It is I, Jjah-Jjah! Sorry I've taken so long to update but I had to finish up my summer class and study for the final and now college is fast approaching and my time on this earth is slowly being consumed... Ne ways...
Look at all the frikken reviews! I can't believe I got so many for the chapter I consider to be the crappiest one yet... Zounds... Ok... So let's move on them, shall we? This'll take a while...
Defafaeth Mechqua: Tehee! This is true. By the way, this is where the new kitty comes in.
UltaAnimeFangurl2004: Thank you!! :D You can tell those three apart? I only know which one Yuka is... Or is it Eri... No, it's Yuka... Gah, I tip my hat to thee at any rate.
Sessh's BabyGrl: Thank you! The three crazy ningen girls return in this chapter...
Crimson Colored Cloaked Figure: Buahahahahahahaha! Thanks!
Macross VF1: Thank you! I've never seen another story that's similar... Hmm... I shall search this person out...
Yukari1: Thanks! I think so too. Usually there's too much nookie going on to actually have any character development... Not that that's necessarily a bad thing... Shippo! Well, as you shall come to see in this chapter, Sess-chan isn't the only youkai from Kagome's past out there... And where there is one... You get the picture.
urban-angel007: Oooh! Thanks.. I try to keep my persons in character; I'm glad I'm actually succeeding! Tootles.
Kariisme: Well as much as I dearly love YYH/IY crossovers... Alas, this is not meant to be one... I can understand how just plain modern-ness could get boring though. But don't worry. This fic doesn't take place just at the shrine. In a couple of chapters they'll be off doing awesome stuff in awesome places... At least I think they're awesome... Yea.
roxworld: Thank you and oh God, I know... I mean, I can understand SOME similarities, but have you noticed how the vast majority of them start EXACTLY the same way? It just irritates me... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....
Mirokou Sempai-Crazy: Teehee.. Hiding in clothing racks is fun though, and darn hard to do once you're older... We won't get to see Sess-chan in his new clothes for a while, though. He has some issues to sort out first..
Danielle DaCosta: Thank you! And actually, Sess-chan hasn't been poor for the whole 500 years... But he's still got his pride... Which will get him into trouble...
Aphiopsyduck: Whoo hoo.. Three reviews at once.. You're nice. I do want the settings to be different, so I'm going have them go to a lot of different places eventually.. Hopefully the result will be halfway original... Thank you for the reviews!!!
MoonliteCrescndo: Thank you. Loopy? Yep, that it is... I'm trying to make this a mixture of crazyness and seriousness, because that's my definition of real life... Anyway, thanks again!
FurA Smile: Thank you!! (blushes) I'll forgive you for not reviewing before because you're so nice! Bai!
desy, Tenshi Youkai no Yugure, HarrySlytherinson, Sukera, sorata-chan, Tsuki Yume, Aduka, soul : Thank you so much for reviewing, I love you all, and hope you consent to continue reading my humble story. Farewell!
OK! We're done with that until next time! Muahahahahahaha! (coughs) Moving on. Here's the disclaimer..
Disclaimer: (pink baby dinosaur crawls onstage) I'm the disclaimer, gotta love me!! Tee hee hee hee!
Alright... Press on!!!!!!
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Chapter Six: Diamond In The Rough
One thing that Kagome had learned in the years since her wandering days was something that she wasn't sure what to name.
It had something to do with the eyes, she knew. Something to do with the way one saw things. It was connected to the niche she occupied; the way she could see something of the past where others could not. The green slivers of nature that sparsely peppered Tokyo were like light shining through the chinks in a wall. These slivers were hard to find and often small, but Kagome could see them. Perhaps that was because she had always lived in one. The shrine was such a place. She could stand and look up and see nothing but the sky. Blue and ever-changing, the sight of it was marred by no wires or telephone poles. And all around it was framed in green; the whispering leaves of the trees that graced her peripheral vision.
"What are you looking at?" Sesshoumaru asked.
Kagome looked over sharply at the youkai lord. She hadn't noticed his approach. "Just looking at the sky." She rubbed her eyes and started over to one of the shrine houses. Not to really do anything, however. She just suddenly felt the need to be at a distance.
She looked back over at Sesshoumaru and smiled softly. He was standing at the exact same spot she had been, staring up at the sky as if searching for some inexorable answer. The youkai was still wearing the same gray and white garb that she had first given him. He seemed completely uninterested in even going near his new clothes. It was probably some sort of pride that kept him from accepting her help. Was it just her, or had he become more distant since then? He had done his hair in a tail today, just as it had been when she first found him. Did that mean something? Something was off... Something was just a little bit different than before.
"Crap!!!" Kagome abruptly screeched. She hadn't worn her socks today and she had distinctly felt something small and hairy scamper over her foot. Sesshoumaru jerked back to life at the utterance and was by her side in a moment.
They both caught a glimpse of the tail-end of a mouse disappearing into a hole in the building's wall.
"I do believe that this infestation of yours is becoming a problem." The youkai smirked.
"Gee, thanks. I never would have been able to figure that one out for myself."
"You're welcome."
Kagome glared at him for awhile until she got tired of it and then she sighed and cast an eye over the grounds.
"Where the heck is that cat anyway?"
In the house, on Kagome's bed, a large mass of fur sneezed.
"Alright..." Kagome spoke and then trailed off into a sigh. "I'm bored." With that said, she started skipping off towards the front steps. Maybe there was something more interesting going on there like a car wreck or something.
Actually, there was something by the front steps that Kagome failed to notice: her broom.
"Ack!! Crap!" The miko screeched, as she tripped over the accursed object. 'Why the heck do I have to be such a klutz?! Why?! Why?! Why?!' She screamed at herself internally and closed her eyes waiting for the inevitable crash landing.
But then she felt a pair of hands on her waist and the fall abruptly stopped. Cautiously, Kagome opened eyes and saw herself suspended above the ground; the gray fabric of Sesshoumaru's hakama taking up a good portion of her vision.
"Why, hello Sesshomaru!" She greeted.
"Have you ever considered installing yourself with airbags?"
"Actually, yes..."
"..."
They stared at each other for a moment and then he began to set her back on her feet, but unfortunately the action was interrupted by three nearly identical screams coming from a few feet away.
"Ow!" Kagome bellowed as she hit the ground. That good for nothing youkai had dropped her! She glared up at him crossly to see that the suddenly human-looking inu lord seemed to be covering his ears in an attempt to ward off the high pitched screeching that was still going on.
'Wait a minute, what the heck is making that noise?' She looked over to where the noise was coming from and blinked... And then she blinked again. Standing there, looking as if they had just heard that all the adorable bunnies in the world had spontaneously combusted, wailing heartbrokenly, and clutching at each other stood Yuka, Ayumi, and Eri... Kagome blinked yet again... And then she exploded.
"What the freakin' hell is going on???!!!!"
And suddenly it was silent. The three girls were just standing there looking at her with tear-filled eyes and Sesshoumaru looked as if he was trying to decide between going on a killing spree and being hopelessly confused. Everyone stared at each other for a while and then Ayumi finally spoke.
"Oh Kagome, how could you?"
The miko raised an eyebrow. "How could I what?"
"Don't you have any respect for yourself?" Yuka added.
"You're just going to end up being hurt!" Eri chimed in.
"Do what?"
"You know what we're talking about, Kagome."
"I do?"
"How could you just take him back after all he's done to you?!!"
"Granted, it is kinda romantic and everything,"
"But sometimes you need to check into reality..."
The three girls looked at one another and nodded in agreement. It certainly couldn't be allowed to go on. They circled around Kagome, and continued in a knowing fashion.
"You know what they say, 'there are a lot more fish in the ocean.'"
"Isn't that sea?"
"Whatever."
"Anyway. Kagome, you know you can trust us, right?"
"Uhhh... I guess..."
"Then take it from us. You should really stop seeing this creep."
"What creep?"
"Your old boyfriend!"
"He dumped you for that other girl, remember?"
"And now you're letting him live with you! Have you no shame?"
"DO WHAT??!!! Who the hell are you talking about?!"
"Him!!!" All three girl simultaneously pointed at Sesshoumaru, who seemed to have decided on utterly (albeit stoically) confused. Kagome just stood there and began blinking confusedly again.
"You think that HE is my boyfriend?" she asked incredulously.
"Well, yeah. He looks just how you described him to us, silly."
And suddenly it hit. They thought that Sesshoumaru was Inuyasha! The miko immediately burst into hysterical, nearly deranged laughter and collapsed. Slowly, tears running down her cheeks, she managed to regain control of herself. She blearily looked at those who had witnessed her fit and saw that they appeared to be a bit disturbed. Still grinning, she pulled herself back up onto her feet.
"Guys, this isn't my old boyfriend. This is his older half-brother Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru, these are my friends Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka."
The two parties stared at each other.
"His brother?" Eri murmured.
"Half-brother." Sesshoumaru corrected.
And that was when the hoopla began.
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Kagome sighed heavily as she slumped back further against a random wall. That had been one of the most unpleasant things she had ever been through in her entire life, and that included all the bloody feudal battles. Her three friends had yammered on for what seemed like hours and then pretended to leave on three separate occasions so they could come back and try to catch her and Sesshoumaru in a compromising position. Kagome, in turn had finally chased them off the shrine grounds with her broom once they began referring to Sesshoumaru as her 'new' boyfriend.
"You have very strange friends..." Sesshoumaru had commented once she returned. Kagome smiled. If anything, she was destined to have weird friends for the rest of eternity... Well, at least it made life interesting. She glanced over at the inu youkai who seemed to be content messing with a small bed of her mother's flowers. His back was to her, and his hair gleamed in the sun. She reflected absently that when he wore his hair up in a ponytail, it looked strangely like his actual tail when he was in his transformed state. It was when her thoughts shifted to whether or not Sesshoumaru's hair could wag, that the object of her thoughts spoke up.
"Someone is coming."
It took a few minutes for is words to register, but once they did, Kagome leapt up, grabbed her broom, and raced off brandishing it like a warrior of old. "Ayumi, Yuka, Eri!!! If you don't give it a rest, I'm going to put this broom somewhere the sun don't shine!!!"
And then she crashed into someone.
"Oh! I'm sorry Higurashi! I didn't see you there. If you're busy I can come back later."
"Hojo?" Kagome breathed, completely shocked to see him. 'Oh no! Did he hear me say that?' She blushed, deeply embarrassed. She would have to make a note to kill her three friends later... "Er... Ah, no Hojo, I'm not busy. Welcome to the shrine."
The two of them began walking back as they talked. "I hope I'm not bothering you, Higurashi. How is your health? Have you been sick lately?"
"Um, no. I've been fine lately. I don't think I'm going to get sick anymore."
"That's good! Tell me, is your grandfather around anywhere?"
'Grandpa?' Kagome wondered. 'What would he want with him?'
"No. Grandpa's gone on a trip. What do you want him for?"
They had come to where Sesshoumaru was and the youkai had stopped what he was doing and was staring at the stranger with cold appraising eyes.
"Well, you see, my aunt's come up with this crazy idea that there's an evil spirit haunting her house and once she heard I knew some people who lived at a shrine... Well, I was hoping that maybe your grandfather could come over and do an exorcism or something to make her feel better, but if he's not here..."
"Well, I'd be happy to help, Hojo."
The boy's eyes brightened. "Really? That would be great! My aunt doesn't know anything about exorcisms or anything, so that would be fine! You can just look like you're doing something and she won't be able to tell the difference."
Kagome stared at him for a moment and was suddenly annoyed. "Hojo, I do actually know how to banish evil spirits. I am actually a miko; I take this seriously."
"I'm sure you do Higurashi and it's very cute."
'And what exactly did I ever see in this guy?' Kagome wondered, looking at his perpetually smiling face incredulously. It was then that she noticed that Hojo was looking over her shoulder. He had caught sight of the youkai lord.
"Hello!" He said walking up to stranger, "I don't believe I've ever seen you around here before, miss. Do you work here?"
In the silence that followed even the birds were quiet. Kagome thought the look on Sesshoumaru's face would have been hilarious if the very real possibility of bloody murder weren't an issue. The wind blew ominously, a warning to all sane creatures that something horrible was about happen, but Hojo just kept on smiling... Kagome briefly mused that the well house would probably be the best place to hide a body since no one ever went into it anymore..
"This Sesshoumaru is not a female." The youkai lord said in his extremely masculine voice.
Hojo's smile faltered for a split second and then he said, "You're kidding..."
Kagome slapped her forehead with the heel of her hand. Of all the stupid things to say. The boy was beyond help.
"I mean, you sure look pretty feminine and you definitely aren't handsome like a guy would be. You're more beautiful. Are you sure you aren't a woman?"
Kagome stopped in second mid-smack of her forehead. What in the hell kind of question was that??? Glancing at Sesshoumaru, she caught a look he was directing at her which asked clearly, 'What the hell has he been smoking?'
Sesshoumaru stood up so that he was towering over the shorter human. "I do believe that I know my own gender."
"Well alright, if you're sure."
Kagome took this point to rush in and try to salvage the situation. "Well, Hojo. Do you have the address for your aunt's house?"
"Oh yes! I wrote it down for you." A search of pockets produced a small scrap of paper which was subsequently handed over.
"Is there any particular time I should come over?"
"Any time today or tomorrow is fine." Hojo glanced at his watch in dismay. "Oh my! I need to get going. Good bye Higurashi and thank you!"
And with that said Hojo left.
Kagome released a breath she hadn't known that she had been holding. She glanced over at Sesshoumaru who was impassively looking in the direction of their last visitor's departure.
"I thought you were going to kill him." Kagome prompted, the question unspoken.
"I believe it to be dishonorable to kill the insane." Came the answer.
Kagome smiled, and then laughed. "Well, then. How would you like to go exorcise some evil spirits?"
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Kagome and Sesshoumaru stood by the mailbox of the house they had been looking for checking the street number. The miko was in a bit of awe. The house was in one of the better, more expensive, parts of town and it was lovely. It also happened to be in the middle of one of those slivers of green. There were trees all over the yard which separated the property from that of the neighbors. The canopies of the trees were so thick that the sunlight seemed to shine down green. There was an earthy scent in the air. 'If I were an evil spirit, this would be the place I'd want to haunt!' She decided. They started up the driveway.
Suddenly, Sesshoumaru stopped and swept an arm out in front of her to keep her from going further. "I sense the presence of a youkai."
"What?" Kagome could hardly believe it. "You mean there actually is something there?"
Sesshoumaru nodded. "Though it feels to be merely a lesser youkai it is indeed there..."
"Wow! Let's go find it!" Kagome started towards the house again, the Taiyoukai shadowing her closely.
Once they reached the house, they found Hojo's aunt on the porch. She praised them for coming so quickly and thanked them. Kagome assured the woman that they would take care of the problem and soon she found herself following Sesshoumaru as he followed the creature's youki.
She was actually rather excited. There actually were more youkai out there than just the inu lord. She was beginning to go deeper into a world that everyone else thought to be imaginary. Perhaps there were things hidden deeper even than she could see...
They came to the back of the house. A dryer vent poking out from the wall proved that they were near the laundry room. Near where the vent protruded, some of the house's siding had come off, leaving a hole that revealed the inky darkness of the crawl space. Sesshoumaru crouched down and peered into the blackness, flexing one of his claws in a spine-tingling way. Kagome kneeled beside him.
"It senses my youki and it is coming to investigate. I will kill it if it attacks." Kagome nodded and they both stared into the darkness, waiting...
It seemed like an eternity. Kagome's legs hurt from being so still. Whenever she glanced over at Sesshoumaru she noted that he hadn't moved an inch. He didn't even seem to breathe. He was like some kind of fantastic, beautiful statue. For a moment, he seemed hardly even real. It was as if, if she reached out to touch him, he would disappear like a wraith and leave her alone...
Shaking the though from her head, she turned her attention back to the matter at hand, and not a moment too soon. She heard something: a faint scratch, a whisper of fur against a solid object. Her muscles tightened in anticipation and her eyes strained to see something, anything. Then, very slowly, a slight red glow appeared. As it drew closer, it become apparent that the glow was of two red eyes, becoming clearer and clearer. Whatever it was stopped and surveyed them for a moment. The eyes were still the only things to be seen; there was nothing to indicate what they were attached to. A long moment passed and belatedly, Kagome felt a little trill of fear lance through her... Then, almost as if a decision had been made, the eyes began moving forward again and the form of the youkai was slowly revealed. Small, with cream-colored fur, black-tipped triangular ears, petite inky paws, two striped tails, and a diamond shaped mark on the feline forehead.
Kagome sucked in a breath and nearly choked on it. No. It couldn't be! She wasn't that lucky; it just couldn't be!!! Then she blinked and the apparition was still there...
"Kirara!!!!"
The joy in Kagome was so intense it was nearly painful and she lunged into the dark, dirty hole and scooped the little firecat up into a bear hug. Equally as surprised and jubilant, Kirara licked her old friend's face and mewed happily. It was a miracle! It had been too long. Far, far too long.
Kagome pulled herself out of the hole and rolled on the grass ecstatically with her friend. Tears were in her eyes and she noted that the little youkai's looked wet as well. Kagome looked back at Sesshoumaru, who was looking at her with an odd expression on his face that she could not identify.
"Sesshoumaru, this is Kirara! She's one of my friends that I hunted jewel shards with!"
The inu youkai nodded and got back onto his feet. Kagome noticed Kirara glaring at the youkai lord skeptically.
"It's ok. Sesshoumaru's a friend of mine now."
The firecat looked at her for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright then! Let's go home and have a celebratory feast! To the grill!"
At that proclamation both youkai seemed to perk up a bit. Kagome tucked Kirara down into the front of her robe so no one would see her two tails and then they left.
And suddenly that sliver of green seemed slightly empty...
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And now the time has come for that chapter to end and for you to press the amazing button over there at the lower left hand corner of the screen... And I'm tired...
JJ falls asleep...
Vib: Ok, then...
Ed: So, review! Bye!
Vib: Tootles!
Tata, JJ