Disclaimer: I un-claim.
A/N: How'z everyone doing? I'm not only angry, but I'm really frustrated with my little sister...and homework...and basically life in general. But I'm not about to dump my problems on you guys...let's just say me and my neighbor had a looooong talk about...well, everything. Again, your reviews were really appreciated. Everyone who's reading this chapter is awesome...cause...you just are. Here's the chapter! I ran out of things to say...so...yeah... ::sweatdrop::
Special Thanks To...
Shia Demon of Wind and Beautiful.Black.Joy
xXx
Chapter 14 - The Wrong Thing to Say
Kouga was mentally preparing himself to knock on the front door to the Higurashi house...with flowers in one hand and his history book in the other. He was wearing black baggy jeans and a brown t-shirt, with no sweatshirt, despite the cold weather. His icy blue eyes gleamed mischievously when he finally knocked on the door, slick raven black ponytail mingling with the snow. Behind his bangs, he wore a brown headband, which he claimed to be 'real wolf's fur.' God only knows where he got one of those...although many people seemed to overlook the whole 'wolf youkai' thing.
When he heard footsteps, he automatically assumed they were Kagome's...but no, these were louder, and from what he could smell, she hadn't even been there for a while. Disappointment washed over him, but only for a moment. Perhaps whoever it was would show him to her room. The thought made his whole face light up in a smirk.
You see, Kouga had more or less 'fallen' for Kagome. Even though he was one of the most popular guys in the school, and his buds would be horrified if they heard that he'd wanted to date Kagome ever since he first saw her...they would think he was crazy. She did have a pretty...dark reputation, after all, and her and the Sango chick had proven that they didn't want to be messed with.
Kagome, in particular, wasn't like the girls he had previously gone out with - high maintenance, self-centered, I'm-a-major-hoe chick that would do anything to date a boy they knew nothing about. Together, Kouga and a random girl would last no more than a week...which was probably one of the reasons he was so popular. He had a new girl clinging to his arm every Monday.
The door swung open, snapping Kouga back to reality. He looked down - standing there with the widest grin ever plastered on his face was...some little kid. He was guessing it was Kagome's little brother, of sorts.
"Uh...hey, kid, is Kagome around?" he asked in his husky voice, nonchalantly peering inside the house. 'Holy, shit...' From what he could tell from the doorway, the Higurashis were rich. Which, of course, didn't make a lot of sense to him - Kagome had never seemed like the type.
The boy shook his head sadly; his good mood seemed to fade in a split-second. "Nah. She was supposed to come home after school, but she's not here. And she's not at Sango's house either...I checked, and Sango disappeared too." After a moment's pause, his whole face literally brightened. "Hey! Do you know where Kagome is? Are you one of her friends from school? She told me once that she doesn't have many friends, except for Sango..."
Kouga tuned out the kid's rambling. So, Kagome wasn't home after all. And what did he say about Kagome didn't have many friends? Well...he should have suspected as much. The only person she hung out with was Sango. Occasionally, you would see them walking around with mutt-face and the pervert Miroku.
"...and, oh...wait, HEY! It's Kagome!" the kid shouted and pushed past Kouga, running out into the midst of the falling snow. One of his arms was raised in the air as he began sprinting wildly towards Kagome - when he was about a foot away, he jumped and wrapped his arms around her torso. She seemed stunned, for a moment, and hesitated before she bent down on one knee and ruffled his hair.
But Kouga wasn't watching the happy reunion, or when Sango kneeled down next to Souta and a put a hand on each of his shoulders. His lips curled into a feral snarl when he spotted the white dog ears, despite the snow, and the red shirt. It was the mutt himself, Inuyasha.
Why Kouga was so pissed off right then was too much for his fuming mind to explain.
xXx
The whole walk home had been in silence. Kagome found that she preferred the silence to the constant chatter she was so used to - it was a calming feeling when you knew that you didn't have to say anything, and neither did anyone else. She used this time to think everything through...until she saw Kouga, that is.
Her thoughts halted to a tire-squealing stop when she saw him standing there, talking oh-so-casually to Souta, her brother...with flowers in one of his hands, no less. One of her hands instinctively shot to her eyes, as if that was going to make him go away - unfortunately, he was still standing there. Sango didn't notice Kagome's uncomfortable position...instead, she seemed highly amused, a small smirk playing on her face.
She was contemplating whether or not she should strangle Sango or not, when she felt a heavy weight crash into her. One look down and she could see the top of Souta's inky black messy head, his arms wrapped around her in a death grip.
After the following minute of shock passed, she bent down and began ruffling Souta's hair. For her brother's sake, she tried to block out the whole day's events - going home, finding the guitar missing, being nearly pushed out a window, and finding that Inuyasha was following her the whole time - and she shot him a small smile. It took a lot of effort, but Kagome did it only so Souta wouldn't worry about her.
Ever since Kea had gotten her position at the law firm, Kagome was left the job of taking care of Souta when their mother wasn't around. As time passed, she became more protective and gave a little extra effort so he would be happy. If she was in a sour mood, then Souta would only question her behavior. She didn't want him to question her. It hurt her more than anything to see her little brother upset, which is why she tried so hard.
"Hey, Souta," Kagome murmured, looking directly into his brown eyes. They were almost the same color as her's. "I'm sorry I didn't come home. I had some...important matters to take care of. You alright?"
Souta nodded happily, his short bangs bobbing up and down. "It's alright, sis." He turned his head over his shoulder and pointed a stubby finger Kouga's way. "There's some guy here to see you. Do you know who it is?"
Kagome nodded curtly and stood up, her knees creaking under the weight. "Sango, can you watch him for a minute or two?" Before waiting for a reply, she turned her head so she could see Inuyasha and Miroku out of the corner of her eye. "You stay here. I need to talk to Kouga." When they nodded in affirmation, she set off.
Her strides were cool and calm; on the outside, anyway. Inside she was trembling. Perhaps it was the nerves - after the day's past events, she felt stressed out and exhausted. That certainly didn't mean anything good for Kouga.
Kagome kept her stride until she was standing right under his nose. Only then did she stop to stare up at him. Her eyes flickered with fierce determination, brown orbs clashing with icy blue.
"Kouga," she acknowledged in a clipped tone, mouth set in a firm line. "I know I said you could come over today, but do you think we could reschedule?" Masked behind her serious voice was a weary one, threatening to break through any minute. Except for the fact that she wouldn't let it. "It's been a helluva day and I feel like a complete mess."
In the next few seconds, Kagome didn't think she could ever be embarrassed as horribly as she just was. She felt a strong arm being wrapped around her shoulder, and to her complete animosity, she clarified that it was Kouga's arm. Heat shot to her face, and she could only picture how much she stood out against the white surroundings. As if to add on to her shame, she saw Sango, Inuyasha, Miroku, and even Souta staring back at her.
"Don't worry 'bout it, Kagome. I'm open any of the day of the week, as long as you'll be my woman." Kouga's voice bloomed with such pride as he puffed out his chest. Personally, Kagome thought his lungs would be about to burst. He truly thought that Kagome was going to be his.
But, once again, her whole mind just stopped working. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as she tried to say something, only making a fool out of herself even further when she was only able to mutter a few incoherent sounds. So, she did the next thing that came to her mind.
Kagome skillfully spun around on her heel so she was facing the wolf. Her hand was drawn backwards, and with movements so fast not even Inuyasha could see, she slapped Kouga across the face. A hard thwack sounded and seemed to echo just as loudly against the walls of the house.
Sango placed one of her hands over Souta's eyes in horror, and he began squirming in effort to be able to see.
No one dared to speak - Kagome stood, panting slightly as she glared venomously up at the wolf youkai. He seemed just as stunned as everyone else was, and just as hesitant to utter a word. Finally, Kagome drew herself up to her fullest height gave a small huff before stomping into the house and slamming the door behind her.
"I always knew she was strong! Don't worry, Kagome, because someday, you'll be mine," Kouga declared, loud enough so practically the whole world could hear. His ego was radiating from his very pores.
The others fell to the ground, twitching uncontrollably.
xXx
There was a startling noise as Kagome picked up a side-table next to one of the couches and hurled it across the living room. With a trembling hand, she brushed her bangs back and began rubbing her eyes furiously. For a split-second, she mulled over the chair, but in the end decided to leave it where it was.
There wasn't any warning knock as Souta bursted through the front door, and then Sango, followed by Inuyasha and Miroku. Kouga had already left, seeing as he could always talk to Kagome in school tomorrow.
Kagome grabbed onto her bangs with her hands and pulled on them - not hard enough to pull them out, but enough to make it hurt. "Kouga...can go to hell..." she whispered to herself, already exacting plots of revenge.
Sango made her way to the kitchen, taking out pans to start their supper. Souta meandered off to Kagome's side, while Inuyasha and Miroku made themselves comfortable in the dining room.
"Kouga has a lot of nerve," Miroku commented dryly and plopped into the nearest chair. "Even I know enough to not insult someone in such an atrocious way." His violet eyes closed in contemplation, his hands restlessly plucking at the folds in his shirt.
Inuyasha snorted. The burn he felt in his chest was beginning to fade. When he saw Kouga actually wrap around Kagome, he had thought that the wolf would be sent to an early grave. Not only that, but he felt furious for some 'unknown' reason, and now his thoughts were just beginning to clear. He had never felt so utterly furious in his life.
Sango examined Kagome out of the corner of her eye, who had splayed two hands on the bar-like counter and was leaning heavily on them. Raven-black bangs were effectively hiding her brown eyes from view, but Sango knew that Kagome was enraged. Hell, she would have been too. It took a lot of guts to do something like that - either that, or Kouga was just stupid. She figured the second choice was more likely.
Souta tried to catch a glimpse under Kagome's bangs, but she wouldn't let him. He knew that she wasn't crying, for the most part - her shoulders were perfectly hunched and still. He still didn't know who this 'Kouga' person was, or why his sister had gotten so angry when he touched her. Never once before in his life had he seen her act so aggressive - except for when Inuyasha was around.
Kagome sucked in a deep breath and raised her eyes. Sango was cooking Ramen on the stove...she'd have to thank her later. Not only for making supper, but for being there whenever she wanted her to be.
Over the years, especially after her father died, Kagome had earned the reputation as a punk and a loner. Besides Sango, she didn't have any friends, as Souta had said. Which, from her point of view, was just fine. It wouldn't really make a difference. She wasn't planning on changing anytime soon. And even now as Naraku entered the picture, that just gave her all the more reason to strengthen her defenses.
There was a sound of a doorknob turning, and then the front door swung open. In stepped Kea Higurashi, short black hair layered with snow. Souta ran to greet her while Kagome straightened herself out, attempting to smooth out her hair and making sure her face wouldn't give anything away. She watched as Sango splashed water on to the stove and couldn't suppress her small chuckling. The girl handling the boiling water flashed Kagome a quick smile before returning to her work.
"How was your day, Souta?" Inuyasha heard Kea ask, his ears twitching at the sound. He could smell the Ramen...and was instantly distracted, for the time being. Miroku watched with mild interest that only lasted a few seconds, and then he spun around in his chair so he could look into the kitchen. His eyes instantly found Sango, and then strayed down a little too far...it was only when he felt the sharp pain coming in contact with his head did he look up. Kagome was staring back down at him.
"Save your perverse thoughts for later, Miroku. You gonna eat or what?" she chided before taking her own seat. Miroku was slightly shocked to see her looking so...cheerful? Was that even possible?
Inuyasha grunted as he watched Kagome using his peripheral vision. There had to be something wrong with her, if she could be so angry one second and completely jovial the next. He was only glad this all didn't end in a wild chase, Kouga being at the end of it. Now, if only he could get his hands on some of that Ramen...
"Kagome, dear, can you come here for a second?" Kea's voice rang into the dining room, quickly catching everyone's attention. Though Kagome was the only one that stood and walked back into the living room, disappearing from Inuyasha's sight within a second.
Damn it all to hell. At least he could still hear what they were saying. The voices just barely made it to his ears, as if they were speaking in muffled whispers:
"What happened?" he heard Kea demand, and then a sharp intake of breath on Kagome's side.
"Are you talking about this morning or after school?" Kagome asked in a wary tone, constantly shifting from one foot to the other. There was a pause. "I came home after History because I wasn't feeling good. I forgot some homework back at school, and had to go get it. Nothing else happened." She tried to keep her tone light, but it was hard, considering the fact that she was lying right to her mother's face. "Can I eat now?" Inuyasha heard her ask impatiently, and then her returning footsteps. She appeared again a few seconds later, her face once again turned down.
Sango stepped in to the dining room, somehow managing to balance four bowls of Ramen and eight chopsticks on her arms, another one back in the kitchen for Souta. She set one on each place mat and plopped gracelessly into the seat next to Kagome. Inuyasha didn't hesitate to dig in, whereas the other three took a few moments to just stare down at it. By the time they started, the hanyou was already done.
Kagome carefully shoved the steaming noodles into her mouth, only vaguely acknowledging the fact that she had just burned her tongue. She heard her mom bustling around in the kitchen - dropping her keys on the counter, taking off her jacket, throwing her briefcase next to her keys. Souta had seated himself right next to Inuyasha, and was now attempting to engage him in a conversation about video games. He appeared to be only half-listening. After a minute of the small boy's constant chatter, Inuyasha tromped back into the dining room to find himself some more Ramen.
Sango carefully observed the occupants of the table with a watchful eye. Miroku was currently oblivious to everything except for his bowl of noodles. Kagome seemed to concentrate on a particular dark line on the mahogany table, one of the many that swept across the wooden surface. Souta was...well, he was trying to yell to Inuyasha all the way in the kitchen, whom was making a mess all over the stove and muttering a stream of curses.
It seemed like a normal day at first glance, overall.
Yet when the phone rang, no one jumped up or offered to get it. They merely stared at each other, Souta trying to figure out why no one was moving, and Kea just seemed to ignore it. Finally, with a resigned groan, Kagome stood up and began trudging in the direction of the phone.
She was more than happy to see that it was Rizu calling.
With much more enthusiasm than a few seconds ago, she pressed the 'talk' button. "Rizu! My God, I'm so glad you called. I was about to literally go crazy..."
"Yeah, that's nice Kagome. But I have some good news," Rizu's voice came in a little fuzzy - she was guessing he was calling from a cell phone somewhere.
Kagome gave a small, exaggerated huff before she turned to lean against the nearest counter. Sango was now standing a few feet away, apparently hearing Rizu's name and trying to figure out why he had called. Well, she could wait until Kagome was done.
"I need some good news. So spill. I haven't got all night," she muttered sarcastically. The day's earlier events were currently forgotten as she kept her focus on Rizu's deep voice, throaty voice. It felt good to know that he was out of the hospital, probably back at home and messing around with his keyboard.
"Me and Tai are going to be coming to Tokyo tomorrow for a week or two. We got excused from school for 'vacation,' if that's what you wanna call it. But enough of that - how are you and San doing?"
Kagome was more than excited - it had been a while since Rizu and Tai had come to Tokyo for more than a few days. Usually, Nanami would set them up with signings and 'special appearances.' That was the only downside, and a bad one at that. "Actually, we aren't doing so hot here. That Naraku guy?" She paused and lowered her voice, knowing oh-to-well that Inuyasha would be able to hear from the dining room. "There's something wrong with him," she began in a hushed tone, "he's dangerous. Seriously. I went to meet him today, and he's completely crazy."
There was a pause on the other side. "What do you mean, Kags? What happened there?" His voice was a lowered to a whisper as well, as if sensing Kagome's caution.
'It was quiet. With her eyes closed, everything was nice and quiet. She didn't want to open them again - if she did, she was afraid that everything would be loud and way too bright again.'
"Well, he tried to persuade me into a ludicrous deal. I declined. And then he tried to push me out a window. That enough information for you?" She could explain the details, but she didn't want to. It was too complicated, and she still felt sick to her stomach. No matter what Naraku said, whatever he did, she wouldn't believe him. It was impossible. Completely incomprehendible.
"Woah. You sure your alright? He didn't hurt you or anything? Man, Kags, that guy is nuts. I'd stay away from him if I were you. But what was this deal about, exactly?"
Kagome stiffened instantaneously, her words turning cold and harsh. "That doesn't matter. You said you guys are coming down tomorrow? We can talk more about it then. But I got to go. Later." And before Rizu could protest, she hung up the phone. Her mood had just dropped drastically - funny, no matter how few the words, they could have a huge impact.
Sango hesitated before saying anything, but when she did, her voice was persistent. "Kagome," she started dangerously, practically growling in her throat, "what did he say? I know you were talking to Rizu! How's he doing?"
Kagome sighed, letting her bangs fall lazily in front of her eyes. She began slowly walking back to the dining room, where Inuyasha and Miroku were waiting. "Him and Tai are coming here tomorrow for a week or two. He didn't tell me why, but he sounded pretty excited. I think you know about the rest."
When they came to the table, Kagome sat down in her respected spot and Sango in her's. Miroku was the first to speak up afterwards, never being one for quiet. "I'm guessing that by the way Kagome's staring into her bowl, and not eating anything, that something's wrong."
Miroku, always the observant one.
Kagome shot him a dagger-filled glare, stubbornly stabbing at the noodles at the bottom of her bowl with her chopsticks. Souta had finished a while ago, and had gone up to his room. Clearly, Inuyasha didn't care too much about his video games. "You're so tactful, Miroku." The whole statement reeked of sarcasm. Sango sighed a little too loudly and slapped one of her hands on the table, quickly gaining their attention.
"I think that when you're done, you two should get moving home. It's starting to get late, and we still have homework to finish." Kagome didn't even blink when Sango continued. "Besides, I think Kagome wants to be alone for a while."
Inuyasha turned slightly so he could see Kagome out of the corner of his eye. One elbow was propped on the table, the side of her face resting lazily in her palm, and the other hand was busy poking the inside of the bowl. Her expression was one of those stating bother-me-and-I'll-beat-the-hell-out-of-you. He could only guess why. 'Course, he had heard the conversation, for the most part. Some of Rizu's words were unclear, but he could make out Kagome's words perfectly. He figured she would have been happy that they were coming down, right? So what did he say that put her in such an awry mood?
"You don't have to say anything," he chaffed, sitting carefully in a chair next to her. "There's no need. I have what you want, and you have what I want. It works out for both of us."
All the while he said this, her eyes were closed in attempt to block out his presence. But he lingered there, refusing to leave, no matter what she did. His voice had grown annoying - she tried singing inside her own head, but still, his words struck her like a knife straight in the heart. "There's no use hiding the truth, because it's going to come out sooner or later."
xXx
Kagome: The hell is a cat convention, Miroku?
Miroku: Well...uh...it's better than cheese!
Inuyasha: You're both crazy...
Sango: ::Inuyasha currently being ignored:: Hey! I like cheese!
Stephenie: ::pops up randomly...cough:: I like cheese too...now would you mind telling me where you disappeared to...again?
Kagome: Cat convention!!
Stephenie: ::sweatdrop:: Of course...right...whatever you say...::sniff:: You're hiding something, and I know it.
A/N: Well, I left you with a bit 'o a cliffie. I'll let you think about that for a while...I'm SO SORRY for the update! My hand has been hurting like heck the past couple days...and it's nearly impossible to type! Which sucks, by the way. Please review!!! I'll be back soon!!
I'm back, aren't I? Please don't kill me...I'll update soon! I swear!!
