A/N: OH MY GODS! THIS CHAPPIE IS SO LONG! TOO MANY THINGS HAPPEN AT ONCE! DEAR LORDS! I'd stay and chat but I have to go to the supermarket!
Congrats to my 200th reviewer, fangremtom2! I sent you a PM but you didn't reply... Hm... Well, if you're reading this, tell me so in a review so I can reiterate your prize! WOOT!
This goes to shaneallix: I was going to send you a review reply but I kinda got caught up! You're confuzzled, I know I am too and I'm supposedly the author (I have to write down the plot sometimes). Hopefully next chapter will answer some of your questions, though! And Seiryuu...he's currently mysterious. He may seem like a good guy, but he isn't. He may seem like a bad guy, but he isn't.
You'll just have to stay tuned to find out what I mean!
Claimer: Once again, I do not own anything but the plot and hopefully my underwear, but I do own Rima, Seiryuu, Meimori, Kizurei, 'Shuon', Kurayami, and Kurayami's Nightmare Blade! And I also own Midoriko's staff, which isn't named yet!
ENJOY THE CHAPPIE, MY LOVERS! (Just kidding! :-D)
Oh My Gods! 30
"I can't find it, Gramps!"
Kagome sifted through numerous boxes in the small shed at her grandfather's command, but she failed to catch sight of a jar filled with a yellow jelly-like substance like he said she would. Perhaps his memory was beginning to recede... Hmph, he collected countless of 'ancient' remedies in the shed behind her family's shrine home; it wouldn't surprise her if he mistook one for another.
"Did you check the box on the top shelf over by the window?" The gray-haired old man was standing by the door, dictating instructions for his granddaughter while making no move to aid in her search. "Remember, the jar has a white lid and it says 'Shuon' on the label."
"Yeah, yeah," she huffed, glancing at the shelf he indicated. It was at least four feet above her head—she required the ladder for this one.
As she climbed the several steps to the top of the silver ladder, Kagome mulled over what she was currently doing. Why the heck was she looking for a yellow jelly-thing in her family's shed at seven o'clock in the evening?
Rin was sick.
If it wasn't Inuyasha who was ill, it was poor Rin. Merely a few hours after they arrived in Japan from Portugal, the teen complained of a headache and nasal congestion, but she regularly suffered from allergies so she shrugged it off. That was, until her condition worsened to include a fever...a really high fever.
Hmm...maybe it's a sinus infection? It was the middle of winter, sure, but Rin could still have a sinus infection.
Anyway, Kagome had commented to her mother that Rin was sick, and then Mrs. Higurashi told Gramps, who immediately suggested an ancient remedy to decongest her nasal passages. Well, it was everyone's last hope when even allergy medicine failed to ease the teen's suffering.
"Aha!" The miko grinned once she at long last discovered the old jar her grandfather described hidden deep within a cardboard box. She unscrewed the lid and instantly grimaced. It smells like crap! "Gramps, are you sure this isn't rotten?"
Well...Rin could try this cure and hope it worked, yet if it didn't...
...Sesshoumaru would kill the supplier of it.
It was actually pretty scary when a dog demon became beyond overprotective...
Gramps smiled and nodded. "This jar of Shuon dates back to the eighteenth century when—"
"Save me the history lesson, please." It was late and all she wanted to do was leave before Inuyasha, who was 'patiently' waiting at home to keep his overprotective brother in check, threw a tantrum. "How do I prepare this?"
"All you have to do is boil one cup of it in water and have Rin inhale the steam."
Good, she doesn't have it eat it! Heheh, Kagome would have died watching such a gruesome sight. "Thanks, Gramps! Hopefully you're not just making stuff up again and this Shuon thingy actually works!" Or Sesshoumaru might just come and kill you.
Heh, there was no hurry to tell the senile old coot only for him to attempt another 'exorcism'.
"Bah! My remedies are all dependable!" The old man crossed his arms, glaring at his eighteen-year old granddaughter. "Just make sure your demon friends stay away from the Shuon—its foul odor may prove too strong for them."
"Sure thing!" Even though it might be useful on the occasions her fiancé annoyed her exceedingly. "Good night and thanks again, Gramps!"
Kagome hugged her grandfather one last time before bolting out of the shed, eager to get back to Imei Academy. Strangely...she also missed her hanyou. After classes, she practically fled home to search for Rin's Shuon, which took a good few hours because her gramps just didn't stop rambling on and on about his ancient collectibles. She hadn't seen Inuyasha since eighth period!
Well...he refused to come home with her in the first place...
"Bark! Bark!"
The raven-haired teen stopped in mid stride and faced the excited puppy that came to lick her ankles and jump on her knees before she could descend the hundreds of steps leading to a city street. She smiled at the fluffy white Akita-Inu mix breed and rubbed her ears for a bit.
Souta loved his Christmas present from his Inu no Nii-chan—he absolutely adored it! He spent most of his time training his puppy to cohabit with Buyo and making the two well acquainted with one another. His success, however, was merely due to the fact that Buyo was lazy and lacked the will to hiss at a canine...
"Hey there, Ami! I'd stay and play with you but I have to go now," Kagome cooed to the puppy, which was actually four months old now and growing each day; Ami reached her mid calf! "I'll tell Mama Yasha you said hi only if you say bye to Buyo for me!"
"Bark! Bark!" She laughed once Ami bounded off, probably to go 'play' with a barely responsive Buyo. That puppy was always eager to please others and spend her day playing...
Now back to Imei Academy without further interruptions!
However...
It was fifteen minutes into her journey that Kagome thought she heard someone calling out to her. She blinked and slowed down on her bicycle, craning her head in order to glance behind her. I don't see anyone... Maybe I'm just imagining things.
Great, was she hearing voices? It's been a long day, I suppose. The first step to recovery was admitting she had a problem... Obviously, she neglected to concede to the beginnings of Schizophrenia.
"Higurashi!"
Nope, she definitely heard it! Finally, the miko saw the figure of a male running towards her, and at first she believed it to be Miroku, until she realized he never called her Higurashi.
Then again...who did?
Soon enough, she noted the man's short brown hair and cerulean blue eyes...the goofy grin on his face...
"Oh my gods, it's Houjo..." The wimpy guy who liked her? The one who uncannily disappeared from the face of the planet since the school year commenced? "What the heck is he doing here?!"
Dang it, she believed he'd still be off on a quest for the long lost city of Atlantis!
Meeting him again like this was a little too sudden—she hadn't prepared her excuses if he asked her on a stupid date like he surely would! And—crap! This time, Kagome was engaged! He'd surely see her engagement ring and ask embarrassing questions!
"Higurashi!" The brown-haired nineteen-year old panted after he finally caught up with her, and flashed a disarming grin. "It's been so long since I last saw you. I thought you'd forgotten me!"
I actually did... And those were the happiest moments of her life. "W-Well..." Her chocolate eyes refused to stare into his overtly happy face; gods, he was just like Ami when it came to pleasing others! "Where have you been all this time?"
"I was studying medicine in India for a semester. I was supposed to return in December but I stayed a bit longer with a few dorm mates," Houjo replied, having regained his breath. "It was amazing, Higurashi! I woke up at dawn everyday to practice yoga and I listened to raga, which is a type of Indian music, and—"
Kagome cleared her throat, interrupting his excited ramble. "That's...interesting. Well, I'm sorry, but—"
"Hey, you're not sick anymore!" He seemed so astounded about it... Right! Kagome always feigned sickness to get out of a date with him. Could she tell Houjo her brain exploded and she was still recovering? "We should take the chance to catch up with each other. Would you like to grab some dinner?"
If Yuka, Ayumi, and Eri were there, they would have screamed her concession before she could even utter a word. Thank gods they were nowhere in sight!
"Um...about that..." What was she supposed to say?! That she couldn't because she was engaged to an extremely jealous hanyou? Heh, Houjo would still ask her to join him for dinner as 'friends'.
Speaking of that...the dense college freshman had yet to notice her engagement ring...oh well! It was for the better!
If only his expression wasn't so earnest and sweet and innocent! Houjo was so unlike Inuyasha... He actually listened to everything she said—ahem, most of the time; he was kind and cared about everyone and anyone; he was respectful in the fact that he referred to her by her last name instead of wench...
But he was gullible and too wimpy for her tastes.
Inuyasha was a bit inexperienced in some aspects of life, but he knew how to compensate by asserting and/or defending himself as well as others. Houjo on the other hand...hmph, he'd probably run home and cry if he was on the other end of her fiancé's fierce tongue lashing.
The teen bit back a giggle as an image of Inuyasha bullying a wailing Houjo popped into her mind. Oh wait—Houjo was still talking!
"—the Ramen House down the block is our best bet. Then you can put your bike on the rack provided." Houjo's cerulean eyes lit up at the thought a date with Higurashi. "I'm so glad we ran into each other! You don't know how long I've been waiting to tell you about my trip!"
"Houjo, wait—!" Kagome tried to stop him, but he was deaf as he was gullible!
"If I'm not mistaken, the Ramen House closes at nine so we should hurry! Maybe we'll even get a booth! Come on, Higurashi, let's go!"
"You two aren't going anywhere."
Kagome swore her blood ran cold. Gods, why now? Why did he have to show up now of all times?! She didn't want to turn around in fear of witnessing the deadly curl of his upper lip...the dangerous flare in his molten golden amber eyes...
Houjo gazed at the intruder curiously. Did this silver-haired fellow know Higurashi? "Excuse me, sir, but who exactly are you?" It wasn't every day random strangers popped out of nowhere and stopped him from leaving with his 'friend'.
Besides, no one could be so rude! Sheesh!
"So..." Something in his tone of voice told Kagome that the hanyou was far from pissed and closer to homicidal. "We finally meet, Hobo. I'm Inuyasha...Kagome's fiancé. And if you don't back off now, I'll rip your face in half."
...Dream State...
"Why are you here?"
Her flaring cinnamon-eyes stared into pools of piercing blue, and for a moment, she truly believed the elder woman was able to kill her with a mere potent glare. She stood from her seat on the sitting room's antique couch and paced in front of it, all the while ignoring the eyes burning holes into her back.
"Do I need a reason to visit my little sister?" The woman with the piercing sapphire eyes drawled in a smooth voice, the corner of her sensual lips curving into a smirk. Her long, slender body was draped across a cherry red velvet chaise lounge, as though she was the mightiest and the most beautiful Greek goddess.
"Cut the crap, Rima! Why the hell are you in my home today of all days?!"
"You're very hostile this morning, Rin. Perhaps pregnancy is unbecoming of you..."
The younger woman's hands drifted to her flat abdomen—her womb—due to protective instinct, and the expression on her attractive face shifted from guarded to uneasy. "You want something and I know it."
There couldn't be another reason for it! Why in the world would her foster sister visit her, the Queen of Seijou, the Lady of the Western Lands, all the way in the immortal realm if she didn't desire something? It was bad enough that she somehow discovered her pregnancy...
Not even the father of her unborn child knew for he was away attending to pending matters in his empire.
"My dearest sister, what can I want from you when my lover is at my every beck and call?" Rima sighed and briefly closed her feline eyes that glistened like sapphire gems. "Meimori satisfies my every wish. I desire nothing."
"You treat him like a slave! He's head-over-heels in love with you, and you can care less about him!" Rin was disgusted by this shallow woman! She must have no heart! "You're lucky Meimori won't listen to reason and dump you on your fake ass."
They might be foster sisters...but they hardly loved each other.
Rin was the happiest girl alive when she met her mate and was whisked away to a world without orphanages, without stupid foster families, and without Rima. The fact that her sister managed to wrap her mate's cousin around her pretty little finger and follow her to the immortal realm caused the cinnamon-eyed woman to shudder in fright.
Why?
Because for as long as she could remember, Rima hated her.
Having her near was like climbing into Satan's bed—she controlled the situation, not the other way around.
"True, though it's none of your business what I do with Meimori," Rima said in her infamous purring voice. Heh, she was definitely after something.
She then stood and gracefully walked over to a drink table across the room, her back towards her sister.
Rin watched her the entire time, but couldn't decipher if she was innocently pouring herself a drink or...argh! She despised being this suspicious! She longed to be happy and calm and...where the hell was Sesshoumaru when she needed him?!
"Just tell me what you came here for, Rima." She sighed and sat back down on the velvet couch, yearning for rest. Laying her hands on her belly again, she toyed with thoughts of how her pup would look like and if it would be a boy or a girl.
A smile brightened her face once an image of a little Sesshoumaru running around the palace. Sesshoumaru will have fun supervising a rampant kid with my active imagination. Oh, and let's not forget my random bouts of insanity—
Her musings were interrupted when a glass of water was shoved in her face, almost touching her nose. Out of reflex, Rin sunk deeper in the couch and nearly slapped the glass away from her.
Rima 'tenderly' smiled and pulled it back. Because she was deep in her thoughts, her younger sister had barely noticed when she returned from her pouring-a-drink adventure—how cute. "You seem a bit tired, sister. Here, have a drink."
She doesn't look like the devil in disguise. Rin furrowed her eyebrows, but accepted the glass, nonetheless. We might hate each other, but not enough to kill. At least she hoped so since she downed the drink in one gulp. Mmm...great tasting water...
"Mother and father wish to see you again, and the twins are coming home from the States to visit just for you."
Rin's eyes widened. So that's what this is about... Her hands slackened enough for the empty glass to fall on the oak floors and crack into tiny shards. "You told them about my...you told them I'm pregnant..."
Oh my gods... She wrapped her arms around her middle, already protecting her unborn pup from the scorn that was to come. She hates me that much...?
It was bad enough she mysteriously disappeared from the lives of her foster family—even worse when they now thought she fled from home to whore around and get herself pregnant! Her older twin brothers were just coming to laugh in her face, and her parents would probably demand she live with them again...
How could she ever explain Sesshoumaru to them?! She couldn't reveal to her family that he was the immortal king of an empire in a totally different dimension! She couldn't reveal that she lived in a luxurious palace, was well attended, was loved—she just couldn't!
Rima's amiable smile was still in place. "I had to, Rin. Unlike you, they're my real parents and I tell them everything they wish to know. And now you must obey their demands and come home."
"No! You didn't have to—you chose to!" Rin stood from the couch in fury and barely restrained from slapping the bitch to hell. "Dammit, Rima—I'm sorry I stole your spotlight when your parents adopted me! I'm sorry they think I'm so much better than you, and I'm sorry they chose me because we look alike! But don't you dare involve my personal life in this petty feud!"
The bitch was trying to make her seem lower than scum...a mere burden to her family. Her dealings with Meimori, the cousin of her mate, were supposed to be a punch in the face. She'd keep taking and taking from Rin; she'd keep cutting her and dissecting her until there was nothing left!
"You have no choice." Rima's former angelic expression morphed into frozen ice. She took a step forward and glowered at her younger sister with all the loathing and envy a scornful woman possessed. "Go home and explain to my family what a slut you are."
"I'm not going because I have nothing to explain—I'm not the slut, you are." Rin's glare never withered under Rima's poisonous one. "Besides, I'm twenty-three years old; their ties no longer bind me."
"What a foolish little girl," Rima whispered, shaking her head in pity. "I have Meimori at my every beck and call, remember? And your mate is currently away... The last thing you could ever desire is for him to engage in a fatal battle with his cousin...hm?"
The look of horror that crossed Rin's face was a scrumptious feast to her blue eyes. "Leave Sesshoumaru out of this..."
"Not only that...but I'm sure Seiryuu would love to know his niece-in-law is risking his plans to put an end to Naraku by starting a family..."
"Don't involve Uncle!" An image of her tall, silver-haired uncle glaring down at her with gelid eyes the color of Arctic glaciers flashed in her line of vision, and Rin suppressed a sob.
He once made her promise that in allowing her and Kagome to marry his nephews, they also assured no heirs would ever be conceived—despite InuTaishou's or their mates' wishes. It would render them vulnerable in the final battle against Naraku...their energy outputs would be compromised...
If Seiryuu found out Rin broke her promise...he'd ensure that the pup never survive past the first trimester.
What am I going to do about him? It hadn't registered in her brain that her pup was in danger around its own uncle...
Rima tsked and hooked a finger under her sister's chin, bringing her face up to meet her gaze, forcing her cinnamon eyes swimming in tears to burn under flaming sapphire. "You have no choice, Rin. As long as I'm alive...you will do...only as I say."
"I hate you, Rima..." It burned within her...rioting in her heart. Rin was once blind to hatred, but now...it was a part of her. She might be ashamed by it, yet it was a part of her.
"And I hate you, Rin..."
Unlike Rin, however, Rima smiled...proud of her blackmailing, proud of her hatred...and proud of something else the younger woman couldn't discern.
Somehow...Rin realized if she conceded to the elder woman's demands to face her foster family, it would be the last time she ever saw them.
...Out of Dream State...
Rin shot open her eyes and inhaled sharply. What in the hell kind of dream was that?! It seemed so vivid, however...like a long lost memory her brain discovered and was trying to allocate...
And was it probable her subconscious mind would immediately name Sesshoumaru's mysterious uncle? She had never seen him before, and yet, in her dream, Meimori was his spitting image except his father's hair was silver while he shared her fiancé's cold demeanor.
His name was Seiryuu...
...could that be true, as well?
Rima...Rin's older foster sister. Hmph, she was never adopted! She swore it! So how can she have an older foster sister who hated her due to jealousy? And she was Meimori's lover...he actually devoted himself to her?
The idea was impossible to accept...
Gods, she'd been pregnant, too! The feeling of instinctive protectiveness for her unborn child was still fresh in her mind...she actually wouldn't mind feeling it again...
Ahem...
Kagura once said she killed her family...Rin hadn't believed it, but... The presentiment of never seeing her foster family again after visiting them in her dream had been strong. But then how in the world was Rima tied into Rin killing her family?
It wasn't making sense!
In her dream...she was twenty-three, however. Obviously it wasn't a memory of the past. A vision of the future, perhaps? No, I'm not a seer; Inuyasha is. Then again—ack! Too much thinking for a sick teen!
Rin sighed and decided to tell Sesshoumaru about her strange dream later. Perhaps he could better analyze it than her... Anyway, where was he?
Glancing around her bedroom, the teen realized that she was completely alone in the dark. The last thing she noted before she fell asleep was her fiancé's presence beside her, always watching over her incase she needed him... A smile touched her lips at the thought.
But where was he now?!
"Hm..." A slip of white paper on her nightstand caught her gaze, and Rin reached over to unfold the paper, reading the contents of it aloud. "Rin—I went to strangle Inuyasha for running off after his miko like a deprived puppy. Get up from bed and you'll be drinking liver potion. Sesshoumaru."
Yuck, liver potion! It was what she dubbed Inuyasha's immortal remedy for colds and the sort. The major problem with it was its ingredients: fresh liver from various different animals. And it was supposed to be drunken...ew!
She almost puked just pondering it!
"I guess that's normal enough." Well, after her brief nap, she felt immensely better. She still felt like keeling over, but at least she could move her head without fearing a sharp tendril of pain threatening to split it open.
Sooo...what was there to do now?
Plit...plat...plit...plat...
Rin's body immediately tensed at what she suddenly heard. Footsteps...she heard footsteps out in the living room. The floor was carpeted, sure, but...perhaps her sixth sense was able to discern it. She definitely heard footsteps no matter how soft they sounded...
At first, she believed it to be her fiancé, or Inuyasha, or even Kagome, but... It wasn't characteristic of them. She couldn't explain it, yet her instincts told her it was someone she didn't recognize. Besides, why would any of her friends be so quiet in their own home?
Plit...plat...plit...plat...
The footsteps were getting closer and closer... Rin slowly climbed out of bed, ignoring her body's feeble protests, and reached for her Kimera stashed in her drawer.
It instantly transformed into its spear form in response to her nerves. Ha, anyone would be freaked out with this huge spear shoved in his or her face! Not that I'm supposed to have a weapon on school grounds... Hopefully it would be enough to protect her...though it was unlikely that a robber would be on campus.
Then again...it could be Meimori... Not the person she would like to deal with, not after her disturbing dream. Is that why he's obsessed over me? Because of that Rima woman?
And then she once again recalled what Kagura had said before their first battle...how she killed her family...abused a certain someone's gift...Sesshoumaru's gift... Rin's eyes widened, momentarily forgetting the footsteps arriving closer to her room.
Oh my gods...it can't be...I actually... She demanded answers, dammit! She was so confused; her head was going to explode! Ok, no time to think about it now! The obsidian-haired teen regained her alert posture, ready to attack.
Plit...plat...plit...plat... And the door to her bedroom slowly opened. Creeeaaak...
"See, you foolish flea? Our masters aren't present so there's no reason to—"
"HYAAA!!!"
"AHHHHH!!! SAVE ME, LORD SESSHOUMARU!!!"
Rin paused in mid strike and furrowed her eye brows in confusion. Now that the intruders were more terrified than she was, she willed herself to relax and lowered her Kimera. She took a good look at the two...demons in her bedroom and cocked her head.
"Huh?" The one making the footstep noises was...a toad demon no taller than her knee! And he had been speaking to a flea demon bouncing frantically on his shoulder. Who were these people?! "Is it still Halloween?"
Maybe they were trick-or-treating...
"Lady Rin!" The flea demon then bounced onto her shoulder and unashamedly did what fleas were made to do—get some free dinner. Out of reflex, her hand slapped the bug against her neck, and it flattened to paper-thin before filling with air again. "Ugh...I'm ok... You're blood tastes the same as ever, though! Mmm...very sweet!"
"Err..." Was that a compliment? "Okay..." Her fever must be skyrocketing because there was no possible way she was currently having a conversation with a flea.
"Hmph! Of course she doesn't even look at me, that ungrateful human—"
"Jaken!" The flea admonished, facing the demon from on top of Rin's outstretched palm. "Respect your master's future wife!"
"Lord Sesshoumaru deserves better!" The toad had blue-green skin and bulging yellow eyes...yuck...
Rin was half transfixed and half frightened. "I think toadman is jealous..." She muttered, still in shock.
"I am not jealous and I am not a toad! I'm an imp! AN IMP!!!"
"Someone is PMSing... I'm a hired supplier of tampons, just so you know." The teen shook her head, ignoring the raging toadman. "Um...who are you two again?" And how did they know her and Sesshoumaru? Is this another repeat of Miroku and Sango?
Gods no! She was still trying to understand why Kizurei sent them to the mortal realm in the first place! And she hadn't heard much of the couple lately, either...it was as though they vanished...
The flea turned to her and cleared his throat. "I am Myouga, Lord Inuyasha's retainer, and that is Jaken, Lord Sesshoumaru's retainer. We have come to this world from the immortal realm bearing urgent news for our masters."
Rin swore her head was going to crack and butterflies would escape. "Urgent news? What's going on?" Hey, she had the right to know since Sesshoumaru was her fiancé!
"Not that you, a mere human mortal, will understand, but," Jaken rolled his eyes, crossing his arms, "we must alert our masters that a certain someone will soon visit this realm."
Hmph, very descriptive. "Who?"
Myouga coughed prior to taking over. Apparently, he knew a lot of this certain someone that he wished to keep from her. "He is Lord Seiryuu...their uncle."
"S-Seiryuu...?" But he...their uncle...her dream...he was...real...? "Oh my gods..."
Thud!
It came as a shock to poor Myouga and Jaken when Rin suddenly fainted. Now a new dilemma arose, which must be solved before their masters returned.
How in the world were they supposed to explain this to Lord Sesshoumaru?
And better yet...
How were they supposed to get a woman a million times larger than them onto her bed?!
Myouga jumped onto Rin's cheek, searching for signs of life. Well...she wasn't waking up any time soon—that was for sure. "We're going to have fun with this, aren't we, Jaken?"
The imp merely stared.
Kagome couldn't believe what was happening. Was it some sort of compliment to have her fiancé push her out of the way only to shove his nose in Houjo's face, attempting to intimidate him? Hmph, the wimp wasn't aware of the potential danger surrounding him at the moment. He merely smiled at the hanyou glaring daggers at him.
Now she knew why she didn't like him...
Yet...who told Inuyasha it was okay for him to show up out of nowhere and boss her and Houjo around? He wasn't a mind reader—he couldn't know for sure if Kagome would've refused to have free dinner with Houjo!
Now she sounded like a gold digger...
"Higurashi, I never knew you were engaged! Congratulations! I wish the both of you the best of luck!" Houjo grinned at the haughty hanyou and held out his hand. "I don't think we properly met. I'm Kasumi Houjo."
Inuyasha stared at his hand as though the appendage was rotten broccoli. He glared at it until Houjo nervously coughed and retracted his hand. "Let's get a few things straight, Hobo. I don't like you. I won't ever like you. And people I don't like aren't allowed near Kagome."
The miko narrowed her chocolate eyes, anger welling up in her chest, threatening to explode and swallow her fiancé whole. Who the hell did he think he was?! She wasn't a prized possession that would taint if someone else touched her! She was a human being—she had feelings, too!
"Oh no you don't! There's no way I'm going to stop being friends with Houjo, not Hobo, just because you don't like him!" Kagome stepped around the possessive hanyou and stood in front of a rapidly blinking Houjo.
If they were engaged, then that meant they were in love—so why were they arguing? Poor Houjo was riding the carousel in Confuzzled World. Yes, he was an unfortunate soul and his pony was a stationary one.
Meanwhile...Inuyasha was outraged! "You can't possibly expect me to trust this wimpy bastard with you! He's so fucking stupid he probably doesn't understand that you belong to me!"
Obviously he was a follower of the unwritten rule stating that Hobos can't get near women engaged to half-demons...because they were engaged. End of story.
"Actually, I—" Houjo cut off his own sentence when the couple shot him a furious glower. "I'll shut up now if you don't mind..." Hmph, of course no one minded.
"I don't belong to you in the first place!" Kagome jabbed a finger at his chest, emphasizing her point with each poke. "And what do you mean you can't trust him?! Houjo is as harmless as a fly! Oh, so you suddenly trust Kouga more than a fly, hm?"
"The only reason I trust Kouga is because Ayame keeps him in check!" With her around, he hardly beat the crap out of the wolf once he overstepped his boundaries since Ayame's punishment was quite efficient.
She was worse than Sango in taming 'boyfriends'...
Kagome was seconds away from whipping out the putrid Shuon and shoving it up his nose. "Yeah, well Houjo is respectful so he doesn't need Ayame to keep him in check! Heck, he's so respectful he's never made a pass at me in his entire life! You don't even know him, Inuyasha—don't start judging people just because you're a jealous freak."
"I am not fucking jealous!"
"The hell you aren't!"
"Umm..." Houjo wondered if now would be a good time to excuse himself. "Can I—"
"SHUT UP!" Inuyasha and Kagome both shouted, and he merely nodded after gulping his fright.
"Look, wench—until we're married, I'm not letting you prance around with other bastards, especially this one." Inuyasha left no room for arguments. He crossed his arms and glowered at his fiancée, who was flushed from anger. "Shove your protests up your ass 'cause I'm not changing my mind."
"Shut the hell up!" Kagome shouted, so angry that she couldn't find a replacement for slapping the arrogant fool other than fisting her hands. "You make me sound like a common whore! In case you haven't noticed, you stupid jerk, I practically gave up my friends for you! Does it look like I still hang out with Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi after you came into my life?"
She made it sound like it was a bad thing! Was there a reason why she was only bringing this issue to the surface now of all times?
"Isn't it for the better? Those bitches are annoying." It alas occurred to the hanyou that he had refrained from revealing Yuka's true ugly self to the miko. Hmph, like on his first day of school, she sent him an instant message about how he wasn't good enough for her...
How Houjo was the ideal guy for her...
Even now it still boiled his demon blood...why else would he hate Hobo other than the obvious? Yuka made it seem like Kagome preferred him over her own fiancé... A future doctor from a wealthy family, someone who didn't humiliate her and someone she would be proud of...it seemed like an offer the miko shouldn't pass up.
Well...that was months ago, when he was unsure of how Kagome felt about him. Surely his thoughts on the matter changed in five months? Then again...Inuyasha was notorious for being insecure.
Perhaps if Kagome wasn't so angry, she would have been able to discern it from their bond. But she failed to. Unfortunately, she failed him just as he failed to understand her.
"You didn't just say that..." She couldn't believe her own ears. He couldn't have... It was like a punch in the gut! "Here I am saying I sacrificed a life I knew and cherished for you, and all you say, 'It's for the better'?"
"I never told you to give them up—it was your choice! I never forced you to sit with me at lunch, I never forced you to stop talking to them; I never forced you to do anything! So don't you fucking dare blame me for your life troubles!"
Why were they arguing? Gods, she wanted the fury in her to recede! But it wouldn't! Not as long as he continued to spew insensitive declarations from his mouth, not until he realized what an asshole he was being...
Why was he like this? Did having a bad childhood immediately force one to be a jerk to others?
Kagome desired to be with him, she wanted to marry him...but not when her life would be compromised because of him. He couldn't dictate her life—she was too independent for that! Inuyasha wasn't her mother or father, so he didn't create her life; therefore, his claims of ownership were unjustifiable!
She didn't need this...
She didn't have to bear this pain and anger...
Once she had believed life with him would be ok as long as they were together.
Once she had believed she could marry him...give herself entirely to him.
But now...
...in the moment his true colors shown...how he insinuated her friends weren't important, her desires weren't important...she wasn't important as long as he had his way...
Kagome shook her head. She believed in equality between men and women. She believed she had her own rights and she could do as she pleased since her fiancé did as he pleased, apparently. And if he didn't like it...
...then to hell with him.
She wasn't a pathetic little girl. She wasn't a porcelain doll confined in a glass box. She wasn't a goddamn pushover! She wasn't going to stand here and concede to his demands like her life was not worth fighting for!
He could whine about it...
He could beg for her forgiveness...
He could threaten to kill himself...
...and she wouldn't care.
"Inuyasha..." Kagome smiled, though it was completely devoid of mirth. Houjo noticed and backed away from her, partially because her spiritual aura was crackling. The hanyou, however, bravely stood his ground. "Thank you."
He cocked his head, baffled. What was she alluding to? "What the—"
The hanyou understood perfectly once his alleged 'fiancée' swiftly removed her engagement ring from her finger, the same ring symbolizing their future unity. She then callously threw it at him with icy chocolate eyes betraying her amiable, benevolent personality.
His golden eyes widened. She is...breaking up with...fuck... Technically, they couldn't break off their engagement, but...the miko's strong will was enough to persuade her mother otherwise.
Besides...it hurt. It hurt him...that she could even think about not... Damn...
"Thank you, Inuyasha. Now I really know we're just not made for each other." She shrugged as though it hardly bothered her. "It's not working...it's just not working between us. We argue too much. We disagree too much. We share different ideals."
That word...ideals...
'Yuka says: Whatever. Just remember that Kagome is nothing like you and she deserves someone who shares her ideals.'
Inuyasha's heart nearly stopped once he recalled the particular instant message from all the way back on his first day of school. The Yuka bitch was right. Fuck...she was right. And yet...he wasn't accepting it.
Nope...it was impossible to accept. Like hell he was about to let her leave him! Like fucking hell!
His body pulsed, unbeknownst to onlookers. His mind blanked, and his blood became thick black. His hands curled into fists...his lips curled into a snarl...
She wasn't leaving him...she wasn't, dammit!
Pulse...
What was happening to him? He didn't know. But what did he care in the first place? All he could think about was Kagome walking away from him, living a life with another man... No!
Pulse...
It was like a snake slithered restlessly in his veins, attempting to burst out of him... It was making him sick...like how he felt back in Portugal... No, this time it was different.
Don't let her go, Prince Inuyasha... Don't let that bastard take her from you. His body relaxed for one moment and coils of black energy wound around him, embracing him. The deep, rumbling voice returned with a vengeance that lulled him...he couldn't deny its wishes.
Allow me to help you make her stay.
He just couldn't fight it. He let the voice's power drift into him. He neither forbid nor prevented it from consuming him.
Unleash Kurayami's Blade—my blade—and kill him. Kurayami...was speaking to him?
He was right, though... Kurayami's Blade...a powerful weapon...perfect for murder.
Pulse...
And then...all Inuyasha could see was black.
Something was off about the hanyou...but the miko wasn't heeding her instincts.
"Come on, Houjo, I could use some grub right about now!" Kagome turned to the heavily confused man behind her with a carefree smile, and she refrained from even glancing back at her fiancé...or ex-fiancé? Houjo wasn't sure. "Hopefully the Ramen House is still—"
"I thought I said you two aren't going anywhere."
Something in his tone of voice made Kagome face him again. It sounded smooth and deep, even calm...and then she immediately gasped. If she ever thought his aura was tenacious prior to this day, then it was a severe understatement.
The expression on his face was even worse.
"I-Inuyasha...?" Perhaps she shouldn't have been so harsh with her words or her actions...
He was smiling...
...because he planned to kill someone.
The hanyou chuckled, and it had everyone's skin crawling. He outstretched his arm and his onlookers were shocked when a sword materialized into his hand. A sword! Kagome's alarm died down once she recognized it as his precious Tetsusaiga, but Houjo was still a second away from fainting behind her.
However...
The sword was then enveloped in a swirl of ebony light similar to the color of his current aura, and it surprisingly transformed into a scythe...what?! It was a tall weapon reaching at least several feet above his head, and its blade was long and jagged—overall, it looked like the devil's weapon of choice.
"O-Oh my gods..." Houjo's mouth looked like a cave with the way he was gaping. "W-What is he...? Is this normal for half demons?" Damn, he was researching this at once!
No, it's not normal... But Kagome lacked the will to part her lips to utter a single word. His eyes...they were so guarded...so emotionless...
...so cold...
"You two aren't going anywhere...not if I can help it," 'Inuyasha' reiterated, smirking with the cruelty only a god of death harbored. "It's such a shame we couldn't spend more time together, Hobo. But I'll enjoy killing you."
A/N: END! :-D
