Well, slap my ass and call me Sally, I almost pissed myself and forgot who I was was for a whole half hour this morning! Seven reviews! Can you guys believe it???? I'm soo happy I could give to the poor!!! Keep 'em coming, babes, I think my two-parter just turned into a marathon novel!!! Ahhhh!
Deds:
dark eyed demon girl - Sorry you had to stop there! Hope to hear from ya a little further into the story!
anime-lover-forever2007 - Whew, I finally got ya in there! I kept telling myself, get her in there, she's waited too long as it is!!! I was going nuts trying to find an instance where you could make an appearance! Yer very welcome!!
Du Weldenvarden Farcai - Heeheehee, I was wondering if that would confuzzle anybody, lol!
Mystical Hanyou - Trust me, she gets worse. She's a skank of the highest degree... she might have to die. I dunno. Don't quote me on that!
cookiemonsterks - That would be nice of them, wouldn't it? Bastards... Anyway, yeah, I'd say that to her too. She's such a scag.
susie202 - Don't think it hasn't crossed her mind, lol, but I think she's got Inu and Ship first on her list, hehehe!
Kitsune's Lover - Yer speakin' my language, sister! I wanna rip them off, too! He's sooo hot! Guess what???? I'm getting another tattoo in the new year, and I'm gonna get them to put Sesshy on my lower back! Isn't that awesome!!?? I'm soo excited! I'll get Rach to take a pic and show ya when I get it. Oh, and thanks, I wish my writing was crappier too, then my rents wouldn't ask me what the hell I'm doing on here so much and leave me alone!!! Arggg!!!
Sweet Temptation
Kanna sat in her room the next day, and watched through the window as some cops came by the house to drop off her Father's personal effects.
As if we want them anyway…
Sitting back, she opened her purse and took out a picture of her boyfriend from school. Flapping it listlessly, she rolled onto her stomach and sighed.
Life had been a series of long, boring events for Kanna. Ever since she could remember, she'd had a hard time feeling any emotion; nothing surprised her, nothing made her happy. The only time she felt anything remotely close to pleasure was when she was manipulating someone.
Naraku had sent her to school overseas after her third attempt to play him for what she wanted. He hadn't liked it; it had been too close to his own behaviour and he hated to admit it but she was better at it at the age of five than he was in his thirties. After all her years at the Academy she had only learned to hone her penchant for controlling those around her; back there, she'd had an entourage of loyal followers, and none of them followed her lead because she was noble and pure-hearted. She was a slut, and she used it. She was hip, she was happening, and everyone wanted in on it.
She cared not a wit for any single one of them. They were cattle to her, there only to make her look good. She used them to do her homework, or any other petty job she'd been assigned. Above all, she used the guys for sex.
At fourteen, Kanna was a sex goddess. She'd tried all positions with all sorts of variations, toys, and partners, but nothing satisfied her, just like her life. Not even sexual pleasure could make her happy for longer than a minute.
Glancing up, she watched Kagura walk quickly past her door, on her way downstairs.
Sipping the last of another strawberry smoothie, she went to the window again and watched her older sister run three houses down the street and enter a large, white brick house with a red Mustang parked in the driveway.
What are you doing, Kagura? Leaving your poor sister behind like that?
Kanna had known instinctively that her sister no longer regarded her as a safe relation; no, not anymore. She was her rival now, and Kanna sensed that at any cost, Kagura wanted to keep her sister separated from her friends. Kanna, though, had no intention of letting her have her way. She only had fun when she was messing around with others' lives; Kagura's friends sounded like the perfect place to start.
She smiled malevolently as she slowly clopped downstairs in her heeled boots, to leave her dirty glass on the counter and throw on a jacket. She was going for a stroll.
On her way out, she stopped to look through the few articles the policeman and his female partner had dropped off: a suit jacket, a sterling silver cigarette case with Naraku's monogram on it, and some small black device.
Frowning, she turned the black thing over and over in her hand. What the hell is this?
Flicking a switch by accident with her thumb, a little screen lit up and laid out for her what appeared to be a map, with a tiny red light blinking. A green dot showed her own position.
It's a GPS tracker, she thought, slightly impressed. What were you doing with this thing, Daddy?
It took her a moment to realise the red dot was her sister. But how was she picking up Kagura's position?
She thought back to last night when Kagura had sat on the couch, alone in the spacious living room, which their Father had oddly left white, texting her friends with her phone. She kept turning it over and over, to pick at something on the back of it-
That was it! You bugged her phone, Daddy? What were you up to?
Curious, she decided to follow her sister. She had a plan to bump into Kagura, who was now headed in the direction of the Mall. And totally by accident, of course. Gathering up her purse, she left the house, leisurely following Kagura's signal to the Tokyo Mall.
But first, a costume change...
S.T.
Kagura told Kikyou, Sango, Ayame, and Rin all the way to the Mall about her Mother, Kayoko. They listened with fascination as she told them of her Father's abusive nature and talked heatedly about it all the way there.
She'd just finished telling them that her Mother's sister had been very close to her until close to Kanna's birth (whom she had not told them was home from school), when Kanna herself caught up to them.
Kagura curled her lip at her sister as she came running, pretending to be out of breath. Today she wore a tank top in white, with lacy fringe and a deep V-neck, with light-wash denim skin-tight jeans and white leather sandals - My white leather sandals! Kagura fumed - and her red handbag, the only splash of colour on her entire person. She changed before she came.
"Kagura, why didn't you ask me to come shopping? You know how much I love it!"
No, I don't. You hate everything, you liar.
"I'm sorry, I keep forgetting that you're home for good now."
She couldn't hide the sharp edge to her voice, and Kikyou and her sisters exchanged sidelong glances. What was going on? It was like Kanna and Kagura were speaking in code.
Not wanting this meeting to end up in a fight, Rin stepped forward and said, "I'm Rin. It's nice to meet you, Kanna."
They all followed her lead, and Kanna turned up the charm. By the time they got around to shopping, she was laughing and joking with the Higurashi girls as if she'd known them her whole life.
Kagura fell a bit behind, fuming. If looks could kill…
Kikyou looked back and knew instantly from the look on Kagura's face that something was wrong. Slowing, she began to walk next to her best friend and waited for her to speak her mind; she was afraid if she pushed Kagura, she would dam up and tell her nothing, so, she waited her out.
Soon, she began to mumble, and as they entered the food court she said abruptly, "I have to go to the bathroom."
"I'll come with you," Kikyou said, "I want to check my make-up."
Kanna heard them and grinned, her smile a sight to behold, and said sweetly, "You guys find us a good spot where we can see any hot guys who come by. I have to pee, too!"
Following her sister and Kikyou, Sango, Ayame, and Rin watched Kanna disappear around the corner. Sango leaned over to Ayame when they'd picked a table and whispered, "She's nice, but-"
"But what?" Ayame asked after she didn't finish.
"I don't know," Sango said, frowning, "there's just something about her that I don't trust. Kagura really seems to hate her. She never even told us she had a sister."
Rin nodded. "Yeah. I don't like her either. She just strikes me as such a slut, given the chance. I don't think I would trust her to set foot within a forty-mile radius of Shippo without getting a little worried about what she might do - or what the sight of her might make him do."
"Yeah, I got the same vibe. I'm just so happy with Kouga, but it's only been a few days since we started dating. I don't want to lose him just when I finally managed to nab him." Ayame looked over her shoulder to make sure they were still alone.
"I agree. As big a pervert as Miroku is, can you imagine what he would do if he ever met her? I'm talking heart failure, here!"
Ayame and Rin laughed. "That's funny because it's true!" Rin chortled.
Sango smiled. "Uh oh, Snake Girl and our friend Kagura and Kikyou at six o' clock."
Composing themselves, they silently agreed to act normal as the three girls took their seats.
In the bathroom, Kagura had been about to warn Kikyou about Kanna, unaware that she harboured her own suspicions, when Kanna burst in and smiled angelically at them both, wrinkling her nose in a sweet manner that had endeared her to hundreds of people in her very recent past. Taking her stall, Kagura thought, Kanna, you little bitch! You came in here on purpose so Kikyou and I couldn't talk about you! You are such a scag!!
Kagura fumed all the more in her stall while Kikyou listened to Kanna's idle chatter, making non-committal noises when required and taking as little time to pee as possible. The atmosphere between the sisters was becoming more than just a little stifling.
Returning to their table, Kikyou immediately picked up on her sisters' change in attitude, though they tried to hide it. She rose her brows at Sango in question over Kanna's head as she sat down and Sango wrinkled her nose.
Ordering a pizza, they talked about school and told Kanna all about their teachers and subjects. She would be going to school with them soon, right after they moved into their new house the following weekend.
They were about to tell her about their sister Kagome and the Sacred Jewel when Kagura had a coughing fit, pretending to choke on her cheesy pizza. They got her hint and changed the subject - fast.
The whole day was awkward after that. Kanna talked too much while Kagura barely spoke at all.
Getting home, Kagura decided that she'd have to tell Kikyou over the phone. "Come on Kanna, we should go home."
Kanna looked hurt. "Why? We're having a good time. You can leave if you want. I prefer to stay."
"They didn't ask you to stay, Kanna."
Kanna turned her head and shot her sister an icy glare.
Kagura stood her ground. "Go home, Kanna."
Just then, before Kanna could snap at her sister, Kagome opened the door, and, followed by Sesshoumaru, she lit up at the sight of her sisters.
"Hey, guys! Did you go to school today?"
"Yup!"
"You bet!"
Rin unplugged the answering machine and Sango covertly erased the phone's call memory.
"How was it?"
"Great. My friends really missed me," Ayame boasted, but just then, a knock sounded on the door. Standing the closest, Ayame's smile melted off her face as Sesshoumaru opened it and Kouga stormed in, demanding, "Where the hell have you been all day? I looked all over for you at school!"
Miroku, Inuyasha, and Shippo followed him, frowns on their faces. Inuyasha went straight to Kikyou and began to kiss her passionately, while Sango coldly regarded Miroku, eyeing him like an eagle should he reach for her butt. Why did he always have to ruin their plans?
Kanna was intrigued. It would appear that this family of women were in love with the family of men next door, and they were all pretty good-looking.
Of course, she only dated the hottest boys, and from her standpoint, that was Kikyou's guy. Rin's boyfriend looked like he would be fun, too. And the tall white-haired one… Mmm, she thought, licking her lips.
She noticed, her eye sliding closed narrowly, that no one approached her sister. Kagura had no boyfriend. How depressing, she thought happily.
Kagura's eyes never left her sister's face as the boys flooded into the room, and, sure enough, she began to follow Inuyasha's every move.
Oh no you don't, she thought, uncrossing her arms and pushing herself off the wall. Grabbing Kanna's hand, she said, "It's late guys. We should go. Thanks for inviting me, Kikyou."
Kanna resisted, but Kagura jerked her out the door so hard that the whole room fell silent as they watched them leave, but they did not attempt to stop them.
When they were gone Kagome asked, "Who was that?"
"That was Kagura's younger sister, Kanna. She's home from boarding school and is going to be going to our school beginning next week, after the move." Kikyou said in a subdued voice.
All the sisters were contemplative, and the boys puzzled. Inuyasha shook his head. "So? Why so glum all of a sudden?"
Kikyou squeezed his hand and replied, "I really think Kagura's worried about what she'll do to our group."
"What do you mean?"
Kikyou sighed, and led him to the couch. Everyone else found their respective seats, some in someone else's lap.
"She was trying to tell me something at the Mall, but Kanna wouldn't leave us alone together. She was very agitated."
Kagome shook her head. "I can't believe you guys skipped school again. Sesshoumaru and I go away for two days… oh, by the way, we have good news."
Sango smiled. "Tell us!"
Kagome beamed at them as Sesshoumaru squeezed her possessively.
"I'm pregnant!"
"Oh my God, Are you serious?" They all looked at each other and smiles broke out all around.
"Congrats, you guys!"
"Way to go, Sesshoumaru!"
"Thanks you guys," Kagome smiled, kissing Sesshoumaru. Kikyou was happy for Kagome, but her mind wandered back to her conversation with Kagura earlier about her Mother, and she said, "Hey Kagome, Kagura was telling us today that her Father had her Mother killed when she was only two years old. Isn't that sick?"
Kagome shivered. "Yeah, he was a fuck-up of the first degree. What else did she tell you?"
Rin piped up, "She said that her Mother was really close to her sister, Ai, and that her Father turned them against each other with a long-kept secret that her Mother had had an affair with her sister's husband."
Kagome blinked. Ai? That had been their Mother's name.
Her heart skipped a beat. Was Kagura related to them through marriage? She'd have to ask her. "Very interesting."
She decided not to appear too interested, but her curiosity was definitely piqued.
"Tell them the other news, Kags," Sesshoumaru reminded her, and Kagome momentarily forgot about Kagura's family as she held out her left hand for everyone's inspection and approval.
"Sesshoumaru asked me to marry him!"
Her sisters admired with open mouths the large diamond winking on Kagome's hand, catching the light from the ceiling and shooting streaks of rainbow colour at every angle. Her sisters were overwhelmed with joy, and piled on top of her, hugging her, and talking about her plans for the wedding.
After an hour of chatting, Kagome looked at her watch; it was ten. "Alright, ladies, it's getting late. Rin, to bed."
Frowning, Rin hugged Shippo and kissed him briefly as she bid him goodnight. Kagome had taken a while to adjust, but the sight of them together now made her smile with pride. Shippo was a good choice. Their whole family was a good choice, and the Higurashi's prided themselves on making good choices, she thought happily, scowling as the thought that except for skipping school they had a pretty good record passed through her head.
When Rin was gone, Sesshoumaru gave his brothers ten minutes to say goodbye to their girlfriends, and he led Kagome up the stairs to their bedroom. Signs of him were everywhere around the room. His move was complete, and Kagome smiled with pure content as she settled herself into bed, waiting for Sesshoumaru to return.
Going down the stairs, he knocked on the girl's bedroom doors, checking to make sure his brothers were gone.
When he was satisfied that they'd all gone home, he went back upstairs to Kagome and locked the door.
Kikyou smiled as Inuyasha peaked his head out of the closet and asked, "Is he gone?"
"And busy with his own woman. Get your hot ass in here!"
Inuyasha tilted his head at her, a smile on his face, but a frown there, too.
"You're very demanding tonight."
She growled and flung back her covers, beckoning with her finger, "I'll be even more demanding if I'm not satisfied, Inuyasha."
Grinning, he wasted no time undressing and climbing in with her.
Sango smiled as Miroku's head popped up over the side of her bed, and he grinned with evil intent as he burrowed his way under her covers, and she clenched her jaws shut in an effort to stay quiet.
Ayame rolled over. Kouga had gone home, reluctantly. She knew her sisters had sneaked their guys in, but she was yet uncomfortable with Kouga. They were still getting to know one another, though she regretted making him leave. She could have let him stay, as long as they only slept, and nothing more. She thought that sounded quite nice, when a scratching sound came from the window. Frowning, she lifted the glass panes and was face-to-face with Kouga.
"Ayame, I-"
She grabbed his collar and yanked him in, and he began to laugh. She was so impatient!
"Look, you can sleep next to me, but nothing more, okay? Not yet."
He nodded eagerly, "Sure Ayame. Whatever you want."
Smiling, she pulled him under the covers and began to kiss him.
Rin rolled over in her bed in the basement and shivered. She envied her sisters so much. None of them were as close as she and Shippo, yet they were too young to stay together. She found the thought intrigued her, but it scared her, as well. She knew what sex was, and basically what went where, but she'd only begun to feel lust and love for the first time in her young life, and had not the experience in distinguishing between the two that her sisters had. Like the child she still was, being with Shippo excited her, but it scared the wits out of her, too. She felt safest when she was in his arms, but she wasn't ready to submit her body; she knew she was too young, though that didn't stop her from fantasising about it.
When Shippo walked through the front door Daichi and Amaya were curled up on the couch, eating popcorn and watching a scary movie. Amaya saw him first and said, "Hello, sweetheart. Where're your brothers?"
Shippo snickered. This was a perfect opportunity to make Miroku, not to mention Kouga and Inuyasha, but mostly Miroku, pay for his embarrassing part in their little game of Truth or Dare last Sunday night.
"They're next door. Sesshoumaru checked to make sure they left, but they didn't. I'm sure their fornicating right now, under his very own nose."
Daichi choked on his popcorn, and Amaya picked up the phone next to her on the table, and dialled Kagome's number.
Shippo sat back and watched the show as his brothers came home minutes later, escorted by a half-dressed and very pissed off Sesshoumaru.
They eyed him angrily as their Father lectured them about safe sex and blah blah blah, but he walked up to his room with a smug smile on his face.
Payback's a bitch, isn't it, Miroku?
S.T.
Sesshoumaru slammed the door. He was mad, but… he thought of Kagome upstairs, waiting for him, and his anger drifted away. He could picture her in his mind… he ran up the stairs.
He would speak to the girls about their behaviour tomorrow.
Flinging open the bedroom door, he frowned as he looked at her. Kagome was asleep, her arm flung over her face, and her feet hanging out from under the covers. She twitched, and scratched her nose. He smiled. She was so cute when she was asleep. He climbed in next to her, feeling just a little disappointed, but as he rested his hand over her belly, over their baby, he felt a little bit better.
S.T.
Kikyou spooned her Cheerios into her mouth, and almost choked as Rin flung one at Sango's forehead. Ayame's forehead was on the table; she'd fallen asleep while eating again.
Sesshoumaru walked into the kitchen with no shirt on. Kikyou looked up and immediately felt her face flame. She noticed her sisters were having the same difficulty and suddenly found their cereal very interesting, except Ayame, of course. She only snored.
"Morning, ladies."
"Morning, Seshoumaru," they said together, and Sango's eyes darted from him to Rin to Kikyou over Ayame to him again. Would he say anything about last night?
Sesshoumaru took his time making coffee and enjoying the silence he inspired. They were like a clutch of magpies if left to themselves.
Is this what having sisters is like? He wondered. Is this protectiveness I feel for them from my own brothers normal, or am I cracking up? I'm not even an official part of their family yet.
Finally turning around, he smiled at them, but decided to let Kagome handle them. Now that he was handed a perfect opportunity to reprimand them, he felt out of place and awkward.
Suddenly, Ayame woke up and said, "I wanna go to the dance, you guys."
Kikyou looked at her sisters and smiled. Ayame had gone off the deep end! Sango giggled, and asked, "What dance? There's no dance, Ayame!"
She yawned, and nodded. "Is too. This Friday. I heard someone talking about it at the Mall yesterday."
Sesshoumaru chuckled. "See? You'd know that if you bothered to go to school."
Kikyou affected a wounded look to settle on her face. "Hey, we were just having a girls' day out, Sesshoumaru."
"Yeah, and was the day before that a day out, too?"
She smiled. "No, that was girls' day in!"
He sighed, "I see."
Taking his coffee, he headed upstairs to get dressed, but came back a second later. "Well, you better go today. I don't want to hear anymore messages on that machine from some bot telling me that three members of this family were missing from school again. You hear?"
They smiled, and Sango saluted. "Yes sir!"
He smiled, and left them. He was mad, but… he just couldn't stay that way. Damn them and their sweetness, he mentally cursed them.
Kagome rolled over and flicked Sesshoumaru's fingers away as they endeavoured to find a way up her nose. She snorted and got snot all over his hand, waking herself up just as he moaned, "Ewww, gross!"
She burst out laughing, "Thought you were smart, huh? Now you know better!"
He made a face and went into the bathroom to shave and dress for work.
Slipping into her silk housecoat, Kagome left him to eat her breakfast downstairs with her sisters. The girls were on their way out when she came down, and she frowned.
"See ya this afternoon, Kagome," Kikyou said, and hugged her. Sango, Ayame, and Rin filed past after her, and she waved goodbye to them as they walked around the corner. She lingered a few minutes, enjoying the early summer heat and the rising sun as it warmed her face.
A moment later, the Taisho boys ran from the house, late for school, and waved to her, calling, "Hey Kagome!" as they jumped into their car and sped away.
She smiled and waved back, shouting, "Have a good day, guys!"
Sesshoumaru squeezed past her, and pecked her lips. "Goodbye, babe."
"Miss you."
"You too. I love you."
She smiled, and winked. "I love you too, you hot piece of ass."
He tried to frown but failed and smiled, laughing, and she blew him a kiss.
He shook his head as he climbed into his Mustang. Life would be far from dull with her around…
The following week, Kaede and her two charges had moved into their new house a few blocks from their old one. It was smaller, but very nice, a red-brick with a Roman column façade out front, and a two-car garage.
Kanna finally unpacked all her things. She pulled her laptop from its case and plugged it in, then she asked Kaede to take care of her cell phone service.
Kagura couldn't believe Kaede let Kanna walk all over her like that, but every time she mentioned it, Kaede got angry and refused to speak about it.
Kagura had no problem transferring her things from the old house to the new one. She left for school the next morning, wishing Kanna didn't know where she was going.
Kaede went up to Kanna's room and looked around. It was a disaster area, but she was busy rearranging everything to her satisfaction, or so it appeared.
"Kanna, I registered you at the school yesterday. They expect you there tomorrow."
"Hmm," she replied. Where had those leather sandals gone? She had been so sure she'd packed them…
Kaede watched a moment more before leaving her. Kagura is right, she thought, her eyes narrowing. Kanna is just a little different…
S.T.
Well, well, well, Kanna's getting ready to stir up the shit. What a bitch. I hate her already! Is it normal to hate your own characters?? I dunno. I could be crazy, there's a big chance of that. Can't wait to hear your guesses about what she'll do next, lol!!