Crisscross

Chapter Four

Kagome was in a good mood when she was coming out of the bank. She had just withdrew a fair amount of money she had been saving for the last three months. She was finally going to purchase that silk collection she's been wanting for the last few weeks and the little envelope with a thick wad of money in it was going to get it for her. She opened the door and stepped out into the lively streets of a busy Tokyo morning, when she felt something whiz by her and her hands were suddenly empty. She barely saw the blur of a red through the thick mob of people.

"Hey!"

She was about to run after the snatcher when someone else bumped into her. The two crashed down onto the hard concrete and Kagome could hear someone curse very loudly. She opened her eyes to see a man with silver hair over her, his dog ears twitching in anger and his teeth bared. He wasn't growling at her, but growling at the busy streets where the pickpocket had just took his leave. He was wearing casual clothes, baggy slacks and a simple button up shirt, but the ID card that had slipped out of the inner pocket of his leather jacket told her that he was part of a bureau.

"Could you mind getting off?" She asked, rather annoyed.

"Have you seen a red head go by? Bushy tail, fox demon, green eyes?" He asked in a snappy tone and when she didn't answer him at once, he let out an irritated growl. "What the hell is wrong with you, wench? You deaf?"

Her lips turned into a scowl as she pushed him off of her, her back aching from the crash.

"I would slap you for that, officer, but now that you're here, you can help me catch the thief who just snatched away my three months of earnings."

"No, I won't 'cause I'm after someone myself. "

He was about to run off, but Kagome had caught the back of his jacket and pulled him back angrily.

"You're a cop! You're supposed to help a citizen in need!" She shouted, earning the curious looks of pedestrians.

"I could arrest you for assaulting a police officer, woman!" He yelled back at her.

"I could make you lose your job once I report this at the station!"

"Like you know where I work for." He sneered.

She held up his ID card in her left hand, one eyebrow raised in mock surprise. "The Yajawa Police Department of Tokyo, Japan. Officer Inuyasha Koizu," she read out loud.

"How the hell did you get that, woman?" He swiped the card out of her hand.

"You dropped it when you practically hurled yourself at me! And for your information my name is not woman, its-"

"Are you going to shut up if I told you that I'll catch the bastard?"

He didn't even wait for her reply and simply heaved her over his shoulder and started running at an amazing speed.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kagome yelled from his shoulder, clutching onto his jacket for dear life, "Let me go!"

"I'll get to you once I catch the little brat I'm after! I'm just taking you with me so you won't go screaming your head off to my boss," he growled as he clumsily but accurately avoided the crowd.

"God damn!" He cursed as he stopped to sniff the air. "I can't catch his scent through this crowd."

A flash of red caught Kagome's eye and she saw the familiar green jacket the boy was wearing as he whipped into an alleyway.

"There! The little alleyway between-"

Her words were cut short when he took a sharp left and into the narrow alleyway.

"I'm not a sack of rice you throw over your shoulder," she grumbled in an irritated tone as he knocked down trashcans on the way, "You could at least carry me in a proper way if you're going to-"

"Yeah, I notice you're not a sack of rice, woman. Sacks of rice don't talk." But he carefully slid her onto his back, giving her a piggyback as he focused on the narrow track.

He raced after the teen who was just a few feet ahead of them, trying to lose the cop behind him by making rapid turns and knocking down obstacles but to no avail. He looked over his shoulder just in time to see the officer right in front of his nose before he was tackled roughly to the ground.

"Ha! You thought you were going to get away from me in one piece did you?"

The teen groaned as he heard the cop growl triumphantly and pin him onto the ground, making him lay prone with his face facing the dirt. He struggled, but the hands searching his jacket was not stopped. A violent tug at his pocket told him that the cop had confined his profit of the day.

"And what's this?" Inuyasha held up a brown envelope as he pocketed his regained wallet. "You snagged quite a lot didn't you?"

"Hey, that's mine!" Kagome exclaimed as she gingerly got off from Inuyasha's back, which she was miraculously still riding on even when he had tackled the teen. She took the envelope from his outstretched hand. He may have caught the thief only because he was actually his target, but the fact that a total stranger had carried her and even helped her rescue her stolen money was what made her see the short-tempered man in a different light. Besides, his appearance wasn't grotesque(quite the opposite) and his twitching dog ears were very tempting to pull.

"Thank you." She smiled at him with genuine gratitude.

"Keh."

A pale blush crept up Inuyasha's cheeks as he got off from the kid. He wanted to make a run for it, but Inuyasha was gripping his upper arm viciously.

"Kid, what's your name?" He growled.

"...Shippou." The child mumbled, his head bowed to the ground. He unconsciously pressed his cap tighter onto his head with his free hand.

He had thought that he was going to be paying a visit to the juvenile police department again when he felt the death grip release itself from his arm. He looked up to see the officer taking out a few bills from his pocket.

Inuyasha took off the cap to reveal a unruly mass of flaming red hair and placed the money onto Shippou's head. He then put the cap back onto its previous place, ramming the hat onto his head a little harder than necessary.

"Go. If I ever find you pick pocketing again, I'll personally cut off your little fingers," he snarled in a gentle tone.

Shippou hesitated, but when he saw the glaring eyes of the half-demon he gave a little bow of gratitude and ran out of the alleyway as a small blur. Inuyasha turned back to see her smiling at him with a gentle look in her eyes. She was an attractive woman, he noticed. Medium-height, soft eyes, ebony hair...And a rather well curved body. She held out a hand to him.

"Thank you, officer," she softly said, "My name's Kagome. Kagome Higurashi."

He stared at the smiling woman, taking in her friendly gesture, smirked, and took her hand.

"Inuyasha Koizu."


Kagome's amber eyes slowly opened as the grandfather clock in the living room let out ten strenuous rings to announce the current time, its powerful sounds echoing throughout the commodious penthouse. Usually, the residence would be full of action with the maids bustling around, Inuyasha looking for his ID card, which always seemed to magically disappear every morning, Kagome hurriedly packing up her sketches, Izayoi making phone calls, and Inutashio rushing to his car with a suitcase in hand. But today was Sunday. The maids were taking their day off for the weekends, Inutashio and Izayoi were sleeping in, and Kagome was in Inuyasha's room, in his bed, next to his side, and fiddling with a strand of his silver locks.

Six days...

Funny. Her wedding was in six days and here she was dreaming about the day she had met her lover. She looked up to see Inuyasha's sleeping face. His eyes were closed, but his furry ears twitched ever so frequently as if trying to pick up the sounds of danger. It was those very ears that caught her attention in the first place. Besides the fact that he had literally ran into her at their first encounter.

The afflictive reality she was stuck in seemed to push her down into a deep swamp of tribulation. Getting wed to her lover's brother... How the hell was she supposed to live like that?

She was again silently moping for the miserable fate that awaited her when she felt a hand twirling with the ends of her own dark hair. She tilted her head up to see Inuyasha looking down at her, a playful glint in his golden eyes.

"Feel all right, Kagome?" He whispered in a quiet voice.

She looked up at him, a small smile playing on her lips and she wordlessly gave his twitching ears a gentle tug.

"Ow..." He removed her hands from his sensitive ears, smiling when he heard her giggling for once in a long time. "What was that for?"

"Nothing..." She gave him a placid smile and turned over, her back facing him.

"Oh, really?" He nuzzled her neck, earning another chuckle from her. His hands rubbed her smooth skin, scooping her body closer to his. They lay there for a while in a tranquil state, staring out into space when Kagome finally broke the silence.

"Inuyasha?"

"Yeah...?" He mumbled with his nose in her hair, his eyes closed.

"Why does Sesshomaru hate you so much?"

His eyes slowly opened to narrow themselves in displeasure. He looked towards where Kagome was intensely staring at, and saw the picture of him and his parents laughing in the gardens in a handsome frame of ebon wood.

Sesshomaru was not present.

"Where did that come from?" He tried to avoid the question, but Kagome thought otherwise.

"It's just that I noticed that all this time...How he's always not in the house...As if he's avoiding the whole family," she mumbled quietly, "Not to mention that look he gave you last night ...And he completely ignores your mother..."

Inuyasha sighed. He had known that she was bound to ask him any time now...

"I'll tell you, Kagome," he muttered as he turned her over to face him, "But I swear, you'll only feel pity for the bastard."


It was awkward. It was even more awkward than the time he had woken up to see her for the first time at the hospital. Rin had dressed and was ready to leave when Sesshomaru exited the bathroom. He put on his shoes in silence and she did the same. They walked out of the same door, but they walked through the hall and into the elevator in complete silence that nobody would have suspected them to be an acquaintance with each other.

The doors started to close.

That was when Rin suddenly crossed the elevator and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a warm embrace. He dully stood there quite surprised by the sudden contact as she whispered next to his ear.

"I've never asked anything from you, Sesshomaru Koizu."

Yes, that was true. She was always so independent. He had always wanted her to be leaning on him, so that she would always come to him when in need, but she stood by herself until the very end.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I can recall, I never asked anything from you."

He remained silent, pondering if he should surrender to the desire of returning her embrace or give her no response just out of spite for what happened this morning.

"But now I'm going to ask you a favor and I trust that you will do it for me."

Still he showed no response.

"Be nice to your wife."

This was something he had not been expecting. His golden eyes narrowed slightly.

"This marriage is also against her own will."

He felt her arms tighten around his neck.

"At least you're doing this for your mother, but she's merely yielding to this marriage because of some contract she didn't even know about."

His motionless arms slowly raised themselves.

"You would do it for me if you loved me, Sesshomaru."

His arms were hovering just centimeters off from her hips. A silent battle raged inside of him between his pride and his desire.

"Please...Care for her like you would for me."

His desire won the battle at her last words. His arms were about to tighten their hold on her waist.

But the elevator door silently slid open to reveal a slightly surprised man in a light purple dress, carrying a pot of flowers.

Rin immediately untangled her arms from him and quickly shifted to the other side of the elevator, her head bowed down. When she looked up again, her eyes were looking a little watery than before as the man cautiously stepped into the elevator. Sesshomaru had lowered his arms.

"Uh...Good morning, Rin?" The man nervously asked at the sight of her streaming eyes.

"Good morning, Jakotsu." She gave him a weak smile.

"Uh...Boyfriend?" Jakotsu asked as he gave the still impassive Sesshomaru a quick glance as he pressed the first floor of the elevator.

Sesshomaru was silently staring at a corner of the doors, but he felt something stir inside him when he heard Jakotsu's question. He waited for her answer.

Rin merely shook her head as she daintily wiped her tears onto the sleeves of her blouse. She knew Sesshomaru saw her doing so.

"Oh...Uh...Ok..." Jakotsu ended the conversation and a dreadful silence took its place in the elevator. Finally, there was a small sound of a bell and the doors slid open, letting Jakotsu escape the uncomfortable silence with a mumbled goodbye to Rin.

Rin briskly walked out of the elevator giving a small nod to the security guard at the front desk as a greeting and headed out the automatic glass doors. Sesshomaru followed. Once again the couple looked like two completely different stragners.

That is until he grabbed her wrist once she had exited the condo.

She whipped around, ready to push him away, when she felt the familiar warm lips covering her own.

She struggled once again, but his hands had already caught both of her wrists, his arms pulling her closer to him.

"Sesshomaru, stop..." She barely managed to whisper through choked sobs as his tongue lapped at her lips. "Stop..."

"Just once, Rin." He whispered onto her cheek, his grip on her wrists unconsciously tightening. "Just once..."

His lips found her mouth again and he found that she had granted his request. His tongue easily slipped into the warm cavern, rubbing onto the roof of her mouth,
lining her white straight teeth, and meeting with her own hesitant tongue.

Their last kiss was sweet.

It was not intense.

Nor was it innocent.

It was simply a few moments of heaven as their tongues met in a slow motion.

It was simply a last request he had asked for.

It was simply another way of saying the last goodbye.

Ever so slowly did the two pairs of lips part, both lingering with the other with an air of remorse.

Ever so slowly did his hands release their grip, his arms falling limp to his sides.

Ever so slowly did she turn around, regret and sorrow swirling in a whirlpool inside of her, and headed for the parking lot in a brisker gait than before.

And that was the end between the two lovers as they both took a heavy step out of each other's lives.


>>Kagome>>

"I'll tell you, Kagome...But I swear, you'll only feel pity for the bastard."

I fidgeted a little in his arms, resting my head onto the pillow. I've never seen Inuyasha with such a serious look on his face before, but something told me that he was actually keen on telling me about it.

Pity? Like I would feel sympathetic for the arrogant jerk.

"You know that he's my half-brother, right?"

I nodded.

"Sesshomaru's mother was murdered."

The abrupt news surprised me. My eyes got wide as I stared at him.

"Dad wasn't exactly the jolly type like he is now..." Inuyasha muttered. "That's what I heard from others anyways. He was the cold, silent type. People were actually afraid of him because he was the Head of the Demons Department and all... Where do you think Sesshomaru got his attitude?"

I smiled faintly. Inuyasha was getting angry already just talking about him and it was quite amusing to see his ears twitching madly as he growled.

"Anyways... He met Sesshomaru's mother...A maid told me about her... She said that she was one of the kind... All friendly and nice...There's a picture of her in Sesshomaru's room. I think that's her. She was a moon demon. They're the rarest of the kind of all demons...Probably extinct by now...Considering that Sesshomaru's half dog demon."

He paused and looked down at me.

"Actually the whole story's rather depressing. You really want to hear it?"

I hesitated but silently nodded. He let out a sigh.

"Dad gradually started to change as he spent time with her. Became jubilant and all... And then Sesshomaru was born. But his mother's death was what brought him to life. She passed away from constant loss of blood the same hour he was born."

"Dad... He broke down. The maid said that he cried while clutching onto her dead body. He wouldn't leave her side for the next few days; not even to see his first son. And that's when he heard about your grandmother, Kagome."

"Life was hard back then for humans. Demons were considered as superiors and humans considered as dirt. Your grandmother may have been human, but she was a gifted priestess. Her powers were considered the best of all priests in Japan. She was known as a god in human form. That's why Dad went to her, carrying his wife's body up to the secluded shrine."

"Your grandmother wasn't keen on altering the fate of the woman. But she wasn't exactly in the position to argue with Dad. He was almost insane by that time and he was practically threatening her. And that was when... Your grandmother made the... Contract..."

I could feel his grip on my shoulder tighten.

"And so she tried reviving her...And succeeded. The contract was sealed and...Yeah."

He did not continue, but curiosity got the better of me.

"But what happened to her?" I whispered, "Where is she now?"

"...Dad went on a business trip to somewhere in Europe. Sesshomaru was young back then but he was as mature as a person in the late teens...Takes it after Dad was what Jaken said," he smirked faintly, "Dad told him to look after the office while he was absent. He was probably joking but the git took him seriously. Everything was well... There wasn't any shit going on while he was gone...Until the day he planned to come back..."

"Back at that time there were humans who tried to overthrow the demon society. They were planning on holding Sesshomaru as a hostage, so they lured him out into the secluded mountains near Dad's office. Jaken told me the story from here. He said that a report came in that there was some trouble with some demons near the woods and Sesshomaru went to settle it, the cocky idiot. His mother thought that there was something suspicious about the whole situation, so she went with him even though she was in a weak condition. She was suffering from this lung disease of some sort...Jaken got worried so he tagged along."

"Sesshomaru left her a good distance away from the peak... Probably thought she was safe there. He went up the mountain alone, but Jaken followed him. He said that they were ambushed a bit while later. That was when Sesshomaru first killed anyone in his life. He was outnumbered, but he had the upper hand of the battle. And then one of the assassinators got hold of his mother. He dragged her up where Sesshomaru could see her, pushed her to the very end of a precipice and threatened to push her off he wasn't going to follow quietly."

"And then..." His eyebrows furrowed as he continued. "He lost it and he broke into his true form. He may have been young back then but his dog demon form was big as a house. He either tore or crushed the others to their deaths. Almost killed Jaken in the process. Then he bounded towards the man holding his mother."

"Funny thing is...She pushed the man out of the way and Sesshomaru ended up crashing into her instead. She stumbled backwards..."

He didn't need to continue. An image of the bloody woman made me shudder. Inuyasha entwined his fingers with mine under the sheets.

"Sesshomaru jumped after her... Transformed back to his regular human form but he was a few seconds too late. His mother collided and..."

I unconsciously clutched onto his hand with a tighter grip.

"Dad came back from his trip that day. He was a few days earlier than expected. Jaken had gone back to his office to alert him. When the two came back, they found Sesshomaru standing in front of his dead mother." His voice seemed to get smaller by the second. "Dad fell into a stage of depression. He lost his wife-his same wife- twice. And Sesshomaru wasn't helping much either. The jerk started closing himself up on everyone. Talking lesser each day and boom. He became the cold jack ass he is today."

"And then...Dad met my mom. She was the mayor's daughter of a small town in the suburbs of Tokyo. He finally recovered from the emotional stress he was going through with her help. They married a couple of years later. Sesshomaru didn't say anything, not even a word of disagreement. He never accepted Mom though. And on the day of their wedding, Dad made a visit to Toutousai. Family friend," he explained when I gave him a quizzical look, "He's a legendary black smith. He's a downright senile nut, but he still makes the best swords of all kinds. Dad gave him two of his teeth. Strange, yes I know, and he asked if Toutousai could make two swords for him."

A sudden image of the two antique swords in the study flashed across my mind.

"You mean those two swords on the study wall?"

"Yeah. The rusty looking one is Tetseiga. The sword of destruction. The other one is Tenseiga. The sword of life. Corny names if you ask me, but Dad says no one could have named them any better so best not say anything about it."

I surpressed a giggle and he leisurely continued.

"Life went on. Dad became high-spirited after his marriage and he finally got out of the depression stage. Sesshomaru was actually the opposite. He would lock himself up more often each day. The only person who ever talked to him at that time was probably that mangy wolf."

"You mean Ayame's boyfriend?" I asked.

"Yeah, the one who can't shut up," he growled, "Anyways...Then Mom got me. I was only two months old when she got murdered. Yes, murdered," he repeated when my eyes grew wide, "From this jack ass who had been stalking her ever since highschool...Takemaru was his name I think... He thought Mom was betraying him for marrying Dad. He was one of those piece of shits who believe demons is pure evil. She was murdered in an isolated alleyway, but Dad found her in time to use Tenseiga to revive her."

"The sword can bring back the dead?"

"Never saw him actually doing it since I was dead inside my mother, but yeah, I guess so. I'm alive and talking, see?"

A small gasp escaped my lips.

"And here we get to the part about Mr. Jack Ass and his dumb attitude problems..." he muttered, "I guess he's a stuck-up cold arrogant bastard because..."

A moment of silence passed as I curiously looked at him as he scowled.

"...Because he's jealous of me." He finally concluded after moments of silence.

"Jealous? Of you?"

"Hey! I do have some positive traits some people admire about me too!"

I broke into a series of giggles as he mumbled a few unnecessary curses and pulled me closer.

"Think about it Kagome... His mother died. Twice. My mother died once and Dad was able to save her along with me. He still didn't forgive him all these years for not making the swords earlier for his mother. And he still believes all humans are vile creatures who killed his mother..."

That left me pondering. I felt mixed emotions as I thought about it. My father passed away when I was young, so I could understand how he would have felt to lose his mother. Maybe it was sympathy I was feeling. Or was it really pity like Inuyasha had said?

But I didn't think Sesshomaru could actually be such a devout mama's boy. ..

The thought made me chuckle quietly again and I rolled out of his arms.

"Where you going?" He lazily asked on the bed as I put on my robe and headed for the bathroom, "It's only ten."

I smiled as I poked my head out of the door.

"I have a date."

"Oh? With whom?" He asked with a wry smile.

"Sango."

And I snapped the door shut.


>>>

Sango drove in an uncomfortable silence.

She was confused as hell.

She had seen Rin kissing some man in front of the condo. She couldn't make out his face, but she definitely remembered that his hair had an unusual color of silver.

She had no idea that her friend was seeing someone. She would have been a little upset at Rin for not telling her, but the look on her face told her to stay quiet. She wanted to believe that she had her reasons of not telling her.

Rin was looking out the window, her eyes glued to the passing scenery outside. She knew she was making Sango slightly uncomfortable, but she just needed a moment to calm down.

The moment had come and gone.

"Sango, I'm sorry for everything this morning," she quietly whispered.

"Huh? Oh...Yeah, no it's all right..." Sango muttered back. She drove out of the highway.

"Could you tell me about your friend?" She finally looked at her companion and smiled.

Seeing her smile made Sango feel much better. She accepted her gesture of friendliness and started chattering away.

"Oh well, we've been friends ever since our second year in high school... She was always obsessed in clothes even back in those times," she chuckled, "She left Japan and stayed with her cousin in England for a while for further studies in designing. She came back just a few months ago but she couldn't get contact with me because she was too busy planning for her store."

Rin merely listened as the car finally came to a stop in a parking lot across the hospital.

"She's going to open it next month. She already bought a place near Yajawa Street. It focuses mainly on wedding gowns. She was a little daring if you ask me," Sango continued as they both got out of the car, "First year after her studies and she's opening a store of her own already? And you know how wedding gowns have the most intricate designs on them."

The two women headed the curb of the street. A small crowd was already there, anxiously waiting for the cars to come to a stop like everyone else on a typical busy weekday morning. The massive hospital was just across the street, the windows gleaming under the sunlight and patients were already heading towards the transparent glass doors.

"But I'm sure she'll do all right. She's always devoted to her work...Like she is to her recent boyfriend," Sango chuckled, "You're going to love her, Rin. The first time I met you, I thought you were a lot like her."

"So am I going to get the name of your friend?" Rin gently teased her friend with a small smile. She looked ahead to see if the light had changed, but something else caught her eye. A man was standing not too far away and his face was behind a newspaper which had a clear, bold headline on the front.

MARRIAGE OF IRONY: HIGURASHI AND KOIZU?

A large photograph of a man and a woman was on the front page. The man with flowing silver hair had been looking away from the camera; obviously a work of a secretive paparazzi. The woman was certainly appealing with tidy black hair and a face of pure joy at a coffee shop. Another great masterpiece of a paparazzi.

The two names seemed to echo in her mind. Taunting, mocking, and teasing her. Now everywhere she looked seemed to be covered in the agonizing words.

Higurashi...

Koizu...

Together they are the perfect couple...

I guess all the remarks from the young bachelor about humans were lies after all...

Their marriage is to take place in a few days time...

The most remarkable union ever...

"I love him" was what a jolly Kagome Higurashi answered...

"She is the best thing that ever happened to me" was the demon's reply...

Higurashi...

Koizu...

"You mean I haven't given it to you? Oh, the light's changed. Rin? Rin!"

She felt her friend shaking her gently and she suddenly found herself staring at pedestrians walking past her and occasionally frowning at her for standing dumbly on the busy street. Her heart was pounding loudly and all she heard were buzzes and incomprehensible meaningless words.

"Rin, you all right? You're zoning out too often," Sango said as she pulled her friend along as she started to cross the street, "You ill?"

"...No...I... I'm fine, Sango." She gave her a placid smile and quickened her pace.

However, she was not fine. She felt horribly weak and was already on the verge of tears just looking at the simple phrase of six words.

But she wasn't the only one.

Ten minutes before Rin Akita had read the headlines, another woman of ebony hair had exited the penthouse to find a carelessly thrown newspaper at the front of the door. One look at the head lines and her eyes were streaming and she hurriedly left to catch a taxi.

Five minutes after that, a woman with flaming red hair stopped drinking her coffee as she saw the headlines in a small store next to the bus stop. She immediately abandoned her coffee and purchased a newspaper and couldn't help to suppress the tears she wanted to release for her dear friend.

Maybe fate was simply playing with them.

Because all three women were headed to the same destination.


"Rin!"

Rin had already changed into her uniform when Ayame came bursting into the changing room. She still wasn't dressed in her own uniform and she looked devastated as she raced into the room.

"Good morning, Ayame," she greeted with a weak smile.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ayame asked in a quivering voice.

"...About what?"

"About this!" She thrust the newspaper in front of her face. "Why didn't you tell me about it, Rin? Why are you...So cooped up these days? Tell me, god dammit!"

Ayame grabbed Rin by both of her upper shoulders and gazed into her friend's slowly altering smiling facade.

"Why?" She whispered. "Why didnt' you tell me?"

"I...I've got to go Ayame."

Rin hastily came out of her grip and headed out the door, but Ayame refused to let the subject go.

"You're not going anywhere unless you tell me why your lover is getting married to another woman whom I am quite acquainted with!" Ayame growled as she followed her.

"Not so loud, Ayame," Rin merely whispered as she walked down the hall giving nods and smiles for the patients who waved merrily at her. Nurses were bustling around and doctors were walking with their eyes on the medical charts and interns were intensely watching patients as they received their check-ups.

"Good morning Rin, Dr. Naraku is looking for you," a cheery nurse with amber hair came to the two woman with a smile, "Oh, and Kyou walked all the way to the bathroom himself this morning! I guess the paralysis is finally wearing off. He just can't wait to see you."

"Thank you, Yumi," Rin said behind her smiling facade, "I'll get back to doctor as soon as I can."

"All right, I'll see you around."

Rin continued to head for the front office and Ayame once again was hot on her heels.

"Rin, you may think this is none of my business, but I'm sorry to say that it is!" Ayame hissed as she grabbed both of Rin's wrists, "I don't want you to go over something like this all over again! Please..." She stopped walking as she pleaded with a soft voice. "Just tell me..."

Rin felt a pang of guilt when she saw that her friend was in a distressed state for her. She looked over her shoulder for a quick glance to see Sango enthusiastically greeting a woman with dark hair at the benches near the front reservation desk.

"I'll tell you Ayame," Rin whispered as she gently pulled her wrists away, "But not now. I promised Sango I'd meet her friend."

"Wait...Sango invited you too?" Ayame blurted out with a surprised look on her face.

"Yes, she did. Do you know her friend too?" Rin asked as she walked towards the two chatting women. She put on a weak smile, wanting to start a friendly relationship with the woman just like Sango had asked her to. However, her smile turned into a small frown when she saw the new woman suddenly break into tears, sobbing softly and making Sango flustered. Rin was not far away from the two when Ayame started to protest.

"No, wait! Rin, I think Sango forgot to tell you her name don't-"

"Oh, Rin!"

Sango had noticed her two friends coming over to her, one with a look of concern and one who looked a little frantic. Rin stopped in front of the two women sitting on the bench. The woman was burying her face into a handkerchief Sango had given her and she was slowly starting to wipe away her tears when she heard them approach. She looked up and gave Rin and Ayame a weak smile.

"Um...This wasn't exactly how I planned on this get-together, but hey at least we're all here!" Sango laughed nervously. "Rin, this is Kagome."

The name rang a bell. Now the face looked all too familiar to her.

Rin could hardly contain her shock.

Kagome extended her hand with the same wobbling smile.

"Kagome. Higurashi Kagome."


Late update but long chapter. Thank you for all the reviews I love you all...sob... Winter break is coming to an end soon I'm going to be busy as hell but I'll still be around...Somehow.

People usually pay to watch a movie in a theater... People usually REVIEW in exchange for READING a fic. Double RR please.
Hope you enjoyed it!