A/N: Hi everybody! Sorry for the long wait. First my laptop's powercord snaps when I already had a little less than halfway done but like what I did so much that I couldn't bare to even write it from memory and mess it up. Then, when I get it back, something...really bad happens with a close friend of mine (I think I might have mentioned this in one of my previous A/Ns but I really don't want to get into the details) so I'm too emotionally distraught to write much. But I'm here now and I feel really horrible that I took so fucking long to get this chapter out (a whopping 7,106 words I might add).
Reviews (I'm going to be doing something different with this. I'll mention everyone who reviewed but I won't give full out replies to them unless a question is asked. I'm extremely grateful for everything but it takes too long to give everyone a personal thank you, even though I love you all the same. If a name is mentioned twice in this one, then they reviewed for both chapters and I didn't realize that I put them twice):
I love: Goth Musician, Kitsy (I'll see if I can at least fit in the song), kute-lido-azn, Lil' Angel Aj, Meeko, some1, randomgemini, moongoddess1989 (Moonbabe1989), Nightmargirl"M", anubaka, Reiki Haruno (I can feel the specialness rolling off me), black rose, dOrKdIxY, Panther, InuJinx, Punks-Rock, Inulover4ever, Inuyasha-Freak15, aznchicki, inuchanluver, goth-inu-girl (I've seen the movie), jen, Starry22153, Joanna, blah, People-People-People-People-4, Lil-Derrty, Silent Fairy, huh, brittnib691, DarkDemoness, Inuyasha-Freak15, Kitz the Kitsune, Kagome M.K, yhwyw, Raining Moon, Joey, yasha21, Purple Cherry Blossom, Chez, iLvsimplepln2, Starry22153, angel, oOHottieOo, Sakurascent, anubaka, an angel's heart, Miss Kagosha, Love-Inuyasha, LiLdEmOnGaNgStEr (still in love with the name), inulova4lyfe, ImpulsiveXdreams, Brittany, HanyouKagome962, RogueSummersLover, babygirl20008, Venusaria
DraGonMistress704: You! Update! (Isn't that so hypocritical? Oh, and now who has the more successful story? Give you a hint, it's not me)
Mike: Yes, I can sing, though only in the shower...
Suikotsu-nYo-sama: Of course I'm putting them in. Definitely, Suikostu (who do think one of Miroku's club bouncers are gonna be?)
E girl: Honestly, I have no idea.
evil essie pixie: the songs are either Evanescence, Offspring, or what ever the hell else I feel like putting in. If I do own something, the disclaimer, if it isn't as halfassed as it usually is, would say it.
xdabubblez08: Long reviews are some of my favorites. And I give you full permission to print out this story if you have enough paper to do so (as long as you don't take it as your work, but I doubt you would do that if you have the decency to ask my permission). It's 150 pages, give or take in Verdana size 9.
Foxylilraven: ... Ahh, we e-mail each other anyway...
Disclaimer: Are you even reading these things anymore?
Muted Words
§Crushed§
-Tuesday-
Kagome seemed to be waking up in gradation. She first felt the gentle warmth on her left palm, indicating that someone was probably holding her hand. She also knew that she was lying on something soft, yet slightly cold, and that it was vibrating...or something was making it quiver as it was. She guessed, purely by the fact that she was starting to hear things, that somebody was pacing, not really caring to keep it quiet. Voices were making their way to ears, but they were strangely detached, probably because she had hitherto not opened her eyes.
"Why the hell was Kagome so tired?" The voice was coming from her left, opposite of the pacing. It was masculine and held a rich sort of quality, though it was slightly distorted by anger, making it seem higher pitched then it really was. "I know that it can't be the same reason I am because Kagome is too good at Writing and History to screw up as many times as I did."
"I told you that she gets this way when she's too tired and her body craves rest," sighed the other voice. It was feminine and smooth but sounded slightly exasperated. "If she can't give it the sleep it wants, then it will take it from her. The result is what you're holding on to." Kagome had a sneaking suspicion that the keeper of the female voice gestured to her prone figure. She, herself, struggled to remember what had led her to whatever she was lying on. The last thing she could recall was walking into History class.
"That's not what I meant and you know it!" the male voice accused in a menacing whisper. "I understand entirely WHAT happened. I just want to know WHY it did. Are you going to tell me that?" He seemed somewhat desperate. The female sighed again, her indicator of surrendering.
"Last night, Kagome had a...nightmare, if you will. She couldn't get back to sleep and I'm guessing she was up most of the time. I had hoped that she fell asleep again but...well...I'm pretty sure she didn't want to face her subconscious." There was the sound of a chair's hind legs screeching, then a plopping noise, and the strange bed (or was it a couch of some sort, the material underneath her felt like faux leather) sank a little with added weight. Judging by the muffed quality of her voice as she spoke her next words, Kagome assumed that the woman put her head in her arms on the bed-thingy. "There are times when I forget the things that she's been through. Her memories bother her enough when she's awake, I wish they didn't have to haunt her dreams, too." At this, Kagome opened her eyes.
The shapes above her were blurred and misted. She blinked, trying to clear the fog over her eyes. After a few moments, Kagome could tell where she was and who was talking. The nurse's office had a white and blue theme. The walls were coated in a white paint and littered with health posters, the one above her was of skin poisoning from too much sun exposure. There were curtains hanging around the "beds" in a deep shade of blue, offering privacy to the occupants if they wish it so. Her curtain was open, probably due to the fact that they were alone in the office. InuYasha was holding her left hand and looking pointedly at Sango, who was on Kagome's right with her head in her arms. They didn't seem to notice her arrival into consciousness.
"Did she have a dream about," InuYasha paused, searching for what term to use, "him?" There was no need to say the name, they both knew who he was talking about. Before Sango could open her mouth to reply, Kagome did so for her.
"Yeah," she whispered, staring at the white ceiling. The two bodies beside her jumped.
"When did you wake up, Kag?" InuYasha asked. Kagome closed her eyes again.
"I'm not too sure. What time is it now?" she answered, looking for a clock, not willing to let her left hand leave InuYasha's to check her watch. InuYasha smirked.
"And that's gonna tell you when you when you woke up?" he asked playfully, smirk still glued. Kagome rolled her eyes.
"No, but I still want to know what class we're supposed to be in," she reasoned tiredly. She was blinking frequently, trying to ignore the burning in her eyelids. InuYasha looked at his watch.
"We should be in Gym," Sango answered for him. Kagome looked around the room meticulously. Someone was missing.
"Where's Shippou?" she questioned, still looking. Sango put a hand on her shoulder.
"Relax, he doesn't even know that you're here," she consoled. Confusion fell onto the younger sister's face.
"Why?" Sango blinked, as though the answer was obvious.
"So he wouldn't be worried," she stated slowly, wondering why her sister didn't get this. Kagome nodded and closed her eyes.
"Sango, could I see him?" Sango nodded.
§
Shippou had been less than happy to hear that he had been out of the loop. If it weren't for Kagome's presence, he would probably have had a tantrum. But afterwards just settled for snuggling into his mother's warm embrace.
InuYasha smirked at the memory of the young boy's face as he debated which emotion he should display. It was a conflict of anger and sadness.
Yelling in triumph, he slammed down the pen in his hand as he finished the last of the questions for Literacy. That was it. He had finally finished his homework! "Now to go to sleep!" he thought, joyously jumping into the bed, which looked way more comfortable to his rest deprived mind than he could ever remember it being. Sighing in comfort, InuYasha let himself fall asleep.
"INUYASHA, YOU NEED TO GO TO THE STORE! WE'RE OUT OF MILK!" someone boomed from outside his closed door. InuYasha almost screamed in frustration, but, biting his tongue, managed to turn it into a growl. Running to the door, he twisted the knob and was met with one of the butlers. The man on the other side looked astounded.
"I want to sleep," he whispered venomously. "I need to sleep." The butler began to back away, trying not to lose it entirely and run off or wet his pants. Then again, it might be too late for the latter.
"B-b-but InuYa-ya-yasha, sir, your father r-requested for you to get the milk," he tried to explain. InuYasha just glared.
"Why can't Sesshoumaru get it?" he asked in the same tone. The butler was trying desperately not to lose control of his bladder.
"Sesshoumaru is wrapped up in his studies," he managed to say, proud of the fact that he managed to not stutter. InuYasha inhaled deeply through his nostrils.
"Fine," he grounded out, grabbing his coat and keys, slamming the front door on his way out of the house. The butler sighed and went the opposite way. He needed to change his pants.
§
"Thank you, sir. Come again," the cashier called merrily as InuYasha walked out of the store. He rolled his eyes and sent a half-hearted wave behind him with the hand that wasn't occupied with the milk. He walked to his dark blue SUV and put the milk in the passenger seat, yawning as he buckled his seatbelt.
The car revved up and started smoothly. Pulling out of the parking lot, InuYasha started up the highway and back home. He yawned again, exhausted from the amount of sleep he's been running off of.
He blinked rapidly, trying to clear the slumber away from his eyes. The radio volume was raised in an attempt to wake him up. The road was beginning to double, making it nearly impossible to tell where the real lines were actually painted. The music was fading. The lights were dimmed.
InuYasha fell asleep.
§
"Kagome! Come on, Kagome! You have to wake up!"
Kagome groaned. "What is it?" She looked up into Souta's eyes. Confusion befell her. "Souta, what's the matter?" Words were utterly failing her brother. It made her panic more at the frantic look in his eyes, as though he were prepared before to tell her something but when she opened her eyes, he lost his courage. "Souta, what's the matter?" she repeated slowly, hopefully coaxing him into what he needed to say.
"InuYasha...he's been in a car accident."
The words hung in the air, choking Kagome like a noose. She raised tearful eyes to her younger brother, begging for him to be lying. The shaking of his form was testament to the reality of his declaration.
"No," she whispered, breathing deeply. "No...this can't...NO!" She sprung from her bed, wrenched open the door and began down the stairs. In her rush, she fell, tumbling down to the bottom. The crash brought everyone else to the foyer from the kitchen. Collective cries of her name were sounded but she ignored them, as well as the pain coming from her wrist, and stumbled herself out the door and to her Honda. Quickly turning on the engine, she pulled out of the driveway and headed straight to the hospital.
The Powers that Be were on her side, allowing her to speed along the road and not get into any trouble with the police or crash into anyone else. She pulled into the hospital. When she made it into a parking spot, she sprinted into the building heading to the front desk.
"Where's InuYasha Teki?" she panted leaning heavily against the high table. The receptionist raised a brow but then turned back to her computer.
"What's your name miss?" the woman asked, typing lightly. Kagome shook her head a little.
"Kagome Higurashi," she rushed. The woman continued typing.
"What is your relation to Mr. Teki?" Kagome blinked.
"I'm his girlfriend," Kagome stated slowly, thinking that she was missing something.
"I'm sorry Miss Higurashi but only family may see him at the moment, please sit in the waiting room," The receptionist ordered. Kagome almost fell over.
"What?!" The receptionist sighed.
"You are not a direct relative of InuYasha Teki. You need to go to the waiting room." Kagome, too stunned to even speak, turned and took a seat in the room that was indicated. The chair was stiff and uncomfortable, and the pithy scent of alcohol and other medications was over-powering her senses.
She couldn't help but be panicked. It was like déjà vu. She was asleep when the drunk driver hit her father and uncle. Imagine waking up to hear that someone who she loved was in an accident again.
That was the other thing that shocked her. She had grown so...dependent on him. No one has ever been able to do this, get so far into her skin that she felt so weak and vulnerable when something was wrong.
Is this what InuYasha felt whenever something happened to her?
"Kagome, there you are," a voice called. She looked up to find InuTaisho running up to her in his day clothes. He took a good look at her. "By the Gods, what the hell happened to your wrist?"
The outside of her wrist turned a livid blue/purple with blotches of sickening yellow for show. It stretched from halfway up her hand to a third down her forearm, swelling it. Kagome had hardly even noticed it until now. The pain that she ignored came to her attention very quickly.
"I fell," she whispered quietly.
"You fell?" InuTaisho asked dumbstruck. Kagome chuckled slightly and scratched the back of her head with her uninjured left hand.
"Yeah...down a flight of stairs." Remembrance of the fact that she fell brought her back to why she did so in the first place. Tears formed in her light blue-green eyes. "How's InuYasha? Is he okay? What happened?"
"Kagome, relax. My son is too stubborn and, dare I say, too stupid to let himself get into any serious trouble," InuTaisho soothed, wiping away the tears.
"He would definitely take offense to that...if he were awake, I mean." Kagome gasped and turned her gaze to Sesshoumaru. She stood and went to hug him.
"How is he? What Dad told me was crap," she said, gripping him tightly. He returned the gesture slowly, trying to look at her injured wrist. It appeared desperately painful but he's seen Kagome with a knife in her shoulder and still able to stand and shoot a bow so she must be fairly immune. He decided that if he wanted her wrist checked out, then he would have to sooth her worries.
"InuYasha is fine. The seatbelt bruised him from impact and he banged his head nicely, enough to give him a very slight concussion. He probably wouldn't have been knocked unconscious if he hadn't been so tired...stupid git," Sesshoumaru tried to soothe. He took a side-glance of the bruised appendage. "You should get that looked at, you know." Kagome leaned back, eyes widening.
"But what about..." she began, only to be cut off.
"InuYasha wouldn't want you to be hurt on his account," Sesshoumaru whispered. Kagome flinched slightly but curled back into the brotherly form.
"You speak as though he's passed on," she murmured, shivering vaguely, tears renewing in her eyes.
"Your right, it did," Sesshoumaru agreed, smirking. "How about this? The stubborn blockhead is going to yell at me until Dumbo flew me to Paraguay if I didn't get this looked at. Better?" Kagome chuckled.
"Dumbo flew me to Paraguay?" she quoted, chuckling even more.
"Really?" someone asked from behind her. "Why does no one tell me these things anymore?" Rin mock cried and turned her shoulder away in false forlorn. Kagome, who had jumped and turned around from Sesshoumaru at the unexpected resonance, turned her head slightly towards him, supposedly in an inconspicuous manner.
"You realize that your girlfriend is crazy, right?" Sesshoumaru sighed and shook his head.
"You didn't have to tell me that. I was the one who did the Energizer Bunny Conga not too long ago." Kagome smirked.
"And you were very graceful at that, might I add." Sesshoumaru sighed again but proffered a smile grin as his precious Rin flew into his arms.
"Shut up, Kagome." Kagome walked to Sango, who was waiting by the entrance for Miroku to grace them with his presence.
"What took you so long?" she asked, obviously talking of the extended amount of time it took for them to make to the hospital. Sango snorted.
"Well, you see, sister dear, it usually does take longer to get here when following the rules of the road, those of which you seem to have become deaf to in the last hour," she said in a joking sort of voice before her eyes became more serious, as well as her voice tone. "So how is he?"
"Concussion and bruising where the seatbelt was but it could have been much worse." Kagome spoke softly, turning her head to the side, looking at a stain of blood left on the white linoleum, silently praying that it wasn't InuYasha's. "Sango, I was scared. Déjà vu, ya know?" Sango nodded in sympathy.
"I can't imagine how I'd feel if something like this happened with me and Miroku," she commented, still looking out the door for her boyfriend. It would take him a while longer because he had to pick up Ayame, Ginta, and Hakkaku since they all live relatively close. Sango took a careful glance at Kagome, glaring at the wicked bruise on her wrist. "So that's where I was getting it from," she said, grasping her corresponding limb. "You should get it looked at, you know."
Kagome rolled her eyes. "I know, everyone else has told me the same," she sighed. "I swear, the next time I hear that I'm gonna run around this place naked." Kagome's eyes grew wide when she saw a certain pervert walking through the door with a smug grin on his face.
"Is that a promise?" Miroku asked, biting his lip in anticipation. "You should really get that looked at."
The slap resonated through the entire building.
"Sango," Miroku whimpered from the floor, staring at his girlfriend, the one who slapped him. "I don't even know what she needs to have checked out!" he tried to defend himself, unwittingly digging his grave deeper.
"So you just wanted to see Kagome naked?" Sango growled. Kagome left the two to argue. It was a normal occurrence.
§
After all the pestering, Kagome got her wrist checked out, grumbling obscenities all along the way (InuYasha was starting to rub off on her). She was finally aloud to see InuYasha, who looked as if he had only missed maybe a few days. The left side of his head had a nice egg on it from when his head hit the car doorframe after being catapulted back by the airbag. She also saw the ragged bruise of the seatbelt, spreading from his left shoulder to his right hip like a sash, when the doctor removed the electrodes from his chest, which had allowed the heart monitor to do its job.
Speaking of bruises, Kagome had managed, in her escapade down the main stairwell, to sprain her wrist. Out of all of it though, she was mostly bummed by the fact that she wasn't allowed to play piano for a few weeks.
Currently, she was sitting in the chair beside InuYasha's bed...sleeping, arms between her legs under the bed and head resting on top it. Gods, how did her sleeping schedule get so screwed up? Oh yeah, nightmares. Kagome had before deduced that either her right hand was a masochist or her left hand was the lucky one.
Kagome was brought out of her slumber by feather light strokes going through her raven hair. The contact shocked her into starting in her seat, thus whacking her left hand into the sharp underside of bed frame.
"Well," she groaned, staring at her left hand frustrated, "so much for you being the "lucky hand". I guess that leaves option B: my right hand is a masochist. I should get a rubber band." A deep chuckling came from her left.
"What good would a rubber band do?" it asked. Kagome was still glaring at her left hand.
"So I could wear it as a bracelet and when it feels the urge," she began to look up, "I could simply snap it instead...of...of..." Kagome fell silent when her eyes met with a honeyed amber iris. "InuYasha? When did you wake up?" she asked, slightly shocked.
"I'm not sure. What time is it now?" InuYasha countered, re-feeding Kagome her own words from earlier in the day. Kagome recognized it and raised a brow.
"I'm amazed that you can remember that with your concussion," she said, telling him one of his injuries. He seemed fairly surprised.
"Is that why I feel sorta high right now?" Kagome snorted lightly and turned her head away, bangs shielding her eyes from view.
"Maybe, could be the pain-killers for your bruises. Seatbelts tend to do that, leave bruises when they really have to be used," she sniffed. InuYasha caught something shiny trailing down her cheek. He lifted her chin with his forefinger, surprised as hell to find them to be tears.
"No, Kagome, don't cry," he whispered, pulling her into his lap. "There isn't a reason to." Kagome was actually sobbing into his hospital gown, and it stunned him like nothing else. This is the woman that didn't shed a tear when she got a shoulder wound, or when she faced Onigumo and all the crap he told her. In fact, the only time he had actually seen her do so was when her family told them about how Kagome got her scar. Why was she crying now?
"I was scared," Kagome whimpered from her place on his lap, careful to avoid his wounds. She moved to straddle his waist, gripping onto his face with both hands. "I thought I lost you." She hugged him close to her, letting his head rest against her heart. "I was terrified." InuYasha sat there, trying to process exactly what was happening.
"You were scared for me?" he questioned. "Is that why you're crying? You were scared?" Kagome nodded against his head. "But I'm fine. A little woozy and such but I'm essentially fine."
"It's not the point, InuYasha," she spoke with a slightly stronger than what she had been using. "Imagine, that you were me, put yourself in my shoes." InuYasha's eyebrows bunched together.
"Kagome, I know what it feels like to hear about something bad happening and waiting in the hospital to hear what the problems are. Gods know that I've done so when you were injured..." he began, trying to understand where this was going. Kagome shook her head.
"No, InuYasha. Imagine that you were me," she repeated. "And I don't mean just waiting to know something because I know that you have had more than your fair share of it. But I mean my entire life.
"InuYasha, when I first underwent chemotherapy, my father was one of the main supporters for me. I depended on him, and he was always there for me. One night, I'm asleep, my mom wakes me up and tells me, "I'm sorry, Kagome, but Dad and your uncle were in a car accident, it's not looking too good," and when you get to the hospital, you're told he's already dead. InuYasha, I was sleeping when Souta told me you were in an accident," Kagome pleaded with him, begging him to understand. "I felt so...vulnerable, like everything was a threat to me." InuYasha leaned back until his head hit the pillow, resting Kagome's head on his right pectoral, away from his bruise, and stroked her hair with his nails. She took comfort in the gesture and, probably to reassure herself, placed her right hand over his heart very gently, just to feel the pulsations.
InuYasha, noting something different about the touch, looked down to see a black, Velcro wrist guard protecting Kagome's wrist. "What happened with this?" he asked, trying to change the subject and get Kagome to sleep, she looked dead tired.
"Oh this?" she asked, lifting the arm in question. "I fell down the stairs. Overbalanced." Kagome replaced her hand to its former position.
"The main one?" InuYasha asked, envisioning the said case and Kagome falling down it. Kagome nodded, allowing herself to start to fall into a light slumber. Her breathing was starting to even out. "Go to sleep, Kagome," he commanded gently.
Kagome needed no more persistence.
§
-Wednesday-
Kagome slowly stood, careful not to disturb the napping InuYasha as she got out of her bed. Everyone else was at school; learning or sleeping, whichever entertained their interests best. InuYasha himself had been exempted from school for the rest of the week while Kagome, logically, only had today. This morning, when InuYasha was released from the hospital, InuTaisho had driven them both to the Higurashi's with Myouga, who willingly volunteered to assist Kagome in taking care of InuYasha. InuYasha was the one who chose Kagome's house, preferring the gentle quiet it would have as opposed to the usual sounds of activity that usually permeated throughout his house during the day.
Walking carefully down the stairs, Kagome looked for the old man. She found Myouga on the couch watching some daytime talk show, "My Daughter's Husband is Really One of My Son's Wives" or something like that. "I never took you for a talk show fanatic, Myouga," she commented lightly, giggling as the old man jumped in his seat on the sofa.
"I'm not, but it's either this or the home shopping network and I really don't feel like being tempted by things that I can't have or be annoyed by what I don't want," he reasoned. "Is there something that you need done, Miss Kagome?"
"It's just Kagome, no Miss. It makes me feel like a prissy. But I do have a favor," she amended. "I was wondering if you could put a frozen pizza in the oven and watch it for me while I take a shower? I didn't get to bathe properly yesterday, I could really use one," Kagome explained, lifting her slightly greasy hair for proof.
Myouga stood up and stretched. "It would be my pleasure to do so, Kagome." He smiled and headed to the kitchen. "Enjoy your shower."
Kagome started the water and, while waiting until it was hot, carefully inspected the bruising on her wrist. It took on a sinister blackish hue that was starting to spread as the swelling went down. Good news was that some blotches were turning a yellowish color, showing signs of healing though it lacks a comely appearance. Noting that her shower was well heated, she stripped strategically out of her clothes, avoiding the use of her wrist as much as possible. It wasn't that hard, considering she once couldn't use her entire right arm, Kagome was well accustomed to one-arm dexterity. She was quite proud of being able to remove her bra with one hand...
Standing under the stream, she rinsed her hair and lathered it up in her kiwi shampoo, repeating the process with the conditioner. Once that was tackled and out of the way, Kagome took her green mesh sponge and her Cucumber Melon shower gel, working it into a nice froth. She slathered the scented substance over her body, focusing on places where it was stiff. Even if it was only for a maybe an hour or two, falling asleep in a chair isn't that smart, but she was willing if it meant that she could be with InuYasha for a longer time.
Finished with her washing, she stood immobile, facing the pressure of the water, letting her mind drift to a peaceful abyss, a primitive, yet effective, meditation. Turning around fluidly, she let the heat soak into her muscles, removing any kinks that would bother her. Her eyelids felt so much heavier; she was falling deeper into her pseudo-meditation, her breathing falling into a rhythm, in through her nose, out through her mouth. She stayed in the serenity of her bathroom for a few minutes, no thoughts going through her head, no worries about what life had in store, it was like a proverbial pencil erased her mind.
Five minutes passed and she decided to get out. Grabbing the cream-colored towel, she dried her hair and then the rest of her body, wrapping the material around her midsection. Kagome stepped out of the bathroom slowly in an attempt to not wake InuYasha, only to find him sitting up, propped by pillows, staring at her.
"I was wondering," he stated, trying not to let his eyes wander down her body, "how much longer you were going to be. I was beginning to get worried." InuYasha grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head a bit. He wore a pair of black sweatpants and an old white business shirt, worn into comfort, which was unbuttoned. The bruise was a strong contrast to the tan of InuYasha's well-built chest. Kagome took notice of it and walked over.
"Want some Tylenol?" she questioned, barely tracing the discoloration with her forefinger. She looked up into his eyes, some surprise evident in them. "It looks like it hurts." InuYasha nodded slightly, not paying much attention to what he was doing. "I'll get some when I get dressed." Kagome walked to the closet and stepped inside, but before she actually closed the door, she smiled. "And honestly, pick up your jaw. I don't want drool on my bed." The door closed.
Kagome dropped the towel and walked to one of her drawers, taking out another set of underclothes. Slipping them on, she grabbed a pair of light green pants and a loose gray shirt and put them on as well. Stepping out of the room, she saw InuYasha brooding in her bed. She sighed.
"If it makes you feel any better," she began, getting her "cast" from the bathroom and replacing it as she went out of the room to go check on the pizza, "I sleep in the nude...I'll give you three guesses as to where." Kagome saw the realization dawn on his face before she went down stairs.
§
Sango twiddled the pen in her hand in ennui, preferring to watch the second hand make revolutions then listen to Urasuea talk about the Boston Tea Party. She already knew that the English tea must have tasted like crap back then if it started a war. No need for the details.
Miroku was in a similar state, except he wasn't tapping a writing utensil, he was sleeping with his eyes open, a rather handy thing he developed over his years in high school. He once told Sango on one of their dates together that he used to draw on his eyelids in middle school to make it look like he was awake, taking for granted the fact that the teacher who's class that he slept in was blind as a bat, thanking Jughead all the way. However, when that teacher left he had to learn this crafty feat.
Ms. Urasuea droned on for another five minutes before it was time to leave the class and go to Phys Ed.
Jumping up at the sound of the bell, Sango was halfway to the door when she realized that Miroku was still asleep. Walking back, she shook his shoulder but got no effect. By this time, the rest of the gang was watching in amusement as Miroku stayed prone. Sango thought for a minute as for what to do. Sighing, she began her plan.
Sango stood behind him, pressing her breasts to his back, and whispered, "I want you," slowly in his left ear. The reaction was immediate. Miroku jumped and turned to her in shock.
"Really?" he asked, hope shining in his eyes, contrasting with the gleam of his usual perverseness. Sango rolled her eyes.
"Come on, Miroku. We have to get to Gym," she answered, taking his hand and ignoring Rin and Ayame's giggling. Sango muttered under her breath, "Honestly, if you're going to sleep during class, at least wake up for the end of it." Miroku just followed her faithfully, but disappointment was etched lightly in with his handsome features.
After changing into their gym clothes, the class was told that today was a running day...
Damn it! Running days suck!
'Lucky Kagome,' Sango thought venomously. 'She gets a sprained wrist while I have to run!' Sango shook her head. 'I'm starting to sound like Kikyou.' She quivered in disgust and began her running.
§
Kagome came up stairs, balancing two plates of pizza on her left arm and opened her door to see InuYasha practically basking in the glory of her bed sheets. She noticed the blissful expression painted on his face and almost lost balance of the plates in her urge to laugh. "You know that you're a nut, right?" she asked, setting the pizza on one of the bedside tables.
InuYasha lifted his head and nodded. "But I'm your nut, babe." Kagome rolled her eyes.
"I can feel the pride welling inside me as you speak," she said sarcastically, plopping on the bed beside him. Kagome picked up one of the plates and handed it to InuYasha while she claimed the other and began to eat. "So, when do you want the Tylenol?" she pondered, pulling out a packet of two tablets and setting them on the sheets.
"After pizza," he answered in between bites. Kagome shook her head, wondering how Sango was doing.
§
"Running days suck monkeys!" Sango shouted on the way back to the school from the track. She was rubbing her arms rapidly with her hands, trying to build friction and warmth the frozen appendages.
"Sango," Kouga said exasperated, "you are a fucking black belt and you can't handle six laps around an oval." However, for all that it was worth, he showed signs of fatigue as well.
"Yeah," Rin panted, leaning on Sesshoumaru for support. "Stop being...such a...freaking wuss." Sango raised an eyebrow.
"You're one to talk, Miss "I'm dying, I'm dying"," she grumbled as Rin was forced to lose the prop of her boyfriend to go into the locker room and change.
...Miroku still looked depressed, even more so when he couldn't follow Sango through the door.
Sango had just finished putting on her usual day clothes when she saw an unwanted someone strutting towards her. "Hello, Kikyou," she said nonchalantly, taking out the books that she will need to put in her locker from her backpack, saving time.
Kikyou looked slightly affronted by the abruptness of the greeting. "Sango, where's your bratty little sister? I notice that InuYasha isn't here as well. Is he with her?" she asked, snobbishness dripping from her voice.
"Kagome's at home...with InuYasha, if you must know," Sango replied teasingly. "If you're worried about her, Kagome will be back tomorrow, but InuYasha will be out for the rest of the week." Kikyou couldn't seem to hide her curiosity this time.
"Why for the rest of the week?" Ayame stood beside Sango, Rin passing Kikyou to standing at her cousins other side, and glared at the prep.
"Their business is none of your concern," the redhead stated firmly, ice sickles hanging from her words. "What they do is none of your concern. In fact, what they eat for breakfast is none of your concern." Kikyou looked slightly taken aback but seemed to decide not to further push the issue.
"Well, if Kagome isn't here then there isn't a good enough reason to stay here," she said curtly, turning to leave. Rin stood forward, grinning good-naturedly.
"You might want your wallet back," she whispered, placing said object in the other girl's hand. Kikyou just growled slightly and checked the wallet for any missing money. Apparently satisfied, she stalked off.
Rin turned and grinned, proffering a crisp ten-dollar bill. "Let's go get something to drink, on me," she beamed, heading out the door, "or, on Kikyou, actually..."
§
InuYasha looked down on Kagome's sleeping face, taking in the comforted look that she wore in slumber. 'She's so beautiful,' he thought, stroking her raven hair in wonder, mesmerized by its silkiness. He looked at the clock; it was almost time for the others to get here. Sighing, he moved slowly out of the bed, careful of his tender ribcage, and went to the bathroom. Upon return, InuYasha took in the slightly strained expression on his love's face. 'She must be having a nightmare,' he deduced, going back to the bed, kneeling beside Kagome.
She began to twist, her mouth clenching, trying to elude the figment of her dream. Sweat formed on her brow, accentuated by her heavy breathing. Concern wrapped around InuYasha's soul, squeezing tightly. In desperation, InuYasha shook Kagome's shoulders, praying that it would wake her from her obvious distress. He was failing miserably in his attempts. Getting up, he headed to the bathroom, soaking a washcloth on the vanity in the sink. Ringing it out so that it wouldn't drip on the carpet or the bedding, InuYasha carried the rag over to Kagome, who began to struggle fruitlessly against whatever bonds were holding her in her dreamscape.
InuYasha ran the rag smoothly across his girlfriend's forehead, hoping to awaken her with the cool dampness of the material. This time, his attempt was not in vein, and he was graced with the beauty of Kagome's cerulean irises. He didn't even get a chance to ask, "Are you all right?" before she threw herself at him, arms going around his neck and yet still managing to avoid his bruises.
Kagome's formerly escalated breathing slowed to a steady, if a little shaky rhythm that told InuYasha is was safe to pull back slightly. When he got a look at the young woman's face, he embraced her fully for a second time. Her face was paled, a ghostly whitish hue that could rival paper. InuYasha could feel the cold sweat seep through his thin, worn work shirt, chilling him slightly as well. When she spoke, her voice was weak, tired from evading her nightmares.
"Why am I having...?" She left her question hanging before her own confusion and frustration. It didn't matter though; InuYasha understood what she was trying to say.
"It's probably just one of those "subconscious voices" telling you something," he professed, nodding in a sage-like style. "Is there something that you should be remembering?" Kagome relaxed and let herself realize everything that was happening, concentrating specifically on what would bring the repetition of that horrible memory to her sleeping awareness. As if pricked in her lower back, or, in her case, stabbed in the shoulder, she stiffened.
"No," Kagome whispered, pulling back and staring at InuYasha with wide eyes. "No," she repeated, "it couldn't be..." She moved away from the bed and stood up, rushing over to the calendar by the work desk. Taking a good look at it, she backed away, landing on the bed yet again. "It is," she reaffirmed.
InuYasha watched his girlfriend move around in confusion. "What is it?" he asked, maneuvering himself over to the pillows and lying down, gesturing for her to lie beside him. Kagome did so.
"This Saturday, it's the anniversary of...my mother and aunt's deaths," she said after pausing to find the right words. "How could I not have noticed it?" she asked herself. InuYasha encircled his arms around her lithe body, pulling her to her head on the crook of his neck, still careful of his bruises.
"It's not your fault, Kagome," he alleviated, stroking her hair for the umpteenth time in the last twenty-four hours. "It hasn't exactly been the best atmosphere for calendar counting."
The front door downstairs slammed shut.
"Family's home," Kagome mumbled, snuggling closer to him, letting herself relax.
"KAGOME! INUYASHA!"
So much for relaxing...
§
About an hour after everyone returned home, or rather, everyone met at the Higurashi's house, the phone rang. Everyone, sans Myouga who went home earlier, was sitting somewhere in the living room, doing homework, chatting, or both. The abrupt ring shrilled its way to where everyone congregated. Kagome stood to go get it, being the only one not doing any work or physically incapable (InuYasha tried to get up but Kagome kept him in his seat). She lifted it from the cradle, holding the receiver to her ear.
"Hello?" InuYasha was the only one really paying attention to her for the moment. "Excuse me?" she asked, slightly unbelieving. At the sound of her question, the remaining party looked to the young woman as distress started to overtake her features. "I understand that but..." she paused and the other person on the other line talked. "I know that, too...but why does he want to see me?" Another pause, Kagome's face looked even more distressed. "Is this even allowed?" Pause. "It is?" She sounded surprised and depressed simultaneously, quite a feat. "I know I don't have to go!" Kagome ran a hand down her face in exasperation. "I don't exactly want to but...never mind, I won't make a promise to be there but I might be going." Some more talking on the other end and surprise was slightly outweighing melancholy. "I can bring someone else... Only family though?" Kagome put her head down in thought. "I'm still not promising anything...good bye." She hung up the phone.
Everyone was watching Kagome stand by the phone, stock-still and eyes-closed. Her breath was becoming labored. Her steps, when she could move again, were practically mechanical, carrying her to whatever destination they desired. They carried her out of the other's line of vision, a door creaked open and shut with a light bang before more footsteps could be heard, though more muffled then before.
InuYasha stood slowly, using the wall for support, as he traced Kagome's steps into the foyer just as unhurriedly as she did. He was faced with the basement door; it stood in his way like a roadblock. InuYasha felt his right arm be lifted and wrapped around someone's shoulders for a better support then the wall. He turned and looked at Miroku, giving the young man a questioning guise.
"You need better support than the wall," Miroku explained, starting towards the door leisurely for InuYasha's sake. Sango had walked ahead of them, about to grasp the knob, when the furious sounds of the piano sifted through the woodwork. She stilled.
"Kagome isn't allowed to play for another few weeks," she whispered more to herself then anyone else. Taking hold of the doorknob, she opened the door and swiftly went down the stairs, closely pursued by InuYasha and Miroku who managed to hold up everyone else behind them.
Kagome was sitting at the piano, her cast off while she was rapidly playing the instrument with such amazing precision that it absconded them into a trance. The music was full of rage, sorrow, and trepidation in a mystifying mix that expressed the turmoil obviously present in her soul.
The pain in her wrist was nothing to her anymore; it was almost non-existent in the face of her worries. 'Damn it,' she thought with malice. 'Damn it and damn him. How dare he? How could he? What the hell is he getting at?' The music was growing with her fury. 'Why? Why would he want to even...? After all he's done to us...' The tune did a rapid change to severe melancholy. 'What am I going to do?' Kagome stopped playing, it was pointless to try and play confusion on the piano...always Sighing, she pulled out the piano bench slightly and banged her head on the keys. She smirked, realizing she was playing confusion after all. The inharmonic notes rang out around the room.
InuYasha watched Kagome carefully throughout her impromptu concert and broke away from Miroku and painstakingly made his way towards her. Sitting down in the chair next the large instrument, he reached over and lifted her head.
"What's wrong?" InuYasha whispered gently, stroking her cheek with his thumb. Sango was moving closer to her sister in concern, knowing her habits better than anyone else. She knew something was bothering her sister immensely.
Kagome looked into InuYasha's eyes, then to Sango's, then briefly around the room before turning back down to the ivory keys. She whispered, in a shaking, trauma-induced intonation:
"It would seem that Akira would like to have a little chat with me."
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A/N: So did you like it? Any of you? Even a little bit?
