A/N: thank you all for the wonderful comments. I'm honoured everyone is so understanding and even some people were worried about me. Thankfully I'm back and I've got a new chapter for you all. Enjoy and let me know what you'll think:)

Tomorrow I will be back to answer all of your wonderful comments.

On to the new chapter^^

o.O.o

Chapter Thirty-Eight, Bonds through time

With November reaching its end, the weather had turned cold and the first snow fell. A thin layer of white dust had accumulated on the windowsills, sparkling gently in the soft light of the sun. The large school building of The Devine Jewel seemed slightly grey against the white winter weather and the teachers and students alike were nervously awaiting the end of the week. Bustling corridors and cluttered classrooms. There was a noisy chatter coming from the classroom of class 4B.

Midterm exams were finished and both Chiharu and Kagome were nervous about the results. They both knew the future was uncertain. None of them knew what would happen in the foreseeable future, but they'd decided to keep as many options open as they could. That meant returning to school for tests and a better excuse as to why they missed so many lessons. Mono was a good excuse. It worked for now.

Chiharu Higurashi was sitting in her customary front-row desk, ankles crossed and pencil poised above her notebook, listening as the teacher explained the theory of the new few mathematics chapters. Chiharu carefully shot a glance at her sister. Kagome was frowning at her mathematic book, looking as if she hoped it would start explaining the theory and formulas soon, because she didn't seem to get it. Behind her Hōjo was staring hopefully at her and Chiharu pursed her lips thoughtfully. He smelled— odd.

She'd even go as far as saying he smelled like sexual frustration and broken dreams, but she didn't think such had a smell, but if it did it smelled like him. Twirling her pencil between her thumb and index finger, she watched them some more.

'Observe and learn,' Sesshōmaru had said, although Chiharu doubted she was supposed to observe and learn (possibly for blackmail material) about her sister (although knowing Sesshōmaru, it might be designed especially to find weak points in detested siblings), she knew Kagome had stopped speaking to him. From what she gathered from her conversation with Eri-chan a physical relationship hadn't worked between the two of them. Chiharu had not known there was a physical relationship between her sister and anyone.

It worried Chiharu greatly, because knowing Kagome's often rash decision making it might be true. And that meant that, not only had her big sister exchanged sexual favours with a boy who'd obviously liked her, Chiharu was now the only one left not knowing the strange appeal sex had.

Where were the times when they were children, were they speculated about the future? Chiharu had liked to speculate with Kagome. Even when she was older and fell into the well, she had liked speculating, embarrassing Sango-chan that one time at the Hot springs and push Mirōku's buttons. It had been harmless, but now— Now everyone was growing up even more and she felt as if she was frozen in time. Besides, trying out new things was a no go. Sesshōmaru was too controlling.

Running her fingers through her hair, she brought her attention back to her notes.

They must have started the 'almost-a-relationship' last summer, but she hadn't even thought about the possibility. Chiharu suspected it was their mother, telling Kagome to taste the world first, when she'd been upset with Inuyasha, but Chiharu didn't think this was what their warm, jovially mother had meant.

"Higurashi-san," the teacher started and Chiharu straightened in her seat. Kagome hid behind her textbook, her ears turning red and Chiharu glared at her. She stared at her teacher again and gave him a strained smile. There was a mathematical structure on the blackboard behind him.

"Yes, Sensei?"

"Can you solve this problem?"

She bit her lip: "Erm, sure."

She slowly crossed the classroom to the blackboard, chewing lightly on her lower lip. She'd been mediocre at Mathematics last year, but now that they were repeating the year, she should be all right. Rolling the chalk stick through her fingers she started to simplify the formula.

Chiharu came home four days ago, meeting her sister just as she'd hauled herself over the rim of the well, the harsh sounds of the Modern Era. Kagome hugged her enthusiastically exclaiming how much she missed her and even Inuyasha grudgingly admitted he was glad she was all right. Of course he didn't know what she'd offered his half-brother, but than again, Sesshōmaru had not truly agreed to come and travel with them either. He was as evasive as always, but at least he'd agreed to let her return to her friends.

She bit her lip dividing the y and frowned.

He would be waiting though. He wanted to make sure she could fight an assailant off, even without her youki. It was tiring and irritating at the same time. She wasn't sure where the new possessiveness had grown from.

Chiharu sighed again and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Her sense of smell was difficult to ignore that day. It was good, perhaps even better than normal, and she could hardly ignore the disgusting 20th century smell, coming in through the open window and shook her head.

"Higurashi-san?" The teacher asked slowly and she smiled tightly.

"I'm sorry, Sensei." She whispered softly. "I'm not feeling very good. Stomach cramps."

The man, who was reaching his late forties, looked rather disturbed by that comment and Chiharu felt her cheeks warm up. Of course the man would assume she was having a period. Men were stupid after all. With more aggression than necessary, she wrote down the answer and stomped back to her desk.

I-I. ⌡. Γ┐

Kagome flushed darkly when she finally admitted she had done something stupid. It wasn't Hōjō though and that sort of explained the longing, angry look he threw her. Hōjō had been the one walking in on them. A handsome PE intern who was with them for two months. It was practically a teacher even if the boy was only eighteen-years-old and Chiharu's mouth fell open.

"A teacher?"

"He's an intern." Kagome answered defensively.

"But still," Chiharu whispered, "Damn Onee-chan, I thought you'd just had some fun with Hōjō-kun. Didn't even consider the option of someone else."

"Inuyasha and I were fighting and you were— well, let's face it, you were scared shitless. He approached me after class. We started to talk and went out for a drink. During Ami-chan's party I met him again."

"I see." She whispered, curling one leg up on her chair and tucked her knee below her chin.

"Are you all right?"

"Fine, Kagome." Chiharu whispered, "Just some cramps. Anyway, who is it?"

The cafeteria is crowded and for a moment Allyson was worried that she couldn't hear her question, but after several seconds, Kagome reluctantly pointed the good-looking, tall, dark-skinned boy out. She recognized his shiny black hair and fine-boned patrician features immediately and her face paled when he gave her a haughty grin.

Kagōme had never known she knew him though.

Arjun Nori sat down at the teacher table, next to their old Gymnastics teacher and Kagome hid her face in hands. Chiharu's expression was blank, her brain needing several seconds to process what she was feeling and she slowly turned towards her sister.

"Him? Arjun Nori?"

"I know it's wrong," Kagome whispered softly. "Ami-chan smuggled in some sake from her brother during her birthday party at Karaoke and he— Well, he's handsome isn't he?"

"Sake is just rice-wine." Chiharu whispered back, forgetting the dormant ache in her lower belly and frowned. She knew he was handsome. She had thought him to be handsome too, which had been the largest reason how he'd seduced her before.

Kagome gave her an knowing look and Chiharu flushed slightly.

"But you slept with him?"

"Erm, no." She retorted. "I think he called it third base."

"I'm feeling sick."

And she was. Chiharu peered at Arjun again, meeting his eyes from across the room and felt a the sting of surprise rung through her, when he didn't look away. His gaze was piercing and deceptively hard and she had the distinct feeling he had hooked up with her sister because she had ditched him. Her temples ached in irritation and her power cackled.

"Chiharu-chan!"

"I'm sorry," she whispered softly. She didn't leave Kagome's side again.

Arjun never approached the both of them and after Chiharu admitted she'd dated him briefly, Kagome decided she never wanted to see him again either (muttering just like Kikyō). Chiharu wisely kept her mouth shut and followed her sister out of the school. Her mood sour, beyond sour even and Chiharu crossed the schoolyard.

When they were little, Kagome dreamed about dating a cool and handsome boyfriend at high school. Go to college, fall in love, marry and then start a family. She'd even named several of her future children and with Inuyasha that dream had come crashing down. They still could have a family, Chiharu supposed, but going into High school and dating wasn't a possibility.

It was another part of Arjun's charm. He had nothing, absolutely nothing to do with the Sengoku area, nothing to do with Inuyasha and his morning about Kikyō, who was or was not actually alive, and therefore was a reprieve. At least, she wasn't in love with him.

"How are you not furious?" Kagome asked softly, unlocking her bike and Chiharu dumbed her bag into her panniers.

"Because I didn't love him, Onee-chan." She whispered back. That had essentially been the problem all along. She'd hoped she would feel something aside from attraction, but nothing ever happened. In the end attraction just wasn't enough. "I am furious what he did though. Enough so to go back to school, wait him up behind his house and kick his arse."

"You sound like Inuyasha."

"Well, I finally understand where he's coming from." She whispered, gripping the handles of her bike tightly and kicked back the kickstand, swinging herself into her seat. Kagome pedalled after her and soon they had a swift pace going.

"You're not seriously going to do anything are you?"

"No," she admitted. "I'm going to pack my stuff, mediate and return to Sengoku-jidai. I think you should deal with this yourself, anyway."

"Well, I'm not. I'll return immediately. I promised the group presents after the tests and Inuyasha—"

"You want to see him. I get it."

And she did.

They took the hidden path up towards the shrine, squarely dodging Goshinboku and drove up onto the brick stone path towards the well house. Both girls secured their bikes against each other and they stumbled towards the house. Kagome almost immediately started stuff food (noodles, candy and the dark chocolate Mirōku liked) in her bag and Chiharu ventured upstairs.

She listened to her sister cry frustratedly and Chiharu ran her fingers tiredly through her hair and sunk back onto her bed. For once, Sesshōmaru was not on her mind.

To be continued…

A/N: So several of you were right. Arjun is a bit of an arsehole. And, he will be back, but don't worry. He'll be dealt with. Tomorrow the next chapter will arrive and the main focus will be on Sesshōmaru, but for now. Enjoy!

Inuyasha does not belong to me, but to Rumiko Takahashi.