In Passing

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. All original characters do not belong to me and all credit goes towards Rumiko Takahashi.

A/N: The first chapter will be edited later to accommodate the later chapters, I was just in a rush to get it posted. This chapter was actually going to be the first chapter but honestly, that would have been a 15 page chapter and I'm not sure anyone would have read that.

This fic is rated M for language, sexual scenes, and suggestive content. If you are not 18+, read at your own risk.

Chapter Two

"Sightings"

The morning sun warmed my skin as I stopped and lifted my face towards the sky and took in a deep breath. The gentle breeze blew strands of my raven locks around, tickling my nose and cheeks. I could hear the rustling leaves of the Sacred Tree above me, its branches dancing to the silenced song of nature.

I stopped in front of Goshinboku and delicately pressed my hands together in a silent prayer. The shide on the tree fluttered around as the breeze picked up to a steady wind and I opened my eyes. I wondered if the tree could somehow hear my prayers. Without realizing it, I placed my hand on its trunk and ran it down the bark gently. The aged wood on my skin made a strange calm feeling ebb over my being. I couldn't help but let myself smile a bit.

You have always been with us, haven't you?

The tree seemed to respond by dropping a series of small green leaves around me. I slowly removed my hand from the cool bark and moved away, heading down the shrine stairs, the sound of my rubber heel loafers against the smooth pavement being the sound that accompanied me on my long trek down to the train station.

I'd only been walking for ten minutes before I immediately stopped in my tracks.

"Oh no..." I whispered and quickly dropped to my knees and opened my bag. I shifted through its many compartments in quick succession then switched to my uniform. I dug around in my breast and skirt pockets before I dropped my head in defeat. In all of my haste to get out of the house, I'd forgotten to grab my train ticket! I rasped out something that sounded like a laugh and a frustrated sigh and and shook my head regrettably.

"Great, I don't have time to go back and get it either." I said out loud after checking my wrist watch and looked down the street.

My whole reason behind buying that ticket was so I would never have to walk on these streets ever again.

How could I have been so stupid as to forget the one important thing essential to my life outside of home? I looked towards the streets and swallowed thickly, my forehead breaking out in a cold sweat.

You would think ghosts would occupy places that weren't overly populated with living beings but that's far from true. Even though the sidewalks were bustling with businessmen, women and children I could see the auras of the spirits all over. The saying that ghosts only come out at night is a load of bullshit. They aren't vampires, the sun won't harm them. The light simply makes them harder to see but they were definitely still there.

They were always there.

I squared my shoulders and began to walk, ignoring the voice in the back of my head that insisted I go back.

You'll be late but at least you won't look like you're running away from something, I heard it try to reason. I shook my head and ignored it.

There was no way I would go back there and face the music from my grandpa. He would have a field day telling me how irresponsible I am. I couldn't handle that. I pressed as far as I could against the building beside me to avoid contact with the living and the dead. I felt a pulling sensation deep within my chest and I paused to take a deep breath. The breath I drew in was shaky and uneven.

What is wrong with you? I mentally scolded myself. Why are you so anxious?

A chill went up and down my spine as I mistakenly returned the gaze a person following closely behind a child. It was a little girl. She was wearing a tattered baby doll dress and her hair was disheveled. Her eyes never left mine as she drew closer, only turning away for a split second to acknowledge the boy in front of her. I covered my mouth with a shaky hand when I spotted the gaping hole where the rest of her skull should have been. Some of the hair had been skinned away while the rest of it lay in a matted heap above her eye.

"Mommy, when are we going to see sister Yuka?" The little boy said, tugging on his mother's sleeve. "Yuka says she wants to play with me today." The mother in question gave her son a stern look and crouched down low in front of him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Satoshi. We have been over this already," the mother spoke slowly and deliberately, her eyes never leaving her son's. "Your sister, Yuka, is no longer with us. You must realize that and stop asking mommy these silly questions." Her voice cracked.

"But, mommy." The boy began. "Yuka is right he—," he was immediately silenced by a firm shake from his mother, who I didn't have to look at to know she was crying.

"Today is the day you will get to pay your last respects. I want you to be on your best behavior for me, okay?" She stood up and took her son's hand in hers. The little boy didn't protest as he put one of his arms behind him and clung tightly to a teddy bear's arm. I looked down and saw the girl was holding onto the boy's wrist.

I felt my heart flutter as the little girl gave me a small smile and continued down her path. Her free translucent hand passed right through mine and I winced from the contact.

The chilling sensation of a ghost passing through your body as if you aren't there is extremely unpleasant. It literally feels like my body is freezing from the inside out and the feeling can last for a long while. I didn't think I would ever get used to the feeling of instantaneous hypothermia.

Rubbing the back of my hand in a desperate attempt to warm it up again, I tried once again to force my way through the crowd. The swell of bodies seemed to increase without my noticing, however, and I was forced once again to press my back against the side of a building. I avoided returning the few curious stares people were giving me while passing by.

I must look like a fool, I thought bitterly as I looked over and saw a gap between the buildings that led to an empty street. I scooted towards it and turned into the street but immediately froze in place.

The entire street was cast in shadow and I could see that the street was crawling with them.

"Great."

I let out a shaky breath and began to bob and weave through the insidious crowd. To anyone else, it would appear that I was trying to slip through an imaginary group and I thanked the gods this street wasn't a transient area. The air around me grew unbearably cold as I made it further down the sidewalk, marveling at the infestation. I could hear the murmurs and moans from the specters as they continued their routes, completely unaware of my presence. I watched some of them walk towards the very end of the street, only to disappear and reappear and go the opposite direction.

I couldn't help but take pity on them. It was a fate worse than death, I had to say.

Your bodies are gone but your spirits remain on Earth, forever searching for what cannot be found. I wouldn't even wish that on my worst enemy.

I was so absorbed in my thoughts, I wasn't aware of the change in atmosphere. I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck and I slowed down to a halt. Something wasn't right.

Why is it so quiet all of a sudden? I looked around and noticed the street had become eerily still. There wasn't a specter in sight. What ever had made them leave, I didn't want to stick around to find out.

Before I was able to move, something surged through my body and I fell to my knees, the wind completely knocked out of me from the shock. I began to hyperventilate and looked down at my hands and let out a small rasp when I saw they were turning blue. I let go of the bag I had slung over my shoulder and frantically put my hands on my arms and began to rub them in a vain attempt to warm myself up. My breath came out in small, quick puffs as I looked around for what had done this to me.

A glint of white in the corner of my eye caught my attention and I watched the edge of a figure disappear into the side of a wall. I blinked and furrowed my brows in a look of confusion.

What was that? It was as if what ever just passed through here made the other spirits vanish.

I forced myself to stand. My knees buckled and I instantly reached out to catch myself on a nearby wall. I was surprised to see how much I was shaking. A chill went up and down my spine so violently, I nearly dropped down to my knees again. Fighting against my sudden onset of fatigue, I gritted my teeth and picked up my bag and gasped at the feel of the warm material coming in contact with my ice-cold flesh.

Checking my wrist watch again, I decided to ignore my pain and forced my legs to carry me into a sprint. My breathing was still irregular and the pain that flared in my chest was becoming unbearable. Luckily, the shortcut I took put me right behind the school and I ran through the back courtyard, my breathing becoming quick and labored as I ran in through the side entrance. I quickly took off my shoes and slipped on my uwabaki, getting frustrated when the back part of my shoe became stuck under my heel.

No time to fix that now.

I ran up the stairs towards my classroom and didn't stop until I reached the sliding shōji doors. By then, I was already out of breath and hunched over, resting my hands on my knees. I could feel the chilled sweat pouring down my forehead and my cheeks and I was pretty sure my face was red from all of the excursion. I grabbed my handkerchief and dragged it across my face and let out an angry sigh when I realized I just soiled the delicate silky fabric. I took a few moments to correct my breathing before I did a quick nod and slid open the classroom door.

I instantly felt all eyes on me as I kept my eyes downcast and slid the door closed behind me. I heard a couple of snickers coming from somewhere in the back and I did my best to not blush. This wouldn't be the first time I've been completely late for homeroom but it was still just as mortifying.

"Miss Higurashi, so glad you have finally decided to join us. Care to tell us why you were late?" The teacher's stern voice came from behind his desk. I looked to him and bowed in apology.

"She was probably having breakfast with one of her ghost friends again!" A girl shouted from the back and the class erupted in laughter.

Those sort of comments hardly ever bothered me anymore, I'd gotten used to them. I finally gathered the courage to look up and saw everyone's laughing faces. Their laughter grew more intense as I felt my face heat up and I feverishly began to gnaw on my bottom lip and squeezed my eyes closed. Ignoring the urge to run out of the room, I balled my hands into fists and turned my bow towards the class and hurriedly taking my seat.

.

.

The entire day went by painfully slow and I couldn't keep my attention occupied on anything but the scenery outside the window the entire time. For some reason, I couldn't get the the day's earlier events out of my head. It was almost as if whoever or whatever that was this morning had intentionally passed through me. But why?

What was the reason behind it?

I rubbed my hands together, still feeling the tingling effects of the cold spell. Looking down at them, I curled my fingers until my nails were digging into my palms painfully and slowly extended them again. I just couldn't get the damned sensation to go away. I repeated the action a few more times until I gave up and leaned my head in my hands.

"Hey, sexy girl." I heard a voice whisper playfully in my ear. I instantly picked my head up with a start and heard my friend, Sango, giggle at my reaction. I placed my hand on my chest to calm my pounding heart and gave her a slight scowl before letting out a shaky breath.

"Sango, you're going to give me a heart attack one of these days. You know I don't like it when you do that." I scolded her and watched as the jubilant girl sat in the desk in front of me. Twisting around in the seat, she rested her elbows on my desk and gave me an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, you just looked like you could use some cheering up." She said sincerely. I studied her face before returning a small smile of my own.

It was hard to believe she and I had been friends for nearly three years now. I have to admit, at first I was reluctant to give her a chance. It all started when she insisted we sit together during lunch one day. Of course, I outright refused the offer but that didn't stop her from scoping me out and sitting by me anyway. The act was weird and little unsettling but I hadn't made a move to get her to go away, either.

I half-expected her to spread a nasty rumor about me like some of the other girls did. Imagine my surprise when she met up with me after school and offered to walk me home.

It struck me as odd that she was even making an effort to talk to me at all. I mean, she was beautiful, strong and incredibly smart. Hell, she was one of the most well known girls in our grade. She could have any one of these people bowing at her feet if that's what she truly wanted and yet she always seemed so oblivious to the attention she gets. I used to constantly remind her of the consequences of being seen speaking to me but she'd always wave it off and laugh as if I told her a funny joke.

"So how are you, Kagome-chan? I saw you didn't bring a lunch today." Sango said in a hushed whisper, her lips turned into a slight frown. "You know how bad it is for you to miss meals."

"Yea, well I wasn't really—," she cut me off by shoving her phone in my face.

"That's why I reserved us a booth at that cafe I know you always wanted to go to." She put her phone back into the breast pocket of her sailor top and made a move to stand. Although, that wasn't before getting a quick look at my face.

I must have had the worst expression because she gave me a reassuring smile and grabbed my arm while standing up, forcing me to stand with her.

"I—I'm actually not really hungry..." I stammered, feeling my face heat up once again. She didn't have to go and do that.

"Nonsense! You'll love it there, I promise." Sango flashed me a smile and began marching towards the shōji, ignoring the curious stares we were receiving.

I turned my attention to a few girls standing by the door who were chattering away in hushed voices while sneaking peeks over in our direction.

"How pitiful that Sango has to babysit that crazy Higurashi girl."

"Right? I mean, if I were her I wouldn't even bother. I would have her invisible friend do it." I heard them laugh at the insensitive joke and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. One of the girls saw my gesture and scowled at me before flipping her hair and turning her back towards us as we walked out of the door.

That's what it was like every time we were around each other. The staring, the whispering. These people never tired of their gossip, that was for sure. We reached the hallway and I couldn't help but look down at our feet as more people continued to stare, especially guys. I was never one to really notice people of the opposite sex, not that they would notice me either. I knew their eyes were on Sango.

"Hey, Higurashi. Could you perhaps come by my house later? I need you to perform an exorcism. I just got a new pet and I think my cat's spirit is jealous." I heard a few guys laugh and high-five each other.

I watched Sango cast a dark look back at the boys responsible and they instantly quieted down. She quickened her pace and I nearly stumbled. We ran down the stairs and I gasped as my shoe came off and tumbled down the remainder of the stairs. I grabbed the railing for support and muttered a small apology when Sango went down the rest of the stairs and offered my shoe to me.

"No, it's my fault. I should have been more observant." She placed my shoe in my hand and waited for me to slide it back on.

"Hey, Sango?" I started, pressing the tips of my index fingers together. "Um, you know if you don't really want to, we don't have to go there. We could go some other time." I knew I was being negative but I could think of a thousand things she could be doing besides taking me to dinner.

"Why do you think I wouldn't want to go out with you, Kagome-chan?" She replied while taking hold of my hand and leading me down the rest of the stairs. "You're my friend. Of course I want to go with you."

She really doesn't have to do this, I felt my face heat up again despite myself. If there was one thing I admired about her, it was her act for ignoring the obscene side of people. I kind of wished I could be that way too. Sango ushered me to hurry and put on my loafers and I quickly obliged. I let out a small laugh when she hopped up and down and grabbed my hand, leading me out of the school.

The mid-afternoon sun shone dully in the sky, the full sphere obscured behind darkening storm clouds. I frowned. There hadn't been a report for any storms this week, much less rain.

"Looks like it's going to rain tonight," I observed quietly. Sango slowed and glanced towards the sky and gave a small nod in agreement.

"Then we'd better hurry. I wouldn't want you to have to go home in this storm, Kagome." Her grip on my hand tightened slightly as she gave me a reassuring squeeze.

We approached a small cafe on the edge of town and upon entering, we were instantly met by a tall, black-haired man. He wore a deep purple button-down shirt with black dress pants. His hair was pulled back in a short ponytail and he had various piercings in his ears. He looked like someone out of a catalog.

He spared us one glance from his work and his dull expression lit up. Walking around the podium, he instantly took Sango's hand in his and planted a small kiss on the back of it. I looked at the man incredulously. He certainly was bold.

"Well, well Sango. It's been awhile, hasn't it?" The man asked in a deep, sultry voice. He never loosened his hold on her hand. "I have to say, you look adorable in your school uniform." I felt her shift uncomfortably beside me and couldn't help but smile. She forcefully withdrew her hand from his grasp and took a step back from him and cleared her throat. I hid my face and tried to stifle a laugh but to no avail.

"Miroku," she hissed and I saw her motion her head towards me, a blush staining her cheeks. "Don't you think you're being a bit rude? I am here with someone." 'Miroku' regarded me with a look of complete surprise, as if he was noticing me for the first time.

"My, how rude of me." He bowed his head as a sign of apology and took my hand in both of his. I felt my eyes widen in surprise as he gave me the same treatment and placed a chaste kiss on my knuckles.

I heard a thump and looked up to see that Sango had knocked the man on the back of the head, irritation etched over her delicate features. I covered my mouth with my free hand, holding back another giggle.

"That's not what I meant, idiot." She scolded and I watched as Miroku sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. Sango shook her head and folded her arms over her chest.

"My apologies, Sango. What brings you two lovely beauties here this evening?" Miroku asked, his violet eyes dancing over the both of us, a weird expression making its way onto his face. I felt myself shudder. I thanked my stars I wasn't telepathic.

"You know why I'm here, Miroku. I reserved a table for us over the phone." Sango replied, her voice faltering as she looked down at her feet.

I blinked slowly. It was weird seeing Sango act so embarrassed. This was new.

"Ah, yes for you and Kagome-chan." He stated and walked back behind the podium, picking up his signature log. "I get off in a few minutes. Mind if I join you ladies?" I could feel Sango stiffen next to me and I cocked my head to the side.

"N—," Sango began but I cut her off.

"We're on a first name basis already?" I questioned him, somewhat jokingly. It surprised me how casually he'd said my name. The only person outside of my family who called me by my first name was Sango, not that she really gave me much of a choice.

"I don't believe in formalities. Just call me Sango, okay Kagome-chan?" She had said.

Miroku looked up at me before he grinned and offered me another apology, though he didn't really look too apologetic that time. Sango motioned towards me and led me to a booth towards the back of the cafe.

"Your friend certainly is something," I stated, taking my seat across from Sango in our small booth. She rolled her eyes but I spotted the smile she tried to hide. "Is he always like that?"

"Sadly. But don't mind him, he flirts with everything that has tits." She quickly reassured and kept her eyes downcast at her menu. I couldn't help but look back over towards the host stand. Miroku seemed to be courting other female clientele and I could see from where I was that they were uncomfortable.

"How did you two meet?" I asked, turning back towards my friend. I saw her chewing her lip absentmindedly before she looked up at me with questioning eyes.

"What was that? Oh, you know. I come here sometimes with my brother, Kohaku." She waved her hand dismissively and let out a nervous laugh. "He's the host so he's always the one directing us to a table." Sango motioned towards a waitress and ordered a tea. I just settled on water.

"He seems to be fond of you. You should go for it." I teased as soon as the waitress left. Sango instantly shook her head before hiding her face behind her menu. I could hear her tapping her foot rapidly on the linoleum floor below us and I laughed again. It was kind of nice seeing her act so shy.

"I would never date that...that...guy. I mean, look at how he is." She stated lamely, dropping her menu on the table and giving me a pointed look. She stumbled over her words as her face turned another shade of red. "I'd rather date an old geezer, at least then I wouldn't have to worry about him womanizing."

I nodded my head slowly at her reasoning but smashed my lips together in a teasing smile to let her know I wasn't buying her excuse.

Shōji: Japanese sliding doors that can be found in homes and public buildings

Uwabaki: Indoor shoes provided to students in schools. The stripes (or lack of) are usually on the shoe to represent class grade

A/N: I will be going back and editing this story almost incessantly so be sure to check back if you're interested in reading different versions. I have a question for you guys. Do you like the story in first person or would you rather see it in third-person, standard format? Some people might find it boring reading it completely from one character's POV. I would love to hear your opinions. R&R!