Koikokoro (Awakening Love)
Chapter One: Life Moves On
"Kagome get up you lazy oaf, you're going to be late," and insistent voice dove into Kagome's sleepy brain. She mumbled irritably before tugging her blankets more firmly over her head. Rain pattered lightly outside and was easily lulling her into a deeper sleep. "I'm warning you," the voice almost growled.
Kagome ignored the threat until suddenly the world moved and shook. She was thrown from her bed in a whir of blankets that tangled around her arms and legs. "Aww Naduki, what was that for?" Kagome scowled as she struggled to remove the blankets. It took a moment, but she managed to shove them off and stand to look at her roommate with a glare. (Of course the glare would have been a bit more effective if she was not dressed in a loose spaghetti strap top and mismatched flannel pajama pants with puppies running around on them.)
Her roommate glared right back over her rectangular glasses. She had a smirk on her face and one hand on her jutted out hip. "I did that as your kindly roommate to warn you that you have thirty minutes before a particularly hard biology test.," she responded, her smirk widening.
Kagome cursed violently as she jolted out of the room and into the bathroom. "Thanks Naduki," she called as she zipped by.
Naduki just chuckled as she moved over to the small kitchenette area and poured a small bowl of steamed white rice from the steamer. She set it on the table with a pair of chopsticks before sitting on the floor with her own breakfast. She had hardly touched it before Kagome raced out of the small bathroom in a pair of blue jeans. Her shirt was halfway over her head as she walked through the dorm. Quickly she tugged on the dark burgundy short sleeve shirt with black sleeves. The center of the shirt was plain except for two silver stripes that ran across her chest.
"Thanks," Kagome smiled as she swept up the bowl and devoured the rice in record time. "Wish me luck; I have a test on ten phylums in kingdom animalia," Kagome remarked as she grabbed her satchel and flung it over her shoulder as she ran out the door. Naduki followed her movements with a rueful shake of her head.
Years ago Kagome had had a mental breakdown in the middle of her high school English class, and even though she had been perfectly fine the next day dreams of disturbing clarity had appeared and would not leave. Theses dreams left her separated from her more girlish friends and seeking solace in her logical text books. In the end something inside of her had forced her to try for Japan's elite Tokyo University without any help from a prominent feeder school. She had not attended Todai High or been even remotely considered for Bell Liberty Academy like her class mate Kazuki-san, but through shear will power and a bit of good luck she had forced her way into the medical program, specifically the animal medical program. Her grades were average now, but even her professors were pleased with their 'nobody' B average student.
She ran through the stone walkways with impressive speed considering the weight of the bag she carried. She dodged through everyone easily enough, but near the science build she bumped her shoulder against somebody and nearly feel to the ground from the impact. "Gomen ne," she apologized before continuing on her way. She never looked back at the person, but she rubbed her shoulder in pain from the severe static shock that had passed between them. "Ouch," she grumbled as she ran up the stairs and into her classroom.
The floor had stark white tile and the class room tables sat two people in rows. The perimeter of the room was set up for lab groups with pentagon peninsulas attached to the wall. There were about six in the room and each was equipped with a gas pump, Bunsen burner, and test tube set.
Professor Shinichiro stood at the front of the class, his blue eyes glued to the clock on the back wall. Just as Kagome slid to halt inside the classroom he moved over to the door, his eyes never moving, before closing the door with a click. One student was unfortunate enough to be on the other side.
"Take your sets so we can begin the exam," he ordered smoothly as he moved to the furthest desk. He was dressed in a light blue suit and had slicked down black hair. Kagome smiled at him as she sat down. He could be a sarcastically rude professor, but he was an all around amusing guy that taught quite clearly, he just liked to watch his students squirm. The test he place in front of each student proved that.
Kagome bit her lip as she went through the answers. She had spent two days of serious memorization with Naduki to the point that she was dreaming of mollusks. It had paid off though as she breezed through the multiple choice and moved on to the essay questions. The last question made her grin. Name the annelids and give two characteristics of each. She could do this in her sleep.
When class was over Kagome handed in her test with a smile before heading back to her dorm. Knowing her roommate, Naduki was probably sprawled across the floor drawing again. Naduki was an excellent artist and she loved to watch someone create something. It was a great experience that had gotten her first interested in creative writing. The only problem was some of Naduki's pictures made her blushed from her head to her toes. That girl had little interests in boyfriends, and Kagome was getting a bit worried about where her references were coming from.
As she expect Naduki was in fact sprawled across the floor with tons of drawings surrounding her. Her brown hair was pulled into a messy bun and she was dressed in an ink splattered t-shirt. The only difference was that she had a friend sitting beside her. Ever sense the art department had been filled and Naduki had to move into the science department dorms, the entire female population of the art department had visited the dorm at least once. This time she at least recognized the person. "Hello Takahashi-san," Kagome greeted with a smile. She was never bothered by the numerous visitors Naduki received, they were rather a bit more lively then any of her classmates.
Takahashi smiled, "Hello again Higurashi-san. I was actually looking for you. I remember that dream you were telling Naduki-chan about and I was wondering if I could use a description of a few of those people in a drawing?"
"Rumiko-chan is in a slump with our final projects coming up," Naduki added with a playful grin.
"Well of course, I'd be glad to give you the description again. I've been wanting someone to draw my ideas," Kagome laughed as she sent a playful glare at her roommate. Rumiko smiled gratefully as she pulled out a pad of paper and her battered sketchpad. She never said a word as Kagome wove her enchanting tale of silver haired dog demons and perverted monks of brave demon slayers and cute kitsunes with flaming red hair. She spent the longest time describing one silver haired man with eyes like the sun but a face of cold marble. She carefully explained how each of her dream characters looked and acted until Rumiko had filled her pad with kanji and rough sketches.
"Kagome-san," Rumiko started slowly as she placed the pad down and let her pen fall beside it. It was strange for her to be so awkward and she never called Kagome by her first name. "I can't use this for my project drawings," she stated after a moment.
Kagome balked, "Why, what's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong. Actually everything is quiet wonderful. This story is amazing that you make it sound like you were really there. I don't feel comfortable borrowing such a thing," Rumiko responded, shaking her head.
Kagome sighed in relief as she pulled the artists hands into her own. "I would be honored if you could draw my story as only I could imagine it," she answered earnestly, wanting so badly for the story to come to life. "Please Takahashi-san," Kagome pleaded.
Picking up her supplies, Rumiko stood from the messy floor and responded, "I will try my hardest." With that said she turned and left, her fingers already twitching with anticipation. It was a grand tale.
"Man Kagome-chan if you had described it so vibrantly to me I would have drawn it a long time ago," Naduki remarked as she faced her friend.
Kagome grinned sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head. "Heh guess I was inspired and got a little carried away," she blushed.
"A little," Naduki teased.
"Oh shush you, I need to get to work now anyways," Kagome grumbled as she went into the bedroom and grabbed her smaller side bag. "See you later," she called as she ran out the door. Kagome always walked from the dorms to a small animal hospital/humane society she worked at as an intern.
She entered through the back door where her thigh length lab coat hanged. She slipped it on over her casual clothes before pulling her hair into a ponytail. There was a shuffling in the caged area for strays and Kagome quickly went to see what was wrong. She was surprised to find her friend and colleague struggling to force a small pup into the euthanasia area of the clinic. The pup, which she had never seen before, was putting up a surprising fight for its small size. Its small teeth struck rapidly as it dodged away from Dr. Hokuto. They seemed to be playing a very fast paced game of keep away, but the doctor was rapidly cornering the pup.
"What's going on, what's wrong with him," Kagome cried as she finally got a good look at the dog. It was a beautiful Siberian husky pup with icy blue eyes and pure black markings that faded to grey along its sides. It was adorable.
"Nothing at all, but all the crates are at maximum capacity and this is the runt of the litter we just got in," the doctor replied. He made the mistake of taking his eyes of the pup and in a second it had sprinted around his legs and was heading at full speed for the door Kagome was blocking. With some difficulty she scooped the pup into her arms and held it tightly against her chest. "You can't kill," she paused as she looked down," her just for that." Kagome loved all dogs but she had a special place in her heart for the more wolfish looking ones.
"I can only feed so many dogs Kagome-chan, you have to understand," Hokuto sighed as he stood to his full height and ran his fingers through his reddish-brown hair.
Kagome felt ready to cry as the small body in her arms buried against her chest for comfort. "Then I'll take her," she claimed, her dark blue eyes alighting like a tempest. She could not keep dogs in her dorm or could really hide such a large breed, but she would not let the pup die.
Hokuto starred at her for a long time before he sighed. "Take the day off and take her home you crazy girl."
"Thank you, thank you," Kagome bowed before she left the clinic at a dash, she never removed her coat.
Naduki blinked in surprise as Kagome came running inside the living room area with her white coat on and the front bulging with something. "I'm so sorry," she apologized the moment she entered. She kneeled down and carefully unfolded her arms, revealing the soft fur of a husky puppy.
"Oh no," Naduki sighed as Kagome moved into the kitchen and unscrewed a can of dog food she kept for the occasional stray. The pup lifted her head with a yawn before slowly trotting over to the bowl Kagome poured. Despite its small size, the pup had the developed gait of a proper sledding dog. Her form was lean even with added milk fat and her eyes always gazed carefully around to be sure of her surroundings.
"I am sorry Naduki-chan, but I will find a place for her somewhere I promised, I just couldn't let her die, not so young," Kagome cooed as she kneeled beside the pup and ran her fingers through the sinfully soft fur.
Naduki rolled her eyes but didn't complain. She preferred cats herself, but there was no denying the puppy was adorable. "I trust you gome, I'm sure you'll figure something out. For now though, what's her name?"
Kagome starred at the light eyed pup for awhile, her brow scrunched in thought. Her eyes were truly gorgeous with the darkest blue being around the edges of the eye and pupil while the middle was so light it almost appeared white. "Cloud," she answered after a moment, "I like the name Cloud."
Naduki raised one eyebrow at the answer as she dug through her collection under the television. She pulled out an old, battered three disc game before turning to Kagome. "Cloud is a boy's name," she remarked.
Kagome chuckled as she spotted that game and ruffle the softest spot of fur between the puppy's ears. "Yeah I know, but I think it fits," she laughed as Cloud padded over to Naduki and lay down with another yawn. "Not that way girl, come on, into the bedroom," Kagome called as she walked into the shared bedroom. Cloud looked up and with a very heavy sigh, like it was the hardest thing in the world, got up and followed after her. Kagome changed into her pajamas quickly before slipping into her bed with her chemistry notebook.
Cloud glanced at the bed and got up on her hide legs. She was just high enough for her paws to reach the beginning of the mattress. Kagome moved to help her up, but was surprised when the pup backed away from her touch. Normally dogs loved her, but then she realized what Cloud was doing. With a running start the small dog leapt up onto the bed with room to spare and snuggled up against the warm curve of Kagome's body.
They fell asleep together like that until around three in the morning when Cloud passed her already large paws on Kagome's chest and pushed. As the air was force from her lungs Kagome sat up in surprise only to see Cloud's glinting eyes in the dark. "Oh," she murmured as she lifted up the pup and took her outside. She figured it might take awhile for her to get used to going outside with a leash, but it only took her a second to handle her business before they were back inside. "We'll go shopping tomorrow for some things," Kagome promised with a yawn as she picked Cloud up and hurried back to their bed. Her feet were freezing!
The next morning Kagome didn't have any class or work, but Naduki was long gone for her art classes. Kagome stretched until her shoulders popped before pulling Cloud's warm body into her lap. The husky produced massive amounts of heat and she could already feel her shirt plastered to her side with a thin layer of sweat despite the cool night. "Potty break," she teased as she headed back out the door and led Cloud around on the leash. Once more she went to the bathroom quite quickly and Kagome happily shuffled her back inside. It was still cold.
With a fresh bowl of food out, Kagome went into the small bathroom and quickly washed up. When she came out, Cloud was curled up on the couch with her nose stuck under her paws. Her ears flicked at the noise and she opened one nearly white eye to watch Kagome's movements.
"We'll get you some more food and some bones today," Kagome remarked after she pulled her light blue shirt and shifted her dark jeans. "Come on," she called, and with another one of those loud sighs, Cloud jumped off the couch and sat at Kagome's heel for the leash. "You are being rather complacent for a husky," she remarked as she clipped the leash onto a thick red collar she had put there last night.
Cloud almost looked like she was smirking.
Kagome turned her lips down in a suspicious pout but there was not much more she could do then head out the door with the mischievous pup at her heels. They walked down the college walkway and out into the busier, public streets. Few noticed Cloud, but a couple of people gave Kagome curious looks. She ignored them as she found the small corner shop she had been searching for. It was probably the only shop for miles that would let a dog inside.
It was a quite little brick building with an upper floor apartment for the family that owned it. The front of the store held a collection of homemade doggie treats while the rest was filled with toys, leashes, cages, beds, and food. Kagome smiled and waved at the elderly lady working in the front before she moved through the toy aisle. Cloud sniffed around, but unlike most pups she didn't snap at anything or try to take something. She moved all through the line before sitting beside a palled of white rawhide bones.
"Is that what you want," Kagome asked as she picked up three of them. Cloud lifted up on her hind legs and took one of the bones into her mouth with a click. "Guess that's a yes," she laughed before moved through the food department. Kagome picked up the first bag she found that didn't have corn listed anywhere in the ingredients.
"Cute puppy," the old lady commented with a smile as she rung up Kagome's purchase. "Huskies can be hyper though and though they aren't normally picky eaters you have to watch them or they won't eat. They are breed to only need one large meal a day," she offered her advise with a smile, not sure if Kagome had done her research or not.
Kagome grinned in return as she picked up her bags and left the store. She wasn't surprised by the hyper comment, but the bit about the food was curious. She had noticed that for a puppy Cloud didn't really seem to eat much.
Kagome sighed as she keened against the rough wall of the store. She still did not know what to do about Cloud and the dorms. It would be easy to find a good home for a cute pup like her, but she was attached now. Was there anyway she could keep the pup for herself? She sighed softly in contemplation before Cloud jolted her out of her thoughts with a growl. It was a deep violent growl that started low in her throat and rumbled through her entire body.
"Cloud," Kagome blinked in surprise at the sound. Huskies where not bred to make noise. They were remarkable quiet dogs so that when pulling a sled they would not cause any avalanches. Most huskies only made noise for two reasons; one if they needed to go to the bathroom they would bark at their owner before heading over to the door and two if they were stuck in a create they would use every range possible to express their discomfort at being encaged. Growling shouldn't have even been in their vocabulary. Huskies where some of the nicest dogs out there, bred to be kind to all humans and most dogs so that there weren't many fights within a sled team. If Cloud was growling then something was clearly wrong.
Kagome backed up until her back was pressed against the concrete. It was safest to have her back covered, she rationalized. As she searched the empting streets for the problem she greatly wished she had her bow at her side. 'Wait why would I wish for my bow, I don't even own one, let alone know how to use it? There is no one here, I shouldn't be freaking out,' she thought, even as her eyes wildly searched the area in front of her. Cloud snarled again, baring her baby fangs to the wind.
"Kagome," a deep voice whispered in her ear, sending tremors down her spine. She jolted, turning to the voice, but no one was there.
"Who," she called, voice sounding small even to her.
"You know who I am," the voice whispered, wrapping around her body and encasing her in cold, like being dumped in a frozen river. The darkness was seeping into her body and coating her insides until she could hardly breathe.
"Ankoku," Kagome cried softly as painful tears streaked down her face. She could remember now. A frightening dream amongst all her others. She remembered a dream of cold darkness and the figure born of that darkness.
"Yes," the voice hissed in her ear, tickling the lobe and increasing her shiver until her breathing came out as a thick white fog.
"No," Kagome whimpered, and suddenly the darkness was being flashed away, ripped away from her own light and Cloud. The little pup and wrapped its jaws around the writhing darkness and had torn the mist away. It still swarmed near by, a shadow in the corner. Waiting.
Kagome didn't wait. She turned and ran. Most of the buildings near by would be closed, but she knew one that wasn't. Her legs strained as she made it the block down to a small café she had heard of once. Cloud was right at her side, almost running leisurely compared to wild steps. Soon they were there, just as the darkness curled around her neck she slammed through the swinging doors and it was flung away once more.
The group inside, a family looked up in surprise. Kagome hadn't noticed the closed for cleaning sign up. "Help," she gasped, through gulps of air.
"Are you alright," a man asked. Kagome jolted her head up in surprise as she gazed at him. He had kind gold eyes and long silvery hair in a loose tail.
She smiled before she passed out.
The dog in this story is based off of my own Siberian husky so if anyone tells me that her actions are impossible, well come here and talk to her then. She did all those things as a puppy except for the removal of darkness thing and running away from the doctor. I got her from a breeder. So this chapter is thanks to her, who would not leave me alone while writing this, and to my pal Ice from aim that asked me if I was going to write a sequel.
If the Ankoku thing freaked you out then go to Love Troubles and look through the chapters. In one she had a dream about him that I never went anywhere with. Well no he's back.