Disclaimer: Unless Rumiko Takahashi has an identity crisis and decides to
switch lives with me, I don't own Inuyasha.
A/N: Aww! I was hoping for more reviews for that chappie, but no matter! I'm at 92 right now and I'm REALLY hoping to break 100 with this one!! So PLEASE, if you're one of those people who read this and don't review, JUST DO IT THIS ONCE! I'd be thrilled if I could get 100 reviews!!! ^_^
Chapter 19
Sesshoma-who?
"Inuyasha?" Kagome called out timidly from her stance directly in front of the doorway. She hoped with all her heart that he would answer her call; the day's events had been so ferociously dramatic that she wasn't at all positive if he had forgiven her. He did strike her as the type to hold grudges, though she hoped he'd make an exception. After that scene in the elevator, she wasn't too sure what to make of him anymore.
A pause of silence rang out across the room, and Kagome had just about given up all hope of hearing from her hanyou companion when suddenly his gruff voice made its presence known. "Yeah, whaddaya want?"
Kagome felt her spirits lighten at this form of greeting. His gruff demeanor was back intact, no traces of contempt found hidden in his voice. Maybe she had been too quick to judge, whatever she had almost discovered in that dusty closet of his must have been too personal for comfort. She of all people knew what it was like to try and harbor secrets, she could understand the rage he felt when the notion hit him that his deepest secrets could be exposed to one he didn't consider much more then a mere stranger. Someday she hoped to gain his trust, but she understood that it would take time and patience, especially as he didn't seem like the most amiable person to begin with. She didn't mind, focusing on somebody else gave her the opportunity to release her mind from her own problems.
"I'm gonna go see if I got any mail, O.K?" she called out, a cheerful, lilting tone in her voice. Things would go back to normal now, she could argue and play fight with Inuyasha all she wanted now, and both he and her could forget about that stupid incident with the closet.
"Fine," she heard a door slam with this last brusque remark, and she felt her heart plummet.
"Maybe I was right about him," she sighed and tenderly stroked her fingers against the wooden material of the door, taking her time opening it. Why couldn't the guy just forgive and forget? She closed her slim fingers around the golden handle, twisted the knob, and pushed the door wide open, barely paying attention as it crashed against its wooden frame. She gently pushed the door back against the entryway, then briskly made her way toward the front desk, distracted in her own thoughts.
'Maybe the real problem was that elevator incident. It's obvious that the guy hates the thought of showing emotion,' she trailed off, realizing something else. 'But wait a minute, I was the one crying my eyes out, he did nothing to be embarrassed for. Well, he did hug me, but what else could he have done? It would have been pretty awkward for him just to sit there while I used him as some sort of a pillow,' she grinned at the thought of an embarrassed Inuyasha looking quite confused as a teary-eyed Kagome continued her sobs into his shirt. His shirt probably looked a mess by now.
Another thought bubble burst over Kagome's troubled head. 'But wait, that doesn't make sense. I mean, this is INUYASHA we're talking about. He's supposed to be some kind of a playboy! Why would one tiny little hug matter to him? Unless, maybe his reputation isn't as true as I used to enjoy saying it was. Maybe, maybe he isn't so bad after all!'
The raven haired girl turned her glance to the wall, grimacing as she saw a poster advertising Inuyasha's latest movie, though she didn't understand why it was there. That movie had premiered months ago, had Inuyasha put it there as some kind of prank? 'Well,' she thought dryly, 'It answers my question at least,' for upon the poster sat Inuyasha, in a tight lip lock with some girl who Kagome vaguely recognized as Ayame Ookami, one of New York's top actresses. Kagome couldn't argue that Inuyasha didn't look the least bit embarrassed, in fact, he actually looked quite content.
Kagome had to remind herself that it was nothing more then mere acting. But still, she couldn't shake away the uncomfortably familiar feeling that seemed to boil in the pit of her stomach. She shook her head a few times, trying to rid herself of the sensation. She must be suffering delirium as a side effect of the headache pills she had taken earlier in the day. Convinced that this was all that ailed her, she stepped out of the elevator, glad to leave the location where the day's earlier events continued to haunt her like some sort of plague. She needed to get out more.
Ignoring various stares from a few ladies and a certain green skinned toad, she made her way up to the front desk, a pleasant smile taking over her face.
"Hello ma'am," a curly haired brunette stared at her through silver rimmed glasses, "What can I do for you?" her voice took on a purely professional tone, while still remaining and friendly, though Kagome could clearly see that she was in no mood for pleasantries. This place must be brimming with actors.
"Hi! I was just wondering if you had any mail for a Kagome Higurashi," she inquired, equally as pleasant, yet equally as forced. The woman gave a fake smile and disappeared behind the counter, sifting through a few drawers chock full with envelopes. Her eyes lit up as she closed her fingers around a small white envelope, holding it out to Kagome, her smile never faltering. Why did everyone feel the need to be so fake to make others happy?
"Here you go, dear. Have a nice day!" she waved her away and Kagome gave a half-hearted wave in return, making her way back to the dreaded elevator.
She stared absentmindedly at the envelope, letting her thoughts drift off in a million different directions. Her brain vaguely processed that the return address was from a "Kikyo Ookami", and Kagome couldn't help but grin at the familiar sight. Her ever superstitious cousin hated the idea of putting her name on anything, especially envelopes which she claimed were handled by evil postmen all over the country. Who knew what they could do with her address? Instead, she used her best friend Kouga's last name and address, only using her first name to reveal her identity to the letter's recipient. She said that anybody who didn't know her well enough to know that it was truly her probably wouldn't be getting a letter from her anyhow.
Kouga had never minded until Kagome pointed out that using his last name and address could easily fool people into thinking they were married, a thought which unsettled Kouga to no end, and he desperately pleaded with Kagome's older cousin to quit using his name. She obliged, but went on doing it anyway without his knowledge or consent, and the pseudo "Kikyo Ookami" was an identity sure to appear on many envelopes to come (no relation to the great Ayame Ookami, by the way, a disappointed Kouga made sure of that. He would have loved to boast a relation to the famous actress, but sadly the names were naught but mere coincidence).
Kagome allowed her fingers to gently tear the fold of the envelope, so not to destroy the precious letter inside. It felt good to know that she still had connections back to her past life, that no matter how bad things got here, she would never be completely alone. She smiled, delicately lifting a single piece of notebook paper from the envelope, shaking her head with a grin. Kikyo absolutely hated stationary, only using it when absolutely necessary. Kagome had to agree with some of Kikyo's methods, this one in particular. After all, a pack of stationery puts a much bigger dent in one's wallet then some notebook paper. Leaning back against the elevator's doorway, Kagome paused to read her long awaited response.
Kagome,
This "Inuyasha" character has obviously caused you some sort of brain damage. First, you take forever to write me, making me fret over here with worry for weeks on end. Then, you finally get around to writing to your dear old cousin, only to tell me that you've been stalked, almost killed twice, associating yourself with dirty animals, and now find yourself in the quarters of a strange man who has a huge reputation for being an obscene playboy that spends his free time watching porn and getting drunk. Then you tell me "not to worry" because you're OBVIOUSLY fine, and I should just sit back on my ass and watch you get yourself either raped or killed.
Not on your life, little cousin. I would come down there this instant and make you hightail your ass back to Japan, but I'm busy with my midterms. Don't think this means you're off the hook, Kag, because I'm sending Kouga in my place. He'll be waiting for you in the New York airport at 4:00 P.M Friday evening, and you better be there to meet him or it'll be your head. Now go tell this Inuyasha character the news and warn him that if he lays a hand on you, he'll have hell to pay.
With much love,
Kikyo
Kagome paused for a second, not entirely sure whether to make of this oh so kind letter from her dearest cousin. Suddenly she burst into laughter, raising her hand to cover her mouth in an attempt to contain her giggles, but not to much avail. She couldn't help but laugh, her cousin was just so, PREDICTABLE! She was almost doubled over by this point, laughing so hard that she didn't notice the dinging sound from up above, and therefore didn't contemplate how stupid it was of her to lean up against the door when said door began to slide open.
Kagome, just realizing what a position she was in, closed her eyes and braced herself for the fall as she began to feel herself stumble backwards. "Aieee!" she reached her hand out to grab the doorway and pull herself back to her feet, but it was too far out of reach. She succumbed herself to gravity and continued her fall, preparing herself to hit the hard concrete and possibly crack her head open.
Only the impact never came.
Instead, she felt a pair of strong, warm arms brace themselves against her back, breaking her fall. She titled her head back and stared straight up, blinking a few times when her chocolate brown eyes locked with amber golden ones. She furiously scrambled out of his hold, her cheeks beginning to redden slightly. She felt her balance returning to her and stood straight up facing him, feeling the enclosed space suddenly fill with awkward tension, and she grinned sheepishly at him in an attempt to break it.
"Um, thanks," she trailed off, not really sure where to go from there.
Inuyasha gave a half-hearted shrug. "Whatever," he turned to leave her, but Kagome grabbed his coat sleeve and pulled him back to face her.
"Wait," she pleaded desperately. "I, um, have a favor to ask of you".
Inuyasha, remembering what had happened the LAST time he had been in this position, scoffed at her. "What is it this time, a cat?"
Kagome giggled lightheartedly. "No, silly. Um, my cousin is a little worried about me, she's kind of overprotective and," Inuyasha cut in with a mere hint of a smirk, something Kagome had genuinely missed, whether she was willing to admit it or not.
"What, she thinks I'm going to rape you or something?" he winked, and Kagome gave him an honest smile, glad that they had finally overcome the building tension.
"Something like that. Anyway, she's passing off the dirty work to Kouga, and I'm supposed to meet him at the airport tomorrow night. And, um, I was wondering. Would you come with me?" she twiddled her fingers nervously.
Inuyasha's face suddenly clouded over. "Is he your boyfriend or something?"
Kagome looked up in horror, her cheeks reddening. "No! Definitely not! Kouga and I are just good friends! He's my cousin's best friend, that's the only reason I know him!" she shook her head to rid herself of that unpleasant thought. Kouga and her? Dating? Yeah right!
Inuyasha seemed to relax a little at this, then turned away and crossed his arms over his chest before Kagome could see it. "Why do you want me to come anyway? Need somebody rich to pay for the taxi, is that it?"
Kagome grabbed his shoulder and whirled him around for the second time that day. Inuyasha noticed that as she talked, she didn't bother to remove her hand, not that he minded all that much.
"Inuyasha, don't think like that. Kouga could probably pay for it just fine on his own, actually. I'd like you to come is all!" she grinned at him and crossed her arms in a bad imitation of his own gruff stance. "So, whaddaya say bitch?" she mocked his gruff demeanor teasingly, and he shot her an annoyed look.
"Fine, whatever, I'll go. It's not like I've got anything better to do".
"Good," Kagome smiled and made her way back to the apartment. "Now let's go order some pizza or something, I'm starved".
Inuyasha followed behind her, a bit bewildered at their recent lack of argument, but also a bit curious about the girl, as he was once again reminded that he knew absolutely nothing about her, or her family for that matter. "So what's your cousin's name anyway?" he asked offhandedly, and Kagome fought back a laugh, though Inuyasha didn't understand what was so funny.
"Kikyo Ookami!" she grinned, still trying to hold back her giggles.
"Ookami? You're not related to Ayame by any chance are you?"
She finally gave in to her urge to laugh and barely managed to sputter out her next sentence between chuckles. "No, I'm just teasing. Ookami is actually Kouga's last name, it's a long story. But speaking of Ayame, I happened to see a very interesting poster in the elevator," she shot him a teasing glare, and he contrived to look innocent, knowing exactly what she was talking about.
"Poster?" he inquired, trying to feign complete confusion, but he knew he was failing horribly.
"Yes, poster. Inuyasha and Ayame, embraced in the passionate kiss of death," she clasped her hands in front of her chest in a longing pose, converting her eyes to the ceiling in an attempt to appear as if she were gazing off into a hazy sunset. "Oolala!" she giggled, pushing open the doorway and skipping inside the apartment, still drowning in laughter as a pissed Inuyasha stood outside.
"You bitch! It's just acting!"
"Call it whatever you want Inuyasha. I believe what I see!" she replied jokingly, noting with pleasure that all this seemed to do was royally piss off Inuyasha even more. She'd have to mention that poster more often.
"Why you," the hanyou began, and Kagome sighed, shutting the door behind her. It was going to be a LONG night. "CROSSDRESSING ALLIGATOR WITH THE BRAINS OF A TRANSEXUAL PLATYPUS!" he finished, crossing his arms in a pout.
Kagome gave him a purely baffled look, then burst into giggles. A long night, indeed. But definitely a fun one.
~*~
"Sesshomaru," Kagura stated calmly, willing her anger to stay beneath the surface. "The answer lies in Sesshomaru".
"Sesshomaru?" Naraku queried, stroking his chin. "I must say I've never heard that name before. Anything else?"
"No, except the fact that Kanna is a very bright girl. She knows perfectly well I'm not on vacation, and promises to destroy the one responsible for my kidnapping. That being you, of course".
Naraku scoffed, his wavy black hair hiding his face. "I'd like to see her try".
Kagura clenched her fists at her sides, then swiftly turned to leave the crowded office. "If you don't mind, I have some business to take care of".
Naraku directed his next words to her retreating back. "Anything you try will only be used against you. Surely you know that by now".
"I'm getting something to eat. Does that please your majesty?" she responded testily, willing him with all her heart to just go take a long walk off a short pier.
"Go on, then. I'll be researching on Sesshomaru while you're gone. Our side or theirs?"
Kagura paused for a moment, trying to recall her earlier conversation with her beloved younger sister. "Ours, I think. Yes, I'm almost positive it was ours".
"Good," a malicious grin appeared on the man's face. "In that case, I'd say it's time to take on a business partner," he turned back to his computer, intent on learning all he could about this "Sesshomaru".
Kagura shivered for Kagome's sake and made her way into the office's main hallway. Oh yes, she had some business to take care of all right. Naraku would definitely catch her if she tried to leave the city, tried to go to the police, or even tried to use the phone.
But Naraku couldn't stop her from seeing the enemy.
~*~
"Heya Buyo," Kagome stepped out of her bathroom, clad in checkered blue pajamas and fuzzy moon-shaped slippers, her raven hair done in a ponytail high above her head. "What'cha doing?" she asked the fuzzy white dog, lowering herself to his level and scratching her beloved pet behind the ears.
Buyo turned over on his side and relished in the feeling of her soft fingers against his belly, then turned back over and leapt onto the bed, willing Kagome to follow. Kagome chuckled and obliged, slipping under the covers next to her companion.
"Isn't this great? Things really are perfect now! Tomorrow I will have been here a week, and my father still has no idea where I am! Inuyasha's not mad at me anymore, and I'm even going to see Kouga! After all this time! I wonder if he looks any different? He did say something about a hair-cut before I left," she yawned, snuggling into the covers. "Mmm, nothing beats a nice, soft bed," her eyes drifted closed, and she snuggled Buyo against her, his tail thumping happily against the soft bed sheets, both girl and canine ready to drift into unconsciousness.
*THWACK*
Kagome bolted straight up in alarm, looking around warily. "Huh?" she asked, a bit sleepily, her eyes adjusting to the darkness.
*THWACK*
This time she couldn't deny that the noise had been coming from the window, and she scurried out of bed, throwing open the shutters with a bang. "Who's there?" she asked, her voice shaking a bit unintentionally. What if it was him?
"Over here," she heard from slightly to her right, and she turned to locate the owner of the voice, gasping when she saw exactly who it was that decided to awaken her in the dead of night.
It was nothing more then an ordinary woman, clad in business suit despite the fact that the majority of businesses had probably closed hours ago. Her hair was pinned up in a tight bun, revealing her pointy ears for the world to see. Her eyes were bright red and held a somewhat dangerous look, though not enough to be truly frightened by. Other then her eyes, there was nothing incredibly unusual about her.
Well, except the fact that she was floating on a feather.
The feathery white surface began to drift closer toward the windowsill, carrying the mysterious woman with ease. Kagome's eyes widened at such a sight, she had never seen a mere feather carrying anything more then a shred of paper without collapsing to the ground. She realized that this must be no ordinary feather, and therefore no ordinary human. The bright red eyes and too pointy ears were only more indicators to the fact that this was not your average woman. She was a youkai.
Kagome backed up in fear. "Look, you! I've got a very powerful friend living here, and if you so much as touch me then he's going to run in here and um, kill you! So I'd suggest leaving, you got that?" she groaned, realizing that with a threat that lame, she was obviously toast.
"Oh, cut the crap. I'm not here to kill you".
Kagome's nervous shakes seemed to lessen. "So you're here to maim me then?"
The woman threw back her head with a laugh, causing Kagome to shudder involuntarily. "No, no. I'm not here to harm you in any way. I just needed to tell you something".
Kagome sighed with relief. "Spit it out then. And who are you anyway? What gives you the right to wake me up that late at night?" she accused, leaning her hands against the windowsill and inching her head forward, trying to see the youkai woman better.
"That's none of your concern. I only came here to warn you of the one who calls himself Sesshomaru".
"Sesshomaru?" she asked inquisitively, cocking her head in confusion. She would've understood if she had said "Naraku", but she'd never heard of a Sesshomaru.
"Yes, Sesshomaru you dolt. Beware of him already!" and with that she kneeled down upon her feather, allowing it to carry her off into the night. The stars seemed to glisten in honor of her departure, and even the moon's shine seemed to glow brighter. Kagome shook her head, sure she was dreaming. Sesshomaru? What on Earth?
Deciding she'd worry about it later, she crawled back under the covers, a bit worse for wear. Wrapping her arms around a startled Buyo, she proceeded to allow herself sleep, still utterly curious about that woman and her reference to "Sesshomaru".
"At least it wasn't Naraku," she trailed off, allowing herself to drift into unconsciousness once again.
A/N: ehh, I didn't like this chapter all that much. But hey, Inuyasha and Kagome made up right? Next chapter is all about Kouga, and his affect on Inuyasha and Kagome. PLEASE REVIEW! I REALLY WANT TO GET TO 100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A/N: Aww! I was hoping for more reviews for that chappie, but no matter! I'm at 92 right now and I'm REALLY hoping to break 100 with this one!! So PLEASE, if you're one of those people who read this and don't review, JUST DO IT THIS ONCE! I'd be thrilled if I could get 100 reviews!!! ^_^
Chapter 19
Sesshoma-who?
"Inuyasha?" Kagome called out timidly from her stance directly in front of the doorway. She hoped with all her heart that he would answer her call; the day's events had been so ferociously dramatic that she wasn't at all positive if he had forgiven her. He did strike her as the type to hold grudges, though she hoped he'd make an exception. After that scene in the elevator, she wasn't too sure what to make of him anymore.
A pause of silence rang out across the room, and Kagome had just about given up all hope of hearing from her hanyou companion when suddenly his gruff voice made its presence known. "Yeah, whaddaya want?"
Kagome felt her spirits lighten at this form of greeting. His gruff demeanor was back intact, no traces of contempt found hidden in his voice. Maybe she had been too quick to judge, whatever she had almost discovered in that dusty closet of his must have been too personal for comfort. She of all people knew what it was like to try and harbor secrets, she could understand the rage he felt when the notion hit him that his deepest secrets could be exposed to one he didn't consider much more then a mere stranger. Someday she hoped to gain his trust, but she understood that it would take time and patience, especially as he didn't seem like the most amiable person to begin with. She didn't mind, focusing on somebody else gave her the opportunity to release her mind from her own problems.
"I'm gonna go see if I got any mail, O.K?" she called out, a cheerful, lilting tone in her voice. Things would go back to normal now, she could argue and play fight with Inuyasha all she wanted now, and both he and her could forget about that stupid incident with the closet.
"Fine," she heard a door slam with this last brusque remark, and she felt her heart plummet.
"Maybe I was right about him," she sighed and tenderly stroked her fingers against the wooden material of the door, taking her time opening it. Why couldn't the guy just forgive and forget? She closed her slim fingers around the golden handle, twisted the knob, and pushed the door wide open, barely paying attention as it crashed against its wooden frame. She gently pushed the door back against the entryway, then briskly made her way toward the front desk, distracted in her own thoughts.
'Maybe the real problem was that elevator incident. It's obvious that the guy hates the thought of showing emotion,' she trailed off, realizing something else. 'But wait a minute, I was the one crying my eyes out, he did nothing to be embarrassed for. Well, he did hug me, but what else could he have done? It would have been pretty awkward for him just to sit there while I used him as some sort of a pillow,' she grinned at the thought of an embarrassed Inuyasha looking quite confused as a teary-eyed Kagome continued her sobs into his shirt. His shirt probably looked a mess by now.
Another thought bubble burst over Kagome's troubled head. 'But wait, that doesn't make sense. I mean, this is INUYASHA we're talking about. He's supposed to be some kind of a playboy! Why would one tiny little hug matter to him? Unless, maybe his reputation isn't as true as I used to enjoy saying it was. Maybe, maybe he isn't so bad after all!'
The raven haired girl turned her glance to the wall, grimacing as she saw a poster advertising Inuyasha's latest movie, though she didn't understand why it was there. That movie had premiered months ago, had Inuyasha put it there as some kind of prank? 'Well,' she thought dryly, 'It answers my question at least,' for upon the poster sat Inuyasha, in a tight lip lock with some girl who Kagome vaguely recognized as Ayame Ookami, one of New York's top actresses. Kagome couldn't argue that Inuyasha didn't look the least bit embarrassed, in fact, he actually looked quite content.
Kagome had to remind herself that it was nothing more then mere acting. But still, she couldn't shake away the uncomfortably familiar feeling that seemed to boil in the pit of her stomach. She shook her head a few times, trying to rid herself of the sensation. She must be suffering delirium as a side effect of the headache pills she had taken earlier in the day. Convinced that this was all that ailed her, she stepped out of the elevator, glad to leave the location where the day's earlier events continued to haunt her like some sort of plague. She needed to get out more.
Ignoring various stares from a few ladies and a certain green skinned toad, she made her way up to the front desk, a pleasant smile taking over her face.
"Hello ma'am," a curly haired brunette stared at her through silver rimmed glasses, "What can I do for you?" her voice took on a purely professional tone, while still remaining and friendly, though Kagome could clearly see that she was in no mood for pleasantries. This place must be brimming with actors.
"Hi! I was just wondering if you had any mail for a Kagome Higurashi," she inquired, equally as pleasant, yet equally as forced. The woman gave a fake smile and disappeared behind the counter, sifting through a few drawers chock full with envelopes. Her eyes lit up as she closed her fingers around a small white envelope, holding it out to Kagome, her smile never faltering. Why did everyone feel the need to be so fake to make others happy?
"Here you go, dear. Have a nice day!" she waved her away and Kagome gave a half-hearted wave in return, making her way back to the dreaded elevator.
She stared absentmindedly at the envelope, letting her thoughts drift off in a million different directions. Her brain vaguely processed that the return address was from a "Kikyo Ookami", and Kagome couldn't help but grin at the familiar sight. Her ever superstitious cousin hated the idea of putting her name on anything, especially envelopes which she claimed were handled by evil postmen all over the country. Who knew what they could do with her address? Instead, she used her best friend Kouga's last name and address, only using her first name to reveal her identity to the letter's recipient. She said that anybody who didn't know her well enough to know that it was truly her probably wouldn't be getting a letter from her anyhow.
Kouga had never minded until Kagome pointed out that using his last name and address could easily fool people into thinking they were married, a thought which unsettled Kouga to no end, and he desperately pleaded with Kagome's older cousin to quit using his name. She obliged, but went on doing it anyway without his knowledge or consent, and the pseudo "Kikyo Ookami" was an identity sure to appear on many envelopes to come (no relation to the great Ayame Ookami, by the way, a disappointed Kouga made sure of that. He would have loved to boast a relation to the famous actress, but sadly the names were naught but mere coincidence).
Kagome allowed her fingers to gently tear the fold of the envelope, so not to destroy the precious letter inside. It felt good to know that she still had connections back to her past life, that no matter how bad things got here, she would never be completely alone. She smiled, delicately lifting a single piece of notebook paper from the envelope, shaking her head with a grin. Kikyo absolutely hated stationary, only using it when absolutely necessary. Kagome had to agree with some of Kikyo's methods, this one in particular. After all, a pack of stationery puts a much bigger dent in one's wallet then some notebook paper. Leaning back against the elevator's doorway, Kagome paused to read her long awaited response.
Kagome,
This "Inuyasha" character has obviously caused you some sort of brain damage. First, you take forever to write me, making me fret over here with worry for weeks on end. Then, you finally get around to writing to your dear old cousin, only to tell me that you've been stalked, almost killed twice, associating yourself with dirty animals, and now find yourself in the quarters of a strange man who has a huge reputation for being an obscene playboy that spends his free time watching porn and getting drunk. Then you tell me "not to worry" because you're OBVIOUSLY fine, and I should just sit back on my ass and watch you get yourself either raped or killed.
Not on your life, little cousin. I would come down there this instant and make you hightail your ass back to Japan, but I'm busy with my midterms. Don't think this means you're off the hook, Kag, because I'm sending Kouga in my place. He'll be waiting for you in the New York airport at 4:00 P.M Friday evening, and you better be there to meet him or it'll be your head. Now go tell this Inuyasha character the news and warn him that if he lays a hand on you, he'll have hell to pay.
With much love,
Kikyo
Kagome paused for a second, not entirely sure whether to make of this oh so kind letter from her dearest cousin. Suddenly she burst into laughter, raising her hand to cover her mouth in an attempt to contain her giggles, but not to much avail. She couldn't help but laugh, her cousin was just so, PREDICTABLE! She was almost doubled over by this point, laughing so hard that she didn't notice the dinging sound from up above, and therefore didn't contemplate how stupid it was of her to lean up against the door when said door began to slide open.
Kagome, just realizing what a position she was in, closed her eyes and braced herself for the fall as she began to feel herself stumble backwards. "Aieee!" she reached her hand out to grab the doorway and pull herself back to her feet, but it was too far out of reach. She succumbed herself to gravity and continued her fall, preparing herself to hit the hard concrete and possibly crack her head open.
Only the impact never came.
Instead, she felt a pair of strong, warm arms brace themselves against her back, breaking her fall. She titled her head back and stared straight up, blinking a few times when her chocolate brown eyes locked with amber golden ones. She furiously scrambled out of his hold, her cheeks beginning to redden slightly. She felt her balance returning to her and stood straight up facing him, feeling the enclosed space suddenly fill with awkward tension, and she grinned sheepishly at him in an attempt to break it.
"Um, thanks," she trailed off, not really sure where to go from there.
Inuyasha gave a half-hearted shrug. "Whatever," he turned to leave her, but Kagome grabbed his coat sleeve and pulled him back to face her.
"Wait," she pleaded desperately. "I, um, have a favor to ask of you".
Inuyasha, remembering what had happened the LAST time he had been in this position, scoffed at her. "What is it this time, a cat?"
Kagome giggled lightheartedly. "No, silly. Um, my cousin is a little worried about me, she's kind of overprotective and," Inuyasha cut in with a mere hint of a smirk, something Kagome had genuinely missed, whether she was willing to admit it or not.
"What, she thinks I'm going to rape you or something?" he winked, and Kagome gave him an honest smile, glad that they had finally overcome the building tension.
"Something like that. Anyway, she's passing off the dirty work to Kouga, and I'm supposed to meet him at the airport tomorrow night. And, um, I was wondering. Would you come with me?" she twiddled her fingers nervously.
Inuyasha's face suddenly clouded over. "Is he your boyfriend or something?"
Kagome looked up in horror, her cheeks reddening. "No! Definitely not! Kouga and I are just good friends! He's my cousin's best friend, that's the only reason I know him!" she shook her head to rid herself of that unpleasant thought. Kouga and her? Dating? Yeah right!
Inuyasha seemed to relax a little at this, then turned away and crossed his arms over his chest before Kagome could see it. "Why do you want me to come anyway? Need somebody rich to pay for the taxi, is that it?"
Kagome grabbed his shoulder and whirled him around for the second time that day. Inuyasha noticed that as she talked, she didn't bother to remove her hand, not that he minded all that much.
"Inuyasha, don't think like that. Kouga could probably pay for it just fine on his own, actually. I'd like you to come is all!" she grinned at him and crossed her arms in a bad imitation of his own gruff stance. "So, whaddaya say bitch?" she mocked his gruff demeanor teasingly, and he shot her an annoyed look.
"Fine, whatever, I'll go. It's not like I've got anything better to do".
"Good," Kagome smiled and made her way back to the apartment. "Now let's go order some pizza or something, I'm starved".
Inuyasha followed behind her, a bit bewildered at their recent lack of argument, but also a bit curious about the girl, as he was once again reminded that he knew absolutely nothing about her, or her family for that matter. "So what's your cousin's name anyway?" he asked offhandedly, and Kagome fought back a laugh, though Inuyasha didn't understand what was so funny.
"Kikyo Ookami!" she grinned, still trying to hold back her giggles.
"Ookami? You're not related to Ayame by any chance are you?"
She finally gave in to her urge to laugh and barely managed to sputter out her next sentence between chuckles. "No, I'm just teasing. Ookami is actually Kouga's last name, it's a long story. But speaking of Ayame, I happened to see a very interesting poster in the elevator," she shot him a teasing glare, and he contrived to look innocent, knowing exactly what she was talking about.
"Poster?" he inquired, trying to feign complete confusion, but he knew he was failing horribly.
"Yes, poster. Inuyasha and Ayame, embraced in the passionate kiss of death," she clasped her hands in front of her chest in a longing pose, converting her eyes to the ceiling in an attempt to appear as if she were gazing off into a hazy sunset. "Oolala!" she giggled, pushing open the doorway and skipping inside the apartment, still drowning in laughter as a pissed Inuyasha stood outside.
"You bitch! It's just acting!"
"Call it whatever you want Inuyasha. I believe what I see!" she replied jokingly, noting with pleasure that all this seemed to do was royally piss off Inuyasha even more. She'd have to mention that poster more often.
"Why you," the hanyou began, and Kagome sighed, shutting the door behind her. It was going to be a LONG night. "CROSSDRESSING ALLIGATOR WITH THE BRAINS OF A TRANSEXUAL PLATYPUS!" he finished, crossing his arms in a pout.
Kagome gave him a purely baffled look, then burst into giggles. A long night, indeed. But definitely a fun one.
~*~
"Sesshomaru," Kagura stated calmly, willing her anger to stay beneath the surface. "The answer lies in Sesshomaru".
"Sesshomaru?" Naraku queried, stroking his chin. "I must say I've never heard that name before. Anything else?"
"No, except the fact that Kanna is a very bright girl. She knows perfectly well I'm not on vacation, and promises to destroy the one responsible for my kidnapping. That being you, of course".
Naraku scoffed, his wavy black hair hiding his face. "I'd like to see her try".
Kagura clenched her fists at her sides, then swiftly turned to leave the crowded office. "If you don't mind, I have some business to take care of".
Naraku directed his next words to her retreating back. "Anything you try will only be used against you. Surely you know that by now".
"I'm getting something to eat. Does that please your majesty?" she responded testily, willing him with all her heart to just go take a long walk off a short pier.
"Go on, then. I'll be researching on Sesshomaru while you're gone. Our side or theirs?"
Kagura paused for a moment, trying to recall her earlier conversation with her beloved younger sister. "Ours, I think. Yes, I'm almost positive it was ours".
"Good," a malicious grin appeared on the man's face. "In that case, I'd say it's time to take on a business partner," he turned back to his computer, intent on learning all he could about this "Sesshomaru".
Kagura shivered for Kagome's sake and made her way into the office's main hallway. Oh yes, she had some business to take care of all right. Naraku would definitely catch her if she tried to leave the city, tried to go to the police, or even tried to use the phone.
But Naraku couldn't stop her from seeing the enemy.
~*~
"Heya Buyo," Kagome stepped out of her bathroom, clad in checkered blue pajamas and fuzzy moon-shaped slippers, her raven hair done in a ponytail high above her head. "What'cha doing?" she asked the fuzzy white dog, lowering herself to his level and scratching her beloved pet behind the ears.
Buyo turned over on his side and relished in the feeling of her soft fingers against his belly, then turned back over and leapt onto the bed, willing Kagome to follow. Kagome chuckled and obliged, slipping under the covers next to her companion.
"Isn't this great? Things really are perfect now! Tomorrow I will have been here a week, and my father still has no idea where I am! Inuyasha's not mad at me anymore, and I'm even going to see Kouga! After all this time! I wonder if he looks any different? He did say something about a hair-cut before I left," she yawned, snuggling into the covers. "Mmm, nothing beats a nice, soft bed," her eyes drifted closed, and she snuggled Buyo against her, his tail thumping happily against the soft bed sheets, both girl and canine ready to drift into unconsciousness.
*THWACK*
Kagome bolted straight up in alarm, looking around warily. "Huh?" she asked, a bit sleepily, her eyes adjusting to the darkness.
*THWACK*
This time she couldn't deny that the noise had been coming from the window, and she scurried out of bed, throwing open the shutters with a bang. "Who's there?" she asked, her voice shaking a bit unintentionally. What if it was him?
"Over here," she heard from slightly to her right, and she turned to locate the owner of the voice, gasping when she saw exactly who it was that decided to awaken her in the dead of night.
It was nothing more then an ordinary woman, clad in business suit despite the fact that the majority of businesses had probably closed hours ago. Her hair was pinned up in a tight bun, revealing her pointy ears for the world to see. Her eyes were bright red and held a somewhat dangerous look, though not enough to be truly frightened by. Other then her eyes, there was nothing incredibly unusual about her.
Well, except the fact that she was floating on a feather.
The feathery white surface began to drift closer toward the windowsill, carrying the mysterious woman with ease. Kagome's eyes widened at such a sight, she had never seen a mere feather carrying anything more then a shred of paper without collapsing to the ground. She realized that this must be no ordinary feather, and therefore no ordinary human. The bright red eyes and too pointy ears were only more indicators to the fact that this was not your average woman. She was a youkai.
Kagome backed up in fear. "Look, you! I've got a very powerful friend living here, and if you so much as touch me then he's going to run in here and um, kill you! So I'd suggest leaving, you got that?" she groaned, realizing that with a threat that lame, she was obviously toast.
"Oh, cut the crap. I'm not here to kill you".
Kagome's nervous shakes seemed to lessen. "So you're here to maim me then?"
The woman threw back her head with a laugh, causing Kagome to shudder involuntarily. "No, no. I'm not here to harm you in any way. I just needed to tell you something".
Kagome sighed with relief. "Spit it out then. And who are you anyway? What gives you the right to wake me up that late at night?" she accused, leaning her hands against the windowsill and inching her head forward, trying to see the youkai woman better.
"That's none of your concern. I only came here to warn you of the one who calls himself Sesshomaru".
"Sesshomaru?" she asked inquisitively, cocking her head in confusion. She would've understood if she had said "Naraku", but she'd never heard of a Sesshomaru.
"Yes, Sesshomaru you dolt. Beware of him already!" and with that she kneeled down upon her feather, allowing it to carry her off into the night. The stars seemed to glisten in honor of her departure, and even the moon's shine seemed to glow brighter. Kagome shook her head, sure she was dreaming. Sesshomaru? What on Earth?
Deciding she'd worry about it later, she crawled back under the covers, a bit worse for wear. Wrapping her arms around a startled Buyo, she proceeded to allow herself sleep, still utterly curious about that woman and her reference to "Sesshomaru".
"At least it wasn't Naraku," she trailed off, allowing herself to drift into unconsciousness once again.
A/N: ehh, I didn't like this chapter all that much. But hey, Inuyasha and Kagome made up right? Next chapter is all about Kouga, and his affect on Inuyasha and Kagome. PLEASE REVIEW! I REALLY WANT TO GET TO 100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!