The House Next Door

Disclaimer – Do I look like I own Inuyasha?

Author's Note – Thanks for the . . . oh, 7 or 8 reviews that I got. But seriously. It makes me feel special. ^_^ I hope y'all continue reading (and reviewing) this lovely little work of mine! Thanks!

***

Chapter Two – Nothing To Fear

***

"Kami-sama," Sango whispered, "what is it?"

Kagome shook her head, backing away from the window as a draft swept through the room. Without warning, a cold hand protruded from the darkness, sliding onto her shoulder.

She shrieked and tumbled backward, knocking Sango to the floor. The two of them started yelling at the top of their lungs, their arms flailing about wildly.

The light turned on. A tall figure grinned down at them.

"MIROKU!" Kagome screamed. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

She shoved him away, advancing on him as he laughed.

"You could have scared us to death!" she shouted. "What's WRONG with you?!"

Her twin took a step back, his grin turning to a smirk. "What's wrong with ME?" he repeated. "You guys are the ones cowering in the dark."

Sango rose to her feet swiftly, glaring at Miroku before turning back to the window.

"I don't see anything now," she muttered.

"See what?"

"Oh, Kagome-chan thought she saw something in the window," Sango answered casually, rolling her eyes.

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "Well, well. I didn't realize you two were into the whole spying thing."

"I didn't!" Kagome's voice was shrill. "Sango-chan saw it first!"

Sango stared at her in mock amazement. "Me? I saw something?" She turned to Miroku. "I swear, Miroku-kun, I have no idea what she's talking about!"

"The shadow!" Kagome yelped. "It was clear as day!"

"Shadows aren't clear," Miroku retorted matter-of-factly. "That's why they're called . . . ya know . . . shadows."

Kagome glared at him as Sango burst into giggles.

"Oh, Kagome-chan, I couldn't resist!" Sango pulled her into a hug. "You're just so fun to pick on!"

Furious, Kagome tore herself away from her, growling. Sango and Miroku's laughter echoed in her mind, dizzying her.

A joke?

Her thoughts whirled and she clutched her stomach, trying desperately to place some sort of reality in her mind. Sango had been joking. She was only pretending to see something in the window. There wasn't anything there but a shadow – a regular evening shadow, and Kagome's own warped imagination.

She bit her lip in confusion, raising a hand to her forehead, frowning. Miroku's laughter sounded again.

"Way to go, Kago-chan," he said with a wink. "Welcome once again to the Gullible Hall of Fame."

Kagome quickly gathered herself, shoving her brother toward the door. "Get out. We're studying."

"In the dark. Right."

"I mean it, Miroku! That wasn't funny!"

"Oh, come on, Kago-chan. It was a LITTLE funny."

"Close the door behind you."

"You know what else is funny?" Miroku said, grabbing her wrists. "The way you always start things that you know can never be finished. You'll just end up getting hurt one day."

"OUT!"

As usual, Kagome couldn't decide whether to laugh or scream. No one made her as crazy as Miroku did. No one could try her patience, make her furious, or make her laugh as well as Miroku could.

And nobody knew her so well. Despite their obvious gender differences, Miroku and Kagome had a resemblance that was startling. They were both tall and thin, with raven black hair and large eyes. Kagome's hair hung just past her shoulders, and her eyes were brown, as opposed to Miroku, who wore his hair in a short ponytail and sported dark, midnight blue eyes. Miroku also happened to stand a good three inches taller than his twin.

Every girl at Tokyo Central was in love with Higurashi Miroku.

Kagome knew this, but it still confused her. From what she'd heard, girls adored Miroku because of his "great looks, casual manner, and intelligence." Kagome found this funny; in her eyes, Miroku possessed none of those qualities.

She also knew that Sango had an enormous crush on Miroku. It was a point of pride that Sango had always avoided, but Kagome was able to guess despite her friend's efforts.

"You'd both feel stupid if there really WAS something in that house! So don't make fun of it!"

"We're not making fun of it," Miroku countered. "We're making fun of you." He released her wrists and pushed her back, sending her flying.

Sango walked over to help her up. "Come on, Kagome-chan. I'm sorry. Let's just forget it and – "

"I SAW something," Kagome insisted, and Miroku rolled his eyes.

"It was probably my car lights from the driveway."

Kagome scowled. "They wouldn't show up that high or far. Maybe someone broke in, or staying there."

"What, a bum?" Miroku shook his head. "I doubt it. We would have seen something. Plus, there's no running water or electricity over there. It's impossible."

Sango looked sheepish. "You're not going to have nightmares, are you?"

"No, but she'll probably flunk her History test," Miroku piped up with a smirk. "Nice going, baka."

"Will you GO already?" Kagome shoved him out of the room, slamming the door in his face.

"Look," Kagome spoke up soothingly, "maybe you THINK you saw something, but it could have been anything. Headlights. Moonlight. Anything."

"Or my imagination," Kagome grumbled. "I know that's what you're really thinking."

She put a hand to her forehead, attempting to erase the memory of the eerie eyes.

Of course Sango was right; the house next door was empty.

And old empty houses were nothing to be afraid of.