Disclaimer: I do NOT own Inuyasha or Ouran High School Host Club ! No song this chapter !
Visions
'Thoughts'
Kagome closed her eyes as she lay down on a high branch in a tall tree. Her form was shrouded by her dark clothing and the shadow casted by the tree's thick leafs. Instead of her usual music, she listened to the natural sounds of running water and the soft whistle of the breeze as it blew through the vegetation on the Ouran Academy grounds. The sound of purring coming from within her hoodie made her open her eyes and glance down as Kirara popped her head out with a soft meow. Sango and Miroku had wanted the nekomata to return with her to Japan for added protection since they had to remain in America for another week. When Kohaku and Souta had found out, they had asked to come along as well. They were all now living with her in Kouga's mansion.
"It's time for me to find Haruhi," she told the neko as she scratched her ear. Kirara purred louder at feeling her touch. Kagome was now accustomed to being around the little youkai, so when Kirara had jumped onto her shoulder as she left to watch over Haruhi at her school this morning, she had accepted her company. "Are you going to come in with me?" Kirara shook her head and jumped off to land on the flower covered bushes below. Kagome watched her walk away unworriedly for she knew the neko could take care of herself. Closing her eyes, her body sank into the shadows.
Kagome opened blank azure eyes to look around for any passing students as she stepped out of the darkness into a dim hallway. Inhaling the air, she ignored the familiar scent of burning amber and dashed away, following the faint aroma of jasmine and green tea. She momentarily stopped to place her sunglasses and headphones back on under the cover of her hoodie before opening the door to Music Room 3.
"Welcome!"
She held her breathe at the assault of rose petals and quickly scanned the room, noting they were all dressed in police uniforms.
"Kagome! You came!" Haruhi smiled as she ran to her friend. Kagome nodded, ignoring the now shocked hosts, and allowed Haruhi to grasp her hand to pull her towards a couch. "You know, you didn't have to be a guest if you didn't want to," she told her as they sat beside one another. "I'm sure it wouldn't have taken that long to repay my debt."
Kagome's grip on her hand tightened slightly. 'Money is not an issue. How much is it now? "
"Let me think," Haruhi hummed in thought as she leaned her head against the back of the couch. "My debt now is ¥4,972,652."
"I will help you repay it as much as I can.'
Haruhi smiled and began recounting her day, oblivious of the hosts watching them with wide eyes.
Haruhi blinked as she heard the door knob begin to turn, signaling someone was entering the room.
"I'll be back, Kagome. I just have to go welcome our guests with the others," she said as she hurriedly stood to her feet. Kagome gently pushed her towards the rest, showing she understood, and remained where she was seated. She leaned back against the couch, drawing one knee up against her chest so her left foot could rest on the seat's cushioned edge while her right foot touched the marble floor, as she watched the 'hosting process.'
"Welcome!"
"Oh my, what an unusually young guest," Tamaki smiled at the little three year old blonde haired, powder blue eyed girl. "But I'm glad you're here, my little lost kitten. Now, why have you come to see us?"
"It's a reverse harem!" The little girl shouted as she pointed at them, causing the hosts to freeze in shock. "This is a reverse harem!"
"That can't be right. There must be water in my ears from when I went swimming," Tamaki reasoned as he thumped his head as if to get water out his ears.
"Yeah, water in the ears," Hikaru laughed as he stuck his fingers in his ears.
"I'm sure we heard wrong. There's no way this cute little girl said reverse harem," Kaoru added, doing the same motion.
"There's debauchery here!" The little girl said, once again shocking the hosts. "Yay! There's debauchery here, isn't there!" she continued and began jumping in her place.
"You're the glasses character," the little girl pointed at a surprised Kyouya."The boy Lolita and the stoic type," she pointed at Honey and Mori. "Twincest," she pointed at the startled Hitachiin twins. "The dark prince," she pointed with terrified eyes at Kagome, making her blink in slight surprise at suddenly being brought into this. "And the bookworm," she pointed at a pallid Haruhi. She then turned to Tamaki who jumped, fearing the label she would give him."Onii-san… My onii-san is blonde, you must be him!" she exclaimed as she jumped into his arms.
"You never told us this," Hikaru accused.
"Since when do you have an imouto?" Kaoru demanded.
"But I don't," Tamaki hastily clarified. "I'm an only child!"
"The more I look, the more I see that you do look a lot alike," Honey stated happily. "You both are blonde after all."
"I wonder if glasses character is superior to onii-san," Kyouya mused, his hands in a thinking position.
"Does it matter?" Haruhi remarked dully. "I can't believe she called me book worm."
"Excuse me. What is your name, little one?" Tamaki asked the happy girl that was clinging to him.
"Kirimi," she replied cheerfully.
Kagome, who had been watching the entire scene with slight amusement, took the time to deeply inhale the air. Separating each of the ningens males and Haruhi's scents, she found Kirimi's naturally vanilla scent with a hint of amber. Now, she knew who she was truly related to.
"Kirimi, Kirimi…" A familiar deeply masculine voice called. Kagome blinked, not expecting to see a bright blue eyed blonde; the true face he had hidden beneath his cloak.
"Hey, who the hell are you?" the twins asked.
"He looks like a foreigner!" Honey observed merrily.
"Oh, Kirimi," he breathed as he gazed with a loving expression towards the unsure little girl.
"Master, you forgot your cloak." A house maid and butler stepped in and quickly dressed the boy in a black cloak and dark green wig, presenting him as what everyone knew as Nekozawa.
"Nekozawa-sempai?" Tamaki, Haruhi and the twins questioned in astonishment.
Kagome lifted her arm to rest her elbow on her bent knee as she gazed with slight interest at the darkly clothed male. She knew exactly why he needed to be shrouded in darkness. Nekozawa must have felt her stare for he turned towards her direction.
"Kagome-sama, what are you doing here?" he asked in surprise as he walked over to stand a few feet in front of her. She tilted her head, carefully scrutinizing him, and pointed at Haruhi. "Ah, so Fujioka-san is the friend you mentioned before." She nodded.
"Wait, you know each other?" Haruhi, Tamaki and the twins screamed together for the second time in complete shock.
'Do not insinuate that I am female,' she swiftly ordered him before he could form a reply. 'They believe me to be male.' Nekozawa blinked in confusion, but the Beelzenef on his hand nodded understandingly.
"We met a in the hallway afterschool and I helped Kagome-sama find the office," Nekozawa replied to the shocked hosts before turning back to Kagome with an eager smile. "It would be an honor if you came to my Black Magic Club, Kagome-sama. I'm rather curious to see your true potential."
Kagome remained silent, making Nekozawa begin to fidget nervously as she dissected his very being for any possible malevolence his soul may hold. Finding only anticipation and wonder, she sighed and nodded once in agreement. She was taking a chance by being in the presence of this male; not only because of her withdrawn mannerisms but from the danger her existence could possibly bring him. But… he piqued her curiosity.
"I look forward to having you join me in the darkness," he said with an excited smile.
"Oh no…" Tamaki gasped dramatically, holding a startled Kirimi tighter. "I knew he was no good! They're going to join together and curse poor Haruhi!"
"Sempai…" Haruhi sighed exasperatedly. "Kagome will never hurt me and Nekozawa-sempai doesn't seem to be that bad of a guy."
"He's already got you under his spell!" Tamaki wailed.
"Onii-san, save me! There are two scary monsters here!" Kirimi cried as she held Tamaki tighter.
"Master Umehito is terribly vulnerable to any type of bright light," the house maid began to explain tearfully. "For that reason he must shroud himself in darkness or fall victim to the brightness in the world and undoubtedly collapse! And just to be comfortable, he must cover his beautiful blonde hair with a dark wig!"
"On the other hand, his imouto, Mistress Kirimi is frightened of dark, dimly lit places." The butler added.
"So this is Nekozawa's imouto?" Haruhi asked as she pointed to Kirimi.
"Yes, that would be correct, sir." The butler said while whipping stray tears from his face with a handkerchief.
"Kirimi…" Nekozawa said, his deep voice creating an eerie edge, as he walked towards his sister after Tamaki had placed her on the floor. "So this is where you've been hiding."
"Onii-san, save me from the monster!" Kirimi cried as she threw herself back at Tamaki.
"Please don't be scared. I'd like to introduce you to Beelzenef," Nekozawa stated as he continued to walk towards her. "The Nekozawa family has worshipped cats for generations."
"You know, I don't think she's scared of the puppet. I think it's you," Haruhi remarked, making him gasp in shock.
"It's probably your clothes. We'll help you change," The twins grinned and began tugging off his cloak.
"Don't do that! I may die!" Nekozawa shouted in alarm as he fought to keep his cloak on.
"I know!" Honey cheered and ran around towards the curtain to begin pulling them closed. "Why don't we just darken the room!"
"Ah! It's dark and scary," Kirimi began to cry, making Honey freeze.
"Either way, someone's unhappy," Kyouya observed.
Kagome ignored the house maids as she began babbling and focused her attention on the distraught dark clothed male.
'Your imouto doesn't know who you are, does she?' Kagome asked, a curious edge in her usually flat voice. Nekozawa jumped at the sudden invasion in his mind before turning and slowly walking towards her.
"Hai... I have a… condition that will not allow me to be out in brightly lit places," he said softly as he once again stood a little ways in front of her.
'Because you were bitten,' she stated, making him completely stiffen in complete shock. 'It must have been an average lower level vampire. Purebloods rarely feed on ningen.'
"Pure…blood?" Nekozawa repeated confusedly. "There are different types?"
'Only two… You do not know of our history?'
"Ehehe, w-well not really," he chuckled sheepishly while scratching the back of his head.
'You must. Or you will never understand yourself.' Kagome told him as she stood from her seat, noting she reached up to his chin, and walked towards Haruhi.
"So Kirimi-chan doesn't know you're her real onii-san, Nekozawa-sempai?" Haruhi asked curiously, causing a gloomy aura to surround Nekozawa at being asked the same question again.
"Yes, we've talked to her but she refuses to believe us," the house maid said.
"That's so sad. No wonder Neko-chan is so sad," Honey cried.
"It's painful. That's why every night I offer prayers that one day she will come to embrace the darkness," Nekozawa said creepily.
"I think you've got it backwards," the twins remarked dryly.
"You should get accustomed to the light," Hikaru stated.
"What are you trying to do to your imouto?" Kaoru questioned rhetorically.
"Come along, Mistress Kirimi," the butler motioned for the girl.
"It's time to go home," the maid added.
"I don't want to go home!" Kirimi wailed while gripping Tamaki's neck tightly. "I don't want to go with you! I want to stay with my onii-san!"
"Nekozawa-sempai…" Tamaki gazed at his miserable form.
"Don't worry, Suoh," Nekozawa whispered. "I just want my imouto to be happy. Make sure she gets the love she deserves," he yelled as he quickly ran out of the room.
"But sempai..!" Tamaki shouted, but Nekozawa was already gone down the hallway.
"Sibling relation is a source of problem in any family," Kyouya commented will pushing his glasses up his nose.
"Even so I'm kind of jealous," Haruhi confessed as she stared out the window. "I grew up an only child. I can't imagine how tough it is to have a sibling so different from you that you can't even be around one another." She blinked as a hesitant arm wrapped around her shoulders and glanced over to see Kagome standing beside her and staring out the window in front of them. She smiled before noticing her tense form and her eyes widened, remembering what she said.
"Oh, Gomennasai, Kagome! I forgot about your situation with your onee-san!" she apologized sincerely.
'It's alright…' Although Kagome's fists became balled up at the mere mention of her onee-san. Her 'siblingrelation' with her older sister was nothing but a connection filled with anger and hatred. She ignored the slight pity she felt in her stomach for Nekozawa, knowing he couldn't spend time with his sister simply because of what he was turned into. The male hosts will never be able to understand the true strain the blonde siblings' relationship will hold. For the rest of the day, she simply watched over Haruhi, paying no attention to the questioning glances, suspicious glares and meddlesome questions from some of the hosts.
*Time Skip* Three Days Later
Haruhi sighed despairingly as she paused in reading the book of shojo manga to an eager Kirimi. She had arrived only half an hour ago, with the same butler holding a new pile of books in his arms, to entertain the little girl. After he left, Kirimi had demanded she read them aloud and now she's barely made a dent in today's large stack of books sitting innocently on the table in front of her. This has been routine for the last three days Kirimi has come to the club room while Nekozawa worked on a transformation she knew would be useless considering what Kagome had admitted he was. They both looked up at the sound of the door opening.
"Kagome," Haruhi smiled, relieved to have some company. She looked down and as expected, saw Kirimi was huddled behind her, looking at Kagome with wide frightened eyes. "You don't have to be scared Kirimi. Kagome is my best friend and will never hurt you."
"No!" She cried. "He's dark and scary looking!" Kagome simply walked towards the couch across of them and sat down just as she has been doing for the last few days.
"Shhh, calm down. You see, Kagome isn't doing anything bad." Haruhi gently patted her head. "Now why don't I keep reading for you?"
"Ok…" Kirimi whispered, still afraid of the 'monster.' She eventually calmed down to the point that she forgot Kagome was in the room with her as she listened to Haruhi read.
"This can't be appropriate for a little girl," Haruhi muttered, gazing at Kagome. "These things are full of reverse harems and debauchery."
'It's to be expected when they're focused to please the female audience," Kaname responded with a shrug.
"Haru-chan…? Why are you talking to the monster?" Kirimi asked fearfully.
"Kagome is not a monster," Haruhi sighed.
"Then what is he…?"
"My best friend. Please, Kirimi-chan just give Kagome a chance? You don't want to keep being mean by calling everyone who wears black clothing a monster, right? You can hurt peoples' feeling that way," Haruhi reasoned.
"I don't want to be a meanie!" Kirimi gasped with wide eyes. "But he's so scary… why does he wear that if it makes him look like a monster?" Haruhi looked questionably at Kagome, causing her to nod with an inaudible sigh, cursing her weakness to children.
"Kagome needs to hide from a real monster that likes to do bad things," Haruhi told her, causing the little girl to gasp in fright. "But while in the dark, the monster will never be able to get Kagome."
"So he's not a monster?" Kirimi pointed at Kagome. Haruhi shook her head negatively. "But… doesn't he get lonely being in the dark by himself?"
"Sometimes…" Haruhi gave a sad smile. Kirimi continued to silently stare at Kagome, before she jumped off the couch and cautiously walked over to stand in front of her.
"You must be really sad being alone all the time…" Kirimi whispered. Kagome studied the small girl and reached into her jacket pocket to pull out something she remembered she had leftover when she went to visit Rin and presented it to Kirimi.
"…." Kirimi gazed at the pink bunny shaped lollipop before glancing at Kagome with a wide smile. "You really aren't a monster." She took the offered candy, gripping it against her chest and placed her tiny hand in Kagome's gloved one, allowing her to lift her to sit on the couch beside her. Kagome blinked when she attempted to retract her hand, only to stop when she noticed Kirimi was gripping it tightly.
"I have to go check on the others," Haruhi smiled softly at the scene as she stood from her seat. "Are you ok with staying here with Kagome, Kirimi-chan?"
"Hai!" Kirimi beamed around the lollipop in her mouth.
"I'll be right back," she called out as she walked out the room. Then there was only silence, the only sounds were the content licking coming from the little blonde girl.
"Kago-chan?" Kirimi tugged on the hand she still held. When she turned her head towards her, showing she had her attention, she continued. "Was that monster you talked to yesterday a real monster?" Kagome shook her head negatively, knowing she was talking about Nekozawa.
"So… he's just like you?" Kagome nodded.
"What is he hiding from?" Kirimi asked curiously, now finished with the candy. Kagome pointed to a nearby window where the sun could be seen shining brightly outside.
"The sun? But why is he scared of the sun? Will it make him sick?" Kagome nodded.
"Everyone told me that he was really my onii-san. And that he gets sick if he's out in the sun, but I didn't believe them…" she admitted sadly, tears filling her eyes. "He really is my onii-san, isn't he?" When Kagome nodded, the tears finally fell down her face. "He must hate me now! I always called him a monster and was so mean to him!"
Kagome patted her head, hating to hear the little girl cry. Throwing caution to the wind, she decided to give her a little show. She was only a little girl who will think it's just magic.
Tapping her shoulder to gain her attention, she gently guided her to cup her hands on top of her own gloved ones. She called forth her power, a small ball of white light materializing in the air above their joined hands. Kirimi gasped, forgetting her earlier sadness and stared in wonder as the ball grew in size before shaping into a heart as big as an average hand. Kagome made sure to use only enough energy to make the shape become concrete without fear of it burning the little girl if she were to touch it. At home, she had used this method of shaping everyday items as a way to gain full control of her abilities. Kagome slowly retracted her hand, allowing the heart to float over only Kirimi's cupped ones.
"This is so cool, Kago-chan!" Kirimi smiled widely as she began tossing the heart into the air like a balloon. "I didn't know you can do magic!" Kagome made a shushing motion. "It's a secret?" Kagome nodded and held out her pinky to her. "Ok! It'll be our secret!" Kirimi beamed as she wrapped her own small finger around her larger pinky. Kagome patted her head and gently raised Kirimi's cupped hands up, causing the heart to once again float into the air and softly explode like a firework.
"Pretty…" Kirimi breathed in awe. She blinked her large powder blue eyes when Kagome suddenly stood and offered her hand. "Are we going to go see my onii-san?" She asked as she raised her arms, a sign of wanting to be carried, and lifted to be cradled against her chest. Kagome nodded as she walked out of the room. "But what if he hates me?" Instead of answering, Kagome pulled a glove off and nicked her thumb with a fang. She held her exposed palm open in front of the girl, careful to hide the drop of blood, and quickly shaped one small black and one small white heart. Kirimi watched in fascination as she closed her palm around the two hearts, hiding when the blood drop was pushed in to make it a permanently concrete item, and released her grip to reveal two pieces of a single heart. One was pitch black while the other was a bright white, each holding a lone dot of their opposites' on their side. The two colored sections fit perfectly together; creating the perfect Chinese Yin Yang heart.
By the time Kagome was finished, she had found the science class where the host club was in. Since the door was open, she kneeled and gently placed the girl on the floor beside it and placed the heart pieces in her small hand.
"Is this for me?" She asked with wide eyes. "I can keep it?" Kagome nodded as she pulled her glove back on. "Thank you, Kagome-nii!" she exclaimed happily and tackled her in a hug, making Kagome blink at the sudden affectionate honorific and touch. She tentatively returned the embrace, her soft spot for children overriding any discomfort she may have had with anyone else in this situation.
"Is my onii-san in there?" Kirimi asked. Kagome nodded and lightly pushed her towards the open door, before standing up to her full height.
"Onii-san…?" Kirimi called out into the dim room. She looked around, tears welling in her eyes because she couldn't find him in the dark. "It's dark and scary in here…" she sniffled and turned around to hug Kagome's leg tightly. Kagome sighed and lifted the small girl into her arms and presented her with the last pink bunny lollipop she had. Kirimi smiled and happily stuffed the treat in her mouth.
"Kirimi-chan!" Tamaki and Haruhi shouted, running towards the door. They stopped in their place when a dark silhouette stepped out at the entrance of the room.
"Oh, thank goodness you caught Kirimi before she could run away, Kagome." Haruhi sighed in relief. The other hosts eyes widened at seeing Kagome holding a content Kirimi in her arms. A completely surprising sight since the little girl had been completely afraid of Kagome a few days ago.
"He's going to corrupt poor Kirimi-chan!" Tamaki wailed in fright.
"Sempai!" Haruhi sent him a reprimanding look, causing him to go to the nearest corner.
"Is that a bunny lollipop?" Honey asked as he appeared before them, gazing longingly at the candy.
"Hai! Kagome gave it to me!" Kirimi declared as she placed the treat back in her mouth.
"Do you have another one, Kago-chan?" Honey inquired hopefully. Kagome shook her head negatively, tentatively patting his head when he slumped disappointedly. Honey glanced up, surprised at the contact, and giggled when Kagome tapped his nose playfully.
"Haruhi-kun, who's that?" Renge asked curiously, pointing to Kagome.
"Oh, right. I forgot you two haven't met. Renge, this is my friend Kagome. Kagome, this is Renge, our club manager," Hauhi motioned at the two.
"Nice to meet you!" Renge smiled. "Are you a new member?" Some of the hosts paled at the prospect of Kagome joining the Host Club.
"A-ah no, Renge," Haruhi clarified for her. "Kagome is my guest."
"Hmm that's too bad. He would have made the perfect dark prince." Renge sighed disappointedly.
"Kagome-sama…" Nekozawa softly called her, knowing she will hear him despite the low tone. 'How did you get her to be so calm around you?' He was astounded Kirimi has yet to run from her, declaring her a monster.
'In a sense, I proved to her I wasn't a monster," Kagome responded as she lightly ran her gloved fingers through the little girl's blonde hair.
Nekozawa gazed at the two, a determined gleam entering his eyes. He wanted to prove to his sister that he wasn't someone to be feared as well. Grabbing the flashlight with shaky fingers, he pointed it to himself. If he dies, then at least he proved to everyone he would do anything for Kirimi.
"I'm a handsome princely onii-san! I'm a handsome princely onii-san ! I'm a handsome princely onii-san! I'm a handsome princely onii-san! I'm a handsome princely onii-san! I'm a handsome princely onii-san! I'm a handsome princely onii-san! And I'm not afraid of this flashlight!" Nekozawa yelled as he turned the beam onto his face.
"He did it!" Honey cheered. Mori began to applaud behind him.
"Nekozawa-sempai has come a long way," Renge smiled widely. "He's able to shine a flashlight in his own face!"
"Bravo, sempai." The twins remarked dully as they shot confetti.
"Good job! I'm impressed!" Haruhi applauded happily, being one of the few who knew the true extent of what he was doing.
"You did it! Your imouto will be so thrilled!" Tamaki exclaimed merrily. "Look Kirimi-chan! He is your real onii-san!" He pointed to Nekozawa after Kagome gently set the girl on her feet.
"Kirimi…"Nekozawa slowly turned towards her, unaware of the eerie glow the flashlight gave his appearance since it was shining at him from beneath his chin. A heavy silence filled the room before a terrified shiver ran through Kirimi's entire body.
"WAHH!" Kirimi began to wail loudly and quickly ran out of the room.
"Kirimi! Wait!" Nekozawa dropped the flashlight, watching helplessly as his sister ran from him.
"I guess shining the flashlight on his face," Hikaru began.
"Scared her and sent her running," Kaoru finished.
"Nekozawa-sempai…?" Tamaki stepped over to his fallen form.
"I've had enough…" Nekozawa whispered dejectedly. "Even if I continue you special training, there's no guarantee Kirimi will accept me… I think it will be best if you acted as her onii-san, Suoh."
"But that's ridiculous. You're the onii-san she's looking for." Tamaki said seriously. "If Kirimi was able to accept Kagome, then she can accept you. If you care about her, you'll do whatever it takes to win her over."
"Hey, look. Kirimi-chan hasn't made it out of the courtyard," Kaoru stated as the curtains were pulled back from the windows.
"But there's something with her…" Hikaru murmured. "Oh, it's just a cat… " He noted the small feline looked odd from his position."You're family sure loves them."
"Even strays warm up to you guys," Kaoru added, also aware that the odd cat had two tails.
"What did you say?" Nekozawa ran to the window and saw Kirimi was in fact standing in front of an unusual cat. "They're revered by our family, yes. But Kirimi wouldn't participate in something as occult as befriending a stray cat. Kirimi is afraid of animals, especially cats." Without warning, he ran through the glass, calling out for his dear sister.
"Nekozawa-sempai!" Tamaki shouted in alarm.
"But he's not wearing his black cloak!" Haruhi yelled in dread. This was bad. Nekozawa wasn't a pureblood like Kagome and will die out in the sun. "Kagome," she whispered hurriedly and looked around the room for her silent friend, only to realize she disappeared.
"Kirimi!" Nekozawa shouted as he ran, catching the attention of the frightened little girl. Kirimi's eyes widened, knowing the danger he was putting himself in for her by being out in the sun.
"Onii-san!" Kirimi cried our happily, tackling him in a hug. Nekozawa happily returned it, cradling her in his arms while joyful blushes grew on both their faces.
"There's no need to be afraid, Kirimi." Nekozawa soothed as he kneeled down and set her on her feet. "I promise it won't come anywhere near you." The cat, who was watching a few steps away, simply watched the two with a curious gleam in her red eyes. Nekozawa produced his cat puppet from his pocket and presented it to his sister. "His name is Beelenef. With this puppet, I can… curse…" he began panting, swiftly finding it hard to breathe.
"Onii-san! ….ii-san! Are… ok?" He could hear pieces of his sister's frantic yells. His vision became blurry as he placed his hands on the ground to support himself. He screwed his eyes shut as he felt like his entire body was on fire! He clenched his teeth, refusing to cry out his pain and frighten Kirimi. Absently, he felt a familiar spike of power coming from behind him before the blistering sensations running through him began to slowly dissipate. Breathing a sigh in relief, he lifted his suddenly heavy head to look at the sky and saw a strange thick black cloud, in an otherwise clear blue sky, shielding the sun. Smiling slightly at his luck against death, he collapsed. The last things his mind registered were Kirimi's excited shouts and a shrouded figure kneeling in front of him before his world went black.
Slowly, the darkness began to recede, allowing Nekozawa to return to the living. His body ached from exposure to the sun while his mind attempted to recapture what happened. He struggled against his heavy eyelids and opened his eyes, immediately taking note that he was lying on a bed in a dark room. A flickering light from the corner of his vision and hearing a nearby giggle made him turn his weighted head to look for the source. He blinked several times, making sure he wasn't hallucinating as a result of his earlier shock.
The lit three branched candlestick sitting on the small table beside him was the only source of light in the entire room. His sister was sitting on the bed next to his, giggling as she twirled a long thin cloth around for the kitten in front of her. He blinked again, realizing that not only was she playing with a feline in the dark, but with the same feline he saved her from earlier and seemed to be enjoying the cat's company. "Kirimi…?" He whispered hoarsely, catching both of their attention.
"Onii-san!" Kirimi exclaimed, jumping off the bed to stand beside his. "You're finally awake!"
"What… happened?" He asked quietly, forcing his exhausted body to sit up. The last thing he remembered was being practically burned alive.
"Kagome-nii saved you!" She said cheerfully as she carefully climbed on his bed.
"Kagome…? …. How…?" He rubbed his temple, attempting to soothe the small headache he was getting at he tried to remember everything, vaguely registering the honorific Kirimi spoke with Kagome's name.
"He used his magic!" Kirimi beamed, making Nekozawa look at her in shock.
"You know Kagome does magic?" He questioned in astonishment. He never would have expected for her to show his little sister her abilities so freely.
"Hai! I was sad so he showed me some of his magic and made me this!" She reached into her pocket and pulled out the two halves of the Chinese Yin Yang heart. She held the Yin portion in her left hand and offered him the Yang section to him. "Here! You can have the white one and I'll keep the black one! Kagome-nii wanted to keep it all a secret but I asked if I could tell you and he was ok with it because I told him you do magic too!" Nekozawa gently took the Yang half of the heart, feeling the small amount of Kagome's energy it held as he brushed his thumb across its surface.
"So Kagome brought me here?" he asked, looking around the dark empty room. It must be the nurse's office in the school since there were many other beds set up.
"Hai! I saw him on top of the school making a big scary cloud in the sky to cover up the sun so you wouldn't get really sick," Kirimi smiled. Nekozawa hummed as he continued to gaze at the heart piece, remembering a blurry vision of a black cloud before he collapsed. "And then Kagome-nii came and carried you here." Her statement made him look at her once again in shock. From what he has seen, it was apparent she disliked contact from anyone besides Haruhi. "I got scared on the way here because the kitty was following us," Kirimi admitted, turning towards the kitten as it jumped on the bed and sat in between them. "But Kagome-nii showed me Kirara is a really nice kitty!" She giggled as Kirara hoped onto her shoulder and nuzzled her neck.
"Kirara…?" Nekozawa repeated. So this was Kagome's cat? It obviously wasn't a normal feline based on the red eyes, markings and twin tails, but it didn't seem to want to harm them in any way.
"Hai! See!" Kirimi grasped the small cat in her hands and lifted her up in the air facing him. "It says Kirara." He looked away from the cat's round curious eyes to the silver tag hanging from the collar around her neck and sure enough, 'Kirara' was engraved into it. "Kagome-nii wanted Kirara to stay here with me until you woke up."
"Where is Kagome?" He inquired curiously, once again looking around in hopes of catching sight of the reclusive female.
"He left with Haru-chan a long time ago," she answered as she placed Kirara on her lap and began petting her.
"Oh…" His shoulder slumped disappointedly as he looked back at the Yang half in his hands. His eyes widened when Kirimi's small arms wrapped around his neck.
"Thank you, onii-san. Now I know if a monster comes out to get me, I'll be just fine. I have you, my princely onii-san, and Kagome, my dark prince." She gave him a wide smile, causing him to smile in return with an embarrassed blush. He fisted his left hand around the heart piece and embraced his dear sister. Glancing over Kirimi's shoulder to the cat watching them, he reached over with his right hand to pet her head, smiling when Kirara began to purr. In a way, he owed the little feline for unintentionally giving him the bravery to go after his sister, even at the risk of his own life.
*Time Skip* The Next Day
Haruhi hummed contently while she sat on the end of the couch, absently running her fingers through the silky hair she could feel under Kagome's hood as the vampire rested her head in her lap. Her darkly clothed body lay across the rest of the couch, not allowing anyone else to sit with them. It was odd for Kagome to portray herself in such a relaxing position in public, but she could understand after she was told what her friend had done to save Nekozawa. It had taken a lot of her energy to gather enough shadows to form a dark cloud in the sky and shield the sun's rays in only a short amount of time. She was proud her friend had rescued him from near death, an action she knew the old Kagome would have not hesitated to have done. Haruhi smiled to herself, knowing that despite the fact Kagome is so withdrawn on the outside, deep down inside she still cared for others. She was oblivious to the two pairs of curious eyes, various dreamy sighs from her many guests watching the two, and three different set of glares being sent towards the disguised vampire. The sound of the door opening along with quick footsteps had them all looking up to see Kirimi running in, her backpack bouncing behind her, while Nekozawa stood hiding behind the door.
"Kirimi-chan! Have you come to visit me, my little kitten?" Tamaki asked as he squat down to the girl's level.
"Iie," Kirimi shook her head. "I came to see Kagome-nii!" She proclaimed excitedly and ran around his frozen form towards the disguised females.
"Hi Kagome-nii!" Kirimi beamed as she stopped in front of their seated frames. Kagome turned towards the bubbly girl before lifting her tiny body to sit on top of her lain form.
"Hello Kirimi-chan," Haruhi smiled, pausing in stoking her friend's hair as she looked at where the girl's brother was. "Why is you're onii-san hiding behind the door?"
"Hmm? I think he's being shy," Kirimi mumbled, scrunching up her face in thought before smiling. "Look, look! We made the heart into necklaces!" She told them, eagerly pulling the silver chain around her neck out of her shirt to reveal the Yin portion hanging from it. "Onii-san is wearing the white side!" Kirimi pointed at Nekozawa, making him withdraw deeper into his cover to avoid their stares.
"That's pretty," Haruhi hummed cheerfully while Kagome began fiddling with Kirimi's necklace. "I'm glad you and you're onii-san are getting along now."
"Mhmm!" Kirimi nodded before her eyes widened in realization as if remembering something. "Oh! I almost forgot!" She placed her small bag on her lap and began rummaging through it before pulling out a dark object and presenting it to Kagome. "Onii-san wanted me to give this to you as a thank you for saving him! He worked on it really hard and made it all by himself! He hopes you like it and that you come to his club soon!"
"Is that why Nekozawa is being shy? Because he thinks Kagome won't like it?" Haruhi inquired, now understanding.
"Hai!"
Kagome gazed at the Beelzenef stuffed animal. Its features were an exact copy of the original, including being about the same size. But that is where the similarities stop. This Beelzenef had raven fur and blue eyes with black slit pupils, along with small black feet and a tail. She turned her head to glance at Nekozawa, noting that his aura radiated anxiety, before looking back at the stuffed toy. Slowly, she lifted her hand and grasped it, accepting the unexpected gift. She had not anticipated such an act of kindness from the male.
"Yay! If you took it, then that means you like it!" Kirimi shouted gleefully before shouldering her bag and jumping off her seat to the floor. "Bye Kagome-nii! Bye Haru-chan!" She waved at them as she ran out the room to her awaiting brother. Nekozawa gave one final glance into the room before leaving as well.
"Bye," Haruhi waved slightly while Kagome simply watched them leave. "That was nice of him," Haruhi smiled down at Kagome. "I think you just made a new friend." Kagome blinked in surprise and gazed at the stuffed animal in her hand. The idea of having Nekozawa as her friend was… interesting.
Please review ! It is much appreciated ! ! ! :)
*Chibi Taisho
