Not an Option
Summary:Kagome Higurashi had seen his eyes after the match with Shuusuke, no one else had realized it, but he had truly contemplated quitting Tennis, not because of the loss of victory...but because of his loss of control...or, lack thereof.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Prince of Tennis
Genre: Romance/Angst/Drama
Rated: M for Mature Content
Pairing: Kagome/Akaya
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As Sanada had said the prior day, Kagome was running laps alongside the rest of the Rikkaidai's Regulars. The Ace a few feet ahead of her, with the rest of the members spread out, only Yagyu kept his pace beside her.
"You seem to be upset, Kagome-San."
"You are of course, pointing out the obvious?"
"...anything I can help with?"
Kagome stopped running, wiping the sweat from her brow as Yagyu stopped an joined her, "I don't think so. It's not really that I'm upset, I'm just thinking, and it's complicated enough, if I get others involved, It will only cause things to get more complex...though...I do have a question..."
"Which is?"
Catching her brother's eye, Kagome took to running again, "what are your thoughts on hell?"
"Care to elucidate?"
"Well...do you believe in hell?"
Yagyu kept to himself for a moment, thinking carefully over his next words, he finally came to terms with just what it was he'd say, "I do not believe in Hell, as I have not seen it. As far as a place, it is yet to be proven to exist. Metaphorically, according to religion, Hell is a place where lost souls go for damnation. I am sure many religious people believe it is the polar opposite to heaven, but no one knows if that exists either. Until I see it, I refuse to believe it. Hell is a state of mind."
"...I agree...it's a state of mind...but for some it's more. How can you help someone, who is so certain that Hell is not only real, but he too is a demon?"
"Ah...Kirihara-San..."
"..."
"I think he's the only one who can break free from his beliefs, no one can make someone believe something else."
Kagome smiled, "maybe not, but I'm sure I can encourage him to believe in me...I'll lay down my life for Akaya—Kun, I'll save our resident devil! Thanks for listening, Yagyu-Senpai!"
Yagyu watched Kagome speed up a little in her run, "...hai~..." he muttered under his breath.
-x-x-x-
Akaya walked over to a bench to grab his water bottle, the day was already sweltering, and they had only just finished their warm up. A pair of arms wound gently around his shoulders and he looked over to see Kagome smiling at him. Pulling the water bottle from his lips, he smiled back, "Kagome-Senpai! Are you done running?"
"Hai, just finished. Do you have any plans after school today?" Kagome dropped her arms as he turned to face her.
"As in...?"
Kagome rolled her eyes, "as in, are you free for a few hours after school?"
"I have tennis practice after school, you know that."
"No, you can skip." Kagome grinned, "I'll practice with you later, but there's somewhere I want to take you after school. You'll come with me, right?"
Akaya glanced over at Sanada who was making his way over to him and Kagome. No having much time to think over his decision, he smiled and nodded, "I'll meet you at the front gate after school."
"Good, bring your tennis bag too!"
Kagome skipped past her brother with a smile on her face. Sanada turned to watch her leave the court before turning his eyes back to Akaya who had gone back to his water bottle.
"What was that about?"
Akaya shrugged, placing his bag down, he grabbed his racquet and ran across the court to the other side of the net, across from Marui who was chewing a new piece of gum, balancing a ball on the rim of his racquet and rolling it all around the rim.
-x-x-x-
Sanada left the court to follow after Kagome, and she knew this, which is why he couldn't find her.
Kagome stared after her brother as he passed by the group of girls she'd camouflaged herself in, smirking before skipping off down the hallway in the opposite direction. "...baka..."
She came to a stop in front of her first class and sat down at the window, staring out at the tennis court, she smiled, watching Bunta and Akaya go back and forth with rally's. It was starting to be a good day, though, she knew well Akaya's mood swings. He was always like this, he always had been.
Hurt, lost and confused one day, and the next...acting as if nothing was bothering him. He was a rollercoaster of emotions, and more than that, she was the passenger. She was going to be there for him, for every rise and fall on this ride. If she was successful, he would take full control over his inner demons, if she wasn't...she would probably drag him deeper into the depths of his despair. Truly, she hoped the first outcome would be the one that came to pass. But for that to happen, she would need some help, and at the same time, she was going to need to keep her brother out of the loop. 'Perhaps...I should visit the hospital...' a smirk found her lips.
-x-x-x-
Yagyu watched Sanada storm back onto the court, probably upset due to not finding his sister. Yagyu of course found humor in this, since he could see her from here. Sitting in her first class of Calculus, she was in plain view. Though, class wasn't starting for another hour, she was definitely hiding well. Her brother, as well as the rest of the school, knew how much she hated math. No one would think that she'd show up early to calculus. "Sanada-San, is everything okay?"
"...fine."
"...I see, then perhaps you wouldn't mind a practice match?"
Sanada grabbed his racquet, moving across the quart as Yagyu tried to take the vice captains mind off of his little sister.
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Me: Hey guys, chapter two is up, I hope you guys enjoy! I'll post again soon, but now I'm off to write up another chapter to another story.