The Burden of the Past Chapter 3: Preparations, an inuyasha fanfic

Kagome yawned. She shouldn't have stayed up so late talking to Souta and her mother.

"I'm sorry, Miss Higurashi, is my class boring you?"

Kagome looked up sharply. Shit. "No, I'm sorry, professor."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at her. Damn that eyebrow… Sitting first row today was a bad idea. "I was up late…" Her face flamed. Damn him for calling her out…

"This is an important section we're going over, and it will be on the midterm," he continued, informing them all of this important information.

Shrinking into her seat, Kagome thought dark thoughts in his direction, pushing her sunglasses up on her nose. Checking her watch, she breathed a sigh of relief that class was nearly over.

She twiddled her pencil until the bell rang, and then threw all of her belongings into her bag. Go home, take a nap, eat dinner with Katy and friends, then get to homework, Kagome listed in her head. That was the plan of action—

"Kagome," Sesshoumaru's voice came as she stepped towards the door.

Crap. She turned. "Yes?"

"I'd like to speak with you, if you don't mind. Are you free this afternoon?" He was shoving his things into his briefcase efficiently.

Ugh, there goes my nap… "Um. Sure," Kagome replied, trying to keep her voice light, eyeing the girls walking out jealously, while they looked back, eyeing her standing with Sesshoumaru jealously. The grass is always greener… "What time? What about?"

"If today is a bad day for you…" He looked at her over the rims of his glasses, seeming almost miffed.

Kagome nearly laughed. "No, today is fine. Where and when would you like to meet, Professor?" She couldn't even bring herself to say his 'name.' That awful pretentious alias. Poor taste, Sesshoumaru, poor taste.

"If you would like to meet somewhere quiet, we could meet around 4:00 at Café Paradise, the coffee shop on the corner of John and Second? I would like to discuss your sources, if you don't mind. I am working on writing a book, and they would be helpful."

Oh? What now? A café? Shrugging, she nodded, quelling the sudden panic inside. "Sure, I'll meet you there."

He nodded. "Excellent."

Kagome ducked out, trudging home, gloomy thoughts accompanying her. Fantastic. She was going to have to make up something to compensate for how her grandfather was supposed to have told her the stories in which she herself participated.

"Hey, Kagome!" Katy chirped enthusiastically. "ooh… Why so glum?" She asked as Kagome walked by her open door.

"Do you ever go to class?" Kagome muttered, digging her key out of her bag. Unlike Katy, her room-mate was never home.

"Course I do, silly. This one just isn't important," Katy said, joining Kagome at her door. "I repeat: why so glum?"

"I have a date with Professor Inukami," she groused.

"What?!" Katy shrieked, grabbing her arm. "WHAT?! TELL me you're joking!"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Kagome turned to face her friend, her expression dead-pan, pulling her arm away.

"No…!" Katy gasped, her jaw dropping as she followed Kagome into her room. "Kagome, you have a date with the most gorgeous man alive and you're depressed? I swear… You're the only girl I know who would be upset over this! Oh… you don't…like girls…do you?"

Kagome laughed at the aghast expression on her friend's face and her straight-forwardness. "Katy! No! It's just that… Oh—Listen. It's not really a date. He just asked me to meet him, so he could ask me some questions, I'm sure. It's nothing to get excited about." She laughed again as her friend threw herself against the wall. "Now really…"

"Kagoooooomeee….!! You don't know what kind of opportunity this is! He's single! You're single! Right? Yeah. You're single. He's single!!" She paused adding more quietly, "At least… The underground fanbase seems to think so…"

"Ugh… I'm disgusted that something like that exists…" Kagome replied. "Listen, I've got less than an hour, I want to try and nap for a short—"

"You need to freshen up," Katy said firmly. "Look gorgeous." She grabbed Kagome and sat her down on her desk chair. "Now—"

"Katy, you are not playing dress-up with me, and if you think I'm going… to let…you…" Kagome trailed off with a sigh. Katy was already going through her closet. Standing, she walked over to the other girl.

"Here." Katy thrust a garment at her. "Wear this."

"Katy…! I can't really change clothing! He'll notice, and I don't want to look desperate. Not to mention this is completely the wrong message that I want to be sending!"

"Hm… Well, you're right about changing clothes." Katy frowned, thinking quickly. "Well. Forget clothes. Here. Stay there. Let me fix you up."

Kagome glared at her friend. "Katy, you're being ridiculous. You can get into a lot of trouble with this sort of thing anyway! I don't—"

"Where's your make-up?" Katy turned to face her.

"It's in that drawer—wait! No! I don't want to tell you that!"

Katy pulled it out, digging through her make-up, dumping it out on Kagome's bed. She ignored Kagome's protests, pulling out some eye-shadow, mascara, and several other elements. "You'd better sit still, unless you want me to poke you in the eye with this mascara…"

Kagome grumbled, folding her arms, but sat still, letting her friend do up her face. She glanced at the clock a couple minutes later. "Katy, you need to—"

"Stop moving! Don't move! Just one more minute, then you can move."

"I need to get to go meet him really soon."

Katy stepped back. "Okay, there. Done. You're ready. You'll knock him dead, girl!"

Kagome blushed. "Well… I don't necessarily want that…" She stood and walked over to her mirror, incredibly pleased by Katy's mini make-over. "Wow… You did a really great job. I'm impressed."

"Oh yay! Thanks!" Katy bounced over, giving the other girl a hug. "Go get 'im!"

Kagome laughed softly. "Right. Well, I'm off then." She grabbed her purse and headed to the door.

"See you later!"

Kagome hurried down the stairs and across the campus to the little café that her former-enemy-turned-college-professor had chosen.

Sniffing the wind, Sesshoumaru pulled his head back in the car and parked in the large empty parking lot in front of the Jewel-Osco. No one was around. Of course, at 2:38, no one should be around. He stepped out of his car, locking it. As soon as he was absolutely certain that there was no one around, he bounded across the street, down a ways, to the giant forest preserve. It was his favourite place to run late at night. It helped him to unwind, relax from all the stresses of pretending to be human. He inhaled deeply the scent of pines and flora, immediately feeling the stress melt away. He hadn't done this in too long. Stretching his arms over his head, Sesshoumaru looked up at the moon, taking off down a gravel pathway through the preserve.

Two hours later, Sesshoumaru made his way back to his parked vehicle. Pulling his keys out of his pocket, he clicked the remote, lights flashing as the car unlocked. He smiled to himself as he exhaled deeply, the night breeze blowing across his warm skin as the sweat dried. Driving himself home, Sesshoumaru took a quick shower, falling onto his bed afterwards, a towel over his wet hair.

Kagome.

He would have to handle this situation delicately. If he asked her straight out, she would deny it most likely. They hadn't been on the best of terms back then. Of course, the situation was quite different; however, there was still the chance that she would hold a grudge against him. He had, however, mentioned wanting to know more about 'her' stories. He sat. Perfect. That would make the perfect premise. His office would not be the right place. Leaning back against the cool sheets again, Sesshoumaru mused quietly over a solution to the problem. Asking her to his apartment would be utterly out of the question. He couldn't make the situation seem too formal, i.e. asking her out to a meal. However, asking her to meet somewhere without some other preoccupation would be awkward. Perhaps coffee or something. A café. That would work nicely. He would ask her to meet him at a café for coffee or tea. He frowned, rolling over to turn the light out. He wouldn't offer to pay. That would be over-stepping his bounds. Sesshoumaru lay back again with a sigh, rolling over to finally sleep.

Morning came too early, but he rose anyway, preparing himself a quick breakfast before he went over his notes again for class. He would see her three times today. He would ask her after the last class, giving her little time to think about it, and think about an excuse to get out of meeting with him. He would not let her run away from him this time. He was genuinely interested to see how the meeting would pan out. There had to be some way that he could get her to admit it, that she had been there. If she knew who he was which, by her manner of dress, she most likely did, then she might be more willing to admit that she had lived through the events with Naraku and the Feudal Era. Sesshoumaru sighed and began packing his notes away into his brief-case. Ridiculous. He was spending too much time thinking about this girl. If his secret were in jeopardy, and she threatened to expose him, it was likely no one would believe her anyway, without some form of proof. And he had no intention of giving anyone any sort of proof. He had carefully covered his tracks for a long, long time, and there was no way that he was going to slip up now.

With that thought in mind, Sesshoumaru drove to campus with confidence that he would be able to work the situation through in his favour.

Kagome stumbled into the first class (with Katy), looking more tired than he felt after his night, finally falling asleep around 5:30. He almost pitied her, especially by the time she got to the third class she took with him. However, by the sixth time she yawned, his irritation rose. "I'm sorry, Miss Higurashi, is my class boring you?"

Her face flushed with embarrassment as she focused on him suddenly with those blue eyes. "No, I'm sorry, Professor." She was clearly tired, but she was so distracting, yawning every two minutes. He raised an eyebrow at her, irritated that she had decided to sit front row if she was so obviously tired.

"I was up late…" She began, obviously trying to rationalise.

Up late? Really? Surely it was nothing compared to his own late hours… "This is an important section we're going over, and it will be on the midterm," he stated, his eyes settling briefly on her, the message in his eyes reading, pay attention. Pleased as she shrunk down in her chair, Sesshoumaru continued on with his lesson.

The bell rang just as he was finishing. Priding himself on his good timing, Sesshoumaru nodded to the departing students, hurrying to intercept Kagome on her way out. Likely she was upset with him for calling her out in class, however, he had business with her. "Kagome," he said to catch her attention.

She turned like a thief caught stealing. "Yes?"

I'd like to speak with you, if you don't mind. Are you free this afternoon?" He asked as he retreated to the desk, slipping his belongings into his briefcase.

"Um… sure." He could smell her reluctance through the perfume and couldn't help being miffed. "What time? What about?"

"If today is a bad day for you…" He looked up from his papers, over the rims of his glasses, hardly helping but to wonder why he was so bothered by her rejection, but also secretly pleased.

"No, today is fine. Where and when would you like to meet, Professor?"

The girl nodded, but he could tell she was not feeling the apparent calm that her appearance portrayed. "Sure, I'll meet you there."

He nodded. "Excellent." And excellent it was. Now he would just have to ensure that this meeting went well. She couldn't purify him while they were in a public place—that was assuming that she still had her miko powers, Sesshoumaru realized, the thought occurring to him suddenly. Surely she still retained them, however, the possibility was there that she did not… All the same, the public, open café provided protection from any sort of public outburst that could possibly occur.

Nodding, satisfied with his plans, Sesshoumaru hurried to his office to take care of business before meeting with the girl an hour hence.