A/N: Please read this from Naraku's standpoint, this goes back four years ago as they started their first year. This will only be two chapters, so please be patient. These parts (especially the party, when the scandal happened,) I think will be best explained through someone else's eyes. Then we'll finally shift to Sesshomaru's perspective, to where it all began. Just to remind you, they are one year level more than Kagome.

I'm bracing myself, for those who are hating Sesshomaru right now in this story. Let's start.

-Part II- There's Something About Her-

The Empty Shell

***First Year****

-Naraku-

I had always thought, that once I had the level of power

such as a Daiyoukai would have, I would not want to ask for anything more.

The raven-haired freshman sat still on the cold, uncomfortable metal chair, the white curtains fluttering gently from the wind that entered the open window. A roomful of bright flowers, expensive art on the walls, sealed packages from extravagant family members- still it could not hide the stench of bleach that permeated through the hospital room, it could not mask the emptiness of the large suite.

The wind chimes that rang like distant bells did not drown out the beeps of the equipment, balloons that floated weightlessly on the air, with messages of 'get well soon,' could not erase what Naraku had just witnessed earlier.

He could recall, as crisp as the day- the sound of electrical charging and the shocks delivered to the paddle, as they attempted to revive the Daiyoukai's heart when it spasmed madly into Ventricular Fibrillation,

and he could hear the disturbing gagging sound, when they forced his jaw open and shoved the tube down his airway, driving in the oxygen into his failed lungs.

The white-haired Daiyoukai now lay sleeping before him, recently extubated, various wires and electrodes stuck on his body, feeding his vital statistics to the monitors before him.

I realized, in this world where humans and youkai strive to live peacefully,

I do not need such power.

The morning started as ordinary, fairly annoying in hindsight. As far as he could recall it was supposed to be a non-eventful, dull "first day of high school." He was only coerced by his father-in-law to attend the program. He needed the formality so he can legally take over their business.

At least the presence of his mate beside him, ranting through how pointless this part of the treaty was, had got him through most of the morning.

They cut class during their first period. Kagura thought it was funny. He thought it was all juvenile and ridiculous, but he couldn't say no to his mate. And so, in between their childish antics, he decided to take an untimely bathroom break.

But when he entered the men's bathroom that morning, he saw the Taisho heir by the sink, before a running faucet, drinking down the last drop of a certain liquid. Naraku's eyes traveled downward-

Bottles and bottles of the unknown item-

it was when the Inuyoukai staggered back and started throwing up blood did he realize what the liquid was.

Unadulterated poison.

For a powerful being such as you, who has everything he could wish for,

What made you lose all hope?

The vitals started picking up, and slowly, prized golden eyes exclusive to the Inuyoukai lineage opened. Naraku watched as the Taisho heir's gaze darted around, slowly regaining consciousness, drowning in confusion, until his eyes glazed over.

He finally realized where he was, and immediately, a torrent of emotions flooded his golden eyes.

Tears spilled down the heir's cheeks, as he lay inside his own tortured mind, staring at the emptily at the ceiling. He whispered something inaudible, and Naraku's gaze softened.

What happened? You are supposed to be a stubborn being

full of pride,

Nurses rushed to the bedside, swamping the inuyoukai's flaccid form. Naraku could only cast his eyes down, deeply troubled. He knew what was missing in the youkai's eyes-

Now, you are a mere empty shell...

Daiyoukai, what did you lose

for you to give up like this?

****Second Year****

"Sesshomaru, ready for lunch?" Naraku asked the quiet Daiyoukai, and his friend absently nodded as he followed him and his mate outside the small confines of their classroom. Kagura held on to her mate's hand and gave Sesshomaru a teasing smile,

"You're in for a treat today. Naraku made me do our bento this time, you lucky guys get to see a world-renowned chef in the making."

Naraku cringed at his mate's misplaced pride. As he was instructing her step by step last night, he saw her sneak in a hefty amount of salt into the rice. He knew she had a knack for all things salty, but he also knew she would go overboard, most of the time.

He silently hoped Sesshomaru was ready to have some Onigiri that tasted like the Dead Sea. As they sat beneath one of the outdoor patios, a flock of first-year students passed by, all throwing secret glances to their white-haired friend who sat in the middle. The girls did not even try to hide their blush and repress their giggles.

Their friend only sat there, quiet and empty as he had always been. A soft summer wind blew against their forms, and Naraku could see, from his pathetic stolen observations, the inuyoukai's eyes flicker with a certain emotion.

Sesshomaru turned towards the direction of the wind, and a profound longing surfaced from his soul, veiled lightly in his eyes.

There is something in the summer wind

that brings out these little flickers of emotion from this empty shell of a person.

I wonder what it is.

As the breeze died down, his eyes glazed over, melting back into that strange, empty mask that Naraku had always seen since the day he woke up in the hospital.

Naraku watched as Sesshomaru took a bite of the Onigiri. He held no reaction, and so he decided to take a bite of his wife's masterpiece himself.

He instantly bit his tongue to hold the barrage of curses that threatened to spill out. His mate was watching him expectantly with wide eyes, and he forced a smile from his burning mouth. Yes, it was that salty he felt as if his tongue shriveled up and died.

Kagura suddenly laughed, and she sprang forward and engulfed him in a fond hug. "Naraku, you dolt! You don't have to lie just to make me happy!" he stiffened when she giggled, "I purposely put too much salt in that batch just to see how you'd react." She took one rice ball from Sesshomaru's batch and hovered it before his mouth. "Here, taste it."

Naraku took a bite, and he heaved a sigh of relief. It tasted normal this time, and Kagura smiled at him proudly. Someone suddenly cleared her throat from behind, and the group turned around to see a cute little human, very pretty, with her head bowed very low, and a heavy blush on her cheeks.

"Uhm, I know this is such an inconvenient time, but can I... can I speak to Sesshomaru-sama? I have something important to tell him."

Golden eyes shifted from the girl to his companions, the hollow expression on his face never changing. "Please excuse me." He said almost mechanically, as he stood up and the two disappeared into the garden.

Kagura turned to Naraku, and he sighed.

"Another confession from a hopeful, and yet another rejection from the empty doll."

"Sometimes it makes me wonder if he still feels any emotions at all," Kagura muttered, and Naraku leaned over to clean up the leftovers.

"I don't know," he answered. "It's been a year now, and no one is saying anything to us."

He and his mate stuck beside the golden-eyed heir, quietly watching over him, trying to bring companionship to his solitary world. It started when Touga Taisho had spoken to them the day his son woke up at the hospital. And of course, Naraku asked, and Touga had only replied with a heavy three words,

"He lost something."

Touga made a quiet plea to him and his mate, to stay beside his son while at school, and watch for his safety. Naraku found out it was not such a hard task. The Taisho heir was not at all hard to watch:

Because Sesshomaru would move along his days like a soulless doll, a mechanical marionette, never really engaging in anything anymore.

His detachment was so bad it came to the point that his classmates had created fantasies over his mysterious, brooding personality, and Naraku would chuckle to his mate Kagura, from the silliness of his friend's made-up identity: a stoic, romance-novel like prince, ready to sweep the lucky woman off her feet.

As far as he knew, there was no sweet guy behind the "stoic yet beautiful mask". There was no "possessive, passionate youkai" behind those dead golden eyes. If he and Kagura had tried to shake the Daiyoukai's brains out just to see a spark of life, at least a mere indication of his soul, they would have already done so.

And so far, being with him until the second year of the program, they had managed to get him to talk to them about trivial things, at the very least. And there was Sesshomaru's involvement in the Taekwondo team.

Naraku hung his head in defeat, feeling like an old man desperately trying to boost his son's social life.

A scuffle from behind and the couple turned around. Kagura stood as she met their golden-eyed friend halfway. "So?"

"Let's stop by the Sakura trees on our way." Sesshomaru answered.

"Another reject?" Kagura probed, ignoring his change of topic. Sesshomaru picked up his belongings, and he nodded his head.

"Maybe that's what is missing, you idiot. Maybe you just need a decent fuck or something,"

"Kagura," Naraku warned, but his mate shook her head.

"Sorry. Sesshomaru, did you at least know her name? So that I can add her to the long list of vengeful rejects that would most probably start spreading rumors about you?" She added sarcastically.

Sesshomaru shook his head, unaffected by her blunt words. His soulless expression was there as usual, and Naraku then fell silent.

If there was one thing he could say about the detached youkai beside him, it was that he never remembered names.

Kagura had always taken that one detail as a big deal. She had said that his not remembering names was from a conscious understanding, that he never bothered to remember because attachments and relationships were of no use and unimportant.

Kagura said the Daiyoukai was only probably viewing himself as transient- to only live for a short time,

and that he would be attempting something else pretty soon.

That kept Naraku to be feeling as if he was constantly walking on eggshells. Kagura was right. Sesshomaru had been doing such activities, being captain of the Taekwondo team, talking to people.

But it was still so clear that Sesshomaru had already given up on living.

So he would have probably thought of another plan, and now have the actual strength to carry it through.

And so as the start of Second Year came, Naraku braced himself for what was to come. He was expecting Sesshomaru to slip quietly out of their sights if given a chance, and so they never left his side.

But he did not expect for things to take a complete turnaround when they reached the Sakura trees by the gates of the school, that warm summer day.

He felt a sharp pull to his sleeve, and he abruptly halted. "Look," Kagura motioned, and Naraku's gaze shifted to the Inuyoukai standing beside him.

It was as if their friend was suspended in time.

"It can't be," Sesshomaru barely whispered.

Instead of an empty shell, he saw probably every fucking emotion flicker in the heir's once dead, golden eyes, and Naraku stood there, more frozen than the thawing soul before him. Kagura tugged at him again, and she pointed to where Sesshomaru's eyes zeroed in:

A girl, dressed in the most unflattering of clothes, was standing underneath a cherry blossom tree. She was holding her hand out to catch the falling petals, and a soft smile played on her lips. Her black hair was swept up into a bun, and her thick-rimmed glasses obliterated whatever appeal she had.

But he could see, behind her old-lady appearance,

eternally youthful blue eyes, as blue as the sky above them.

"I know her," Kagura stepped forward, "I bumped into her during the opening ceremony. Innocent little first year..." Kagura struggled to remember. " Her name... it was linked to a string of family-owned shrines,"

Kagura paused. "Higurashi... hmmph...

Higurashi..."

Useless, Naraku thought. Sesshomaru never knew her, and even if he did, he would never remember her name.

But the Daiyoukai shifted.

His hands twitched, and his eyes were an overflow of emotions Naraku couldn't believe was even possible for someone to hold in one moment. It passed from despair, to panic and confusion, and Naraku heard his friend's breathing growing erratic in his internal turmoil.

The emotions on the heir's eyes finally spilled into his face, and the empty mask, for the first time in a very long time, dissolved. It was replaced by a torrent of shameless tears, the only time Naraku saw him cry again since he woke up in the hospital.

He watched him as he opened his mouth, struggling to find his words, until finally he spoke:

"Kagome," Sesshomaru trembled, and he found movement in his stiffened body. With his muscles coiling to life he sprung towards the girl underneath the Sakura tree.

Naraku and Kagura turned to look at each other, slackjawed. A hand suddenly rested on their shoulders, and they turned to the newcomer. It was their balding homeroom teacher, and he held a look of consternation on his face.

"Eh, Sensei, nice to see you at lunch hour," Naraku greeted, trying to be as casual as he can. The teacher's eyes flashed menacingly.

"Lunch hour was over five minutes ago. Were you planning to cut class again?"

Kagura suddenly shrieked, the painful high pitch making them grimace. She pulled the teacher away from the direction of the Sakura trees, back towards the building. "Ahhh! Gomen, we didn't notice!" She turned back to Naraku, her brows furrowed and motioning him to follow. Naraku instantly realized her distraction ploy, and he grinned at her proudly in appreciation.

With one last look behind him, Naraku watched as their friend's form approached the unsuspecting girl.

So he does remember names,

he does experience emotions.

And he still has life, somewhere in those dead golden eyes.

He spun back around to see his mate practically dragging the poor teacher with her towards the school. He grinned, ever so thankful for her in his life, and his thoughts drifted back to their golden-eyed friend.

I am so lucky, to have my girl beside me.

And for you, is she your chosen one?

I wish you all the best.

Kagura and I

will be right beside you all the way, Daiyoukai.