Miroku POV:
Sango and I were driving back from our date. It had been simple, but that was what had made it special. Like the little children we were at heart, we had gone to the park and played, bought sweets from the ice cream man's cart and then watched as the sun slowly painted a rainbow on the heavy clouds. The misting rain began to harden into solid drops as we drove home together.
Our second date! Hey, that 'sleep-over' thing did NOT count.
Any way, we stopped at a light next to a rather rowdy bar just as a couple of demons stumbled out singing something that sounded like Justin Beiber. They tilted into a familiar looking silhouette that was standing directly under the lamp. The dog ears twitched as the pair bumped into him, and he tripped, almost running into my stopped car.
What the hell? Inuyasha is a klutz, sure, but that was unusual, for him to almost fall flat on his face over something so small. I caught sight of his face, a foolish smile on it as he called to the other two, swaying.
"Sango," I said softly, "Open the back door for him will you?"
"Uh, sure…" she replied with an odd look before hopping out and gesturing to Inuyasha and then the car. He laughed and made some dizzy reply that I couldn't make out. She clambered back in and whispered in my ear, "There's something wrong with him."
"Well yeah, he's Inuyasha. Of course there's something wrong with him."
"No, I mean…" she cut off as he got in. The smell of alcohol was evident as he leaned back in his seat, strange grin still in place, eyes slightly out of focus. I twisted in my chair, turning to face him.
"Are you drunk?"
"Sure Miroku!" he laughed easily. I gave Sango 'the raised eyebrows' look. She nodded in return.
"Um, may I ask why?" I called over my shoulder as the light turned green. Inuyasha stiffened, and his voice lost some of the wavering quality.
"No."
"Did something happen between you and Kagome?" Sango queried softly.
"I'm not going to talk about it."
"What happened?" she asked with a bit more force.
"I said I'm not going to talk about it!" Inuyasha said in raised tones with the bite of anger in them. Sango pulled back a bit.
"Calm down Yash, we're trying to help you. Maybe what happened can be fixed." I said in soothing tones, though I had no freaking idea what took place.
"It can't be fixed. Not anymore." He murmured.
"What can't be fixed though?"
"Mind your own damn business." He snapped at me. I furrowed my eyebrows and glared at him through the rearview mirror. "People are always prying." He said angrily. "'What happened? Are you okay? Do you need help?' Tch. I never really needed anyone. And no one really needed me."
His voice had died to a murmur by now. I looked at him again.
"If you just told us what-"
"Shut up! I don't need advice! My life has been screwed up since I was born, and not all the advice in the world can fix it! I'll do this on my own." Despite the fact that we were going almost sixty miles an hour, Inuyasha threw open the door and leaped out, rolling forward to take the impact and then running out of my line of vision.
"What the hell was that all about?" I yelled.
"Search me." Sango said in a dull voice. "I'll talk to Kagome and try to find out what happened… the only reason I brought that up is because last time I called Kagome she sounded like she had been crying."
"Do me a favor and check on Inuyasha tomorrow. I mean, make sure he's home. Because if he's not, I'm going to have to go look for him." I growled.
"Sure. I think though, we should check after school. He might come to class and then we won't have to bother him." Sango suggested.
I shrugged, pulling up next to Sango's apartment complex and handing her an umbrella.
"See you tomorrow."
"Yeah."
She walked back through the sheets of rain and I couldn't help but look up at where Inuyasha's apartment was. I had to know what was going on.
Naraku POV:
I watched from the roof of a store as Kagura walked past my perch. Though I was smiling, I was angry beyond belief. I had told Kagura to eliminate Rin after the girl hurt Sesshomaru. What was she doing instead? Hiding in the shadows.
I scurried spider-like along the roof as she entered an empty alley that would lead to the next street. I dropped down behind her, making only the slightest of sounds. She whipped around, eyes wide, as if she knew what was coming.
The color drained from her face as she saw what I was holding in my right hand.
"Kagura…" I purred, "You remember what I told you, right?"
"N-naraku, please, I didn't mean-"
"You remember what your next failure would bring?"
"I'm sorry, I-"
"You were to kill the girl. But you didn't. Consider this your second failure." I said, coldly now. I raised the gun in my hand to her face. "Time's up."
I fired, and smiled as her black blood spattered over my face. She was dead before she hit the concrete, and I turned her face with the toe of my boot.
"You should have remembered Kagura. You could never hide anything from me. You were me. Congratulations though. You achieved the highest form of freedom."
Rin POV:
I entered the school feeling cold and empty. I couldn't believe that in an instant of recklessness I had left Sesshomaru's. Maybe it had been a misunderstanding. Maybe I should have listened to his explanations. I was determined to find out today. I would resolve it. I spotted him through the crowd of students and called out for him, but the bell rang, and he turned away.
I would have to wait until lunch to talk to him.
XxXxXxXxXx
Lunch finally arrived after what seemed like hours, and I bolted out of the classroom, skidding to a stop inside the cafeteria. My heart raced as I looked wildly around for Sesshomaru. I finally saw him, sitting alone in the far corner of the room, face hidden in shadow, just… sitting there. I mean, it's not like I expected him to be eating, but…
I inched around the perimeter of the space, avoiding people and slowly getting closer to Sesshomaru. I finally gained enough courage to speak, so I walked timidly up to the table and sat down across from him. He didn't look at me.
"S-sesshomaru?" No response. "Sesshomaru?" I asserted a bit louder. I knew he could hear me. He could hear a pin drop in a room full of noisy five-year olds two miles away. He raised his eyes to mine and I bit back a cry.
His face was blank, which wasn't uncommon, but his eyes, his eyes…. They were dead. Empty voids that held no feeling. They were sharp with intelligence, but he didn't seem to recognize me. Last time he saw me his eyes had been full of pain. The time before that, joy. But now they were cold and detached, as if he no longer belonged to the world.
"What?" he asked in a quiet, uncaring voice.
"I-I just…."
"Did you need me for something? Because if not, I would prefer if you left."
He wasn't angry, but…. Maybe this was his way of getting back at me. He was gazing at me with a kind of empty fury, a scorching intensity that held no feeling.
"This isn't funny Sesshomaru!"
"You're right," he responded in callous tones, "It's not." He got up and left me there, dumbstruck. I felt tears pricking at the corners of my eyes as I watched him sit at a different, also empty table.
Why was he like that? Did I do that to him? If I had, I hadn't meant to, I just…
I didn't know anymore.
Miroku POV:
I scooted over next to Sango, and leaned over to whisper in her ear.
"Inuyasha never showed up." I murmured.
"I know." She shot back. "We're in the same class you moron."
I smiled slightly and pulled back, glancing at Kagome. She was sitting at the far end of the table with Shippo, picking at her food. Even Shippo knew enough to keep quiet.
"I'll go home with you and check on him. Assuming he's home…" I sighed. Sango nodded and returned to her lunch. Kagome sat and stroked Shippo's tail as he practically trembled with pleasure, leaving her food uneaten. She suddenly rose and walked away, going who-knew-where. "Did you ask her what happened?"
"Apparently Inuyasha picked Kikyo over her…" Sango growled. "But seeing how broken up he was, somehow I think Kagome missed something…"
"I agree…. We'll look into it."
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
School ended and Sango and I went to visit Inuyasha under the cover of my escorting her home. I knocked loudly on the door, and there was a startled yelp and the sound of breaking glass on the other side. After a moment's pause, the door flung open to reveal Inuyasha in baggy jeans, with his shirt wrapped around his hand, a small spot of blood showing through.
"What the hell do you- oh, hey Miroku. Hey Sango."
"Why weren't you at school?" Sango recklessly demanded. Inuyasha gave a sheepish laugh.
"I had a bit of a fever after being in last nights' rain… haha…" he laughed before becoming serious. "But I'm not the only one who missed school. I usually hear people before they knock, but I was so intent on… well, just come in and look."
Sango and I exchanged glances before entering. We could both tell the same thing: something big had happened. Inuyasha shut the door and walked over to his old TV, turning up the volume to the grainy picture.
"…. The brutal killing of Ms. Kagura Shien has left hundreds shocked, and the family itself…."
I too, was shocked. I sat perfectly still, processing this. "Naraku?" I questioned.
"As far as I can tell." Inuyasha replied. "She could have disobeyed orders. Look at him, the scum-bag."
"My poor younger siblings are in shock. Kagura and I were pretty much the parent models for them, Kanna, Hakudoshi, Goshinki, and our nameless infant brother… but now that she's… now that she's… she's… I'm sorry." Naraku said as he broke down into what were most definitely fake tears. Inuyasha snarled at the image before turning it off.
"Damn that bastard to the deepest pits of hell." He spat. I shook my head in wonder.
"This needs to end. Soon."
Naraku POV:
I wiped the crocodile tears off my cheeks, grinning. It was perfect. No one suspected but my own household, because I had told them.
"Kanna," I called, "bring the infant. I'm going to pay our friend Kagome a visit."
With trembling hands Kanna placed the child in my arms. Hakudoshi smiled maliciously at her from the top of the stairs.
"Not scared, are you Kanna?"
No reply.
"I'm going out. Hakudoshi, keep an eye on things."
I spiraled out into a cloud of miasma, touching down outside the Higurashi home. Leaping up to Kagome's window, I tugged it open, astonishing her. Before she could squeak, I shoved the infant into her arms.
"Get to work. Sway her soul to our purposes."
"Of course Naraku." He responded. "Inuyasha…" he whispered, addressing Kagome now, "don't you hate him? For choosing Kikyo? Aren't you bitter?"
"I-i…. I…"
"Don't you want them to suffer for abandoning you? To make them feel your pain?"
"I don't…"
"Make the decision. If you join us you can kill them at your leisure…" he murmured. Kagome's eyes widened.
"I WON'T!" she cried. "Stay… stay away from me!"
I hissed under my breath, catching the infant and shooting off through the window.
"I over estimated her it seems." I said to him as we alighted back home once more. I stepped over the threshold and passed the infant to Kanna.
"It seems the woman Kagome is useless to us." I announced, "We will kill her. Both Kagome and Kikyo will die by our hand."