Kaykai: Well, we didn't take too long did we?
Disclaimer: Don't own.
Beta: ShikiKira
A Vampire's Ocean Gem: Keeping a Bloody Secret
After exiting the room, Kagome leaned against the door, trying to calm her racing heart and will the bright red blush from her cheeks. What's wrong with me? It's not the first time that I've seen a guy with his shirt off. Inuyasha receives wounds that nearly always require him to take his haori off.
Sighing, she allowed her mind to wander to the handsome man she found. Why was he all bloody? Who could possibly want to harm such a kind and polite man?
"...chan? Nee-chan, are you listening to me!"
Kagome faltered in her steps as she was harshly yanked from her thoughts. "What is it now, Souta?"
"Inu-nii is here." he pointed to the hanyou on the floor that was playing with the fat calico cat.
Finally taking notice of raven haired girl, he abruptly stopped messing with the feline. Standing up, Inuyasha cleared his throat. "Ready to go?"
"Go? Go where?" Kagome tilted her head.
A tick mark rose in the hanyou's brow as he cooled his ire. "What do you mean 'where'? Back to my era of course!"
As his words sunk in, Kagome's ocean eyes widened. "You are joking, right?" she continued when she saw the serious expression on his face, "Inuyasha I just came back! I still have exams to take!"
"May I remind you that we are in the middle of a race to gather the shards of the Shikon no Tama? The jewel you broke!"
"Why must you bring that up every time?"
"Because it's true! Kikyou would never have shattered the jewel!" the instant Inuyasha spoke those words he wanted to take them back. Seeing the shine in her bright blue eyes dim, the silvery-white ears on top of his head flattened against his skull. "K...Kagome, I'm sorry."
She raised her hand. "Save it, Inuyasha. I've already realized that Kikyou will always be first in your heart, but I promised to be by your side no matter what."
Inuyasha looked at the girl who looked so much like the woman he loved. Not wanting to sound mushy, he placed his hands inside the sleeves of his crimson haori and scoffed. "Keh, I guess you can stay a little bit longer."
Kagome smiled, but it did not quite reach her eyes. "Arigato. I promise to come back as soon as I finish." she stepped forward and gave the hanyou a quick hug.
It was brief, but the silver haired boy was positive he smelled the scent of blood intermixed with Kagome's natural sweet scent. Not wanting to anger or sadden her, he decided to not ask about it.
Kagome was quiet as she watched the figure of Inuyasha disappear from her line of sight with an expressionless mask.
Kikyou… the name that always seem to bring her misfortune.
Kikyou, the woman made from clay, bones, and graveyard soil. I do not believe that we share a soul for even an ounce of a second. Leech, my soul is my own.
"Kagome-chan, be a dear and help your mother out with dinner" The soft voice of her mother jolted Kagome from her mussing.
"Hai, mama"
Kagome made her way to the kitchen. Nodoka looked up to see a solemn expression on her daughter face, but looked back down and resumed her task of julienning the vegetables.
"Ne, you will always be my darling Kagome-chan," Nodoka said softly to her daughter and gingerly looking up to meet her daughter's blue eyes.
A brilliant smile bloomed across Kagome's doll-like face. "Hai! I am Kagome, mama"
With a bounce in her step Kagome quickly set to work with helping prepare the evening meal.
Adorned in the borrowed kimono, Takuma lazily studied his reflection in the mirror. Subconsciously he watched as the aqua droplets drip from the tips of his hair. Angry flashes of the recent events displayed at the front of his mind.
"Tsk…" He attempted to shake away the straying thought by harshly shutting his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. He took a deep breath while thinking that it will do him no good to just keep standing there and made his way to the other occupants of the quaint home.
The sounds of bell-like laughter reached his sensitive ears as he looked up to greet the scene before him. It warmed his inhuman heart to see such a domestic scene. Mother and daughter moved expertly around each other to prepare homemade meals, the aroma of warm dishes caressed his olfactory devices.
An involuntary smile bloomed on his handsome face as he eyes were magnetically pulled toward the beautiful girl whose existence was unknown to him until their chance meeting.
As if sensing someone was gazing at her, those lovely ocean eyes locked with his own brilliant emeralds.
"Oh, Takuma-kun, I didn't hear you? I take it that you found everything." Kagome gave him a warm smile.
Takuma could not help but to return the warm smile. "Yes, arigato."
"Ne, Takuma-kun. Would you mind helping Kagome-chan while I go wash your clothes?" Nodoka's soft voice reached his sensitive ears.
Looking in the older woman's grey-blue eyes he gave her a slight bow. "I would be honored. It is the least I could do for your hospitality."
Nodoka gave him a soft motherly smile that reminded him of his own mother's smiles. "Arigato. Takuma-kun." she rushed out of the kitchen to begin washing the laundry.
After Kagome's mother left, Takuma approached the kitchen counter. "What can I do to help?"
A bright red blush faintly covered Kagome's cheeks as the earlier encounter came forth in her mind. "Ano...could you wash the vegetables while I cut them?"
Takuma gave her a polite smile and nodded, and began carrying out the request of the raven haired girl.
Silence filled the small kitchen area as the pair made a sweet moment looking image. All was nice until a familiar scent wafted towards Takuma.
"Itai! Shimatta, I cut myself."
The scent of her sweet blood was like nothing he had ever encountered before. If Takuma could only use mere words to describe the scent of this sweet elixir it would be 'Pure'. The temptation to devour such delicacy was just so great that it consumed Takuma in chronic pain as he fought with himself. Every muscle that made up his body tensed. He gave a quick glance at the young girl next to him to see her taste her own sweet elixir and could not help the remorse that rose within him. With a finger in her mouth Kagome looked so cute and innocent.
I am a monster.
His remorse quickly dominated what he thought was the avalanche of temptations. With a sharp intake of air Takuma quickly stationed himself.
"Daijobu desu ka!" He gently took her wrist into his hand and led her to where he'd spotted a roll of kitchen paper towel. In a quick motion he encased her delicate finger and pressed down with enough pressure to limit the blood flow.
"Kagome-chan, I'll finish up cutting up the vegetables for you while you go get that wrap up alright?"
Kagome studied him intensely throughout his terrain. She could not help the butterflies in her abdomen affected by his reaction. He's so sweet. It seemed as if a thief had stolen the oxygen out of her. "I'm fine, Takuma-kun." She breathed out; her voice was hushed even in the silence of the small kitchen.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned nostalgic. The windy current of the running air conditioner to the air vent in the kitchen's ceiling danced around them with cunning purpose. The high pitch whistling of the boiling water in the heated kettle cruelly shattered the beautiful moment.
"Um" Kagome broke the silence
"Ano..."
"You go first."
"No, you go first." Takuma argued.
"No..."
"I insist." Takuma had the final words.
The two stared at each other for a few more seconds first with stoically blank faces, then with amusement filled eyes, and finally Kagome's face cracked an unintentional grin and they both simultaneously burst out into laughter.
From the living room, Souta looked up from his game towards the kitchen. "Ne, Nee-chan, what are you two laughing about?"
The two teens in the kitchen looked toward the questioning voice to see a confused looking Souta. They both turned back towards each other with twinkling eyes and gave out another session of laughter.
Put off, Souta did the only thing his young mind could think of and with a sly glint in his light blue eyes, he uttered as innocently as he could, "Ne, are you two dating?"
The laughter abruptly stopped. The two teens frantically looked from one another to the innocent looking boy in the living room. Bashful blushes crept onto their cheeks before they began making excuses and denials. They looked at each other once more before looking away, silence over taking them.
Kagome was the first to shatter the brief silence. Catching the sly glint in Souta's large blue eyes, she vented, "Souta, you little brat!"
Laughing, Souta dodged his sister's hands as she tried to capture him in a headlock. "Nee-chan, I was only kidding. But you should have seen the look on your faces." he managed between giggles.
"I don't care! Ooh! When I catch you, I'm going to pinch your cheeks off." She threatened as she watched him run up the stairs and into his room, thus being safe from her wrath for the time being. Kagome walked back into the kitchen, anger distorting her beautiful face. "Gomen ne, Takuma-kun. He tends to blurt out the first thing on his mind, just to bug me." She reached for the knife, but Takuma held it just out of her reach.
Placing a cheerful smile on his face he chastised her, "I believe that you've spilt enough blood today, ne? From now on, I'll cut them and you wash."
Kagome pouted and opened her mouth to argue, but Takuma spoke before she could.
"It is the least I could do, most humble host." He bowed.
She finally relented, "Fine."
Takuma chopped the remaining vegetables with elegant ease, his many years of sword practice aiding him.
Looking over that the tall blonde, her eyes widened at the speed she was cutting them. "Sugoi, Takuma-kun, you're a natural!"
"Arigato, I've taken sword lessons since I was young." He smiled.
"Hmm," Kagome hummed as she carefully washed the various vegetables and placed them in the boiling pot. "There! Now the only thing left to do is wait for the steak to finish cooking and then we can eat."
"That sounds good."
Kaykai: There's the second chapter. How was it, tell us in a Review!
~The Lovely Kaykai-sama
~CresentMelody