Summary: By nature, Kagome was anything but cruel. She was kind, compassionate, and friendly, so how in the world did she ever achieve the title of strongest girl in Japan? It was something she certainly didn't boast about. Instead, Takemichi couldn't help but notice how she seemed to regard such a thing as a burden, but why…?

Pairing: Undecided

Disclaimer: I do not own either series. Each belongs to their rightful owners.

Chapter Five

It was a few days later, and Kagome had neglected to go to classes at all for the majority of the week. She knew the moment she showed her face, there'd be an abundance of questions for her. None of which she wanted to answer.

"Again?" A dry remark from Sesshoumaru caught her attention, and she glanced over her shoulder. Blue eyes clashed against his gold as he leaned against the kitchen doorway. "This is the third day you've neglected attending class. I thought you were more concerned about your studies this time."

Kagome shrugged, turning back to the direction she'd been facing before his presence had joined her. "I already know the material," she stated in a casual tone. "I'm only repeating my third year in middle school on the school's recommendation." Kagome absentmindedly brought a hand up to trace a finger along the jewel hanging around her neck. "Since my attendance level was so low," she continued. "It's not compulsory for me to complete the year."

"I see," Sesshoumaru remarked, stepping more into the kitchen with her. "So do you intend on returning?" he asked, to which Kagome shrugged in response.

"I'll go back after a few more days," she remarked. She wanted to give it a bit more time to settle down. To give herself a bit longer to come up with the responses to questions that'd be asked.

Sesshoumaru could tell there was more on her mind, but he neglected to ask. He knew if it was something that called for his attention, then she would bring it up with it came to that point.

Takemichi found himself looking for the raven-haired girl each day in class, but she never ended up showing. Just as he was about to give up, a familiar figure caught his eye as he walked down the sidewalk. The sun had gone down, but seated at a bench in the park was the girl he'd been trying to catch for what seemed like days now.

Before he knew what he was doing, he'd diverted on his path and made his way over to where she was.

"There you are," he remarked, feeling somewhat relieved to see her looking as good as ever. He'd been worried that something had happened to her after she left, especially when no one seemed to catch her around. "How come you haven't been going to class?"

It felt like a fair question. Simple enough to start before he could ask any others.

She glanced up at him with a shrug. "I haven't felt like going," she stated. "I'm not worried about falling behind on the material or anything, so a few days for a break didn't seem all that bad. Wouldn't you agree?" she asked.

A small smile appeared on his face as he nodded. "When you put it that way, then maybe not," he responded.

000

Kagome could tell he had more questions than that one that he wanted to ask, but he seemed to be trying to find a way to work them into the conversation at hand without them sounding too forced. She'd been plenty prepared for it already, and she was more than willing to share a few things about her.

That was, if he returned the favor. After all, she had plenty of questions for him, as well.

She wasn't unfamiliar with the give-and-take scenario.

"You have questions," she stated. It wasn't an inquiry, but a fact. He seemed stunned by her comment at first, but he soon nodded in confirmation. "How fitting," she mused, "because so do I."

"You have questions for me?" Takemichi asked. He seemed surprised, that surprise only doubling when she nodded and rose to her feet, turning in order to face him. He felt intimidated by the gesture, resisting the urge to back down when icy blue eyes landed on his face.

"I do," she stated. "I'll tell you what you want to know, just so long as you promise to tell me what I want to know."

"A promise?" he repeated, and she nodded.

"I can tell if you lie, anyway," she remarked. "So if I were you, I wouldn't beat around the bush. I'd just be honest."

Those words sounded so imposing with how they were paired with the icy sheen in her eyes. This version of her in front of him, it wasn't the same version portrayed in class. "You...-"

"You go first," she remarked. It surprised him, but then he thought about it a bit closer. He wasn't sure what exactly she could do to get him to talk, but he knew she had some sort of method. It only made sense if she was so confident to answer his questions first. She wasn't concerned about him trying to back out of his side of the deal.

"R-Right," Takemichi remarked. "How'd you take down Kiyomasa so easily?" he asked. "That was amazing." He paused, seeming to account for his words. "N-Not that you look weak or anything, b-but…-!"

Kagome nodded. It was as if she'd been expecting that one. Then again, he realized, she must've been. She was quiet for a few seconds, and he was left wondering if he should've said something else in order to fill the gap. Soon enough, she moved, reaching a hand up to grip the pink stone she wore on a silver chain around her neck.

"... Would you believe me if I said my strength comes from this little thing here?" she asked, slinking a finger under the chain and lifting the stone. "Not all of it, but… it definitely manipulates it and makes it a lot more."

"H-Huh?" Confusion showed in his expression as he absorbed those words.

Kagome sighed, clearly anticipating his response. She nodded and lowered her arms to fold them across her chest. "It's a curse and a burden, but it's my burden," she remarked. There was a familiar sting that built up in her eyes at the mention and weight of it all. "Because of it, I'm always so careful," she stated. "But some people just aren't deserving of grace or elegance. Kiyomasa is one of them."

Takemichi was silent for a few long seconds before he managed to find his voice. It only made him more confused about her. "S-So you're saying that thing…-"

"Manipluates my own strength," she completed for him.

She'd answered his question, but it made no sense in his mind.

"There's more that might make it make better sense, but before I go into that, I would like for you to answer my own question," she stated. Suddenly it all made sense to him. Why she was so willing to share in the first place. It was a give-and-take. If he wanted to have clarification, then he'd have to offer her information in return.

"What's your question?" he asked. There was a sinking feeling in his chest. Kagome remained silent as she gazed at him with a distant look in her eye. Nothing could have prepared him for what she was intending to ask.

"I want to know why," she began, her tone soft. "Why are you messing with time?"

His eyes widened at her question. At first, he was stunned. He scrambled for a response. "H-Huh?" he asked. "W-What do you…-?"

"You know exactly what I mean," she stated in a resolute tone. She remained unfazed by his scattered reaction. "The aura of time travel," she murmured, "is such a jarring one." She met his stare head-on. It left him shying away from the intensity in her eyes. "It's all over you. I know it very well," she remarked. "What do you hope to achieve by going back in time?" she asked, rephrasing her question. It might've come out differently, but it was still the same.

"Y-You can feel something like that?" he asked. Kagome's expression didn't crack as she nodded.

"I can feel a lot of things," she stated. She could pick up on the nervousness in his aura and she sighed. "I'm not going to use anything you tell me against you," she stated. "I just…-" she trailed off, her expression contorting a bit more. "Messing with time can have undesired impacts," she stated. He couldn't help but note how pained her voice sounded as she said those words. Almost as if she were speaking from personal experience. He wanted to ask, but he refrained.

"There's someone I want to save more than anything," he stated. "Twelve years in the future, she died. I still don't understand why I have this ability," he admitted, glancing down at his hand. "But right now, I'm the only one who can save her. I… I'll do whatever it takes."

Kagome's hardened expression softened when he confessed to his reasons. "You mean no harm then?" she asked, and Takemichi swiftly shook his head.

"No!" he exclaimed. "I just… No one else can do this, so it's up to me."

She found herself resonating with his words. Though she tried not to, the impact of his words ended up showing on her face. The first glimmer of tears made him jerk back, clearly jarred by the cracking of her facade.

"G-Gah…-! Kagome?!"

"Idiot," she spat at him. There was no spite to her words, only the weight of some emotion he couldn't identify. "What if it turns out that you can't change anything?' she argued. He wasn't sure where her anger came from, and he didn't know how to ebb it away. "What then?" she asked. Her tone made him freeze. "Would you be able to live with the burden still?"

"Burden," Takemichi repeated. "You keep saying that word." He observed her for a few seconds. "The truth is… I-I don't know," he stated, glancing down. "If I try all I can, and I still fail… I'm not sure what I'll do then," he confessed. "But I still have to try."

"If you fail, would you be able to forgive yourself?" she asked. He flinched at the idea. He didn't have an answer to that, and he felt like she already knew that.

"I-I don't know," he stated in a hushed whisper.

"Time isn't something you should mess with," she stated. "Even if the burden falls upon your shoulders, sometimes there's only so much you can do," she remarked. He couldn't shake the feeling she was speaking from experience.

"Kagome…-"

"I'm still dealing with the repercussions from it…" she trailed off in a soft tone. He couldn't tell if he was supposed to hear those words or not, but he did.

"If you know, then help me," Takemichi stated. "It might be asking too much, but I know if we work together then we can change things for the better."

"Huh?" It was his turn to take her by surprise, and it rose to show on her expression.

"I'm not gonna ask you to tell me everything, not unless you want to," Takemichi said. "But that doesn't matter. You don't have to deal with your burden on your own, not as long as I'm here," he stated in a resolute tone.

"..." Silence answered him at first, and he waited for her to say something in response. A few minutes passed before she'd turned to walk away from him.

"I don't know what future you've from," she stated. "Find me there and we'll talk more once I have a better understanding of your reality," she stated. "I wish to see for myself…-"

"Kagome…-"

"Twelve years from now, go to Higurashi shrine. I'll wait for you there."

As she turned and left, he found himself feeling more determined than ever. "Right," he whispered. "I'll see you in twelve years."

Or, that was the plan at least.

Auroua-chan: The next chapter will have Takemichi back in the present. He'll try to find Kagome, but he just might discover something he's not quite prepared for. He won't be meeting Kagome there, but a certain red-haired kitsune will be there.

Anyway, that's it for now! Thank you all for reading and I hope you all enjoyed.

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Bye for now~