Chapter 12
A couple of days passed, but whenever Kaoru tried to approach Kagome, she would turn the other way. She didn't even bother to give him or his brother a second of her time. It was like Kaoru didn't exist anymore.
"What's wrong with Kagome?" Hikaru sneered.
Kaoru growled, glaring at his brother. It was his fault Kagome was mad at him.
"You seriously don't get it, do you?" He sneered back.
"And what am I suppose to be getting?" Hikaru's eyes flashed heatedly. The last few days had been hell for Kaoru, always feeling like he was seconds from blowing up.
"It's because of you!" He snapped. "If I wasn't always going along with your selfish games, Kagome wouldn't be mad! You called Kagome our toy!" Kaoru all but growled
Hikaru stiffened, taken aback by his brother's sudden outburst. His eyes quickly narrowed, looking just as angry. "I might suggest them, but you're the one who really gets into them, Kaoru. Why did you play along if you hated it so much?" He chided back, daring Kaoru to deny it.
Kaoru growled low. "Because I'd hate to see you make an ass of yourself in front of everyone!" He snapped. "It was your idea to call them our toy, yet you were so quick to make a pass at Haruhi. Admit it Hikaru, you like Haruhi."
Blush erupted across Hikaru's face, golden eyes darting towards the girl in question, who was oblivious to their squabbling. The only ones really paying attention were the other youkai in the club, Tamaki's face frozen in shocked horror. Hikaru looked back quickly with a low growl of his own, eyes narrowing in a heated glare. "No, I don't! You're such a freaking idiot!" He stammered back. "Why don't you admit it, Kaoru?! You're actually in love with Kagome… aren't you!" his nostrils flared, daring him to deny it.
Kaoru's face grew hot, and his ears burned. His eyes darted towards Kagome. She wasn't paying any attention; instead, that belonged to Mori. She had been sticking close to the older host for the last two days, smiling as she entertained guests alongside him and Hani-senpai. "And so what if I am?!" He snapped, his eyes burning. Kagome would barely look at him, let alone allow him the chance to apologize, and he blamed Hikaru for that.
"Seriously?" Hikaru laughed, trying to hide his surprise and hurt. It took Kaoru by surprise. Had he mistaken Hikaru's interest in Haruhi, was he just as interested in Kagome as him? The thought only seemed to fuel the anger burning in his gut. "She looks like a raccoon dog!"
"Kagome does not look like a raccoon dog!" Tamaki shrieked before Kaoru even had the chance. "How dare you bad mouth, my baby girls! You're going to pay for that!" He yelled angrily in their faces.
"This is just perfect!" A female voice cried, pulling everyone's (those who hadn't already been watching, aka Kagome) attention towards the twins. The floor rumbled before a trap door opened, and sitting on an ornate chair was Renge Houshakuji. The french girl was fanning her flush face as she stared heatedly at what she had deemed a romantic strife. "Seems our beloved Haruhi and Kagome have found themselves in the middle of a beautiful, yet poignant, multisided romantic entanglement. And to make it even more exciting, it seems they are at the center of these twins' affections! Torn apart by love! It's so exhilarating!" Hearts were practically dancing within her copper gaze.
The twins turned, both glaring daggers at the obnoxious French girl. "Stay out of it, otaku!" They snapped in unison before turning their glares back toward one another.
Renge dramatically fell back into her chair with a watery shout. "You guys are such meanies! You shouldn't say something like that to your manager!"
Tamaki leaned in, his voice soft with concern and confusion. "But Renge, don't you have feelings for Haruhi and Kagome as well?"
The girl brightened, hearts again dancing in her eyes. "Oh, I do! But I don't have a problem with either of them having a homosexual relationship on the side." Her face grew bright as a wicked grin pulled at her lips. "Especially if it's with each other!"
"What happened to her going back to France?" Kagome muttered, finally turning her attention towards the raucous across the room. She had been trying to avoid the twins. Seems that was going to be impossible.
Even across the room from one another, both Haruhi and Kagome hung their heads in defeat.
"Cut it out already!" Hikaru snapped, not just at Renge but at Kaoru. "You're the one who's always crawling into my bed! Talk about annoying!"
"What does that have to do with anything!?" Kaoru bristled. "Either way, I only do that cause you look lonely! It's not like I would choose to sleep in your bed, you idiot!"
In the background, several girls' could be heard squealing, their fangirl fantasy having just been verified.
"Who are you calling an idiot? You're the one who sucks at math!"
"Oh yeah? You're failing your foreign language class, you big dummy!"
"The way you grind your teeth is deafening!"
"At least I don't toss and turn so much that I fall out of bed!"
"Sex Pixie!"
"Perverted Freak!"
"Your mama wears too much makeup! We're over!"
They then turned, storming off in opposite directions.
Kagome blinked owlishly. "Did I miss something?" She asked into the now deathly silent room.
~o.O~O.o~
~o.O~O.o~
The weekend was a good way for Kagome to unwind, finally allowing her the time to calm down after what the twins had said. She was sure they hadn't meant it to hurt her, but it didn't stop it from hurting. Now she could finally talk to them, at least Kaoru anyway, seeing as he had spent the rest of last week trying to apologize. And after that weird fight Friday, she wanted to check in and ensure everything was alright between them.
It was just before class was about to start when she spotted them. They were seated to either side of Haruhi, with Kagome placed two rows behind them. Hikaru was the first to enter, his hair a bright pink and slicked back. And just behind him walked Kaoru, his hair just as bright in the same style but in the color of neon blue.
She was flabbergasted. Her greeting dying on her tongue. Kaoru didn't even bother looking at her, focusing solely on Haruhi and Hikaru. Then again, she shouldn't have expected anything else, seeing as she had given him the silent treatment for most of last week.
Kagome looked down at her notebook with a sad expression. Why did it have to be so complicated? Her life seemed to be a collection of accidents, missed opportunities, and constant misunderstandings.
Grabbing her pen, Kagome decided it would be best if she wrote out everything- see if getting it all out would help her come to terms with everything up to this point.
She started with the past, writing out the bullet points of what had been her greatest adventure. It began with her falling down the well on her family shrine at 15 and ended when she made a wish on the complete Shikon no Tama at 23. Next were the things that Sesshomaru had told her. He didn't know the number of times he'd lived through the time loop, only that Sesshomaru remembered doing so five times. The first was the original, and the last being when he broke the time loop. He didn't explain what happened between the first and last, only that they'd happened. He had broken the loop by preventing the Shikon from being burned with Kikyo's body after her second resurrection, which had been one of the results of Kagome's wish. Because of what Sesshomaru'd done, Kagome wasn't born with the Shikon No Tama, but because the past had already happened, Kagome "woke up" on her 15th birthday with the memories and scars of her previous life. Inuyasha and Shippo had gone m.i.a because they knew nothing of the time loop or what Sesshomaru had to do to stop it. They most likely left to prevent interfering with Kagome and her eventually falling down the well. This is where Kagome had a bit of a hard time. The her that had gone to the past existed only in the past, and the her that existed now was a separate person only with the same memories.
Timeline theories are exhausting.
Yet she scrolled it all out, writing everything she could think to try and understand what had happened and what she could do to fix it. If there was a way. And if there was, could she risk it?
Looking up, Kagome watched as Hikaru and Kaoru began to argue, everything within arms reach being thrown at one another. The sight was equally horrifying as it was funny.
She shook her head with a bittersweet look at her notebook.
No.
As much as Kagome missed the past, missed everyone there, it was in the past. They had lived wonderfully full and happy lives, she could be sad that she missed it, but Kagome didn't want to steal that from them nor ruin the future she was living in. Kagome had made some strange but good friends. She needed, no, wanted to be living wholeheartedly in the present- with them.
~o.O~O.o~
~o.O~O.o~
Lunchtime came and went. Kagome had tried to approach the twins, but again, for being in the midst of a fight, they only had eyes for each other -and Haruhi.
She simply slank away, choosing to try later, yet it seemed she wouldn't be able to. They had interrupted the clubs' actives to such a degree that they had been excused from the following meeting.
Tamaki sighed sadly, his face conveying his worry. Then again, everyone seemed to be worried to some degree. Hani and Mori sat quietly, the small teen playing with his signature pink bunny. Haruhi was in the middle of studying the same as Kagome. Then there was Kyoya; he sat typing, switching between his laptop and calculator. There was an uneasiness about the meeting.
"Looking at the numbers, if this situation isn't resolved, I'm afraid we'll have to stop offering our brotherly love package. We're down one pair of loving twins." Kyoya started, sounding every part the shrewd businessman he was becoming. "Oh, Kagome-" Kagome paused, looking up to meet his silver gaze. "I just want you to know there's no reason for you to feel responsible. Even though it was because of your behavior towards them that started this whole feud in the first place, right?" He gave her a smile through clenched teeth.
She smiled back bitterly, a broken laugh sounding from the back of her throat. Her eyes grew glossy. "Sure, Kyoya, blame me." She whispered brokenly before looking down at her hands. "It's not like they didn't hurt me, calling me a toy." Kagome shook her head, willing down the hurt. That was between her and the twins. "I didn't mean for this to cause a fight between them. I just wanted a chance to calm down."
Kyoya flinched, a glare falling across his glasses.
"It's weird, though." Kagome looked up at Hani, the teen looking at his bunny with a sad expression. "For Hika-chan and Kao-chan to fight like this- it's never happened before."
Mori nodded with a hum of agreement.
"They've never fought before?"
Hani nodded. "I've known Hika-chan and Kao-chan since we were in preschool. We weren't in the same year, so I never really got to talk to them. But I remember that the two of them always played together."
Kagome looked at Hani with wide eyes. She knew that the twins were a bit standoffish, but to think that they had sequestered themselves away from the world at such a young age might explain their behavior. She couldn't excuse their behavior, but she was beginning to understand how they viewed the world.
Tamaki nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that's true. I've only known the twins since they were in middle school. But they definitely stood out. It seemed like they kept everyone at a distance except for each other. Believe it or not, they were even more warped back then." He caught Kagome's gaze. " When you stop and think about it, maybe this fight is good for them." He smiled; it seemed forced. But Tamaki was the type to always try and look at things in a positive light. "Maybe it means that the twins are expanding their horizons! We should just leave them alone and let them work it out."
"This fight can only end one of two ways." Kagome sighed, looking to the window thoughtfully. "They make up or…" she grew quiet, unwilling to voice what everyone feared.
~o.O~O.o~
~o.O~O.o~
A week had come and gone, the club unable to function as the twins had made the music room a war zone. There were mountains of discarded items that the twins had used as ammo when throwing items at one another.
Everyone was exhausted at this point. Kagome was starting to think it was an act or if there was more to the fight. Because she had truly been the catalyst, then they wouldn't be ignoring her, she had tried countless times, but neither would listen. If it was payback, then they were taking things too far. She had ignored them for a total of three days, and this had been going on for a week.
"Ugh! Don't you guys think that, maybe, it's time you give up all this fighting?" Tamaki was shaking; he was so frustrated. "It's driving me insane!"
The twins turned sharply, Hikaru snapping back. "What'd you say? It's driving you crazy! Ugh! You've gotta be kidding me! How do you think I feel right now!?" He cried. "Every time I look in the mirror, I see his face! I'm sick and tired of constantly being mistaken for you, Kaoru!" He turned to his brother. "The truth is, I hate your guts!"
Kaoru sucked his teeth. "You took the words out of my mouth. In fact, I hate you so much I bought this!" In a flash, he pulled out a wooden doll with cat ears. "Beelzenef, the cursed doll!"
Tamaki screamed, but Kagome shook. Her eyes went wide, staring at the invisible darkness that shrouded the wooden totem. It had been imbued with a curse. Her whole body shook at its presence, her body reacting to its closeness. Her reiki swelled in her chest, demanding she act.
"I'm going to complete the curse, Hikaru!" Kaoru shreiked, a pen in hand. "I'm going to write your name on his back! From this day forward, you're going to experience nothing but misfortune and sorrow!" He began writing.
She was moving without realizing it.
Her hand was glowing as she grabbed the doll, the cursed wood splintering under her grip. "That's enough!" Kagome snarled, the sound reverberating off the walls in a demanding tone.
The two shrank away, a look of unease sweeping across their features.
She looked at them with angry tears. "Apologize!" She demanded.
Kaoru was the first to inch forward. "Kagome it was-"
"This isn't a joke." She lifted the doll towards him. "And you know it."
The twins flinched, eyes dropping.
"Whatever is going on between you two, it's enough. Both of you are at fault here, but what's really sad is that you've brought everyone else around you into it! If it's because of what I did because I was ignoring you." A tear slipped down her cheek. "I'm sorry, I just needed some time to calm down. But this-" she threw the doll to the ground, its head snapping off. "Was too far. Now apologize to each other, or I'll never forgive you."
Kaoru looked to Hikaru. They had been fighting for entertainment in hopes Haruhi would let them come over, but a part of him had been angry and used their scheme to take it out on Hikaru. The truth of the matter was that Kagome was right. Kaoru was just as much to blame for what happened last week.
Haruhi came up behind them and hit them in the head. The sudden strike pulled their attention to the brunette. "That's for making Kagome cry. Now apologize, or I'm never letting you guys come over to my place."
The twins share a grin, seems they were still going to get what they wanted. They moved as one, snaking behind Haruhi. "So then, what you're saying, Haruhi, is that if we make up, we can come over to your place?" They looped arms, faces pressed against each other.
The twins caressed one another, looking every part the brotherly-love duo they had been a week prior. They fawned over one another, with gentle whispers and kind words.
Kagome slumped to her knees, everyone else following suit. This past week has put a toll on everyone.
Hani roared angrily, throwing his arms up in defeat. "You've gotta be kidding me! You mean you guys were faking it this whole time?!"
"We didn't have anything else to do; we were bored!" They laughed.
Tamaki fell into despair. "Twins with too much time on their hands, are the devil." He bemoaned.
"So your not mad?" Kagome asked, looking up at them with tear-soaked cheeks.
Kaoru's heart clenched; he leaned down, wiping at her tears with his thumb. Hikaru followed suit, allowing Kaoru to take the lead. "We should be asking you that, Kagome."
She blinked back in surprise.
"I'm sorry," Kaoru whispered.
wolfYLady: I am happy to be able to get another chapter out so quickly. The final pairing is still undecided, but I hope everyone is enjoying this journey.
I also thought it would be a good idea to go over how Kagome ended up where she is in the story.
Thank you for reading, and please review.