I actually updated today! I figured I'd put if off until the weekend, but Bishi and WindScar had given me such good ideas (again) so I just had to write this chapter ASAP! Thank you so much to Bishi and WindScar and all of my other reviewers! Your support means a lot.
I hope all of you like it!
Kagome blinked. Become a Guardian? She momentarily pondered the benefits of being a Guardian before rapidly destroying the thought. She blatantly refused the offer. "No!"
"But why?" Tadase asked, frowning gently.
"I said no! I don't have to give you a reason!"
He gave her a pout. "Please, Higurashi-san?" Oh, please. I raised a kitsune. That pathetic excuse of a pout won't faze me.
Glaring at him, she replied coldly, "No." She couldn't. Kagome needed the Embryo for her own reasons. There was no doubt that the Guardians needed them for something else.
"But Higurashi-san..." He stared imploringly at her, his lower lip quivering just a bit. In the background, she could see Amu suppressing her squeals. The miko giggled internally. Amu-chan had weird taste in guys...
Kagome rolled her eyes. "No."
"But-" Tadase started. Kagome cut him off with another refusal. "Higurashi-san--" She cut him off again. "Please--" Another interruption. "Why--"
"No!" Dammit, why was he so persistent!?
"Please?" Tadase looked at her, the entire puppy dog pout eminent. Amu couldn't hold in her squeals any longer. But apparently, the person they were directed at hadn't even heard them. But Kagome could hear Kukai and Yaya laughing at the girl for her unfortunate lapse of her mask.
She gave him the coldest glare she could muster. "No." Kagome replied, her voice icy.
Taken aback by her glare and response, the Guardian leader remained silent, putting hanging his head.
Nadeshiko sighed. "Leave it alone, Hotori-kun. Higurashi-san won't agree. Nor will she give us a reason." He placed a hand on Tadase's shoulder. "Respect her decision," Nadeshiko told him firmly.
He dropped his puppy dog expression. "Alright." Tadase turned to Kagome. "The offer will still be open, should you decide to accept it."
Sighing, Kagome gave him a curt nod. She turned to the others. "I apologize that I had to refuse so rudely. However, I have no need whatsoever to become a Guardian."
This time it was Yaya who inquired to as why she refused.
Unable to refuse the adorable girl, Kagome turned to Tadase. "You plan on using the Embryo for your own use, do you not?"
He nodded. "Yes."
His chara popped up behind him, flying in front of Kagome's face. "Tadase-kun plans on RULING THE WORLD!" it exclaimed, letting out an evil laugh.
A brief 'wtf!?' look appeared on her face, vanishing as quickly as it came. She flicked the chara out of the way before addressing Tadase once more. "Then we can never be allies." With that, Kagome walked away, pushing the doors open and walking into the busy fair.
What the hell is with Hotori's chara? If a chara is supposed to be your true self, then I'd hate to see Hotori as a splitting image of his chara...
She had been walking around for the past several minutes, trying to find something to do. But so far, nothing had interested her. Passing by a booth, a flier caught her attention.
'Resting area on the roof.'
This wasn't a bad idea. The previous happenings had slightly drained Kagome's energy. The roof would be a good place to recuperate.
Heading up to the roof, Kagome found that it was the only quiet area on the entire campus. Her cat ears twitched as she heard soft music fill her ears. Canon in D, isn't it? It's so beautiful, she thought. I wonder who's playing it.
Gently pushing the door open, Kagome stepped into the clearing. She saw Ikuto, playing a violin, producing the most gorgeous music she had ever heard. When she had opened the door, it had creaked, alerting Ikuto of her presence.
He whipped his head around, the cat ears atop his head, twitching. "Kagome? What are you doing here?" Ikuto smirked. "I guess you just couldn't stay away from me after that kiss, huh?"
Coloring, Kagome glared at him. "Of course not. I came up here to rest. But here I find you up here, playing your music. What are you doing at an elementary school, anyways?" she queried pointedly.
Ikuto shrugged. "My school's here to help out. Figured I'd try to escape by coming up here." He placed his violin in his case and approached Kagome, peering down at her with his azure irises. "I heard you were offered a position as a Guardian. What happened then?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but I turned them down."
"That's good," he purred, "because we would have been enemies if you had accepted."
Kagome sent him a smirk. "Damn." she said, snapping her fingers in mock disappointment. "I guess I should've accepted the offer. It's still open after all."
Her eyes widened as Ikuto let out an animalistic hiss. "No," he ground out, "don't work with that Kiddy King." His eyes narrowed at her slightly, whether of apprehension or something else, she didn't know. Kagome wondered if it was because of what she said.
"Why?" she asked, peering up at him questioningly. At his silence, Kagome let out a giggle. "You know I was only joking, right?"
Ikuto blinked at her. "Oh," he said simply. They stood in silence for a moment before Shippou came running up the roof.
"Okaa-chan, okaa-chan! Sesshomaru needs-" He stopped mid-sentence as the kitsune gazed curiously at Ikuto. "Is this my new father?"
Kagome flushed. "O-of course not! Why would you think that!?"
Meanwhile, Ikuto gaped at Shippou, a bewildered expression on his face. "Okaa-chan...?" he whispered, his blue eyes wide with confusion. "What the hell, Kagome?"
Shippou, regardless of the tension in the air, turned to Kagome and said, "He's calling you by your first name already, 'kaa-chan? I thought you didn't like rushing into relationships."
She glared at Shippou and denied the truth in his accusations. Kagome ushered her son out the door, kicking him in the process and shoved him out the door. Locking it behind her, she walked towards Ikuto, a sheepish expression on her pretty face. "It's an old nickname," fibbed Kagome.
She wondered how she had developed the ability to lie through her teeth so easily. Kagome decided that a skill of that sort wasn't one she was particularly proud of, however useful it would prove to be in the future.
Ikuto shook his head. He came up and hugged Kagome to his front. "I know," he purred into her ear, "that you're lying, Kagome. Tell me the truth."
Letting out an aggravated sigh, Kagome wrenched herself out of Ikuto's embrace. I suppose I would have been found out sooner or later. And sooner or later, I'm going to need his help on finding the Embryo anyways. "I suppose it's not worth hiding anything from you, is there, Ikuto?" He nodded smugly. She continued, "Do you remember when you said I had no heart egg and I replied I had no need for one?" Ikuto nodded once more. "The answer you were searching for is because I am a miko."
"That still doesn't explain why you have no egg." he protested. "You're a kid. All kids have a heart egg."
Kagome glared at him. "Shut up and let me continue." she snapped. When he closed his mouth, Kagome spoke once more. "As a servant to the gods, mikos already have their destinies planned out in return. Thus, there is no need for a heart egg. As most dreams from that age don't come true, the gods don't bestow one to us, priestesses.
"And even if I had a heart egg, mine would have shattered long ago," she spat bitterly. "It's not an experience I enjoy recalling."
A fine blue eyebrow arched upwards. "But you are only twelve, are you not?"
Letting out a derisive snort, the miko replied, "I'm sixteen, actually."
Now both of Ikuto's eyebrows shot up. "How is this possible?"
The miko sighed. Recalling the events, she responded, "During a fierce battle, I had died from blood loss and the poison that had seeped into my body. I was revived by a demonic sword. Being a miko, my chi reacted oddly with the demonic aura. The initial goal had been accomplished, as I am standing before you. However, it took it a bit too far. Right now, I'm stuck in this," -Kagome grimaced-"child's body until we can find a way to revert the spell."
Ikuto nodded slowly. Kagome was surprised he didn't reject everything she had said so far. "Is that why you wanted to know about the Embryo?" he asked. "To revert back to your original body?"
"No. There is another reason. However, that is not for you to know."
He nodded once more.
"Ne, Ikuto. Why is it that you aren't rejecting everything I say?" questioned the miko. If Ikuto was confused or curious as to why Shippou, a grown man, was calling her 'mommy,' he wasn't letting on.
Snorting disdainfully, Ikuto replied, "I've seen too much weird shit to have something like this throw me off."
"Oh." An awkward silence hung in the air, leaving Kagome to shift from foot to foot uncomfortably.
"If you're this adorable now, then you must have been hot when you were sixteen," Ikuto commented.
"Shut up!" Kagome cried, a faint blush appearing on her pale cheeks. She stalked off, muttering profanities at him.
"I have a proposition." His words piqued her curiosity. When she turned to face him, Ikuto continued, "Team up with me. We can search for the Embryo together." When she gave him a blank look, he pleaded, "Please, Kagome. We may be each others' last hope to be able to obtain the Embryo."
"Don't you work for another company?" she inquired warily.
He let out a disdainful sigh. "I do. But you have no idea how much I want to be rid of my duties." This was the first time that Ikuto seemed truly serious. He ran a hand through his azure hair. She saw the inner turmoil hidden deep within his indigo eyes. His aura was complex and confusing. But for the first time, a deep-rooted hatred for his employer showed through and overpowered everything else. Kagome decided that she didn't like the Ikuto she was seeing. The dark, tired, and traumatized Ikuto that was before her was something that was never supposed to happen.
"Ikuto, nya! What are you doing!?" Yoru flew in front of Ikuto, just returning from the fair. "Why are you asking her for help?"
"Because Yoru," he snapped, "she may be the only one who can help us." Yoru's golden eyes widened at the abrupt tone Ikuto was using. Sighing, he replied, "Gomen. I shouldn't have snapped."
The chara gave its owner an affectionate lick on the cheek. "It's okay, nya. If she can help, then fine." Yoru sniffed the air. "Ooh, someone's making tempura! Ja ne, nya!" He flew off quickly in search of his food.
Both of them let out a small chuckle at the small attention span of the chara.
Turning to Kagome, Ikuto approached her once more. "Well? Will you join me?" he pleaded.
Giving him a soft smile, Kagome softly agreed. Besides, she reasoned, as of now, Sesshomaru and I have no ideas on how to obtain the Embryo. At least Ikuto might have a way to find it... or at least know what it looks like.
Ikuto briefly gave her a rare view of one of his genuine smiles. Kagome felt her breath hitch in her throat. The way he smiled made his face light up, taking away the years of pain and suffering that had been etched on his face.
And then he ruined it by smirking.
"Well, Kagome." He walked closer to her and put his face a mere few inches from her face. "We need to make our agreement permanent."
Blushing at the close proximity, Kagome spluttered, "W-wouldn't a handshake do!?"
Ikuto shook his head. "It won't. And don't call me a pedophile. You're the same age as me."
And with that, he placed his lips on hers.
And so a partnership is born. But could it develop into more? Obviously!
A bit shorter than usual, but only by about a hundred words or so. But hey! They kissed! I hope that makes up for it. I do realize that they are moving a bit quickly, but since Ikuto's a pervert and all, I figured this might fit.
I was pointed out earlier in a review that Ikuto is actually fifteen. I'm basing this off of the anime, so I'm pretty sure he's 16 in the first season. If he's not, then oh well. He's sixteen here.
I hope that this chapter cleared a bit up about the whole, "Kagome doesn't have a heart egg" deal. I had a bunch of people ask me about that.
Reviews are greatly appreciated!
