Disclaimer: Well, they're not mine to sell, but how much do you think Inuyasha's ears would go for on ebay? Just a curious question...
A/N Okay, sorry for the (EXTREME) lateness! If you really want an explanation, go read my author's note of chapter thirty–one of my King of the Hill fic. I don't particularly feel like repeating myself... But I was also muchly delayed on this one because there was something I had to sort out in it, and then school started again and I got my internet taken away AGAIN and then exams came up and then I went out of town and then the new semester started... But it's all good now, so why don't we carry on?
Oh, but there's one thing I have to address, and it can only be blamed on my memory. Tanwen-Whitefire, you are absolutely correct in the fact that I made Kagome laugh earlier on in the fic; when they were in the taxi... Um...oops? But, anyways, in a way, I can make it work. See, when Kagome laughed in the taxi, it was...a laugh, but...it wasn't...you know, cheerful and because of something that she really found funny. And in my mind (not that you guys can see into my mind as you read these things), it was more of a low chuckle for the sake of chuckling. She does love Souta very much, and found what he was saying half amusing, but it was more of a "I only expend myself because it's you and you're the only thing keeping me going" laugh/chuckle. And when she laughed at Inuyasha, it was because she genuinely found him funny and it was somewhat carefree and not oppressed by all of her other troubles. Is this making any sense? I'm spending an entire paragraph trying to explain my mistake away so I hope so!
Oh, and Shahrezad1, about the gunshot bit; I think I said that a foggy memory of gunshots flying through the air resurfaced in Kagome's mind. So it was definitely some sort of memory. But of what, I suppose you'll find out...very, very soon...
Sarriennia, I don't have a lot of time (so I probably couldn't beta or edit your fics), but I'd be more than happy to provide tips and such. If you want to send me an email, I'd love to help you out with your fics. Drop me a line at super(underscore)ceech(at)yahoo.ca!
Kuo, say thanks again to your sister for me! It was an AWESOME manga strip!
And I'd like to take this time here to say that no matter what, I will NEVER, EVER give up on ANY of my fics no matter how long I take to update. So if it's been a while, and you think I'm dead, I'm NOT! And I HAVEN'T given up! I solemnly swear to finish each and every one (though there's only really two)! It's a promise and I won't let you guys down!
Okey dokey, now that I've made this author's note ridiculously long like many of my other ones, I guess it's time to get on with the chapter... Here we go; I think you guys will really like this one! It should help to dispel some confusion!
Inuyasha couldn't deny it; he was completely and utterly baffled. Though he had felt he and Kagome had almost established some sort of connection two nights ago when she had come stumbling to his new room, ever since then she had been acting if the entire incident had never occurred. She had gone back to being reclusive, quiet, and just as disagreeable with him as always.
Inuyasha couldn't for the life of him figure out this strange girl. And because of her annoying and frustrating habits, he discovered she invaded his thoughts frequently. This realization irritated him to no end. He would have loved nothing more than to be rid of her and her mysteries entirely, but somehow she wormed her way into his thoughts whenever his mind began to stray.
"Inuyasha!"
Inuyasha sat straight up on the branch he was lounging on and smacked his forehead as he realized he'd just been puzzling over Kagome again. Frustrated, he glared below him at Miroku, who was looking up at him innocently. "What'd ya want?" Inuyasha asked rudely.
"I was just wondering what you were thinking about; that's all," Miroku responded. "You hadn't said anything for a while and when I looked up at you, you had this spaced–out expression going on."
"Keh," Inuyasha dismissed him. "Whatever... I wasn't thinking about anything important."
Miroku shrugged. "Suit yourself."
Inuyasha gave the boy below him a suspicious look. "Suit myself what...?"
"Oh, nothing," Miroku said breezily. "It's just that you're obviously not comfortable with telling me the truth so I can live with that."
Inuyasha glared at Miroku. "Who says I wasn't telling the truth?"
"Well... If it were nothing important, you wouldn't have devoted so much concentration to it, would you?" Miroku asked, having fun toying with his new friend.
"Oh, stuff it," Inuyasha replied, disgruntled.
The two boys were lounging outside that Thursday evening. Classes had ended a half an hour earlier and they weren't currently hungry enough for dinner so they had opted for hanging out at their soon–becoming ritual lunch tree.
"So..." Miroku started hesitantly after a few moments of silence. "How are your classes going so far?"
Inuyasha slumped down against the branch he was lying on and rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. "You really don't want to know," he grumbled.
"Need an unofficial tutor?" Miroku asked.
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow even though Miroku couldn't see him. "You offering?"
Miroku shrugged. "Why not? I've always had pretty decent marks and I just took the classes you're taking last year. And I just thought you might need some extra help because of the situation you're in."
Inuyasha's sceptical look became a glare at the branches above him. "I'm not an idiot, if that's what you're implying!"
A sigh was heard from below. "You like to misinterpret what others' say, Inuyasha," Miroku responded calmly. "I'm not trying to insult you; I'm only trying to help."
"Hmph. Fine. If you insist on 'helping' me, I guess I have no choice but to go along with it," Inuyasha conceded grudgingly.
Miroku took Inuyasha's hidden "yes" with only an exasperated shake of the head. This guy obviously didn't make friends easily.
As he continued staring blankly ahead of himself, Miroku caught sight of a figure approaching them from the school. As the figure gradually came closer, Miroku was able to distinguish her as Sango. Though, the fact that her shoulders were slumped and she had somewhat of a defeated look on her face caused Miroku's concern to mount.
"What's wrong?" he asked as she sat down on the ground beside him and wrapped her light jacket tighter around her torso.
Sango sighed. "Is there something wrong with me?" she asked in a desperate voice.
"Uh..." Miroku wasn't sure how to respond. "Not that I can tell. Why?"
"Well, I've been trying to take your advice, right? You know, about not forcing Kagome to be friends, but to not completely ignore her..."
Inuyasha, who hadn't been paying attention since Sango's arrival, cracked an eye open and perked an ear at the mention of Kagome.
"...So I've been making tentative approaches to her lately..." Sango continued under Miroku's encouraging nod. "You know, just little stuff. I bid her 'good morning' and 'good night' and always try to keep a smile on whenever she's around, but..."
"But?" Miroku prompted.
"But she completely ignores me!" Sango exhaled loudly. "It's like I'm not even there, the way she acts. She never acknowledges me and I don't think she's even looked at me since that day in the hall! What's wrong with me? Do I push too much?"
Miroku could tell that Sango seemed really torn up about her predicament and he carefully reached over and pulled her head down onto his shoulder in a comforting sort of a hug. Inuyasha wisely chose to keep quiet from his perch on his branch. He doubted Sango even knew he was there.
"There's nothing wrong with you," Miroku said firmly. "You're one of the best friends anyone could ever have, and I'm sure Kagome will come to realize that in time. I think that Kagome's just dealing with some issues right now that are too deep for any of us to comprehend... Maybe it would be best to leave her completely alone for the time being. From what you've told me, she's not responding to your efforts, but it's my guess is that your friendliness is just making it all the more difficult for her to ignore you. We really don't want to force her to something she doesn't want so maybe for now it's best if she's left alone."
Sango nodded her head against his shoulder and sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. Thanks, Miroku; you always seem to know how to cheer me up. ...When you're not being a pervert, that is."
"Sango!" Miroku proclaimed in a shocked tone. "How you insult me so!" He pressed a hand over his heart as if she had truly wounded him.
Sango smacked his arm lightly with a smile. "Oh, don't even try to deny it, you little perv."
Miroku sighed tragically. "Alright, I won't... But then you can't deny that you like me..." he said in a sly tone.
"W–what!" Sango exclaimed, a blush springing to her cheeks.
"...As a friend," Miroku finished as if he hadn't heard her. Then he blinked and looked back at her innocently. "What is it, dear Sango? Were you thinking of something else?" He was having a difficult time keeping the grin off of his face.
"Errrrgh!" Sango huffed, realizing he'd been joking with her. "You...you... I don't know what, but something bad!"
"Oh, now you really have hurt me!" Miroku proclaimed, clutching his chest once again, but this time pretending as if he were dying. Sango laughed and threw some fallen leaves at him.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes as the pair of them started a leaf fight below him. He tuned out the noise and stared at what he could see of the blue sky through the tree branches above him. The more he heard about Kagome, the more curious and irritated he became. This time was no exception.
Just from hearing about her behaviour, he was annoyed at her treatment of Sango. From what he could tell, Sango was a fairly nice human being (not that he would go out of his way to get to know her), and Kagome was completely ignoring her. He didn't care how "horrible" her past was anymore; her attitude was downright getting on his nerves! She really needed a lesson on humility and he was hoping she'd get it soon...
..:V:..
The next day, Inuyasha hardly spoke a word to Kagome in their Physics class, and she herself didn't initiate any conversation. They quietly listened to the lesson and then silently worked on the homework questions separately. Inuyasha chewed on the eraser of his pencil in frustration when many of the concepts made little to no sense to him and he was tempted to bug Kagome in order to get it off his mind, but one look at her pensive and concentrated face made him think better of it. She'd probably just yell at him and go completely silent again anyways.
After another agonizing fifteen minutes, the bell rang and Inuyasha headed to his next class, Ancient History. No one he knew was in the class and so like always, he sat by himself in the back right corner. He quietly attended the lesson; that was to say, he fell asleep halfway through and slumbered the period away, dreaming about ancient Greek and Roman warriors.
The bell rang, jolting him awake, and he immediately went to stuff his books in his locker, buy a cup of hot noodles from the cafeteria, and head outside to his favourite tree. Miroku and Sango came out soon after and Inuyasha listened disinterestedly to their usual lunch time banter. Miroku, as expected, felt Sango up a few times, she slapped him equally as many times, perhaps even more, and Inuyasha stayed silent while rolling his eyes and resisting the urge to smack the black–haired boy himself.
Five minutes before the end of the period, the three reluctantly gathered their things and started back towards the school. Once inside, they parted ways and Inuyasha once again made his way towards his locker. Grabbing some homework that needed his attention, he pushed his way through the crowded hallways in order to reach his MSP classroom where he knew Kagome would be sitting, waiting.
He sat down at his regular desk in time for the bell to ring, and silently began to work on his assigned homework. After about twenty minutes, he had finished up as much as he could understand and began gazing disinterestedly around the room. From the looks of it, Kagome had abandoned her work too, and was sitting straight up in her chair, staring blankly at, or more like through, the desk before her. He couldn't see her entire face, but her hands were gripping the wood of the desk so tightly, her knuckles had gone white and after a moment, Inuyasha could detect her ragged breathing. He titled his head in curiosity and swivelled his ears completely forward so as to pick up the uneven beating and fluttering of her heartbeat.
As if in a trance, Kagome whispered a few words brokenly, "No...don't... Not again..." Inuyasha winced as his overly sensitive ears picked up the harsh sound of Kagome's fingernails scraping forcefully along the surface of her desk. Seeing as the girl who normally sat in the desk beside Kagome was absent for the day, Inuyasha took the opportunity to move up a row and turn towards the now shaking girl. She took no notice of his movement and instead, her face contorted with raw emotion as she stared unseeing in front of her.
Her apparent emotional distress finally became too much for Inuyasha and with a slight snarl, he reached out and nudged her shoulder gently. "Hey, girl! Snap out of it!"
With a jerk, Kagome seemed to come back to herself and upon seeing Inuyasha's face, she let out a shocked gasp. Just as quickly, though, and much to Inuyasha's confusion, her eyes seemed to clear once again and she shook her head at herself, as if she'd been imaging things. "Oh...! Uh...Inuyasha! What...do you want...?" she asked nervously, trying to control her uneven breathing while holding one hand in the other and trying to suppress its shaking.
Inuyasha gave her an incredulous look. "What do you think I want? What the hell was that?"
"Um...what was what?" Kagome asked, feigning indifference. "I was just doing my work here, see–" She jumped as one of Inuyasha's palms smacked down on her desk.
"Don't give me that crap!" he whispered fiercely. He gave her a suspicious look. "What're you hidin'?"
Kagome flipped her hair over her shoulder and picked up her abandoned pencil. "I'm not hiding anything, Inuyasha. And I don't appreciate getting molested while trying to do my homework."
"Molested!" Inuyasha protested. "Why you–! And homework? Keh! As if I'd buy that!"
Kagome voice suddenly turned to a dangerous whisper as she fixed him with a piercing glare. "Look, just drop it, okay? It's none of your business."
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at this. Giving a pointed look down at her desk, he said, "Well, if it's not my business, it's certainly the school's when you're scratching gashes in its desks."
Kagome looked down and indeed saw that her fingernails had scraped light scratches along her desk's surface. Flushing slightly, she looked at her fingernails and realized that there were splinters of soft wood bunched up beneath them. Thankfully, none of them had pierced her skin and she began cleaning them out with a slight, "Oh..."
"So?" Inuyasha pressed after a moment of silence. "What was that?"
"Just... It was nothing. Will you let it go?" Kagome snapped, irately scraping under her fingernails.
"No, I don't think I will. You have freaking desk shavings under your fingernails and you're chalk white. That's not usually a normal reaction from working on–" Inuyasha glanced down at the papers on her desk, "–trigonometry homework."
Kagome picked out the last of the splinters and fixed the silver–haired boy with a heated glare. "Why do you even care so much? I thought the last thing you ever wanted was to have extended contact with me!"
Inuyasha was stuck for a moment on this. It was true that he oftentimes admitted to her and himself, for reassurance more than anything else, that he hated her and wanted to have nothing to do with her. So why was he so insistent about this? "Keh," he scoffed, trying to think of a way he could reverse the discomfort and pin her down again. "You're just trying to avoid the question."
"And you shouldn't have even cared enough to ask that question," Kagome refuted. "So stop believing I'm going to tell you something, because I won't. You missed the 'let's give a shit about Kagome' train a while back so don't try hopping on it now!" Her features had darkened, and she was only dimly aware that by now, most of the MSP class was paying attention to the arguing pair.
Inuyasha was slightly taken aback, seeing it was the first time he'd heard Kagome use truly harsh language, but he was quick to recover. "We're not back to the whole self pity crap again, are we?"
Kagome fumed. "I do not feel sorry for myself!" she practically retorted.
"What–bawling your eyes out in the middle of the night is your way of making peace with the world?" Inuyasha asked sceptically.
Kagome's breath hitched a little in her throat as her anger mounted. Fisting and flexing her hands repeatedly, she stood up and glared down at Inuyasha. "Don't you dare bring that up!"
Inuyasha's anger rose as well and he stood up as well so as not to be at a disadvantage. "What; because it's 'too much to bear' to bring it up yourself? It's just so damn painful that you'd rather go around, keeping it to yourself so it can eat you from the inside out instead of finding some help and getting on with your life? Is that it? You're having too much fun playing the chick in distress that you can't realize it's getting old and let it go?"
Kagome stepped back as if slapped. Then, just as abruptly, her features clouded over once again and she stepped forward once more. "How DARE you! You think you know me and understand what I've been through? And accuse me of having problems? You, you accuse me of having problems? Ha, that's a laugh!" Inuyasha opened his mouth to respond, but Kagome kept going in a sardonic tone. "Yes, that's right, Inuyasha, I enjoy every minute of my life; reliving things from my past. In fact, that's how I get my weekend kicks, you know? I find a nice dark corner somewhere and stare at the wall, brooding and wallowing in my self–pity and misery. It's really oh so much fun! You should try it sometime; I think there's another corner empty in that same room, in fact."
"Kagome–" the MSP teacher spoke up, finally deciding that the argument had taken a decidedly sour turn.
But Kagome wasn't finished yet. "You know what your problem is, Inuyasha? You're so angry and confused about what's happened to you that you're willing to lash out at anybody who even looks at you the wrong way! Maybe before you try to tell me what's wrong with me, you should figure out how to get yourself fixed. Because, like it or not, I'm not responsible for your past and I'll thank you to not comment on mine based on harsher elements of yours. Your past may not be cheery and happy, but you know absolutely nothing of mine. And let me tell you, what you've been through? It's nothing compared to what I have."
Kagome stood there for a few moments, breathing hard, before realising what she had just said. Eyes widening, she clapped a hand to her mouth in shock of her own insensitivity. As Inuyasha's expression slowly turned from shock to barely controlled anger, Kagome reached out a hand in a placating gesture before abruptly spinning and running out of the classroom.
"Kagome!" the teacher called after her. When the girl didn't return, the teacher shook her head before turning back just in time to see Inuyasha looking about to punch something or someone. "Inuyasha, calm down. I'm sure she didn't mean it to sound that way," the teacher said, almost pleadingly. "Just...take your seat and try to sit quietly through the rest of the period."
"Like hell," Inuyasha snarled. "She's gonna pay for saying what she said!"
"Inuyasha–" the teacher started, but cut off when Inuyasha ignored her and headed straight for the door, fists balled and his long silver hair flowing in his wake. With another shake of her head, the teacher sank back down in her chair and held her head for a minute. When she looked up again, all of the other kids were either staring at her, or whispering amongst themselves about the newest disturbance. Scowling, she barked, "Continue working until the end of the period! In silence!"
..:V:..
Inuyasha stormed angrily out of the MSP classroom and looked left and right to see which way the fleeing girl had gone. Seeing no one, he raised his nose in the air and sniffed a few times, drawing in her scent. Letting out a low growl in his throat, he turned abruptly to his right. Following the scent, he made his way down the hallway and out the doors that led to the back part of the school campus.
He saw "the tree" straight ahead, and a figure huddled beneath it. Once he had crossed half the distance between them, the figure lifted her head and spotted him; but she made no move to flee again. Instead, she lowered her head back into her arms again and waited for Inuyasha to reach her.
As Inuyasha came upon her, golden eyes boring into her head, her shoulders slumped and she muttered in a muffled voice, "Say it. Go on. Just say it."
Inuyasha stopped before her and took a few deep breaths as if not trying to give in to her command. After the third one, however, he burst out, "Bitch! You little bitch! Where do you get off saying things like that?"
Kagome let out a ragged breath and lifted her head so her eyes could meet Inuyasha's. "I...I didn't mean to... I was just so caught up...and so angry. You said some pretty horrible things too, you know! You don't know what's happened in my life..."
"And you don't know what's happened in mine!" Inuyasha snarled from above her.
Kagome cast her head to the side and gazed down at the fall leaves, feeling a bit ashamed. "I...I know some of your past..." she whispered.
Inuyasha leaned in slightly. "What was that?"
"I...I went to the library last weekend... I read through some old articles. I...read about what happened to you and your family five years ago..." Kagome said quietly, wincing as she turned her eyes back up to meet those of the boy in front of her.
Inuyasha's expression turned from anger into shock, into sorrow, and then into a myriad of emotions that were indiscernible to Kagome. "You...did what...?" Inuyasha asked in a strangled voice.
Kagome shrank away slightly. "You...you heard me. I...was curious. You kept hinting at something that happened to you five years ago so I... I went to check if it was in any old newspaper articles in the city library. Needless to say...it was."
Inuyasha tried valiantly to pull his emotions under control as he said delicately, "I see."
"You're...you're not even more mad at me now...are you?" Kagome asked hesitantly.
Ignoring her question, Inuyasha chose to flop down on the grass beside her and look up at the sky. "So knowing some of my past, you still think it's nothing and meaningless?"
Kagome's eyes widened and she shook her head emphatically. "No, no! I told you, I didn't mean what I said back there. I was a...bitch, like you said. It...it just came out. I'm...I'm so sorry..."
"'Sorry' won't erase your words," Inuyasha said pointedly.
"No..." Kagome said, plucking a strand of grass and beginning to toy with it. "But I was hoping it would take the meaning and sting out of them. Because words without meaning are just words. And that's all they were. Please believe me," she finished, turning to look at Inuyasha imploringly.
"Hmph," Inuyasha said, leaning back against the trunk of "the tree". "Why do you care if I'm mad at you or not? It's not like you've cared before now."
Kagome's gaze slid back to the grass in her hands. "I dunno..."
"And what'd you hope to gain by going behind my back and reading those articles anyway?" Inuyasha pressed.
"I dunno..." Kagome muttered.
"You don't know a lot, do you?" Inuyasha snapped. After a moment of silence, he asked awkwardly, "What'd they say, anyway?"
Kagome gave him a startled look. "You mean you haven't seen them?"
Inuyasha glared at her out of the corner of his eye. "What do you think? I was in a coma, remember?"
"Well, yeah, but didn't you see them when you woke up?" Kagome asked, confused.
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "By the time I woke up, the newspapers were a little outdated. I only woke up at the beginning of the year."
"What; this year?" Kagome practically screeched, fully turning her body to face him.
Inuyasha jumped and covered his sensitive ears as he nodded with a wince. "They didn't talk about that, huh?"
"I only read some articles from five years ago... They talked about what...the police found that night... I never got to check on any more recent articles. You...you were in that coma for five years...?"
"Heh; yeah," Inuyasha responded despondently as he picked up and broke a few twigs that were lying on the ground. "Kinda funny, right? And once I woke up, I got shoved into the custody of my older, hated brother who tried to cram three years of missed education into my recovering head in the space of six months. That was a load of fun, I'll tell ya. I'd do it again in a flash." Inuyasha let out a hollow laugh.
Kagome's startled look turned to one of worry. "Inuyasha..."
"What?" Inuyasha asked, turning to her with mirth in his eyes. "Why aren't you laughing? Don't you find it funny?"
Kagome narrowed her eyes. "Not really, no. I don't find it funny at all. Why do you?"
"Well, think about it." Inuyasha continued in the same cheerful tone. "One night you get tucked in as a twelve year old and when you wake up, it's five years later, you're seventeen, the world's gone on without you, your parents are dead, and their murderer is still out there somewhere...! Funny...right...?" Inuyasha's voice started to fade near the end of his words and then his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Absolutely hilarious..." he mocked himself.
Kagome thought of sympathizing with him, but reconsidered that it might have a more negative effect than positive one. Instead, she asked in curiosity, "The...murderer is still out there...? Didn't you identify the person when you woke up?"
Inuyasha balled his hand into a fist so tight, his knuckles turned white. "That's the best part, you see. I can't identify the murderer. I have no idea who it is!"
Kagome's eyes widened. "Inuyasha...what are you saying...?"
"...I can't remember a thing about that night," Inuyasha said quietly.
Kagome's expression turned into one of shock. "You have amnesia?"
"Well...just of that day. The last thing I remember before I woke up from that coma is going to bed the day before it happened. So whatever I witnessed that night, whoever I saw that the murderer was...is absolutely useless! I lose my memory and the killer gets away scot-free! So much for everyone's hope..."
A flash of insight came to Kagome and she suddenly reached out a hand to lay on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Inuyasha...it's not your fault."
Inuyasha turned his head to look at her, startled. But no sooner then his eyes met hers, he shrugged off her hand and looked away. "Keh; what do you know? 'Course it's not my fault. I'm not that stupid."
Kagome opened her mouth to argue, but decided against it at the last moment. Taking her hand back and cradling it in her lap, she nodded. "Right, right. Of course you're not. It was stupid of me to even suggest it."
Inuyasha nodded absently and the two of them lapsed into silence. Fallen leaves blew around them in the autumn breeze and the sun did nothing to avail the chill that accompanied them. Inuyasha sighed and raked a hand through his silver locks as his thoughts tumbled around inside his head. What made him start admitting all that stuff to Kagome? Ten minutes earlier, they were having a heated argument. Now they were chatting idly about his hardships? What was the matter with him? Why would he ever talk about that with anyone; and Kagome of all people? He was such an idiot! If she ever tried to use it against him...
"I don't know what you're feeling going through this right now," Kagome broke through his thoughts. "And I'm not going to presume to know. But I do know how I felt going through horrible situations like yours..."
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but wisely said nothing. Taking a quick glance at the girl beside him, he noticed she was staring distantly out over the school and to the sky.
"I was so happy as a kid. I had everything I could have possibly wanted. A wonderful mother, an adoring father...and by the time I was six, a new baby brother. Life, it seemed to me, couldn't get any better. Turns out I was right. It never got better. If fact, it started getting steadily worse.
"Somehow, though I was only six years old, I remember this one night perfectly clearly. It's something I'll never forget as long as I live. I had been tucked into bed by my parents as usual, and my nightlight was burning as I snuggled down and fell deeply asleep. But halfway through the night, my mother slipped back into my room with my baby brother. She gently shook me awake and bade me to be quiet. When I tried to ask what was going on, she shushed me and told me that there was a dangerous stranger in the house. My father had called the police and then had gone down to confront the person. My mother said it was a burglar and that we had to be quiet or else he would know we were there. She held Souta and I close and protectively. I can still remember the warmth of her hug..." Kagome sighed wistfully.
By this time, Inuyasha was quite taken aback. He never expected she would open up this much to him, especially since he hadn't even brought it up. He made a noncommital sound, hoping it sounded like encouragement to continue.
Kagome squeezed her eyes shut. "We heard...my dad's voice surprising the burglar, and the burglar's startled exclamation. Then...there was a slight scuffling noise...and...and...two shots rang out." Kagome hung her head for a moment, before resolutely raising it again and continuing on. "My mother was beside herself. She pushed Souta into my arms and told me to stay still as she ran out of the room. I heard her go downstairs and by about the time she reached the bottom step, I couldn't take it anymore. I ran with Souta out into the hallway. Looking through the rungs of the top level railing, I saw my dad on the ground, lying still. I raised my gaze just in time to see my mother rushing towards him before...before the stranger raised his gun and fired once more. My mother crumpled to the ground beside my father and...and their blood...their blood–" Kagome's voice caught and she struggled to suppress her emotions in order to continue. "Their blood mixed together and as I watched, that...that bastard started chuckling. Then he grabbed his pilfered loot and took off without noticing Soutaor I.
"The police came soon thereafter, but it was too late. Our parents were dead. They didn't have any trackable relations and they had never appointed godparents for us, so there was no other option than to ship Souta and I off to an orphanage. Souta was only an infant when it happened, and wasn't even really alert to the world, but I knew. I cried for weeks, months. It's never left me, even. And nobody wanted to adopt a scarred child like me. And I wouldn't let Souta be adopted without me. He was the only thing I had left. Not that I really wanted to be adopted, anyway. Nobody could replace my perfect parents and I didn't want anyone to try. So we grew up there. A couple months after we started living there, the police caught the burglar. I had to be called in as an eye witness andwith the help ofmy identification, he was locked up for fifteen years to life. I should have felt satisfied, resolved, clean, anything. But I felt nothing." Kagome's voice was flat, despondent, and unemotional.
Inuyasha swallowed thickly and searched for words. "I...I had no idea..."
Kagome glared at him out of the corner of her eye. "'Course you didn't," she snapped. "I've never told anyone except Souta. And I doubt you read the article on it in our local paper. I don't know why I'm bothering telling you now. I guess it's because I owe you for telling me about yourself."
"Keh, as long as you don't blab to anybody about it, you don't owe me anything," Inuyasha said gruffly, crossing his arms.
Kagome's gaze softened and she shrugged. "Even so... It might be refreshing for someone to know my story, told from my side. For someone else to know the truth, instead of rumours..." Even though I'm not saying anything about my visions, Kagome thought to herself. He'd think me crazy for sure, then. And if he thinks my witnessing the murder of my parents bad, what would he think if he knew that I had been having nightmares and visions about that night since three months prior?
"Everyone knows my story already," Inuyasha replied, unfolding his arms and draping them across his propped up knees. "It was only broadcasted in every newspaper, on every news station. And all because my father was the owner of a huge computer business, Western Enterprises. I'm almost glad I got put in a coma since it meant I got to avoid the press. Reporters of course bombarded me about the whole thing when I woke up, but I doubt it was as bad as it would've been back then."
"Press is a thorn in the side," Kagome agreed. "It was annoying and a little scary when they started bombarding me about my parents' death, but it got worse the second time..."
"The second time?" Inuyasha asked, unable to help himself.
Kagome sighed and looked down at her clenched hands. "As I said, Souta and I grew up in the orphanage. I still continued to attend school, and with the help of the friendly kids there, I soon began to recover from the trauma. I made some friends, and I met this one girl, Kikyo, when I was ten. She and I were a lot alike. We even looked somewhat similar. She wasn't my best friend, but she was a good one. We hung out a few times, and I could always rely on her as a project partner.
"But one day when I was walking from school back to the orphanage, Kikyo spotted me from across the street. She called my name and waved. I waved back and smiled. She told me to wait there, that she'd come on over. So I stayed where I was and waited for her to make sure the road was clear. Once no cars were coming, she started to cross. She wasn't five feet away from me when a car screamed around the corner next to me and...and...hit Kikyo full force. I...couldn't believe my eyes. I was left standing there in shock, sprayed with her blood. When my mind started up again, I ran over to her, right in front of where the car had screeched to a halt. She tried to say something to me, but she died in my arms before she had the chance..." Kagome took a few deep breaths as she remembered the experience. "The people in the car turned out to be drunken teenagers celebrating the end of their first year in university. I think they were charged with some jail time, but I never pursued it. I was trying to get over the second brutal death I'd witnessed." And foreseen, Kagome added silently.
Inuyasha was speechless. No wonder she acts so weird and defensive... he thought to himself. "Uh... That must have been terrible," he said dumbly.
"Not exactly the best time of my life," Kagome agreed. "Though Kikyo wasn't as close to me as my parents were, it still hurt. She was one of the girls who was friendly and helped me deal with the death of my parents. Having her die as well was kind of like a sign. Like I shouldn't be recovering from the trauma. Needless to say, I reverted back to the emotional state I was in after my parents' death and any sense of recovery had vanished. I pushed everyone away except for my brother and they all soon gave up in trying to help me. Except for one boy." Kagome smiled faintly. "His name was Hojo, and he was the friendliest, most cheerful boy I've ever met. He'd bring me a gift every morning and he smiled whenever I scowled. He wasn't trying to ignore or disrespect what I'd been through, but rather just wanted me to be happy. At first I refused all of his gifts, shoving them away, and sometimes breaking them when I became frustrated. I thought he was the densest boy in the world. But it turned out he was one of the most insightful ones.
"After a while, I began taking his gifts silently, hoping he'd give up if I said nothing. Instead, he started inviting me to hang out with him and his friends. I refused at first, but soon took him up on his offer. We got to talking on a few occasions and found we had a lot in common. He helped draw me out of my shell and we became progressively closer. After a year, we were the best of friends. Nothing could separate us. My friendship with him made me really believe that I could get over the deaths of my parents and Kikyo. There was just something about him..." Kagome said, eyes shining.
Inuyasha began to get an uneasy feeling. "You keep saying 'was'. Did something happen to him too?"
The slight smile fell from Kagome's lips and she turned her head and layed it on her folded arms resting on her propped up knees. She searched Inuyasha's golden eyes with her own for a few moments before speaking up again. "Yeah. Yeah, something happened to him. Something awful." A single tear leaked out of the corner of her eye, but she brushed it away angrily, refusing to cry this one time.
"It happened two years ago, when we were thirteen. Hojo and I had gone to the mall on a Friday night to hang out and eat. His house and the orphanage weren't too far away, so we decided to walk home. As always, he insisted on making sure I was home safely before he went back to his house. During the day, we often used these certain alleyways between the buildings as short cuts to different parts of the neighbourhood. It was cold out that night and, wanting to get back to the orphanage quickly, I suggested we use the alleyways," Kagome explained, her expression one of immense guilt and regret. "While...while we were walking through them...a–a gang jumped us. They demanded for us to hand over all of our money, but we only had a few coins left. Hojo threw down what we had, but they weren't satisfied. They–" Kagome's voice caught, "–They came after us with knives and Hojo–he...he stood in front of me and protected me as they...as they..." Kagome swallowed multiple times in hopes of dislodging the lump in her throat. "As they...stabbed him to death."
Inuyasha was stupefied. What kind of hell had this girl lived?
Kagome closed her eyes and breathed deeply until she regained what little she had lost of her composure. Opening her eyes again, she finished, "Some citizen had heard Hojo and I's screaming and must have phoned the police because they came just in time for my life to be spared. But I didn't deserve to be spared... If it wasn't for me, we would have taken the safe way home and Hojo would still be with me today..." Kagome cast her head to the side in shame.
Despite himself, Inuyasha's heart went out to the girl beside him, looking so lost and distraught. Reaching out a hand to gently rest on her shoulder, he said quietly, "Kagome... You couldn't have possibly have known..."
Kagome eyes squeezed shut as if he'd just slapped her. Couldn't I have? she thought bitterly. I knew only too well, and yet I still didn't realize it until it was too late... God, Hojo, I'm so sorry...
Turning back to Inuyasha, Kagome said sadly, "I should've known, though. I should've–"
"And I should remember what happened the night my parents were murdered," Inuyasha cut in. "But I don't. You told me it wasn't my fault, therefore you not knowing the alleyway wasn't safe isn't your fault. Got it?"
Oh, Inuyasha, if only you could understand... Smiling faintly, Kagome responded, "I'll try to keep that in mind, though I don't think it'll make it hurt any less."
Awkwardly, Inuyasha moved his hand from her shoulder so that he could wrap his arm around both her shoulders and give her a comforting hug. "Guess we're both screwed up delinquents, huh?" he said jokingly.
Kagome sighed and relaxed slightly in Inuyasha's warmth. "Yeah, I guess so..."
Inuyasha hesitated before saying, "For what it's worth...I'm sorry."
"Heh. Why would you be sorry?" Kagome asked. "You didn't kill them." She winced at her own bluntness.
"Okay..." Inuyasha replied. "Then I'm sorry for being such an asshole earlier."
Kagome giggled. "Yeah... I think we got off to the wrong start..."
"Just slightly," Inuyasha agreed genially. "You know, I hated you twenty minutes ago."
"Don't tell me you like me now?" Kagome joked. It felt like a great burden had been lifted off her shoulders when she had finally imparted her past to someone other than her brother, and she was feeling slightly giddy as a result.
"Nah, not a chance," Inuyasha replied promptly. "I just...understand you better now, I guess. But don't expect me to be all nice to you or something from now on."
"Why would I?" Kagome retorted. "And like you could be nice anyway."
Inuyasha thought about this for a moment before conceding. "Yeah, you're right. I don't have a nice bone in my body."
Kagome snorted. "I'll believe it more when you don't have a comforting arm around me."
Inuyasha shot her a mock glare. "Shut up, you."
..:V:..
Miroku hummed a tune to himself as he sauntered down the hallway beside Sango. With their books in hand, they were headed for their next class; Philosophy. Miroku glanced out the window as they walked and soon did a double take, stopping dead in his tracks.
"Miroku?" Sango asked questioningly.
"Sango... C'mere a minute," Miroku bade, unable to tear his eyes from the sight before him. "Would you look at that..."
In confusion, Sango came up beside the stupefied boy and glanced out the window as well. Seeing Inuyasha half–hugging Kagome under the Tree, she gasped in surprise. But her expression soon turned to one of hurt. "I'm swear I'm not jealous, but how come Kagome won't let me be her friend, and yet she's perfectly fine being and talking with Inuyasha? What does he have that I don't?" she asked beseechingly.
Miroku sighed and placed a placating hand on Sango's shoulder. "Testosterone," he replied sagely.
"Eh...?" Sango stuttered in surprise.
"Testosterone," Miroku repeated. "It's known to work wonders on many a female and sadly, my dear Sango, in that department, you a sorely lacking."
"Can't you be serious this once?" Sango replied indignantly.
"I don't think it's in the cards today," Miroku answered apologetically. "Well, then. Shall we carry on? Philosophy's awaiting!"
"You're impossible," Sango said, shaking her head.
"And devious," Miroku supplied. "Remember, a compromising scene one day provides for plenty ammunition another."
"Hmm..." Sango said in realization. "I see where you're going with that. And I must say, I like that philosophy."
"Isn't it great? They should make a statue of me," Miroku said grandly.
"Dream on," Sango responded, rolling her eyes.
"Only of you," Miroku quipped.
"Get moving to class, pervert," Sango snapped angrily, though she couldn't manage to completely conceal her blush.
"But of course, fair lady," Miroku conceded. He bowed low and then straightened before marching off in the direction of their class.
Taking one last look at Inuyasha and Kagome outside, Sango grinned and trudged after her companion.
A/N I know I'm not forgiven, but...was it good? Crap? Are you a little less confused now? This thing is about twelve pages long so I hope that makes up for something... I just dumped some more angsty stuff on you, but there was somewhat of a light–hearted tone at the end, right?
And by the way, sorry to those of you who like the angst and get frustrated when I keep thinking I've added too much. Let me tell you, it takes A LOT longer to write a chapter than to read it. So if the chapter's mainly angst, and I've been at this a while, there seems to me to be a ton more angst than there actually is. It's a perception thing. I'll just stop whining and let you guys tell me if it's any good or notfrom now on.
Oh, and really, I have no clue about the next update. I have to go work on King of the Hill now, but I'm going to try doing some steady writing so cross your fingers. I can't make any promises because this last year of high school is very hectic and I'm not sure which way is up or which way is down right now. But until next time, ciao!