Whisper Soft

Deux

6/22/2007

A couple days later. . .

The bustling streets of the metropolis of Tokyo almost jostled Kagome; she had become so accustomed to the peaceful atmosphere of rural Japan. But she allowed her friends drag her about, squawking about the latest gossip, boys and fashion that were sweeping their school. Mentally tuning out the majority of what they spoke, she enjoyed what time she spent with them—although she gagged when she remembered she used to be like them.

"So Kagome, how have you been? We hope that your Optic Neuritis is being treated correctly," Yuki smiled, hoping whatever an optic neuritis was, that it wasn't contagious.

Kagome sweat-dropped, mentally straggling her Grandfather, "oh it's fine! Not contagious at all, why I feel like a million bucks today, but you never know when a cold or flu is going to come and get me." She covered her tracks, knowing that she'd be missing for a couple weeks to go to Feudal Japan. And knowing that she had no idea when she was going to be back. Her friends went back to discussing the latest fashion by Marc Jacobs and gushing over the latest High School Musical installment, Kagome didn't follow that but she knew that Souta secretly did.

When Kagome was finally trudging slowly up the hundreds of steps leading to her home and the shrine her family took care of, she thought back to the small article she read in her history book recently. She couldn't understand how demons just were wiped out, without any mention but in that one article a researcher proved that there were different humans, ones that happened to be diluted into the main human population. Kagome believed that it could be demons mingling with humans, what she couldn't believe or fathom was how it occurred.

What she could understand though, she pushed open the door to her house, was how humans could be attracted to demons; women were attracted to the strongest male they could find—it was just like in nature and animals. The strong prevailed and the weak failed. She trudged up more stairs leading to her room, faintly hearing the tunes of a Disney movie coming from her brother's room; she closed her door when she entered her now white room with an accented red wall. She walked over to her stereo, putting on soft music before lying down on her pink comforter, mentally flashing back to her last run-in with Inuyasha's older half brother, Sesshomaru. It was much more recent then her friends thought.

--

The night was warm, and Kagome was stifling hot in the small, compressed hut sleeping next to her comrades, so she decided on a midnight stroll. Softly treading over various bodies, not breathing while passing the demons in their party, she exited, exhaling a sigh when she stepped out into the cooler night air.

The sky looking as if a dark blanket was punched with holes, with light shining through, she smiled at the stark difference of this Japan and the one she had grown up in. The young woman stretched upward, squinting to make it look, to herself, that she was touching the very sky she loved so much. She jumped a step forward and began walking towards the stream furthest from the tiny village. When she reached it, she sat on the edge and drank in the silence that exuded from the very land, never noticing the slight change in nocturnal sounds.

She started softly humming a random tune, closed her eyes, lay down on the dewy grass and experienced the novelty of being alone.

A snapping twig broke the quiet, making Kagome blot up and gaze at the spot where the noise rose from. A pale figure stepped out of the shadows, emitting the power of an army and the dispassion of a fallen tree; it stopped and eye contact was established between the newcomer and Kagome. She stayed seated, defiantly transmitting that she thought he meant no threat.

"Sesshomaru," Kagome stated, neither being loud or quiet.

He barely inclined his regal head in confirmation, "miko." She choose to not mention she had no formal training, deeming that he'd just think even less of her.

"Your business?"

She thought he was not going to answer as he took too long to answer, and his face moved to the right a fraction of an inch. "I was walking." The elusive answer; only raised more questions to which Kagome knew she wouldn't receive but she nodded in understanding.

"Groups can be encompassing and stifling, sometimes one needs solitude." Kagome sighed, tilting her head back to gaze softly at the starry sky. She didn't move as she heard the crunch of boots on the earth drawing nearer to her. She did blink when her vision was filled with a powerful demon gazing down at her.

"You are well-spoken yet dress," Sesshomaru paused, searching for the right word, "as a woman of the night." One of Kagome's hands briefly touched her short skirt, suddenly self-conscious of the indecent length.

"I suppose it's not decent in these times," She mused, thinking back to her textbooks and the various women that she had seen first hand; all had been covered up, usually not showing even the collarbone. "Sometimes, I forget."

Sesshomaru, perplexed yet unwilling to question, nodded. Kagome tilted her head towards the demon towering over her before speaking, "I don't suppose speaking with me about my attire was what you wanted when you set out on your walk tonight." He barely shook his head. "I thought as much."

"One should be wary of the lines of enemies and allies blurring." And with that he departed, leaving a confused, self-conscious young woman. It was the next day that Kagome started wearing more suitable clothing.

---

Kagome sighed, musing out loud, "What in the world did he mean by the lines of enemies and allies blurring?" She got up to start packing her backpack, "that is the most confusing man I've ever met." She put the thought of a tall, intelligent demon out of her mind, at least that's what Kagome tried to do, until she fell asleep to resume her journey the next day.

She awoke to her mother's voice, gently calling for her, "I'm coming Mama!" She got up, readied herself for her day donning on loose fitting jeans and a long sleeved blue cotton shirt, pulling her long obsidian hair into a high ponytail and putting on sunscreen on her face. She skipped down stairs, her large backpack bouncing until she set it next to the front door and then entered into the kitchen where her mother prepared a going away breakfast. "Hello!"

"Ah, Kagome, how are you this fine morning?" Her mother's sweet smile welcomed her into the already cozy kitchen spreading with the smells of western pancakes and orange juice. When the breakfast was ready and being to be eaten, Kagome's mother spoke up, "when are you coming back?"

Kagome mulled it over in her head, silently chewing a delicious piece of pancake goodness. "I should check-in around two to three weeks, is that ok?"

"Of course, what do you want this illness to be?" Her mother pulled out pen and paper to jot down the next illness that would take her daughter.

"I mention a flu to my friends, so that. I'm tired of having outrageous illnesses thanks to Grandpa!" Kagome whined, pouting over her pancakes seeing them in perfect clarity, "can't you take away that medical encyclopedia from him?"

Her mother smiled softly but shook her head, "it is not mine to take and he only gets to call you in sick every other week, I make them up sometimes. It's just people remember the off the wall ones, dear."

Kagome knew that of course, she just wished it weren't true. She finished eating quickly, kissed her mother goodbye, saying she'll she her in a few weeks time, and bounding off to the past.

When she reached the startling green clearing, she expected her friends (or at least someone) to be there to greet her back, but not one was in sight. She shrugged, throwing her pack over the lip of the well then herself. Once out, she strolled to the village where she expected her friends to be. She saw Miroku exit with a grim look adorning his face but when he saw her, he smiled well naturedly.

"Ah, Kagome, you are back and I am grateful!" The Monk turned on his charm, knowing that she would be beyond angry once she saw what was inside the small hut, "why do we not take a walk?"

Kagome laughed, "I'm ok, and I'd rather just put my stuff down then talk with Inuyasha about when we are leaving." She took a step towards the sad excuse for a door before being blocked by Miroku. "Miroku, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, well…nothing! I just really would love a walk and Sango is not there, so I would love if you were come with me in search of her." He smiled brightly.

Kagome, growing suspicious, tilted her head, "hum, ok, you lead the way." As soon as they started walking towards the woods, with Miroku in front of her by two feet she fled to the hut, wondering what was the mystery. She got it as soon as she pulled the screen to one side, Kikyo sat demure near the fire. She didn't bat a lash when she saw her reincarnation gazing at her in astonishment.

Kagome quickly glanced at the surrounding friends, Inuyasha sat close by with arms crossed and a foul expression marring his face and Sango sat by silently eating a cold bowl of stew, a scowl sat firmly on her dainty face. Her fingers clenched the "doorway," she didn't understand this, Am I being replaced? After a measly fight and a few days in my time? For a split second she felt defeated until the situation became clear to her, it was irrational but it made clear then. "So you found a replacement for me?" Kagome's voice became low and venomous, "How quaint." Inuyasha looked up startled by the unnatural tone coming from that familiar voice, Sango accidentally dropped her food spilling it over herself.

Kikyo gazed at Kagome without expression, while Inuyasha tried to explain the newly acquired member, "It's not like that! We need the help and she's a good fighter!"

Kagome fought to see the reasoning and logic in the once enemy in their group but could only see they let someone in, that wanted her dead. She stared and yelled, "well if that's the case, we might as well invite Sesshomaru, he tried to kill us more then once and he's a great fighter!" She stepped in voice rising, "But other then the fact that she's in our group, no one, especially you Inuyasha gave me the consideration of coming to this decision." By the time that she had finished, she had started to cry and not understand how she could possibly even begin to relate how this betrayal made her feel she turned around and ran towards the encompassing and sheltering forest.

She left a group of speechless friends, each with different thoughts running through their minds.

--

Review, I just write nowadays to keep up my writing skills.
Also Deux means "two" in French.