Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter twenty-four: I Saw Her Standing There
Inuyasha shook his head vigorously at the appalling day dream; his face beat red and eyes crazed as he stared at Kagome like she had three heads. Why had he just imagined kissing her?! He hated everything girly and romantic, even kissing Kikyou on the cheek made the pre-teen feel sick! So what possible reason did he have for wanting to kiss Kagome's lips?! The girl in question stared at Inuyasha with wide eyes, totally confused by his strange behavior.
"Inuyasha? You okay?" She asked softly, grunting when he suddenly gave her shoulders a push and had her take a step back. The concern she had for him instantly went away and was replaced with annoyance. "What was that for?" She snapped, a pout etched into her once serene face. Inuyasha just glared at her with a heated gaze.
"Don't get so close Ka-Go-Away! Just cuz everyone else was impressed doesn't mean I was!" His snapping tone got the attention of Izayoi, who quickly butt in with a swat to the back of his head and a reprimanding 'tsk'. For a moment, Inuyasha cringed and looked sheepish; but as soon as she turned back to the dance instructor he was back to glaring at Kagome. In return, Kagome glared right back at him with a curl of her lips and narrowing of her pretty, blue eyes.
"You are so…so mean! I never want to be your friend! Never!" Sticking her small, pink tongue out at him, Kagome briskly walked past Inuyasha, purposefully knocking their shoulders as she passed by. It took every bit of Inuyasha's self-control to stop from snapping at her again, and instead he just silently cursed and mocked her under his breath while glowering at the little girl who had his entire family wrapped around her finger. As she stood on the other side of Inu-Taisho, her small hand clasped in his larger one, Kagome shot dangerous glares right back at the bratty boy. He no longer scared her and she would never let him have so much power over her.
Now in the month of July, it was halfway through the kids' summer break and the weather was finally at its hottest levels. What used to be some of the worst times of Kagome's life, what with having to suffer the constant sweltering heat without reprieve of air conditioning or cool bathing water, was now an enjoyable time that she could spend indoors if she so cared to. It was nice having Sesshoumaru around more, though that gift did come at the price of having Inuyasha there as well. He was back to his old ways of annoying her, but Kagome had too much on her plate to be letting his antics have an effect. Though the boys no longer had classes or homework to stress over, Kagome's tutoring would be year round until she had been caught up to her age group. Add that onto her continued dance lesson requirements, Kagome ended up having a very demanding and hectic summer. But it was a good distraction from the thoughts that were starting to creep into the back of her mind at night as she lay in bed trying to fall asleep.
It had been another uneventful day filled with the same routine that she'd followed for the whole of the summer so far. Nothing exciting or out of the ordinary had taken place, even Inuyasha seemed more reasonable than usual. There was no sign of what was to come that night, and as Kagome lay awake in her bed, she began to feel a strange pulling sensation in her body. It was as if she was falling into the mattress which had suddenly given in underneath her. Her heart leapt into her throat, but Kagome's eyes shut nonetheless and she spiraled further and further into a turbulent and upsetting dream state. A cold sweat broke out across her furrowed brow as she fisted the comforter tightly. Moans of discontent and resistance slipped past her frowning lips, but those small outward signs that something was amiss did little to tell what was really going on inside.
Suddenly transported back to the subway station, Kagome found herself standing at the dark entrance looking in. It was the same street she'd always looked out on, same noises, smells, and sights, but something in her gut told the girl she was not truly back. Her unblinking eyes gazed down into the pitch black darkness that had once been her dwelling, and just as her foot took half a step back, long shadow arms shot out from the cavernous subway and took hold of her small body. Being slowly pulled back inside, Kagome fought to tear herself away from the terrifying binds, but the shadow hands had painful grips all over her body that made it impossible to break free. Screaming at the top of her lungs, Kagome felt her body fall to the rough concrete and the painful dragging of cement against her skin as she sank further and further into the darkness. But no matter how much she struggled, no one came to her rescue. Where was her family? Why had they left her alone?
No one seemed to hear the final cry for help as Kagome disappeared completely into the darkness, her hand being the final thing to recede out of the light. Once she was in, Kagome felt all weight and gravity leave her as she seemed to float aimlessly in the nothingness. Every once in a while there was a dull jab against her body in random places, getting harder and faster with each turn until finally it was a full on beating she was receiving at the invisible hands of someone she couldn't see. Trying to curl into a ball, Kagome wept helplessly and did her best to stop the hits, but blindly reaching out for the unknown source was pointless. It wasn't until she came to a hard stop against something that Kagome was able to see. Cast in the glow of a spotlight, surrounded by nothing but darkness still, Kagome pushed herself up and gazed around frantically as vague footsteps began to sound around her. They began softly enough, but with each footfall the girl could tell that something was coming closer. Her chest lifted and fell rapidly as she waited for whatever it was to show itself.
Very slowly, something unknown snuck into the circle of light that surrounded Kagome. Staring at it fearfully, she realized what it was; the grimy, worn toe of a man's boot. It was such a familiar sight that at first it gave Kagome great relief, but when she looked up at the face she thought would be just as recognizable, all color left her face as she saw the grotesque and traumatizing face of some demon. Its extended smile seemed to cut all the way up the sides of the face and grinned dangerously at her while rows of tapered and razor-sharp teeth parted to show the dark abyss of its mouth. The eyes, which were little more than slanted slits in the skin, gazed upon her with beady, red pupils and in the next instant they shot open to stare into the girl's very soul. It uttered one hissing word, her name, before Kagome finally awoke with an ear-shattering scream in her bed.
Drenched in sweat and tears, Kagome sobbed and choked as she tried to catch he breath. Her small frame was wracked with dreadful coughs and trembled so violently that her jaw chattered. Looking around the dark room, Kagome began to cry louder until finally someone came to her rescue. Izayoi rushed into the bedroom, wearing just one of Inu-Taisho's old shirts, and sat on the edge of Kagome's bed near the frightened girl.
"What happened Kagome? Ssh, ssh, it's okay baby. Why are you crying?" She cooed gently as Kagome scrambled to get into her mother's lap. Izayoi smoothed back the hair that clung to Kagome's forehead and cheeks and rocked the girl back and forth comfortingly. It took minutes for Kagome to stop crying desperately, but Izayoi remained patient. When the crying finally subsided, she leaned Kagome back to get a better look at her face and smiled softly. "Did you have a nightmare?" Her voice was soft and sweet, whispering in the quietness of night. Kagome nodded as she rubbed at her puffy eyes, her body curling into itself submissively. Izayoi didn't press further and just stood up with Kagome still in her arms. "You can sleep in my bed tonight, m'kay?"
Kagome was already falling asleep in Izayoi's arms by the time she was laid down on the king-sized bed next to Inu-Taisho, who was sitting up with his nightstand lamp on. He had a tired expression on his handsome face as he watched Izayoi tuck the little girl in between them. But when he saw her face, still hinted with a worried expression and tear-stains, his annoyance disappeared. With his large hand, the sleepy man brushed back her curly bangs and sank back into the comfortable mattress after turning off his lamp. There were no words exchanged as the husband and wife situated themselves around the little girl between them, for it was two in the morning and they were very tired. The questions would come once the morning had arrived. They knew the nightmares would plague Kagome for a while and were prepared to handle them in the best way they knew how.
Inuyasha stood in front of the mirror of his and Sesshoumaru's bathroom, sporting a new pair of swim trunks, and had his arms up as he flexed his amateur muscles. The weather was finally warm enough to have a pool party and his parents were allowing him and Sesshoumaru to invite a few of their friends. Of course his picks were the three he was closest to; Miroku, Sango, and Kikyou. And as usual, Sesshoumaru only wanted Kagura to come around. But that didn't matter much to the nine-year-old. As Inuyasha continued to model his fashionable trunks, Sesshoumaru's bathroom door opened quickly and caused the boy such a fright that he shrieked and crossed his arms over his body. But it was only Sesshoumaru standing there, in his own pair of swim trunks and with an un amused expression on his face.
"Hey! Don't you ever knock!? Sheesh!" The younger brother huffed and grabbed an elastic to hold back his thick, silver hair. Sesshoumaru only rolled his eyes and went to the closet to grab his towel, but Inuyasha's hard gaze watched his older brother through the mirror. Neither sibling thought very highly of the other; Inuyasha didn't think he would ever see Sesshoumaru as anything but a boring jerk that got all of their father's attention. He sent daggers into the back of Sesshoumaru's head as his thoughts got more heated, but quickly looked away when the other turned around with a gaze cold and unwelcoming.
"Keep an eye on your friends today. If any one of them upset Kagome, I'm holding you personally responsible." His tone wasn't very threatening, neither was the bored expression in his eye. Inuyasha let out a single laugh and turned to face his brother with a cocky swagger.
"What are you going to do? Hit me? You'd get in so much trouble with my mom. Dad won't be happy either." His confidence was instantly diminished when Sesshoumaru took one step towards him and landed a solid and painful punch to his upper arm. The older brother just stared at Inuyasha with a smirk and watched as he tried to sooth the sore muscle by rubbing it.
"I'm not afraid of your mom and I never get into trouble. So if I do beat you up, dad will just give me a look and that'll be it. Besides, if it's your friends that upset Kagome then it will be you who gets in trouble with your mom. Any way you look at it, I win." Sesshoumaru kept Inuyasha's gaze until he was sure the thickheaded kid understood perfectly. He quickly left the shared bathroom with a smug grin on his face and joined Kagome poolside while Inuyasha pouted and fumed angrily.
Miroku screeched girlishly as he fell hard into the pool, his balance having been lost suddenly when Sango gave his back a playful shove. Still standing at the edge of the irregularly shaped pool, which was complete with a small waterfall and impressive slide, she held her sides as peals of laughter slipped out at the boy's expense. Her little body was dressed in a pretty two-piece swimsuit, purple in color and appropriate in style. The long, brown locks that usually fell behind her back were pulled up into a tight, curled bun atop her head for practicality's sake. As Miroku came up for air, his black hair spiky once he shook the water from his face, she grinned and jumped into the water next to him. They were joined by Inuyasha, who came running towards the pool with a donut shaped inner tube, which made his movements awkward and comical.
"BANSAI!" His voice, which hadn't yet found its right pitch due to puberty, yelled out loudly throughout the yard as he jumped towards the pool with the inflatable held to his stomach. The donut shaped pool toy hit the surface of the water with a loud slap, making Inuyasha grunt as his body bounced atop the thing. Miroku and Sango laughed as they watched their friend try to flip over onto his back only to fall into the center and sink into the cold water. As he came back up, sputtering and running his hands through his hair to get it out of his face, the two friends were still getting over their laughter when a familiar voice spoke out to them from the deck.
"I'm here~ sorry for being so late," That melodic voice, which didn't sound like it should belong to a nine-year-old girl, floated through the air and sent an excited chill down Inuyasha's spine. He quickly swam over to the edge of the pool and smiled as Kikyou came towards him. Though her body was that of a young girl's, she didn't dress as if that was her age at all. Her two-piece bathing suit barely covered what it needed to as the red and white striped thing hung low on her narrow hips. The triangular chest pieces were small and held up by strings tied behind her neck and shoulder blades. It was surprising and very bold, but that was also who Kikyou was. As she crouched down in front of Inuyasha, her knees tucked up against her chest, the two shared a secret smile that made the two other kids in the pool want to throw up.
"You're always late, so it's okay." Inuyasha said jokingly, his crooked smile stretching across his tanned face. But that wasn't the answer Kikyou was looking for and she shoved his head down before turning to go apply some sunscreen. Inuyasha came back up, sputtering again, and shot a heated look over his shoulder at Miroku when he heard him laughing.
"Shuddup!" He barked and lunged towards the other boy. As the two rough housed in the deep water, Sango got out to eat. She stood by the edge of the pool, creating a puddle under herself, when Sesshoumaru and Kagura appeared from inside the house. The two seemed to be in their own world as they moved past Kikyou and went to the hot tub, lost in a quiet conversation. Inuyasha watched them for a moment, admiring how nice Kagura's more matured body looked in a bathing suit, but quickly went back to shoving Miroku. Everyone was happy in their own little bubble, not interacting and staying off on their own; it was peaceful. But as Kagome stood at the window looking out at the backyard, she saw them as boring. Her little body was clad in a pink and yellow polka dot one piece and identical blue water-wings were pushed onto her upper-arms just under her shoulders. It was a piece of pool attire that one usually stopped wearing around the age of five or so, but Kagome had only just recently picked up the sport and wasn't able to tread water on her own yet.
"Come on Kagome," Izayoi stood next to Kagome and took the little girl's hand. She was dressed in a black one piece, her face free of makeup and hair braided neatly; still looked like the gorgeous woman she was. In her hand was a plate stacked full of hotdogs, enough for everyone to have at least two. Inu-Taisho came from the kitchen with a beer in hand, but the way he was dressed made Kagome do a double-take. She'd rarely seen his bare skin past his ankles, wrists, and neck; but right now his entire torso was bare, as were his legs all the way up to his knees. Kagome blinked as she stared up at him, but quickly dismissed it as Izayoi led her out to the backyard. The afternoon sun caused Kagome to squint her eyes at first, but as she adjusted to the brightness and heat, it became bearable. She noticed that Inuyasha's friends had stopped what they were doing to watch her, but with one glance at Sesshoumaru all of her worries were put to rest.
Inu-Taisho went over to the radio and turned up the volume while Izayoi spread out the food on the table. Kagome remained by the older woman's side, too nervous to venture out towards the pool and the children who still sent fear through her. She shyly watched Sango, who still remained at the pools edge, and looked away quickly when the other glanced her way. Sango was just as nervous about Kagome being there too. She still felt guilty, and after her mother had been informed of what she'd done to the younger girl, Sango was even more nervous to apologize. Watching as Izayoi lathered up Kagome's pale skin with sun lotion, Sango realized she needed more sunscreen as well. With a deep breath, the seven-year-old walked over to her friend's mother and stood next to Kagome. There was an obvious nervous energy between them that Izayoi instantly picked up on.
"Hi Sango, did you need something?" She asked with a knowing, but friendly tone. Izayoi gently dabbed the white lotion onto Kagome's face as Sango nodded quietly.
"Can you put some more on my back?" She asked softly, which was a major difference in her usually confident personality.
"Yes, turn around please," Sango turned her back towards Izayoi, now making it almost impossible not to look at Kagome who still faced the woman. The two girls eventually met each other's gaze and after taking a moment to get over their nerves, Sango spoke up first.
"Hi, Kagome," Her voice was friendly, but laced with guilt. Kagome blushed and looked away, but a nudge from her mother caused her to answer back.
"Hi, Sango," She replied in a soft voice. From the hot tub, Sesshoumaru watched with sharp eyes and ears. Once Kagura noticed he was no longer focused on her, she glanced over towards the three females by the table and bit back a laugh.
"You're more protective of her than Izayoi," She whispered playfully. The teen cut his eyes in her direction and relaxed back into the tub, acting dismissive.
"So what? Next to you, she's the only person I can bare to be around." He retorted with crossed arms. Kagura smiled and gently shoved him with her elbow. Back with Izayoi and the two nervous girls, Sango's back was once again covered in lotion and she moved to go back into the pool; but Izayoi caught her wrist gently and stopped the girl from escaping.
"Sango, don't you have something to say to Kagome?" She asked. The girl turned around with an embarrassed expression on her face, but eventually nodded and stepped towards Kagome. After taking a moment, she looked at the smaller girl and fidgeted under her striking blue gaze.
"I'm sorry Kagome for being mean to you before. I feel really bad and I promise I won't do it again." It was a soft and meek voice that said those words, but Izayoi heard the sincerity in them and looked to Kagome now.
"What do you say, Kagome?" The youngest girl glanced at her mother, then up at Sango. She slowly nodded her head, a sign of forgiveness, and smiled when Izayoi's face lit up with her own beautiful grin. "Wonderful! Now, let's all agree that it's water under the bridge and get along! Kagome, go play with Sango and the other's in the pool; but if you get tired go sit on the steps and rest a bit. Okay?" Not waiting for an answer, Izayoi stood up and went to join her husband on one of the lounge chairs. Kagome looked back at her with a desperate expression, but when she turned back towards Sango, she was met with a smiling face.
"Come on Kagome!" Sango took Kagome's small hand and dragged her towards the steps of the pool. She got in without hesitation, but the younger girl took her time acclimating to the temperature and strange feeling of being in the pool. As she stood on the final step, the water coming just up to her belly-button, Kagome tugged the cumbersome water wings up her arms before finally taking the plunge into the cold pool. Sango, who was a confident swimmer and could tread water easily, laughed as Kagome came back flailing her arms and gasping for breath. "Are you okay?" She asked carefully, but laughed with Kagome's smiling face answered that question.
"Yeah! So long as I got my water wings, I'll be okay." She said eagerly, cut off every now and then as her mouth went underwater. Her apprehension about Sango slowly disappeared as the two girls played together in the pool, splashing each other and getting to know the other as a person and future friend. They found that they both had a severe dislike for vegetables and math, and that macaroni and cheese was their favorite food. Kagome told Sango about ballet and how her instructor told her that she'd be ready for pointe lessons in a few years. In return, Sango informed Kagome about the wonders of Korean and Japanese pop music and all the addictive dramas they had on TV. Their guilt and embarrassment was gone as a mutual desire to be friends overpowered trepidation. Inuyasha and Miroku ceased their playing to watch with unease at the new development between Kagome and Sango. It annoyed Inuyasha more than anything that his friend was now friends with his enemy.
Glowering, he swam over to the edge of the pool where water guns, noodles, and other pool toys lay. Grabbing the most powerful gun he could find, Inuyasha quickly pumped some water into it and aimed it straight for Kagome's head. But before he could press the trigger, the plastic toy was kicked out of his hands by none other than Sesshoumaru.
"Hey! I'm telling dad!" He barked madly, swiping at his older brother's leg to inflict some pain, but Sesshoumaru only continued to walk with Kagura to get a bite to eat. As they enjoyed their hotdogs, Inuyasha remained by the edge of the pool with a sour expression on his face. Miroku was now by Sango's side and playing with the two girls. Whose side was he on?!
"Hey, Inuyasha, what's with that girl? Is your mom really gonna keep her?" Kikyou asked as she sat on the edge of the pool, her slender legs dangling in the water daintily. He looked up and smiled, happy to have at least Kikyou next to him.
"Yeah. I'm not happy about it, but Sesshoumaru and dad are totally wrapped around her finger. It's gross…" He muttered. Kikyou pushed herself into the water and remained next to Inuyasha as the two watched the other's in the pool getting along.
"Does she really need those water wings? She's almost seven, right? That's way too old to still be using them." Her voice was laced with condescension as a sneer curled on her little, upturned nose. Inuyasha shrugged and absentmindedly slapped the water. A few moments later, Kikyou got an idea in her mind. "Heeey, want to play marco-polo?" To this, Inuyasha instantly perked up and agreed. Putting her index finger to her nose, Kikyou exclaimed, "Nose goes!" and her three friends quickly followed suit. Kagome was left clueless as she noticed everyone doing the same thing. Slowly, she hesitantly put a finger to her nose and looked to Sango for answers.
"We're gonna play marco-polo! Since you're the last person to touch their nose, that means you're it Kagome." She informed with a smile. Inuyasha and Kikyou swam over to the rest of the group and Kagome suddenly felt very surrounded.
"How do you play?" She asked curiously. Miroku chimed in this time.
"Whoever is it has to close their eyes and yell out 'marco' and we say 'polo'. You keep doing it and chase everyone around with your eyes closed until you touch one of us. Then that person is it." He was smiling at her until Inuyasha's irritated gaze caught the boy's attention, and then Miroku quickly ended his kindness towards Kagome. Once Kagome was sure she understood the rules, she closed her eyes and shouted 'marco'. Sango and everyone else backed away quickly, though it was rather pointless because Kagome could barely swim and mainly stayed in the same place. Her water wings made it difficult to maneuver around or propel herself, but that wouldn't stop the little girl. She finally managed to start moving towards the kids yelling 'polo', but Kikyou quickly ducked away to get behind Kagome. She saw the plug on one of the water wings and smirked before quickly and easily pulling it out of the socket.
"Hey! Who touched me?" Kagome pouted a little, her arms shooting out behind her awkwardly. All she got in return were the sounds of giggling. Her little heart was pounding hard, trying to keep up with the physical strain of swimming around, and her breathing was ragged. The water wing began to deflate, but it was so subtle that Kagome didn't even notice that keeping herself above water was becoming more difficult. She called out again and heard Sango's voice just behind her. Lunging backwards, Kagome laughed as she fell further into the water, but her delight ended as she felt the last functioning water wing slip off her thin arm. Out of fright, she opened her eyes to see the surface of the water becoming more and more distant. The blazing sun reflected all sorts of dancing patterns that made the watery world around her feel almost ethereal. But that peaceful feeling quickly disappeared when she realized that she couldn't get any air.
A cloud of air bubbles flew out of her mouth as she tried to scream for help. Her small hands grasped for the surface of the water as lankly legs kicked desperately, but nothing was pushing her up. Her brain began to feel numb as a ringing echoed in her ears, and slowly her blue eyes began to drift shut as her body went limp in the weightless surroundings. There was a flash of silver before Kagome finally shut her eyes.