AN: Well seeing as I don't really have any serious long fics to be updated
like Soul Exchange or anything, I might as well get on with this. But be
warned, I do have another long AU fic in mind soon ^_^
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Rules of Acquisitions
Fatherly Love
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~Inuyasha~
Kagome sneaked off with a sour look on her face, though I didn't exactly blame her. She cast me and Kikyo one last irate glance before standing up shortly and stomping off down the front row. Internally I winced like I'd been slapped as I continued to pretend to be listening to what Kikyo was saying.
Kikyo's hand touched my arm again, nearly distracting me from seeing Kagome being blocked by her father and questioned. I couldn't hear what they said since Kikyo droned out a lot of sound in that opera hall. No offence to the girl or anything...
"Where's she gone to...?" I let slip as my gaze followed Kagome as she stalked out of the box, all but throwing the red curtain aside as she left.
Kikyo followed my gaze, catching the last glimpse of a girl in a red dress marching out. She shrugged and turned back to me. "Little girl's room? Anyway, as I was saying - that spider in banana thing really had poor Naraku at his wits end - you remember how when he was a kid we used to put that Halloween spiders in his bed and..."
I lost track of what she was saying as I began to fidget uncomfortably. She was jealous - and I hadn't even intended to make her that way. Yeah, sometimes I gave other girls flirty looks when Kagome was around - but that was only to wind her up. Didn't she understand that I couldn't look like I wanted her over Kikyo? If I shrugged Kikyo off she would get a clue and then the rumours would be flying all over again... as if they weren't already.
And the whole doggy style thing was SO not funny.
"Oh look - they're starting!" Kikyo broke off whatever she'd been telling me as she caught sight of the dimming lights and the orchestra beginning to warm up and get in tune with one another. At last Kikyo seemed more interested in watching men blow horns than talking to me... I tried not to be to offended as I casually slid out of my seat and picked my way down the row.
A strong hand with iron claws suddenly grabbed my arm and I hissed in pain as my father yanked me down so my ear was close to his head. "Where are you going?" he snapped.
"Little Hanyou's room." I replied curtly and yanked my arm from his grip and all but stumbled out of the box, massaging my abused arm. Why did he always have to do that...
I sighed as I tried to relax and headed in the vague direction of the ladies room... it took me a few minutes to find it, and a few more minutes to summon the courage to step into the unknown. If there were any women in there then I was a dead little puppy...
I pushed the door open silently, and peeked inside. Relief flooded me at once as I saw only Kagome crouched by the sinks with her forehead resting against the marble edge. She had her eyes closed and she didn't seem to register I was there. Relief seeped away as I realised she looked very tense and anxious.
Well. There was only one way to deal with jumpy, easily startled people - the same way you deal with those with heart conditions!
I sneaked up behind her and grabbed her so fast I felt her smothered scream against my hand as I dragged her up from the floor. She struggled for a moment until she seemed to get her senses straight - too bad for me. She elbowed me in the stomach, hard.
I let go of her at once and stepped back with a gasp as she fumbled around for the heavy soap dish to lob at me. Fortunately she turned around before she threw it... but then she nearly threw it at me anyway in sheer anger.
"Inuyasha! NOT funny!" she half screamed. "I thought you were some creepy kidnapper!"
"Sorry to disappoint you." I smirked and straightened, reaching out to take her hand. She moved away from me and turned her back to lean on the marble sink surface. I was stumped for a moment... was I dumped? Then I remembered, she was still mad at me for what happened a few minutes ago.
"What's biting you?" I sidled up beside her, causing her to sidle away in response.
"You. Obviously." She was clenching her teeth and her fists so tightly that her knuckles were going white. "So how come you know Kikyo so well?"
"Dunno." I shrugged.
Kagome glared at me. "Dunno? What's that supposed to mean?"
"I don't know how I know her so well. I've known her since forever." I defended myself. "Besides... when you've known someone since they were an iddy biddy drooling baby... you don't see them in any special way later on in life. It kinda puts you off them."
"She didn't seem put off by you."
"Well, that's because I'm irresistible no matter what." I replied cockily, seeing her smile slightly. I cocked my head and turned serious for her benefit. "Look, I ignored you back there because Kikyo would be the first person to notice anything between us. She's hypersensitive to details. One glance between us and she'd know something was up."
"I guess..." her tone was weary... I suppose she was as sick of this charade as I was.
"By the way, you look beautiful tonight." I said softly. "How did you know red was my favourite colour?"
She smiled knowingly as she straightened and gave me a peck on the cheek. "What I'd like to know is why you didn't wear MY favourite colour?"
"What's your favourite colour?"
Kagome was about to answer when we both heard the orchestra start up. She changed her answer. "We better go back - I'll go first since I left first - you come in a few minutes."
"Sure." I sighed as I leaned against the sinks and watched her scamper out into the hall.
I took a slow assessing look of the bathroom around me. Actually... it wasn't that much different from the gents I guess. Nothing to write home about. But it was cool enough to say I'd just spent five minutes in a the ladies room with my girlfriend. Now if I could just work 'quickie' into that sentence then all my friends would be kissing my feet...
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~Kagome~
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The hall was dark when I arrived back in my seat, I remember I nearly tripped up three times on the way there.
The opera had already started and the people were already singing at the top of their lungs. I was almost totally engrossed that I nearly missed when Inuyasha dropped into the seat directly beside me. The one Kikyo had been sitting in. I noticed him, however, when he took my hand and clasped it firmly in his, even while he didn't look at me.
And yet again I failed to notice what he was doing was dangerous. And that his father was watching our hands from only a few seats away. Though it was something we'd dearly pay for later.
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The last note of the lead female singer warbled and died into an uproar of applause. I joined in and clapped so hard my hands stung, it was only then that I realised wet tears had been leaking from my eyes...
Surprisingly, the play had touched me. Very Romeo and Juliet-esque. Two young love birds divided by country and culture... and in the end their differences hadn't been overcome by the power of love. So basically... it was a sad ending, and it reminded me a lot of my current situation.
I glanced secretly to Inuyasha beside me, to see if he felt the same way... but maybe that was expecting too much. Seeing as he was half asleep. I guess he didn't get Opera like I did.
As the velvet curtain fell over the stage and the lights started to come back on, I found everyone around me beginning to stand up and mooch out of the box. The Arashi's moving to the left side and my family moving to the right.
Me and Inuyasha didn't even get the chance to say goodbye as Sango appeared beside me and began ushering me out along with everyone else. Miroku did pretty much the same thing with Inuyasha.
"Something's up..." Sango whispered in my ear. "The Supei's are being might secretive tonight."
"Sango, you're just paranoid." I told her. "The Supei's are the only normal family here - maybe that's what makes them so weird. But I doubt they're being sneaky..."
"We'll see." Sango said dubiously as we found our way back into the corridor outside and started following the stream of people back towards the main foyer. It had to have been midnight by now, and sitting in a dark hall had made me sort of sleepy... I couldn't wait to just go home and curl up in bed.
But, alas, as we reached the entrance hall, we stopped, along with Arashi's - because just as we were about to leave Mr Supei turned to us and chingled a spoon against his champagne flute. "May I have your attention please?"
Sango instantly stiffened beside me and I suddenly began to feel the dark clouds of suspicion drifting over me. Mr Supei cleared his throat until both families were quiet. I shot a glance to the Arashi's and saw Miroku looking just as tense as Sango, whilst Inuyasha just stood with his arms folded and expression terse... like always. But he looked a little curious as he watched the Supei family head.
"I admit that our gathering tonight had some ulterior motives on my behalf." Supei said with a small chortle.
"I knew it!" I hissed to Sango who rolled her eyes at me.
"I thought it best to announce some rather pleasing news when we were all gathered in one place after partaking in a pleasant activity." He went on. "Me and my family would like to announce that we have come across possession of the Shikon no Tama recently."
A small shocked buzz of surprise went around the gathered crowd. I felt my mouth drop open as I stared at the man in bewilderment.
"We offered it to the museum but they responded that they wished for us to keep it."
"Bull... they stole it..." Sango ground out, darting a resentful look at Naraku and Kikyo.
Now what was going to happen?
"Unfortunately it is not entirely in our possession just yet, but when it is we welcome you all to visit some time and take a look at such a magnificent piece of work from the Sengoku period."
That's right... rub it all in our faces that they had the jewel and we didn't. Sango had left my side temporarily to whisper something quietly to my father, unnoticed by anyone else. She returned only moments later and leaned towards me.
"Your father wants us to spy on the Arashi's estate tonight." She informed me. "He thinks they might know where the jewel is right now."
I glanced across at Mr Arashi who looked unusually smug considering the news he'd just been delivered. I turned back to Sango. "Why don't we just go spy on the Supei's?"
She shook her head. "No way. That place is like a fortress. Only demons would be able to get in that place and spy around... the Arashi's are the only ones who could spy on them. Best if we just rely on the demons to get the info."
I groaned internally. I really just wanted to go to bed, not frolic around demon estates. But if we wanted to win this election we NEEDED that jewel. It was ours by right anyway, seeing as our ancestors made it. The Arashi's would know where it was if they spied on the Supei's tonight. But if we spied on the Arashi's then we would know too. Maybe the information would be a little delayed, but we didn't have much choice.
"Meet at the back of the house at two o'clock ok? Make sure you stay awake." Sango patted my arm compassionately as she saw my tired expression and moved off to follow the rest of crowd as they exited the building. I tottered along behind my mother and father as they whispered frantic urgent things to one another, obviously they were quite upset at the turn of events.
I followed the family outside and searched around discreetly for where Inuyasha might be. I saw he had already left the building before me and was leaning against one of the stone pillars where the reporters had been earlier. They'd all wandered off by now, and the area before the main entrance was pretty much free of flashing camera and people with microphones, now only occupied by guests heading back to their parked vehicles and limousines.
He had something in his hand, and the moment he spotted me looking in his direction he gave a pointed wink and placed whatever he was holding on the floor beside the pillar before walking off. I guessed that was my cue to go see what he'd dropped.
It was a little piece of paper, folded up and scrawled over with his almost illegible handwriting.
"Round the corner... fountains...?" was about all I could make out.
"Kagome?!"
I turned to see my mother waving to me, beside the limo that would take us home. "Are you coming?"
"No - I'll walk home - it's too crowded in there, I just want to clear my head." I called back. She just shrugged and got it. I suppose the average mother would have grabbed me by the ear and dragged me back inside the car instead of let her teenage daughter wonder around the streets of Tokyo at midnight.
But then I didn't really need anyone's protection anymore. I wasn't the average daughter as you might say. I turned and headed away from the crowd of people at the entrance, turning around the edge of the building and out of sight. I followed the footpath until I came to some kind of courtyard, completely desert of life and people, as well as lights. But there was a fountain.
And there was also my boyfriend. The one relatively normal person in my strange life. While I led a double spy life he was just plain old Inuyasha, my anchor to reality.
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~Inuyasha~
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Kagome's face literally lit up when she saw me, making the dark courtyard seem less darker than before. I loved it when she smiled. She never smiled that way for anyone else... just me.
"Get the note?" I asked as she approached.
"Well at least you didn't drop it in the bin like last time." Her smile widened. "It was disgusting, I had to pick it out to read it and then Sango came up and tapped me on the shoulder - I had to stick it in my mouth and pretend it was gum."
"There was probably gum stuck to it if that helps..."
"Yeah, thanks." She sighed and folded against me as she arrived, my arms automatically moving up to return her lazy embrace. For some reason she wasn't smiling now. "Inuyasha, I'm sick of this... hiding in toilets and having secret meetings isn't my style..."
"But it's the only way." I pointed out. She suddenly stomped her foot and pulled back.
"Well why can't we just ignore what they say?!" she demanded of me. "Why can't we just hang out together with our friends and do NORMAL boyfriend and girlfriend things?"
"Because of the scandal-"
"Sod the scandal!" She said heatedly. "Words will never hurt me - the press can say what they like, I don't care. It's not like they can break us apart of hurt us in anyway."
"It could damage the election next month..." I warned.
"How? How could it damage anything? That's what I'd like to know?" she was off on one of her tirades again. They were usually quite cute, but this time it was serious. "The children of the candidates go to the cinema together - Shock! Let's shoot them!"
"That's just being over-dramatic!" I sighed.
"Then how will our relationship damage anything?"
She didn't understand, perhaps she was too naïve. Or perhaps her family really was better than mine. "Our relationship won't damage anything. It's what our families will do that will damage our chances."
She fell silent as a little light bulb went on in her head.
"If your father finds out, can you honestly say that he'll just sit back and let you date me? Are you so sure he won't try and break us apart?"
"No..." she looked up at me. "But what about you dad?"
"I can guess his reaction would be less than desirable." I told her dryly. "Their attempts to break us up would be press dynamite. Again. They'd look bad and the Supei's will win for sure."
"They might win anyway... they have the Shikon..." I heard her sigh and let her head fall. So she knew about the magic properties of that stone too? Not surprising, considering her best friend was Sneaky Sango.
Miroku was out right that moment, off to search the Supei's estate for the jewel or information alone. They said that only demons would be able to penetrate that place... very skilled demons. But then again Miroku wasn't an ordinary human. He'd manage just fine, and hopefully we'd get the information or the jewel, before the Higurashi's...
Once again it made me feel guilty for Kagome... even when we were together I thought constantly about running her family into the ground.
"I think we're the only sane ones in this crazy world." Kagome went to sit on the edge of the fountain, so I joined her.
"No one must know about us." I stressed. "No one."
"Alright, you're starting to sound like my Dad." She laughed.
"Whatever floats your boat." I caught her chin and leaned in to kiss her quickly on the lips. Just then, her hand lashed out and gave me a push on the chest, sending me cascading backwards into the icy water of the fountain. I gasped like it's just been hit by a thousand wet fish.
"THAT'S for scaring me in the bathroom!" she shouted, though her eyes danced with glee.
"Cow..." I held out my hand for her to pull me out. She just laughed.
"I'm not falling for that one!" she refused to help me out. "You'll pull me in the minute I take your hand."
"No!" I contrived to look innocent... but gave up quickly upon seeing her credulous look. "Ok, yeah I was."
Fortunately I was quicker than she was, and it only took me a few seconds to stand and haul her into the fountain beside me. She screeched as she collapsed into the water below me. She sat up spluttering moments later. "Ew... I think I just swallowed a cigarette butt..."
I sniggered before crouching before her in the water to strip off a dead leaf that was stuck to her shoulder. "You look a state. Your make-ups run."
"Miroku's ran too when he cried at the opera." She giggled softly before looking around. "Well this isn't very hygienic is it?"
Her laughter subsided as I unconsciously reached out to cup her cheek with my cold hand. It was ok, since he cheek was just as cold. In fact she was beginning to shiver. "You cold?"
"Mm." She nodded slightly, eyes locked on mine before her gaze slid down to my lips. She obviously had only one thing on her mind besides getting out and getting warm. Who was I to deny this princess anything she wanted?
I leaned in and brushed my lips tenderly across hers, until she quickly bridge the gap to swoop a full kiss. My hands remained cupping her jaw, controlling the kiss somewhat while her hands bunched in my hair or kneaded my shoulder. Our kisses weren't as hurried as they used to be. Nowadays we felt like we had all the time in the world to be together...
That couldn't have been farther from the truth...
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I yawned as I stepped through the door into my home. It must have been three in the morning, so undoubtedly everyone would be asleep in bed. That's why I was confused and surprised when I entered the living room to find everyone was still up and the lights were still on.
I stopped in the doorway and looked up in surprise as my family turned like a sea of heads to look at me. Surveying them I could see they were all dressed in their formal wear from the opera...
I searched around for something that would give me the exact time... maybe it wasn't as late as I'd thought... until I realised everything was very quiet and they were all staring at me.
"What?" I asked, looking around at all the blank or accusing faces. My eyes rested on Sesshomaru for a moment, before he turned away in disgust like he couldn't bear to look at me.
"What's going on?" I took a tentative sniff of my clothes... maybe I was putting them all off with my smell of chlorine.
I darted a glance to my father who suddenly stood up and started walking towards me in that skulking way of his. Surprisingly, he look amused, but I knew never to judge how he felt on how he looked. "Very funny... I bet you think you're a bleeding genius."
I'd missed a vital part of the conversation here...
"Leave him be..." one of my Aunts muttered with a sigh.
"Did you think I wouldn't find out?" my father demanded, ignoring his sister's soft plea. "Did you think I was too thick to notice - too blind to see?!"
A cold fear clenched my heart, as an eminent feeling of dread and doom passed over me. This was it... what I'd been dreading... The game was up.
"Thought it would be a good laugh to sneak around with a Higurashi girl behind my back, did you?" he laughed harshly, though it was completely without humour. "And don't try and deny you did this just to get back at me!"
"For what?!" I yelled back, feeling anger start to replace that fear. "Why has this always got to be about hate and revenge with you?! Why's it got to have anything to do with you?! This is none of your business!"
"Oh, this is very much my business!" he snarled back. "You're trying to ruin me for petty anger!"
"I'm not angry at you!" well I was right then but that was beside the point. "This is between me and Kagome! You are not involved!"
"Kagome? You call her so familiarly!" he growled. "This is unbelievable! That you would toy with a girl for your own selfish reasons!"
"Like I said - this isn't about hate! This is about love!"
"Shut your mouth!"
"Why?!" I all but shoved past one of my cousins to storm closer to him. "Is 'Love' the new swear word in this house?!" I pointed to one of my youngest cousins, only nine years old. "Quick, Tarou, cover your ears! I said the L word!"
"This isn't a game!" My father stormed a few steps towards me, looking like he was barely restraining from hitting me. "You can't risk so much right now! You're an insult and a disgrace to this family!"
"Funny, maybe that would have more profound affect on me right now if you hadn't told me the same thing when I was seven years old." I snapped harshly, watching his eyes flash dangerously. "Repeatedly!"
"You'll do nothing but bring shame on us with this!" he yelled.
"Nope - heard that one before too!" I shrugged and laughed at his expense. I found nothing funny, I was just wondering how far I could push this. He hated it when he thought he wasn't getting through to me. "Maybe you should try 'Inuyasha, you're the scum of the scum and I knew you were a mistake the moment you were conceived' But oh! That isn't just a threat - that's JUST how you feel - AND you told me that once before!"
"If you don't end this ridiculous relationship then I will personally make sure you never see her again."
Yep, that was my predictable Dad. I had known ages ago that this would be one of his threats if he ever found out. Good thing I'd already thought of ways to counter them. But maybe my mouth ran away with my heart a bit too much this time.
"Why should I end it?" I demanded. "I love her with all of my being - and you should know that outside forces can't destroy someone's love for someone else! Try as much as you like, Dad, but I love her and that will never change. Maybe I'll marry her! Maybe we'll have kids! Would you like that? Would you like to become a grandfather to impure whelps that have more pathetic human blood than strong demon blood?!"
That must have hit a nerve, seeing as he turned his back on me and moved to stand beside the fire place. I was in the heat of things, and I just had to push it further, even though looking back, I really shouldn't have.
I followed him across the room and stood behind him with a nasty sort of smile. "She's a weak human, just like my Mom! But who knows, maybe I'll stick by her long enough and protect her with my life unlike my own father! Maybe she won't die of something pitiful like pneumonia when our first son is only three years old! Maybe I won't let my son grow up in an overcrowded home filled with bullies and brutes!"
I gave him a shove on the shoulder - the first time I'd reached to touch him in seven years. "You got that you blustering old wombat?! I L-O-V-E Kagome - sorry Tarou - and admit it! You're too weak now to even think about interfering in-"
And that's when he snapped. I often tried his patience many times over the years, but this must have been the first time personal, rather untouchable subjects had been brought up. I overstepped the line and I paid for it.
He swung around so fast I didn't see it happen. I did however feel the pain of his fist smashing so hard into my face that lights exploded in my vision before everything went black. I was aware only of someone screaming behind me and the world's balance seemed to tip even as I heard my father continue to bellow at me. But I didn't even feel it when I hit the floor.
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~Kagome~
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Three in the morning... and while all my normal friends and family were all tucked up in bed, I was out sitting on the garage roof with Sango and her binoculars. I smothered a yawn with my hand and huddled closer into my black jacket, wishing I'd remembered to bring my insulated pink gloves. But Sango had said pink gloves were a big no-no and had made me bring the black ones.
They weren't even cosy mittens.
"Now what they doing?" I asked lamely as Sango continued to watch the Arashi's through the living room window. If I just took the time to look I would find out for myself. But I was finding it very dull and quiet without conversation.
"They're arguing about something..." she said carefully. "I'm trying to lip- read but their backs are all turned this way... and Arashi doesn't keep still... he's like a nervous twitchy mouse..."
"Or dog even?" I offered.
Movement out the corner of my eyes caught my attention and I ducked as I tugged Sango's sleeve. She followed my gaze to the drive. We both sat in complete silence and stillness as we saw a dark figure come up the drive, before he stepped into the light cast by the windows of the estate. I almost breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it was Inuyasha. Before I panicked. It was Inuyasha!
If he saw me I was dead... I knew that much...
But no. He passed straight on and went inside without even so much as a glance in our direction. I guess he was too tired to really take too much notice, seeing as we were pretty visible out on the roof.
"Wonder where that one's been..." Sango chuckled to herself and carried on watching through her binoculars. It was a few moments before she suddenly sat up. "Something's happening."
I turned my gaze to the window of the living room and saw Inuyasha had just entered the living room... though not to an entirely friendly welcome. I squinted my eyes as I lay down on my belly beside Sango to try and see better. She handed me the binoculars so I could get a better view before taking something else out to look through.
An argument had started... though I had no idea what it was about. I thought it felt a little wrong to watch Inuyasha argue with his family... like I was infringing on personal ground. But hey! He didn't know I was doing it. It only ever got awkward when they actually knew I was listening to them argue. I think that was the case for everyone.
I could even hear the raised voices now, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. Sango could probably have lip-read, but their backs were turned to us again... and it became especially difficult to see what was going on when Mr Arashi turned his back on us to stand by the fire place. Inuyasha stormed after him and started tormenting him again by the looks of things, giving his shoulder a push and evidently shouting. He turned briefly to look at something to his side and I caught sight of an arrogant smirk before he turned back to continue badgering his father.
Even I knew at that point Inuyasha was pushing his luck here... if argued this much with my father I'd be grounded so fast I wouldn't know what hit me.
Inuyasha didn't know what hit him either by the looks of things. One minute he was shouting at his father's back, before suddenly Mr Arashi turned and slugged Inuyasha so hard in the face I flinched as I heard a smacking sound, even from outside the room of double glazed windows.
Inuyasha folded like a blanket and tilted backwards until he fell completely out of view. Someone screamed and suddenly variously relatives rushed forward and crouched beside the fallen boy. Mr Arashi continued to yell, so loud that even I could hear the words now.
"DON'T EVER SAY THOSE THINGS AGAIN!"
I doubted Inuyasha would have heard him now...A few people moved out of the way until I could actually see him. He was laid flat on his back while anxious Aunts tried to decide how to help him. His head lolled to the side, giving me a brilliant view of an ugly blue smudge that was already spread across his cheek to his temple. Four red gashes marred with dribbling blood streaked from his temple to his nose... across his right eye...
"Oh god..." I nearly swooned as my head suddenly felt very light. I couldn't believe I'd just witnessed something like this...
Sango couldn't believe her luck, considering she was clicking away with a serious camera. She was grinning as she glanced at me. "This is pure gold! We'll win for sure!"
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AN: And here comes the plot at last! Sort of...
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Rules of Acquisitions
Fatherly Love
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~Inuyasha~
Kagome sneaked off with a sour look on her face, though I didn't exactly blame her. She cast me and Kikyo one last irate glance before standing up shortly and stomping off down the front row. Internally I winced like I'd been slapped as I continued to pretend to be listening to what Kikyo was saying.
Kikyo's hand touched my arm again, nearly distracting me from seeing Kagome being blocked by her father and questioned. I couldn't hear what they said since Kikyo droned out a lot of sound in that opera hall. No offence to the girl or anything...
"Where's she gone to...?" I let slip as my gaze followed Kagome as she stalked out of the box, all but throwing the red curtain aside as she left.
Kikyo followed my gaze, catching the last glimpse of a girl in a red dress marching out. She shrugged and turned back to me. "Little girl's room? Anyway, as I was saying - that spider in banana thing really had poor Naraku at his wits end - you remember how when he was a kid we used to put that Halloween spiders in his bed and..."
I lost track of what she was saying as I began to fidget uncomfortably. She was jealous - and I hadn't even intended to make her that way. Yeah, sometimes I gave other girls flirty looks when Kagome was around - but that was only to wind her up. Didn't she understand that I couldn't look like I wanted her over Kikyo? If I shrugged Kikyo off she would get a clue and then the rumours would be flying all over again... as if they weren't already.
And the whole doggy style thing was SO not funny.
"Oh look - they're starting!" Kikyo broke off whatever she'd been telling me as she caught sight of the dimming lights and the orchestra beginning to warm up and get in tune with one another. At last Kikyo seemed more interested in watching men blow horns than talking to me... I tried not to be to offended as I casually slid out of my seat and picked my way down the row.
A strong hand with iron claws suddenly grabbed my arm and I hissed in pain as my father yanked me down so my ear was close to his head. "Where are you going?" he snapped.
"Little Hanyou's room." I replied curtly and yanked my arm from his grip and all but stumbled out of the box, massaging my abused arm. Why did he always have to do that...
I sighed as I tried to relax and headed in the vague direction of the ladies room... it took me a few minutes to find it, and a few more minutes to summon the courage to step into the unknown. If there were any women in there then I was a dead little puppy...
I pushed the door open silently, and peeked inside. Relief flooded me at once as I saw only Kagome crouched by the sinks with her forehead resting against the marble edge. She had her eyes closed and she didn't seem to register I was there. Relief seeped away as I realised she looked very tense and anxious.
Well. There was only one way to deal with jumpy, easily startled people - the same way you deal with those with heart conditions!
I sneaked up behind her and grabbed her so fast I felt her smothered scream against my hand as I dragged her up from the floor. She struggled for a moment until she seemed to get her senses straight - too bad for me. She elbowed me in the stomach, hard.
I let go of her at once and stepped back with a gasp as she fumbled around for the heavy soap dish to lob at me. Fortunately she turned around before she threw it... but then she nearly threw it at me anyway in sheer anger.
"Inuyasha! NOT funny!" she half screamed. "I thought you were some creepy kidnapper!"
"Sorry to disappoint you." I smirked and straightened, reaching out to take her hand. She moved away from me and turned her back to lean on the marble sink surface. I was stumped for a moment... was I dumped? Then I remembered, she was still mad at me for what happened a few minutes ago.
"What's biting you?" I sidled up beside her, causing her to sidle away in response.
"You. Obviously." She was clenching her teeth and her fists so tightly that her knuckles were going white. "So how come you know Kikyo so well?"
"Dunno." I shrugged.
Kagome glared at me. "Dunno? What's that supposed to mean?"
"I don't know how I know her so well. I've known her since forever." I defended myself. "Besides... when you've known someone since they were an iddy biddy drooling baby... you don't see them in any special way later on in life. It kinda puts you off them."
"She didn't seem put off by you."
"Well, that's because I'm irresistible no matter what." I replied cockily, seeing her smile slightly. I cocked my head and turned serious for her benefit. "Look, I ignored you back there because Kikyo would be the first person to notice anything between us. She's hypersensitive to details. One glance between us and she'd know something was up."
"I guess..." her tone was weary... I suppose she was as sick of this charade as I was.
"By the way, you look beautiful tonight." I said softly. "How did you know red was my favourite colour?"
She smiled knowingly as she straightened and gave me a peck on the cheek. "What I'd like to know is why you didn't wear MY favourite colour?"
"What's your favourite colour?"
Kagome was about to answer when we both heard the orchestra start up. She changed her answer. "We better go back - I'll go first since I left first - you come in a few minutes."
"Sure." I sighed as I leaned against the sinks and watched her scamper out into the hall.
I took a slow assessing look of the bathroom around me. Actually... it wasn't that much different from the gents I guess. Nothing to write home about. But it was cool enough to say I'd just spent five minutes in a the ladies room with my girlfriend. Now if I could just work 'quickie' into that sentence then all my friends would be kissing my feet...
*
*
*
~Kagome~
*
The hall was dark when I arrived back in my seat, I remember I nearly tripped up three times on the way there.
The opera had already started and the people were already singing at the top of their lungs. I was almost totally engrossed that I nearly missed when Inuyasha dropped into the seat directly beside me. The one Kikyo had been sitting in. I noticed him, however, when he took my hand and clasped it firmly in his, even while he didn't look at me.
And yet again I failed to notice what he was doing was dangerous. And that his father was watching our hands from only a few seats away. Though it was something we'd dearly pay for later.
*
^_^
*
The last note of the lead female singer warbled and died into an uproar of applause. I joined in and clapped so hard my hands stung, it was only then that I realised wet tears had been leaking from my eyes...
Surprisingly, the play had touched me. Very Romeo and Juliet-esque. Two young love birds divided by country and culture... and in the end their differences hadn't been overcome by the power of love. So basically... it was a sad ending, and it reminded me a lot of my current situation.
I glanced secretly to Inuyasha beside me, to see if he felt the same way... but maybe that was expecting too much. Seeing as he was half asleep. I guess he didn't get Opera like I did.
As the velvet curtain fell over the stage and the lights started to come back on, I found everyone around me beginning to stand up and mooch out of the box. The Arashi's moving to the left side and my family moving to the right.
Me and Inuyasha didn't even get the chance to say goodbye as Sango appeared beside me and began ushering me out along with everyone else. Miroku did pretty much the same thing with Inuyasha.
"Something's up..." Sango whispered in my ear. "The Supei's are being might secretive tonight."
"Sango, you're just paranoid." I told her. "The Supei's are the only normal family here - maybe that's what makes them so weird. But I doubt they're being sneaky..."
"We'll see." Sango said dubiously as we found our way back into the corridor outside and started following the stream of people back towards the main foyer. It had to have been midnight by now, and sitting in a dark hall had made me sort of sleepy... I couldn't wait to just go home and curl up in bed.
But, alas, as we reached the entrance hall, we stopped, along with Arashi's - because just as we were about to leave Mr Supei turned to us and chingled a spoon against his champagne flute. "May I have your attention please?"
Sango instantly stiffened beside me and I suddenly began to feel the dark clouds of suspicion drifting over me. Mr Supei cleared his throat until both families were quiet. I shot a glance to the Arashi's and saw Miroku looking just as tense as Sango, whilst Inuyasha just stood with his arms folded and expression terse... like always. But he looked a little curious as he watched the Supei family head.
"I admit that our gathering tonight had some ulterior motives on my behalf." Supei said with a small chortle.
"I knew it!" I hissed to Sango who rolled her eyes at me.
"I thought it best to announce some rather pleasing news when we were all gathered in one place after partaking in a pleasant activity." He went on. "Me and my family would like to announce that we have come across possession of the Shikon no Tama recently."
A small shocked buzz of surprise went around the gathered crowd. I felt my mouth drop open as I stared at the man in bewilderment.
"We offered it to the museum but they responded that they wished for us to keep it."
"Bull... they stole it..." Sango ground out, darting a resentful look at Naraku and Kikyo.
Now what was going to happen?
"Unfortunately it is not entirely in our possession just yet, but when it is we welcome you all to visit some time and take a look at such a magnificent piece of work from the Sengoku period."
That's right... rub it all in our faces that they had the jewel and we didn't. Sango had left my side temporarily to whisper something quietly to my father, unnoticed by anyone else. She returned only moments later and leaned towards me.
"Your father wants us to spy on the Arashi's estate tonight." She informed me. "He thinks they might know where the jewel is right now."
I glanced across at Mr Arashi who looked unusually smug considering the news he'd just been delivered. I turned back to Sango. "Why don't we just go spy on the Supei's?"
She shook her head. "No way. That place is like a fortress. Only demons would be able to get in that place and spy around... the Arashi's are the only ones who could spy on them. Best if we just rely on the demons to get the info."
I groaned internally. I really just wanted to go to bed, not frolic around demon estates. But if we wanted to win this election we NEEDED that jewel. It was ours by right anyway, seeing as our ancestors made it. The Arashi's would know where it was if they spied on the Supei's tonight. But if we spied on the Arashi's then we would know too. Maybe the information would be a little delayed, but we didn't have much choice.
"Meet at the back of the house at two o'clock ok? Make sure you stay awake." Sango patted my arm compassionately as she saw my tired expression and moved off to follow the rest of crowd as they exited the building. I tottered along behind my mother and father as they whispered frantic urgent things to one another, obviously they were quite upset at the turn of events.
I followed the family outside and searched around discreetly for where Inuyasha might be. I saw he had already left the building before me and was leaning against one of the stone pillars where the reporters had been earlier. They'd all wandered off by now, and the area before the main entrance was pretty much free of flashing camera and people with microphones, now only occupied by guests heading back to their parked vehicles and limousines.
He had something in his hand, and the moment he spotted me looking in his direction he gave a pointed wink and placed whatever he was holding on the floor beside the pillar before walking off. I guessed that was my cue to go see what he'd dropped.
It was a little piece of paper, folded up and scrawled over with his almost illegible handwriting.
"Round the corner... fountains...?" was about all I could make out.
"Kagome?!"
I turned to see my mother waving to me, beside the limo that would take us home. "Are you coming?"
"No - I'll walk home - it's too crowded in there, I just want to clear my head." I called back. She just shrugged and got it. I suppose the average mother would have grabbed me by the ear and dragged me back inside the car instead of let her teenage daughter wonder around the streets of Tokyo at midnight.
But then I didn't really need anyone's protection anymore. I wasn't the average daughter as you might say. I turned and headed away from the crowd of people at the entrance, turning around the edge of the building and out of sight. I followed the footpath until I came to some kind of courtyard, completely desert of life and people, as well as lights. But there was a fountain.
And there was also my boyfriend. The one relatively normal person in my strange life. While I led a double spy life he was just plain old Inuyasha, my anchor to reality.
*
*
*
~Inuyasha~
*
Kagome's face literally lit up when she saw me, making the dark courtyard seem less darker than before. I loved it when she smiled. She never smiled that way for anyone else... just me.
"Get the note?" I asked as she approached.
"Well at least you didn't drop it in the bin like last time." Her smile widened. "It was disgusting, I had to pick it out to read it and then Sango came up and tapped me on the shoulder - I had to stick it in my mouth and pretend it was gum."
"There was probably gum stuck to it if that helps..."
"Yeah, thanks." She sighed and folded against me as she arrived, my arms automatically moving up to return her lazy embrace. For some reason she wasn't smiling now. "Inuyasha, I'm sick of this... hiding in toilets and having secret meetings isn't my style..."
"But it's the only way." I pointed out. She suddenly stomped her foot and pulled back.
"Well why can't we just ignore what they say?!" she demanded of me. "Why can't we just hang out together with our friends and do NORMAL boyfriend and girlfriend things?"
"Because of the scandal-"
"Sod the scandal!" She said heatedly. "Words will never hurt me - the press can say what they like, I don't care. It's not like they can break us apart of hurt us in anyway."
"It could damage the election next month..." I warned.
"How? How could it damage anything? That's what I'd like to know?" she was off on one of her tirades again. They were usually quite cute, but this time it was serious. "The children of the candidates go to the cinema together - Shock! Let's shoot them!"
"That's just being over-dramatic!" I sighed.
"Then how will our relationship damage anything?"
She didn't understand, perhaps she was too naïve. Or perhaps her family really was better than mine. "Our relationship won't damage anything. It's what our families will do that will damage our chances."
She fell silent as a little light bulb went on in her head.
"If your father finds out, can you honestly say that he'll just sit back and let you date me? Are you so sure he won't try and break us apart?"
"No..." she looked up at me. "But what about you dad?"
"I can guess his reaction would be less than desirable." I told her dryly. "Their attempts to break us up would be press dynamite. Again. They'd look bad and the Supei's will win for sure."
"They might win anyway... they have the Shikon..." I heard her sigh and let her head fall. So she knew about the magic properties of that stone too? Not surprising, considering her best friend was Sneaky Sango.
Miroku was out right that moment, off to search the Supei's estate for the jewel or information alone. They said that only demons would be able to penetrate that place... very skilled demons. But then again Miroku wasn't an ordinary human. He'd manage just fine, and hopefully we'd get the information or the jewel, before the Higurashi's...
Once again it made me feel guilty for Kagome... even when we were together I thought constantly about running her family into the ground.
"I think we're the only sane ones in this crazy world." Kagome went to sit on the edge of the fountain, so I joined her.
"No one must know about us." I stressed. "No one."
"Alright, you're starting to sound like my Dad." She laughed.
"Whatever floats your boat." I caught her chin and leaned in to kiss her quickly on the lips. Just then, her hand lashed out and gave me a push on the chest, sending me cascading backwards into the icy water of the fountain. I gasped like it's just been hit by a thousand wet fish.
"THAT'S for scaring me in the bathroom!" she shouted, though her eyes danced with glee.
"Cow..." I held out my hand for her to pull me out. She just laughed.
"I'm not falling for that one!" she refused to help me out. "You'll pull me in the minute I take your hand."
"No!" I contrived to look innocent... but gave up quickly upon seeing her credulous look. "Ok, yeah I was."
Fortunately I was quicker than she was, and it only took me a few seconds to stand and haul her into the fountain beside me. She screeched as she collapsed into the water below me. She sat up spluttering moments later. "Ew... I think I just swallowed a cigarette butt..."
I sniggered before crouching before her in the water to strip off a dead leaf that was stuck to her shoulder. "You look a state. Your make-ups run."
"Miroku's ran too when he cried at the opera." She giggled softly before looking around. "Well this isn't very hygienic is it?"
Her laughter subsided as I unconsciously reached out to cup her cheek with my cold hand. It was ok, since he cheek was just as cold. In fact she was beginning to shiver. "You cold?"
"Mm." She nodded slightly, eyes locked on mine before her gaze slid down to my lips. She obviously had only one thing on her mind besides getting out and getting warm. Who was I to deny this princess anything she wanted?
I leaned in and brushed my lips tenderly across hers, until she quickly bridge the gap to swoop a full kiss. My hands remained cupping her jaw, controlling the kiss somewhat while her hands bunched in my hair or kneaded my shoulder. Our kisses weren't as hurried as they used to be. Nowadays we felt like we had all the time in the world to be together...
That couldn't have been farther from the truth...
*
^_^
*
I yawned as I stepped through the door into my home. It must have been three in the morning, so undoubtedly everyone would be asleep in bed. That's why I was confused and surprised when I entered the living room to find everyone was still up and the lights were still on.
I stopped in the doorway and looked up in surprise as my family turned like a sea of heads to look at me. Surveying them I could see they were all dressed in their formal wear from the opera...
I searched around for something that would give me the exact time... maybe it wasn't as late as I'd thought... until I realised everything was very quiet and they were all staring at me.
"What?" I asked, looking around at all the blank or accusing faces. My eyes rested on Sesshomaru for a moment, before he turned away in disgust like he couldn't bear to look at me.
"What's going on?" I took a tentative sniff of my clothes... maybe I was putting them all off with my smell of chlorine.
I darted a glance to my father who suddenly stood up and started walking towards me in that skulking way of his. Surprisingly, he look amused, but I knew never to judge how he felt on how he looked. "Very funny... I bet you think you're a bleeding genius."
I'd missed a vital part of the conversation here...
"Leave him be..." one of my Aunts muttered with a sigh.
"Did you think I wouldn't find out?" my father demanded, ignoring his sister's soft plea. "Did you think I was too thick to notice - too blind to see?!"
A cold fear clenched my heart, as an eminent feeling of dread and doom passed over me. This was it... what I'd been dreading... The game was up.
"Thought it would be a good laugh to sneak around with a Higurashi girl behind my back, did you?" he laughed harshly, though it was completely without humour. "And don't try and deny you did this just to get back at me!"
"For what?!" I yelled back, feeling anger start to replace that fear. "Why has this always got to be about hate and revenge with you?! Why's it got to have anything to do with you?! This is none of your business!"
"Oh, this is very much my business!" he snarled back. "You're trying to ruin me for petty anger!"
"I'm not angry at you!" well I was right then but that was beside the point. "This is between me and Kagome! You are not involved!"
"Kagome? You call her so familiarly!" he growled. "This is unbelievable! That you would toy with a girl for your own selfish reasons!"
"Like I said - this isn't about hate! This is about love!"
"Shut your mouth!"
"Why?!" I all but shoved past one of my cousins to storm closer to him. "Is 'Love' the new swear word in this house?!" I pointed to one of my youngest cousins, only nine years old. "Quick, Tarou, cover your ears! I said the L word!"
"This isn't a game!" My father stormed a few steps towards me, looking like he was barely restraining from hitting me. "You can't risk so much right now! You're an insult and a disgrace to this family!"
"Funny, maybe that would have more profound affect on me right now if you hadn't told me the same thing when I was seven years old." I snapped harshly, watching his eyes flash dangerously. "Repeatedly!"
"You'll do nothing but bring shame on us with this!" he yelled.
"Nope - heard that one before too!" I shrugged and laughed at his expense. I found nothing funny, I was just wondering how far I could push this. He hated it when he thought he wasn't getting through to me. "Maybe you should try 'Inuyasha, you're the scum of the scum and I knew you were a mistake the moment you were conceived' But oh! That isn't just a threat - that's JUST how you feel - AND you told me that once before!"
"If you don't end this ridiculous relationship then I will personally make sure you never see her again."
Yep, that was my predictable Dad. I had known ages ago that this would be one of his threats if he ever found out. Good thing I'd already thought of ways to counter them. But maybe my mouth ran away with my heart a bit too much this time.
"Why should I end it?" I demanded. "I love her with all of my being - and you should know that outside forces can't destroy someone's love for someone else! Try as much as you like, Dad, but I love her and that will never change. Maybe I'll marry her! Maybe we'll have kids! Would you like that? Would you like to become a grandfather to impure whelps that have more pathetic human blood than strong demon blood?!"
That must have hit a nerve, seeing as he turned his back on me and moved to stand beside the fire place. I was in the heat of things, and I just had to push it further, even though looking back, I really shouldn't have.
I followed him across the room and stood behind him with a nasty sort of smile. "She's a weak human, just like my Mom! But who knows, maybe I'll stick by her long enough and protect her with my life unlike my own father! Maybe she won't die of something pitiful like pneumonia when our first son is only three years old! Maybe I won't let my son grow up in an overcrowded home filled with bullies and brutes!"
I gave him a shove on the shoulder - the first time I'd reached to touch him in seven years. "You got that you blustering old wombat?! I L-O-V-E Kagome - sorry Tarou - and admit it! You're too weak now to even think about interfering in-"
And that's when he snapped. I often tried his patience many times over the years, but this must have been the first time personal, rather untouchable subjects had been brought up. I overstepped the line and I paid for it.
He swung around so fast I didn't see it happen. I did however feel the pain of his fist smashing so hard into my face that lights exploded in my vision before everything went black. I was aware only of someone screaming behind me and the world's balance seemed to tip even as I heard my father continue to bellow at me. But I didn't even feel it when I hit the floor.
*
*
*
~Kagome~
*
Three in the morning... and while all my normal friends and family were all tucked up in bed, I was out sitting on the garage roof with Sango and her binoculars. I smothered a yawn with my hand and huddled closer into my black jacket, wishing I'd remembered to bring my insulated pink gloves. But Sango had said pink gloves were a big no-no and had made me bring the black ones.
They weren't even cosy mittens.
"Now what they doing?" I asked lamely as Sango continued to watch the Arashi's through the living room window. If I just took the time to look I would find out for myself. But I was finding it very dull and quiet without conversation.
"They're arguing about something..." she said carefully. "I'm trying to lip- read but their backs are all turned this way... and Arashi doesn't keep still... he's like a nervous twitchy mouse..."
"Or dog even?" I offered.
Movement out the corner of my eyes caught my attention and I ducked as I tugged Sango's sleeve. She followed my gaze to the drive. We both sat in complete silence and stillness as we saw a dark figure come up the drive, before he stepped into the light cast by the windows of the estate. I almost breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it was Inuyasha. Before I panicked. It was Inuyasha!
If he saw me I was dead... I knew that much...
But no. He passed straight on and went inside without even so much as a glance in our direction. I guess he was too tired to really take too much notice, seeing as we were pretty visible out on the roof.
"Wonder where that one's been..." Sango chuckled to herself and carried on watching through her binoculars. It was a few moments before she suddenly sat up. "Something's happening."
I turned my gaze to the window of the living room and saw Inuyasha had just entered the living room... though not to an entirely friendly welcome. I squinted my eyes as I lay down on my belly beside Sango to try and see better. She handed me the binoculars so I could get a better view before taking something else out to look through.
An argument had started... though I had no idea what it was about. I thought it felt a little wrong to watch Inuyasha argue with his family... like I was infringing on personal ground. But hey! He didn't know I was doing it. It only ever got awkward when they actually knew I was listening to them argue. I think that was the case for everyone.
I could even hear the raised voices now, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. Sango could probably have lip-read, but their backs were turned to us again... and it became especially difficult to see what was going on when Mr Arashi turned his back on us to stand by the fire place. Inuyasha stormed after him and started tormenting him again by the looks of things, giving his shoulder a push and evidently shouting. He turned briefly to look at something to his side and I caught sight of an arrogant smirk before he turned back to continue badgering his father.
Even I knew at that point Inuyasha was pushing his luck here... if argued this much with my father I'd be grounded so fast I wouldn't know what hit me.
Inuyasha didn't know what hit him either by the looks of things. One minute he was shouting at his father's back, before suddenly Mr Arashi turned and slugged Inuyasha so hard in the face I flinched as I heard a smacking sound, even from outside the room of double glazed windows.
Inuyasha folded like a blanket and tilted backwards until he fell completely out of view. Someone screamed and suddenly variously relatives rushed forward and crouched beside the fallen boy. Mr Arashi continued to yell, so loud that even I could hear the words now.
"DON'T EVER SAY THOSE THINGS AGAIN!"
I doubted Inuyasha would have heard him now...A few people moved out of the way until I could actually see him. He was laid flat on his back while anxious Aunts tried to decide how to help him. His head lolled to the side, giving me a brilliant view of an ugly blue smudge that was already spread across his cheek to his temple. Four red gashes marred with dribbling blood streaked from his temple to his nose... across his right eye...
"Oh god..." I nearly swooned as my head suddenly felt very light. I couldn't believe I'd just witnessed something like this...
Sango couldn't believe her luck, considering she was clicking away with a serious camera. She was grinning as she glanced at me. "This is pure gold! We'll win for sure!"
*
*
*
AN: And here comes the plot at last! Sort of...
