Butterflies~
Summary: She has been seeing them a lot lately...ever since she finished her adventures down the well. She finds herself drawn to the mesmerizing flutter of their wings and can't help but follow them...to wherever it is they want to take her. How much drama and trauma can her heart take, and why are these butterflies trying to lead Kagome to an early demise?
Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Prince of Tennis
Pairing: Kirihara/Kagome/Fuji
Genre: Romance/Angst/Hurt Comfort/Drama
Rated: M for Mature Content
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"A Pro Staff 5.5 Wilson Stretch?" The woman behind the counter looked thoughtfully for a moment, "yeah, we don't have that one specifically anymore, but we do have the Pro Staff 97 v13! Just came in with our last shipment; still in the back."
Akaya looked as though he wanted to look at it, but he wasn't the one buying his gear, so replacing the racquet with something as close in price as he could, was his goal.
"Can we see it?" Kagome, on the other hand, had no qualms asking for him. Today, she was out as a responsible adult! Well, that's what she hoped it looked like. The kid next to her had risked his neck to save her life. He threw himself in front of a car to push her out of the way. It was insane. Last night, she'd thought about nothing else but his arms wrapping around her as he rolled with her to safety. Fourteen years old. Fourteen! How could he be so reckless...
"Nai, you don't need to go crazy. I told you, money is no problem for me."
She nodded, "neither is it a problem for me. Right now, I have no one at home, so I don't spend money on anyone or anything. Maybe groceries when I invite Mukahi and his siblings over for dinner, but that's nothing." She sighed, "besides, I know the cost of tennis equipment. I may not play, but neither am I blind to it." She watched the woman return with the boxed racquet, and Akaya visibly lit up in excitement. A small smile caught her lips as she watched him take the racquet in hand and turn it over a couple of times. It wasn't strung yet, but that wasn't a problem. The shop they were at did everything. that included stringing.
Akaya did a few practice swings, getting a feel for the weight, overhead, underhand, backswing, volley, his smile getting wider as he did. He finally turned to see her watching him, his cheeks burning in embarrassment. "Wh-what is it?"
"You like that one, right?" She laughed when he ducked his head. Telling the cashier to hold it at the counter, Kagome caught Akaya's hand with both of hers and pulled on him. Tugging him over to the wall where the strings were hung. It was his day, and she would be taking care of all of his store-bought needs.
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Mukahi brushed his bangs out from his eyes as he chased a ball around his yard. His brother was on the other side, trying to stop it but couldn't keep up with him. "Hehe, Taki, you've got to dive in and snatch it! I'm not going to stop knocking it out of your reach, so steal it from me!" Laughing harder when his brother tried to dive at the ball, only to roll over the top of it and lose the ball again. Crouching down next to his brother, who looked about ready to cry, "that wasn't what I meant. Are you okay?"
Taki looked at Mukahi and frowned. Standing up, he ran and kicked the ball as hard as possible into the net.
"Oh, wow. Did I just fall for fake tears?" Mukahi laughed, shaking his head at the very thought. "Well, that'll teach me to worry."
"Nothing hurts too much that I can't get back up. If it did, Nee-Chan next door would make it better."
'Kagome?' Looking back at the fence that separated his yard from hers, he could barely make out the top of the swingset over the top of the fence. "Kagome-Nee-chan has a date today with a demon."
Taki, who had gone to get the ball he'd kicked, dropped it and turned to face his brother. "A demon?!"
"Ah, yeah...but don't worry. Kagome is good at taming demons." He laughed, 'If those stories of hers are anything to go by. Fact or fiction, I still think she'll be fine.' Stepping up to the ball on the ground next to his brother, he gave it a careful kick and sent it up before bouncing it on his knee a few times. "Ready for round two?"
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Kagome looked thoughtfully down at the small cake in front of her. It was a petite pink reflective mirror glaze and mousse cake with beautiful layers of orange-flavored sponge cake, cherry buttercream, and jelly of cherry and orange. She read over the name of the cake and smiled, Isabelle. Across from her, Akaya was biting into a different cake called Sicile, pistachio, and blackberry mousse cake. Each bite was delightful to the tastebuds. She took another bite of the sweet and smooth dessert and smiled at the delicious flavor. "Where did you find this place?"
Blushing, Akaya swallowed a bite of his own sweet cake, "a friend of mine is kind of obsessed with cakes and sweets and such. He eats them all the time, whenever he has the chance. He was the one who brought me here with another Senpai."
"Sounds like fun. I should bring back some cakes for Mukahi and his siblings."
"Mukahi...you mean Gakuto-San, from Hyotei?"
"That's right; he's my neighbor. Every so often, I'll watch his brother and sister for him."
"What about school?"
"Homeschooled," she sighed, "not fun at all. I have no one my age to talk to, except Mukahi and occasionally his tennis friends when they come over."
"If you don't enjoy homeschooling, why not go to public school? Or is this just your parent's preference?"
Kagome thought about her answer, "my mom would prefer I go out and make friends. She'd rather I go to a public school...I just...messed up by missing too many days." Smiling, she shrugged. "There was always something more important than school back then. Something I prioritized over classes, exams, and such. Because of that, I had a horrendous attendance record. There isn't a school in Japan who's willing to overlook that kind of record."
"...well, that sucks."
Smiling, Kagome shook her head as she finished off the sweet treat on her plate.
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Walking up to her porch after a fun day out with Akaya, Kagome stopped as she came upon Mukahi leaning against her gate. "Waiting for someone?"
"Yeah," he looked up as she walked up to him, "a friend of mine. Cute, she tends to chase after butterflies recklessly and has become interested in two demons as of recently."
"Oh? Sounds exciting!"
Mukahi laughed, "I'm sure it sounds like it, but her best friend has been worried all day today."
Leaning into his shoulder, she gave him a nudge. "Don't worry so much. After yesterday, I paid him back with equipment, and he took me to a patisserie for a sweet snack. Walked around a bit after that, and then we said goodbye. Nothing bad happened. Nothing to worry over. So, where are the little ones?"
"Inside. Hey, listen, would you be interested in learning Tennis?"
"Learning to play Tennis? I'm not sure... I don't have that much free time."
"Liar, you have nothing but free time."
Pouting, Kagome sighed, "right. I guess it'll be fine... but I don't want to go anywhere near that King of yours! He gives me the creeps when he comes onto me!"
Raising a brow, Mukahi shook his head and pulled out his phone. Swyping a quick text on his screen, he looked up as her phone went off.
Kagome pulled her phone out, looking down at the screen. She smiled. "Will do!"
The message was quick and simple. With a time and address, she agreed to spend more time with her friend.
"We're ordering pizza tonight and watching movies for the better next four or so hours if you want to join us." Mukahi threw his arm over her shoulder, "and while it sounds like I'm asking, I'm really not. However... I will happily let you pick the first movie."
"Himizu it is!"
"Didn't we watch that last time?"
"And we'll watch it again this time!"
Mukahi laughed, dragging his neighbor over to his house. He was glad there was no school tomorrow. Mukahi looked over his shoulder, sitting on the doorknob of his neighbors front door, a butterfly. 'Hm...I'm sure one day without an adventure won't kill her. I can feel confident about that at least.'
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Me: Here is chapter 6 of Butterflies. I'm bouncing here and there, but I hope you are all enjoying the updates.