Hidden Tears
Summary: Kikyo is the loveable and sophisticated twin, while Kagome is the plain and quiet one. What happens when Kagome gets close to someone unexpected... like Kikyo's boyfriend?
A/N: OH MY GOD…IT'S AN UPDATE:D
Chapter 7: Confused
The air was chilly that morning when Kagome stepped out of the cabin. Everyone else was still asleep in bed. Kagome shivered and tightened her blue scarf around her neck. Her shoes crunched on the white snow as she arrived at a nice opened area and sighed as she knelt onto the snow feeling the cool ice. How happy she was to spend some time away from the constant chores her mom ordered her to do. Grinning, Kagome gathered a small pile of snow and formed it into a tiny ball, trying to make a snowman.
"Mind if I help?" Kagome heard a familiar male voice call out from the distant. "Hey," Inu yasha greeted her with his usual grin. He walked over to Kagome and knelt next to her.
Kagome returned the smile and responded, "Hi."
Inu yasha pointed to the small snowball, "You going to make a snowman?" Kagome nodded. "Can I help?"
"Sure." The two worked on the snowman in silence. Neither one of them knew what to talk about. But the silence wasn't uncomfortable it was rather calming. They had already rolled two balls of snow when Kagome asked, "What are you doing up so early?"
Inu yasha patted one of the giant snowballs. "I usually wake up early for a jog and I saw someone walking out of the cabin. Turned out, it was you." He rubbed his gloved hands against each other. "Let's lift this up" Together the two hoisted the snow up and put it on top of the other one, identical to the first one but bigger.
"Here's the twigs and stones I collected earlier," Kagome said gathering a couple stones to start making the snowman's face.
She saw Inu yasha take one of the twigs and started drawing something in the snow. Kagome had run out of things to say to him so she continued to complete the snowman's face. "Inu yasha?" Kagome asked turning to the hanyou. He looked up at her. "Can you pass me one of the twigs?"
"Oh…right. Here." Inu yasha handed the twig he was holding to Kagome and grabbed the other to doodle with. He watched Kagome stick the twig into the left side of the snowman. The sun was starting to rise and the birds began to chirp. "Hey, Kagome?"
Kagome turned her attention away from the snowman and looked at Inu yasha. "Yeah?"
"You know…" Inu yasha trailed off. Kagome waited patiently for him to continue. "Uh…Naraku, he…"
Kagome immediately dropped her gaze and felt her stomach squeeze. She tried to shake the odd feeling off. "What about him?"
The boy started jabbing the stick into the snow over and over again. "Who exactly is he?"
Kagome knew little about the handsome Naraku. All she knew was that Kikyo and Naraku had some kind of tragic history. Her sister had never really mentioned him to her. Softly, she answered, "I don't know much about him."
"Oh," Inu yasha stopped playing with the twig and stuck it into the snowman to complete it. "There, it's all done."
Kagome could hear the disappointment in his voice. She gave him a small smile and nodded. "Thank you for helping me."
Inu yasha grinned, "No problem. It was fun. Let's go back to the cabin and eat breakfast. Everyone should be up by now."
"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! WAKE UP, PEOPLE! GET YOUR LAZY BUTTS OUT OF BED!" Sango shouted knocking on every single bedroom. She heard people mumbling in the room about something unpleasant and just shook her head smiling. Entering the kitchen, she saw Inu yasha and Kagome sitting on the counter eating their breakfast. "Good morning, Kagome. Good morning, Inu yasha." Sango went to the cupboard to find something to make.
"Good morning," Kagome said quietly. She stared at Sango who was desperately searching for food for a big group of teens to eat. "Hey, Sango?"
"Yeah?" Sango responded not turning to face Kagome as she continued to rummage around.
"Want me to cook some eggs for everyone to eat?" Kagome asked standing up from her seat.
Sango turned and lightly slapped her forehead. "Right! Eggs! Why didn't I think of that? Thanks, Kagome. Can you take out another pan and spatula?"
The two girls started to cook the eggs as the other people piled into the kitchen one by one, smelling the wonderful aroma. Kagome looked up from her cooking and saw Kikyo settle down next to Inu yasha and kissed him. She smiled, happy that she didn't have the same strange feeling from before.
Kikyo shifted in the seat and leaned against her boyfriend. She bit her lips as Naraku entered the kitchen, looking tidy as ever. Kagome had set a plate of eggs and toast in front of her, but now she wasn't in the mood to eat. She looked up and saw Naraku staring at her and he quickly turned away when Kikyo had made eye contact with him. Kikyo swallowed hard, thinking about the past and tried to force herself away from it. "Inu yasha?" Inu yasha turned to her smiling. How guilty she was feeling now. Inu yasha was such a great considerate guy! (A/N: Haha…sure he is…) "Um…Never mind."
Kagome had seen it all, the glances between her sister and Naraku. It hurt her that Kikyo had hid a huge secret from her about Naraku. Even though Kagome wasn't the type to gossip about boys, she had always loved listening about her sister's love life. Did Kikyo and Naraku have a buried romance?
"Hey, everyone?" Sango's voice shouted out. "Tonight we're going to go on a moonlight hike, so you all have to meet here in the cabin by eight-thirty." Everyone chatted excitedly being reminded of the hike they were supposed to go that evening. Kagome grinned; she loved being outside at night in the wilderness. She had to admit, it was creepy to be alone sometimes, but at least it was peaceful. She couldn't wait till nighttime.
"Kikyo," Kagome heard Inu yasha say. "Let's go outside for a bit." Kikyo had agreed and stood up, taking Inu yasha's hand. The couple walked out of sight from the kitchen, hand-in-hand. Kagome wondered, how would it feel to have a person you love hold onto your hand? It embarrassed her to be thinking about those thoughts. No one would hold her hand like that, and obviously Inu yasha wouldn't. He only thought of her as a friend.
Kagome sighed and got out of her seat, reaching the sink to wash the dishes that were in there. A classmate, Yume, From Kagome's class had handed Kagome her plate and gave her a helpful smile. Kagome only nodded back with a tense grin. She saw everyone disappear slowly, leaving only Kagome and Sango.
"Kagome! Leave the dishes for me," Sango said when she discovered Kagome rinsing dishes at the sink. "You're the guest here. You shouldn't be the one doing the dishes."
"It's alright. I'm already used to doing the dishes after everyone eats." Kagome finished the last few dishes and wiped her wet hands on the kitchen towel.
Sango looked at Kagome sheepishly. "I'm sorry. You really didn't have to do the dishes."
Kagome shrugged, "It's nothing. Anyways, it's all done."
"Thanks." Kagome smiled at Sango and walked out of the kitchen leaving Sango stunned. That was one of the first smiles she'd seen from Kagome.
Kagome entered her room, closing the door behind her quietly and sighed, sitting down on the bed. Her hand reached for the necklace Inu yasha had given her and closed her eyes. It made her so special to have such a gift from a man. It didn't matter to Kagome if Kikyo had forced him to get her it or not, it still felt unique to her.
She felt the smooth surface of the jewel and looked out the window. Snow fell from the blue sky and onto the ground making the ice look much purer. Kagome saw Kikyo and Inu yasha sitting on a rock talking about something. Kikyo had smiled and hugged him, receiving a kiss from Inu yasha. Turning away from the window, Kagome brought her legs up to her chest and hugged it tightly. She couldn't help but feel a little jealous with Kikyo. Kikyo, after all, had somebody to love her while Kagome didn't. She stood up and walked to the mirror that stood in the corner of the room and stared at her reflection. Her fingertips went to touch her mirror image and frowned. She still had bags under her eyes from the late chores her mother had ordered her to do. Her chocolate eyes hadn't sparkled like Kikyo's and her raven black hair curled a bit just past down her shoulders. If anyone asked if Kagome and Kikyo was her twin, she'd answer no. She just noticed that she didn't look one bit like her twin.
"Kagome?" Sango called from the other side of the door. Kagome looked up and went to open the door for Sango. She saw her friend standing there smiling at her.
"Hi," Kagome looked at Sango wondering why she was here.
Sango brushed her ponytail away and said, "Want to go groceries shopping with me? Since it looks like you're not doing much right now. But of course if you don't want to go with me, it's fine. It's up to you…" Sango stared at her friend hesitantly. She really wanted to talk to Kagome more, but she seemed to be only opened towards Inu yasha.
"Sure." Kagome turned to get her jacket and scarf and followed Sango out of the cabin. She slipped into her jacket and started tying her scarf around her neck. Kagome could hear Kikyo's soft giggles from behind the cabin and smiled lightly. She was happy that Kikyo had found someone caring and kind to be with her forever, but there was something in her stomach that made her uneasy.
"Let's go Kagome!" Sango called out. Kagome scurried over to Sango and arrived at the bus stop. A couple minutes later, the bus had come and the two stepped into the almost deserted car sitting somewhere in the back. "So…"
Kagome turned from the window seat, "Yeah?" Sango saw Kagome smile at her.
"How do you like it here so far?" Sango asked happy that Kagome wasn't as quiet as before.
"It's great. I'm really happy you invited me, Sango. Really…" Kagome looked ahead of the bus and thought of her mother's words when she hadn't let Kagome go to this trip.
Sango frowned; she always knew how Kagome's mother treated her. It wasn't fair towards Kagome. If it weren't for Ms. Higurashi, Kagome wouldn't have ended up like this. Everyday, Kagome always tried hard to impress her step-mom; listening to every single command she'd given her to get to her soft part. "You've changed, Kagome."
"What do you mean?"
They both stood up when the bus had reached their stop. Walking out of the bus, she said, "You didn't change in a bad way." Kagome looked at her curiously. "It's rather nice though. Ever since you started getting to know Inu yasha, something of him changed you."
"Really…" Kagome looked down to hide her blush.
"I'm not trying to embarrass you or anything, but you really are a whole new person when you're with him. I'm intimidated actually, how Inu yasha was the only one to get you to open up more."
Kagome didn't say anything for a while and Sango started regretting from saying she had changed. "I did, didn't I?"
Surprised, Sango answered, "It's nothing bad though. I'm just really happy you're who you are now."
Kagome smiled at Sango and trotted off into the groceries. She was looking forward to tonight's hike.
"Okay! Who's missing from our group?" Miroku shouted above the other people who were chattering away. Everyone had arrived back at the cabin to begin the moonlight hike in the woods. "Okay, I guess everyone's here. Let's go to the bus stop."
Kagome followed everybody outside where the wind was blowing soundlessly. She shivered and tightened her scarf to stay warm. They all got onto the bus to get to their destination somewhere in the woods where an instructor would tell them where to go. The bus ride was quiet for Kagome. She had decided to sit alone in the back of the bus and refused Sango when she asked if she wanted to sit with her.
She watched as they got nearer to a small cabin with a young woman standing at the entrance. The bus came to a halt as everyone excitedly got up to exit. Slowly, Kagome rose and walked out the bus. She looked around and saw Kikyo and Inu yasha together and chattering among each other. Well, at least Kikyo was talking.
"Welcome, everybody," the petite young woman greeted out with a cheery voice. She rubbed her hands together and smiled at the people. "You guys all ready to go on that hike?"
Kagome grinned as everyone cheered. The instructor continued, "Alright, I'm Natsumi, your instructor for tonight. Before we go on the hike I have a few rules to explain. For this hike, I don't want anyone going alone. It's not safe for people to hike alone at night in the woods so I want you all to pair up with each other."
Automatically people started pairing up girl boy, leaving Kagome looking for a partner. She was about to go to Sango when she saw Miroku taking her away. Everyone else seemed to be paired up already, even Hojo who was Kagome's second choice for a partner. She bit her lips and looked towards Inu yasha's direction only to find his arms draped onto Kikyo's shoulders.
"Does everyone have a partner?" Natsumi asked counting the pairs. Her eyes fell onto Kagome and said, "Where's your partner?"
"I…I don't have one."
"Well that won't work." Natsumi looked around hoping to find an extra person.
Sango frowned, "That's right, there's an odd number amount of people here. How about if she joins Miroku and I?"
Kagome gave her friend a small smile, thankful that she let her into her group. The instructor continued with the rules and sent each pair one by one into the dark path. Kagome watched Kikyo and Inu yasha walk side by side towards the woods until they disappeared. Why did she feel so down?
"Go," Natsumi said pointing to the path telling them it was their time to go.
The trio went onto the narrow path in silence. Kagome fell a couple steps behind Sango and Miroku so they could be more alone. Once in a while, Sango would look back to check on Kagome then smile.
It seemed as if hours had past since the beginning of the hike. Crickets chirped in the starry night sending shivers down Kagome's back. She held onto her flashlight tighter and puckered her brow. Her mind kept going back to the conversation she had with Sango. What did Inu yasha have that no one else had to get her to be more opened?
"This is nice," Kikyo smiled tightening her hold on Inu yasha's arms.
"Mm…"
Kikyo looked at her boyfriend confused. "Is something wrong?"
Inu yasha shook his head, "Nah. Just thinking."
"What about?"
"Stuff."
Inu yasha looked ahead of the path and heard Kikyo sigh. How come the image of Kagome's lonely face kept on bothering him? When nobody partnered up with her he felt as if he should've been the one to invite her to be with Kikyo and him.
"…so beautiful with the ribbons all tied up like that right?"
There was also that Naraku. Inu yasha could see the looks he had been giving Kikyo. It couldn't have been missed. There definitely was something weird going on between them two. It irritated him how he didn't know anything about it. He could also tell that Kikyo was avoiding Naraku for some odd reasons.
"Right, Inu yasha?"
"What?"
Kikyo pursed her lips and shook her head. "You weren't listening were you?" Inu yasha just stared at her for a minute. "Never mind. What are you really thinking about?"
He continued to look at Kikyo.
Kikyo sighed, "How come whenever I'm with you now, you always seem like you're so far away. You're always thinking about something and you get distracted so easily. What's going on?"
"Nothing's going on. I'm just thinking about personal stuff, alright?" Inu yasha stuffed his hands into his pockets.
"Like what? What are you so sidetracked about?" Kikyo frowned and tucked her long silky black hair behind her ears.
Inu yasha could see a small dim light ahead of them, a sign telling them that they were almost at the end of the hike. "Nothing. It's nothing big. I told you already."
"Right. Of course." She pressed her lips into a straight line and quickly went ahead of Inu yasha to meet up with the others who were already done with the hike.
Heaving a sigh, Inu yasha turned around and saw Sango and Miroku coming with Kagome trotting behind. Slowly, more and more people showed up at the meeting spot. Sango and Kagome were quietly talking among themselves while Kikyo had left him for one of her other friends. He went over to Kagome and Sango greeting them.
"Hi," Kagome replied.
Sango immediately stopped talking and said, "Uh, I'm going to go talk to Miroku for a bit. Talk to you later Kagome."
Inu yasha watched Sango leave with haste and turned back to Kagome. "Did you have fun?"
"It was okay."
"Yeah." He kicked the soft white snow with his shoes and let out a breath. He turned to check on Kikyo and found her gone somewhere else.
"Wasn't much of a romantic hike for you, huh?"
His attention went back to Kagome and nodded. "Kikyo's a little frustrated at me right now. It was my fault anyways. Did you see her go somewhere?"
"No." Kagome stared at Inu yasha's face for a second. He seemed troubled by something. "What's wrong?"
Inu yasha looked back at Kagome and paused. "It's nothing…" Kagome tilted her head and waited for him to confess. "Actually, it is something. It keeps troubling me…"
Kagome looked down onto the snow. She knew what was bothering him. Her heart squeezed, still confused why it hurt so much. It was only natural for Inu yasha to care about Kikyo so much. Naraku was also a puzzle to Kagome too. She knew nothing about him and wished she could help Inu yasha somehow.
"The thing is…" Inu yasha trailed off pausing.
The wind started to pick up and people began heading back inside the nearby cabin for something hot to drink.
"Why does it bother me so much to see you alone while I feel like I should be the one there for you?"
A/N: Haha…well that's something for you guys to think about. Yeah I know, yet another long update from me. I'm sorry! I really have been busy, really. You guys are probably sick of hearing that from me…but it's the truth! I'm really trying to update whenever I can.
Anyways, thanks for all the great reviews!