o.O.o.O
Dance, Dance, Koishii
darkenedmoonlightflame
Hiten/Kagome/Bankotsu. I'll have polls up at the bottom in later chapters!
KxHxB. AU. Meet Kagome: serial man avoider slash klutz dancer. Meet Hiten: cold mercenary slash badass womanizing demon. Whoa, deja vu? One going in for the ultimate achievement, the other just trying to dance without getting punch dumped down her shirt. Each not noticing the world crashing and clashing around them, attractions brewing.
Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Inuyasha, or else all my stories would be weird branches off it. This story, idea, and writing is entirely mine, however.
(A/N: Whew! So much going on! Progress is inching, but hey, it's still progress! I've already revamped an entire two chapters of Kagome vs. Shikon High (now titled Higurashi Kagome-san, No Need for High School!)… And so, I've returned to update, for lack of homework and activity to do. Besides, the simmering chemicals of thoughts about this chapter have been in my mind for soooooo long… Time to spill the toxicants and write it all down!
(Yeah… I know. Haven't been mentioning the whole dancing part to DANCE, DANCE, Koishii… Hopefully I can work it all back in with a vengeful twist in plot… You know… yank a few arms, tie Sess-san up in a room with the unfortunates obstructing me… THE USUAL EVILNESS! (No, I'm kidding.)
(And so it's pretty much with good news that I can smile and bestow upon you this chapter… And therefore, you can all safely and completely (Quote belongs to satsu, of course!)… FEAR MY LATENESS!
(So, presenting, Dance, Dance, Koishii. Part 8, already! Wow… we're finally JUST getting the whole thing started up… So, who brought the junk food (twitchy grin)?)
Dance, Dance, Koishii
Part Eight;
hItOkIrI? a FaDeD mEmOrY…
I halt my silent, sullen progress. I don't know why my own two feet have pulled me here. I'm hungry. Cold, tired, and most importantly, pensive. What am I leaving behind? I'm glad I left the hospital. I just hope I can find my way back…
I've been travelling… I left on Monday… towards twilight. It'sWednesday now. Evening already. That would be two days without food or conscious rest. Just alternating between trotting, walking, and running. I'm grateful that Kage has lent me stamina for the trip to nowhere.
All that lays here is a pile of barrenness. I see a speck on the horizon, breaking the dark, starry night in a jagged shape. I approach it cautiously. Nothing—no consequence, no reaction to me. I shrug, to tired for logic. 'Go ahead. It's deserted.' Kage says to me quietly, a pang of sadness touching her voice.
Sadness?
'They made sure of it.' Remorse now floods her veins, like a shattered dam.
They? So many questions fly in my mind, but common sense says listen to Kage. Has she been wrong? Probably, I reason… Shaking my head furiously, I advance with a resigned and dignified pace to recover.
As I get closer, I realize what it is…
A small, dark and snowy mountain… How curiously mysterious this place is, after all. I shade my eyes from the moon's sudden glare, and look up as far as my sharp eyes can perceive. 'There is a seki,' Kage mentions vaguely, tone aloof to disguise the strain in it. She stops, breathing slowly. I wonder what is in the seki… why does it matter? 'Find it. Find it for me, nanitozo. I'd like to see it… one more time.'
Now I am sure there is something in that seki. I will find it, regardless that she has asked me to anyway. There is something inside… beckoning to me…
"Sazoshitara Hitenshokiri! Why are you filthy? And what is that THING? Get it out of my sight, whatever it is." A loud, boisterous woman shouts angrily, arms crossed over an ample bust, concealed in a checkered apron. The small girl's bottom lip quivers, whether in fright or indignation, the boy is unsure. The woman motions impatiently form her place in the doorway, and the muck-encrusted boy frowns, stepping in front of the timid girl.
"Kage is NOT an it! How can you be so cruel?" He growls protectively, spitting venomously at her raised eyebrow of disapproval, "Rikoteki-san!" The girl is immersed in the backdrop behind the woman, what with its many dark and shadowed points. It seems like an impenetrable fortress to her, amazing and glamorous.
"Rikoteki-sama." The woman corrects, sneering. "I run this hellhole, and in doing so feed you miserable little youkai brats. You sure as hell better respect me!" She bristles, glaring at the two as if they were scum accumulating on her doorstep. "SCRAM! Don't you dare track mud either! And get rid of that wretch!"
"IIE!" Hitokiri shouts in return, eager to defend his new fledgling. "She's mine! I'm taking care of her, and then we're going to find her aniki!" He didn't need to add the last part. He did it for her; to help her believe in the illusion. However, he told himself he wouldn't get caught up in it.
The woman leered in disgust, before relenting with a roar, "FINE! See how you like STARVING!" And she wheeled around, marching through the doorway before slamming it. The echo ran through the short distance between them, magnifying in the darkness and large empty space, hurting all the much more than the initial words ever could.
My eyes fly open, although I never had realized that they were ever even shut in the first place. It's begun to snow lightly. Now I'm even colder, and more and more anxious to reach the so-called seki. 'See anything?' Kage asks laboriously, drawling out her words with casual deliverance.
I say nothing, climbing and darting from boulder to boulder.
'Hnn. Fine, be difficult.' A moment later, she brings the silence to an end. 'So, remember anything yet?'
…
'Okay then. I'll retreat for now.' I smile. Just a little. I know she's not offended… right? 'It's about to get very cold.' She warns, before exiting.
Chikuso. She was right.
I feel like I'm in the frozen meat sections of the Tokyo Supermarket—no, worse! I AM the meat, poked and prodded by customers, the wind and the snow.
I shiver, rubbing my arms. Hospital gowns aren't ideal for this type of hiking. "N-Nanitozo…" I mouth, teeth chattering, "C-Come b-b-back…?"
'Hnn. Smart of you.' I can picture her smug little smirk. Infuriating. The heat returns, however, so I put up with the splendid mental image. 'Almost there…' She whispers, the corner of her mouth twitching. I've realized that only happens when she finds she's thinking sentimentally. 'Chikuso. I'm getting soft, if you can read me like some old book.' Kage mutters good-naturedly.
'There! Up ahead! Another forty feet.' She announces. I look up at last. I've been getting closer and closer to the semi-mountain, anticipating it all. I see it.
The seki.
The girl that was me was right to think it was like a fortress. It is. A brilliant color: such a shade of black as to shame the sky. I smile, inhaling deeply the scent of something long forgotten.
"Gomen nasai… I never did like that stupid old hag." The boy apologized, left eye twitching in loathing. "Makes my blood boil that such a freak would manage our kind. Pity. I'll get her someday… I swear…"
"Hito-sama, it's not that bad…" The girl soothes, arm resting tentatively on his shoulder. "Not that bad…" She echoes, a faint smile appearing. "At least we have each other."
He looked suspicious.
"Are you sure we even have that? I mean come on; I just picked you off the street like some riffraff…" Immediately the injured animal look of innocence made him regret saying anything at all in return. "Anou… Gomen nasai, gomen nasai, Nagori-sama!" He bowed repeatedly, although she could tell he didn't want to. "I say things without thinking…"
"A lot." The girl, now grinning mischievously finished for him. She stared at him intently.
"Nani?" He asked bluntly, exhaling deeply and quickly, making a whooshing noise as he led her by the hand around the exterior. "We're going in my way." He explained, as she looked back at the door, confused.
"Oh… Why did that woman call you Hitenshokiri?"
"That's my name." He paused, a pained expression coming over his tanned and dirty face. "Don't ever call me that again, nanitozo? I hate my name. It brings it all back…"
"I understand." Kagome whispered, bangs shadowing her eyes. "I should leave. Aniki's probably waiting for me…" She trailed off, knowing what they were both thinking. "I'll find him! I swear I will!" She shouted, hot tears touching her eyes, threatening to spill from her lashes.
"… " Hitokiri said nothing, and both were grateful as they continued in undemanding silence. 'So she knows.'
I feel something warm glide over my cheek, splashing onto my upturned palm, already waiting to catch it. A tear. I'm…
Crying.
I'm crying.
I haven't sobbed or bawled in a long, dry, and proud seven years.
Kage sighs. 'Save the emotion for later, will you?'
"I-I-I… CAN'T!" I manage, my words flying out in a rush as my violet-crimson eyes stream. My vision is blurry, and I trust Kage to find the sturdy rocks, because I can't seem to do that on my own. I haven't stopped moving, and the wind stings my cheeks as I continue my ascent.
'Where are you GOING?' She demands, impatient and on the verge of throwing an exasperated fit. 'The seki is that way!' For a moment all I see is her twitching and motioning right violently.
"I want to stand on the top of this thing. It must be a gorgeous view."
'IIE! I have to see the seki! Nanitozo!' Kage is snarling now, 'Listen to me! Something's not right—It's just too perfect! I want you to—'
"Look, I'll just be a second. I need some time alone, okay? Just a minute?" I plead fiercely, cutting into her order. I don't want to be a marionette any longer. For today, if not for forever. "This is too much emotion, right? So then stop adding to it!" Kage's slack jaw snaps shut and she turns away in my mind, muttering traitorous thoughts, vocalizing her distress.
'…Be careful…' She whispers to me, eyes glittering with concern, left lip twitching slightly. Sentimentality.
I nod, inwardly shrugging, and my body protests my brutal speed. I emerge.
The view is breathtaking. I can see the horizon, closer than ever before, sky and ocean merging together, the plains and land between them almost translucent. The clouds are wispy strokes from a painter's brush, the heaven his canvas. The earth is a textured mass, green in splotch, sandy in others.
The color of blood as well.
I smile, inhaling deeply and sharply to clear my cluttered mind.
'Finished?' Kage ruins the moment, jittery and alert.
"No." I say, my stomach in butterflies.
I feel it.
Kage was right.
This is too perfect.
Things don't happen like they do in the movies. Nothing is slow, recognizable.
It's all blurred. Like my muddled vision. Like the tears burning paths down my ivory face, leaving a trace of fire.
There is someone here. I'm not alone any more.
In a single heartbeat, there is a shadow in front of me. I know its name, know its face. Numbness ensues. A hand reaches out. To help me? No. It isn't true. My dream shatters, and the hand collides with my chest roughly, shoving me.
My eyes go wide with shock, my heart stopping. My breath catches in my throat, and a startled shriek never escapes me. The hand reaches out to catch me… grasping my throat tightly, bruising the soft flesh. I'm lost in his crimson eyes… His face is speeding forward. 'D-Don't!' Kage screams, 'Don't ki—' Too late. His lips crash down onto mine, cutting Kage off. Whether she meant kill, or kiss, I'll never know.
Warmth, tainted beauty, cold attraction; I feel it all. The lips draw away, and the hand releases its hold. I gasp breathlessly, flailing as I tip backwards. He watches, remorse only slightly flickering in his eyes. I fall at last, slamming into the rock, fingers snatching at the snow. I slide, finding a hold several feet down.
"DOUSHITE?" I shout into the wind, "Doushite!" I turn to the matter at hand. "Kage! Kage?" I whisper, wind knocked out of me, my foot slipping.
"Sayonara…" He whispers, eyes concealed, voice cracking.
My eyes widen. It's started a chain reaction.
My hands lose grip rapidly, and I veer over the side, Kage gone.
All I can think of is the scent of crisp mountain air, and those blood red eyes…
…
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…
I jolt up, orbs wide, panting. "KAGE!" I scream. I freeze. I'm back… standing in the midst of an echoing hallway.
'Nani?' She answers grumpily, 'You woke me up. Go back to sleep. This is plain kuso.'
But I can't. I'm paralyzed in fear. Shock, too.
Am I losing my grip on reality?
… Again?
…
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…
I open my orbs again. I didn't realize I'd closed them, nonetheless fallen asleep. It was a dreamless oblivion. 'Okay then.' Kage says, stretching out coiled muscles like a cat. 'Let's go check out the seki…' I nod, uncomprehending. 'Come on, what are you waiting for? It's abandoned. Just push aside the door.'
I nod again.
I stride up, and give a rough shove to the rotting wood. Nothing happens. 'Use your shoulder, Kagome-baka.' Kage says it as though it's common sense. I shrug, and do as she says, stumbling and tripping into the midst of the hall.
The door has fallen with a great boom, echoing throughout the halls. I gape at it.
Blood…
Is everywhere…
On the walls, splattered onto the ceilings, driven across the floors, dripping down the stairs, concealing the chandelier… Slowly, a figure emerges from the crimson. 'Oh… so you're the only one left… Pity. The first to die were the luckiest.' A slow, tainted smirk spreads like poison over its face. 'Hai… Soon there will be none.'
(A/N: Well, it MAY be short, but it holds a lot of potential for the plot. And, no, I haven't thrown the dancing back in yet… You know what? I think I'm going to continue this. Just for the heck of it.)
…
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…
"Oi… Kagome-san…" A gentle voice startles me from my reverie, and I lurch up from my current position. Which happens to be… lying on a comfortable beige micro-fiber suede couch? A face leans in close to mine, a concerned expression plain as day. A hand calmly moves to my brow, checking the temperature. I shiver.
It's cold.
"You have a fever." The individual states softly, smoothing my hair back from my ashy face. "Can you remember anything?" I try to focus, but I can't. "Do you recall my name?" I don't want to believe it. I can't. But my traitorous heart knows otherwise.
I know his face… fiery obsidian-purple eyes… shoulder length raven hair left loose… familiar snake fang markings under the prominent eyes… I am sure, now.
"Jak…otsu." I reply quietly, mind and heart racing a million miles per minute. "Where am I?"
His face falters, those pretty violet-kohl eyes wavering in confusion. "Don't you remember? It's Sunday night. A week since the facility lost all contact..." Then he halted his words, eyes melting with sympathy. "Of course you don't remember. Don't fret, all will be well."
Then his orbs steel, like the forbidding mountain I last recalled. "You shouldn't have pulled a stunt like that." His voice is reprimanding, his tone stern and, in its own way, dismal. He shakes his head, tugging the cuddle-worthy fleece comforter higher, tucking it under my chin, and around me. "Signing yourself out of the hospital… thought you were smarter than that. You have a streak of bad timing in you, you know? There was a blizzard, right after you left."
"NANI?" I ask incredulously. Then I regret shouting so loudly, as my sore throat slinks up to me. I reach to rub at the area, but Jakotsu beats me to it. He's already there, rubbing soothing circles. I notice something. There is a very faint ring of bruises there. I blink. So… was the episode on the cliff reality?
"How… How did I get here? Where… is here?"
"You are at my seki. It's not much, but it's better than outside." He beckons to an iced-over bay window. "Anyhow…" His eyes narrow. "You are extremely lucky to be found by a nice guy."
"W… Who?"
"I don't know. He never said his name. You might know him, might not." Jakotsu clears his throat. "One minute he was there, knocking on my door. The next, he hands you over, relinquishing his bridal-style grip." A little blush works its way to my cheeks. "And after that…" Jakotsu gestures wildly, smiling, "POOF! Sayonara."
My good humor vanishes at his last word.
It comes back to me. "C-Could I have… some lemon iced tea? If it's no trouble, that is…"
"No problem at all." Jakotsu stands, dusting off the seat of his pants, before admonishing, "No iced for you. It's cold enough already."
I roll my eyes, and grin sheepishly, before waiting for him to turn aside to his renovated kitchen. "Kage," I hiss, "Kage?" There is no reply. I begin to worry. "Kage?" I whisper, a hint of panic touching my voice. "KAGE?" I feel a burning sensation at the place just above my collarbone. It stings like hell. I move one hand up to grasp it, the pain eventually subsiding.
I have no further time to investigate, as he returns. That was sudden. As if sensing my interest, he mutters, "Already had the hot water going." He helps me sit up, holding the mug steady as I drain it all in three deranged gulps. "Better?" I nod appreciatively, feeling too strongly for words.
After everything I've done and said to him…
He still nurses me, like this. A smile twitches at my lips, before a thought disturbs me.
I never signed myself out. I just left.
So who…?
"Jakotsu?" He seems shocked by the use of his full name, and how casually it rolls off my tongue.
"Hai, Kagome-san?"
"First—drop the formal." I pout, attempting to reach over and poke him. I fail, and he grabs my hand, a small flush visible as he lets it drop back onto the duvet. "And second… what name did I use to 'sign out'?" I wiggle my fingers to create quotation marks.
He looks at me suspiciously, before slowly answering me. "This isn't a trick question, right? You won't lie, and say you didn't sign out for yourself, right?" I just look him firmly in the eyes, resolute. "Very well, then." He takes a deep breath.
"Sazoshitara Hitenshokiri."
(A/N: Okay. Now the wait of the readers is better attributed for, right? Anyhow, I felt like this was a much more suspenseful place to leave you hanging at… You know, incite your wrath and furious poking. (shrugs) Well, sorry for delays in an update, but here it is! I've left you a lot to think about, though. Food for thought.
Hnn… that's really about all, I guess. Other than to have an awesome February, while I plan my possibly CARRIBEAN CRUISE VACATION! (insert evil laugh) Of course, it might not go through… and even so, I'm going with my parents… But COME ON! (cheers with muses) If it DOES succeed, expect slowness in late March.
Vocabulary;
Koishii- beloved
-san- suffix to name, usually indicating Mr., Ms., or Mrs. (Ex: Kagome-san.)
Seki- house, home, mansion
Nanitozo- please
-sama- respectful suffix to a name, usually meaning nobility, great admiration, et cetera
Youkai- demon
Aniki- respectful term for 'elder brother'
Chikuso- damn
Gomen nasai- I'm sorry, apology (formal?)
Anou…- well…, erm…, er…, ah… (those awkward moment words we all know so well)
Nani?- what?
Doushite?- why?
Kuso- shit
Baka- idiot
Hai- yes
Oi- hey
Story Notes:
Yep, there's definitely a story behind that house. You'll just have to wait and see. Ah, that's READ.
What's the deal with these weird things happening to Kagome?
Can you figure out what's reality and what's not? Good luck. The last little addition ought to help you out. Unless it confuses you more. (grins)
Any good guesses on what's going on? What's to happen? Heh. (crosses arms and murmurs to muses about plot)
Forgive (and please forget) any errors you come across, unless it's major. Then please notify me.
And so this comes to a close.
Ja ne,
o.O.o.O darkenedmoonlightflame O.o.O.o
And company. My adorably annoying muses. 'Kotsu and Sess-san.
Chapter Finished: 2.20.06. (Hey… I updated Higurashi Kaogme-san, No Need for High School, didn't I? Twice. This is pretty close to one such update.)
Post: 2.21.06. Unfortunate delays, due to site error.
Spell Check: Yep.
Brain Check: Hnn. That's not funny 'Kotsu. But then again, it is. (But I'm still gonna let Sess-san sniff out your candy mountains.)