Sharing a Kept Belief With a New Friend


~It's three weeks since your first live interview and life's just starting to get back to normal. 'Naive' is auditioning for a part in an up-coming movie and 'revenge' has settled into reseaching only Kami-sama know's what. You're still trying to dodge all of those pesky 'fans', and, frankly, it's getting tiring. When you finally get your room cleared of those roses, you have the joy of going through the letters. Too bad none of them were actually worth while... Oh, well. Time to find something to do!~

I sighed for the hundredth time, staring blankly at the television screen, watching the news report on another car accident envolving the news woman herself. The world was too busy! Just the other morning, I had woken up to the sounds of cameras, their flashes aimed at the shrine grounds. It took all afternoon and two police squades to get rid of the pesky reporters, then an additional police squad to get rid of the other police!

'Inuyasha, you jerk! Having me sing- wait! That was Sesshomaru,' I thought dejectedly. All week, I'd been trying to blame Inuyasha for something and I still couldn't find a reason...

"Sesshomaru," I growled, my eyes narrowing. "You knew that would happen, didn't you?"

He had called twice after the little 'chat' at the interview- once before he left Hawaii, once after, which, amazingly, was a week later than neccessary. I scowled at the mentally formed Sesshomaru. "Maybe I should have let Inuyasha chose someone to make you're life a living hell!"

I quieted, watching as the news went to the weather, then to headline news. 'Demonic' was just cooling off from a two-week concert circuit in which they played twice each night at different halls. Sesshomaru, of course, was to blame for the packed scheduling, but I had a feeling the band had just tripled Meisei Inc.'s value...

"Okaasan?" Shippo called, entering the family room as I placed a smile on my face.

"Hai?"

"When are we leaving?"

"In a hour, Shippo-chan," I replied. "Are you ready?"

He nodded vigorously. We'd be leaving for the cabin today. I had been waiting, hoping to get a letter before I left, but I'm an impatient person. *sigh*

There I go again, sighing for no reason.

"Good," I said, smiling softly as Shippo jumped into my lap, snuggling against me. "You didn't sleep well, did you?"

"...Iie," he yawned. "I couldn't." He answered me before I could ask why. "I was too hyper."

"You're always too hyper!" I yelled, tickling him. "See, SEE! You can't even sit still for a second!"

He squealed, trying unsuccessfully to riggle out of my grasp. He giggled to the point of tears, then started rolling around, desperate to get a bit of air in his lungs.

"Okaasan, stop! Onegai," he pleaded with the last of his remaining breath. I stopped. He drew a deep breath, then gasped, "iie, don't," as I recommenced torturing the boy in my hold.

"Alright," I mumbled, letting Shippo go. "I'm going to get my stuff ready, then we'll go, okay?"

"Hai!"

"Is your grandmother ready yet?"

"Hai!"

"Souta?"

"Hai!"

I shook my head at the estatic nine-year old...

...

"Shippo-chan?"

"Nani?"

"... When is your birthday?" I asked. I felt so bad that I hadn't asked earlier. It could be today for all I knew.

"February 15," he said.

"Oh... Well then," I muttered, standing to pack my bags for the brief 'family vacation'.

Funny. I had the strangest feeling I was forgetting something...

******


I turned onto the off ramp, pulling over to the road's shoulder. Placing the car in park, I pulled a bandana from my pocket and instructed my son to blindfold my mom while I rummaged through my stuff. I had forgotten to put my camera in a convenient area for my reach...

"Done!" Shippo bounced around in the back seat, clearly happy with his work. I held back a snicker as I looked at my mother. She wouldn't be seeing anything, that's for sure... But her hair looked just as ruffled as his.

"Where are we going?" she asked for the twenty-secondth time. "Why do I need to be blinded?"

"For your own good."

"Kagome, you better not do anything you'll regret later, young lady," she said, patting down her impossibly mussed hair. "No law breaking-"

"Don't worry, mama," I told her. "You're still as safe as you were when you weren't blindfolded, so stop it."

She was quiet for a while, a thoughtful smile in place. Shippo began chanting about this, that, and the other, making no sense, like the little child he was. I stayed silent, watching the roads pass by and thinking.

Ayame and Sango were both busy- Ayame auditioning for Mushiko's latest film, Sango shutting herself in libraries to research anything her mind could think of. The change in them scared me...

Inuyasha's postcard had arrived just seconds before we had left. He was in Hawaii, thanks to his brother, and hating every minute of it. But he kept a smile on his face, he said. I had a feeling it was just some kind of manly front he was putting up. ^_^

Shippo was bonkers when he recieved his postcard, yelling something about not having to be a ghost... I don't understand that, but...(A/N: I do! ^_^ Think about it. You might understand. ^-^) I was fine with the insane rambling, as long as he didn't cry. He'd just stopped crying at night about me leaving 'Dogboy'...

'I had no reason to leave,' I thought to myself. 'Shippo loved him... I loved- love- him...' My mind kept going through the list of all the reasons I was an idoit- 'Inuyasha. You just won't leave my mind, will you?'

I pulled up into the cabin's driveway, parking next to an oak tree, thinking, 'Why do we park in a driveway and drive on a parkway?' Complete nonsense, I know, but at least it wasn't about Inuyasha.

'What would I have lost?- GREAT, now there I go again!'

A smile formed on my face as I stepped out of the car, then helped my mother to her feet.

"Mama," I whispered, backing away from her so that she could see the area clearly. "I want you to see where I... where I started to fall in love for the first time." I blushed deeply at that, but continued. "I want you to know why it's so important... I'm sure you'll know..."

Shippo moved over to my side silently, a questioning look directed toward my mother. She frowned at my last sentence, too deep in thought to notice she had been undoing the bandana's knot. As it slid from her eyes, she gasped, wide eyes taking in the area of a memory long forgotten, dropping the bandana on the ground soundlessly.

"Kagome," she whispered as water filled her eyes. She let them flow freely, moving slowly toward the cabin. "I... I-" she sobbed, looking at me through blurred eyes with the biggest smile. "I understand," she laughed, then cried again, whispering, "I understand."

"Mama," I spoke, walking toward the older woman to help support her. "I found it."

"The box?" I nodded. "It's still here, after all these years? I can't imagine." She wiped a tear away from her cheek, strolling toward the house with determination. "I can't believe I'm back."

She dissappeared through the doors at the same time that Shippo came up to me, tugging on my sleeve. He nodded toward the road as a car pulled in the driveway. Myouga immerged from the vehicle, bowing slightly.

"Ah, Mouga-jiichan," I exclaimed, my mind spinning. "What brings you here?"

"I recieved a phone call from your brother," Myouga stated. "I can say, without a doubt, that you are not your brother's keeper." His eyes twinkled lightly.

"Souta! I forgot Souta!?" I shouted, looking around wildly. "How-?"

"You were too busy reading Dogboy's postcard," Shippo said, grinning to himself as I blushed, then glared.

"I was not!"

"Were too!"

"Was not!"

"You were too!" Shippo yelled, sticking out his tongue, then ran for dear life- chuckling the whole time.

"Why YOU!" I yelled. "I'll get you later! Mark my words!"

Myouga coughed lightly as he opened the door for a struggling Souta. His playstation 2 cords were wrapped around his feet, tripping him on his way out. I glarred with a hatred that surpassed all others at the dratted contraption.

"THAT'S WHY YOU WEREN'T IN THE CAR!?" I snarled, fists forming at my side. "And to think I actually believed Shippo..! ............ Shippo," I called calmly to my son. "You little fox. You covered up for him, didn't you?"

::::::Silence::::::


I shook my head, pitying myself for the life Kami-sama threw into my lap. Why could life never be simple for me?

******


I dropped my books off at the library (A/N: I don't know if you remember that, but she took Harry Potter and a book on Japanese Legends... *sigh* that was sooooo long ago... *tear* I can't believe it's gotten this far... again), then went to pick up dinner. Everyone wanted something different, so I chose for them. Tonight was Sashimi and rice balls with a bit of sushi on the side- and, of course, Oden for me. Mama would be cooking what little needed to be cooked while I beat Souta at his own game, or so I thought. However, when I pulled into the driveway, I knew my plans had just been changed for me.

I gritted my teeth, growling at the car in MY parking space, and then killed the engine. I briefly entertained the thought of killing the car's owner, but chased it away quickly. I couldn't do something like that in front of my mother when she had just been reintroduced with Father's cabin.

I took the grocery bags from the back seat, tossing them over my shoulder, as I walked into the house, pointedly ignoring the person- persons- on the living room couch. Shippo was no where to be seen, and Souta was shooting some FBI agents on the television screen.

"Gomen, Your Highness," I muttered, glaring at the expressionless man- whom I could tell was upset with the t.v. arrangements-, "but I won't force my brother off of the game. Especially for you... Chotto," I muttered, walking over to the man. "... You... you're tan!"

He stared a moment, still expressionless as ever. The girl beside him smiled, then laughed. He smirked.

"Honto?"

"Hai."

The woman laughed even harder. "Hi again," she said, stifling the giggles. "Kagome Higurashi, right? You've been all over the news these past few weeks, ne?"

"Kagura? You're still with Sesshomaru? I thought you would have torn out your hair and fled by now," I mumbled. That just sent her into another giggle fit. "Okay...?"

"It's a long story, but I did- once," she muttered. I shook my head in pity. "But, that's not why we're here."

"Oh?"

My mother came from the kitchen, smiling. "I hope you brought back enough for our guests also." I nodded. "Good," she smiled, humming as she left with the groceries I handed to her.

"Iie," Kagura spoke, frowning when Sesshomaru nodded toward the kitchen door. "fine. But don't think I'm going to keep doing this," she hissed, then followed my mom. Getting the hint, I turned to my brother.

"Souta- Out, now," I ordered. He looked back to protest, then yipped and left. "Nani? Wh...?"

"... For starters..." he looked away, glaring at the floor in debate with himself. "I wanted to say..."

"Arigatou?" I offered, scowling at myself. "I didn't mean to hook you up with her- I meant for it to be hell for you."

"It was for a while, and... yeah, it's something like that," he muttered. He really didn't sound like himself... "I really came to see if Ms. Taijiya and Ms. Sasayaku were around. There's a concert in a few days in Kyoto..."

"Backstage?"

"Hai."

"I see."

::::::Silence::::::


"I see she broke that mask of yours," I joked. "Now, if you'd only act this way around your brother-"

"That's asking a bit too much," he stated.

"I know, but I can always hope you'd be a bit considerate," I smiled. "Now, was there something else?"

"I came to pay your mother back for all those clothes she bought Rin."

My mind stopped completely... I would have thought even HE would have figured out that that was a lie... If he had already tried to give her the money-

"-but I still have my pride. I won't hand it directly to her," he grumbled, looking for a way out of his predicament.

"You've changed, ne? I think I like you better this way," I told him, hoping beyond hope that he would be more forgiving because of my sucking-up. "Um... Sesshomaru... My mom won't take the money..."

He looked at me, then sighed- not in relief but frustration. "I can't believe you about anything, can I?"

"Maybe, and maybe not." I smiled, then stood and walked over to him, looking in his eyes. 'Yup, I like him this way,' I thought. 'So much like Inuyasha when he was joking about.'

"Nani?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nn," I hummed, shaking my head. "Is Rin here?"

"...Hai." He was still watching me suspiciously.

So that's what happened to Shippo...

"Shippo-chan! Rin-chan!" I called, listening for the children. The second they heard me, I heard them.

"Oneechan!"

"Okaasan!"

They bound around the hallway openning at top speed, tripping over each other in the process. I yelped, then giggled as the two children bound into the couch beside me. Rin was wearing a new Kimono with pigtails in her hair, making her look closer to her age than I'd ever seen her. She smiled up at me, then frowned and backed away off the couch to stand. My jaw dropped in hurt.

"Nani, Rin-chan?" I asked. She shook her head. I looked to Sesshomaru for answers.

"She's 13..." A slow smile appeared on his face for his sister, and his sister only.

"I know..." I muttered. "What about it?"

Rin spoke softly, "I'll be going to school this year."

I gasped... She'd said 'I'... Not 'Rin', but 'I'....

"Understand?" Sesshomaru asked. I shook my hand from side to side. "I want you to watch her for the next few weeks- teacher her what she needs to know."

"I can't teach her all of that in a few weeks," I replied. "She's never even been to school- how can I teacher her how to be a- a-"

"An 8th grade student," Rin said, her eyes misting lightly. "I have been learning every day- about math and reading and proper speech edi- edi- edi-ca-te."

I looked at the girl and her determainedly set jaw. I sighed. If I was supposed to teach her, I had a long 'vacation' ahead of me...

"What does she need to learn?"

"I want her to act her age, and like a normal teenage secondary schooler."

"Ima, is that proper speaking edicate?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I don't have a clue," Sesshomaru said, smirking as Kagura rejoined him, cuddling into his side. My eyebrows left my skull, I swear they did...

"Ahem... Well.... So, Rin, you want to learn how to be-"

"Like you," she cut in quietly. Sesshomaru's eyebrows were next to go. He shrugged when I looked at him questioningly.

"Like me?" I repeated. In the next moment I found myself hugging the girl, whispering, "iie, Rin-chan. I don't want that- you should stay true to yourself- hear me?" I asked. My eyes were glistening, I knew, but I felt something boiling inside me... I had to say it! "Arigatou, Rin-chan, for wanting something like that, but- Don't ever lose yourself-"

I heard, dully, a soft gasp and a light cry from a distance and wondered on it as my mind resounded with memories. Me and Inuyasha on the boat's top deck after the fight, Sango and Miroku speaking versus, Ayame and Kouga sitting back to enjoy the ride while it lasted. Me and Inuyasha and Shippo in the cabin, Inuyasha in my arms and Shippo crying... Inuyasha smiling, Inuyasha laughing, Inuyasha singing, humming, dancing... Inuyasha kissing me...

Teaching me who I was...

I was losing myself, the person I thought I was, when I was around him- because, in truth, he'd found me. The person I grew up as was not who I was with him and it had scared me... 'I was afraid... I was a fool, and afraid.' I had been changing from good...

...to better...

...and I left it behind.

//
"He can't get his heart back-"

"The sun's setting!"

"Who are you...?"

'Such a schoolgirl.'

"You're strange, ne?"

"Chotto! That's...!"

"You're not the Kagome I know."

"Inuyasha..."

"Hush, Fangirl."

"Don't leave."

"I've found the one to pick up the pieces."

"Don't, onegai. I can't."

"I was looking for you."

"Why did you run?"

"Pull yourself together!"

"Onegai! Let me go.... Unless you want me to break, stop this. Now..."

"Let's just say..."

"Listen to me!"

"I won't let you go!"

'I was afraid.'

"Then progress for us?"

"I put my love into it."

"-He lost it to you."//

I opened my eyes... Was it possible...

//
"This is our journey."

"Kagome..."

"Gomen ne, but..."

"I can't lose you."

"...I've been thinking...

"And..."

"Don't you see I need you!"

"I think..."

"How long have you known?"

"It's time..."

"I don't want to hear anymore!"

"This is 'sayonara'..."

"Don't leave."

"Smile- and sing.

"...because..."

"Nani?"

"...

"...I'll..."

"Don't."

"Be with you."//

Was it really possible... That the whole time...

//
"Wake up, Kagome-chan."

"Onegai, wake up, okaasan."

"Get up, Kagome-chan."

"Mornin'."

"Oi, ya up, Kag?"//

I was the one blind?

...And still running?

'Why... didn't I see it?'

"Okaasan," Shippo called to me hesitantly. "Okaasan, it's okay... It's okay, okaasan."

I felt his small hands tugging at my sleeves, pulling me back to the present. I looked at him as I released a confused- and thoroughly frightened- Rin. I smiled an apology to her as I wiped my eyes with my sleeve, soaking up the tears that had fond their way down my cheeks. 'So, I was the one crying.'

"Gomen nasai, Rin-chan. I just realized something," I told the teen. She nodded in understanding as Kagura slipped from Seshshomaru's side.

She caught my eye and jerked her head toward the door. I stood, brushing myself off as Sesshomaru questioned Kagura's actions.

"Girl talk," she said, smiling at him. I noticed a flash of defiance in her eyes, then, from Sesshomaru, a light twinkle of approval. 'Sugoi, my observations must be getting better- or-' I shuttered at the thought- 'Sesshomaru's turning... emotional!'

I followed the older woman outside and away from the house. I didn't question her, she didn't explain.

I was kind of glad for the silence... It gave me time to think... and cry silently.

/+\+|+/+\Flashback/+\+|+/+\


"No way! I love that group! How could you hate them?" Inuyasha shouted.

"Baka! I was talking about your group! What's up with the 'that' and 'them' instead of 'our' and 'us'?" Big pause... 'Us...? Why does it sound so strange...? I was referring to their group. He should have said 'us'- meaning the band of course...' And my thought were just as jumbled as the conversation.

"Uh... What's for lunch?" Inuyasha asked, looking at the sky. That wasn't hard to do since we were 'sitting' in it.

I stood up and walked over to the basket. "Well," I murmured as I searched the basket. "There's a few sandwiches, apples, some other fruits, and that's about it."

"Drinks?"

I walked over to the cooler next to the side of the basket and lifted the lid...

"DAMN IT!" I shouted. "It's all Coke!" I picked up the closest bottle and throw it as far as I could. 'Oops... Hope that doesn't hit anyone...'

"OI!" Inuyasha yelled, forgetting his fear of heights in no time. He jumped to his feet and tripped over his jacket that lay in front of him, falling to his face. The basket jounced unsteadily and I slipped, barely catching myself on the rim... Something was wrong... My feet... weren't touching anything.

"Kya! I'm gonna fall!" I shouted, closing my eyes.

"Shit! You gotta be kidding me," Inuyasha grumbled. "Hold on."

"What do you think I'm doing?" I growled. I felt the basket start to move a bit. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"Keh! Fixing the sandbags so that it won't tip when I try to pull you over the side. What else would I be doing?"

"Sitting and waiting for me to fall," I answered, my fear slowly fading away. Inuyasha was having some problems with the bags, thought I don't know what it could have possibly been. While I waited, I began to feel like it was all a dream, as if I had never really awoke this morning... "I wonder... If I were to let go," I thought aloud, "would I really fall...?" (A/N: Uh, like DUH! Baka, ne?)

"Baka! Of course you'll fall," Inuyasha snorted. "Iie... Let me restate that. You won't fall. You will plummet to the ground, unable to cry out because of the intensity of the fear that will consume you, and you'll try with all of your might to accomplish the impossible by flailing your arms in a desperate and useless attempt to fly. When you do reach the ground, your body will shatter into many small, bloody pieces, littering the ground with your entrails. I suppose an eye may pop out of its destroyed socket, roll around on the ground and stare unblinkingly at the men that have to sweep up your remains."

That made me shiver, but I remained in that eerie calm state. "You don't have to be soooo descriptive, but.... Arigatou."

"Huh?"

"Now I understand my situation and that it's real, but..." I couldn't finish my sentence aloud. 'Why am I not scared anymore...?'

Inuyasha snorted. "You really are a strange girl, ne...? How much longer can you hold?"

"Umm.... Perhaps a minute or so... Why?"

"Good," Inuyasha sighed. I felt the basket jounce again as he plopped down and, from the sound of things, opened a bottle of Coke.

"Chotto!" I screeched, afraid once again. 'He's gonna let me fall!'

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he said, laughing as he stood. "I wouldn't let anyone fall," he continued as I felt his hands grab my arms, "to their death like that," he ended as he lift me up so easily it made me sick. He was too strong for his own damned good. "Not even you..."

That statement- no... That voice caused me to open my eyes. Just then, his voice had lost all it's sarcasm, all it's hateful, hurtful tones. I found myself staring into last night's sunset with its last ray of light. The one of sorrow. But instead of a stream of light, I found a pool. A pool of gold. Of amber. Of sadness. I didn't want to notice it. I didn't want to see so much pain. It hurt me. If happiness existed in those eyes, it was such a small amount that it had been corrupted by the other feelings, leaving it invisible.

I couldn't pull back; my body froze. Not even my mind was working properly. My breath left me. No human being should suffer so. I wanted to help; I never wanted to do it more than I did right then. I wished that the past would leave my mind, even if only for the moment, so that I could hold him close and tell him it would all be okay. With his arms already around me, all that needed to happen was for me to lean into the embrace. It was so easy, I so scared.

Without thinking, I whispered the first thing that came to mind. "Gomen..." And with that, the trance was broken.

+++++++++++++++


As he held me close, his chest rumbling in a soft growl, I buried my face in his shirt, hoping beyond hope everything was a dream...

But, would I really want it to be a dream? If it was a dream... where was the real, living Inuyasha? Is he the same as this dream my subconscious made for me? Could I live with myself if I woke up to my alarm clock ringing and my mother telling me I'd be late for my last day of school?

Who was I holding?

"Inuyasha..."

That was the only answer I wanted- the single one I needed beyond anything else. I was saying goodbye to a dream. A dream like that in fairy tales...

"Kagome..."

I smiled into the fabric as the oh-so familiar red shirt, giggling in my head at the way his hair tickled my face. 'Such a school girl...' And I just knew that alarm clock would be going off.

And there it goes, defeaning me as Inuyasha pulled me away to look into my eyes. Okay, not an alarm clock, but a definate red-alert siren.

"Kagome, I... Don't go, Kagome. You don't have to go- or I could go with you! Sesshomaru's out of our hair for now," he said, urgent to receive an agreement. "We can stay together a little longer."

"And hurt ourselves even more in the long run, Inuyasha?" I asked sadly.

"Kagome, I can sing anytime, but-"

"You'll sing when Sesshomaru sees fit, Inuyasha- no arguing."

"Kagome, onegai, stay with us then. You, Sango, and Ayame," he plead, squeezing my upper arms gently for added emphasis. "Our band needs you-"

"That week on the boat was a mistake." I hadn't meant for that to sound the way it did and I could tell I hurt him. I had to explain. "Had it only been dinner that one night, the heart break wouldn't hurt so much." I couldn't help the resounding voice in my heart saying, 'and I would never know what I was letting go.'

"Inuyasha, another week would destroy us."

"AND THIS ONE HASN'T!?" he yelled in sheer anger, a single tear sped down his cheek. "We don't have to go- and you don't either! You could be there up on stage with us and we could-"

"Inuyasha, onegai, stop!" I screamed, tears forming in my eyes as his grip tightened. "Onegai," I pleaded, chocking on my next words from an uncoming sob, "don't."

"Why not!"

"Because," I shoutted pitifully, trying to step away from him. He held me steadily infront of him. "I can't take it. Rin was enough, Inuyasha," I stated, exhaustedly. "Unless you want me to break, stop this. Now."

"Iie! I won't let you go," he said, pulling me into another gentle embrase. "I can't lose you. Don't you see I need you!"

I gasped, my eyes widening. I don't know why I reacted in such a way, but I could feel my heart race and my face heat up... But the worst part was, there was no way to let into our wishes. I had to go- for me, for Shippo, for my future, and, in a small and obscure way, for Inuyasha. I made a decision, I was going to follow through, completely.

"I am going," I whispered. My heart calmed slightly at the feel of the steady beat from behind the cloth barriers. "Don't ruin it, Inuyasha- what we do have."

Nothing else was said as his arms slowly fell from their place and the absence chilled me to the bone. I stepped back, looking at the ground as he stepped away.

"Sayonara, Kagome," he spoke gently.

I looked up to met the familiar golden eyes, dull and drown in sadness again, the way I'd seen them the first time. I tried with all my might to conjure up a smile... Only tears would show themselves.

"Sayonara, Inuyasha."

I took one last moment to memorize his face, the silver locks over his shoulders and a ghost of a smirk on his lips. A brief thought entertained my mind of a swift kiss, but then again, I wasn't THAT bold of a girl.

I don't know why, but my past flashed before me as I looked at him- my life's ruin- and found that the name suited him completely. He was the one thing in my life that made it turn upside down and my knees go weak. I fell for him, just as my world fell because of him. And I didn't blame him in the least.

'A life in ruins would be better than a life in sunshine and rainbows,' I thought. 'I'd rather my life be destroyed, than to never have lived a life.'

Sounded like I took that straight out of a book, and if I did, then hats off to the author- they knew what they spoke of. I wished I didn't though...

With a heavy, heart-felt sigh, I stepped away and turned around with my gaze on my feet as they moved me toward the jet. Each step shattered another piece of my broken heart. Even with all the inner pleading, though I knew I'd fight it anyway, no one stopped me; no matter how I wished, Inuyasha didn't call to me.

+++++++++++++++


"Sa-"

"Iie, I don't want to hear it Kagome-chan," Sango interrupted. "No matter what you say, it will stay that way. Our stuff is something we can get back. Look into his eyes and you'll see he lost his heart."

I furrowed my brows, thinking. She was turning into a Miroku with all these word riddles, though I hadn't heard him speak like that in a while. I understood, but then I didn't.

"He can't get his heart back," she explained. "He lost it to you."

"Like Kikyo, I suppose?" I don't know where that came from. I hadn't thought about her in a long time.

"Iie... He didn't love her."

"And he doesn't love me, so it's the same thing," I hollered in frustration. "He hasn't lost his heart."

"You haven't looked in his eyes."

"And you have!?" I screamed, curling my fists as my eyes burned holes into the carpet.

::::::silence::::::


"Hai."

I looked at her serious expression for a moment, noting the concern in her eyes. Something was bothering her. "When?"

"Before I followed you, after you pushed him away. I just looked, to check."

"Tell me, then," I ordered. "Did you see a sunset?"

Sango smiled. "A week ago I would have rattled my brain for months and still not have understood. Now, I am pretty sure I do. Inuyasha and Miroku, they're alike. And completely different. Where one sees beauty, the other sees ruins. A sunset, in Inuyasha's eyes, would be the opposite of Miroku's, wouldn't it be?"

I nodded, looking at my hands. I had one thing plaguing my mind at the moment, and it wasn't anything Sango had said. Kikyo... she hadn't completely lost him, or had she?

"Then, hai, I saw a sunset," she concluded. "I saw pain and sadness, hurt and betrayal. But, the sun hasn't set."

+++++++++++++++


"I don't know how to," I hissed vehemently. "You know that."

"This is the perfect time to learn how to, though," she reasoned. "Surely one of these gentlemen can show you."

'Ite, iteiteiteiteiteiteite,' I thought, placing my head in my hands. My cheeks were burning furiously. How embarrassing.

"I will."

I gasped, a little louder than I would have like to, and the blush left in a rush. I didn't know how to take that. Inuyasha had volunteered to dance with me... and the blush came back, even worse than before.

"Y-you're joking," I stuttered.

"Iie," he chuckled. "After all, I was supposed to be teaching you 'lady-like manners', remember?"

"Hai, but that doesn't include dancing," I told him, rising from my seat once the blush dimmed. "Plus, that backfired, didn't it, Dogboy?"

"Hai," he sighed defeatedly. My heart skipped a beat as his smirk left to be replaced by a rare- from him- smile. Breathtaking, one could say. "Can't we start over?"

I smiled back softly, my blush replaced with the normal coloring as my heart calmed a bit, and nodded.

We left everyone utterly speechless to take our spots on the dance floor. I was going to have a lot of explaining to do and Sango wouldn't ever let this down, I knew, but none of that mattered. My focus was solely on the man before me.

"Do you wish to learn the true way or the lazy way?" he asked with a humored smirk. Damn that smirk! I wanted that smile back.

"Is there a difference?" I wondered.

"A very big difference, really," he snorted. "Well?"

"Hmm... Such a hard choice..." I mumbled. "Mama would want me to learn the true- proper- way, though, and since she's watching..."

"Very well then," he sighed.

He clasped my right hand with his left, placing his other hand slightly off my left shoulder blade. He indicated for me to limply hold on to his right forarm and allow him to lead, telling me that I only needed to concentrate on the feel of his hands. Of course, I still looked to my feet.

'Sugoi, this is much easier than I thought it would be,' I mused silently.

"Oi, Kagome," Inuyasha called to my attention. "Don't watch your feet. You're doing fine."

"Arigato," I muttered, looking up. "Why... Why did you run, anyway?"

"Let's just say..." He inhaled deeply, laughing at himself. "I'm... still an ordinary junior high boy when it comes to the whole rejection thing."

"Rejection? You're kidding, right?" He shook his head, chuckling in embarrassment. "You thought I'd reject you? Why would you assume something like that?"

"Truthfully, I don't know," he sighed. "So?"

"So what?"

"Now that you know why I ran, do you forgive me?"

"Hai," I giggled. "Ne, this whole thing has been awfully strange and confusing."

"I know what you mean... So, what happens from here?"

"No sure, but I know that we will have a few hundred questions waiting for us when the night's over," I said, resting my head on his shoulder.

"You want it to end?"

"Iie," I replied, my face heating at the answer. "I don't have the power to stop time, though. Do you?"

"Iie," he chuckled, his chin propped on top of my head. "Strange isn't exactly a strong enough word for today."

'It isn't... It truly isn't,' I thought as I slowly drifted to sleep... still dancing in his arms...

/+|+\+/+|+\End of Flashback/+|+\+/+|+\


A light blush crept into my cheeks as a sly smile formed on my lips. Those were definitely worth remembering...

When we stopped, I knew that if mama had yelled for me at the top of her lungs I would not be able to hear her.... (A/N: RUN, KAGOME!!! SHE'S...! *Looks at readers* *clears her throat* Ahem, right... O.o;; Forget what I said... I just watched the episode where she attacks Kagome after Kagome shoots the arrow from ontop of the roof... What was the name of it? Hmmm... *Wonders off in thought*)

It kinda scared me...

"Arigatou," Kagura spoke, sitting down on the only availible rock and leaving me with the ground. I didn't care much.

"Eh?"

"If you hadn't managed to have Sesshomaru open up to you- hai, I know the whole story- I have a feeling that... Well..."

"You wouldn't be with him now?"

She looked at me for a moment. She was calculating something... "...Yeah, something like that, I suppose."

'Imagine that. They're two of a kind,' I thought, then quipped, "You suppose?"

She shook it off. "Listen... I wanted to say that... I... For one, I'm happy you solved that puzzle of yours."

"How- how did you know-!?" I stuttered.

"You looked lost to me," she stated simply. "You look revived now, though. Like you were at the concert a few weeks ago."

"Oh..."

"You know the Himitsu's pretty well, don't you?" she asked. I nodded. "Then, you know the feuds between Sesshomaru and Inuyasha?"

"For the most part, hai," I replied, pondering on Kagura's meaning to all of this.

"Then you know Sesshomaru's pushing his luck," she stated. "If I remember correctly, you yourself warned Sesshomaru..."

"Push him too far and he'll lose his way out."

I nodded.

"... You need to get Sesshomaru to see it," Kagura muttered, sighing. "I can't understand why he refuses to let me cancel the concert..."

"I understand," I mumbled. "I think I do at least- and I'll go along with it. I'll see what I can do about after that concert, though."

Kagura looked at me puzzledly. I shook my head. "Never mind..."

"Kagome," she called after a moment. "What exactly confused you so much?"

I looked at the woman, calculating her as she had done to me some few minutes earlier. She looked trust worthy, but if she let slip to Sesshomaru... Only Kami-sama knows what he'd do with such information.

I thought on it for a moment...

"Do you love him?"

"Nani?" Kagura gasped, her composure giving way to startlement.

"Sesshomaru, do you love him?"

"I... Hai, I love him," she stated, looking at clasped hands. I smiled at the feelings I knew were running through her head.

"Do you have anything to lose by staying with him?" She was silent, then shook her head. "I had only one thing to lose... And that was the belief that I was Kagome- daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Higurashi, ex-student of Wakuso High School, best friend to Sango Taijiya and Ayame Sasayaku, more common than most middle class persons."

She raised her head to look me in the eyes. Her eyes were unfocused, remembering something from her past- as I had seen from Inuyasha when he was gradually remembering the childrens' audition.

I continued, watching as her eyes changed from their unfocused state to understanding- not understanding me but the memory. "When I was with Inuyasha, I didn't feel like Kagome- daughter, ex-student, best friend, and commoner... I felt like Kagome- the girl who loved her life's ruin, who fell head over heels for a little boy in her past, who was loved for no reason save for the fact that she was who she was... I felt special, loved beyond comparison, because in his eyes..."

"You were," she finished for me. "I see..."

"So, Kagura, you've lived through it too, huh?"

A sly grin found it's way to her face. "Who hasn't?"

We laughed together as a new friendship bonded us together, and we laughed even harder at a single thought- we loved brothers. I guess, in a way... I got the sister I never had.

It wasn't too bad a day after all...