Chapter 9: BambooForest

Kagome leaned against the door in the hallway.

What exactly had happened in there?

Somehow, she and Inu Yasha had not been yelling at each other. Somehow... they had managed to get along...

She brushed off the thought and headed off toward the dorm, determined to find something to eat.

Inu Yasha meanwhile sat quietly in his apartment, the kitchen light shining down on the omelet Kagome had made. Although the process was pretty simple, the outcome was surprisingly delicious.

Somehow, this omelet reminded him of Kagome. Uncomplicated but enjoyable in her own way.

He nibbled idly on a stray piece of chive as he pondered over Kagome. She was indeed a strange girl, and the fact that she resembled Kikyou so much was a little unnerving.

However, Inu Yasha supposed, they are two different people, and as such I treat them differently...

With Kikyou he could somehow open up and allow all the pains of his past to be out in the open.

He knew that Kikyou would never hurt him.

But Kagome, she was something of the future, someone looking with bright eyes in front of her. Kagome was something of the past and present, but living in the future...

Kagome unlocked the door and peered inside. Sango was sitting on her bed, intently watching something. The room was dark, only lit by the TV.

When the door opened, she looked up and called out to Kagome.

"Kagome! I made some ramen, want some?"

Kagome dropped her bag and shrugged as she answered, "Sure!"

As she walked across the room to where the noodles were floating in a salty broth, Sango said, "Yeah, I just made it, so the noodles aren't too puffy or anything."

Carefully Kagome picked up the bowl and walked over to the couch to sit by Sango.

"I can't believe it!" Sango laughed happily.

Kagome, mouth full of noodles, looked at her and waited for an explanation.

"They're having a Hayao Miyazaki marathon!" Sango exclaimed.

"Miyazaki...?" Kagome wondered, trying to remember where she had heard the name before. Suddenly it struck her, "Oh! Hayao Miyazaki, the one who did Tonari no Totoro and Mononoke Hime?"

Sango nodded smiling.

"Ahh, I love his works." Kagome sighed as a commercial rolled by.

"Me too. Did you go see Sen to Chihiro no Kami Kakushi?" Sango asked as she slurped her tea.

"Yeah! That was SO good!" Kagome answered as the Castle of Cagliostro started.

So, basically, to make a long story short, Sango and Kagome spent all night in front of the TV, watching all of Miyazaki-sama's ten movies or so. Needless to say it was VERY late when they went to bed, and their weekly stock of coffee was gone that night.

It was a good thing that Kagome did not have any classes the next day...

Kagome carefully placed her (very) high pile of books on a nearby desk and scanned the shelves, searching for a book for her research paper.

"Nanizawa... Nanizuya... Nanizufukawa... damn, it's not here..." Kagome sighed as she continued her never-ending search.

After about ten minutes of searching the row a few times, she gave up, collected her books and walked down the row. It was late afternoon, and the rumbling in her stomach was an obvious sign that going without lunch today had not been such a good idea.

Little was she aware of the person who had just begun walking down the same aisle... in the opposite direction.

CRASH

Books fell to the floor, and almost immediately Kagome kneeled down to pick them up, mumbling, "I'm so sorry!"

The person stood up for a few moments, looking down at her, his eyes strangely cold. Finally, he decided to kneel down and help her pick up the books.

Kagome glanced up and stared at the person in disbelief.

S-Sesshoumaru...?!

Why did she ALWAYS have to bump into him like this? Of course, it wasn't that she minded bumping into him or anything, but it was the fact that he hardly ever spoke to her.

In the brief moment she glanced up at him, she was amazed (as she always was) at how beautiful he was. His long silver hair washed over his broad shoulders and nearly touching the floor as he stooped down and gathered the books. His cold, almost-amber eyes were firm and resolved, as if this man had never doubted a thing he had done from the day he was born.

Kagome wished she could have such confidence...

Sesshoumaru regarded the stooped girl from his perch above. Kagome, such a small girl -- insignificant to the world...

How careless she was...

Sesshoumaru watched as she quickly gathered the books in her hands, mumbling over and over, "I'm so sorry…"

To help her with the books would be the right thing to do. Society told him he must, but what did he, Sesshoumaru, care about society? He did not care about the young girls born into lines of prostitution, he did not care about the drunks that lie out in the streets, he did not care about the homeless too lazy to get a job -- he cared about none of it.

And yet he crouched down and silently helped her.

It was amazing that for such a young girl -- a freshman no less -- would be getting all these books.

At least she had taste, Sesshoumaru thought dryly as he picked up "Pride and Prejudice" and "War and Peace."

He reached down for the final book... a Tale of Genji...

Kagome silently picked up the books. Sesshoumaru, although quiet, was deadly. Perhaps if she got up too quickly and thanked him he would do nothing.

She reached down for the last book... a Tale of Genji...

She felt something soft and warm, and she looked down to find her hand on top of Sesshoumaru's.

Kagome looked up at him, her hand momentarily stationary.

A few seconds slowly ticked by.

He had yet to move his hand.

Somehow... the world had stopped...

Kagome found it a bit hard to breathe, and it was harder and harder to figure out why he had not moved.

Kagome forced down the blush that was quickly rising to her cheeks. She would NOT blush!!

Sesshoumaru studied Kagome, his face perfectly deadpan. Silently Kagome cursed him. Why did he have to be so expressionless?

He blinked, and for a fraction of a second his eyes were not visible...

Quietly, his voice for once strangely warm, he said, "Please move your hand." But his face was cold... unemotional...

Kagome did so gladly. She did not like this feeling she was experiencing...

She snatched up the Tale of Genji and stood up quickly. She bowed and once again repeated, "Sorry…"

Was it an apology to him?

Was it an apology for bumping into him?

Was it an apology for the two of them touching?

Or... was it meaningless...?

Sesshoumaru watched her walk away, slightly amused. This girl was indeed a strange one... she gave the appearance of being completely normal, but no typical boy-crazy girl would be taking such classes... no such typical girl could be so graceful as history, like a fish swimming through the vast ocean of time.

Her looks were something of the past... something mysterious, somehow...

He brushed her aside. Right now, he consulted his watch and he had other places to be.

He quickly walked out of the library in the direction of the local shrine, surrounded by trees on top of the hill.

Kagome looked up at the great shrine, its old wooden frames dilapidated yet tingling with an unknown strength. The leaves above gently rustled in the late afternoon sun, shifting the sun's rays and casting kaleidoscopic spots on the ground.

An albatross glided high above, and through the trees a swarm of finches soared up into the sky. The wind blew once again, whipping up Kagome's hair and brushing through each of the strands.

Something was strangely forlorn about the scene here. In the late days of summer, the world seemed to be slowly drifting away.

She breathed in deeply and lifted the bag of books over her shoulders as she walked to the main gate.

She hoped she would meet their expectations... she hoped...

Sesshoumaru walked up each old stone step to the shrine situated at the top of the hill.

Not particularly fond of large cities, he was pleased when he heard that Tokyo University had a shrine in the far back corners of the campus.

This shrine had been there long before the college was built. As a gesture of respect, the college had allowed the old building to continue serving the public.

Surrounding the temple were many cherry trees. In the spring, they attracted all the students to crawl out of their dorms and enjoy good sake while commenting on old haikus. Mingled with the cherry trees were the prominent Japanese maples, both red and green alike. Sesshoumaru preferred them to the cherry blossom, for it was now in autumn that their true beauty shone.

Blazing in the afternoon sun, the colors of orange, especially scarlet and gold, radiated.

The wind brushed through the leaves as they whispered calmly.

He had arrived at the center of the shrine. Slowly, in his grace, he tossed two hundred yen into the small wooden structure. He reached out to the cord, pulled it a few times and ringing the bells atop.

He did not wish for anything. He did not hope his prayers would be answered. Sesshoumaru had none to give, nothing to want, nothing to pray for.

It was merely custom... tradition.

He clapped his hands together three times and silently thought of something that had been plaguing his mind.

After this, he walked over to an old bench and regarded the proud temple.

He was glad no one was here to disturb the peaceful and perfect harmony.

No one was here, except the old Shinto priest who was sitting in the open-air room, quietly drinking tea.

The old priest looked up, and Sesshoumaru's eyes swiveled to the right, to where there was movement.

A young miko shuffled forward and crouched down formally, slowly bowing down onto the tatami.

The priest's lips moved as he spoke.

The girl's lips moved also, but Sesshoumaru could hear no sound.

He studied the girl. The way she moved with such grace startled him as he quietly regarded the figure. Her red hakama and the traditional white blouse were flattering to her, for they elicited something serene and beautiful.

If he did not know better he would say that she was Kikyou.

It could not be Kikyou.

Kikyou would have told Inu Yasha, and right now the two would most likely be "exploring" each other's love.

Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, felt nothing for the girl named Kikyou. At one time she might have been (if anything) a friend, but he did not harbor the same feelings for her that his brother so evidently did.

Having seen Kikyou all his life, having to have her eat at his parents' house all his life, having to watch over her and Inu Yasha as children all his life, enabled him to sense her well. And right now... he was almost sure that it was she who was now carefully drinking a cup of tea.

He decided he would wait until the priest and the miko were done engaging in their activities.

He leaned back onto the bench and closed his eyes.

"I cannot tell you how relieved we were to hear from you." The old priest said.

Kagome nodded quietly. How she hated all this formality -- but in a way, she rather enjoyed it. She enjoyed acting more adult than she should in a world full of children.

"With the Autumn Festival coming up, and New Years, along with parades... you can see we are desperate." He pressed.

"So I take it, I will be the miko until... she comes back?" Kagome asked quietly.

He nodded.

"May I ask what happened to her?" Kagome questioned, staring at him firmly in the eye.

The priest looked outside and regarded a leaf as it drifted into a nearby pond.

"She was hit by a car." He finally said.

"How terrible." Kagome lamented, "But... she lived, ne?"

"Yes, she did, but she is still in a coma." The priest quietly added.

"I see." Kagome sighed, pondering the eternal question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?"

The priest now gazed at her, "You seem to know the arts; you will be welcome here."

Kagome tried not to smile. Formality meant no smiles. She bowed deeply, her head resting against the new tatami mat, "Thank you very much."

She slowly stood up and shuffled away.

Something about the clothes she wore, something about them, made her truly feel like an adult. Perhaps she would wander the grounds, just for a little while at least...

She slipped into a pair of zori and walked quietly about the grounds, the gravel crunching under her feet.

She stopped.

She thought she sensed something following her.

She listened.

Nothing...

She brushed it off and continued walking.

Surrounding her now was a bamboo forest in the back of the property, and an old mossy path caught her attention. She regarded the path; it was inviting...

Silently she turned and walked onto it.

And yet the feeling did not go away.

Something was following her...

Like that night in the alleyway, she could feel it... but this time, she had no knife...

Surrounding her on either side were the bamboos, the forest of never-ending green...

They grew high up into the sky, blocking the light from the darkening day... their leaves rustling in the breeze.

The bamboos were now drowning her, for they had closed in on her so suddenly she thought of turning back.

However, through the stalks, she saw that soon it would open up a little wider, so she continued...

Sesshoumaru smirked quietly as he sifted through the bamboo... once again; the hunt was on. He lived for the hunt, as the thrill rushed through his system, blinding his eyes.

She had caught onto him long ago, but why was she continuing these games of cat and mouse?

He pursued her soundlessly.

But now, as the bamboo parted away, he saw she had stopped in a small circle where the bamboo did not grow.

He asked calmly to her back, not yet able to see her face, "Why are you here? Why aren't you with Inu Yasha...?"

Kagome heard from behind her the person whom she had yet to see. His voice was deep, strong, smooth, "Why are you here? Why aren't you with Inu Yasha...?"

Why would I be with Inu Yasha?

"What are you talking about?" She asked softly, not yet turning around.

"As much as I don't like my brother, I see your true intentions now. And I, Sesshoumaru, revolt at how low you indeed are." Sesshoumaru said angrily as he regarded her in a new light.

Kagome clenched her fists together. She had decided she would walk away... but then, she swung around and marched up to him. She wondered why he looked surprised in that moment right before she slapped him.

The sound echoed through the forest.

She looked up at him, glaring full of embarrassment and anger, "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Sesshoumaru cursed his stupidity once again for mistaking Kagome as Kikyou. Why did he always get the two mixed up? Now, as he felt his cheek burn with pain, he realized the utter grievance of his mistake.

But he would not admit it.

The fact that she had slapped him had caused him to become angry to no end.

He looked down at her. He would have spoken; he would have, however she spoke too soon.

"You go around everywhere, acting so high and mighty, and you treat everyone like shit! You insult me! You nearly try to rape me! Who the hell do you think you are that you have the right to go around and do this?" Kagome yelled.

Almost as soon as the words left her mouth she regretted them.

Homesickness...

Stress...

Loneliness...

She had taken it all out on him.

In reality, he had never been that bad; of course what she said had been true, but not... not to the extent she just said...

Anger boiled up inside Sesshoumaru. He might have overlooked her slapping him, but to insult him in such a way was unforgivable. He reached down and tightly grabbed each of her hands... perhaps he should give her a dose of her own medicine; beat her to a pulp and leave her out in the middle of this bamboo forest.

He glared down at her, his eyes ignited with hidden flames from within...

"You dare---" Sesshoumaru began.

The sun was beginning to sink, and the rays of light that filtered through the forest landed on her face.

Her tears caught the sun and held on to it.

She was crying...

Sesshoumaru released her hands. She was weak right now; any further action would be pointless...

Kagome cursed at herself. She was crying... She was not crying because he was holding her or because she feared for her safety... no, she was crying from loneliness... she was crying because of the world...

He let go of her hands, but she almost wished he hadn't. She felt weak, as if she could not stand.

She would not be weak around him though; no matter how insignificant he thought she was...

She backed away and said firmly, "Just because I cry don't think of me as weak..."

Sesshoumaru gave no expression, but instead silently walked away the way he had come.

It was true; she was not weak. In fact in some odd way she was incredibly strong... and somehow he could not hit her.

Kagome collapsed to the ground and covered her face. Somehow, she wished he were still holding her... the tears did not flow so freely then...

The wind silently whispered through the forest that separated the two...