Inuko pulled up her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her head on top of them. Heaving the hundredth sigh, she gazed around the small chamber-like room. 'Where are you, Kikyo-san...?' she thought, her eyes set on the little hole in the wall – the 'window'. The sun was slowly making its way towards the horizon line, giving the sky a delicate orange color. The young girl tugged a stand of her messed brown hair behind her ear, her face turning thoughtful. Why was she here? Where IS 'here', anyway? And... Inuko flinched when she remembered one of her kidnapper's face. 'Why Kiken-kun...?'
All of a sudden, the door of the chamber flew open, banging on the wall loudly. A tall, slim man with dark blue, nearly black hair framing his stern, slightly sneering face and two proudly perked upwards dark blue cat ears on top of his head entered the room, his dark furred cat tail swishing the air behind him. His glowing, glaring eyes immediately fell upon Inuko, who curled up her fists discreetly. The girl tensed up, watching him warily. A cat demon.
"What are you staring at, filth?!" the neko snapped, glaring at her fiercely. He was daring her to talk back, but she wasn't stupid; in response, Inuko just narrowed her eyebrows at him and stayed silent.
"My master, the Great Gray Neko, is seeming to – which is quite unbelievable – loosing the fight with your precious mutt." The cat uttered, his glare never leaving Inuko "With your bond so strong, it is possible to use YOU to weaken HER." He took out a simple whip from behind "Get up."
"Screw you." Inuko spat out, returning the hard glare. A strange wave of tiredness flown through her body, exhaustion overwhelmed her. She had enough, all of a sudden.
The neko blinked, taken aback by the rude answer, but quickly regained his composure. "Getting warriory, eh? We'll have to change it now, won't we?" with that, he raised the whip and brought it down with a loud swishing sound.
Inuko felt the whip cut the skin on her arms and legs. The sharp pain was soon followed by a strange, burning sensation within her. She bit her lip in order to prevent herself from screaming, but still stubbornly refused to stand up.
"Get up!!" the nameless cat cried out, his whip slashing again and again, leaving bloody trails on the girl's arms and legs, as the limbs turned red and sore. She clenched her eyes shut, feeling tears gathering in the corners. Hot flames of pain spread through her body...
Suddenly, Inuko heard a snap. But it didn't come from the whip; the sound came from inside of her. The burning pain was replaced by a weird sensation, something Inuko had never felt before. The sensation filled her veins, chilling her blood. It seemed as if all the physical pain she was feeling gathered in her head as it throbbed. The girl clutched it, feeling the air leaving her lungs. She had no longer felt the whip contacting with her skin, she felt paralyzed. Only the head was a source of a feeling. Her ears and nose turned cold, as if frostbite. An arrow of pain shot through her spine, making her back arch. A dark curtain covered her eyes and she squeezed them further, the tears getting free and rolling down her cheeks. All of her inside organs made a fast, painful 360 degree twist, making her want to throw up. She'd do anything to ease the pain. Her muscles turned into ice blocks, out of order.
"Heh, enough already?" the cat demon sneered down at her, seeing her agony.
At the sound of his venomous voice, Inuko's eyes snapped open. It was as if someone'd turned the switch 'on'. The dull pain was pushed aside by a burning desire, pure bloodlust. She wanted to tear something, or someone, into piece. She needed to do it. Now.
Lunging forward, she'd caught the neko off-guard, digging her longer nails into his chest. The startled cat yelped, dropping the whip as sharp fangs sank into his throat. His muscles tensed and Inuko struggled to steal her opponent's life. She knew that if she success, she'll be able to get out of that hell and find Kikyo-san... But, if she won't... Then she'll die.
After a couple of seconds of struggling, Inuko felt her teeth reaching the neko's artery. Driven by the indescribable desire to crush it, she squeezed her jaws with all her might. More blood came spilling on her face and she felt her opponent's whole body shaking under her grasp. He fell down, the girl going with him, still clinging to his chest and neck. Soon, the cat demon was dead, fear and surprise frozen in his soulless eyes which were set on his murderer.
Inuko got up from the ground shakily, consciousness slowly sinking into her brain. Getting rid of the blood from her eyes, she blinked a couple of times. She killed. For the first time, she killed a real opponent, in a real fight. She killed just like Kikyo-san when they were in danger. As she carefully examined the body before her, the familiar pain returned with full force. She raised her hands to her head and let out a short cry. Suddenly, she felt something weird under her fingers. Between the stands of hair, she felt... fur. Checking it out, Inuko realized that her ears vanished; instead, another pair of long, furry ears had taken their place. Her new ears were catching much more sound then normally. Birds chirping, water dripping, wind blowing through the leaves outside...
As she looked through the small hole she noted that her eyes had sharpened, too. She could see every detail, every color. She blinked, startled by her new, sharp vision.
Also, Inuko's nose had developed stronger sensitivity. Beside the strong, metallic-like scent of the blood, she was able to smell many different scents mixed with the fresh air outside. But, strangely enough, she could smell... death.
Those all new sensations gave her a major headache, but slowly, Inuko was slowly getting used to it and actually... liking it. Something brushed against her left thigh and she let out a soft gasp, immediately looking down. What she saw made her gasp again, much louder, and her eyes widened to the size of plates.
A tail. She had grown a dog-like brown tail. And it was wagging…
"I've managed to escape somehow, and the next thing I know, I've picked up Kikyo-san's scent. I've followed it and... found you." Inuko ended quietly, gazing down at her folded fingers, her ears falling slightly. The whole room drowned in silence, everyone's eyes fixed on the girl. Without thinking, I raised my hand and began to stroke her just behind the ear, making her tail twitch. She relaxed a bit, throwing me a brief, thankful glance.
"So," I blinked, turning to Koenma "What the HELL does THAT mean?" this earned me odd stares. I bristled, staring at the baby demandingly. Hey, you can't blame me; one day, Inuko gets kidnapped. I see her being killed. And next, she appeared with a tail and ears very similar to my own. Seriously, how would YOU act?!
"That's certainly a strange case..." Koenma mused out loud, folding his petite hands on the desk, his eyes never leaving Inuko's figure.
'No shit, Detective Obvious,' I thought sarcastically, frowning at him.
"Well, at last, some things are finally clear," the baby carried on "From the beginning, I've been sensing a strange reiki around Inuko. I have done quite a lot researching from that day, but they all turned out to be fruitless. Until today..."
6 pairs of waiting eyes fell upon Koenma as he trailed off, letting the sentence hanging. After 5 seconds of silence from his side, I grew impatient.
"Care to elaborate, Binky-Breath?"
At this, Yusuke snickered. "I guess I'm rubbing off on you, doggy,"
A vein popped on the side of my forehead and I threw him a glare. "Shut up."
Koenma took out some files and cleared his throat. "According to these files, to the day of the change, Inuko was living under a spell, a very complicated one. To that day, she was living like, and as, a normal human, but inside, she was a demon from the very beginning."
An eerie silence overcame the room as the piece of shocking information was sinking into our brains. Inuko? A demon?!
Of course, Kuwabara caught very little of it.
"...Huh?"
Mentally, I growled and had to bit back a few comments I desperately wanted to share. It wasn't all THAT complicated!
Koenma sighed. "Inuko was BORN a demon, though her true appearance and power was hidden behind a barrier someone had put on her."
"Oh... So, why didn't we sense it?" my orange-haired teammate asked boldly, causing us all to face-fault.
"YOU IDIOT!!" I bellowed.
"Hn. Have you checked if your ears are clean lately?" Hiei muttered, rolling his eyes irritably.
"HEY, -" like a flash, I appeared behind Kuwabara and gave him a nice, big bump on the back of the head, silencing him.
"Continue," Kurama chided calmly.
"As I said, Inuko's demon nature was caged inside of her. But, who had cast that spell? What for?" Koenma questioned rhetorically, glancing at each of us. Then he took out a certain paper marked 'CRIMINAL'. I furrowed my eyebrows. 'What the hell -?'
"As soon as Inuko here came into my office, I've recognized her reiki immediately," the baby grimaced as an unpleasant memory crossed his mind.
"How come?" Kurama spoke up, looking thoughtful. In response, Koenma held up the paper for us to see. In the upper left corner there was a picture of a young man with messy brown hair and shining deep brown eyes, very similar to Inuko's. He was winking playfully, his lips stretched in a wide grin, his pointy fangs exposed. "Kisai, Tataru. A full-blooded dog demon, also one of the few known masters of the art of magic, able to cast several kinds of spells..." the Ruler's Son threw us a knowing glance, but kept reading "A prankster and thief, been in jail 4 times, escapes: 4... What a drag..." he groaned "One of the fighters in the Gray Neko Rebellion, died on the battlefield. His mate: Miyuki, no last name, a dog demon as well." I saw Koenma twitch before he read the last line: "Partner-in-crime of Inumaru, Ryoku."
Inumaru, Ryoku
My ears twitched upwards, eyes wide, but thankfully no one seemed to notice. Inumaru Ryoku. My father...
"Without a doubt, you, Inuko are the child of Kisai... Wait a minute..." Koenma's voice snapped me out of my musing. "It doesn't say that Tataru had a child... But it's impossible! Your youki is early the same!"
I felt a light bulb turning 'on' somewhere in the back of my head. "So, the almighty Koenma doesn't know it all, huh?" I sneered, suddenly feeling very intelligent. At the baby's glare, I continued, "Why do you think Tataru had put a spell on Inuko, hiding her real identity?" I paused, glancing at my surprised teammates, then at the Ruler's Son himself "To erase her from the world."
I caught Inuko's eyes going wide, her body froze under my hand. I squeezed her hand, regretting what I've said... When the sudden rush of inspiration hit me again. Somehow, I knew.
"Tataru had cast a spell on Inuko to hide her demon side. Then, he left her in a human village, far away from his, and her, home. A Ningen family took her in and raised her, but then I came and took her with me."
"But, why did this Tataru guy leave his daughter in the first place?" Yusuke asked.
"Maybe... For protection?" I stopped, gathering my thoughts as fast as possible. "Well, if Inuko was born during the Gray Neko Rebellion, then... Her father didn't want her to die..."
"Kikyo?" I looked at Koenma, who was staring at me as if I grew a second head. "How do you know all this?"
"I... I, um..." I stuttered, the inspiration gone. Smiling sheepishly, I mumbled, "That's a good question."
"HELL YEAH, WE WON! LET'S HAVE A PAAARTYY!!!"
I sat down on the couch, glaring at the eager Yusuke. "Let's not."
"Aw, come on, Kikyo! It's going to be fun!" he shouted, a huge grin on his face.
"Nah, I'd rather not," I closed my eyes, crossing my arms stubbornly. My ear twitched as a sound reached it. Though it was very faint, it was oddly familiar... Getting up, I went to the window and sat on the windowsill, pretending that nothing happened, in reality listening intently. It happened again. A long, muffled howl. Careful not to be seen by anyone in the room, I stared at the glass and let a small, genuine smile sprouting on my lips. 'Heh, the info spreads fast...'. It was Akari. Congratulating me.
Later that night, Inuko came to my room as always and we both decided to take a midnight walk around the mansion. The stars twinkled upon our heads, lightening our path.
"Inuko," I began "How do you feel?"
She looked at me, her big, sharp brown eyes shining with confusion. "Fine, I guess..." she said hesitantly. I smiled sheepishly.
"No, that's not what I meant. How do you feel being a demon?"
"Oh! Well, I must admit, it was a bit... weird in the beginning, but I'm slowly adjusting myself to it!" Inuko sent me a smile, which I returned.
"Was it... Painful? You know, the change?" I questioned again.
"A bit... Yes," she admitted "But everything's fine now, really! It's like... My dream came true!"
I smiled, remembering her words. 'Yeah... Some dreams Do come true...'
"Kikyo-san?" Inuko's quiet voice made me look at her, getting rid of those thoughts. "Why that day, of all days?"
My face turned thoughtful as I concentrated, searching for the unknown spark of inspiration that had stroked me earlier. I didn't found it.
Though, it found me, instead. I stopped walking, making Inuko pause as well and glance at me. I wasn't sure, but... A small grin appeared on my lips as I bent down, suddenly hugging Inuko tightly, startling her.
"That's because of the date of your birth!" I said, squeezing her "Happy 13th Birthday, Inuko-chan!"
The girl laughed, remembering as well. As we both hugged each other, we missed a pair of deep red orbs staring at us from one of the windows, a small smile sprouting on the person's lips.
----
"That was really great, Kurama!"
"Yes, it was delicious!"
"Seconds, please!"
"More like twenty-thirds..." I muttered to myself, smirking at Kuwabara.
"Twenty-thirds, then! Wait... HEY, YOU -!"
Hiei snorted. "So slow..."
"Now now, don't fight, children!" Kurama cooed, smiling.
"Yeah, children!" I nodded, waving my finger at them.
"Oh, get a bone," Yusuke crossed his arms.
"Only if it's yours!" I snapped back, bristling. I'm not a friggin' DOG, dammit! A DEMON!
The Leader faked a gasp. "Kikyo, you're flirting with me!"
"Ha, am NOT!" 'You friggin' wish!!'
"Are too!"
"Shut up, Yusuke!" Keiko yelled at her boyfriend and hit him upside the head, making him wince.
"But she started it!"
"Did not," I retorted calmly, sticking out my tongue behind Keiko's back.
"Let's watch a movie!" Botan chirped in, clapping her hands. "A nice romantic comedy will definitely make everyone better in no time!"
"NO WAY!!" Yusuke, Kuwabara and I shouted altogether, our voices mixing in a loud roar.
As we sat there, bickering and entertaining the rest, a sudden chill made my body shiver. I widened my eyes, my eras perking up; the sensation was very familiar to me, but yet I couldn't name it. I heard the water running in the kitchen, but it wasn't that. It was a strange, hollow sound, something like echo. It sounded as if it was calling me by my name softly. Wanting me to come...
Sneaking a glance at Inuko, I could tell that she felt and heard the same. Her eyes were big as tennis balls and unfocused, her ears were straight up and vibrating slightly, obviously catching the sound as well.
"HEY, DOGGY!!" I jumped two meters up at the sound of Yusuke's shout.
"Inuko-chan, are you feeling well?" Yukina, who was sitting next to Inuko, put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder, looking a bit concerned at the sight of Inuko's pale face.
"Y-yes, I'm okay... Thank you." Inuko replied politely, still looking slightly out of it.
"You here, Kikyo?" Botan's high voice rang from behind me. I glanced at her unsurely, but faked a small smile nonetheless.
"Sure I am," I said, fully aware of the fact that everyone was staring at me. Feeling my cheeks burning, I got up from my seat "I'll go help with the dishes,"
I stepped into the kitchen, releasing my breath. 'Why do I always have to be in the center of attention?!' frowning, I rubbed my temples, feeling a major headache coming 'Why me...?'
'Hn.'
'Oh, hello Hiei,' I thought, sarcastically.
'What was that?'
'What's it to you?'
'Answer me.'
"Kikyo?" I blinked, looking up. Kurama was staring at me curiously, his hands loaded with dishes.
"Eh?" I asked stupidly, pushing out Hiei from my head. Literally.
Kurama eyed my face "You're very pale. Are you feeling okay?"
"Oh, it's nothing, really! I just had a rough day, that's all," I lied, smiling a bit to cover it up.
'Liar.'
'Am not.'
"So, why aren't you resting?"
"I... I just wanted to help you a bit,"
'Liar.'
'Am NOT.'
Kurama smiled politely. "That's very nice of you, but really... You should get some rest."
"Nonsense, I said I'm okay now."
'Liar.'
"AM NOT!" I clapped my hands over my mouth, my face heating up. Kurama raised his eyebrows at me.
"Pardon?"
"No, no, sorry..." I mumbled, feeling like an idiot "It was -"
"Hiei?" Kurama finished, smiling knowingly before returning to the oh-so-lovely dishes. I sighed, taking a seat on one of the counters.
Kurama continued to wash the dishes, a small smile never leaving his face. "You look like you need to talk," he spoke up. When he got no response, he peered through his shoulder to look at me. My whiteish bangs shadowed my face, my head was hung low and ears fallen. "Kikyo?" the red head tried to gain my attention, but I haven't look up, my eyes fogged up.
'She's considering it...' the red haired teen heard a well-known voice coming from inside of him.
'What do you mean Youko? Considering what?'
'Leaving...'
Kurama nearly dropped the plate he was holding. 'What?!'
'It's calling her again. Her and the little one.'
'You mean Inuko-chan? What is calling them? Youko, what's going on?'
'She'll leave. She always does.'
'Youko!' Kurama called out for the fox thief, but only silence greeted him. Youko sounded so mysterious...
"Kikyo, what -" the red head turned around abruptly, but noticed that the dog demon disappeared from the kitchen...
---
"Kikyo?"
Oh great. Just when I need some peace and quiet to think, to make a hard decision... but NOOO WAYYY, they just have to come and annoy me. This time, it was Botan.
"What?" I snapped rudely.
The door opened and the always smiling and hyper, blue-haired girl showed up. "Koenma calls for you,"
"Do I look like I care?" I turned away from her, glaring at the window.
"It's urgent." Botan said slightly sterner, walking into my room. "Should I drag you down with me? Oh, have I told you that I've bought this uberly cool, cute-looking kimono yesterday? It's, like -"
"I'll be on my way" before she had the chance to continue her babbling, I was already out of the room, passing her in a flash. Faintly, since I was out of the room, I heard the Grim Reaper say cheerily, "That's what I thought."
---
"Ah, Kikyo, welcome." Koenma greeted me, not looking up from the small pile of paper.
"Hn."
"You sounded much like Hiei right now," he said absent-mindedly, making me scowl. Time was running out.
"There's no time to waste, Binky Breath, if you don't mind, could you start talking?" I growled, crossing my arms impatiently.
"As you wish," finally, the baby raised his head and looked at me sternly "During your final match with Shimofuri you've sent odd waved of youki – that was certainly not YOUR own - into the cat's body, which was a defense at first, but then turned into pure offensive. Care to explain?"
I blinked, recalling the moment. "I know what you're talking about, but seriously; I have no idea what happened." I admitted.
"Hm... Well, I do."
"Yeah, it was -" I twitched "YOU DO?! Then, why the HELL were you asking ME?!"
"Calm down, I don't want anyone to come and interrupt," Koenma ordered "It's because of your Curse."
"My... what?" I stared at him, confused. "Curse? What Cur- Oh." THAT Curse.
"Yes, indeed." The baby nodded "It made me think about it a lot recently and I came to a conclusion; I am guessing that when Tataru had cast the mind barrier spell on you, he accidentally gave you some of his youki. And that youki had released itself during the fight, under the pressure of your will."
There was a short pause, then I said, "So, do I still have the youki?"
Koenma sighed. "I do not know. I think that if you still have it, it'll release itself again, though against your will, or if you'll really, I mean really want and need that. But, to be honest, I doubt that you do possess it. From the beginning, it was just a small amount and you could use it all."
"Hmmm..." I said quietly. I was quickly gathering my thoughts and was fighting an inner battle whenever I should ask the baby something that was bothering me, or not. Finally, I've made up my mind.
"Koenma... During my fight, Shimofuri had... Showed me Inuko's... torture..." I paused, waiting for an answer. Hell, if he knows so much, he can share!
"Ah, yes, I thought that he'll do that to you." The baby nodded "It's a slightly different attack than his usual 'memory recalling'. This one creates a fake memory that can weaken you 10 times more than any other. Shimofuri is one of the very few demons who can actually master that attack. But, you're the one of the very few who survived it. Now, we both know why."
Silence overcame the room as I began musing about the new piece of information.
"Oh. Okay..." I stated simply after a moment. "So, if that's all, I'm going to bed."
As I headed towards the door, I heard Koenma's last words spoken rather quietly, but still clearly. "Goodbye, Kikyo."
He knew.
---
"Inuko...?" I walked into her room as quietly as I was able. The girl looked up from a book she was reading and gazed at me, surprised.
"Yes, Kikyo-san? What is it?" she asked, seeing my unsure, pale face. I gulped, sensing the weird feeling once again. A hollow howling...
"Do you... Feel it?" I questioned her, sitting on her bed next to her.
Inuko's face turned thoughtful, a glimpse of sadness in her eyes. "Yes, I do. I've been feeling it for the whole time..." she looked at me "Kikyo-san... What does that mean?"
I bit my lower lip, suddenly sharing her sadness. I knew we both didn't want that. But, it's stronger than our personal desires. It's stronger than us. It's a part of us. "That means... That we have to... Listen to it." I stared into her eyes, seeing her emotions shine in the deep brown color. She really didn't wanted to. She had friends here. And... So did I.
"There isn't... Any other way?" she asked softly, fighting back tears. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see her cry.
"No."
The huge door shut closed behind me quietly as I excited the mansion, feeling the cold wind surrounding me and giving me chills. It was the middle of the night, everything around me was quiet. The sweet silence. I brought my head up and gazed at the stars which were twinkling upon me. The full moon was hidden behind a thick curtain of dark clouds, so there was no light. I frowned at the sky. i'What's the damn matter with me, anyway?! I've done this thousands of times before and yet, this time was somehow... different.'/i For some strange, unknown reason, I didn't want to go. Not this time.
"I have friends here"
I growled loudly, frustration building up inside of me. Inuko is still a child! A... A pup! She doesn't understand that we, stray, wild dog demons, uhave/u to move constantly! And now that she's became a full dog demon, she should have it in blood; put aside all the feelings and move.
"I have friends here"
Her voice echoed in my head. Her happy, bright face flashed in my mind, just to be replaced by the sad expression I've seen a while ago. Her trembling lips, the tears she desperately wanted to fight back... It's going to be hard for her, REALLY hard. But, she just has to get used to it. We cannot become the little puppies on a leash! We have to be free... Independent... Strong...
"What are you doing here?"
My heart stopped beating. 'No... Not NOW!' Turning around, my wide eyes met hard crimson ones and I came face-to-face with a stern-looking Hiei. I instantly lowered my head staring at the ground; somehow, I just couldn't bring myself to look at him. I wanted to say something, anything, but my throat was frozen. I gulped the large ice block and shuffled my feet.
"Standing," I said quietly, turning around. I heard him snort.
"You don't say," the fire demon sneered sarcastically, moving to stand next to me, his eyes fixed forward. Just when I wanted to say that he should get lost (or something like that), the wind picked up again, with much force. My hair flew up and scattered in every direction, but I quickly grabbed it, holding it tightly behind my head. The feeling struck me again, making me shiver. It was more demanding this time, the sensation.
"What the Hell is that?" I looked up after hearing Hiei's voice.
"Huh?"
"What's this thing..." he turned to gaze at me, his expression unreadable "that is calling you?"
I blinked, taken aback. "What the -? How did you -?!"
"I can see it in your eyes." Hiei turned to me, a stern look on his face "What's it called?"
I stayed silent, afraid to answer. As if not saying that would made it disappear, shut up...
"Why are you doing this?" again, the fire demon went straight forward at me, leaving me startled and confused.
"Do what?" I snorted, trying to get off of the topic "Standing?"
He scowled, not seeing anything funny in my sarcastic reply. "Not that, dunce."
"HEY!! I'm NOT a dunce, you -"
"Why are you listening to it?" Hiei cut me off, his eyes focused forward, just like mine. I frowned. He was stubbornly clinging to the disturbing topic.
"Well, I... It's in my blood, okay? I just can't go against it, and do what I wish. I feel like I need to... To listen."
"So, you play the role of a slave then?" he scowled casting me a quick glare.
I could feel my anger building up. "You may think whatever you want, Hiei. I will do as I feel like doing. You can't stop me, you nor anyone. It's a part of me."
After that, we both fell silent, listening to the wind which was howling louder and louder. I had the impression that it sounded a bit... Satisfied?
As we continued to gaze forward, I began to feel awkward for some reason. It was too quiet for my own liking, I wish Hiei'd say something. Anything. Because my own throat was frozen.
The pregnant silence was stretching endlessly, but when I finally decided to cut it, a voice echoed in my head. It was my own voice.
"I owe you something"
I blinked, feeling my cheeks getting redder and redder within seconds; and it wasn't from the cold.
"I owe you something"
I felt as if something hard crash-landed at the pit of my stomach. A knot formed inside.
"I owe you something"
"Hiei..."
The fire demon calmly turned his head to look at me, but I was faster; my hands rested on his shoulders loosely and my lips crashed against his. I could feel a jolt of surprise which ran through his body, but he didn't pull back, nor pushed me away. He just stood there, registering what's going on. I closed my eyes shut, so I missed how wide his became.
The kiss was simple, there was no fireworks, no sparks and I haven't fainted, or anything. Yet, it sent warm, pleasant waves through my body. As if Hiei was sharing his body heat with me. My nervousness, sadness, tension – all of it just disappeared.
It felt good. Really good.
As soon as I felt Hiei shyly kissing back, his lips no longer neutral against mine, I snapped back to reality. I pulled back and slowly opened my eyes, realization just now hitting me. I kissed Hiei. I did it. I did it.
I didn't want to do it. It just... happened.
No, it didn't. It wasn't planned out, but I wanted it to happen.
But, now... Hiei'll hate me. I mean, I just KISSED him!
But he kissed BACK. And that means something.
... Does it?
"H-Hiei..." I stuttered out, my face beet red and my eyes fixed on the ground. I didn't dare to look up, at him. Not after that "I-I'm sorry, okay? It just -"
"You owed me. Now we're even."
I finally brought myself to look at him, my eyes wide. 'WHAT?!'. Hiei wasn't facing me, instead he stared at the trees before us, though his cheeks were colored a bright pink color. For a short moment, his red eyes rested on mine, but he quickly brought them back. So, he wasn't... mad?
"Kikyo-san!" a loud whisper made my ears twitch and I snapped my head, spotting Inuko, who was carrying her backpack and still looked sad.
"I-Inuko, eh, -" I sneaked a quick glance at Hiei, not sure what to say, but to my surprise, he wasn't there. I was dumbfounded.
"What's the matter?" Inuko asked, looking at me oddly.
"Ahh... Nothing, Inuko," I said, turning to her. In the corner of my eye, I caught Hiei standing on top of a tree branch, gazing down at us. Just then, I realized how awful the kid must've been feeling. It was horrible, a feeling that was tearing me apart from the inside. Trying hard to cover it up, I turned around. "Let's go."
"Yes..." Inuko's ears fell, but she began to walk nonetheless. I sighed, feeling terrible. But, we had to...
I took few steps forward, but I turned around abruptly, my eyes focusing on Hiei through the darkness. He was still there. Taking a deep breath, I mouthed discreetly,
"I'll be back"