Disclaimer: I don't own YYH, Harry Potter, or Inuyasha!
&&&
My Greatest Fear
"It's dreadfully painful," Malfoy moaned when the dungeon doors swung open. Harry was barely able to keep himself from running up to Malfoy and showing the whole class that there was absolutely nothing wrong with his supposedly broken arm! "I'm sorry I'm late, Professor Snape." Malfoy casually apologized, "My arm kept me from getting here sooner."
"That's understandable, Malfoy. Everyone, settle down." Snape's voice ran through the dungeon. That was it. No detention or point deductions for being tardy. Ron scowled at the obvious disadvantage the Gryffindors were at with Snape as their potions master. Without another word, everyone turned back to their Shrinking Solution. "We'd get detention if we came late even if we were half dead!" Ron whispered angrily to Harry, who nodded his head in agreement. "I hate Snape." Ron silently spat under his breath.
"Sir, I need help cutting up these daisy roots because…" Malfoy trailed off, concealing a hidden smirk.
"Weasly, cut up Malfoy's root for him." Snape ordered without a second thought. Ron growled low in his throat as he reluctantly did as he was bid. Ron purposely ruined Malfoy's daisy roots by cutting it into various shapes and sizes. The Slytherins snickered when Malfoy 'nicely' pointed out Ron's handiwork to Snape. Harry patted Ron on the back in a soothing manner when Ron was ordered to switch daisy roots with Malfoy.
"This sucks…" Ron whispered to Harry, but was cut off mid-sentence when the dungeon doors swung open for the second time that hour. Kurama stood calmly at the doorway with Kagome concealed halfway behind him.
Snape turned up his lips in a scowl before growling, "Detention, Minamino, for missing half the class. Twenty points from Gryffindor. Now take your seats." The Gryffindors' protested in outrage at the obvious favoritism Snape was bestowing on Kagome and the Slytherins. The protests were cut short when Kagome spoke up in the defense of Kurama and the Gryffindors.
"Professor Snape," Kagome dawdled, emphasizing the professor part. "I think it wouldn't be fair, unless I get detention as well…" Kurama quickly grabbed Kagome's arm and slowly shook his head in the negative. Kagome gave him a reassuring smile before turning back to face the potions master. "You should deduct twenty points from Slytherin, wait no, forty points. The reason Kurama is late is because of me."
"I do not need you to teach me how to run my class, Higurashi." Snape bit out icily, narrowing his eyes at the two students standing at the doorway. "If I hear you talking back to me again, there will be severe punishment for the both of you. Now get to your seats!"
"Then what about our detention?" Kagome asked, figuring she could push a few more buttons without making her potions master explode in rage. Snape gritted his teeth in outrage when Kagome acted as innocent as the day she was born.
"I'll forgive you two, this once." Snape replied in a frigid tone, meaning it was the end of the discussion. Kagome opened her mouth to ask about the point deductions, but stopped when Kurama wrapped his hand on her wrist.
"I think that's enough." Kurama whispered softly as they moved to find two empty seats. The couple was dejected to find that there weren't two open seats in a row. "There are only two seats left." Kurama calmly informed, motioning to the two empty seats "Do you want the one between Inuyasha and Katie or the one between Draco and Sesshoumaru?"
"Hurry up and get a seat." Snape snapped.
"I'll take the one between Katie and Inuyasha." Kagome answered. "I can't stand you being next to her." Kagome whispered softly before making her way to the empty seat. Katie scowled when she found that Kurama was moving to sit with the Slytherins while Kagome was sitting with the Gryffindors.
"What are you doing here, Slytherin?" Katie spat angrily. Inuyasha removed his head from within his cauldron (it was still empty and no one knew what he was doing with his head in the cauldron in the first place) and roughly pushed Kagome aside.
Kagome growled as Inuyasha firmly announced, "This Slytherin wench is my friend."
Bonk.
"Inuyasha, the Slytherin and wench part wasn't necessary. 'This is my friend,' would have sufficed, thank you." Kagome thought venomously to herself as Inuyasha rubbed the back of his skull. "Inuyasha what are we supposed to be making today?"
"Sewage solution," Inuyasha replied, causing Kagome to raise an eyebrow in question.
"Never mind," Kagome muttered before hollering (as quietly as possible) across the room, "Hey, Sesshoumaru, what solution are we making today?" Sesshoumaru snapped his attention towards Kagome as Snape slammed his fist into his desk.
"Shrinking Solution," Sesshoumaru replied coldly, before silence fell again, leaving Snape to fume silently to himself. Kagome felt slightly guilty when Snape decided to vent his anger on Neville by pointing out all the mistakes in his solution.
&&&
"I guess you two worked out your problem?" Sango asked as she scooped another spoonful of cereal into her mouth. "I'm glad to see you two back together again, but please keep the lovely dovey stuff to yourself until no one's around, okay?" Sango snickered good-naturedly.
"Of course," Kagome replied offhandedly. "Why are you eating cereal for lunch?" Kagome asked, raising an eyebrow. Sango blushed a deep crimson and muttered something incoherent under her breath. "What was that Sango?"
"Hiei…fight…deal…I'm…cereal…month." Sango whispered in a voice barely louder than the first time.
"Louder Sango," Kagome coaxed.
"Hiei won the fight, so as part of the deal, I'm not allowed to eat anything but cereal for the next month." Sango whispered softly.
"What was that Sango?" Kagome asked. "I can't here you." Kagome stated in a sing-song voice. Sango repeated her sentence slightly louder so all the demons sitting at the Slytherin table heard. "Sango, LOUDER PLEASE," Kagome hollered.
"DAMN IT KAGOME, I SAID HIEI WON THE FIGHT, SO AS PART OF THE DEAL, I'M NOT ALLOWED TO EAT ANYTHING BUT CEREAL FOR THE NEXT MONTH!" Sango yelled at the top of her lungs, gaining everyone's attention.
"That's better," Kagome smiled sweetly as Sango's face burned a bright shade of red. "So, where's Hiei anyway? I haven't seen him all day."
"He left a few days after you two love birds left." Sango replied. "He said something about an important business."
"Oh, okay," Kagome nodded her head. "Hey Sango, you and Hiei have been awfully close, haven't you?" Kagome asked suspiciously, eyes twinkling with mischief.
&&&
The class ambled after Professor Lupin into a classroom in the second corridor after having an unwanted encounter with Peeves. Kagome grimaced slightly as Snape bullied Neville without remorse, even in front of other teachers. "Neville will be assisting me in this operation." Professor Lupin declared as Snape angrily left the room. "This is a boggart." Lupin introduced. "It takes the shape of what you fear most."
"Keh, I don't fear anything." Inuyasha snorted proudly as he crossed his arm over his chest. Sesshoumaru refrained from rolling his eyes and settled for pinning Inuyasha with an icy glare.
"You will say riddikulus and imagine the boggart into something you find funny when it assumes the shape of your worst fear. The key to defeating the boggart is laughter." Professor Lupin instructed happily. "Let's give it a go, shall we, Neville?"
Sesshoumaru looked as bored as ever when Neville successfully defeated the boggart that had taken on the form of Snape. Sesshoumaru allowed a smirk to tug at the corners of his lips when Inuyasha fearlessly stepped up. The boggart immediately assumed the shape of a weeping young female. Inuyasha seemed to panic before rational thoughts reminded him this wasn't real. "Ridkula!" Inuyasha chanted.
"Try riddikulus," Kagome suggested to her friend in a low whisper.
"I was going to," Inuyasha growled, hoping to save some of his wounded pride.
"And I didn't know you were afraid of crying girls." Kagome giggled. "Maybe I should try it sometimes?"
"Shut up!" Inuyasha spat. "It wouldn't work anyway, because you're nothing like a girl." Inuyasha taunted, earning himself another smack upside the head. "Hey Sesshoumaru, it's your turn!" Inuyasha snickered. "Now is my chance to find out that bastard's weakness once and for all." Inuyasha thought happily to himself. Inuyasha's smirked faltered when the boggart remained in its true form after ten seconds. Inuyasha felt like smacking his head up against the classroom wall when the boggart transformed into Sesshoumaru…only with his demon markings and blood-red eyes. Professor Lupin had to step in and finish the job because no matter what, Sesshoumaru wouldn't even crack a smile, much less laugh.
"Kurama, why don't you try next?" Kagome eagerly prompted. "I think Sesshoumaru would need a distraction, because obviously, the closest thing to what Sesshoumaru would consider as fear is his inner demon." Kurama nodded his head as he moved to the front of the class. Katie's eyes seemed to be glued to Kurama's body, much to Kagome's displeasure.
Kagome clenched her fists when the boggart took the form of Kurama's human mother, Shiori Minamino. Kagome noticed with closer inspection that Mrs. Minamino was really pale and looked…dead. "That's it," Kagome thought to herself, "Kurama's greatest fear is the death of his mother..." Professor Lupin was forced to step in again when Kurama seemed to be deeply lost in thought.
Kagome ran up to Kurama just as Katie reached him. "Kurama, are you okay?" Kagome and Katie asked in unison. Kagome glowered at the obsessive female beside her as she called Kurama's name once again.
"Kurama," Katie called desperately. "Speak to me." Kagome shoved Katie aside before quickly wrapping her arms around Kurama's neck and covering his lips with her own.
"Let go of him, bitch!" Katie cried angrily, preparing to strike Kagome with her hand. Kurama easily caught Katie's hand mid-way as he deepened the kiss. Kagome smiled in between the kiss, but quickly moved away when the coughing of Professor Lupin alerted them back to reality.
"Is that allowed in class?" Ron asked in amazement. Harry shrugged his shoulders before tuning his attention back to the lesson. Kagome stood with Kurama to one corner of the classroom as every student went through the test.
"Kagome, it's your turn." Professor Lupin kindly announced. "Everyone has taken it, except you." Kagome reluctantly nodded her head as she moved to the front of the classroom. Katie smirked as she waited with barely concealed anticipation for her rival's greatest fear.
Almost immediately, the boggart began to mold itself into a tall figure with golden eyes and silver hair. "She fears Sesshoumaru?" Harry asked in surprise. Hermione whispered for Harry to quiet down as a pair of fuzzy ears, deadly claws, and a silky tail shimmered into existence.
"Wow," the class gasped at the beautiful, if not sexy figure before them.
"She fears him?" asked Pansy, swooning at the sight of the demon before them. "He's so handsome!" Everyone took a step back in surprise when wounds began to form on the demon's body. Red blood oozed from the deep wounds as the golden eyes quickly turned lifeless.
"What's going on?" Ron asked, feeling nauseas at the sight of so much blood.
"Youko," Kagome whispered, gaining everyone's attention. "Don't leave me." Kagome cried as she moved closer to the boggart.
Just before Kagome's hands could make contact with Youko's face, Professor Lupin quickly shouted, "Riddikulus." Kagome immediately snapped back to reality when the image of Youko disappeared. Stifling a cry, Kagome pushed her way through her classmates and ran out the door. Kurama stood frozen in place as he stared at the boggart.
"What was that all about?" Hermione asked in confusion. "Wasn't that supposed to be Kagome's greatest fear? But Kagome didn't fear him; she looked lost…and longing." Hermione whispered. Professor Lupin seemed to be at a loss for words as well when Sesshoumaru unexpectedly spoke up.
"A person's greatest fear could be losing their greatest love. In some cases, it has already taken place, but the person has not come to terms with the loss. It's more fear of the truth than anything else." Sesshoumaru sparsely explained. Questions erupted at full force from the students when Sesshoumaru returned to solitude.
Kurama stood frozen in his original spot, only one coherent thought running through his mind. "She knows and loves the demon residing within me, Youko Kurama…"
&&&
TBC