Chapter Three: Tabula Rasa

The Past

He gave her the gaze of a hunter, and in turn, her heart began to race wildly. The only word in her mind was 'Run, run!' but her body refused to listen. Faintly, she could hear Inuyasha's deep voice, intensified with disgust as he spoke of his brother.

" He does not care for humans. It will not matter to him to kill thousands upon thousands of men." A glare upon her. " He wouldn't even hesitate to snap you in half."

Powered by an unknown force, Kagome could feel her legs break out of their icy prison, and she began to run. Faster, farther, away from him. It. Whatever she should call the demon. But when she heard no steps of someone closing in to her, she began to feel worry. The wind blew, causing the leaves to rustle, and a shiver ran up her spine. There was that feeling again.

She was being hunted.

To him, it was a game. And when he captured his prize...it would be the end of her. Death was not something that Kagome would greet with welcomed arms. In fact, she would kick it straight out and threaten to have it fined if it dared to return. Through the dead wood, Kagome managed to find a fairly fresh, thick tree branch then took a stance.

" I'm right here!" she shouted, loud enough that her voice echoed through the hollow forest. Prepared to strike, Kagome waited patiently, but was surprised when there was no answer. " Are you scared of me?"

Quicker than her eyes could catch, she felt claws digging into her stomach, and the feel of Inuyasha's half brother's chin against her neck. But before his touch, she had smelled the blood on him.

" Human...I will teach you fear."

November 17

1:13 p.m.

Kagome's Apartment in Ropongi Hills

" Ruined...I should have known."

Although Kagome would have expected something more of sympathy or concern regarding someone who had just fainted, she wasn't surprised when the complete opposite came from Tsutomu. In fact, he looked rather pensive. Well, of course he would. After all...he was...(was he really?)... Inuyasha.

Her eyes instantly opened, and despite her inability to keep them focused, she knew she couldn't let Tsutomu out of site. It felt so relieving to see him looking down at her, and she almost reached up to grasp him before realizing that there were boundaries. He obviously had no clue...and there was the possibility that she was imagining the whole thing. The last part did not appeal to her, and inside she insisted in her heart it was true and her doubts were all conjured from anxiety. Everything was conjured from anxiety.

" Hey, she's awake!"

" Finally. May I leave now?"

The face that now loomed over Kagome belonged to Reika, who turned her worried eyes momentarily to glare at Tsutomu. As Kagome's vision became less blurred, she realized she was lying on the futon in her apartment.

"Is this the amount of concern you show your employee?" Reika asked. " Wow, wonder what their health benefits are..."

"She will no longer be my employee if you keep me here!" Tsutomu snapped back. Kagome turned her head to the side to see him pacing angrily across the bare floor, soon to make tread marks. "Ruined.... everything. So soon..." Now he grasped his head in his hands, and paused long enough to reel over the disaster that was his life. Reika, though, seemed quite unaffected by this display of emotion, and sighed, irritated. She turned back to Kagome, and smiled.

"How do you feel?"

"Okay, I guess..." Inside, Kagome ran over the normal stats -name, resident, birth date, and so forth. She didn't faint normally, and wasn't sure whether it had any medical affiliations. " What happened?"

"Ah...what an obvious question," Reika commented, before jabbing her thumb behind her where Tsutomu was muttering to himself. " Prince Charming said that after looking at some painting, you fainted. Not to mention saying something to the ring of 'dog' before. Anyway, long story short, he brought you here--"

" How does he know where I live?"

" He's the Big B, I suppose he keeps track of his people."

"Yeah, right." Now there was a possibility of Tsutomu being some stalker, after all, what kind of boss would know where his employees lived?

"So, you sure you're all right?" Reika asked, putting a comforting hand on Kagome's shoulder. Kagome nodded and was about to say something, but was intercepted by Tsutomu.

"Higurashi's health is not of concern at this moment!" he shouted, waving his hands madly. "So soon...why so soon...?"

Kagome's eyes widened, and she cast Reika a questioning glance.

"Tsutomu is on the ropes," Reika explained. "If he doesn't bring up sales fast, he's going to be fired!" She let out a small laugh, not being the type to have sympathy for rich people. Tsutomu glared at her and clenched his fist.

"Listen you, if I were you, I would be concerned for Kagome!" He turned his blazing eyes to Kagome, then pointed at her. "I should fire you for this...this insult!"

"Insult?" Kagome pushed Reika away from her and bolted up from the bed, confronting Tsutomu. "Whatever do you mean by that?"

"I have a company to run, and instead, am forced to deal with you! You were trouble since the moment I met you, but I was forced to hire you because of your credential. But now... I know you're absolutely worthless! I gave you your chance to prove yourself to me, and you blew it!"

"I fainted, you moron! And you even found something that interested you. Shouldn't I deserve some credit for bringing up the suggestion about the museum?"

Tsutomu sighed suddenly, and shook his head slowly as if speaking to a stubborn child.

"I wasn't even interested in reporting on the Shikon Shard," he said, and Kagome started. Had she simply imagined everything? For a moment she hoped so, because right now she felt a deep loathing for Tsutomu. But then there were those eyes. Purposely, she caught Tsutomu's gaze, and it seemed like the first time she had seen Inuyasha as a human. He was so defeated, yet angered seemingly at her. She broke the gaze and pretended she was tired.

"Thank you for staying," she said, pushing Tsutomu toward the door. After Kagome pushed him out, Reika made the effort to toss his shoes out the door after him.

The Past

She should have left when she had the chance. Now, she would have to face whatever the half brother of Inuyasha was preparing to do to her. Death seemed the most likely outcome, and she shuddered.

At the moment, she was sitting in an abandoned temple. The thoughts of escaping never crossed her mind, yet as she stared at the ruins she could easily make her way out of, she knew it was impossible. Sesshoumaru was not a fool, and there would be something preventing her escape.

As she continued to remain prisoner within the temple, she couldn't help but to feel useless and a nuisance to Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru had said to Inuyasha once of how his love for humans would be his demise. Now, those words floated around her like a wraith. Sesshoumaru was certainly going to use her as bait to get his little brother. And she didn't even want to fathom what he would do to him.

November 19, 2002

9:00 p.m.

Tokyo Press Building, Floor 19

It seemed plausible, but she was still debating whether she wanted to accept it or not. The fact that Inuyasha was reborn was too wonderful a thing, as if they were given another chance to be together. Unless it was another chance for Inuyasha and Kikiyo to be together. Although at times it was hard to believe, Kagome was Kikiyo. But her personality was completely different. She was a different person, with no recollection of the past.

So then, how could Tsutomu remember anything of the past?

Yes, he was splitting image of Inuyasha, but it wasn't the image Kagome was in love with. But Tsutomu did act exactly like Inuyasha. Perhaps there was a slight chance, a miracle that he was the same dog-boy.

Kagome sighed, but her thoughts were broken when Tsutomu paged her.

"Higurashi, in my office.... now!"

She blinked and scowled at the pager. As she got up, though, she realized that while she was thinking, she had been drawing on some papers with a pen that exploded. Now, she had black ink all over her fingers.

"Hey, Higurashi, I like your new look!" Hino, the paper's sports columnist, called out. When Kagome shot him a dirty look, he grinned wolfishly and winked at her.

People working for the paper rarely visited Tsutomu's office. Most of them feared the wrath that emerged from Tsutomu's short temper and usually gave what needed editing to Kagome. As she walked toward the office, dozens of journalists handed folders to her wordlessly, and then scattered to where Tsutomu wouldn't see them. In the end, Kagome couldn't even open the door from her arm full of folders.

Giving the door a light kick with her foot, she waited to Tsutomu to open the door.

There was nothing.

She kicked again.

Nothing.

Finally, Kagome was driven to kicking with great force, but unfortunately, this was when Tsutomu finally decided to open the door.

"Gahh!"

Tsutomu clutched onto his calve and doubled over in pain. Ominously, the floor, which had always been quiet, became even quieter. The faces of the workers blanched and one man actually fell out of his chair.

"Ahh...I'm so sorry!" Kagome wasn't sure what to do, considering her arms were full of the folders. For some reason, she began to search her mind for what she did whenever she accidentally hurt Inuyasha. "...Well, if you had opened the door sooner, this wouldn't have happened!"

Now someone dropped their coffee mug, but their hand remained poised as if they were still in grasp of it. The silence, though, was still unstirred. Tsutomu stared at Kagome, his mouth slightly agape in shock that she would have the nerve to blame the situation on him. When Kagome brushed past him to enter his office, he was stationary in his mid crouch position, holding onto his calve lightly.

"That girl..." he suddenly growled, finding the strength to stand up straight. He cast a demeaning look to the frozen workers and in an instant, they all thawed and began to work again, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Higurashi, where do you get the nerve?" Tsutomu demanded after entering his office. He slammed the door behind him, and Kagome suddenly realized what she had done. She gave a slight jump and reached for a stray folder, deciding to use it as a weapon against the furry of her boss.

"Yes, remain silent! At least I won't have to listen to your useless babbling," Tsutomu continued. He made his way to his desk where he sat down heavily, and then swept a hand over the pile of folders Kagome had given him. "This is for Sunday's issue, isn't it?"

Kagome nodded behind the folder she held up. Tsutomu decided to ignore the woman's strange behavior and sifted through some of the compellations. After a moment, though, he threw down the papers with anger and slammed his desk with his hands.

"We're never going to manage to salvage Tokyo Press if this keeps up!" he shouted. "Send all of this back, every bit of it!"

"But we only have three hours until--"

"I don't care! Everyone is working overtime!"

Sighing, Kagome grabbed the papers and left Tsutomu's office, being anything but delighted to spend her night at work.

The Past

"Kagome! Kagome! Where the hell has that girl gone?" Inuyasha clenched his fist, hoping that a demon hadn't managed to get its grip on Kagome. The girl's stupidity to go out at night was beyond him. He had thought of her to be sleeping at Kaede's, but when he had gone to talk to her, she was gone.

"What kind of friends are you?" he demanded, looking at Sango.

"We don't share the same residence, Inuyasha," Sango said, tightening the sling around her that held her Boomerang Bone. "Besides, she would have been safely in the future at home if you hadn't blocked the well."

Inuyasha growled and Miroku lightly pulled Sango a few feet away from the half demon.

"I don't think you should say anything," he said in a low voice. Sango frowned, but listened. Inuyasha was particularly defensive when it came to Kagome and now that she may be in danger, he became ruthless.

"I won't forgive myself if something happens to her," Inuyasha said with determination. He glanced at both Sango and Miroku before sprinting off into the forest, leaving behind a trail of dust.

Sango sighed. "He cares for her too much..." she said and then called over Kiara. However, before her beast could carry her, Miroku placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Inuyasha has become blinded by his love for her," he said, nodding solemnly. He cast his eyes toward the darkening sky and Sango followed his gaze. She started a moment later, realizing the ominous truth of his words.

"A new moon tonight..." she whispered, and then her vision was drawn to the forest. By now, it would be near impossible to find the half demon.

November 19, 2002

11:19 p.m.

Tokyo Press Building, Floor 19

Yawning, Kagome trudged to Tsutomu's office, barely noticing in her delirium how the workers were either sleeping or nodding off on the verge of sleep. They had all managed to re-do their assignments to perfection, yet had to wait for the boss's approval before being allowed to go home.

After being given admittance to Tsutomu's office, Kagome was surprised to see him fully awake and planning the layout for the paper.

"Took you long enough," he said, giving her a short flicker of his violet eyes. "Give me those folders."

Kagome dutifully did what she was told. As she turned to leave, she heard Tsutomu message on the intercom that everyone was allowed to go home. Relieved, Kagome rushed to the door but was stopped by Tsutomu's order. Gritting her teeth, Kagome painfully turned around and attempted to suppress screaming.

"Yes?"

"This wasn't what I assigned you to write on," Tsutomu said, pointing his pen at Kagome. "Sit down."

Kagome lumbered to the chair in front of Tsutomu's desk and sat down. She wished to place her head on the desk and sleep, but from the looks of it, she wasn't getting any sleep tonight. It was a wonder how Tsutomu managed to stay awake all these hours and give no hint of fatigue.

"You were interested in it," Kagome replied nonchalantly. "I just thought that it would make an interesting piece for the paper."

"Interesting?" Tsutomu let out a laugh. "More like boring. No one wants to hear about the Shikon crystal and its past. Which brings me to another question...What is with this priestess you write about?" He paused and scanned over Kagome's article. "...Kikiyo...The priestess's name was unknown, but she died attempting to protect the crystal. I don't know where you're getting the name from. And from my recollections, the crystal had vanished without a trace. "

"Vanished?" Kagome started. She hadn't known what had happened to the crystal after she left the past. If Inuyasha had used it, then what for? Had it been stolen? Kagome felt uneasy and shifted in her chair nervously. Tsutomu, though, seemed more nervous than she was.

"Yes...well...that's the conclusion that historians have come up with...but..." Tsutomu trailed off and then turned back to the paper's layout. "You may leave now."

"No, what is it? Do you know something about the crystal and its whereabouts?" Kagome urged, now intrigued. Tsutomu looked rather reluctant to tell her and his eyes shifted as if he were hiding something.

"Of course not."

"That's a lie."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"That's also a lie."

Tsutomu took in a deep breath and folded his hands together. His eyes penetrated into Kagome's and it was almost like when she would sit with Inuyasha during a full moon at the fire. He had always hated his human form, but Kagome couldn't tell the difference. Although his appearance had changed, he would always be the same person.

"In High School, I used to be part of the Kendo club. Although some people said that I only used force, I learned to master the art of kendo," Tsutomu began. Kagome wasn't sure how kendo held any relevance to the Shikon crystal, but she listened intently. "In a tournament in school, I faced one of the greatest kendo masters. He was two grades ahead of me, and his skill was unsurpassable. What happened was that I let my guard down, and he slashed me deeply in the side. And after that, I..." Tsutomu trailed off and as Kagome stared at him, she could see his eyes dart to her and then look back at the desk. By now he was blushing furiously, yet was shaking slightly at the same time.

"Never mind," he suddenly snapped, still red faced yet with an angry determination not to allow Kagome to hear the rest of his tale. "I was not in my right mind to consider telling you something I have kept to myself for...years."

He knelt down and swiftly brought up his briefcase. After slamming it on his desk, he began to pile papers into it automatically. His eyes kept moving and his hands shaking; every time his vision wandered to Kagome, the shade of his face deepened now a lush crimson.

"...But you considered telling me," Kagome suddenly said, her heart beginning to beat faster. She stood up slowly, hoping that her knees would not bend beneath her. The weakness she was experiencing was not favorable to her. "That has to mean something."

"And when you find out, I would be more than willing to know," Tsutomu snapped, now deciding to focus on his blank computer screen rather than Kagome. "In fact...it's women like you that manage to manipulate men into getting whatever they want!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kagome cried out, hardly believing what she had heard. "You're just changing the subject!"

"So are you!"

Tsutomu slammed his briefcase shut with such force that the desk shuddered and a few of his pens rolled out of the, now fallen, oval case. He remained for a moment with his hands pressed against the top of the case and his upper body hung over. Strands of his hair covered his face and his tie was askew, and for a moment, he did look attractive. However, when he raised his head, there was an all too familiar look that he had run out of patience.

"Why are you still in my office?" he asked, every word spoken slowly as if Kagome could not understand English.

"I want to hear the rest!" Kagome demanded, taking a step forward. A small smile formed on Tsutomu's face and he chuckled lightly.

"You are by far the most annoying person I have ever met," he said.

Before Kagome could protest, Tsutomu had swung around his desk and had his hands on her shoulders. For a moment, she was frightened and took a weary step back. Tsutomu, however, pulled her toward him and for once, looked her straight in the eyes. Kagome felt her breath catch, not because they were the same eyes she dreamt about, but for another reason. Those eyes were different.

"Eh, squirming are we?" Tsutomu whispered. Kagome threw him a dirty look and was prepared to knee him in the stomach; however, he spun her around and pressed her back against him. "Don't take me lightly. You'll regret it."

With that last warning, he leaned over to open the door of his office, and then gracelessly, pushed her out.

(a/n: ???)