Incident Chapter 2: Running Away
a/n: Thank you to all who reviewed. Enjoy the next installment. This is actually a half - chapter, but I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer.
Kagome's thoughts were jumbled as she ran down the busy streets. The rain began peppering down in earnest, and it was not long before Kagome's skirt and shirt were soaked through to the skin. She gave little thought to her direction. Her only thought was to run away.
Habit, not rational thought, guided Kagome's feet as she fled from her percieved attacker. Her heart pounded in her chest as she unlocked the door and let herself into the house. She slipped off her muddy shoes and into her favorite house flats and sat on the entrance way step to catch her breath.
'What was that about?' she thought to herself.
She closed her eyes and thought back to the morning's altercation. Shuddering, she remembered the strength of the man's grip on her wrist. He had the reddest, no, goldest eyes she had ever seen. They were piercing and seemed to stare straight into her soul.
'But why?' she thought, 'What did he mean by 'it's you'?'
Suddenly a chill ran down the young woman's spine.
"Does this man know me?" she whispered.
'Souta!' she thought suddenly. She dashed into the kitchen and called her brother to let him know she wouldn't be visiting his apartment today after all.
"Hey, sis. Where are you?"
"I'm at home, Souta, that's why I called. I'm not going to be able to make it today."
"Are you ill?" Souta asked, "I could send some hot miso over if you're not feeling well."
"No, I'm not sick," she sighed. "I uh, had a run in with some goon on the train."
"Did you call the police?" Souta's voice sounded pinched. "Are you injured? What did he take? I'm coming right over."
"No! Souta, really, there's no need to come over, I'm fine." Kagome did her best to sound confident. "I didn't call the police, he didn't hurt me, and come to think of it he didn't take anything, either."
"That's odd," Souta said "he didn't take anything?"
"No, nothing. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure what happened this morning. All I did was spill some coffee on his shirt."
"Kagome, start from the beginning. What exactly happened?"
Kagome sighed. Her little brother would always want to know the details. Starting from the point she accidentally spilled coffee on the mysterious man, she told her story. As she recounted her experience, certain details demanded her attention. The man had smelled her neck. He had not hurt her, he had not taken anything from her. What haunted her most was his obvious familiarity with her. His words, "It's you," echoed in her mind.
"I don't know Kagome, the man sounds like a psychopath. Are you sure he didn't follow you home?"
Kagome shuddered. She hoped the man hadn't followed her home. Squaring her shoulders and reassuring herself more than her brother she continued the conversation.
"I'm sure, Souta. I'm just a little freaked out. I'm going to stay here today, okay? I'll come by and visit you in a few days, if that would be all right?"
"Maybe you should get a dog," Souta suggested.
Kagome relaxed and even smiled at the thought of having a guard dog by her side. "I'll think about it, Souta." She reassured him. "Seriously, I'm going to go unwind for a bit."
"Okay, but if you need anything, call me."
"I will, Souta. I will."
Kagome returned the headset to the cradle and sighed. There were details about her story that didn't quite fit. Had the man actually smelled her neck? Did he really say "it's you?"
Shaking her head, she decided to push the incident from her memory. 'Souta's right,' she thought, 'he does sound like a psychopath.'
Kagome paced around the house, restless as she tried to recall every detail about the man on the train. Wistfully she stared out into the garden and tried to regain a sense of calm. She focused on the god tree and let her mind wander. Sweet memories of friends and adventures were tainted with the pain of saying goodbye. Suddenly nostalgic, Kagome pulled on her garden boots and went to the old well shed.
She avoided the well these days, as she was often overcome with sadness knowing that it no longer carried her to the past and her beloved friends. Today she hoped the well would bring her comfort as a reminder of the half-demon who always protected her. No matter how difficult facing the well was, it was still her closest link to her beloved Inuyasha. Kagome pushed open the door and stepped inside the dusty shed.
"It's the same as it's always been," Kagome whispered as the bone-eater's well came into focus. She had not ventured into the old well house for over a year. In the five years since her days in the well, Kagome had moved on. There was just something about her exchange with the man on the train that made her want to return to the Feudal Era. Taking another look at her wet skirt, she decided it couldn't get dirtier and sat on a step facing the well.
"Inuyasha," she sighed.
Sesshoumaru's mind raced. There was no doubt: He had run into the Shikon Miko. He had not thought of her in a couple of hundred years. What was she doing in Tokoyo now? She had disappeared with the jewel all those years ago. It didn't make sense.
Inuyasha never mentioned the girl after she disappeared, but Sesshoumaru remembered how his half brother had provoked him for years after she disappeared. It was as if he wanted to die. Sesshoumaru sniffed in disgust at the memory. His half-brother had claimed love for the girl, and in the end this love had driven his sibling to seek death.
Love. Sure, he knew what it was. He had learned love through Rin. During her brief years on the planet, her safety and happiness had always been first priority. He still mourned her loss, but he had never wished for death as a result of her absence. Why Inuyasha had claimed love then wished for death he never understood.
That was not important now, though. What was important was finding out why this strange miko was here now.
'Why is that important?' The question popped into Sesshoumaru's head suddenly. Was it really that important? He had built a comfortable life for himself. He had a home, a job, and owned a shipping company that would assure that his life was pleasant. As the demon community died off, he remained as healthy as ever. He learned how to blend into human society and even profit from their ways. Why was it important that he seek out the miko now?
He wasn't sure. Maybe it was nostalgia for the way things used to be. She was quite possibly the only living being on the planet who understood the times when he was in his prime and living without deceptions and commerce. He was free then, and he missed it all, the thrill of battle, the elegance of his station, the respect of others who knew his true form. All of that had faded away, and yet he lived on. Maybe that's why he needed to seek her out. Sesshoumaru was ready to die. She just might be the only one strong enough to give him an honorable death.
