Disclaimer: I don't own jack!
Pairing: Okita/Kagome
Suggested Listening: Sad Machine (Deon Custom Remix) by Porter Robinson
Of Pride and Honor
Chapter Five: The Mark of Fate
Okita observed silently as Kagome hovered over a book. Her lips were pressed into a thin line as her brows furrowed sharply. It'd been a few days since the study session. The week was coming to a close and the tension in the house was beginning to rise with its fast approaching ending. He leaned back and stifled a laugh at the image his host made. It looked like she simply wanted to slaughter the textbook on her desk. It appeared that tomorrow was the final day of these examinations and the heat was starting to turn up. Kagome spent much of her time carting back and forth between school and work. When she finally returned each evening she would hole herself up in her room and pour over these textbooks as if they were her mortal enemy. He'd taken up the habit of keeping her company during this time, mostly because he'd grow bored otherwise. It wasn't any fun training out in that shack by himself. He'd prefer to have a sparring partner.
The ronin casually leaned back against the wall adjacent to Kagome's bed. He'd already turned on her television and scoured through the array of channels to try and find something interesting, only to stop on a game show of people running through odd-looking courses and wanting to earn the title of 'ninja'. He snorted. Most could barely make the first leg of the course. Very few had the strength or endurance to go any further than that. He found himself slightly disappointed in the bad turnout of contestants. Wasn't this supposed to be interesting? He was starting to get bored again, and as Hijikata liked to say, a bored ronin was a deadly one.
The two stopped as her phone began to vibrate. Kagome glanced over at the screen before giving a quick shrug and answering it.
"Higurashi speaking." She greeted the person on the other line. Okita casually turned towards her. Her friends had been calling her a lot more often. Whether it was because they were worried about these tests and wanted her help, or just because they wanted to be nosy he wasn't sure. One thing was for certain; he wasn't going to let himself be alone with them in the future. They were absolute bloodhounds when it came to trying to sniff out the truth of their odd relationship. "Ah, yes. That'd be fine. No, we should probably hold off on any practices until after the winter break." She tapped her pencil to her chin thoughtfully. "That could work but I don't think we should make it mandatory. Remember, Hirigaya-san has to leave town during break." There was a short pause. "Sure, I can do that. We'll set a date for it later."
The woman moved to hang up when there was a catch on the other line, "Well, now isn't exactly a good time for that kind of conversation." She shot him an odd look, drawing his curiosity. Kagome set her pen down as she leaned back in her desk. The woman's expression turned somewhat serious as she listened to the speaker. "I don't know what you thought you were going to accomplish really. I told you before didn't I? Until you get that temper of yours under control, I'm not interested." Oh, so it was probably that Takeshi guy. He had mentioned something about being the captain of the kyudo club. Perhaps he originally called to discuss those matters with her? He crossed his arms in front of his chest and eavesdropped as much as he could. At the very least that topic had flown at the window. It looked like he was trying to sweet talk her into giving him more answers—or at least forgiving him. Okita wasn't sure which yet.
"Like I said, I don't blame you for feeling jealous. What I can't stand is how you handle it. You need to grow up." There was a short pause as her countenance lightened. "Well that may be true but there's still the issue of your temper. You threw a book remember?" Another pause before a profound shock took over her features. "Yes, stupid. You did. How did you forget?"
This time he could hear a lengthy, horrified apology from the other line. Kagome pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it as if it were a creature with three heads. "Well, at least you didn't throw it at me so there's that." She heaved a sigh through her nose, rubbing her brows with her index finger and thumb. So what, did the guy just pick up whatever he could find and tossed it across the room because he was pissed? Now that really had been a temper tantrum. "Of course I'm upset about that. However what upset me more was how you treated Souji-kun." At the mention of his name, he perked up.
"Yes, you were an ass. You also ought to grovel at his feet for being so rude. He didn't deserve to have you glaring at him like he's a stranger in his own home." He fought back against a laugh at that mental image. Her face suddenly grew sour. "Of course it's his home! He's here to get healthy, not deal with your bullshit attitude." A smirk pulled at his lips. This was getting fun. He had a front row seat to Takeshi getting his ass thoroughly chewed out by Kagome. It was a nice change of pace to see her draw her claws against someone in such a manner. He'd gotten too used to her sweet side. "His disease isn't any of your concern. All you need to know is that he's here to heal and you were a dick to him." Kagome stretched one of her arms high up in the air. "You could try but he's even harder to please than I am." She shot him a wary glance—taking note of the wide, self-pleasing grin starting to creep across his face. "Besides, he'd put you through the ringer at this point. It'd just be best to give it some time. I'll call you later about setting up a meeting for practice. Sure, I'll talk to you then." With that she hung up the phone.
"So I don't get to put him in an obstacle course of my choosing?" Okita piped up, a playful grin threatening to spread from one ear to the other. Ideas of the different things he'd put the other male through ran through his mind. He was always known as the harshest instructor in the Shinsengumi—he wasn't about to let this opportunity to teach Takeshi a lesson in proper manners slide.
Kagome gave a quick snort, "Nope. But he does want to give you a more thorough apology later." She rolled her shoulders and stood from her desk—clearly finished with her studying for the evening. "He's not a bad person. He's just stupidly possessive." The young woman sighed as she dropped onto the bed next to him. She reached for the remote and started to surf through the other channels. "I haven't really spent a lot of time on the dating scene and the ones I do seem to attract always have that jealous side to them. It's annoying." She stopped on a network that was playing a movie he hadn't seen before. It looked to be an action film.
"It's a pain in the ass dancing around guys like that so I tend to avoid it all together. Takeshi and I had gone on a couple of dates before he officially asked me to be in a relationship with him. However he got unbearable after the second date. Kept trying to scare away any male that so much as looked in my direction. So I shot him down." She settled in next to him as he watched in mild fascination as a car combusted in a ball of flames from crashing into a building. Were vehicles really that explosive? He had a feeling that perhaps the creator of this movie took his creative license a bit too far.
"So that's it, huh? You play the hard to get angle." He stretched his legs out and arched his back, cracking his joints in the process. "The more you do that though the harder they'll play for you. Or is that what you want?" He shot her a wink.
The teen snorted, "Yeah right. I'm not playing anything. I'm just not interested." Her phone vibrated again. The same name from before popped up. Why was he calling her a second time? Was the guy a glutton for punishment? Instead of answering she simply hit a button on the top of the phone, ceasing its vibrations. "Just because a guy likes me doesn't me he gets to act like he owns me. I make my own decisions thank you very much." The device gave a quick buzz as a message appeared on the screen. She turned the phone over and pointedly ignored the notification.
He could admire the determination she had at warding away unwanted suitors. During his era it was unusual for a woman to concrete her own marriage. It was usually done as a pact between the suitor and the woman's father. However in a family situation such as the Higurashi's, it'd likely have been her mother to arrange a marriage for her. In recent years love had become far more acceptable basis for a marriage. Still, for those born in the samurai caste such as himself, their couplings were still mostly arranged by the families involved.
Okita turned his attention to the television. Had she been born in his time period then the ronin was certain that she likely would've been married off by now. Whether it was to someone she was interested in, well that'd yet to be seen. Given her disposition towards Takeshi he doubted she would've found a happy marriage in his time.
"So what's up with that anyways? It sounds like you're a real hard ass." She shifted beside him uncomfortably. The man waited patiently as he knew she would eventually respond.
"I just don't have much of a tolerance for it anymore." She gave him a quick smile and held up her index finger as if she were giving away a surprising secret. "Can't say this to anyone else okay? But I used to be a huge pushover. Seriously, I didn't really know how to say no for a while." He nodded at her in a placating manner. He could see that. She could be incredibly sweet when she wanted to be. That was partially why he enjoyed teasing her so much. He also knew that she was able to switch from adorable busy body to a frightening she-devil on a turn of a coin. It was always fun getting a rise out of her. He never knew which side of her personality to expect. "After I fell into the well, I kind of had to learn to get tough, both with men and with our enemies. If the youkai weren't going to get me then the people were." Her expression clouded over with memories of the past. "I sort of just developed a no-nonsense attitude when I was over there. It's not like I wanted to be mean but…" Her voice trailed off.
"You had to survive, right?" He grew serious as he thought over her words. The fifteen hundreds had been marred by constant in-fighting and bloody wars. It was a continuous stream of violence and death in that period. If she'd fallen in wearing the clothes of her era, then she likely would have drawn suspicion to herself. The people would have treated her as a danger as a direct result. He felt a tiny twinge of pity. She said it'd been three years ago since she first fell down. How old was she then? Fifteen? She was still just a kid. Not that she wasn't practically one now. Still, he found himself a bit worried about what might have occurred on the other side of the river of time.
Kagome nodded lightly, "That's right. I ended up learning how to use the bow while I was over there." She tucked her hand into the collar of her shirt and quietly tugged on the necklace lying beneath it. The pink jewel of the Shikon fell into view. It was still just as mysterious as the day she'd originally showed him. Tiny currents of electricity cackled around the object and Kagome's finger. If it caused her any trouble, she didn't react to it. "Because of this thing and my appearance, it was assumed that I was the reincarnation of a priestess that once lived in the village I stumbled upon. So they were pretty quick about putting the bow in my hands and trying to train me." She gave an inaudible laugh. "Although that was a tough few weeks of getting the hang of it."
He quirked a brow at her, "Your appearance?" Now he was curious. What did her face have anything to do with being a priestess?
She nodded again, "Yeah, apparently I looked just like this priestess that lived there fifty years before I fell down. Her name was Kikyou." Something akin to melancholy flashed across her expression. However just as quickly as it appeared, it shifted into something calm and relaxed. "She originally died protecting the Shikon from a youkai's attack. Her final request was that she be cremated and the jewel burned with her." She twisted the jewel in her fingers. "So when I showed up and had this thing torn from my side, it was just assumed that I was her reincarnation."
"Wait, what? Torn from your side?" He felt his eyes widen with shock and mouth press into a line. That had not been the answer he was expecting. Instead of giving him a verbal answer, she stood and slightly lifted her shirt—revealing a jagged pink colored scar that marred the pale flesh of her side. The lines were pocked and pulled outwards towards the edge of her skin, as if the fangs that were buried in there had thrown her.
"It was a centipede demon that pulled me through the well and ultimately bit the damn thing out of me." She rolled the fabric down her waist until it was back in its proper place. His eyes were still drawn to the space he now knew held the scar. It wasn't like the gashes or slash marks of a blade. It spoke of a brutal, animalistic violence that he'd only seen in bear attacks. Just what had she experienced in her travels? He found himself growing more concerned by the minute. "I was in shock at the time so I hadn't even really registered that I'd been attacked like that." Taking her seat on the bed once more, she glanced towards the ceiling. "The only thing I really could focus on was the jewel. It's not everyday that something flies out of you like that." The woman flashed him a grin. Despite her efforts, there was still an edge of pain to it.
Okita was at a loss for words. He hadn't the first clue of how to respond to this new bit of information. Sure she'd mentioned that the she'd been born with the Shikon, but a part of his mind simply believed that it'd been gifted to her as some sort of heirloom—not violently ripped out of her. Maybe he'd been assuming too much.
Kagome gave a soft laugh, "Hey, don't go giving me that look." She reached up and gently flicked at his forehead in a teasing manner. He blinked in response to the surprising action. "You can't say that you don't have scars from your battles either. It's the same thing." While that may be true it was certainly beside the point. He was a warrior. He had dedicated his life since nine years of age to fighting. He'd been trained. He knew what to expect and rose on every occasion to meet the dangers that would face him. Unlike her, he hadn't been some child that was thrown into a violent situation by some divine intervention of the gods. Unsure of what to say, Okita awkwardly lifted his hand. He wasn't much good at comfort or saying things quite as eloquently as Harada could, but he could do this much. Quietly, he dropped his hand on top of her head a couple of times—offering an awkward pat of reassurance.
The young woman blinked then began to laugh a little lighter, "Alright, enough of the heavy conversations. Come on, lets go spar or something. I've been getting bored of sitting around here." He allowed a smirk to tug at his own lips. Now that was something he could agree to. The rest of the night they'd spent practicing with their swords. While Kagome had mentioned sparring, he'd taken it upon himself to give her the first lesson in footwork. He was a tough teacher, he could admit to himself, but his host didn't complain once and she'd managed to avoid nearly all of his attacks. Her speed on the battle floor was impressive. It wouldn't be long before she'd be able to keep up with Saito given her prowess with the blade. Conversely, he was starting to become curious about her skill with the bow. She had mentioned that it was the first weapon she'd learned to fight with. Perhaps those skills were even more honed.
"Keep your feet closer together!" He corrected her as she shifted into stance once more. "You put them too wide and it gives your opponent a chance to knock them out from under you!" To emphasize his point, he kicked his leg out to try and knock her off balance. She was quicker though; pulling back and angling her wakizashi downward, a clear threat to cut his appendage should it get too close. Her eyes roved over his stature in the way that one would analyze a viable threat. She observed his taut stance and slowly shifted her feet and arms to match. Ah, she was indeed sharp. He held back his smirk in favor of continuing their lesson.
"You have to watch more than just your opponent's sword!" He curved his katana upwards in a flash of silver. Just as his blade moved one way, he twisted his body and kicked his leg out towards her torso. She needed to be watching for more than just his arms and sword. She'd need to observe where he was going to move next, anticipate that move and block it before he could strike. Much to Okita's surprise, the woman merely twisted out of the way. She brought her wakizashi up to parry his katana. She'd placed herself at a bit of an awkward angle. Both of her hands were upon the hilt of her sword and her torso had shifted to the side. Still, she held her ground and pushed against him with all of her weight. Thrusting one arm forward, she forced him back a couple of steps.
The man sucked a breath between his lips and smirked, "I think we'll stop here for today." He easily slid his blade back into its scabbard. Reaching a hand out, he silently asked Kagome for her sword as well. "It's gotten pretty late. Good girls like you should be in bed now." The woman rolled her eyes but gave over her blade without a fuss. He reluctantly returned them to the rack. Emerald eyes narrowed as he eyed his daishou. As much as this family was trying to make him feel at home, there was always a part of him that would cry and thirst for the battlefield. He closed his eyes and turned on the ball of his heel. At the very least this situation wouldn't last forever. He'd return home one way or the other.
The ronin shot a look at his host; the only question was what would happen to this family when he left. Would Kagome also be dragged back through the other side of the well? Would her battles resume just as his was fated to? He fought against the wave of uneasiness clawing at him. With a quick shake of his head, he tossed the thoughts from his mind. It wasn't any of his business. Besides she was a tough young lady. He doubted even the commander himself could stand up to her fiery temper. A smirk crossed his lips. Hijikata always did have a hard time with women when they were scolding him. The only other thing that could bring him down faster than a furious woman was alcohol. The man definitely could not hold his sake.
"What's with that look?" Kagome glanced up at him. Her azure eyes were wide with curiosity as she lifted her index finger and poked at the high bone in his cheek.
"What are you talking about?" Okita gently swatted the offending appendage away. As usual, she was always finding ways to invade his personal space. He peered down his nose at her with a sour look—hoping to dissuade her from pursing such actions again.
"That little grin you had," She stopped in front of him and gazed up at his face with all the curiosity of a newborn kitten. "It's like you wanted to murder someone." The young woman grinned as she held her hand in front of her lips. "Don't tell me you've got a resting serial killer face!"
Okita's expression blanked. What was with this place and these odd phrases? It's like they just invented things and added useless meanings to them.
"A what now?" He folded his arms over his chest as he stepped around her. Kagome trailed after him as he knew she would.
"You know!" She threw her hands up as her grin widened, "There's this phrase here that's called 'resting bitch face'. It means that even when you're doing something normal you've got a look that just screams 'I'm an asshole'!" He did not like where this conversation was going. To prove that point he picked up his pace and scurried across the shrine back to the main house. Kagome kept close on his heels, either oblivious to his disinterest or purposely attempting to egg him on. He was placing his bet on the latter option.
"Every once in a while you'll get this look on your face like you just want to slaughter everything in sight and enjoy it too." Well he wasn't going to deny that. That was part of who he was as a warrior. Plus, he enjoyed a good fight. What was so wrong with that? "So instead of resting bitch face, you've got a resting serial killer face." She laughed as she tugged on the sleeves of his haori. "You better watch it though, that could get you into trouble." Her hand slipped down from the curve of his wrist to his fingers. Using her index and middle finger, she curled the two digits around his pinky and other finger.
Okita gave a soft snort of laughter. Since he'd met her, he knew Kagome to be a bold individual. She preferred the reassurance of touch to the comfort of words. She also was very perceptive to his moods and needs—adjusting her own schedule at the drop of a coin to create a more stable environment for him. Still, the way she held onto his fingers now was nervous—shy almost. A small smile pulled at his lips. It was cute. Feeling particularly emboldened by this change in behavior, he opened his fingers and took her hand into his. He didn't have to look back to see the blush he knew would be on her face. She flustered easily when taken off guard.
"Come on, kid. Let's get you to bed." He cocked his head over his shoulder and flashed her a playful grin. "You have school in the morning."
Kagome pressed her lips into a line but didn't respond verbally. Instead her hand just tightened over his all the more as she shook her head. It was likely that she didn't have a comeback against his barb. Especially since what he said was for the most part true. The time was quickly approaching midnight and she would need to be up in less than seven hours to attend her school in the morning. So she merely followed him into the house and up the stairs. They parted at her doorway.
"Kaa-chan should be off from work in the morning." The young woman started. Her expression was back to its calm state but there was a small line of red that still warmed her cheeks despite her best efforts. He felt a small rush of pride at that. He was getting better at reading her. "You could ask her to get you some clothes so you can explore the town on your own some. I think our shrine's gift shop has some basic outfits you can wear but it'll probably take some time for you to find the right sizes." She smiled up at him warmly. It was quickly becoming a familiar sight to him. "Just don't forget to learn how to use your phone. If you have any issues you can just call myself or kaa-chan and we'll help you out. So no worries."
The woman's brows suddenly shot up as if she remembered something, "Almost forgot!" She fished around in the pocket of her jeans. Once satisfied with the object she found, she pulled it out and handed it to him. Okita lifted the rectangular piece of plastic and eyed it warily. It looked a lot like his train pass but there was no picture on it nor was there anything remotely decorative. It was just a grey card with a number and Kagome's name written at the bottom. He quirked a brow at her quizzically. "It's a debit card. Essentially, it's something that provides you access to my bank account. I don't have a lot on there but if you get hungry or need some clothes you can use that." Her brows furrowed as she leaned forward to peer into his face sharply. "I'm giving you a budget of ¥5000 a week. I can't afford much else than that."
He tried to push it back to her, "I don't need it." Truthfully he didn't want her supporting him financially. He'd rather go out and earn his own money to support himself. It just didn't feel right to have a woman pay for him and his every need at each twist and turn in this era. It was frustrating.
Kagome sighed, "I figured you'd say that but it's not that easy." Her eyes narrowed into slits. "As of right now we don't have anything that proves you're a legal resident here. You won't be seen as a citizen of Japan without the proper documentation. Because of this you won't be able to apply for a job or earn money the normal way. About the only thing you can do is work part-time in the shrine gift shop if you so choose to." She shook her head. He raised his brows. They needed documents to prove their citizenship? Now this just got odd. What next, was she going to tell him that they paid taxes on a person who'd died?
"I know you want to earn your own way, but for now you'll just have to accept things as they are." She smiled at him. "It's a real pain in the ass. I know. I'd let you apply and work all you'd like but until we can get the paperwork issue settled, there isn't much we can do." With her hand still in within his grasp, he felt her fingers curl around his just a little bit tighter. It was the all too familiar show of comfort she'd give him when delivering bad, or unwanted news. The man sighed in defeat. Was there nothing he could do? He felt like such a damn child.
"You guys really like your complications." Okita pouted as he slipped his hand from hers.
She laughed lightly, "It's not like I made the rules! Hell I'd put you to work by now if I could. Can't have you lazing about the house all day like some bum." The young woman gave him a quick wink. "Don't worry though. We'll figure it out. Kaa-chan mentioned that she would be registering you for your residency soon. I'll set you loose on the unsuspecting population of Tokyo soon enough."
He felt himself involuntarily grin at the thought, "You sure that's a good idea? I might go serial killer on them."
Kagome shrugged, "I'm not worried. Besides," her grin turned predatory, "I can handle you myself."
"Keep telling yourself that, kid. Believe it or not but I've been going easy on you." He lifted his hand and roughly rubbed the crown of her head—ruffling the hair and tangling it into knots. The ronin turned his back to her as she called after him, fussing about the amount of time it'd now take to comb all of it out. He rolled his shoulders nonchalantly. It wasn't his problem any more. Plus, if she hadn't teased him then he wouldn't have done it.
He made his way back to his room and set to work on preparing for bed. He took his last pill and changed into his jinbei. He was getting tired and frustrated with his situation. As much as he appreciated the Higurashi family and their efforts to help him, he still felt as if he had a long way to go before he'd be fully independent in this era. The man fell into his bed and stared up at the ceiling. How much longer would this take? Okita closed his eyes and fell into a dreamless slumber.
The following morning he woke to the sound of Kagome clamoring around. Something crashed and shortly after he heard her mumble a string of curses—likely frustrated with her own lack of grace in the early mornings. He placed his feet on the cool floor. Despite the carpet, the chill of winter had seeped into his room and cast a cool breeze across the flooring. Chills ran down the flesh of his arms and legs. He stretched his hands in the air and arched his back, giving a soft grunt in satisfaction at the series of cracks along his spine the effort created. Dropping his hands to the mattress, he pushed himself off the bed and padded towards the corridor. He could hear Kagome running to the stairs.
"Have a good day." He poked his head out of his room and called after her. The young woman looked frazzled to say the least. Her hair was tied back in a messy ponytail and her navy colored blazer was buttoned awkwardly with one side hanging over the other. Okita held back a laugh, "You going out looking like that?"
She glanced down at herself and gave a quiet shriek of surprise. The man shook his head as he motioned for her to follow him.
"I'll fix your hair. You just deal with the rest." A grin spread across his lips at the line of red that darted across her nose.
"It's fine, I can do it." Kagome tried to argue with him. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall confidently.
"Really?" He purposely eyed her from head to toe in a lazy fashion. "Because from around standing you're, ah, what's that saying? A hot mess." The ronin silently gave himself a pat on the back for remembering some of the phrases that Souta had taught him. She pursed her lips but said nothing further. "Come on, I'm better at this than you think. I'm not going to screw it up." He gestured towards his own topknot. "I'm used to this kind of thing."
A grin suddenly split across her own face, "Hey now, topknots went out of style a hundred years ago. You gotta do something fashionable." He snorted through his nose.
"Alright kid, fashionable coming right up." He turned his back and curled his index finger in a motion for her to follow after him. "Now hurry before you're even more late." The young woman trailed quietly behind him. He heard her reach up and pull at the band holding her hair up. The strands fell over her shoulders and back like a waterfall of black ink.
They made their way to his bathroom. It had a small knee space and chair pointed towards the mirror. He suspected that this room had originally been meant to be used by a woman when it was built. Kagome took a seat and turned her back towards him. With deft hands he reached up and took her hair between his fingers. It was definitely soft, also thicker than what he was used to working with. He pulled it back into a high ponytail. Using one hand to hold the hair in place, he held his other palm up for his host to drop the band into it. She complied without a word. Within seconds he had it completely tied back and not a strand out of place. Kagome twisted her head from one side to the other, obviously admiring his quick work.
"You're good with your hands." The young woman stood. Leaning forward she peered up at his signature topknot as well. "Ya know; I could tie yours up as well. You want to go out of the house today right?" He blinked at her. Well, yeah he hoped so. He was getting pretty damn tired of being stuck inside all day. "Like I said earlier, topknots went out a while back so you'll probably get a few stares if you went out in public like that." A wide grin spread across her lips. "I could fix it in a new style for you. Despite this morning's gaffe, I'm actually pretty good with hair. What do you say?"
Okita gave a shrug, "You sure you got time for that, Kagome-chan? You're running late again." He allowed himself to smirk at the dawning horror on her face. Then it swiftly hardened into a look of determination.
"I haven't been late or missed a day in well over a year." Her grin widened further, "I think I can manage one day." The ronin complied and switched places with her. Really he preferred his topknot but he was curious to see what she'd do with it. He felt her hands move to untie the bindings keeping his hair in place. Once removed, it fell around his neck and lightly itched at the skin of his shoulders. Truthfully he just disliked the feeling it gave him. He didn't like having it around his neck nor did he enjoy the idea of cutting it. So he simply decided to copy Kondou's style and put up in a topknot. Although it'd be eons before he'd ever admit that he'd copied it to anyone else—not even Kagome.
Her fingers diligently combed through the strands of his hair, working their way up to his scalp and softly massaging the skin there. Okita closed his eyes and relaxed somewhat. It felt quite nice to have someone else doing this for him for once. With gentleness, she began to pull the hair back into a low ponytail. It hung at the base of his neck and was pulled just far enough down to keep from causing him any irritation. With deft hands, she swiftly tied it with his own band and allowed it to hang behind him.
"All done!" Kagome cheered. "What do you think? I can change it if you don't like it." He opened his eyes and glanced into the mirror. It was a bit odd to see his hair pulled back rather than up, but he didn't mind the look so much. Besides it looked pretty nice.
"It's good. Now," His smirk returned in full force, "Shouldn't you be at school? I think I hear your mother calling for you." And indeed she was. The Higurashi matriarch cried out for her daughter to hurry before she would miss the train. Azure eyes widened in horror. Rushing out the door she paused only briefly at the threshold between his room and the corridor.
The young woman threw her head over her shoulder and flashed him a bright grin, "Thanks Souji-kun!" With that she took off faster than a speeding car on a highway. He gave a quick snort of laughter. It was just like her to run off before he could give a proper response. The man turned on the ball of his heel and finished preparing himself for the day. It'd be some time before their mother would be ready so he chose to simply make his way to the tiny shack at the edge of the shrine's compound. The man snatched a towel from his bathroom on the way out. It'd be necessary once he was done so that he could wipe himself down.
The ronin's eyes narrowed. He was itching to get in more practice, especially after his training session with Kagome last night. The gap in their power was too close to be considered normal. He needed to improve his strength. It was becoming clear that despite the medicine, he still had a long way to go before he was back up to his usual speed. His hands were still weak and his body often refused to move as he willed it to. The man pressed his lips into a thin line. He needed to get stronger.
An hour had passed before he knew it. Okita took the towel around his neck and swiftly wiped at the sheen of sweat that coated his face. It'd been a particularly intense training session. Fighting against his host had brought him to the conclusion that if he was going to return to the Shinsengumi, then he could not afford for this disease to weigh him down any further than it had already. He needed to put himself back on track. He didn't want any more distractions. It wouldn't do if he went through all of this trouble to return to his era only to slack off so much that even Heisuke could defeat him. His eyes narrowed into sharp slits. He wouldn't allow that to happen. Not now. Not ever. Kondou was still relying on him.
The man paused in his trek back to the main house. He shot a glance towards the abandoned well house. The fifteen hundreds, huh? A demon had dragged Kagome through that gods forsaken portal and simultaneously torn the Shikon from her side. How terrified had that girl been when it first happened? He couldn't imagine her being all that well equipped to handle the situation when it first happened. This time was far too peaceful. She didn't learn the bow until after she made it over. Her skill with the sword still needed work as it was. Did she at least have someone on the other side to help her like she had done for him? His hands clenched into a fist. He was becoming too attached. He couldn't allow himself to think of this as anything more than a temporary stay. It would become a distraction.
His eyes narrowed as he spied the fact that the sliding door had been partially opened. Aside from Kagome, the Higurashi family had shown a keen disinterest in entering the building. It would be unlikely that any of them were in there now. He pressed his lips into a thin line, cautiously approaching the tiny building.
His first thought was that it could be an intruder—seeking refuge in the well house until night fell. In the previous mornings when Kagome and Souta would prepare for the day, he'd watch the news segments with their mother. In yesterday's segment the anchors spoke about a rash of robberies hitting their neighborhood. Usually the suspects targeted the more affluent homes around the area. However it wouldn't be too far fetched for the perpetrators to set their sights on the shrine next. It did have a gift shop on the compound, thus increasing its likelihood of being next on their list. Emerald eyes narrowed into slits. He might not be considered a samurai here, but that didn't mean he wasn't a fighter. Okita reached out and slammed the door back.
In the center of the sunken platform was a shadowed figure. It was still fairly dark in the well house due to the lack of proper lighting and electricity. He stepped into the building and glanced down his nose at the person. They were of a small stature and an even frailer frame. It was most definitely a woman. Still, his fingers curled even tighter, that was no reason to let his guard down.
"Announce yourself!" He growled out fiercely.
"Oh, you startled me!" The person cried out, a hand moving to cover their chest as if to keep it from beating out of their chest. His eyes adjusted to the darkened surroundings as he recognized the voice. It was Kagome's mother. What was she doing in here? It wasn't like her. The man's shoulders relaxed as he lowered his voice into something more conversational.
"Sorry, thought you were some kind of sneak for a minute there." He allowed a wry smile to spread across his lips. To make up for his rather rude behavior, he chose to break the ice with a joke. "Are you looking to fish another lost soul out of there?" He casually approached her and peered over the lip of the well into the dark abyss below. Frankly he was surprised the family had discovered him so quickly. It was nearly impossible to see down to the bottom. Plus their aversion to the well compounded his curiosity of how they found him in the first place. Perhaps Kagome just picked up on the well's power fluctuation and ran out to check?
"Oh no, nothing like that." The woman's voice was soft as a type of melancholy flickered across her features. His brows furrowed that the reaction. "My daughter used to go through the well quite often." She placed one hand on the ledge and peered into the same darkness below. "I always worried that one day it'd stop working and she'd break an ankle jumping in."
Frankly he'd be more worried about what awaited her on the other side of the well, but who was he to judge? He'd only seen the animalistic scar etched into her side by a bloodthirsty demon last night. Surely that wasn't enough to give him the right of an opinion on the matter.
She gave a quiet laugh, "The first time she went through she was gone for three days. Jii-chan was still alive back then and tried performing all kinds of different charms to 'bring her back'. Of course he'd always been a bit on the eccentric side so " The older woman shook her head. He wasn't exactly sure if he could label that type of behavior eccentric or some sort of byproduct of insanity. Knowing this family, it was most likely the latter option. "Souta and I on the other hand just thought that something had happened here and she was either at a friend's house or run away."
There was a deeply carved sense of loss in the way she spoke. As if the mere memories were as painful as the cut of a sword. Okita encouraged her to continue.
"When she did return, she told us this odd story of being dropped in the past with all these youkai and a Sacred Jewel." The older woman ran a hand through her bangs and hair. The lines of stress creased across her forehead as the memories resurfaced. "We didn't believe her then. Some days I still don't want to believe that any of it happened. She's here. She's home. But who's to say that it'll be like that forever?" The same azure eyes that reflected in her daughter glanced up at the ceiling above. "The fact that you can just wake up one day to find your child gone. No word. No reason. Just nothing." Now he understood.
Despite the strong face this family put on, there was always an underlying edge of fear. A fear of what was to come. A fear of the future that the well could hold for their daughter and sister. A fear of a life without Kagome in it. A fear of the death that might await her on the other side—and they'd never even be able to know of it. His heart clenched in his chest. It was as he thought before; he was getting too attached. He needed to separate himself before he got too close. His mind screamed at him to walk away, to leave the conversation as it was. It wasn't his business. He wasn't going to be here for long anyways. What purpose would it serve to get involved in this family's affairs and concerns? His teeth clenched as his feet refused to move. Why couldn't he walk away? It was so simple. So why couldn't he do it?
His feet remained rooted to the ground for several long, agonizing seconds. Then he sighed in defeat. No matter how much he willed it, no matter how much he desperately wished to turn his back to this family he knew he no longer had the power to do so. They'd taken him in. They were healing him. They were offering him their home and a place at their table as if he were one of them. It was too late to turn away now. He was involved and there wasn't much any of them could do about it anymore. The man sucked a breath between his lips.
"I don't think that's any different from now." His gaze slid to the well. Its darkness pulsated as if a heart were beating deep within it. How odd. Could this be the power Kagome had mentioned before? "We never know when we're going to die. It could all just come to an end without any reason or explanation." He slipped his hands into his pockets as he turned his attention back to the Higurashi matriarch. "But isn't that okay? That just gives us more reason to appreciate what we have while we have it."
Her head snapped up as she glanced at him. Shock overtook the woman's features before it softened into something akin to maternal affection. The warrior forced himself to look away a second time. His hands fisted within his pockets. That was right. Even if one day he had to leave this place, that didn't mean that he couldn't appreciate it while he was here. He owed it to them to offer whatever assistance he could give. It was the least he could do for all the warmth and kindness they'd shown him.
A small smile tugged at her lips, "You're right. I guess I just started to get worried." The man shot her a perplexed stare. She closed her eyes and continued in her explanation. "In all this time there have only been two people to ever make it through the well. When you showed up like you did, I started to worry. I began to wonder if maybe this would mean she would be forced back through again. What would await her there? How many more battles would she face?" Her expression softened as he spied a few tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "Kagome is my daughter. No matter how far she may be or what trials she puts herself through, I'll always worry about her. That's what mothers are for." His brows rose several inches as he felt her place a reassuring hand on his arm. "Even if this ends tomorrow, I just wanted to say thank you, Souji." She used his first name as opposed to the typical affectionate term of 'dear' she preferred to refer to him as.
The man removed his hand from his pockets and waved it nonchalantly, "Nothing to thank me for. You guys are the ones taking care of me." He gave a soft laugh the cloud of concern lifted from her countenance.
"That may be true but you've given us something we hadn't before." She held up her index finger and smiled brightly. "I can't say what but I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough." The older woman's brows suddenly shot up as if she remembered something. "I almost forgot. I have a few errands to run today. Would you like to join me? It won't be too terribly exciting but it'd get you out of the house."
A wide grin spread across his lips. He was sure it was reminiscent of the 'serial killer face' both Kagome and Souta had mentioned by now but he couldn't bring himself to care. His mind conjured up ideas of all the different ways he could get into trouble with his host. He felt his grin spread even wider across his face. No matter what happened he knew he'd enjoy driving Kagome crazy. It was too damn fun to pass up.
"Would I ever."
A/n: Can I just say how I much trouble I had with this chapter? It didn't help that I'd recently gotten the new Hakuouki: Winds of Kyoto game. The distractions were aplenty. XD I've already managed to beat all the routes. Bahahaha I'm definitely going to be bringing in some of these new characters they introduced. I totally can't pass up that opportunity. Anyways, back to the issue at hand! ;P I figured I'd go ahead and do a bit of backstory on Kagome that hadn't yet been covered yet. Plus we get to see more of her mother and how she felt about the whole ordeal of her daughter going into the Feudal Era. Personally I enjoy a reluctant mother over an airheaded one when it comes to her portrayal. In this case she's got "Mama Grizzly" down to a science. I'm going to try to progress through the plot a bit more and add in some much needed development between Okita and the rest of the Higurashi family. So what do you guys think thus far? Did I mention that you all are amazing? Your comments feed my soul. XD