Authoress' Notes: This isn't as old as other chapters but I did make a few changes here and there.
Chasing His Shadow — I Just Realized!
There was almost no spirit in this world that had not walked the Earth in another form before. That is to say – the reincarnation of souls was a common phenomenon, depending on the life that the soul lived and the type of passing that it experienced. However, there were not many souls that retained the memories of their past lives. This was because memory was most easily inscribed into the physical brain of a body, rather than a spirit. Only extraordinary circumstances caused a soul to retain the memories of its past lives. He was one of those rare souls.
Hao was content to merely sit back and watch the object of his curiosity: Higurashi Kagome. He wore a wide grin as he nestled on a thick, ginkgo branch that rested just beyond her balcony. Masking his aura was a simple task for a shaman of his caliber. It made the priestess none the wiser of his presence, and it made observing her candid behavior all the more genuine.
At first, he came to Tokyo to not only participate in the Shaman Fights, but to observe his descendant and younger twin: Asakura Yoh. He had been watching his younger brother from the shadows from the very day that he departed from his home and arrived in the expansive, bustling metropolis. He had to yet to make contact with him, nor did he intend to...not just yet. His plan was to merely observe to measure his strength and growth as a shaman.
However, Hao's curiosity and definite attraction towards Yoh's beloved friend was completely unplanned and unexpected. But he was an ancient spirit, much older and wiser than his peers from his past lives' memories, so he was not one to be as childish and naive as to not recognize or deny his feelings. It had been a long time since he had taken a genuine liking to the fairer sex. Perhaps that was why Hao was particularly taken so strongly by the priestess? The reason didn't matter to him, however. All that mattered was his ambitions.
And Higurashi Kagome unknowingly became one of them.
"Ka-go-me~" Her name was a love song on his lips as his smile widened while he watched her meditate on the lush carpet of her bedroom floor. There were many souls, including her own friends and kin, who doubted her strength and tenacity.
Hao was not one of those people. His past lives empowered him with an arsenal of abilities that he could use to get to know the true nature of anyone without ever needing to interact with them. Kagome's purity was a beacon of light over a dark, foggy landscape. This budding priestess was a shining gem among the countless corrupted souls of modern society.
But the peculiarity of Higurashi Kagome didn't stop there.
Purity was what drew him to her like a fly to a venus flytrap.
But it was seeing the soul within her that truly piqued his curiosity. It was a tattered, weary soul that had seen many lives, all the lives of priestesses. Kagome's mysteries didn't end there. There were other traces within her. He could smell them: the souls and power that she absorbed like a flower absorbing fertilizer. It wasn't often that anyone could intrigue him so much, but this priestess was a jigsaw whose pieces were scattered into the air.
"Hao-sama, why do you watch Kagome-sama so much?" The shaman's tiny companion questioned innocently. Her large eyes showed nothing but curiosity and confusion.
Hao chuckled and gently rubbed Opacho's hair. Her innocence and honesty was the reason why she was one of his favorite people in the entire world. "I just enjoy bird watching."
Opacho was even more puzzled by that response. She looked between Hao's smiling face and Kagome's peaceful one. "Hao-sama thinks Kagome-sama is a bird?" Her head tilted.
"Mmhm," The shaman nodded cheerfully. He continued ruffling Opacho's afro as he replied, "She's my sweet, little canary~"
"Opacho would like to meet your Shaman Queen, Hao-sama~" She declared, her eyes shining with excitement. The girl enjoyed every waking moment that she spent with her guardian and master. However, they spent a lot of their days alternating between watching Asakura Yoh and Higurashi Kagome. She could tell that Hao truly was smitten with the girl from the way he looked at her and the way that he spoke of her. She wanted them to stop watching and finally meet the girl because she was sure that this Kagome would make her master truly happy! Everyone around her seemed to be happy after all!
"All in due time," Hao replied while reaching over to gently ruffle her afro. "She'll be overwhelmed if we all just show up out of the blue." He didn't miss how some of the enthusiasm in Opacho's expression fell a bit. "But," he quickly added, "How about I drop by and say hi today?" He looked back at Kagome through her window, noting that it was about time that she met up with Tao Ren for an outing, "and then, we'll send her a gift real soon~"
Opacho tilted her head to the side and asked, "What type of gift, Hao-sama?"
Hao smiled as he spotted a small aura of blue flames gathering around Kagome's window when she turned her back. This girl's aura truly did attract spirits of all kinds. He assumed that she could sense all of the presences but was so used to them that she learned to ignore and block them out unconsciously. While he did applaud her attempts, her bad habit of ignoring the supernatural unless she countered them head-on would prove to be a folly sooner or later.
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
"Soooooooo~" Kagome sang as she turned around, locking her hands behind her back in a curious stance and walking backwards to look at her companions who were walking behind her. "What's the occasion~?" she asked curiously, but smiling because she was happy to finally be outside.
"Whatever do you mean, my darling little sister~?" Jun giggled behind her hand and played the innocent role.
"Well," Sango began a straightforward reply, "We're proud that you've made so much progress in so little time, Kagome-chan." She then shot a teasing, cattish look to her younger cousin, who took up the rear of the group by walking behind all of them, with his hands shoved into the pockets of his shorts. "You're stronger, physically and spiritually. And you even passed the test to enter the Shaman Tournament with flying colors~" She praised the younger girl aloud before adding, "It was Ren's idea that you deserved a congratulatory treat before you go~"
He visibly twitched as his cheeks turned bright red, "That is not true!" He defended as his molten eyes darted between Sango's teasing face and Kagome's surprised, innocent one, unsure of which to settle on. "I still say that she made the cut by a fluke."
Kagome stifled a laugh as she skipped past Sango, Jun, and Bailong to give Ren her own cattish smile, one identical to Sango's. "Ohhh, Tao-kun~" She cooed, "No need to be shy~ If you want to praise me so badly then you can do it however you'd like~"
That statement turned Ren's face bright red at the thought of being allowed to do whatever he wanted to show his admiration for the girl. Sango, Jun, and Bailong were snickering and trying not to burst into laughter at her statement.
"Y-Yes..." Jun snickered from behind her paper fan that she elegantly unfolded to retain her regal appearance. "Little brother...show Kagome-chan here y-your approval..." She managed to squeeze out between bubbles of laughter.
"She said that you could do it however you'd like~" Sango teased and grinned from behind Kagome's back. "We all know what you really want to do, right~?" She turned and looked at Jun and Bailong who nodded and unison and made puckered lips at each other playfully.
"Alright, that's it!" Ren exclaimed, having enough of this humiliation and shenanigans. "I'm going to look for a blade sharpener!" He glared at Kagome and barked, "and don't follow me!"
"Eh?" Kagome sweat dropped before turning to look at the older teens behind her, who quickly stopped making their teasing faces and all smiled nervously at her, trying to regain their composure. "That was weird. Did I push him too far this time?" She asked them curiously.
Sango shook her head negatively and smiled while placing her hands on Kagome's shoulders, "Don't worry about him. He'll catch up to us~" With that said, Sango got behind Kagome and urged her forward. She sighed contently when the younger protested and looked over her shoulder at Ren's retreating form worriedly, "I didn't lie when I said that he was the one who suggested that we took you out for your last Friday here~ He'll find us for sure~"
"Yeah, but..." Kagome sighed softly, feeling guilty and worried at the same time. "I'm just worried about him," she whispered to herself. She thought about how oddly he behaved two nights ago when she got home from her match with a Patch representative to earn her right into the Shaman Tournament.
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G
Slowly and gingerly, Kagome closed the heavy door behind her so that the usually loud locking mechanism only released a soft, subtle Click. It was 2:40 A.M. And she had just returned from her meeting with a masked stranger whose test for her was to merely land a hit on him. It was the first time that she fought someone seriously in a long time. She was nervous at first, but all of the training with Sesshomaru and assistance from Sango and Ren turned out to be fruitful because she had found that she was a lot faster, stronger, and steadier than she had thought.
She sighed and slid down the door until she rested her back against it and her butt against the floor. It was probably the mixture of adrenaline and firing a lot of her Furyoku at once, but she was exhausted! She panted a bit more to calm her heart then got to her feet to head to her room, there was no use just sitting in the foyer in the dark.
Click!
The lights came out.
"Gah, Ren!" Kagome screamed and nearly jumped out of her skin in fright. "You scared me!" She cried while placing her hand on her chest.
The young Tao merely rolled his eyes and gave out a half-hearted apology before getting straight to the point, "So? How'd it go?" He asked while leaning against the wall and crossing his arms in his usual stance.
Kagome beamed at him, "Swimmingly, of course!" She announced while placing her hands on her hips proudly, "I passed, check it out~" She held up her right forearm to reveal a communication device that was identical to the ones on Ren's and Sango's arms. They were long, seemed to be made of some sort of metal, and oddly orange in color. "I'm officially a part of the Shaman Tournament~ My first preliminary match is Saturday night!"
"Hn..." Ren hummed to himself while closing his eyes, seeming to contemplate something.
"Hell-ooo?!" Kagome huffed as she nearly pouted at him, "No congratulations or anything? I congratulated you earlier!" She was more disappointed than annoyed with him. She was looking forward to seeing his shocked expression to prove him wrong about her! The boy remained quiet, still leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. "Tao Ren, I'm talking to you!" She walked over to him, fed up with him being rude to her. "You can at least—!"
"Kagome," He finally opened his eyes and gave her an intense, smoldering expression that almost took her aback. He had not given her a look that fierce since they had first met!
"...what...what's the matter, Tao-kun?" She asked, her hand now over her heart because she was worried about her friend. "Is something bothering you?"
"You are," He replied bluntly.
"Hey!"
"Hear me out," he visibly sighed. "You might want to sit down for this," He suggested while gesturing to his side. Kagome nodded and followed his lead. They sat on the floor, side-by-side, backs against the wall. At first, they sat in silence, an odd silence that was both calm but almost tense. Kagome wanted to know why he had been waiting up for her so late when he could have kept training into the wee hours of the morning like he usually did. Something big must have happened—or rather, she must have done something big for him to steer from his routine.
"Kagome..." He began slowly, almost tentatively, which was rare for him, who was usually quick to the point and blunt about everything. Kagome mentally noted that whatever the topic of discussion would probably be pretty heavy for Ren to handle it so delicately. "I want you to—"
Her blue eyes widened and her pink lips parted at his statement.
"—drop out of the Shaman Tournament."
Kagome huffed and opened her mouth to retort but with the speed of lightning, a single finger to her lips hushed her. "Shut up and let me finish," He commanded with an annoyed expression. "You should drop out of the tournament because you don't have to fight," He explained. "You've been told before that many shamans lose their lives to become Shaman King, and that's because many shamans enter the tournament intending to do anything and everything to make their wish come true."
"Sorry to interrupt but, where are you going with this?" Kagome asked, feeling impatient and anxious from the sudden odd request from Ren. "I have a wish that I want to be granted too, and it's a wish that I'm willing to lay my life on the line for."
"You idiot..." He grumbled before running his hand through his spiky bangs in frustration. 'She's certainly not going to make this easy. I better get to the point.' He looked at her and continued, "listen, Kagome. You don't have to fight for your wish because I will do it for you."
Kagome blinked, "Eh...what do you mean by that?"
Ren face palmed before glaring at her, "You idiot!" He growled before taking a deep breath to calm himself. "Look...I'll become Shaman King and make your wish come true!" He took her hands within his own, causing her to blush and blink at his sudden and uncharacteristic touchiness. "I don't want you to fight. You could get hurt, or worse!" He asserted, his expression both grave but passionate. Kagome could only stare and whimper anxiously under his fervid gaze.
'What's up with him so suddenly?!' She thought to herself, her mouth unable to form any words. 'He's making me so nervous—! Why he is looking at me like that?! And just what is he going on about me?!'
"I'll fight in your place! So just put your faith in me!" He exclaimed before his eyes dulled a bit, "and if you don't trust me...I'm sure that Asakura Yoh feels the same way. He would fight for you and your wish. He wouldn't want to fight you, or see you get hurt."
Yoh's name instantly brought Kagome back into reality and she found her voice again, "What does Yoh have to do with this?!" She huffed, "Last time that I checked, you didn't even like him! How can you just act like you know him personally?!"
"It's because you talk about him so much," Ren shot back bluntly, his eyes sharpening up. "When you're not training, you spend so much time talking about him. It's always 'Yoh used to do this' or 'Yoh and I used to do that'. All of this time...even when I take you out... You're always thinking of him."
Kagome blushed but glared at him, "I do not! I talk about all of my friends!"
Ren sighed, but not sadly, and conceded to her and rebuttal teasingly, "Sure you do."
"I do!"
"Anyway," He cut the small spat short, "What do you say? Will you drop out?"
"Hmph~!" Kagome crossed her arms and huffed, sticking her nose into the air defiantly, "As if you could scare me away from fighting too~" She replied, "I've worked way too hard to just turn back now!"
"I had a feeling that you'd be too stupid to understand," Ren said half-seriously, half-jokingly.
"Yeah, yeah," Kagome smiled, "I had a feeling that you'd call me stupid again too~"
"Because you are," Ren replied. "You have the grand opportunity to have your wish come true, free of charge and you decide to fight for it anyway," he shook his head as if he was exasperated or as if she was some sort of an enigma, "You've got spunk," He said while connecting her blue eyes with his golden eyes. "But that's one thing that I like about you—" He winced when he realized that he slipped up.
"Eh?!" Kagome suddenly was glowing as she cupped her hands, "You like me now?! I knew it~!"
"T-That's not what I meant!" Ren retorted, cheeks on fire from embarrassment, "I meant that you're so stubborn but I've learned to tolerate it!" He tried to recover from his mistake but Kagome remained glowing with a bright and blissful aura.
"There's no way that I'm ever letting you live this down, Tao-kun~!" Kagome was grinning from ear to ear, causing his shoulders to hunch over. "Don't worry~" She gave his shoulder a light pat. "I like you too~ I have for a while now~"
Ren blinked, his eyes widen and heart-pounding at her words, "You do...?" He cursed at how his voice was wavering from the excitement. Who knew that a girl could make him feel so light and fluttery?
Kagome nodded, "Mmhm~ I'm glad that you finally accept me as a friend. Should I call you Onii-chan~?" She asked curiously with an innocent, cute blink of her eyes.
…
Suddenly the light and fluttery feeling was replaced with cold and quietness.
'...friend...Onii-chan...' He thought to himself, his mind was going blank at the words.
It just occurred to him that there was more than one type of "like" that one could have for another. There was a familial like. There was romantic like. And there was just friends like.
He did not know how he became so caught up in the moment that he forgot who it was that he was speaking to. Yes. She was Higurashi Kagome. She was the young girl with who his sister became smitten since she showed some determination in their last fight. She was the young girl who called him and his sister out on their treatment of their cousin. She was the young girl who met his coldness with a fire that warmed the iciness he felt towards humanity. She was the young girl who managed to look past their grievances and took the time to try to get to know him on a personal level. She was the young girl who he had developed romantic like for before he knew it.
But...
Kagome was also the young girl whose heart was captivated by Asakura Yoh, unbeknownst to her yet.
His heart was not broken because he had known all along. He had known since the first time that they met that she was infatuated with the Asakura. But, it did not make hearing her words any easier on him. Thousands of thoughts and images flashed through his mind in that instant. There were thoughts of storming out into the night to hunt down the Asakura to openly challenge him for rights to Kagome. There were thoughts of doing something drastic to make her understand how he truly felt for her.
But alas... He looked into her shining eyes and sighed inwardly. She was not ready for that yet. Tao Ren was a lot of things, a lot of bad things, as Sango would say. But he would not be someone who rushed Kagome into something that she was not prepared for. As much as he wanted for her to know how he felt so that he could court her and woo her away from her current crush, he would not...not yet. "No Onii-chan," He commanded while placing a hand on her head. "I would hate that."
"Uh..." Kagome blinked, feeling as if she had missed something important, "O...kay... So...you don't...want to be my brother?" She asked, feeling a bit puzzled. "Onee-san will be sad."
Ren rolled his eyes and stood up, "Forget about it, dummy. She'll be fine."
Kagome got to her feet as well and dusted off her bottom, not that any dust was on it since Sango kept their private complex spic and span. "Well, if that's all then...goodnight, I guess."
The boy nodded and replied curtly, "Yes, goodnight." With that said, he turned his back and began to walk to his quarters.
"Hey, Ren?" Kagome called out to him suddenly. He replied wordlessly with a raised eyebrow from over his shoulder. "Thanks for the offer. I'll be sure to take care of you too if I become Shaman King~"
He shook his head and continued on his way, chuckling and mumbling to himself, "It's Shaman Queen, dumbass."
If there was one that he was sure of, it was that Higurashi Kagome would become the Shaman Queen, one way or another. The only uncertainty would be how it would happen.
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G
Kagome returned from her daze and thoughts of Ren as she and other companions entered a small but regal-looking establishment that was sandwiched between two taller buildings. She and Sango's eyes immediately lit up with wonder and delight at their surroundings. Every meter of the walls was stocked full of silky, sometimes lacey, gorgeous, lustrous Chinese-style dresses.
"Welcome, Ladies and Gentleman~" a beautiful young girl who appeared to be Kagome's eye greeted. She then spotted Jun and bowed deeply, causing her ginger twin-tails to flop over cutely. "Welcome back, Jun-sama. To what do I owe the honor of your visit?"
Jun chuckled from behind her fan and replied gregariously, "No need to be so formal, Ayame-chan~. My family may be wealthy but I'm a regular customer here. You can relax around me~"
The girl now known as Ayame's green eyes visibly softened and her posture relaxed, "I see, thank you very much, ma'am. What can I do for you today~?" She asked, keeping up her customer-service smile.
"Well, you see," Jun placed one hand on Kagome's and Sango's shoulders. "I brought my little sister and cousin in today. They passed an important exam so I want to treat them to some fine clothing befitting of the amazing people they are~"
Sango blinked and asked in a surprised tone, "wait a minute... me too, Jun...?"
Jun nodded and smiled, "Yes... It's about time that you be treated as you should be, Sango."
Bailong merely smiled as he saw Sango nearly melt from her cousin's kind gesture. He was glad that these two Tao's were finally learning to treat others as equals and as human beings.
And it was all thanks to the blue-eyed girl who had long abandoned their side to squeal at the sight of each beautiful dress and some of the accessories that came with them. "Onee-san, onee-san~!" Kagome called over from across the store. "What is this dress?! It's so beautiful! I've just got to try it on!"
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G
Finally, he had calmed his nerves. Kagome had way too much of an effect on him nowadays. Ren grunted at the thought of how she could turn into a blushing mess with little to no effort. He stepped up to the dress store that Jun suggested that they visit today. He hated how the small bell chimed whenever he came and left. He looked left and right and was growled a bit when he did not spot anyone in his party. He had not been separated from them for more than fifteen minutes so there was no way that they could have moved on to another store yet—not with the way he knew Kagome and Jun loved to shop.
"Oh, Ren-sama~" Ayame suddenly came from around a corner near the back of the store when she spotted him. "Your party is currently in the fitting area. Please come this way~" She used a fluid hand motion to beckon him to follow her, which he did. His steps were strong and fast with his impatience to regroup with the others. Within sixty-nine seconds, he rounded the corner at the back of the store and arrived at the fitting area, where Jun, Sango, and Bailong crowded a single stall.
"Yo, Nee-san," he greeted but before he could ask where Kagome was, the stall door opened and a collective "ooohhh~" filled the small area. His eyebrow twitched, as his height proved to be a disadvantage to him because he could not see what was going on from behind the three other teenagers who towered above him.
"Oh, Renny~" Jun cooed, touching her cheek gently, "You've got to see this~ Come, come!"
Ren rolled his eyes but nudged his way between the taller teens to see what the big deal was.
And boy was it a big deal.
There was she was.
Kagome's face was slightly flush from all of the attention given to her and her state of dress. Her long, dark hair was pulled into twin, swirly chignons, adorned with tiny golden butterfly hairpins. Ren could not help but drink in her appearance like the rest of them, if not more than the rest of them. His golden eyes looked at her from head to toe and back up again. Her body was now adorned by a breath-taking, traditional engagement qipao. It was bright scarlet in color and accented by golden floral patterns and embellished by deep blue embroidered butterflies. Like all qipaos, the dress tightly but comfortably hugged her figure- which definitely flourished from all of her training. When she first arrived, she was nowhere near overweight but she was a bit on the scrawny side. But now, her body was a lot more toned and her developed bosom and highs were highlighted by her tiny waist.
"So Tao-kun..." Kagome squirmed a bit beneath his gaze. "Are you going to say anything, or are you just going to ogle me?" she teased a bit with a nervous smile, pretending not to be bothered by all of the attention.
"A-as if I was ogling you!" He snapped back, turning his head to hide his shame. "I was just wondering why you're wearing something like that!"
'Tsundere...' the other two Taos and Bailong thought in unison. 'An obvious tsundere.'
"Well," Kagome replied as began twirling a lock of her hair around her finger, "at first, I just wanted to try it on because it was pretty. But then, Onee-san said that she'd buy it for me if I agreed to let you see me in it so..."
Ren turned an accusatory look at his older sister who quickly hide her face behind her fan and turned her eyes away, "Well, she likes it so she might as well keep it, right~?" she asked in the most innocent tone that she could muster.
"Did you even tell her what the dress is for?" Ren asked in a deadpanned tone.
"T-There's no reason to look too much into the meaning behind it!" Jun cut in while shooing Ren away from the changing area. "If she likes it then she likes it, it doesn't have to mean anything!" She announced.
"Eh? Wait, Onee-san!" Kagome called as she followed after them. "He didn't tell me what he thought of it ye—" as soon as she rounded the corner to the main part of the store, she saw him: a familiar face looking into one of the store's front windows. "...Y-Yoh...?" She whispered softly, in shock, wondering if it were a delusion.
That tanned skin.
That brunette hair.
Those brown eyes.
And a smile.
Their eyes connected.
But something felt different than usual.
Nonetheless, he gave her a small wave and a smile before continuing to walk, as if he had other matters to attend to. "Wait, Yoh!" Kagome called after him, extending an arm to him. She looked at Ren and gave an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, Tao-kun but I'll be right back, okay?" She said before rushing after her friend, still in the qipao but with no shoes or socks on.
Ayame nearly paled at the sight, "Oh my God, that girl is stealing that expensive dress! My father will KILL me!" She sunk to her knees in despair. It was her first day attending the store alone and it was already ending in complete disaster.
Jun patted her on the shoulder, "Did you forget that she's with me? I'll take care of the bill. Let's just find something for my dear Sango now~"
Meanwhile, Ren was left with his feet rooted to the ground, in a state of shock that he was completely dumped for a boy who did not even bother to stop and speak with her. 'That damn Asakura...' He thought, his hand becoming a shaking fist. 'Don't get so cocky. This race isn't over yet!' He thought as he finally raced after the door behind her. But alas...the girl was small compared to the many adults and older teens that crowded the streets. He could not spot her anywhere. 'Where'd they go?!'
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G
"Yoh! Jeez!" Kagome whined as she pushed and squeezed her way through a very inconveniently timed large crowd of people who separated her from her dear friend. Not even her voice was strong enough to make it through the crowd, or at least, that was what she had thought until he turned and looked over his shoulder to smile directly at her. It was a smile that she had not seen before. There was no trace of goofiness in it. It was a warm, teasing but...
"You're not...Yoh..." Kagome whispered to the stranger with her best friend's face. Regardless, she was determined to speak with him even after he turned back around and continued to walk without her. She knew that he knew that she was following him and wanted to speak with him. She knew that he was teasing her, silently beckoning her to him with his smiles and occasional halts in his stride to make sure that he did not disappear from her sight completely. Just glimpses of him were enough to keep going forward, pressing through the crowd to catch up to him.
After much chase, and pushing, and fighting against the flow of the crowd, the hoard of human bodies reduced to thinner and thinner layers. Those layers that lacked humans gave way to open sidewalks which lead her to the spot where industrialization met nature. 'Oh...it's a park...' She thought absently as she finally caught up to the stranger who was identical to her best friend. He somehow managed to lead out to a nearby park that had little to no interference or marring from mankind. The pavement was replaced with soft and lush grass that was greener than the aesthetic patches of grass in the inner city. Then there was the vertical plant life. There were trees upon trees; bushes upon bushes; and even shrubs that tried to compete with taller plants that dominated this area. Kagome cooed and marveled at the sight over a fearless rabbit that hopped its way out of some nearby thickets and up to the mysterious stranger that she followed so far out.
"Why hello there~" He greeted in a kind, gentle tone that made Kagome all the more curious about him. She fought the urge to blush, as she almost greeted him back until she quickly realized that he was not speaking to her. He slowly bent over and picked up the long-eared rodent into his arms. She was truly intrigued, so she decided to close the distance between them and directly beside the stranger. His smile seemingly widened at her approach. Her blue eyes twinkled and awed at the way that rabbit's nose twitched as it leaned towards her curiously, as if it were comfortable with her too. "And hello to you too, Kagome~" He finally added, turning his gaze away from the small animal to her.
Said girl blinked a few times before she asked, "Wait—! How do you know my name? Are you...related to Yoh?" The unidentified stranger bent over and sat the rabbit back down onto its feet and watched it hop away. The curious girl blinked and then boldly moved from his side to stand directly in front of him. He was wearing dark blue jeans, normal black sneakers, and a plain, white button-up collared shirt with half of the buttons left undone, revealing a small glimpse of a chest that was quite muscular compared to most other boys their age. 'His hair...' she mentally noted, was much longer than Yoh's; it trailed down to his lower back. She hummed almost inaudibly as discovered another trait that distinguished him from her best friend, 'And he's...a little taller than Yoh. A slightly older twin, maybe? But Yoh never mentio—'
"Like what you see?" The stranger asked, the calm in his voice and smile on his face never fading but his eyes almost danced with mirth. He felt rather pleased that Kagome openly checked him out. It meant that he successfully piqued her interest in him.
"A-Ah!" She threw her hands up defensively and waved them about animatedly, "Sorry! I didn't mean to stare like that! It's just that you look identical to—!"
"Someone that you know?" He completed her sentence with a question, but with the confidence that told that he clearly did not need her to answer him. She nodded quietly regardless so he added, "I get that a lot." When she opened her mouth to speak again, he cut in again, "No need to apologize. I am not offended in the least." There was no way that he could be offended when he chose to use his identical resemblance to Yoh opportunistically. Yes. He was truly blessed to be born as Yoh's twin. This face that they shared unconsciously made Kagome drop guard and formalities. This face put the girl in a zone of comfort that she would not have with him otherwise. "Besides," he began in addition, "I'm a young man. I couldn't possibly hate catching the eye of a beautiful girl~"
Kagome blushed but tried to play off the compliment's effect on her, "Well, you're definitely not related to my friend," she laughed while waving her hand. "That was way too smooth," she joked. Meanwhile, she was a flustered mess internally. 'Who is this guy?!' She whined, 'It's so embarrassing to have Yoh's face say something like that!'
"Call me Hao, my lady~" the stranger stated while softly grabbing her hand and planting a light kiss on her knuckles. "It truly is a pleasure to finally meet you, my dear," he hid a smirk behind his accosted hand as he leered at her blushing face through his eyelashes.
Suddenly uncomfortable and beyond flustered, Kagome fought her reflex to snatch her hand away and tried to smile as she slowly pulled away from Hao. He had been nothing but polite, albeit mysterious, to her so she was not ready to risk ruining the opportunity to get to know the Yoh lookalike just yet. However, she did take a step back to discourage any more unnecessary physical contact between them and pressed onto her previous question, "Hao-san, how do you know my name?" The mysteriousness and sheer coincidence behind the circumstances were enough to make even her feel wary.
The Yoh lookalike tapped her on the nose, purposely indulging in any and every chance to touch her, or rather, let her feel his touch. "Just Hao is fine, Ka-go-me~" he replied nonchalantly, as if being on a first-name basis with her was nothing to him.
Kagome's forced smile twitched and she felt her resolve begin to crack, "Are you dodging my question on purpose?" she asked, an annoyed tone slipping through the cracks of her friendly facade.
He chuckled and answered her question with a question of his own, "Now why would I do that, Ka-go-me?"
"Ugh!" Alas, she threw her hands in the air in defeat and exasperation, "If you're just going to play games then I'm leaving!" She spat out before huffing and swiftly turning on one heel to walk away. She was already fed up with this Hao-person's games! 'Yoh is way easier to talk to!' She thought angrily to herself. But before she could even take a step away, a single hand grabbed her by the waist and pulled her body flush against his. For a moment, she gulped at the contact. His chest felt as hard as it looked! Once her mind finally caught up with reality, her eyes widened as she found herself in the strong arms of the mysterious stranger, but her surprise quickly turned into outrage, "Don't get so handsy with me, Mister!" She tried to pull away but his grip on her was iron and felt absolute.
"Stop thinking of him when you're with me," Hao suddenly commanded. His plastered smile was replaced with a set of lips that were pursed together into a pencil-straight line. His face remained scarily beautiful, despite the powerful aura that he was suddenly emitting. His energy flared out and enveloped her body, searching and probing for her own. To her horror, her energy was indeed coaxed from deep within her. Her energy was a soft blue as his was the color of freshly spilled blood.
"W-Wha...?" Kagome struggled to find her voice as whatever she was currently experiencing left her feeling weak, light-headed, and wobbly in the knees. If it were not for Hao's firm grasp around her waist, she surely would have collapsed. "What are you...?" Just forming a sentence was consuming so much of her energy.
"I'm going to teach you something nice," he informed her as his smile returned to his face. He slowly began to close the distance between. "After this, you'll never see us as the same person, ever again," he said softly as he closed his eyes and inched his lips closer to their desired destination.
Kagome could only watch with widened and mortified orbs of blue. 'Is he going to ki-?!' She did not even want to complete that thought. Panic. Fear. Shock. Confusion. That was what she initially felt until an image of Yoh appeared as clear as day in her mind's eye.
There he was, standing with his hands locked behind his head casually. He closed his warm eyes and gave her his signature wide, toothy grin.
Yoh was smiling at her...
Ah.
Such a beautiful sight...
Tears that glistened with the setting sun pooled up within her eyes. 'No...' She thought, feeling more and more weak and helpless. All of her fear turned into sorrow. It was not an explicable sorrow though. 'This can't be happening... It isn't right...' And with her next thought, her liquid sorrow spilled over the edge of her eyelids and ran down her cheeks.
'Yoh is... Yoh is the only one for me.'
Hao smiled and easily dodged the dangerous flare of blue energy that lashed out at him. He used one arm to shield his eyes from the blind light that repelled him away from Kagome before he could claim the prize of her precious lips. 'This power...is splendid,' He smiled in wonder at the orb of pure white light that encased Kagome's body. He definitely was not disappointed in his choice of Shaman Queen. This girl was able to break free of his spiritual caress to preserve her dignity. To make her his, he needed more than Yoh's face. He needed to try.
The young yet old shaman sensed the presence of another shaman approaching them fast and decided that he had enough fun with Kagome for the time being. He would go back to observing her for a while, now that she was undergoing her first awakening. 'See you soon, Kagome' He bid her a mental farewell before disappearing into thin air.
Simultaneously, Ren ran up to the scene, gritting his teeth when he noticed that Kagome's energy was flailing about. 'What happened to her?!' He had not seen her lose control since one of her earliest oversoul attempts with Sesshomaru. "Kagome, calm down!" He called to her, trying to take a step forward but the force of her energy caused the wind to howl and blow violent, powerful gusts that nearly knocked him off of his feet. Between the orb of light that sparked with crackles of pure energy and the raging winds, it seemed as if Kagome was literally storming. 'Damn it...' He growled as he attempted to take another step forward. 'I'll have to use my Furyoku,' he thought to himself as his body began to glow a golden aura and fill with inhuman strength. 'The things that I do for this girl,' he mentally grumbled as walking became much easier. Despite being a literal walk in the park, approaching Kagome's barrier was no figurative walk in the park, even with his Furyoku.
"Kagome," He whispered as he stopped just a centimeter short of her barrier. He was not familiar with priestess barriers. He was unsure if he merely would be kept outside or if there would be painful repercussions for trying to even touch the damn thing. All that he could do was put his faith in her and trust that she would not allow him to be hurt. "I'm coming in," He said softly before taking a step forward. To his surprise, the moment that he set foot inside, the barrier dissipated and the air became calm and still.
And there she sat on the ground, still barefoot and in her qipao, with her buried deep within her knees that were hugged tightly to her chest. For a moment, he did not know what to say to her. The last thing that he wanted was for her to be startled into another energy storm. But his fears were immediately put to rest and he rushed to her side when he heard her choke on a sob as her body began to shake. "What happened?!" He asked frantically and angrily. "Was it the Asakura?! What did he do?!"
"I-It..." Kagome replied between sobs and quivers, "It wasn't Yoh... It wasn't him..."
"Then who was it?!" Ren demanded answers, uncomfortable and unsettled by the sound of her cries. This was the last situation that he wanted to be in: Kagome crying and him not knowing why. "Did he hurt you?!"
Kagome then shook her head before slowly lifting it to reveal a flushed face with puffy, red eyes and hot tears streaming down her face like the rapids in a canyon. "T-Tao-kun...what should I do?!" She whimpered as her eyes continued to tear up.
"About what?" He asked while unconsciously raising a hand to wipe her eyes away. "Whatever you need, I'll help you with it. Just tell me." His golden eyes scanned her body for any signs of injuries and he was relieved that he found none. However, he now knew that pain of the heart could be even more devastating...
"W-Well, I just realized that..." Kagome's body shook a bit as she continued to cry, "I'm in love with Yoh."
Yes.
He had known that all along.
But it did not make it hurt any less.
Authoress' Notes: The song the end of this chapter from when Hao attempts to kiss Kagome to the end would be "Kagome's Revelation" in my Shaman King OST collection folder.