Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me.
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A/N: This was intended to be my entry for dokuga_contest's oneshot theme, Bed & Breakfast. But due to technical difficulties, I missed the Dec. 17th deadline. ::sigh:: Ah well…
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Collision
Chase
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Kagome tumbled out of bed, a sleepy-eyed mess as she tried to locate the clock.
"Seven forty-five!" School started in thirty minutes! Kagome groaned before flying into her morning routine like a bat out of hell.
A knock sounded at the door a few minutes later and she very nearly tore it off its hinges. "Chichi-ue!"
He brandished a tray. "I thought to bring you breakfast in bed."
"Classes start in fifteen minutes! Why didn't you wake me up?"
He smiled. "You looked so tired and adorable. I just couldn't."
Kagome rolled her eyes. In the dojo he was nothing if not firm and strict, a tall broad-shouldered force with frightening control and discipline. But take him out of there and he was a doting, overzealous father who made her breakfast and packed her bentos.
"Your mother called last night."
Kagome devoured what she could, half listening to what he was saying.
"She sends her love and hopes you're happy. Make friends. Be a good girl," he ticked off his fingers, "and enjoy school. No fighting. Stop kendo." He froze, eyes almost tearing up. "You won't quit kendo, will you?"
Kagome swallowed the mouthful of egg. "Are you crazy?"
Grinning, he continued. "Get a nice boyfriend, which I duly protest."
Washing everything down with a few big gulps of ocha, she silenced him with a palm in the air. "I don't really care what mom says or thinks."
"Kags…"
"I've gotta go," she stuffed the last slice of toast in her mouth. "And I'll be a little late today." Scooting past him and the now empty tray of food he held, she bolted down the short hallway and out of the house.
…
Kagome pushed her large glasses up, steeling her jumping nerves as she entered the much dreaded dojo of doom. Everyone knew the kendo team was merciless. Everyone also knew the team was in dire need of more skilled members. Aside from Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha Taisho and a handful of other upperclassmen, the team was made up of their adoring fan girls who'd picked the club—it was required of every student to choose an extracurricular—for the sole purpose of ogling them.
She however, had chosen the astronomy club. Stars and constellations were nice. They didn't pick fights and tease or demean others. Though the members were tolerable at best, they didn't expect very much of her. And she found it was the safest way to avoid after school trouble.
Seeing that no one was in the dojo, Kagome exhaled a sigh of relief. Maybe he'd forgotten. 'Yesss….' Kagome spun around and smacked right into a hard chest.
"Oww…" She rubbed her nose and looking up, fought the sudden urge to wail at her misfortune. "Good afternoon, Sesshoumaru-senpai."
"Higurashi."
Adjusting her skewed spectacles, she took a step back. Only to be pelted with a large bundle.
"Put it on."
Kagome blinked. "What?" He didn't look amused. Rather, he looked peeved, as if there were better things he could be doing. Well, she hoped he realized this was all his fault. He was the one who had ordered her to meet him here after all. Kagome didn't think he had a right to be annoyed with her.
"Put. It. On."
But he was mighty intimidating. "A…aa." She nodded and sped to the adjoining changing rooms.
When Kagome emerged, garbed in the kendo uniform, she didn't notice the soaring shinai until too late. It hit her across the head before clattering to the shiny wooden floor.
"S-Sesshoumaru-senpai!" she groused, furiously rubbing the side of her head, eyes watering from the stinging pain.
He looked perplexed however. "I'm beginning to wonder if what I saw on Wednesday was just my imagination."
"I think it was!" she agreed, bobbing her head up and down.
Let him think he hadn't seen her flip over him and his brother. Well, she had, but she'd done it so fast it could've easily been an illusion. She wasn't thinking and it was more or less an instinctual reaction from years of kendo and drilling from her father. And there was the problem. She hadn't been thinking. It was a grave mistake. No need to add another. Frankly, his attention was most disconcerting. She was the nerd. The girl nobody noticed. She'd liked to keep it that way.
But Sesshoumaru had other plans.
"Pick up the shinai, Higurashi."
She did as told, fumbling with the bamboo blade a little before gripping it tight. And then Sesshoumaru charged without any warning –swift and powerful and scary as hell. Kagome choked on a gasp and ran.
He chased her all around the dojo as she clumsily dodged his strikes. "Sess—Sesshoumaru-senpai!" Kagome pleaded.
Slipping, she hit the floor in an ungraceful, awkward fashion that come tomorrow, would leave her hip sore and tender. She rolled to her left, just barely avoiding his descending shinai. Scrambling to her feet, she backed away, looking very much like a hunted animal. At this rate, she was going to be black and blue!
"Higurashi."
Kagome froze, inwardly cringing at the hard, irritated edge in his deep voice.
He circled her like a hungry dog and dear kami, he was going to break her legs in ten places! Probably have her for breakfast too! Kagome nervously bit her bottom lip, her face hot and breathing heavy. He slowly prodded her in the shoulders with his shinai, tapped her arms and legs, contemplated her for several long minutes.
"You may leave," he finally said.
Kagome didn't know whether it was disappointment or resignation in his voice, but she really didn't care. She was free and by the look of things, it seemed he'd lost interest, which meant she'd never have to suffer his dominating presence ever again. Kagome mentally high fived herself for a job well done.
It must've shown on her face because not a moment later Sesshoumaru whacked her on the head.
"Do not presume that this is over, Higurashi."
"Eh?" Oh no.
His evil, almost smirk was telling enough. This…this silver-haired spawn of Satan was ruining everything! Her hand fisted at her side. Eyes were downcast. Her jaw tightly clenched.
'Another fight, Kagome!? That's it! I've had enough. I'm sending you to your father…'
"Higurashi."
Kagome looked up, hope shattering the bittersweet memories. Had he changed his mind? Had he taken pity on her poor, unfortunate soul and deemed her unworthy of his time? Was there a—
"Get out."
She visibly deflated, sighing in dejection, in the way life never went as she planned. Cruel, cruel senpai! "Ah…aa. Have a good night Sesshoumaru-senpai!" She snapped into a bow before scurrying away.
…
Later, when she was sprawled across her bed, Kagome entertained thoughts of whacking Sesshoumaru Taisho across the head with her own shinai then chasing him around the dojo as he screamed like a little girl. It made her laugh and think that one of these days, she was going to damn the consequences and do it.
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