InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Enough ❯ The Importance Of Being Kagome ( Chapter 5 )

“All change is good.” –Japanese proverb


Chapter 5:
The Importance of Being Kagome

“Ugh.” An undignified groan of fervent protest escaped Kagome’s lips, as the brilliant light of morning crept into vision and into her room. In valiant, but in vain effort to remain half way asleep, she rolled over, clamped her eyelids tightly closed and covered her head with her pillow. Kamis above, she needed to get some sleep. After all, didn’t she deserve to get some rest after putting up with two fighting rival youkai and staying up past midnight studying? Apparently the rest of the world didn’t agree, which made for one grumpy Miko.



It was a Saturday, so she didn’t have school, but the mountain of makeup work piled on her desk was equal to nearly two weeks worth. Frustrated beyond words, Kagome gave up getting any more sleep as a bad job; experience had taught her when to surrender. She rose, stretched, and undressed moving about the room readying for her morning bath.



Tired and sore, she shoved her bad mood harshly aside, determined to enjoy the novelty of a hanyou-free day. That and a bath that was 100% perverted monk free. It was simply divine to be able to bathe in total privacy, that then an evil thought struck her; next time they caught Miroku spying on them she’d not sit Inuyasha once for trying to beat the living crap out of him.


The Kamis knew that she and Sango had tried to deal with Miroku’s perverted actions with a great deal of restraint and patience. Kagome spoke for them both when she said that she was tired of her bath time being treated like a peep show. Never mind, the fact that he was no longer there to look at her, but Sango. However, Kagome knew that that letch wasn’t above looking at her, too.



Her eyebrow twitched with annoyance, and she made a mental note to pack an extra swimsuit for Sango along with her soap and extra shampoo. At least then, if Kami forbid some half-crazed youkai came charging after her Shikon shards with Inuyasha hot on its heels, then at least she and Sango wouldn’t be naked, like last time.



Sango still hadn’t forgiven Inuyasha for that little mishap… Somehow, after dismembering the youkai, he’d ended up in the hot spring… along with hundreds of pieces of oozing scorpion demon, turning the hot spring tar black, and drenching the three of them in the icky muck. Miroku’s arrival and side commentary did not help the situation, as a scarlet faced Sango proceeded to demonstrate exactly how proficient she was with her colossal boomerang. It had taken a great many whacks with said boomerang, several sits, and an ofuda to get to their clothes. Mad dash ensued as they raced to get dressed before Inuyasha and Miroku woke up from their respective beatings.




Sighing wearily, Kagome stood, stepped onto the bath mat feeling the woven bamboo beneath her feet, she turned and grabbed the large, fluffy bath towel that was hanging on the chrome towel bar; wrapping it around her. Surrounded in its softness, she stood before the sink and wiped away the fog on the mirror with a slightly water pruned hand. Her reflection stared back at her. Or was it Kikyo's? Frowning, she looked harder at the person in the mirror searching for something, anything to distinguish her from Kikyo.



What made them so alike? Suddenly, she could see it clear as daylight. They were mirrors of each other, each what the other could have been. As she gazed harder into herself, she began to see the little things that set her and Kikyo apart. Sure, they shared the same facial structure, finely arched nose, and jaw line; but she could see the differences too. Kikyo had fine, straight hair, while hers flowed in gentle but thick waves. Her eyes were larger and set father apart, a rich, warm, chocolate brown. Kikyo had eyes that were more almond-shaped. They were deep pools of dark brown that sometimes they could be mistaken for black.




She continued to examine her face, determined to find only herself this time. So what if she looked like Kikyo? It did not mean she was Kikyo. She smiled, even if she had once been Kikyo, she was now Kagome. Perhaps, it was time for a change; if she looked like Kikyo now it didn’t mean she had to stay that way, after all she was Kagome.



Kagome step away from the mirror, walked to her closet and pulled out a pair of jeans. She dressed with haste, a surge of newfound energy flowed though her. This morning….this morning fatigue gone like Inuyasha though a cup of instant ramen. Flopping onto her frilly pink bed, she reached for the phone and dialed Yuka’s number, as she picked at the pink lace, maybe her room could use a new look as well.



“Hi, Yuka? This is Kagome, listen get the girls together we are going shopping for an emergency makeover. Great, I’ll see you all at the mall in an hour. Bye!”



Smiling, Kagome got ready to shop until she dropped. After all, what could be more therapeutic than a shopping spree with your girlfriends?


An hour and half later proved Kagome wrong; dead wrong. Shopping with her friends would have been nice except for one minor detail. She shot a death glare at Eri’s back, her day of guilt free shopping had been ruined by an unexpected guest; Houjo. It was supposed to be the four of them, and she had to go and invite a male.



Poor, clueless Houjo stood just off to the side of the dressing rooms; fifth wheel in a woman’s world. Kagome couldn’t be more irate; she thought that her friend’s had given up on their matchmaking attempts after meeting Inuyasha. Unfortunately, it seemed as if they were even more persistent than Kouga. Mentally groaning, she resisted the urge to bang her head against the white-gray plastic of the dressing room wall. This was the absolute last thing she needed today.



Pulling on her own clothes, she resigned herself. There was no hope for it she was going to have to tell Houjo where he stands, and it wasn’t anywhere near her heart. Making sure her friends were distracted she made her way over to where he was standing, looking slightly uncomfortable at the fact that was in the women’s section of a department store.



“Hey Houjo.” She fidgeted under the intensity of his smile.

“Hello, Higurashi.”

“I am sorry that my friends dragged you along for this.”

“Think, nothing of it Higurashi, it is nice to be here with you.”

“Look, Houjo I don’t know how to say this, and I don’t have a clue what my friends told you. I really don’t want you to get the wrong idea. I think you are a nice person and all, but I am tired of my friends trying to set us up just because they don’t approve of my boyfriend. I am not available and I think that is best if you stop listening to what my friends say.”


He visibly swallowed, and nodded, “I agree, Higurashi. I am sorry as well; if you’ll excuse me I find I need to go home now.”



Kagome watched him walk away until he faded into the teeming crowd of shoppers thinking, it had gone…. better than she expected. She never wanted to hurt anyone, but she had never wanted a relationship with Houjo either. Kagome found her way back to her friends, preparing for the onslaught of questions that followed her return. Suddenly, she couldn’t wait for this day to end.




One bus ride and several hours later, Kagome dragged herself and her purchases up the long, winding steps of the temple; all five hundred and forty-six of them. Silently cursing the idiot who decided to build a shrine on such a large hill, she marched over to the door, slid it open, and put her shoes in their traditional spot. She called out a greeting to let everyone know she’d returned, and went up to her room. Kagome placed the full shopping bags on the floor and dug out the new bed coverings that she’d bought. They were a gray color, near silver with cherry blossom branches strewn delicately across the fabric; the set went perfectly with the rest of the room while toning down the severity of the pink walls.




Her task complete, she bagged her old sheets and comforter placing them in the top of her closet. She could use the old one when the new one was in the wash. Now to pack her yellow monstrosity that she called a backpack, into it she put soaps, shampoo, medical supplies, a new swimsuit for Sango, three pairs of new pants, socks, several new shirts, some traditional style clothing, food, her new makeup bag, and some toys for Shippo.

Her bag packed, she laid out the traditional clothes she was going to wear for tomorrow, there was a very Inuyasha-like smirk on her face as she thought of Inuyasha’s reaction when he saw her; was he ever in for a surprise. Humming to herself, she went downstairs to dinner, tomorrow was the day she was going to imprint how much she was Kagome not Kikyo, firmly into Inuyasha’s mind. After all, wasn’t important to show your individuality?

Author’s Notes:
Argh, I am not quite happy with the way this turned out.


I would like to thank Liz Kraft for her superb translation to Spanish. Spanish speakers may read this story in Spanish under her profile. Liz, Muchas Graisis! I would also like to thank my editors, I love you guys!