InuYasha Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Prismatic ❯ Diligence ( Chapter 14 )

Victory, Kagome realized, was somehow both relieving and unnerving.

All things considered, it should have been a cause for celebration and, for the most part, it was. Not only had they come out on top of that fight, but the city had been saved and the big bad had been defeated. The media broadcast news of their victory across every station in the city, widely singing praises of their new resident superheroes. They had a few extra days off from classes -not that there was much left to the term- while people were given time to recover. Even Inuyasha, ever the taskmaster, let them be to recover from the ordeal. She was still half asleep when he left back through the well the following morning, leaving only a message with her mother about visiting Totosai.

It was just as well because none of them had the energy to do more than lie in bed and sleep most of that day.

Bless her mother, when Tsukino Ikuko called to check in, a tearful mess over the events despite Usagi being safely home, the Higurashi matriarch worked a magic Kagome didn’t think she would understand for some years. Mama was a miracle worker in a way that only a mother knew how.

But Kagome couldn’t help but worry over what might come next.

It had all ended so quickly and far too easily. Jadeite and Luna had both mentioned a Dark Kingdom, so something else surely had to be coming. The stillness that followed Jadeite’s defeat had left her baffled as to what had even happened. The dark energy that had permeated the city had vanished quickly enough that she might have questioned if it had really happened at all and she wasn’t the only one.  

Despite the media’s overall excitement to discuss and theorize the subject of the sailor soldiers’ battle at the amusement park, there were several stations proposing potential conspiracy theories, ranging from a hallucinogenic in the city water supply to the battle itself being a sham. One newspaper suggested the entire event to be a result of mass hypnosis.

If not for her souvenirs in the form of a few new bruises and one tiny green gemstone, she might have believed it.

Kagome had almost forgotten about the little gem at first. She had shoved it into her pocket as they’d left that night, only to be reminded of it long after they had all changed back and trudged home for some much needed rest. 

It had only been a couple of days, but she still wasn’t sure why she had kept hold of it. It had been an impulse that, even in hindsight, she didn’t fully understand. Sure, it was pretty enough and it looked convincingly real, but it was almost certainly just a piece of a prop. Real gems wouldn't just be left out in the open, locked only behind the door to a storage room.

‘There has to be more to it than that though...' Kagome had mused upon waking to find it still on her night table the next morning, glittering in the sunlight that filtered through her window. 

After the attempt to bring it through the well for Miroku’s opinion, she had grown even more certain of it. When she had tried, much to her surprise and abject bewilderment, the little gem would not pass through the well.

There was only one other object from her time that she had ever been unable to bring to the other side: the Disguise Pen.

The first time it happened had been a surprise. While people -aside from herself and Inuyasha- had never been able to pass through, inanimate objects from either side had never been a problem. Yet, no matter how many times she jumped through the well, or how tightly she clung to the pen, it only faded from her grasp once the magic enveloped her. It was always waiting patiently for her return, glittering in the darkness of the well, but untouched by the magic that so seamlessly moved her through time. When Luna suggested that the planetary magic protected the artifact, Kagome had seen no reason to question that theory.

Not until her little gem appeared to carry the same protection, that is.

Kagome heaved a breath, drawing herself from her musings with a shake of the head. There was no use going in circles. Mama and grandpa had taken Souta out, under the guise of letting her have some quiet to rest, but Kagome knew it was just as much to give her brother a shred of normalcy after the near tragedy he’d witnessed.

The closest he had come before had been the much briefer encounter with the Noh mask and Inuyasha had ended that one quickly enough. Hearing stories of battles from another era or providing support at a tangible distance from demonic plots was one thing. Watching one’s hometown wither and decay in real time was another entirely.

Kagome shuddered. She didn’t want to think about it, even if the worst had only been an illusion.

But her mind wouldn’t settle. It seemed no matter which side of the well she was on, she was to be haunted by magical jewels. She reached over to pluck the little gem from its perch on her bedside table and pursed her lips. It was smooth, unblemished, and it felt oddly warm in the palm of her hand. As she drew a fingertip over the flawless surface, she struggled to think of how to describe the sensation.

A fleeting thought crossed her mind as her fingertip traced an edge. ‘Alive…’  

All at once the sensation of warmth burst from her palm. Her hands flew upward, instinctively shielding her eyes from the light that suddenly filled her room. It didn’t fade, but dimmed to a level that wasn’t quite as blinding, and she slowly lowered her arms to stare. Uncertain whether to be awed or terrified, she could not help but think the energy oddly familiar.

It hovered in front of her, pulsing rhythmically in the air.

‘Like a heartbeat…’ When she gingerly reached out to touch it that sensation of warmth curled over her outstretched fingers anew. Kagome drew her hand back with a jerk when it suddenly contracted, rapidly stretching to take on a more humanoid shape. When the first familiar tuft of blond hair appeared, she finally settled on terrified just as the rest of the man finished taking shape.

"W-what?!" His form lumbered over her and Kagome flailed to leap further back onto her bed too slowly. "J-Jade-mmph!"

His weight was suddenly on top of her, a hand landing heavily over her mouth and muffling her alarmed shout.

"Wh-get off! You're, you're..." She shoved him hard and, with much less effort than she’d been expecting, watched him roll onto the floor with a thud. "...out cold."

“Um…Jadeite?” Inching a little closer to the edge of her bed, Kagome hesitantly prodded him with the tip of her foot.

Satisfied that he was well and truly unconscious when he didn’t move, she frowned and eased the rest of the way off the mattress. His skin was warm when she gingerly pressed a palm to his forehead, and his pulse offered a steady beat when her fingertips trailed down to check for that next. He was very much alive and yet, something seemed off. Kagome furrowed her brows. 'He feels...different.'  

There was something strangely lighter about him as she looked him over, trying to pinpoint the shift and failing. There was a heaviness missing from him, a tension to his energy that was no longer there.

Something had been strange about him -for all she knew of him anyway- in their fight, if it could even be called that. She knew he could have overpowered her. She knew that he had been holding back since their encounter back at Hikawa Shrine. She had chalked it up to the apparent desire for her to be captured alive.

Kagome shuddered. She had been at his mercy when she was dropped before him only days prior. She had been ready to go with him to save the others. But even in the chaos of battle, she had recognized the same desperation in his eyes that had her make such an offer in the first place.

He had been afraid.

She had seen his looks of self-assuredness and amusement. She had seen the glint in his eyes during a fight every time the bastard analyzed her. She had seen his expressions of confusion and surprise, but not desperation. She had seen alarm, but not fear.

But that still left the matter of where the man had suddenly come from. Obviously, it hadn’t been an intentional appearance.

'The gem!' Her eyes widened as a thought struck her and she dove back on top of her bed to ruffle through the tousled comforter, to no avail. 'It's gone...or...'  

It couldn’t be. And yet, it made far too much sense.

Her fingers curled around the blanket, and her eyes widened as she slowly looked back down at the fallen general. 'Was he...?'  

She had so many questions. Her surprise guest, however, was clearly in no position to give answers. That was assuming he even had them to begin with.

Kagome heaved a sigh, her shoulders slumping for a moment as she wondered at her own sanity, or lack thereof. 'Good thing Mama keeps the guest room clear.'

---

Whatever she had expected to happen once her family got home, it certainly wasn’t what actually happened.

Anxiously pacing in the hallway, a crumpled ofuda gripped in her hand, it had only taken a single trip into the adjacent bathroom for the three to return and her mother to curiously wander into the unusually closed spare room. Kagome didn’t have the chance to process her initial terror before the woman questioned who the man was.

She’d almost fallen over, astounded by the question as she was. His message to the soldiers had been broadcast across every screen in the city and, given that they lived in Tokyo, that was by no means a small amount. There was no way her mother had not seen his face.

Kagome looked anxiously between her equally curious brother and grandfather before impulsively blurting out that he was one of the Dark Kingdom’s victims. Her eyes locked with her mother’s for a moment before a glint of understanding seemed to dawn within the older woman’s gaze.

When her mother only smiled and announced that he could stay as long as needed, Kagome knew where her own bleeding heart had come from.

But months of fighting demons and being hunted had left her equal parts a skeptic. After locking the door to the guest room and slapping down a few ofuda for good measure, Kagome practically bolted for the well. Unfortunately, going back to attempt a brief discussion with Sango and Miroku did not result in the briefness that she had been aiming for.

Inuyasha was eager to get on the road again, more agitated than usual. However the visit to Totosai had gone, it had clearly roused a renewed determination in him. He had already been a bundle of pent up energy and nerves after the battle that he never got to truly take part in. Whatever he had learned on his trip had clearly been the motivation he’d needed. Her first hint was the slight dip in the soil at the base of the well. It was the same spot that she knew he often waited, tapping his nails impatiently against the wooden frame or pacing when he thought nobody was around to see.

Seeing such eagerness after the way he’d withdrawn before, she felt a little guilty when she admitted that she wasn’t ready, that she’d only come to ask Miroku a question. He looked ready to argue for a moment, but after giving her a once over when she pointed out that even Ami had been glad for the remaining time out of school, only leapt into the Goshinboku with an irritable grunt.

Still, she felt badly enough for leaving them waiting for so long that she could not help but at least stay to help out just a little. The news on this side was disturbing and the number of injured compared to her last visit was more so. Demons had grown more active, moving against human settlements more readily with so few there equipped to stop them. This might not have been her world, but Kagome couldn’t help the way her stomach churned guiltily.

It started with helping Kaede tend a few of the injured and progressed to a bit of prep work for a meal to serve out amongst the villagers. At least, it was supposed to be just the prep work. It wasn’t long that she found herself cooking alongside the other women, idly chatting with Sango and relishing in the comforting sense of familiarity, her original reason for visiting forgotten.

Before she knew it, she was waking to the first rays of sunlight and the sounds of untamed life that rose to answer it.

Kagome leapt from her sleeping spot on the floor of Kaede’s hut. The old priestess was nowhere to be seen, likely already up and making her rounds. Kagome mumbled an apology to the absent woman as she splashed a handful of water on her face and dragged a hand through her hair to dash back to the well again.

The house was thankfully still in one piece and undisturbed when she made it back.

It was still morning, but late enough that Souta had likely already left for school. She could already hear grandpa’s distant mutterings from the shop and faint sounds of life within the house as she slid the door open. "I'm back!"

"Oh, Kagome.” Her mother padded out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron in a way that suggested she’d been cooking. “We were starting to get worried."

"I know, I’m sorry I'm late." A pang of guilt tightened her throat. For all the warmth and acceptance that her mother had to offer, Kagome wasn’t naive enough to think the woman was ignorant enough of their history to not worry.

She had intended to go to school as well, if only to check on her classmates. Exams had already passed and hosting the final days of classes had been more for a sense of normalcy for the student body than any real necessity.

“It should be fine!” Kagome strained to smile, though she wasn’t sure whether the effort was for her mother or herself. "Today was the last day before summer break anyway." 

"It's probably better if I just go pick up some supplies.” Her thoughts went to the state of the village, to the injuries she’d helped tend and the tales of bloodshed on the people’s lips. “I'll…probably be spending some more time on that side now that class is out."

For some reason, her mother’s understanding smile only made her heart ache more.

---

Wandering about the city, checking over the people as much as she was out restocking on traveling supplies, it didn’t take long for Kagome to get lost in a swell of thoughts she wasn’t really processing. She knew after the last trip that she would have to start dedicating more time to the effort in the feudal era. It wasn’t fair to leave the heavy lifting on that side to the others, especially when their situations had mostly been born of her folly with the Shikon. 

Curses. Jewels. Magic. Demons.

Her attempts to cling to a life as a normal girl had never seemed so far away. It was always demons, jewels, and wayward magic. It was a duty she had never asked for, nor wanted. ‘But it brought you Inuyasha…Sango, Miroku…Usagi. Everyone. They’re all worth it.’  

Well, all but one on that list might have tried to kill or kidnap her on their first meeting, but it made the loyalty of their friendship worth that much more.

"Ah!" Kagome reeled back, fumbling to catch her balance along with her rapidly dwindling dignity. Fortunately, the man she’d collided with seemed to have better reflexes as his hand shot out to catch her by the arm before she could fall. She heaved a breath and barely refrained from dragging a hand over her face to hide her mortified flush. "I'm so sorry, I-"

"Weren't watching where you were going, I imagine?"

There was a hum to the voice, a vague hint of amusement. Her breath caught at the familiar sound and Kagome looked up at the man with a jerk. "You! Ack…I’m sorry, that’s rude of me."

He chuckled quietly but only bent to collect the bag she’d dropped and offered it to her so seamlessly that it made her cheeks heat.

She hadn’t expected to see the man again. He had clearly been a tourist. If not for the faint twang of an American accent, she could tell by how out of place and at a loss he had been. At least he seemed to be one of the nicer ones as far as tourists went. He certainly wasn’t bad looking, Kagome thought.

He was in a suit similar to the last time she’d seen him, casual but clean cut enough for the well-mannered air he presented. It probably said something about the men in her life that she wasn’t quite sure what to do with such gentlemanly behavior. He seemed inclined to prove as much when he only dipped down to offer his arm and an invitation to the adjacent cafe. She took it out of reflex and he was kind enough to pretend not to notice her embarrassed flush as she ducked her head.

Thank goodness Usagi wasn’t here to see this. The other girl would never let her live it down.

The man –Sanjouin Masato- was pleasant enough company, every bit the gentleman as he led her to a table and even pulled out her chair. She came back to the present with a jolt, barely processing his query on why she’d been wandering the city on a school day in the first place. She blinked and wondered for a moment if he’d not seen the news. If he was a tourist, perhaps he hadn’t. There was plenty to see outside of the city, after all. She had even pointed several spots out for him in their last meeting.

"Well, today is the last day of classes before break, so there wasn't much to do anyway." She smoothed out her skirt as she took a seat across from him with a shrug. "Not aside from prepping for festival season."

"Oh?” His gaze slanted towards her with a thoughtful tilt of the head. “You enjoy the festivals then?"

"Ah, well sort of.” Kagome shrugged and leaned back in her chair. “My grandfather always tries to get me involved with the ones our family shrine hosts, but he has always been way more into it than me."

After a moment, she brightened and sat up straight once more. "But I'm taking a bunch of friends to one this weekend and it’s my favorite one of the season, so it won't feel like work at least."

When he offered her a smile and leaned forward to ask about the event, Kagome brightened and could not help but to get lost in much more pleasant thoughts as she launched into a much more animated conversation. 

---

Sanjouin Masato, as it stood, was the perfect date. That wasn’t to say that their impromptu lunch was a date, of course. And so long as Usagi never found out, it would stay that way. He was a gentleman the whole way through, indulging her excited chatter about the upcoming festival and exchanging pleasantries when she came up for air.

Kagome learned that he was in the city on business of sorts during their small talk, though he seemed a bit tight-lipped about that topic. So she let it go and pretended not to notice the tightness in his expression as he changed the subject back to more mundane things. She told him a bit more about the traditional festivals when he asked, regaling him with the legends behind them, and he seemed surprised when she’d turned to ask after his own interest. After a moment he’d finally looked her over, smiled pleasantly, and confessed an interest in astrology.

When she realized she was late -again- he smiled apologetically and offered her a ride home. A pointed glance at the bags she’d been carrying and Kagome had sheepishly agreed. But she had expected his intent to be to share a taxi, not the bright red sports car that he led her to. He drove well, seamlessly navigating the city streets as she gave him directions to the shrine. And then he even carried a few bags up the stairs for her before bidding her good night beneath the torii gate. She watched him leave, her heart pounding illogically.

Usagi could never know.

Of course, she still promptly dove for the phone to call her friend once everything was inside. She’d intended to drop by Usagi’s school, just in case she and Ami had actually attended the day’s final classes, but that was before she’d gotten swept up in a lunch with a handsome stranger that was most certainly not a date.

Luckily, Usagi was the one to answer the phone. Then, once Kagome had announced herself, she promptly let loose a dramatic wail. Kagome nearly dropped the receiver, managing to catch it just in time to hear Usagi’s dramatic tale of being cornered by a group of ‘ruffians’ only to be saved by a knight in shining armor.

“Well, okay, she was wearing a uniform like us, but Kino-chan really was like a knight, Kago-chan!”

'Usagi-chan was-!' Kagome’s eyes widened, her fingers gripping the phone as Usagi’s now happy chatter blurred into the background and fresh guilt tightened her throat. 'And here I was…'

“I invited her to go to Sumidagawa with us! Oh…that’s okay, right?”

Kagome blinked, fumbling to agree once she came back to herself enough to realize that Usagi was waiting for a response. “O-of course!”

She was genuinely eager to meet this new friend that had Usagi so energetic and excited. It was refreshing to hear her friend’s excited chatter about what they could do over the summer break. She felt normal for a moment.

Then, as her gaze drifted up the stairwell towards the bedrooms, she frowned and a weight set in the pit of her belly as she thought of bursting Usagi’s bubble with the news of her houseguest. A happy squeal from the other side of the phone made her snap her mouth shut. 'No…there’s no reason to ruin her excitement. I'll wait till he wakes up and find out what's really going on first.'  

When Usagi finally ended the conversation with a squeal about dinner, Kagome bid her a good night and only checked on the wards set around the guest room before opting to skip her own. Her gaze lingered on the unconscious general as she made to leave. She exhaled with a huff as she flicked off the light. “Wake up soon, creep. I want answers already.” 

---

As it stood, he didn’t wake that night or the next. When the weekend rolled around and he was still unconscious, it was only her mother’s gentle urging that she would look after their guest while Kagome had her day out. She could never resist her mother but the lure of her favorite festival didn’t hurt.

Besides, she had to meet this purported savior of Usagi’s. Judging by Usagi’s harried storytelling, the tall brunette by the park gate was very likely the Kino-chan she’d described.

"Are you Kino-chan?" The girl turned to look at her with a blink and a glint of suspicion in her gaze at her approach. Kagome offered her the same smile she did when Inuyasha gave her that look before dipping into a bow. "Thank you for helping Usagi-chan."

Kino jumped at the gesture, her expression shifting from thinly veiled suspicion to bewilderment. "Wh-uh…oh, no problem, um…"

Kagome popped back into an upright position. "Higurashi Kagome."

"So, tell me…" Kagome leaned over towards Kino with a conspiratorial whisper. "Was it really that many, or is Usagi-chan being dramatic?"

Kino’s laugh was only a short, surprised sound. Still, though there was still a glint of befuddlement, the grin that curled her lips seemed genuine. As she retold the story, certainly a much less dramatic narrator than Usagi, Kagome listened with rapt attention. She wasn’t certain whether to be impressed or concerned when Kino only confirmed that -at least this time- Usagi hadn’t been embellishing.

Deciding there was no point in worrying now, Kagome shook her head and settled on impressed. "You must be really tough then, that's impressive."

Kino’s posture relaxed slightly, though she didn’t seem to be expecting the praise. "Y-you think so?"

"Yeah! You remind me a lot of Sango-chan actually." Tilting her head thoughtfully, idly thinking that she’d get on well with the slayer, Kagome glanced back over at her new friend. "Hey…Kino-chan?"

Kino looked up, her expression caught somewhere between apprehension and curiosity. "Yeah?"

Kagome hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was too forward of a request, before steeling her resolve. "Would you mind um…showing me a few moves?"

Kino seemed surprised by the request, but unoffended. “Oh, uh…sure, of course, Higurashi-chan."

"Ah! You're the best!" Kagome brightened with a cheerful clap of the hands and a renewed grin. "Call me Kagome, okay?"

"Okay.” Kino’s lips slowly quirked up into a smile. “Call me Makoto then."

Kagome beamed and bobbed her head in agreement. "I'll bring rice balls next time. Mama has the best recipes."

"Oh yeah?" Makoto’s expression brightened. "I'll bring some too then."

The glint in her eyes was not unlike Ami’s in the moments that their conversations veered towards more scientific topics. This was something she enjoyed. Kagome perked up, eyes alight with understanding. "Ah, you like cooking, Mako-"

"Uwaah!” The familiar cry caught her by surprise and Kagome turned just in time for a haggard mess of ruffled blonde pigtails to fly past only to skid to a stop in front of them. “I'm late!"

Kagome couldn’t help but blink, expression baffled as Usagi leaned against her knees, panting to catch her breath from what was almost certainly a mad dash from her house. "Uh…Usagi-chan?" 

Makoto lifted her hand to glance down at her watch. "You're pretty early, actually."

"Huh? But…" Usagi paused, blinking at the two of them, clearly uncertain how to process that information. After a few seconds something seemed to click, her expression rapidly shifting from confusion to realization and, just as quickly, to irritation. "Oooh, I'm going to strangle that Luna!"

Kagome hid her giggle behind a hand as she watched Usagi stomp off down the sidewalk.

Beside her, Makoto ducked down to whisper. "Why does she want to murder her cat?"

Thankfully, when Kagome only doubled over into a fresh bout of laughter, Makoto was kind enough to catch her.