Disclaimer: Nope. Don't bother to check again, I never will own that hunk of hanyou flesh. ;_;
Author's Note: Another chapter finally up! Sorry for the long wait, I had a bit of writers' block. Of course I totally made up for it, this is probably the longest ever chapter I've written so far.
Anyways, after this is uploaded, I'm changing one of the genres to fantasy… You'll see why latur. Anyways, get reading, and I hope you enjoy!
P.S – Don't forget to review afterwards. o.o
--
Archery Lessonsx Iced Insanity
--
Inuyasha and I finished our task before five-o-clock, much to my appreciation. Afterwards we finished cleaning, the both of us dropped our buckets at the Janitor's closet, and then we set off to Myouga's office. Along the way we encountered Miroku, who only waved at me as he passed by. He had to go somewhere with Sango or something, since he didn't even stop to give me a goodbye grope, which he usually did.
As Miroku passed off, I noticed Inuyasha give him the evil eye, while I merely chuckled. Man, that guy seemed like the jealous and possessive type. I made a mental note not to try and get on his bad side.
After speaking to Myouga, Inuyasha and I stood out the Principal's doorway, him shuffling around with his feet, and me, trying to think up of a creative goodbye. But as I stood there, looking up at him, I felt so sorry for him. He probably ached to do something besides sitting at home and doing nothing, but without a group of friends, he probably didn't have anybody to do anything with. I frowned, debating on whether to invite him to the archery building or not.
"Listen," I said reluctantly. "If you're doing nothing straight after this, do you want to come with me to archery classes? There's probably nothing there to do, unless if you consider pointing at laughing at me making a fool out of myself a hobby… Miroku had to go to Sango's little brother's little league game – he probably missed the first hour of it, but he keeps his promises, so... And, anyway, my brother's in the game, so he's gonna tell me the score since I'm, well, busy."
"Feh," Inuyasha snorted. "If you're gonna kill yourself about it, then fine. I don't want a death on my hands."
Ah. Men and their pride.
"Okay then," I smiled up at him, noting the obvious relief on his face. "I'll have to head my locker and get my clothes first, because I can't do anything in this uniform. Oh, and don't worry, I'm a quick changer: all I have to do is put on shorts and I already have my tank top under my uniform."
"Wonderful tidbit of information," He said dryly. "Just go get changed already."
--
When the two of us headed outside, I noticed with delight that the sun was still up. So, with high spirits, I lead Inuyasha to the bike rack. Once we got there, I peered at the lock, fishing around in my purse for my keys. I felt Inuyasha give me a queer look as I did so, but he didn't say anything.
I sighed. "I prefer bike riding than the limo, so it's not that I'm poor or anything, I just don't like the limo. It's not my style to go show off to people that I have a pretty long black car."
He merely shrugged, rolling his eyes at that statement. I watched him quietly, wondering if he probably thought me boring or something. He was probably thinking about my sister at that moment; whenever a guy was with me – with the exceptions of my faithful Houjo and Kouga – all they ever thought about was Kikyo.
Fitting the key into the lock, I loosened up my bike as I glanced up at Inuyasha innocently. Did he have a ride, or did he mind walking alongside me as I biked?
"Inuyasha?" I queried, and his amber-eyed gaze shifted over to mine. I smiled at him hesitatingly, while his gaze remained impassive. Eh heh…
"What is it, wench?" He asked, using the term 'bitch' as if it were my name. At this, I stared at him blankly, wondering if I offended him. His facial appearance, however, was impassive, so I couldn't tell anything from it. Obviously.
"I have a name, you know," I said rudely, arms crossed in an arrogant manner. "It's Kagome, so be a good little boy and use it."
"Little?" He raised a brow, standing next to me. He looked down, smugly, at my petite figure, and immediately I wanted to punch his brains out. I mean, I know I'm small, but just don't rub it in! It's bad enough already that I have to wear high heels to feel like a person of my peers.
"Shut up," I hissed, shoving him playfully as I mounted on my bike. I placed my feet on the pedals, cycling slowly, to let Inuyasha keep up. Surprisingly, he could, with ease. In fact, he seemed bored with the speed I went. I looked over at him, my eyes studying his doglike ears. Maybe…
"Inuyasha, are you a demon?" I asked timidly, watching his facial expression display a show of emotions: disappointment, hope, and a certain sadness – the kind where you know that it's hopeless to fit in. I turned away, ashamed, as a long silence followed.
"I'm a hanyou," He said at last, crossing his arms.
"There's nothing wrong with that!" I assured him. "I know a bunch of half-demons, and hey, they're not so bad. I mean, sure, people say they're weaker than the full demons, but it's just talk, ya know? Whatever race, ethnicity, or type someone is, it still makes him or her a living, breathing being, and we gotta respect that. If some of us don't, then, to hell with them."
He peered at me out of the corner of his eye, sending me a strange look, and I realized I was rambling again. Eh heh… I tended to do that a lot, especially when I was nervous.
"How do you know about demons, anyway?" He asked me.
"Me? Oh, I'm a miko. Both Kikyo and I are, but she's better at it than I am," I shrugged. "No surprise there, but yeah, we've grown up knowing about demons – like, what they're capable of. Kouga's a demon, a wolf one. So is Ayame, I think…"
I was interrupted, for a pretty red Ferrari pulled up to where Inuyasha and I were headed. Looking over at the car, I noticed it was Kagura's. The character mentioned leaned against the driver's leather coated seat, peering at us with her usual smug gaze. Kikyo, sitting next to her, offered both of us a smile – which I was pretty sure Inuyasha melted under.
I sighed, grinning back at my elder sister. I guess, against my sister, I could never win. Not that I minded losing Inuyasha to her, because he was a dork in my eyes, anyway.
"Hello, Kagome," My sister greeted, leaning against the car door. Her dark bangs shielded her eyes as she looked upon us; the look she had worn was one out of amusement. Her gaze traveled over to my companion, and to him she also sent a friendly smile. "Hello, Inuyasha, are you accompanying my sister to the archery building?"
"Uh…" Inuyasha appeared to be dumbstruck. I rolled my eyes at this, stepping hard on his foot with my shoes. "Oh, yeah, I am. Are you going yerself?"
"No," Kikyo shook her head. "Kagura, Kanna, and I are heading over to the airport to pick her brother up. Everybody needs a welcoming party, you know."
Inuyasha nodded at this, while I stared at my foot, which was planted firmly on the cement. It was nothing interesting to look at, really, I mean – it was a foot. Besides being my foot, it was still nothing worth taking more than two seconds of looking at. But the tension caused by Inuyasha's infatuation with my sister was sickening. I couldn't look up at the two, lest I will puke.
"What time will you be home?" I asked Kikyo.
"Probably late. We'll all be heading to dinner afterwards, so don't try and wait up." She said. "Mom knows I'll be gone for awhile, so you don't have to worry yourself by telling her. Can you just help Souta with his homework for today?"
I nodded in consent, too weary to protest. I hated doing, or even helping, homework other than my own. If one did not understand the whole lot of their homework, it meant they were stupid, or just that they did pay attention in class. People really should just give it up. Being mentally incapable is not an excuse to drag the unwilling into their web of stupidity.
"Good, then our little conversation is over," Kagura said, evidently bored out of her mind. She had been absently tapping against the leather steering wheel of her car. "I'll probably be late in picking up my stupid brother. I'll see you later, Kagome?"
Her red eyes slid, ever so slowly, from me, to Inuyasha. She gave him a smirk, glancing back at Kikyo and me. "And nice seeing you, Inuyasha."
I waved a goodbye, and with that, Kikyo, Kagura, and Kanna were off. I stayed where I was, watching them drive out of my eyesight.
--
I hate those foreboding feelings. I really, really do. One minute I'm just standing there, like any other normal girl in the world, and then – bang! All these feelings rush at you without any mercy whatsoever. Right then, and right there, I saw disjointed images of anything, memories, pictures, and scenes from events that I never knew happened. I heard voices of those that I did, and didn't recognize. All of this was from a language that I did not know.
"Han kommer." Someone told me. I frowned, trying to decipher what it meant. Ham Come 'ere, did she say? Ham is coming here? Hey… that didn't make any sense.
"Não, vem." Eh? What was that, again? I saw a girl in front of me, shaking her head as a no. At this, a frowned in confusion. What did they say? What did it mean? And why, oh why, was I having hallucinations in the middle of a street? I took a step forward, realizing that it wasn't the concrete pavement I was standing on, but a field of… green grass. Well, no. Not green. Red. The grass was a shade of red, the kind of red that was the color of blood. The red that I did not want to see.
Oh, shit. I'd have stains on my new, and perfectly white sneakers. Hesitantly, I peered down, to see that my shoes were wet. I crouched low on the ground, completely baffled, and tried to wipe the liquid off my immaculate shoes. My hands gently swiped across the top of my shoes, curiously peering down at the red fluid that stained them. To my complete and utter discomfort, I found out that it was, according to my suspicions, blood.
I let out a loud, shrill scream. So what if I was being some kind of sissy? There was warm blood on my hands, dammit, belonging to Kami-sama-knows-who. And since the blood was warm, there meant there had to be a body somewhere, as well as the being that caused this death. Trust me, a tough-chick as I was, I did not like the sight of mutilated bodies… or, any non-living bodies, for that matter. I also did not like to be formally introduced to the murderer, either, for, oh, obvious reasons.
Straightening myself up, I peered across the distance, wondering how the hell I should get out of here and return back on the streets, where I had been walking to the archery building. There, at least, I didn't get to see these gory images.
Thump thump, thump thump. See? Even my heart knew I was afraid. Though I couldn't feel it pounding in my chest, I definitely heard it, with my own two ears. I placed a shaky hand over my chest, puzzled over the normal pulse rate. If my heart wasn't pounding like crazy, then… whose was?
"Do not be afraid," Someone whispered to me, and I turned my confused gaze towards the source of his or her voice, only to find a crowd of people facing my way. At first glance, I thought they seemed pretty normal enough, so I neared them, hoping to ask them a way out. As I neared, however, I noticed that these people were transparent – they were spirits. They were decent enough, however, clad in cheap clothes, the kind one would usually get from a discount store, or the kind that were presumably hand-me-downs. I took it there that these people were of the lower middle class.
One of these spirits offered me a hand. Biting my lower lip, I curiously examined the undead being in front of me. This spirit was a female, just about my age. She had a head of unruly locks of brown hair, which contrasted along with the soft freckles that dusted her face. She wasn't one that I would call hideous, nor gorgeous. She was comely, pleasing to the eye because of her kind, but wise gaze. She had gentle, but wise brown eyes, the kind that made a person like me trust easily. The girl had a pale complexion, as if she was very weak and sickly. Her lips, chapped, dry, and red, as if it were swollen, formed a smile as she caught me looking at her. I immediately blushed out of embarrassment – Gosh, I was being so rude!
Looking away from the woman, I accepted her hand. I was expecting not to touch it, because, after all, she was a transparent being. I presumed that she would not be… well, tangible. But to my mild surprise, I felt the cool, calming touch of her hand as it closed around mine. I glanced about the other spirits as she began to walk along the path (Which suddenly had appeared there, out of nowhere, I might add.). They smiled and laughed at my earlier action, but it wasn't a laugh of taunting or jeering, but a laugh of… what was this? Happiness? The spirits began to follow my guide and I while keeping a respectable distance.
Curiously, I stared at my surroundings, rather glad with the company that came along with us. Even if I was with a group of strangers, I felt more at ease with them than alone in that wretched land of blood. And besides, my companions seemed friendly enough.
As we continued to walk, sounds of everyday life began to ring in my ears again. At first, I heard a bunch of crickets chirp, and then I heard voices. They were of ordinary people, speaking in the native language – of most that I could not understand. More voices began to add on, until it was as if I was in the marketplace, with a large amount of people bustling about, talking amongst themselves conversationally. I listened in amusement as my tour guide walked along, silently beckoning to me once and awhile. The voices suddenly grew quiet, and all I could hear was silence until I heard the streaming of water.
"Are we near water?" I asked, looking at my tour guide expectantly. She merely smiled at me at shook her head.
Okaaaay… I thought, falling silent again to the soothing sound of water in my ears. This continued for a few moments time, until I heard footsteps. At first I looked about me again in confusion, but none of the spirits seemed to look at me in acknowledgement. I glanced down to the ground, only to realize that they were merely hovering, so of course those footsteps did not come from them. So, I supposed, that these footsteps, were unfortunately in my head.
"Is She here?" A voice said, faint, and very soft. It was a wonder I was able to hear it. This time, I did not bother to look at the spirits in question, for I was certain these voices were inside my head. Instead of complaining and fleeing to look for a psychiatric ward, I remained were I was, on my way to wherever the spirits wanted to take me.
"She is coming," Another voice said. "Very soon. A woman, the prophecy said – a miko. Worthy enough of the Jewel of Four Souls, I have come to know."
…Eh? I was never an eavesdropper, whatever people say behind my back is all fine and dandy, I really don't care, but this little chitchat has gotten me to the point of intrigue. The jewel of Four Souls was the Shikon No Tama, the same jewel that my sister had come to own and protect. My sister also happened to be a Miko, therefore she was the woman they were talking about. Right?
A slight squeeze of my hand brought me out of the conversation. Try as I might, I could not return back to those voices, and suddenly everything was silent, just as it was before I heard things inside my head. Resigned, I glanced back at my guide, and realized that we were now standing in the doorway of some castle. It was dark, dank, and chilly, and for a moment I started to wonder if these spirits were truly kind as I thought they were.
My guide pushed open the door, literally dragging me through the inside of the castle. It was a scary, morbid sight to see, like a castle that came out of a horror movie. I gulped, unwilling to go any further, but the spirit stubbornly pushed me forward along with her. Along the halls we went, until we reached a courtyard. At this time, I was beginning to feel calmer, this time walking with an air with less reluctance… until I tripped. I lost my grip with my guide, and suddenly I found myself staring up at a tombstone. Any air of confidence I had then had left me.
It wasn't as bad as a skeleton, or a rotting body on the floor, but it was still scary. I raised my eyes to see that, indeed, the entire courtyard was filled with numerous graves. There were more than I could count, making one ponder the question, "What happened to these people?". Not able to take it any longer, I shut my eyes tightly, and I remained where I was, until a brush of my hand forced me to crack one eye open.
It was my spirit guide. She smiled at me comfortingly, giving me the courage to reach out and grasp her hand again. She pulled me upwards, and again we trekked through the castle, until finally we reached out destination – the throne room. My guide opened the door, gently ushering me in. I glanced at her uncertainly, and then at the crowd who seemed as if they would not take a step forward. Instead, they fell to their knees, as if whoever was in this castle was a supreme, and very powerful person.
My spirit guide, however, unfaltering pushed through, leading me again. I followed her in, glancing at the end of a room, where a throne stood on heightened ground. It was a silver (Or was it platinum?) throne, decorated richly with an array of beautiful, expensive, and obviously rare jewels. Next to the throne, stood a pedestal, with a wooden box – probably for holding something very valuable – that was completely empty except for the blue velvet that lined inside it. However, something was supposed to be held inside it. Something precious, above all the jewels that were lying on the throne.
I looked to my guide in question, only to find that she was kneeling on the floor, prostrated, as a sign of respect. Baffled, I glanced back up at the throne, to find a very attractive woman sitting in the seat. A crown of purely snow-white hair rested on her head, and, though, one might think her old from first glance, she certainly wasn't. As I studied her face, I realized that she had the face of a woman in her early twenties. Her skin was pale, almost translucent. Long, coal-colored eyelashes were lined up perfectly against her lightly blushed cheeks; her eyes were closed. Suddenly, she opened her eyes, and a pair of calm, half lidded blue eyes looked intensely at me. Moments passed, until her pink lips formed a sly smile.
"I see that my friends have taken you safely here," She began in a soft voice, calm, soft, and completely ethereal. There was no way on earth that she could have been human. The woman glanced at my spirit guide, who I had momentarily forgotten, and nodded in consent.
"Very well, Mieko," The woman said. "You have served under my wishes, and for that I grant you a blessing. Please, excuse us."
My former guide nodded obediently, and swept a curtsey for the woman, whom I had now claimed as Snow White. Before leaving, the spirit sent a glance at me and smiled. After this she departed, leaving me to wonder if I would ever see her again. After staring at the door for a second or two, I turned my gaze back to the woman, who smiled at me again.
She rose from her chair, revealing the apparel she wore. It was a dress, and a completely white one at that. She looked so beautiful in it that it was almost painful to look at her. I bit my lower lip as she started making her way towards me, her blue eyes intense.
"I have been expecting you, my child," She said softly, placing a finger under my chin. She lifted it up towards her face, a ghost of a smile upon her lips.
"I am Aislinn, Queen of Spirits," She was gazing intensely at my face. "I am your Guardian, chosen especially for you amongst the highest of immortal beings. I will make sure that you will be ready before the Day will come."
I felt my eyes roll forward, and my body weight stagger. I did not have any strength to support my weight – it was almost painful to stay upright. Aislinn peered upon me as if I seemed to be as right as the day, watching me as I fell to the ground. My vision now distorted, and my eyelids heavy, there was nothing I could do but drift off into the depths of unconsciousness.
"I will pay a visit to you tonight, Kagome." She said, through the hazy recesses of my mind.
"Kagome…"
--
"Kagome!" Someone yelled. "Dammit bitch, wake up!"
I felt someone's tight grip on my shoulders, getting tighter each time someone called my name. I started to be shaken, the voice of that someone growing louder and louder by each moment. But I didn't want to snap out of my daze… I felt so calm, so safe, so loved. I didn't want that feeling to go away, back to the normal, everyday life where I am treated properly like a piece of poop would.
"Whaddya want?!" I hissed grumpily, swatting blindly at the fool who brought me back to the living hell of reality. "Lemme alone… It's not time to go to school yet…"
As I started to doze off again, I heard someone's sharp intake of breath. I merely ignored it, even though it was an apparent, but unspoken threat. I snuggled back into the warmth of… something I was laying on, my hand reaching over to grab a blanket. Instead of having my silk sheets, I came into contact with something… cotton. My brows furrowed in a confused manner, as I wondered idly why the servants changed my perfectly fine sheets into this cheap thing. Too tired to complain, I made a mental note to complain later, tugging on the sheets to pull over my body. But as I tried to tug, I came into contact with something warm. Something that felt like… skin.
Immediately my eyes flew open. What was going on, anyway? Almost unwillingly, I glanced around me, only to meet the gaze of a very surprised hanyou. Golden eyes locked with mine, and moment after moment passed, almost seeming like an eternity to me. The gaze was almost magnetic – to a certain point that neither of us could pull away, but at the same time, neither of us made a move to get closer. Not that I wanted to get closer… Heck, if I had some pepper spray right now I'm sure I'd make it useful. At least, I thought I would…
Finally I looked away, and at the ground, only to see instead – my legs, straddling another's, of those who undoubtedly belonged to Inuyasha. I let out a startled shriek and stood up, muttering rushed apologies as I brushed myself from any dirt that stained my clothes. I was blushing madly, and out of the corner of my eye I could see that I wasn't the only one. Discreetly, I looked around the area, breathing a sigh of relief when I saw that no one was there. At least Kami-sama was with me.
"Wha… what happened?" I managed to finally ask, after regaining one tenth of my composure. At least it was some composure; it was good enough for me.
--
"Inuyasha?" I heard her mutter my name, and she started to repeat the question again. Of course, she didn't have any reason to. I heard her perfectly well, but how the hell do I describe the events that took place? Well… I might as well just give it a try. Sighing, I started to explain. This wasn't going to be easy.
After my Kikyo and her friends Kagura and Kanna drove off, Kagome merely stood there for a few minutes or so, watching them leave. I questioned her sanity then, but instead of running away like the sensible man would do, I remained there, calling out her name. I started waving my hand in front of her face, but still there was no reaction. She stood there, like a doll. Her expression never faltered. It remained blank and emotionless. It was almost as if I was looking into a lifeless face: all her color was drained, her eyes unseeing, and her lips parted as if she wanted to speak to someone that I could not see.
It was to my slight relief when Kagome started walking – it was a reaction, at least she was not entirely dead. She started to walk, like a zombie, only with one hand outstretched. I knew then that she didn't know where she was going, or what she was doing. Fortunately for her, she didn't start walking towards the busy street, but towards what seemed like a secluded park. I eyed her path suspiciously, checking for any shady spots that Kagome would accidentally stumble upon. Seeing it was safe, I shrugged and decided I should go. Leave her be, I thought, but my moral side got the best of me. Swearing under my breath, I quickened my pace to catch up with her.
She continued on walking, taking us deeper and deeper into the heart of the park. She continued to walk, until finally she spotted. Thank God. And there she stood, for a long time, until she unexpectedly she fell forward. Knowing Kikyo wouldn't like her younger sister to go splat, I stepped up to her and caught her, like the good little boy I was. It was unexpected, though, how hard she fell, and soon both of us tumbled down to the ground, my tush getting the full blow of it all.
It was then I started calling out her name. And then, after a series of events followed, we found ourselves in that uncomfortable gaze…
"Oh, I see," Kagome said quietly as I finished relating to her the story. She was quiet afterwards, her brows furrowed in deep thought. Once in awhile she would mutter the occasional "Damn". I stood up as she was consumed in her own little world, impatient and itching to get out of this damn park.
"Still up for that archery lesson?" I asked her, arms crossed, and foot tapping against the stone path of the park. Kagome lifted her eyes towards mine, her face paling, ever so slightly.
"Oh shit!" She exclaimed, slapping her forehead with the palm of her hand. "I forgot about that! I'm so late! Oh, gosh, they're gonna kill me for this!"
I rolled my eyes. "Relax, wench—"
"And where the hell is my bike?!" She moaned. "It's probably out there in the public street, where crazy muggers could go and steal it from me! Oh, and it was my most favorite, too… I suppose I'd have to go and get a new one, then… But that bike would be mighty handy to get there more quickly, especially at a moment like this…"
"Oh, gee, how stressing it is to go out and buy a bike," I muttered sarcastically, tired of her incoherent ramblings. "C'mon, you're not dirt poor, wench, you can manage. And besides, your instructor wouldn't mind that much if you're late for one class…"
"No, genius," Kagome told me with a feral look. "I am the instructor."
I arched an eyebrow. So there really was more than meets the eye with this girl. I wonder what she'd surprise me with next.
--
Author's Note: Okay, another chappie finished. I think it's my best so far… So, anyway guys, what did you think? Do tell me, and review, review, review! I look forward to this stuff, ya know…
Oh, yes. Just a small question. How was Inuyasha's character? =/ It's sort of hard for me to write about him, since I don't have the mind of a guy and I don't even have the vaguest idea of what is going on in their heads. I hope he seems badass and relatively IC to you people…