Kagome gazed out the window of the train as it rolled away from the station, leaving her mother, grandfather, and little brother to wave frantically at her. She smiled at the odd scene, giving a small wave as the train rolled off to the center of Tokyo. Turning to the person beside her, she smiled.
"Good thing we were accepted by the same college, huh?" she mused to Sesshoumaru.
"Yeah," he answered dully, his elbow on the armrest and head resting on his hand.
"Such enthusiasm," she said, smirking.
"Yeah," he answered.
"Aren't you the least bit excited?"
"Not really," he replied, turning to face her.
"I am!" she chirped, fingering the blue gem she had been given, "Are you nervous?"
"Not really," he repeated, a totally bored expression on his face.
"Some fun you are to talk to," she snapped.
"I know, aren't I?"
"What do you want to do?" she asked, looking around the empty train car.
"I don't know. What do you want to do?"
"Umm, how about a game of cards?" she asked.
"Sure, why not."
So, they played cards, had a staring contest, and read until they reached downtown Tokyo. From the station there, they hailed a taxi and rode to an apartment complex on campus. They were rooming together due to Sesshoumaru's incessant begging. Previously, they had called and rented an apartment. It was one of the more expensive ones, another gift they received from the Higurashi family. Riding an elevator up to their floor, they went down the line of rooms until they saw a door with the letter C next to it. Kagome took out the key she was given and unlocked the door, turning the knob and pushing it open. Wooded floors and a short hallway met their eyes. Sesshoumaru went in first, then Kagome. The hallway opened up to a living room on the left side, a fireplace opposite them was the only thing in the room. Have to buy furniture. Plain white walls covered the whole apartment. On their right, a doorway opened up to a kitchen with white linoleum. It was quite spacious, with granite countertops and white painted cabinets. The wall on the right side disappeared as the kitchen ended, opening up to a dining room, also empty. Then, a wide hallway led to three doors, one on the right, one on the left, and another straight ahead. After exploring a second, they figured that the two on the sides were their bedrooms, each with their own private bathroom, and the one straight ahead was the office/ library, which was lined on a whole wall with a long, tall bookshelf.
"It's nice," Sesshoumaru finally said, dumping his stuff in the left room.
"Yeah, it is," Kagome agreed, dumping hers in the right.
The rooms were identical, so it didn't matter who got which one. Kagome's was behind the dining room, and Sesshoumaru's behind the living room. They both had windows with similar view, so it was fair. Gramps and Ms. Higurashi would be paying the first six months' rent, then Kagome and Sesshoumaru would have to pay for the rest. So, they both had to find jobs. Right now, they would take advantage of their credit cards.
They had come here a month before school started, hoping they could get jobs before the onset of school. Kagome looked around her room, a twin-sized bed was against the wall in the center. Windows flecked it on both sides, long, white, almost transparent, silk curtains framing them. The whole apartment, excluding the kitchen, had hardwood floors. On her right, a door to the bathroom was opened to present white linoleum flooring, identical to the kitchen's, and a clean bath/ shower. Of course, we can't forget the toilet, towel rack, and marble sink atop a clean set of white cabinets. Over which, hung a mirror, framed by a golden-colored metal. Sesshoumaru's room was exactly identical to Kagome's, except that his curtains and bed sheets were black.
"Let's go furniture shopping, Sess-chan!" Kagome called happily from her room.
"Whatever you want," he said dully.
She slung her backpack-like purse over her shoulder and dragged him out of the apartment complex. Hailing a taxi, they got in and went off to the nearest furniture store Kagome could think of.
* * *
Five hours later, Kagome and Sesshoumaru stood side-by-side, looking over the rooms. They had bought a LOT of stuff. Silently, Kagome wondered how she was going to pay for their credit card bills. She had paid for the stuff for the kitchen: a microwave, silverware, and a LOT of food. Also, she paid for the living room accessories, including, but not limited to, a couch, a standing lamp, entertainment center, everything that goes into an entertainment center, and a coffee table. Sesshoumaru paid for everything in the two bedrooms and the study. Both paid half of the bill for the dining room set. Kagome had found that Sesshoumaru had excellent taste in interior decorating. Even though the themes were all black and white, he made everything look great!
"Maybe you should go into interior decorating, Sesshou," Kagome suggested.
"Maybe," he said, running his hand through his hair.
"How are we going to actually pay for all this?" Kagome questioned sheepishly.
"Work," he answered, walking into the kitchen.
"What are you doing?" she asked, following him.
"Making dinner," he said simply, tossing a few things onto the counter.
"Really?"
"Of course, it's eight, already. Could you make some rice?"
"Uh, sure."
Kagome walked over to the pantry and measured out enough rice for them both. Not mentioned before, but Sesshoumaru had a knack for cooking. He could whip up delicious meals in seconds. Kagome listened while sizzling sounds met her ears. Other than that and the sound of water running, the apartment was completely silent. She smiled. Who would've thought, five years ago, that I would end up like this, living with Sesshoumaru on friendly terms? Fate has a sense of humor. She giggled a bit, Sesshoumaru turning at the sound.
"What's so funny?" he asked, watching her back as he still stirred the contents in the frying pan.
"Oh," she said dismissively, "I just thought about living here with you."
"What about it?" he asked, turning back to the frying pan.
"Well, five years ago," she started, running her fingers through the moist grains of rice, sloshing a bit in the water, "It would have been quite funny. Even more so that you do as I say, whenever I say."
"Mmm. I would have thought it quite funny if I thought about it back then, too," he said, then paused, pondering, "I, actually, would have thought it very disgusting."
"I suppose," she said, emptying the container of the water and refilling it to put into the rice cooker she had bought.
"Mmm," he answered, emptying the contents of his pan into a plate. "Twenty-five more minutes to get something together, huh?"
Kagome nodded, glancing over at the rice cooker. "I'm sure you can pull it off easily," she said, smiling brightly at him.
"Easily," he agreed, turning to her, "What would you like?"
"You care?" she asked, smirking.
"Yes," he answered dejectedly, reluctantly swallowing his pride.
The next thing he knew, he was in Kagome's embrace. "I'm glad you do!" she chirped, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "That's very sweet of you!"
A slight blush colored his cheeks as she removed herself from him.
"Mmm," she mused, "It seems that you're a very shy person."
He didn't answer, turning back to the stove and mumbling, "What do you want to eat?"
"Why don't you look at me when you're talking to me?" she said teasingly.
"Fine," he mumbled, turning to look at her, "What would you like to eat?"
Surprisingly, she gasped, and took a step back. "Sesshoumaru…"
"What?" he asked, concerned. "What's wrong?"
"Go look in a mirror. Maybe I'm seeing things…"
Raising a confused brow at her, he walked into the bathroom in his room, turning on the light to see his reflection. He, too, gasped. Touching his cheek, he wondered what had happened. Where are my stripes? Where's the crescent moon? I can't believe this! He ran his finger over his flawless skin. There was nothing there, no stripes, no crescent moon. Looking closer, he found that his eyes were still gold. That's a good sign. He held his hand in front of him. The claws there were not as sharp as they used to be but looked like they could still slice a human being in half. Trying to make the poison appear, he concentrated on his claws. Nothing came out. So, he had lost his poison. Turning sideways a little, he could see that his ears were still slightly pointed, yet not as rounded as a human's. He bared his teeth, sharp fangs still glittering white reflected back through the mirror. Sniffing, he found that his sense of smell had gone unaffected.
Kagome walked into the bathroom, leaning on the frame of the doorway.
"What happened?" she asked, concerned.
He turned to her, smiling. "I'm turning human, little by little," he replied.
"And you're happy about that?" she asked incredulously.
"Not particularly," he answered.
"Will you still have gold eyes and silver hair?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied, running his hand through his hair, "I think their natural for me."
"Why are you turning human?" she wondered, walking over to touch his cheek, making sure she wasn't dreaming.
"Because I haven't used my powers for a long time," he answered matter-of-factly, "Maybe because I've been in a human environment for so long."
"And you don't mind?"
"Not really," he said, "The only human that I'm constantly around is you."
"And you don't mind that?"
"No," he answered flatly.
"Mmm!" she said, her arms encircling his neck, "That's why you're my best friend!"
"I'm sure," he replied, prying her off of him. "Now, what do you want to eat?"
"Anything!" she chirped, skipping back to the kitchen. "You've got fifteen minutes to make something!"
"Mmm," he mused, walking back to the kitchen, "Anything?"
"Anything edible," she said, grabbing two plates and scurrying off to the dining room.
"Almost everything is edible," he reasoned as she came back for the chopsticks.
"I don't care, whatever you want to cook!" she said, placing the chopsticks down and coming back for napkins.
"Some help you are," he mocked.
"I know, aren't I?" she mused, grabbing two glasses from a cabinet. "What would you like to drink?"
"Anything," he replied, smirking.
"Are you sure?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.
"Fine. Umm, just water, I guess."
"Okay," she said, filling his glass.
Dinner proceeded wonderfully. Everything he made was delicious.
(A/N: I don't know any Japanese foods…except sushi! So, everything they eat will be Chinese, or Italian, or American.)
A variety of dishes had been laid out, not too many of course, maybe two or three. While they ate, Kagome chattered on and on about something. Sesshoumaru nodded occasionally, only giving half an ear to what she was saying. He absently chewed and swallowed his food.
After dinner, they cleaned up the table, dumping everything into the dishwasher, which was complementary with the apartment so they didn't have to buy it. Upon finishing that task, they walked aimlessly around their apartment, wondering what they should do. Now, it was 9:30 pm. Most of the stores were closed, now. After walking around for a while, they both sat down on the living room couch, staring out the windows.
"Now what?" Kagome asked, resting her chin on her hand.
"Now who's the one who bores easily?" he teased.
"Shut up," she commanded, tackling him to the ground.
"Hey! You're going to knock down the furniture!" he complained, flipping her over.
"So? I'm bored," she said, fighting against her pinned-down arms, "You could fix it later, anyways."
"If I don't turn completely human," he reasoned, exerting more force on her arms.
"Aiiiiyyy! You're going to ram me through the floor!" she screamed, still fighting against her arms.
"So? I could fix that, too," he said.
"Oooooo, you…"
"Are a wonderful friend to me," he finished for her.
She sighed, "Yes, you are," she said dejectedly.
"I thought so," he agreed, getting off of her. "What is it you wish to do?"
She thought for a moment, pushing herself off the ground. "Let's go swimming!" she shouted, raising a finger triumphantly in the air.
A large sweat drop appeared behind Sesshoumaru's head. Kagome eyes turned into dots, and she laughed nervously. "Like I said," she offered, coughing and placing her arms at her side, "let's go swimming."
He nodded mutely, going off to his room to get his swimming gear. Kagome went to her room to do the same. Five minutes later, both came out with a backpack on their, could you guess, backs. Kagome grabbed her keys off the hook near the door, and then, she, along with Sesshoumaru, went on their way to walk to the school grounds, where they had a large swimming pool.
On the sidewalk, they walked side-by-side, Kagome latching onto Sesshoumaru's arm. He turned to her, smirking. "What's the matter? Scared of the dark?"
"No," she said defensively, "Of rapists, thankyouverymuch."
"Ahhhh," he answered, tensing slightly.
Lucky for Kagome, the apartment they were renting was very close to the campus. However, that didn't stop a gang from coming up on them. Six or seven men came up, all wearing a black leather jacket and dark jeans. Also, all of them wore a red ribbon around their head. One of them came forward, yanking Kagome away from Sesshoumaru. The light of a street lamp illuminated his face, showing a black dragon tattoo on his left cheek. She remained calm and totally composed.
"Hey, babe," he called, pulling her close to him, "You shouldn't be out alone at this hour."
"I'm not alone," she said, staring straight into his eyes.
"Nah, you're not. You're with me, now," he said, his arm snaking around her waist.
"You shouldn't touch women without their consent," Sesshoumaru said icily from behind him.
"What are you going to do about it, pretty boy?" the stranger mocked, still holding Kagome.
"He's right," she agreed, giving him a swift kick in the side and backing away.
The stranger held his side, clenching his teeth tightly. "B*tch!" he yelled at her, running towards her.
She dodged easily, moving towards Sesshoumaru. They started walking away, but the stranger didn't give up. "COME BACK HERE!" he yelled, pointing at them. The two didn't stop walking, not even showing that they had even heard him. He started to get angry. "Get them!" he snarled to his gang members. The members quickly obeyed, running after them. Sesshoumaru stopped walking, turning to Kagome.
"Should I?" he asked, eyes twinkling.
"Don't hurt them too badly," she answered.
"As you wish," he said, turning around to face the oncoming miscreants.
Two came at him at once; he disposed of both of them, kicking them into the concrete wall, efficiently knocking them out. Another rushed in, holding a steel pipe. Sesshoumaru dodged the first blow, and then backhanded him into the street light, also knocking that one out. The gang leader with the tattoo watched in amazement, still holding his throbbing side. Another two of the group came at once while another came from behind him. He didn't sense the one behind him, occupied with the two that faced him. Breaking one's arm and throwing him into the other, he was about to relax when a steel pipe connected with his head. It seemed like time froze, but the pipe had no effect on him, therefore, he did not move from his spot. The person holding the pipe gasped, removing the dangerous object from his head. Sesshoumaru turned around immediately and kicked him in the side into the tall building standing by their side. That done, he turned to the gang leader.
"Is that the best you can offer?" he said, smirking and coming toward him.
"No," he said nervously, "I'm sorry! I didn't know she was yours! I swear! Just don't hurt me!"
"Such a coward," Sesshoumaru said, shaking his head and coming closer.
"No! Don't touch me!" he warned, backing away and tripping, trembling with fear.
"Should I?" he asked, turning to Kagome, who was leaning against the wall and watching, eyes sparking.
"Knock him out, that's all," she said mercilessly.
"As you wish," he said, appearing in front of the offender and kicking him into the wall.
"Nice job," Kagome said, walking over the sidewalk strewn with bodies, "You didn't kill any of them did you?"
"No, I don't think so," he said, relaxing his muscles. That felt good.
"Good!" she chirped, hooking her arm through his and leaning on him. "Let's go, then!"
"Whatever you say," he agreed.
Kagome looked up at him, then gasped, brushing his cheek lightly with her fingers. "Your stripes are back," she said, surprised.
He shrugged his shoulders. "That would be reasonable. I did fight, after all," he said.
"I guess."
When they reached the pool building, Sesshoumaru opened the door for Kagome, walking in after her. A large Olympic-sized pool greeted their eyes, the water catching and reflecting the little light given, creating a greenish glow around the room. Both went to change into their bathing suits, both of which were black, and then came back out to enjoy a nice dip in the water. They draped their towels over the railing near the deserted pool. Before they had come, they had braided each other's hair so that it wouldn't get tangled too much in the chlorine-treated water. Kagome had been surprised that Sesshoumaru knew how to braid, especially since he was a man, but then, considering how they would wear hair back in the feudal era, it didn't seem so impossible. She jumped in the pool first, diving into the deep end. When she came back up, she motioned for Sesshoumaru to come in, too.
"Come on! Get it! Water's fine!" she called, splashing some water at him.
"Feh," he replied, walking in, arms crossed.
Kagome saw him fall into the depths and swim back up, appearing beside her. The water was extremely clear, allowing her to see all the way to the bottom.
"This is a really nice pool," she commented.
"I guess," he agreed, uncertain since he had never been in a pool before. "How come you never took me swimming before?"
"I didn't feel like it. I didn't think you would like it, anyways, since there are usually so many people around a pool."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said, diving into the water and coming back up.
"Well, you seem to be enjoying yourself," she observed, also diving in and out.
"It's nice, I suppose," he said.
Kagome dove into the water below him and pulled on his ankles. He slid down into the water, a murderous expression on his face. She quickly turned and started to swim the other way, but her ankles were caught, so she couldn't get away. Looking back, she saw a superior smirk on Sesshoumaru's face as she tried to kick free of his grasp but to no avail. She was beginning to run out of air, so she propelled herself upwards with her arms, breaking the surface of the water. Before being pulled down again, she was able to take a few deep breaths and swallow some air. Kagome glared at her captor, twisting so that her ankles fell out of his grasp. Quickly diving downwards, she turned and propelled herself back up, so that she was behind him. Yanking on his hair, she pulled him up, emerging from the water.
"Owwww," he whined, tugging on his hair, "let go!"
"That was mean," she said, yanking on his hair again.
He whimpered, immediately making her release the braided white hair in her hands. "Sorry," she muttered, diving into the water again.
Soon after, they both got out, tired of swimming. Both grabbed their towels and walked into the locker rooms. Ten minutes later, both came out, dressed and ready.
"Let's go home!" Kagome said, latching onto his arm.
"You know, you have to get rid of that habit someday," he said pointedly, opening the door for her.
"Why?" she asked, attaching herself to his arm again.
"Because," he answered simply.
"Because what?" she asked.
"Because I said so," he answered, draping his arm around her shoulders.
"You don't like me around you?" she asked, hurt.
"Maybe I don't," he said teasingly.
"I know you love me," she said, leaning into him.
"Of course I do," he said.
"Of course," she mused, "That's why we're best friends."
"Mmmhmm," he answered, pulling her closer to him. "We always will be."