Chapter Four: Catching Up

Ouija led them into an expensively furnished room, complete with a couch, a loveseat, a leather recliner arranged in a semicircle, a coffee table between them. Ouija seated herself on the couch and Kagome sat next to her. Kagome looked up at Inuyasha, who stood in the doorway fuming, and patted the seat next to her. He harrumphed, but stalked into the room and plopped down onto the couch next to her, folding his legs under him with his arms crossed over his chest. He mumbled incoherently to himself. Kagome smiled and shook her head.

"So, what's the story?" she asked, motioning toward Inuyasha with her head.

"Oh," Kagome said, caught off guard. She stammered. "Uh, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Ouija raised one eyebrow. "Please, Kagome. I'm in a rock band. I've seen and heard some crazy shit. I don't think there's much of anything I could hear and not believe."

"Uh,"

"Try me."

Inuyasha was now attentive, his ears up and his eyes wide in concentration. He eyed Kagome, who looked at him with unsure eyes. He shook his head. She sighed and looked at her lap.

"I don't know."

Ouija sighed. "It's okay. I guess it's too personal."

"Yeah, it is," Inuyasha interrupted. "Nothing that you or anyone else needs to worry about."

Ouija glared at him, and he glared right back. She laughed and shook her head. "He's fun. Where'd you find him and can I have one?"

Kagome laughed suddenly, and Inuyasha's cheeks flared. He looked towards the wall. "Feh."

"So, you haven't found a guy?" Kagome asked, curious.

"Well," Ouija hesitated. "I've tried a few. But they just end up pissing me off, so I drop them."

Kagome nodded. She understood, but she knew that the real reason for Ouija's short relationships were due to trust issues stemming from the events of her father's life. "Yeah. Inuyasha's got quite a past with women. Well, one woman, actually."

Inuyasha growled and whirled on Kagome. "Shut up, Kagome." He snapped. He didn't want to be reminded.

"Hey, watch it." Ouija warned, her eyes narrowing slightly. "That's my family you're talking to."

"No, it's fine." Kagome interceded. "He doesn't like to be reminded. I shouldn't have brought it up."

Ouija looked up at Inuyasha. "So, what happened?"

Inuyasha bowed his head and closed his eyes. He felt a pang in his chest.

"Someone broke them up. Turned them against each other." Kagome whispered.

Ouija nodded sympathetically. "Did she hurt him bad?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha said. "She shot me in the chest with an arrow."

Ouija looked at him in bewilderment, and then laughed curtly. But she quickly stopped herself when Inuyasha glared at her. "Oh, wow. You're not joking?"

Inuyasha sighed and closed his eyes again, settling against the soft back of the couch. Ouija looked at Kagome with huge eyes. "Kagome," she began, and Kagome smiled at her nervously. "Okay. Really. Tell me this story."

Kagome sighed. "You're going to think I'm crazy-"

"In. A. Band."

Kagome smiled. "Oh, right." She exhaled deeply. "Okay. Well, on my fifteenth birthday, I was looking for Buyo, my cat, in the shrine. Sota was too scared to go down to the well to get him, so I had to go."

Inuyasha's ears twitched. He hadn't heard it start this way before.

"When I got down to the well, something reached out and grabbed me and pulled me into the well. When I got a good look at it, it was a strange woman who told me that I had what she was looking for, and that I must give it to her. When I tried to push her away, something happened. She desecrated. It was a light from my hand that killed her. I didn't know how it happened, or why. But when I got out of the well, I definitely wasn't at home anymore." Ouija blinked, completely absorbed into the story. "And then I saw a boy." She looked over at Inuyasha and smiled affectionately, causing him to glare and growl. She looked back to Ouija. "Inuyasha. It looked like he was sleeping. He was sealed to the Sacred Tree with roots growing up his torso, and an arrow in his chest. I didn't understand. I climbed up the tree and looked closely at him. And I realized…he wasn't human, and I had been taken back in time five hundred years to the Feudal Era."

Ouija's head snapped up, but she didn't seem afraid. She stared at Inuyasha, and he leaned away, suspicious. She looked up at his ears. Then, she reached over Kagome and tugged at one.

"Hey!" he shouted, jerking away and covering it with his palm.

"So, they are real. I don't know how, but I knew. They looked way too genuine to come from a costume shop."

Kagome nodded. "I pulled out the arrow." Kagome continued, her voice low. Ouija looked at her now, but occasionally glanced up at Inuyasha. "It broke a fifty year old seal that kept him dormant. The woman who shot him was named Kikyo. As it turns out," she laughed, but this wasn't a laugh Inuyasha had heard from Kagome before. It was bitter and cold. He didn't like this side of her. "I'm her reincarnation."

Ouija let out a long whistle.

"Yeah. That's what I thought." Kagome replied, her face sad. Inuyasha nearly reached for her, but instead pinned his arms over his chest. "Anyway, fifty years before I came along – in their time, I mean – Kikyo and Inuyasha were together. She was a very powerful priestess, with extraordinarily strong powers. She was well renowned for these powers, and because of them, she was given the job of protecting the Shikon Jewel."

"The Jewel of the Four Souls? It's real?" Ouija questioned, hearing of this Jewel from their grandfather as a child.

"Yeah. The one Gramps was always going on about."

Ouija nodded, and Kagome continued. "Anyway, a single shard of this Jewel can increase a demons' strength by double. So, naturally, it was sought out by hundreds of demons wanting to augment their strength. Of course, among them, was Inuyasha." Inuyasha grunted.

"Aren't you strong enough on your own?" Ouija asked, feeling a bit nosy.

"Shut up!" Inuyasha snarled. "You don't even know what you're talking about!"

As Ouija opened her mouth to shoot it off, Kagome interrupted. "Inuyasha is very strong, but he's only half-demon."

Ouija smirked. "O-h. I get it. So one of your parents was a human, huh?"

Kagome nodded. "His mother. His father was one of the most powerful demons in history, if not the strongest. Inuyasha desperately wanted to become a full fledged demon, and he still does." Kagome's eyes saddened and moistened, but tears didn't come. "So, Inuyasha went after the Jewel. He couldn't get it from Kikyo, but I don't know that whole story. All I know is that Inuyasha was always around, waiting for Kikyo to let her guard down, so he could make off with the Jewel. It never happened. And the more time they spent together, the more they bonded." Kagome blinked hard, obviously fighting off tears. Inuyasha stirred, uncrossing his arms and lowering his head to try and see her face. She turned it away and looked at Ouija. "But, to make a long story short, an evil man named Naraku deceived both Inuyasha and Kikyo into hating one another. Inuyasha stole the Jewel, finally, but Kikyo shot him with an arrow and sealed him to the Sacred Tree. Ironically, she lost her life shortly due to an injury caused by Naraku. Kikyo was reincarnated, but she's changed. She's not the same." Kagome's voice dropped to a whisper. "She still loves Inuyasha. And he still loves her."

Ouija cleared her throat and winced, unable to watch her cousin so emotionally wrecked. Finally, tears spilled from Kagome's eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. Inuyasha, smelling the saltiness of her tears, became alarmed.

"K-Kagome?" he said, reaching for her.

Kagome sprang up from the couch before he touched her, keeping her back to Inuyasha and Ouija. "Excuse me," she whispered and suddenly fled the room, letting the door swing open behind her as she stumbled down the empty hallway until she found a bathroom and locked herself inside.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha cried and went to get up to follow her.

Ouija reached up and grabbed his shoulder. "No. Leave her be. She needs time." Inuyasha blinked and sighed heavily, slumping back down onto the couch. He rested his elbows on his knees and hung his head. "Look, Inuyasha. I know as well as anyone that time doesn't erase the past. But, it does change people. Obviously, it's changed you, so don't you think it's changed this Kikyo woman?"

Inuyasha didn't look up. "I don't care. She's still Kikyo."

"But Kagome is Kagome, and she can't change her heart." Inuyasha groaned softly and looked up at her. She placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. "I know I don't know Kikyo, and I never will, but I do know Kagome. And if she says that Kikyo was one way before, and another now, then I believe her. I've never known that girl to tell a lie her entire life, not to anyone."

"You don't even know my side of the story!" he exclaimed, shrugging her hand off his shoulder violently.

"Then tell me." she said, clenching her teeth and trying to keep her voice even.

He sighed and looked at her. She raised her eyebrows and stared him in the eye. He narrowed his eyes. "I don't think so."

Ouija rolled her eyes. "Look here," she said, straightening up and sticking out her chin. "You obviously have your own problems, but when it involves my cousin that's more of a sister to me, then I'm sorry, but it becomes my business." Inuyasha blinked. "When the concert starts back up, I want you to pay close attention to the lyrics of some of the songs. Maybe they can get into your head better than anyone's advice can. You can sit here and fume or sulk or whatever. But we start in about fifteen minutes and I'm not letting Kagome miss out on something that she may never be able to do again, and I don't want her to miss out on getting a man that actually deserves her. Just think about that." Ouija rose and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Inuyasha snarled and snorted, crossing his arms. He sat that way for a few minutes, and then sighed. His shoulders slumped and his head bowed. He was lost.


Kagome steadied herself on the sink, her head bowed. She felt nauseous, the room was spinning, and her body shook with every sob that forced itself from her mouth. Finally, after keeping it all in for so long, the pain, the anguish, the hurt, it was pouring itself out of her body. But why here? Why now?

She hadn't meant to let herself slip. And in front of Inuyasha and Ouija. What must her cousin think of her? Ouija had always believed in not letting any man get to you, to never get too attached because the hook they get into you always ends up getting painfully ripped out, sometimes leaving a jagged, gaping wound that won't heal. But Kagome's hook was in too far and too deep, and it had been ripped out too many a time. Still, she couldn't deny herself the presence of Inuyasha. She simply couldn't.

But his past haunted her. She closed her eyes in hopes that the room would stop spinning, but immediately regretted it. Behind her lids she saw the image of that night in the woods, where she spied Inuyasha and Kikyo together. Kikyo slowly rose up and touched her lips to Inuyasha's, and he kissed her back.

Kagome cried out and her eyes snapped open. The room had stopped spinning, but her head was pounding.

There was a soft knock at the door. "Kagome?"

It was Ouija. Kagome tried to keep her sobs from bubbling up as she spoke, but to no avail. "I'm fine. I'll be out in a second."

"Let me in," Ouija said softly. "Please."

Kagome reached over and shakily unlocked the door and let Ouija come in herself. She closed the door and relocked it behind her. She turned to Kagome and sighed, wincing. "Oh, Kagome."

Kagome turned her head away, sure her makeup was streaking, that her face was red and blotchy, her eyes puffy and bloodshot. Ouija came over to her and wrapped her arms around her in a comforting embrace.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. I didn't know it was going to hurt you so much to tell me."

Kagome patted her back. "It's okay, really. I didn't expect it to hurt so much either…"

Ouija stepped away from Kagome, her hands on her shoulders. "So." She said, smiling a little. "Looks like your hook's in pretty deep, huh?"

Kagome nodded, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve. Ouija ripped a paper towel from a roll and handed it to her and she used it instead. Kagome looked at herself in the mirror and groaned. "Look at me. I'm a mess." And in fact, she was. Her makeup left twin streaks down her face and blotted her red collar where she had tried to wipe at tears.

Ouija laughed. "Yeah, you are. But I can fix it." She looked up at the old clock on the wall above the door. "Hmm. About ten minutes before I go back onstage." She looked at Kagome and grabbed her hand. "Come on. We'll get you cleaned up." She led Kagome out of the bathroom and towards her dressing room.

She opened the door and sighed heavily. Kagome looked in, curious as to why Ouija stopped in the doorway. She giggled at the sight of the orange-haired drummer asleep in the chair in front of the bureau, his boots up on the desk and his head lolling back, his mouth open and emitting loud snores.

Ouija released Kagome's hands and approached the sleeping drummer, then took hold of one side of the chair. She lifted the chair off the floor seemingly effortlessly and dumped him onto the ground. He cried out in surprise, jumped up and wiped his cheek, his eyes wide. "I'm up!" he cried, then cleared his throat.

"What the hell are you doing in here, Ryo?" Ouija demanded, placing her hands on her hips.

"I, uh," he stammered, backing slowly for the door. "Was just leaving." As he turned to run out of the room, he nearly ran smack into Kagome. A smile lit up his face and he bowed. "Well, 'allo," he said and reached for her hand. "Who might you be?"

Ouija gritted her teeth and growled, shoving him from behind into the hallway. "She's taken, buttface."

Ryo jutted out his lower lip and stalked down the hallway.

Ouija slammed the door a bit harder than she needed to and turned to Kagome and exhaled loudly. "Sorry about him," Kagome laughed nervously. "So, let's get you some new clothes." Ouija hurried to a large closet door and slung it open. She immediately began rummaging through its contents, mumbling to herself about size, color, and style.

"Ouija, you don't have to–"

"I know." She interrupted. Then, she threw out a black silk kimono. It fluttered onto her couch. Then, she dug amongst the countless numbers of shoes of the floor, throwing out one, then another. They clattered to the floor. Then she stood and, without closing the closet door, picked up the kimono off the couch and held it up to Kagome. "Hmm," she said observantly. "Perfect."

Kagome did have to say that it was a beautiful kimono. It was black silk with gold threading, the shoulder embroidered in an intricate, complicated gold vine design. The obi was gold silk.

"Put this on," she said hurriedly.

Kagome obediently began to remove her soiled clothes, leaving on her stockings. She pulled the Kimono over her head and her hair out from the collar, tugging at it in certain places to adjust it to her form. Ouija smiled and nodded approvingly. "Now the shoes." The shoes were simple black sandals that had a small heel. Kagome examined herself in the mirror. It really was a gorgeous outfit. "Now, sit, sit."

Ouija pushed Kagome gently down onto the seat in front of the mirrored bureau, then began hurriedly and sloppily rummaging through makeup drawers. She quickly but efficiently applied a thin line of black liner on Kagome's lid and the rim of her eyes, then dusted some brown-gold shadow over her lid and below her eyes, then finished off by dusting a gold shadow from the crease of the lid to the eyebrow. "All done, and simply gorgeous, dear." Ouija declared with a false French accent. "Now, come on. I have about three minutes to get ready to go back on stage. I'll take you to the door to go into the theater, then you're on your own."

Kagome nodded as she was hurried out of the dressing room and down the hall. But, near to the door, Ouija came to an abrupt halt and slung Kagome behind her protectively. "You're still in here?"

"Duh," came the familiar gruff voice. "I'm not leaving Kagome."

Kagome felt a pang in her chest and she nearly began crying again.

"You'd better do the right thing," Ouija warned and turned to Kagome. "Have fun, okay?"

Kagome smiled, her eyes moist again. "Oh, thank you so much, Ouija. I'm so grateful." She hugged Ouija tightly, who returned the embrace, and began down the hall, glancing over her shoulder as she hurried along.

Kagome watched after her until she disappeared, unable to face Inuyasha just yet.

"You look great," he said softly, and Kagome turned. He was only inches from her. She gasped softly in surprise, and then lowered her gaze to the floor.

"Thanks. Ouija gave me some new clothes to put on for the concert. I kinda ruined my new shirt."

Inuyasha sighed softly. "Look, Kagome, I didn't know you were gonna cry in there. If I knew that, I wouldn't have let you say anything."

Kagome didn't look up at him. "I know, it's just–" she stopped, unsure of what she wanted to say.

"What did you cry for, anyway?" he asked, his voice hard.

"I don't know." She lied, shaking her head.

She gasped softly as Inuyasha gently placed his hand under her chin and lifted her face. He looked her in the eye, and for once, his eyes were not hard amber jewels, but warm liquid gold. "I'm sorry, okay?"

She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together. "It's okay."

She nearly began crying again, for the third time. He hadn't ever said sorry for something he'd done before. It meant so much to her. Finally, he was showing that he cared.

"Now come on," he said and took her hand into his lightly. "Let's get this thing over with."

Kagome smiled and nodded, letting him lead her down the hall and out into the amphitheater once more. On their way out, Kagome wrapped her fingers around his tightly. He gasped softly, but then smiled down at her gently and wrapped his around hers.