A/N: Here's a thing. Review, friends.
Girl from the Fire
April
She'd never seen him look like that before.
She'd seen him moody, broody, angry, annoyed, irritated, sarcastic, bruised, awkward, proud, triumphant, and, once, sleeping peacefully. She had never seen him like this. Never seen the expression of a boy on the face of a near man. Never seen pain so mixed with defiance.
What had happened to cause him to make such a face? She could only imagine, and even then she was probably far off base. After the death of her father she had been upset for months. It still upset her now and then. But she could already tell that her mourning was different than this—she had mourned with love and grief. His was a pain of damage and resignation. There was no love in it at all.
She wondered if it was this face that had caused her sister to look at him as more than just a delinquent. The more she had come head to head with Inuyasha the last couple weeks, the more she had questioned Kikyo's decision to date him. He was stubborn and rude and cantankerous. He had to be good deep down, she thought, otherwise Kikyo wouldn't really be dating him, right? No way that the perfect Kikyo could be dating someone who was an all around jerk. But this—this was a boy with a wounded soul. It was so evident that she could feel it seeping through her skin and bones and pricking her heart.
No one should ever have to look like that. She suddenly had the nearly irrepressible urge to reach out and hug him. Maybe that was why Kikyo was dating him. She, like Kagome, had seen the boy and wanted nothing more than to keep him from making that face ever again.
How silly, she could hear herself thinking, How many times has Kikyo chastised her classmates for dating "fixer uppers"? She wouldn't do something like that. So there must have been more. More to Inuyasha than anyone knew. More than even Kagome had thought, and she generally considered herself quite accepting of everyone. But she wanted to know. Now more than ever. Who was this boy? What did he think and feel? What made him look this sad, and what could make him happy?
Thoughts and feelings swam around her head as she continued to stare at him. She had stopped dead in her tracks after rounding the corner and seeing him standing by the side of the school. Her greeting had died in her throat when she had seen his face.
Finally, he noticed there was someone nearby. He whipped his head around, his sad expression being swallowed up so quickly by a malevolent one that she was taken off guard. His eyes looked so hard and cold. She swallowed, remembering that abused dogs were often the most feral. But when he recognized her he paused. Then he pushed off the wall he was leaning against and walked away. Her gaze followed after him, watching the slant of his shoulders and the straightness of his back. She regretted having just stood there. She wished she could have been someone he trusted, someone who he wouldn't mind seeing him vulnerable like that, someone who could help him.
: : :
October
He wasn't sure if his body was still there. Was it? Wasn't it? He couldn't feel his limbs. He couldn't feel his heart beating in his chest. Better question: did it matter?
His eyes were still working. He could tell because he was looking up at the night sky, the dim stars twinkling down on him. Or was this heaven? Hell, more likely. Maybe that's why he wasn't sure if he had a body anymore. Maybe that was why he felt like his heart had just been ripped out, leaving a numb hole in him.
Dogs don't make good company.
Dang it. That stupid phrase kept echoing through his head, the sound of Naraku's voice mocking him. He hated that man. He hated every single thing about him, from his shiny hair down to his pretentious, shiny shoes. But despite his hatred, he couldn't really be angry at Naraku for saying what he had. He had been right, after all.
There were other things going on, he knew that. People were in danger. Crap was going down. But he was a single-minded idiot, and right now all he could think about was how all of this had hurt him. It had made Kikyo paranoid for weeks, causing him to worry and causing them to fight. It had taken her away and left him alone. Now it had driven her to ditch him. Was it just for now? Would she really want to be with him again when—if—she came back? He had thought so before. Before a month ago, if anyone had asked him if he thought they would be together forever, he would have said with absolute certainty, "Obviously". Of course they would be. They had made half a dozen promises to each other about their future together. He had had no doubt in his mind, and neither had Kikyo.
Things had changed since then, so quickly that it had left his head spinning and his stomach queasy. And his heart broken.
This might just be for now, he had to remind himself. They would catch Naraku. They would make things normal and safe. Then Kikyo would come home. Then he wouldn't be left again. Right?
But what if she didn't? What if she decided she liked Sapporo better than home? What if she never came back?
Dang it. What would he do? What could he do?
Not a lot. Be alone. Get in fights. Be angry at teachers and his classmates and the world. Drop out. Let the family business fall apart. Finally ditch Sessomaru's house. End up on the streets. Wander through life until he eventually, finally, died. It was hard to think of a future any different than that when there was nothing really for him to live for.
"Inuyasha!"
Oh, yeah. There was Kagome. She was his friend, wasn't she? And she was just stubborn enough that she might not leave him alone, even if Kikyo never came back. Geeze, that girl. It made him tired trying to keep up with Kagome, but he had to admit, he kind of liked it. He liked her energy. It attracted him just like it did everyone else.
Like Miroku and Sango. He didn't mind them, either. In fact, he quite liked Sango. She was honest and straightforward and tough. And she didn't hate him. Miroku still annoyed him sometimes, and he wasn't sure yet when Miroku was being himself and when he was putting up a front, but he supposed he didn't mind his company. And Miroku, for whatever reason, had never seemed to hate Inuyasha. He'd always been annoyingly around all the time. Now, since all of this business, he was around even more. He sat next to Inuyasha in class, he walked with him down the hall, and when Miroku wasn't being a playboy airhead, Inuyasha liked his company and respected his opinions. He guessed that maybe Miroku and Sango might stick around if Kagome stuck around. Then he'd have them, too.
"Inuyasha!"
Was he friends with Miroku and Sango now? They hadn't ever said anything about it. But they sure spent a lot of time with him. Was it a conversation that needed to happen? He didn't know. He still hadn't really figured out this friend thing yet. Maybe he'd ask Kagome. She'd know.
"InuyashaTaiko!"
He looked down.
He was sitting in a tree. He didn't know why, he'd just had the random urge to climb it as he was passing by. Maybe to feel like he was getting away from the world. Maybe to feel like he was closer to the sky and stars and not so close to his problems. Maybe just to avoid going home and wallowing in his room about Kikyo. But when he glanced down he saw Kagome looking back up at him, worry all over her face.
There was a hard thud in his chest as his heart started beating again. Oh, good. He was still alive. "Kagome. You…You idiot!"
She looked confused as he sat up and jumped down, landing on the sidewalk in front of her. She must have just slipped on her shoes and run after him; she wasn't even in a sweater or anything. He would have just brushed that off as her usual stupidity, but wandering around the streets at night when there was a psychopath who had already kidnapped and threatened her once was so beyond stupid it was shocking.
"What the heck are you doing?" He snapped, "You shouldn't be out here! Miroku and Sango would have your head if they knew how dumb you're being right now!"
Her surprise quickly turned to confusion. "What? What are you yelling at me for?"
"Because, you idiot, do you think you only have to worry about Naraku when it's convenient? What were you thinking, walking around at night in a time like this?"
She scoffed. "Uh! What! Who do you think you are, yelling at me right now? You're out here, aren't you?"
"I'm not the dumb little girl with stalker issues!"
Her confusion quickly became a scowl. "I only came out here because I was worried about you, you stupid jerk, but you're obviously not worth worrying about! Moron! Forget it, I'll just go home, then! Deal with your problems yourself!" She spun on her heel, stomping back down the street.
He followed after her. "There you go again, walking off by yourself in the middle of the night!"
"It's hardly the middle of the night! Don't follow me, then, if it's so annoying for you!"
He huffed, watching her back as she walked ahead of him. As they walked, he felt his irritation fading. She should know better than to make him worry while he was already upset—that would just make him angry. The idiot. Good thing he had only been a few blocks from her house and she had found him rather fast. He would have hated it if she had had to wander very far to find him.
Oh. She'd come out to find him.
He cocked his head as he watched her hair swing across her shoulders. He realized he didn't look at her back often. She always walked beside him instead of ahead of him. He'd gotten used to it, so he hadn't noticed that that was different for him. Before, he'd either walked with no one, or he'd been content to follow Kikyo.
Kagome had come barreling out of the house after him, without even a sweater against the cool night, because she was worried about him. Why was she always chasing after him? Since he'd met her she had sought him out to say hello, to be a friend, just to annoy him…Recently, she'd started running after him literally. She'd chased him down in a rainstorm after Kikyo had left because she knew he'd be feeling lonely. She'd run to his house, of all the ridiculous places, when she had been afraid of Naraku. She had followed him now, knowing that he must be feeling hurt and worrying about him. If she hadn't found him, he might have spent all night in that tree.
Why was it always her running after him?
She cared about him. Geez, she must. He didn't know why, but he also found he didn't care why. She cared about him, and that was good enough. Otherwise, why would she bother putting up with him? Why would she risk herself for him?
How could he let her do that? She could have gotten a cold in that rainstorm. She could have been confronted by Sessomaru at his house. She could have been taken right off the street tonight. His gut twisted at the thought. Stupid idiot, Kagome. He couldn't let her do that anymore. He'd make sure that she never had to chase him down again.
When the shrine stairs were in sight, Kagome stopped and looked over her shoulder at him. He stopped too, wondering what she could be thinking as she looked at him so seriously.
She said, "She loves you, you know."
"Huh?"
"Kikyo." His chest panged again at her name. "She loves you, I'm sure of it. She's just trying to protect you. You know that, right?"
His eyes dropped to the ground. That's right, Kikyo had cared about him. Yet she had been gone a month, and she'd seemed more anxious than happy talking to him on the phone that night. Or maybe that was just him reading into it. Maybe that was how he had been feeling. Dang it, he didn't remember. Either way, his heart still hurt.
Ugh.
"Inuyasha," The softness of her voice made him look back at her. She had stepped closer, her warm, brown eyes looking up at him, her face pulled together with sympathy. "It's ok. I know that sucks to hear when it doesn't seem like it, but…she'll come back. We'll figure it all out. It'll be ok." Her hand lifted toward him, as though she were going to hug him, but then she drew it back. He watched the action and felt a sweeping sense of longing.
He needed that hug. He needed to be touched. A hundred times had he been hurt in some way or another and Kagome had happened along, healing him with a smile and a simple touch. When had he come to rely on her so much? He had no idea. Right now he didn't care. Right now, his chest was aching with feelings for Kikyo and the memories of his life before her, of being alone and hated and misunderstood. Right now, all he wanted was to hide inside Kagome's kindness and worry.
He took his hand from his pocket and reached for hers. His fingers barely brushed the back of her hand before they trailed up, wrapping around her wrist lightly. Her skin was cold in the night air, which was more obvious since his hands were so warm from his jacket. Then he moved closer and dropped his head, resting his forehead on her shoulder.
She was incredibly still, her breathing the only movement she made. He could feel her breath on the skin of his neck that was exposed just above his collar. He could smell her, too. Funny. Kikyo never smelt like anything. It was like she was a ghost or an angel, barely attached to the mortal realm. Kagome smelt like strawberry shampoo and the Higurashi house and life. He liked it, and took deep breaths. It felt good filling up his lungs.
He would have stood like that all night if he could have. He could feel her touch and her body heat and her patience easing the pain in his chest. Amazing. How could she do that by doing so little? Was she magic?
When she lifted her free hand and touched his arm, it brought him back to reality. It was too close to a hug, too close to his beating heart not to make it stutter.
He straightened, pulling back to find his face only inches from hers. She still looked up at him with the same sympathetic face. Not pity, but sympathy. The kind that only came when you cared for someone else. The kind that he hadn't had from anyone since his mother. From Kikyo he had received empathy—empathy from someone else who had been hurting the same as him. This sympathy from Kagome was from someone vastly different than him, and yet someone who liked him just fine the way he was.
And suddenly he remembered what it had felt like when she had held his face in her hands and pressed her lips against his. Swift and soft and surprising. He found his eyes falling to those lips, and he swallowed when they opened and said in a quiet voice, "Inuyasha?"
Then he turned away.
He let her wrist slip out of his fingers and took a step back, looking away and clearing his throat. His cheeks were warm with mortification. He'd almost kissed her. Idiot. She probably would have slapped him. Did he not just get dumped an hour ago? And by her sister? She had come to comfort him, but Kagome, for all the kindness and caring that she had, wouldn't have stood for something so stupid.
Then again. Hadn't she kissed him once?
Dang it, he was confused. He wasn't used to dealing with so many emotions—heartbreak, friendship, worry, fear, gratitude, contentment…
Whatever. Stop thinking. This wasn't the time to go over what a moron he was.
"You're cold," He said. "You should go inside." He looked at her again to see she was hesitating, but she was beginning to shiver. He said more firmly. "I'll be fine, Kagome. Go home."
"Alright." She turned and slowly headed to the shrine steps, looking back at him before ascending. He watched her go all the way to the top, where she looked back at him again. Then he waited until he was sure enough time had passed for her to return safely back inside.
Being "Kagome" at school again would have been liberating if she weren't so far behind in all her classes. She'd been back as Kagome for almost an entire week, and already all of her teachers had pulled her aside and told her she would need to work hard to catch up to the rest of her peers. It was, basically, the worst.
Luckily, she had enough friends and enough peers who offered to help her out that she felt like she might make it. Hojo had even brought her all his notes, with a little blush and a shy glance. She noticed it, but ignored it. She didn't have the mental capacity to deal with Hojo currently. She barely had the mental capacity to deal with anything lately. She'd found herself, more than once, staring out the window and watching the archery club practice with a longing look in her eyes.
Naraku hadn't bugged her all week, at least. Sango and her father were scrambling to sell the dojo, but they hadn't heard anything. Miroku was busy and secretive, as always, but seemed to be ok. Inuyasha had yet to have any sort of run in with Naraku, which was relieving. Everything was eerily quiet, in fact. It made Kagome nervous.
So when Eri and Asami hurried over to her first thing on Thursday morning, Kagome's stomach immediately sank. Their news was both surprising and expected.
"Yuka got in a car wreck this morning," Eri quickly said, her voice hurried.
"What? How do you know?"
"Takashi's dad is a first responder," Asami explained, looking worried. "He told Takashi it was a student from his school, and Takashi found out who it was and then told our homeroom teacher."
"Is she ok? What happened?"
"We don't know," Eri said, sharing a look with Asami, "No one's heard anything yet, except that it was a hit and run and that she and both her parents are in the hospital now."
"We want to go there right after school," Asami said, "I told the glee club I wouldn't be there today, and Eri's skipping play practice."
Kagome nodded. "Have you told Sango?"
They shook their heads. "We haven't seen her yet this morning."
Hojo ran over then, saying that he had just heard what had happened, and wondering if there were any home remedies or anything he could offer Yuka. They told him that was sweet, but they didn't really know what had happened yet.
Kagome found Sango quickly after that. Sango was grimly unsurprised as well.
"Are we going after school?" Kagome asked.
"Why wait?" Sango replied.
So after the bell rang, they hurried away, taking the quickest route to the hospital, making sure they weren't followed by anyone suspicious, and ignoring the angry texts from Inuyasha.
"You're not going to answer those?" Sango asked after Kagome's phone buzzed again. They were close to the hospital now, only a couple blocks away.
Kagome sighed. "He's fine, he's just being paranoid."
Sango gave a small smile and shake of her head. "He's such a worry wart. You know, he's surprisingly caring for a big rude idiot."
Kagome chuckled. "Yeah, he is."
"You know, I…don't mind him so much, Kagome."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"Well, I mean, I never hated the guy, but, I dunno, recently he's been kind of…nice to me. He's fun to have around." She elbowed Kagome lightly. "I kind of get what you see in him now."
Kagome smiled and said nothing. Not how she had kissed him, not how Kikyo had broken his heart, not how things were a bit weird between them now. They didn't seem that way on the surface—now that she was back to being Kagome at school again, he openly teased her and fought with her, but he was also openly just around. It didn't seem to bother him that there were some whispers about Kikyo's sudden disappearance and the quick shift of Inuyasha's attentions toward Kagome, the younger sister. And on top of all that, he wasn't as standoffish as he had always been—he sat closer, he didn't move away when his shoulder brushed hers in the hallway, and he had even reached out to brush something off her shoulder the other day. It didn't escape Kagome's notice; coming from anyone else all of those things might have been normal, but this was Inuyasha. Never in the six months that she had known him had he been careless with physical contact. And it only seemed to be with her.
Rebounding. If he hadn't been before, then she was sure that after this weekend's conversation with Kikyo he most certainly was now. She didn't need to be told that. It would just hurt more.
So she said nothing to Sango.
The secretary at the hospital looked up Yuka and her family on the computer. Kagome and Sango were relieved to hear that Yuka was no longer in the ER, and that her family had been moved to the third floor. They made their way up, falling quiet as they prepared themselves.
There were cops in the hallway outside of Yuka's room. Two of them, talking to an older woman who must have been a witness. Kagome and Sango weren't allowed inside Yuka's room, so they looked through the window at the doctor hovering over their friend, who was connected to half a dozen wires and machines. They listened to the witness tell the cop her story, probably for the second time:
"It was right on the corner of 22nd, I was crossing to go to the store a block away, I always go there, they have the freshest produce, and I had to pause when their car stopped at the sign. But just as they were pulling out, this long black car came racing around the corner—I always said there should be a light there, teenagers always take that corner too fast—and it didn't seem to have seen them. It ran straight into the side of them! I was so shocked I fell right over! I thought they were all terribly hurt, they must have been, so I pulled out my phone, but just as I called the police the black car pulled away and drove off, the hood still crushed and smoking! I was so angry, I tell you! Such reckless driving, and they couldn't even be man enough to stay and face the consequences!"
Kagome and Sango looked at each other. Then the doctor came out, so they turned to him and asked how Yuka was doing. He said she had a concussion and a couple broken ribs, but she would be all right. Might even be conscious later that day. Her mother was about the same and was in a nearby room, but the father only had a broken arm and was awake, demanding he be moved to his wife's room. They must have looked incredibly relieved, because the doctor patted their shoulders and told them they were good friends.
"Looks like it wasn't as bad as we feared," Sango said as they walked back down the hall. "If it was Naraku's guy—which I'm sure it was—then he could have killed them. But he let them live."
"It's still just a power play," Kagome said, careful not to talk too loud when nurses passed by them. She ran a hand through her hair, thinking about the smiling, athletic girl. "He'll probably work up to worse and worse attacks. Yuka's just a pawn who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Dang it! I hate that this is affecting so many other people!"
Sango clenched a fist. "I wish Naraku would quit hiding behind all his stupid threats and flunkies and just face us head on. I'd love to give him a piece of my mind."
Kagome nodded determinedly in agreement.
Sango quieted as they passed through another corridor. Her eyes traveled along the windows and doorways as they passed. This was the children's wing. Sango would be thinking about Kohaku right now. She didn't talk about it often, but Kagome knew she was always worried about her brother's health, and right now, with their debts to Naraku looming over them, more than ever.
Through the windows they could see small children lying down or sitting up, some with hair, some without, all of them looking too small and worn down for a child. Kagome had been there before with Sota to visit Kohaku about a year ago when he'd had a bad spell. She could feel her heart going out to every tiny, fragile patient there. It was no wonder Kikyo wanted to be a doctor—Kagome might have herself if her math skills could have supported it.
Kagome paused when they passed by a particular, occupied room. She recognized the girl sitting on the edge of the bed, swinging her feet absently, wearing the same elementary school uniform as her younger brother.
"Rin!" Kagome said, and before thinking too much she headed to the door and swung it open.
She jumped when she found herself looking at a tall man in a dark gray suit and a maroon tie. He was beautiful, with long silver hair, sharp features, and intense eyes, but he looked ice cold, as though he were frozen all the through to his heart. Kagome swallowed, staring up at him, but blinked when she recognized the color in his eyes. She would know those eyes anywhere.
"Kagome!" Rin piped up. Kagome looked past Sessomaru Taiko's shoulder at the young girl, who waved at her. "And Sango, too! What are you guys doing here?"
Sessomaru glanced back at Rin, then stepped aside to allow Kagome and Sango to enter the room.
"Rin!" Sango said with a smile, walking towards the bed. "It's been a while! Kohaku has told me that you have been doing well in school so far."
"Mmhmm!" Rin said. "I love it! And Kohaku always helps me with things I don't understand. We have to help each other, I guess—we both missed a lot of school, and we're kind of behind." Rin grinned, completely unconcerned.
"What are you doing here?" Kagome asked. "You're not sick again, are you?"
"Nope. It's just a check up. They're going to test my lungs and make sure they're working properly. I still can't keep up as well in gym class as everyone else, so Mr. Sessomaru worries."
Kagome peeked over her shoulder carefully. Sessomaru didn't look worried. He was staring blankly out the window at passing doctors. She couldn't believe this was Inuyasha's older brother—they looked so different, yet she could still sense a distinct vibe of family from the both of them. They shared the same eyes, although Kagome thought that Inuyasha's eyes weren't as piercing as Sessomaru's were. At least not anymore.
Sessomaru's gaze flicked toward her and she quickly turned back around.
"That's good," Sango said, "I'm glad you've been doing so well." She turned to Kagome. "When I first met Rin, she couldn't speak at all."
Kagome raised her eyebrows. "Really?"
"That's true," Rin said. "My lungs were pretty badly damaged from the fire, and my throat was even worse off. That's what everyone said, anyway. But Mr. Sessomaru made sure I got fixed right up!"
"Oh, he did, did he?" Sango said. She and Kagome both peeked at Sessomaru this time. Again, he wasn't looking at them. If he was even listening at all. Suddenly he reached for the door and stepped out, letting it swing shut behind him. They watched through the window as he stepped to the side and met with a beautiful woman in a dark burgundy skirt and blazer.
Kagome and Sango stiffened and shared a look. Kagura said something to Sessomaru, who responded curtly. Then she looked through the window. When she saw them her eyes narrowed. What was she doing here? Talking to Sessomaru? Was Sessomaru working for Naraku, too?
"Oh, Ms. Kagura's here!" Rin said cheerfully. She waved energetically, catching Kagura's eye after a minute. To Kagome's surprise, Kagura smiled slightly and gave a little nod to Rin. Then she looked away from all of them and continued speaking with Sessomaru.
"Rin, you know that woman?" Sango asked quietly, which wasn't necessary but felt appropriate to Kagome.
"Sure," Rin said. "She's Mr. Sessomaru's friend. She visits us at our house sometimes."
"She does?" Kagome asked in surprise. "Why?"
Rin shrugged. "She talks to Mr. Sessomaru. Sometimes she brings us dinner. She's nice, I like her and I think she likes Mr. Sessomaru, too."
"Has…does Inuyasha know her?"
"Yeah. But he's not around much, and he doesn't like talking to Mr. Sessomaru."
What? Inuyasha had seen Kagura in his own home and hadn't said anything? Why not?
"Do they work together, Rin?" Sango asked apprehensively. She spoke more quickly, seeing that whatever conversation was going on between Sessomaru and Kagura was nearly over.
"Uh, I guess so, but they're not supposed to."
"Really? Why not?"
"Well, Mr. Sessomaru and Mr. Naraku don't get along and Ms. Kagura works for Mr. Naraku. So it's a secret, ok? Don't tell anyone." Rin looked between them both until they smiled and nodded. Then she smiled again. "Ok!" Her feet began to swing again.
"Do you know anything about Naraku, Rin?" Kagome couldn't help but ask. She tried to keep it light, not wanting to worry the girl by sounding too serious.
"Sure," Rin said, "He's why my family's dead."
Kagome and Sango went cold.
The door opened and Sessomaru walked back in, holding the door for an elderly doctor. The doctor cooed at Rin and shuffled over to her, and Sessomaru continued to hold the door, making it clear that it was time for Kagome and Sango to leave. They bowed politely to him as they passed, and he only looked back at them. He let the door swing shut as they left.
