked in unison.
“Yes!” Inuyasha shouted over everyone and he just began to hear the roar of hollers of approval that blared through the speaker before Kagome cut them off. She swatted him on the arm with her free hand.
“You idiot! Now I’ll never get them to focus.”
“You really shouldn’t lie to them. Their young inquiring minds just wanted to know.”
“It really doesn’t help that I have such a cool, hanyou boyfriend. I’m sorry, I really didn’t know she was going to ask you that outright,” she said as she finally released his hand, only to wrap her arms around his neck and rest her head on his shoulder.
“S’ok. I think it went well.”
“I’ll say. They didn’t react like that to any of the other guest speakers. I guess they can just tell that you’re really special.” His own arms wrapped around her petite frame and pulled her in closer.
“I didn’t know you had a hanyou student.”
“She’s new. And I didn’t know if it would be ok to talk about her when she’s obviously so shy. But I think seeing you will do her some good.”
“Well, she couldn't have a better teacher. You’re really good with the kids. They really adore you.”
“Thanks, but I feel like I can barely keep control of them most of the time.”
“The way you had them responding to you, you could make your own little army and take over the world.” She giggled at that and pulled away from his embrace to place a gentle kiss to his lips.
“If they don’t drive me crazy first. But seriously, thank you for agreeing to do this. They really liked you and I think you inspired a few of them. Shippo especially loves to draw. You should see the things he can do with a pack of crayons. I hope it’s something he can stick with as he gets older.”
“If they really want to do art, they’ll find a way.”
“You’re right. But I guess you have to go back to work now?”
“Yeah, I gotta finish up a sketch. And besides, you’ve got a class to run.”
“Yeah…” Kagome said with a downward purse to her lips.
“I mean...I could always just grab my iPad and work on it in here if you want.” Her eyes lit up, that sparkle that he loved so much completely entrancing him.
“Really?”
“Yeah, I don’t see why not. Just don’t get too distracted or your kids may mutiny.”
“Now, that’s a lot to ask, but I think it’ll be worth the risk,” she said before pressing her lips to his once more.
And amazingly, they made it through the rest of the day with ease, Inuyasha lounging on Kagome’s bed as he worked. Sometimes his eyes would drift over to his girlfriend in the corner who had managed to dodge any further questions regarding her relationship with Inuyasha and presented the other speakers for Career Day, though no one received the same fanfare that he had. Inuyasha noticed her gaze often meeting his own and breaking into a soft smile before turning her attention back to her screen.
And when she was finally done and signed off the computer for the day, she all but leaped into the bed next to him, lips crashing against his own as he let his iPad slip from his fingers onto the floor with a dull thud.
Being a hanyou used to define him. He structured his whole life to shut people out because of it. Luckily, he could draw and was able to establish his own work, even greatly enjoying what he did every day. Being a graphic designer worked well for him, but he had never thought of it as his identity, just something he did to make a living.
Now, what was his favorite job?
Being Higurashi-sensei’s boyfriend.