Sorry about 'A Wild Night' getting postponed, but I had to make two seperate chapters...^_^; It'll be up either today or tommorow, promise! *gets a hand cramp* Ow..x.X
I have to say something before I continue...
Immobile does mean 'stationary' or 'fixed'..And the purpose of that is, while Kagome moves around and meets different people, Her heart stays in one place.
AND! Wow...You guys are awesome! I can't believe I've gotten so many reviews!! *gives the audience a huge bear hug!*..@.@..Individual replies will be at the bottom. =^_^=
Okie, here comes the fourth -yes fourth!- chapter in the I.T. Series....Yes, the Immobile Teen Series.... Ghostly Illusions.
No, seriously you guys. I really appreciate your reviews. Oh, and homecoming is coming up! W00T! o.O....Will Kagome and Inuyasha be going together?..Hmmm....*looks into her crystal ball*..It's kind of cloudy. *walks off...*.....*comes back carrying some windex (sp? O.o;?)* Ah...that's better...
Kagome will be going with- *big godly hand comes from the sky and squishes her with its thumb*
Gwen: o.O..*girly scream*..Well, now that that's over with. Liz does (Or did) not own Inuyasha or any other references to big businesses or bands that she could never even dream of owning.
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Chapter Four: Ghostly Illusions.
________________________
"Dad?!" Kagome called out, pushing the swinging door of the kitchen open with a relish. ((A/N: I'm hungry now...*pout*))
Mr. Higurashi was slumped over the kitchen table, his head propped up on a stack of files she guessed were 'top secret'. The late nights he had been keeping were definately taking their toll.
"Dad..What am I going to do with you?" She sighed, disappearing into the living room and returning with a small comforter they had stashed away in one of the spare closets. She wrapped it around his peaceful frame, tucking the sides in underneath his arms. Her mother had done the same thing when she was just a babe, and it always seemed to make her nightmares go away.
She looked around the kitchen for a moment before her eyes rested on a pencil and writing tablet lying undisturbed by the coffee maker, which was currently splurting the dark liquid into the glass pot. Her father had probably made it before he dozed off. She picked up the pencil and scribbled her dad a note of where he could find her. It was something to the effect of:
Dad,
Hey, I went to go see if there are any shrines nearby. School let out early because someone
phoned in a bomb threat. Nice start to a new school, huh? I'll be back soon, and if you wake
up and see this don't freak..I'm fine.
P.S. I have something important to tell you when I get home.
Love,
Kag.
She ripped the piece of paper out of the pad, placing it gently beside her father before pushing the swinging door back again.
Plopping down onto the couch, she popped open the hidden desk located in the middle and took out the local phone book.
"Let's see...Shrine..Shrine." She mumbled to herself, flipping the pages until she got to the 's' section. She scanned the page briefly before picking up the words 'Tsuki Shrine' printed in bold italics. Ripping out the page, she stuffed it into her now dry pocket before picking up her truck keys from the glass table in front of the couch. Her dad could buy a new phonebook, one little page didn't matter.
She heard a rumble outside and for a moment thought an earthquake would hit before hearing the soft patter of rain against the grass. That for one was very odd, considering the fact that the sun was shining brilliantly that very morning.
She slowly made her way up the stairs, trying not to make a lot of noise so that her father could continue to sleep. "Maybe I should tell him about earlier.." She started to argue to herself before a crack of thunder silenced her voice. Mother nature was trying to give her a sign, apparently.
Clearing the last two steps, she flung open the door to her room and hurridly paced past her bed into the closet. She snatched her gray jacket with the word 'Track' written in bold black letters across the front, pulling it over her head hurridly. Another crack of thunder made itself be known, and she glanced over to her window subconsciously, watching the torrents of rain slide down Inuyasha's window.
As soon as her eyes had contact with his bedroom door a very angry Inuyasha game hurtling in, seemingly talking to himself. There was a crash, and screaming. It really wouldn't have bothered her, but she was curious by nature. Who exactly was he yelling at? Another boy curtly walked in a few minutes after the disgruntled Inuyasha, mouthing something rude. It was along the lines of 'You half-breed bastard'. The words clicked in her head after a few moments and she labeled the boy as Inuyasha's brother. Definately not his father, he was far too young. But then again, some demons were centuries old and didn't look a day over eighteen.
Although Inuyasha was an asshole, jerk, cod, and pig..She still thought calling him a half-breed was a little harsh.
The boy had obviously touched a nerve because in a flash Inuyasha darted past him and out of sight. Kagome distinctly heard the rumble of an engine, and the screeching of tires into the distance.
She missed the boy's expression or anything that had happened after because she was out of the room and past the front door before not too much else could happen.
She fled from the safety of the porch to where her truck was parked on the now soaking wet concrete...outside no less. She mentally reminded herself to start parking in the garage. It was a two car garage and Souta was still a couple years short of getting a license.
Throwing open the door she reached into her pocket, pulling out the crumpled up piece of yellow paper. She tried to smooth as many wrinkles as possible before deciphering the address of the shrine. 1028 Okabi Rd. Okabi...that name rang a bell for some reason. She chewed on her lip thoughtfully for a few minutes before a streak of lightning interrupted her inquisitions.
A strip of blue caught her eyes and her attention was now focused on the object. It was another car, now parked in her neighbor's drive way. A Porsche if she wasn't mistaken; such a dark blue it could probably be mistaken for black. A new Porsche, at that. It probably belonged to the boy she had seen standing at the entrance of Inuyasha's bedroom...His brother. Her father had mentioned his name once but she couldn't remember..S..Sess...Sesshoumaru..or something like that.
She reached a hand up and slid her fingers through her wet and tassled mane before turning the keys to the ignition.
The digital clock on her dashboard read 8:45. She would have a while before she had to be home to pick Souta up from his new school. It was hard to keep forgetting the fact that Souta was being switched to different schools too..He usually never said anything about it, but she knew he was depressed. She was once in that same spot, too..
Turning her lights and wipers on she backed out of the driveway and into the small suburban street.
As she exited out onto the highway she saw the flashing lights of a gas station. "I really don't like this idea, but a general point in the right way would be nice." She sighed to herself, her words dripping with sarcasm.
Sliding her truck into a parking spot she calmly walked inside the abandoned looking building to ask for directions. In all truth, as she passed the entrance she half expected the roof to cave in and crush her.
A man peered at her from behind the termite eaten counter, his piercing gaze sending a shiver down her spine. His eyes were glazed over, and she guessed he was either blind or going blind ((A/N: I seriously had to strain not to put 'Or he was eating doughnuts')). He had shock white hair and eyebrows, yet another product of old age. His lips were pursed and curved down in what she would have thought of as an eternal frown. She wanted to grab one of the plastic clown masks lying on a display shelf near the back of the room and put it on, dancing around the room in an indian ritual dance.. just to see if smiling would break his face.
"Sir, would you happen to know where Okabi road is?" She asked timidly, the silence of the eerie room suffocating her.
The man gently rocked back and forth for a moment, reminding her of some bizarre wacko who belonged in an asylum. He finally seemed to acknowledge her presence, turning his body in her direction.
"Who wants to know?" His voice rasped out. It was a kind of grating sound...like raking fingernails against a chalkboard.
"I'm just lost, that's all." She took a step back towards the door, any minute ready to just take off running. It was very unlikely that the old man could limp faster than she could run. She'd even go to the extremes and run the old fogie over with her F-250 if needed be.
"You didn't answer my question."
Kagome took a pensive breath before barely whispering. "Kagome."
"Kagome, huh? You have a very pretty voice, Kagome."
"Thank you." Alright, this man was seriously giving her the creeps, and when something frightened her the result usually ended up in her being pissed. "..But I didn't come here for you to rate my voice. I need directions."...She glanced up collectively for a moment before adding, "Please."
"Of course. Take a right at the next intersection, a left at the stop sign, and follow that road until you see a gravel path to your right."
She nodded dumbly, looking around before turning her eyes back to the counter. An empty counter.
Turning on her heels she was out of that building and back onto the highway before anyone could say, 'Boo.'
Her heart was pounding in her chest. She scratched 'Get directions from a ghost' off her things to do before she died list. It came after 'Fake Suicide' and 'Meet A Disturbed Hanyou..'
She had already made it past the intersection and stop sign, and was currently scanning the right side for any hint of a gravel road. There wasn't even a clue so far.
Her body was slung forward suddenly, and if it wasn't for the seatbelt across her chest she would probably be lying in the middle of the pavement in a bloody heap right about then....Her eyes snapped up to her rear view mirror and she could have sworn it was a small crater disappearing over the hill behind her. Damn..she would have to tell her dad about that.
She was was on the top of a small hill when a smudge of gray to her right slowly faded into view.
"Finally.." She had always hated gravel, but she loathed wet gravel..Any more bumping and she swore she was going to scream 'Everyone, the pilot has put on the seat belt sign. We are experiencing some turbulence.'
About halfway up the road from HELL, the gravel smoothed into blacktop, making it a lot easier for an already shaken up Kagome. She silently thanked any gods that were listening, and prayed that there would be no more bumps until the way down..
The large building faded into sight, and Kagome stopped her truck, gazing up at the beautiful monolith. The ancient structure rose up into the dark clouds like a monster from a dream; it's tinted windows sent shimmering flecks of light across the ground in various places. Beautiful gardens sprouted from either side of the miniature castle, their iridescent colors smiling back at Kagome. She was reminded of the faces of children when their parents brought home a bag of candy..their bright faces, pink and rosy.
Endless concrete stairs blended into the pavement, spiraling north, and Kagome had a feeling she was going to be very sore when the day was over..
Her stare lingered a moment before she pulled into one of the parking spaces, completely missing the silver Mitsubishi Eclipse cleverly hidden behind a large weeping willow.
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As Kagome neared the top of the stairs, she brushed a few lingering drops of rain from her jacket. Surprisingly enough, she wasn't wet at all..
'Guess the trees are being greedy today..' She looked up into the canopy of treetops as a breath of wind stirred their leaves..It almost seemed to Kagome like they were reading her thoughts.
To some, the shrine would have seemed forlorn and haunting..But she loved the tranquility..It was somewhere she could always find peace when her soul was tainted by some unspoken thought. Plus if she got on the gods' good side then maybe they would convince her dad to buy that new plasma screen T.V. she had been wanting...
"..I want you to sweep the entire shrine, and fix a few tiles on the roof."
"But Kaede-baba-"
"Hush, it won't take long.."
Kagome slowed at the sound of the voices. There were two, a boy and a woman..a pretty old woman by the sound of it.
There were a few shuffling sounds followed by some inaudible grumbling.
"Get to work, I'll give you your pay after I'm finished attending to the young girl listening to our conversation."
A crimson blush spread throughout Kagome's face at the old woman's casual accusation. How had she known?...
A flash of red zipped through her vision before she could focus, immediately disappearing into the tree branches. Odd..She cleared the last few steps calmly, coming face to face with a very friendly looking old woman.
She was wearing the traditional shrine clothes: A white haori tucked into a pair of red hakama. There was a patch strewn across her eye, tied in a bow at the back of her head, and her hair was up in a bun with a few loose strands swaying in the slight breeze. A broom was clutched in one of her hands, and it looked to Kagome like she was leaning on it.
"May I use your prayer statue, please?" Kagome gingerly looked away from the old woman, trying to spot even a glimpse of what had flown by her earlier.
"Certainly. Go through those gates over there and through the garden..You might want an umbrella too, child." The old woman eyed her for a moment like she was about to say something else, but just continued to sweep the small area in front of the steps.
"I don't need an umbrella..I would actually rather walk in the rain. Thank you, Mrs. Kaede." Kagome bowed timidly before taking off in the direction the elder had directed. She didn't even need to sense it...Kaede was a miko too. She was positive the old woman was about to ask her about her miko spirit...
Kagome pushed aside the vine covered gate, her feet making a small tapping noise as she paced across the circular stone steps. The gate slammed shut behind her and she was suddenly very aware of the wilderness that grew from either side of the path. It was like she was in another world completely..A world devoid of any sort of evil.
She kept her eyes diverted from the flowers as she walked towards the small shrine in the distance. Now was not the time to go picking blossoms like a little kid caught in a cherry orchard..It was time to respect...
Raindrops fell onto her raven hair, sparkling and shimmering before falling back to the earth, and she was too far in her own little world to notice the large puddle before her. That is, until she stepped in it. She jumped back, recoiling as the chilling water slid down her legs and into her tennis shoes.
'Great...Twice today Kag, you're on a roll..'
As the water fell back into place she watched the ripples glide across its surface, creating a gentle rapsody. It was kind of like her life...Something major would happen, and everyone around her would be part of the pain..Sometimes it was unbearable...Shrugging off the thought, she stepped over the puddle and continued at a leisurely pace...
But once again she was completely unaware of a certain silver haired hanyou watching her every move.
She managed to make it the rest of the way to the shrine without any more slip ups, or puddle incidents..and was now thoroughly soaked. It didn't matter, though..The coldness brought her back to the real world..It made her think.
Something white caught her vision and she turned quickly to see a single white rose lying on the concrete.
"A rose?"...She silently reached down to pick it up, rolling it around in her fingers. A slight prick on her hand caused her to jump slightly, a bead of bright red blood bleaching the outermost petal of the rose...
She had stained it..It was innocent, lying there without a care..and now she had tainted it with her blood..the rose was dropped back to the ground with a gentle thump.
Stepping inside the small three sided shrine, she picked up the incense that was used to call on the gods from a small box on the floor, putting it on a tray hanging on a pillar beside the entrance. She reached behind her, slipping a small blue lighter from inside her back pocket before lighting the incense. It smelled like honey suckle..Her mother loved honeysuckle..
She bent down in the middle of three large statues: An eagle, signifying life; A bear, signifying strength; and a Dragon, signifying courage...They were meant to symbolize inner emotions, but most people just used them as fancy gimmicks. She lowered until her knees were touching the floor, before leaning back to sit on her feet in traditional prayer style.
"Mom.." Her voice cracked slightly as she forced the word through her lips.
"We moved again...This school seems..nice, and everything is going great...I'm sorry that....that you can't be here so see how much Souta has grown..but he is starting to look more and more like you every day.." She was beginning to remind herself of a little kid again, when things didn't make sense..when she needed people to explain.
"I miss you.. a lot....And, I hope that you are happy, wherever you are. I just wanted to let you know..I'm not mad at you..for leaving..And..I love you." She forced the tears back, there was no way she was going to cry..not now.
When her mother had driven away that long time ago, it was raining...She had taken Mr. Higurashi's car to the grocery store to get some last minute spices to add to their supper..Kagome ran out of the house, screaming and crying for her mother to come back. There was no way she could just out and say 'Mom! Stop! I had a vision mom, please don't go!'.
Someone had cut the break line..It was meant to be her father in the car..Or herself..
The police had called a few minutes after her disappearance...The card had crashed into a semi..They had asked if the family wanted to see the body, and her father and Souta went..She just couldn't stand to see it..to know that she could have stopped it..If only she wasn't so afraid of what people might think..she was being selfish, and now she was guilty...
Kagome stood up and touched the middle statue..The dragon..for courage...That was something she desperately needed at the moment..courage.
She turned, standing stock still.
"INUYASHA!"
The poor boy didn't even bother to cover his ears, he just stood his ground and gave her a defiant look. He was now dressed in a red haori, and she couldn't help but think of how nice he looked in red...'Aiii! Kag!'..She mentally slapped herself..Now was not the time to think how very cute..sexy....whatever, Inuyasha was..
"Cut that out. Don't you have any respect at all?" Now Inuyasha was trying to pull a father figure on her...His pitying looked was all the initiative she needed.
"Whatever. I don't know how much you heard, but forget it all." She pushed past him brisquely, which was hard considering the fact that a hanyou wanting to stand his ground, will stand his ground.
He grabbed her arm tentatively, pulling her around to face him.
"Are you going to the party?"
"..Why?" She struggled against his grip, but he merely pulled her forward and rested a clawed hand on each shoulder.
"Just answer the question."..She didn't look into his eyes, just around at the scenery..Those amber globes were just too blank..
He let a snarling growl escape his lips, and she was shocked into looking at him. The sound was strangely gentle, though.
"Yes. Now let me go..or I'll...Scream!" She sucked in air, ready to let her lungs go full blast.
"Don't."
"What?"
"Don't go."
Uh-Oh..He did it now..
She slapped his arms away, backing up a couple paces to look him dead in the eye. How dare he!
"You aren't my father..I will do what I want. Now leave me alone!"
She hastily flipped around, sending showers of water droplets spiraling all over the already damp ground.
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Kaede was startled as the young girl came flying through the small garden gate, mumbling obscenities at a seemingly invisible annoyance..That is until Inuyasha came trailing behind her. That was odd..the only girl he was ever usually seen with was that Kikyo..or whatever her name was.
As the girl passed, Kaede had a random thought, stepping in front of the stairs to block them.
"Shippo has been at it again."
"Pardon?" The girl lifted an eyebrow, taking a step back and right into the grumpy hanyou.
"Oh, sorry dear..Just rambling. Shippo is a little kitsune that likes to haunt old buildings...looks like he's at it again."
Kagome just stood their contemplated on how she could make it around the woman before the pieces clicked in her head.
'That abandoned gas station and the old man..It had been a little kistune I had sensed..' She mentally noted to go chew the little creature out as soon as she could. That little bugger had given her quite a scare..
"Thanks!" Kagome darted past the old woman and down all the stairs before anyone knew what had hit them
After she had disappeared down the steps Kaede sharply tapped Inuyasha on his forehead with the rough edge of the broom.
"I'm not paying you to sit and stare like an owl, I'm paying you to work. So work!"
The hanyou simply darted off inside the large shrine to search for a broom..Damn that woman had no patience.
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The door of Kagome's new house flew open as a very huffy black-haired teenager stormed in.
She stood at the entrance and fumed quietly for a few moments before shrugging off her temper tantrum...It would do absolutely no good to get mad now..it's not like what he had said was a crime or anything..
His words bounced back in her mind's eye for a moment. 'Don't Go.'..It had sounded like a warning to her..And that made her even the more curious..
'That cod..' She gently pushed open the swinging door to the kitchen.
Her father was gone, as well the stack of papers he had been sleeping on. The small comforter she had wrapped around him lied strewn and forgotten on the back of the wooden chair he had been sitting in. There was a small slip of paper lodged under a paper weight casually set in the middle of the table, and she lifted it solemnly to her face.
Kagome,
The chief called, he wants me in for some new leads. Souta
is riding the bus home to a new friend's house, so don't worry
about him. I'll be back around twelve.
Be good.
Love,
Dad.
She looked up at the round clock above the stove. 2:00...
"I've had enough adventure for one day.." she sighed quietly to herself, exiting the kitching and gliding across the living room to start ascending the steps.
Opening the door to her room casually she picked up the silver remote control from her nightstand, turning on the T.V before plopping onto her bed.
"Nothing interesting.." She started humming to herself, flipping through the channels before landing on news.
"Might as well pick out an outfit." Rolling off the bed, she tossed the remote into the soft sheets before lumbering across the room to her closet.
"A special report has just been received in the studio.." A woman's practiced voice floated through the doors of her walk-in closet.
"Mrs. Ellen Shanlie, the principal of Feudal High, has just been declared a missing person. There are no leads on this case as of yet. Until her return, the vice president, Mr Shou, will be taking over her charge.."
Kagome shuffled out of the closet, punching the knob of the T.V. The sound faded, and she stood there... completely unaware of the report.
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FrEaKiE! o.O'...J/k..^__^ Once again I am really really sorry that I postponed 'A Wild Night' It will for certain be coming up next! *crosses her heart and hopes not to die*..This chappie just got a little too long, so I split it into two. ^.^..Now, for a couple questions to be answered.
drow_goddess: Wowzers!! Thanks for the reviews!! I'm glad you really like this story! ^___^
anubaka: Yesss! Power to the Liz's! @.x
Three-Letter-Word: I would have never known my chapter hadn't showed up! Thanks a bunches! *_*..*follows around like a puppy*.
To everyone else that reviewed:
I LOVE YOU! *snuggle hugs* I'm sorry I couldn't put replies to everyone..But trust me you are all appreciated!! I..I love you guys so much..*sniffles*..Ya'll are just too good to me...^___^
Next Chapter: A Wild Night.
I have to say something before I continue...
Immobile does mean 'stationary' or 'fixed'..And the purpose of that is, while Kagome moves around and meets different people, Her heart stays in one place.
AND! Wow...You guys are awesome! I can't believe I've gotten so many reviews!! *gives the audience a huge bear hug!*..@.@..Individual replies will be at the bottom. =^_^=
Okie, here comes the fourth -yes fourth!- chapter in the I.T. Series....Yes, the Immobile Teen Series.... Ghostly Illusions.
No, seriously you guys. I really appreciate your reviews. Oh, and homecoming is coming up! W00T! o.O....Will Kagome and Inuyasha be going together?..Hmmm....*looks into her crystal ball*..It's kind of cloudy. *walks off...*.....*comes back carrying some windex (sp? O.o;?)* Ah...that's better...
Kagome will be going with- *big godly hand comes from the sky and squishes her with its thumb*
Gwen: o.O..*girly scream*..Well, now that that's over with. Liz does (Or did) not own Inuyasha or any other references to big businesses or bands that she could never even dream of owning.
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Chapter Four: Ghostly Illusions.
________________________
"Dad?!" Kagome called out, pushing the swinging door of the kitchen open with a relish. ((A/N: I'm hungry now...*pout*))
Mr. Higurashi was slumped over the kitchen table, his head propped up on a stack of files she guessed were 'top secret'. The late nights he had been keeping were definately taking their toll.
"Dad..What am I going to do with you?" She sighed, disappearing into the living room and returning with a small comforter they had stashed away in one of the spare closets. She wrapped it around his peaceful frame, tucking the sides in underneath his arms. Her mother had done the same thing when she was just a babe, and it always seemed to make her nightmares go away.
She looked around the kitchen for a moment before her eyes rested on a pencil and writing tablet lying undisturbed by the coffee maker, which was currently splurting the dark liquid into the glass pot. Her father had probably made it before he dozed off. She picked up the pencil and scribbled her dad a note of where he could find her. It was something to the effect of:
Dad,
Hey, I went to go see if there are any shrines nearby. School let out early because someone
phoned in a bomb threat. Nice start to a new school, huh? I'll be back soon, and if you wake
up and see this don't freak..I'm fine.
P.S. I have something important to tell you when I get home.
Love,
Kag.
She ripped the piece of paper out of the pad, placing it gently beside her father before pushing the swinging door back again.
Plopping down onto the couch, she popped open the hidden desk located in the middle and took out the local phone book.
"Let's see...Shrine..Shrine." She mumbled to herself, flipping the pages until she got to the 's' section. She scanned the page briefly before picking up the words 'Tsuki Shrine' printed in bold italics. Ripping out the page, she stuffed it into her now dry pocket before picking up her truck keys from the glass table in front of the couch. Her dad could buy a new phonebook, one little page didn't matter.
She heard a rumble outside and for a moment thought an earthquake would hit before hearing the soft patter of rain against the grass. That for one was very odd, considering the fact that the sun was shining brilliantly that very morning.
She slowly made her way up the stairs, trying not to make a lot of noise so that her father could continue to sleep. "Maybe I should tell him about earlier.." She started to argue to herself before a crack of thunder silenced her voice. Mother nature was trying to give her a sign, apparently.
Clearing the last two steps, she flung open the door to her room and hurridly paced past her bed into the closet. She snatched her gray jacket with the word 'Track' written in bold black letters across the front, pulling it over her head hurridly. Another crack of thunder made itself be known, and she glanced over to her window subconsciously, watching the torrents of rain slide down Inuyasha's window.
As soon as her eyes had contact with his bedroom door a very angry Inuyasha game hurtling in, seemingly talking to himself. There was a crash, and screaming. It really wouldn't have bothered her, but she was curious by nature. Who exactly was he yelling at? Another boy curtly walked in a few minutes after the disgruntled Inuyasha, mouthing something rude. It was along the lines of 'You half-breed bastard'. The words clicked in her head after a few moments and she labeled the boy as Inuyasha's brother. Definately not his father, he was far too young. But then again, some demons were centuries old and didn't look a day over eighteen.
Although Inuyasha was an asshole, jerk, cod, and pig..She still thought calling him a half-breed was a little harsh.
The boy had obviously touched a nerve because in a flash Inuyasha darted past him and out of sight. Kagome distinctly heard the rumble of an engine, and the screeching of tires into the distance.
She missed the boy's expression or anything that had happened after because she was out of the room and past the front door before not too much else could happen.
She fled from the safety of the porch to where her truck was parked on the now soaking wet concrete...outside no less. She mentally reminded herself to start parking in the garage. It was a two car garage and Souta was still a couple years short of getting a license.
Throwing open the door she reached into her pocket, pulling out the crumpled up piece of yellow paper. She tried to smooth as many wrinkles as possible before deciphering the address of the shrine. 1028 Okabi Rd. Okabi...that name rang a bell for some reason. She chewed on her lip thoughtfully for a few minutes before a streak of lightning interrupted her inquisitions.
A strip of blue caught her eyes and her attention was now focused on the object. It was another car, now parked in her neighbor's drive way. A Porsche if she wasn't mistaken; such a dark blue it could probably be mistaken for black. A new Porsche, at that. It probably belonged to the boy she had seen standing at the entrance of Inuyasha's bedroom...His brother. Her father had mentioned his name once but she couldn't remember..S..Sess...Sesshoumaru..or something like that.
She reached a hand up and slid her fingers through her wet and tassled mane before turning the keys to the ignition.
The digital clock on her dashboard read 8:45. She would have a while before she had to be home to pick Souta up from his new school. It was hard to keep forgetting the fact that Souta was being switched to different schools too..He usually never said anything about it, but she knew he was depressed. She was once in that same spot, too..
Turning her lights and wipers on she backed out of the driveway and into the small suburban street.
As she exited out onto the highway she saw the flashing lights of a gas station. "I really don't like this idea, but a general point in the right way would be nice." She sighed to herself, her words dripping with sarcasm.
Sliding her truck into a parking spot she calmly walked inside the abandoned looking building to ask for directions. In all truth, as she passed the entrance she half expected the roof to cave in and crush her.
A man peered at her from behind the termite eaten counter, his piercing gaze sending a shiver down her spine. His eyes were glazed over, and she guessed he was either blind or going blind ((A/N: I seriously had to strain not to put 'Or he was eating doughnuts')). He had shock white hair and eyebrows, yet another product of old age. His lips were pursed and curved down in what she would have thought of as an eternal frown. She wanted to grab one of the plastic clown masks lying on a display shelf near the back of the room and put it on, dancing around the room in an indian ritual dance.. just to see if smiling would break his face.
"Sir, would you happen to know where Okabi road is?" She asked timidly, the silence of the eerie room suffocating her.
The man gently rocked back and forth for a moment, reminding her of some bizarre wacko who belonged in an asylum. He finally seemed to acknowledge her presence, turning his body in her direction.
"Who wants to know?" His voice rasped out. It was a kind of grating sound...like raking fingernails against a chalkboard.
"I'm just lost, that's all." She took a step back towards the door, any minute ready to just take off running. It was very unlikely that the old man could limp faster than she could run. She'd even go to the extremes and run the old fogie over with her F-250 if needed be.
"You didn't answer my question."
Kagome took a pensive breath before barely whispering. "Kagome."
"Kagome, huh? You have a very pretty voice, Kagome."
"Thank you." Alright, this man was seriously giving her the creeps, and when something frightened her the result usually ended up in her being pissed. "..But I didn't come here for you to rate my voice. I need directions."...She glanced up collectively for a moment before adding, "Please."
"Of course. Take a right at the next intersection, a left at the stop sign, and follow that road until you see a gravel path to your right."
She nodded dumbly, looking around before turning her eyes back to the counter. An empty counter.
Turning on her heels she was out of that building and back onto the highway before anyone could say, 'Boo.'
Her heart was pounding in her chest. She scratched 'Get directions from a ghost' off her things to do before she died list. It came after 'Fake Suicide' and 'Meet A Disturbed Hanyou..'
She had already made it past the intersection and stop sign, and was currently scanning the right side for any hint of a gravel road. There wasn't even a clue so far.
Her body was slung forward suddenly, and if it wasn't for the seatbelt across her chest she would probably be lying in the middle of the pavement in a bloody heap right about then....Her eyes snapped up to her rear view mirror and she could have sworn it was a small crater disappearing over the hill behind her. Damn..she would have to tell her dad about that.
She was was on the top of a small hill when a smudge of gray to her right slowly faded into view.
"Finally.." She had always hated gravel, but she loathed wet gravel..Any more bumping and she swore she was going to scream 'Everyone, the pilot has put on the seat belt sign. We are experiencing some turbulence.'
About halfway up the road from HELL, the gravel smoothed into blacktop, making it a lot easier for an already shaken up Kagome. She silently thanked any gods that were listening, and prayed that there would be no more bumps until the way down..
The large building faded into sight, and Kagome stopped her truck, gazing up at the beautiful monolith. The ancient structure rose up into the dark clouds like a monster from a dream; it's tinted windows sent shimmering flecks of light across the ground in various places. Beautiful gardens sprouted from either side of the miniature castle, their iridescent colors smiling back at Kagome. She was reminded of the faces of children when their parents brought home a bag of candy..their bright faces, pink and rosy.
Endless concrete stairs blended into the pavement, spiraling north, and Kagome had a feeling she was going to be very sore when the day was over..
Her stare lingered a moment before she pulled into one of the parking spaces, completely missing the silver Mitsubishi Eclipse cleverly hidden behind a large weeping willow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Kagome neared the top of the stairs, she brushed a few lingering drops of rain from her jacket. Surprisingly enough, she wasn't wet at all..
'Guess the trees are being greedy today..' She looked up into the canopy of treetops as a breath of wind stirred their leaves..It almost seemed to Kagome like they were reading her thoughts.
To some, the shrine would have seemed forlorn and haunting..But she loved the tranquility..It was somewhere she could always find peace when her soul was tainted by some unspoken thought. Plus if she got on the gods' good side then maybe they would convince her dad to buy that new plasma screen T.V. she had been wanting...
"..I want you to sweep the entire shrine, and fix a few tiles on the roof."
"But Kaede-baba-"
"Hush, it won't take long.."
Kagome slowed at the sound of the voices. There were two, a boy and a woman..a pretty old woman by the sound of it.
There were a few shuffling sounds followed by some inaudible grumbling.
"Get to work, I'll give you your pay after I'm finished attending to the young girl listening to our conversation."
A crimson blush spread throughout Kagome's face at the old woman's casual accusation. How had she known?...
A flash of red zipped through her vision before she could focus, immediately disappearing into the tree branches. Odd..She cleared the last few steps calmly, coming face to face with a very friendly looking old woman.
She was wearing the traditional shrine clothes: A white haori tucked into a pair of red hakama. There was a patch strewn across her eye, tied in a bow at the back of her head, and her hair was up in a bun with a few loose strands swaying in the slight breeze. A broom was clutched in one of her hands, and it looked to Kagome like she was leaning on it.
"May I use your prayer statue, please?" Kagome gingerly looked away from the old woman, trying to spot even a glimpse of what had flown by her earlier.
"Certainly. Go through those gates over there and through the garden..You might want an umbrella too, child." The old woman eyed her for a moment like she was about to say something else, but just continued to sweep the small area in front of the steps.
"I don't need an umbrella..I would actually rather walk in the rain. Thank you, Mrs. Kaede." Kagome bowed timidly before taking off in the direction the elder had directed. She didn't even need to sense it...Kaede was a miko too. She was positive the old woman was about to ask her about her miko spirit...
Kagome pushed aside the vine covered gate, her feet making a small tapping noise as she paced across the circular stone steps. The gate slammed shut behind her and she was suddenly very aware of the wilderness that grew from either side of the path. It was like she was in another world completely..A world devoid of any sort of evil.
She kept her eyes diverted from the flowers as she walked towards the small shrine in the distance. Now was not the time to go picking blossoms like a little kid caught in a cherry orchard..It was time to respect...
Raindrops fell onto her raven hair, sparkling and shimmering before falling back to the earth, and she was too far in her own little world to notice the large puddle before her. That is, until she stepped in it. She jumped back, recoiling as the chilling water slid down her legs and into her tennis shoes.
'Great...Twice today Kag, you're on a roll..'
As the water fell back into place she watched the ripples glide across its surface, creating a gentle rapsody. It was kind of like her life...Something major would happen, and everyone around her would be part of the pain..Sometimes it was unbearable...Shrugging off the thought, she stepped over the puddle and continued at a leisurely pace...
But once again she was completely unaware of a certain silver haired hanyou watching her every move.
She managed to make it the rest of the way to the shrine without any more slip ups, or puddle incidents..and was now thoroughly soaked. It didn't matter, though..The coldness brought her back to the real world..It made her think.
Something white caught her vision and she turned quickly to see a single white rose lying on the concrete.
"A rose?"...She silently reached down to pick it up, rolling it around in her fingers. A slight prick on her hand caused her to jump slightly, a bead of bright red blood bleaching the outermost petal of the rose...
She had stained it..It was innocent, lying there without a care..and now she had tainted it with her blood..the rose was dropped back to the ground with a gentle thump.
Stepping inside the small three sided shrine, she picked up the incense that was used to call on the gods from a small box on the floor, putting it on a tray hanging on a pillar beside the entrance. She reached behind her, slipping a small blue lighter from inside her back pocket before lighting the incense. It smelled like honey suckle..Her mother loved honeysuckle..
She bent down in the middle of three large statues: An eagle, signifying life; A bear, signifying strength; and a Dragon, signifying courage...They were meant to symbolize inner emotions, but most people just used them as fancy gimmicks. She lowered until her knees were touching the floor, before leaning back to sit on her feet in traditional prayer style.
"Mom.." Her voice cracked slightly as she forced the word through her lips.
"We moved again...This school seems..nice, and everything is going great...I'm sorry that....that you can't be here so see how much Souta has grown..but he is starting to look more and more like you every day.." She was beginning to remind herself of a little kid again, when things didn't make sense..when she needed people to explain.
"I miss you.. a lot....And, I hope that you are happy, wherever you are. I just wanted to let you know..I'm not mad at you..for leaving..And..I love you." She forced the tears back, there was no way she was going to cry..not now.
When her mother had driven away that long time ago, it was raining...She had taken Mr. Higurashi's car to the grocery store to get some last minute spices to add to their supper..Kagome ran out of the house, screaming and crying for her mother to come back. There was no way she could just out and say 'Mom! Stop! I had a vision mom, please don't go!'.
Someone had cut the break line..It was meant to be her father in the car..Or herself..
The police had called a few minutes after her disappearance...The card had crashed into a semi..They had asked if the family wanted to see the body, and her father and Souta went..She just couldn't stand to see it..to know that she could have stopped it..If only she wasn't so afraid of what people might think..she was being selfish, and now she was guilty...
Kagome stood up and touched the middle statue..The dragon..for courage...That was something she desperately needed at the moment..courage.
She turned, standing stock still.
"INUYASHA!"
The poor boy didn't even bother to cover his ears, he just stood his ground and gave her a defiant look. He was now dressed in a red haori, and she couldn't help but think of how nice he looked in red...'Aiii! Kag!'..She mentally slapped herself..Now was not the time to think how very cute..sexy....whatever, Inuyasha was..
"Cut that out. Don't you have any respect at all?" Now Inuyasha was trying to pull a father figure on her...His pitying looked was all the initiative she needed.
"Whatever. I don't know how much you heard, but forget it all." She pushed past him brisquely, which was hard considering the fact that a hanyou wanting to stand his ground, will stand his ground.
He grabbed her arm tentatively, pulling her around to face him.
"Are you going to the party?"
"..Why?" She struggled against his grip, but he merely pulled her forward and rested a clawed hand on each shoulder.
"Just answer the question."..She didn't look into his eyes, just around at the scenery..Those amber globes were just too blank..
He let a snarling growl escape his lips, and she was shocked into looking at him. The sound was strangely gentle, though.
"Yes. Now let me go..or I'll...Scream!" She sucked in air, ready to let her lungs go full blast.
"Don't."
"What?"
"Don't go."
Uh-Oh..He did it now..
She slapped his arms away, backing up a couple paces to look him dead in the eye. How dare he!
"You aren't my father..I will do what I want. Now leave me alone!"
She hastily flipped around, sending showers of water droplets spiraling all over the already damp ground.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~*~*
Kaede was startled as the young girl came flying through the small garden gate, mumbling obscenities at a seemingly invisible annoyance..That is until Inuyasha came trailing behind her. That was odd..the only girl he was ever usually seen with was that Kikyo..or whatever her name was.
As the girl passed, Kaede had a random thought, stepping in front of the stairs to block them.
"Shippo has been at it again."
"Pardon?" The girl lifted an eyebrow, taking a step back and right into the grumpy hanyou.
"Oh, sorry dear..Just rambling. Shippo is a little kitsune that likes to haunt old buildings...looks like he's at it again."
Kagome just stood their contemplated on how she could make it around the woman before the pieces clicked in her head.
'That abandoned gas station and the old man..It had been a little kistune I had sensed..' She mentally noted to go chew the little creature out as soon as she could. That little bugger had given her quite a scare..
"Thanks!" Kagome darted past the old woman and down all the stairs before anyone knew what had hit them
After she had disappeared down the steps Kaede sharply tapped Inuyasha on his forehead with the rough edge of the broom.
"I'm not paying you to sit and stare like an owl, I'm paying you to work. So work!"
The hanyou simply darted off inside the large shrine to search for a broom..Damn that woman had no patience.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~*~*
The door of Kagome's new house flew open as a very huffy black-haired teenager stormed in.
She stood at the entrance and fumed quietly for a few moments before shrugging off her temper tantrum...It would do absolutely no good to get mad now..it's not like what he had said was a crime or anything..
His words bounced back in her mind's eye for a moment. 'Don't Go.'..It had sounded like a warning to her..And that made her even the more curious..
'That cod..' She gently pushed open the swinging door to the kitchen.
Her father was gone, as well the stack of papers he had been sleeping on. The small comforter she had wrapped around him lied strewn and forgotten on the back of the wooden chair he had been sitting in. There was a small slip of paper lodged under a paper weight casually set in the middle of the table, and she lifted it solemnly to her face.
Kagome,
The chief called, he wants me in for some new leads. Souta
is riding the bus home to a new friend's house, so don't worry
about him. I'll be back around twelve.
Be good.
Love,
Dad.
She looked up at the round clock above the stove. 2:00...
"I've had enough adventure for one day.." she sighed quietly to herself, exiting the kitching and gliding across the living room to start ascending the steps.
Opening the door to her room casually she picked up the silver remote control from her nightstand, turning on the T.V before plopping onto her bed.
"Nothing interesting.." She started humming to herself, flipping through the channels before landing on news.
"Might as well pick out an outfit." Rolling off the bed, she tossed the remote into the soft sheets before lumbering across the room to her closet.
"A special report has just been received in the studio.." A woman's practiced voice floated through the doors of her walk-in closet.
"Mrs. Ellen Shanlie, the principal of Feudal High, has just been declared a missing person. There are no leads on this case as of yet. Until her return, the vice president, Mr Shou, will be taking over her charge.."
Kagome shuffled out of the closet, punching the knob of the T.V. The sound faded, and she stood there... completely unaware of the report.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~*~*
FrEaKiE! o.O'...J/k..^__^ Once again I am really really sorry that I postponed 'A Wild Night' It will for certain be coming up next! *crosses her heart and hopes not to die*..This chappie just got a little too long, so I split it into two. ^.^..Now, for a couple questions to be answered.
drow_goddess: Wowzers!! Thanks for the reviews!! I'm glad you really like this story! ^___^
anubaka: Yesss! Power to the Liz's! @.x
Three-Letter-Word: I would have never known my chapter hadn't showed up! Thanks a bunches! *_*..*follows around like a puppy*.
To everyone else that reviewed:
I LOVE YOU! *snuggle hugs* I'm sorry I couldn't put replies to everyone..But trust me you are all appreciated!! I..I love you guys so much..*sniffles*..Ya'll are just too good to me...^___^
Next Chapter: A Wild Night.