Disclaimer: I thought that moving to Japan would get me one step closer to owning Inuyasha, but alas, it hasn't happened yet.
A/N Could it be? Could it truly be? Yes, indeed, it is another In the Shadows update - its first from the land of Japan. And I assure you I'm all well and good - I wasn't affected by the giant earthquake and tsunami too much. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
"Black skirt with red shirt, or with white shirt and flashy belt?" Kagome faced Sango with a deadly serious expression, holding up two clothing choices.
Sango scrutinized the two outfits on display in front of her before squinting and saying, "Mmmm, both great choices, but I think I'm going to have to give it to door number two — black skirt, white blouse and flashy belt. As long as you wear those kick ass heels I got you for Christmas, which are currently hiding in the depths of your closet."
Kagome gave her a wide-eyed look. "Do...do you think I can? They're not too...sexy?"
Sango burst out laughing. "Kagome, you're so innocent. Of course they're sexy! That's the point!"
Kagome pouted. "I'm not that innocent. Just...I feel kind of like a stripper or something when I wear them. And besides, it's just a concert. How dressy do I need to be?"
"As dressy as you want. And trust me, you look way classier than a stripper with them on. I bought them for you for a reason. They suit you perfectly. I wouldn't lie to you, my friend," Sango said matter-of-fact.
"Oh alright," Kagome gave in, trying to suppress a smile. "I was looking for an excuse to wear them anyway. Now turn around so I can change."
Sango turned to face the wall and Kagome quickly shimmied into her outfit for the evening. Once having clipped the belt into place, she dug the heels out of the closet and slipped into them. She twirled once for Sango's admiration, eliciting a squeal of delight from the girl.
"Gorgeous! I'm so jealous of you guys, you're going to have a great time tonight."
"I know, I'm so excited!" Kagome exclaimed.
Without warning, the scene before Kagome's eyes shifted away, to be replaced by a larger room with many beds and her younger brother grinning up at her.
"I'm so excited!" she exclaimed. "I still can't believe you bought these tickets, Souta!"
Souta grinned abashedly at her. "I thought you deserved to have fun once in a while."
"You're the best brother ever!" Kagome declared, wrapping him up in a hug. "Now let's get going, we wouldn't want to miss it!"
"Whoa, Kagome!"
Kagome came back to herself only to realize she was toppling off her heels. Thankfully Sango dashed in to catch her before she fell.
"Are you okay?" Sango asked, concern in her eyes.
Kagome shook her head, not entirely sure what had just happened. "Yeah...yeah, I'm fine. I guess I should have practiced wearing these heels more ahead of time. Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
That was just weird, Kagome thought to herself. That was not a normal vision…
"Man, seeing you getting all dolled up makes me want to go out and do something tonight too," Sango said, walking back to her bed. "Do you think I should call Miroku and strong-arm him into taking me out on a date?"
Kagome decided to forget about the strange occurrence and focus on her roommate's words. "Yes, definitely! And there will hardly be any strong-arming involved, I'm sure. Miroku's always at your beck and call."
"That had better be true," Sango mused, absentmindedly cracking her knuckles. "I can't get lax and let any other girls distract him."
"I really don't think you have to worry!" Kagome assured her with a chuckle.
"Okay, it's decided, I'm getting him to take me out tonight. But first, please let me do your hair and make-up," Sango begged.
"Be my guest," Kagome invited her. "There's still a lot of time before the concert — you can play to your heart's content."
"You are too good to me," Sango informed her, her fingers twitching in anticipation.
..:V:..
"You look—" Inuyasha gulped, "—really pretty." He and Souta had come to pick her up from her dorm room. Kagome looked ravishing, her hair half up, half down in waves and her eyes dusted with soft glittery make-up. Not to mention her ensemble. Inuyasha had to remind himself that this was his girlfriend.
"She is my finest creation," Sango beamed from within the room.
"I can see why," Inuyasha said, his eyes not straying from Kagome. "But I'm having the strangest urge not to let anyone else see her."
"That can happen when I work my magic," Sango admitted apologetically.
Kagome laughed, but took her brother's arm instead of Inuyasha's. "You two are silly. Let's get going, guys. Are Sesshoumaru and Rin here yet?"
"Ah, I got a text from Sesshoumaru asking us to come to Western Enterprises. He had to go into the office to take care of some sudden business, but he said it wouldn't take long. If we meet him there, we can go straight to the concert afterwards. The concert hall is nearby," Inuyasha explained.
"Hm. Alright then. Let's head out then." The three bid Sango good-bye and headed out of the school. Sesshoumaru had been considerate enough to send another limousine for them so they hopped inside and made their way to his company.
When they entered the area outside Sesshoumaru's office, they saw Kagura at her desk, focused intently on her computer monitor. She did not appear to notice their entrance and when Inuyasha uttered a word of greeting, she jumped as if shocked.
She looked up at them and gave a crooked smile. "Oh hello, kids. Why are you here?"
Kagura didn't look her usual self. Her hair had been hastily done and her eye make-up was smudged. She seemed distracted and fidgety, and wouldn't look at them directly.
"Um...we're here to meet Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha explained, giving her a questioning look that she didn't catch. "To go to the concert?"
"Oh! Right, of course, of course. Silly me, to forget. That's right, that thing is tonight. It sounds like so much fun, I'm sure you'll have a great time," she babbled. "That band, they're fantastic…who are you going to see again?"
Inuyasha and Kagome shared a look. "Mimic… Didn't you help my brother get the tickets?"
"Oh, that's right," Kagura replied absently. "Well, enjoy yourselves and don't fight with your brother, you hear? He's a very nice man."
She started straightening some papers on her desk and Inuyasha leaned over to say something, but pulled back just as quickly, his nose wrinkling. In a confused voice, he asked, "Have you been drinking?"
She seemed to regain her composure in an instant and gave him a cold stare. "Don't be ridiculous, Inuyasha." She waved them towards the inner doors. "You can go on in there, Sesshoumaru and Rin are inside."
Inuyasha gave her a puzzled look, but headed towards his brother's office, Souta following in his wake.
Kagome held back a moment, letting them go before her. She turned to ask the older woman in a concerned tone, "A-are you alright, Kagura?"
Kagura's hard look melted and she smiled half-heartedly. "My, don't you look nice tonight. Have a good time, okay? I want to hear all about how it went afterwards."
Kagome tried to return her smile, but it felt as forced as Kagura's looked. "Of course." She entered Sesshoumaru's inner office feeling very uneasy.
"Did you have a fight with Kagura or something?" Inuyasha was asking his brother as she stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "She seems all weird."
Sesshoumaru brushed him off. "Nothing of the sort. If she's acting different today, it's probably due to some family problem. I don't delve into the personal issues of my employees."
Inuyasha snorted loudly at the same time as Kagome coughed into her hand. Bullshit, they thought simultaneously. Each of them could clearly see that Kagura was more than just an employee to Sesshoumaru Reijiro. What exactly she was was unclear, but she certainly wasn't just a number. Nevertheless, Sesshoumaru seemed determined to play it cool and so they opted for that option as well.
Rin, however, didn't have the same insight. "Is there something the matter with Kagura?" she asked Sesshoumaru anxiously. "Shouldn't you help her, Uncle Sesshoumaru?"
Sesshoumaru cleared his throat and shifted awkwardly. "I'm sure she's fine, Rin. Nothing to worry about. Are you all ready for the concert?"
This tactic succeeded in distracting Rin and she smiled brightly. "Yes! Oh, I can't wait, I can't wait!"
"Then let's go, just after I sign this last document…" he said, picking up a pen and swiftly scribbling on a paper on his desk. He then took the paper along with a stack of other freshly signed documents from the corner of his desk and carried them out to Kagura, the others docilely following in his wake. "Please, go ahead and press the button for the elevator," he beckoned them.
As they exited the office area, Kagome glanced behind to see Sesshoumaru setting the papers on Kagura's desk. She still looked as distant as before, and he momentarily covered one of her hands with his own, leaning over to speak quiet words Kagome couldn't catch. Kagura looked up at him, biting her lip as though anxious. They gazed at each other for a moment before Kagura looked away, saying something with forced cheeriness. Sesshoumaru straightened, bringing his hand back to his side, and turned away abruptly. He came to join the others by the elevator in pensive silence, though Kagome wasn't sure the others read his mood.
The two kids were babbling about the concert ahead of them and soon their infectious mood distracted the others from whatever might have been disturbing Kagura. They exited the building in high spirits, excited for the night ahead.
They arrived at the concert hall soon after. It was already bustling with excited fans and it took awhile for them to make it as far as the lobby. As soon as they stepped inside the open room, Kagome's vision slid away from her again.
"Souta, can you believe it? We're here!" Kagome gazed up in wonder at the concert hall lobby.
"Are you ready to rock out?" he asked with a grin.
"You bet! Quick, let's get some drinks and find our seats. I can hardly wait for it to start!"
His laughter died away in Kagome's head as she came back to reality. No one else had noticed her spaced out moment and she shook herself as if to relieve herself of it. The vision had felt like a strange echo of the current circumstances and she couldn't even describe what a weird, fuzzy feeling it left in her head.
She looked over to where her brother was laughing about something with Inuyasha. He looked somewhat different than in her vision. His hair in reality was shorter from a recent haircut, and he was wearing a blue shirt instead of a red one. His grin was the same, however, as he strived to reach a box of Glosettes Inuyasha was holding just out of his reach.
"You're going to have to be taller than that!" Inuyasha taunted, popping one of the chocolate covered raisins in his mouth with a smirk.
Souta pouted. "Hey, no fair!"
Inuyasha laughed and then knocked him lightly on the head with the box, letting him have it. Souta whooped in glee then turned to Kagome to show off his prize. "Lookie what I got!"
Kagome smiled at him. "That's awesome."
"Yup, I'm all set for this concert. How about you, Kagome? Are you ready to rock out?"
Kagome started and gave him a strange look. "What did you say?"
"...Are you ready to rock out?" her brother repeated slowly.
Kagome gave a nervous laugh. "Ah, right. Yes, of course I'm ready. We better check our seats and see how far away they are from these other guys," she said, indicating Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru and Rin.
"I was saving my money for months so I got some pretty wicked seats if I do say so myself," Souta boasted proudly.
"Alright Joker, let's see what you've got," Inuyasha challenged, whipping out his ticket to compare.
After a few seconds of studying their tickets, Inuyasha stuttered in disbelief, "E42...E44… Holy, we're right next to each other! Kagome, what's yours say?"
Hardly believing her ears, Kagome fumbled to look at her own ticket. "E43… My seat's right beside yours, Inuyasha."
"We have E45 and E46!" Rin chirped from beside Sesshoumaru.
"How...is that even possible?" Kagome wondered aloud. "You bought the tickets separately a long time ago, didn't you?" she asked Souta and Sesshoumaru. Each nodded his assent.
"What a crazy coincidence," Inuyasha said in wonder. "But hey, I'm not going to turn my nose up at it. This means the concert's going to be awesome! We're all together, and seeing Mimic live! The only way to one up this is if Sesshoumaru's seat were somehow relocated as far away as possible…"
Sesshoumaru raised a delicate eyebrow. "May I remind you who paid and arranged for this occasion? Gratitude is a trait worth acquiring, Inuyasha. You'd do well to remember that."
Inuyasha grumbled under his breath but offered no retort.
"Shall we get a few drinks before heading inside?" Kagome asked. "I'm pretty sure this venue allows them in the concert hall."
"I could go for that, yeah!" Inuyasha enthused, his eyes lighting up.
After the group was sufficiently armed with snacks and beverages, they made their way into the theatre and went about locating their seats. They had arrived in plenty of time and had only to kill time until the opening act started.
As they were shuffling down their designated aisle, Kagome once again experienced the double vision.
"We're looking for E42 and E43, Souta," she told her little brother as they started down the aisle.
"Well, we're in E already," he replied. "And we're at 33 now. Only a little farther…"
"Remind me how you got these tickets again?" she teased, still hardly believing her good fortune.
"I told you, Hiromu's older brother helped me. I also asked for a bit of the money from what our parents left us."
"We really shouldn't waste that…" Kagome wavered uncertainly.
"Oh come on, Kagome. You know we deserve a little fun every now and then. The tickets had to be sold to somebody — it might as well have been us," he replied cheekily.
"Yeah." Kagome stuck her tongue out at him. "Who am I kidding, anyway? I wouldn't trade this for the world!"
"Ah, here we are! E42 and 43!" Souta proclaimed proudly.
The neighbouring seats to their own were already filled. A group of three seemingly mismatched individuals were sitting together, and yet seemed oddly apart. Two were young men, both with long silver hair, but completely opposite manners. One was slouched in his seat, ball cap shadowing his face and arms crossed across his chest. The other sat rigidly, with almost impossibly perfect posture, and not a single hair out of place in his silver mane. His focus seemed to be on the third member of their party, a young girl with shoulder-length brown hair. She seemed very excited and was demanding his attention to ask about anything and everything going on around them.
Kagome saw her own seat was next to the seemingly sleeping man. Souta sat down in his seat and she edged past him, turning around to be able to sit down herself. As she was manoeuvring, however, her purse knocked her neighbour on the head. He was awake in a flash.
"Hey, watch it!" a gruff voice snapped at her.
"Ah, I'm so sorry!" Kagome apologized immediately, bringing her purse close to her side and sitting down. She turned to face him as she said, "I really didn't mean to hit you, I just—"
Her eyes locked onto the most brilliant gold ones she'd ever seen before. A baleful stare was coming her way from her neighbour who was way younger than she'd initially thought. He had to be nearly her age, give or take a couple years. After a split second of staring at the good looking boy, she realized she'd stopped speaking mid-sentence. Giving him a sloppy smile, she finished clumsily with, "Well—sorry."
He stared at her a moment longer before darting his gaze elsewhere. "S'okay," he mumbled.
"Uncle Sesshoumaru, will you lift me up during the performance so I can see?" the little girl piped up from a few seats down.
"No, Rin," the other silver haired man sighed. "You'll just have to content yourself with the booster seat provided for you."
"Okay, but if I'm not tall enough, I wanna be lifted up!"
"Of course you do. But no still means no." The little girl continued to pester him, but Kagome's focus shifted back to the boy next to her. He was unbelievably attractive and she felt nervous just sitting next to him. Not that she should entertain any thoughts about getting to know him better. She knew better. She was finished with making friends or any other kind of relationship for that matter.
She forced her mind away from the silver hairs tickling her arm on the armrest and back to her younger brother who was reading through the program. "Find anything out?" she questioned him.
"Twenty minutes to showtime," he informed her. Not that he had to since she had been very attentive to the time since before their evening had even begun. "Looks like the opening band will play for an hour before Mimic comes out."
Kagome sighed. "I don't even know who they are. I wish Mimic would just play the whole way through. Who needs an opening band anyway?"
"Amen to that," the boy beside her grumbled. Clearly he hadn't been able to go back to sleep. Kagome had to fight the involuntary happy feeling that came with him agreeing with her and involving himself in their conversation.
'Get a grip,' she told herself. 'He's just a random dude sitting beside you in a theatre. Also, you can't have any more relationships. None whatsoever. The other person only ever gets hurt.'
She grit her teeth and forced herself to ignore him. Like that uncle had said, no means no.
"Whoa," Kagome breathed out heavily as she came out of her vision. She was seated in her seat, Souta at her left, browsing through his program and Inuyasha on her left fussing with something on his sleeve.
"Whoa what, sis?" Souta asked casually, not looking up from the pamphlet. Inuyasha also tilted one of his ears in her direction.
"Whoa, I'm having some seriously weird visions," she whispered for their ears only.
That got both of their attention. Pamphlet and sleeve were suddenly forgotten about and the two of them were turned in her direction.
"Visions of what?" Inuyasha asked anxiously.
"Who's in it? Do we need to do anything?" Souta pressed.
"Visions...of this concert. I think. But it's different…" Kagome said, sounding as confused as she felt.
"...Someone dying at this concert?" Souta continued his previous train of thought.
"No, no, no one's dying," Kagome refuted.
Souta's eyebrows shot up and he blinked in surprise. "Well, that's a first."
"You know, I think I prefer non-death visions," Inuyasha said. "I think Kagome should have more of these."
"Well if there's no dying, what the heck's happening?" Souta asked eagerly.
"I honestly have no idea," Kagome replied. "It's like we're at the same concert, but...Inuyasha and I don't seem to know each other. At all."
"Oh wait, no, I don't like this vision," Inuyasha decided. "Let's go back to the death."
"Has anything actually happened in the vision?" Souta asked with a frown.
Kagome gave a little shrug. "No, not really. We sat down and despite thinking my seat neighbour was cute, I decided to ignore him because no more relationships means no more relationships," she said in a mocking strict voice.
"Well, at least there's some semblance of reality in that vision," Inuyasha remarked smugly. Giving himself a flourish, he continued, "There's no turning this off, after all."
Kagome smacked him in the arm and hid a smile.
"And nothing else happened?" Souta asked.
Kagome shook her head. "Not so far. But these visions have been kind of recurring tonight. I don't think that was the last one."
Souta blew out his breath much like she had a minute ago. "Well, I'd say the evening just got a whole lot more interesting."
"And god willing, doesn't end in death," Kagome added.
"Amen to that," Inuyasha said.
"Argh, not again! First Souta, now you…" Kagome moaned, putting her hands to her head and rubbing her temples.
"What?" Inuyasha blinked innocently.
"You keep echoing things your vision-selves said. It's beyond surreal."
"...Sorry?" he offered hesitantly.
"No, don't worry about it. This is all just really weird," Kagome said apologetically.
"Well, maybe this will help take your mind off it," Souta said. "Looks like the opening act is starting to set up. Just try to enjoy the show!"
Kagome sat back in her seat, banished thoughts of visions from her head and tried to do just that.
..:V:..
"Yeeeeeaaaaahhhh, Mimic!"
Clapping and whistles echoed throughout the theatre as the band finished playing one of their songs. Most people, including Kagome and Souta, were on their feet, cheering as loud as they could.
Kagome's neighbour had been fairly quiet during the opening act, staying in his seat and practically falling asleep again. When Mimic had come on stage, however, he had perked up and immediately sprung to his feet. He hadn't sat down since.
Kagome had stolen a few glances at him, noticing the happy expression plastered all over his face. He seemed so excited, like a young boy on his birthday. The drink in his hand seemed all but forgotten, only gaining moments of his attention at a time.
She turned back to the performance, feeling as happy as he looked. She hadn't felt this good in a long time. She didn't know she could anymore. Hojo's death still haunted her in her dreams. Not to mention the unknown boy whose vision of death she was plagued with almost every night. She didn't even know him — why couldn't those nightmares just go away? She couldn't stop their outcome, she knew these visions always ended the same way, in cold reality.
But tonight, her world of nightmares was suspended. For a brief moment, the horrors that plagued her were swept away. She closed her eyes and let the music wash over her. This music could take her far away, far away from her reality. She loved Mimic for that. And her little brother was at her side, having arranged it all. The constant goodness in her life, safe beside her. This was as beautiful as Kagome could ever imagine the world being.
"Whoa—geez!"
Kagome's serenity was abruptly shattered by an icy cold feeling making its way down her head, shoulders and front. She gave out a shriek, opening her eyes to see what had happened.
The cold feeling was actually something liquid. At first she feared a repeat of her nightmare vision, but as her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she realized she was instead just drenched with pop. Her neighbour was standing agape, empty drink cup gripped loosely in his hand. He looked horrified and hastily tried to explain.
"Oh hell… I—I uh… Rin was trying to climb up on Sesshoumaru, see, and she accidentally kicked me and well, I wasn't ready and I kinda tripped a bit and well...uh...my drink kind of well...um…"
Kagome stood there fuming and shivering at the same time. She wanted to open her mouth and let him have it. She wanted to rant and scream at him for interrupting her one moment of peace. She wanted to tell him off for dumping his stupid Coke all over her, staining her one nice outfit, not to mention her coat that was on the seat behind her. She had never felt more like punching someone in her entire life.
But...his eyes. Big golden beacons set in a face flooded with panic and remorse. It was like they were begging her, like a puppy dog. All his defences were down, the roughness from before completely vanished. Something about them...just called to her.
She stood there, frozen in shock and uncertainty until a new voice spoke up. It belonged to the other silver haired man and its tone wasn't one to be argued with. "Inuyasha, what are you standing there uselessly for? Your multitude of excuses will not do her any good at this point. Best go help her get cleaned up."
Her neighbour's mouth shut with a snap. With a slight snarl, he threw back at the other man, "Shut up, you don't have to tell me what to do. I know to help her already. Shove off!"
"Well, clearly—" the other man started.
"C'mon, let's get out of here," the boy called Inuyasha interrupted, grabbing Kagome's hand and ushering her down the aisle.
"Wait—Souta," Kagome paused, looking uncertainly at her brother.
"I'll look after him," the older man assured her. She looked at him suspiciously until he handed her a business card.
She got a glance at it when a flashing light passed their way."Whoa, CEO of Western Enterprises? Like the company that makes all the computer stuff?"
"The very one. I assure you your brother will come to no harm under my protection," Sesshoumaru Reijiro said solemnly.
Kagome wavered. "Maybe you should just come with me, Souta."
Souta blew out a breath that ruffled his bangs. His sister hadn't talked to anyone but himself and their orphanage mother for months. He was getting tired of her self-exile from the world and everyone in it. Even if it were just for fifteen minutes, he wanted her to talk to someone else.
"I'll be fine, Kagome. I don't want to miss any of the concert!" he protested, drawing out the whiniest voice he could muster. In a lower tone, he added, "Besides, no visions of me lately, right? I'll be totally okay."
Kagome stood looking at him for a moment, contemplating, before another shudder racked her body. She gave him a reluctant nod and edged past him, the Inuyasha boy following in her wake.
"Yeeeeeaaaaahhhh, Mimic!"
Kagome started in her seat, trying to get her bearings. It looked like Mimic had just finished singing one of their songs and everyone was on their feet cheering.
Déjà vu was way weirder when it was real, she decided. On a side note, she was not appreciating the fact that these side visions were making her miss the majority of the concert. So not cool.
"What's wrong, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked from beside her, noticing she was still in her seat and looking listless. His smile slipped a little. "More visions?"
She nodded as she stood up next to him. "Yeah...they're getting longer. They feel...important. I think I need to—" she stopped mid-sentence, eyeing the drink in his hand. "Hey uh...Inuyasha? Do me a favour and put down your drink."
"Huh? Why?" he asked curiously, taking another sip now that he was reminded of its presence.
"Just trust me on this, I'd really rather if you just put...it...down…" Kagome said nervously.
Inuyasha shrugged. "If you say so—"
Suddenly he was jostled from behind as Rin was scrambling on Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha lurched forward, his arm snapping up and his drink raining down all over Kagome...again.
"Oh come on!" Kagome yelled out in frustration at no one in particular. "At least I knew what to expect this time…" she muttered to herself.
Inuyasha was staring at her in shock, much the same he had been in her vision. Except this time, instead of horror, his expression instead changed to one of wonder.
"Whoa…!" He stared from his empty drink cup back to her. "Kagome, you totally saw that coming! That's crazy!"
She arched an eyebrow. "Yeah, it's fan-flipping-tastic. May I remind you that I'm still sopping wet?"
He started and broke out of his wonder. "Oh shit, yeah. Sorry. It's just Rin—"
"—kicked you as she was climbing on Sesshoumaru, yeah I know," Kagome emphasized. "Can we do something about it already?"
"Yeah, yeah, c'mon. Let's get out of here," he urged, taking her hand.
"Sesshoumaru, can I trust you to keep an eye on Souta?" Kagome asked the older brother before leaving. He gave a curt nod in response, seeing as how he was in the middle of admonishing Rin. "Be back in a bit," she told Souta as they edged past him.
Upsetting many people in the aisle as they bumped past them and temporarily blocked their view of the performance, Inuyasha and Kagome slowly made their way out of the row. Kagome chanced a look down at herself and felt her white blouse might be completely ruined. With a sigh, she started up the stairs after Inuyasha. They headed for the big doors that led into the lobby.
Before they were halfway there, Kagome faltered. "Inuyasha…"
He turned back to look at her. "Yeah?"
"V-vision…" she uttered, her eyes rolling back in her head.
"Shit!" He was beside her in a flash, wrapping his arms around her waist to keep her from falling down. He looped one of her arms over his shoulder and hobbled the rest of the way to the lobby doors.
The usher tried to block his path, but Inuyasha indicated his zoned out girlfriend. "She's soaked with pop, man, and feels really sick. Please just let us out so she can get cleaned up and get some fresh air."
The usher took a split second to study her and then nodded his assent. "But once you go out, I can't let you back in until intermission."
Inuyasha sighed. "Yeah, that's fine. Thanks."
As silently as he could, the usher opened one of the doors and Inuyasha slipped through with Kagome.
..:V:..
"She's soaked with pop, man. She can't wait for a break. Please just let us out so she can get cleaned up," the silver haired boy pleaded with the usher.
He took a moment to take in her appearance. There was nothing to debate there. Her hair was plastered to her skull and Coke was dripping into her eyes. Not to mention her white blouse was completely stained and practically see-through at this point. The usher gave a nod but assured them they could only re-enter at intermission. The pair quickly agreed and silently slipped out the big double doors into the lobby.
"Oh geez…" Kagome sighed once they were in the light and she got a good look at herself. Pop was still streaming down her skin in tiny rivulets, only to drip on the floor wherever she stood. Her shirt most definitely was see-through and the outline of her bra was much in evidence. She hastily tried to cover herself with her arms.
The boy's cheeks blazed red and he tried to avert his gaze while coughing uncomfortably.
"Oh, what am I going to do?" Kagome moaned.
Inuyasha broke out of his embarrassment long enough to look down at himself and take in that he was wearing two shirts himself - a short-sleeved over a long sleeved. "Don't worry, I'll give you one of mine," he said. He hesitated only a moment before finally taking off his ball cap. Kagome gasped at the sight of two furry dog ears peeking out from his silver mane at the top of his head. She had suspected some demon blood due to his unusual eye and hair colour, but this definitely confirmed it.
He glared at her defensively. "What, you've never seen a half-demon before?"
"Well...no, actually. Not a half, anyway. But I'm all for equality," she said, hoping to defuse the situation.
It seemed to work. He turned away from her and scrambled out of both of his shirts, eliciting a shriek out of Kagome.
"What are you doing?" she hissed at the sight of his naked torso. Her gaze quickly swept the lobby to make sure no one was going to kick them out of for this. Seeing no one paying attention, she looked back to the finely toned back in front of her. Not that she was impressed or anything.
"I'm giving you my long-sleeved shirt. It's bound to be warmer for you after being wet like that," he said by way of an explanation as he worked to untangle the two shirts from one another.
But Kagome's attention was fixed elsewhere. In the middle of his back was a horrific scar. Its shape was somewhat circular, the kind of wound she thought she'd seen before, long ago. Before she knew what she was doing, she reached out a hand and brushed it with her fingertips.
"What's this…?"
He stiffened under her touch and pulled away instantly. "Nothing," he snapped, turning to face her.
Her gaze was now fixed on his equally toned chest and her cheeks heated up once more. What was this boy doing to her?
He quickly donned his short-sleeved t-shirt once more. She looked up to see him offering his long-sleeved shirt to her.
"Here. You can clean up in the bathroom and change into this." His tone was softer, as if regretful of his previous harshness.
Kagome nodded, her cheeks still red, before accepting the offered shirt. It was still warm from his body heat and Kagome turned abruptly around before he could notice her face glowing even more.
"You, uh…" he started awkwardly. "You don't need any help, do you...?"
Now her neck was burning too. "No!" she said, a bit more forcefully than she meant to. In a high voice, she added, "I'll be fine, thanks!"
She heard a sigh of relief from behind her. "Okay then… I'll, uh, wait out here then."
"Okay!" Without looking back, Kagome marched to the ladies' room, determined not to come out until she was clean and her emotions were in check.
Kagome blinked as she came out of her daze, still blushing. She found herself sitting on a bench beside Inuyasha, her head on his shoulder. She lifted it quickly as the soda from her hair was starting to seep into his shirt.
"Ah, there you are," Inuyasha said upon her recovery. "How'd it go?"
His tone was as calm as if he were asking about her day at school. She gave him a flat look. "You became a stripper."
"What?" he yelped.
"That's right, pretty boy. Now give me one of your shirts to change into. Unless you want the world to stare at my bra all day." Kagome found she was severely less embarrassed about the situation when it was the second time around.
Inuyasha stared blatantly at her chest for a moment before shooting to his feet and standing in front of her. It didn't seem to occur to him that it was an empty lobby he was trying to shield her from.
"Inuyasha," Kagome said patiently. "Shirt?"
"Oh, right, yeah," he said, turning around. "Good idea. Why didn't I think of that?"
"Don't worry, you were about to," Kagome assured him.
He gave her a strange look before scrambling out of his shirts. Kagome watched calmly, though she still couldn't suppress the blush at the sight of his naked flesh. Okay, apparently Inuyasha had this effect on her, second time or no.
He once again offered the long-sleeved shirt to her and she took it gratefully as he put his t-shirt back on. As she started heading for the bathroom, he spoke up behind her.
"You, uh… You don't need any help, do you…?"
Kagome smirked to herself before turning back to him with a helpless expression. "Actually...do you think you could give me a hand?"
For a moment he looked like a deer in the headlights before Kagome burst out laughing. The completely panicked expression on his face was priceless. "Don't worry about it, Inuyasha. I was just kidding. I can handle it on my own, thanks. See you soon."
His mind reeled before remembering how to breathe again. "O-okay. I'll wait out here then," he stammered.
Kagome entered the bathroom and took stock of her situation. It was mostly her head and torso that were drenched — her waist down was mostly dry. She debated for a moment before locking the bathroom door and taking off her blouse to wash up. She struggled with the sink taps in order to wash her skin and rinse her hair. She ran her shirt under the water to try and get the stains out, wringing it semi-dry once she'd done all she could. She then did her best to dry her hair with the hand dryer. Finally, she donned Inuyasha's shirt which was decidedly too big for her. Its collar hung off one shoulder and its sleeves hung far past her hands. But it sure beat being in her wet see-through blouse. And Inuyasha was right — it was warmer.
Kagome took one last look at herself looking decidedly less fabulous and put together than she had at the beginning of the evening and sighed. She started for the door when the now-familiar feeling of the world being pulled away came upon her.
"Not...now…" she uttered before falling heavily against the door.
From the other side, Inuyasha's ears perked up from the sound of a loud thud against the bathroom door. Alarmed, he rushed over.
"Kagome?" he called through the door. "Kagome, are you alright?"
When he got no answer, he tried the door. It was locked. He cursed under his breath. "Kagome!"
Kagome looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. She felt so small in the boy's shirt, but strangely safe and warm. She shrugged the silly thought away and grabbed her discarded blouse to head back into the lobby.
He was waiting on a plushy couch not too far away and she went over and plopped down beside him. "Thanks for the shirt," she ventured. "You were right, it is warm."
"Don't mention it," he mumbled. In a somewhat embarrassed tone, he added, "I was the one to dump all the pop on you in the first place, after all."
"You have a point," Kagome said before turning her attention to looking around the lobby. "I suppose we're stuck out here for a while longer, huh?"
The boy looked at his watch. "Twenty minutes until intermission."
The two sat in silence for a few awkward moments.
"...My name is Kagome," Kagome finally offered, figuring she should properly introduce herself.
"Inuyasha," the boy replied.
More silence reigned.
"How...how long did you travel to come see Mimic?" Kagome asked. She mentally kicked herself for continuing to talk to him. But was she just supposed to resign herself to utter boredom while waiting for intermission?
"Didn't have to," was his reply. "I live in the city."
"Oh. Must be nice."
"Yeah," he said sarcastically. "It's the best ever."
Kagome cocked her head. "What's wrong with it? Bad school?"
Inuyasha shook his head as if he didn't know where to start. "No...just… nothing. It's fine. How about you? Where'd you come from?"
"Not too far away. A small town about half an hour out. And for the record, I hate my school," she said while making a face.
He grinned. "But do you live at yours?"
She looked at him shocked. "You live at your school?"
"Yeah, in a dorm room. Just imagine being stuck at school twenty-four, seven."
Kagome gave a little shudder. "No thanks. What school is that anyway?"
"Madison College. Heard of it?"
Kagome thought for a moment and then shook her head. "No, I don't think so. But it sounds kind of pompous. Is it a prestigious school?"
Inuyasha shrugged. "Supposedly. I think I just got in because of my brother's money and influence. He is a rich bastard after all."
"The CEO guy? The one back in the concert hall?" Kagome asked, gesturing back towards the big double doors.
Inuyasha nodded. "Yup, that's him. He doesn't quite fit in there, does he?"
Kagome allowed a small smile despite herself. "He does look a little out of place," she admitted. "How is the girl related to you then?"
"She's my niece. Sort of." At Kagome's questioning look, he added, "Sesshoumaru just adopted her."
"Ah. Neat," Kagome replied.
"And you? Was that your younger brother?"
Kagome was pretty sure he already knew the answer and was just fishing for topics at this point. "Yeah, that was Souta. He's nine."
"How old are you then?" he asked next.
"Fifteen. You?"
"Tw—" he cut himself off with a mocking smile. "Seventeen. I guess I'm older than you."
"You guess?" Kagome laughed. "You're two years older!"
"Yeah, yeah," he shrugged her off as he looked around. "Hey, look!"
He nudged her shoulder and pointed to a far corner of the lobby. Kagome cursed her heart that skipped a beat at his touch. She tried to distract herself by looking to where Inuyasha was indicating.
It looked like some employees were setting up a table full of Mimic merchandise. T-shirts, mugs, CDs, keychains, anything and everything.
Inuyasha stood up and offered her a hand. "C'mon, let's check it out. I bet they're getting ready for intermission. But since we're out here first, maybe they'll let us take first pick."
Without thinking, Kagome took his hand and stood up gleefully. "That would be awesome. It would almost make getting dumped on by pop worth it."
A sheepish smile graced Inuyasha's face as they started walking towards the stand. "'Almost' being the keyword there, of course."
"Of course," Kagome responded quickly, though with a smile to let him know she was teasing. "After all, a bought CD can't exactly compare to the real thing."
"True enough," Inuyasha conceded. "But at least you're not being made to suffer alone. I'm also losing out because I couldn't hold onto my own drink."
"Misery does like company. Oh, crap!" Kagome stopped abruptly, which caused Inuyasha to stop too, through their joined hands. Kagome hadn't realized she was still holding his hand until that moment. She hastily broke out of the hold. "Sorry, I just realized I left my purse in the theatre. I don't have any money with me."
Inuyasha debated for a moment before saying, "Don't worry about it. I've got my wallet. I'll spot you some money. Just pick what you want."
"Are you sure?" Kagome hesitated, biting her bottom lip.
Inuyasha's eyes followed the movement before looking away. "Yes. But you better choose quickly, before I change my mind!"
"Okay, okay." Kagome's eyes roved the merchandise on the table. "How about a t-shirt? Then I could give you back yours."
Inuyasha shook his head. "Don't worry about that. We can meet up some other time to deal with it. Unless you really want a t-shirt, of course."
The idea of seeing him again gave Kagome an unexpected thrill. She made a rash decision, maybe one she would regret later. "No, not really. Meeting up later sounds good. What I really want is...um…" she choose the first thing her eyes landed on, "a ball cap."
"A ball cap?"
Kagome nodded firmly. "Yes. And maybe a concert CD. Since, you know, I've missed half of it."
Inuyasha shot her a mocking glare. "Alright, alright. I get it already, woman." Their eyes met, each twinkling in mirth, before they both abruptly found other mundane things in the lobby to be fascinated with.
Inuyasha reasoned with the employee at the table for a few minutes before finally persuading her to sell them a few items before everyone else got there. He purchased two CDs, a t-shirt for himself and the ball cap Kagome "wanted".
As they walked away, Kagome jammed the hat on her head. "How is it?"
Inuyasha stopped to look at her. The cap looked great on her, her still damp hair spilling out from underneath and down over her shoulders. It was then he noticed one shoulder was bare as the collar from the shirt he'd given her had slipped down. Without thinking, he lifted a hand to pull the shirt up over her shoulder, effectively hiding the bra strap that had been showing. Blushing furiously, he turned and kept walking. "Looks fine," he managed to mumble.
Kagome stood frozen for a moment, goosebumps where his fingers had grazed her skin. She gulped harshly before hastening to catch up with him. They made their way back to the couch to wait out the remaining time until intermission.
"Should only be two more minutes now," Inuyasha said, looking at his watch.
Kagome nodded. "You know, it's probably going to get crazy in here once everyone comes out. And it'll probably be mayhem after the concert too. Maybe we should exchange information now, so that we can get together another time and I can return your shirt."
Inuyasha nodded thoughtfully. "Sounds like a good idea. Here, put yourself into my phone," he said, handing her his cell phone.
"Thanks." Kagome quickly entered her information into his cell's address book. Handing it back to him, she said, "Here. Can you send your number in a text to my phone? It's still in my purse in the theatre, but I'm sure to get it that way."
"Sure thing." He tapped away for a few moments before snapping his phone closed and leaning back. "There. Now we'll see each other again."
The doors to the hall opened then and a sea of people started flooding into the lobby. Kagome smiled softly and repeated his last words, "Now we'll see each other again…"
Kagome came to to find herself still on the bathroom floor. She could hear a horrible pounding sound coming from somewhere above her, and arguing voices. As she woozily propped herself up on her knees, she realized someone was knocking harshly on the door and Inuyasha's raised voice was saying, "Hurry up already! Open the door! My girlfriend's in trouble! Kagome, are you okay?"
Kagome struggled to her feet and reached for the lock. As she opened the door, her vision was flooded with the sight of Inuyasha's relieved face. He rushed forward to embrace her, then pulled away to look at her face. A harassed looking employee huffed behind Inuyasha. "She looks fine to me…" he mumbled before walking away.
"Are you okay, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked her anxiously. "You scared me half to death."
"I'm okay, Inuyasha. I'm fine, really," she assured him.
"What happened? How many more visions are you going to have tonight? Why's this happening?"
"It's...complicated. But I think I understand why."
"You do? Please, enlighten me. I'm really starting to get worried. How many more times are you going to collapse alone when I can't get to you?" Inuyasha heckled her.
"I'll tell you in a minute."
"In a minute? Why not now?"
"Because I'm having one more vision," Kagome said, bracing her hands on his shoulders.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Oh for the love of…" He bent down and picked her up in his arms as her eyes shifted out of focus.
A familiar scene lay before her. Inuyasha was on the ground at her feet, bloody and gasping for air. His dark hair fanned out beneath his head, which was bruised and swollen.
Tears dripped down her cheeks and the snow crunched as she knelt down beside him. He reached out a shaky hand and she quickly grasped it, hugging it to her chest.
"I-Inu...yasha…" she sobbed. "No, please no."
He coughed and a splatter of blood erupted from his mouth. "Ka..Kagome…"
Her vision was blurred by a new wave of tears as she lovingly brushed hair away from his face. "I'm here, Inuyasha." The confidence she was hoping to instil in those words wasn't there. Her voice shook and betrayed her fear. Teardrops fell from her cheeks onto his brow.
He took a breath that rattled in his chest. As his eyes grew dimmer, he let out one last exhale, "We tried…" Then his head lolled limply to the side.
Kagome snapped back to reality with a sense of finality that shocked her. Somehow she instinctively knew she would be having no more visions that night.
She lifted her head to find herself cuddled in Inuyasha's lap on the plush couch she'd previously seen in her visions. Tears had streaked her face and further stained Inuyasha's shirt.
At her movement, Inuyasha looked down at her, the same worried expression on his face as before. "What's happening?" he asked quietly.
"It's over now," she informed him, shifting to sit beside him on the couch.
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure. I just...know. The visions were trying to tell me something."
"What?"
"You know how we all just happened to get these Mimic concert tickets? Like, you, me, Souta, Sesshoumaru and Rin? Souta and Sesshoumaru bought the tickets each a long time ago, before we even knew each other. And we just happened to get tickets to the same day and same time and seats right next to each other?" Kagome elaborated.
"Giant crazy coincidence?" Inuyasha said, though his face showed he understood how far-fetched this idea was.
"That's just it — it was no coincidence." She sat up straighter and edged closer to him. "Don't you see, Inuyasha? This was supposed to have been how we first met!"
Inuyasha stared blankly at her for a few moments before his brain understood what she was trying to tell him. That didn't make it any less confusing though. "Say what?"
"Think about it! All of the visions I've had in the past of people dying have been people I personally knew. But when I first got the vision of you, I didn't know you. Yet. When I got that vision, I took initiative and sought you out. But what if I hadn't? I would have met you naturally, some other way. It would have been here, at this concert. That's what the visions tonight were trying to tell me."
"Are you kidding me?" Inuyasha was still aghast. "For real?"
Kagome nodded. "And that's not all. At the end, the last vision I had — it was of your death again."
"Oh great, more good news," Inuyasha rolled his eyes.
"More like...not, I'm afraid."
"Let's have it."
"I always thought that if I tracked you down and stayed with you and did my best to keep you out of danger... I would change things. I would change the vision I saw, and your inevitable death," Kagome started.
This vein of conversation was starting to make Inuyasha very uncomfortable. "Yeah, and?"
"Well...I did change things. In my vision...there was snow on the ground. There was never any snow before…"
Inuyasha gave her a horrified look. "You don't mean—"
Her eyes shone with fear as she swallowed audibly. "It was still winter in this vision. I've changed everything. But I haven't stopped your death. I sped it up."
A/N Shiiiiiiiiit.
(As a side note, if you're wondering why they seem to get along upon first meeting way better than they did in the real version - keep in mind that in the real version, Inuyasha had JUST come back to school and was trying to deal with everything. In this, he's had several more months to adjust. Plus, he just dumped pop all over someone who did him no harm. You know Inuyasha's guilt always gets to him in the end. :P)
Stay tuned for the next chapter! What's going to happen next?