ax_main | Inu-Yasha and Shen

Shen checks back in with an ultimatum. That goes about as well as expected.

As soon as he was done with class for the day, Inu-yasha took off on the shortest route outside to the grounds, completely done with being cooped up for the day. He was getting used to his classes and all, but he still hated it.

At least when he got outside he could breathe again.

Shen had dropped off her books and launched herself out of her window, wings spreading at the last possible moment to avoid crashing on the ground. She swept up into the sky, and spotted the lonely figure hurrying towards the woods. It had been a few days since their argument, and of course Inu-Yasha hadn't made a move. But their one month was coming up, and Shen had to give it a shot, give him a shot. Make things clear, and give him a choice. She really wanted to believe in him.

So she flew over towards him, pushing her speed and then decreasing it so she could land safely beside him, if he didn't take off running in a desire to avoid her, or something equally silly. She could never tell, with him.

Inu-yasha sensed her swooping in, instincts kicking in and sending him dodging to one side in a small leap. Landing in a crouch, he glared over at her. Sure, she’d been mad at him, but surprise attacks? “Oy! What the hell?”

Shen rolled her eyes as she folded her wings behind her back, shifting her hands back to, well, hands, but keeping her bare feet as talons. "You know that if I'd wanted to attack you, I would've gone a lot faster than that." She wasn't speedster quick yet, but she knew she'd get there. Up in the air. "I saw you, I wanted to check in."

Inu-yasha eyed her warily. Fine, she was right about the speed, but she’d also just freaking swooped in on him without warning. He wasn’t much of an expert, but he was pretty sure the friendly approach typically involved some kind of ‘hello’ or something... “Check in?”

"After last time," Shen confirmed with a nod. "Look - and don't interrupt me, please. I know you've been through some tough shit, and I can't imagine how tough exactly. I've lived a very sheltered life compared to you. But this is the best place, the best place, for you to learn to get past all that. If you want to. And if you want to, I'll do everything I can to help. But if you want to stick to what you've always known, I'm not interested. Not everyone is out to get you, and everybody here has been proving it to you for months now. What more do you need?"

“What I need is for people to stop tryin’ to change me!” He glared at her reproachfully. He had been learning to be more relaxed here, hadn’t snapped at anyone over his ears lately, and had even given this friendship crap a shot. None of that changed what he was, or what that could mean in the future. “Sun today doesn’t mean sun tomorrow,” he said, less aggressive but still angry. “But I’ll still be the demon kid tomorrow, and the day after that, just like I’ve always been.”

"I'm not trying to change you," Shen remarked, very calmly. "I'm asking whether you want to change. And I guess I have my answer." That made her really, really sad.

“That’s the same thing!” What the hell, how could Shen not get that? He folded his arms over his chest, expression darkening. “An’ when I say no, you’re gonna walk away.”

"Yes," Shen confirmed, without an ounce of guilt. (And if she told herself that enough times, then it would become true.) "If you don't want to change, then you don't have any use for friendship."

“The hell’s that supposed to mean?” Inu-yasha demanded, feeling pretty done with this bullshit friendship talk. “I won’t be what you want, so you turn your back.” Exactly like he’d known would happen. Dammit, this was why he was better off alone. “That’s all your friendship amounts to, ne?”

"What does your friendship amount to, Inu-Yasha?" Shen asked, instead of rising to his provocation.

“Fuck if I know,” he said, aiming for a disinterested drawl and looking away. There was some uncomfortable feeling in his gut, but he ignored it. “Didn’t ask you for anything.”

"Figure it out," Shen offered simply. "It's not like I won't be around. Figure out what sort of person you want to be, and if that involves being anyone's friend."

“You’re always saying shit like that,” Inu-yasha shot back at her, glaring again. “Like you’re so much better and smarter. Quit turnin’ it all on me!”

"I'm not going to make decisions for you," Shen retorted. "If that means I'm 'turning it all on you', I'll live with it."

“Argh, fine! Whatever! Then go already,” he growled at her. This had all turned out exactly how he’d predicted - she wanted something from him, wanted to change him, and thought she could hold their ‘friendship’ hostage to get it.

Shen looked at him for a beat. She wanted to say something, to make him see that it wasn't the way he thought it was, except maybe it was? She couldn't understand people who didn't want to become better people. Was something wrong with her that she couldn't keep a single friend in this place? Things weren't improving with Tamara, and now this. No matter how much she'd thought she was ready for this, it turned out that she wasn't, and when she felt the tears prickle at the back of her eyes, she nodded and turned away to jump back into the sky, wings spreading to take her away before he could mock her for that show of weakness.

Inu-yasha visibly flinched, eyes going wide with actual fear as he caught the scent of tears. Wait, she was crying?! What the fuck, why was she crying?? He hated it when girls did that! Kuso, she’d already left, and he was still freaking out. But he hadn’t done anything wrong, dammit!

...right?

Swearing to himself, he marched toward the trees again. Of course he was right. He’d been putting up with her because she’d tricked him into anyway. Good riddance. Yeah, that was it...