Chapter 3!
Kagome Left the apartment building, and made her way to the nearest street corner. She read the street sign to get her bearings and decided that she would have to ride the metro home; she didn't have enough money for a taxi and it was too far to walk. As she looked around to find the entrance to the underground trains, the city made itself known. Busy streets, wide sidewalks-not too crowded this time of day, tiny multi-storied shops squeezed between the apartments and corporate buildings. Typical big city. Not to mention the exhaust fumes, curses of passerby directed at no one in particular, and the ranting taxi drivers. Yes, what a beautiful city indeed…thought Kagome with a roll of her eyes. Finally she spotted the metro entrance, and made her way down into the bowels of the city to make her way home.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCKNOCK KNOCK
"Urgh…Go the Hell away! Unless you're Sango that is…"
"I'm NOT Sango, and I want you to get your ass out here!" Miroku would know that voice anywhere.
"Fuck off hanyou! I had a hard night! I want to sleep! Remember when you used to sleep? Besides, it's too early in the morning to be up and about."
"It's three in the afternoon you moron! Who the hell was that girl that just left Sesshomaru's apartment?" Inuyasha shouted back.
Oh. That was his problem. Miroku had noticed that Kagome looked an awful lot like Inuyasha's recently deceased other best friend, Kikyo, and evidently, Inu had too.
"Fluffy rescued her from Kouga last night. Sango was…ah…busy, so he took care of her. Rin was with him." Miroku heard a growl and a thump.
"Damnit Miroku, why does this have to be so hard?" Miroku got up rather quickly. Inuyasha's voice sounded hoarse and tight, and Miroku had never heard it quite that pitch before. As he made his way towards the door, he heard a sliding sound and a softer thump. He opened the door to find Inuyasha on his knees facing the wall, with his forehead and balled fists against it. His hair was matted and his fuzzy, dog-like ears, which he usually hid, were trembling. His eyes were closed, and Miroku imagined that if it wasn't pressed against the wall, there would be a deep frown line on Inu's forehead.
Kikyo's death had been sudden; mugged on the street, she had bled to death before getting help. She had been Inuyasha's closest friend long before Miroku was around. Her death had shaken Inu to his core. Miroku imagined that if Kikyo hadn't been a lesbian, Inuyasha would have wanted to marry her.
So suddenly that it made him jump, Inuyasha let out a roar and punched the wall with the side of his fist. "I want her back Miroku!" he said in that same hot, tight voice. "I really do!" he continued, and when his voice cracked, he bit his lip until he drew blood. Miroku stood there, stunned. It had only been three weeks since the funeral, but this was the first time he had ever seen Inuyasha so upset. During the funeral, he had been in a daze. He'd hardly even spoken, and had been very pale and drained-looking. This was the longest 'conversation' that they'd shared since!
"Never mind. I'll go home now," said Inuyasha as he stood. All traces of his near brush with tears were gone, and he was putting on a front that Miroku thought even Face-of-Stone-Fluffy would envy. In fact, today had been the biggest display of emotion that Sesshomaru had ever exhibited. This Kagome seems to bring out the emotions of us all… She might have been good for us if she didn't look so much like Kikyo… thought Miroku
Inuyasha was already walking down the hall, ears drooping and shoulders slumped. "Call me later, ok?" Miroku called. Inuyasha merely waved his hand and disappeared over the edge of the stairs.
Kagome stormed into her own apartment, two hours later, dripping wet, and scowling. It just had to rain, didn't it? She growled in an irritated fashion and headed to her bathroom to get dry clothes. When she returned, she hit the flashing button on her answering machine and proceeded to wipe up her trail of puddles.
'beep'
"Hi Kagome! Oh gosh, I'm soooooo sorry I left you! I wish I hadn't drunk so much… Well call me when you get home!"
'beep'
"It's me again! Miroku called and asked me to go to his place…He said he had something important to talk to me about, so you can call me there. His number is 555-0921. I'll be there around four-ish ok? Talk to you later!"
'beeeeeeeep'
Kagome shook her head bemusedly and threw away the paper towels she had been using to clean up the mud. Sango always sounded flustered when she had to leave messages… Kagome went onto her bedroom and flopped down on her bed with a sigh. What a weird day…
Before she knew it, Kagome was asleep, and the world revolved without her.
'RIIIIIIIING'
Kagome snapped into wakefulness and slipped over the edge of the bed. She hit the floor with a bump. "Owww…" she said, rubbing her tailbone.
'RIIIIIIIING'
Kagome jumped again and cursed herself for not grabbing the phone. She scrambled to her feet and lunged for the cordless phone on the other side of the bed.
'RIIII-CRASH'
The phone went flying and Kagome landed on the floor on the other side of the bed, head first, and with her feet in the air. Then she heard the muffled sound of someone calling her name; the phone had turned on when it fell. She slithered out of her awkward landing and grabbed the phone.
"Hello?"
"Kagome! What happened? There was this big crash and then you didn't answer and…"
"Sango, breathe! I fell out of bed ok?!"
"What were you doing in bed? It's like, Six thirty!"
"I was sleeping! I had a very tiring day!"
"You were supposed to call me at Miroku's at four! I was so worried that something had happened…"
"You're starting to sound like my mother… chill ok? I'm fine and you're talking to me now, and nothing is wrong." Kagome had switched her voice to a more soothing monotone-for both their sakes.
There was an audible sigh from the other end of the line and when she spoke, Sango sounded much calmer. "You're right. Well, I was going to suggest that you come over here so you could meet Miroku properly, but I'm leaving now so I guess it'll have to be another day."
"Yeah, I guess. I'm going to go back to sleep now so don't call me again unless it's something important! Ok?"
"Alright. But don't forget, we're going job hunting tomorrow!"
"I wont forget. Tomorrow then."
"Bye!"
'click'
Kagome threw the phone across the room and crawled back into bed. She fell asleep rather quickly, but it felt like she'd only been out seconds (although it really had been several hours) when the phone rang again. With a very angry growl, she flung herself after the phone and answered slightly out of breath.
"What do you want? She growled menacingly into the phone.
"Well s'cuse me for breathin'! Did I interrupt somethin'?" sneered the slightly familiar voice on the other end. Where had she heard it before? Oh yeah…
-Flashback-
Kagome had been leaving Sesshomaru's apartment and she had run into some guy right outside the door, preparing to knock. She had noticed the similarities between the two men instantly and had assumed that they were related. This man had the same silver hair, but was dressed quite a bit more casually than Sesshomaru. Baggy black jeans, muscle-bearing white shirt, loose black leather jacket, and a solid red ball cap with a feminine signature on the brim. It was a rather grungy style, but the brands and condition hinted that the stranger and Sesshomaru shared in good taste.
"What the…" and his voice had trailed away, only to be replaced by an awed expression full of pain.
She hadn't really taken the time to pay attention to him then, but she could have sworn she heard him whisper "Kikyo…" as she brushed past.
-End-
"Hullo? You there girl? Hellooooo?"
Kagome started and answered, only minimally more polite than she had been upon answering. "Yes I'm here! What did you want and how did you get my number anyway?"
He chuckled and sounded rather pleased with himself. "I convinced Miroku's chic to give it to me…Sano or whatever her name is… And I need a ride home…"
She was just about to ask why Miroku or Sesshomaru couldn't do it, he continued. "The Lech won't take my calls, and Fluffy wouldn't if I paid him-plus he's workin'." She could only assume he meant Miroku and Sesshomaru.
"Why do you even need a ride in the first place? And why did you want my number?"
"Cuz I was gonna tell ya to stay away from my dumb brother and my friend. I'm stuck in some damn bar and I keep findin' drinks on the counter so I don't think I could find home right now…" He laughed like that was the funniest thing in the world.
Kagome's first thought was to tell the jerk off and hang up but a little voice in the back of her head reminded her 'Karma! Do something nice and it will come back to you!' so she sighed and asked him where he was.
Half an hour later, Kagome found herself cruising the scummy streets looking for a bar called The White Dog. She finally spotted the sign, a solid white German Shepard in blue/white neons under curvy red letters that she could only assume was the name. She groaned and slid out of her car, making sure she locked it fully before walking through the door. A blast of light and noise so loud it rocked her off her feet hit her just before the smell did. She wrinkled her nose and plunged inside. The man wasn't hard to find, sitting on the end of the bar right under a light. His cap was missing so his silver hair shone brightly.
She sighed again and walked right up to him. About a foot away, she stopped and stared in shock. One reason was the amount of glasses and bottles littering the bar around him. Any normal person would have been in a coma by now, but this man was still blinking blearily at her. The second reason she was so shocked were the ears. Doggie ears, much like the ones on the sign outside. Hey were mostly flat and drooping slightly, most likely due to the noise level, but they were there. As she continued to stare, sudden recognition flooded his eyes and he attempted to grab for her arm. "Hey! Ya showed up! Can we go home now?" When he finally managed to make contact with her jacket sleeve, he hauled himself upright, and wobbled dangerously.
'He absolutely reeks of alcohol! What was I thinking?' she thought, as she tried to drag him outside. One of the bouncers finally sauntered over and hauled the mostly unconscious man to her car for her. She thanked the beefy bouncer and drove away. The dog-eared man slumped in his seat, and he looked like he'd finally passed out. Just to be sure, she prodded him and he snapped awake.
"Whs… Where am I?" He looked at her, managed to focus, and his eyes filled with tears. "You look just like her," he whispered. "Why do ya hafta look just like her? Why did she have to leave me?" His voice squeaked. He swallowed hard and started muttering; apparently thinking that she couldn't hear him. "I will not cry, I will not cry, I will NOT cry!" Despite his desperate words, a few tears managed to escape and run down his cheeks.
Kagome was startled to say the least. She pulled the car over, and reached out a hand hesitantly. She finally placed it on a shaking shoulder and began to rub it timidly, whispering words of comfort and nonsense. "It's alright, I'm here. You're safe. You can let it out. It's O.K. to cry, really it is! It'll make you feel a lot better…" She scooted closer and slipped her arms around his shoulders the way she would a child. She continued to speak to him until he finally began to let out all his grief. He slumped against her shoulder, sobbing raggedly.
'Poor boy,' she thought. 'I have to find out what happened. There's something about me that hurts him and I really don't want to hurt him.'
