Chapter 13: Old Friends, New Friends
Breathing in the fresh scent of sakura blossoms, Kagome felt entirely at peace. On this particularly lovely spring day, the Host Club would hold a flower viewing reception under the blossoming pink flowers. The turnout was massive, as girls swarmed the gardens.
Kagome sat with Haruhi, Mori, Honey, and their guests under a particularly large tree. Adjusting her light blue yukata, the miko watched as Honey violently stirred the green tea. It was mesmerizing in a strange way, watching him whisk the substance so much. However, the more he worked on it, the less appetizing the tea became. Luckily for her, she could hide her expression behind a decorative fan. Looking at the others, it seemed they shared the same sentiment.
"Mistukini, you overdid it," whispered the silent host. Kagome and the others froze in shock at the blunt admission.
Slowly, Honey withdrew the whisk from the cup to reveal a small, pitiful serving of green tea. A small bead of sweat trickled down Kagome's forehead as tears began to well in Honey's eyes.
Luckily, his guests jumped in to save the day as they awed over his work. They graciously sipped at the tea and complimented him so much that his tears dried instantly. Kagome and Haruhi shared a knowing look, the former snickering at the disbelief etched into the brunette's brow.
"Why don't we go explore the gardens and let them be, hm?" Kagome whispered to her friend.
"Sure," Haruhi agreed.
The two girls found a quieter spot in the gardens and enjoyed the sight of the sakura blossoms.
"This is incredible, I love it when the flowers are in bloom," sighed Kagome. She reached out a hand to catch a falling petal, but it ended up landing on her nose.
"Here, lemme get that for you," Haruhi said reaching over to wipe the petal off. Kagome smiled appreciatively.
"Thanks, Haruhi."
As the two were enjoying their moment, little did they know several pairs of eyes observed the little scene they made. Two of Haruhi's frequent guests cried out seeing the gentle, sweet moment.
"They're so sweet to each other," one of the girls cooed.
"It's like they're childhood friends or something. My heart can't take it!"
While the guests spoke to each other softly, another was also watching from afar. Kyoya hid a smile behind his notebook at the tranquility that softened Kagome's features. In her blue yukata, standing beneath the sakura trees she was truly breathtaking. Before he lost himself in the sight completely, the bespectacled host jumped into action.
"Ladies," Kyoya stepped in. "Just like these lovely blossoms, moments like this can disappear so quickly. Might I offer a way for you to enjoy these flowers all year long?"
He produced a book with Haruhi's face on the cover of it. Flipping to a particular page, Kyoya showed the girls another moment between Haruhi and Kagome from a previous club meeting. They squealed with excitement and demanded a copy immediately.
"No wonder there's money to do all these crazy themes," Kagome mused. Haruhi rolled her eyes in agreement as they watched with shared bored expressions at the Shadow King's business.
A small pink petal floated down and landed on Haruhi's shoulder, bringing her eyes back to the flowers. As the brunette stared into the canopy of pink she became entrenched within her own fleeting thoughts when Tamaki appeared. He was sparkling in his splendorous spring form.
When the twins entered the picture, Kagome scooted away to allow them to talk. Noticing a certain vice president sitting by himself at a table, the miko joined him and quietly watched the sakura petals float down.
"Say, Mommy, dear?" Tamaki whispered, hunched underneath the tree she was admiring. Kagome quirked her head to the side in confusion when Kyoya responded promptly.
"What is it now, Daddy?" His teasing voice lilted the last word, further confusing the miko.
"I have a theory, and it may just be a hypothesis but it seems that by being in the same class, Hikaru and Kaoru get to spend more time with Haruhi than I get to here at the club." Tamaki speculated.
"You just now realized that?" Kyoya replied smoothly. Tamaki gagged dramatically, facing his friend with an enraged look. Out of nowhere, the vice president pulled out a whiteboard and explained the figures of the situation further upsetting the blonde. Kagome observed the data curiously, since when did he have the time to pull out numbers like that?
"Hey, it's okay, you should just use the time you have now to the fullest–!" Kagome tried to comfort Tamaki, but to no avail, as he bounced away to confront Haruhi. As he scolded her, the miko watched with a bland expression.
"We can't go on hiding the fact that you're a girl any longer. All Daddy wants is for you to go back to being the girl you used to be!" Tamaki cried out. "You need to surround yourself with girlfriends and begin living a wholesome life!"
Kagome scoffed, taking minor offense to Tamaki's statement. Just because she didn't make Haruhi act girly, didn't make them any less of friends!
"I have girls that are friends, idiot. And who're you calling 'Daddy'?" asked Haruhi monotonously.
"I've heard you two use Mommy and Daddy terms before but now it's getting weird," Kagome whispered to Kyoya. The bespectacled host merely shrugged his shoulders, not offering her an answer.
"She'll be found out soon enough," said the twins. "Physical exams are coming up."
As the realization of the impending physical exams struck the group, Kagome tried her best to quash the perverted mental image conjured from last year's exam day. She had witnessed both Tamaki and Kyoya without their shirts on during that time, and the latter image has stuck with her for a very long time. Hiding her blush behind her fan, Kagome tuned back into the conversation.
"There's no doubt, they're gonna know that I'm a girl," Haruhi mused aloud.
A stony silence enveloped the group at the spoken revelation.
After a long day of classes, Kagome waited outside Haruhi's final class of the day. Glancing at her phone, she sighed. They were going to be super late. She could already hear Kyoya's scolding.
"Hey! I'm here, sorry to make you wait. Let's go." Haruhi appeared from the classroom.
Nodding her head, Kagome jogged alongside Haruhi as they made their way to Music Room 3. Before they could enter, a buzzing alerted on Kagome's phone. Pulling the device out, she saw Shippo's name followed by a highly unflattering photo of him on the screen.
"I need to take this, you go ahead," Kagome said. Haruhi nodded and hastily made her way into the Club's room.
"Hey Ship, is everything okay?" Kagome answered.
"Kagome! How's school? Are your classes going well? Kiss any boys ye–!"
"Shippo!" Kagome hissed into the device. "Why did you call? I'm about to go to the Club."
"Oh! Right. I scheduled a doctor's appointment for you tomorrow at the hospital. I'll be picking you up from school sometime in the afternoon, 'kay?" Shippo said.
"Oh, okay," Kagome respond. "See you then."
"Bye Kagome!"
With that, Shippo hung up on her. Shoving the device back into her bag, Kagome made a note to let the others know she would not be joining them for any activities tomorrow. A small part of her sulked at the idea of missing it, but that was immediately smothered by unholy embarrassment.
"Hey, sorry I'm late! I got a call." Kagome announced as she entered the room.
Nobody seemed to pay her any mind as their attention was solely on Haruhi. Tamaki stood before her, demanding answers.
"Are you saying that you hate being a host? That you hate this club?" Tamaki asked boldly, pointing an accusing finger at the brunette. Haruhi tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment.
"To be honest, I'd have to say yes," replied the brunette bluntly. Her straightforward answer cast a dark shadow over Tamaki as he sulked in the corner of the room. "If word gets out, there's nothing I can do, you know?"
"She's got a point…" Kagome whispered thoughtfully.
"I can't believe it, it's like she doesn't care," Hikaru grumbled.
"What's a way we could motivate her?"
"Fancy tuna," Mori said instantly. The two simple words caught Hartuhi's attention and the Host Club realized they got her, hook, line, and sinker.
Haruhi tried to brush them off, saying she would never stay in the club and keep her gender a secret just to try some fancy tuna like a glutton. Kagome gave the brunette a meaningful look to which she realized that she was in fact that much of a glutton.
"You're adorable, Haruhi," Kagome cooed giving her brunette friend a pat on the back. "Oh! That reminds me, I won't be here in the afternoon tomorrow. I have a doctor's appointment."
"A doctor's appointment on physical exam day?"
"Kinda weird if you ask me." The twins each spoke. Kagome rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms.
"It's not weird. I have a specific doctor that I see now, but that's none of your business." Kagome replied primly.
She realized a moment too late that she had released more information than she had been willing to give up. This earned her curious looks from everyone in the Host Club. Kyoya was the exception, busying himself with his black notebook as per usual. Silently, she willed him to say something that would distract the others from asking more questions.
"Sounds like we need a plan for your operation, Tamaki," Kyoya said. This prompting immediately changed the subject of the conversation, leading the blonde into a diatribe as he detailed his plan to keep Haruhi's gender a secret.
"Thank you," Kagome silently mouthed the words to Kyoya once everyone was distracted. The bespectacled host offered her a slight smile in return.
The Next Day
"Alright, I'm off! Good luck with your plan too." Kagome said as she packed up her things. She waved goodbye to Tamaki and Kyoya who returned the gesture.
"Your words mean the world to me, my dear flower," Tamaki thanked her with a charming smile.
"Quit calling me a flower!" Kagome snapped before racing out of the classroom. The two boys watched her go, one in particular with a curious gleam in his eyes.
Quietly, Kyoya stood up from his seat and walked out of the classroom. He ignored Tamaki's confused outburst, he was now on a mission for information. There wouldn't be another chance like this for a long time.
So, the bespectacled host followed Kagome's path staying at a discreet distance. When they came to the front of the building where cars would drop off and pick up students, Kyoya observed her from a window.
Kagome hastily made her way to a white car that had it's windows rolled down. Squinting, Kyoya tried to get a better look at the driver and failed.
Cursing at the missed opportunity, Kyoya returned to the classroom. He anticipated the moment he could do his research later. Kagome's illusive nature would be revealed to him in due time.
The car ride to the hospital was relatively quick. Shippo was not one for respecting speed limits or the natural law of physics when it came to operating motorized vehicles. They soon arrived with Shippo grinning toothily and Kagome white-knuckling her the car's hanger feature. As they exited the car, Kagome thanked the kami and the universe for inventing seatbelts.
Standing before the hospital, Kagome realized that it was much bigger than she initially remembered it to be. A sign on the front lawn read, "Taisho Memorial Hospital." As they entered the building, a cute cartoon dog with an indigo crescent moon tail decorated some of their advertising.
"I can see now that Sesshomaru definitely owns this place," Kagome thought after passing a fourth white dog mascot.
"What's with the mascots, Ship?" she asked once they were in the waiting room.
"Oh, they're for the kids and elderly that stay here. Sesshomaru says it builds morale around here." Shippo replied.
"Does it?" Kagome glanced at a now fifth mascot waddling down the hallway. As dopey as the costume was, she had to admit it was rather cute.
"Kagome Higurashi?" A nurse called out her name. She was a squat lady with bright blushing cheeks and big eyes that watched her from behind magnified glasses. Kagome briefly wondered if the woman was secretly a youkai.
Leaving Shippo in the waiting room, she followed the nurse to a small room. After taking her vitals, the nurse instructed her to wait patiently for the doctor. The miko waited patiently, fiddling with the buttons of her school uniform.
A short time later, the door creaked open and Kagome straightened her posture.
"It's been a while, Kagome," a feminine voice stated.
Kagome stared into the bright green eyes of a familiar face. However, her hair was cropped beneath her ears. Ayame's face looked almost like it did five hundred years ago; now age lines were creasing the corners of her lips and eyes. Kagome guessed she was in his early forties in human years.
"It's been a while, Ayame," Kagome breathed. "It's good to see you."
"Been a while, huh? You don't look any different than the day I met you. Please roll up your sleeve so I can take a look at your injury." Ayame instructed.
Kagome did as she was told, exposing her arm. Gloved fingers skimmed over the pale scar tissue. It was not nearly as prominent as it had been in the early days of receiving it, but she ventured to say that it would stay much to her dismay. Her hand mindlessly came to her hip, where another scar hid underneath the layers of her clothing. She supposed it was just another one to add to her menial collection.
"This is good. Your powers are working as they should in healing this injury," Ayame stated after a while. She slipped off the gloves and threw them in the trash can. "I do regret to inform you that the scarring is likely permanent."
"I figured as much," sighed Kagome. "It doesn't hurt anymore which is a relief."
Ayame took note of this in a small notepad, nodding her head. As she did so, the miko couldn't help but stare.
"Is there a reason for your staring or do I have something on my face?" Ayame asked, glancing up from the notepad.
"No offense, but it's kinda weird to see you as a healer type," Kagome explained, scratching the back of her head. "Strange what time does to people, ya know?"
"Luckily I am not a person, I am a great youkai," Ayame said pompously. Then her eyes took on a more serious sheen. "One that has stepped up for her people as these years of disease have dwindled our numbers."
"I see…" Kagome trailed off, looking elsewhere as Ayame turned to type something into a computer. She was fully aware of the state of the world for youkai and hanyou alike, but every time it made itself known she couldn't help but cringe. It was a tragedy, one that she would be responsible for in no less than two years.
While Kagome was lost in her thoughts, Ayame observed her through a pitying side glance. Her inner turmoil was reflected in the discomfort lining her features. She didn't mean to come across as so harsh, but such were the realities of an ancient demon trying to pull her kind out of extinction.
"If at any point you need medical care, from here on out you will come to this hospital. I will reach out to your mother to make the arrangements. Don't worry about costs, Big Dog told me the runt will take care of it." Ayame said.
"Thank you, Ayame, this means the world," Kagome replied. The wolf girl smiled toothily and handed her a piece of paper.
"If you ever wanna visit the mountains and get away from the city let me know," Ayame said. "My kids have been hearing stories about you for generations, they'd like to meet you."
She then stood up and held open the door for the miko. Smiling, Kagome nodded and walked back to the waiting room.
Back in the car, the miko filled in her ginger benefactor on how the appointment went. He seemed visibly relieved hearing she was okay and even more so that Taisho Memorial would be where her doctor's visits would be. Upon learning he would be the one to pay for it, Shippo grumbled under his breath about annoying dogs.
"Say, there's some light left in the day. How's about we visit some old friends?" Shippo suggested as they merged onto the road. Judging from the bright, sparkling look in Kagome's eyes she was very on board with the idea.
"Yes please!" Kagome said it so loud she was nearly shouting. Shippo cringed at the volume, his sensitive ears ringing.
"Alright, lemme make a call real quick."
After making the call, Shippo turned the car around. They drove for about an hour or so when they entered a forested area. Approximately ten minutes later, they arrived at a modestly sized log cabin.
Hopping out of the car, Kagome absorbed the quaint structure. With its smoking chimney and a massive pile of firewood by the front door, it looked straight out of a storybook.
Unable to hold in her anticipation, the miko raced to the front door and knocked loudly. Shippo followed behind, waiting impatiently for the door to open. Apparently waiting a minute for the door to open was far too long for the fox youkai.
"Yo! Old Dog, get your ass out here, it's freezing!" Shippo yelled, smashing the door with his fist. The wood splintered slightly under the duress of the impact.
"Would you quit yapping like some whiny bitch, Shippo? I said I was co– Kagome?" Inuyasha's face appeared at the door shortly after. Unlike Ayame, who looked about forty-something in age, Inuyasha was old. His rugged features were still prominent against the effects of aging and his eyes were still shining with liveliness.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, jumping into his arms. She wrapped him in a tight hug, refusing to let go as tears began to stream down her cheeks. "It's been so long."
At first, the hanyou didn't know how to react. He placed his hand stiffly on her upper back, but after a few moments, he returned the hug. While she had only gone through a year of separation, it had been five hundred years since he'd seen his best friend. It was a strange feeling that dawned on him then; so much life had occurred during their separation for both of them. Could he even call her his best friend anymore?
"Lemme get a look at ya," Inuyasha said holding her in front of him.
At first, she didn't look much different from the girl he had met five hundred years ago. She had lost a lot of the roundness of youth since he'd seen her, she was slowly becoming a woman. But he had lived long enough to recognize that it was her eyes that remained the same. Bright and piercing blue, filled with fire.
With little more to say and after another hug, Inuyasha invited them inside. The two followed him inside. Kagome gawked at the cozy home. The walls were madness, covered in hundreds– or even thousands– of pictures. Many of them were Shippo and his clan. In his lifetime, the fox youkai and Souten sired many children.
Then Kagome came upon a sepia-toned family photo of Inuyasha, a fair-haired woman, and a tiny baby swaddling in red cloth. They were dressed in fine kimonos but weren't smiling. Staring at the photo, the miko felt drawn to the woman strangely. She felt familiar.
"That's our first family photo with Yukina. She was born shortly before the photo was taken. Not to mention Shiori and I look like babies ourselves." Inuyasha said, a clawed finger trailing the woman's face.
Realization struck Kagome as she faced the picture of the woman again. Shiori had been a young girl when they had first met, barely looking older than Souta was at the time. The woman in the photograph was beautiful, her eyes playful even if she was not smiling. It made her heart soar seeing Shiori grow up to be such a happy adult.
"They're beautiful," Kagome whispered. "Where are they now?"
"Yukina is in America right now. After graduating high school she refused to go to university here, but she still keeps in touch. Shiori…" Inuyasha trailed off. "She's not doing so well."
"Is it–?"
"Yes."
"I'm so sorry."
"She's getting the care she needs. Besides, Shiori's a fighter. She'll get through this in no time." Inuyasha rolled his shoulders back, ending the conversation there.
Kagome didn't prod any further. She was grateful to learn more about her dear friend's life after so long apart.
"Old Dog, where's your tea? I can't find shit in this mess." Shippo's voice came from the kitchen followed by the sound of packages and appliances falling to the ground.
"Get the fuck out of my cabinets, Fox, or I'll shove your tails up where the sun don't shine!" Inuyasha threatened, storming into the kitchen.
Smiling softly, Kagome turned back to the family photograph. Things were different now, so different that it took her breath away with each new thing she learned.
"Thank you for watching out for him, Shiori."
"Thanks for having us!" Kagome expressed her gratitude with a bone-crushing hug. "Come to the shrine sometime, don't be a stranger. You're still Souta's hero."
"Keh, we'll see. It might not look like it but I'm a busy guy," Inuyasha said with a toothy smirk.
"As if. You spend your days keeping up with this old log cabin and taking in whatever lost soul cries to you." Shippo pointed out with a snicker.
"Shut it, Fox! Get the fuck off my property if you're gonna be an asshole!"
"Let's go before he gets the Testusaiga out," Shippo snickered. He took Kagome's hand and they dashed back to the car.
"That's what I thought, Runt! Keh!" Inuyasha called after them.
While they made their commute back, Kagome checked the time. School had ended several hours ago which likely meant club activities did too. Opening her phone, the miko typed up a message inquiring about the day to two of her contacts from the Host Club.
After Shippo finally dropped her off at the shrine, it was Kyoya who had responded first.
"A long, interesting day. Will fill you in tomorrow."
"Thx. Look forward to hearing it. :)"
Slipping the cell phone into her pocket, Kagome made the trek up the shrine steps. For the first time in a while, her full heart felt light and content.
A/N: I apologize, I made a posting mistake. This chapter was supposed to go before Kagome's Big Green Heart. I hope y'all still enjoy this chapter and the next :). This coming holiday I am thankful for all those who have followed, favorited, and/or reviewed this story. I love y'all so much, thanks for making posting easier and fun!
