"It wasn't far into their journey though that the she-angel finally met the hybrid's infamous half brother, who despised the human race. She felt something strange when she first met him, and after that she finally realized that she was chasing the wrong 'demon'. She left the half demon in search for his brother in order to try and convert him back to the heavens. He hated her at first, but after a while her incessant caring and unconditional kindness changed his opinion of her. She was also falling in love with him."
"Remember that your projects are due tomorrow, everyone. Have a good day."
Kagome smiled over at Inuyasha and rose to collect her things.
"We'll go over to your house today to finish it up, okay?" Kagome asked sweetly, slinging her bag over her shoulder when Inuyasha nodded, blushing beet red.
"Our project is due tomorrow, so we're going to go over to your house today to finish it. Is that alright with you, Sesshoumaru-san?" Kagome asked, smiling up at him.
"It's fine with me as long as you don't make a lot of noise. I have tests to study for." Sesshoumaru said nonchalantly.
"Okay! Thank you Sesshoumaru-san!" Kagome spoke obliviously to Inuyasha's steaming ears.
"Why does he have to know about everything we're doing?! Kagome! Why do you always suck up to him!" Inuyasha fumed with jealousy and hatred dripping like venom from his voice.
Sesshoumaru was walking ahead now.
"It's polite to respect your elders." Kagome defended, "besides, it's his house too. I don't want to be a discomfort to anybody." Kagome looked angrily at him, blush tainting her cheeks, and an accusing 'how dare you embarrass me like that in front of him?' look in her eye.
"Whatever." Inuyasha glared at her and then at his brother's back.
Kagome turned her gaze to the sky and groaned. 'I hate it when this happens.' She thinks exasperated.
They sat at the table that Kagome had once been afraid to touch.
"We ain't gonna get any points for presentation, that's for sure." Inuyasha grumbled as he drew a hot white line across the grubby gray-tinted sheet.
"Yes, we'll have to rewrite it to get all your spelling and grammar mistakes gone as well." Kagome said smartly.
"Well then, Miss Perfect. What do you want to do?" Inuyasha spoke sarcastically.
"You have a computer, right Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, looking over their paper.
"Of course I do. Don't you?" Inuyasha snapped. She didn't answer him but continued.
"We'll use your computer to type it then." Kagome decided.
"Okay. It's in my dads office." Inuyasha said and turned away, starting to walk.
"Is that OKAY?!" Kagome sputtered, hurrying after him.
"He won't mind." Inuyasha brushed the question aside.
"He won't mind or he won't know?" Kagome hissed, holding the paper to her chest protectively.
"Do you want to get a good grade or not?" Inuyasha asked carelessly.
Kagome groaned and hurried after him.
"What about your brother? Will he tell on us?" Kagome asked.
"He's too high and mighty to stoop to tattling." Inuyasha assured her, leading her down a hallway of dull pictures and pale blue walls.
"Is this where your dad's office is?" Kagome asked.
"Yeah. Our rooms are on the right side of the staircase and Dad's office and the library are on the left side." Inuyasha said, bored and lazily.
"Oh." Kagome said softly, looking at all the pictures.
"We usually aren't allowed in his office - well, me. Sesshoumaru's 'trusted'. But I'm sure Dad won't mind as long as we don't 'disturb' anything." Inuyasha rolled his eyes.
"Are you sure?" Kagome asked uncertainly, creeping down the left side of the hallway.
"Yeah." Inuyasha returned, distractedly.
The office was… clean.
A small bookcase occupied one of the walls, a desk with neatly arranged contents was almost against another, and two white boards, side-by-side was on another. File cabinets resided next to the desk and two computers sat on the "L" shaped desk. Both were high tech, expensive computers. A typewriter was also present. Everything was neat.
"Who types faster?" Kagome asked innocently, moving closer to the black screen of the closest computer.
"Who owns the computer?" Inuyasha snorted, as if the mere thought of a girl that had never owned a computer could type at all was hilariously insane.
"My father used to own a computer you know!" Kagome retorted, then swallowed or choked when she realized what had slipped her careful barriers.
Inuyasha eyed her, shocked; it was the first time she had mentioned the existence or remembrance of a father at all.
He made no further comment, instead turning to the monitor and pressing the larger circular button.
Kagome stared, determined not to show any emotion, as a brilliant green light glowed around the button and shimmered and hummed.
There was silence, both avoiding questioning the other, when Inuyasha finally sat down and brought the paper next to the keyboard.
Kagome waited while he pulled up the word program and then he hesitated.
He turned soft eyes to her and his lips parted…
"Do you want to type it, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked apologetically.
The dam broke.
Sick from humiliation and despising herself for making him feel awkward or sympathetic… He would never look at her the same way again! Kagome bit down on her lip harshly and repeatedly chanted how idiotic and stupid she was.
"My father is dead, Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled, sure that it was only a whimper until he recoiled from the loud noise and then she realized her final mistake.
She spun on her heel and bolted, not caring about the project or the stairs or the distant doorway that she would run into if she didn't remember to open it…
It felt like 'de ja vu' - and then she remembered and the emotions engulfed her like nothing ever had… She was loosing control and common sense as memories rushed back and she forgot where she was… She would never laugh in the future at the silly reason she was acting this way…
"Kagome!" Her mother's broken voice called across the yard, a sudden hiccup jolting her mother's body and her voice cracking somewhere between the second and third syllables. It sounded like a mournful wail as Kagome's head lifted curiously from her place behind the fence, playing with her friend, Takaya.
"Mama?" Kagome had asked softly, climbing back over the fence and cautiously approaching her mother, who was almost insane with grief.
"My Kagome…" Her mother had murmured unknowingly, gathering her little daughter up and embracing her almost so that the said infant couldn't breath.
"Mama… What's wrong?" Kagome had tasted the words that now tasted like ash - she could feel her mother's intense anguish. She was confused.
"Your daddy has gone someplace Kagome…" Her mother had choked out. She had never had to explain this before. "He won't be coming back…" Her mother's tears had been salty on her tongue.
"Where did Daddy go?" Kagome had asked uncertainly.
"Don't worry… It's beautiful there…" Mrs. Higurashi had spoken softly, stroking her daughter's hair.
The six-year-old Kagome had asked no more questions. She didn't understand fully, 'death', so it seemed to her that Mommy was just upset that it would take a while for Father to return.
Kagome's mother had moved out of the house almost a month after Daddy 'left', desperate to leave for some reason. They had sold almost everything in order to get there, since Kagome's mother no longer had a seemingly endless supply of money…
Even though the Higurashi's had been a wealthy family, once the youngest had married into a poor family they had nearly disowned her.
Mrs. Higurashi had been pregnant with Souta at that time so Grandpa took mercy on them and accepted them back into the old shrine.
Mrs. Higurashi promised Grandpa could inform Souta about the family shrine and offer its ownership to him after Grandpa's death, but nothing would be forced. Even then she wanted a good life for her fatherless children.
Grandpa and Mother must have made up because Grandpa assured them that they were allowed to remain in the shrine complex even after Souta became of age to be left there alone to 'train'.
Kagome's mother helped around the shrine and Kagome always assumed that Mama and Grandpa had a good relationship because of all the genuine smiles between them after that.
It was only when Kagome turned ten and ventured to ask her mother when Daddy was really coming home that her heart shattered as her mother's had that fateful day.
"I guess you're old enough to know now… You're a big girl Kagome…" Mrs. Higurashi had almost groaned the words out, and the year after Kagome's mother had raised enough money to get them to her father's gravesite and back… Kagome had cried…
Kagome shook her head furiously and continued running, vaguely aware that she was rushing down the street now.
'I took track to learn to run… I took swimming to learn to escape… I got good grades to learn to be distracted… I didn't care about beauty because I didn't want anyone to get close…' Kagome thought tearfully as she sprinted till her legs almost gave out beneath her.
She was at the park.
"Kagome… You forgot your backpack…" A voice sounded behind her. She spun around and saw a Sesshoumaru standing there, watching her intently.
"I don't want pity." Kagome declared as she retrieved the bag from him.
"I do not pity you." Sesshoumaru said calmly, his eyes emotionless.
"Why didn't Inuyasha come?" Kagome spoke sharply, not liking the difference of his response to the usual sympathetic, setting-apart smiles or looks. He almost looked like he understood… Something in his eyes assured her that he was a friend and not somebody just staring at the sidelines, secretly saying 'I'm so glad that it wasn't my father…'
"My idiot brother did not want to face you, being the weak spirit he is." Sesshoumaru tilted his head. "The best thing he's ever lost was his girlfriend. He did not even truly… love… her. He only pretended to be special in that way. His mother died… He was too young to remember her. He will not commit himself to pretend to care." Sesshoumaru hissed.
"… Thank you." Kagome said softly, shouldering her bag.
He nodded curtly and moved to leave.
"I've read your story," Sesshoumaru suddenly said, "I'm sure Inuyasha won't find as efficient an ending as you would have, but I admire your… plot. You seem to have incorporated Inuyasha into your hybrid character… For he too would have only seen that the 'jewel' was shattered and not that a new one was obtained…"
Then he walked off. Distant lightning crackled in the sky.