InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Lost the Real Dream ❯ Jealous Feelings ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of Sengoku Otogizoushi - InuYasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. InuYasha belongs to Takahashi Rumiko, Shogakukan, Viz Media, ShoPro Entertainment, and Shounen; while Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Togashi Yoshihiro, Shueisha, Viz Media, and Shounen. No profit or money of any kind is made from this fan-created crossover.

The next few weeks passed by in a blur, they all had their own lives that demanded their attention. Shuuchi and Keiko had school to focus on; Yusuke and Kuwabara were focused mainly on perfecting their skills, whatever that meant; the ever-mysterious Hiei was off doing whatever he did; and Kagome's time was split between working at the ramen shop, visiting her other younger half-brother in the hospital, and spending time with Shiori and Shuuichi. It was her red-headed brother who claimed her first day off as well, all but demanding she spend a day with him, Keiko and Yusuke. Kagome knew it was because he was worried about her, wanting to see her happy again, instead of lingering in the sadness and despair that she couldn't seem to shake. So it led to them waiting in the same little fast-food joint where she met his friends for the first time only a week ago, even though it seemed like it had been longer.

"Heya, Kagome!" Yusuke startled the young woman, who was too lost in her own thoughts to notice Yusuke's pitiful attempt at sneaking up on her. Her glare only caused him to guffaw, "S'not my fault your brain doesn't work properly!"

Kurama laughed softly, using his hand to cover up his laughter. Despite his urge to hit Yusuke for insulting his older sister in such a way again, he enjoyed seeing her genuinely smile and joke along with him.

"Yes, well... At least I don't get off on sneaking up on people!"

The kitsune avatar seemed to be the only one who heard Keiko's forced chuckle. It was obvious she cared about Yusuke, so he couldn't say he was truly surprised that she would be jealous at seeing how easily Kagome and Yusuke interacted and joked around. He would have to keep a close eye on them both to make sure they didn't give Keiko even more of a reason to be jealous. He wouldn't be able to stand it if she felt horrible today because of his desire for his sister to have a little fun.

But thankfully Keiko took the matter into her own hands, and redirected the conversation before anymore teasing could occur between Kagome and Yusuke, "So Kagome-chan, how do you like working?"

Kagome smiled, her emotions going from flirting to somewhat shy, "I really enjoy it... It's quite different to be doing something during the day that pays, instead of spending it in school."

Yusuke leaned forward in curiosity, "Why aren't you going to school?"

"Yusuke," Kurama drawled out, his eyes narrowed. He didn't like how curious the spirit detective was of his sister, in his opinion there would never be anyone deserving of her.

The young delinquent held up his hands in a peaceful manner, "I was only asking cuz I wanna know how she managed to beat the system!"

Kagome laughed despite herself, but the three other occupants at the table could see that it was forced. She wore her emotions on her sleeve, and they showed even in the ways in which she laughed. The sadness lingering deep in her eyes gave her away, "Well, I don't think it's anything you could use, Yusuke-kun. Apparently I was sick a lot last year and missed so much class that while I did somehow manage to pass middle school, I'm not allowed to go to high school... Not to mention there's no way I could ask Shiori to pay for my schooling."

Sensing the melancholy feeling that now surrounded the table, along with the expression on Kurama's face, Keiko decided to break it. She couldn't stand seeing Kurama look so helpless, "Oh, Kagome-chan! There's this store nearby that I've been wanting to go to, and I think you'll like it too!" As Kagome agreed and they all stood to leave, Kurama grabbed Keiko's arm to hold her back, whispering his thanks to her. However only Kagome saw the jealous expression that clouded Yusuke's face for a brief moment, and for some reason, it hurt.

Lingering back behind the two women who were chatting like old friends if their expressive hand movements and laughter was any indication, Yusuke leaned closer to Kurama, so their conversation wouldn't be overheard, "You know I've been thinking... Why can't we just have Hiei use his creepy third eye thingy to help her remember?"

Kurama sighed, looking ahead at the figure of Kagome. If only things could be that easy. He shook his head, "Hiei is now being closely monitored by Reikai. If he uses his Jagan on a human, no matter the reason, he will find himself in a Reikai holding cell for the rest of his life."

"Damn, talk about harsh."

Kurama found himself wanting to disagree; Hiei did get off rather lightly for stealing one of the artifacts of darkness, attempting to destroy the Ningenkai, and almost successfully turning a human woman into a demon.

Kagome bolted upright from her dream, her hand going to the bauble around her neck in a white-knuckle grip. She closed her eyes and tried her hardest to get her breathing back under control. That dream felt too real for her comfort, so real in fact that she could almost swear she lived it. Her faded blue eyes looked down at her sheets as she tried to grasp what it was about that dream that felt real, only to notice water drops falling on it. Releasing the bauble, she brought her hand up to her face, feeling the tracks her tears had left. When did she start crying? And why? She couldn't even grasp the entirety of her dream, and yet she was still crying from the pain it caused her heart.

Was this pain only going to get worse the more she remembered? Perhaps she had been a bit naive in thinking that all her memories would be good ones, and now... Was she sure she wanted to remember all the bad ones too? Wiping away the rest of the remnants of her dream, she got out of bed and headed for the kitchen. While she would give anything to have Mama's advice over tea, she would have to settle with just the tea.

"Shuuichi-kun? What are you still doing up?" she asked as she stood in the doorway of the kitchen, not expecting to see her little brother and the quietest of his friends discussing something over the dining table. Those red eyes of Hiei, she still couldn't stand to look in them with the emotions they brought forth.

"Ah, onee-san.. We were just discussing a few old stories from earlier in our friendship.. Is there something wrong?" Kagome almost broke down in tears at seeing the concern in his emerald eyes. It was like a soothing balm to the wounds her dream had awakened, but at the same time it made her want to cry.

Swallowing was harder to do now because of the lump of emotion in her throat, she shook her head, "Nothing but a bad dream.. Would you both like a cup of tea?" Without waiting for their response, she went about making she came down for.

Hiei looked at Kurama from across the table, wondering if they should continue their previous conversation or not. It generally wasn't a wise decision to have a conversation about someone in the vicinity. Especially when nothing was really known about said person. Until everything was revealed about that tiny woman, Hiei wouldn't trust her as far as he could throw her. Not like he'd ever actually throw her; her humanity might taint his hands.

Kurama could pick up on the feelings of distrust radiating from the Jagan user, and decided the best way to diffuse this situation was to get Kagome to reveal more about her. It would take time and information for Hiei to tolerate her, "Do you want to talk about it, onee-san? It had to be a fairly bad nightmare to drive you out of bed..."

He was rewarded with one of her smiles as she turned to look over at him. "I wonder what I did to deserve you as a little brother," she teased him in return. Kurama could only offer a sheepish smile even though he knew that evasive answer would only get Hiei's suspicions up more. Silence reigned in the kitchen until their tea had been served and all three sat together. "I actually don't remember much about it.. My dream, that is," Kagome broke the silence, causing both men to snap their attention to her. "Even though, I'm not so sure it was a dream... The pain, it felt too real to be a dream."

She missed the look Kurama and Hiei shared at that information as she stared into her teacup. The more she revealed about herself, the more it became apparent something very unnatural had happened during the last year of her life. And Kurama did not like hearing his sister was in pain because it meant he was not doing a good enough job of keeping her safe, "What do you mean by pain?"

Her hand once again clutched the bauble hanging around her neck, as if reminding herself that it was there brought her some comfort, "Emotional pain... There was a woman there with me, and a man later on. I can't remember exactly what was said but I know she believed he hated her, while me and him knew he still loved her."

"And knowing that hurt you?"

She nodded in response, "As if I had loved him as well when it happened. But the pain and love seems like a distant memory, as if I don't anymore... It's so confusing! I wish I could just hurry up and remember, but at the same time.. I wonder if other memories will be this painful." Kurama leaned over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He had weighed the possibility of bad memories when he first met her and decided to help, and though he hated seeing her lingering in feelings of pain and sadness, it would be beneficial to all if she remembered everything. They would forever wonder what happened to her if they gave up now.

"What's with you and that jewel?"

That question from the normally silent man threw Kagome off. She titled her head to the side in confusion, "Jewel? You mean this bauble? Honestly, I can't tell you. From what I heard from both doctors and Shiori, I woke up with it in my hand even though I didn't have it anywhere on my person when I was brought in... Just knowing it's nearby somehow makes me feel better." He only made a non-committal noise, causing Kurama to chuckle and Kagome to shake her head. At least it didn't seem like he was completely ignoring her.

Kagome smiled and stood up, "Don't stay up too much later, Shuuichi-kun." She ruffled his hair with an affectionate smile before leaving them alone in the kitchen.

Hiei smirked over at the avatar, "Yes, Shuuichi-kun, don't stay up too late or the humans won't be able to keep you."

With a sigh, Kurama glared over at the fire demon, "Hiei... Shut up."