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 Thirteen

Twenty-four-hour gyms were a godsend in her opinion. She hated going during the daylight hours. It was always too crowded for her tastes, and she didn't like the usual atmosphere that often came with gyms during the afternoon. She'd enlist Shippo or Sesshomaru to go with her if need be, just to avoid unwanted attention. It just felt better for her to go when nearly everyone else had already packed it up for the day.

She usually would have one of them go with her regardless of the time, just to have some form of companionship, but they were both busy tonight. That didn't mean Shippo hadn't tried to blow off what he had to do if it meant he'd go with her, but she'd convinced him otherwise with the threat of Sesshomaru's ire. It was usually a rather good motivator to not skimp out on needed tasks.

Because of the jewel's influence on her body, and the strength it forced upon her, it was crucial for her to aptly train her body and muscles to aid in the process. It left her with less strain and exhaustion, at least, and it was a nice serotonin release. A win-win. It wasn't a necessity, but it did make things easier on her, so it was worth it in the end, in her opinion. Sesshomaru also thought the same, so it wasn't as if she had anyone opposing her on this.

She pushed the swing door open and stepped inside. It'd been some time since she'd last been there- probably back before she ever crossed paths with Takemichi. Her mind had been clouded with other things, so this would also be a nice way to distract herself.

To her satisfaction, the gym was mostly empty. As she looked around, there looked to only be two other people there, and one of them was the bored and half-asleep person manning the front desk. The only other person that seemed to be there to work out was a guy who looked somewhat close to her in age. His hair was blonde with blue streaks. Even from where she stood observing him, something about him seemed… familiar.

Had she crossed paths with him before or something, and she just didn't recognize him? She shook her head, backtracking on that thought. She figured she'd recognize the dye job. It wasn't just his face that looked familiar, but his aura as well.

Strange…

She brushed the thought of it from her mind as she turned to ignore him and his presence. She made her way to the locker room to put her things away for the time being, pulling her hair up into a ponytail before heading back out to the floor.

For a while, the two of them coexisted in the space with minimal contact, which was what she'd preferred.

She was planning to wrap up a little after an hour and a half of being there. The last thing she was going to bother with was the bench press. She didn't bother to check up as she put the weights on the bar.

While it was more than what most people could withstand, it was something more lightweight for her. She put the last weight on the bar and brushed her hands off, sliding onto the bench after fixing her hair. As she did, she didn't miss the pressure of a stare on her, but she ignored it.

At first, things were normal. Just as she was about to finish the set, she felt a sharp ache pierce through her chest. She flinched, her grip on the bar faltering as she felt a pulse of strain- sourcing from the jewel around her neck. Poorly timed, that's what it was.

Even though she was always prepared for such a situation, it still left her scrambling for a split second. Before she could try to right her grip on the bar, another set of hands tugged it up before it could get too close to her body.

"Idiot. If you're gonna be doing this, make sure you have a spotter," a flat voice remarked, blunt and akin to a reprimand. She was caught by surprise. Kagome blinked and looked up, her eyes catching a familiar shade of purple. The bar was put back on the rack with a heavy thud, metal clanging harshly against metal, and she caught him looking at the weight stacked up on it, glancing back at her a second later as if scrutinizing her.

If the situation had been different, she'd been annoyed by his comment. "I had it under control," Kagome remarked as she ducked back up from where she'd been laying down. Her words were no lie. If he hadn't stepped in, then she would've been fine either way. This… It wasn't anything new to her, after all. She brushed her bangs from her face before she got up. She wasn't fond of that look he gave her, but she was mostly waiting for some unnecessary comment.

"Damn… impressive," he remarked after a moment. It wasn't what she expected to hear, and she looked back at him.

She glanced from him and back to the bar that he looked at. While they were so close, she used this as a chance to examine him a bit closer, trying to figure out what it was about him that was so familiar to her. She looked at his face closer.

Yeah, it was definitely there too, and not just his aura. Those eyes… she'd seen them before, but where?

It was only a moment later before he looked back at her, catching her gaze as she seemed to so blatantly scrutinize him. Kagome didn't bother to stop her staring when he caught her in the act, either.

"What?"

"You look familiar," she remarked after a pause. "I don't know why, but you just do."

"Yeah?" he asked. "Well, I don't know who you are, so you're probably just overthinking," he responded. "What's your name?"

Kagome felt her frown deepen at that comment. Sure, he could be right, but her senses also pointed her in another direction. If not him, then she'd run into someone related to him, that was for sure. "Just call me Kagome," she eventually responded. He nodded, lifting a hand to brush his hair back from his face, purple eyes peering at her from behind circular glasses.

"Rindou," he supplied his name in exchange. A moment later, he motioned to the bar. "That the heaviest you can lift?" he asked.

Kagome shook her head. "I can usually go thirty more on each side, but I wanted something lighter since I'm wrapping up," she replied.

She noticed the flicker of surprise that flashed through his eyes at her reply. At the same time, he didn't seem to discredit it. He'd been watching her through the set, and it was apparent she didn't struggle until the last slip when she tried to put it back up. He glanced back at her a moment later.

"You serious?" he asked. Kagome nodded. It was clear in his eyes that he was gauging her size and comparing it with her claims.

"There are factors that make it easy for me," she responded. She didn't see a reason to try and lie.

Rindou nodded, seeming to take her words at face value. "You come here often later at night?" he asked, and she nodded again.

"When I have time, yeah."

Well.

In that case, it looked like he was gonna do more late-night training just to up the chances of crossing paths with her more.

"I'm done for the day, too," he stated, glancing back at her. "Got anything else planned for the night?"

She cut her gaze back up to him. Her track record lately with meeting new men while out on her own hadn't been going great, but he seemed different, at least. His aura didn't rat him out for having any bad intentions or warped interest in her. Was he trustworthy?

… well, no, not exactly, but not as bad as a few others she could recall.

"No," she responded.

"Wanna chill for a while?"

It was an offer seemingly out of the blue. A logical part of her advised against it, but another part of her seemed to be in favor. Even without her insight into the future anymore, something about this felt right, in a way.

Wasn't that what she'd been doing, anyway? Sticking to and following her instincts?

"Y'know what, sure," Kagome responded, taking him up on the offer. She was confident in her abilities to protect herself if something went south, anyway. Plus, she knew she could place a quick call to Sesshomaru if things got too risky.

It'd be fine. That's what she told herself.

"Great," Rindou responded. "Let's get outta here, then."

000

Rindou shrugged his coat off when they stepped inside the quiet apartment. He tossed it on a chair not far out of reach and waved her inside, kicking the door shut a moment later.

"Make yourself comfortable," he called over his shoulder as he walked past her. "Want anything to drink?"

"Water is fine," she responded as she walked over to the couch and sat down. He motioned with a thumbs up as if to tell her he'd heard her. It was only a minute or two later when he came back. He handed her a bottle of water and settled down next to her. He didn't try to seal off any personal space she might've had, at least, offering her room to move if need be.

As she sat there, she could feel a familiar aura along her senses. After a moment, she glanced at him.

"Do you live by yourself?" she asked. He shook his head, popping the cap off his own drink- beer by the look of it.

"No," he responded. "Me and my brother live together." Kagome nodded, letting that information sink in as Rindou brushed his hand through his hair. He paused for a moment, and it looked as if he was listening for any noise in the background. "Knowin' him, he's probably out cold," he eventually said with a shrug. "He'd sleep for twenty-four hours straight if left alone. Done it before, too."

That comment made her pause. She was someone who cherished her sleep too- no matter how little she actually often got, but a whole day? That seemed a bit overkill…

Deep down, she wondered what encouraged her to agree to something like this. She knew she was following what her senses pushed her to do, but that provided very little clarification, even to herself. Maybe it was because she knew that, in the end, she didn't have much to lose anymore. If she was destined to die, then so be it.

Life seldom stopped for anyone, after all. It never did, not without divine interception.

She lifted her gaze to land on the man at her side. He looked to be responding to a text on his phone, his expression strict even though his aura was calm. She sighed. Out of habit, her mind strayed to Takemichi.

She hadn't seen him lately. Maybe she should try and go to class tomorrow to check in on him. She didn't mean to avoid him, but she didn't want to see him upset as he conveyed her information she was already aware of.

She had given him false hope, after all. It'd been for his own good, but that didn't ever ease the sting it left behind. It'd always been a nasty habit of hers…

Caring more about the benefit of others than she ever did for her own benefit. Or, at least according to Sesshomaru, it was a bad habit for her to have.

Kagome didn't say a word as she lifted her gaze back to Rindou. If he noticed, he didn't seem to care about the attention. He was hard to read, but not impossible. Compared to others, at least.

"Can I ask you something strange?" she asked after a moment, contemplating with herself if she even wanted to. She knew next to nothing about this man other than his name and where he lived, but he seemed just as qualified as anyone else she'd met to offer any insight. She wasn't sure what it was about it, but there was something that led her to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Her question was soft-spoken, yet held a resolve very few seemed to have. Rindou glanced at her, purple eyes catching blue. There was silence for a moment before he nodded.

"Sure, feel free." He might've not been able to answer, but he didn't tell her that part. Kagome nodded, letting her gaze stray back to her clasped hands in her lap.

"If someone were to tell you that you were going to die sometime in the next twelve years, how would you live in the present?" She knew it was an odd question, one most people probably wouldn't know how to answer. "If you knew the person who supposedly caused your death in the unforeseen future, how would you progress?"

She didn't have to look at him to know her question had some level of impact. He remained quiet for a long time, and neither did she. She made no move to ruin the silence as he thought it over.

"Does my answer matter?" Rindou countered, and Kagome cracked a smile.

"Well, probably not, but it never hurts to ask, hm?"

He sighed, lifting a hand to rub at the back of his head, leaning a bit more into the couch as he adopted a more relaxed posture. he responded after taking a moment longer to think. "Realistically take 'em out before I get got." At hearing those words, Kagome picked her head up to look at him. "Then I'd probably keep living like I always do."

She was silent as she nodded. It was an answer she had expected in one way or another. "Yeah, that would be the smart thing to do, wouldn't it?" she mused softly, speaking those words more for herself than him.

"There a different answer you were looking for?" Rindou asked. After a moment, Kagome shook her head.

"I'm not looking for another answer," she responded. "I already know what my answer is." Did she really? She liked to think she did, but she still wasn't all that sure.

"Yeah?" He focused his attention on her. "What's your answer then?"

Kagome wasn't sure if she should even bother to say it. The more she tried to convince herself of it, the more grave the entire situation felt. "It doesn't matter, either way," she eventually said. "It's all a hypothetical question. I don't think there's a correct answer to it. Though… I feel like I understand you a bit better now," she added as an afterthought.

That much, at least, she could confirm.

"That makes one of us, then," he remarked with a scoff. Kagome glanced at him. "You're strange."

"That a bad thing?" she asked in a deadpan tone.

"Never said that, did I?" he responded. She couldn't help the smile his response brought onto her face.

"That's fair," she said after a moment. "I think I'm leaving that impression on more and more people lately."

This wasn't what she imagined her life would be. To be stuck with the fate she was at sixteen, seventeen in a few weeks. Despite that thought, it wasn't all that bad. One day it would end, much sooner than the lives her friends lived.

"I suppose my answer to my own question is that I'd just live," she said after a long pause. "Maybe there's no reason to fight fate. If it's meant to be, then that's how it's going to go, so I might as well enjoy the time I have left." After a moment, she breathed a faint laugh. "Contrary to the way my life has gone and just because I'm good at it, doesn't mean I'm not fond of conflict."

Silence fell over the room following those words. She could feel his gaze burning into her skin, but she didn't lift her eyes to meet his.

"The world won't cease to turn when I'm no longer here," she mused softly. "Life will go on, and the world will still be full of beautiful things worth living for."

Why couldn't more people understand that?

She ignored the weight of his stare on her face. After a moment, she heard him sigh, and the couch beside her shifted as he sat up.

"You really are weird," he remarked. "People don't always think the way you do, though."

She glanced at him finally, catching his gaze. There was a look there she couldn't quite comprehend.

"There will be someone whose life ends the same moment yours does," he stated. "That beauty will be gone the moment you are." Those words came off as blunt, harsh, even if he didn't mean them in that way. "You might accept it, but that doesn't mean everyone else has to just to make your choice easier," he stated. "Rage pairs well with grief, y'know."

She held his stare for a moment longer before she looked down. As she did, a faint smile lined her lips. "Yeah, I really feel like I understand you more, now," she remarked. "I'm glad I trusted my instincts with you. I should be more lenient sometimes."

The night hadn't gone how she thought it would, but that was normal in her life. It wasn't that bad, though.

Her phone started to ring in her pocket, and it snapped her focus back to reality in an instant. She pulled it from her pocket, the name on the screen pulling a faint smile to her face.

"I should answer it- I don't want my brother hunting me down for ignoring his call," she said as she stood up. She knew Sesshomaru would do it, too. Rindou shrugged and nodded towards the hallway.

"You can go over there if you need some privacy."

Kagome smiled and nodded. "Thanks."

She made her way down the hall a bit before flipping her phone open and answering the call. "Hey, I know it's late, but I'm fine."

"Is there a reason you're not back?" Sesshomaru's voice reached her ears, and she smiled, shaking her head. She knew that he wouldn't be able to see it, but she did it anyway.

"Not really," she responded. "Made a new friend, and that's where I've been," she said.

"I see." His response was level and even, and over the phone, she found it impossible to gauge his tone. "If anything happens-"

"I don't think it will," she cut him off before he could fully finish that warning. "And even if it does, I'm confident I can handle myself just fine," she added. Even if only a little, it appeased him in a way.

"If you're certain," he responded.

Her smile softened some, her grip on her phone growing a bit tighter. "If need be, I'll call you," she spoke in a promise. She didn't think it'd be needed, but she said it anyway. She knew he wouldn't say it, but he didn't mind her leaning on him.

A door down the hall opened, but she paid it no mind at first. After a few more minutes, the call was wrapped up, and she hung up. She pushed her phone back in her pocket. Just as she was about to head back into the living room, a voice caught her attention.

"Oh, hello again, pretty girl."

The voice was close, much closer than she'd anticipated. When she turned, she stumbled back several paces. She looked up, her gaze settling on a very familiar face. He didn't have his hair braided, the long strands falling free, but he was still just as recognizable.

"Ran?" she repeated the name she remembered.

"I'm glad I left a good enough impression that you remembered me," he responded, a smile rising to his face.

"What're you doing here?" she asked after a pause. He gave her a curious look.

"I live here," he stated. "I should be the one asking, but I feel like I know why you're here."

It was at that moment that Rindou's prior comment came rushing back. Her expression fell to a blank one as she stood there, dumbfounded and feeling plain idiotic at that point. "... brothers," she hissed as it connected. Kagome felt her expression twist as her gaze settled on Ran, realization washing over her. "... man, this has got to be the slowest I've ever put two and two together," she muttered. "And it really shouldn't be." She brought a hand up to rub at her eyes. God, that was plain embarrassing.

Ran's smile grew a bit wider at her comment.

No wonder something about Rindou seemed so familiar.

She'd met his fucking brother already.

Auroua-chan: Gonna end this chapter here.

So, Kagome met Rindou and she genuinely likes him on some level, and he feels the same about her. I don't think I want them paired together for this story, and I feel like they'd benefit a lot from a brother/sister-like relationship. It took her a while to catch on to the fact she'd met his brother already. They both could reasonably claim her as a sister, but I also still want to explore the possibility of Ran/Kagome for this story.

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, and Follow, thank you!

Bye for now~