Sesshomaru entered his house, trailing pools of water behind him. His mind was racing, but his body couldn't keep up. He was too tired to do anything, so he went straight up to his room and shed himself of the wet vampire costume that stuck to him. Putting on a pair of fresh clothes, he plopped down on his bed and closed his eyes. He was asleep within seconds, his mind reverting back to the park…
"I'll walk you home" Sesshomaru said.
Kikyo clung to him, not wanting to leave the comfort of his presence. "Please don't let go," she said into his shirt.
"Kikyo…."
They stood in their embrace a while longer, then Sesshomaru pulled away and took her hand in his. Kikyo smiled, but this time there was no black cloud looming over her head. Her smile was completely sincere, and for once Kikyo was truly happy. They began to walk, side by side, out of the park and down the street. The showering rain began to fade, and the fat droplets of water turned into light sprinkles. Soon they were standing in front of a small brick house in one of the older areas of town. It was Kikyo's home.
"I wish you didn't have to leave" Kikyo said, keeping a tight grip on Sesshomaru's hand.
"Well I don't like the thought of leaving you here with those violent parents of yours either, but what else is there to do?"
"I guess you're right" Kikyo replied solemnly, glancing at the house looming in front of her as though entering it was a death sentence.
Momentarily captured by Kikyo's beauty, Sesshomaru took her delicate face in his hands and kissed her lips gently, and Kikyo's eyes closed in response. Then he pulled away, almost too soon for Kikyo's liking.
"You should get some rest," Sesshomaru said, nudging Kikyo in the direction of her front door.
Kikyo was hesitant to comply, but eventually gave in and reluctantly moved out of Sesshomaru's grasp. He watched her enter her house, and right before shutting the door she blew him a kiss. Sesshomaru grinned and turned away…
Sunshine was pouring in through Sesshomaru's bedroom window, casting rays of light across his bed. The brightness woke him, and he lay staring at the ceiling for a while. All of last night felt like it was a dream, and he wasn't sure that it had actually happened. But as soon as he got to school, it was confirmed.
"Sesshomaru! Wait up!" Kikyo called to him, her skirt flying up in the wind as she ran. Her hair was swinging wildly and she looked completely back to her normal self. She finally caught up to him and slid her hand into his. "Hi" she said, panting a little.
Sesshomaru grinned at her. He couldn't help it. She was so pretty, and they could finally be together, seen in public…oh my god! I didn't even think about what other people's reactions would be when they saw me and Kikyo together Sesshomaru thought as the realization struck him. But he decided to ignore that fact, since nothing could really go wrong, right?
"I thought about you all night" Kikyo said, smiling.
"I thought about you too" Sesshomaru replied, opening the door to the front of the school for Kikyo, then entering after her. The school was jam-packed with students as usual, chatting and heading off to first period. Some people stared as Kikyo and Sesshomaru walked down the hall past them, surprised that they were hand-in-hand. Then the couple turned a corner, and ran straight into Muso.
"Oh…" Kikyo breathed, her date from the dance staring at her with a guy other than him. She immediately dropped Sesshomaru's hand. "…hello Muso" she finished hesitantly.
Muso looked from Kikyo to Sesshomaru, then back again. "Something going on?" he asked, a look of deep suspicion on his face.
"No, not at all" Sesshomaru said quickly, trying to dismiss the topic and get away as fast as possible. But Kikyo had other intentions.
"Actually" she began, stepping forward. "I've found my true feelings, and they lie with this guy right here."
What the hell is she doing? Sesshomaru swore in his head. She's being so forward about this…Muso is gonna hate me forever…
Muso blinked a couple times, obviously not quite processing this information. "Excuse me, I have to get to class early" he said, totally ignoring the news that would send most guys bawling in the opposite direction. "See you later." Then he walked past, avoiding eye contact with both Kikyo and Sesshomaru.
Kikyo frowned, bemused by Muso's reaction. "I thought he'd be devastated! Huh…he's a tougher guy than I thought."
"Yeah, apparently" Sesshomaru agreed. "But why'd you have to just blurt it out? I mean you went to the dance with him just last night."
"Well maybe I'm not the type of person to lie."
"But you didn't have to! All you needed to do was smile and say we were talking, that's it. Technically it's the truth, just not the entire truth."
Kikyo took Sesshomaru's hand and began walking again. "I never liked him in the first place. I'd rather not lead him into thinking that we were starting a relationship…actually, it was pretty cruel of me to use him that way, but what's done is done, you know?"
"Yeah, but he's my friend and I'd rather not dash his feelings" Sesshomaru said.
They pushed passed swarms of teenagers, all crowding up the hallways and bringing the noise to an almost deafening level. Kikyo stopped at her locker and turned the lock, putting in her combination. There was a click, and then she opened the small door, shoving books inside. Sesshomaru looked over her shoulder at the inside of her locker, which was covered with pictures and magnets. One particular photo caught his eye. "Who's he?" Sesshomaru asked curiously, pointing.
Kikyo glanced at the photo. "Oh, that's my older brother Yukihiro" she said.
Sesshomaru looked more closely at the dark haired kid, who seemed to be about 10 years old when the picture was taken. "I didn't know you had any siblings" he said.
"Yeah, well Yukihiro moved out of the house as soon as he turned 18, and hasn't come visit us or told us where he went. He would always complain to me about our parents and how badly he wanted to run away, and I would be the one to convince him not to. My parents didn't even care when he left and never heard from him again…since when do they care about anything…" Kikyo said, slamming the locker door.
"Oh, I'm sorry" Sesshomaru responded quietly, regretting ever asking about him.
"It's okay" Kikyo reassured him, throwing her book bag over a shoulder. "Older brothers are just nuisances to have around. I'm actually kind of glad that he's gone."
Before Sesshomaru could start pondering whether this was how Inuyasha felt about him as an older brother, the 2-minute bell rang. "Oh crap, we better get to class" he said. They split off in their opposite directions, Sesshomaru heading to Photography and Kikyo to AP Government. Sesshomaru entered the classroom and slipped into his seat just in time to hear the final bell ring.
"Class, we have a new student joining us" said Akira-sensee, motioning to the peculiar looking adolescent boy standing to his right. He had long blue stripes down his face like a clown, and his black hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail.
We are getting so many new students this year…Sesshomaru thought.
"My name is Jakotsu. Nice to meet you all" said the guy, bowing deeply.
"Nice to meet you Jakotsu" the class responded in unison.
"Let's see…ah, there is an empty desk behind Sesshomaru" Akira said. Sesshomaru, could you please raise your hand so Jakotsu knows where to sit?"
Sesshomaru held up a hand lazily, and upon spotting him, Jakotsu grinned widely. He walked over to his desk, staring at Sesshomaru with wide eyes the entire time. As he passed by him, Jakotsu whispered, "hey there handsome."
Sesshomaru did a double take. Did he just hear what he thought he heard?
"Today's assignment is to go out and shoot black and white photos of anything related to nature. You are allowed outside, but do not leave the school campus," said Akira-sensee. As soon as he finished laying down the rules and guidelines for the assignment, everyone got up and began to disperse. Sesshomaru got up and walked to the front of the room to get a digital camera, and Jakotsu followed right behind, making him feel very awkward. As Sesshomaru reached for a camera, Jakotsu reached for the same one, and their hands touched.
"Excuse me…" Sesshomaru said, retracting his hand.
Jakotsu smiled deeply, looking straight into Sesshomaru's eyes. "You are just too cute" he said.
Okay, this dude is officially creeping me out Sesshomaru thought. He half-heartedly smiled back at Jakotsu, then grabbed another camera and walked away hastily. The rest of the class period he spent snapping pictures of random things outside, like trees and flowers and such. When he re-entered the classroom, he was relieved to see that Jakotsu was not there. He must still be outside taking pictures Sesshomaru thought with a sigh. He went to a computer and began uploading all the pictures he had just taken. As he looked over the first one, he immediately spotted Jakotsu's head, protruding slightly from behind a tree trunk. What the hell? Sesshomaru clicked the next picture, and what do you know! There was Jakotsu again, except this time his leg was visible off to the side. Sesshomaru clicked picture after picture, each time finding some part of Jakotsu present. How the hell did he manage to do that without me noticing him? Sesshomaru wondered with frustration. There was no way he could turn in any of those photos when Jakotsu was in all of them.
"The bell is about to ring, so I'm going to need your cameras" Akira-sensee said.
Sesshomaru smacked himself in the forehead. He was going to have to re-do the whole thing! Stupid new kid…