A:N: You guys really did like the lime? ^___^ Sugoi! I thought it wasn't that good, honestly I could have tried harder plus I spent a lot of time off of it. ^_^ As for the here and now, this is the crazy chapter—literally. If you don't get that, then just keep reading, and you'll understand. ^___~ And to CrystallineX: Yeah, my Japanese sucks a lot it's just a lot that I've picked up over the past couple of years. Blame it on too much fanfiction. I'm signing up for Japanese language classes at my high school, seeing as they actually cut Japanese I. But not II and III, just I o_O which is odd enough. But I am considering those Japanese language classes hosted by the Japanese Club. Entonces puedo arreglar mi traducciónes de japonès mal. ^_^;; Si, hablo poco Español. Bueno, sólo un poco. Y sólo cuándo tengo mi diccionario. (Translation: Then I can fix my bad Japanese translations. Yes, I speak a little Spanish. Well, only a little. And only when I have my dictionary.) Back to Japanese: Ja matte ne!
Disclaimer: Yo poseo nada. Takahashi Rumiko es la propietaria, pero me no soy. InuYasha no poseo, y no poseo el mito de Helèn de Troy. Verdarderamente tengo que escaparme de mi frenesí de Español. ^___^;;; (Translation: I own nothing. Takahashi Rumiko is the owner, but I'm not. I don't own InuYasha, and I don't own the myth of Helen of Troy. I really need to get away from my Spanish frenzy.)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kagome of Tokyo
Chapter 10
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kouga yawned, rising up and stretching. He sat up and blinked, the sunlight streaming into his crystal blue eyes. As he casually threw off his sheets and got up, naked, he thought about Kagome. The girl he loved. In fact, he had probably loved her before he met her, as he thought about it. Ever since he had heard Souta agonizing over his lost sister, he had wanted to meet her—just to be friends, for sure, but still.
He sauntered over to his chest of clothes and grabbed a shirt and pants. Last night, Kagome had seemed a little antsy. She avoided his advances and had even ducked away from his kiss. Kouga frowned, pausing. His black shirt fell to the ground. Actually, lately Kagome had been very out of it. A couple of days ago, he had even asked her about it. To be quite honest, if it weren't Kagome he'd think there was another guy involved!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Kagome."
The raven-haired girl turned to face Kouga. "Hai, Kouga-kun?"
"What's wrong with you lately? You never seem to be in this world. I'm" Kouga trailed off, then picked back up determinedly. "I'm worried about you," he finished. He was never worried about anyone—it was their business. But Kagome had struck something in him that just scared him.
She twisted a lock of her hair around her fingers. "Kouga-kun, of course there's nothing wrong with me. Why are you asking?"
Kouga blinked. "S sore wa" he stuttered, casting his mind around for an answer that wasn't blatantly obvious of his true feelings for her.
"I mean, I know you promised Souta that you'd take care of me, and I know that you like me a little—" Kouga choked back a sarcastic laugh. "—but why are you so concerned now?" Kagome asked. Something unidentifiable glinted in her eyes. With her hair falling into her pale face, her brown eyes with question and that little unknown emotion in them he couldn't just answer her. Not like this.
He made some excuse—he forgot what—and rushed off, his face as red as Kagome's was white. There was no way this was happening, not to him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kouga loved her.
And he cursed himself for it. Look at Naraku! Look at what love's done for him! Kikyou acts as if he's not there, except for when he's with their daughters. The perfect little Kikyous, he thought with rage. His brother had made a fool of himself for some wench who obviously hated him. And what had come of it? Naraku's despair.
Oh, he tried to pretend like he didn't notice Kikyou's slow, silent hatred towards him, but it was there. And Naraku knew it.
Kouga sighed and picked up his shirt. Luckily Kagome was better than her twin. She was kindhearted, sweet-tempered, compassionate.
The total opposite of himself.
So why would she love an idiot like me?
Sighing again, he pulled his shirt over his head, threw open the door, and strode out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Kagome? Kagome, wake up!" He rapped on her door, listening for any noise coming from the quiet room. "Kagome are you awake? I want to talk to you about something." This was it. He'd tell her how he really felt. Even if it destroys my reputation, I'll tell her
"What's wrong, Kouga?" a sleep-laden voice behind him asked. He jumped and turned around to face a raven-haired, brown-eyed beauty rubbing her eyes.
"Kagome were you—" Kouga began, but was cut off by a scowl.
"Iie, baka," she said simply. "Can't even you tell the difference?"
Kouga blinked. "Gomen, Kikyou-san," he muttered.
Kikyou smiled, a feral-looking thing that spread slowly across her face and made him shudder. "Arigatou," she replied. "Now, why are you trying to wake my imouto-san?" She twirled her hair through her fingers eerily similar to Kagome. He shuddered again.
"I I need to talk to her," Kouga answered, turning his head back to the door. As soon as Kikyou opened her mouth, it was easier to tell the difference between the two twins. But he was surprised to learn that Kikyou was the older twin. "I didn't know that she was the younger one."
Kikyou narrowed her eyes. "She didn't tell you, ne? Maa, I'm not surprised. She's always doing that."
What exactly Kikyou was talking about, Kouga could never for certain tell. He just let it slide and opened the door. "Kagome-chan, ohayo!" he called as the door swung open.
The room was empty.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kikyou prodded a frozen Kouga. Baka, she thought contemptibly as she shoved him aside. Looks like he realizes she's gone. "Nani, Kouga-kun?" she said, a hint of mock concern pushing through into her clear, low voice. "Whatsa matter?"
Kouga stayed frozen. She rolled her eyes and shoved him aside. The futon lay on the floor, the sheets neatly covering it. All the drawers were pushed in, and the room altogether in perfect order. "Figures," she said aloud. "Only she would leave it like this."
He rounded on her. "Nani? Like what?"
"Like she had never been," she replied evenly. "I don't know where she is, but all I can say is it's typical of her." Kikyou sauntered into the room and over to the dresser. She ran her hand down its cold, smooth wooden surface. Last night was vivid still in her mind: her perfect sister escaping from this hellhole and refusing her own plea. She had left me here to rot, and her "promises" of returning? Ha! Usotsuki. You'll never come for me, she thought angrily. You'd rather watch me die here in agony than stretch out your hand to help me.
Then again, Kagome had always been like that. Everyone saw her as the perfect sister. But Kikyou? Ah, she knew better. Ever since they were twelve and Kagome had been kidnapped, sacrificing both of their brothers, Kikyou had learned not to trust the little bitch. She could smile and lure you in with that sweet expression of hers, and before you knew it the knife was in your back and she was watching you die with a mock look of pain. How many times had she done that to Kikyou? Innumerable. She had taken away their parents on their birthday. She had killed their brothers. She had brought Naraku into their lives.
Oh, Houjo, Kikyou cried in her mind, why did you sacrifice yourself for her? You had your doubts about her, but never did you think that she would cause you the ultimate betrayal. She led you to your death.
And Souta, you cared about her, but knew that she could all too easily trick you like she did Houjo. Why did you waste all that time on her? You could have left her, and we'd all have been better off. Especially you.
Snapping out of her wake of anger, she casually opened a drawer as Kouga sat down—hard—on the futon. She threw a glance inside—then stopped cold.
A pink, crystal music box sat in front of her. Numbly, Kikyou picked it up and opened it. A familiar tune waltzed out of the beautifully carved crystal:
Fukai fukai mori no oku ni ima mo kitto
Okizari ni shita kokoro kakushite'ru yo
Kikyou dimly remembered the words to the song. Closing her eyes, she could remember her mother singing it.
Sagasu hodo no chikara mo naku tsukarehateta
Hitobito wa eien no yami ni kieru
It had been her favorite song. So her favorite girls got a music box playing it. Back when she was a teenager, it had played on the radios nonstop. So she pulled a few strings and got them custom-ordered from America.
Chisai mama nara kitto ima demo mieta ka na
Kagome had loved it. She played it nonstop, not realizing that everything had gone black for her twin. Even after their parents death, Kagome was determined to be happy.
Boku-tachi wa ikiru hodo ni
Nakushite'ku sukoshi zutsu
Kikyou still loved this song. Every night she listened to it, wishing that her cold façade allowed her to cry, just once. Now she fiercely ordered herself to keep the tears in, to stop them from dripping down her cheeks.
Itsuwari ya uso wo matoi
Tachisukumu koe mo naku
Suddenly she slammed the lid down, abruptly ending the haunting tune. Kouga looked up at her through hazy blue eyes, surprised out of what was probably his own reverie. Kikyou shook with repressed tears and repressed anger.
"Temae," she muttered through gritted teeth. "The little bitch. How does she dare? How does she dare?" She whirled around to face a shocked Kouga, the music box still in her hands. "Tell me!" she spat out. "How does the little bitch dare to forget me like this?" She brandished the crystal box at him. "You knew her!" she screamed. "Tell me, kuso! How does she dare!"
Kouga opened his mouth wordlessly. "Kikyou," he managed to say, "calm down. We can find her, I'm sure"
"Iie! You'll never find her! But if you do, bring her back alive so I can kill her with my bare hands!" Rage had possessed her again, just like the night before, but this time she sank into it, let it absorb into her every fiber. Surely it was justified. Surely something this huge, this enormous, taking over her body, was right. Kagome had deserted her for good. And she would pay.
Kikyou's fierce gaze caught the open window, and immediately she strode over to it. "Shin-e, temae!" she shrieked, and hurled the delicate music box out the window. Kouga could only watch, aghast, as the small, pink crystal flew to the ground and smashed on the pavement. Kikyou threw her head back and laughed bitterly. "I will kill you, imouto-chan," she breathed. "I want to watch you suffer the way you have caused so many others to suffer." Another bitter laugh escaped her. "And I will laugh, because you'll see how it feels to be betrayed by your own blood."
Suddenly she turned to face Kouga, his mouth open, eyes widened. "She has left you," she said abruptly. "Your precious Kagome-chan has left you for another man. She came to me last night and made me promise to never tell if she would come back for me. She took all of her things and left. But she has betrayed me now, and so I betray her. She lied. Usotsuki. She will never return here. But now I have told, and now I will kill her. Shin-e, imouto-chan!" Kikyou laughed again.
Kouga grabbed her shoulders. "Nani?! Naze? Who was he?"
She returned his maddened gaze coldly. "I promised her that I'd never say a word about him. But she broke her promise; so I break mine. His name is Inuyasha, and he is from the Tachikawa gang. His brother, Sesshoumaru, is the leader. Do you know our dear Kohaku? Naraku kidnapped him from that family as revenge for killing your sister, Ayame. Hai, it is that gang. Inuyasha—dog demon indeed. Shin-e, both of you. Never again, never again will she betray me, because I will kill her."
Kouga broke away from her, obviously frightened by her rambling. "Tachikawa Inuyasha," he growled, his fists clenching. "I will hunt you down and take back Kagome. Kidnapper."
Kikyou's head snapped up at that. "Iie, were you not listening? She went willingly, the little bitch. She has played you from the beginning for a fool. And you fell in her trap. Bakayarou, she will never return."
He shook his head in disbelief and strode out of the room. Kikyou looked back out the window at the paved ground. Glittering shards of crystal lay on the ground, seemingly beautiful but ever ready to prick you until you bled.
Just like Kagome, she thought bitterly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A:N: o_o Whoa. I didn't intend to write most of it from Kikyou's point of view. I wanted to write it from Kouga's, as he checks on Kagome with a few other people and they all watch Kikyou snap. But this way was infinitely better, ne? o_o Also, two things you need to notice: 1.) How Kikyou blamed everything on Kagome and screams that she will kill her. That plays into part of Kikyou's role later on in the story, so definitely remember that, and 2.) The song that the music box was playing. I'll include translations in a few seconds, so remember the lines that played for Kikyou. It's symbolic, in a very twisted way, so keep it in the back of your mind for the next chapter. (And the song doesn't belong to me it belongs to um well, I can't remember who sings it, but it's the second ending theme for InuYasha ^_____^;;; If anyone knows who it is, please tell me!) Okay then give me feedback! O lovely feedbackers! ^__^;; I'll have review replies next chapter, I swear, so write me! Please and thank you! Ai shiteru, minna, and ja matte ne. ^_^
Sayonara,
Akai-Sakura
Glossary of Terms
*usotsuki: Liar.
*shin-e: Die! O_O Kikyou's just a little mad there
*imouto-san/chan: If you read my reviews, you'll know this one (domo arigatou, CrystallineX! ^_^). Little sister. In Kikyou's case, she says it mockingly.
*ohayo: Just in case someone doesn't know this one. Good morning!'
*Now for the song lyrics
Fukai fukai mori no oku ni ima mo kitto/Okizari ni shita kokoro kakushite'ru yo
I'm sure that the heart I left behind/Still lies hidden in the deep, deep forest.
Sagasu hodo no chikara mo naku tsukarehateta/Hitobito wa eien no yami ni kieru
Exhausted, without the strength to search/People vanish into the infinite darkness.
Chisai mama nara kitto ima demo mieta ka na
If it's so small, I wonder if I can see it even now?
Boku-tachi wa ikiru hodo ni/Nakushite'ku sukoshi zutsu
As we live on/We lose a little bit more
Itsuwari ya uso wo matoi/Tachisukumu koe mo naku
Shrouded in falsehoods and lies/We stand frozen to the spot, unable to cry out