Dokyusei
by
Nana
Chapter 16
Incidents
Beta Read by Kaerra
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Author's Notes: Umm…actually, I really have nothing to say about this chapter, except that Dark Flame has great intuition because she has guessed right about Kouga making his next appearance here. ^^ Please do read on. Reviews are very welcome.
Special Thanks: to Kaerra, a really gifted beta-reader, who helped streamline the words and sentences to make them more than what they were at the start.
Disclaimer: But you guys know all this stuff already! J
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Both girls had news to share that Monday, but Kagome had to admit Sango's was more intriguing.
"Imagine that, Sango-chan!" she squealed delightedly as Sango finished narrating Fukuzawa'a latest outrageous escapade.
Sango seemed far from thrilled.
"What did it all mean?" Sango asked, exasperated.
"It definitely means he wants things to go somewhere! Maybe he really wants to be friends with you!"
"Kagome-chan…! This is…this the very same lech whom we're plotting against! Whatever is going to happen with our revenge thing?!"
"I…wouldn't call it plotting exactly," said Kagome testily. "And you said so yourself! He didn't try anything…you know, weird, right? You said he was on his best behavior."
"He never had the opportunity. He had to sit opposite me the whole time," said Sango dryly.
"But this is an excellent start!" cried Kagome.
Sango shifted uncomfortably in her seat and changed the subject. After all, it was not healthy speculating on the possible motives of a guy whom one wasn't sure of liking.
"Talking of excellent starts, I take it you went out with him."
"Oh. Yeah." Kagome's voice trailed off as she remembered her weekend rendezvous with Houjo-kun.
"And?" Sango urged.
"Well, I guess it was very…pleasant," said Kagome slowly.
Sango lifted an amused brow at the way Kagome was picking her words carefully.
"No, really!" said Kagome, noting Sango's skeptical gaze. "Houjo-kun was--is! What am I saying?--a really nice guy, so it went okay."
"Just okay?"
"Well…yeah…"
"Well, what did you guys talk about?"
Kagome frowned as she tried to remember. "Well, he was really very amusing. He knew a lot of jokes so we were laughing a good deal…"
She trailed off, puzzled.
"Funny," she said after a while. "I can't seem to recall a single thing he said, though!"
She and Sango looked at each other and burst out laughing ruefully.
"Poor Houjo-kun," Kagome said somewhat guiltily, "but HE WAS REALLY NICE!"
This, in response to seeing Inu Yasha glaring at them close by, straining his ears to catch every word without appearing to do so.
"He is such a loser," said Sango a bit sadly.
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But while the girls had dismissed Kagome's date as light fluff, others apparently did not have the same opinion.
It was during recess that Kagome had emerged from the girl's comfort room to find herself accosted by someone she had not seen in a while.
"Hey, Kagome!"
Kagome turned at the sound of that particular voice and noted with some surprise that Kouga Shizuki had turned up without his usual escorts.
"K-Kouga-kun…!"
"We need to talk. It won't take a minute, I promise. Come with me." With that, Kouga pulled Kagome to a corner, ignoring her protests that she was going to be late for the next period.
"What has that idiot done now?" he demanded as he turned to her.
"Who?" Kagome wanted to know, not sure where he was getting at.
"That…dog!" Kouga bit out, not even deigning to use Inu Yasha's name. "What's he done now to drive you out on a date with a guy like-- like that?"
It was pretty obvious who Kouga was referring to this time. Was it just her imagination, or did Kouga's voice carry a hint of laughter somewhere?
It was apparent he thought of Houjo to be in the same category as Inu Yasha--guys whom you don't bother putting a name to.
Wha--? How--? Kagome thought, starting to feel irritated. She had one unspectacular weekend date and the news was spreading like wildfire. It was strange too, how this piece of news seemed to spark unusual interest in totally unexpected groups of people.
"His name is Houjo-kun," said Kagome evenly. "And he's a pretty nice guy."
Kouga shook his head. "I totally understand if you think that dog's a complete jerk. Can't say I didn't warn you. But Kagome, promise me this: next time you feel like wanting to hit him back for whatever it was he did to you, don't go running to just anybody. I'd be more than willing to help. You can ask me!"
"You mean…like ask you out?" Kagome could not believe what she was hearing. Kouga did not bother to clarify.
"I'll be around," Kouga said as he cocked her a two-fingered salute and whipped around, preparing to leave. In his haste, he nearly bumped into somebody.
"My, my," came a low, caressing voice. "Fancy meeting you inside school corridors."
Kouga started and made as if to leap away from the pretty girl standing in front of him. "You…!" He began, his voice furious.
Kagome looked at the newcomer curiously and realized with some surprise that she recognized her. She was sure everyone in the school would.
She was of medium height, her hair tied and arranged elegantly with a feathered pin to the side. She carried about her this strange, languid grace, although this was markedly absent when she was heading the cheerleading squad. Close-up, Kagome was startled to see that her slanting maroon eyes held more than a touch of malice as she looked at Kouga.
Murukami Kagura continued to stare at Kouga with cold amusement, her small red lips tilted up a fraction on one side.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, following me around?" Kouga shot at her without showing the slightest sign of gentlemanly instincts.
Kagura allowed one fine eyebrow to arch up even as her eyes narrowed. "Don't flatter yourself too much," she said smoothly. "This is a corridor. You're in my way."
"Feh!" Kouga said before he stalked past her and walked away.
Kagura smiled, looking after his retreating back, and would have gone her way had her eyes not alighted on Kagome.
The sophomore paused as she took in the girl before her from head to foot, and what surprised Kagome was the fact that the cheerleader seemed to recognize her. It was totally unexpected, and judging from the way she was looking at her, potentially unpleasant.
"You're that freshman, Higurashi, aren't you?" She asked in a cool voice. "The one who got Sesshou Maru his broken arm?"
N-nani?!
How did she come across that? Was that what all the upper classpeople were saying? Did they think that was the reason behind why Kendo Club president Sesshou Maru went about with his left arm in a sling? Well, in a way, it was, but it had been Sesshou Maru's fault for abducting her and using her as a pawn. It was not her fault that his plan backfired. But Murukami was making it sound…different.
There was also a definite, odd note to Murukami's voice as she sized up Kagome, and her next words were even stranger.
"What did he ever see in you?" she murmured dismissively in an icy voice before gliding off, leaving Kagome standing there with no good opinion of her.
What did it all mean?
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"Well, what's her problem?" Sango asked when Kagome told her what Murukami Kagura had said in the corridor.
Kagome shook her head, as mystified as Sango.
In its own way, it was good that the incident with Sesshou Maru had not reached the school administration. Totosai-sensei had kept a lid on it because it was a matter involving his Club. Once the other older teachers got a whiff of it everyone was dead for sure. Still, it was obvious that speculation had broken out among the student body, and some startlingly out-of-this-world conclusions had been drawn.
"You'd think she's got something going on with Sesshou Maru. As if he'd give her the time of day." Sango sighed.
"Do you suppose there is something there?" asked Kagome, intrigued. Murukami Kagura, after all, was one of the most popular girls in school. She was probably capable of snagging anyone she fancied.
"Who knows? Sesshou Maru certainly never gave any indication that he noticed her. So you should a lift a page from his book. Don't pay any attention to her," Sango said before she dismissed the cheerleader from her mind. "Anyway, you were not the only one who's had an incident this recess!"
"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.
Sango shook her head and smiled ruefully. "You'll never believe what that egghead Inu Yasha did."
"What?!"
What he did try to do was talk to Sango. Unfortunately, he went about it the wrong way, as usual.
"I've been meaning to talk to you for a while now," said Inu Yasha unpleasantly as he sidled to a chair next to Sango.
It was a good opportunity; Kagome was out and this would probably be the only time he was going to catch Sango all alone.
Sango slanted him a half-lidded, bored look. After all, this was the girl who survived Fukuzawa Miroku. After that guy, handling somebody like Inu Yasha was a cinch.
"Really?" she asked, entirely unimpressed.
"What's going on between that dork and Kagome?" he demanded.
"You mean, what's going on between you and Kitahara?" Sango shot back.
For a moment, Inu Yasha's mouth worked without successfully getting a single word out.
Finally, he resorted to his usual, "Feh! It's none of your business!"
"Then neither is it yours to find out what Kagome and Houjo are up to," said Sango very calmly before she returned to her notes.
Man! She thought. Boys are such idiots! If he had only caught her drift, Inu Yasha would have realized that Sango was answering his question by throwing him a question of her own.
Also, was it just her, or had she picked up a few tricks from Fukuzawa Miroku's book? There were some merits, after all, to launching and maintaining a cool, unhurried stance in an attack. It made the impact of one's words more powerful, more lasting.
Recess had ended and Inu Yasha had not been able to think of a word to parry that last statement. Despite her tough words, Sango had ended up pitying the poor guy.
Well, almost.
"That's it? That's all?" asked Kagome after Sango finished narrating her story.
"Well, it's not much but it's a start," said Sango brightly, "from this point on, you might like to choose the way you're going to cook him: roast, fry, stew, simmer or boil--you name it. Torture him, Kagome-chan."
Kagome smiled involuntarily.
Sango grinned and returned to her Math notes. The mere sight of them was enough to erase the smile from her face and she sighed unhappily.
"You still haven't found that reviewer, have you?' asked Kagome.
"No," Sango said heavily. "I've searched all the bookstores."
"Don't worry about it. I can lend you mine."
"No, I couldn't," said Sango, shaking her head. "The exam's way too close. You'll be needing it yourself. Thanks anyway."
"Maybe we can do some problems from the book every day," suggested Kagome. "That way we can shorten the odds--"
They looked up as a bit of a bustle sounded from the doorway. One of the girls seated near the door came over to Sango quickly, her eyes alight with pleasurable interest.
"Sango," she said. "You've got a visitor."
"I do?" Sango asked quizzically as she got up, looking sideways at Kagome, who shrugged.
She couldn't think of anybody who would want to visit her. Nobody had ever done it before. So it came as a shock when she got out of the room to find him lounging easily against the wall. Sango halted so abruptly at the sight of him she skidded and nearly fell on the polished floor.
"W-what do you think you're doing here?" was the first thing she could think to say as soon as she recovered.
Fukuzawa Miroku raised an arched brow. "And hello to you too, Sango," he said politely, and broke into a disarming smile as he straightened himself up.
Sango cast a nervous eye at the door to her classroom before glaring at the sophomore. She was aware that some of her classmates were watching them with considerable interest, and she was willing to bet that it was all part of his grand design to be seen with her like this.
"Let's move over to the window," she muttered, surprised that she could keep her civility. She had no choice. She knew as well as he did that she couldn't shout and scream at him inside school corridors without causing a stir. Here inside school walls, he was her senpai, and she had to treat him with the same deference as she would anyone more senior than she.
"What are you doing here?" she hissed in a low voice as they turned to face each other near the corridor window. She fought to keep her breathing even. From the way her heart was racing, surely, surely he could hear it as loudly as she could in her ears.
At the back of her mind, she supposed it had occurred to her that he would misunderstand the incident that occurred last Saturday and she had worried that he would become sticky. But she had not expected him to do something like this too soon.
Well, here he was all right. Moreover, it seemed he had got it into his head that now he could approach her at will, take up her time anyway he saw fit, and embarrass her in front of her friends and classmates--
His next move, however, was totally unexpected.
"I came by to give you these," he said, producing some thin volumes of precious math reviewers--among them the elusive booklet she had been looking for.
Noting the startled look in her eyes, he said, "You said something about a Math exam last Saturday," he said. "I thought these would help."
"I--I don't understand," Sango said as he handed the books to her. "How did you know I wasn't ab--"
She stopped as she looked into his eyes.
"Oh, so you weren't able to find any of them in the bookstores? Not surprising, really. These editions are hard to come by these days. Well, this is certainly a stroke of perfect timing!" he said with a smile. His voice and manner betraying nothing but innocent surprise, but the glint in his eyes told her something else.
He did not allow her to probe too long, though.
"Well, I do hope you do well in your exam," he said, lowering his eyes and turning away. "Gambatte, Sango."
Sango was so stunned she merely watched him go, and it took her a moment to realize she had not thanked him.
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"This is really getting serious," said Kagome as she leafed through the pages of Fukuzawa's reviewers.
Sango's mind was curiously blank as she stared at the reviewers in disbelief.
"Look, he even scrawled down the steps to his answers beside the questions!" Kagome said, pointing at his handwriting. "I'm willing to bet they're all the right answers! He must've used them extensively last year. You're so lucky!"
"Am I?" Sango asked in a voice filled with dread.
Kagome looked up. "What's the matter with you?" she asked, beginning to smile. "I think he's being wonderful!"
"Is he? Why?" Sango wanted to know, her voice carrying with it a thin line of panic. "Don't you think this is too weird? He can't just show up like this! It's too coincidental!"
Kagome sighed.
"Who knows?" she said. "But then, who knows also if he really just wants to help?"
She handed Sango the reviewers.
"I really think it's lovely that he seems to like you very much," she told Sango softly.
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That damn Mikagi! Thought Inu Yasha, fuming, as he practiced his subari strokes that afternoon in a corner of the Kendo Club. He was oblivious to the nervous glances of his fellow kendoka, as well as the fact that he was being given a wide berth. The senpai were all glaring at him balefully, but they could not do anything--not when the sensei was there everyday now.
You mean, what's going on between you and Kitahara…
Sango's words came to him, unbidden, and he shook his head furiously.
What's been going on between him and Kikyou?
Why, absolutely nothing, just in case it was not obvious enough for some people! In fact, for some strange reasons that she would not divulge, Kikyou absolutely hated him beyond words now.
She said something about my betraying her…what could it possibly mean?
No matter how many times he turned that piece of information around in his mind, Inu Yasha could not think of a single thing to make her so angry with him. It was rare enough for Kikyou to be angry, but for her to be so furious with him…
It just didn't make sense…
And Kagome…what was going to happen now between him and Kagome?
…?
Him…and Kagome? Since when had he come to think of it that way?
All of a sudden it was all too much for him to reason it out, to think of it at all, and he took refuge in the bamboo sword that he he held in his hands.
Totosai-sensei made his rounds, wearing his armor. He looked at Inu Yasha with approval as the strokes came swiftly and forcefully down before him at the precise middle.
"Everyone, look at Nishi's energetic strokes," he called. "I expect you all to follow his example here!"
Moriyama Jaken's huge, bulging eyes got so narrow they were almost slits as he regarded Inu Yasha with loathing.
If he has not made enough enemies, he's made them now, Jaken thought triumphantly of the younger boy whose furious blows had brought down the great Sesshou Maru. Since that fateful night, his senpai had not been able to attend a single practice session--not since he had to have his arm in a sling.
And it's all his fault! Jaken thought furiously, eyeing Inu Yasha. There must be some way Sesshou Maru sama can get back at this disrespectful kouhai; he sorely needed to be taught a lesson.
So far, Sesshou Maru sama had been awfully quiet about the arm in the sling. Very few had dared to ask him directly, and he had given no reply. It was he, Moriyama Jaken, who had started that vague line about the girl being behind it all. That was sure to catch fire, and hopefully, discredit her.
But how to discredit Inu Yasha?
There has got to be a way to break that damned kouhai…
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A few hours later found Sesshou Maru finishing the last of the files inside the Kendo Club office and preparing to leave. It had not been easy doing anything at all with a disabled arm, and paperwork was just about the most he could do right now, but at least it gave him something to do. Frankly, he hated thinking about his broken arm and the situation leading to its current state.
Outside, it was already quite dark. Most of the students had left the school buildings.
After Kendo practice, Jaken had hung around awkwardly, asking hopefully if he needed his assistance, but he had waved off the kouhai. After all, he didn't need a damned escort to do things.
As he stepped out into the cool night air, he slowly took his left arm out of its sling. It seemed all right now, he thought, flexing his fingers and bandaged wrist thoughtfully. The pain and the curious tingling sensation were gone, and full movement had been restored.
Seconds ticked by. Sesshou Maru continued to look at his injured hand, his expression unreadable.
Then, he said, "you cannot think to fool me by hiding there. You might as well show yourself."
From the inky shadows just off the warm glow of the streetlight before him, a soft laugh issued from a feminine throat.
Murukami Kagura stepped into the puddle of light. "Still as sharp as ever, Sesshou Maru senpai," she observed in a languid tone. "I see your arm's okay now."
Sesshou Maru did not answer.
Kagura looked at him full in the face without a trace of meekness befitting a kouhai. She had always enjoyed looking at him, right from the first moment she had seen him. But she had had enough with having to put up with his expressionless mask. She had to admit, she could not imagine anyone looking at her with such bored blankness. It was an entirely novel experience for her, and she had found it extremely irritating. She would not allow that from anyone. The prospect of stirring anger, possibly rage--anything--within him was terribly appealing.
"The pain must have been pretty unbearable, huh, Sesshou Maru senpai?" she goaded softly, her voice almost a purr.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, it's not the physical pain," she said lightly. "The humiliation, I mean. Losing to a newcomer like that. For someone of your bearing, it was…excruciating, wasn't it?"
She paused expectantly, but Sesshou Maru was showing no signs of indulging her wish to see some reaction on his face.
Ah well. Next time, perhaps.
There would be plenty of opportunity next time.
"You do know what you have to do now, don't you?" she continued.
"And what is that?"
"To finish what you've started with Inu Yasha, of course."
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