Okay, let's see... I'm bored, and work is pissing me off, and I have to take my laptop back to Costco this weekend cuz its a piece of crap (an under-warranty piece of crap, thank god), and my mom and sister bitched me out, so I'm a little bummed, as you can see. Maybe this will help me feel better.
Deds:
cookiemonsterks - I'm sorry I overlooked you, the bot is a fucker! Grr! Anyway, I loved your little ditty about running Kanna over with reindeer... that was so cute! She would deserve it, too. I'm getting to a point now where she will move on to try and get something from someone... but shhh, I can't tell, or it won't be a secret anymore!
anime-lover-forever2007 - You naughty girl! Murder by car? AUTOCIDE!!! I think you and cookiemonster up there are sharing a dorm room! You two think very much alike, though I guess no matter how you look at it, Kanna is evil, and must die, or at least suffer copiously. Anyhoo, sorry I overlooked you too, I think if the bot were a person I'd have choked the life from it by now...
(Excuse me while I check for more reviewers, I hate to miss anyone...)
Oh, yay, and a review from my best buddy, Rachel, who hasn't actually read this story yet, but has made progress by copying and saving all six of my stories to her laptop yesterday while we were at Tango's. You go, Glenn Cocoa, and read them!! (I know where you live, so you'd better, dammit!) /shakes fist threateningly/
Sweet Temptation
Kagura glanced at the time on her cell phone, and noticed once again the little bump on the back of it, just under her palm.
As she pushed the doorbell of Kikyou's house with her good hand, wiping the blood off it from the night before, hoping she hadn't missed Kikyou, she flipped the phone over and peeled the bump off. She made a face as it stuck to her fingers, clinging tenaciously. Flinging her hand around vigorously, it finally came off and landed on the brick of the house, gravity peeling it off its weak perch and tumbling it into the dirt of the garden, hidden underneath lattice and big thorny rose bush.
Kagome opened the door and smiled. "Kagura, how's your hand?"
She held it up for Kagome to see and chuckled wryly. "It's been better, but they tell me it'll heal."
Kagome covered her mouth at the sight of Kagura's white-clad hand, the steel bolts making her stomach turn at the thought of how much pain it must have caused her.
Holding the door open for Kagura, Kagome managed to control her gut and said, "Kikyou's staying home today. I think what happened yesterday really got to her, not to mention your accident. I'll see if she went back to sleep."
Kagura sighed in relief. Thank God, she hadn't missed her!
Kagome came back.a moment later to find Kagura struggling to untie her shoes, and volunteered, "Let me help you, hun."
Kagura sat back, breathed, "Thanks," and dropped her heavy bag on the floor.
Kagome smiled. "Kikyou was happy to hear that you came. She's just jumped in the shower, she'll be out in a bit."
"Alright." Kagura was glad, she had hoped to spend a little time alone with Kagome.
Leading her into the kitchen, Kagome asked, "Have you had breakfast yet? I'll make you eggs if you want."
Kagura smiled. "I would like that very much, thank you."
Kagome grinned. "No prob. Kikyou loves scrambled eggs with mushroom soup. You'll like it too, it's really good."
Sitting at the table, Kagura wrinkled her nose, but didn't comment. That sounded gross!
Kagome glanced at her bag by the doorway to the living room and asked as she pried open the soup can, "You weren't planning on going to school today, were you? Not with a freshly broken wrist?"
Kagura nodded. "I was hoping that I wouldn't miss her. If I had, I would have followed her to school. I have a lot of things I need to speak with her about."
Kagome nodded and broke several eggs into the frying pan. "I get the feeling she has a lot on her mind, as well. I don't think she took Inuyasha's standing her up last night well at all."
Kagura blinked. "How do you know about that?"
"Sango told me."
"Oh."
Kagome looked at Kagura from the corner of her eye. "She also told me that she thinks you weren't telling the truth last night about your hand, either."
Kagura hung her head. She had wanted to tell someone so badly, and now her chance had come, but she feared saying too much, so she only said what was necessary.
"Kanna broke my hand."
Kagome continued to cook, scrambling the eggs and mixing in the soup, then sprinkling the yellow muck with pepper.
"I suspected as much."
Kagura looked up with surprise. "You did?"
"Yes. Your sister gives me the impression that she has no scruples at all."
"You're right. She doesn't."
Kagome felt her heart go out to Kagura, having to live with a sister like that.
Kagura watched Kagome push the liquefied eggs around in the pan, the viscous mix soon turning more solid, fluffy in texture. They looked like ordinary scrambled eggs, but they had little chunks of mushroom in them.
Setting a plateful before Kagura, Kagome said, "Eat up."
Poking them, she sniffed them, and found them to smell quite scrumptious. Forking a shovelful into her mouth, she smiled at Kagome.
"These are great!"
Eating from her own massive plate, she smiled and replied, "I know. They were my Mother's recipe."
Kagura continued to shovel her eggs into her mouth, clumsy at first using her left hand, but she soon got the hang of it. Kagome suddenly asked, "Kagura, what was your Mother's sister's name again?"
Kagura stopped eating and swallowed. "Ai. Why do you ask?"
Kagome had a feeling… there was a connection, there had to be!
"My Mother's name was Ai. Was your Mother's last name Li?"
Kagura smiled, nodding. "Yeah, it was. Li-something. I really don't remember."
"And her name was Kayoko, correct?"
Kagura nodded, her mouth full. "Mm-hm."
Kagome smiled. She was right. "Our mothers were sisters."
Kagura swallowed, and smiled. "I had a feeling. Kanna and I are illegitimate, because Mother never married father, which makes me kinda glad, since he was so evil and all. But how did you know about my Mother?"
"The girls told me about your conversation a while ago. Your Mother's last name was Li-Higurashi, because my Father and Mother wanted her to have the family name, even though she was adopted."
Kagura's eyes opened wide. "She was?"
"Yes, Mother told me the whole story once, when I was young, about ten, I think. She felt so bad after her falling out with Aunt Kayoko that she tried for years afterward to contact her, but never found her."
Kagura looked at her lap. "She never found her because Father killed her."
Kagome let half the eggs fall out of her mouth and land back on her plate.
"What?"
She nodded. "I just found out myself after his death. He had our valet kill her three days after she left him, which was not long after my bitch sister was born."
"Oh, Kagura, I'm so sorry," Kagome said, and went around the table to hug Kagura.
Kikyou walked into the kitchen, a towel wrapped around her head, and she saw her sister and best friend hugging. "What's going on?" she asked, filling her plate from the pan on the range.
Kagome and Kagura shared a look, and Kagome winked. "Nothing. How are you feeling?"
Kikyou sat down with a sigh and began to eat. "Rotten."
Kagura watched as both sisters lifted their forks to their mouths at the same time and was struck by how similar they were to each other. "He still hasn't talked to you?"
She shook her head. "Haven't heard a word from him."
Kagura looked at her half-eaten plate of eggs. Every time she tried to fix things, they just ended up even worse than before. She was reluctant to do as her heart wanted, which was to try as hard as she could to put things right.
Making up her mind, she got up from the table and said, "I'll be right back, you guys."
"Where are you going?"
"To take care of some unfinished business."
S.T.
Kanna kept her eyes open, but she still hadn't spotted Inuyasha today. She narrowed an eye; he better not try to get out of their date tonight, or he was finished.
She took her sandwich and coke outside to a deserted picnic table at lunch, and flipped open a smutty romance novel she'd stolen from some sophomore girl.
A moment later, a dark-haired, pretty girl sat at the table across from her, hiding behind her long hair. Kanna looked up, and made a face.
"What do you want?"
The girl smiled at her, and Kanna's first thought was that it needed some work, but she flipped her hair back over her shoulder and asked, "Are you a freshman?"
Kanna went back to reading her book and crossed her lean legs, propping up her head with her other hand and replying, "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm a senior junior-high student. Who wants to know?"
The girl's face showed surprise, but Kanna continued to look at the book, and not her.
"Wow. You look like a junior. You're so tall."
Kanna snorted. "Tall doesn't get you anywhere."
The girl was silent for a moment, before introducing herself. "I'm Tsubaki. My friends and I wanted to know if you wanted to sit with us."
Kanna flipped the page. Why were people always trying to attach themselves to her?
A group of senior boys walked past, and they all smiled at Kanna, but she ignored them, too. Tsubaki watched them, then her, and didn't understand. This girl obviously had everything going for her, yet she did not take advantage of it. Why?
When the boys had passed, Kanna looked up. "Oh, you're still here. No thanks."
Tsubaki made a face, and got up to leave, but before she did, she mumbled, "I just wanted to ask you about the Jewel."
Kanna's head whipped up at the word 'jewel'; she liked jewellery, especially if it was expensive, and someone else was doing the buying - for her, that is.
"Tsubaki, wait. What did you say?"
Tsubaki came back and made herself comfortable again. Kanna put her book down but refused to smile. She didn't want to appear as if she liked Tsubaki's company.
"I wanted to ask you about the Sacred Jewel. You know, the one I read about in the paper, the one your Father was pursuing?"
Kanna tried to recall anything she'd heard about this Sacred Jewel, but drew a complete blank. She shook her head in the negative. "Never heard of it."
"Oh. I was just wondering if what I read was true, he being your Father and all."
Kanna supposed the whole student body had heard about her sister's and Father's involvement with Kagome before she'd come home, but no one had told her the details; she'd never cared to know, anyway - until now.
"Tsubaki, tell me… what do you know about this Sacred Jewel?"
S.T.
Inuyasha slammed his locker shut, keeping a weather eye out for that bitch, Kanna. He wanted to avoid her at all costs, at least until it was time for him to make her pay for her dirty trick.
Sango passed him in the hall, and he caught her elbow. She tried not to smile upon seeing his worried face, but gave in. "Inuyasha! Where have you been?"
"Is Kikyou here today?" he asked, cutting her off. He was in too big a hurry to exchange pleasantries with Sango first.
"No, she stayed home today. She's really bummed about what you did to her, Inuyasha." There was a hint of reproof in her voice, but there was something else, too - patience. By the expression on her face, she was giving him a chance the explain himself, but he shrugged apologetically.
She frowned, crossing her arms. He sighed.
"Look, you'll find out soon enough. I have to talk to Kikyou first."
She narrowed her eyes, but nodded, and walked to her next class.
Watching her go, he grabbed the bag from his locker. He had better things to do today than go to class.
Running down the hall, he stopped at Miroku's locker and spun the dial on the lock. Tugging it open, he dug around in his brother's jacket pockets for the car keys. He anticipated to be back in time for lunch, but if he took longer… they'd just have to walk home!
S.T.
Kagura hurried to school, and just as she was crossing the parking lot, she saw Inuyasha pull out, and come roaring toward her end of the lot.
Flagging him down, he slowed and leaned over the passenger seat, rolling down the window. "Kagura, what are you doing? And what happened to your hand?"
She shook her head impatiently, and waved her good hand. "Nevermind that. Listen, I came here to find you."
He frowned, opening the door for her and motioning for her to get into the front seat. "Me? Why?"
"Because," she huffed as she sat down, out of breath from hurrying, "you need to speak to Kikyou. What happened last night, Inuyasha? She's really upset."
He decided that maybe he should tell Kagura everything first; then, he could get her opinion on his plan.
Turning right instead of left at the street, she asked, "Where are we going? I thought-"
"We're going to the park. I need to get some things off my chest before I see Kikyou, will you listen?"
She glanced at him, her cheeks flushed. He trusted her enough to tell her what happened? Would he seek her opinion on what to do afterward?
"Yes, I will."
He stared at the road, leaning forward in nervousness. "Thanks, Kagura."
She looked out the window, so he wouldn't see the tear that gathered in the corner of her eye. Thank you, Inuyasha, for trusting me.
S.T.
Kikyou sat out in the sun on a lounger beside the Taisho's pool. Kagome lounged next to her, and Amaya came out of the house a moment later, a platter of fresh fruit in her hands. They had been about to sunbathe in their own yard, but Daichi had seen them and invited them over.
Kagome pushed up her shades and said, "Thanks for the fruit, Little Mother."
Kikyou lay still and let the sun warm away her worries as Amaya smiled and retreated into the house to finish her ironing. She closed her eyes under her sunglasses but was forced to open them again when her sister propped herself up on her elbow and asked, "What do you think he did, Kikyou?"
Good feeling's gone, she thought, knowing full well it hadn't been there to begin with, not since yesterday anyway…
"I don't know. Worst case scenario, he cheated. Best case… he forgot?"
"Kikki… don't judge him until he explains. I highly doubt he'd cheat on someone he loves as much as you, at least not on purpose."
"What do you mean, 'not on purpose'? How can you cheat, but not on purpose?"
Kagome shut her jaw, struggling for words, flailing her hands until she could blurt, "Maybe some girl tricked him."
"Into thinking she was me?" She had her doubts.
"It sounds far-fetched, I know, but it could have happened. But give him the benefit of the doubt, Kikki; you won't regret it."
Suddenly, as Kagome witnessed her sister's timid smile, her heart pulsed, and the Jewel within vibrated, then stilled.
What was that?!
Kikyou saw her sister hesitate, and asked, "Kags, what's wrong?"
Kagome shook her head, and smiled again at her little sister. "Nothing, Kik. Don't worry about it."
Shrugging, Kikyou lay back on her lounge and enjoyed the feel of the sun heating her skin, before remarking, "I'll try, Kags, but I can't guarantee anything."
Kagome grinned. "That's good enough."
S.T.
Well, there you have it. The plot thickens, again! Oh, my butt hurts. Been sittin' on it too long... soon it'll be flat like middle-aged ladies'. That's unsexy. Anyway, reviews have been so few lately, I'm crying! And bummed. Don't forget bummed. So please, for the love of God, speak to me! I so lonely!