Sorry for the late update, FrameofMind pushed me to update faster
hehehe.
I finally got the whole storyline figured out. There are a couple of twists but nothing out of the ordinary. Enjoy.
::: Spacing :::
"Never Drive Faster than your Guardian Angel Can Fly" -Bumper Sticker
Kagome Higurashi, daughter of Kensuke and Maya Higurashi -- that didn't
mean anything; that didn't describe who she was.
Kagome stared into her bedroom mirror, which Sango had bought for her as homecoming gift.
The tall mirror reflected the image of a women changing. Kagome was wearing a pair of gray track pants and putting on a blue tank top.
As her eye caught the reflection, she grimaced, slowly touching the painful reminder of the day she died. She may have been alive in body, but her soul had been crushed beyond repair.
Kagome Higurashi, daughter of Kensuke and Maya Higurashi -- that was a load of bullshit.
Kagome fingered the small scar, embedded on her back for all eternity. Everyday she would see the scar that refused to go away. When she saw herself in the mirror; when she passed the glass windows of a store; when she saw her reflection in a pool of water -- she would she him. She would always she her father, looking back at her in disgrace.
Kagome looked away from the mirror, finished putting on the tank top and rummaged through her closet to find her gray sweater. She pulled up her hair into a high ponytail and checked the ticking clock; the black hands took their places at the 12 and the 7.
"Hmmm, right on schedule, as always," she mused. "I'm going out for a jog, Buyo, I'll be back for breakfast."
Said cat simply meowed and rolled over on its back, again.
The young woman pulled on her sneaks as she walked through the hallway.
Everything was the same as always: she would wake up, jog, eat, go to work,
eat, finish work, go home or meet up with friends, then eat again and go to sleep. Her life was as dull as it could get -- that is, until she gotten her new job.
The image of Inuyasha suddenly popped into her head. Sure he was arrogant, lazy, and stupid, but then again, first impressions are sometimes wrong; she still remembered how he looked at her...
:Flashback:
"How are you doing Mr. Yazumi" Kagome called cheerfully.
Inuyasha wanted to respond but his voice paid him no heed. He couldn't say anything -- he was sure it was Kikyo, but somewhere in his heart he knew that Kikyo couldn't be sitting here in front him, with those eyes...those brown eyes...
His voice whispered softly, "Kikyo...?"
Kagome blinked, her brain still registering what Inuyasha had said.
"Kikyo? Who's she?"
"Uhhh...Kikyo is just a...a...just an acquaintance of Inuyasha that's all," replied Miroku quickly.
:End of Flashback:
Kagome pondered curiously, "Kikyo? Who was she? Do I really look like her?"
Exiting the building, she started to jog, passing through the surrounding neighborhood. Along the way she observed one of her neighbors as he tried to teach his daughter how to ride a bike.
She froze -- that man and the little girl reminded her sharply of herself and her father, so long ago.
:Flashback:
Kagome was 5 years old at the time; sure she and her father had had difficult times, but nonetheless, her father was not a monster.
"Kagome, today I am going to teach you how to ride a bike."
"But Daddy, I don't want to," she protested simply, but he regarded her with a cold stare.
The young girl gulped apprehensively. "Yes Daddy."
The man's expression turned instantly to a warm smile. "Good," he said kindly.
The little girl followed her father to their garage and Kensuke opened the green door, revealing a beautiful little bike with training wheels attached to it.
"First of all we are going to start with something simple, like this, then I'll teach you how to ride a proper bicycle."
"Okay Daddy," the little girl said obediently, taking a hesitant step toward the bicycle.
"Now, push your feet against the pedals into a cycle."
Young Kagome nodded in response and did exactly as she was told. At first, it was a strange feeling; then it began to get simpler, and she eventually grew to love it.
She pedaled faster and faster, paying no heed to the calls of her father, it felt as is she could fly, soar into the sky, when the most horrible thing happened.
Her smile turned quickly into a frown as her eyes froze with fear -- she was going down the hill, too fast and much too soon.
"Daddy!" she cried fearfully, gaining momentum, speeding faster and faster toward an increasingly inevitable head-on collision with the tree that loomed ever closer in her path.
"DADDY!" she shrieked, terrified.
"Kagome...Kagome!" Kensuke ran at breakneck speed, gaining on his daughter's panicked form with every passing second.
"Kagome!"
Closer and closer Kagome drew to her fate, shielding her face with her arms as she screamed with fear.
"Kagome!"
The girl felt herself ripped from the vehicle and into the safe embrace of her father as tears began to flood her face.
"Kagome, don't cry now," he snapped at her, and she whimpered, opening her eyes.
She was expecting to see her father give her a menacing glare, but instead what met her eyes was the expression of a worried father.
"Are you okay?" The tear-stained girl nodded in reply.
He gave a small sigh of relief.
"Kagome, lesson number one: Never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly."
:End of Flashback:
Kagome gazed wistfully at the young girl and her father from across the
street -- they seemed so...happy. She looked away, brushing aside all thoughts of her and her father as she continued to jog, headed in the direction of her favorite park: Shikon no Tama Park.
Legend had it that a hanyou and a miko had once fallen in love with each other and been married in the very spot where the park now lay. She had always loved the flair of the legend and found it very beautiful. Passing by the other joggers, early walkers, and a few people out with their dogs, she made her way to her favorite spot: beneath the tree known as the Goshinboku.
She looked towards the stream that went across the giant tree; she loved to just sit by the tree and think. It was only a little bit further, until...
"Oof."
"Ow."
"You know, you should watch where you're going, wench," came a familiar annoyed voice.
"Inuyasha?"
Kagome slowly opened her eyes from her position on the ground, looking up at the owner of the voice as the sunlight illuminated his features. He was hot!
She quickly flushed at her thought. Inuyasha had his hair down, unlike the first time she had met him, and he was decked out in black sweat pants, a red undershirt and black sweatshirt.
"You know, you shouldnt follow me around like that -- people could get the wrong idea," Inuyasha mused with a mocking sort of smirk.
"Ha ha, real funny -- would you be so kind as to help a lady up?"
He grinned teasingly back at her as he replied, "I would, but I don't see this lady you're talking about."
"Inuyasha!"
"Geez, don't blow my eardrums woman," he joked, but extended a hand, which Kagome gladly accepted.
"So what are you doing here anyway, Inuyasha?"
"Doing those morning laps you told me to do."
She quirked an eyebrow," I never thought a person like you would actually listen to me."
"Hey!" he snapped defensively, but she raised a hand to placate him.
"Just kidding," she assured him.
"So umm Inuyasha?"
"Urr...yeah?" Inuyasha muttered hesitantly, the sudden change of tone in Kagome's voice eliciting a bit of uncertainty.
"Do you want to jog with me?"
"Oh...sure," Inuyasha replied, looking surprised.
The two of them jogged lightly together, their footwork in synch -- people would have thought they were a couple.
Inuyasha, however -- quickly bored of this -- soon formed an idea:
"So you want to race" he challenged.
"Race?" Kagome questioned.
"Yeah. Last one to the fire hydrant over there, has to buy the winner dinner."
She flashed him a grin. "You're on!"
Without a moment's pause. Kagome sped up and left Inuyasha in the dust.
"Hey! Cheater!" he shouted after her, his voice indignant.
Kagome laughed, and called back teasingly, "Its not my fault you're so slow!"
Thoughts of the Goshinboku and her father disappeared with her laughter and the growls of a very angry hanyou, which coming from behind her.
"Oh, she thinks she can get the best of me, does she? Well not over my good-looking body."
Inuyasha grinned as he ran faster, and Kagome gasped as she noticed Inuyasha catching up with her.
"Ah ha!" Inuyasha yelled, and Kagome gave a small shriek as he tackled her, pinned her to the ground with his body. The pair of them started to laugh uncontrollably, both exhilarated and gasping for breath from their short sprint.
"I guess I owe you dinner," he said with a grin, still panting slightly.
"Huh?"
Kagome's brow furrowed in confusion until she realized she had landed closer to the fire hydrant than Inuyasha.
"I guess you do." She grinned back at him. "How about tomorrow night? 7pm?"
"Deal" Inuyasha agreed with a nod.
"Umm? Do you want to come over for breakfast?" Kagome asked.
"Uh...why not?" replied Inuyasha.
"Why is this wench so nice to me?" Inuyasha pondered.
With that, the two adults got to their feet and started to walk back toward the gray apartment building that Kagome called home.
Unconsciously, Kagome linked her arm casually through Inuyasha's, causing him to blush slightly.
"Welcome to my humble abode," she said with mock cordiality, indicating
the building before them.
"It's not much, but I like it."
Inuyasha followed her up a flight up stairs, until they reached a gray door bearing the numbers 59C, and Kagome let them in with her key.
"Buyo, I'm home," she called, to which the cat meowed and rolled over lazily.
"You talk to your cat?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.
"Well, what am I supposed to do when there is no one else to talk to?" she asked with a shrug. "Besides, Buyo keeps me company."
"Well, you could always talk to me." He suggested and she smiled,
"Oh don't worry about that, we'll be doing a lot of that. Pancakes?"
"Sounds good, can I use your telephone?"
She nodded. "Its in the living room on the coffee table. I'm going to change." Once Kagome was out of sight, Inuyasha took a look around theinterior.
It wasn't much a 2-bedroom apartment, with a kitchen and 1 full bathroom -- but it was comfortable. There was a houseplant beside a small television in the so-called living room, which consisted of a white couch with matching love seat and, as Kagome had said, a blue phone perched on top of an aged coffee table.
Inuyasha made himself comfortable on the couch as he dialed his home number.
"Yazumi residence , Sesshoumaru speaking."
"Sup, its Inuyasha."
"Hello brother. When are you coming home"
"Uh, its 8:00 0 clock right now, right?"
"Yes -- so?"
"I'm having breakfast at Kagome's place, ok?"
"Ah, your new coach right?"
"Yeah, that's the one."
"Nice move, little brother," the older man commented approvingly, "I saw her in the newspaper once; very good-looking."
A blush crept up Inuyasha's face at his brother's tone. "I'm not making any moves on the wench," he spat defensively, "I'll be back around 8:30!"
"Whatever you say, little brother. See you soon." With that, Sesshoumaru hung up the phone.
"Am I making moves on Kagome? What about Kikyo?" the thoughts jumbled around Inuyasha's head for a moment, but he was interrupted by a sweet aroma trailing in from the kitchen.
Glancing over, he watched as Kagome finishedmixing up a batter and pouring it into a frying pan.
"So you want butter or maple syrup, Inuyasha?" she called out. Her hair
was down and she wore a simple blue shirt and khaki pants.
"Maple Syrup," he answered simply, seating himself shyly at the table in the kitchen.
Kagome handed him a plate with a pancake and maple syrup. Soon enough she fixed herself a plate and taken a seat as well.
After a moment of silence, Kagome's curiosity got the better of her and
she asked the question that had been praying on her mind since their first meeting.
"Inuyasha, who is Kikyo?"
"Huh?"
"When we first met, you said, "Kikyo:" Miroku told me she was an acquaintance of yours."
Inuyasha sighed. "It's hard to explain," he began gruffly.
"She was an ex girlfriend of mine, she went to jail for framing a couple of documents for a major company"
"Oh, sorry," Kagome replied meekly, lowering her eyes to her plate.
There was an uncomfortable silence, the only sound in the room coming from Buyo, who meowed once more and rolled over.
Inuyasha glanced towards a picture hanging by the wall nearby. It depicted a little girl who looked like a much younger Kagome, with a older man, the little girl was riding a bike.
"Who's that?" he asked.
Kagome followed Inuyasha's gaze to the picture.
"That is my father, Kensuke Higurashi," she answered, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"He's in jail too for hurting me and other people." Sadness flooded Kagome's eyes as she played with the left-over bits of pancake with her fork.
"Oh" was all he could think to say in reply.
Inuyasha and Kagome finished eating in a familiar silence.
Buyo simply meowed and rolled over, yet again.
:Later:
"I wonder where Kagome-sama and Inuyasha could be!"
It was 9:10 already, and both individuals were nowhere to be found. Miroku drummed his fingers across the sidelines.
"I'm sorry we're late!" came a voice, and Miroku's head perked up when he saw Kagome coming into the racetrack with Inuyasha.
"Good, let's get started. I'm going to stay here for today -- just to make sure everything is going smoothly -- then I will leave it to the two of you.:
"Keh, whatever, I don't care. Let's start to race already!"
Kagome laughed at Inuyasha's impatience. "Sounds fine to me," she agreed.
"Inuyasha, why don't you do a couple of laps so we can see what you need to improve on?"
"Now, we're talking!" the hanyou replied as he set off to do just that.
Kagome and Miroku sat along the sidelines as they waited for Inuyasha to start, Miroku with his stopwatch at the ready.
Said hanyou, pulled on his helmet as he climbed into the race car; the most important thing in his life, next to girls, money, ramen (of course), and maybe his brother.
He revved up the car sending smoke everywhere. He revved it up again and shifted gears to zoom off, rocketing around the track and passing Kagome and Miroku as he finished up the first lap.
He made the second lap at about the same pace, but as he started in on the third he sped up even more, pressing the engine to it's limits and hugging the inside lane in order to keep the vehicle in control. The dust of the track was kicked up by his wheels as he swung past and caused Kagome to cough a bit.
"Ugh, the idiot is speeding up again. I mean, it is necessary to speed- up but when Inuyasha does it, its like the whole world is on fire!" Miroku yelled over the noise.
Car 59 speed continued to increase as the adrenaline pumped in Inuyasha's ears, moving him to drive the car to the very edge of his command. He lived
for the intensity of speed, the power of wielding it -- it made him feel free, gave him a rush like no other.
He gave a yell of excitement as he finished his 3rd lap. That was when it happened.
He lost control.
"Oh shit!"
He could feel the split second when the weight of the car shifted from his power, giving in to the speed, the careful balance of control shattering as the vehicle skidded across the lanes and Inuyasha tried desperately to hold it together, but it was no use.
He had far too much momentum and not enough space to allow it to wear off to a controllable level. Gritting his teeth hemade a last ditch attempt to shift the momentum just enough to avoid a crash and the car began to spin in circles.
It had the desired effect, however, as the vehicle's speed decreased rapidly from the friction, dust and smoke from the engine filling the air.
"Inuyasha! You okay?" Miroku yelled worriedly as he raced toward the vehicle where it had finally come to rest.
"Yeah, I'm okay," he grumbled, coughing a bit from the smoke of burned rubber, which had yet to dissipate.
"Aw shit, I hate it when this happens."
Miroku sighed in relief, saying with only a hint of irony, "Your time is 1 minute for 3 laps.
Kagome appeared from the settling dust and sighed as well, "Not bad for a rookie, Inuyasha, but your problem is that you go too fast at the wrong time and too slow at the wrong time."
"Oh yeah wench? Why don't you show me then?"
"Gladly," Kagome answered, smirking. Her eyes met Inuyasha's challenging ones as she took his helmet and gloves and entered his car.
She would never admit it but she loved racing as well. Too bad she hadn't felt that way in her childhood -- maybe then her father wouldn't be in jail.
Kagome gripped the steering wheel as she started the engine of the race
car, which Inuyasha's extensive driving (and crashing) experience had managed to pull though the crisis unharmed.
She stepped on the gas pedal, accelerating to racing speed and hanging to the outer lane.
As she approached a turn she pulled back on her speed at first in order
to keep the vehicle in control, her remaining momentum causing her to drift
toward the outer lane, yet avoiding a crash due to her reduced speed.
Then she accelerated gradually through the end of the turn, pulling in toward the inner lane as she did so, and along the straight track beyond, until the next curve approached. She continued to do this, only stopping after her fifth lap.
Slowing down, she pulled to a stop beside Inuyasha and Miroku, dust and
smoke drifting away on the wind as Kagome climbed out of the car.
Miroku checked his stopwatch and said, stunned, "1 minute and 5 seconds
for 5 laps!"
"What!" Inuyasha yelled, "What's your trick wench?"
"Lesson number one, Inuyasha: never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly." Kagome grinned.
:Spacing:
Sorry, if that was shorter than usual. But this is how it ends. I promise the next update will be faster and longer! Until I figure out how to use the quickedit, I am going to do
:::Spacing:::
for, well...spaces.
Thanks to FOM again for being my beta!
Ciao, Izayoi
[FrameofMind: (--waves--) You're welcome, Izayoi, as always. Ta ta!]
hehehe.
I finally got the whole storyline figured out. There are a couple of twists but nothing out of the ordinary. Enjoy.
::: Spacing :::
"Never Drive Faster than your Guardian Angel Can Fly" -Bumper Sticker
Kagome Higurashi, daughter of Kensuke and Maya Higurashi -- that didn't
mean anything; that didn't describe who she was.
Kagome stared into her bedroom mirror, which Sango had bought for her as homecoming gift.
The tall mirror reflected the image of a women changing. Kagome was wearing a pair of gray track pants and putting on a blue tank top.
As her eye caught the reflection, she grimaced, slowly touching the painful reminder of the day she died. She may have been alive in body, but her soul had been crushed beyond repair.
Kagome Higurashi, daughter of Kensuke and Maya Higurashi -- that was a load of bullshit.
Kagome fingered the small scar, embedded on her back for all eternity. Everyday she would see the scar that refused to go away. When she saw herself in the mirror; when she passed the glass windows of a store; when she saw her reflection in a pool of water -- she would she him. She would always she her father, looking back at her in disgrace.
Kagome looked away from the mirror, finished putting on the tank top and rummaged through her closet to find her gray sweater. She pulled up her hair into a high ponytail and checked the ticking clock; the black hands took their places at the 12 and the 7.
"Hmmm, right on schedule, as always," she mused. "I'm going out for a jog, Buyo, I'll be back for breakfast."
Said cat simply meowed and rolled over on its back, again.
The young woman pulled on her sneaks as she walked through the hallway.
Everything was the same as always: she would wake up, jog, eat, go to work,
eat, finish work, go home or meet up with friends, then eat again and go to sleep. Her life was as dull as it could get -- that is, until she gotten her new job.
The image of Inuyasha suddenly popped into her head. Sure he was arrogant, lazy, and stupid, but then again, first impressions are sometimes wrong; she still remembered how he looked at her...
:Flashback:
"How are you doing Mr. Yazumi" Kagome called cheerfully.
Inuyasha wanted to respond but his voice paid him no heed. He couldn't say anything -- he was sure it was Kikyo, but somewhere in his heart he knew that Kikyo couldn't be sitting here in front him, with those eyes...those brown eyes...
His voice whispered softly, "Kikyo...?"
Kagome blinked, her brain still registering what Inuyasha had said.
"Kikyo? Who's she?"
"Uhhh...Kikyo is just a...a...just an acquaintance of Inuyasha that's all," replied Miroku quickly.
:End of Flashback:
Kagome pondered curiously, "Kikyo? Who was she? Do I really look like her?"
Exiting the building, she started to jog, passing through the surrounding neighborhood. Along the way she observed one of her neighbors as he tried to teach his daughter how to ride a bike.
She froze -- that man and the little girl reminded her sharply of herself and her father, so long ago.
:Flashback:
Kagome was 5 years old at the time; sure she and her father had had difficult times, but nonetheless, her father was not a monster.
"Kagome, today I am going to teach you how to ride a bike."
"But Daddy, I don't want to," she protested simply, but he regarded her with a cold stare.
The young girl gulped apprehensively. "Yes Daddy."
The man's expression turned instantly to a warm smile. "Good," he said kindly.
The little girl followed her father to their garage and Kensuke opened the green door, revealing a beautiful little bike with training wheels attached to it.
"First of all we are going to start with something simple, like this, then I'll teach you how to ride a proper bicycle."
"Okay Daddy," the little girl said obediently, taking a hesitant step toward the bicycle.
"Now, push your feet against the pedals into a cycle."
Young Kagome nodded in response and did exactly as she was told. At first, it was a strange feeling; then it began to get simpler, and she eventually grew to love it.
She pedaled faster and faster, paying no heed to the calls of her father, it felt as is she could fly, soar into the sky, when the most horrible thing happened.
Her smile turned quickly into a frown as her eyes froze with fear -- she was going down the hill, too fast and much too soon.
"Daddy!" she cried fearfully, gaining momentum, speeding faster and faster toward an increasingly inevitable head-on collision with the tree that loomed ever closer in her path.
"DADDY!" she shrieked, terrified.
"Kagome...Kagome!" Kensuke ran at breakneck speed, gaining on his daughter's panicked form with every passing second.
"Kagome!"
Closer and closer Kagome drew to her fate, shielding her face with her arms as she screamed with fear.
"Kagome!"
The girl felt herself ripped from the vehicle and into the safe embrace of her father as tears began to flood her face.
"Kagome, don't cry now," he snapped at her, and she whimpered, opening her eyes.
She was expecting to see her father give her a menacing glare, but instead what met her eyes was the expression of a worried father.
"Are you okay?" The tear-stained girl nodded in reply.
He gave a small sigh of relief.
"Kagome, lesson number one: Never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly."
:End of Flashback:
Kagome gazed wistfully at the young girl and her father from across the
street -- they seemed so...happy. She looked away, brushing aside all thoughts of her and her father as she continued to jog, headed in the direction of her favorite park: Shikon no Tama Park.
Legend had it that a hanyou and a miko had once fallen in love with each other and been married in the very spot where the park now lay. She had always loved the flair of the legend and found it very beautiful. Passing by the other joggers, early walkers, and a few people out with their dogs, she made her way to her favorite spot: beneath the tree known as the Goshinboku.
She looked towards the stream that went across the giant tree; she loved to just sit by the tree and think. It was only a little bit further, until...
"Oof."
"Ow."
"You know, you should watch where you're going, wench," came a familiar annoyed voice.
"Inuyasha?"
Kagome slowly opened her eyes from her position on the ground, looking up at the owner of the voice as the sunlight illuminated his features. He was hot!
She quickly flushed at her thought. Inuyasha had his hair down, unlike the first time she had met him, and he was decked out in black sweat pants, a red undershirt and black sweatshirt.
"You know, you shouldnt follow me around like that -- people could get the wrong idea," Inuyasha mused with a mocking sort of smirk.
"Ha ha, real funny -- would you be so kind as to help a lady up?"
He grinned teasingly back at her as he replied, "I would, but I don't see this lady you're talking about."
"Inuyasha!"
"Geez, don't blow my eardrums woman," he joked, but extended a hand, which Kagome gladly accepted.
"So what are you doing here anyway, Inuyasha?"
"Doing those morning laps you told me to do."
She quirked an eyebrow," I never thought a person like you would actually listen to me."
"Hey!" he snapped defensively, but she raised a hand to placate him.
"Just kidding," she assured him.
"So umm Inuyasha?"
"Urr...yeah?" Inuyasha muttered hesitantly, the sudden change of tone in Kagome's voice eliciting a bit of uncertainty.
"Do you want to jog with me?"
"Oh...sure," Inuyasha replied, looking surprised.
The two of them jogged lightly together, their footwork in synch -- people would have thought they were a couple.
Inuyasha, however -- quickly bored of this -- soon formed an idea:
"So you want to race" he challenged.
"Race?" Kagome questioned.
"Yeah. Last one to the fire hydrant over there, has to buy the winner dinner."
She flashed him a grin. "You're on!"
Without a moment's pause. Kagome sped up and left Inuyasha in the dust.
"Hey! Cheater!" he shouted after her, his voice indignant.
Kagome laughed, and called back teasingly, "Its not my fault you're so slow!"
Thoughts of the Goshinboku and her father disappeared with her laughter and the growls of a very angry hanyou, which coming from behind her.
"Oh, she thinks she can get the best of me, does she? Well not over my good-looking body."
Inuyasha grinned as he ran faster, and Kagome gasped as she noticed Inuyasha catching up with her.
"Ah ha!" Inuyasha yelled, and Kagome gave a small shriek as he tackled her, pinned her to the ground with his body. The pair of them started to laugh uncontrollably, both exhilarated and gasping for breath from their short sprint.
"I guess I owe you dinner," he said with a grin, still panting slightly.
"Huh?"
Kagome's brow furrowed in confusion until she realized she had landed closer to the fire hydrant than Inuyasha.
"I guess you do." She grinned back at him. "How about tomorrow night? 7pm?"
"Deal" Inuyasha agreed with a nod.
"Umm? Do you want to come over for breakfast?" Kagome asked.
"Uh...why not?" replied Inuyasha.
"Why is this wench so nice to me?" Inuyasha pondered.
With that, the two adults got to their feet and started to walk back toward the gray apartment building that Kagome called home.
Unconsciously, Kagome linked her arm casually through Inuyasha's, causing him to blush slightly.
"Welcome to my humble abode," she said with mock cordiality, indicating
the building before them.
"It's not much, but I like it."
Inuyasha followed her up a flight up stairs, until they reached a gray door bearing the numbers 59C, and Kagome let them in with her key.
"Buyo, I'm home," she called, to which the cat meowed and rolled over lazily.
"You talk to your cat?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.
"Well, what am I supposed to do when there is no one else to talk to?" she asked with a shrug. "Besides, Buyo keeps me company."
"Well, you could always talk to me." He suggested and she smiled,
"Oh don't worry about that, we'll be doing a lot of that. Pancakes?"
"Sounds good, can I use your telephone?"
She nodded. "Its in the living room on the coffee table. I'm going to change." Once Kagome was out of sight, Inuyasha took a look around theinterior.
It wasn't much a 2-bedroom apartment, with a kitchen and 1 full bathroom -- but it was comfortable. There was a houseplant beside a small television in the so-called living room, which consisted of a white couch with matching love seat and, as Kagome had said, a blue phone perched on top of an aged coffee table.
Inuyasha made himself comfortable on the couch as he dialed his home number.
"Yazumi residence , Sesshoumaru speaking."
"Sup, its Inuyasha."
"Hello brother. When are you coming home"
"Uh, its 8:00 0 clock right now, right?"
"Yes -- so?"
"I'm having breakfast at Kagome's place, ok?"
"Ah, your new coach right?"
"Yeah, that's the one."
"Nice move, little brother," the older man commented approvingly, "I saw her in the newspaper once; very good-looking."
A blush crept up Inuyasha's face at his brother's tone. "I'm not making any moves on the wench," he spat defensively, "I'll be back around 8:30!"
"Whatever you say, little brother. See you soon." With that, Sesshoumaru hung up the phone.
"Am I making moves on Kagome? What about Kikyo?" the thoughts jumbled around Inuyasha's head for a moment, but he was interrupted by a sweet aroma trailing in from the kitchen.
Glancing over, he watched as Kagome finishedmixing up a batter and pouring it into a frying pan.
"So you want butter or maple syrup, Inuyasha?" she called out. Her hair
was down and she wore a simple blue shirt and khaki pants.
"Maple Syrup," he answered simply, seating himself shyly at the table in the kitchen.
Kagome handed him a plate with a pancake and maple syrup. Soon enough she fixed herself a plate and taken a seat as well.
After a moment of silence, Kagome's curiosity got the better of her and
she asked the question that had been praying on her mind since their first meeting.
"Inuyasha, who is Kikyo?"
"Huh?"
"When we first met, you said, "Kikyo:" Miroku told me she was an acquaintance of yours."
Inuyasha sighed. "It's hard to explain," he began gruffly.
"She was an ex girlfriend of mine, she went to jail for framing a couple of documents for a major company"
"Oh, sorry," Kagome replied meekly, lowering her eyes to her plate.
There was an uncomfortable silence, the only sound in the room coming from Buyo, who meowed once more and rolled over.
Inuyasha glanced towards a picture hanging by the wall nearby. It depicted a little girl who looked like a much younger Kagome, with a older man, the little girl was riding a bike.
"Who's that?" he asked.
Kagome followed Inuyasha's gaze to the picture.
"That is my father, Kensuke Higurashi," she answered, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"He's in jail too for hurting me and other people." Sadness flooded Kagome's eyes as she played with the left-over bits of pancake with her fork.
"Oh" was all he could think to say in reply.
Inuyasha and Kagome finished eating in a familiar silence.
Buyo simply meowed and rolled over, yet again.
:Later:
"I wonder where Kagome-sama and Inuyasha could be!"
It was 9:10 already, and both individuals were nowhere to be found. Miroku drummed his fingers across the sidelines.
"I'm sorry we're late!" came a voice, and Miroku's head perked up when he saw Kagome coming into the racetrack with Inuyasha.
"Good, let's get started. I'm going to stay here for today -- just to make sure everything is going smoothly -- then I will leave it to the two of you.:
"Keh, whatever, I don't care. Let's start to race already!"
Kagome laughed at Inuyasha's impatience. "Sounds fine to me," she agreed.
"Inuyasha, why don't you do a couple of laps so we can see what you need to improve on?"
"Now, we're talking!" the hanyou replied as he set off to do just that.
Kagome and Miroku sat along the sidelines as they waited for Inuyasha to start, Miroku with his stopwatch at the ready.
Said hanyou, pulled on his helmet as he climbed into the race car; the most important thing in his life, next to girls, money, ramen (of course), and maybe his brother.
He revved up the car sending smoke everywhere. He revved it up again and shifted gears to zoom off, rocketing around the track and passing Kagome and Miroku as he finished up the first lap.
He made the second lap at about the same pace, but as he started in on the third he sped up even more, pressing the engine to it's limits and hugging the inside lane in order to keep the vehicle in control. The dust of the track was kicked up by his wheels as he swung past and caused Kagome to cough a bit.
"Ugh, the idiot is speeding up again. I mean, it is necessary to speed- up but when Inuyasha does it, its like the whole world is on fire!" Miroku yelled over the noise.
Car 59 speed continued to increase as the adrenaline pumped in Inuyasha's ears, moving him to drive the car to the very edge of his command. He lived
for the intensity of speed, the power of wielding it -- it made him feel free, gave him a rush like no other.
He gave a yell of excitement as he finished his 3rd lap. That was when it happened.
He lost control.
"Oh shit!"
He could feel the split second when the weight of the car shifted from his power, giving in to the speed, the careful balance of control shattering as the vehicle skidded across the lanes and Inuyasha tried desperately to hold it together, but it was no use.
He had far too much momentum and not enough space to allow it to wear off to a controllable level. Gritting his teeth hemade a last ditch attempt to shift the momentum just enough to avoid a crash and the car began to spin in circles.
It had the desired effect, however, as the vehicle's speed decreased rapidly from the friction, dust and smoke from the engine filling the air.
"Inuyasha! You okay?" Miroku yelled worriedly as he raced toward the vehicle where it had finally come to rest.
"Yeah, I'm okay," he grumbled, coughing a bit from the smoke of burned rubber, which had yet to dissipate.
"Aw shit, I hate it when this happens."
Miroku sighed in relief, saying with only a hint of irony, "Your time is 1 minute for 3 laps.
Kagome appeared from the settling dust and sighed as well, "Not bad for a rookie, Inuyasha, but your problem is that you go too fast at the wrong time and too slow at the wrong time."
"Oh yeah wench? Why don't you show me then?"
"Gladly," Kagome answered, smirking. Her eyes met Inuyasha's challenging ones as she took his helmet and gloves and entered his car.
She would never admit it but she loved racing as well. Too bad she hadn't felt that way in her childhood -- maybe then her father wouldn't be in jail.
Kagome gripped the steering wheel as she started the engine of the race
car, which Inuyasha's extensive driving (and crashing) experience had managed to pull though the crisis unharmed.
She stepped on the gas pedal, accelerating to racing speed and hanging to the outer lane.
As she approached a turn she pulled back on her speed at first in order
to keep the vehicle in control, her remaining momentum causing her to drift
toward the outer lane, yet avoiding a crash due to her reduced speed.
Then she accelerated gradually through the end of the turn, pulling in toward the inner lane as she did so, and along the straight track beyond, until the next curve approached. She continued to do this, only stopping after her fifth lap.
Slowing down, she pulled to a stop beside Inuyasha and Miroku, dust and
smoke drifting away on the wind as Kagome climbed out of the car.
Miroku checked his stopwatch and said, stunned, "1 minute and 5 seconds
for 5 laps!"
"What!" Inuyasha yelled, "What's your trick wench?"
"Lesson number one, Inuyasha: never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly." Kagome grinned.
:Spacing:
Sorry, if that was shorter than usual. But this is how it ends. I promise the next update will be faster and longer! Until I figure out how to use the quickedit, I am going to do
:::Spacing:::
for, well...spaces.
Thanks to FOM again for being my beta!
Ciao, Izayoi
[FrameofMind: (--waves--) You're welcome, Izayoi, as always. Ta ta!]