Souta watches his sisters eyes flutter and open.
"Kagome!"
The raven haired girl blinked several times before acknowledging him with a confused look. He smiled at her and breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm glad you're okay, sis. I'll bring the nurse and call mom-"
"Sis? Sister?"
Souta paused and mirrored her look of confusion. "Yeah, Kagome. You're my sister."
Her eyebrows furrowed as she found his eyes again. "Who are you?"
Souta's heart pounded in his chest. Something was very wrong.
"Nurse!"
Souta inwardly cringed. He was riding shot-gun in their mothers rented vehicle as she drove Kagome home from the hospital, and Kagome had been staring at him off and on the entire drive. He supposed she was trying her best to remember him, and this was some method she believed would jog her memory, but it was annoying.
It was late morning and the traffic was turning a fifteen minute drive into a near hour long drive. It was the third day since her accident and despite having temporary amnesia, she was in good shape. When she had woken the day before, it came to everyone's attention that she had suffered memory loss. The only reason they decided to let her go was due to the fact she could remember two people; her mother and herself. After a long day of testing, questions, and over-night monitoring, they concluded her fit for release. They gave their mother several phone numbers for therapists who may be able to help with her condition and sent them on their way.
He stole a quick glance at the woman in the back seat and found her staring studiously, out the window.
"This kind of looks familiar, mom."
Souta looked away and out his window. They were less than a block away from home now and he hoped with all of his being seeing the place jogged her memory. Inuyasha had showed up the night before looking for her. He had been too tired to deal with him and knew if he told him he'd lose another night of sleep, so he lied. He had told him she'd gone to a friends house to stay the night and didn't know when she'd be back.
He frowned. He knew he was in for it when Inuyasha came back.
"We're here." His mothers voice was sweet as always.
They all stepped out of the vehicle at the bottom of the shrine steps.
"Souta, would you help Kagome up the stairs-"
"I got it." Kagome interrupted. "It's no trouble, mom. I remember this place."
"Not completely." Souta mumbled.
Kagome stared at the strange boy who was her brother. "I'm sure I will remember you."
"I'm going to return the rental, Souta." His mother said, earning his attention. "I want you to keep an eye on your sister, and make sure you introduce her to grandpa."
"Yeah."
Souta watched his mother drive away until she was no longer in sight to face his sister. When he did he found her already a third of the way up the stairs.
"Wait Kagome!" He called, jogging to her side. She greeted him with a scowl.
"Look. I don't know how things were before, or why I can't remember you. All I know is I've got a big comfy bed in that house up there a bath tub with my name all over it. I don't need a chaperon. Run along and do whatever it is you do."
Kagome stared into the many framed pictures littering her room at the strange faces belonging to people she no longer knew. It was beyond her how she couldn't remember even one.
She had received a call from a girl named Ayumi. She had said she was calling to check on her and to apologize for their last conversation. Kagome had invited her over and was expecting her any minute. She studied the many pictures of different girls, willing herself to recognize her. It hadn't worked. She could have lost her mind if she hadn't already.
"Kagome?" A feminine voice called from behind her door.
"Ayumi?"
Her door opened revealing a pretty girl her age, smiling brightly. "You remember me?"
"Don't get your hopes up. It was just a hunch. Did you just get here?"
"Yeah. Souta just brought me up to speed. What do you remember?"
Kagome sighed and sat on the edge of her bed. "My mother. This house. I was told you were there when I had the accident. What happened?"
Ayumi took a seat next to Kagome. "We were rollerskating. Sort of a celebration for you and I, for graduating high school. This guy crashed into you and you hit your head. It was that same guy that-"
Ayumi paused. "Wait. You don't remember. This guy was there checking you out. Of course, since you don't date, you wouldn't even look at him. That same guy also happens to be your assailant."
Kagome had given up wracking her brain for familiarity. She simply listened to her friends re-telling of a story she had forgotten. One thing struck a curious chord more than any other detail.
"Ayumi? Why don't I date?"
She watched her friend hold back a laugh, before she leaned in closer to whisper. "You're secretly lesbian."
Kagome leaned away from the girl, her eyes wide. "That can't be right."
Laughter burst from Ayumi, and Kagome rolled her eyes until the girl beside her regained her composure.
"I'm just kidding Kagome. It's a mystery to everyone-or everyone but me. In fact, I'm surprised a certain over-protective someone isn't here hovering over you right now. Is he too busy doing cospla?" She jokes. "Where is Inuya-"
"Cospla?" Kagome interrupts, rising to her feet looking mortified. "I do cospla?"
Ayumi snickered. "No. But Inu-"
Souta, who had been listening behind the door, entered the room abruptly. He shot Ayumi a look.
"Hey Ayumi, your mother just called. She wants you to come home. It sounded urgent."
"Is everything okay?" She asked, standing quickly.
"Dono." He lied.
He knew he would pay for that later in some waybut he didn't care. He had to get rid of the girl. The way he saw it, Kagome needed rest, not to be worked up and fretting over what happened. He was thankful when Ayumi took the bait and left quickly in her worry.
After she was gone and Kagome had laid down for a nap, he let himself laugh about the conversation he'd heard. It was pretty clear Ayumi believed Inuyasha was just some geeky guy into to cospla, and Kagome no doubt let her think it true. He tried imagining Inuyasha in different costumes but found it rather difficult.
He swallowed at the thought of the half demon. He was dead meat the next time he saw him.
Souta glared down at the back of his sisters head from his place on the roof. Her behavior was ridiculous. He had sympathized with her since she came home from the hospital. He had been understanding of what she was going through, but this Kagome was not the Kagome he knew and loved and now all he wanted was for her to be gone.
Ayumi had given Kagome the phone number of the guy who put her in her current condition and apparently he and Kagome had hit it off. For the last three days they talked on the phone for hours and when Kagome wasn't on the phone with him, she was on the phone with Ayumi talking about him. It was uncharacteristic of her to be interested in guys.
Yet, there she was with him. He wasn't ugly like Souta had hoped he would be. He was clean cut. He had brown, short, spiky hair. He wore a white t-shirt under an open short sleeve black button-up with khakis that were just a little baggy. He was several inches taller than Kagome which allowed him to look down her v-neck shirt. Souta knew if he caught him do it one more time he would knock his teeth out. It made his blood boil just looking at them. Souta, being a male himself, knew the guys game.
When Inuyasha landed at the bottom of the well in Kagome's era, excitement takes him when he discovers her scent. It was fresh, which told him she was home as he had hoped. He leaps out of the well, ready to greet her but the sound of her laughter-mixing with another male's laughter-stops him.
He takes a deep breath through his nose to calm himself but the scent of the stranger assaults his senses and he has to grind his teeth to keep from growling. Peeking through the crack in the well house doors he sees Kagome, in all her perfection, smiling up at some man he'd never seen or smelled before standing at the foot of the Goshinboku. She had her hair up in a high ponytail, exposing her throat to him. Her yellow shirt was short sleeved, and exposed her chest as well. She wore what she called 'jean shorts' and no shoes. She was standing close-too close-to the scoundrel, for his own good.
"I can't believe how beautiful you are."
The growl escaped Inuyasha's throat upon hearing his words, his claws digging into his palms. Kagome blushed and smiled a small smile. Inuyasha's feet were moving then, of their own accord, carrying him toward the pair. He walked slowly, to get his anger under control. His jealousy would drive him to violence if he let it.
"I'm going to kiss you, Kagome."
Inuyasha was less than ten paces from then when he heard the declaration. His eyes widened and he closed the distance between them in one second, grabbing the mans hand as it reached to touch Kagome's cheek.
He kept his voice low and calm, but the threatening tone was unmistakable. "Who the fuck are you?"
The human man looked up into angry yellow eyes and smirked. "I'm Haru. Can I have my arm back?"
Inuyasha let go of the strangers hand and made to speak but Kagome beat him to it.
"Excuse me. Who are you?"
He looked at her as if she grew another head. "Kagome?"
"So, you know my name. Who are you?" She asked, sounding offended.
The half demon watched her look him up and down, suddenly confused.
"Do-wait-do you cospla?"
Her question threw him off guard, as it made no sense, but the sound of laughter erupting from the offender drew his attention.
"Course he does. Look at him Kagome! What a fucking loser."
Inuyasha balled a fist, ready to beat him but Kagome's giggling distracted him. She had a hand over her mouth to hide it but his great hearing had picked it up. She was amused by-by what?
Souta appeared next to him in time, calling his name over the sound of boisterous laughter.
"Inuyasha? What kind of name is that?" Haru mocked.
The half demon growled in his throat, and Souta latched onto his arm, trying to pull him away.
"Isn't Haru a girls name?" Souta pointed out.
Haru glared down at the younger boy. "Why don't you let the grown up's do the talking here, you little shi-"
Inuyasha's fist connected with Haru's mouth before he could even finish his curse. He had heard enough of his voice for one lifetime and run out of patience. He fell to the ground unconscious. Unexpectedly, Kagome pushed him with enough force to throw him off balance and Souta fell to the ground.
"You bastard!" She screamed. It made his ears go flat. "Who the hell do you think you are?"
He steeled his nerves and sneered at her. "Did you hit your head or somethin' cuz' you're acting like a crazier bitch than usual."
Kagome's hands balled into fists. "Get out of here you freak!"
Souta picked himself up and stood in front of Inuyasha facing his sister.
"Shut up, Kagome! He's your best friend. You can't send him away!" He explained, desperation on his face. He turned to face Inuyasha. "I'm sorry. I lied to you. Kagome was hurt badly and lost her memories that night she came back. I didn't want you to worry."
"What?" Inuyasha did nothing to hide his anger at Souta. His reasons meant nothing. This was serious, after all.
"Yep!"
Both conscious males returned their attention to Kagome.
"I got banged up. Yep. And I don't remember you." She went on, focusing on the strangely dressed man. "I find it odd I could forget my best friend so easily. You must not be that important. And after what I just saw, I don't want to ever see you again!"
Inuyasha clenched his jaw shut tight. If he spoke, he would say something devastating. Her words cut like a knife, but he wouldn't accept them as truth. She was just angry. He stared with intensity into her eyes, even as she passed him to kneel beside Haru who was stirring with a pitiful groans. He turned and watched her help him to his feet. Haru looked up at him with something in his eyes that resembled respect.
"Damn dude. You hit hard for a dork."
"There's a lot more where that came from."
Inuyasha ignored the harsh look that earned him, from Kagome, and instead watched Haru smirk at his warning.
"I'm going home Kagome. I'll see you around."
Inuyasha watched Kagome's spirits sink as the man made his exit but she gave no protest. He could have felt guilty if he tried, but truth was, he felt no remorse for what had happened. The only thing on his mind that worried him was the very obviously real fact that Kagome had no memory of him.
She truly had been injured-how, he would find out later-and was suffering, albeit alone, through this mess. It had been ten days since she returned and she still had not improved? This was serious and he couldn't be there for her if he tried. Certainly, she felt lost inside. He knew he had to find a way to jog her memory.
He breifly considered knocking her upside the head. In the past, when he had turned full demon, one good, hard 'sit' knocked his senses back into him. But Kagome was human. Fragile. He protected her. He couldn't ever bring himself to hurt her.
He had once. He had lost control in Kaguya's castle and went full demon. She still had faint scars where his claws had dug into her arms before she kissed him.
'Too bad I can't kiss her.' He thought, wryly. His eyes widen. 'Wait-'
He knew it was worth a shot. He knew she would 'sit' him to hell and back if it worked. He knew he would die of embarrassment, especially with Souta there to bear witness, but if it worked it was also worth it.
When she faced him once more the fire had returned. She took a step toward him, her mouth open, no doubt ready to slew a string of curses at him. He closed his eyes and silenced her with a chaste but lingering kiss.
Souta's jaw dropped at the scene before him. He had never known Inuyasha could be so dense. Kagome's eyes were wide, her body seemingly frozen in time.
Souta flinched as Inuyasha pulled away and her hand connected with his cheek. He sighed, watching her storm off toward the house. Inuyasha stood where she left him, dumbly, stunned by her reaction.
"Let her go, Inuyasha."
"Keh. Like I'd follow that." He spat, dropping his hand from his stinging cheek.
Souta began dusting off his pants. "Will you forgive her?" He asked, apprehensively. "When this is all over?"
"Don't ask stupid questions!" He scolded. "We should be worried about if she'll forgive me."
"For that painful-to-watch kiss?" Souta asked, rhetorically. He chuckled. "Nah. Definitely not. Chicks take that shit seriously."
"Take what seriously?"
Souta shook his head and smirked. "I heard her yesterday telling Ayumi that a boy had never kissed her before. You just ruined her whole 'first kiss' experience. A serious crime in this world, for which the punishment is exile."
Inuyasha balled a fist and knocked a knot into Souta's head, and growled. "Don't get smart with me, kid."
"Damn 'Yash!" Souta shouted, distancing himself from the hanyou's reach. "That really hurt."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Wimp. I'm going home. Kagome will come back when she has her memory back. I'll be waiting."
(Review if you're into that sort of thing. I'm sorry this update took so long. I didn't have net connection for days and days. I also had to buy a new laptop which was a pain in my ass. Hope you like the story so far.)