Chapter 12: Splitting Arrows

"Oh, it won't be THAT bad." Arima said as he wrapped his arm around Kagome's shoulder.

"What EXACTLY will I be doing?" Kagome questioned, an image of herself skimpily dressed and Sesshoumaru with a sword popped up in her mind.

It was not exactly comforting.

Who knew what that man had pent up in him?!

"Well, I think maybe you should talk to Sesshoumaru about that." Arima said as he opened the shoji screen to the hall.

"To him... but this was YOUR idea!" Kagome stuttered as she was pushed out into the hall.

Arima jumped into the hall with her and snuggled into his shoes. "Yes, I know, but I need to see if it'll work. And if it doesn't -- well, we can think of other tricks for you to do."

"Why do you need money so badly?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Well... truth be told, our last fundraisers have not gone so well. The art of Kyudo is dying... I guess..." Arima said quietly as they walked down the hall. "Every year... there are fewer and fewer of us, and somehow more and more in the SF club..."

The hall was dark except for the sun that shined in at the end of the hall.

Kagome shaded her eyes from the brightness ahead.

Was it her imagination, or was someone standing in the sunlight?

Arima and Kagome continued walking, the figure growing ever closer.

Kagome stopped walking, her eyes opening wide.

From here... he looked like an angel, his long white hair catching the sun's rays.

His eyes were looking directly at her.

She coughed, suddenly flushed, and continued walking trying to avoid his gaze.

His gaze was so piercing, as if he could see her inner soul.

Around him... she felt as if she were a child, not yet sure how to act.

"Ah. Sesshoumaru." Arima said as he and Kagome approached him. "On time as usual."

Sesshoumaru said nothing and was still intently staring at Kagome.

"Yes -- well, anyways --- I should probably let you two figure things out." Arima was a little embarrassed when he noticed Sesshoumaru's gaze.

Kagome glared at Arima, "Eh? I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I don't even have a bow and arrow."

Sesshoumaru spoke for the first time, "They took care of that this morning."

His voice seemed to echo through the long dark hall.

"What? You mean... you knew I was going to be able to hit it from the beginning?" Kagome questioned, slightly off-guard.

Arima nodded wisely, "Of course... your form is superb, and it's obvious you've trained all your life. In fact, we had a young girl just like you a few months ago. Her name was --"

"Miyazawa." Sesshoumaru interrupted. "This is not the time or place to bring her up."

"What?" Arima questioned, even more embarrassed, "Oh. Yes. I suppose you're right."

Arima backed away a bit and turned around, stumbling slightly.

Kagome watched him go. All his charm and grace was gone, as if Sesshoumaru had sucked up all his talent.

Sesshoumaru watched Arima leave also, but his gaze shifted to Kagome. Somehow, she did not look happy, but then of course... no one had ever been happy around him. This was nothing new...

No one had ever laughed when he was around...

Had anyone ever smiled? No... not a real smile...

He turned around and began walking.

Kagome, who was still watching Arima, glanced behind her shoulder and called out softly, "Wait."

Her footsteps seemed to echo forever in the hall. Compared to his, hers were loud and clumsy.

She looked at his profile. His eyes were so hard, but sometimes... she thought she saw warmth in them... sometimes...

"So... Sesshoumaru, uhm... before we get started, I just wanted to thank you for bringing the notes last Monday." Kagome ventured awkwardly.

She touched her cheeks.

Was she blushing?

"I told you, Satake-sensei told me to bring them. I did not do it out of kindness." Sesshoumaru said frostily, his gaze straight ahead.

"I don't believe that." Kagome said firmly.

Sesshoumaru's eyes swiveled toward Kagome's figure. He quickly looked straight ahead; this girl was of no importance.

Then why did you look at her?

"You could've just thrown them away or something, but you went through the trouble to find where I live, so thanks." Kagome said in an unyielding voice.

"You think that." Sesshoumaru said coldly as the two reached the end of the hall and walked into the hazy midday sun.

They were in the middle of an isolated courtyard surrounded by large sprawling ash trees, their leaves a shade of claret.

The ground and sky were a mix of burgundy, and the world seemed to spin around Kagome.

She walked over to a bench where a bow and arrows were located.

"So..." Kagome said quietly, her hands gently brushing over the arrows.

"Why are you doing this?" Kagome suddenly asked, turning around to find Sesshoumaru unsheathing his katana.

It glinted in the sunlight.

He looked so nostalgic and somehow... melancholy. The red surrounded him, and it reminded Kagome of a Samurai with a blood-covered past, a past he wished to erase.

"I'm doing this because I have my loyalties to the Kendo and swordsmanship organization. It has nothing to do with you." Sesshoumaru said coolly as he gently ran his hand along the blade.

He stopped when his finger bled.

"I never said it had anything to do with me." Kagome said, slightly annoyed. Somehow, he always had a way to twist her words.

"Fire the arrow... at me." Sesshoumaru said, looking slightly bored.

"At you? Are you crazy?" Kagome questioned. "These arrows can kill."

"I am aware of that." Sesshoumaru snapped.

Kagome glared at him, almost wanting to fire an arrow directly at his head.

"Just do it." Sesshoumaru said after a few minutes. "If I die you'll be happy, and if I don't perhaps you'll be quiet."

Kagome felt something in her heart.

Was he sad?

Lonely...?

Was perhaps his outside emotionless personality a way of rejecting a world that had hurt him?

Kagome strung her arrow quietly and swiftly. She wanted to see him fail to do something correctly...

Was that it? even though...

Why did it bother her?

Why did he bother her so much...?

She pulled back.

And released...

She shut her eyes tight, and yet there was no cry of pain, no sound of a body hitting the ground. Instead, all she heard was a momentary sound of metal against metal, and then something clanking to the ground.

She pried open one eye.

Sesshoumaru was still standing.

And yet, how could it be? She had fired directly at him!

Quickly she walked over to Sesshoumaru and looked at him carefully. There was no blood, in fact he looked rather annoyed that she was standing so close.

"What happened? Where did the arrow go?" Kagome wondered.

Sesshoumaru stated calmly, "You're stepping on it."

Kagome jumped back and peered curiously at the ground.

"No way... you split the arrow in half!" Kagome exclaimed.

"The school arrows are made of cheap metal. This sword has been passed down for generations. It's made of the strongest metal imaginable, and slicing that arrow in two was nothing..." Sesshoumaru said quietly.

"I- I see..." Kagome stammered.

Sesshoumaru regarded the girl. Somehow... her reaction was not what he had expected. He had expected squeals of excitement and amazement like all the other girls.

But then, as he realized long ago, Kagome was not typical.

"We'll continue this tomorrow." Sesshoumaru said quietly.

"What time will suit you?" Kagome asked, tearing her eyes from the arrow.

"I'll find you when you're free." Sesshoumaru answered. He hated mindless chatter, and he knew where to find her anyway.

Usually, wherever his brother was, she was there too...

"Oh. Well, wait!" Kagome called, slinging the bow and arrows over her back.

Sesshoumaru turned around and gazed at the girl, his eyes inquiring.

"I... I..." and then, Kagome realized she had nothing to say. She could think of nothing to keep him from going, no conversation she could start, because she knew that he would dismiss it.

Finally, she just smiled warmly, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

Sesshoumaru took a step back, his eyes surprised now. Had she just... smiled... at him?

Kagome suddenly looked worried, "Are you okay?"

Sesshoumaru brushed her away and opened the door to the hall.

Kagome leaned against the doorframe and watched him go.

Why had he suddenly rushed out like that?

What had she done?

Somehow... she felt, more than she knew.

Kagome plopped down on a bench and looked down at her food. Not the MOST appetizing thing she had ever had but she supposed that was okay right now... she was hungry enough to eat a horse.

She broke apart her wooden chopsticks and dug into the fried rice.

From behind her she heard someone call, "Is that Kagome?"

Kagome spun around, smiling widely, "Miroku, where were you in class today?"

Miroku stopped in mid-track and said earnestly, "That's Miroku-sempai."

Kagome sighed and rolled her eyes. "Just answer the question."

Miroku strode to the bench and replied sadly, "I'm seriously questioning Japan's global future. The quality of alarm clocks has deteriorated greatly. I must say that I'm quite distraught Kagome!"

Kagome shook her head that was resting on her hand, "Miroku, you probably just slept through the alarm... or you pressed 'snooze' when you were asleep."

"I tell you, Kagome, that wasn't it!" Miroku said valiantly.

Kagome nodded sarcastically, "Mm-hmm."

She looked out across the courtyard and spotted a familiar person nervously looking for a place to sit.

"Sango!!" Kagome yelled waving her arms.

Miroku turned around, a little flushed, or maybe it was the sun.

"Isn't she your roommate?" he questioned innocently.

Kagome rolled her eyes, "Don't give me that, you looked at her long enough the first time to paint a picture of her."

Miroku jumped back and said dramatically, "Kagome! I would never do anything so low."

Kagome remarked sarcastically, "Sure, Miroku."

Across the courtyard was Inu Yasha, scanning the crowd. His eyebrows rose. As much as he hated apologizing, he supposed this time he was totally in the wrong.

But it was still her fault for deciding to become a miko.

He continued his gaze and found her laughing at a sunny table across the yard.

He began walking, but quickly stopped and retreated to the shade of a tree.

Who was that with her?

Why were the two laughing and smiling so much?

Inu Yasha grumbled to himself. It seemed that Kagome had already got a boyfriend.

But why should he be mad?

Kagome was an idiot, and it did not even matter.

And yet why did he feel as if he were about to explode?

He regarded the person carefully. An upperclassman obviously... and he had charm, that was for sure.

You have already lost, Inu Yasha...

What do I care? Kagome means nothing to me.

Then go on your way, go back to Kikyou...

I just came here to apologize, that's all!

But... obviously she is a little busy at the moment.

"Feh." Grumbled Inu Yasha as he turned in the opposite direction and moodily walked off. No one had even noticed him... except a girl who was walking across the courtyard to her roommate's table.

"Hello Kagome." Sango said brightly as she sat down and took out her bento lunch.

"Hey." Kagome said, smiling up at Miroku.

"And you Miroku." Sango added, noticing Kagome's mischievous glance.

"Oh. Hello." Miroku said, a little shocked.

He settled himself down on a bench and took an apple out of his bag.

Sango looked at Kagome and said plainly, "You know that guy you slept with..."

Miroku nearly choked. "Kagome!? Y-You SLEPT with someone?!" The question echoed through the courtyard, and needless to say more than a few people turned and stared.

"What?! Oh... that..." Kagome said dryly, "It was nothing, Sango is blowing it all out of proportion..."

"Eh?? My god... you are corrupted." Miroku gagged.

"No, it's not like that at all." Kagome reacted frantically, trying to explain. "I was sick, and we were watching movies, and I fell asleep. And then he fell asleep. NO Miroku, we did NOT have sex."

"Good." Miroku said calmly, "I was hoping you would save yourself for me."

--THWACK--

"Ouch." Miroku complained, rubbing the back of his head where Sango had slapped him.

"Well, anyway, I just saw him staring at you for about five minutes straight. Then he sort of walked away in a huff." Sango said coolly, "Did you two... get in a fight?"

Kagome flushed, "What ARE you talking about? Don't refer to us as 'you two'. We're not a couple! We aren't really even friends!"

Miroku cut in, "So two people who aren't even friends would sit next to each other on a couch, and then fall asleep cuddled in each other's arms?"

Kagome grumbled to Miroku, pointing her finger at him, "You twist everything I say, don't you?"

Sango interrupted promptly, "Well, you should go after him."

"Why? What do I care?" Kagome protested.

"Who's this 'Romeo' anyway?" Miroku asked, raising his eyebrows tauntingly.

"You know Inu Yasha?" Sango chimed in as she ate some salmon.

"WHAT!?!?!" Miroku shouted, "You mean that killer Inu Yasha from the Judo Club?! My god, he's violent! When he does a Kuzurei Kesagatame he does a Kuzurei Kesagatame -- I heard he broke some guy's bones!"

"That sounds like him." Kagome sighed.

"You should go after him." Sango repeated quietly.

"Fine. Even though I have NO idea why I should. He started it anyway." Kagome spoke.

Sango whispered to Miroku, "So they DID have a fight after all."

Miroku nodded wisely and declared solemnly, "Lovers' quarrels are soon forgotten."

Kagome threw her apple at him and stormed off in search of Inu Yasha.

Sango and Miroku looked at each other, suddenly realizing the two were alone.

Sango gulped as she continued eating, and Miroku suddenly found the table's grain work very interesting...

Kagome quickly cut through the campus in the direction that she thought Inu Yasha was walking in. But instead she found him sitting on a bench in a secluded part of the campus near the art hall.

"Inu Yasha..." Kagome breathed.

He turned around, and when he saw her he sighed and mumbled, "Oh. It's just you. Shouldn't you be off with him?"

"Who?" Kagome questioned, wondering if it was perhaps Sesshoumaru. When was he going to find her? How would he know where she was?

"You know... your boyfriend." Inu Yasha scowled, leaning back into the bench and looking up at the pine tree overhead.

"My boyfriend? Who do you mean?" Kagome asked, sincerely confused. "Wait -- you don't mean Miroku do you?"

"Who's Miroku?" Inu Yasha grumbled, beginning to have a thread of doubt, "The guy you were eating lunch with?"

Kagome burst aloud laughing.

"How could you think that?! If Miroku is anyone's boyfriend, it's Sango's." Kagome said, still giggling madly.

"But I thought -- you were -- oh, never mind." Inu Yasha muttered, flushed.

"Well, anyway." Kagome said, trying to get to the subject at hand, "Sango said you were looking for me."

"Who's Sango?" Inu Yasha questioned, now VERY confused.

"You know... my roommate." Kagome prodded him gently.

"Oh! ... the one who yelled in my ear like an alarm clock." Inu Yasha winced.

Kagome nodded.

"So... what did you want to say?" Kagome asked pleasantly, the incident about the hakama completely forgotten.

"I... just wanted to... say... that I'm --" Inu Yasha began bashfully, his ears turning an interesting shade of pink.

"Yes?" Kagome waited.

"What're you doing here?" Inu Yasha suddenly growled, standing up abruptly.

Kagome turned her head to find Sesshoumaru standing in front of them.

"I came for Kagome." He said serenely.

Inu Yasha clenched his fists. "Why? What does she have to do with you?"

"It's none of your concern." Sesshoumaru said, slightly irritated.

"Inu Yasha, it's okay. I do have to go with him." Kagome said, getting up.

"What?" Inu Yasha asked in bewilderment, "You're going somewhere with... Sesshoumaru?! Why?!"

"Oh... it's just for something..." Kagome said, avoiding his question. She did not know if she was at liberty to talk about their plans for the festival.

"Oh!" Kagome exclaimed, clapping her hands, "I nearly forgot to give this back to you!" She reached inside her bag and brought out a leather wallet.

Carefully, she placed the case in his hand, squeezing it gently. She looked up at him and smiled, almost a smile of pleading. After all, Kagome knew how these two brothers acted around each other.

Inu Yasha stared at her, their eyes meeting. He could not keep the eye contact, and looked away flushed.

"You left it in my dorm room the other night." Kagome explained.

Sesshoumaru's eyebrow rose a quarter of an inch. Why had Inu Yasha been at her dorm? And at nighttime?

There was only one scenario that came into Sesshoumaru's mind, and the thought revolted him.

Once again, as usual, I overestimated her. She can sink lower...

Inu Yasha looked down at the wallet, all of this not exactly fitting together. Too much at once, so it would seem.

"Well, I'll see you later!" Kagome called, waving as she walked away with Sesshoumaru.

A wind blew gently through the pine tree overhead. It seemed to whisper something...

Inu Yasha clenched his fists even tighter. Why was she going off with Sesshoumaru? He narrowed his eyes as he watched the two of them walk away.

And then the thought struck him...

They can't be a couple... can they?