Disclaimer: Don't own them. Just the story.
Chapter 7: Trouble
With Sango…
"Oi Taijiya!!! Have you seen Kagome?" Kouga Ookami asked me. He was about my age in human years. Although he looks human, he's really not. Kagome, Miroku and I knew he was a youkai; to be more specific, a wolf demon. Like the other mystical creatures besides him, who still existed, they hide their real forms to blend in with us humans. He was in a plain green shirt with 'DEMON' written in the front in bloody lettering and jeans. His hair was in a high ponytail and he was wearing black sandals.
"Nope. Haven't seen her all day." I answered him as I continued reviewing for a test I was going to take after lunch.
"Well, if you see her tell her I'm looking for her."
I nodded then he turned and left.
"You can come out now." I said and Kagome emerged from under the table.
"Thanks Sango-chan. I owe you for helping me." She stretched her muscles then straightening her long-sleeved black polo shirt and dusted her long denim skirt. Her hair was in a high ponytail and she wore black flip-flops; also, she wore a metal chain as a belt and silver hoop earrings. "Thanks also for that powder you gave me to hide my scent from him."
"You can thank me by loosening up." I said not looking up from my textbook.
"What do you mean?" She was really clueless, wasn't she?
"You shouldn't push yourself too hard when it comes to your studies. I mean you aren't exactly used to it. You'll just get really stressed."
"I'm fine. Don't worry."
"So, you were going to tell me about Aya's email you read last night." I asked after reviewing my notes.
"Oh yeah. She told me that she's fine and it's pretty ok there. She says hi and that she misses us. That's the summary. I emailed her back, too." She answered. "By the way, I haven't seen Aogiri."
"Didn't you know? He followed after Aya." I counted. Three. Two. One.
"WHAT!!!!!!!!!"
"Ouucchhh. My ears." I knew she'd overreact but I didn't expect it would be so loud.
"That no good…son of a…mental note to tell Aki.." I heard her mumble to herself. It was really scary to be honest. A murderous glint could be seen in her eyes.
"Come on, Kag. You can't do anything about it."
I waited several minutes for her to calm down then she went back to normal.
"I guess you're right." I heard her take a deep sigh. Then she turned to me with a smirk. "So then, why are you dressed up so pretty?"
She noticed I was wearing my favorite pink Sabrina top, a decent white mini skirt, and pink sandals. I let my hair down and was wearing my favorite eyeliner with some lipgloss. My accessories were pearl earrings and the amber ring Miroku gave me for Christmas last year.
"No reason." I quickly replied.
"Is it because we're meeting Miroku later after a week of not seeing him?" She teased with her smirk still there.
"NO!"
She started laughing at me.
"THAT'S NOT IT!!!" I retorted.
"You...laugh...should see how...laugh...you're face is…"
"KAGOME!!! STOP LAUGHING!!!"
Meanwhile in Canada…
With Aya…
It's been a few days and my family finally settled in. Today was a new morning in my new home. I went downstairs to have breakfast to find my mother and twin gone. He and mom must have left to enroll us in the new college that was a few blocks away. I wanted to come but they insisted I stay and keep Chidori company and also watch the house. So I invited Chidori to come to my house to hang out this afternoon. My brother bought this neat karaoke machine and asked us to try it out. I went to my room to get dressed. I made my room look exactly like my old on back in Japan. I put on a denim skirt and a white off shoulders shirt and let my hair down. I put on my slippers and went to the living room to watch some television.
Chidori came by around three o' clock. She wore an orange summer dress which had yellow streaks and yellow sandals. Her hair was in pigtails again. We spent nearly 3 hours just singing our hearts out before we collapse from the exhaustion.
"Ok. I need a break." Chidori said as she lay on the floor.
"Me, too." I sat on the couch and drank some water.
"Say Aya, who did you email when we were at the library?" My young friend asked out of the blue.
"Well, I emailed my best friend who was back in Japan."
"Best friend, huh? What's he or she like?"
"She's a she. Pretty much like a child. She's also strong-willed despite her silliness." I answered.
"She sounds like a nice person. I would like to meet her." Chidori took a seat beside me.
"You'll like her. She's…" The doorbell rang. "Wait a sec. I'll just answer the door."
"Ok."
I made my way towards the door. Who would be here at 6 o' clock in the evening? It couldn't be mom and Aki. They wouldn't ring the doorbell. I looked through the peephole to see a familiar face. I quickly opened the door.
"YUHI? WHAT ARE YOU DOIN' HERE?" I exclaimed.
"Hey Aya. I just wanted to make sure you lived here." He smiled at me.
"Did you follow me?"
"You could say that. It's just that my sister's going to live here for a while so I came to stay with her."
'I wonder what Kagome said when she found out he was here.' I thought. 'She won't be happy that's for sure.'
"It's nice to see you again though." I said politely.
"Ditto." Then he fidgeted for a while. "Say…um…would you like to go out sometime?"
'WOAH. Wasn't expecting him to ask me out right away.' I thought of an excuse to not go. "Um…well…it's just that." Then Chidori came.
"Hey Aya. Who's you're friend?" She asked me while looking at Yuhi. She seemed quite dazed.
"By the way Yuhi, this is Chidori. Chidori meet Yuhi, a friend of mine."
"Hey." Yuhi said casually.
"Hi." Chidori said shyly her cheeks bright red.
"I gotta go now. Sis might be waiting for me." Yuhi said.
"Ok. Tell Suzumi-san I said hello." I told him.
"I will. Bye Aya, Chidori." He waved and left.
After he left I led Chidori back inside. She looked like she was still a daze. She finally snapped out of it when brought her in my room.
"Aya, you never told me you had a VERY HOT boyfriend." She exclaimed.
"Yuhi is NOT my boyfriend. He's just a friend." I said as I sat on my bed.
"But you're lucky. He seems to like you."
"Don't tell me you have a crush on him?"
She turned tomato red.
"You do, don't you?"
"Yeah. You don't mind do you?" She said shyly.
"Not at all." I looked out my window to see if my family was coming. But to my surprise I saw that man again across the street. He was looking directly at me. I felt a shiver run down my spine. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder. And I turned to glance at my side.
"What is it Aya?" Chidori asked me looking concerned.
I glimpsed out the window again to see the man gone. "Nothing. I was just imagining things."
In Japan…
With Kagome…
Thank God. Today's classes are over, now I can take a nap. I have to meet Sango and Miroku, first though. And I hope Kouga doesn't look for me. I won't be able to escape like this morning without Sango. Sigh. Migraine again. Ouch my head. The pain in my head distracted me that as I turned at the corner of the building I bumped into a person. Might I add it was more of crashed than bumped. We both fell on the ground with a rather hard landing. It certainly didn't help my migraine. I was going to apologize but the voice of an angry voice stopped me.
"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING BITCH!", he barked.
I looked up to see a boy that looked the same age as me. He had long black hair and his angry dark brown eyes were glaring at me. He was wearing red polo, which was unbuttoned revealed a white shirt under it and also black cargo pants and boots.
Then I realized that this guy called me a bitch. No one curses me and gets away with it.
"Hey asshole, don't you dare accuse me! You were the one who wasn't watching where you were going." I shouted at him as I stood up.
"Yeah right bitch."
"STOP INSULTING ME BASTARD!" I yelled. Then an insult contest started.
"Bitch."
"Ass."
"Wench."
"Idiot."
"God damn..." Then a familiar voice was heard.
"Kagome-chan! What are you doing?" Sango came running towards us with Miroku trailing behind her.
"Sango, please get me away from that THING!" I pointed at the boy who was looking very annoyed.
"Ah, Kagome. I see you met Inuyasha."
"You mean that THING has a name." I made a note to myself that I really dislike this guy.
"Stop referring me as a THING." He shouted.
"You know him, Miroku?" Sango asked her boyfriend while trying to stop the boy and me from tearing each other apart.
"Yes. He's the friend of mine that I have been spending time with. He is also my roommate." He said simply. "Sango, Kagome meet Inuyasha Takahashi."
"So he's the one?" Sango understood.
"You mean this THING is capable of making friends?" I yelled.
"SHUT UP BITCH!!!"
"Ok, calm down Inuyasha. Allow me to introduce my girlfriend Sango and my feisty friend, which you have just met Kagome."
"Hmph." I crossed my arms and looked away. My anger seemed to dissolve my migraine bit, which was a good thing. It wouldn't be good for me to have a major headache right now. Maybe venting helps lessen the pain? ...Nah!
"Keh."
In Canada…
With Aya…
Dream sequence…Where am I? I was standing in the middle of nowhere in my light blue pajamas. I know for sure that I fell asleep on my bed. I rubbed my eyes to discover that I was for sure NOT in my room. All I could see where trees and grass. It's as if I was in a forest somewhere. I wonder how I got here. Is this even real?
All of I sudden I felt the ground shake violently. I fell and braced myself. Volcanoes emerged from the ground and erupted just as soon as they appeared. The once lush green I once saw disappeared and turned into a wasteland. The ground went dry and there was almost no sign of life anywhere. Then I saw a fracture form in the sky. I know that was absolutely impossible but…I saw it. Some fragments of light descended from that fracture into a crack in the earth, which was a result from the earthquakes. After some time I saw something glow in the crack. It gave out a very powerful yet warm feeling. It was as if it was calling to me.
I neared the crack taking caution with every step I took. I peered in the crack and saw a beautiful gem inside. It was a round jewel and it gave a bright pinkish glow. I stared at it in awe. At the moment, I came to notice a pillar of light appear in front of me on the other side of the crack. I saw as a woman appear in what looks like to be ceremonial robes worn by empresses as the pillar of light vanished. She had long blue hair and warm golden eyes. Also, she radiated a heavenly glow as she neared the jewel.
It was like she didn't even acknowledge my presence. I just stood my ground as she drew even closer and took the jewel in her hands. Afterwards, the ground shook violently once again. I saw the woman turn around to look behind her. What??? A thick black mist was heading our way. The woman had a troubled expression on her face. The black mist drew even closer and a sound emitted from it as if it was talking. Wait a sec! It was talking!
"Give it to me!!!" It roared as it neared us.
"Never!" The woman held the jewel tightly between her palms as she stepped back.
The mist threw numerous purplish bolts of lightning at the woman. Wow!!! I now know she wasn't just ordinary woman. She seemed to be making some barrier to protect herself. No matter what type of power the mist threw at her, she managed to block it. But then, the mist hurled a dead log her way and caught her off guard. She collapsed to the ground and the jewel rolled a few inches in front of her.
"Fool." The mist said. "You think you can defeat me? You wasted your power in defending yourself that you no longer have enough power to destroy the Shikon no Tama."
Shikon no Tama? Is that what the jewel is called?
The woman picked up the jewel and slowly stood up panting heavily.
The mist laughed. "Hehehe. If you hand it over I might spare your life."
"I shall never let you have it." She suddenly glowed purple as she mumble some words under her breath.
Next an immensely bright light made me tear my gaze from the scene. As the light faded the woman was nowhere to be found.
"NOOO!!!!!!" The mist shouted in anger.
What came next was that I found myself looking at a different scenery. I was at the ocean! I saw someone there. It was a man. Hang on. IT WAS HIM. The guy I saw in front of my house.
Then everything faded into darkness.
End of dream sequence…What? I was in my bed again. But…how? I climbed off my bed and walked towards my window. It was still dark given that it was already like three in the morning. Was that all just a dream?
Back in Japan…
With Kagome…
Cring…Cring…
Is it morning already? I turned off the alarm clock and got out of bed. Man! My head still hurts! Need aspirin. That's right; my migraine comes along around three times a day so I always carry some with me nowadays. I turned to look at my dear friend who was still snoozing. She had a smile on her face. Of course, she came home late last night from her date with Miroku. I was still studying when she came home. She was in cloud nine if you asked me. It wouldn't hurt to give her a few minutes sleep.
"Mi..ro.ku." She mumbled in her sleep.
A small giggle escaped my mouth. Sango is in love with Miroku, there's no doubt about it. The pervert obviously feels the same way. They belong together. And here I am, making them worried when they should be lovey-dovey twenty-four seven.
I walked towards the window to take a good look outside. It was only 6:14 in the morning so I have about an hour to do anything I want. Studying is not an option right now. I seem to be getting allergic to books. Since the beginning of classes, I've been studying non-stop. And it's been about 2 weeks already. I guess Sango was right. I need to take a break. Maybe I'll not study today. That might help might brain relax too.
It appeared as if today was going to be sunny and fine. But why do I have a bad feeling at the pit of my stomach. Maybe a storm's coming?
After classes…
Finally class is over. I didn't study all day but I still listened to the professor and took down notes. No migraine since this morning either. Still, I kept to my dress code as usual. I was wearing dark blue cargo pants, a black t-shirt with a scull and cross bones printed on the front and some black sandals. A metal chain was around my wrist, which served as a bracelet and my hair was in a high ponytail. I also decided to wear my necklace. It's the charm necklace, which Aya also has. I haven't been wearing it everyday but that didn't mean I haven't had it with me everyday. If it was not around my neck, it would be in my slipped inside with the pictures in my wallet.
Sango seemed to notice that I was not feeling so stressed today so she's been acting carefree ever since from the moment she woke up. She wore blue jeans and a white shirt with cute butterfly designs. Her hair was in pigtails and she also wore white bracelets and some blue sandals.
As I said before, Sango is madly in love with Miroku. People in love are capable in doing a lot of things. Well, Sango's not the talkative type of person. But after a date with Miroku, the girl cannot stop talking. She's been telling me the story of their date ever since this morning in fact.
"…and then he kissed me goodnight!" Sango exclaimed as her face turned dark red.
"Good for you." I replied. I took a seat on a bench and opened the can of coke I brought with me.
"It was the best." She took a seat beside me.
"Uh huh." I took a sip of my cool drink.
"You know, you should at least try dating Kagome-chan. It could be a new experience."
"Aya suggested the same thing."
"What did you say." Her tone really made her sound curious.
"Obviously no."
"But why?"
"Just because…" I stood up gathered my things and took another sip of soda. Then I heard a voice.
"Because she doesn't have what it takes to be in a relationship."
I froze. I knew that voice. I dropped my can of soda as that voice rang in my ears. It was the voice of the one person who I really did not get along with. I knew my luck ran out. I was going to face her right here, right now. Sango and I turned to the source of the voice.
"Nice to see you again, Sango Taijiya and you too…Kagome Higurashi." Kikyo said in a monotone voice.
"Hmph. I'd have to say it isn't nice seeing you Kikyo Miko." Sango said.
"I was hoping not to see you ever again in fact. I guess the gods do not wish for the same thing." I added.
"Is that so?" She stepped closer. She was wearing pink long pants, tight-fitted shirt with a flower design, pink high-heels. Her hair was down. And of course, she always wore expensive jewelry. Right now it was a ruby ring on the left ring finger and a 20-carat diamond necklace. "Well, I in fact wanted to see you guys. Especially you Kagome."
"And why is that?" My eyes narrowed. The woman was right in front of me and it was too close for comfort.
"I wanted to keep an eye on you so that I would know if you were doing anything unworthy of yourself."
"Nani?" Sango went between Kikyo and me.
"All I am saying Sango is that Kagome only deserves the lowest rank in everything. Sure she looks a bit like me but she isn't worthy of being top rank in anything. But with the exception of top rank in being a loser." Kikyo snickered. I closed my fists in anger.
"Why you…" Sango moved in to hit her but I held her back.
"Sango don't." I whispered.
"But Kagome…" I then gave her a sad look.
"Come on. Let's get going." I pulled Sango along as we headed for our dormitory.
"I'll see you again Kagome." I heard Kikyo shout not looking back.
A few weeks later…
With Miroku…
It's time for lunch. I was to meet my dearest Sango and Kagome at their class. I hope I look ok. I decided to wear a simple purple shirt under a white polo, some blue pants, and brown sandals. My hair was pulled back in its usual small ponytail at the nape of my neck. I want to always look good when I'm around Sango. Today, she was absolutely gorgeous. Her long silky hair was up in a high ponytail. She put on Capri pants, a green Chinese style shirt that had a white flower printed at the right part on the abdomen area, and white flip flops.
Sigh. No matter what she wears, Sango was born a descendent of the Venus. I was skipping like a love-struck idiot by now. I only noticed people whispering and pointing at me after five minutes of skipping. After I composed myself, I thought about my roommate. Come to think of it, Inuyasha has been preoccupied for the past few weeks. His girlfriend must have arrived. Wonder when I'll meet her.
"Good afternoon, Houshi-kun!!!" I glanced to my right to see a group of girls fawning over me.
"Good afternoon to you to, my dears." I replied smoothly with a suave smile. Seconds after the girls fainted on the spot. Girls. They never seem to ignore my charm and grace.
Girls. My thoughts led me to think of a certain best friend of mine. Kagome. She hasn't been acting like herself. It's most likely because of Kikyo. She seems more stressed than before too. Sango and I are starting to get real worried about her. From the day Sango told me about their first encounter with Kikyo we never left Kagome alone. Good thing too, for we meet Kikyo about 2-3 times a day usually.
She taunted Kagome every time she came along. Our dear friend seemed to do her best to ignore her adversary but it was clear that she was at her wits end. Also, my Sango-chan tried to hit Kikyo when things got out of hand but Kagome and I always held her back. It wasn't a surprise for Kagome to be ignoring Kikyo as much as she could. Aya personally asked her to do so.
"Miroku!!!!!!!" I heard my sweet angel's name. There she was with Kagome beside her.
"My beloved Sango." I said sweetly as I neared them. I moved in to give my girl a hug but I couldn't resist feeling her behind even a little bit.
I felt pain in my left cheek within seconds.
"Itai, Sango-chan." I put a silly face on.
"Serves you right pervert. What were you thinking? Groping me in public. Unbelievable." She removed her hand leaving a mark on my cheek.
Kagome laughed softly. I glanced at her to see that see was wearing a black gangster type coat with a red stencil butterfly at the back, black pants, and simple black shoes. Her hair was left cascading down her back and she was wearing her friendship necklace that Aya also has.
"Hello, Kagome-sama." I smiled at her. "I see you are trying to look like one of the Yakuza. By the way, are you wearing a shirt under that coat?"
Sango then hit me with her giant boomerang. I felt tears go down as I put on another goofy smile. I will never know how she carries that thing around.
"Idiot. I'm wearing a gray sleeveless underneath." Kagome said. "I don't know why you would think otherwise in the first place."
Sango then turned to me. "You know Kag. Maybe you should consider taking at least a short break nowadays."
"I agree. We don't have much work this week anyway." I added.
"Well…" Before she could continue an unwanted girl showed up.
"Dear Kag doesn't need any rest. She needs to study even more to pull up her low grades." Kikyo arrived. In her usual expensive outfit, which was: a white coat, a white spaghetti strap, white bell-bottoms and white clogs. Her hair was in a low ponytail and she wore a pearl necklace with matching earrings. She held a stoic look.
"What did you say Kikyo." Sango pushed Kagome behind her.
"You know, it would be better if you not bother us Miko-san." I said.
"Oh? But I would like to personally introduce you to a special someone." Then someone walked to Kikyo's side. He was dressed in red loose shirt, jeans, and black rubber shoes. Sango and I were surprised to see who it was. Kagome held an expressionless face.
"Inuyasha?" I whispered but loud enough to hear.
"I see you are acquainted with him already. This is Inuyasha Takahashi. My boyfriend." She smiled.
"Boyfriend? Miroku, did you know?" Sango questioned.
I shook my head no.
"I guess you two are quite a pair. Trash with a thing. Quite a perfect couple if I should say." Kagome suddenly spoke. She went in front of Sango and I.
"Why you little…" Inuyasha stepped forward but Kikyo held him back.
"Kag?" Sango was surprised. I was too. Kagome was talking to Kikyo and not ignoring her. I looked around to see that our confrontation with Kagome's rival was attracting a lot of attention.
"Kagome. Let's go." I insisted.
"No. If she wants to talk, I'll let her talk." She said sternly. The look in her eyes made it apparent to Sango and me that she didn't want any help this time.
"I see you aren't running away as usual." Kikyo smirked as she approached Kagome. "Although I do prefer you like this. It reminds me of high school so much."
"What do you want? You know I haven't got all day. I'm also getting a headache because of you." Kagome replied.
"I'm sure you are. You have such a weak body that you aren't healthy enough to keep up." Kikyo was in front of Kag by then. The atmosphere was becoming tense.
"If you are just going to insult me, I'm afraid you're wasting my time." Her voice was clear and strong. She turned her back to the rich girl. As she took a few steps to leave, Kikyo spoke again.
"I was just wondering, Kagome. Where's the thing you're always with? I haven's seen it anywhere?" Kagome stopped in her tracks.
I turned to Sango. We were both starting to get really nervous. Kikyo was referring to Aya. What Kikyo said only meant that she had just begun bad-mouthing Aya. Things were not going end nicely.
"I wonder if it couldn't keep up with all the studying. It always studied too much anyway. Or maybe it didn't have anymore money to continue school, it was always in the low-class." Kikyo continued in a non-caring manner.
"Kikyo enough!" I spoke. Kagome was clenching her fist in anger and was gritting her teeth.
"I'm not finished! It was always too full of itself as well. Not to mention it was always stuck-up and…" Before Kikyo could finish Kag's fist connected with her jaw.
As she fell on the corridor floor, everyone that was present gasped in shock. Kagome had punched Kikyo.
Kagome bent down and whispered softly in her ear with a deadly glint in her eyes. "If you speak such absurdity ever again, I swear that you'll be getting more than one punch in the face. You're lucky that I held back and didn't hit you good and hard."
It was barely audible but I'm sure a few people besides Sango and I heard it. No doubt Inuyasha heard Kagome's warning as well. Kagome stood up and walked outside her hands in the side pockets of her coat. She looked angry as hell. Sango and I knew it was best to leave Kagome alone for the time being.
With Inuyasha…
"Kikyo!" I rushed to my girlfriend's side and helped her up. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine." She coolly answered and brushes the trail blood on her lip away.
"That no good bitch. How dare she hit you!" I stood and was about to follow the Higurashi girl when a hand on my wrist prevented me from going on. It was Miroku's girlfriend.
"You better not lay a hand on Kagome or else." Her eyes narrowed at me.
I snapped my hand from her grasp. "Or else what?"
"Inuyasha." I heard my girlfriend call. "I will admit that I did expect to get hit when I talked to Kagome today at least."
"What?" Miroku said alarmed.
"I just wanted to check if the Kagome I knew was still there. Apparently she is. She still has spunk after such a long time." She explained.
"So you told her those things on purpose? You no good witch." Sango made a move to strike but Miroku put a halt to the aggressive action.
"Miroku? But…"
"Don't cause a scene Sango." Miroku led his girlfriend down the corridor but not after telling me a "We'll talk later.".
"Inuyasha, don't do any harm on Kagome. You may talk to her but not inflict any physical harm on her." Kikyo abruptly told me.
"But..." I insisted.
"Am I clear?" She told me determinedly.
"Keh. Fine. But I'm still giving her a piece of my mind." I ran out the building and started to look for the insolent girl.
After forty minutes, I took a rest, leaning on a nearby Sakura tree. I looked all around the school grounds but I didn't find her anywhere. Maybe she left the school grounds. I stared up at the newly bloomed Sakura and was astonished to see a black figure on the branches.
'What the…' I stood up and looked carefully. So that's why I couldn't find her. She was on top of the freakin tree.
"Oi! Higurashi! Come down this instance!" I yelled.
She turned her head from her resting spot to spot me. "Oh, if it isn't the Thing. Takahashi-kun, right?"
"Why you! Would you stop referring me as THING!! And you have to apologize to my girlfriend or you'll answer to me!" I shouted furiously.
"No way!"
"Stupid girl! Come down here!"
"No!" She appeared to have gone back to sleeping position on the branch.
"I'm coming up there right now!"
No reply. The vein in my head was throbbing of irritation. This wench is so stubborn.
I climbed the tree with ease and reached Higurashi. I shook her awake. Ok maybe a bit roughly but I had to get the woman to listen.
"Leave my alone, stupid dog!" She pushed me, which made both of us lose balance and fall.
Unfortunately for me, I landed on my back and the girl fell on top of me. GOD! That hurt like hell. Wait, what was that? It was a smelled like a clear stream with newly bloomed lilies. But I wasn't near a stream. Hang on! Is that Higurashi? For an idiot she did smell nice. WAIT A SEC! WHY THE HELL AM I THINKING LIKE THAT?!?!?! I felt her shift on top of me she was gaining consciousness. Hold on. What's that soft lumps on my chest? Oh shit! I was blushing from embarrassment now.
"What the..." She shifted more. I was getting really uncomfortable in our current position.
She looked at me then. Her eyes went wide and she slapped me hard on the cheek.
"OW! BITCH, WHY DID YOU SLAP ME?" I exclaimed.
"Takahashi, I never knew you were like Miroku. No wonder you guys are friends." She had a small tint of pink on her disgusted face while she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I'm not like him in that sense. And FYI, you fell on top of me. It wasn't my fault I felt your…" I felt a shiver down my spine as she gave me a creepy look.
"Continue that sentence and you die."
"Fine." I regained my composure. We were sitting against the tree again when I remembered why I looked for her in the first place. "Look. I didn't like the fact you hit my girlfriend so…"
"You want me to apologize, right?" She sadly looked at me. "I'm sorry I can't do that."
"Why the hell not?" I asked harshly.
"Listen. Kikyo and I go way back. We never get along. That's how it will always be." She paused. "Thing, my fight is with Kikyo and Kikyo alone. She's my problem. So I do not wish to involve you."
"WOULD YOU STOP CALLIN' ME THING! AND KIKYO'S MY GIRLFRIEND AND…"
She suddenly spoke again. "You are her boyfriend. Yes, I understand that. But I have nothing against you. So there is absolutely no reason for me to hate you or make you my enemy is there?" I was taken aback by what she said. "Miroku and Sango, too. I also do not want for them to be involved either, but I can't blame them since they've been worrying about me since we started school."
I couldn't find anything to say. Her voice had determination and sadness mixed in it. She stood up and began to walk away but she stopped and turned around to face me.
"I promise I won't call you 'thing' anymore, Takahashi-kun. And one more thing." She closed her eyes. The wind blew the cherry blossoms around and was adding a mysterious feel to her aura.
"What?"
She opened her eyes and put a smile on her face. It was tired smile but not a fake one. "Have you ever lost someone very dear to you?" she asked.
I didn't reply but merely gazed at her.
She continued. "If you did and someone bad-mouthed that person, you would understand how I felt a while ago." She turned and left.
'Higurashi. There's more to her than what meets the eye.'
In Canada…
With Aya…
What was that dream? The woman there didn't seem ordinary. All of it seemed to be just some sort of fictitious story. But why did I dream about it? Was there a reason?
"Aya!" Chidori shouted in my ear.
"Ouch! What was that for?" I rubbed my ear attempting to ease the pain.
"I've been talking to you for twenty minutes and you weren't listening." She crossed her arms. "You've been spacing a lot recently. Are you hiding something?"
"No I'm not. What makes you think that?" I took a sip of my cappuccino.
It's been a week since I had that strange dream. Chidori came by my house today in an orange skirt, a yellow top with a sunflower print and white clogs. Her hair was in pigtails as well. She stormed in my room and picked out an outfit for me, which was: a red t-shirt, Capri jeans, pink flip-flops, and a white jacket. She told. No. More like ordered me to get dressed since she was taking me to Starbucks today. I reluctantly agreed. I put on my clothes plus a choker and the necklace Kagome gave me. I brushed my hair and off we went.
My mind was too preoccupied with that dream I had. It was bothering for some reason. Also, since I read Kagome's last email I've been worried. Kag was certainly not having a good time back in Japan. It appeared as if Kikyo didn't give her a moment's peace. And I was happy to hear from Miroku and Sango as well. They told me Kagome's little incident with Kikyo. Fortunately nothing really bad happened. I trust they are being there for Kagome while I'm away.
"Are you thinking of a guy or something?" Chidori drank a bit of her hot chocolate. "Did you have a change of heart about Yuhi?"
"Of course not." 'Besides Kagome would be shocked to death if that happens.'
She sighed in relief then looked at me worriedly. "Then what's wrong?"
I shook my head. "It's nothing serious. I just couldn't stop thinking about this weird dream I had."
"Oh, is that all. You want to talk about it?"
"No. I'm fine."
"Ok. If you're sure…" She shrugged and took a sip of her beverage. "By the way, classes are starting in two weeks."
"I know. I'm kind of excited."
"Yeah, me too. And there's…"
CCRRAASSSHHH!!!!
Four men dressed in black burst through the doors. They pointed their guns at all of the people in the café. No one could see their faces since they were concealed pretty well behind black masks.
"Everyone on the floor! This is a robbery!" One of the men shouted with his gun still prepared to fire.
All of us got to the ground as one of the men approached the counter and stuffed a bag with money.
"Hey cuties. Want to have some fun?" Two of the robbers picked up Chidori and me up roughly by our arms.
"Let go of me!" Chidori struggled to get free.
"Let go!" I demanded.
"Now now girly. If you submit it won't end painful for you." Subsequently the man holding me licked the side of my face.
"LET GO OF ME JERK!" I elbowed him in the ribs and went to help Chidori. I yanked her from the guy who was starting to molest her and kicked the guy in the face.
Good thing Sango taught me a bit of her Taekwondo. Then everything happened in slow motion. One of the robbers aimed their gun at me and fired. I could hear Chidori shouting my name in panic. All the things around me were beginning to slowly stop. There was no movement, no sound. People that were present held horror stricken faces. The bullet was right in front of me when I saw this symbol appear before me. I recognized it after a few moments. It was the Mikage clan crest.
'It is time.' Who was that? A voice? In my head?
When the bullet made contact with the crest it was swiftly reflected and hit the opposite wall. Time seemed to return back to normal. Everyone was astonished to see me unharmed. The robbers look scared as hell. I suddenly felt my legs give in. It was like my body was drained of its strength during that time. My vision was getting blurry too. Why did I see my family's crest? Who was that voice in my head? I looked up to see all the robbers pointing their guns at me. After I heard the gunshots, the last thing I saw was a man with red hair crashing though the window and scooping me up out of the bullets' paths.
With Chidori…
Everything happened so fast. Aya and I were just having a nice chat a few moments ago when robbers suddenly burst through the door. It was horrible and scary. All I wanted was to have a nice time with my friend who wasn't acting herself lately. Today, I was supposed to cheer her up and spend some time with her. This wasn't how I planned how our day would be.
Next thing I knew I was pulled up by one of the masked men. It was pretty obvious what this man wanted from me judging the lust in his eyes. He started rubbing me. I tried to struggle free but I wasn't strong enough. Luckily, Aya helped me out before the man could touch me even further. I turned to see the robber at the counter. He lifted his gun and aimed at Aya! I shouted her name in warning. She was going to get hit! I tried to push her out of the way but I wasn't quick enough. The trigger was pulled and a loud BANG was heard.
But I saw this symbol appear before her. It emitted a bright pink and looked to be some kind of tribal crest or something. It then reflected the bullet and making it hit the wall in the other end of the room. Impossible. I was rooted in my place shocked; my mind was still processing what just happened. When I heard several more gunshots I was snapped out of my daze to see my friend in danger once again. All of a sudden a man broke through the window and quickly carried Aya out of harm's way.
He was very handsome and looked to be around twenty years of age. He had red hair as well as a very nice built. Dark sunglasses hid his eyes and he wore a dark blue polo, slacks, and black shoes. He put Aya, who had fallen unconscious down on the floor and faced the robbers. I slowly went to Aya's side as I watched what happened next.
"Why you! Don't interfere!" One of the men charged at him. He was easily dodged by Aya's mysterious savior and was easily knocked down with a punch to the abdomen.
The other three thieves got provoked and closed in on the red-haired man. It looked like they didn't see him as much of a threat so they didn't use their guns. They threw a lot of punches and kicks but not one seemed to even hit him. In a matter of seconds the unknown hero clobbered two of the robbers with a chair, which lay nearby. The last thief had backed into a wall in fear as the red-haired man approached him. He took out his gun from his jacket pocket and shot at the mysterious stranger.
The man surprisingly didn't get hit! He swiftly pulled out this weird looking dagger form under his sleeves and cut the bullet right in the center, resulting to the two halves to ricochet toward the robber; its two halves embedding into the wall at the either side of the robber's head. He then fainted from shock.
The red-hair man then snapped his fingers then everything went still. I looked at my surrounding. Nothing was moving. No sound was heard. Did he just make time stop? I glanced nervously at him as he approached Aya, who was still unconscious, and I.
"You're with her, right?" He asked in a strong yet gentle voice.
I nodded still a bit shaken from what just happened.
"Take her home. I'll deal with this." He said.
I nodded once again. I did my best to carry Aya on my back all the way to the parking lot. I put her in the passenger's seat and checked if she had any injuries. Thankfully, I found none. I sat down in the driver's seat and started up my black Lexus. A lot of thoughts passed through my mind as I drove both of us back home.
With Aya…
My head was pounding and I felt a bit weak at the moment. Where was I? What happened? I opened my eyes to find my vision all hazy.
"Aya! Thank god, you're awake!" I head a familiar voice. I waited till my vision cleared up to see my brother right beside me. He wore his normal house get up: a white shirt and shorts. He looked tired and a bit drained. I was still dressed in my clothes from this morning and I was lying on the couch.
"Aki? Am I home?" I slowly sat up.
"Yeah. Chidori brought you home and told me what happened. Good thing you didn't get hurt." He took a seat beside me.
I then remembered what happened this morning.
"You ok? You've been out for seven hours."
I nodded my head. "Just tired."
"Ok. You know, it's weird." I turned to look at him.
"What happened to you guys was never on the news." He continued.
"What?" I was shocked. Not on the news? That incident? That's not possible.
"I don't think you would have gotten unconscious if it was just a minor incident. Chidori looked terrible, too. I couldn't doubt Chidori's story. She looked too serious to be lying anyway."
"It happened. That robbery. It was real." Out of the blue, I remembered the family crest and the strange man that saved me. I stood up and put on my coat that was hanging on the coat rack.
"Aya, where are you going?" Aki said from the couch.
"I need to go out for a while. I'm just fine, I promise. I just need to get some fresh air." I couldn't help but say all that in a weary tone. I was in front of the door by then.
Aki looked at me hard. He was obviously doubtful. But he then smiled at me and said, "Don't be out too late. It's already seven so be back around eight, ok?"
I smiled back. "I will."
I opened the door and walked towards the nearby park to do some thinking.
In the park…
I was sitting on this bench in this park. Here I was for the past 30 minutes just pondering on what happened today. I couldn't think of anything that could explain how the family crest appeared all of a sudden and reflect the bullet. Was it magic? Some sort of power maybe? I don't have a clue.
And what about that mysterious guy? He had saved me. I kind of felt that he was stalking me before but next thing I knew, he comes in and saves me. Not to mention he was really cute and…Oh god! DID I JUST THINK THAT!?!? I'm losing my mind. Kagome would be horror-struck if she knew I was sort of attracted to this stranger. I can imagine here now:
'Aya...how could you? You're falling in love with a guy and going to leave me all alone!' she would be balling her eyes out and would act like a child who had lost their favorite toy.
I laughed at the thought. Kagome was very overprotective of me when it came to boys. But I guess she wouldn't mind much since it's not Yuhi. I wonder how I am going tell Kagome, Miroku and Sango about what happened today. Hmmm… Maybe I'll tell them when I figure out this whole mess. I glanced at my watch to see it I had thirty more minutes till eight. I guess I have more time to sit around here.
I then came to notice I wasn't alone anymore. I looked to the path on my right to see someone approaching. It was a man. He was wearing a dark blue polo with slacks and had sunglasses on. He had red hair…WAIT A SEC! HE'S…
I stood up when he was about four feet from me. "You are…" I said.
He took out his dark shades with his left hand while his right was in his pocket, to reveal empty yet mesmerizing green eyes. I simply stared at me. He's the one. He's the one who saved me.