A/N: Surprise! A new chapter! What took me so long right? Well… that's a long story that involves much training with a stubborn puppy dog and taking care of my sick mother. I know you loyal readers understand and that's why I love you all. And that is why this chapter has been written and posted so quickly after the last one.
This chapter has been reviewed by IcyFire-MikoDemon.
Genre: Romance/Angst/Drama- and what story is complete without a bit of action in there somewhere?
Rating: M
Disclaimer: Seriously… if I owned these two series…they would have officially been made into one story long ago.
It was a long time that she stared at him, and each moment that passed by seemed like an hour rather than a second. After a moment she smiled again and nodded her head to Yusuke.
"Its ok… we go way back." she turned back to the hanyou and offered a half smile. "His bark is worse than his bite…"
Though, that wasn't to say that his bite wasn't bad; his bark was simply worse, and quite literally. The look on Inuyasha's face made the inside joke quite worth it.
"Oi! Kagome you- you…"
"Very articulate Inuyasha…" the insincere smile on her face almost faltered for a second and it took much willpower for her to draw out of their old routine. Said routine had died the first day she had conceded in the struggle for his heart. So she turned and smiled at Yusuke, as well as Kurama –who had appeared seemingly out of thin air- gratefully. "Thanks for helping me… but I really should head home. I probably have a bunch of people going crazy over my vanishing act."
Such a vanishing act it had been indeed.
An understanding grin was thrown her way, and Kagome almost had to choke back a sob. She only prayed for such an understanding nature when it came time for her to tell him of her involvement with demons.
"You go on Kag. I'll call ya later to see how you're doing."
When everyone was suddenly there Kagome turned to the older woman that owned the shrine and offered somewhat of a deep bow. "Thank you for the hospitality. I appreciate it Genkai-sama."
A simple nod of the head was all she got in response, but she understood the notion well enough.
"Yukina-chan…" Kagome grinned and flashed a wink at the female demon. "You make a great nurse."
"Thank you Kagome-chan."
She turned back to Kurama and craned her head to the side a bit, her smile still in place. "And thank you for letting me have time outside."
"Not at all Kagome." The kind of smile only a fox could offer was thrown in her direction and for a brief moment her heart skipped a beat.
"Bye, you guys."
Vaguely, she felt as if she had said goodbye forever.
The trip home was rather uninteresting, even with the banter between Inuyasha and Shippo as well as the commentary from Inari and –the little bit- from Sesshomaru.
"So Kaa-san…you're really ok aren't you?"
Kagome fell back on the sofa with a groan. "Yeah… I'm a bit sore but nothing worse than usual."
"Yes well now that things have been taken care of for the time being… I believe I have places to be, things to do. Adieu my friends…good luck miko-chan." And it was with a flamboyant bow that Inari vanished.
Sango blinked at the spot that Inari had once stood before she shook her head. She had expected no less from the god of foxes.
"Ostentatious one isn't he?"
Dead silence followed that comment before the slayer managed to form a response. "He's the kami of foxes Miroku… were you expecting subtly?"
The conversation continued on like that for the rest of the night, and true to his word Yusuke called around eight o'clock. Kagome talked with him for a while before the both of them realized that they had been on the phone for two and a half hours. So it was on that note that they shared a laugh and bid one another a good night.
It was with a giddy sigh that Kagome snuggled into the covers of her bed. Even if it was not her original room she was far too happy in that moment to care about what had caused the need for the move. All the same, she giggled and curled up with her face pressed into her pillows.
"Hey, Kagome… you asleep yet?"
And her giddiness came to a screeching halt. It wasn't that she was unhappy to hear his voice, but she simply did not wish to go over things with him just yet. Despite such desires she sat up and turned to look at him. "Yes, Inuyasha?"
"Um… I don't know. Didn't really plan this out…" he rubbed the back of his head with a sigh and turned his gaze on her. "You know that… I really did love you Kagome. You do know, right?"
With a shake of the head Kagome held up her hand to stop him. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose with another sigh. "Inuyasha…I said goodbye to that life a long time ago. Please… don't stir up old issues like this."
I said goodbye to you a long time ago.
"I…I'm sorry Kagome." A wry chuckle escaped the back of his throat as Inuyasha shook his head remorsefully. "Ya know… I really was an idiot…"
"No arguments here… so are you going to let me go to sleep or is this going to be an all nighter? Because if it is I'm going to need plenty of caffeine for this topic."
"No…no. I'll let you sleep. Goodnight, Kagome."
The pain that was reflected in his gaze at that moment almost tore her apart, but she swallowed the sensations. After he was gone she sighed and lowered her gaze to her lap. It wasn't as if she had wanted to hurt him, but as selfless as she was she refused to continue and hurt herself to make him happy. It had gone on for far too long and she could no longer afford to allow it to do so. That wasn't to say she didn't love him, for she would always love him, but it was far too different to ever be the same again. "Goodnight, Inuyasha."
Yusuke hung up the phone with a sigh and sunk back into his recliner. Once more he was in the comfort of his own home and grinned sloppily. While he had not been all that fond of having to let Kagome leave with that 'Inuyasha', he'd been glad enough to let her go where the poor girl wouldn't be kept under such supervision. The way Hiei had mistrusted her was to be expected of the hybrid; however, even with the instinct to be wary of newcomers that an experienced person like Genkai had, it had been oddly over the top as far as he was concerned.
"I venture she is feeling well?"
The fox's voice jarred Yusuke out of his reverie and he turned to stare blankly at the other man. "What? Oh… yeah she's alright."
"You seem distracted Yusuke."
The man in question snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "I wouldn't call it distracted."
Kurama raised an eyebrow at him and looked up from where he'd been busy cooking. "Then what pray tell, do you call it?"
It took a moment before he could answer his roommate, and Yusuke did so with a deadpanned stare that only added humor to the statement. "I call it being deep in thought and being interrupted by a pretentious fox."
Both eyebrows vanished into Kurama's hairline at such a comment. "Pretentious? My Yusuke, you have certainly expanded your vocabulary."
"So has your arrogance." Yusuke snorted again, but wasn't about to admit that he had learned the word from Kagome. He softened at the thought; it was just another thing that she did to better him.
"Another remarkable word, Yusuke. I must admit I am impressed."
Higurashi Kagome was without a doubt the better half to Urameshi Yusuke. And it was with that same thought that he realized something. "I love her, Kurama."
Two and a half weeks later they had their next date. Yusuke had called her around noon asked if she had anything to do and when she had said 'no', he'd told her that he would take her out to lunch. An hour later found them at Wacdonalds.
He was going to tell her during their date. The revelation he'd had after their phone conversation two weeks prior had been buzzing frantically through his head since then. He was going to take her to the park after they finished eating, and he would tell her.
Yusuke had found himself counting all of the things that he loved about her for the past few weeks; it had started since a bit before she had been at Genkai's but such thoughts had doubled after his demon blood had risen to speak in her defense.
Her smile, her voice, and the sound of her laughter all made him feel absolutely giddy. The way she moved her hands around as she told a story was utterly cute and just another thing that he loved about her. Though, there were more than all those superficial things.
She never made him feel stupid in all the time they'd been together, even if it had only been a few short months. Not once had she ever made him feel bad about simply being himself.
He was brought out of such thoughts when she spoke once more, and he turned his full attention to her.
"And then bam! It blew up in his face." with much editing of the story, Kagome reveled in the laughter that came from the tale of how Miroku destroyed her toaster.
"Seriously? Man I would've paid good money to see that one Kag…" after a moment he blinked and turned back to look at her. "How did he pull it off again? I don't think even Kuwabara has done something like that."
Kagome blinked then shrugged. It was an easy enough question to answer. "Miroku was raised by monks and the temple he grew up on didn't have technology. We met up while we were backpacking around Japan and became friends. After he came to our shrine he kind of just stuck to us like glue… not that he hadn't already."
Once more the skill of being able to tell a truthful lie had proven itself to be rather useful.
"So… you basically brought in a technologically inept monk, and left him alone with a kitchen full of the stuff?"
With a nervous laugh Kagome rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"Well… I figured he'd ask if he needed to know about something." Yusuke snickered at her, but rather than feel indignant she only laughed along with him. Once she regained a regular breathing pattern she brought her burger to her lips and swallowed with a happy sigh. "It's been way too long since I've had a burger and fries."
"How long's it been?"
Absently Kagome counted off the years on her fingers and nodded decisively. "Not counting our first date? Almost four, maybe five years."
Yusuke choked and turned to stare owlishly at his girlfriend. "Five years?"
Kagome grinned slightly and popped another fry into her mouth.
"Dear god woman, how did you go on?" he clasped his hand over his heart in mock agony and grinned when she laughed.
With her mouth open to say something, Kagome was cut off by the sound of her phone's ringtone.
"One second. Moushi moushi?" She could feel Yusuke's gaze as he watched her; she nodded absently despite the fact that the person on the other end of the line could not see her. He jumped when she leapt from her seat and knocked over her chair in the process. Whether she had scared him or not she didn't care in that instant. "He did! When! Yeah, I'll be right there!"
Kagome snapped her phone shut with an audible click and spun around to stare at her date with wide eyes. "Can you take me to the hospital?"
"Alright…is something wrong?" The concern that he showed was endearing but she had no time for it. Instead she just shook her head slowly, though her widened eyes never left him.
"No… I…my little brother just woke up out of his coma."
Every speed limit in their route was broken by a long shot. Frankly, Kagome did not give a damn. They had been lucky enough not to be stopped even once but the miko did not linger on such thoughts. It had taken a lot of patience to ride the elevator, but a comforting hand from Yusuke calmed her long enough that she did not break the doors down and simply take the stairs.
"Souta! Souta, I'm here!" she skidded to a stop in front of her brother's hospital bed and the abrupt stop caused her to land firmly on her rear. She heard Yusuke sigh behind her before he hefted her up by her armpits and placed her back on her feet. "Souta… are you ok? Do you need anything?"
The boy stared at her blankly before he offered a weak grin. "Thanks for the floor show ane. Maybe I could…use some water."
"Yusuke, could you go fill up this pitcher? Please?" when her date nodded and left to do so she flew to her brother's side. Tears streamed down her face as Kagome pulled a chair up as close to his bedside as was physically possible. She clasped the boy's smaller hand between both of her own and blinked the salty liquid from her eyes. Quietly, she whispered to him. "Otooto…"
She could tell that it took every ounce of energy in him to smile at her again. His voice as he spoke was just as weak. "Another youkai ane?"
Startled, Kagome sat up ramrod straight and stared at her brother. "How… how did you know?"
He frowned at her and offered a weak shrug of his shoulders. "I…really don't know. He just…feels different?"
Mutely, Kagome could only nod at the boy in response. There was no way to put in words the sensation of a demon's presence. It was a raw instinct that simply could not be articulated. Nonetheless, she shook her head and smiled wryly at her brother. "We'll figure it out…eventually."
"Yeah… so are you going to answer my question ane?"
Defeated, Kagome sighed and leaned her arms on top of the bedrail. "You know me Souta. I could never really…be happy with an ordinary human. Youkai just…I'm not sure. I just feel more comfortable around them."
"Another youkai ane?"
The pitcher that he had been holding feel to the floor with a clatter, but the sound went unnoticed even as it echoed throughout the hallway. The staff members that turned to stare at him had been completely tuned out. The voices of the people that asked if he was all right were distant and near silent to his ears.
Another youkai ane…
Another youkai…
Another…
The words echoed through his mind and the comprehension was sudden and painful. She knew. She had known that he was youkai and had never said a damn word. All other words spoken were lost to him as he turned tail and ran. His legs pumped furiously beneath him as he bolted from the hallway and made his way to the rooftop.
An odd sense of anger and betrayal provided a kind of adrenaline he had never before felt. The sense of a rush in the face of a battle had never been so intense and it was a completely and utterly different sensation. Even with everything he had ever been through, he could not say he had ever felt such betrayal.
Far too much suddenly made sense in that instant.
The strange wounds, the fighting ability, and the careful manner in which she chose her words all pointed to the same conclusion. A strangled gasp escaped his lips and his eyes took on a red hue as they widened further.
"The miko…"
The energy that they had been searching for, that Koenma had ordered them to hunt for had all been her. She had been in Makai and had decimated that demon's home. The ash that had been the remains of that man's servants flitted through his mind. The idea that she might have been planning to do the same to him made his chest tighten in agony.
That she was the same being was painfully bittersweet.
The chain linked security fence that surrounded the roof rattled as he fell against it. Heavy pants escaped his lips as he stared blankly at the ground so far below. "She fuckin' knew…"
"So it begins." With his lips twisted into a smirk the spider wove another section to his web. A wry chuckle passed his lips as he tilted his head back to gaze at the ceiling of his new palace. "You can fly now little miko…but for how long?"
'Come into my parlor' said the spider to the fly.
It had taken far too long, but he was ready to crush the lot of them like the insects they were. The miko would be made to suffer the most; he would make sure of it. She had been the cause of his loss in the feudal era and for that she would be punished.
Just like the spider he was, the insects would fall into his trap to be devoured.
"Now Kagome-chan…the fun can begin." He waved a dismissive hand to the man that had stood there to await his orders, as the spider was inclined to watch his prey struggle and squirm. It was his favorite pastime.
Soon she would know just whom it was that she belonged to.
He would never allow another to touch what was his again. He had taken Inuyasha from her and he would take the detective from her as well. The two were the same after all, and Inuyasha had been easy enough to deceive several times in the past. This boy would be no different.
Kikyo had deserved to suffer and her reincarnation would continue to serve that sentence.
Of course he knew that Kagome was in no way Kikyo; even if they did share a soul it was only partial. They were polar opposites and he had found that it made for far more entertainment to afflict Kagome than it was to do so to Kikyo.
There was no real enjoyment in tormenting a woman that gave no real show of emotion.
"Soon my miko. It will be very soon indeed."
A/N: So… yeah. How many of you want to kill me? A lot of you I imagine and I know one person for certain will want to hunt me down for this. You know who you are.
Anyway…wow. I stayed up until 3am to write this for you guys and I have to get up at 8am. I know there are enough of you out there that love me for it to be worth it. Ah you're all worth it anyway!
Serenity Draco, I kept you waiting for so long with the last update (I kept you all waiting but she nags me on MSN you guys) so this chapter goes out to you!
Translations:
Ane – is the word for older sister that is used towards one's own sister.
The more commonly used onee-san is the word for older sister that one uses towards someone else's older sister.
Otooto- the word for younger brother that is used towards one's own brother.
The word for some one else's younger brother is otooto-san
Don't you guys just love having an author who's taken three semesters in Japanese?
Today's rant: Crossover/romance issues
Why is it that if Kagome is paired with a demon like Sesshomaru, Kurama (this includes Youko), and Hiei so many people feel the need to turn her into a demon (and when she is turned into a demon, must she be the same as her significant other)? The romance between a human miko and a demon requires a bit more effort put into it… but there's so much more to be explored there. When you have to put real effort into something, doesn't that make it worth so much more in the end?
So this rant isn't as long as my last, but I'm half asleep as I finish this author's note so if I made a coherent argument at all, be happy for that. My fellow authors out there can understand that ne?
Ja ne minna!