The Burden of the Past Chapter 4: Meeting, an inuyasha fanfic

Kagome paused outside of the door, gathering her wits and catching her breath. Holding the one she sucked in, she pushed the door open, sighing as she was met with the cool air conditioning. Looking around, Kagome quickly spotted Sesshoumaru. He stuck out as he always had. Ducking her head, she walked towards the back of the café, shifting her purse on her shoulder. "Professor," she said quietly as she approached the table, her head ducked.

"Kagome," he said quietly, looking up at her from his papers. "Thank you for meeting me; please sit."

Kagome did so, eyeing him sharply from beneath her bangs. "Thanks." They were silent a moment as Sesshoumaru took a sip of his drink.

"Go ahead and get anything if you'd like it," he offered, his voice mellow.

"No thanks," Kagome replied more sharply than she would have liked.

"Right. Well. I asked you here so we could discuss your sources." He set his coffee cup down. It was strange to see him holding the paper cup in the first place, his button-down shirt open at the collar.

Kagome mentally shook her head. This was really ridiculous. How was she even supposed to answer this? There was no way that she could honestly answer him. He would know if she lied. She bit her lip, thinking rapidly for an answer, her irritation growing.

"Kagome?" He looked at her inquisitively.

She looked up, pretending to be surprised. "Oh! I'm sorry, I was thinking." She gave him a small smile, becoming even more panicked and more irritated. "Um…"

"Take your time." He gave her a small smile. "I'm going to get another coffee." He stood and quickly walked passed her.

Kagome gave him a tight nod and then half slumped over the table, burying her hands in her hair. Damn, this was stupid! She hadn't had much time to think about anything to tell him, and then Katy had distracted her from thinking up anything. Growling under her breath, she flexed her fingers against her scalp. Damn it!

"Are you sure you don't want to get anything to drink?" Sesshoumaru asked politely as he came up behind her.

Straightening immediately, Kagome automatically flashed a bright smile. "Ah, no! No, thank you; I don't need anything right now." She looked back down at the table while Sesshoumaru sat again, cursing herself inwardly.

"So, if you could begin, I would love to hear more than what you had explained in your paper about the legend of the half-demon and his friends specifically."

She looked up at him sharply, immediately masking her expression. He was doing this on purpose. He looked calm and composed, but he was mocking her, Kagome was sure of it. She smiled. When at a loss, develop a previous lie… "Um, yes. Sure. Well, as I had said, the stories that I heard were mostly from my grandfather. They had been passed down to him by his father I believe. The story about the half-demon was the one you wanted to know more about, right?"

Sesshoumaru nodded, smiling pleasantly. "Yes, please. Go on."

Feeling sick inside, Kagome smiled again. "Of course… Um…. He spoke of the Bone Crusher's Well, and how um… there was, of course, the half-demon of the dog clan, and then a monk, a fox demon, a demon-hunter, and then there was also a miko. And there was another miko that was related to the first miko. And, ah, that miko had been the guardian of this stone. It was called the Shikon no Tama, I believe. So,… there was this other demon called Naraku. He was also a half-demon," Kagome babbled nervously. "So, he was evil and wanted the Shikon no Tama himself, and so this group of friends of the half-dog-demon were all fighting this demon, because he had some of the shards of the Shikon no Tama. The first miko was trying to put the shards back together so they could purify—or well, so she could purify the gem and—"

"This is rather fascinating, if rather rambling. I'm sorry; I'm a bit confused," Sesshoumaru said with an amused smile. He raised an eyebrow. "If you could order things a bit more chronologically?"

Kagome fumed. He was making fun of her! He was doing this on purpose. He knew who she was, and he was just trying to make her life miserable. "I'm sorry," she bit out. "I'm just a bit nervous about—"

"Nervous? What are you nervous for?" He smiled easily, leaning on his hand. "Please don't be nervous. This isn't meant to be an interrogation, it's merely a meeting for—"

"Stop messing with me, Sesshoumaru!" Kagome hissed, surging to her feet as she planted her hands on the table, leaning over him in anger. "I know what you're trying to do."

He arched an eyebrow at her. "I beg your pardon, Miss Higurashi?"

"Stop that!" She shook a finger at him, hissing to keep her public humiliation to a minimum. "Stop mocking me! I know you know who I am! You're just trying to get me to admit it! You want me to—" She broke off, paling as she sank back into her seat, burying her face in her arms. "You just wanted me to do what I just did…" she finished miserably. "Shit." Now I'm screwed… She looked up at Sesshoumaru after a minute of silence. His hands were folded in front of him on the table, looking at her, his amber eyes serious.

"Well, honestly, I wasn't expecting that to go quite as well as it did."

"Excellent. I'm glad my lack of control over myself works to your advantage," she said caustically.

Sesshoumaru chuckled. "Well, yes. In fact. I'm glad it did. I wasn't really meaning to trick you at all. I actually did want to hear about your side of the story. I'm truly baffled that you're here. I had no idea why you were suddenly here. I smelled something familiar in your scent, but I couldn't identify it. Then the other day—"

Kagome shook her head. "Wait a minute. Slow down. You're talking too much."

Sesshoumaru looked confused.

"You're talking too much. I wasn't expecting you to be this talkative," she explained lamely.

"It has been five hundred years. A person can't be the same for that length of time."

"You could manage it," Kagome muttered under her breath.

"I can hear you, you know. Just because I look human, doesn't mean I hear like humans," he said, amusement lacing his voice.

Kagome's face flamed. "S-sorry… I just…"

Sesshoumaru waved his hand. "Nevermind. It doesn't really matter, I suppose."

Kagome blinked. Was he insane. She straightened. "It doesn't matter? I'm sorry, this all seems very strange. We were enemies, in case you had forgotten. You wanted to kill your brother—half-brother—and you were never very kind to any in our group—"

"I fail to see how that's relevant right now," Sesshoumaru said casually with a shrug.

Looking at him with disbelief, Kagome gave her head a shake. "Really? You really think that this is just 'okay'? You think—I don't even know what you think. What are you thinking, Sesshoumaru? I never could tell," Kagome said, her voice growing louder, gesturing irritatedly with her hands. "Your facial expression never seems to change, does it."

Sesshoumaru tilted his head slowly as if her were digesting this, contemplating thoughtfully, so different from his normal expression. "Perhaps. However, I am willing to make this a new start, if you're willing to also."

"New start? What is that supposed to mean? Are we supposed to be friends now or something? Is that what you're looking for?"

"I was hoping that since we have a common bond through a past, yes, that we might meet again and discuss some of this, perhaps you could tell me stories about the events from your point of view? That was my original goal anyway. We share a common history. I would like to hear your whole story as well; why you're here, and how you came to be there?"

Kagome shook her head in utter shock. "No," she said quietly. "No," she said again more loudly. "No! That's… that would never work. This… this is ridiculous. I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru, but this… this would never work. I'm sorry; I can't accept that sort of arrangement. That is just…" She shook her head again and stood. "I have to go. It was… No. I have to go." She slung her purse over her shoulder and hurried from the café leaving him standing by the table.

Ridiculous. This was just ridiculous. Her heart ached. Inu Yasha… Her eyes burned as tears threatened existence, but she blinked rapidly to clear them away. There was no way that they could ever be friends. Friends? What was he thinking? She tossed her head, pulling out a pair of sunglasses, slipping them on as she hurried home.

She would run. Perhaps running would help her clear her mind. That would be good. A nice long run and then a nice warm shower…

Sesshoumaru arrived early. Nervous, he picked a table in the back corner. He set his briefcase down and put his light jacket over it before joining the other patrons in line. He got himself a iced chai and returned to his table, pulling out some papers to work on before Kagome arrived. He smelled her before he saw her. He heard the door open and her refreshing scent flooded into the café with a breeze. Her steps were small and quiet as she approached him. "Professor."

"Kagome." He shifted his glasses, looking up at her as if he hadn't been aware of her. "Thank you for meeting me; please sit."

"Thanks," she offered simply.

"Go ahead and get anything if you'd like it." Sesshoumaru folded his hands in front on him on the table, hoping to make her more comfortable in his presence.

"No thanks," she returned shortly.

Clearing his throat after a sip of his chai, he began, "Right. Well. I asked you here so we could discuss your sources." He set the cup back on the table as he waited. Waves of confusion and inner turmoil rolled off of Kagome. She bit her lip, looking down at the table. If his guess was right, which he was sure it was, then she was the same girl who had traveled with his half-brother. So of course, that meant that she would lie to him. She would have to lie, because she had experienced the events first hand. She had no sources. Sniffing again casually, Sesshoumaru noted her irritation. "Kagome?" He said her name softly, looking at her in askance.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I was thinking." Her surprise was obviously fake, Sesshoumaru noted with amusement. "Um…"

He stood. "Take your time. I'm going to get another coffee." With a small smile, he grabbed his cup and walked away, breathing in the scents of the other patrons of the café. Her scent was heady and he needed some fresh air. Besides, him getting another coffee would allow her some time to think up something to tell him. Of course, she might just waver enough in her conviction that she might let on that she had actually been in the past. That, of course, was the ideal way things could go. Sighing almost wistfully, Sesshoumaru dug out his wallet to pay the cashier. Of course, he could always wheedle it out of her eventually. It would be nice to have someone else to talk to concerning the past. At any rate… He picked up his new chai and headed back to the table noiselessly, pausing behind Kagome. She was even more conflicted and irritated now, though if that would work in his favour… That still remained to be seen. "Are you sure you don't want to get anything to drink?"

She turned, startled, flashing him a bright smile—shockingly reminiscent of her smile from when he knew her five hundred years ago. "Ah, no! No, thank you. I don't need anything right now." When she looked down, Sesshoumaru sat, shaking his head slightly to clear the confusion.

"So, if you could begin, I would love to hear more than what you had explained in your paper about the legend of the half-demon and his friends specifically," he said quickly to focus himself on the matter at hand.

"Um, yes. Sure. Well, as I had said, the stories that I heard were mostly from my grandfather. They had been passed down to him by his father I believe. The story about the half-demon was the one you wanted to know more about, right?"

With a –hopefully- encouraging smile, he nodded. "Yes, please. Go on."

She smiled at him again though he could tell she was nervous, and continued, "Of course…. Um… He spoke of the Bone Crusher's Well, and how um… there was, of course, the half-demon of the dog clan, and then a monk, a fox demon, a demon hunter, and then there was also a miko. And there was another miko that was related to the first miko. And, ah, that miko had been the guardian of this stone. It was called the Shikon no Tama, I believe. So,… there was this other demon called Naraku. He was also a half-demon. So, he was evil and wanted the Shikon no Tama himself, and so this group of friends of the half-dog-demon were all fighting this demon, because he had some of the shards of the Shikon no Tama. The first miko was trying to put the shards back together so they could purify—or well, so she could purify the gem and—"

Was she really so nervous that she really couldn't enunciate anything? "This is rather fascinating, if rather rambling. I'm sorry; I'm a bit confused. If you could order things a bit more chronologically?"

"I'm sorry. I'm just a bit nervous about—"

"Nervous? What are you nervous for?" She was irritated, he knew, and the nervousness must be from trying to cover for her lie. He could almost feel for her. He strongly believed that she knew that he knew, so since he knew that she knew, they were both playing a game of words where she was at a disadvantage. But he needed to know… "Please don't be nervous. This isn't meant to be an interrogation; it's merely a meeting for—"

"Stop messing with me, Sesshoumaru!" She was suddenly on her feet, leaning over him, her voice angry and hissing. "I know what you're trying to do."

"I beg your pardon, Miss Higurashi?" So she was the same girl. He didn't go by that name at all these days. If she were to think that she was mistaken, then perhaps there wouldn't be a problem.

"Stop that!" Her finger was waggling in his face, her anger blazing and musky on her scent. "Stop mocking me! I know you know who I am! You're just trying to get me to admit it! You want me to—" Shock set in as her face was suddenly pale and she sank back to her seat. The regret wormed through, smelling bitter and salty. "You just wanted me to do what I just did…" Her voice was small and miserable, making him feel for her again. "Shit."

He waited for her to gather herself. She did, and then she looked up at him. She almost seemed to be accusing him of something, though he couldn't figure out what it might be. "Well, honestly, I wasn't expecting that to go quite as well as it did," he admitted.

"Excellent. I'm glad my lack of control over myself works to your advantage."

Chuckling, Sesshoumaru felt a strange sense of relief sweeping through him. "Well, yes. In fact, I'm glad it did. I wasn't really meaning to trick you at all. I actually did want to hear about your side of the story. I'm truly baffled that you're here. I had no idea why you were suddenly here. I smelled something familiar in your scent, but I couldn't identify it. Then the other day—"

"Wait a minute. Slow down. You're talking too much," she interrupted.

That wasn't the response that he had been expecting.

"You're talking too much. I wasn't expecting you to be this talkative," she said, almost panicked.

"It has been five hundred years. A person can't be the same for that length of time," he explained. Did she expect him to be the same person he was back then? He hadn't been… He had worked through some of his problems since then.

"You could manage it," he heard her say.

He almost laughed. So she did still have her spunk. "I can hear you, you know. Just because I look human, doesn't mean I hear like humans."

"S-sorry…. I just…" Embarassment filled her scent.

He waved away her apology. "Nevermind. It doesn't really matter, I suppose."

"It doesn't matter? I'm sorry, this all seems very strange. We were enemies, in case you had forgotten. You wanted to kill your brother—half-brother—and you were never very kind to any in our group—"

And the past was the past. "I fail to see how that's relevant right now." He couldn't tell why she was so outraged; there was no problem here. In fact, this was going beautifully. Now if she would just calm down…

"Really? You really think that this is just 'okay'? You think—I don't even know what you think. What are you thinking, Sesshoumaru? I never could tell. Your facial expression never seems to change, does it."

That wasn't true. Perhaps in the past it had been true. He had been overly stoic, he admitted to himself, but these were different time, and he was a different man. She was confusing him with his past self. This was getting very confusing very quickly. "Perhaps. However, I am willing to make this a new start, if you're will to also," he said, offering the olive branch.

"New start? What is that supposed to mean? Are we supposed to be friends now or something? Is that what you're looking for?"

She shook her head, hair swishing across her face. "No. No. No! That's… that would never work. This… this is ridiculous. I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru, but this… this would never work. I'm sorry; I can't accept that sort of arrangement. That is just…" She stood, shaking her head again, her scent washing across him. She really needed to stop doing that. "I have to go. It was… No. I have to go." Grabbing her purse, she hurried from the café, leaving him standing by the table, too stunned to move.

"That didn't go at all like I had wanted," he muttered to himself, still a bit dazed. Sinking back into his chair, he slumped, his chin falling into his hand as he stared through the people in the café blankly. It suddenly felt like he had been dumped. That makes no sense, he scoffed to himself. Another part of his mind questioned that, wondering if, on a deeper level, he had been searching for female company. She would be acceptable; she knew his past, and it wouldn't matter what he looked like.

Sesshoumaru sighed, rolling his head to work out the kinks in his neck. If she planned on unveiling him… There wasn't really any way that she was capable of doing so as she didn't know where the enchantments were to hide his true appearance. People would just think she was crazy in this day and age.

Growling to himself, Sesshoumaru shoved his papers into his briefcase and headed home. Time to begin round two and woo Kagome into regarding him in a more friendly manner.