Authoress' Notes: Thank you to all of my reviewers! I appreciate all of your support, it fuels me to keep writing on this ancient fanfic~ I'm aiming for about 55 more chapters or less for this fic so please stick around for the ride!
The Reason Why — It's Clear Now
Jun "hmm"ed softly as she spotted Kagome's hand on top of Yoh's. 'I'll admit that the two of them are a pretty good match... I want to get around to testing Yoh-kun's resolve, but this time around is probably too soon.' The green-haired teen looked over to her cousin, causing Sango's eyes to widen in recognition of what the look she received meant. The brunette raised her hands up and shook her head viciously, but to no avail. Jun then spoke the magic words, "Sango...truth...or dare?"
Sango inwardly moaned, she had hoped that no one would select her for the game at all. She knew that her hopes were not realistic, but if anyone had selected her, she only wanted it to be Kagome or Pirika, whose questions or dares would not be damaging or scarring to pride or dignity. "...truth," Sango replied with a shallow sigh. She just wanted to get it over with.
"Oh, Sango-dear," Jun gave a light chuckle. "Don't look so scared," she said while placing a hand on her cousin's shoulder. "I just want you to engage in the activity and have fun~ now..." Jun's tone suddenly changed from warm and kind to cold and dark as she asked, "Which boy in this room is most attractive to you?" The elder Tao could not help but crack a smile when she noticed HoroHoro suddenly perk up from the inquiry.
"Wha-? How could I not be scared if you ask things like that?!" Sango almost fell over from the sudden, intrusive question. However, she quickly regained her composure and added in with a slightly flustered tone, "Besides, one out of the five of them is my cousin!"
Pirika then chimed in from her spot in Bankotsu's lap, "That's okay~" she said while raising her pointer finger. "That just means that you have fewer options and it'll be easier to decide!"
Sango sighed as her shoulders hunched over, almost in defeat, "Easy for you to say... My options are still lackluster," she spoke in an honest, nonchalant tone. Her casual dismissal of their physical appearance caused the three boys to stiffen before invisible arrows of brutal honesty to pierce Bankotsu, Mukotsu, and even Yoh right in the self-esteem.
Sango's violet eyes moved from HoroHoro, who grinned before licking his hand and using his saliva to slick his hair back to appear more debonair. She gave him a deadpanned looked as he smirked and caused a sparkly background to appear around him. 'Nope.' She then looked over to Mukotsu, who visibly began shaking once their eyes met. 'This one looks like he wants to disappear entirely, can't put the spotlight on him.' Her eyes went to Yoh and she mentally shook her head, 'Can't choose him either. I wouldn't want to worry Kagome-chan.' Finally, her eyes landed on Bankotsu and she defaulted, "I guess Bankotsu-san is the most attractive to me."
Bankotsu then smirked cockily from being chosen as the most attractive in the room and he sent his confident look over to Kagome, who met his eyes with a half-smile and sweatdrop. She was not sure why he looked at her that way. It was not like being chosen as most attractive in the room changed anything between them. Meanwhile, no one noticed how Pirika's pouted and her cheeks inflated with air. 'Sango-nee is right. Ban-san is the hottest guy here, but I wish that she didn't noooooottttiiiiiccccee!' She panicked and whined inside of her mind.
Yoh smiled when he realized that it was finally his turn to put someone on the spot. And he knew exactly who he wanted to mess with, "Tao Ren!" He announced while raising his right hand and giving a slight friendly, beckoning wave.
Ren crossed his arms and growled a bit, "Of course you choose me," he almost sighed in frustration.
"Truth or dare?" Yoh asked in a chipper-like voice, like he was really getting into the game.
"Truth, I guess," Ren responded to Yoh's cheerful tone with a pointed, huffy one.
"Ahh," Yoh's shoulder slumped a bit as he admitted with a small, disappointed sigh. "I want to dare you to do something hilarious."
"Well, I choose truth so get on with it."
"Okay, okay" Yoh laughed before asking, "Tell us your most embarrassing secret."
Ren instantly stiffened as the first image that flashed in his mind's eye was of Kagome giving him a loving smile. 'Does he...know?' He wondered as he sent the Asakura a rather suspicious look. 'This guy who acts like an airhead, always smiling, seemingly laidback...could he be...' Yoh gave him a warm, friendly smile. 'An evil mastermind?'
"Oh!" Kagome suddenly chirped as she gently slammed a fist into an open palm. "I know exactly what his most embarrassing secret is~!" She said aloud.
"YOU DO?!" All except Yoh asked in shocked tones with wide eyes.
Kagome nodded and smiled nervously, "It's not my place to say though... I'll let Ren decide."
Ren rolled his eyes at everyone. He knew for sure that Kagome was not thinking of the same secret that the rest of the room was. He had a feeling that whatever she was thinking of would be his best option for answering this question. 'What could it be...?' He closed his eyes for a moment to think about over the month and a half that they had spent together. Hundreds of images and scenarios popped into his mind, many of them ending with Kagome smiling and him blushing like a fool.
"Tsu…!" Kagome began in a choked out, flabbergasted voice. "Tsu… Tsu…" she could not believe that… that… chibi had the gall to call her, "Flat-chest?" A new fire was in her eyes. "You're such a-!" Kagome's eyes strayed away from Ren's face to his left hand… or rather, what he was holding in his left hand.
Both of them froze, but for different reasons.
On one hand, Kagome froze because she had not been expecting that the boy would wake up early in the morning to sneak off to… do something so… so-!
Embarrassing; Ren froze because he had been caught by the last person in the world that he wanted to find out that every morning he woke up to secretly… to secretly… The boy felt blood rush to his cheeks from the thought of how Kagome would react to his embarrassing secret. The once-proud Tao was forced to quickly turn his face away from the girl to hide his embarrassed blush. He was also tempted to find the freshly opened carton of milk behind his back, but part of him knew that it would be futile to try to hide it now.
"A-Are you drinking milk straight from the carton?" Kagome shrieked in a horrified tone with a single finger shaking.
Ren's cheeks were dashed with a pale pink from the memory before he opened his mouth, "I..." Everyone noticed how his golden eyes were locked onto Kagome and each of them wondered if today would be the day that he confessed her feelings, Jun and Sango were the most emotionally invested in this moment. "...drink milk habitually for my growth. Hey! SHUT UP!" He shouted after he heard the collective sighs from many of the other teens in the room.
"That was unexpected," Yoh pointed out with a smile. "And a bit disappointing."
Kagome laughed lightly, "I don't know, in hindsight, it's kind of a cute secret~"
Ren instantly lowered his head and slapped a hand over his face to hide his embarrassment while Bankotsu and Yoh chorused in unison, "I-I drink milk in secret too!" Sango and Jun gave them deadpanned looks in response.
'So jealous...' The Tao ladies sighed inwardly.
"Yeah, right," Kagome laughed, "Good one, guys. Anyways, it's my turn!" She announced. She turned to Mukotsu and asked, "Truth or dare, Mukotsu-kun?"
The shy and quiet teen blushed when everyone's eyes turned to him, "t-truth..."
"Oh, darn it," Kagome deflated a bit. Obviously, she wanted to dare him to do something. "Well...hm... How abbbbbout... When did you first meet your guardian spirit Kaeru-sama?" She asked curiously. "Back when we schooled together, I had no clue that you were a shaman!"
HoroHoro crossed his arms, "Lame!" He complained, "All of these questions are so vanilla!"
"Well, excuse me, Mister!" Kagome retorted as she glared and placed her hands on her hips sassily. "Sorry that my question doesn't entertain you!"
HoroHoro glared back and imitated her pose and put on a higher-pitched voice, "Well, you're not excused, Missy!" The two of them then paused to look at each other before sharing a laugh that caused suspicious and annoyed looks to throw at HoroHoro.
Bankotsu then cracked his knuckles over Pirika's head, "Looks like blue-boy hasn't learned his lesson yet."
"H-Hold up!" HoroHoro's hands shot up, "We were just messing around! Mumuko, answer the question already!" He exclaimed in a panicked voice while looking at Mukotsu.
"E-Eh!" Mukotsu stammered, feeling pressured to answer quickly, "W-Well, even though you healed me back up then..." He began, referring to the incident that resulted in Kagome's ostracization from the school. "Doctors were befuddled and wanted to run many tests on me. I spent many hours after school in and out of hospitals as they tried to figure out how I healed from grave injuries so quickly... Students who witnessed the attack on me told the adults that they saw Yuka-chan-... Kasanagi slash me up deeply... so..." He then trailed off as his eyes became hazy at the dark memories. "He found me at my lowest point...during a hospital visit..."
"I'm sorry," Kagome whispered as she looked down at her lap. "I didn't realize that it would bring up memories like that." Yoh looked over at his best friend with a small frown on his face. He had a feeling that there was a shared troubled history between Kagome and her old classmates that he did not know of...and he really wanted to. Maybe it was the reason why she looked so sad and lonely on the day that he had met her and Manta.
"Then why are you-" Manta asked in a state of confusion, frustration, and fear.
"Asakura…" Kagome whispered.
Yoh grinned over his shoulder, " it's alright. I'm sure things will work out somehow…" Yoh grabbed Manta's wrist again and stated. "So let's go." Before proceeding on his trek to see Ryu, Yoh looked back at Kagome who stood idly watching the entire scene as if she was not even there.
Her eyes were just like his when he was younger...so dejected and used to just filling up space.
How could someone who seemed so beautiful, warm, and kind have such a lonely expression? It did not suit her.
Kagome's eyes widened when their eyes met.
"Are you coming, Higurashi?" Yoh inquired curiously. He hoped that she would take him up on his offer. He was sure that she was a good person, someone who did not deserve to know such pain and loneliness.
Yoh smiled inwardly when he saw Kagome's body language loosen up and relax. He could feel a shift in her aura. It was as it should have been.
She breathed.
The girl wiped her lonely tears away and nodded enthusiastically. Yoh's smiled widened, feeling like he had made the right decision and rescued someone from feeling what he had felt way back then.
"You bet!" she chirped as she skipped up to him and Manta.
"The blue guy is right," Bankotsu stated aloud as he quickly acted to change topics. "These questions and dares a little boring. We're wasting our time here so let's spice things up a bit." He grinned as he looked at Jun, "Midori-san, truth or dare?"
Jun stifled a laugh while holding her cheek, "Midori-san, huh? That's a new one..." She mumbled, she then smiled and replied, "I agree that we should spice things up so I'll choose dare." She pulled a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
Bankotsu then smirked, "You're braver than I thought," he commented. He then gave his older brother a sly smile before looking back at Jun, "I dare you to kiss my brother here, anywhere you want."
"WHAT?!" Ren yelled in outrage as he shot to his feet, his stance rigid and his hands clenched into fists. "How dare you, you bas-?!" His incoming tirade was cut short by Jun gently tugging at his obi, causing him to look down at her. His golden eyes widened at the sight of his older sister smiling at him gently, her eyes telling him that it was alright.
"That's fine," She responded in a calm, unabashed tone. "A simple kiss is nothing to me. It's not like it'll be my first," she said in a sultry voice with a giggle that made everyone except Bankotsu blush. The green-haired Tao gracefully got to her feet and sauntered over to Mukotsu, who stiffened at the thought of a beautiful woman kissing him, even if she settled for his forehead and cheek.
"A-Are you sure?" Mukotsu choked out while visibly shaking in a nervous fright.
"I am, as long as you're okay with it," Jun whispered back. The Shichinin then looked at Kagome, who was staring at them with wide eyes and her hands covering her mouth.
'She won't ever be mine...' Mukotsu told himself. It was the truth, albeit a painful one. He had already known that he stood no chance against his brother for Kagome's affection, but now that he saw that there was even more competition... He knew that he was utterly defeated. Mukotsu nodded affirmatively to Jun before shutting his eyes tight as if not seeing Jun's face closing in on him would make the moment go quicker. He expected the feel warmth and softness on his forehead or his cheek. The darkness that his eyelids created only increased his anticipation and the feeling of being lost.
That was...
until he felt a pair of soft lips pressed directly against his own.
Mukotsu's eyes shot open in complete shock.
"Nee...Nee-san?!" Came Ren's voice from across the room.
After pressing her lips against Mukotsu's for a solid three seconds, Jun felt satisfied and peeled back slowly. Her expression softened at the sight of Mukotsu, who looked completely thrown for a loop. "Have confidence. You're worth more than what you think," She whispered to him, causing him to blush and nod slowly. She then stood up and gave Bankotsu a smug look, "Hmph, are you satisfied?" she asked him in a tone that almost came off as haughty.
'She's one hell of a woman,' Bankotsu thought as he found himself flabbergasted at the scene. The raven-haired boy then gave his older brother a grin and told him while patting his shoulder, "Well, it's your turn, bro."
Mukotsu got up to his feet at the speed of lightning and responded in a hurried tone, "Pass. Bathroom break." He then rushed out of the room without another word, almost tripping over a set of spare pillows that had put off to the side.
"That means that it's finally my turn!" Pirika cheered excitedly. "I've been waiting to ask this!" The adorable girl looked at Kagome with a bright smile, "Kagome-chan, who would you marry out of everyone in this room?!" Cue the instant blushes from Yoh, Ren, and Bankotsu, who also went back into their imagination lands.
"Wake up, sleepyheeeead~!" Kagome sang in a playful tone as she poked Ren's serene, sleeping face. His eyelids fluttered and he mumbled something in response before turning over to lay on his other side in their shared bed. Kagome then pouted cutely with a low growl, "I saaaaaid... wake up!" She exclaimed before plopping her full weight down onto her sleeping husband, causing his eyes to flash open with an "oof!" as the wind was knocked from his chest. "Damn it, woman," he grumbled grumpily. "Do you have no respect for your husband's need to sleep?" He asked. Kagome then glared at him from her position above him and asked, "Do you have no respect for your wife's need to love on you?" Despite her saucy tone, Ren blushed at her adorable question. "Shut up, dummy," He responded before leaning up to-.
Steam literally blew from Ren's eyes as he imagined doing the unthinkable to Kagome.
Meanwhile, Bankotsu imagined a completely different scenario. The chime of wedding bells could be heard inside of his head as his mind brought up the scene of a traditional, Western-style church. In the pews, sat all of his brothers who were crying tears of joy for him on his special day. There were also the other occupants of the room, where the women were also trying happily for Kagome's sake and Ren and Yoh were gritting their teeth saltily. At the altar stood Kagome in a traditional, pure white wedding gown complemented by with lace, a veil, and matching long white gloves. She was facing her husband-to-be, Bankotsu, who was dressed in a fancy black tuxedo complete with a dark blue neck-tie. "Ban-chan...I love you," She whispered to him with eyes wavering with intension emotions. "I love you more, Kagome..." He whispered back before he leaned down to-.
"Heh," Bankotsu smirked to himself at the mental image of his triumph over his rivals.
Simultaneously, Yoh swatted away the thought bubble that appeared over his head. 'I-I can't think about things like that with Kagome!' He yelled at himself. His heart still continued to pound at the thought. 'Kagome is my...best friend! It would be like marrying Manta!' He rationalized before an image of himself getting down on one knee in front of a blushing Manta appeared in his mind's eye. 'Uwah!' He was almost sickened by the image of that. 'But... The thought of proposing to Kagome isn't the same...' He looked over at Kagome's face as she opened her mouth to answer the question, 'It makes me feel warm and fuzzy.'
Kagome laughed the question off while waving her hand, "That's an easy one." Her statement snapped the three teens back out of their thoughts and back to reality, but none of them were expecting the answer she followed up with, "I'd marry Sango-chan~!" The trio anime fell as Sango's eyes lit up as the younger girl elaborated on her answer, "She knows how to clean, make clothes, cook, and she's super tough and beautiful!" Kagome then gave Sango a killer smile and concluded with, "She'd make the perfect wife~!"
"Kagome-chan~!" Sango suddenly cried out emotionally.
"Sango-chan~!" Kagome cried back as the two of them ran up to each other to embrace, a sparkling background appearing behind them as they exclaimed in harmony,
"I love you~!"
Jun could not help but giggle at the scene and feel glad that Sango had found someone that she could openly love and be affectionate towards. Meanwhile, HoroHoro and Bankotsu's eye twitched, both feeling dejected. Yoh smiled fondly at the scene, thinking that it was good for Kagome to finally have some female friends. "Hmph," Ren looked away from the duo. 'Maybe I should learn how to do housework too...' he wondered to himself.
"Alright!" HoroHoro made a fist, "Time to avenge my little sister!" He exclaimed while looking at Ren. The blunette pointed directly at the Tao boy and shouted, "Truth or dare, chibi?!"
Feeling rather confident, Ren smirked and replied, "Dare. Give me your best shot."
HoroHoro placed a hand on his hip and returned the smirk tenfold as he commanded, "Kiss Kagome, on the lips." He took great pleasure in the way Ren's smirk was immediately replaced with a wide-eyed blush. 'That's right... Let's see you pull this one off,' He mentally challenged Ren. HoroHoro was too busy drinking in Ren's facial response that he did not notice how Kagome blushed and brought two fingers delicately up to her lips.
'Ren has to...kiss me?!' She thought to herself, her heart beginning to race at the thought. Not too long ago, her first kiss nearly stolen by a boy who looked almost identical Yoh, not that anyone except Ren knew about that. Back then, she felt like her entire world would end up if someone other than Yoh had kissed her. And now...here was this circumstance yet again. She closed her eyes for a moment, 'but this scenario is a little different...Ren is a good friend of mine, not some stranger, but...' She stole a glance at Yoh, who also happened to be staring at her. His cheeks were a bit red and he was biting lower lip with a focused expression on his face as if he really wanted to say or do something but was unable to. Kagome immediately looked away from him, 'But, I still want my first to be with Yoh!'
"Cheap shot," Ren said in a volume that only HoroHoro could hear.
"Serves you right," and another smug look was the response.
"Fine," Ren huffed as he got to his feet and made the short walk across the room to Kagome.
She immediately shook her head and told him in a rather flustered tone, "R-Ren, you don't have to if you don't want to! I won't be offended if you'd rather take the punishment!"
[Badumph!][Badumph!][Badumph!]
Kagome felt her heart pounding even harder in her chest when Ren simply squatted down in front of her and replied as calmly as he could, "I'll only take the punishment if you tell me to." Despite the stoic face that he put on, Ren's heart was racing a mile per minute, if not faster. The girl in front of him was the girl of his dream after all. He had been given the opportunity that he never thought would happen. Or at least, one that he thought would not happen for a long time.
[Badumph!][Badumph!][Badumph!]
'But...' He thought to himself bitterly. 'I won't do it if she tells me not to... I know the person who she truly loves is.'
"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."
[Badumph!][Badumph!][Badumph!]
Kagome's eyes widened at his statement, 'Here I am... Being selfish about my feelings and I wasn't considering how Ren felt about this.' She saw his clenched jaw and reddened cheeks. 'He looks so scared...but he's trying so hard to look brave and strong...for my sake?' She inwardly pondered, trying to make sense of the situation that she was in.
[Badumph!][Badumph!][Badumph!]
'Between kissing me and being naked in the women's bath, I guess kissing me is the better option for him,' Kagome deduced. 'He'd probably feel humiliated if someone saw him naked...' She thought back to all of the times that they spent together, all of the times that he showed her acts of kindness. 'I want Yoh to be my first kiss, but... Ren has gone out of his way to help me so many times. This time...I can return the favor.'
"No need to take the punishment, "Kagome replied as bravely as she could. She could not believe what she was about to say. "It's okay if it's you," She told Ren with the most reassuring smile that she could muster.
[Badumph!][Badumph!][Badumph!]
Ren's blushed deepened and his brave face faltered at Kagome's unexpected response. He predicted that she would be too flustered and hung up on Yoh to consent to him kissing her. And yet-
She took him by surprise once again.
In the background, Jun who had merely been taking a somewhat cynical pleasure in watching the younger teens act like children in this game finally was caught off guard. Her eyes widened in surprise and watched with bated breath. Likewise, Sango, HoroHoro, and Pirika were taken by surprise and they watched the scene unfold like the climax of a soap opera.
"Kagome, what are you saying?!" Bankotsu protested, wanting nothing more than to jump between the two, but he was very conscious of the small girl in his lap. He did not want to unintentionally hurt her with impulsive actions like that.
Yoh merely watched from right next to Kagome with furrowed eyebrows and his lips slightly ajar. He was completely speechless at what was happening right in front of him. 'Kagome...why?' He wondered. 'Why are you okay with that...?' He wanted to ask her, but all of his words were caught in his throat.
[Badumph!]
"A...Are you sure...?" Ren asked as his hands landed on her arms and he looked her directly in the eye, searching for traces of fear and doubt. The last thing that he wanted was to ruin their first kiss by doing it before she was ready.
Kagome, however, was unable to maintain the eye-contact so she nodded and closed her eyes to signify that she was ready for it. 'C-Come on!' She mentally shouted at Ren. 'I'm nervous enough! Please just kiss me already!'
[Badumph!][Badumph!]
"Okay..." Ren whispered back. It was a huge relief that she closed her eyes. He would never live it down if his face was betraying his will and showing him elated he truly felt on the inside. He leaned downed closer before following her lead and closing his eyes as he closed the distance between their faces.
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
Anna sucked her teeth as she leaned against the wall of the Asakura living room. "Damn it, Yoh..." She spat out in a silent fury. "You're late," she banged her hand against the wall, unintentionally, breaking through the drywall and leaving a hole the size of her fist inside of it. 'It's all because of her...' She thought to herself as she wrapped her slender arms around her form and slide down the wall until her butt touched the floor.
Despair.
Loneliness.
Jealousy.
Hatred.
'I can't let these negative emotions consume me...' She told herself. 'I'm stronger than that... I'm stronger than this. I'm not the same pathetic, weak girl that I used to be.' When she was but a small child, she was not the same strong-willed person that she was not. She did not openly speak her mind. She was quiet and complacent. She accepted that she was an outsider in this miserable world. That was all until she had met Yoh, that wide-eyed, innocent yet lonely boy who was the same as she was. He made her realize that she was not alone. And because she was not alone, she knew that her thoughts and feelings truly did matter in the world. It felt like she mattered to someone.
'I refuse to let anyone take him away from me,' Anna thought to herself. 'No one...not even Higurashi Kagome can take away my strength.' After she told herself that, Anna wiped a tear away from her eye and stood up. The cold emptiness inside of her was replaced with a determined fire. 'I won't lose!' She slipped on her sandals and left out of the front door, "Ryu, I'm bringing Yoh home! Don't wait up!"
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
Ren felt Kagome's warm breath against his lips and knew that he was close to his destination, just a little more... He wanted their first kiss to be slow and gentle, one that she would look back on with fond memories. This had to be destiny, right-?
"Huh?!" Kagome's eyes shot open when she suddenly felt herself being pulled to her feet with mighty strength. Her shocked blue eyes met Yoh's brown ones, they were storming with emotions that she had never seen before in him.
"Kagome, let's run!" The Asakura told her in a grave tone as he suddenly took off in a beyond impressive speed for someone running in a yukata, taking Kagome along with him in his frantic escape out of the room and down the hallway.
HoroHoro's eyes wide at what he just witness, "Huh...?"
It was like a groomsman just stole the bride during the wedding.
Bankotsu grinned inwardly, 'Asakura Yoh...good job.'
"Oh, my," Jun smiled while touching her cheek delicately. "Yoh-kun stole Kagome-chan away before we could get to the good part. It's a little disappointing, but still very entertaining..." She then looked at her younger brother, who seemed to be frozen in the squatting position that he took in order to get down to Kagome's level. She noticed the ever-so-subtle furious shake in his shoulders.
"Asakura Yoh..." Ren whispered inaudibly. 'You stole my chance from me.' He slowly got to his feet and remained scarily quiet, causing Jun and Sango to exchange worried glances with each other. They had known how happy the opportunity had made him, only for it suddenly slip through his fingers.
'But I won't back down so easily!'
Without a word to anyway, Ren took off after the fleeing pair.
"After them!" Pirika commanded of everyone else, but more out of the curiosity to see how the romantic-drama would continue to unfold than concern. The three remaining girls nodded to each other and the rest of the teens began rushing out of the room as well.
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
Despite that she was no longer in the situation where she was about to lose her first kiss, Kagome could not help but notice that her heart was still pounding. Just as she had accepted that her first would not be with Yoh, here he was sweeping her from the scene. 'Like some sort of prince...' Kagome thought to herself as she stared at the back of Yoh's head as he continued leading her away from the others. "Ah... Hey, Yoh," She finally spoke up after running for a minute that felt like an eternity. "Where are we going?" She asked curiously. It was not like she tired from such a short sprint. She had enough training with Sesshomaru where she could run for over twenty minutes straight without stopping for a break.
She was just...curious...
about a lot of things.
Yoh then looked at her from over his shoulder and gave her a grin, "Honestly...I have no clue," he replied before adding, "Anywhere but there is okay." It was true that he had no idea where he was whisking the girl away to. His body was acting on pure impulse, which was not like him. But...
Yoh imagined Ren's face closing in on Kagome's.
And his chest tightened once again, like it did when it actually happened a short while ago.
The two had been running down the long corridor of guests, finally, he made a left turn at a fork and found that they stood in front of a custodial closet. He stopped in front of the small door and gulped before opening it. It was dark and empty except for a few empty wall shelves that were closer to the ceiling of the closet. It seemed like the clean-up took all of the equipment to go make some rounds for work. It was perfect. "In here," He told her as he led her inside and closed the door almost completely, he left a crack thin enough to slightly illuminate the dark space and see out of.
"Eh heh..." Kagome chuckled nervously. "I'm still not sure why we ran away and why we're hiding in here," She told him, hoping that he would explain himself to her. In her mind, Yoh had taken her away out of jealousy and wanting her for himself. But she knew that could not be the reason, so she really wanted to know it to erase the rose-colored lens of their escape from her mind.
Yoh sighed softly, so softly that Kagome could not hear it, despite being so close to him in that small space. "I know that you said that you were okay with it," The brunette began. "...but I...felt like it wasn't something that I wanted to see," he told her, speaking from the heart without any inhibitions.
Kagome gasped.
There was something about the darkness that made him feel braver.
Maybe it was because he did not have to hide how he felt.
Yoh then chuckled nervously and said, "Let's ride out the storm in here for a while," he took a seat on the bare, cold floor. "We can talk and catch up on some things."
"Mm," Kagome hummed in agreement as she followed his example and sat down on the uncarpeted floor. She curled her knees to her chest to create more space. "So...what would you like to talk about?" She asked him.
"Uhhh... Anything is fine," Yoh replied. "How about...how you became so close to Ren."
"Ehhh?" Kagome blinked, as she did not expect a question like that. "What do you mean?"
Yoh blushed in the darkness, "I mean...you seem very close to him. You're comfortable enough to let him kiss you, after all. I just wanted to know...how and why?" He scratched his cheek, hoping that he did not sound like a weirdo for asking such things! But it felt like he could ask her anything and she would tell him, so he did!
"O-Oh!" Kagome squeaked. "Well... Let's see... The Taos took me in during my training regimen. They offered me food and shelter for free," She began as she thought about the time that she had spent with the Tao's. "At first, I was very nervous when I was staying there. The Tao's used to be enemies of ours. But Jun-neesan showed me a lot of hospitality and Sango-chan was shy but kind. It made me feel relaxed and at home. I'll admit that Ren and I did not get along that well at first." Yoh could feel her shuffle a bit, as they were sitting back-to-back. "But...I began to notice that despite being strong, he still trained daily. He worked to improve himself and it inspired me to work harder too," She said as her smile softened. "Over time, I guess...we just used to each other's presence. He's rough around the edges but I've learned that he's just a sweet, gentle person inside..."
Yoh took in the words as best as he could. He bit his lower lip as he felt that strange weight in chest build up again, hearing the praises that Kagome seemed to sing about Tao Ren. "I owe a lot to his kindness...so that's why I decided to let him kiss me if he wanted to..."
"...Kagome..." Yoh began to say as his hands clenched into fists.
"Besides, it's not like that kiss would really mean anything to either of us~!" Kagome concluded in a cheerful tone. "I don't think I'm his type at all~" she announced with a small giggle.
Yoh scowled as he turned around to face Kagome, however, he could only vaguely see the details of her face in a sparsely illuminated room. "Kagome, you're so silly," He laughed in a teasing tone. He placed a hand on her hand and told her, "Don't be so willing to cut yourself short. Believe it or not but you're a lot of people's types," he told her with a grin. "A true catch!"
Kagome blushed at his statement, "You really think so?" She asked, her voice almost wavering.
"Mmhm!" Yoh nodded in response, "Remember, there's a lot of great things about you! That's why I can't-!" Suddenly the door swung open, temporarily blinding, the two of them with the flood of light. "Uwah, they found u...uh..." Yoh began to say but he lost his voice in his throat at the person standing before them. He was expecting it to be someone from their party, but it was not.
It was someone who he had never seen before.
Or rather, it was a face that he had seen before countless times, on a body that he did not recognize. It was his own face, looking down at them with a warm and cordial smile. "Ah, there you are...Kagome..." He looked at the girl and then the boy next to her, "and my little brother too."
"Little...brother...?" Yoh whispered back in shock.
"I-It's you..." Kagome whispered as her body began to tremble, remembering their previous encounter. "Hao..." The elder of the Asakura twins smiled at the sound of his name coming from her mouth.
"So glad that you remembered me, Kagome," He replied before reaching down placing a finger on Yoh's forehead, "You're exhausted, aren't you? Sleep now." He commanded as he used a technique he learned long, long ago to will Yoh to pass out on the very spot. Kagome gasped and caught Yoh in her arms before he could collapse onto the floor.
"What did you do to Yoh, you bastard?!" Kagome shouted angrily as she protectively held Yoh's unconscious form close to her body. Her normally warm eyes were burning with an ocean of unusual anger. Hao delighted in seeing the fear in her eyes transform into something that suited her much more.
"Don't worry," He reassured her. "He's just taking a little nap while I get some answers from you." Kagome eyed him suspiciously and scooted further back into the closet. Her body language communicated complete mistrust. It was something that he would fix later. For now, he needed his answers. "Now...Open up to me," Hao commanded while raising a hand and smirking. "There's something powerful sleeping inside of you. Show it to me." Kagome's eyes widened as Hao's hand began to glow a strange blue light before he held it out in front of him. "Show me."
"Wha-?"
Before she could complete her question, Kagome felt her body go completely numb, her grip on Yoh naturally released. The numbness was followed by weightlessness as she found her body beginning to float and hover in mid-air. "W-What...are you doing to me...?" She struggled to ask as she felt an unknown feeling well up inside of her. She felt a strange nauseous; she felt sick to her stomach. But what bothered her most was the feeling of something being stirred up from deeper than her physical body. 'S-Something's...c-coming...' She thought as she fought to keep it inside of her. Whatever it was.
"It's alright," Hao told her. "I'm just taking a look. You can trust me."
Kagome released a final high-pitched scream as she felt whatever Hao was searching for release from within the depths of her body. A flash of radiant light made him smile as what he had been searching for emerged. He caught a glimpse of it twice before: once when they had first met, and once again when she blessed the Tao with more Furyoku. Kagome felt her eyes become too heavy to keep open and everything faded to black for her...
However, for Hao, he smiled and took a step back, allowing the brilliant light that he lured from Kagome's body to take on a humanoid form before him. "You've exceeded all of my expectations...Higurashi Kagome," He told the light as it morphed and changed into an older, solemn, incorporeal Kagome who floated there in front of him. "I can't believe that you even managed to fool me," He mused with a laugh as he closed his eyes.
'There she is... The omnipotent being who only graces this wretched world with her presence unless summoned forth.'
The older Kagome stared at him, her eyes unafraid and peaceful, showing no signs of resentment or anger towards him. "What is it that you want, Asakura Hao?" She asked of him. Her tone was not impatient; it was surprisingly neutral and calm.
Hao smiled at her and replied straightforwardly, "I want to know how a being such as you can exist in this world. I've lived many lives and never before have I encountered an existence quite like yours before."
"You have curiosity, yes?" The shining Kagome asked. Hao did not even nod his head. He just stared this Kagome down to show how serious he truly was. He needed to know what was it about her that drew him to her. "Very well. This will be the first and the last time that you call on me," She told him as she extended her hand towards him. She looked him in the eye. Translucent blue met solid brown. "...are you ready?" She asked of him.
"Yes."
Hao reached out his hand and took a grasp on hers, not even surprised that their hands connected. "Then I will take you back...to the very beginning," the Kagome told him as the colors of the room began to swirl and blend together until they formed the deepest of black.
She told him that she would take him back to the very beginning, she was not exaggerating... However, Hao was shocked to find that the beginning did not begin with him, nor did it end with him. The very beginning started with him surrounded by cold and darkness... He looked up and saw a light far ahead above him. "Interesting..." He whispered as he watched the events unfold.
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
"What are you doing here?!" Kagome asked in a hot tone. Although she sported the traditional priestess clothing, red hakama, wooden sandal with split-toe socks, and a white haori, she showed her rebellious side by letting her long, black hair run as free as the wind. "I told you not to come anymore, Asakura Yoh!" She yelled as she stomped across the shrine grounds to punch him the chest.
However, the grinning man was supposed to this treatment by now and easily caught her small fist in his hand, "I just felt like I wanted to see you!" He responded between laughs as her face flushed and she continued to throw a barrage of punches at him to hide her embarrassment. "Come on, Kagome! Am I not allowed to come and see a friend?!" He asked in an innocent tone.
Kagome scoffed and glared at him, "You're not fooling anyone!" She told him in accusing tone. "You have a very scary wife and the last thing that I need is for her to come after my head!"
"You mean Anna?" He laughed softly. "You don't have to worry about her! She's very sweet!"
"Riiiiight," Kagome rolled her eyes before sighing aloud and giving up on pummeling her visitor. Her hot hair seemed to deflate as her eyes began darker...lonelier... "Why do you...keep coming here like this? It's not fair to me, you know..."
Her question wiped the easy-going smile from Yoh's face as his expression became more serious, something that was rare for him. "Do you really want me to stop?" He met her question with one of his own. "I mean, you know why I'm here."
Suddenly, Kagome lifted her head and she was glaring at him again. Yoh was taken aback at the angry, hurt tears in her eyes. "I KNOW THAT!" She roared at him with clenched fists, her emotions caused a gust of wind to blow long, waist-length hair back. She panted heavily as she tried to calm herself...the angry tears in her eyes began to roll down her face. "But is that all that I am to you?" She asked, her voice heartbroken.
Yoh raised a hand and wiped away the hot stream away from her pale face, "No... You mean much more to me than you know..." He replied in a whisper than made Kagome's heart skip a beat. "It's just that...if I acted on my feelings...it would be wrong."
Kagome sniffed and nodded in agreement, but she threw herself into Yoh's chest regardless and wept. She wept and wept and wept and wept. Yoh closed his eyes and held her close him for comfort. He knew what he wanted to do more than anything... But...he couldn't...
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
"There they are!" Pirika's voice suddenly jostled both Kagome and Yoh awake as the closet door suddenly opened. "They're- EEEEEEKKK!" Pirika suddenly shrieked as her hands shot up to cover her innocent eyes from the scandalous scene in front of her.
"What's wrong, Pirika-chan?" Sango asked as she rushed over to the closet and she gasped. A few seconds later, the remainder of the group crowded around the closet door, many sets of curious and some angry eyes glaring at them.
Kagome blinked, curious at why she was receiving some strange looks.
She then remembered what happened...almost being kissed by Ren, being taken away by Yoh, hiding with him in the closet and...She looked down and blushed immensely, realizing the compromising position that she was just caught in. Yoh was beneath her as she straddling him from above. Part of her yukata was devilishly undone, revealing a bit for their thigh. And worst of all...
Kagome looked down at Yoh's face, but he averted his eyes...He was too ashamed to meet her gaze as he knew that she must have felt how excited he became down there when he woke up and realized their position.
Ren and Bankotsu then pushed their way to the front of the small crowd of teenagers and both of their froze on the spot.
"Kagome-chan...takes the lead..." Bankotsu choked out, a small part of him felt delighted by the new discovery, but of most him felt like he had to end this Asakura Yoh's entire existence.
Meanwhile, Ren almost felt faint at the sight of Kagome's exposed flesh- her creamy thighs, the slight bit of exposed cleavage. It was almost a sensory overload. He silently shook at the sight, unable to form any words.
HoroHoro then butted in and whistled at the couple who were still frozen in place, "Woohoo! Now we know who would have had the most fun in Seven Minutes in Heaven!" He teased at them.
Ren bristled before he finally found himself able to move. He reached down, grabbed Kagome by the forearm and pulled her to her feet, "H-Hey!" She protested at the sudden firm grasp on her arm. "What are you doing, Ren?!" The sight of Ren giving her a glare that was unlike any other caused her eyes to widen and lips to part slightly. 'Ren... Why are you so angry?' She wanted to ask him, but she was afraid to know the answer. Not a moment later, Yoh casually got to his feet and adjusted his yukata.
He sent everyone an embarrassed smile and told him, "I know what it looked like, but I promise that it wasn't like that at all." The moment those words left Yoh's mouth, the Asakura found that a strong grip on the front of his yukata as Ren violently backed him up into his wall. The slightly shorter boy glared into his eyes with clenched teeth.
Sango and Jun instantly grabbed Kagome by the shoulders to prevent her from interfering as they saw her open her mouth and prepared to jump between them.
"Asakura Yoh..." Ren seethed, his eyes narrowed even more. His breathing became more sporadic as the anger bubbled inside of him. "If you ever lay a finger on my Kagome..." He whispered only loud enough for Yoh to hear.
Yoh's facial expression changed from surprised to a hardened one too from Ren's threatening whisper. He grabbed the offending hand and yanked it away from his person. He then whispered back words that surprised even himself, "She's not your Kagome..." The normally calm teen met Ren's glare with unwavering eyes. He would not back down from this. He couldn't.
Yoh had a strange dream that he did not understand.
It was a dream where he and Kagome were older... young adults.
In that dream, Kagome was angry and hurting, and it seemed to because of him and he did not know why.
All that he knew was how he felt.
He was torn up inside.
The dream may have been an enigma, but it was also like a puzzle piece falling into his lap. How the Yoh from his dream felt about the Kagome from his dream made him realize something about the Yoh who he was right now...something that he should have known a while ago.
It all made sense now.
The reason why he could only pretend to be happy when she was gone.
The reason why he felt so off-balance and out of focus after she left.
The reason why he pulled away from Anna's touch when she reached out to comfort him.
The reason why he cried that day, despite knowing that she would return to him.
The reason why he could not stand seeing another boy kiss her.
It was clear now.
Asakura Yoh loved Higurashi Kagome.
Authoress' Notes: (drops mic) I end it on that note. Lol! I literally wrote this one in less than 24 hours! Hopefully, it doesn't disappoint anyone, lol~ It ended up taking an unexpected turn but I think I like the way that it turned out. It's time to start fleshing out the overarching plot so expect more drama, visions, angst, fluff, etc in the future! Man...I kind of grew to love all of these boys in Kagome's harem _ but alas, there must be a winner! I already decided that winner a long time ago but hopefully, you all enjoy the ride that leads up to it! Also, drop a comment telling me who you want to win this harem so far and why! Also, for people who are tired of the drama already, don't worry! We'll get back to the action very soon! =3 I know that I can't overload you with nothing but romantic-drama, lol!
Also, a special thank you to my darling transcending love! I completely stole the idea of Kagome saying that she'd marry Sango from them! I thought it was perfect for their relationship in my fic~ I just had to use it!