(Chapter 14)
Kyoya and Kagome road back to her home in silence after school and the club duties a few days later, the sun low in the sky but not yet setting. She rubbed her neck and stretched it out, groaning as the muscles stretched and were tense.
"A knot in your neck?" Kyoya asked, straightening his tie for the third time, and Kagome looked over at him before nodding slowly.
She sighed, continuing to rub her neck.
"Yeah, I've been stressed the last few days for the upcoming exam we have in world history, and also about the dinner with your family tomorrow night."
Kyoya nodded silently, lowering his head just enough for the light outside to reflect off his glasses.
"I… Am confident in my knowledge about our upcoming exam, I could… possibly help you study." He finished off quieter than when he started, a light blush tinting his cheeks. Kagome looked at him shocked, a light dusting of pink covering her own cheeks.
"I would like that," she smiled at him.
"Oh Kagome! Wonderful that you're home," her mother came out of the kitchen as Kagome and Kyoya entered the home, and she stopped and looked between the two teens curiously. "You didn't tell me one of your friend's would be joining us." She said as she dried her hands on a hand towel.
"Yeah, sorry Momma. It was a last minute thing." Kagome said, slipping her shoes off and Kyoya followed her example. Her mother hummed as she stared at the two of them. "Kyoya is going to help me study for one of our tests, if that alright?"
"Well I suppose it will have to be," her mother sighed, "but first you have some shrine duties and a small tour to give first, the group will be here in about a half hour, and it should last about 20 minutes. You'll need to do those first and then you can study with your friend." She turned around and headed into the kitchen, Kagome smiled apologetically to Kyoya before leading him up the stairs to her room.
"You can stay in here while I'm doing chores, or you can watch Souta play his video games." Kagome shrugged, placing her bag at the end of her bed and opening up her closet, bringing out her Miko uniform. Kyoya stared around her room, looking at the paintings on her wall, and the computer on her desk.
Kagome left her room to change, coming back in and tying her hair back at the nape of her neck loosely. Kyoya looked up at her from the edge of her bed, having his notes laid around him. She smiled at him weakly, grabbing her wooden sandals, and she waved as she left the room.
Kyoya read through his notes once more before looking up and out the window of Kagome's room. The slowly lowering rays bathed Kagome's white walls (that had a faint paint smell to it) in reds, and pinks. He looked around her room, studying the pictures that the older Satoshi had painted for her. He looked over at a poster that hung on her closet, and then noticed tucked away in the back in the corner, was an old looking re-curve bow. Kyoya got up slowly and bent down to get a closer look at it without actually touching it. There were old symbols etched onto the side of it, and the bow itself looked remarkably well for how old it was made to be.
Kyoya stood up once he heard faint singing, and he looked out the window towards the large tree. He peered out the window, and saw Kagome humming as she swept the grounds. A stray flower petal from a nearby tree fluttered down, and it landed in Kagome's hair. She looked up as it landed in her bangs, and she smiled and took it out of her hair, letting it sit in her hand as she continued humming, and the wind blew it away gently.
Kyoya held his chest suddenly, not sure why his heart was thudding painfully at the sight of her, and just the sun rays as they hit her hair and her smile and her eyes.
"This is more than just an attraction." Kyoya thought suddenly, taking careful steps back from the window.
The small tour group that decided to come was a bunch of girls younger than Kagome herself as well as a few boys. They were looking around at the attractions, and the older looking girl (and also the tallest) crinkled her nose in disgust at the hangings.
"How tacky."
The others around her chuckled at the comment, while a small girl looked uncomfortable being there. They all stood in the center of the courtyard, looking at everything. Kagome sat the broom against the Goshinboku, and approached the group with a stretched smile.
"Welcome," she bowed to them, and only the smaller girl bowed back before realizing she was the only one; she blushed in embarrassment as she stood up and shifted towards the back of the group.
"How long has this shrine been here?"
"Our shrine has stood here for over 300 years," Kagome shifted and gestured to the Goshinboku. "Our sacred tree has been here for over 700, possibly 1,000 years; also our scared well has also been here for many hundreds of years."
"There isn't a lot to this shotty little thing, is there?" The tall girl asked, seeming to be the leader of the group. Kagome stared at them with slightly wide eyes before shaking her head slowly.
"We're not as well funded as some of the other shrine's around, but we do well for ourselves with what donations we do make."
"Wait," a guy spoke up, eyes wide as he pointed at her. "You're that Tashio's lost cousin, right?"
"Yes-" no sooner was the words out of her mouth did the group start laughing, all except the small girl in the back.
"That's so fucking stupid," another guy commented. "You're nothing, this shrine is nothing. You'd think with a rich family backing you that they'd support this crappy little shrine more." The group busted out laughing again, and Kagome frowned at them.
"Not all shrines have to be large to be considered places of worship-"
"No, but look at your place." The girl commented, looking at the house where the shingles on the roof were falling apart. "It's falling down-"
"I'm sure you didn't schedule a tour just to belittle my work and home." Kagome crossed her arms, cocking her hip and frowning at the young teenagers.
"You're right, I didn't. My daddy did since he's trying to get us more involved with community. Ha." The girl turned her cheek and Kagome noticed her diamond earrings glinting in the low light.
"But this isn't even worth what money he spent, this place is falling apart. Like seriously, does anyone even come here to pray anymore? Don't they fear that the little roof over the shrine will fall on top of them?"
Kagome gritted her teeth.
"You're barely befitting a family of such a name and power, and your shrine certainly doesn't deserve their attention or mine either." She flipped her hair over her shoulder, and Kagome frowned deeply at them.
"I even bet that 'Shikon' story is something that was made up by your crazy grandfather, am I right?" and the way she lazily grinned at Kagome made her hand tighten to where blood started dripping down her hand.
"I-Izumi, I don't think you should say things like that." The small girl grabbed and tugged on her friend's hand.
"Made up." The girl's words rang in her head over and over, and Kagome stared at the ground under their feet with wide eyes. "Made up."
"-Kagome!" InuYasha ran up to her, holding onto her tightly and bringing her face to his shoulder so she didn't see what Naraku did to Sango. One of his tentacles stabbed her right through the chest and lifted her into the air, tearing her body in two and throwing it behind him into the trees.
But she saw. And she couldn't scream. Miroku fell to his knees, screaming with rage and horror as his beloved- his wife, was forcefully ripped from him. The poison from the Miasma he sucked up bringing him down and weak, but he continued to do it- because that monster took his wife so what was the point in living any longer?
"Why not?" The girl tore her arm away from the small one, and Izumi glared at her. "But it's true, that's how they get their stupid donations and wrap their hands around unsuspecting people! By making up stupid fake stories!"
"Fake?" Kagome snapped at them, her eyes red as anger coursed through her veins. The wind spiked suddenly, before only being a gentle breeze. The smaller girl's eyes widened as she realized that Kagome was bleeding.
"Yeah! Fake." Izumi sneered at her, and even the boys of the group were stepping away from her, seeing the anger in the priestess' eyes. "It's gets more and more outrageous every time someone repeats it! A priestess falls in love with a demon and out of jealousy a man sells himself to demons just to turn them against each other?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes, making fake barfing sounds. "That's sounds like something a premature 13 year old would write."
And suddenly the ground shook beneath them, and Izumi's eyes widened as she realized that girls' eyes in front of her were glowing white.
"Leave!" She commanded, her voice accented by sounds of rumbling thunder and a burst of white light shot out from her form pushing them all back with such a force that they all fell back onto the court yard stones. Kagome stalked up to them, and she tugged on Izumi's shirt as the girl tried to scoot back and away from her. Kagome easily lifted the girl's form off the ground, and even held the girl above her head. Kagome's eyes still glowed white as they narrowed at her.
"What is your name?" She demanded, and Izumi whimpered as she kicked her legs helplessly. "WHAT IS YOUR NAME-" Kagome yelled at her, and Izumi cried out.
"I-Izumi Yam-yamamoto." She cried, and Kagome dropped her on the ground. Izumi stared at the priestess before her with wide eyes and fear.
"Leave," Kagome whispered to her, her eyes fading back to blue. She stared down at the girl with a small frown but a blank face, not showing how exhausted she suddenly felt. When Izumi refused to move, Kagome bent down and got close to her face. "Run." She whispered this time, and Izumi's brown eyes widened even more. She scrambled to her feet, screaming as she ran down the stairs. The rest of the group followed closely behind, all except for the smallest girl who sat dazed but resolved still on the ground.
Kagome gave her a solemn look, before turning around and going back to the Goshinboku, grabbing the broom when she got close. The small girl got up slowly, and Kagome turned back to her. The girl gave a deep bow, then stood up and ran down the stairs herself.
Kagome sighed, sitting down at the base of the tree and leaning back against it, watching the stars slowly come out as the sun's rays lowered even father against the house.
Souta turned away from the window he was watching out of.
"What happened out there?" Kyoya asked Kagome softly, once she came back inside and changed again. It was tense and quiet for about 10 minutes before he broke it. Kagome only shook her head, her bottom lip trembling but Kyoya could tell she was trying extremely hard not to cry.
He sighed, pushing their notes aside and grabbing her hand. She looked up at him startled and he could see clearly how very close she was to crying. It was bold, he knew, but something in him told him to do it.
So he did.
He gathered her in his arms and brought her to his lap, and tucked her head into his shoulder and wrapped his arms around her. Slowly, her own arms wrapped around his torso, and her shoulders started to shake as she silently cried into him.
Kyoya leaned back against her bed, closing his eyes as he just… held her.
A/N: Thank you so much for everyone who has supported this story so far! We're not anywhere CLOSE to finishing, but I thought I'd say thanks anyways!
ALSO! BY NEXT UPDATE I WILL BE CLOSING THE POLL, SO HURRY TO GET THOSE VOTES IN IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY PLEASE!
Thank you! And review!