Chapter One
Stray
InuYasha listened to the squeaking of his black worn out sneakers bounce off the desolate hallway walls. It was the only thing his ears, hidden behind thick black hair, could pick up as he walked. The moon shinning through a stain glass window ahead was his only reminder that it was night.
He couldn't sleep. Or rather, he refused to sleep. Insomnia was becoming a recurrence steadily now. Walking the halls every night gave him an advantage of learning where every room and hall resided in the enormous dorm. He also knew what places created the most noise, which was crucial to his nightly walks. If a staff member discovered him out of his room without permission- well he did not want to think about it.
The boy's golden eyes fell upon the massive doors at the end of the darkened hallway. Faltering in step, he gathered his nerves and made his way to it. Resting his cold hand against the sleek wood, he risked a frustrated sigh.
'It'd be so easy to... feh, quit daydreaming," he ordered himself snapping from his folly and turning his bare back to the door. Leaning back caused him to flinch; the cold of the doorknob pricked his middle back as he slid down. With a thud he met the icy floor and after getting comfortable, he released another longing sigh.
'Well why not?' He wondered. 'I wouldn't run away anyway, it's not like I have anywhere else to go. I'd just be nice to get out of this nut house for a few hours without being watched,' the voice in his head grew more convincing with each word.
With a jolt, he rose from his slumped position, determination in his eyes, stealth in his movements. Stealth and determination: the two traits that led him to the house. It was these traits now that allowed him to open the left large door without producing barely a creak.
Welcoming warm summer winds caressed his face as he vigilantly stuck his head out the slightly opened door. It seemed to catch up his breath and carry it away and thus he stood there for a moment's time captivated by summer's intriguing smell of freedom.
It wasn't for a few more seconds until his bright eyes beheld a form slumped along the descending cement stairs a bit beyond the large doors.
His first reaction was to dash away before he was noticed but his instinct confirmed that there was no threat since it seemed the figure was nowhere near conscience state.
Edging towards it carefully, nearly crawling, InuYasha soon found himself hovering over a raven-haired girl. Curled up and clutching her backpack to her stomach, gave the boy no clues to whether she was even alive.
Abrupt yet faint snoring confirmed she was.
'What am I supposed to do?' Reaching out with his hand, he nudged the girl gently. To the extreme that he could barely feel the contact his cautious fingertips made with her emerald tee shirt. "Hey. Girl," he mumbled hoping she would be the only one who heard him.
"Mmmmm..."
InuYasha nudged her again with a little more force. "Hey," he called out in desperation but to no avail. The mystery girl was fast asleep, how she came to be that way was more the mystery than anything.
Frustrated, he pulled himself back up and dusted the filth from his red pajama pants, "Fine. Just lay there all night, fool. Your fault ya never bothered to come in." He wasn't sure why he was speaking to the unconscience girl, perhaps it comforted him to have someone to speak to late at night when rest eluded him. Even if that person would not talk back.
Grumbling, he scooped her up and slung the overweight bag onto his bare back. 'Looks like she was gonna stay here anyway...' He groaned inwardly under the immense weight. "You looked so light before," he mused pretending she could hear.
With newly acquired grace and skill, he slipped unnoticed back into the confines of the dreary estate. Making his way along the dim hallways and ascending steep staircases he eventually made it to the south wing, where the occupied dorms were.
'There's no way I could keep her in my room,' he reasoned with himself scanning the hall and each door. His muscles strained under the force of his luggage as he frantically searched for a promising door.
His eyes landed on a familiar door, it was his friend Sango's. 'If there's anyone who'd take in a stray like you it'd be her,' he said in his mind, fooling himself into believing she could hear his thoughts as well.
He tapped gingerly on the door continuously. Each hit filled him with more urgency then the last and his heart prayed she would pick it up and come to the door. It took a couple more minutes of tedious tapping until finally the golden handle jerked and turned. What came next was nearly enough shock to cause him to drop his load.
Chocking back a yell, he whispered through a clamped throat, "Miroku?"
The boy peered through the crack in the door with violet and sleepy eyes that hid behind traces of black bangs. His groggy yet handsome face was a strange combination of tiredness and content. Although drowning in sleep, his sharp eyes snapped to the girl in InuYasha's arms. "...hey. Look now isn't a good time okay? Where'd you get the stray? Ya know never mind, I'm going back to bed," was the mumbled and barely intelligible words InuYasha picked up.
Glancing in disbelief from Miroku's face to the numbers on the door, InuYasha finally was moved to ask, "Why in the hell are you in Sango's room?"
Miroku made a surprised face yet his gleaming eyes gave him away, "Oh! Is this Sango-chan's room?"
"Feh. I don't have time for your games, we'll talk tomorrow," was InuYasha's disinterested reply. He watched as his friend smiled wickedly and closed the door, too loudly and clumsily for InuYasha's taste.
Desperate not to be caught, he moved quickly down the hall reading each number. That is until his eyes perceived in the faint light another door not too far away from his own. Dread and stubbornness halted him but he quickly convinced his doubting mind that this was his only option.
Hesitating to knock nearly caused him to drop the idea and search for another room. But again he reasoned this would suffice and his sweating palm connected with the door gingerly and discreetly. Even he, who had superb hearing, could not make out any noise in his hits. Applying a little more force was enough to get a reaction on the other side. 'Always was a light sleeper..." he reminisced. It troubled him to detect his heart pounding with anticipation in his nude chest as the knob rotated. However, it froze at the sight of the answering person's icy, cold, emotionless face.
"What do you want?" The person asked coldly.
"Hey, uh, do you think, well..." he took a moment to arrange his words. "I found this girl outside asleep on the steps and... well could you let her stay with you tonight?" The pleading and desperation in his already hushed voice irked him.
The person's icy, pale, beautiful face remained unchanged for quit sometime. "I'm not taking in some stray, go talk to your buddy Sango or something," came the sharp biting reply of a woman's voice.
Faltering and nearly smiling at the irony of her statement he replied, "she didn't answer. Come on, have a heart the girl's gotta stay somewhere."
"InuYasha you can't use a broken heart," she responded harshly.
'Not this again...' Shifting the weight in his stressed arms and releasing an irritated sigh he said, "Look, this has nothing to do with us or me or you. It has to do with this girl and finding her somewhere to stay."
The girl grimaced and looked down, considering InuYasha's words. Slowly raising her head she met with golden, sleepless eyes. "You are right, InuYasha. I can't take out what a dick you've been on this hapless stray." She could not help but see the relief in his eyes and the breath of air he released as an imaginary weight lifted from his defined shoulders. "Just go lay her on my bed," she ordered. Her eyes remained cold, nearly lifeless as he gently set the girl and her bag down and turned to walk out.
Just as she prepared to shut the door behind him he turned and faced her. His black, long hair draped over his bare shoulders and piercing golden eyes entranced her momentarily until she masked it with disgust.
"Ya know, I'm sorry. I really am sorry," he said gently trying to be convincing.
"Whatever. I've done you a favor now go away." The girl shut the door abruptly before InuYasha could manage to respond.
Unexpectedly, he smiled. The action was unfamiliar to the muscles in his face. He stared at the door more some time, his smile chipping away as thoughts plagued his mind. Sometime later, he felt his body yearn for rest and thus he decided to retreat to his room.
"Well, thank you anyway, Kikyo."
Stray
InuYasha listened to the squeaking of his black worn out sneakers bounce off the desolate hallway walls. It was the only thing his ears, hidden behind thick black hair, could pick up as he walked. The moon shinning through a stain glass window ahead was his only reminder that it was night.
He couldn't sleep. Or rather, he refused to sleep. Insomnia was becoming a recurrence steadily now. Walking the halls every night gave him an advantage of learning where every room and hall resided in the enormous dorm. He also knew what places created the most noise, which was crucial to his nightly walks. If a staff member discovered him out of his room without permission- well he did not want to think about it.
The boy's golden eyes fell upon the massive doors at the end of the darkened hallway. Faltering in step, he gathered his nerves and made his way to it. Resting his cold hand against the sleek wood, he risked a frustrated sigh.
'It'd be so easy to... feh, quit daydreaming," he ordered himself snapping from his folly and turning his bare back to the door. Leaning back caused him to flinch; the cold of the doorknob pricked his middle back as he slid down. With a thud he met the icy floor and after getting comfortable, he released another longing sigh.
'Well why not?' He wondered. 'I wouldn't run away anyway, it's not like I have anywhere else to go. I'd just be nice to get out of this nut house for a few hours without being watched,' the voice in his head grew more convincing with each word.
With a jolt, he rose from his slumped position, determination in his eyes, stealth in his movements. Stealth and determination: the two traits that led him to the house. It was these traits now that allowed him to open the left large door without producing barely a creak.
Welcoming warm summer winds caressed his face as he vigilantly stuck his head out the slightly opened door. It seemed to catch up his breath and carry it away and thus he stood there for a moment's time captivated by summer's intriguing smell of freedom.
It wasn't for a few more seconds until his bright eyes beheld a form slumped along the descending cement stairs a bit beyond the large doors.
His first reaction was to dash away before he was noticed but his instinct confirmed that there was no threat since it seemed the figure was nowhere near conscience state.
Edging towards it carefully, nearly crawling, InuYasha soon found himself hovering over a raven-haired girl. Curled up and clutching her backpack to her stomach, gave the boy no clues to whether she was even alive.
Abrupt yet faint snoring confirmed she was.
'What am I supposed to do?' Reaching out with his hand, he nudged the girl gently. To the extreme that he could barely feel the contact his cautious fingertips made with her emerald tee shirt. "Hey. Girl," he mumbled hoping she would be the only one who heard him.
"Mmmmm..."
InuYasha nudged her again with a little more force. "Hey," he called out in desperation but to no avail. The mystery girl was fast asleep, how she came to be that way was more the mystery than anything.
Frustrated, he pulled himself back up and dusted the filth from his red pajama pants, "Fine. Just lay there all night, fool. Your fault ya never bothered to come in." He wasn't sure why he was speaking to the unconscience girl, perhaps it comforted him to have someone to speak to late at night when rest eluded him. Even if that person would not talk back.
Grumbling, he scooped her up and slung the overweight bag onto his bare back. 'Looks like she was gonna stay here anyway...' He groaned inwardly under the immense weight. "You looked so light before," he mused pretending she could hear.
With newly acquired grace and skill, he slipped unnoticed back into the confines of the dreary estate. Making his way along the dim hallways and ascending steep staircases he eventually made it to the south wing, where the occupied dorms were.
'There's no way I could keep her in my room,' he reasoned with himself scanning the hall and each door. His muscles strained under the force of his luggage as he frantically searched for a promising door.
His eyes landed on a familiar door, it was his friend Sango's. 'If there's anyone who'd take in a stray like you it'd be her,' he said in his mind, fooling himself into believing she could hear his thoughts as well.
He tapped gingerly on the door continuously. Each hit filled him with more urgency then the last and his heart prayed she would pick it up and come to the door. It took a couple more minutes of tedious tapping until finally the golden handle jerked and turned. What came next was nearly enough shock to cause him to drop his load.
Chocking back a yell, he whispered through a clamped throat, "Miroku?"
The boy peered through the crack in the door with violet and sleepy eyes that hid behind traces of black bangs. His groggy yet handsome face was a strange combination of tiredness and content. Although drowning in sleep, his sharp eyes snapped to the girl in InuYasha's arms. "...hey. Look now isn't a good time okay? Where'd you get the stray? Ya know never mind, I'm going back to bed," was the mumbled and barely intelligible words InuYasha picked up.
Glancing in disbelief from Miroku's face to the numbers on the door, InuYasha finally was moved to ask, "Why in the hell are you in Sango's room?"
Miroku made a surprised face yet his gleaming eyes gave him away, "Oh! Is this Sango-chan's room?"
"Feh. I don't have time for your games, we'll talk tomorrow," was InuYasha's disinterested reply. He watched as his friend smiled wickedly and closed the door, too loudly and clumsily for InuYasha's taste.
Desperate not to be caught, he moved quickly down the hall reading each number. That is until his eyes perceived in the faint light another door not too far away from his own. Dread and stubbornness halted him but he quickly convinced his doubting mind that this was his only option.
Hesitating to knock nearly caused him to drop the idea and search for another room. But again he reasoned this would suffice and his sweating palm connected with the door gingerly and discreetly. Even he, who had superb hearing, could not make out any noise in his hits. Applying a little more force was enough to get a reaction on the other side. 'Always was a light sleeper..." he reminisced. It troubled him to detect his heart pounding with anticipation in his nude chest as the knob rotated. However, it froze at the sight of the answering person's icy, cold, emotionless face.
"What do you want?" The person asked coldly.
"Hey, uh, do you think, well..." he took a moment to arrange his words. "I found this girl outside asleep on the steps and... well could you let her stay with you tonight?" The pleading and desperation in his already hushed voice irked him.
The person's icy, pale, beautiful face remained unchanged for quit sometime. "I'm not taking in some stray, go talk to your buddy Sango or something," came the sharp biting reply of a woman's voice.
Faltering and nearly smiling at the irony of her statement he replied, "she didn't answer. Come on, have a heart the girl's gotta stay somewhere."
"InuYasha you can't use a broken heart," she responded harshly.
'Not this again...' Shifting the weight in his stressed arms and releasing an irritated sigh he said, "Look, this has nothing to do with us or me or you. It has to do with this girl and finding her somewhere to stay."
The girl grimaced and looked down, considering InuYasha's words. Slowly raising her head she met with golden, sleepless eyes. "You are right, InuYasha. I can't take out what a dick you've been on this hapless stray." She could not help but see the relief in his eyes and the breath of air he released as an imaginary weight lifted from his defined shoulders. "Just go lay her on my bed," she ordered. Her eyes remained cold, nearly lifeless as he gently set the girl and her bag down and turned to walk out.
Just as she prepared to shut the door behind him he turned and faced her. His black, long hair draped over his bare shoulders and piercing golden eyes entranced her momentarily until she masked it with disgust.
"Ya know, I'm sorry. I really am sorry," he said gently trying to be convincing.
"Whatever. I've done you a favor now go away." The girl shut the door abruptly before InuYasha could manage to respond.
Unexpectedly, he smiled. The action was unfamiliar to the muscles in his face. He stared at the door more some time, his smile chipping away as thoughts plagued his mind. Sometime later, he felt his body yearn for rest and thus he decided to retreat to his room.
"Well, thank you anyway, Kikyo."