Dokyusei
by
Nana
Chapter 17
Trap
Beta-read by Kaerra
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Author's Notes: Finally! Sorry this has taken forever to finish! In answer to Kirrara Love and Dark Flame's question about Kohaku and Rin making an appearance, yes, they will. So will Shippou. Kohaku makes his first appearance here.
Disclaimer: Ah, even a million wishes would not make Inu Yasha mine…
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Kagome arrived at school to find a crowd of freshmen milling around the quadrangle, where huge boards were set up.
There was only one explanation.
The English exam results…
Kagome felt a lump form in her throat as she hurried over to the boards. She had been waiting anxiously for the results because she wasn't really very sure how her exam had turned out. She had filled in the answers to the questions with a mounting sense of dread. Supposing they were not the right ones?
"Sumimasen…sumimasen…"
Through the thick crowd of first years milling around, Kagome heard Sango shout," Kagome-chan! Over here!"
Kagome worked her way over to Sango.
"How did it go?" she asked.
"Take a look!" said Sango, grinning.
"Did I do well?" Kagome asked anxiously.
"Are you kidding?" said Sango. "You aced it!"
Kagome felt her jaw drop as she stared at the top of the list.
HIGURASHI KAGOME, the name spelled out. Below her name was the grade: 98%
"Sugoi!" cried Sango, clapping her round the shoulders. "How did you do it?"
"I…I don't know!"
Sango shook her head. "After acing every exam since the first sem, Kitahara Kikyo's finally been beaten…by two points!" she said, pointing at the board.
"A-no…Sango," whispered Kagome self-consciously as people started to notice her and point at her direction. "We've still got a Math exam and all. Let's get out of here."
"Okay."
A little behind them and to the side, a girl with long dark hair stared at them for a while before she quietly detached herself from the crowd.
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The bell sounded, signaling the start of recess.
"Time's up!" Urasue-sensai snapped. "Pass in your papers!"
As Sango passed her exam questionnaire to the boy seated before her, she turned to Kagome, her eyes wide. "I can't believe it," she whispered.
"Yeah," Kagome said, shaking her head. "Whatever would we do without Fukuzawa-senpai's reviewers?"
"I can't believe she can lift so many questions out of a single reviewer!" Sango sounded almost angry. "It's indecent!"
Kagome turned away to hide her smile.
In a way, she understood the difficult plight Sango was in. It was all so confusing! How was Sango going to deal with Fukuzawa now, knowing that he had somehow saved her?
Saved her and compromised her, actually.
More importantly, what was he going to ask of Sango in return? Kagome knew as well as Sango did that Fukuzawa was not one to pass out free favors.
Kagome sighed.
"That does it."
She looked up as she heard Sango push back her chair.
"Where are you going?" she asked as Sango stood up.
"I'm returning these to their rightful owner. Now." Sango indicated the reviewers. She sounded as though she could not wait to get them off her hands.
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"Umm…no. I'll be alright," said Sango grimly. "Thanks anyway."
Perhaps she was right. Maybe it would be better if there would be no witnesses. From the look of things, Fukuzawa seemed more likely to be getting a pounding rather than a 'thank you' from Sango.
"Good luck," Kagome murmured inaudibly as Sango squared her shoulders and took off.
Apparently, Sango was not the only who was making herself scarce this recess time. Kagome glanced at the empty seat a few feet away from her and sighed.
She and Inu Yasha had not spoken a word to each other for quite some time now. Six days and counting…
Well, they really didn't have much to say now, did they?
After a few minutes, Kagome didn't feel like sitting anymore and she got up. A walk around the corridors would be nice…
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Upon reaching the sophomores' corridor, Sango quickly walked towards her destination. The door to the classroom she was heading for loomed larger and larger with each step.
She was almost there, but felt that she had better hurry up before her nerve broke down completely.
Sango hesitated in front of the doorway, gripping the reviewers tightly in her hands. She was painfully aware of the irony of it all.
She had done this lots of times, visiting Takagi-senpai, and she was perfectly comfortable with it. But who would have thought the day would come when she would be visiting Fukuzawa?
For one thing, she was visiting somebody whom she wasn't sure was a friend. Second, she knew it was better that she did this now rather than risk another visit from him in her own classroom. The first time had been embarrassing enough as it was.
Just get on with it, she thought. It's going to be all over soon.
A figure appeared suddenly in front of her, and Sango jumped, biting back the terrified urge to scream and run away.
"Hey," said a familiar voice. "Sango, what are you doing here?"
Sango looked up to find Takagi looking at her with a sunny smile.
"Oh, it's you, Takagi-senpai," she breathed, relaxing visibly.
"Well, are you expecting somebody else?" he asked, grinning.
Sango stared at him.
Well yeah, as a matter of fact I am... an irrational, annoyed part of
her was quick to say. Horrified by the disloyalty such a thought implied, she hastily shoved it away.
She was…annoyed at Takagi-senpai? The thought was as atrocious and impossible as, well…the plight she was in right now!
She looked down at the books. Man, this was going to be sooo awkward! But this was an excellent opportunity as well! Fukuzawa did not seem to be in, and she could just drop off the reviewers now and say her thanks some other time. She knew it was not polite, that the very least she could do was return them to him personally, but--
"Uhh…right," she mumbled, blushing slightly. "Umm…actually, I came by to return these to…umm…"
Takagi peered down at the reviewers she held and said, puzzled, "I didn't lend you those."
"Yes! I mean, no…no, they're not yours," agreed Sango uneasily." I mean…they're--"
"Mine," finished a dry voice behind Sango.
Kami…there was no mistaking that voice anywhere.
So much for her initial hope that he would not show up. Sango knew her time was up, that she had no choice now but to face the music. Might as well get it over with!
She hesitated for just a fraction of a second and turned to Fukuzawa, holding out the books with both hands extended straight in front of her in the traditional gesture of respect. Whatever Fukuzawa thought of her, she was definitely not lacking in manners.
"They--they were a great help. Thank you very much, Fukuzawa-senpai," she said, cutting to the essentials.
Fukuzawa-senpai…the name sounded alien to her tongue, and Sango realized that this was the first time she had ever addressed him by his name. Usually a furious "you…!" was enough to acknowledge his presence.
"F-Fukuzawa lent you those?" From the side, Takagi sounded as though he could not believe it.
Fukuzawa ignored him and continued look at Sango with great interest. He smiled at her formal message of thanks but did not take back the reviewers.
"Your exam's over, then," he said. He was staring straight at her; he did not seem to be aware that Sango's arms were starting to turn sore and tremble from their extended position.
"Yes," she almost growled. "Just a few minutes ago."
Fukuzawa lifted a brow. "Very conscientious and punctual of you," he said pleasantly. Still he made no move to accept the books.
Dammit! She thought furiously. Just take them now, why don't you?
Miroku's smile widened inwardly as he took in her fierce gaze. "I'd keep them for the next exam if I were you," he advised as he finally plucked a reviewer from her hands at random and opened it. "See here? They also have some exercises for your next lessons."
"I--I was thinking of buying some copies for myself as soon as I can," she said, trying to keep the exasperation from showing in her voice as she finally lowered her aching arms.
"But you haven't found them yet, have you?" he asked, handing her back the book.
"Well…"
"Take your time with these," he said. "I won't be needing them anytime soon, anyway."
Sango stared at him suspiciously. He sounded kind.
Her eyes widened in horror at the thought, and she found she could not say anything. Was she out of her mind? Fukuzawa Miroku--being kind? That was too--too--!
He is not being kind, she reminded herself angrily. In fact, she was sure he thought he was being extremely clever. He wasn't taking back the reviewers because that would make him lose whatever leverage he's got over her, wouldn't he?
And she knew that he knew she couldn't refuse him without being rude. Not in front of Takagi. Not while she was in his turf. His smile told her that much.
"Okay. Fine. Whatever," she heard herself say as her temper got the better of her. "Arigatou gozaimasu."
From her tone, she would have done better if she had told Fukuzawa she was going to kill him instead of thanking him.
"You're welcome," Fukuzawa said softly, grinning.
Takagi stared at Sango as she stormed away before directing his attention at Fukuzawa, and it was apparent he wasn't sure what was more shocking: that Sango could parry a senpai like that or the fact that Fukuzawa seemed to be enjoying himself immensely at her expense.
Takagi was about to look away from his classmate when he caught something on Fukuzawa's face.
After a while, Miroku sensed that he was being watched, and he turned to a stunned Takagi.
"What?" Miroku said.
"No way," muttered Takagi faintly.
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Kagome's walk wasn't turning out very well. She should have known the classroom was a sanctuary.
One wrong turn in a corridor and she found the reason why Inu Yasha was making himself scarce. Kagome dodged back quickly into the corner from where she had emerged and cautiously peeped out.
He was standing by a huge window, and he was not alone. He was looking down and talking to Kitahara Kikyou as she stood quietly gazing out the window ledge. The gentle breeze stirred her hair, but apart from the small movement, she remained still.
Still and unresisting.
Not the struggling, angry Kikyou in the garden. The Kikyou she was seeing now seemed liked she had pulled herself together enough to be able to handle a talk from a former boyfriend.
Or a reconciliation…whispered a part of her treacherous, wayward brain.
Her hands gradually balled into tight fists, and she took a couple of steadying breaths.
Well…she couldn't say she had not seen this coming. Besides, she was supposed to be branching off and leading her own life right now anyway.
She could hear Inu Yasha's voice murmuring, but the words were muffled.
After a while, she sighed and gave up.
What am I doing, standing here? Kagome thought miserably. This is so pathetic…
She froze as she felt a gentle stir of wind behind her, and turned to see who had appeared from behind. It was lucky her voice had died away in shock, or else she would have blown her cover.
"My, my…and what juicy tidbits has this little eavesdropper been able to pick up?" Murakami Kagura smiled as she continued to fan herself idly.
Kagome bristled.
Kagura folded her fan with a single, graceful flick of her wrist. "At this distance, I guess it would be safe to say…none?" She answered her own question. "You can't hear a single word, can you, my dear?"
"What do you want?" Kagome asked.
Kagura made as though she did not hear her. "It's quite alright," she said soothingly. "I know what they're up to."
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That afternoon found Sango wandering unhappily down the aisles of a bookstore.
Upon seeing her enter the store, the sales clerk had immediately recognized her and was shaking her head apologetically before Sango had a chance to form the words in her head.
No, no new deliveries had been made. The math reviewer she desperately wanted still remained at large.
Sango should not have wasted her time, but she prowled the aisles anyway, looking for a close substitute for the reviewer. Also, she needed to pace because she felt bad about what happened earlier in the day. She was sure Takagi would not be thinking well of her. But could it be that she was being paranoid?
And what about Fukuzawa?
Could it just be possible that he had only been trying to help her? If it were so, she had done him a grave injustice. He had given her the reviewers and she had groused all over him in front of his classmate.
Sango stared at the books before her bleakly.
But there had been something in the way he looked at her and smiled. As if he knew something…as if he were highly amused at a private game he was playing at her expense…
Or was it all just in her head?
Well, jeez, Sango…isn't it obvious he's laughing at you for some reason? Isn't it obvious he's using the books as a collateral? But…why?
She stared blankly at the books before her, but they refused to divulge their secrets in the same way those questions could not find themselves an answer.
Shelves upon shelves of reviewers were there for the taking, but how could that one elusive book escape her when she needed it most? She picked a book at random, and as she got it out, the space left a peeping hole onto the other side of the bookcase.
Sango froze as something on the other side of that casing attracted her attention.
It took her a moment to realize that she was looking straight at someone on the other side--a small eye blinking nervously behind black, horn-rimmed glasses met her abrupt gaze. She hesitated for just a fraction before reflex took over.
The guy--she was pretty sure who it was now--made a frightened squeak upon seeing her and began to run for it, past the bookshelves, toward the bookstore's exit, his plump, stubby legs carrying him as fast as they could go. But Sango was too quick for him. She covered the space between them effortlessly and lunged at him just as he was about to launch himself out of the door. Her hands fisted tightly around his school jacket.
Panting, the guy cowered as she hauled him in. Sango said sweetly, "Well, hello there, Hachi. I was just thinking you have to fit into everything somehow."
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"I--I really don't know what y--you think you're doing," said Hachi as Sango dumped him abruptly onto a seat in the nearest coffee shop.
"I sure as hell do," she sang in the same sweet tone as she sat opposite him and prepared her inquisition.
Hachi glanced around him for a way out, panicked.
Sango looked at him and shook her head. "I wouldn't even think about it if I were you. I'd probably run you down before you took a step out of your seat," she warned.
Hachi shrank back in his seat.
"Good boy. Now," she switched to a business-like tone and carefully folded her hands before her on the table. "Supposing you tell me what that encounter in the bookstore was all about."
"Wh--wha--?" wheezed Hachi. "I was just there by accident, I swear!"
"Yeah, right," snapped Sango as she brought her palms down on the table, hard. "So you're telling me that Fukuzawa just coincidentally thought I might be needing reviewers one day and--boom!--there he was outside my classroom like a genie? I don't think so."
"Well…you weren't able to get some for your own," argued Hachi. "I mean, what's so bad about him lending you some reviewers that you sorely needed?"
"That's not the point," Sango said, irritated. "How was he able to find out I needed them in the first place?"
Hachi's mouth formed a series of O's but no sound emerged.
Sango stared at him with lowered brows. "How long has he sent you to spy on me like this?" she asked softly.
"B-but," began Hachi.
"What is the motive behind all this?" Sango growled. "What does he want to know about me, specifically?"
Hachi searched around for something to say. "Everything?" he said finally.
Sango paused, disconcerted.
"That…that was what he said," Hachi said defensively as she glared at him.
"Look! If this is some sort of sick game you debate guys--"
"N--no!" said Hachi, plainly horrified. "It's not like that at all!"
"Well, what is this then?" Sango thundered.
"I--I just told you--!!" Hachi said, aggravated. "What's so bad about a guy wanting to help someone? You probably won't believe me, but Fukuzawa-sama is a really decent and thoughtful person. He wouldn't hesitate to help you out if he knew you were in trouble, or--or--"
Sango felt her brows twitching. "What…does he mean by everything?" she asked, appearing not have heard Hachi's string of compliments for his boss. Even though she wouldn't admit it, this was getting interesting.
"Y-you know, the usual things," said Hachi nervously. "What you like to do after classes, what you like to eat, where you're having difficulty in your studies, what your favorite reading materials are…that kind of stuff."
Sango blinked.
"Why does he want to know all about those?" Sango cried, exasperated.
Man, if he were really going to dig dirt, he was going about it the wrong way, she thought. Not that she had any dirt to bury, mind you, but Hachi was making Fukuzawa's pursuit of her hobbies seem innocent and wholesome.
Now why would Fukuzawa want to know all about the mundane details of her daily routine? It's not like he was going to glean much from any of the things Hachi had mentioned and use it against her.
"Maybe…he just wants to know you?" Hachi suggested hesitantly.
Sango huffed, then paused as she digested Hachi's words. Well, sure, that would probably be the chief reason behind it all, but she was keener on finding out how he was going to manipulate things to suit himself.
"Why? So he can talk about me and plot strategies with you guys?" Sango said bitterly.
She was remembering that café scene where Hachi and Aoki Jun had been witnesses to Fukuzawa's antics with Kagome.
To his credit, Hachi did not bother to deny anything. Instead, and much to Sango's surprise, he said softly, "Well, yes. That's true. He likes to talk about you. But--but it's not what you think!"
"Hah! And what am I supposed to think?" said Sango. She knew it. She just knew it. That lousy sukebe…
She looked away from Hachi, muttering, "I don't get it. I've never been anything but rude and short-tempered with him--he should be getting the message loud and clear by now--and yet why does he keep doing this?"
Hachi searched around for something to say. "Because…because he says you're really pretty when you get mad?"
Sango's ponytail did a dangerous flip as she whipped around and fixed Hachi with a deadly stare.
"That…that is just--soooo…twisted!" she managed when she recovered.
"Please don't kill me," whimpered Hachi.
"No," said Sango grimly. "Not yet anyway. There are some things I'd like to ask about him."
"Huh?" Hachi blinked in surprise.
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"Sango, dear, help me carry the rice out," said her mother that night as they prepared for an early dinner that evening.
"Hai…" Mechanically, she reached over and unplugged the rice cooker. She lifted the inner container out with mittened hands.
"Oops…no, Kirara," she crooned, taking care not to step on Kirara, her pet cat, who was eeling her way around her ankles.
"Kohaku! Dinner!" She heard her mom calling out as she emerged from the kitchen with the pot of rice.
Otousan lowered the newspaper he was reading as Sango passed him a bowl of rice. "Well? How did your Math exam go?" he asked.
"Very well," Sango shrugged. "The reviewers came in handy."
"That's good."
Of course, she didn't tell them where the books came from. She felt they didn't need to know.
She turned to Kohaku. "How's soccer practice coming along?" she asked, deftly changing the topic of conversation.
"Fine," Kohaku said as he began piling some toppings onto his rice. "The tourney's next Saturday, so we'll be having practice sessions every day after classes."
Kohaku was eleven, and at that age only one thing obsessed him beyond everything else--the primary school football team.
"Just make sure it doesn't affect your homework," said their father.
"Hai…"
The phone rang.
"I'll get it," Sango said as she stood up and made for the living room.
"Moshi-moshi?"
"Please, may I speak with Sango?"
"Speaking," she said.
"Sango-chan, this is Kagome's mother."
"Mrs. Higurahi?"
"Is Kagome with you?"
"Uhh, no. I had to go to
the bookstores this afternoon, so we parted ways at school."
"I see…she isn't back yet."
Sango felt her heart freeze for an instant. "Maybe she just did some overtime for that science experiment of ours," she heard herself say. "I mean, we usually have to stay after classes for it. It's only a quarter to 6 pm. Maybe she'll call really soon."
"Yes. I'm sure she will. Well, thank you, Sango."
Sango stared at the receiver before putting it down. She returned to the dining table and began to eat as fast as she can.
"I'm done," she announced, putting down her bowl and chopsticks. "May I be excused?"
"Where are you going?" Okaasan asked.
"I--I forgot something in school. It's still early, so I won't be too long," she said. "I'll be back really soon, okay?"
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Fukuzawa Miroku sighed as he slammed the door to the debate room shut and went for the stairs.
Man, but he was tired.
What with the debate competition coming up and all, things had been pretty hectic. Ah well. At least Hachi would be calling later to fill him up on the latest news about his quarry. That would cheer him up, at least.
Sango…whatever could she be doing right now?
No sooner had the thought emerge when the actual person came running into view.
For a moment, Miroku blinked, not sure if what he was seeing was for real or if his mind, in its tired state, had finally given way and had started playing tricks on him.
Sango paused for breath as she reached the lobby of the school building. She looked around, deciding where she should begin her search.
"Sango."
She turned around sharply as she saw Miroku making his way over to her from the direction of the stairs.
There was no time to exchange fire with him now.
"Don't start," she warned when she saw him about to open his mouth. "I've got plenty to say to you as well, but that can wait. Right now you've got to help me."
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