Black Ice: For those of you who may have been wondering, Bankoutsu looks like the centaur on the Old Spice commercials. Superfine, right?! (squeals)
Once the awkwardness of the previous moment had receded, and Kagome was back on Bankoutsu's back, he said casually, "So what's been going on with you?"
"…Oh, yes!" Kagome snapped her fingers, remembering what she'd had to tell him. "You won't believe it, but guess what I saw yesterday?"
"Oh, just tell me. You know I despise guessing games."
"Only because you never win." Kagome teased. "I saw the god of night!"
"You didn't." Bankoutsu snorted.
"I did so! As well as the goddess of the moon, and the god of the stars, too!"
"Stop jesting, Kagome, really."
"I'm telling you, Ban!"
"You don't even know what the god of night looks like."
"I don't have to! They were saying each other's names and everything! Kikyou said that this sky was unnatural, and Shippou said that Miroku wasn't doing anything about it!"
"You and your stories, Kagome." Bankoutsu shook his head, and Kagome found herself growing angry. She thought at least he would believe her.
"This is not a story. This is for real. And I'm going to prove it to you, you stupid pony!" Kagome jumped off of Bankoutsu, and he whirled around, piqued.
"Did you just call me a pony?!"
"You heard me!" Kagome barked, heading back to the school.
"You-you can't just walk away from me like that! This conversation is not over, girl!" Bankoutsu yelled after her, but she ignored him. How dare he write what she saw off as mere imagination? He certainly gave new meaning to the word "jackass", that was for sure.
When she got to the door of the academy, she tried to open it gently, so that she wouldn't be seen, but unfortunately for her, Yuri answered it, a smile on her face much too large to be innocent.
"I'm telling." She sang, like a younger sibling with a secret. Kagome sighed nervously, knowing this would happen.
"Yuri…"
"I'm telling."
"Look, there's nothing to tell, okay? There was an old woman outside from earlier, and I was giving her an apple."
"It took you an entire hour to give an old woman an apple?"
"…"
"You wanna know what I think?"
"The cobwebs move?" Kagome mumbled, referring to Yuri's stupidity.
"What was that? I couldn't hear you."
"I said…nothing."
"I think you were out there cavorting with a man."
"That's a stupid thought." Kagome pursed her lips.
"Is it? Because maybe it wasn't a full man. Maybe it was a half man. Or should I say half-horse?" Kagome's blood ran cold, and Yuri smirked. "Well, well…it would seem I've got you in the palm of my hand, girl. If you don't want Kaede to know about your little tryst, I suggest you do exactly as I say."
"Yuri." Kaede came down the stairs, completely ignoring Kagome's presence. "I thought I told you to clean up the French classroom."
"Yes, Headmistress, certainly." Yuri smiled sweetly, and Kaede nodded, heading into the kitchen. Yuri turned her "sweet" expression onto Kagome. "Better get to work." She shoved Kagome out of her way and left the room.
"I hate her." Kagome growled under her breath, and headed for the French room. "In fact, I hate this entire stupid school. What's the point in even learning some of these things? None of them matter in the real world." She opened the door and groaned. From the looks of things, the students had been cooking—flour coated the entirety of the room, from the ceiling to the floor.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Kagome whined, but her feet dragged over to the broom and she started sweeping.
About an hour into her cleaning, when the room was at least starting to look back to normal, she noticed a tapping sound. Intrigued, Kagome rested her broom against Mademoiselle Desmerais' desk, and walked around, trying to find where the sound was coming from. Her search led her to the window, and she drew back the curtains, startled almost into stumbling backward to the floor.
A large raven stared back at her with piercing yellow eyes and shining black pupils.
"What in all the—?!" Looking around, as though anyone would see her, Kagome opened the door and the raven flew in, landing on the desk. Kagome closed the window and fixed the blinds back to normal, turning to the raven with an annoyed expression.
"Enough with the silent act. Do you care to explain just why you're here?" She demanded, crossing her arms. Upon recognizing the glint in the bird's eyes, she added, "And don't you dare think about transforming in here, or I'll pluck every one of those feathers!" The bird rolled its eyes.
"I came to tell you something."
"After you didn't believe me earlier, I don't think I'm extremely inclined to listen to anything you have to say, Bankoutsu."
"That's fair enough, I suppose." Bankoutsu sighed impatiently. "But I actually do believe you now."
"Is that so?"
"That is so. And do you know why?"
"No, but I'm rather sure you're about to tell me."
"Well, maybe I shouldn't, if you're going to act like a bitch!" Kagome gasped, then growled, wrapping a hand around his neck.
"You little bastard, how dare you?! I should choke the everlasting life out of your birdbrain!" She hissed, yelping in pain when Bankoutsu's talons raked across her arm, forcing her to release him. "Why did you even bother to come here?!" Kagome snarled, looking at the three slashes in her arm. "Just to get my blood on your hands?!"
"Of course not, you idiot!" Despite the pain paralyzing her arm, Kagome was glad the door was closed, or someone might come in and wonder about her state of mind, arguing with a bird.
"Well, now it doesn't even matter! Just get out, Bankoutsu!" The raven ignored her and surveyed her wounds.
"Could I just transform, stupid? Those gashes look pretty serious, and I doubt those other idiots will help you much."
"Since when do you care about me?" Kagome grumbled, but assented to his transformation with a half nod. In moments, Bankoutsu was back to his centaur form, biting into his arm. Years ago, Kagome might have been shocked at this barbarian display, but she had long since learned that his blood, silver and metallic in taste, had magical healing properties. When they were children, he constantly utilized it whenever their fights got a bit too rough.
Once he'd drawn blood—without even a wince—he let it drip over Kagome's wounds and licked the bite mark until the blood clotted.
"If your goal was to maim me, it's been fulfilled." She pursed her lips petulantly.
"Don't be any dumber than you need to, Kagome." Bankoutsu snorted, crossing his sinewy arms, and Kagome narrowed her eyes at him.
"Then you're here to insult me."
"No, that's an anytime thing. As I was trying to tell you...I believe you now."
"Oh? And why is that?"
"When I was flying around, trying to calm myself down, I actually saw Kikyou-sama. She was adrift on the lake, staring into the sky! I almost couldn't believe my eyes, and I automatically came here."
"Ha! I told you, you moron!" Kagome laughed triumphantly.
"Let's not get crazy here!" Bankoutsu warned. "Let's not start calling people morons!"
"I don't see why not, moron. You've been calling me every kind of idiot in the book since I saw you." The sound of footsteps on the stairs rattled Kagome with alarm. "And on that note, you need to leave."
"Excuse me?"
"Bankoutsu! You have to go! You're going to get me in trouble!"
"Alright, alright." He huffed, moving over to the window. In a rather rough way, Bankoutsu shoved the curtains aside and threw open the window. "But the next time you try that choking stuff, I won't be healing you so quickly." It was virtually the same thing he said all the time, but Kagome couldn't humor him at the moment. As soon as he was gone, Yuri strolled into the room, looking around.
"I came to see how you were doing, but it would seem you haven't made any progress at all!" She shook her head in mock pity, then noticed the silver scar on Kagome's arm. "What's that?"
"What's what?" Kagome blinked innocently, and Yuri looked at her strangely.
"Never mind. Get this place cleaned up before it's time to go to sleep. Or else..." Yuri's smirk said it all, and Kagome had to keep from attacking her. As she left, Kagome narrowed her eyes and returned to her exhaustive task.
Kagome didn't finish until very late, when most everyone was still asleep. She stumbled tiredly out of the room, her loudly protesting stomach the only thing keeping her awake. She was too drowsy to pay any attention to the creaking of the stairs as she walked, nor the fact that she made it all the way to the kitchen without being intercepted. Kagome opened up the icebox, grabbing a lambchop that was cold but not yet frozen, and a clear pitcher of water. Hands almost numb with sleepiness, she put the lambchop on a plate, poured some water in a glass, and sat down at the small table to eat.
She'd only taken one bite of lamb and one sip of water, before her head hit the table and a loud snore erupted from her parted lips.
Maybe it was the late night eating, but Kagome was having the strangest dream: a pair of curious golden eyes floating in the darkness before her. They were hauntingly familiar, and yet Kagome couldn't figure for the life of her whose they were. Perhaps they were the eyes of the lamb she was eating. She grimaced, this less than cheery thought lifting her eyelids. She could barely stifle her scream when the same eyes of her dream stared right at her, but this time around, they were actually part of a face and thus a body.
"If you're a thief, take whatever you like, I beg of you." Kagome whispered shakily, and the eyes blinked.
"I'm sorry if I startled you." A masculine voice. A man. "It's just that...I was...I mean to say..." He sounded horribly flustered, and on the grounds of his nervousness, Kagome's own began to melt away.
"Are you a beggar?" She asked, and he shook his head.
"No, I...I'm Ainu." He said finally, sighing as though the confession were a large weight off his back. "And...I had heard that this school would hire me to work here." Kagome looked at him, a little suspicious, and got out of her seat, going around the table to feel his ears. The man went rigid, his eyes wide, but Kagome didn't seem to take much notice, concentrating on her inspection.
"Well, you have Ainu ears." She confirmed, stepping back to look at him better. "And you do have quite bushy hair." Without much warning, Kagome stuck her finger in his mouth, feeling around for the telltale sharp canines, completely oblivious to her subject's uneasiness. When she felt his teeth prick her finger and draw blood, she nodded and removed her finger. "Your teeth are fanglike as well. Your eyes are a bit unusual, though. Where are you from?"
"Northern Ezo." He said automatically. "Very far north of here."
"What's your name? I may know you."
"I was originally named for a god, but some call me Yokaze."
"What god were you named for?"
"The god Inuyasha." A chill went down Kagome's back and she struggled to retain composure.
"Well...I'm Kagome. You don't mind if I call you Inuyasha, do you?"
"Not at all, Kagome." He smiled wearily, his eyes betraying an inner sadness she could never hope to understand.
"I wish I knew of somewhere you could lodge, but sadly, my own room is nothing but a closet." As Kagome thought, Inuyasha remained silent, staring at the girl. The ability to see through the darkness was very useful tonight; this female was very beautiful, a nymph princess in her own right. The way she unwittingly pouted when deep in thought had Inuyasha's stomach fluttering to near maddening intensity. If it weren't for his damnable timidity, he might have been able to tell her so, because he knew exactly how she thought she looked: dirty and unappealing. It was how everyone viewed her people, and Inuyasha hated them for it. The Ainu were a stunning people, but why was it that no one else seemed to see that?
"Don't worry about me." He said suddenly, aware he must seem like a dumb fool. "I will find my own lodgings. I simply wish to work here." Alongside you, he added in his mind. Kagome smiled, admiring him already.
"Okay, sure. If you come back tomorrow at around eight in the morning, I will try and persuade the headmistress to hire you." Kagome cast a wary glance at the doorway, as though she expected Kaede to come bustling through at any time. "But for now," she said in a playfully conspiratorial whisper, "you should go. If I were to be seen with a man this late at night, I might be cast out for harlotry!" Inuyasha chuckled in amusement, and made a show of exiting quietly through the front door. Once Kagome could no longer see him, he shed his human appearance and returned to normal: black hair cascaded over his shoulders; a long, slender, black tail moved idly against the ground; and leathery wings akin to those of a bat were folded on his back.
"Kikyou...Shippou...I've found her." He whispered to the night, his wings flapping and propelling him into the air.