DISCLAIMER: I still don't own Inuyasha...
Chapter Two
Sesshoumaru tore through the night sky in his true form, massive paws trampling down the clouds which obscured the moon's sallow face. His powerful lungs drank deeply from the frigid air around him, purging away the last traces of her maddening scent.
If only the haze of memory could be so easily dispelled.
In his mind she still lay sprawled before him, her strange, inadequate clothing scarcely covering past the swell of her hips, moonlight ghosting over her naked thighs. Her voice was soft with caution as she addressed him, her pulse fluttering like moth wings beneath her delicate skin.
"Why did you stop me?"
The daiyoukai growled low in his throat.
Foolish girl. It was clear she mistook the frequency of his visits for desperation. As if his power could be so greatly diminished by the absence of one limb. Ally and enemy alike still quailed before him. None was his equal. His supremacy over the Western Lands remained unrivalled and unquestioned.
No. This had never been about the arm.
It had been about the defiant flash in her eyes as she'd leveled his father's sword against him. It had been about the determined set of her jaw, the heady thrum of power in her blood, the indescribable threat that had suddenly presented itself in human form.
"What are you?" he had demanded in dark wonder.
Even now, months later, Sesshoumaru could not say.
Crimson eyes glared down at the tiny village below him. In one of those miserable hovels the miko would be sleeping soundly, her mind as free as his was imprisoned.
Since that day in the demon's graveyard, she had become a plague upon his thoughts. Lying alone on the rocky ground, bloody and maimed and disgraced, her insolent face had been all he could see, her voice a ceaseless, taunting echo in his ears. Inuyasha may have been the one to sever his arm, but he could never have wielded Tessaiga without that damnable girl. Miko, sorceress—whatever she was—she had been the one responsible for Sesshoumaru's defeat. She had done this to him.
And she would answer for it.
After his wounds had closed, the daiyoukai had sought out the source of his torment, watching her from a distance, her blunted senses none-the-wiser to his presence. Huddled near a campfire, the girl before him had born little resemblance to the detestable phantom conjured from his fevered memories.
Her azure eyes had gleamed like jewels in the reflected heat of the flames, the faint red bow of her lips curving into a smile as she'd gazed down at the kitsune cub dozing in her lap. Sesshoumaru remembered how the firelight had warmed her fair skin and lent a muted glow to the dark hair tumbling freely down her back and shoulders, its clean scent drifting toward him on the breeze.
Immune though he had believed himself to be, the daiyoukai had never been ignorant to the charms of mortal flesh. Hadn't that woman Izayoi been lovely as well?
Sesshoumaru had been unfortunate enough to hear them rutting once—Izayoi and his father—and the shameful sound of it had forever tarnished the daiyoukai's opinion of the Inu no Taishou.
Chichi-ue, he mused now in scorn, staring up at the cold, brittle stars. Did you know those breathy sighs were heralding your doom?
Did you even care?
For what seemed like hours, Sesshoumaru had studied the miko through the simmering haze of the campfire, the fever of her magic burning beneath his skin. His wretched stump had throbbed viciously, his features darkening in pain.
Nothing about her had stricken him as particularly remarkable. He had encountered far more capable priestesses than she, yet none had succeeded in laying so much as a scratch on his armor, let alone afflicting him with a lingering curse. He had simply been careless during the battle. In underestimating his half-brother's ability to wield Tessaiga, he must have provided her with an opening as well.
As he'd stood there seething, the miko had glanced abruptly in his direction, stilling the air in his lungs. He had concealed his youki perfectly—she should never have been able to detect him. Yet her head had tilted faintly in question, a slight knit in her brow. Under her scrutiny, the reiki trapped in his mutilated appendage had flared hotly, and Sesshoumaru had bitten back a snarl at its sear.
Clawed fingers had flexed, curling like talons as he'd stalked forward, yet before the circle of firelight could reveal him, he'd sensed a familiar presence approaching quickly through the forest. Amber eyes narrowing to slits, Sesshoumaru had reluctantly turned away from the enigma before him, disappearing into the night.
With each encounter that had followed, his troubling preoccupation with his half-brother's miko had only intensified. Like the seal in his flesh, the thought of her had persisted—an irritating splinter which he could not seem to dislodge. Instead, it had burrowed deeper, leaching black poison into his blood, consuming him from within.
Convinced that her stubborn magic lay at the heart of his madness, he had confronted her at last, threatening to slay her companions if she did not break the enchantment. She had complied, but her obvious lack of training had made progress difficult in the beginning, her slowness affording him ample opportunity to observe her more closely.
Her presence had both soothed and stoked his unsettling fascination, and as her ability to focus reiki had strengthened, his own control had begun to crumble. He had started summoning her with increasing regularity, awaiting their nocturnal meetings with growing impatience. He had found himself anticipating her pleasant scent, the sound of her voice, the warmth of her touch against his cool, scarred skin. He had caught himself gazing at her without reservation as she worked to lift the curse, his eyes tracing the delicate contours of her face, the pale smooth column of her neck, the slenderness of her arms and the fullness of her chest. His traitorous thoughts had wandered further still, sliding beneath the fabric of her unusual clothes, imagining hidden flesh and how it might taste…
Sesshoumaru could no longer deny that he wanted her, and with the resentment that had accompanied that admission, a sinister doubt had surfaced in his mind. A doubt he'd only given voice to in that moment when the miko finally succeeded in destroying a part of the seal.
What if the curse was not the true cause of his fixation? What if this madness persisted even after her magic had been removed?
This girl, this human, he had thought furiously, what has she done to me?
Her disobedience had been the final straw. He had commanded her to stop, and when she'd refused, he had snapped, his careful restraint fast incinerating in the firestorm of his rage. He'd thrown her from him as his eyes had flooded red. For a moment she had simply lain there, prone and fearful, and the beast in him had roared with savage need.
As she'd clambered to her feet, he had seen the raw terror mirrored in her eyes and thought that she would never return to him willingly after that. Throughout the following day, he had pursued her, poised to intercept her if she attempted to flee his lands. Yet she had not fled, and after an agonizing wait, she had answered his summons—wary, but for the most part unafraid. And then, in a curious blend of relief and inexplicable frustration, he had known.
The girl…she had not understood what she'd seen the night before.
This time, after another part of the seal had broken with a thunderous crack, she had obeyed his orders to stop, though not without question. As he'd held her fragile wrist in his hand, he'd felt the creep of that insidious doubt entering his mind once again. Without warning, he had released her and risen to his feet.
He needed time to think about what he would do if the curse turned out not to be the cause of his predicament. He needed space to regain his sense of calm.
He needed to get away from this miko before he did something he would most certainly regret.
"…three days' time," he had told her as he'd left her sitting there unhappily in the dirt.
Three days…
Sesshoumaru dashed across the starry sky, nearing his destination at last. He landed soundlessly at the edge of a wild field, transforming the moment his claws touched the ground. Tall grass swayed around his booted feet, the gentle breeze ruffling through his hair and the silky fur of his pelt. In the distance, Ah-Un slumbered on, his dark bulk rising obtrusively from the plain like a living, breathing boulder.
He had barely taken two steps in the direction of the dragon when he heard an exclamation of delight and saw a small bright creature hurtling toward him, a much duller one in tow.
"Get back here, human!" Jakken wailed, brandishing his wooden staff futilely at the child running ahead of him. "How dare you approach Sesshoumaru-sama without permission!"
The little girl, of course, ignored him. She skidded to a halt only once she had reached a close, yet respectful, distance, staring up at Sesshoumaru with an adoration he had never understood.
She beamed, a few gaps still apparent in the rows of her teeth. "Rin is so happy to see you again, Sesshoumaru-sama!"
Sesshoumaru said nothing, his golden eyes slanting toward Jakken.
"Why," he spoke to the imp, "is Rin awake at this hour?"
Jakken trembled, fumbling with his staff. "Mi-milord, I—"
"Rin wanted to wait up for you, Sesshoumaru-sama," the child interjected in a wavering voice, ducking her head contritely. "Rin is sorry."
"See, milord!" Jakken blabbered. His stubby green finger pointed accusingly at Rin. "It was all her fault, not mine!"
Sesshoumaru's jaw tightened in irritation.
"Jakken," he said quietly.
"Y-yes, milord?"
Bulbous yellow eyes peered up at him hopefully, blinking in question when the shadow of Sesshoumaru's boot fell over his face. The imp barely had time to yelp as the daiyoukai's foot drove him headfirst to the ground.
While his useless vassal spat up a mouthful of earth, Sesshoumaru approached Rin, whose head was still bowed deeply in shame. Even her normally jaunty ponytail seemed to hang limp in remorse. His fingers rested lightly in her dark hair, gently tilting back her head. Large brown eyes looked up at him timidly.
"I am not angry with you," he said, calmly holding her gaze. "Now, go to sleep."
Her face split into another toothy grin. "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!"
He watched as she bounded away, tucking herself into Ah-Un's warmth. Without sparing Jakken so much as a backward glance, Sesshoumaru wandered toward a distant corner of the field. Here, the grass grew sparsely, eventually giving way to sheer rock near the jagged edge of a cliff.
Pebbles skittered across stone as Sesshoumaru stepped up to the very edge, his eyes and thoughts fixing upon a point in the distance. In the butchered remains of his left arm, he registered a subtle twinge.
These next three days, he mused darkly, might well prove to be the longest in his very long life.
Higurashi Kagome had never felt better.
Of course, that was a bit of an overstatement. But her mood had improved a great deal over the past two days. Two wonderful, Sesshoumaru-free days.
She sighed happily, leaning back against the smooth bark of a maple tree. They had been wending their way toward Edo village when a bout of weakness had forced Kikyou—and by extension the rest of the group—to halt their travels for the day. Not that Kagome was complaining. Normally, Inuyasha drove them onward at a breakneck pace, and it was nice to finally have some time to relax and enjoy the scenery for a change.
It was a beautiful afternoon in early spring. Life had returned to the dead winter landscape, painting it in broad strokes of green. Soft new grass tickled at Kagome's bare legs. On a thin stalk near her shoe, an inquisitive beetle perched precariously, seeming to consider whether or not it should make the jump. As the insect wavered, Kagome's gaze shifted elsewhere.
In the near distance, Shippou was chasing a kitten-sized Kirara through a crop of wildflowers, leaving a cloud of scattered petals in his wake, while Miroku and Sango busied themselves with building a fire. Kagome watched them exchange a few friendly smiles and glances, but from the way the monk kept eyeing Sango's backside when she wasn't looking, Kagome knew the peace wasn't going to last.
Sure enough, only minutes later, a resounding smack split the quiet air, setting the birds at the edge of the forest to flight. Somewhere amidst the shadows of those ancient trees, Kikyou would be absorbing the souls of freshly-departed young women, Inuyasha no doubt crouched loyally at her side as he waited for his lover to regain her strength.
Kagome wondered what sort of feast Kikyou's shinidamachu would bring her this time. How many souls would it take to satisfy that clay body of hers? Over the past few weeks, her appetite seemed to have grown. Perhaps all the extra activity she was engaging in was starting to take its toll…
Forcibly, Kagome derailed that train of thought. She found herself immensely grateful for the space separating her from that particular pair of lovebirds, although in that moment she didn't think even the Bone-Eater's Well could take her far enough away from them for her peace of mind.
Desperate for any sort of distraction, Kagome began rifling through the fat yellow backpack at her hip. It had been days since she'd even thought about studying. She consulted her schedule planner. Just as she'd feared, she had a mock high school entrance exam coming up in exactly one week. The exam subjects were math and English—her least favorites by far.
Kagome glowered. With a heavy sigh, she extracted her notebook and textbooks. At least she'd be able to get a few good hours of studying in before sundown. Past experience had taught her that reading geometry proofs by firelight was as good a sleep aid as any of Granny Kaede's herbal concoctions, and Kagome had an appointment later this evening. Somehow she doubted Sesshoumaru would be amused to find her once again sleeping through his summons.
Kami help me if I keep His Highness waiting for more than a second, she grumbled inwardly, dropping her stack of study materials in her lap. Steeling herself as if for battle, she chose the greater of two evils and cracked open her math notebook first.
Nose to the grindstone, Higurashi.
Pencil between her teeth, Kagome flipped through the pages, finding the beginning of the photocopied class notes Ayumi had given her during her last visit home. For a good half hour, she poured over theorem after theorem, blue eyes constantly flicking back and forth between the figures in the text and her teacher's commentary, captured in Ayumi's small, neat hand.
If lines A and B are parallel and line C intersects line A at angle theta, then angle phi must be equal to angle theta—no wait, it's 180 degrees minus angle theta, right? Kagome's nails scraped her scalp as she clutched at her hair in frustration. Why can't I keep all these stupid rules straight?!
She turned back a page in the notes. As her eyes skimmed the page for the relevant theorem, she saw something scribbled in the margin which she hadn't noticed before. A little arrow connected the scribbled note to Theorem 4A: 'Make sure to know this for the exam next week!'
Kagome blinked. "Next week?"
A jolt of panic shot through her. She snatched up her discarded planner, leafing through it furiously. The date she'd marked down for the mock exam was one week later than Ayumi's notes seemed to indicate. Could her friend have written 'next week' by mistake? Kagome considered it highly unlikely. Ayumi was the most diligent person Kagome knew, and one of the top students in their class besides. No, if anyone had made a mistake here, it was Kagome herself.
Which meant that her first high school mock entrance exam…was only two hours away.
Cramming her school things into her backpack, Kagome sprang to her feet, hefting the straps over her shoulders as she rose. She sprinted awkwardly toward the campfire, a look of unadulterated horror on her face.
Seeing her in such a state, Sango and Miroku leapt up from the ground, weapons at the ready.
"A youkai ambush, Kagome-sama?" Miroku inquired grimly. The bright red handprint on his cheek somewhat detracted from his air of grave concern.
"No—it's much worse!" Kagome breathed, skidding to a halt. "Kirara!"
Already transformed, the firecat flew to Kagome's side. Feral red eyes regarded her questioningly.
"Kirara, would you mind taking me home?" Kagome asked hurriedly. "It's an emergency."
The cat youkai rumbled in assent. With a quick thanks, Kagome climbed onto Kirara's back—a task made somewhat difficult by the load of textbooks she was carrying over her shoulders. As they prepared to take off, she felt a light touch on her wrist and glanced down to see Sango looking at her in worry.
"Kagome-chan," the taijiya said softly, dark brown eyes carefully searching Kagome's blue ones. "Did you…see something in the woods?"
"Eh?" Kagome blinked. "See something…?"
Besides youkai, what else could Kagome have seen that would send her running away in a panic? And then it dawned on her.
Oh. Inuyasha and Kikyou.
She's worried I'm not going to come back this time, Kagome realized with a pang.
She shook her head, managing a queasy smile. "Don't worry, Sango-chan. I'll be back soon. There's just something I have to take care of right now."
Still not seeming entirely reassured, Sango released her. "Safe travels, then, Kagome-chan."
Kagome nodded as Kirara took abruptly to the sky. Cold air lashed at her cheeks as they rose, whipping back her hair. The ground below them soon blurred as they sped onward toward the Bone-Eater's Well.
Every few seconds, Kagome checked her watch, her anxiety growing with each passing minute. Sweat broke out across her skin, and she silently apologized to Kirara for all the salt she was leaking onto her fur.
It was a solid hour before they began to descend toward Edo village. At the sight of Goshinboku, Kagome sighed wearily in relief.
They touched down a few feet from the well, Kagome's hop from Kirara's back really more of a fall. Picking herself up off the ground, she scrambled over to the portal. Her backpack felt like a ton of bricks.
"Bye, Kirara—thanks again!" she yelled without looking back, hoisting herself over the ledge and into the present.
Through a haze of brilliant purple light, the Modern Era rushed up to meet her. Kagome landed feet first with an "oomph!" She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the dim light of the shrine, hands groping for the rung of a ladder.
"Kagome dear, is that you?" her mother's voice rang out above her.
"Hai, Mama!" Kagome called back.
Her fingers found the first rung, and she started to climb. Above her, Mrs. Higurashi's kind face peeked over the edge of the well, her brow wrinkled in concern.
"I was so worried you'd forgotten about your exam," she said as Kagome at last stepped onto the wooden floor of the shrine. "Your friends came by a while ago looking for you."
Kagome groaned. So it's true…I really do have an exam to take!
"I had forgotten, Mama," she admitted reluctantly.
Crouching to the floor right on the spot, she emptied her backpack of the heavy textbooks and notebooks. They wouldn't be of any help to her now.
Her mom leaned the broom she'd been holding against the wall, turning toward the door.
"I'll go get my car keys, dear."
"No, Mama," Kagome said impatiently, shouldering her considerably lightened backpack as she stood. "Thank you, but with this traffic, it'll be a lot faster if I just bike there."
"Are you sure?"
Kagome nodded, dashing past her with a wave. "See you in a few hours!"
Through the open door, Kagome spied her mother's bike standing near the side of the house. She ran over to it at once, knocking back the kickstand as she swung herself into the seat. Forgoing the shrine steps for obvious reasons, she veered off to the right where an almost invisible side path curved past Goshinboku and down the hill to the street.
"Banzai!" she heard her mother shouting after her. Despite herself, Kagome smiled, picking up speed crazy fast as she barreled downward to the sidewalk below.
Her front tire met the pavement with a bang, and Kagome swerved hard to the right to avoid launching herself into the street. Her legs pumped like steel pistons as she hurtled onward, pedaling as though her life depended on it. Although in way, she supposed it did.
My future is here, she thought with a heavy heart. In this world.
Luckily, the testing center was within biking distance of Kagome's house. If she'd had to take the train, she would've really been in trouble. As it was though, Kagome arrived at her destination with fifteen minutes to spare. Clumsily securing her mother's bike to the rack outside, she stumbled over to the entrance, all but falling against the cold glass door.
She entered the examination room still breathing like a winded rhinoceros. What she must have looked like to her surprised classmates, she had no idea. Wordlessly, she handed her exam slip over to the proctor, who was glaring at her in stern disapproval. His thin lips pursed as he scanned the slip with beady black eyes, yet after a moment, he directed her to an empty desk.
Kagome collapsed into her seat, digging her pencils and calculator out of her bag. The other students were already filling out the diagnostics portion of the exam, and Kagome rushed to catch up with them. Her dirty, sweaty fingers made gripping her pencil straight a challenge, and she winced visibly at the smudges now marring her answer sheet.
Well, this is certainly getting off to a great start, she mused sourly, propping her chin up with her free hand.
Needless to say, the exam was a total disaster. Afterwards, Kagome left the testing center in a daze, looking as though she'd just survived some sort of war.
"Cheer up, Kagome-chan!" Eri said brightly, linking her arm through Kagome's as they walked over to the bike rack. "It's only a mock exam, you know."
Easy for you to say, Kagome thought glumly.
Her friends in the Modern Era still had no idea about her life in Sengoku Jidai. Kagome had considered telling them many times, but to be honest, she just didn't know how she could do so without sounding like a lunatic. Still, she wished that they could somehow understand, that they would know how hard she was trying to remain a part of this world. How difficult it was for her to do even the simplest things like homework or showing up for a test on time.
"Well, anyway, I've got to go catch my train!" Eri said, releasing Kagome as she began to hurry toward the station. "Thanks for the gift, by the way!" she called back over her shoulder. "See you tonight!"
"Gift?" Kagome repeated blankly.
"Don't tell me you've forgotten!"
She turned to find Yuka glaring at her, hands on her hips, Ayumi standing at her side. Kagome looked between the two of them, completely at a loss.
"Kagome-chan," Ayumi chided gently, "today is Eri-chan's birthday, remember?"
Kagome blanched. "Ah…"
"So she did forget," Yuka muttered, her eyes slanting toward Ayumi.
"Don't worry, Kagome-chan," Ayumi said softly. "We know you've been preoccupied with your illness. You weren't even able to come downstairs the day we went shopping for Eri-chan's present, so your mom just gave us your share of the money instead." Her wavy hair bounced as she shook her head in sympathy. "Crohn's disease sounds just awful!"
Crohn's disease? Kagome wondered. What the heck has Grandpa been telling them now?
"Ah, Higurashi!" a familiar voice hailed her from the left. She glanced over to see Hojo making his way toward her, smiling. "I'm glad to see you were feeling well enough to attend the exam." He pulled a small parcel from his pocket. "Please accept this."
"Thanks, Hojo-kun," Kagome responded automatically, taking the box from his hands. Inside was a vial filled with some sort of greenish liquid. "…What is it?"
"An herbal remedy my grandmother told me about," he replied helpfully, raising a finger. "Good for soothing inflamed bowels."
Inflamed…bowels!?
Kagome's cheeks burst into flame.
"H-how thoughtful," she stammered, mortified.
Family or not, she was going to murder that old man…
"Well, I'd better get going," he said with a bashful smile, ruffling a hand through his bangs. "See you tonight, I hope?"
Yuka slung an arm around Kagome's rigid shoulders, more than happy to answer for her. "Yep! See you, Hojo-kun!"
As the three girls watched him go, a green sedan drew to a stop in front of the testing center, honking briefly. Ayumi gave an exclamation of surprise.
"Oh! That's my mom. See you this evening," she said, hurrying over to the parked car.
Yuka waved goodbye, but Kagome was still in somewhat of a stupor.
"Wait, what's going on tonight?" she asked Yuka once Ayumi and her mother had driven away, the redness finally starting to recede from her cheeks.
"We're celebrating Eri-chan's birthday, of course!" Yuka said excitedly. "Dinner at Sayuki's followed by karaoke!"
"Oh," Kagome said, perking up, "that sounds—oh god…"
Her jaw slammed shut, blue eyes widening in alarm.
In all the confusion over the mock exam, Kagome had completely forgotten about her meeting with Sesshoumaru this evening.
Idiot, idiot, idiot! Her mind sang as she cradled her head in her hands.
"Oh no," Yuka growled, taking Kagome by the arms. "You're not bailing on us this time!"
Kagome looked at her apologetically.
"Yuka-chan," she began, "I'm really sorry, but I can't. I've already promised to meet someone."
Yuka's features darkened. "Someone, huh? And who might that be, Kagome-chan? Your two-timing delinquent boyfriend?"
"That guy was never my boyfriend," Kagome snapped. "And there's nothing between us now."
"Oh really? If not him, who are you going to meet up with then?"
Kagome's jaw clenched.
His brother, actually, her mind corrected snidely.
But she wasn't about to open that can of worms.
"That's what I thought," Yuka declared, taking Kagome's silence as confirmation. "Well, that scoundrel can keep himself entertained for one night. You've got plans."
Kagome looked at her desperately.
"Yuka-chan, please…"
But Yuka would not be moved. She shook her head, beginning to walk toward the metro station.
"You'd better be there, Kagome-chan! You can't just keep blowing off your closest friends over some loser guy." She paused, glancing back. "Besides, after forgetting Eri-chan's birthday, showing up to the party is the least you can do!"
Kagome knew that Yuka was right. Her friends in the Modern Era were no less important than her friends in Sengoku Jidai, and Kagome knew she hadn't been treating them fairly. Of course, her dealings with Sesshoumaru were literally a matter of life and death for her companions there, but if she continued to neglect her friendships here, Eri, Ayumi and Yuka might, in a way, end up dead to her, too.
She had to go to this party, at least for a little while.
It should be okay, she told herself as the anxiety began to set in. Sesshoumaru never calls on me until late at night.
Why would this evening be any different?
For the most part, Eri's birthday dinner at Sayuki's had gone off without a hitch. Besides Kagome, Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka, Hojo and three of his guy friends had also shown up, which had caused the seating arrangement to become somewhat strategic. In an obvious setup attempt by Yuka, Kagome had, of course, been ushered into a spot next to Hojo, and their dinner conversation had mostly consisted of awkward silences and discussions of Kagome's fabricated medical history.
But the food had been great—even if she'd had to eat it while enduring Hojo's sweet, if embarrassing, attentions. Living off the land and poor villagers' charity had made for some bland meals recently, and it was all Kagome could do not to devour her edamame and curry udon like a hungry savage.
Most importantly, though, it was clear that Eri was enjoying herself, and the knowledge warmed Kagome's heart even as unease prickled at the back of her mind. As they left the izakaya restaurant, she seriously considered just turning heel and fleeing for the well, but one pointed glance from Yuka effectively nipped that notion in the bud, though it did little to quell her turbulent thoughts.
Eyes like liquid gold simmered in the shadow of her memories, a phantom twinge stinging in the center of her palm.
"…Higurashi?"
Kagome jumped as Hojo's hand fell lightly on her shoulder. The rest of the group was several feet ahead of them, and she realized she had just stopped walking in the middle of the street.
"Are you feeling all right?" Hojo's warm brown eyes gleamed with worry. "You're quite pale."
"O-of course!" Kagome replied, forcing a grin. "I was just, uh…thinking about today's mock exam, that's all."
"I see," he said with a nod of understanding. "Try not to dwell on it too much, Higurashi. Such stress can aggravate your condition."
"…Right," Kagome mumbled as she and Hojo resumed their course, quickly catching up with their friends.
A few blocks down, they reached their destination: a popular piano bar which was a personal favorite of Eri's. Even this early in the evening, the bar was already packed with high school and college students, yet they still managed to secure a karaoke room. They played for about an hour, taking turns singing at the mic while the others hung out on the leather couches nearby, talking, laughing and cheering the singer on.
Increasingly, Kagome found herself just going through the motions, hoping she didn't look as much of a nervous wreck as she felt. She accepted a bottle of soda from Hojo with a weak smile. Even without Yuka's machinations, he had continued to stick loyally by her side. He sat down next to her again now, at the end of the couch, and while the rest of their friends were absorbed in watching a comedic duet by Eri and Yuka, he started to speak to her in a low tone.
"Higurashi," he began, Kagome's stomach cart-wheeling at the intent expression on his handsome face, "there's something I've been meaning to ask you…"
Whatever Hojo had been about to say was lost in a roar of applause for Eri and Yuka. Breathless from their performance, the two girls gave an exaggerated bow before returning to the couches, Kagome watching curiously as Yuka extracted something from her purse the moment she sat down.
"Hey everyone," she said, beaming as she waved a bottle of clear liquid from side-to-side, "let's have a drink to celebrate Eri-chan's birthday!"
Her suggestion was met with an enthusiastic cheer, and they began passing the bottle around in a circle. For the sake of camaraderie, Kagome took a tiny sip, cringing as the liquor burned a fiery path down the back of her throat.
"Ugh! Yuka-chan, where did you even get this stuff?" she asked, rinsing her mouth out with soda.
"Found it in my onii-san's room," Yuka answered proudly. "He's not supposed to bring that kind of stuff into the house."
And that makes it okay for you to take it? Kagome wondered, her brows lifting quizzically.
When the liquor came around a second time, she politely declined. The others weren't so inhibited. By the time the bottle was empty, even shy, quiet Ayumi was giggling uncontrollably, her cheeks flushed red. Kagome gaped at her in shock.
No! You're supposed to be the responsible one!
Karaoke resumed, but the singers' words were so slurred that both audience and performer could barely get through the first twenty seconds of a song without collapsing in a graceless, laughing heap. While their drunken antics were pretty amusing, Kagome was thinking that now might be a good time to slip away. Hojo's friend Yarata spilling a half-full glass of ice water down her back only served to reinforce this line of thinking.
"Well, would you look at the time?" Kagome announced as she stood from the couch, damp shirt sticking uncomfortably to her shoulder blades. "I think I'll call it a night."
"Wait…Kagome-chan," Eri said, taking Kagome by the hand and leaning heavily on her arm. "Please don't go just yet. I've thought of a fun game we can play!"
"A game?"
Eri nodded, her eyes slightly unfocused as she lifted the empty soda bottle clutched in her other hand. She turned herself—and Kagome—toward the rest of the group.
"Who wants to play spin the bottle?" she asked loudly, a devious smile spreading across her face.
A chorus of whistles and cheers rose up from the intoxicated crowd. Kagome just stared.
…Seriously?
She sighed. "Eri-chan, I really need to go…"
"Please, Kagome-chan," Eri whined, tugging Kagome back toward her seat. "Just one round, okay?"
Kagome looked into those large, glazed-over eyes and found that she couldn't refuse her.
"…Okay," she relented. "One round."
Several turns later, it looked like Kagome was going to get away scot-free. The bottle hadn't come close to her a single time, opting to favor Eri instead. Even when Yarata's bottle had landed on Hojo, and it had seemed like the two guys would have to kiss, he'd reached over and stolen a kiss from Eri instead, much to her delight.
"It's your turn, Hojo-kun!" Eri giggled, thrusting the bottle into his hands.
For a moment, he looked at it seriously, almost beseechingly, and Kagome reddened in a way that couldn't possibly be blamed on the small amount of alcohol she'd consumed.
The universe had always seen fit to conspire against her. Even before he set the bottle spinning, she knew what the outcome would be.
The open end of the bottle slowed to a stop...
"…It's Kagome!" Yuka proclaimed in triumph, pushing the blue-eyed girl a little too roughly in Hojo's direction.
But Kagome had reached her limit. Refusing to so much as look at Hojo, she jumped to her feet, the sudden change in elevation making her woozy. She hunched over slightly, sweat breaking out faintly across her skin.
"Ka-GUH-gome-chan…" Ayumi hiccupped. "You don't LUH-look so well…"
"Yeah…" Kagome replied, racking her mind for even the flimsiest excuse. "It's…it's my Crohn's."
"Your Crohn's?" Yarata repeated slowly, his brows knitting together in confusion.
"Yeah, it's really flaring up…" Kagome paused, debating whether her freedom was worth the price of her dignity.
Oh, to heck with pride! she thought in fierce determination. I've got to get out of here!
"Flaring up…in my bowels," she finished flatly.
"Eww," Eri said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
The others more or less mirrored her expression.
"So…I'll just be on my way then, eh heh," Kagome chuckled nervously, backing up. "Umm, and…happy birthday, Eri-chan...you're the best!"
Taking advantage of their delayed reaction time, she made a break for the karaoke room's only exit. Barreling past the door, she moved quickly through the bar, scarcely pausing to breathe until she was outside on the street again.
"Man, that was close…" she whispered, inhaling deeply.
Yet before she could take one step in the direction of the metro station, she heard a familiar voice calling her name.
"Higurashi—wait!"
Kagome stiffened, turning slowly to find Hojo approaching her.
"I wanted…" he trailed off, seeming to have difficulty framing his thoughts. "I wanted to make sure you were all right…"
"I'm fine, Hojo-kun," she responded wearily. "I just need to get home."
He nodded, taking another step toward her. And another. And another, until less than a foot of air lay between them. Before, inside the piano bar, she'd refused to look at him. Now he was giving her no choice. His dark brown hair was slightly mussed, a soft red tinge dusting his high cheekbones. He frowned a little, studying her with an intensity which somehow seemed inexplicably familiar.
She felt her heartbeat quicken. "Hojo-kun…?"
"You're so beautiful," he said quietly, cool fingers trailing over her cheek.
And then he was leaning forward, his mouth pressing gently against her own.
One subway ride later, Kagome was still blushing.
Her first kiss...
…And it hadn't been Inuyasha.
She entered her home in somewhat of a daze, trying to shake off her unjustified disappointment as she retrieved her backpack from where she'd left it near the door. Hojo was a great guy—smart and handsome and kind. Any girl would be lucky to get a kiss from him.
...And he'd said she was beautiful…
A fresh wave of color lit her cheeks at the memory.
Sure, Kouga called her beautiful every time he saw her, but never with the same conviction—the same reverence—with which Hojo had said it. Even if Kikyou wasn't in the picture, Inuyasha wouldn't have said such a thing to her in a thousand years.
He just wasn't capable of it, the brute.
Once, she'd been under the illusion that it was possible for him to show her such a depth of feeling. Then, when that illusion had been shattered, she'd convinced herself that she was at fault for expecting too much in the first place. He'd twisted her notion of love, her own concept of self-worth. Or, rather, she'd let him.
And, suddenly, Kagome realized that the disappointment she felt was not directed at him, but at herself.
Hojo had given her proof—undeniable evidence that there were men out there in the world capable of caring for her sincerely. She felt like the biggest fool for ever believing she had to settle for the little scraps of affection Inuyasha had occasionally thrown her way.
Inuyasha, she reflected sadly, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes even as a heavy weight seemed to lift from her soul, you never deserved my heart.
"Kagome?"
She turned to find her mother standing a few feet away, drying her hands on her apron.
"Is something troubling you, dear?" she asked gently, smoothing a stray lock of hair behind Kagome's ear.
Kagome shook her head. "No, I…I actually feel a lot better than I have in a while."
For the first time that day, Kagome's smile came straight from the heart.
"That's good to hear," her mother said, the corners of her eyes crinkling faintly. Her gaze fell on the old yellow backpack suspended from Kagome's shoulders. "You're going back now, aren't you?"
Kagome nodded.
Mrs. Higurashi sighed softly. "I thought so." Her arms enfolded Kagome in a warm embrace. "Take care..."
The walk to the shrine passed in the blink of eye. Next to the well, her mother had left Kagome's discarded school things in a neat stack, and she made quick work of stuffing them into her backpack once again.
Maybe they'd prove more useful to her in the future than they had today.
Warm radiance engulfed her as she stepped off the ledge of the ancient well, five hundred years dissolving in the blink of an eye. Finding handholds in chinks in the wall, Kagome began to climb, her heavy backpack becoming more of a nuisance the higher she rose. Eventually, her fingers tangled in a dense nest of vines, and she was able to pull herself over the rim at last.
She'd half-expected to see Sesshoumaru standing there waiting for her with a murderous glare, but the daiyoukai was nowhere in sight. She couldn't sense his youki, either, nor the fragments of her own magic buried deep within his flesh. Starting to believe she'd actually managed to pull this off, Kagome set out toward Edo village. She'd be more comfortable waiting for Sesshoumaru to summon her there.
Inuyasha's Forest was a dangerous place, especially at night. Kagome was reminded of this fact as she tiptoed through the underbrush, trying not to shiver at how sinister the trees looked in the darkness, unfamiliar youki brushing at the edges of her senses.
Just as the trees began to thin, a sudden crunching noise up ahead had Kagome freezing in her tracks. Petrified, she scanned the shadows, her heart lurching violently when she saw them shift, moonlight glinting off a pair of wicked ivory horns.
Kagome watched the horns move up and down over a strange white shape in the distance. As she continued to stare, the crunching sounds softened eerily. Her skin crawled as she tried to place them. They sounded almost…wet.
The white shape had lost its original form, becoming stained with pools of black. It moved limply in time with the horns, and with a thrill of terror, Kagome finally realized what it was.
A human body…and the youkai was feeding on its remains.
Kagome clamped a hand over her mouth, bile rising in her throat. Numbly, she retreated a step, her foot snapping on a twig she'd carefully avoided the first time around.
How cliché, she thought ruefully as the demon paused at the sharpness of the sound, white horns slowly turning in her direction, a pair of glowing red eyes locking with her own.
"Another human…" a gravelly voice rumbled in dark amusement. "What luck…"
Instinctively, Kagome reached behind her for her bow and arrows, cold fear spilling down her spine when she remembered she'd left them back by the campfire. Her heavy bag dropped from her shoulders, but before she could even think to flee, the demon lunged, knocking her onto her back, her breath bursting from her lungs.
Clawed fingers pinned her wrists above her head, a huge, bull-like face looming over her, its black lips pulled back in a grin. Dark blood still dripped from its fangs, splattering across her cheek.
"You're a pretty one…" the youkai jeered, its warm breath thick with the odor of blood and decay. Kagome jerked away as a sharp nail trailed down the side of her face. "Perhaps we can have some fun together before I eat your flesh…"
Kagome's eyes burned. She couldn't die. Not like this. Torn apart by some nameless youkai only a short distance from the safety of the village.
It just wasn't fair!
"What…!?"
With a snarl of pain, the youkai abruptly released her. Before she could even process what had happened, green light was slicing through the darkness, carving up her would-be murderer into chunks of steaming meat.
Kagome scrambled backward, tearing her eyes away from the carnage. When at last she hesitantly returned her gaze to the scene before her, she could see a white-clad figure striding toward her through the darkness, ethereal and proud.
"Sesshoumaru…" she breathed, rising unsteadily to her feet.
Never before had she been so happy to see his marked-up face. Yet as her eyes met his across the shrinking distance, her feeling of elation promptly withered in her chest. Maybe that bull-faced demon hadn't been such bad company, after all.
Sesshoumaru's shining yellow eyes were hostile, narrowed, his mouth a razor-thin line. Around him, his youki whirled and crashed like the wind in a storm.
Unconsciously, Kagome took a step back, swallowing past the lump in her throat.
Oh, boy…
AN: Bit of a cliffhanger for you guys! ;) Sorry this chapter was so late...I ended up traveling a lot more this past month than I'd anticipated. Thanks SO MUCH for all the reviews, favs and follows for Chapter 1! Your support means so much! :)
