A/N: Ok, here's chapter two! I can't really think of anything special to say here, so I won't waste your time! Lol.
Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha and/or X-Men, this wouldn't be a fanfiction, now would it?
Chance Encounter: Chapter 2
Almost an hour later, they were ready to eat. With a call of "come an' get it!" from the kitchen, they all filed in. Kagome explained to Inuyasha that he would have to sit at the table like everyone else, while fortunately avoiding the word 'sit' itself. Inuyasha recieved a large bowl of steaming ramen, while everyone else was given spaghetti with meatballs and a salad. About half-way through dinner, after Inuyasha'd finished his fourth bowl of ramen, he reached over and grabbed a meatball out of Kagome's plate.
"Did you want some spaghetti, Inuyasha?" Jean asked curiously, seeing him eyeing Kagome's plate. After a second, he nodded slowly and then watched Jean put his bowl away and fill a plate with some of the noodles covered in red sauce. As it turned out, he liked that, too.
Dinner was mostly quiet, as they were all absorbed in their own thoughts, and worrying about their own problems. At nearly 7:00 p.m., they were done eating. Seeing that everyone'd finished, Jean stood, and said, "Ororo, will you help me with the dishes?"
"Certainly, Jean. Gather the dishes, and I shall get the water ready." Ororo replied as she stood and walked over to the sink. Kagome gasped and Inuyasha's eyes widened slightly when a small rain cloud appeared in Ororo's palm, and began raining in the sink. A similar reaction occured when the dishes suddenly levitated up and over towards the sink that was now half-filled with water.
"Don't be alarmed. Jean and Ororo are mutants, just like the rest of us. We all have different powers, or, in cases like mine, a slightly different way to manifest and use those powers." Betsy stated, noting their reactions and realizing they'd forgotten to tell their new-found friends that they were, indeed, mutants.
"What the hell's a mutant?" Inuyasha asked bluntly.
"A mutant is a person with superhuman, or unnatural, powers. Ororo, for example, can control the weather. That's why she is called Strom. Jean is a telepath/telekinetic. A telepath has the ability to read minds, and communicate through them. A telekinetic has the ability to move objects with her mind." Betsy elaborated. Kagome and Inuyasha nodded in understanding.
"I get it, but what about the rest of you? What can you do?" Inuyasha asked, nicer than usual.
Betsy again spoke, "I am also a telepath, like Jean. I manifest my powers in the form of a psychic dagger on my fists. I'm also able to shadow teleport. Basically, I can transport myself and whoever, or whatever, I chose through shadows. Jubilee has the ability to create fireworks from her hands. Fireworks are loud, bright, multi-colored lights that can cause severe burns, and explode under the right circumstances. Rogue has the ability to absorb people's thoughts and abilities through skin-to-skin contact. She also has extremely enhanced strength and the ability to fly. Gambit has the ability to charge objects with kinetic energy so that it will explode on contact with whatever he desires it to. Wolverine has the ability to heal quickly, and he has enhanced senses. He also has six, foot-long claws, three on each hand. His skeleton is laced with adamantium, which is the most indistructable metal on Earth, and his claws are also covered with this metal. Is there anything you didn't understand?"
Kagome shook her head and looked to Inuyasha, who was still deciding whether or not he needed anything cleared up. Finally, he shook his head, fairly certain he understood what was important. By the time Betsy had explained all of the abilities of the X-Men gathered in the room, Jean and Ororo had finished the dishes.
With that done, everyone stood and journeyed to the living room. That's when Jubilee spoke. "Hey, do either of you have any special powers?"
"Keh. Of course we do. D'ya think my claws and this sword are just for show?" Inuyasha stated with a slightly cocky tone.
"Cool! Can you show us some of your sword-skills!" Jubilee asked excitedly. Kagome's eyes widened as she saw the destructive grin form on Inuyasha's face.
"Inuyasha! Don't you dare draw that sword in here, I do not feel like sleeping outside, in a strange country!"
"Yet you don't have any problems with sleeping outside in a foreign time era?"
"It's not like I have that much choice, and besides, it's different. We only have to worry about stray demons, and you and the others can usually sense those!"
"What about bandits? They aren't demon, so Sango an' Miroku can't usually sense them."
"But you can."
"Um, I hate to interrupt, but, why would you have to sleep outside if he drew his sword?" Jubilee asked tentatively.
"Because his sword could level this entire building in one blow if he really wanted to."
"Oohh. Wow, that's totally cool."
"What about you, Kagome? Do you have any special abilities?" Jean asked curiously. The attention then shifted to Kagome, who blushed from all of the pairs of eyes staring at her.
"Well, yes, technically. I have the ability to sense the shards of a powerful jewel known as the Shikon no Tama, or, Sacred Jewel of Four Souls. It...shattered a while ago, and we're searching for the shards so that we can put it back together. I can also shoot Sacred Arrows, but, to do that, I need a bow and arrows."
"That sounds so cool! Hey, maybe we can all do a demonstration in the Danger Room!" Jubilee suggested suddenly, jumping up from her seat on the couch. Only to be dragged down by Wolverine when he grabbed the back of her jacket collar.
"I do not think that is a good idea, Jubilation." Ororo stated solemnly as the young Chinese-American crossed her arms in a fake pout. Ororo continued, "Furthermore, it is late, so I shall show you where you may stay, and then I suggest we all turn in for the night."
A few minutes later they were all upstairs, and Ororo was leading Kagome and Inuyasha to where they could sleep. Most of the team had already found their own rooms and said good night. Stopping in front of a door, Ororo asked, "Now, would you like to stay in the same room, or separate rooms?"
Kagome blushed slightly, though she wasn't sure why. Why am I blushing? It's not like Inuyasha and I haven't shared a room together before. I really would prefer it if he were with me, I don't know where I am, and it's slightly unnerving. But, he might want his space, maybe I'll just let him decide. What if I have that dream again? Or one like it? Oh, I don't know if I could handle being alone. Relax Kagome, just let Inuyasha decide.
Inuyasha wasn't sure he like the idea of leaving Kagome alone overnight, so, he asked a question to help make up his mind. "Is there a tree near the window of whichever room Kagome'd be in?"
"A tree? The nearest tree is at least 50 feet from the window."
50 feet? That's too far. If something happened, I might not be able to reach Kagome in time. Damn. She better not 'sit' me for this, but there's no way, after all that happened earlier, that I'm lettin' her outta my sight tonight. She might need me, and I intend to be there if she does. "The same room." Inuyasha decided, his tone leaving no quesion to be asked.
"Very well. You may share this one, then. I do hope you sleep well. Should either of you need anything, simply pull on that chain, and climb that ladder. My room is in the attic, so I'll be just above you. Good night." Ororo said, pulling on the afformentioned chain that was hanging from a spot not 15 feet away from their door, and climbing the ladder. A minute later, it folded back into the ceiling.
Inuyasha opened the door to his and Kagome's room, taking a quick sniff to reassure himself that it was safe. After Kagome had entered, he shut the door. The room had plain, white, walls, a ceiling fan in the center, and dark blue carpeting. There was one, king-sized, bed against the far wall. The one window had black drapes covering it, and was behind the headboard for the bed. The closet to the left was closed, and the dresser to the right was white with gold trim, and had a phone on the top with an intercom system built in. The bed itself had a dark blue comforter, with a light blue sheet underneath. It also had four, fluffy, pillows in a light blue pillow case. There was a door not five feet to the left of the dresser which led to the bathroom. Inside was a shower with a sliding door and all the other necessities in their proper places.
Kagome sighed and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. Inuyasha began to walk around, inspecting everything in the room, and then opened the closet, took a sniff, closed it, and then repeated the process in the bathroom. Having satisfactorily inspected the whole room, he walked over and sat down on the floor, leaning against the bed, next to Kagome's feet.
"Inuyasha, why are you on the floor?" Kagome asked, adjusting herself so that she could see him, by laying on her stomach, using her hands to support her head, so that her head was next to Inuyasha's ears.
"'Cause I felt like it, I don't know. Why does it matter?"
"I was just curious." she replied, yawning. Inuyasha's ear twitched ever-so-slightly and he sighed.
"You should try an' get some sleep, wench."
"I know, but, I..."she began, unsure of how to say what she felt.
Inuyasha turned to look at her when she trailed off. His eyebrow arched as he said, "You what?" He watched as she silently folded her arms and laid her head down with her eyes closed, facing Inuyasha. He waited for a minute, which was patient enough for him, before he spoke. "Well? You what?"
Kagome opened her eyes, realizing she hadn't answered him, and said quietly, "I'm afriad to go to sleep. What if I have that dream again? Or one like it? What if, this time, I don't wake up?"
"Oi, Kagome, you will wake up. I promise. An' there ain't nothin' I can do about keepin' that dream from comin' back, but I promise, you'll wake up, an' you'll be fine. But, you have t'promise to tell me if it does come back, ok?"
Kagome nodded, feeling more sleepy by the second, and trying to stifle another yawn. She opened her eyes at the sound of movement, to find herself at eye-level with...the still-sheathed Tetsusaiga. Her face reddened instantly as she sat up.
"Inuyasha, what are you doing?"
"Well, I was gonna move you so that you were laying properly, but seein' as you're more awake than I thought, you can do it yourself."
Taking the hint, Kagome righted herself on the bed and scooted to the side, before attempting to make herself more comfortable. "Why the hell'd you move over to the side, wench? You'll roll right off the damn bed!"
"Well, if I didn't, then where would you sleep?"
"On the floor, where else? I've never slept on one of those things before, an' I don't plan on startin' now." Inuyasha said, indicating the mattress.
"You can't sleep on the floor, there's plenty of room on the bed, and it's way more comfortable than the floor anyway."
"I can, and I will. The floor doesn't bother me. Besides, this way you can be more comfortable." the half-demon's eyes widened and his face reddened as realized that he'd said more than he meant to. Fortunatley, Kagome didn't seem to notice.
"Ok, fine, you win. Good night, Inuyasha." she said, already half-asleep.
"'Night, Kagome." Inuyasha said, laying down on the floor next to her side of the bed, and closing his eyes. I don't know what the hell's goin' on, but it'd better not have anything to do with her dream, 'cause if I ever find the bastard causing 'em, I'll rip him apart, limb by limb. He thought before drifting off into an uneasy sleep.
Kagome Higurashi awoke in a dark room, hog-tied to a wooden chair, and gagged with a sock and duct tape. It took her eyes a minute to adjust to the blackness of the room, but when they did, she began attempting to look around. Since she could hardly move her head, she couldn't see much. Not that she could see much anyway, thanks to the lack of light in the room. Suddenly, she realized that there were odd, 3-D shapes on the floor. After a minute of staring at one, she realized that it looked, from what she could see, a lot like Psylocke. Scanning the others, she counted six other bodies. The other six X-Men. Where's Inuyasha? Is he here! INUYASHA! She screamed in her thoughts, hoping that he would somehow sense that she needed him.
That was when she saw it, or him, rather. A body, that she instantly recognized as Inuyasha's, hanging from a rope in the ceiling, and bound with a thick, metal, chain. The Tetsusaiga was laying on the ground beneath him, and he himself looked limp. Dead. Even in the pitch black darkness, she could tell, he was gone. This time forever. She'd lost him, whether or not she'd ever had him didn't matter, what mattered was that he was gone. No! Not Inuyasha! I can't lose him! Please tell me this is just another nightmare, please! INUYASHAAA! NOOOO! she inwardly screamed, as the tears rolled down her face.
"Don't shed your tears for him, girl. He wouldn't shed any for you. Unrequited love is pointless, really, haven't you learned that yet? Now, I need you alive to deliver a message. I'll send you back to the institute, and when the other X-Men arrive, tell them that their friends have perished. Tell them that if they don't desire to meet the same fate, or if they desire to spare the city of New York from such a fate, then they will surrender to me. And they can do so at sunset tomorrow in the very center of New York City. Tell them to surrender only to Sinister. But, don't tell them anything else. Should one word of anything that you've experienced since awakening on their lawn exit your mouth, I'll kill your family. Should you continue, I'll kill your friends, and, should you still not get the hint, I'll kill those you care about on the other side of the well. Are we clear?"
Kagome nodded; since she still had the gag in her mouth, that was about the only thing she could do. She winced as a black hand reached out and ripped the duct tape, and consequently the sock, too, off of her mouth.
"Any questions?" the man supposedly called Sinister asked in a tone that proved he was aptly named.
Kagome's eyes narrowed, and, though she knew it wasn't a good idea, she asked, "Why did you kill Inuyasha? Why do you need me? Were you the one who transported us to the institute yesterday? Why didn't you just let one of them live to deliver the message!"
Sinister's red eyes flashed dangerously and he leaned in close, so that Kagome could see his pale face, and needle-like teeth, and the red diamond over his third eye. "Why? Because, one of them could have formulated a plan that may actually have worked, and I used you and your friend because that was the deal. You see, I have an acquaintance that desires something you have, and your half-breed friend was just always in the way. Which reminds me, once you've delivered your message, assuming you don't do anything wrong, you'll be transported back here, and I'll be taking your jewel shards. They are, after all, the items my acquaintance desires." he finished with a laugh that sent chills up her spine.
"Who's your acquaintance?" Kagome asked carefully, not 100 sure she wanted to hear the answer. Sinister grinned wickedly and leaned in close to answer her, with a low, frightening whisper.
"The reincarnation of an old friend of yours. The man, or demon, I know, is named Muso."
Kagome's eyes widened in fright at the mention of Muso. If Muso's a reincarnation of 'an old friend', could he be the reincarnation of Naraku? It makes sense, but how would Muso have Naraku's memories? What does it matter, without Inuyasha, it's only a matter of time until Muso and 'Sinister' win. Oh, Inuyasha, what am I supposed to do without you?
Sinister leaned in next to her ear while she was lost in thought, and whispered something, the words themselves, she never heard, but the voice, and the tone, she heard all too well. She snapped out of her reverie just in time to feel Sinister's slimy tongue trace her ear. She cringed, and her mind screamed.
Kagome had been tossing in the bed for nearly three hours, moaning softly and kicking off her sheets at random intervals. Inuyasha was getting worried. Well, in truth, he'd been worried for the past two hours and 50 minutes. By now, she'd rolled to the center of the bed, and she was sweating profusely. Kneeling on the bed, he pulled her close to him and started shaking her by the shoulders, trying to wake her. Suddenly her body tensed and her face contorted as if she were crying and in pain at the same time. Then she started struggling more. "Kagome! Wake up, wench! C'mon, it's just a dream, follow my voice, I know you can hear me, damnit! Kagome, wake up!" he hissed urgently, shaking her more.
"Kagome! I know you can hear me, damnit! Kagome!" Inuyasha's voice echoed in her head. She suddenly went pale and once again Sinister's presence faded into the background as she tried desparately to focus on Inuyasha's voice. Inuyasha, can you hear me? Are you really there? There was a long strip of silence, followed by his voice, less urgent than before, but still there.
"I'm right here, you crazy woman. Focus on my voice, ok? Everything'll be all right, I promise." he replied. She could've sworn his voice sounded worried, and tender. But she didn't have the time to worry about it. He was there, and she wasn't going to let him slip away. She could feel Sinister's eyes observing her. She ignored it, focusing instead on where Inuyasha's voice had come from.
Kagome slowly stopped struggling in Inuyasha's arms, and she moaned lightly, her closed eyes narrowing in concentration, before she slowly opened them. "Inuyasha? Is that...you?"
Inuyasha grinned as he replied, "We had this conversation not too long ago, you know? Of course it's me. That was one intense nightmare, was it the same one?"
"No." she shook her head and curled into his chest before continuing. "It was different, but, it seemed like a continuation dream. I woke up in a dark room, and the bodies of the X-Men, the ones we met today, were all over the floor. They were dead. And then, I saw a body hanging from the roof, wrapped in a chain. It was...you. You were dead, and the Tetsusaiga was on the floor." Kagome interrupted herself when the tears started falling and she couldn't control herself. Her hands clutched onto Inuyasha's haori, and her face was buried in his chest as she cried.
Inuyasha's arms found their way around her waist to hold her while she cried, letting her get it out of her system, no matter how much he hated to see her cry. That dream must've really shaken her. Could she really be this upset just because she thought I was dead? Keh, yeah, like I could ever mean that much to her. I know she cares, but I'm a half-breed, no one could ever truly love a half-breed. An' it's not like I've been Mr. Nice to her all this time. Damnit! Quit having some damn pity party! Kagome needs you. Worry about how she feels for you later, idiot!
After a few minutes, Kagome cried herself to sleep in Inuyasha's arms. Realizing that she needed her sleep and that he didn't really want to let her go, he adjusted himself comfortably on the bed, and let her use him as a giant pillow, before slowly drifting off to sleep. Kagome slept peacefully for the rest of the night. So did Inuyasha.
To Be Continued...
A/N: So, did you like it? I hope it's all compartively believable, if you know what I mean. Either way, please R&R! Oh, and remember, please don't flame me. And above all, keep reading!