Fires Of Destiny
Chapter One: Strange Happenings
Kagome Higurashi banged her head repeatedly against the surface of her desk; her cheeks flushed a faint pink. It was still early morning, and hardly anyone was there. She was alone in the small classroom, with only a vase of pitiful flowers to keep her company.
She had that dream again.
The dream of fire and…..Inuyasha. She didn't understand why it constantly followed her whenever she slept. It was a recent thing. The dreams had only started about two weeks ago.
It was around the same time that her grandfather had passed away.
The raven-haired girl was sad enough to lose the one person in her family that she could talk to. Fushi Higurashi had been the only one that truly understood her. Her strange abilities didn't bother him, or at least they hadn't.
Now he was gone.
Kagome had allowed herself to fall into a depression, and the dreams only made things worse. On the nights when exhaustion overcame her fear of the dreams, and she fell asleep, she would wake up only a few hours later completely drenched in sweat. For the first week after his death she went through the motions of going to school and doing homework. She never ate with her family, but that was nothing unusual and they never questioned it. It was only when she stopped eating at school and passing out during classes that people started to become concerned.
It had been annoying, at first, when her best friend Sango had noticed. Sango had lost her father and brother in a fire, and knew the pain of losing a loved one, but Kagome had refused to let her console her. It was only when she blacked out in the middle of gym, during a basketball game, that Kagome had been forced to deal with her pain.
Surprisingly, it hadn't been Sango who had brought up the situation to her family, and insisted that she start seeing a therapist. It was so damn annoying. Out of all the people, Inuyasha had to be the one to see her family. Kagome had been surprised when she heard about it. After all, she couldn't stand Inuyasha, and the feeling was mutual. It had all started in kindergarten involving a spell, some beads, and the word osuwari…..
Well, that was all ancient history now, and besides…..in a way (although she would never admit it) Kagome was a little grateful for his intervention. It was nice to have someone who would listen to her. Granted, the therapist was being paid to do so, but it helped. Sure, Sango was always there to listen, but something inside her told Kagome that her best friend would not understand.
Besides she felt silly enough with what she talked to the therapist about. It made her sound almost crazy, or like a writer with too much time on their hands…. It was funny how her grandfather had never made her feel like that.
Well, at least she knew what the topic of conversation was going to be for this week's session.
"Why the hell am I dreaming about him?" She muttered angrily, still banging her head against her desk, despite the dull ache that was starting to form.
"Dream about who, Ka-go-me?" The familiar masculine voice caused her skin to suddenly darken to the color of the crimson tie of her school uniform.
She froze in the middle of her head banging, her raven hair spilling out over the cheep wood, hoping it would hide her face. Shit, shit, shit!
"Dreaming about Houjo again?" The taunting voice suddenly pitched higher, in an obvious attempt of imitation. "Go out with you Houjo-kun? Why I'd love to! You want me to what?"
"Shut up, Inuyasha." She growled, her embarrassment at being caught and the lingering effects of the dream rapidly putting her in a foul disposition. She raised her head slightly off the desk and focused a cobalt eye through the strands of hair to glare at the arrogant young man standing in the doorway.
Inuyasha Kibashi folded his arms in – what the whole school recognized as – his trademark pose and continued to imitate her.
"Houjo-kun, not there! Oh, you villain, you!"
If Inuyasha had been able to see the rage that was burning in the schoolgirl's eyes he might have guessed what was coming, and known that not even the school's restriction would have kept him safe from her wrath.
"Oh, Houjo-kun!"
Kagome's thin patience finally snapped when the imitation took on a breathy tone.
"Inuyasha!"
The dark-haired boy paused to look closely at her, noticing for the first time the anger that caused her form to shake. He tensed, but quickly reassured himself that she wouldn't dare. After all, the school had restrictions on this, and would she really dare to do such a thing to Fuwashi High's biggest stud? Even as these thoughts went through Inuyasha's head, a small part of him cursed himself for his stupidity and braced for the impact.
"OSUWARI!"
"Higurashi-san, how many times must you be reminded that you are forbidden from using that word in this school?" The balding school counselor was glaring at the young junior. Kagome ignored him, however, choosing instead to stare at the set of swinging pendulum balls on his desk as she played with the fraying edge of a pleat on the green skirt of her uniform. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
Mentally she cursed Inuyasha for being an arrogant ass, while trying to resist the urge to roll her eyes. She hated the way the counselors treated her. It was how almost everyone seemed to treat her. It had only been that one time in kindergarten, but ever since then the only people who acted normal around her were Sango and Miroku. Inuyasha didn't count. He didn't act normal (or even look it, for that matter) to begin with.
Every since that little spell (which she hadn't even been aware of casting it at the time) every member of her family had treated as something foreign. Her grandfather had been the only one to treat her normal, but she never had never really noticed it until her brother Souta had blatantly pointed out that she was a 'freak' when she was in fourth grade.
The counselor cleared his throat suddenly, drawing Kagome out of her depressing thoughts. She narrowed her eyes at him, and the counselor seemed to fidget under her glare.
That was one thing that she could take comfort in, at least. With her 'freakish' reputation, counselors – like the type that was currently mopping his baldhead with a dirty handkerchief – never knew how to act around her. If anything they were scared around her. Gods, it was fun to mess around with them. Kagome took a small breath, and cleared her throat.
"Fine." She said coolly, schooling her face into a stoic expression. "If I promise that I'll be good can I get back to class? I have a test in Japanese lit."
Kagome didn't even wait for the counselor to stutter out his consent. Grabbing her satchel, she stalked out of the office, not bothering to bow or say goodbye.
He could feel their eyes on the back of his neck, and it was getting annoying! So far he had only managed to scribble out his name while others where furiously working on their essays. The rhythmic scratching of pens was starting to get on his nerves. Inuyasha stared down at the blank piece of paper until the blue lines blurred. He blinked rapidly and shook his head, trying to clear his vision. A quick glance at the teacher and her sharp glare forced his attention back on his essay.
Again, his vision blurred, and again he shook his head. The teacher, after blowing a few stray wisps of graying hair out of her eyes, stared pointedly at the clock on the left wall. He glanced up at, and just stared for a few minutes as faded the red of the second hand ticked away. The teacher cleared her throat, and Inuyasha once again tried to force his concentration on the essay.
Damn it! Would they stop staring at him?!
Why the hell did those two have to act like this every time? Every time Kagome got sent to see the counselor's for uttering 'osuwari' they would give him one of their looks. It didn't matter if it was his fault or not. Somehow, those glares made him feel lower then dirt.
A low growl crawled against his throat, and Inuyasha didn't think he could stand it any longer. Completely forgetting that he was in the middle of an exam, the dark-haired junior stood up very fast in his chair. It fell backwards against Miroku's desk, and Inuyasha smirked at the startled expression on the boy's face. His eyes darted over to Sango, expecting her to be staring at him in surprise, but she was hunched over her desk, writing furiously. The teacher was the only one who reacted just as he predicted.
"Kibashi-kun!" Her shrill voice hurt his ears, and her face looked absolutely livid. She sputtered for a few moments, trying to form words. When she failed to do so she jabbed her finger angrily at the door, only then did she seem to find her voice. "Hall! Now!"
They both watched her through the water mirror as she trudged through the hall, shoulders slightly slumped.
"So are you sure it is her?" One of them asked, staring at the girl's figure, crimson eyes searching for something not there. "I can't sense its powers coming from her."
The other snorted.
"You honestly expected to be able to sense it through the mirror? After all, this is the sorceress. Her powers are beyond us. Especially in that world. Are you really her assistor, Naraku?"
Naraku choose not the respond to the question. He hadn't honestly expected a simpleton like the prince to understand the complexity of the water spell. "Don't expect to understand everything about spells, Kouga. Even she couldn't understand this one."
The movement was quick, and nearly startled him. A clawed hand was wrapped around his throat, nearly crushing his windpipes. Eyes, a chilly blue in color, glared at him hotly.
"You are to call me Prince."
Naraku merely returned the glare with a cold look to let the prince know that he wasn't impressed. He shifted his eyes to the left slightly, to glance down at the water mirror. Annoyance that Kouga had dared to raise a hand against him quickly deepened when he saw a faint reflection of their surroundings on the water's surface.
"Again, you demonstrate how little you know about spells, Prince." His voice was the only thing that conveyed his irritation. He spat out the last word as if it left a bitter taste in his mouth. "Due to your lack of restraint I was not able to maintain the spell."
A look of confusion crossed the other man's face. He turned his attention back to the water. A sheepish expression crossed his face when he saw that the image was gone. Not saying a word he quickly released Naraku, muttering a small apology.
"How long will it take you to bring it back up?" The prince asked after a moment of silence.
"I won't."
"What?! Why not?"
"I am not going to waste any more energy just so you can look at her. We know where she is. On the next full moon we can fetch her."
"So tomorrow night then?" A look of excited apprehension crossed Kouga's face.
"Well that is the next full moon."
The prince looked satisfied with that answer, and got up as if to leave. He paused for a moment.
"Naraku?"
"Yes?"
"Don't ever insult her like that again. After all, if it wasn't for you we wouldn't need to go through with this."
"What I did, I did for the sorceress's own safety." Naraku answered stiffly. "The masses would have slaughtered her if I hadn't sent her away." There was a pause. "You would do well to remember that."
When Kagome saw Inuyasha standing outside the classroom, holding a bucket full of water, she couldn't help but smile. It was almost comic how it worked. It happened every time. She would be forced to listen to counselors drone on and on about the school restriction, and when she headed back to class Inuyasha was always standing outside the classroom with a bucket, usually cursing. It was one of the positive things in her life, and she owed it all to Miroku.
Although she and Sango were best friends, Miroku had been her first friend. She was also the only girl in the whole school who probably hadn't been groped by the infamous pervert. She had met Miroku around the same time she had met Inuyasha and Sango – in kindergarten – but after the initial meeting he was the only one she played with at recess.
At least, until she hit puberty.
The time when she was re-introduced to Sango was around the time Sango and Miroku had started going out. For a while there had been some rumors, that Kagome was weaseling her way into the relationship, but – once again – Miroku had quickly laid that rumor to rest. (Much to the relief of a certain sophomore called Houjo.) He was always the first to jump to her defense. He was like the loving sibling she always wanted, but never had.
Kagome allowed a slight grin to grace her lips.
"Don't you have class, Inu-kun?"
"Don't call me Inu-kun," he all but growled. He couldn't stand it when people called him that! His mother was the only who ever got away with it, but….that was different. She knew what he was! If anyone else ever found out….it would be Osaka all over again.
A soft giggle brought Inuyasha from his thoughts, and his amber eyes narrowed in a glare. Kagome now stood across from him, her satchel in one hand as she used the other to cover her smile. He stared at her for a second, wondering why she didn't do that more often. She looked cute when she smiled. It irritated him to see her depressed. Unfortunately, ever since her grandfather passed away it was the only emotion she seemed able to convey. It was one of the reasons why he had all but threatened her family to make Kagome start seeing a therapist. (Not that he would ever admit that to anyone. Especially to himself.)
"Did the exam already start?" Her voice was slightly muffled by her hand.
Inuyasha merely grumbled in response, trying very hard not to stare at her. She was starting to look better over the past week, but Kagome was still too thin. At least I can't see her ribcage anymore. Somehow that thought didn't make him feel much better. Neither did the realization that he might be attracted to her. It was annoying to say the least. Every night before going to bed he would try to convince himself that it was only because he could relate to her problem. Kagome Higurashi was NOT attractive.
Why was that thought sounding less convincing with each night that passed?
"So..." Kagome removed her hand from her mouth and fiddled with the crystal sakura pendant that hung around her neck. Her smile saddened slightly when her thoughts turned to her grandfather, but quickly turned mischievous when she looked Inuyasha in the eye. "I guess it was Miroku again?"
Again, a growl was her only response.
"Well, you deserved it." She shook her head suddenly as if to shake of a sudden spell of dizziness, completely missing the glare that was sent her way. Kagome furrowed her brows suddenly and set her bag down to rub at her temples. What was this strange feeling? Why did it suddenly feel unbearable hot? No, the thought was filled with a sudden bout of terror when an image of fire, ashes, and (strangely enough) her grandfather flashed through her mind. No, I dream about this enough at night! NO!
Meanwhile, right across from her Inuyasha was in a similar situation (although he wasn't so much scared as he was confused) He shook his head, trying to clear his head of the sudden fuzzy feeling. For some strange reason he kept seeing fire, but he smelled no smoke. He shifted the pail to one hand, and rubbed at his eyes with the other. The fire faded, but the odd sensation, one that he could not quite place, lingered.
"Fire. It all started…."
He glanced over up at Kagome, glad that the odd feeling had finally faded at the sound of her voice, but his golden eyes went wide with surprise when he saw the state she was in.
"Fire….why are they screaming? Why does it hurt?" Her entire body was trembling, and her blue-gray eyes were brimming with tears. They darted around wildly, as if she didn't recognize where she was, fear shimmering from deep within their depths. Her arms were shaking more violently, almost as if she was having a partial seizure, and she reached up and clawed at her hair. She pulled at the dark locks desperately, in an attempt to get control over the shaking, and Inuyasha was afraid that she might pull her hair out.
"Help." Her voice sounded so small and alone. "Someone…help me."
"Kagome," He reached out one hand toward her, hesitantly, unsure of what to do.
At the sound of his voice her eyes locked onto his form, and she went silent. Inuyasha watched her warily before taking a step forward, opening his mouth to ask what was wrong. The movement startled the schoolgirl, and she backed up, back pressed against the wall, before letting loose a shrill and horrifying scream.
Inuyasha clamped his hands over his ears, dropping the pail for the first time. The metal container fell to the ground with a clatter, water sloshing over the shoes of the two, the din hardly heard over the ear-splitting screech.
There was a sound of the teacher and several students rushing over to the door and starting to slide it open. He felt the vibrations more then he heard the sounds. Then suddenly, as if someone had thrown them into a soundproof room, the screaming stopped. Kagome was breathing hard by now, the shaking and trembling more violent then before. She looked at Inuyasha, desperation screaming in her eyes until, without warning, they rolled unto the back of her head. The trembling suddenly stopped and her hands released her hair and fell to her sides limply. Classroom doors were just starting to be pulled open as she crumpled to the floor.
Inuyasha was hardly aware of himself shouting her name as he jolted forward; barely managing to catch her in his arms before her head hit the tiled floor.
A/N: I'm sorry that I haven't updated DGL yet. It will be up soon. Anywho, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Unfortunatly I'm only working on this story when I hit the writer's block. Gomen ne! I'm going to have so much fun with this one!