A/N: Taken from the last chapter:

"Her father sent her away to Shibuya at a very young age. That was where she grew up, with her uncle and aunt, she went to school there, had childhood friends..." -There are two shrines, An older one in Bunkyo, and another one in Shibuya. Her father sent her to Shibuya when she was very young.

"She was only back in Bunkyo right after middle school-" fresh out of middle school she is back in Bunkyo, back to her parents, so she has no memory whatsoever of their own shrine because she did not grow up there, she remembers growing up in Shibuya.

They enrolled her at a high school in Tokyo proper. (The city itself.) She was living with an uncle that was nearby the school. So after the scandal, she goes back home to their shrine only to have her father send her back to Shibuya.

That would explain why Kagome was deeply troubled when she talked to Sango, because Sango was telling her the exact opposite of whatever she remembered.

I hope that clarifies it a bit! ***Big thanks to Jen for the beautiful cover art =,( huhuhuuu ***

Yuinou- formal Japanese Engagement ceremony

Doubt, Fidelity

"What is this?" Kagome stared at the object in her hand. It was a gloomy noon and clouds were gathering overhead. They were eating lunch, Sesshomaru had been sitting by her side with one hand on her lap when he suddenly handed her a photo. She looked up to see his face-

golden eyes were reflecting such hope she had to look away.

"It's proof," he said, peering down, trying to establish eye contact. She simply wouldn't.

"You could have easily photoshopped this." Kagome negated. She noticed his hand on her lap fist the material of her skirt, and she looked back to him-

There it was: the thick, soulless mask was donned again.

"Why don't you believe me?" he said, and Kagome handed the photo back to him.

"You could have easily photoshopped this," Kagome repeated, but the despair in his eyes, it had built up for the past three days now, he had been looking at her with such pleading despair it was starting to knock on her impenetrable fortress.

She was not a heartless monster, after all.

And she remembered her conversation with Sango yesterday-

It left her tired and sleepless. For the whole night, it troubled her to no end. She was thankful for the wonderful invention of makeup and concealer. It hid her dark circles, but it did not hide the apparent exhaust to her body. "Show me more- surely you have more than one." She said without looking at him. A long silence held them both until Sesshomaru finally shifted.

"I only have this one."

Kagome chuckled bitterly. "Senpai," blue eyes connected to gold, "If you're gonna fake something, at least make it believable and back it up. You're a terrible liar." she almost laughed. Truly she did, the thought of Sesshomaru doing something as ridiculous as this had tickled her whimsy-

was that how desperate he was?

She bit her tongue. A harsh sentence was about to escape her lips. The only thing that stopped her was when she remembered their lesson about Youkai emotions, and how they tend to 'mask' it.

Looking at him now, with such a thick, dead mask on his face-

What was going on in his mind?

Kagome stood up, not wanting to think more. He followed closely behind, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to a stop. "My father," he started, "he threw everything away. He had all my files and videos of us deleted when you disappeared, and I only have this one left."

They stared at each other for long moments.

The bell suddenly chimed, signaling the end of lunch period. Kagome snapped out of whatever she was thinking and started to pull away, but he held her fast.

"Kagome, at least let me walk you to your classroom." he pulled her to him and embraced her, kissing her hair tenderly. The students that passed by had blushed on his audacity, and Kagome quietly conceded, not wanting to make a scene.

For the rest of the afternoon the girl was a mess. She tried to concentrate on her lessons, tried to focus on the teacher's voice, but nothing could pull her out of her distraction. It was to the point that she didn't even notice the teacher's hand tap her shoulder. She apologized but then her sensei pointed out how much of a miserable wreck she looked, and so she sent her to the Nurse's Office.

Kagome lay down in one of the beds, drowning in her thoughts.

The photo that he had shown her-

It looked so real.

The privacy curtain suddenly moved, and Kagome weakly shifted her gaze towards the intruder. The familiar face of her friend Sango peeked from behind the curtain and she smiled.

"Are you sure you're okay, Kaguya?" Sango sat at her bedside, and Kagome nodded quietly.

"Wow, you look like a hot mess. Girl, what are you fretting about? You're dating one of the richest, hottest bachelors in Tokyo- Oh my gosh Kaguya, you probably have a screw loose up there! What the hell is your problem!" Sango playfully bonked her head with one of the books she brought with her.

Kagome almost rolled her eyes. "You call a boy in high school a hot bachelor? Perhaps you're the one with a loose screw."

Sango gaped at her, her jaw almost falling off the floor. "What?" Kagome raised her brow at her.

"Kaguya," Sango braced her hands on Kagome's shoulders and shook her. "Where the fuck have you been living your whole life? In a cave?!"

The third year only looked back at her blankly.

"Kaguya-chan," Sango shook her head morosely, this time Sango took her hands firmly, the look of exaggerated concern melting into a genuine one. "You know that Youkai age differently than humans, do you?"

Kagome nodded her head, and it was then that it dawned on her.

"For them to reach that physical maturity, they would have to be at least three hundred years old," Sango explained quietly. "They're only enrolled here because of that youkai-human treaty created sixty years ago." she peered at Kagome's lost expression.

"To enforce fairness, youkai also need to conform to the requirements of human society. They should at least have graduated high school, or some formal education, to be recognized in human society and legitimately hold a business or a job."

Kagome paled. If this has been going on for so long... why don't I know about this?

"Hey," Sango suddenly said, rousing her from her thoughts. "I'm not here to tell you how ancient your boyfriend is." Sango shifted and took out a stack of thick books, dumping it in between them. "I came here to show you this."

Kagome took one and looked over the covers, and her eyes widened as she realized what it was. They were school yearbooks. "What class did you say Kagome Higurashi was at?" Sango asked, and Kagome fell quiet.

She recalled fond memories in Shibuya, of her classmates, her summer jobs, and Kagome ran her hands on the paper.

"She was always in Class A." she answered definitively, and she looked at Sango, from which the senior gave her an encouraging nod. Kagome started going through the first one, skimming through the familiar faces of her middle school classmates.

When she reached Higurashi, she felt her strength leave her.

Printed on it was Higurashi Kikyo, and a picture of her cousin was above the name.

It cant be,

She took another yearbook, and she did not find her face. It was Kikyo in her place, she snatched the other yearbook, and she felt a frustrating heat rise in her.

Impossible, she thought as her eyes darted madly from one open yearbook to another,

Impossible!

"Kaguya!" she heard someone shout, and Kagome was sucked back into the present. Sango's wide eyes met her, the hold on her shoulder tight. Kagome realized as she looked around her that the books were strewn across messily, drops of tears were on the paper. She had been crying, and Sango looked at her with utter concern.

"Perhaps you should go home," she said, "You look like you need some rest." She pulled the yearbooks away, "We'll continue this when you feel better." she had to yank the yearbooks out of the desperate girl's hands. "Oh, and Kaguya," she said as she took out her phone,

"One last thing. I did my own research about that Kagome girl you were talking about. It was hard to find, but my father is the curator of the museum down in Shinjuku. It was in their electronic records."

Sango held her smartphone out to her, showing to her a scanned article- a very old one- dated in the 1860s-

a hundred and fifty years ago, about the Higurashi Shrine in Bunkyo.

"The Higurashi Shrine celebrates the birth of their daughter, Higurashi Kagome." it read, and instantly Kagome felt all her blood drain from her.

Higurashi Kyoshiro, last known bearer of the pure Shikon Blood, is proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Kagome, with his wife, Anna. Being firstborn, little Kagome is expected to be the only one of their children to be passed on his pure blood. She will bear the responsibility of carrying on the family tradition of guarding the Shrine and the sacred Jewel rumored to be buried underneath."

"The Shikon Guardian will choose their partner and will bind their lifespan so that the partner could live as long as the guardian," Sango said. "And only the firstborn inherits the pure blood. It has been tradition, for so long."

Sango paused, concerned at her quiet companion. "Anyone who bears that blood will age as slow as youkai, so she's probably still alive by now, and maybe looks our age. You're related to Kagome, right? Why don't you just contact her, or go to their old shrine in Bunkyo?"

She stared as Kagome only looked back at her with lost eyes,

"Kaguya, maybe you should really need to go home and rest." Sango slowly patted her shoulder and brought her gaze outside. A low rumble of thunder resounded in the sky, and a torrential downpour started outside.

I can't be the Shikon Maiden. I don't have holy powers,

I grew up as an ordinary girl in Shibuya-

Kagome stood quietly on the platform, soaking wet from the rain that started to pour down when she began her walk towards the station. The steady hum of rainfall was heavy on her ears, but she was drowning in her own thoughts.

Her train finally arrived, and she absently stepped inside.

I'm so confused...

Mama, what is happening? I don't have anyone to ask...

I don't have anyone to talk to-

She recalled trying to call her uncle last night- he never answered. He was rarely at the house, for his work he traveled a lot. She asked Souta, but he knew nothing.

Just before the train closed its doors, she felt a familiar grip on her wrist. She looked up, expecting to see familiar white hair and golden eyes.

Without fail she did.

Sesshomaru was still in his school uniform, equally soaked in the rain. He was out of breath. He had been running, trying to catch up to her. "I heard they sent you to the nurse's office, but you weren't there. I had to find you- are you alright?" He cupped her face, his eyes frantically searching for anything that stood out of the ordinary.

She stared at him emptily, unable to speak to him. What was there to say, anyway? The doors closed, and Kagome looked down, absorbed in her thoughts. She pulled away and took hold of the railing. The seats were already full.

They stood beside each other, quiet under the bustle of the train.

" Are you avoiding me?" he said, his gaze locked on the floor. The train halted to a stop, and their elbows bumped on each other.

It took her a long while before she answered.

"No."

Kagome's thoughts were still on the yearbooks, the article. It never left, it had been running in her mind the whole time, and she was exhausted. She had no sleep, felt so confused, she just wanted to go home and get to bed.

Kagome had not looked at him since the ride started until the train halted to a stop again. The doors opened, and an elderly lady exited, leaving behind an empty seat in front of them.

Kagome was about to sit when Sesshomaru took the seat himself.

What a jerk.

He suddenly reached out and pulled her to him, and she found herself sitting awkwardly on his wet lap. Then again, they found themselves lost in a quiet spell as the train started running.

"Senpai," she mumbled, "That girl they said you almost killed two years ago, that wolf-youkai. Was she the girl who spread our pictures on the internet?"

Silence.

"Will you be mad at me if I said yes?"

"I don't know," she answered.

"Then I don't know either." He leaned on her, and his hands wrapped tightly around her waist.

"If something is bothering you, tell me." He said so quietly she was surprised she heard it. "This time, I will listen. I promise I will never ignore what you say... I will listen."

You are confusing me even more, she cast her head down, her eyes as empty as his. She felt cold from the wet, and a comforting heat from his embrace, but she tried to ignore it.

"I love you, Kagome," he whispered. His hold to her was so tight it squeezed the breath out of her lungs. And for the rest of the train ride, he did not move. She wondered if he had fallen asleep.

She felt little wet drops on her back, but it probably was just from his sopping wet hair.

Kagome laid on her bed, exhausted from the day. Replays of their parting that night played in her mind. He had walked her home up to the very gate of her uncle's house and kissed her.

He kissed her under the rain, and she could feel, from under her clothes, the bruises that his hands left her as he clung to her tight during the kiss. He let her retrace the outline of his face, something she noticed he would always do whenever he held her.

She took the smartphone from beside her, and she swiped it open. 18 messages, 7 missed calls. All from Sesshomaru.

-Dry yourself, please, or you'll get a cold.-

-Did you have dinner already?-

-I'm doing my 'homework' right now. Isn't this pointless?-

She scanned the other messages. Sesshomaru was just sending her little nothings about his night.

From her exhaustion, Kagome recalled the night at the party, and the alcohol on his breath when he hovered close. His eyes were continually teetering from gold to red at that time,

" I didn't agree to participate in anything. I didn't know what was happening..."

She closed her eyes. He could have spread the video of them when she was away. He could have bragged about his conquest, and she would have heard from those fake friends of hers. But they were gone.

Her phone beeped again. She opened her eyes and saw another message from him appear.

-I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight, Kagome.-

She let out a long, tired exhale, exhausted from the day and its miserable unfolding.

Perhaps... we both were the victims of that stupid scandal.

She took her phone and typed something, and she hit send.

Kagome repositioned to her side, the dim of her night light casting lonely shadows in her room. The rain was still heavy outside, and she stared quietly at the plane ticket on her study desk.

It was the one that bound her to Chicago, to a distant relative, three days from now.

Sesshomaru prepared himself for another sleepless night when his phone suddenly beeped. He snatched the phone up, and a frown etched on his face. He had never given his private number to anyone except his closest group of friends-

When he opened the message, his hands froze momentarily, upon seeing the name of the sender on his screen.

Kagome.

The Inuyoukai just laid there, his detached mask washing over his face. It took him a while before he gathered his courage to read the message, steeling himself for another blow of hurt, expecting another clout of sarcasm and dripping hate.

But when he finally opened it, tears instantly streaked out of his dead, golden eyes.

-Goodnight, Sesshomaru.-

He stared at those two words from her for a very long time, clung to it desperately as if it were his lifeline. And he quietly laid there, crying in the dark.

The sound of the heavy rain was drumming on the roof, as heavy as the tears that spilled from his eyes.

Beside him, framed on the bedside table, was the photo he showed to her earlier that day:

It was a picture of them after their Yuinou: they were both garbed in formal kimonos, all smiles to the camera, Kagome brightly holding up the Obi he had gifted to her that beautiful summer day.