Moonlight Becomes You
A/N Okay some people out there might find this story vaguely familiar and that's because it is my same story only the writing was crap before so I'm taking down all the chapters and revamping them. I promise the chapters will be like 5 times longer and the writing better. Won't say much, I know ur getting bored!
Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-yasha & co (but I wish I did just like every other fan out there!). They belong to the great Rumiko Takahasi!
"__"- speech
'__'- thoughts
**__**- flashback
Chapter 1: Sleek Demise
Kagome skipped along the sidewalk, clicking her new shiny black shoes together and humming softly to herself. She was enjoying the cool crisp quality of the autumn air immensely after the brief heat wave her area of Tokyo had just experienced. The trees lining the sidewalk swayed gently in the breeze, resplendent in shades of russet red and golden yellow. Looking down at her brand new uniform, she grinned in spite of herself. Her old brown shoes were out the window to be replaced with stiffer black ones, her green skirt exchanged for a light gray one with bigger pleats, and her top now consisted of a tight white blouse covered by a deep navy blue jacket that cut off midway between her underarms and the bottom of her rib cage. The finishing touch was a small red ribbon to tie underneath the collar of her blouse.
'What is it about new clothes that are so much fun? And this uniform is so much cuter than the one in junior high!'
Watching the clouds drift lazily across the sky, Kagome paused for a moment, hoisted up her new bag and ran her hands over the shiny silver buckle. Everything she looked at seemed new and refreshing because she was finally in high school. Not only that, but against all odds she'd made it into the upscale high school that she'd wanted to go to. It was her first choice even, which was more than she'd dared to dream, what with being away in the feudal era so often.
Suddenly she shook her head and smiled to herself. 'There I go again, day dreaming...got to stop that now that I'm at a harder school...'
Unhooking the buckle on the bag, Kagome reached inside and fished around with her hand for a moment. She pulled out a small black radio and hooked the earphones into her ears. She punched the button to turn it on and winced as the static grated on her ears, but it wasn't long until she found a station and the fuzz faded away.
'Ah...just a news station...' Her fingers moved to the tuner, but just as she was about to change the station something the reporter said caught her attention.
"Breaking news...a man responsible for a mass shooting in a downtown market is currently being chased by police through the Sunset District of Tokyo..."
'The Sunset District? That's...wow that's here!' Kagome thought to herself. She realized that she'd stopped listening to the woman and refocused on the broadcast, slowing her pace and blocking everything else out to concentrate on the anchor's voice.
"...standing about six feet with long curly black hair and pale skin. He's driving a new black corvette with the license plate number NRKU66. The chase has been on for nearly twenty minutes now and several officers as well as civilians have been lost to the ruthless driving skills of the unknown shooter...Citizens in the Sunset District area are advised to...oh...oh kami!" The reporter's breath hitched and her voice rose. "Just now- just now as we sit watching the chase from our copter an officer has-"
Abruptly Kagome's head shot up and she reached up to move her long black tresses out of her face. She looked around slowly then took her earphones out and shoved the radio back in her bag. She cocked her head to the side, swearing she'd heard something odd outside of the broadcast. A faintly muffled call was echoing down the road from the opposite direction. Wondering what in the world it was, she slowly turned around, warily scanning the busy street behind her.
'Did I just hear my name?' she mused. A tiny red sports car zoomed past, weaving in and out of the sparse traffic and sent a gust of wind her way. With a small eep of surprise she flattened her skirt back down then finger combed her slightly ruffled hair. Seeing nothing down the road other than the cars, she turned back around after a moment and continued on her way home, the spring in her step back once again and the news report totally forgotten.
The first of the fallen leaves rustled and were blown down the street into the gutter when suddenly Kagome's head jerked up from fiddling with the buckle on her school case once again.
'Now I'm sure I heard my name that time...'
Sure enough, when she turned around it was to see a young boy clad head to toe in a black school uniform tearing up the opposite side of the street. He was tall and his dark hair was plastered to the side of his face by a faint line of sweat across his brow. The dappled autumn sunlight showed off his warm olive complexion quite well and as he realized that Kagome had finally spotted him, he slowed to a walk and pushed his spiky bangs out of his face, revealing startling jade green eyes. If possible, Kagome's smile grew wider as she waited patiently under the dense foliage of a nearby tree for the boy to cross.
"Ohayo Kei-kun! You look like you just ran a marathon to reach me!" she called, cupping her hands together in front of her mouth to broadcast her voice over the traffic.
Keiji Akifuru was her best friend in the whole world. Most people at school didn't (or couldn't) understand their relationship; they were together all the time but neither one had ever mentioned taking their relationship any further than just friends in all the years they'd known each other. It was obvious that Keiji was unbelievably good looking and most all the girls he encountered drooled over him day and night, but Kagome found she'd never really thought of him that way.
In fact, Kagome hadn't even realized the possibility of anything happening between them until someone else pointed it out for her. It was a very embarrassing moment in Kagome's life, and as she remembered that day her cheeks briefly flushed pink.
*****It was just a few months before, at the shrine where Kagome lived when she was having her close friends sleep over to celebrate her 16th birthday. Tired from a long night of partying, the four were sitting on their sleeping bags squeezed close together on the soft carpet of Kagome's relatively small room. Eri was absentmindedly brushing her hair while Yuka and Ayumi were painting their toenails. Kagome was contently nestled deep in her sleeping bag.
"So Kag, it's your sweet sixteen and you still haven't gotten yourself a boyfriend...what are you waiting for girl?!" grilled Kagome's friend Yuka, looking up from her half finished left foot. The petite girl may have looked delicate but her close friends knew her to be feisty when she was determined about something. As this was just one of these situations, her eyes were twinkling with wry humor and probing resolve.
"Yeah Kag, why don't you?" chorused the other two girls, their faces alight with merriment.
"Oh..." Kagome stuttered. "I dunno!" she cried as the heat rose to her face. "I suppose it's because I don't really have anyone in mind..."
'Or maybe because the one I do have in mind is already interested in someone else...I mean...no progress after a whole year...' A flicker of sadness appeared in her eyes and she sighed to herself, but she quickly squashed the feeling and snuggled deeper into her sleeping bag. Of course she would never tell her friends about any of these private thoughts or she knew she'd never hear the end of it.
"So we'll find someone for you!" they all said in unison then laughed.
"What about that guy Hojo? He seems like he really likes you Kag. And here's a bonus, he's an upperclassman, so even if you date him a bit and decide you don't like him, you've already crossed the age barrier and therefore have rights to the other upperclassmen!" piped Eri.
At this the other two girls let out oos of appreciation. "Sounds like a deal to me!" said Ayumi.
"Hojo? I don't know about that..." said Kagome, a slight frown creasing her forehead and she slid out of her bag to amble over to her dresser grab her own brush. "He's nice and all...but it's almost like he's too nice, you know what I mean?" The other three laughed knowingly and she held up her hand and bonked her head lightly. "Kinda...dense."
"Well...not Hojo...then who?" wondered Yuka, a pensive look on her face. "I know! It's so perfect!" she exclaimed. "You should hook up with Keiji!"
Kagome paused halfway through trying to tackle a particularly nasty tangle to gape at Yuka in shock. "Kei?! Wah...?" She opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again, but couldn't think of a single thing to say.
Ayumi giggled much like a five year old and pointed to Kagome. "Wow Kag, you look like a fish! I think we've got something here girls."
"Oh c'mon Kag, you know Yuka has a point. You've been best friends with Keiji for like ever so you know there won't be any problems getting along or anything...and he's really hot...... in case you haven't noticed..." said Eri.
"I guess I never really paid attention to that kind of thing about Kei...he's just...Kei!" Kagome gestured confusedly with her hands. She dropped them into her lap and suddenly found her pajama pants very interesting. "Besides...I don't think Kei would ever see me that way either..." she whispered quietly. *****
Keiji's curse of exasperation brought her back to the present with an unpleasant jolt and she looked up to see him standing hovering on the curb of the other side of the street and tapping his foot impatiently. Though there wasn't too much traffic, he was finding it hard to get a chance to cross the street safely. Finally an opening appeared he rushed forward, his school bag slung across his shoulder and bouncing along against his back.
It seemed in Kagome's mind that those few seconds in time were forever suspended. The world slowed and Keiji's strides became ridiculously long and strained looking. The rumble of a motor in the distance swarmed like a hundred angry hornets. Keiji eyes flicked in the direction of the sound and slowly, oh so slowly, his head began to turn.
The sight that met his eyes caused them to widen in shock. His mouth parted into a little 'o' of surprise. All expression left his face, leaving in its wake blank features and a pair of piercing green eyes with twin black corvettes reflected in each speeding towards him at an impossible rate.
Kagome barely had time to suck in a breath, much less cry out any coherent kind of warning. Her mind was racing, going ninety miles a second, but at the same time it seemed she was wading through a river of molasses up to her chest. And so she stared hopelessly at Keiji as she struggled forward, her hand outstretched in a desperate effort to pull him out and away from the sleek predator that would surely be his demise. She stopped breathing and the world faded out around her.
It would hit him any second. An incessant rhythmic, 'no...no...no...no...no' pounded through her head. It was almost as if Kagome could see it written before her eyes, pulsing in time with her heartbeat, 'no...no...no...no...'
Vainly Kagome coiled her muscles in an attempt to spring forward and shove Keiji out of the way.
Then at the very last second the corvette swerved a few inches to the left.
It zoomed past, mere inches from slicing Keiji in half. The side mirrors ruffled the loose sleeves of his uniform as it passed by. He turned around and stared after it vacantly as it continued down the road still swerving dangerously this way and that.
Time slammed back into normal gear and Kagome stumbled forward, gasping for breath and weak with relief.
'Did...did it really miss him? Is he still alive?'
Nobody noticed the police car buzzing along down the road towards them, obviously in pursuit of the other car. The siren was smashed, tinted pieces splintered across the hood of the car and littered around the ground behind it as it zipped along. The windshield was in similar shape, long spidery cracks branching off to every corner. Barely visible inside was the dutiful police officer; his face set in determination to catch this cold blooded murderer despite the obvious danger he'd already had a taste of.
Kagome looked up and saw the police car just as it reached Keiji. Shocked to suddenly find a human obstruction in his path, the officer desperately flung the wheel in the other direction.
Like a snapshot that picture would remain burned in behind Kagome's eyes all her life. Hit square in the back, Keiji flew through the air, his frame arched at a sickeningly unnatural angle, indescribable pain etched into every line of his face, his mouth gaping open as the air exploded from his lungs, the wind whistling through his shaggy dark hair as he ascended then came down again about thirty feet away. His landing seemed somehow soft in comparison to the hit, as if he was gently lying down on the cool asphalt.
Already there was a sizeable pool of blood forming all around him, dying his clothes a dark berry red. Kagome took one look at him and let loose a gut wrenching scream. Wobbling dangerously, she fought desperately to make her way to his side through the haze of tears clouding her vision.
Meanwhile behind her, the police car that didn't quite make it out of Keiji's way found its second target. It swerved off the road and crashed headlong into a giant telephone pole then promptly set itself alight, little flames licking out from under the hood. A few seconds later the engine blew, the force of the blast flinging Kagome almost as far as Keiji.
Kagome wondered at the curious sensation of soaring through the air, then her head connected with the pavement and the darkness swallowed her up.
*_-_*_-_*_-_*_-_*_-_*_-_*_-_*_-_*_-_*_-_*_-_*_-_*_-_*_-_*_-_*
Years away, Inu Yasha flicked his ears irritably as another stone hit the side of his face, courtesy of a small kitsune sprawled out a good ten feet to his right. He had half a mind to pop the kit one, but that would involve getting up and that was the one thing Inu Yasha wanted to avoid most of all.
Insufferable heat beat down on the pair of demons even though they laid out in the shade of the trees bordering the forest. The constant drone of hundreds of insects made all the worse and as Inu Yasha felt yet another pebble connecting with his ear, he about lost control.
"ALRIGHT YOU STUPID RUNT!! SHIPPO, THAT'S IT!!" he roared and sprang up, making a swipe for Shippo's tail and missing by inches.
Desperately the little fox scampered away and out of the grasp of the enraged hanyou. "AHHH! I was just playing Inu Yasha!!"
This, predictably, had absolutely no effect on Inu Yasha, and so they dashed on, crashing through the undergrowth until they broke through into a clearing that led to the edge of a river. Shippo's eyes lit up at the sight of the sparkling clear water and dashed even more desperately towards it. With a cry of delight he leapt, spreading his arms and preparing himself for the cool kiss of flowing water.
When it didn't come after a few seconds, he cracked an eye open wondering what was going on. The sight that met him was a very smug looking Inu Yasha holding him up by the tail as he stood in the cool river.
"Oh this feels soooooo good Shippo, why aren't you joining me? It's such a relief from the heat...nice and cold..." He sneered then said, "Oh yeah, I know why...BECAUSE ANNOYING LITTLE BRATS LIKE YOU DESERVE BEING MISERABLY HOT!"
Shippo whimpered and put on his best 'pity me' face then looked up at Inu Yasha with mock teary eyes. "Pleeeease Inu Yasha let me in the water! I'm dying!!!" he moaned.
"No." It was only too obvious how much Inu Yasha was enjoying this.
Seeing this wouldn't work, the little kitsune quickly changed tactics. He crossed his tiny arms as well as he could while being held up by his rear and glared and the hanyou. "I'll tell Kagome that you did this when she gets back! I swear I will and then you'll get sat good!"
With a roll of his eyes and a snort of disgust, no doubt for troublesome little fox demons as well as vindictive mikos with restraining spells, he released Shippo and let him plop into the water. Shippo came up spluttering, but happy.
"Ahhhh that feels so much better!" he cried gleefully.
"Yeah yeah..." grumbled Inu Yasha, who waded away a little, then lay down in the water on his back to relax. His mind turned as ever to the miko subject of their conversation, Kagome. He sighed.
'Things are always so slow here without her. I still don't see the importance of that stupid school thing that she insists on going to all the time...she seems beyond smart enough for anything she would need to do already...so why go through so much worry and effort to learn more stuff that you won't use?... But then she seemed so happy that she made it into that high school thing or whatever she called it...I just couldn't help letting her stay longer than usual...'
He started up and out of the water with a giant splash when a cold thrill rushed down his spine.
'Bad feelings...very bad feelings...'
Shippo looked up from his lounging area to see the dripping hanyou casting wildly about and sniffing the air, worry crinkling his brow. "What's wrong Inu Yasha?" he asked, puzzled at his strange behavior.
"I have...well I have a really bad feeling about...about Kagome...and-" his eyes widened and he turned in the direction of the well, sniffing furiously again. His eyes hardened and his face set into a grim expression. "She's bleeding. A lot."
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O.O Wow...I know that this is a revamping and everything so it's basically all the same ideas...but wow. I feel like it's not even the same story anymore (in a good way)! It seems a lot more comprehensive and interesting and alive ya know? Well, it took a really long time to do this chapter and I'm really tired so I won't say much...adios chicos y chicas!!
R&R onegai!
~Silence