Can Jade logically type a chapter up while at work? Only time will tell!
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha
Warnings: Swearing, other general stuff
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I Believe In Yesterday
Chapter Eleven
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Sango had only meant to talk to Kagura and Kikyo, being that they were also girls and there were just naturally some things that were shared between girls that weren't shared with members of the opposite gender. It wasn't that Sango thought the boys were incapable of being understanding, it was just something she wasn't sure she should explain to them.
Kagome's behavior was really starting to get to her and she didn't know what to say to her friend. Every time she asked Kagome if she was alright, Kagome's face would grow into a steely resolve and there'd be that infuriating answer of, "Everything's fine, Sango. I'm just stressed about homework."
Sango supposed that it was totally possible that Kagome really was just stressed but she sincerely doubted it. Homework may drive you crazy but it didn't cause you to wear three sweaters, or (as Sango had observed in their Photography classes but strangely nowhere else) let their hair hang in their face.
I know something's wrong but she won't tell me. She won't tell anyone.
The maroon-eyed girl sighed. She wouldn't even bring it up to the others except that now she had a field trip to an art museum and she needed someone to keep Kagome company this weekend.
When she went to go recruit Kagura and Kikyo for the job, she found the room filled with people. Sango sighed. She didn't want everyone to know about Kagome's problems but it looked like she might have to tell them.
We're all friends…
"Heey, Sango!" Kagura called from a project she was hunched over. "Thank god you're here. Kikyo won't make Kouga leave."
Kouga was sort of shuffling his feet and standing near the door, looking uncomfortable. Kikyo was sitting rather stoically on the edge of her own bed, where Shippo was also sitting, getting help on his English homework. Inuyasha was sprawled out in one of the beanbag chairs on the floor, idly flipping through a biology textbook. Sango blinked, taken aback by this. This was the closest to doing homework that she'd ever seen him. Kagome wasn't there, which was good, considering Sango's purpose but a little troubling because Sango now was very unsure of where Kagome was.
"I'm not doing anything, I was just asking Inuyasha something." Kouga muttered.
"Oh, be nice." Sango told the red-eyed young woman who only gave her a sour look before continuing her stitching. "Everyone else is always in here."
"Yes, but I like them." Kagura pointed out and Sango saw that Kouga's blue eyes flashed with a hurt look but he quickly tried to hide it.
"Listen, guys," Sango cleared her throat. "Um, Kagome's been…a little down lately and I was wondering if you guys could maybe hang out with her this weekend. I would do it but I have to go on a field trip this weekend."
"You're leaving me?" A wounded voice asked and Sango instantly bristled before whirling around. (She knew that if you heard that voice behind you, you better turn around sharpish because a wandering hand would soon accompany it.) Miroku stood behind her in the doorway. "And where is the sun going this weekend?"
"I'm going to an art museum." Sango answered in the most dignified manner she could.
"The sun." Kikyo snorted from her bed. "Miroku and Ptolemy would have been really good friends."
"Anyways, can you guys hang out with Kagome at all?" Sango went back to the conversation she'd been trying to have before Miroku interrupted her.
"Sorry, Sango." Kagura glanced up from her work. "This is due by Monday and I'm nowhere near done. I'm going to have to haul ass to finish in time. I'll try but I can't promise a lot."
"Maybe if you hadn't waited until the very last minute…" Kikyo trailed off loftily and then turned towards Sango. "I will be gone on Saturday."
"She's going on a loooooove trip." Kagura sing-songed happily. Kikyo pegged her in the head with a large pink eraser. Sango raised her eyebrows at the usually expressionless young woman who was now faintly blushing and glaring at everyone in the room.
"Shippo and I are going to the opera. It is not a 'love trip'." Kikyo tried to explain but it made her face grow pinker, which was clearly annoying her.
"Like…a…date?" Sango repeated slowly, temporarily forgetting her mission.
"Shippo," Miroku stepped into the room, one hand covering his heart as he towards his roommate. There was not the smallest hint of a smile on his face. "We are roommates and fellow men. I must impress upon you the seriousness of your situation. You have managed to get the extremely lovely but cold, sometimes cruel, Lady Kikyo to go on a date with you. That means that you are no longer just my roommate, but obviously my teacher. Show me your wisdom so that I may follow in your noble footsteps and get the seemingly impossible to take my arm and let me escort them to dinner."
Everyone stared at Miroku as though he was from another planet.
The silence was broken by Kagura bursting into raucous laughter, dropping her sewing project immediately and clutching at her sides.
"Omigod, Miroku, that was awesome." Kagura was having a hard time talking in the midst of her laughter. "How do you say that with a straight face?"
"Ah, Kagura dear, do you doubt my sincerity in this matter?" Miroku turned towards, still looking serious other than a small wink that Sango caught. She pursed her lips. The other reactions varied. Inuyasha grunted in an irritated fashion before turning another page in his textbook. Kouga was trying to hide a grin, Kikyo seemed to be shaking with uncontrollable rage, and Shippo was holding a hand out towards her as if he was ready to grab her if she sprang to kill Miroku.
"You're such a weirdo." Sango snapped at Miroku.
"Is it because I said another girl was lovely?" Miroku looked up, hitting his fist on top of his palm, as though just recalling something. "I don't want you to be jealous, dearest Sango, because of all the lovely ladies here, you are by far the loveliest."
"Eh." Inuyasha made a noise that implied he didn't agree with that assessment which caused everyone to stared at him. He looked up after a moment and saw everyone's eyes on him. "What?"
"Who do you think is the loveliest?" Kagura asked him eagerly.
"Do not answer that, Inuyasha." Miroku warned him. "Long ago a man was faced with the same choice of choosing who among three goddesses was the most beautiful and met a bitter end. Be it Hera," He gestured towards Sango. "Athena," He indicated Kikyo. "Or Aphrodite," Kagura sat up straight, grinned and waved, wriggling her fingers. "You'll surely meet a similar sticky fate."
"You were just spouting off about who thought was the fucking hottest." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "So stop with the Greek mythology shit."
"Wow, Inuyasha, I didn't know you knew anything about Greek mythology." Kagura commented, looking impressed.
"No one fucking says anything when Kikyo talks about some old astronomy guy, but of course everyone fucking goggles at me when I get a mythology reference. I'm pre-med." Inuyasha reminded them indignantly.
"Ooookay." Kagura rolled her eyes. "So touchy. You seriously need to go out with a girl or something."
"Fuck off." Inuyasha stood up and closed his biology textbook with an unnecessary amount of force. "Just because I'm not sleeping with half the campus…"
"I am not sleeping with half the campus!" Kagura crossed her arms angrily. "You're just mad because the girl you like was making kissy face with Kouga."
"We were not!" Kouga denied at once.
"Oh please, no one cares." Kagura brushed aside his protest. "Except Inuyasha, of course."
"There's the pot." Kikyo commented dryly. "That's a classic example of an idiom, Shippo."
"What pot?" Kagura demanded to know.
"La pelle se moque du fourgon." Miroku added.
"No, no French!" Sango clapped her hands over her ears. "You always start saying stuff that I can tell is probably disgusting to me." But when she looked back up at Miroku, he'd left the room.
"What pot?" Kagura asked insistently.
"I mean you." Kikyo stated clearly.
"I'm not a pot!" Kagura protested. "This isn't about me at all. It's about Inuyasha and how he needs to get laid."
"She isn't going to fucking date me when she's with Kouga!" Inuyasha shouted and then stomped angrily out of the room. Sango and Kagura's jaws dropped and the two girls looked at each other before bursting into giggles.
"He totally likes her!" Kagura squealed.
"Well, good. Maybe that'll snap Kagome out of it." Sango shrugged happily.
"She's not with me, I don't even like Kagome." Kouga told them. Sango knew he was telling the truth but try telling that to Inuyasha. It didn't help that any time Inuyasha's feelings were hinted at he tended to blow up like a puffer fish. Or any time he was around people for that matter.
"Aren't you gone yet? Look, your roommate left." Kagura gestured towards her open door. "Go fetch or whatever." Kouga looked surprised by what she said.
"That's dogs, not wolves." Kouga commented quietly. Kagura pulled a confused face and looked at Sango, who shook her head, not understanding either. Kouga sighed and then trudged out of Kagura's room.
"That was weird." Sango murmured, mostly to herself.
"God, why is he acting like such a freak?" Kagura fell back on her bed dramatically. She turned her head towards Sango. "Boys."
Sango thought briefly of Miroku and nodded her head in perfect agreement.
"What about me?" Shippo pointed to himself questioningly.
"You don't count." Kagura lifted her head up. "You're like…Kikyo's pet or something." Another pink eraser pegged her in the forehead. "Dammit! Where do you keep getting erasers from?"
"Knock it off." Kikyo's voice held a tone of warning. "Don't you have some laundry you were going to do?"
Kagura looked like she was about to argue but then closed her mouth and rolled off her bed so she could start gathering up laundry. Sango thought that Kagura normally would have made a snarky comment but probably didn't want to upset the peace that had settled since her and Kikyo made up.
"Sorry about the Kagome thing." Shippo grinned sheepishly and Sango suddenly remembered why she was there in the first place. "If I wasn't going to the opera I would. I don't think Inuyasha or Kouga are doing anything. I could probably convince one of them to do it."
"Thanks Shippo." Sango smiled at him.
"No problem." Shippo turned back towards the dark-haired young woman on the bed next to him. "Okay, so you were saying…"
"Well, I'm gonna go." Sango waved at them and left. She was sure that her friends would come through for her.
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"Laundry, laundry, so much laundry." Kagura said to herself wearily as she hefted the large laundry sack over her shoulder. She was waiting for the elevator to hit the basement floor where all the laundry machines were kept. She hated going down there but her fear of dank, dark places where you couldn't quite see into all the corners was slightly less than her love of clean clothes.
The elevator dinged, the doors slid open rather shakily and she prayed that elevator stayed in operation until she finished doing laundry.
She got her clothes over to one of the washing machines and pulled it open. Kagura loaded it up, put in some detergent and then closed it. She squeezed her hand into her front jean pocket, cursing the way her jeans hugged her body, even if it did make her ass look fabulous.
Her searching hand met only cloth.
"Oh no." Kagura moaned. She left her quarters upstairs. That meant she had to go all the way back up and pray that nobody messed with her stuff while she was gone.
Then an arm reached around her and Kagura watched this mysterious hand put quarters into the empty slots and push in the coin taker.
Yes! Some wonderful boy has taken pity on this beautiful girl and given me quarters! Yahhhhh!
Kagura turned around with a big smile on her face, quite ready to thank the young man (she could tell from the hands it was a boy) but as soon as her eyes locked onto his her face fell.
"Oh, it's you." Kagura felt terribly disappointed. It was Kouga.
She remembered that she'd first met her arch-nemesis (even though Kagura was inclined to believe that her arch-nemesis should match her in beauty and brains but the only person she believed qualified was her roommate, whom she was friends with). It'd been in this very room. There had only been one dryer not in use and two people who desperately wanted their clothes to longer be wet.
"Dibs!" Kouga called out as he opened the dryer, taking his time to grin victoriously at her.
"Too slow!" Kagura threw her laundry into the dryer and closed the door while Kouga stood there stunned.
"No, that's mine!" Kouga started to try and open it but Kagura leaned against it.
"Too bad." Kagura smirked. "Guess you'll have to wait."
"Bitch." He cursed.
"Idiot." Kagura countered.
"Don't look so happy to see me." Kouga joked.
"Why would I be happy to see you?" Kagura arched an eyebrow at him.
"I just gave you quarters for your washing machine. Some people might say something like, 'Thanks'." Kouga suggested.
"Hey, why did you give me quarters?" Kagura asked him. "You hate me!"
Why is he being like this?
…Maybe we really did have a quickie after the Halloween party.
Okay, gross, never say that again.
"No, I don't." Kouga shook his head. Kagura stared up at him.
"Yes, you do." Kagura insisted.
"No, I don't." Kouga argued. "I think I would know."
"Yes, you do!" Kagura stomped her foot impatiently.
"No," Kouga took a step towards her and instinctively, Kagura took a step back but the washer was blocking her from really moving backwards. She tried to move to the right, but Kouga's hand settled itself on the washing machine, blocking her path. She looked up at him, her eyes widening. "Kagura, I don't hate you."
"You're being weird again." Kagura's voice hinted at a whine and this time she tried to go left, only to find that he'd put his hand on the washing machine on that side as well. She was trapped. "Are you feeling okay?" For some reason her heart was beating wildly in her chest.
"No, I'm not." Kouga shook his head and then he looked directly into her eyes. "But I know what would make me feel better." Kagura licked her lips self-consciously.
"What?" She asked tentatively.
Kouga leaned in and before she could protest or stop him, he was kissing her. His lips were pressed up against hers and one of his arms went around her waist. The other hand went up to the side of her face, pulling her closer to him. Kagura was burning up and knew that she should push him away but she felt too weak all of a sudden.
"Holy shit!"
Kouga broke the kiss and Kagura turned to see who else was there.
It was Inuyasha with a laundry bag in one hand and a Mountain Dew in the other. His face was stuck halfway between surprise and disgust.
"Can't you guys do that somewhere else? You can't fucking sexile people from the laundry room." Inuyasha waved his Mountain Dew around.
"He just forced himself on me! I didn't want to kiss him!" Kagura shoved Kouga away and started towards the elevator at top speed.
"I bet. Just like the bathroom quickie." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Kagura pressed the button frantically for the elevator. "It's broken."
"Damn!" Kagura swore and ran towards the door to the stairs. She yanked it open and began running up the stairs.
"Kagura!" A voice called up the stairs and Kagura kept on running, though she did cast a look over her shoulder to confirm that yes, Kouga was also now running up the stairs.
"Stop chasing me!" Kagura yelled back at him.
"Why are you running away?" Kouga asked her, sounding upset.
"Go away!" Kagura didn't know why she was freaking out so much. It was just a kiss but it was more than that. Kouga didn't kiss her. Kouga didn't even like her. But ever since the Halloween party, things just hadn't been the same…
"Kagura, come back here!" Kouga didn't sound angry at all and she wasn't a hundred percent why she didn't stop running.
I can't stop running.
If I stop running…everything could catch up to me…
And weigh me down.
The door to her floor was up just another flight of stairs and she put on an extra burst of speed. Kouga was coming up fast behind her though. Since when could he run so well? Kagura threw open the door, Kouga caught it in his hand just as she was sliding out into the hall.
Kouga grabbed her arm and whirled her around to face him.
"Why can't you just leave me alone? What's your problem?" Kagura asked angrily, trying to twist her arm away. His grip was firm and she couldn't escape it.
"My problem is you!" Kouga answered, his voice fierce. Kagura stopped struggling momentarily because she'd been struck by his words. "I keep trying to be nice and you haven't…you haven't noticed at all…"
"That doesn't mean you had to kiss me!" Kagura finally got her arm free but didn't run back to her room. Her safe room, where Kikyo would be. Everything would be normal in there and she could just shut Kouga out. "I don't care what happened at Halloween!"
"What do you mean?" Kouga's voice was different now. It was hopeful and Kagura saw his blue eyes flash with a sort of longing.
"You know, about what Inuyasha was saying about a quickie in the bathroom. Even if anything did happen I was completely sloshed." Kagura threw her hands up in the air. "That doesn't give you permission to force yourself on me!"
"We didn't have a quickie in the damn bathroom during fucking Halloween!" Kouga looked like he was ready to tear his own hair out. "This isn't about sex!"
"Then what is it about?" Kagura couldn't help but ask. Kouga just stood there, unable to speak. "You know what, I don't care what it's about. I hate you and as soon as you remember you hate me, you'll feel better. Now go away and keep your damn hands to yourself." She turned on her heel and started to walk away.
"Kagura, wait!" Kouga started to take a step toward her but Kagura stopped short. He didn't turn around.
"Can't you tell when you're not wanted?" Kagura spoke in a cutting tone that caused Kouga to flinched. "Just go away."
"But—!" Kouga started to protest.
"GO AWAY!" Kagura yelled, her eyes squeezing shut because she felt tears threatening to fall in her eyes, though she had no idea why. She didn't want Kouga to think he was upsetting her, even though he was.
Part of me hurts and I'm not sure why.
And then she broke into a run towards her room, hoping that things would be better in there. Kouga stood watching her for a moment before he slowly trudged away towards the stairs.
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Kagura was very unpleasantly surprised to hear Inuyasha's voice as soon as she returned to her room. He was standing in the middle of her room, loudly complaining to Shippo and Kikyo.
"I just wanted to do some fucking laundry." Inuyasha told them. "There I was, just drinking my Mountain Dew, and they're trying to swallow each other's heads."
"Shut up!" Kagura smacked the back of Inuyasha's head indignantly. "We were not! It's not my fault, I was an unwilling party!"
"Both of you please be quiet." Kikyo hissed. "Shippo's got a test."
"Kikyo, I was violated and you aren't going to do anything?" Kagura looked aghast. "Aren't you going to swear unholy vengeance on Kouga?"
"No." Kikyo shook her head. "For starters, you and Kouga have issues you need to resolve. And honestly? It's your own business."
"Yeah, so stop resolving them in the laundry room." Inuyasha smirked.
"And seriously, Inuyasha, you don't need to start trumpeting through the hallways every time you see something like that." Kikyo reprimanded him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha muttered grumpily.
"Keep your big mouth shut." Kagura hissed.
"Both of you shut up." Shippo rubbed his temples irritably. "Come on Kikyo, let's go get something to eat. We aren't getting anything done here anyways."
"Yeah, Kouga will probably be back for seconds soon." Inuyasha quipped.
"That's it!" Kagura shrieked, grabbing a pillow and chasing Inuyasha all around the room, whapping him whenever he got close, before the chase led out into the hallway.
"Okay, yeah, let's leave." Kikyo nodded and Shippo almost thanked the others for giving him such a solid excuse to take Kikyo out to dinner.
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Kouga walked along the sidewalk, his hands in his pockets, his shoulders hunched, his head hanging down. He knew he was wallowing but he just didn't care. The words just exchanged with Kagura were echoing in his head.
Go away…you just wanted me to go away…
I know why…even if you don't…
The idea that Kagura might know made him feel even worse. Suppose she did remember their past life and she wanted nothing to do with him? He'd brought it up to Kagome, who'd made it sound like his fear was silly, but then why did Kagura so stubbornly try to keep him her enemy?
She doesn't want me near her…
I don't blame her, not after what happened…
Maybe I should just give up.
But the idea of giving up on Kagura, of shutting her out and not having her in his life, not having her love him, was too painful to consider. Even though the fight had been bad, the kiss, that moment when their lips touched, it had been electric. How could he say good-bye to such a thing?
When Kouga was younger, he used to have a bed right next to the window. Late it night, even on nights when the air was freezing, he'd open the window and just stare out into the night sky. When they wind blew, it was comforting, like a touch from long ago. It'd always calm him down and help him get to sleep.
And for years he wondered why the wind always made him feel better. When it blew in his face, he would suddenly smile, because it felt like someone just whispered a delicious secret into his ear.
How was he to know the secret was a girl named Kagura?
A breeze ruffled his bangs and he reached up instinctively, hoping to catch hold of a hand, but there was nothing there but air. Of course you couldn't catch the wind, couldn't hold it to you. Kagura had always longed for freedom but would that longing lead her away from Kouga? To someone who could love her better, in a way that never made her feel weighed down with obligation. Some other man, a man who wouldn't fail her, who would always be able to protect her.
His feet continued to pad along the sidewalk and he remembered his past life, the way he'd roam around, for days and days. Or the time he was traveling all across the land in search of Naraku. But even if there hadn't been a Naraku he would have roamed because he could never stand to stay still. He was always going somewhere or looking for something.
Kouga was looking for something tonight. Something to help him keep going, some sort of spark of hope that could be lit, some kind of a sign.
Come on destiny. You reincarnated us, you put us all at the same damn college…tell me there's a reason for it…
He'd completely left the campus and was walking by stores and bars now. Kouga briefly wished he was twenty-one so he could go into one of the bars and just start drinking until he forgot all about everything, but knew it wasn't going to solve any of his problems, though it would make him feel a whole lot better.
Just when he was about to give up and go back to his dorm room, shutting himself up with his sketchbook and his Discman, something caught his eye in the shop window. For a moment he thought he imagined it, this old junkie shop he was next to and its haphazardly cluttered junk couldn't possible contain such a treasure.
He stopped completely and looked again. Kouga's mouth dropped open and he gaped at it.
It was an open old-fashioned fan, red and white. It was Kagura's fan.
Well…damn. I guess I can't argue with that.
And with that, Kouga felt his spirit lift as he walked into the store.
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I'm done! I'm done! Miroku, in that first scene says a French phrase which translates to "The poker mocks the shovel", which in turn is like saying "that's the pot calling the kettle black". See, you learn something when you read my fanfiction.
