Hey everyone! I'm working on the updates right now for both Somebody Love Me and Home is Where the Heart is but neither of them is finished right now. I just wanted to update this one! She needs to meet Inuyasha!!!! (C'mon people, I know you agree) Oh! And thanks SO much for the reviews!
Special Responses: Esko Pa: Your review made me smile really big so I had to put you on here. Thanks a LOT! Naiya-Chan: I'm not a Kikyo lover either, but I know what you mean. I CAN'T write her in my fics. Mainly cuz I don't want competition for Kagome, but also because I want my characters to be real, and if I wrote her how I hate her, she wouldn't be a realistic character. Thanks so much! Yosei/Ambereyes: A kindred spirit! I read the entire series three times in two days. It rocks! Bagira: Wow! Major long review! Don't worry, Kikyo will have her part in this (away from Inuyasha, just how I like it) And seriously, thanks SOso much! Chibi Stumbler I already emailed you, but I wanted to say thanks again in here too. You review meant a LOT!
Thanks so much to everyone else too! I got 50 REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!! I was totally floored! Especially since this was just a side thing I HAD to write against the wishes of my friends. Now I can rub it in their faces ^_^ Sorry that I didn't name everyone, but if I reply to too many reviews I forget what I was going to write in the story, and wind up waiting to type it up until another day. And we wouldn't want that... I don't have the best track record. So without any further ado!
Kinda Weird
Rogue PrydeKikyo sighed contentedly as she surveyed her five star room. She'd only read about places like this. Stepping into it had been like waltzing into a fairy tale and she half expected to wake up back in her own bed. But in the end she didn't need to pinch herself. There was no way she could imagine anything this nice.
The first thing she had noticed was the gigantic princess style bed, complete with thick comforters and designer pillows. Walking over slowly, she fingered the fabric. She couldn't help but marvel over the realization that she'd be sleeping on it in only a few hours. Her eyes wandered as she tried to take in the thick carpeting, beautiful hand crafted furniture, and expensive, genuine, looking figurines. She glanced up and gasped at the sparkling chandelier above her bed. Not even a princess could have had a more extravagant bedroom.
It wasn't until she had walked around the room and touched nearly everything that she caught sight of the double doors against the far wall. They were glass, so she could easily see that they led to a balcony. She held her breath as she slowly walked forward, resting her fingers on the handle and gave it a gentle twist before easing it open.
Every since she was little, Kikyo had dreamed of having a balcony. It probably had something to do with the fact that all the princesses in her fairy tales had them, even Rapunzel, whose parents were farmers. Whatever the reason, it had been her cherished fantasy.
And now she had one.
She didn't blink, as if afraid to miss even a second of the experience, as she stepped out onto the marble floor. The railing was made of the elegant stone too, and her fingers touched the top of it trailing along the beautifully carved designs, tracing them gently. Than she looked up, letting out the breath she hadn't known she was holding at the view in front of her.
She had noticed it getting darker before she'd even entered the hotel, but now it was sunset and the sight of the sun fading into blood red before being swallowed into the darkness awed her to stillness. Sunsets had never looked so beautiful and breathtaking from the ground.
It was early still, but after the sunset had entirely faded, Kikyo was ready for bed. She searched through the ornately chiseled drawers until she found a pair of green silk pajamas. She fingered the material, a slow grin spreading across her face as she brought it up to caress her cheek.
She could get used to this.
***
Kagome Higurashi stretched and yawned as the first rays of sunlight peeked through her bedroom window and poured onto her face, effectively waking her from a dreamless sleep. She opened one eye slowly, and than the other, shock registering on her features before realization kicked in.
She was in Kikyo's room.
She grinned, hugging her blankets tighter around her as she pressed her face into her pillow. She had pulled it off! She was living someone else's life! No more body guards to follow her, no more Dad ignoring her, and best of all no more insanely over priced and highly uncomfortable designer clothes! Hopping out of bed, she discarded the oversized tee-shirt and shorts for a pair of jeans on the floor. Rummaging through the closet, she found a dark blue short sleeved shirt and slipped it on.
There wasn't a brush anywhere in the room, so Kagome left the confines of the room and walked slowly down the hall, looking out of the corner of her eye for the bathroom. She paused at the sound of running water and raised her hand to knock on the door.
"What?" The voice was hasty, impatient, and decidedly masculine. It was probably Kikyo's brother, Inuyasha, Kagome reasoned. "The Jerk."
"I need to brush my teeth!" She yelled back, banging harder on the door. The way Kikyo had talked about her brother, there was no love lost between them, which meant it probably would have been suspicious if she'd been too polite.
The sound of running water stopped. "Like that would do any good for your breath." He replied in normal tone of voice. "I'll be out in a minute Kikyo."
She made a face at his insult. No wonder his sister wasn't a fan of him. "Don't strain yourself." She muttered, crossing her arms. The door opened and she let a minor amount of annoyance seep into her features before looking up to glare impatiently at…
…the single most gorgeous man she had ever seen. Clad in nothing but a white towel, the boy was probably a good three inches taller than her. His soaked white hair stuck against his body, reaching nearly to his waist. A scowl marred his perfectly chiseled face. "I heard that." He growled.
Kagome opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Twice. Three times. And then, finally, her voice worked. "Good." It wasn't quite as vindictive as she would have hoped, but at least she wasn't gaping openly at him. He gave her a weird look before heading down the hall towards his room.
Kagome stepped inside and closed the door, hardly feeling the steam as it enveloped her, causing her hair to stick to the back of her neck. Why, oh why, didn't Kikyo mention that her 'jerk' of an older brother that lived two doors down from her was the single hottest man alive?!
***
It hadn't taken long for Kagome to compose herself, it would take more than that to mess her up, and she'd hurriedly brushed her teeth and hair before heading downstairs for breakfast. She was worried about that. She didn't know if the Taisho's fended for themselves for breakfast or sat down together for a family meal.
Her fears proved to be unwarranted, however, as she entered the kitchen to see Inuyasha eating a bowl of cereal while the mother did the dishes. The cereal and milk were still on the table, but Kagome had no clue where the bowls or spoons were. Crap! She fumed inwardly, trying not to be obvious as her eyes scanned the kitchen for any clues.
There! One of the cupboards was open a little, and she could catch just a glimpse of some plates and bowls inside. Striding over purposefully, she opened it and pulled out a bowl identical to her 'brother's'.
Now for a spoon... still feigning normalcy, she glanced around the kitchen for drawers. There were two top ones, and she figured her best bet was the one in front of her, directly under the bowl cupboard. She hid a smile as it slid open to reveal sets of silverware, and pulled out a spoon. Closing the drawer, she set her dishes down on the table, two seats down from Inuyasha, since both next to him and across from him might have proven to be a bit too distracting.
He didn't even glance up. Briefly, she wondered where the Dad was. Probably working, if her own father was any example to go by. She poured her cereal and milk and began to eat. Today was Sunday, and she'd have to start school the next day. She still hadn't gone over Kikyo's schedule, or her text books, so she should probably start after breakfast. She'd gotten the impression Kikyo spent a lot of time in her room.
"Hey, Kikyo, pass the cereal." Kagome was so engrossed in her thoughts she didn't even realize Inuyasha had spoken to her. "Wench." He growled, finally getting her attention as she jumped out of her reverie.
"What?" She demanded crossly, annoyed both by the insult and the fact that just looking at him made her heartbeat quicken. She pinned it down as hormones. He certainly didn't have an attractive personality. He gestured towards the cereal. "You could have just asked." She muttered as she pushed both the box and the milk in his direction.
Inuyasha gave her a look. "I did," then he smiled, "what were you thinking about anyway? That Hobo guy?" His voice was teasing, sending her heart racing despite the brotherly tone.
"No." She said forcefully, positive that no girl would tell her brother anything when it came to a guy she liked. But did Kikyo like Hobo? Or did he just like her and she didn't want to have anything to do with him. Did she embarrass herself in front of him? Why hadn't she warned her!
"I'd beat him up for you." That was Inuyasha, his voice breaking into her thoughts. "But it's just too funny watching him follow you around." Well, that answered her question.
"Ha ha." She let as much sarcasm as possible sink into her voice. "Like you could beat up any guy." She made a face at him, and he seemed mildly puzzled, but shrugged and continued eating. That worried her. What had she done wrong? Her response hadn't been anything particularly odd or strange? Wouldn't any girl have said that?
With a muffled sigh, she finished her cereal and took it to the sink. The mom had left but there were still a few dishes in the sink. She almost started to finish them off herself, instinctively wanting to be polite, but stopped just in time. It probably wasn't a common occurrence for a teenage girl to voluntarily do any household chores. Instead, she left the dishes in the sink and headed up to her room.
Kagome found the backpack under the bed, just like Kikyo had said. It took a few seconds of rummaging though before she found her schedule. Scanning the wrinkled paper, she allowed herself to smile a little. None of the classes were too bad, they were all about things she'd studied before or was in the process of learning. She folded it back up and stuck it in one of the smaller pouches so she'd be able to find it the next day.
"Hey, Kikyo, What's with you today?" Inuyasha stuck his head in before opening the door completely and walking over to sit on her bed.
She glared at him. "Don't you knock?" What if she had been changing! They might be 'related' at the moment, but she would kill him if he ever saw her anything less than decent.
He looked at her pointedly. "That's what I mean." He adjusted her pillows until he was sitting on top of both of them, ignoring the furious glances she cast in his direction. "Since when do you have an attitude?"
She pulled out the pillows from under him and fluffed them up, resting them against the wall behind her. Gross! Like she wanted his butt all over where her head was gonna be. "What are you talking about?" He started to reach for the pillows again, but stopped himself when she stared meaningfully at his outstretched hand.
"That!" He said again, starting to sound exasperated. "I can count on one hand the number of times you say anything when I tease you and now you're full of smart aleck comments!" His eyes narrowed. "Did you meet a guy?"
Oh great. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his instantaneous switch into big brother mode. "No." She drew out the word, letting him know just how ridiculous she thought that idea was. "Maybe you're just too annoying. Or maybe I've developed some backbone." She didn't have to feign annoyance, she really was disturbed by the fact that he assumed only a guy could have brought about such a change in his sister.
He held up his hands in mock surrender, and for the first time she noticed the glass of orange juice in one of them. Distractedly, she wished he'd get off the bed so he wouldn't spill all over her covers. She got her wish as he stood to leave, and she rose with him. "I liked you better without a backbone." He muttered, reaching for the door…
…at the same time she did. Their bodies collided and the juice she had been worried about found it's way down her shirt. "Crap!" She groaned, as the cold liquid seeped into the fabric. Day one and already she'd messed up a shirt. Hopefully she didn't have to do her own laundry, another thing she'd forgotten about. She had no clue where to start.
She watched in disgust as Inuyasha checked himself over and didn't find a single drop. "Bad luck." He said in mock sympathy. She only glared harder and he laughed.
"Out." She ordered and pushed him through the doorway. She slammed the door for an added effect, and then turned to survey her room. Most of the juice was on her shirt, so there wouldn't be much to clean on the carpet. With a sigh, she slid off the shirt, wiping her body as best she could to get rid of the sticky liquid.
Discarding the clothing onto her bed, she opened the closet next to her door and surveyed her options, hands on her hips . . . then the door opened, "sorry Kikyo, I forgot my glass…" The voice trailed off as Inuyasha stared at her. She didn't delude herself in thinking his silence had anything to do with her lack of proper covering.
His eyes were riveted on her stomach, just below her chest. She could almost feel them move across the thin white line, trailing beneath her breastbone. When she'd been kidnapped, she'd tried to escape twice before she succeeded. The second time, one of them had taken a knife and slid it across her skin to 'remind' her who was in charge. It had bled for a long time.
After she made it back to her father, she could have gotten plastic surgery, but she had adamantly refused. In a way, she had earned the scar, and it did serve as a reminder… of exactly who was in charge of her life.
"Kikyo?" Inuyasha had found his voice, and his address of her sounded more like a question than a statement. She stared back at him for a moment before she grabbed a yellow tank top and slipped it on. His eyes didn't leave her scar until the bright fabric covered it. Than his eyes reached hers. "Who are you?"
The question was serious. She knew it the second the words left his mouth. His eyes were grave, almost accusing. He knew she wasn't who she said she was. "I -" she broke off and lowered her gaze, almost afraid to look at him. The last thing she wanted was for him to freak out and ruin everything.
He wasn't yelling yet, so she took that as a good sign. "Your sister and I," she started again after she cleared her throat, "met yesterday at the store. We uh, thought it would kind of um... fun, to change places." Her face was heating up, it sounded a lot stupider when she voiced it.
He waited a while before speaking. "Let me guess, it was your idea? My sister's not that dumb. Why'd she go along with it?" He didn't sound angry, just annoyed… and maybe a little curious.
"Oh." If anything her cheeks got hotter. "My father is the head of Higurashi corporations... Kikyo will be able to buy anything she wants for the next six months." She hated it when she told people who her father was. That was the point of this whole charade!
"And what do you get?" His face was unreadable. She'd already known that about him. In the short time since she'd met him, she'd barely seen any emotions register on his face. That was, unless he was teasing her.
She shrugged, easing herself onto her bed, "a chance to get away from body guards, a life that's not about finding the richest boy I can to flirt with, a house that I can't get lost in. Pick one." She took in a deep breath. "Are you going to say anything?" She made herself look him in the eyes.
There was a long silence, made longer still by her growing dread. It was all up to him now. If this annoying, rude, arrogant boy didn't take pity on her and keep her secret, she'd be grounded for life.
He simply stared at her the whole time. "You know," he said finally, "you're not exactly like Kikyo. When she's nervous, she wrings her hands. You bite your lip." He paused again, then a slow grin spread across his face, "this morning," He waited to continue until he was sure he had her full attention. "When I came out of the bathroom," Oh no! Her cheeks were heating up again, "you were checking me out, weren't you?"
She lifted her head haughtily, ignoring his cocky tone of voice. "I don't know what you're talking about." If anything, his smirk grew, making her irritated. "Are you going to tell anyone or not?!" She demanded, forgetting how important it was to stay on his good side.
He just grinned at her arrogantly, making her feel more self conscious than ever. She crossed her arms. "Nope," he said finally, "this could be interesting." He turned to leave, opened the door, and stepped outside, adding as an after thought, "…and you might want to be careful. It wouldn't look right if 'Kikyo' was crushing on me." With that, he closed the door.
"I'M DOING NOTHING OF THE SORT YOU ARROGANT MORON!" She screamed as she pounded on the door. She heard a chuckle on the other side, and kicked the door for emphasis. She was NOT crushing on him. And if he ever stopped to think about it, she was in that pathetic lame brain's debt for keeping her secret.
Great.
Just great.
***
End Chapter Two
You know, you guys owe me lol, I gave up a trip to the beach to stay home and update (Mainly cuz I promised Tabby, but also because I got so many reviews there was no WAY I could disappoint them).
For the record, no, Kagome's not crushing on him... yet. . . she just thinks he's cute. Right now, she finds him annoying. And he doesn't like her either, he just thinks it'll be fun to torture her - lol. More will happen once school starts and they meet people like Kouga, and "Hobo" lol, so keep in touch!
As always, let me know what you think, PLEASE!!!
Rogue Pryde.