Chapter Eleven: A Fog of Events

...all the answers are but waiting for us while we, poor fools, ask questions and wait for the secrets of God to open themselves up to us: when they, all the while, are waiting for us to open ourselves up to them...

-Muhammad Asad 'The Road to Mecca'

School was going by in a foggy haze, Kagome was too distracted with her many issues of late to really concentrate on her classes. The night before had been just another of the dozens of details that didn't add up to anything close to normalcy in her screwed up life.

"Ow..." Kagome winced as she hit the hard dirt at the bottom of the well. The strange man that had been dragging her along had vanished in a blue light and she'd continued down right into the ground. "At least there weren't any hard rocks..."

That was a bit odd even for her recent days but it seemed wise to get away from the well before whoever it was attempting to drag her away returned. "Why do we have a ladder down here anyway? Does grandpa come down here a lot?"

It seemed silly to look a gift horse in the mouth and instead of questioning it she started the climb out of the well and her memory remained none the wiser of the many many times she'd taken that particular trek.

It wasn't until Albel had sat across from her at the lunch table where she usually was with the rest of her friends that she recalled she'd promised to have lunch with him. It seemed like the day when he'd assaulted her, just three days before, was months away instead. She blinked slowly at him.

"You forgot you agreed to have lunch with me." He pointed it out, it wasn't him accusing her, it was a simple statement. "You've seemed off this morning. What's wrong shivers?"

"Um, Kagome, are you sure this is okay?" Yuka leaned over to whisper to her nervously, several of the others that normally sat with them had averted to other tables already and Ayumi and Eri were each busy with a lunch with their clubs they were a part of. "Want me to stay?"

"I'll be okay." Kagome answered, trying to assure her friend even as Albel was staring daggers her way. "I just thought I'd try being nice instead of mean for a while. If I need you I'll yell okay?"

She was aware most of the lunchroom was staring at them and whispering, the overall noise level of the room was lower than usual. Everyone was curious as to what was going on between the evil boy and Kagome and she was doing her best not to blush at all the attention.

Yuka smiled at Kagome anxiously and scurried away to another table where the rest of their usual crowd had taken refuge.

Albel meanwhile seemed vaguely amused, eating while he waited for the other girl to scamper off. "Not running away today with the rest of the lemmings?"

"I said I'd sit with you and have lunch. I've just been distracted with everything that's been going on." She answered honestly, all the issues she'd faced lately she was becoming less nervous with the crazy boy - at least while she was at the school with a lot of other power filled human beings to defend her if he decided to assault her.

"Yeah, so after lunch you're joining us in advanced study hall eh?" He smirked knowingly, and while study hall was such a silly name for it she supposed it was a pretty simple cover.

"So I'm told." She nodded. Professor Curtiss had told her at homeroom this morning that she was going to be moving choir back an hour and replacing Health with the new course for her learning about the powers and what not that she apparently possessed. "I guess I'm a little nervous about it."

"Eh." He shrugged. "It's pretty simple really. I'm sure glasses will hop to do what he can to help you out in that department. The Professors are overbearing but occasionally give decent advice. You'll be fine, you're probably more like glasses and pasty anyway."

She knew glasses. "Pasty?"

"Ghaelon." He smirked as he pointed it out to her. "Stumpy you should probably be a little wary of. He's flashy, dangerous sometimes but generally still learning."

"Like you." She pointed out with a smirk of her own when he glanced at her irritably.

"Eh, not too much. That would require having someone capable of working with me." He answered with a shrug. "What they do and what I do...bit different. I hear there are some decent challenges in the kendo team at the high school. They're letting me join early."

"Wow." Kagome blinked a little, it was pretty rare they let middle schoolers join the high school clubs. "Then you are as good as all the rumors say."

"Better." He grinned a bit. "Okay, so perhaps it's a little annoying but talking isn't as bad as I expected."

She shook her head. "Modesty never seems to be a issue."

"Not needed when you are the best."

"Here I thought I'd joined a fairly normal table." Seto broke in as he sat down next to Kagome, eyeing the other boy distastefully. "But we're attracting all the animals."

"Careful rich boy." Albel's mood seemed to sour immediately, his eyes turning dangerous. "Wouldn't want to fall off that skyscraper of yours."

"I'll manage well enough. We have people prepared to put down anyone too big of a threat in the security detail." Seto replied, not showing a hint of the fear everyone else seemed to have for the aggressive boy sharing the table with himself and Kagome.

"Um?" Kagome blinked between them. It was bizarre that boys were fighting over her at all. It vaguely frightened her that Seto likely had absolutely no idea what he was getting himself into by trying to get rid of Albel. "I wanted to thank you for helping with the party at the beach Seto. I know I worried people but I did have fun and I'm sure everyone else did too."

Changing the subject was a good plan right?

"It wasn't a big deal." Kaiba smiled lightly at her as he replied. "I'm glad that you seem to be fine and didn't get ill again."

Albel was glaring but being quiet for now, half eating while they talked.

"Thanks. I'm actually pretty good. Maybe things are changing for the better." She answered. "Albel was just telling me they're letting him join the Kendo club at the high school. He must be really good. I think I should go see the next match."

"I could pick up tickets if you'd like." Seto resisted the urge to frown as he offered so easily. "What is wrong with me? I really gotta relax and be more cool about this."

"Don't need tickets. She can ride along with the team and sit with us if she wants." Albel commented, smiling as she looked at him in surprise at the offer. It felt like a small victory against the annoying rich kid. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"That'd be neat. When's the next meet?" She asked curiously, doing her best to balance the two and while not hurting Seto's feelings attempting to keep Albel from wanting to kill him. "Maybe we can try to get more of the school interested in attending."

"It's Friday after school." Albel answered, glancing up as the bell rang. "We should head to study hall eh?"

"Yeah." Kagome had jumped at the bell, she hadn't expected it, it seemed like the scene had just started but she couldn't complain. "Thanks again Seto. See you later?"

Seto nodded slowly, not looking up at them and seemingly lost in thoughts of his own.

"Yeah, later rich boy." Albel added, the edge of a threat as he fell into step after Kagome. Blinking at her when she elbowed him rudely. "Hey! What the hell is that for!"

"You can't just threaten people!" She admonished with a shake of her head while walking for Professor Ghaelon's classroom. "It's rude."

"So?"

"You need help." She sighed and moved ahead of him. Hoping he'd take the hint and leave Seto alone, she didn't need anyone else being put in danger for her sake.

He was grumpy as he headed to the back of the class, muttering something under his breath, and she frowned a little before being distracted by Lezard moving past and sitting down himself closer to the front. "Good afternoon Kagome, feeling fine?"

"Yeah." She took a seat near him sheepishly. "Nervous I guess but physically okay."

"I wouldn't worry, we all start somewhere." He answered, violet eyes scanning the room around them as people were arriving and sitting down themselves. She was surprised to see so many people here.

She got a round of introductions shortly after the class started so she could know who everyone was after they introduced her first. It seemed as if Professor Curtiss was more in charge though Ghaelon was also present. She already knew Lezard, Ed, Winry, and Albel. There weren't that many others to be introduced, apparently the 'special' group was small. Though the ones that were still seemed to be so many.

There was a silver haired boy with a shorter brunette that seemed as if they were involved, they'd been speaking when they came in together. The girl seemed to be the chatty one, cheerful even, while he seemed much more muted like many of the male people in the room. They were introduced as Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu. She seemed glad to meet Kagome but the boy had a completely cold expression whenever Kagome offered a wave.

Moving right along. There was a girl named Mai Taniyama who had only recently started and was apparently more like herself and Winry - a seer - people capable of remembering the strange events that occurred around the more 'special' members of the class. She was nice but pretty quiet like many of the rest.

There were apparently other members that were suppose to be arriving to the school that week but had yet to get there. It was just nice to see there were other normal people stuck in the same sort of situation that she was.

After the introductions the professors spoke a bit to people one on one and assigned Kagome to learn the basics first by working with Mai. It was a bit more normal than she'd expected, but with everything that had happened lately, it was better to have the chance at a friend than to have to worry about her odd actions.

They spent time talking a little about the rules, what she could and couldn't say, who she needed to contact if something happened that other people around her saw or remembered. What 'safe' and 'unsafe' areas of the city were, it was all very enlightening and the class hour passed a lot faster than she would have preferred before she was saying goodbye and giving Mai a quick hug. She dashed toward choir but came to a sudden pause as she ran into the strangely dressed man that had pulled her into the well last night and then vanished. She blinked slowly after having bounced off him, staring like the rest of the small crowd.

He had changed from the strange kimono and the boa he'd been carrying then and was in a suit, though the crescent moon and claw like marks were still on his pale face in the sharp azure and maroon colored contrasts. His hair was still amazingly silver, lovely really, if it wasn't for the arctic chill in his honeyed eyes, he'd be drop dead gorgeous.

"We need to speak." He commented in a deep tenor, not glancing away or having a inch of allowing anything else to occur.

"Um..." She swallowed nervously. "He followed me to her school! I just left behind all the people capable of really helping too."

"Arguing will only make things more difficult." He added after her nervous reply, which didn't make her feel any better. So much for singing class. "There is something you need to be made aware of."

"Kagome. Is there something wrong here?" She was relieved to hear Professor Curtiss' voice. Anyone that was one of the people that might be able to tell her what was happening. "Who are you?"

"Sesshomaru." He replied shortly, it was obvious he disliked being here. He looked down on everything and everyone that was nearby, it was as clear he was slightly disgusted. "This girl, she is under a spell that seems to be warping time."

"Huh?" Kagome couldn't help it. What the hell did that mean?

"We should move to my office." Jade suggested. "To speak freely."

Sesshomaru nodded once, he didn't like it but it seemed the fasted way to complete his goal of telling her and then leaving. This whole human community smelled poorly and had so few demons it was insulting to his pride that they had fallen so far in the apparent future. It seemed more likely that dimensions were being altered around her than this was the true future of his world.

Kagome was confused but followed back to the Professors office and sat down numbly, glancing between them, it all seemed a bit out of her league. "How could I warp time?"

"A curse could be a better description?" Jade suggested. His usual smile wasn't there, he was serious and gestured in a silent offer of a chair for Sesshomaru before sitting himself. "We had sensed there is something unique about her...but what you say is...very old and dangerously powerful magic."

"The magic of gods." Sesshomaru replied without sitting, it all reeked of humans. At least the shrine where Kagome lived didn't smell nearly so horribly. "She doesn't recall having visited my time or dimension. Whichever it is. Nor does anyone else seem to remember her involvement."

"But you do?" Jade was a little skeptical, though he could sense the power around the man, it was impossible to miss. It was familiar in a way that was uncomfortable, it was like the fiends they often hunted. "If this is some god given curse, why would you see through the illusion while no one else does."

"Because I am a Demon Lord." He retorted with the same cold manner. "The lesser gods and their games do not effect me."

Kagome continued to watch them banter, it was like a bad soap opera.

"The Demon Lords died out long ago." Jade replied with a shake of his head. "What you are saying is impossible."

"In this hellish dimension perhaps." His return was short, simple. "The girl needs to be made to remember but she seems unable to drop through the portal that connects our worlds as she once did."

"Why do you want to help a mortal if you are as you say?" Jade was right to the point, he came off as paranoid but Kagome didn't mind at all.

"The one behind her curse, whatever he hopes to attain I wish to stop it." Sesshomaru answered. "There is no mercy in my actions. If it wasn't a possibility she was important to his plans then I wouldn't be here. Do what you will with it. I have informed you that her memory is not clear."

He headed out the door despite a protest from Kagome. She started to follow him but Jade paused her with a hand on her shoulder and a small shake of his head. "It seems wise not to irritate him if he is as he says."

"But, if he's telling the truth then he knows what's going on." Kagome protested. "It's something about me, about my life. Maybe he knows why I've been sick for so long."

"If he's right about the portal. We'll be able to contact him after a chance to research his claims." Jade smiled lightly, trying to reassure her. "We're not without our own ways Ms. Higurashi, I would request that you try to be patient. Are you all right?"

"No." She answered honestly, nothing was all right. She'd just been told her whole upside down life was something completely different. How was she suppose to deal with that and just be okay?

End Chapter

Sorry it's been so long. I was ill and in the hospital for a while. Only recently have I been well enough to really want to write. Hope people keep liking my fiction though!

-Aura

To my reviewers:

Veil - We'll get back about to it. Had to get the plot moving along.

Ayjah - Sesshy is the awesome. I can't wait to see the stuff with him when they finish out animating Inuyasha.

Shiori - I think it's funny Kagome couldn't pass through and just got ditched at the bottom of the well.

Serenity - Hope I continue to live up to expectations. It's pretty difficult to do a harem story!