An: There have been rumblings for Tohru. I didn't forget her, promise. Hugs!
Kyo eyed the shrine maiden as she swept off the stairs. He'd taken to popping in occasionally when he knew Yuki wouldn't be there, trying to puzzle out the girl. She was extraordinarily powerful and confident enough in her abilities to face any threat head-on; but, there was something almost broken about her. He only caught flashes of it, times when she was lost in thought or he came upon her unaware. However-in the months he'd known her-he'd watched as that brokenness mended. Slowly but surely, whatever had hurt her so damned much slipped into the past. It made him curious because she honestly seemed to give a damn about him and Yuki. Hell, even Shigure got fed when she sent food home. And Tohru, too, since the girl had been living with them.
Lounging back on the stairs, he tracked her movements, faintly catching the tune she was humming. It sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it. Frowning, he turned it over in his mind until he remembered where he'd heard it. The bastard sometimes hummed it when he was working in his garden, making Kyo wonder if Kagome had influenced him or the other way around.
"You're in love with him, aren't you?" he asked bluntly.
Halting her chore, Kagome turned to stare at him in confusion. "I'm sorry, what?"
"The damned rat. You're in love with him."
And for the first time, he saw her go utterly soft in the way only girls can do when they're totally head-over-heels for a guy. It made him a bit uncomfortable, because that look wasn't for him, but damned if it didn't bring out his masculine need to protect her. Kagome didn't need protecting, especially from the rat. The bastard was so stupid for her it was pathetic.
"He asked me to wait for him," she admitted with those wide blue eyes that were all kinds of not for him.
When what she meant dawned, Kyo had a grudging moment of admiration for his roommate. He knew what he wanted, but he also knew that it'd be a shitty move to tie himself to Kagome when he was still bound to Akito. Asking Kagome to wait was pretty ballsy.
"Ugh, please don't give me any sappy spiels about destiny and fate," he groaned, dropping his head backwards.
Giggling, she rolled her eyes. "I wasn't going to. Actually, I was going to tell you that I'm going to cast a Containment Circle tomorrow to help Yuki sever the last of the curse. At this point, I believe all he needs is a nudge and he'll do it himself. Still, better safe than sorry. Afterwards, we can get serious about breaking your curse."
Foreign warmth blossomed in his heart as she chattered on about friends sticking together and loyalty, blah, blah, blah.
Funny how they didn't sound like empty words to him, coming from her.
"Yeah, yeah. Lynch pin of the whole thing, got it," he flapped his hand.
Glancing to him, Kagome arched a brow. "How's Tohru, Kyo?"
To his absolute horror, Kyo could feel heat coming to his cheeks. When Kagome shot him a knowing smirk, he flung his arm over his eyes.
"Shut up, wench."
He didn't see the shock that froze her features at that much-used phrase coming from a cat instead of a dog. Holding her heart, she wondered if the conversation she and her mother had at the festival might be more accurate than she knew. If that was the case, he was still looking after her, even after all this time.
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Fully recharged, Kagome eagerly set about drawing a Containment Circle in the courtyard the next day. Yuki, Kyo, Tohru, and Shigure watched her work, all of them quiet as she concentrated. It was tiring work and demanded that she be meticulous in it lest she risk something going horribly wrong. Kaede and Miroku had only taught this to her in the last weeks of her journey in the past as it was very advanced. Studying the finished product, she nodded to herself in satisfaction and clasped her hands to pray. In an instant, the circle and letters lit up like a beacon with pink fire.
"If you'd step into the middle, Yuki," she murmured, holding her pose. "The circle should weaken the curse further and boost your own strength, giving you the ability to break it yourself. It'll also keep any backlash from harming you or the others."
Carefully doing so without disturbing the circle, Yuki shuddered when he was fully inside. The spirit of the rat manifested tangibly above him, staring at Kagome shrewdly.
"The head of the zodiac is coming, little priestess," it told her in a deeper voice than she would have expected. "She will do her best to destroy you for freeing us."
Kagome frowned as Yuki panted, working diligently on breaking the spirit's tie.
"She will fail," Kagome stated emphatically.
It bowed his head just as Yuki fell to his knees and the final chord snapped. The spirit dissolved peacefully, while the circle lit up absorbing the magical recoil of the act. Kagome gritted her teeth to hold the circle against the powerful influx. Breathing deeply, she closed her eyes and focused.
"Kyo, if you want to have me blast a bit at your curse, now would be a good time," she said around clenched teeth. "With the added power from Yuki's, I can probably unravel it quite a bit."
Staggering to his feet, Yuki managed to get out of the circle without breaking it. Kagome couldn't spare him the attention she wanted as it was taking all her mind to hold the now much more powerful circle. Slowly, Kyo stepped into it, the cat lazily appearing like an orange shadow behind him.
It didn't speak, only watched her steadily as she poured her power into the weak points of the curse.
"Stop before you over do it," a voice whispered in her ear.
Hearing the worry and knowing immediately who it was, Kagome blew out a breath and carefully brought her power back to her. To her surprise, the circle fell and released its remaining power into her as well. Jolting, she fell back against Yuki, feeling an odd juxtaposition of invigorated and weary. Tipping her head back, she found Yuki grinning down at her, his expression lighter and freer than she'd ever seen it.
"It's gone," he told her, wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her to him.
Shigure was watching with wide eyes while Tohru was testing Kyo's curse. The cat stiffened, but allowed the embrace when he realized he wasn't transforming.
Laughing with delight, Kagome twisted and threw her arms around Yuki. "You did it! And Kyo's is almost gone, too!"
Burying her face in his chest, Kagome tried to keep from shedding a few relieved, happy tears at the momentous occasion. Yuki's soul had enveloped hers the moment he was free, almost merging with it so great was his need for her. It was overwhelming to the point that she just wanted to curl up in his arms and never leave. She wanted to touch him and feel him touch her; see his eyes turn that deep amethyst they always did when his desire burned hot. She wanted him and his soft voice and crisp scent.
Yuki's hands flew to the small of her back and the back of her head as he held her tightly. Leaning down, he pressed his cheek to hers, the gesture too tender for it to be anything but loving. At it, Kagome hiccupped and clenched her hands against his shoulders, prompting him to smile.
"Kagome," he breathed, "will you go out with me?"
Laughing wetly, she nodded, her heart blocking her words in her throat. Yuki pulled back to meet her eyes and then rested his forehead against hers.
"Don't cry," he entreated. "I don't know what to do if you cry."
Reaching up, she cupped his cheeks and closed her eyes to wallow in the moment. "Just hold me a minute? You…you called me 'Kagome.' "
That had him rubbing his thumbs along her jaw before he mirrored her hold. "So I did."
An unwelcome tingle tugged at her senses, breaking the warm moment. Frowning, Kagome pulled back from Yuki and looked toward the stairs.
"I believe we have an unwelcome visitor," she informed the group, breaking up Shigure's teasing of Kyo. Thank goodness the man had enough tact to let her and Yuki have their moment.
Yuki tensed. "Akito?"
"Whoever it is, they can't get passed my wards," she realized. "That's strange. I've felt the wards being nudged occasionally over the past few months, but nothing like this. I suppose that answers why I haven't received a visit from your illustrious head of family. She can't get in."
Shigure came to stand beside her. "You warded the shrine to keep out Akito?"
Kagome shook her head. "No, after the festival, I warded it to keep out malevolence. You'd probably be able to feel it in your transformed state. Momiji's fur fluffs up and Rin says she can almost see it. Although, it does sometimes affect Haru when he's-uh-in one of his moods."
Leading them to the top of the stairs, Kagome peered down at the woman dressed like a man. She was looking up with one of the coldest expressions Kagome had ever seen, even though her mouth was tipped in a smile.
"Kagome Higurashi, I presume?" she asked, her hands in her pockets.
"That's me. You must be Akito. What do you want?"
Akito's smile slipped as the others gathered behind Kagome. "I came to see what was causing such a disturbance in my family."
Studying her and the darkness twining with her soul, Kagome finally understood. "You're a husk," she murmured, her brows drawing together. "The curse is sustaining you, isn't it?"
Wariness crept into Akito's eyes as Kagome descended a few steps until she was just out of reach. "What are you talking about?"
"I mean, I can see all the little 'hooks' of the curse in your soul, binding the others to you. However, there is one that isn't a part of the curse. One that is in fact draining you of your life."
Shigure came down and met Kagome's eyes seriously. "Someone is using Akito as a battery?" he asked, aghast.
Shifting uncomfortably, she looked back at the confused woman and nodded. "Yes. You're only managing to stay alive by pulling energy from the zodiac bonds."
Jerking his head around, Shigure met Akito's eyes and saw something that squeezed his heart. "That's why you've always been scared of dying young. Why you're so fanatic about us all staying with you. Who's doing this to you?"
Kagome could see that Akito felt cornered, having expected a confrontation over Yuki and Kyo, not herself. Yuki was holding Kagome's hand tightly, his soul desperately positioned to protect hers from Akito. Remembering the wounds on his back and the deep-seeded insecurity he'd carried, she knew that the woman below had been the cause of it all. Hiro had once confessed to Sota that Akito had even beaten sweet little Kisa enough to hospitalize her. Kyo had told her of the isolation house waiting on him and Hatori's vision had been taken from him for years. It made her wonder how Shigure could still dredge up affection for the unstable woman. Regardless of what was done to her, Akito had still done her level best to create Hell for the members of her family. Kagome was very tempted to purify her for that.
"I…don't know," Akito finally admitted.
Drawing up, Shigure crossed his arms. "Your bitch of a mother would love to have us sustain her youth. I've always wondered how she stayed looking so young."
Scowling, Akito tipped her head up. "Before, or after you slept with her?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Shigure didn't rise to the bait. "Both, I suppose." He looked back at Kagome. "Can you fix that?"
Kagome shifted closer to Yuki at the anger in the other woman's eyes. She'd faced much worse enemies, but it was the jagged edge of madness in those orbs that unnerved her.
"I'm not sure. It's an old bond, decades old and it was slap-stitch work. Whoever did it was dabbling in things beyond their ability."
Yuki's hand gripped hers securely. "How long does he…she have?"
Kagome bit her lip and tried to calculate. "Not very long, with the bonds breaking and the increased rate of absorption recently. If Akito dies, there is a very good chance the headship will pass through that bond into whoever is at the other end."
Shigure cursed and rubbed his face. "Your mother wouldn't have a problem with that," he pointed out to Akito. "She's always been jealous of you."
"I might be able to unstitch that bond," Kagome offered lowly, "but there's no guarantee what that'll do to you, Akito. Theoretically, you should get better. However, that is one rough bit of magic. It's a miracle it didn't kill you when it was cast."
Kyo snorted. "What'll it do to the rest of us?" he demanded.
Kagome stared at the bonds, the souls still connected through the awful curse. It made her sick. "Without the strain, if Akito truly desires, she might be able to unravel your bond, Kyo. That would take care of the whole thing."
Akito's face tightened. "They are my family. Regardless of what's been done to me, they are still mine."
A righteous rage erupted in Kagome at those words. The absolute cruelty and injustice of Akito was as evil as Naraku's had been. Sucky childhood or not, she didn't have the right to deny her family a future, or treat them like they were less than human.
Powers swirling to life around her, Kagome decided to put a stop to it right there. "I was going to be nice about it since Shigure at least thinks fondly of you. But, I don't think you deserve that consideration."
Flinging the pink fire out, Kagome purified the patch-work bond in the woman's soul and then turned her attention to the zodiac hooks. Akito collapsed just as Kagome found Kyo's and flooded it with her power. He took one look at her and then used her opening to pull the tie on the bond. Instead of snapping, it unraveled, starting a chain-reaction through all of the hooks.
Staggering, Kagome fell into Yuki, allowing him to support her as Shigure took care of the unconscious Akito.
"I was a bit angry," Kagome mumbled.
Then, her eyes rolled back and she knew no more.
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Kagome held still as her mother braided back her hair for her. The past week had been a blur of activity-what with Ren Sohma being found dead and Akito being hospitalized for several different disorders. Kagome hadn't been paying attention to Shigure when he'd been rattling off the list of things that were wrong with his lover. To be honest, she didn't care. Her fifteen-year-old self would have been horrified by the callous thought, but Kagome had learned a lot of hard lessons since then. If Yuki ever decided to give Akito another chance, she would support him, but until then, she just wanted the horrible woman out of their lives.
After passing out, Kagome had woken on the couch, her mother and Yuki hovering over her. She'd once more used too much energy against the curse, but it had been the last time. It'd well and truly been broken and now they were all free.
But, tonight, she wasn't going to think about all of that. Tonight, Yuki was coming to the shrine as her boyfriend to take her on a date. For tonight, they were going to be just a normal couple and it felt wonderfully exciting. Well, now that she'd gotten over her panic at not having anything to wear. Her mother had found her near tears in her room, her closet having apparently vomited out all of her clothes. Eyes twinkling, she'd calmed her daughter down and took her to the mall.
"You're first real date deserves a new outfit, I think," she said with a wink as she paid for a new sundress and cardigan.
Kagome had hugged her in relieved gratitude.
Now, she was looking in the mirror as her mother finished the pretty braid, her face bare of makeup besides a touch of lip gloss. Kagome was profoundly thankful she hadn't broken into acne with the stress of the past week. She didn't often wear makeup and would have been embarrassed to show up to a date with a giant spot on her nose.
"You look lovely," Mrs. Higurashi announced with a smile. "Happiness suits you, Kagome."
Grinning shyly, Kagome ducked her head. "I really like him, Mama, and he…Yuki likes me, too."
Wrapping an arm around her, Mrs. Higurashi led her down the stairs. "Of course he does, dear. The poor boy is so besotted with you he braved your grandfather's eccentrics just to spend time with you. He also respected us enough to ask. That carried a great deal of weight, you know."
A knock at the door interrupted them, making Kagome swallow nervously. Her mother squeezed her shoulder.
"It's just Yuki," she whispered to reassure her. "He's seen you violent over food, Kagome, and he still asked you out."
Letting out a weak laugh, Kagome jerked a nod and let her mother answer the door. Yuki stood on the other side, dressed just a bit nicer than he usually did when he visited. He was also holding a small box of her favorite chocolates.
"Hello, Yuki," her mother greeted, inviting him in.
"Good evening, Mrs. Higurashi," he replied before spotting Kagome.
The girl was gratified by the appreciation in his eyes and the way a bit of pink tinged his cheeks. It wasn't the covetous look he'd worn the night she'd danced, but it sent another kind of warmth through her.
"I brought you candy, since I dislike the notion of giving you something that will wilt," he said in a rush, passing her the chocolates.
Smiling, her shoulders relaxing when she realized he was just as nervous as she was, Kagome took them with a quiet thanks.
"You look lovely, Kagome," he said as she slipped on her shoes.
Blushing, she let her mother take the candy and then fiddled with her purse. "I feel really weird," she admitted to him.
That startled a laugh out of him. "You're more comfortable around a talking rodent than on going on a date?"
"You weren't the first animal I've spoken to," she pointed out.
That made one of his brows inch up. Opening the door for her, he shook his head. "You know most of my secrets and yet I'm still learning about you."
Waving goodbye to her mother, Kagome shrugged and stepped outside with him. "Keeps you coming back, doesn't it?" she quipped, forcing herself not to grin stupidly when he took her hand. His soul was doting on hers, suffusing it with such happiness and warmth she wondered how her feet stayed on the ground.
Yuki tugged at her fingers, getting her attention. "I don't think you have anything to worry about on that front," he smiled.
Softening, Kagome stepped just a bit closer to him, their steps matching as they walked.
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They walked the rest of the way to the movie theatre chatting about anything that came to mind. Even after a week, Yuki was still reeling from the shock of what had happened the day his curse broke. For so long he'd lived in fear of Akito and that black room that it'd tainted every aspect of his life. Now, though, he'd thrown off that yoke. He was his own person again and no one would ever take that away from him.
Giggling at something he'd said, Kagome squeezed his hand, pulling a smile from him. She was his girlfriend now. And, he didn't have to worry about Akito taking her away or driving her away by not even being able to hug her. His soul was nearly giddy with the knowledge, holding onto hers as if to pull it into him. That possessive feeling he'd first had about her increased exponentially now that the curse wasn't between them. Kagome was meant for him. Yuki knew it as surely as he knew that he was meant for her.
He was drawn from his thoughts when they reached the theatre and he heard the familiar girlish sighs that seemed to greet him everywhere he went. Glancing to Kagome out of the corner of his eyes, Yuki was relieved to find her looking at the movie choices instead of the group of girls just outside the doors. He recognized some of them, but didn't have a clue who most were. He really, really hoped they left him alone tonight.
"What about that one?" Kagome asked, pointing at the comedy movie. "Or, was there one you wanted to see?"
Looking over the poster, he shook his head. "No, that's fine. The previews have been amusing."
As they made their way towards the door, one of the girls hollered at him. "Yuki Sohma! Which movie are you going to see?"
Glancing at her, he offered a polite smile. "Which one would you recommend?"
She beamed and pointed at the sappy romance that had just come out. Yuki arched a brow and fervently prayed that Kagome wouldn't change her mind and want to see that.
"Is that what you're going to see?"
The girl and her friends nodded, eyes wide and watching him hopefully. Were they really not paying attention to Kagome, or the fact that he was obviously holding her hand? What airheads. Stepping back, he held the door opened for the group of girls.
"Well, ladies first."
They grinned and thanked him with coy looks and sugared words. He caught the quick, assessing glares they were shooting at Kagome, though. Not so dismissive after all, then. Kagome simply smiled serenely and waited for them to get in line. Then, she winked at Yuki. He chuckled and led her to the longest ticket line, assuring that those girls got theirs first.
"You're pretty clever," Kagome told him, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Does this happen often?"
Heat tinted his cheeks, making him shift uncomfortably. "Unfortunately. It would probably be more flattering if I didn't know that at least three of them are some of the ones that have a running bet on getting me into a dress."
The long look she gave him from his head to his feet shouldn't have sparked that much heat in him. It did and suddenly all Yuki wanted to do was find a nice secluded spot to be a stereotypical teenager.
"I'm partial to you like this," she told him, a hint of red in her face.
Before he could find an appropriate answer, they were at the register. Yuki reluctantly released Kagome's hand and asked for two tickets for the comedy.
"Do you want any snacks?" he asked her.
"No, thank you."
Nodding, he turned back to the cashier. "Just the tickets, please."
In short order, they were walking towards the hall to go to the movie. The group of girls gleefully followed until Yuki held open the door for Kagome at the comedy movie.
"B-but, aren't you going to this movie?" one girl stuttered, holding up her ticket.
Lips tipping up, Yuki shook his head. "No, my girlfriend and I want to see this one. I hope yours is good."
Then, he stepped inside and let the door close behind him. Kagome smirked at him as he took her hand.
"You totally just used me like a shield," she whispered as they climbed the stairs to their seats.
Chuckling, he let her get settled and then sat beside her. "Unashamedly."
"Well, let's hope they don't go back and swap their tickets," Kagome pointed out. "Maybe we should duck down just in case."
Catching her teasing tone, Yuki raised the armrest between them and lightly pinched her side. Covering her mouth to muffle her amusement, Kagome caught his hand to prevent more attacks. As the lights dimmed, her laughter faded and, biting her lip, she turned to the screen. Yuki smiled at her shyness and turned his hand over to lace their fingers.
Later, he wouldn't be able to remember much about the movie. All that stayed with him was the way the light washed over Kagome and the way she'd snuggled into his shoulder about half-way through. As if feeling his stare, she tipped her head up to him, smiling in question.
Leaning down, Yuki whispered, "Are you wearing flavored lip gloss?"
He'd been smelling something fruity all night. One of her brows inched up, but she nodded.
"Peach," she answered as something heated flashed in her eyes. "Want some?"
Letting go of her hand, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his side. "I don't wear lip gloss," he murmured against the shell of her ear, delighted when chill bumps dotted her skin.
Kagome coughed at his words to hide her laughter and curled more fully into him. Yuki wondered if he should have left the armrest down. Because, he really, really had a sudden craving for peaches.
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As they left the theatre, Kagome felt like she was floating. Yuki had let her cuddle him as much as she wanted and had spent a good chunk of the movie playing with the end of her braid. She hoped he didn't ask her what her favorite part was, because she'd been more concerned with watching him than the movie.
"Are you hungry?" he asked, taking her hand again.
"Starving, actually," she admitted. "We should get out of sight of the theatre before your groupies spot you."
That made him frown at her and then glance over his shoulder as if to check that those girls weren't following. Maybe she should feel jealous, but she really wasn't. She trusted Yuki and it was obvious that he could have dated any of those girls if he'd wanted. Instead, he'd picked her. For the first time, she was first in someone's heart. His soul swirled around hers, almost fussing over her. It was decidedly nice.
"They are remarkably persistent," he grumbled.
Leaning into him, she didn't let those girls bother her. "How does Tohru take them at school? They don't treat her badly, do they?"
Flicking his gaze to her, he shook his head. "No, Kyo has an uncanny ability to know when she needs him. It'd be so much easier on all of us if he'd just ask her out already."
Amused, Kagome rolled her eyes. "Well, if he is Inuyasha's reincarnation, it'll take nothing short of near-death for him to admit it."
At her boyfriend's silence, Kagome looked up at him. He was watching her intently, making her frown in confusion.
"Kagome, how can Kyo be the reincarnation of your dead friend?"
Realizing what she'd let slip, Kagome blanched. Her mind raced to try to formulate a logical explanation, but there really wasn't anything logical to what she'd said. Swallowing, she took back her hand and cupped her elbows, wondering if he'd call her crazy. Really, how did one explain time-travel through a well?
Yuki must have noted how uncomfortable she was, because his expression softened. "You can tell me anything. You found me when I was a rat, Kagome."
Pulling her cardigan tighter to her, she hesitantly nodded. "It's pretty bizarre, Yuki. I-I wouldn't blame you if you don't believe me."
"Let's get food here," he said, guiding her into a restaurant. "We'll eat at the park and you can tell me about it."
Kagome agreed, but her appetite had well and truly abandoned her. Yuki ordered for them and then carried the food as they walked to the park. Finding a secluded picnic table, they settled in silence as Kagome tried to figure out where to start.
"Now, tell me this deep dark secret," he bade her once everything was laid out.
Fiddling with her napkin, Kagome took a breath and steeled herself. Taking comfort in the encouragement and assurance lacing his soul as it wound around hers, she haltingly began her story.
"On my fifteenth birthday, I was pulled into the well on the shrine…"
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Yuki was absolutely mesmerized by his girlfriend and the story she was telling him. Her soul seemed to dance with the words, practically shoving pictures and memories at him. It was fantastic, the stuff of fantasy and movies, but he'd no doubts that she'd somehow managed to live it. Her emotional reactions and her soul's memories were too real for it to be a lie.
When she was finished, he felt that the missing pieces of her puzzle finally clicked into place. Everything made sense-from her unheard of ancient medical knowledge to her unparalleled control of extinct powers. She'd really travelled to the past, fought someone that made even Akito seem like a kitten, and come out unrivalled.
"That explains so much," he said when she hesitantly looked at him for his reaction. "I'd wondered where you could have possibly fought off a toad demon with a hairspray flamethrower."
Taken aback, she snorted and then giggled in what sounded like relief. If he wasn't mistaken, there were some tears in her blue eyes, too. He couldn't have that. Reaching across the table, he took her hand.
"I don't think you're crazy, Kagome."
For the first time since he'd called her on her slip, she relaxed. "It's not that I didn't want to tell you," she whispered.
"It's just-as you said-truly bizarre," he finished. "I understand. And, honestly, if I hadn't lived the life I have, I might have a hard time believing it. Still, your soul is rather insistent on sharing memories of that with mine. That's not something I can easily discount, even if I didn't believe you."
Rubbing his thumb across her knuckles, he thought over all he'd been told-all the faint memories that he'd been shown. Her adventure had been much more dangerous than she'd like him and her family to believe, he realized.
"Does your mother know your soul was split for a while?"
Shaking her head, she dropped her eyes. "No. It's whole again, so I didn't see a reason to worry her. I wasn't exactly forthcoming about everything we faced in the past. She would have blocked the well or forbidden me to go and it was my responsibility to complete the Jewel of Four Souls. It came out of my body, after all."
Motioning to her side, he asked, "Did it scar?"
"Yes. I've got a perfect imprint of a centipede demon's teeth in my side," she admitted.
Brows shooting up, Yuki said, "You'll have to show me sometime," before he'd thought it through.
When he did, he felt his face heating and hurried to back pedal. "I didn't mean—"
Chuckling, Kagome propped her head up on her free hand and playfully narrowed her eyes at him. "Sure you didn't. Shigure has been a terrible influence on you."
Relieved that she hadn't been offended, he rolled his eyes. "It's a miracle I've managed to block him out, honestly. Have you read his books?"
"One," she said. "It was okay. I don't know why you and Kyo make such a big deal about it."
Flabbergasted, he felt his jaw drop. "Kagome, I meant the books he writes under a pseudonym."
"Uh, no. I don't think I have. I didn't even know he had a pen name."
"Trust me, you'd know if you read one of those," he huffed. "He writes erotica on the side."
Blinking rapidly, she processed that and then gagged. "Why did you tell me that? Bleh! If Kyo is Inuyasha's reincarnation, Shigure is definitely Miroku's."
At the mental image of Shigure in a monk's outfit, Yuki couldn't help but laugh. "But, I don't think Akito is the reincarnation of Sango."
Stilling at the mention of the deceased slayer, Kagome blew out a breath and shook her head. "No. Sango never felt so dark, even directly after her family was slaughtered." Her lips pulled up. "Tohru might be Rin's reincarnation, though."
Remembering her stories, Yuki tried to place the name. "The western lord's ward?"
"Yes! Rin was adorable and quite insightful in her own way; she was just in her own world a good chunk of the time."
Grinning at the apt description of Tohru, Yuki threw away their trash and then took Kagome's hand. Drawing her up, he pulled them into a stroll as the moon lit the park in silver. Coming to a swing set, Kagome laughed and took a seat in one, rocking happily. She pouted as she realized she couldn't swing with a skirt on, but was content when he sat in the swing next to her.
"So, if Inuyasha came back as a cat and is in love with his half-brother's ward, where's Sesshōmaru in all of this?"
Amused, she waved her hand dismissively. "If he'd died and was reincarnated, I suppose he'd be whoever is hovering around Tohru making sure Kyo is kept in line."
As soon as that was out of her mouth, the strangest expression flickered across her face. Slowly, she turned to look at him, her eyes widening a fraction. Confused, Yuki silently questioned her. A strangled noise escaped her throat as her lips twitched.
"What?"
"Nothing!" she hurried to say. "Nothing at all. It's just strange thinking of Sesshōmaru being dead. He was…impressive to say the least. We even parted on good terms."
Watching her lean her head on the chain of the swing, he smiled at seeing the shadows from the year before no longer haunting her eyes.
"You fought together to defeat Naraku, right?"
Kagome nodded. "Yes, but before I fixed the Jewel, he told me that he'd light incense for me if I was sucked back. That was a big deal for him, you know? In his way, he promised that I wouldn't be forgotten. It helped a lot, when I came back and sometimes wondered if all I'd done would be lost to history. Or dismissed as a myth."
Meeting his gaze, she reached out and took his hand. "So, maybe I'll light incense for him, so that wherever he and the others are, they'll know they aren't forgotten, either."
For some reason, Yuki felt a wild part of his soul quiet at those words, as if someone else had heard them as well.
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Next Chapter: An extremely awkward conversation.