A/N: I know I promised Curse of the Gypsy before this, but I was struck by random inspiration and I had to get it done! So, too bad! I'll get Gypsy out as soon as I can. (If I feel up to it, maybe this weekend!) I've been sick; my allergies are bothering me. sigh Anyway, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but now that I'm getting paid regularly, I'll have enough money to buy him in about 247 and one half years!
Unexpected
Chapter 6
Kagura and the Frog Prince were brought together,
But all was not happily ever after at once,
No, first the two conspiring maidens,
Would once again turn to the fairy and the frog…
The room was dark, except for a single lamp on in the center of the room, casting dim illumination on a lone figure as she scratched a pen over a legal pad that had seen better days.
Darkness engulfs me,
My heart is being raped,
The light has left me bereft,
I am alone in a sea,
A sea of blood and turmoil,
A sea of floating bodies,
Bloated on the water of their lies,
Decayed from the sun of their deception,
I float with them,
But I am still alive.
"Ah!" Kagura grunted, grabbing the paper, crumpling it into a ball and tossing it behind her head to land with the six or seven other paper balls littering the floor by the trashcan. She had been sitting there for nearly three hours, trying to write a new poem, but failing miserably. She couldn't find her muse, no matter how hard she tried.
In truth, she hadn't been able to write anything for weeks, despite Sango's efforts to help her. Kagura was just infected by the artist's worst nightmare. Writer's block.
Oh, inspiration was a cruel mistress.
Aggravated and tired, Kagura decided to take a break, and left her pad on the chair.
It was Friday afternoon, two weeks until Homecoming. Kagura had a date, all her homework was done, and her parents were working late… again. She should have been the happiest eighteen-year-old within a five mile radius, but she wasn't. She was annoyed and depressed. Sure, she was that much closer to landing the man she had loved for years. Naturally, she had two whole nights full of debauchery and chaos for the taking.
But Kagura was the classic teenager, full of unjustified angst.
Deep down, in a place she would never admit existed, Kagura was just lonely. She wanted a little human contact, so she went in search of some. As per usual, it came in the form of Kagome and Sango, whom were both sitting on the picnic table in the backyard.
Kagome's brothers were all at an extra karate practice, and since she didn't have to work on Fridays, she was spending her time in the company of her best friend. She had a sewing hoop in her hand, working on an embroidered design. It was a red dragon, moving across a length of black satin. A new outfit perhaps? Kagura didn't know.
Sango sat next to her, guitar perched on her lap and her violin case beside her. For once, the girl was devoid of grease stains, despite the fact that she had stayed after school for an hour working on an 'extra' project with two of her shop friends. Although it was a warm afternoon, Sango was still wearing her leather jacket. Kagura remembered her saying once that it had belonged to her father, and that was why it was her favorite.
As Kagura left the kitchen and walked toward them, Sango started singing a song as she strummed out a tune on her guitar.
I'm not afraid of anything, I just need to know if I can breath. I don't need much of anything, but suddenly, suddenly.
I am small and the world is big, all around me is fast moving. Surrounded by so many things, but suddenly, suddenly.
Kagome, eyes still on her embroidery and fingers moving at the speed of light, harmonized with her as back-up during the chorus. Sango was a better singer, a fact they both knew well, but Kagome had a sweet voice. It was a soft pitch far better suited for ballets than Sango's usual punk/rock tunes. Still, their voices blended well and the song was nice.
How does it feel, to be different from me? Are we the same? How does it feel, to be different from me? Are we the same? How does it feel?
I am young and I am free, but I get tired and I get weak. I get lost and I can't sleep, but suddenly, suddenly.
How does it feel, to be different from me? Are we the same? How does it feel, to be different from me? Are we the same? How does it feel?
Would you come towards me? Would you cry with me?
They sang a stanza of echoing chords together, their voices rising and twining together. When they came back down, Sango continued one alone.
I am small and the world is big, but I'm not afraid of anything.
Kagome joined her again as they neared the end of the song.
How does it feel, to be different from me? Are we the same? How does it feel, to be different from me? Are we the same? How does it feel?
How does it feel, to be different from me? Are we the same? How does it feel, to be different from me? Are we the same? How does it feel?
How does it feel? How does it feel? You're different from me, different!
The rest of the song was the echoing chords until the song died away. When they finished, Kagura applauded their musical talent and hopped up to sit on the wood fence separating her yard from Kagome's.
"Very nice, ladies," she commented. "You two should do the whole band thing."
Kagome laughed. "I'm not a musician," she declared. "I just provide occasional back-up, and piano. Plus, I have no time for the proverbial high school band."
Sango snorted. "I don't want to do the band thing. I'm happy doing my own Sango thing."
Kagura rolled her eyes. "You know, the 'rebel' thing gets old too."
"Not to me," Sango said with a wicked smile.
Kagura shook her head. "You know, sometimes I worry about you."
"You shouldn't though," Kagome interrupted. "She's a very capable psycho."
Sango smiled… until she realized that was meant as an insult where she promptly elbowed Kagome in the side. The latter girl only laughed, her sewing safe from harm. "Sit with us, Kagura," Kagome offered, shuffling over to allow the other girl a space to sit on the table.
"Thanks," she said with a smile, hopping up beside them. "So what are we up to?"
"Working," both girls replied without looking up from their activities.
"I'm working on a new song," Sango said, strumming a few chords.
"I've got a new dress design that I'm working on," Kagome explained, looking down at the blood red stitching in her lap. "The embroidery is going to take me forever if I want to finish it by deadline."
"When's deadline?" Sango asked, looking from her guitar to Kagome.
"Two weeks," Kagome sighed, needle moving gracefully again. "I was supposed to do something simple now that I finished my Homecoming dress, but this idea just hit me like a ton of bricks and I had to do it."
"The dragon is coming along nice," Kagura admired, running a finger over the intricate design. It was about halfway done on the fabric. "I can't wait to see it."
"You mean you like it?" Kagome teased, a gleam in her blue eyes.
Kagura gave her a lopsided smirk. "I'll let you know when I see the finished product."
"Ah, you doubt my skill!" Kagome held a hand to her heart in mock outrage. "And here I thought you respected my range as a designer."
"I like your range as an artist," Kagura assured her, patting her on the shoulder.
Kagome's smile faltered a little, and she looked back down. "Thanks." Then, striving for upbeat, she said, "Kagura, do you have plans tomorrow night?"
"No, why?" Kagura narrowed her ruby eyes, waiting expectantly.
"I talked to Sesshomaru this morning, before school. Your first leisure date is tomorrow night, at The Serpentine."
The Serpentine was the only dance club in the area that allowed admittance to people sixteen and older every night of the week. It was a hot date spot, and a hangout rivaled only by the local mall. Kagome and Sango, who were both friends of the DJ, frequented the club at least twice a month—when Kagome had off work. It was a place both public and comfortable, the perfect place for a casual meeting to discuss what needed to be addressed.
Kagura just stared at her with a poker face. "You seriously expect me to go to The Serpentine?"
"Why not?" Sango asked defensively. "It's a cool place."
"True, but going to a popular hang out would be making me subject to conformity."
Kagome shrugged. "Sesshomaru is going, and you know how he feels about conformity." That didn't help the situation much, so she once more set down her sewing to look Kagura in the eye. "If it makes you feel better, Sango and a few other people could go with you."
"What about you?" Kagura asked, frowning.
"I have to work," Kagome reminded.
The other girl smirked. "If you don't go, I don't go. End of story."
"Aw, come on, Kagura!" Sango intervened. "You know Kag's got work and all."
"I'll stay firm on my condition."
"Fine," Kagome said casually. "I'll see if I can get Ayame to cover for me." And it was settled—or at least it was for the moment, since the trio was disturbed by the sudden and somewhat unwelcome interruption of Yura and Kanna.
They were dressed similarly today, all short skirts and tall boots. Sango rolled her eyes as they sauntered into the backyard with all the tact of a cow in McDonald's. Kanna was first, Yura right after, and both their attentions were focused on their sister.
"Kagura, we've been looking all over for you!" Kanna declared. She reached into her Parade bag—and no, it wasn't a knock-off—and pulled out a catalog. "Yura and I were skimming through this, and we found some things that we thought would be perfect for you."
"We even color-coded it," Yura added with a nod and a smile. "Styles that match your tastes are black listed. Styles that match your bone structure are white coded. Stuff that's in style are in blue—"
"I get what you mean," Kagura said, her hands in the air to ward off any more talk of color-coding. "What I don't get is why I would care."
Kanna glared at her, hands on her hips. "As the eldest of the Hart sisters, you have to get involved in our statement!"
"Which statement is that?" Sango commented as she plucked a few strings. "The one where you drool over high cheek-boned celebrities? Or where you buy thousand dollar clothes to make people jealous of you?"
"Shut your mouth, St. John," Yura spat. The way she said Sango's last name was as if it was a curse word. "No one asked your opinion. Why don't you stick your head in a car again?"
"At least I have a skill," Sango shot back. "And, I'm sorry to say, spending money and celebrity stalking are not career choices in the long run."
Yura raised her fist, ready to go at Sango, had Kanna not intervened. "Enough out of you, Sango. We're trying to salvage at least one person in this family."
"Then I thank my lucky stars that I am not worth saving." With that, Sango grabbed her violin case and her guitar, and left the backyard for her room.
Kagome grabbed up her sewing and made to follow. "I'll talk to you later, Kagura," she said as she walked off. Kagura watched them go and frowned. For some reason, one she couldn't name, she felt more comfortable around those two than around her own sisters.
With a sigh, she turned back to them. "How many times have we gone over this?" she asked. "I'm not changing how I act or dress just to improve your social standing, so get used to it." The twins clicked their tongues and rolled their eyes in unison, something that had recently begun to weird Kagura out.
"You're so predictable, Kagura," Yura commented.
That irked her, but Kagura refused to let it show. "Not all the time," she said flippantly.
Kanna snorted. "Oh yeah? Shock us!"
"We dare you!" Yura threw in.
"Okay," Kagura said, smirking already. "Are you two going to Homecoming?"
"Duh!" they intoned together. "We've had dates for weeks, considering it's in two weeks."
"Well, maybe I'll see you there," Kagura said, hopping to her feet and heading toward the house.
"What do you mean?" Yura asked.
"You have a date?!" Kanna shrilled, her jaw falling open.
"So what if I do?"
"WITH WHO!?" they both shrieked, lunging at her. Kagura dodged their attempts to tackle her for information.
She only laughed as she ran inside. "Sesshomaru Reaper."
"You're going out with one of the Reaper brothers?"
"And you didn't tell us?"
"Who says I'm "going out" with him?" Kagura said defensively. "It's only a dance."
The sisters shook their heads. "Only you would go to a dance with a rich, handsome guy and not think about seeing him again."
That made Kagura's mood darken again. "And only the pair of you would date a man because of his wallet and his face, without knowing a single thing about who he is." That said, she stomped back to her room without a backward glance.
------------------------------------------------------------------
"We have to get a horror movie!" Kohaku yelled, running through the chiming video store doors and making a beeline for the horror section.
"No way!" Souta cried, on his heels. "We need a good action flick!"
"I want a comedy!" Shippou exclaimed, chasing after his brothers.
"I wanted to get a romance," Kagome huffed dramatically. "You never let me get what I want!"
"Come on, Kagome," the boys yelled back at her. "We don't wanna watch a mushy girl movie."
Kagome sighed and walked toward the counter. "Ah me," she laughed. "Stuck in a house full of men."
"It could be worse," Ayame commented, leaning over the top of the wooden counter. "You could be like me, no men within a fifty mile radius!"
"I'm sure that's not true," Kagome said cheerily, walking over to converse with her friend while her brothers fought over who got to pick the movie this week. "You're an attractive female."
Ayame rolled her pretty green eyes toward the heavens. "Tell that to my last four boyfriends," she responded glumly. "All of them say I'm too aggressive, or too opinionated, or not docile enough." She huffed lightly, the way she always did when a boyfriend broke up with her—which was often. "I'm not the sit around for my man kinda girl. I'm out there. I'm loud! I'm aggressive and competitive. Why can't I find a nice guy who'll put up with me?!"
Kagome patted her friend on the shoulder. Granted, she knew that Ayame wasn't all that upset. She had never particularly adored this latest boyfriend, it was just the fact that he had broken up with her for the same reason that all of her boyfriends seemed to do the same. A girl could only take so much before deciding to join a convent.
"It'll be okay, Ayame," Kagome consoled her. "You'll find a new guy and be up on that horse again in no time."
Ayame shook her head, flipping some of her thick red hair over one shoulder. "You don't get it, Kagome, I don't want to do this again. I'm tired of all these guys who won't stick around because I'm not the cheerleader type."
Kagome nodded, frowning. "Man, I've picked a bad time to ask you for a favor."
Ayame looked at her with a half-smile. "Actually, this is a good time. I need something to keep me busy. What's up?"
"I was gonna ask you to take my shift tomorrow night. I have to get a very reluctant friend to The Serpentine."
"Isn't clubbing grounds for a sick day?" the cashier joked.
"Sadly, no," Kagome sighed with a sheepish grin. "Think you can cover for me?"
"I dunno," Ayame said with a pensive expression. "I might have to reorganize my sock drawer."
"I'll set you up with one of my friends at school!" Kagome offered, using Ayame's weakness against her. Ayame went to an all-girls school, so habitual dating was her addiction, at least until she found a nice guy she could be with.
Ayame's eye twitched, a tick that arose when she was trying to resist something she really wanted. "Why do you do this to me, Kagome?"
"Come on!" Kagome prodded. "He's really nice and really cute, if a bit overzealous at time. You'll really like him, I promise. Please cover for me?" With an addition of the "puppy face", Ayame caved.
"Fine, I'll work tomorrow night, but he better be everything you say!"
"He is, he is, I promise!"
"When do I get to meet him?"
"How about Halloween? Everything is out of control with Homecoming right now, so after would be better."
Ayame waved her hand in the hair as the three little boys came charging to the register, DVD in hand. "Okay, tell me the details later."
Kagome grinned as she left with her brothers. "Thanks again, Ayame."
"Hey, Kagome! What's his name?"
Kagome smiled a little as she turned back. "Kouga."
----------------------------------------------------
The Serpentine was buzzing, seeing as how it was Saturday night. Kagome, Sango, and Kagura entered together, dressed to kill and ready for anything. Okay, maybe only Kagura was ready for anything. Sango was ready only to party and Kagome was ready to play peacekeeper.
Walking in, a wave of techno music washed over them. Strobe lights washed over a dancing crowd, all there to have a good time. The DJ at his turntables, looked up to see who walked in, and waved over at Kagome and Sango. The pair waved back, then waded through the crowd, toward the bar where they had arranged to meet Sesshomaru.
When they found Sesshomaru sitting at the bar with a bottle of water, looking both bored and out of place. His mood didn't improve very much when the three girls came to his side, and they found the music was too loud to really talk.
"Come on!" Sango shouted. "Let's find a table in the back and get this set up so I can hit the dance floor!"
The Serpentine was a relatively large place that had only four rooms. The club itself was one large chamber, accompanied by two bathrooms and an employee/stock room. Most of the room was sparsely lit, mostly by black lights, except for the dance floor, which was covered with multicolored strobe lights.
The bar, on the far left side of the room, was stocked with non- and alcoholic drinks, depending upon the id that was shown and the kindness of the bartender that night. The DJ, a man named Diego, was set up against the back wall where he reigned over the lights and the music. Diego also served as a part-time music instructor, and was, at one time, Sango's guitar coach.
All in all, the club was a happening and relatively normal teenage paradise. This was why neither Kagura nor Sesshomaru felt comfortable there.
In the back, near the bar, there were small tables set away from the speakers, where people could sit and talk. This was where the four of them went, finding a vacant table in the back and sitting down.
"So…?" Sango said, looking undaunted even as she moved her head along with the music. "I don't hear much of a conversation getting started."
"And just what, exactly, would you like to hear?" Sesshomaru commented, taking a drink of his water. He was not the kind of person who liked blinding lights that caused epileptic shock, or pounding music that was sure to give him a hangover-sized migraine by the time he got home, but this was the place Kagome picked to host the 'leisure date' as she called it, so he had to go along with it.
"A little progress," Sango replied. "Or at least someone saying "go dance, Sango", where as I would take my leave of this table."
"Go dance, Sango," Kagura said with a smirk. "Thanks for sticking around this long."
"What's a stepsister for?" Sango countered before hopping from her seat and heading back toward the others on the dance floor.
Kagome rolled her eyes and looked back at the other two. "Ok, let's get down to business."
"Business? And here I thought this was a social occasion," Kagura joked.
"Ha ha," Kagome responded sarcastically. "I thought you wanted my help."
"Well, you are the authority on High School," Sesshomaru commented.
"Not really," Kagome laughed. "I'm just a quarterback's girlfriend."
"That in itself screams High School," Kagura assured her. "So tell us why it was important for us to come here?"
"Easy," Kagome smiled. "It's important for the two of you to become comfortable in each other's presence."
"But we see each other every day," Kagura objected. "I'd say that makes us pretty comfortable."
"No," Kagome insisted. "You guys talk newspaper and nothing else. Tonight is an experiment where the pair of you can interact, outside of school, and not talk about newspaper things. Have a normal conversation, get used to being around one another. I'm not saying get out on to the dance floor or anything, but this is a Homecoming-esque environment. There will be a lot of loud people and a lot of loud music, so you should get used to that too."
"I take it this means you'll be leaving us?" Sesshomaru asked.
"You got it!" Kagome said with a wink. "I'll be back in about an hour and see if we've made any progress. Later!" With that, she headed off into the dancing ocean of bodies in search of Sango.
"One would think they merely used this as an excuse to ditch us and go clubbing," Kagura intoned, propping her chin on her fist.
"I wouldn't put it past them," Sesshomaru agreed.
The music switched to a new dance techno song, causing the dancers to change their pace of movement. Among the throng were two guys. The taller one, dressed colorfully, gyrated around his partner along with the music in a series of graceful, fast-paced movements. The smaller one, dressed all in black, moved at an unhurried pace that matched the slower underlying beat of the song. Together, they drew a lot of eyes.
"Now there's something you don't see every day," Kagura commented, watching them.
"How so?" Sesshomaru asked, watching them as well.
"I don't often see two men dance together… at least not like that anyway."
Sesshomaru frowned a little. "Those are my friends."
"Really?" Kagura whipped her head around to look at him.
"Jakotsu and Bankotsu," he nodded. "They dragged me here to begin with."
She gave him a half-hearted grin. "They still dance weird."
"Finally, we can agree on something," he responded. She smiled genuinely and the conversation flowed more easily after that.
The song changed again, moving into a deceptively slow pop song beat that many of the veteran dancers had to bow out on. Jakotsu and Bankotsu moved to the middle of the floor together, ready to dominate the dance floor when they saw that they competition in the form of Kagome and Sango.
Diego, knowing the pair all too well, began one of their favorite dance songs. Both girls smiled and waved to the two guys as they began a series of movements that they had practiced too many times when they had nothing better to do. Perfectly synchronized, Kagome moved to the left and Sango moved to the right. They matched, move for move, perfectly with the song. As much as the two guys hated to admit it, they knew they were outdone.
When the song ended, and the two girls were finished with their dance, they came over to the competition. "Come one, we'll buy you guys a drink," Kagome offered.
"Hate to break it to you," Bankotsu said as he followed. "But I'm taken."
"Ha ha," Sango smiled. "You guys are really good. I take it you come here a lot?"
"Most weekends," he replied. "There aren't many places where we're welcomed out on a date."
"The Serpentine welcomes one and all," Kagome quoted. "As long as you pay the fine and dance the night away."
Jakotsu snorted. "What about you two, here on a date?"
"Oh, totally," Sango replied. "Despite the fact that Kagome has a boyfriend, I've made her into my bitch."
Kagome looked over her shoulder at her friend dryly. "I thought we agreed you'd stop calling me that."
Sango laughed. "Water's on me. I need the aqua."
Four waters were purchased and the four dancers took their respective seats at the bar, conversing generally. "Did you guys have to force Kagura to come here?" Bankotsu asked.
"Pretty much," Sango admitted.
"I was forced to get off work," Kagome laughed. "She said that if I didn't come, she wouldn't come. Kagura didn't think I'd actually take a day off."
"Well that certainly came back to bite her in the ass," Jakotsu said, taking a few gulps of water. "We practically had to drag Sesshomaru here. He kept making all these lame excuses about watching Rin or doing work for the paper or his parents wanted him to do something."
"How'd you get him to come?" Kagome asked.
"We promised to take my car," Bankotsu laughed. "Though we lied, of course."
"Of course!" Kagome and Sango both laughed, toasting their waters.
After a while, they hit the dance floor again for another few songs. Kagome and Sango had to break first and the pair headed back to the bar for another round of liquid refreshment. Kagome bought their drinks this time, but as she handed Sango her bottle of Poland Springs, she froze.
"Kag, what's wrong?" Sango asked, following her eyes.
At the end of the bar, sitting in the very last stool with a random girl draped over his lap, was Naraku. He was openly necking with a nameless female that both Kagome and Sango were positive didn't go to their school. There was no doubt that it was him, but as for his newest partner, neither had a clue.
"That bastard!" Sango growled, fully prepared to march over there and knock him upside the head with a large implement. But Kagome stopped her.
"He's not our concern right now," she said tightly. "We just have to make sure that Kagura doesn't see him, or our entire plan might be in jeopardy."
"Right," Sango said evenly, attempting to calm herself. As they subtly watched for a few more minutes, Naraku and his partner got up from the bar and left the club together. "Suddenly, I don't feel like dancing anymore," she intoned.
"Neither do I," Kagome agreed.
"Let's grab Kagura and go." Kagome nodded, so they made their way back toward the tables.
They were very surprised to see Kagura in animated conversation with an attentive Sesshomaru. The subject was Pulitzer prize winning articles, the pros and cons in the last ten years.
"I think they're speaking Greek," Sango said. Kagome shook her head and stepped forward.
"Kagura, we have to go," she said.
Kagura, much to their surprise, looked disappointed. "Really? Fine then." She turned back to Sesshomaru with a smile. "I'll see you later. Goodnight."
"Good evening, you three," he replied. Then the girls took their leave of the club.
Sango and Kagome never did tell Kagura why they wanted to leave, no matter how hard she asked.
A/N: Ok, here is chapter six. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope to get seven out as early as I can! Remember to review!