A/N: Gomen nasai! I'm soo sorry! I didn't mean to have Kikyou dead! You know, once you get going on more than one story…you kind of…forget what's…going…on? Hehehe? Anyways, I'm really sorry! I'll find some way to mend it in this chapter…^_^ Well, enjoy.
I apologize also for Chapter Two. I meant for it to be in html format, but I just left in Word, so it didn't turn out so well. Buuuuut, it seemed like everyone understood what I was getting at, so I guess I'll leave it the way it is. Once again, I apologize for my two mistakes.
Chapter Three
Sunlight streaked through the humongous glass windows to Kagome's right as she walked quietly down a deserted hall. This hallway, Kagome noticed, had been one of the routes Sesshoumaru took to one class because of the fact that it was always deserted. She had found, in the last two days, that he liked solitude, but also liked to see others grovel before him, to which most of the school population complied. In fact, there were only two that dared to openly rebel against him: Inuyasha and Kagome.
Kagome stared out the window onto the school grounds, one floor below, as she pondered over her new dilemma. Kikyou died two years ago…didn't she? It had only occurred recently to Kagome that she had confronted someone, or rather, something, as she would like to put it, that she had thought gone from this world long ago. She pulled desperately at her memories of her hated twin sister, re-surfacing that which had haunted her for so long…
~*~*~*~*~
Kagome ran around happily, the two pigtails at the side of her head bouncing as she raced across the length of the garden at the shrine.
"Kikyou-onee-chan!" she called, giggling as she ran up to the melancholy girl.
"What?" she asked harshly, indulging in the fact that she was the older of the twins.
Kikyou, Kagome knew, hated the fact that she was born with another. She hated that she was one of two. She hated that she had not been born alone, to deserve all the attention to herself.
"Kikyou-onee-chan! Today is our sixth birthday!" Kagome squealed, clasping her sister's hand in hers.
"I know that," Kikyou said, yanking her hand away from the brat.
"Kagome! Kikyou!" Mrs. Asahara called.
She even calls the brat's name first. Kikyou thought, clenching her teeth tightly. Otou-san always calls my name, first. He's the one who loves me. Kikyou hid behind a stoical mask, watching as Kagome leapt into their mother's arms. She watched as Kagome smiled cheerfully and giggled as their mother tickled her. Kikyou had never accepted any friendly gesture from her mother, thinking that it was all a trick. Then, an idea came to her. Why didn't I think of this before?
Kagome watched the expression on her cold sister's face. Her lips curled in an evil smile. Silently, she feared what the evil twin was up to but forgot her worries completely as her loving mother's hand came in and tickled her side. She giggled in delight, squirming in her okaa-san's arms. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kikyou run into the house, towards Father's office. Her attention whipped back to her smiling mother.
"Kagome, it's your and Kikyou's birthday, today!" she said lightly, carrying her daughter into the house.
"I know, okaa-san!" Kagome squealed, glancing over at the birthday cake laid out on the table.
"Go get your sister, so we can start!" her mother said cheerfully, placing Kagome gently on the floor.
"Okay!" Kagome agreed, bounding off to their father's office.
Kagome cautiously approached the door, jarred open. She didn't like her father much. He seemed to be touchy, one of the guys who would ask questions later, take action now. He jumped to conclusions often, and she knew as well as Kikyou that he loved Kikyou much more than herself. So, there had always been a division in the family…Kagome and her mother, and Kikyou and her father. She opened the door soundlessly, creeping, as if to leave the atmosphere undisturbed by her presence. Passing a large bookshelf, she heard the sounds of weeping, mingled with the deep voice of her otou-san.
"There, there, Kikyou. Tell me what happened," her father said firmly.
Kagome hid behind a large armchair, peeking around the corner to see what was going on. Biting her lip, she forced back a gasp as she took in the scene before her. Kikyou sat in her father's lap, covered in cuts and scrapes, each of which was bleeding. She was sobbing into her father's shoulder. Kagome could tell, though her father couldn't, that Kikyou was faking, totally and completely. Grimly, she watched the details unfold.
"O-okaa-san," Kikyou choked out.
"What about your okaa-san?" her father firmly asked.
"She…She…" Kikyou sobbed harder.
Her father's face changed expressions, from a grim one, to one of disbelief and hatred.
"Surely she did not do this to you?" Father asked incredulously.
Kikyou answered with more desperate and choking sobs, along with a few howls of pain.
Don't believe her, Otou-san! Kagome thought desperately, watching his lips turn into a snarl. The lights dimmed, signaling that the twilight had dawned. Deciding this was enough, Kagome turned and fled back to her okaa-san.
"Okaa-san!" Kagome called desperately.
"Kagome!" her mother declared, picking her up, "Where's your sister?"
"She's got cuts all over her!" Kagome said, trying to explain quickly, "She's lying! She said you cut her all over! She told otou-san!"
Her mother's expression turned grave. "Did he believe her?"
Kagome nodded, tears forming in her large eyes. "Everything is going to be okay, right?"
"Yes," her mother assured, forcing a smile.
That night, after Kagome and Kikyou were both in bed, Kagome lie awake, listening to her parents argue.
"You hurt her!" she heard her father scream, along with a sharp crack of a slap.
Kagome winced, hoping for the best, fearing the worst. In the bed next to her, she could hear Kikyou's snickering.
"I didn't!" her mother screamed back, anguish and pain in her voice.
"Yes, you did!" he yelled.
"I can't believe you would believe her over me!" she replied, tears choking her answer.
"You would be the one to lie! You're the one who hurt her!" he screamed.
The snickering from Kikyou's side increased. Kagome felt something rise angrily in her, tempting her to just go over and murder her twin sister. She rose out of her bed, walking over to Kikyou. The snickering ceased as laughing, evil blue-gray eyes stared up at her.
"It's all your fault," Kagome murmured quietly, anger burning like a wildfire in her large eyes.
"So what?" Kikyou snapped back. "I'm glad."
Kagome jumped on her sister, clawing at her. Kikyou screamed, trying to pry her angry younger sister off her. Soon after, the door to their room slammed open, both parents staring in disbelief at their quarreling daughters. Her mother pulled Kagome off Kikyou, holding her tightly to her body. Kagome snarled at her sister as her mother turned to walk out the door. One last time, Kagome turned back to her sister, her eyes flashing malevolently.
"I hope you die for what you've done!" she called.
~*~*~*~*~
Just as her reverie ended, she felt herself bump into something. Dumb locker. Focusing her eyes, she realized she had not run into a locker but instead, a person. She muttered jumbled apologies, circling around the person and continuing down the hall.
Sesshoumaru watched in amusement as the girl, Kagome, walked slowly down the deserted hall, eyes downcast and in deep thought. He waited silently, purposefully standing in her path until she bumped into him. He heard her mumble several apologies before circling around him. Absentminded today, aren't we? Silently, he followed after her, not letting his presence be found out.
Blinking her eyes several times, she fully woke herself up. A few seconds too late, she realized she had bumped into Sesshoumaru. She quickened her pace, not wanting him to catch her to insult her in some way. Thought, with his long legs, he could probably catch me in an instant. Glancing back, she found that he was walking slowly some ways behind her. Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned back to her path and thought about her flashback. But that doesn't explain her death… Closing her eyes, Kagome thought back a little more recently. Mom changed her name back to Higurashi, giving me that name, too…no, after that…nine years old…I thought Kikyou died because I hadn't heard from her in such a long time. Yes, that's it. That's what she had thought. It wasn't actually true. Before she could open her eyes again, she felt herself bump into someone else. In a flash, her eyes shot open, once again, mumbling apologies. A curtain of silver hair met her sight. Taking a step back, she examined the figure more closely. His height told her everything. It was definitely Inuyasha and not Sesshoumaru. Huffing slightly, she stalked past him. I can't believe my bad luck! I ran into both of them in this dumb hallway. I'm never taking this route again! Blinking slightly, she realized she had forgotten the fact that Inuyasha liked Kikyou. Feh! What bad taste!
Kagome arrived two minutes before the bell rang, sitting down in her usual seat in the back of the class. A little while later, Inuyasha walked in, sitting down in front of her, like he always did in the class. Seconds after that, Sesshoumaru strode in gracefully, sitting down next to her, as he had taken to doing in the past two days. It seemed like he enjoyed seeing her annoyed face whenever his fan club swarmed around him. The irritating chime of the bell tolled and the teacher began his usual drone. This class is totally unnecessary. Kagome tuned the teacher out, assuring herself that there was nothing about mythology she did not know. Legends of the past had always interested her, though she was unsure why.
An hour later, class ended, and she packed up her stuff, quickly departing the classroom and walking down her usual hallway. Closing her eyes as she walked leisurely down the hall, she wondered why anyone would ever take a liking to her sister. She's deceiving, snobbish, bossy, slutty…and beautiful. Kagome frowned, opening her eyes. A shadow fell over her. She looked to her side, seeing Sesshoumaru walking alongside her.
"What do you want?" she asked grimly, looking straight ahead.
She could feel his piercing gaze on her, studying her every movement and expression.
"Do I have to have a reason to walk next to you?" he asked, amusement playing in his voice.
She ignored him, walking on without talking.
"Is it always that you ignore company?" he asked casually, turning kind eyes to her.
"Only when it's company I don't want," she snapped, glaring up at him.
The look in his eyes totally caught her off guard. They looked…kind…caring…totally not Sesshoumaru. Never would she expect that kind of look in his eyes. Reality came crashing back as she came to her senses.
"Stop faking, Sesshoumaru," she said impatiently, turning to look ahead again.
Plan A failed. "Fake? What could you possibly mean?" he asked innocently, the gentle look not leaving his golden eyes.
"Feh," she huffed, quickening her pace.
Sesshoumaru quickened with her, thought it was not hard with his long strides. "How could I be faking when I'm with such a beautiful girl?" he asked, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
"Do you think it's funny when you toy with people like that?" Kagome snarled turning to him.
"Actually, with you, it's quite amusing," he said softly. This has got to work.
Turning, he stepped towards her, making her step back into the wall. Slowly, he ran the back of his fingers over her cheek, caressing it gently. At first, she seemed completely hypnotized by him, then got her senses back, slapping his hand away.
"You are disgusting," she spat, turning and stalking down the rest of the hall. It is soooo good that it's the end of the day.
Sesshoumaru watched her stomp down the rest of the corridor, a smile quirking at his lips. Very soon…
Kagome fumed as she walked home, fists clenched at her sides.
"That jerk!" she screamed to no one in particular.
A hand tapped her lightly on the shoulder. Spinning around, she saw that it was Inuyasha.
"And what do you want?" she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Umm," Inuyasha started, "I just wanted to…apologize…for mistaking you as someone else."
"You have no idea," she fumed, turning around and continuing down the sidewalk to her humble home. "Apology accepted!" she called back over her shoulder as she dashed around the corner.
"That's one strange girl," Inuyasha said to his friend, Miroku, who was staring after her.
"You pursuing her?" he asked, nudging his friend in the ribs.
"WHAT?! No! Why would you think that?" Inuyasha shot, glaring at his lecherous friend.
"You actually apologized to someone," Miroku reasoned, waving his hand in the air matter-of-factly.
Inuyasha choked a bit. "No! No! I just mistook her for Kikyou!"
"So, that means she's free?" Miroku asked, his eyes twinkling.
"She's waaaay out of your league, Miroku," Inuyasha said simply.
"Any other reason?" Miroku asked, eyes half-closed at the primitive thought.
"I think my half-brother's interested in her…" Inuyasha answered grimly.
It was Miroku's turn to choke. "Sesshoumaru?! You can't be serious!"
"I take it that's a good enough reason?" Inuyasha said, smirking.
"That, my friend, is an EXCELLENT reason," Miroku acknowledged, shivering. "I wouldn't want to mess with Sesshoumaru, ever."
"Who would?" Inuyasha said, frowning slightly at the power his elder brother held.
Sesshoumaru stepped out of the school, backpack slung over one shoulder. His fan club swarmed around him, but he remained more oblivious than usual. I swear, upon every single god, Kagome will become one of mine. He smiled evilly, sending a gasp through his fan club. All of the girls looked faint, as if a movie star had just kissed them. They froze, allowing him to pass their mob.
"Did you see that?!" one squealed, holding her heart.
"Yeah! He smiled!" they all answered in unison.
Feh…such pitiful girls. They give in so easily…but Kagome is different…she can resist. She's…special in a way…and she will be my greatest challenge, yet. With this thought in mind, Sesshoumaru sauntered slowly back home, where he would have more problems to face.
A/N: Another short chapter…gomen nasai! Suggestions are welcome! Please review! 37 for another chapter, perhaps? Thanks for all the support. I apologize again for the Kikyou thing! ^_^;;;; I may start another fic…