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 Nine

"So who was that guy out there with you?"

Kagome glanced up as she stepped into the shrine. Her eyes clashed against Shippo's emerald ones. She didn't offer a response at first, but she chalked her lack of response up to needing a bit longer to think about what it would be.

She'd called him a friend earlier, and, while she didn't understand why, that claim felt right.

"His name is Mikey," she eventually formed a response. "He's a friend," she repeated her same comment from before when all three of them had been outside at the base of the steps. Despite those words and the way she felt, she couldn't help but be a little hesitant.

Sesshomaru leaned against the wall, observing them without speaking a single word. She thought back to their prior conversation. She knew he hadn't shared the knowledge with Shippo, given the fox demon was still as jovial as ever.

She didn't want to put that worry on him, or anyone else for that matter. If that meant keeping the secret of her impending demise between just the two of them, then so be it. Deep down, she could tell Sesshomaru was on the same page as she was.

For now, however, she didn't want to worry about any of it. She only wanted to bask in the little bit of tranquility she was allowed to have now.

000

She was about to turn in for the night. Seated across from her at the table was Sesshomaru. Silence had long since claimed the space between them. It wasn't a cold, stifling silence, but a comforting one. She rested her chin in her palm, glancing across the table and at him. He paid her no mind at first, but after a few minutes, he finally relented and looked up. Icy gold clashed against soft blue as he arched a neat brow in silent inquisition. Despite his blatant act of silently questioning her, she offered no response.

"You're leaving tomorrow, right?" she asked finally after a long pause.

"Briefly, yes," Sesshomaru responded.

She knew very well the sort of things he was up to in the modern time. She didn't exactly approve, but she also couldn't expect him to confine himself to the artificial lines set up by humans. He didn't thrust it onto her shoulders, and that was all she requested.

To have some sort of obliviousness to his actions.

"I'll return in a few days."

Kagome nodded slowly. She was used to him coming and going just as Shippo did, but it did leave her feeling a bit more lonely whenever it happened. She pushed herself up from the table and brushed her hair back over her shoulder as she turned to head to her room upstairs.

"Whatever you do, be careful," she responded softly.

There was no reason for her to say such things to him, she knew, yet every time it seemed to slip free from her mouth without her own volition. He didn't try to stop her, and if she didn't know better, she would say that he enjoyed her offering him such nonsensical notions.

She felt his gaze bore into her back as she made her way out of the room, retiring to her bedroom to get some rest before the sun came up in a few hours.

"She said his name is Sesshomaru?" Naoto asked. Takemichi nodded.

"Yeah, that silver-haired guy's name is Sesshomaru," he confirmed. He'd made his way back to the future with the intent of passing on this information to Naoto. At the same time, a part of him found himself wondering if he should tell him about Kagome's unique abilities. After all, if she wasn't alive in the present, keeping them secret wouldn't fix it somehow.

Naoto looked at him, seeming to pick up on the thoughts weighing on Takemichi's mind when he noticed his expression. "What is it?" he asked.

Takemichi sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I learned a bit more about Kagome. I dunno if it'll help anything or not, but…-"

"What is it?" Naoto asked. He wasn't pressuring him as much as he was curious. "Does she have connections with someone else we could try tracking down?"

Takemichi shook his head. "No." He shrugged a second later, "well maybe, but that's not what it's about," he said. "It's just that she told me that she could see the future," he stated.

"Huh?"

Takemichi disregarded the note of disbelief in his voice as he nodded. "Yeah… She said the moment twelve years ago, when she intervened with Kiyomasa and met Mikey that it all went dark. That she can't see what will happen in the future anymore. That's why she wanted me to come back the first time and meet her there, because she didn't know what future I came from," he explained.

"She didn't know because she died sometime between then and now."

Takemichi nodded. "When I met her in the past again, I couldn't not tell her," he stated. "She wasn't surprised, and she seemed so calm about it."

Naoto nodded. "If that's the case, then you confirmed something for her." He seemed to think for a moment before looking back at him. "Did she happen to say what the last thing she saw was?"

Takemichi shook his head. "Just that she was with people she didn't know met. She hadn't met them yet, I'm guessing."

"But if it went dark following her meeting with Sano, then it can only be assumed that something on this path led her to that point," Naoto stated.

"I still don't believe Mikey would do something like that," Takemichi stated with a certain tone. "I've seen them interact a few times and it looks like he likes her a lot. Kagome actually showed up at a Toman meeting with him."

"Realistically, it could be anyone," Naoto stated. Before he could say anything else, there was a heavy knock at the front door. Both of them jumped when they were startled out of the conversation. Before long, Naoto approached the door and opened it.

The person outside the door was unfamiliar, yet he bore some similarities to the silver-haired man from the other night. His hair was more uncontrolled, yet it was still just as long. A bandana was tied over the top of his head, somewhat brushing longer sections of his bangs back. He had the same golden eyes as the other man, but they weren't as icy. If anything, they were the opposite with a hint of heat behind them.

He looked between them before his eyes settled on Takemichi.

"What's your name?" he asked, his voice gruff. It made Takemichi jump immediately.

"I'd like to know the same about you," Naoto stated. The silver-haired man huffed and glared at him.

"Tch!" He jutted a thumb to his chest. "Name's Inuyasha, now you," he demanded, once more nodding at Takemichi. "Name. Now."

"H-Hanagaki T-Takemichi," he relented. "Y-You look really familiar to someone we met earlier. D-Do you know someone named Sesshomaru?" he asked. At once, a look of annoyance flashed across his face.

"That bastard's my half-brother," Inuyasha remarked in a flat one. At once, Takemichi perekd up.

"He is?" Naoto asked. "Could you help us speak to him?"

"That's not gonna happen," Inuyasha remarked. He scratched at the side of his temple with a grimace on his face. "I'm here for another matter, anyway…"

"What is it?" Takemichi asked. Inuyasha glanced at him and sighed.

"What you were asking Sesshomaru and Shippo about," he stated. "That brat whined to me about it." He lowered his hand back to his side, a more somber look replacing his prior one of agitation. "I'm here about Kagome."

"Do you know what happened to her?" Takemichi asked. "C-Can you…-?"

"You want to know how it happened, right?" he asked. "How she died." It wasn't a question, but a statement. Weakly, Takemichi nodded.

"Some bastard… can never remember his name," Inuyasha growled. "Never spoke to him, but I know what he looks like."

"What can you tell us?" Naoto asked. There was a hint of urgency in his voice, yet he remained patient. Inuyasha glanced at him. A second later, he glanced at the wall behind them, where a photo caught his eye. Without waiting, he walked in and towards it.

He reached for it and snatched it off, sharp nails shredding around the edges some.

"This is him," he said, flicking the photo towards Naoto. "He's the reason Kagome's dead," he stated. "The moment I find him, he's dead too."

Takemichi glanced at the wall, trying to figure out which photo had been taken down. He could only really tell that Mikey's was still there. Soon after, he glanced at Naoto. He walked over and peered at the photo.

"Kisaki Tetta," Naoto stated, holding the photo up facing Takemichi.

Making her way down the street, Kagome's every thought was plagued with the events of the day. Oddly enough, she found herself missing when her biggest concern was the jewel and demons. Everything now seemed to be much more complicated. So much so to that it was nearly overwhelming at this point.

She wasn't sure why, but something ended up pulling her from her own head. A figure walking the other way completely bypassed her, and something about him caused her to come to an immediate halt. She turned to glance over her shoulder, her eyes landing on the turned back of the figure as he steadily got further away from her.

For some reason, something about him felt so familiar.

Before she could even fathom her own actions, she turned to reach a hand out. She was quick when she managed to grab ahold of his jacket sleeve. It seemed to do the trick. He stopped in his tracks, mirroring her by glancing back at her. It was fleeting, but there was a flicker of recognition that passed through his stormy gray eyes.

After a minute, Kagome realized what she'd just done, and she let her hand fall. She shook her head to try and clear her own mind before she lifted her gaze again, blue eyes landing on his face once more. "Sorry," she eventually said. "You… I just…-" Thin, dark brows furrowed in confusion and concentration as she looked him over. "Have we met before?"

She was sure they had, even if it was only once or twice. Yet, his appearance wasn't what she recognized. Granted, there was never any rule that everyone had to look the same all the time, so she felt ridiculous for trying to recall his appearance. Deep down, she could know by his aura alone.

"Have we?" he repeated. She couldn't tell if he was genuinely asking, or if he was mocking when it was obvious. Her hand tightened at her side when he seemed harder than others to fully read. Her expression softened as it all came to her in a flash.

In a fit of agitation, Kagome placed one of her seals on the well to keep it closed until she was ready to go back through it. They weren't like the faulty ones her grandfather made, and hers were embedded with her sacred energy. Once she was sure it was properly in place, she stood back to her full height and snatched the strap of her bulky, yellow bag, turning away from the well with a huff as she jutted her nose into the air.

"Idiot!"

Kagome slammed the door to the well house open and closed it swiftly behind her. She made her way to the main building on the shrine, her steps somewhat stilted due to the large bandage winding down one of her legs- from her thigh to down past her knee. A few more random bandages littered her skin- a pad of gauze on her cheek and a blue bandaid on her other cheek, just below the corner of her eye.

Her frustrations were directed at none other than Inuyasha, who dared to add insult to injury after she got hurt fighting a demon.

"He could've just dropped it and that would've been that," she muttered under her breath, still ranting and raving when she made it to the front door. "But no, he has to go and be a jerk about it, too! Ugh!"

She gripped the doorknob, a frustrated glare on her face as she spared the well house a fleeting glance. In the back of her mind, there was a concern about being away for too long, but, just as soon as that concern appeared, she pushed it away with a huff. She was going to be here for a week at the minimum. If Inuyasha didn't like that, then he could just get over it. A second passed, and she glanced down at her feet.

"... Oh, who am I kidding? He's probably just gonna run to Kikyo the first chance he has, anyway…-"

As soon as that thought flittered through her mind, her expression fell. She stepped inside and let the door shut behind her. She sighed and leaned against the door, taking a moment to appreciate the feeling of being home. She always missed the familiar comfort whenever she was lost in the past.

"I'm home!" she called out as she pushed herself away from the door. She removed her shoes and gripped her bag a bit tighter. It was much lighter than back when she returned to the past, and she made a mental note to stock up on the necessities before she found it in herself to go back.

It took her a minute, but she soon picked up on a new aura. It was unfamiliar, and instantly, her intrigue was stirred. She followed her senses as she approached the new aura that was with her brother.

The moment she stepped into the living room, she found the source. It didn't come as a surprise that she didn't recognize this person's appearance any either. As Souta turned to look at her, the other figure also glanced up. Her eyes met a pair of stormy gray.

"You're back," Souta said, not noticing her beaten-up state at first. It took a second before he did, and he gave her a worried look. "What happened?" he asked.

Kagome shook her head, an unconvincing smile struggling to remain on her face as she brushed his question off. "Oh, just the usual, you know," she said. "I'm fine, promise." She ignored the pain in her leg the longer she stood on it, sparing a curious glance back to the unfamiliar figure. "Who's that?"

"Oh," Souta nodded, recalling that Kagome hadn't been home in nearly three weeks now, and she hadn't met his tutor. "Mom thought I needed a tutor," Souta said, motioning to the boy who was two years younger than his sister. "This is Kisaki Tetta."

Kagome nodded, offering him a friendly smile, not fazed when he seemed disinterested. "It's nice to meet you," she stated. "My name's Kagome. I'm Souta's older sister."

"That's right…-!" she said. She lifted a hand and pointed a finger at him. "Kisaki Tetta!" she exclaimed in recognition when the name came to her finally. "You used to tutor Souta!"

The mention of her brother hurt initially, but it was briefly soothed by running into a familiar face from the past again. A flicker of confusion flashed through his eyes before it faded.

"You really remembered?" he asked. Kagome tilted her head to the side in confusion. "We only met a few times because you were always sick."

Kagome smiled and brushed his curiosities off. "Of course, I remember," she said. "You look different, so I didn't recognize your appearance at first, but something about you… I knew I'd met you before." Her expression softened as she glanced at the ground between them. "It hasn't been that long, but it really feels like it, you know?" she mused softly.

The complications she had in reading him left her feeling uneasy, but at the same time, she couldn't deny it was a nice circumstance to cross paths with him again.

"Or, maybe that's just me," she commented as she shook her head, a forced smile settling on her face.

After all, how could it not feel like it'd been an eternity already?

"It's nice to see you again," she said after a brief pause on her end.

"You too," he responded. His tone didn't betray anything, and she couldn't quite get a good read on him.

Her phone went off, and she glanced down at the caller's I.D.

It was Mikey.

Her smile softened some as she held a hand up to wave, walking around him. "Next time we see each other, we should catch up," she said. "I have somewhere to be." She answered her phone and held it up to her ear. "See you around!"

Kisaki remained where he was as she eventually fully turned and walked off. Even after she'd walked off, the floral aroma that surrounded her stuck around in the air for a bit longer.

She was as pretty as ever.

Auroua-chan: Ending this one here!

So, a few things happened in this chapter. In the future, Takemichi mentioned that Mikey seemed to really like Kagome. Take that in whatever context you want- you'd be correct either way. Additionally, another character from Inuyasha made his debut! Inuyasha is as gruff as ever and him and Sesshomaru still don't get along but what can you do? He shared a bit of information surrounding Kagome's mysterious death, so much as to confirm that Kisaki was the one behind it.

Speaking of, Kagome and Kisaki knew each other prior to the start of the story. He used to tutor Souta. Sometime during the few times they met, he developed a bit of a crush on her. He looks different from he did then, but Kagome recognized him either way.

Anyway, that's it for now! Thank you all for reading and I hope you all enjoyed. Hopefully I caught all the errors before posting, but if not sorry.

Please remember to Review&Favorite&Follow, thank you!

Bye for now~