To Raging Jewel: Thanks for pointing out my errors. Here are my responses to them:

Kagome isn't referring to her era. She is, actually, talking about school. Which, in my opinion, has been pointless for me for the past decade or so, although perhaps you view school differently.

Um...yes. I realize I made a big mistake in the Hojo/Kagome conversation...if those two lines can be called a conversation. Although I don't like Hojo, Kagome evidently thinks he's decent. Well...semi-decent, anyways.

Maybe this is based on my lack of Inuyasha info. I've only seen a few episodes of the anime and read up to I think issue 17 of the manga. But as far as I've seen, Sesshoumaru keeps attacking Inuyasha and Kagome every time he meets up with them...and I fail to see how that could be endearing him to Kagome.

Anyways, thanks a lot! Continue criticizing anything I write incorrectly. And to Warm-Ice...No, I've never read My Secret Sesshoumaru. Maybe I'll go read it. Hmmm... Flaming Drake


Demon Reincarnate

Chapter Two – Detention and Discoveries

Ah, orchestra. The squeaky noises of the none-too-talented freshmen resounded across the auditorium as Kagome winced. She loathed the policy of mixing grades together to form one giant orchestra which sounded horrible. Twitching with every screech, she pulled out her own violin, a beautifully polished Stradivarius, which, according to her grandfather, was some sort of magical heirloom of their family.

She plucked the strings gently and listened carefully at the intonation. It was perfect, as always.

"Kagome, can I borrow your rosin?" Ayumi asked from beside her.

"Sure." Handing over the circular disk of rosin, Kagome waited patiently for Ayumi to finish.

Ayumi rubbed the sticky substance all over her bow hair. "Thanks." She leaned forward conspiringly. "So, what's going on between you and Taisho?"

"He got me stuck in detention." Kagome pouted.

"So...he probably just wants to get you alone for a while..."

"Have you ever seen Takahashi's detentions? There are usually enough people to fill three, four classrooms. I fail to see how that constitutes as alone."

The other girl frowned. "Takahashi? That witch. Oh well, we'd better get going."

Walking up the steps to the stage, Kagome paused as she caught a glimpse of silvery hair. "Kiyoshi!" she called.

He sauntered over, holding his own instrument. Another Stradivarius.

Grrrr. Perfectionist brat. Probably spoiled, and rich, and EVIL.

"Nice instrument," Ayumi complimented thoughtfully.

"Thanks, I inherited it from my father," he began, but Kagome stuck up her nose.

"That piece of crap? Nice? You must be crazy, Yumi. Let's go get seats."

"Um...she's really competitive about violin," Ayumi apologized for her friend.

A smile flitted across his features. "So am I." Smoothly, he began heading for the front of the section.

"Not a good idea!" Ayumi called, but it was too late.

Both of them began heading towards the front seat.

At the same time.

They both began walking more quickly...and faster...and faster...and faster...

And...

And then, failing to notice the folder lying on the ground, Kagome tripped, fell right into Kiyoshi, and ended up sprawled in a rather compromising situation, with her legs wrapped around him and her face millimeters from his.

Ah...this was awkward.

Not that she really minded this position. Except that quite a few people were peering at them and cheering them on.

But that wasn't her only discomfiture. She looked at her precious violin and almost fainted.

"You made me scratch my instrument!" Kagome howled viciously, wishing that she had the Tetsusaiga. Not that she could use it, but still. She pointed to an infinitesimal mark on the violin.

Scrambling off of the boy, she darted to the front seat and sat boldly down, refusing to relinquish her right as concertmaster of the orchestra.

Naturally, he slid in right next to her, ignoring her glares.

The extraordinarily obese man who prided himself on being a 'great bassist' tried standing on the podium, which promptly collapsed. With an animalistic growl, he flung the pieces of splintered wood away from him and raised his arms. "Let's start on the third movement of Rounds." (A/N: This conductor is based on a real person, as scary as it may seem.)

Kagome slapped the music on the stand and scooted subtly away from Kiyoshi.

Well, not too subtly. Another centimeter and she'd have fallen off the stage.

The conductor raised his rather thick arms. Waving his neon green baton wildly at the cello section (which didn't actually come in until halfway through the piece), he motioned for someone to begin playing.

Casting a surreptitious glance at Kiyoshi, Kagome began playing the first measure.

He joined in.

The second measure, slightly accelerated.

He darted a quick glance at her and copied her pace.

Faster. Kagome didn't care that the rest of the orchestra was in chaos; she was the best, and she would prove it.

The two of them raced up the scale leading up to the high G.

Dashing off the next two chords, Kiyoshi launched into the passage which was meant to accompany the lower strings, which had all dropped out by now, unable to go at the speed of the two competitors.

Taking a shortcut, Kagome decided that since there was no one to accompany, that particular passage could easily be skipped. She leapt to the next section.

He followed suit, and though the passage was supposed to be nice, sweet, and peaceful, they barreled through it.

Their speed went another notch higher.

By now, they were the only ones playing, and the conductor was still conducting cheerfully at completely the wrong tempo, oblivious to the competition.

Kagome and Kiyoshi raced through the next sequence, zoomed past the other supposedly peaceful section, and plunged into the final page. Their fingers flew; both soared up the scale into seventh position, where they began crossing strings at an alarming rate.

They skipped the rests before the last arpeggio and ended with three crashing notes on the g string.

And then...silence.

Into the silence, Ayumi whispered, "Who won?"

Kagome turned to stare at Kiyoshi with a kind of grudging respect. His eyes flickered with something akin to amusement, and she flashed a slight frown. "I won," she hissed at him.

"I wouldn't want to deny you your beliefs."

"Shut up." Ahhh, she was so tempted to just push him off the stage. Of course, she was the one closer to the edge of the stage, but perhaps if she offered to let him sit first chair...

"Won what?" the conductor, still completely bewildered, asked. "Was there a contest that I missed?"

Everyone turned to stare at the man incredulously.

"Well...anyways," the conductor continued, "I noticed that your speeds weren't consistent in that last passage. You seemed to be slowing down quite drastically."

Again, the incredulous stares.

"What?" the conductor demanded. "I know I'm not exactly skinny, but you don't have to look at me that way! Stop looking at me!" He rushed down the steps and out of the auditorium.

Ok, that was the second conductor this year who'd had an emotional breakdown.

Slowly, the students began filing off the stage, packing their instruments.

Kagome walked slowly towards the doorway. Hmm...a challenge. Perhaps it wasn't so bad, after all.

She hadn't had a challenge in such a long time.


Feeling slightly more cheerful, she hummed a rather out-of-tune melody as she moved towards the cafeteria before remembering.

Detention.

"Darn," she muttered, turning and racing towards Takahashi's classroom.

The calculus teacher was waiting with a rather smug expression. "Higurashi, so glad you could join us. Taisho's already in there."

"Good for him." Kagome stormed inside and flung her backpack at the wall, just missing Kiyoshi's ducking head.

"Now," Miss Takahashi continued sweetly – about as sweetly as a Starbucks frappucino mixed with vinegar, anyways – "I have the most wonderful assignment for you two. You'll be working on a special project for me."

They both eyed her warily.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll enjoy it immensely. After all, who wouldn't like deriving EVERY TRIGONOMETRY FORMULA IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD and handing it in on Friday?"

Oh, Kami-sama, no.

Despite the fact that she was in no mood to be deriving trig functions, there was another small fact.

She was supposed to go back to the Feudal Era.

Today.

Inuyasha was going to KILL her.

As soon as Miss Takahashi closed the door, still cackling evilly, Kagome raced over to Kiyoshi. "Kiyoshi..."

"Hmm?" He was currently sketching a picture of Takahashi with her head in flames. Underneath, he wrote the caption 'spontaneous combustion'.

"You're supposed to be deriving trig stuff."

"Really?" He yawned, adding some more fire for good effect.

"Come on, Kiyoshi, please? I can't do it...and you seem relatively intelligent."

"Relative to what? A dog?"

"Actually," Kagome interrupted, "dogs can be really very intelligent. Short tempered, naturally, but they're so cute!" She pictured Inuyasha's fuzzy triangular ears.

"Thinking about your hanyou again?" he teased lightly.

"Well...sort of," she began dreamily, but stopped, realizing what she'd just done.

He leaned towards her, his eyes glittering with triumph. "How interesting. A hanyou, in modern times? I was under the assumption that they only lived in the Feudal Era."

Her eyes locked onto his. "Fine, I admit it, I've been in the Feudal Era," she snapped. "Why do you care, anyways?"

He leaned back, looking oddly satisfied. "No reason in particular. I was merely curious as to whether you were the girl who killed Sesshoumaru or not. How's the Shikon coming along, anyways?"

"It's about half done," she mumbled.

"Good." His smile was predatory. "Not long to wait, then." He glanced at her stiff expression and repented slightly. "Here, you can go back to your hanyou. I'll finish the trig formulas."

"You will?" Her eyes widened. "Um...are you sure?"

"Of course."

She smiled slowly. "Thanks, Kiyoshi," she replied softly. "By the way, you actually have an almost decent violin, although your playing doesn't match it at all."

"The feeling's mutual, Kagome."

But even as she gathered up her books and turned to leave, a strange emotion lingered in his mind.

One that Sesshoumaru had never experience before...but one that his reincarnation could feel.

Relaxing when the last bell rang, Kagome grabbed her bulging backpack and raced home. Ahh, she'd forgotten to go shopping for ramen and chocolate to placate Inuyasha and Shippou, respectively. This was never good. Peace usually rested upon the cooperation of these two foods to subdue the hanyou and the kitsune.

Nevertheless, with an optimistic approach, Kagome strode stolidly down towards the wellhouse, hefting her backpack. She leapt downwards and felt the familiar tingle of time traveling sweep across her.

Hopping out, she made her way towards Kaede's village.

Something wasn't right.

Jogging now, the girl moved towards a clearing by the village, listening for Inuyasha's familiar growls.

She burst upon the clearing, one hand upon her bow, and paused. Everything looked normal. Sango was in the process of bashing Miroku's head in; Inuyasha was trying to strangle Shippou; Kirara was lying on the grass, looking perfectly at ease.

And then she realized it. In an instant, she'd darted to the hanyou's side. "InuYASHA!" she bellowed viciously.

He looked decidedly guilty. "Hnn?"

"There is CHOCOLATE around your mouth! You know perfectly well that chocolate is ONLY for SHIPPOU, because a SUGAR-HIGH HANYOU does not FIGHT very well!"

He licked his lips appreciatively and blinked up at her. "It was good," he mumbled sheepishly. "Besides, the kitsune brat has had too much as it is. He's growing fat." Inuyasha prodded the kitsune with a lazy claw.

"Hypocrite. Do you want those nice, strong muscles of yours to deteriorate into weak, flabby ones like Miroku's?"

Sango giggled. Miroku, rather offended, muttered, "Is it my fault if I don't work out as much as that great dog?"

"Ugh! I am going to go visit Kaede!" Kagome yelped, turning and heading towards the village.

Shrugging absently, Inuyasha pulled the remainder of the chocolate from behind him and continued licking the sweet brown substance, ignoring Shippou's protests.

And then he stopped, his eyes scanning the forest. "Youkai," he hissed.

The others leapt to their feet instantly, Kirara's fangs bared in a feral snarl.

Sniffing the air delicately, Inuyasha frowned. "Sesshoumaru..."

The youkai lord walked from the forest, his golden eyes gleaming. As usual, his goal was the Tetsusaiga, and this time, Kagome wasn't here to stop him.

One leap took him to stand before his half-brother. "Inuyasha...still traveling with your ningen companions? And I thought being a hanyou bastard was enough."

"What do you want, Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha spat the name as if it were poison.

Sesshoumaru answered in a leap that let him soar over the hanyou's head and land lightly on the grass beneath. His claws reached towards the Tetsusaiga.

"I don't think so." Inuyasha jumped away quickly.

The youkai's whip was already snapping, curling around Inuyasha's feet and dragging him forwards. In an instant, Sesshoumaru was at the hanyou's throat, his claws poised. His eyes stared triumphantly at the others. "Well, it seems as if we're at someone of an impasse."

"Not quite."

Heads turned towards Kagome, her bowstring taut, an arrow strung. She'd meant to release it instantly, but paused.

That face...Kiyoshi's face...

Kami-sama...

Her fingers slipped. The arrow shot towards Sesshoumaru, but without its usual force, and he had ample time to dodge.

Damn. She strung another shaft and pointed it at him. "Get out. Now."

"I don't think so. You're too merciful. Ningen filth; you'd never be able to loose that arrow."

Inuyasha's pain-filled gaze hurt her. Her fingers released the shaft, but by that time he was leaping.

Nevertheless, the arrow caught him in the side and sliced through, leaving a wide gash on his left side.

Fifty years in the future, Kiyoshi Taisho gasped in pain as blinding agony swept through him. His hand moved down to touch his left side.

His fingers came away red with blood.


Yay, another chapter done! Hmm.

Remember, I want reviews! Please?

Flaming Drake