InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Breaking Point ❯ In the Arms of An Angel ( Chapter 10 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: This is Christina Aguilara's `Walk Away' and Evanescence's `My Immortal.' Neither it nor Inuyasha belong to me, so go sit on a hat! (Pouts)
Chapter Ten: In the Arms of An Angel
So tired of the straight line and everywhere you turn there's vultures and thieves at your back. The storm keeps on twisting. You keep on building the lie that you make up for all that you lack. It don't make no difference; escaping one last time. It's easier to believe in this sweet madness ...
This glorious sadness that brings me to my knees.

In the arms of an angel fly away from here. From this dark cold hotel room and the endlessness that you fear. You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie. You're in the arms of the angel.
May you find some comfort there. You're in the arms of the angel. May you find some comfort here...
Sarah McLachlan "Angel"
"I swear!" Inuyasha exclaimed Friday afternoon as he slammed down his lunch tray. "I hate these motherfuckers! Damn!"
"What's eating you Inuyasha?" Rin inquired mildly, then smirked when she spotted the large red stain on his away Green Bay Packers jersey. "Never mind. I see now."
"Not funny," he grumbled as everyone else snickered around him. "I'm in the lunch line, minding my own fucking business when this jackass runs right into me! I mean, the guy had on glasses this fucking thick-"he held up his index finger and thumb for emphases "and he still manages to get spaghetti all over my fucking shirt! Jeez, Mom is going to shit a brick."
"And that was your daily profanity hour, brought to you by Inuyasha Taishou," Miroku `announced while Inuyasha sat down. "Please tune in tomorrow for you daily curse words and how to use them effectively."
"Screw you pervert," Inuyasha grumbled, then slammed his bookbag on the ground behind him. "I'll be glad when this year is over. I've only got one more to go."
"I thought this year was your last," Rin said between bites of pizza. Inuyasha shook his head. "Nope. Kouga and I took a year off to-"
"To goof off," Miroku interrupted, then winced when Kouga elbowed him in the side. "What?"
"Anyway," Kouga mumbled. "That's why we both have a year left instead of graduating with everyone else."
"Then you guys will probably graduate a year before Rin," Kagome shrugged.
"Hey man," Inuyasha started as he poked Miroku in his forearm. "What's the deal with your friend? He's been late for the past three practices."
"I don't know," Miroku shrugged. "It's not like I live in the man's back pocket."
"Are you sure?" Kouga `mumbled'. The table erupted into giggles soon afterward that were ceased when Miroku cleared his throat.
"Try to have some respect dumbass." Miroku glanced around at the silence that followed, a clueless expression on his face as the rest of the table gaped at him. "What?"
"I can't believe it," Rin whispered to herself. "He actually cursed."
"I didn't know he knew any curse words," Kagome admitted with a soft smile. Miroku shrugged. "It's not as if Inuyasha and Kouga don't say enough of them. Anyway, Sesshoumaru said he would tell us at the beginning of this week."
"Yeah, that's what he said but he hasn't done it yet," Inuyasha complained. "What good is it to practice when our `self-proclaimed' leader isn't there to tell us we suck?"
"The prep for the Classics start today too right?" Kouga asked before Miroku could say anything. Miroku nodded. "Yeah, that's what's planned anyway."
"Good." He glanced at his watch and groaned miserably. "Crud. I've got to get to class."
"Me too," Sango said as she and the others picked u their trays and carried them to the trashcan. "I don't want to be late."
"At least you're class is close by," Rin complained as she set her tray inside the storage basket on top of the trash can. "I've got to go all the way across campus."
"What part?" Inuyasha asked.
"The Rover Science building."
"I've got to go that way too. Come on, let's go."
Sango and Kagome watched as the two disappeared, a knowing smile on their faces as Kouga bid them farewell and Miroku draped an arm around Sango's shoulders. "What are you two staring at?" he asked before they began their walk to class.
"Oh, nothing," they answered secretively with a wink passed between them. Miroku sighed to himself, then opened the door to Sango's class. "Here you are my dear."
"Are you going to walk me to my next class?" she asked with a timid smile. Miroku nodded. "Nothing would give me greater pleasure."
Sango laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. You're such a charmer."
"I do try," he called after her as she entered the classroom. Kagome waved goodbye to her, then turned to Miroku as they made their way to class. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Um, sure Miroku. What is it?"
"Why do you ride with me to practice instead of Sango and Rin? I thought that you rather ride with them than me."
"I don't know," Kagome shrugged. "I guess I'm used to you now. Why, would you rather I ride with them?"
"No, that's not what I'm saying!" Miroku countered quickly. "I just thought I'd ask. Besides, who would I plot with if you weren't with me?"
"Um...I don't know...maybe Sesshoumaru?" She frowned when he started to laugh before lightly shoving him against a nearby wall and walking off.
"Ah Kagome!" Miroku called as he ran to catch up with her. "I'm just playin'! Wait up!"
II
Kagome and Miroku stood outside the practice room, Kagome's hands buried deep within the sleeves of her jacket as Miroku unlocked the door. They stepped into the warm room gratefully and closed the door. "The others should be here sooner or later," Miroku told her as he setting up. He reached inside a black and purple Eastbay bookbag for a gray folder and placed it on the table. Kagome glanced at it and shook her head, figuring that he would have a folder with a picture of a Viper with suicide doors on it. She glanced from it to the black wall, her head tilting to the side at the piece of paper stuck to it.
"What's this?" she wondered aloud as Sango, Rin, Kouga and Inuyasha walked into the room. Miroku glanced over his shoulder at her and shrugged. "I don't know. What's it say?"
Kagome stared at the note a moment, more enthralled with the stationary and the penmanship than what the note entailed. She blinked when Miroku called her again shook her head clear and read the note aloud.
Situations beyond my control have prevented me from attending as scheduled. I will arrive at 6:00 instead of 5:00. Myouga and Ayame will arrive shortly, so practice will not be necessary.
"Is it just me, or is this hard to read?" Inuyasha grumbled as he read over Kagome's shoulder. "Jeez, why couldn't the bastard learn to write with his right hand like normal people?"
"There isn't much we can do about it," Kouga said as he dragged a nearby stool to the black wall and took a seat underneath the note. "At least he left a note this time instead of coming dragging in when he felt like it."
"So what do we do now?" Kagome asked as Inuyasha and Miroku arranged the other stools in a line around Kouga's.
"We sit and wait. It's..." Miroku glanced at his watch and sighed. "5:50 now. He should be here any minute."
Kagome sighed and sat down between Sango and Rin, with Inuyasha sitting on Rin's right, Miroku sitting on Sango's left. Kouga sat on Inuyasha's right, with two empty stools beside him and one beside Miroku. Myouga was the first to come in, exchanging pleasant greetings with the ladies and Miroku, ignoring Inuyasha's rude grunt and Kouga's yawn of boredom as he made his way to the table on the other side of the stools near Kouga. "I take it Sesshoumaru's not here yet," he guessed as Ayame walked into the room. Inuyasha shook his head, the ends of his dark ponytail flickering against the middle of his back.
"Nope. Mr. Anal isn't here yet. (Yawn) I wish he'd hurry up though. Let's get this show on the road already."
"I passed him coming here," Ayame said as she sat beside Kouga. "So he should be here any moment."
Kagome yawned too, Inuyasha's yawn infectious before uncrossing her legs, placing her hands on the stool between them. bracing herself against them and bowing her head. Her hair spilled over her shoulders and in front of her, shielding her from view as she mentally went over her homework. Miroku and Sango saw this, snickered and began whispering. Miroku moved the curtain behind him aside and peered out the window, then nodded and whispered something to Sango again. They glanced at Kagome one last time then moved down one stool, leaving the empty seat beside Kagome instead of at the end.
`Let's see,' Kagome reflected, unaware of the plotting going on beside her. `There's Mozart, Bach, Chopin, Baroque and...is that spelled right? Can't be. How am I supposed to pass next week's test if I can't spell one name?' She looked up when the door opened and Sesshoumaru walked inside, the index and middle fingers of his right hand lightly rubbing the adjoining temple on the side of his head. He took a moment to glance around him, his eyes moving from face to face before softly sighing and moving toward Kagome.
A blush lit on her face instantly and she lowered her head again as he sat down. She peered at him through the curtain of her hair, her eyes going from his black suit pants to what little she could see of his shoes when something moved beside him. Kagome glanced up and scowled when Miroku and Sango waved at them. They quickly settled down when Sesshoumaru glared at them and turned their attention to Myouga as he stepped in front of the group.
"OK, you guys know why you're here," he said as he shifted through a stack of papers. "All I'm here to do is give you the schedule. There are twenty bands in the Classics this year, so they've scheduled two days instead of one like last year. Because of the number of participants, the orchestra that was available last year isn't this year."
"It's a good thing I made those changes then," Miroku muttered to himself as Myouga continued.
"I have a copy of the program here," he said as he held up a thick booklet. "I'll leave it here just in case anyone wants to look at it. The first couple of pages have the performances scheduled in order of appearance. The rest of the program has information about the bands, with each band getting one page.
"For those of you that have forgotten-"here Myouga glanced at Inuyasha, who quickly `Feh'ed in respond, crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall with his eyes closed. "This year's performance is on the third Friday and Saturday of this month, with both events scheduled from 6 pm until 1 am. That's one full week before Halloween."
"When do we play?" Kouga asked impatiently. "You've said everything but that."
Myouga glanced over the program, then `hm!'ed in surprise. "It says here that you perform before and after the intermission."
"So we're straddling the break huh?" Inuyasha asked as he sat back up and winched when Rin punched him in the arm. "What was that for?"
"He'll get to that if you let him finish!" she shot back. He sneered at her and she quickly flicked him off. "Fricking jerk-"
"If he can continue," Sesshoumaru interrupted, his voice edged in irritation. "Then maybe we can get something done for once." Inuyasha's and Rin's mouths shut with an audible click, both too stunned to think of a comeback.
"Actually," Myouga said once everyone's attention returned to him, "I'm finished. I'm sure Ayame wants to say something though."
"Um..." Ayame began as Myouga stepped aside for her. "Well, I don't actually want a lot. I need everyone's measurements so I can get wardrobe together in time, but other than that I'm pretty much great. Oh, and I need measurements not what size shirt you wear. That goes double for you guys since I have to find suits. Oh, and Kagome?"
Kagome looked up.
"I need you to meet me at the mall next Tuesday. I'll be sure to remind you."
Kagome groaned and let her head droop once again.
"But that's it for me. Sesshoumaru?"
Sesshoumaru mumbled something under his breath and stood. He leaned against the wall behind him instead of moving to the front of the room like Myouga and Ayame, his arms folded and his jaw set as the others waited patiently for him.
"We'll practice the songs for the performance for the next three weeks. That will not prevent us from practicing other songs, nor will the Classics performance hinder us for our next two gigs. However..." Here he sighed, his fingers once again rubbing his temple as his eyes slid closed.
"Problems at work are going to prevent me from following our original schedule. I won't be able to come home until at least 6 until the problem is solved."
"When's that?" Rin piped up. Sesshoumaru glowered. "Next January." He frowned when the others whispered around him, his frazzled temper close to snapping as it was. "This will not change the schedule itself," he told the others when they quieted down. "Practice is still to begin at 5, whether I'm here or not. I will simply integrate myself as soon as possible. If that is all, then let's begin."
The others quickly stood and went to their places, leaving Miroku to pass out the music as Sesshoumaru unpacked his guitar. He rubbed the side of his head again, the mother of all migraines pounding against his skull with little spiked hammers. He mentally groaned and flipped his case open, the banging the hard plastic made against the wooden floor doing nothing for his suffering. He glowered again, this time with a bit of a growl when pink and white tennis shoes appeared on the other side of the case.
Sesshoumaru looked up as Kagome kneeled down, the fingertips of her index, middle and thumb rubbing together as she pinned him with a stare. "What is it?" he growled heatedly, his sense of well being and peace on earth completely shattered. He jerked back instinctively when she reached for him but couldn't manage to avoid her hands without falling over. He stiffened when her fingers settled on his temples and forehead but soon relaxed when her fingers began making soothing, soft circles.
His eyes rolled in the back of his head, his eyes closed and he bowed his head toward her, the mental fog her touch thrust him into settling invitingly against his frayed nerve. The subtle fragrance of vanilla and almond wafted around him, his shoulders slumping in effect as Rin, Sango and Miroku watched from the other side of the room.
"Amazing," Miroku whispered as Kagome began moving Sesshoumaru's head from side to side. "You couldn't get the two to co-exist in the same room a couple of months ago. Now she's....she's....um, what is she doing?"
"It's got to be the migraine treatment," Rin guessed. "It's where you take some oil, put it on your fingertips and massage your temples and the middle of your forehead. It works really well."
"Why is Kagome walking around with a bottle of oil in her purse?" Sango asked before Miroku could.
"It's for her classes," Rin explained. "She sometimes gets bored or gets a headache in the middle of them. She keeps two little plastic containers in her purse. Vanilla and almond are for her headaches, and peppermint and orange are for when she's about to fall asleep in class. It doesn't take a lot of that one." She giggled suddenly and waved away Miroku and Sango's confusion. "Don't worry about Sesshoumaru though. Give him about ten or fifteen minutes. His hair will be messed up, but he'll be as good as new."
"That's fine with me," Miroku sighed as he raised his arms to his sides and stretched. "I don't feel like dealing with the Killer Polar Bear today anyway. If Kagome can keep him from going on a rampage then I say we distract the others long enough for her to do it."
`Who knows,' Rin said to herself as she and her co-conspirators surrounded Inuyasha and Kouga. `Maybe all this quality time will help them hook up.'
III
Kagome glanced around the mall's food court, took a second to glanced down at her watch and frowned. "Where is she?" she groaned aloud as she searched the crowd walking past her. "She said to be here at five and she's late!" She sighed irritably, then sat up as a bright red ponytail bounced through the crowd. "Is that...yup. That's her. Ayame!" Kagome called as she waved to her. "Over here!"
Peridot eyes swivelled toward her in confusion, then brightened as Ayame approached her. "Sorry I'm late," she said as she sat down beside Kagome. "Kouga and I got into a fight before I got here. I swear, that man can be such a pain."
"I don't doubt it with the way he and Inuyasha fight," Kagome shrugged. "Hey, why'd you ask me to be here? You normally shop on your own."
"Yeah I know, but I wanted to talk to you. Come on, let's get started." Ayame stood and waited for Kagome to follow before leading her down the mall walkway. "So what'd you want to talk to me about?" Kagome asked when Ayame stopped to look inside a store window.
"It's about the way we've been butting heads lately," she began. She tipped her head to the side, critically eying a green sweater the mannequin was wearing before shaking her head. "I think that you think I'm trying to embarrass you with some of the stuff I've picked out. Am I right?"
"Well," Kagome replied as they walked away from the store. "It's not exactly that. It's just that I'm not used to wearing so little in front of so many people. It makes me nervous."
Ayame nodded in understanding. "That's kinda what I thought. I'm not trying to embarrass you, or make you look like a tramp or anything. My job is to make sure the group looks good, including you. Shoot, especially you now that you're lead and Sesshoumaru's not. Even then his appearance wasn't as important as yours is now."
"Why's that?" Kagome asked as they stopped at another store.
"It's a double standard kind of thing. See, he could have gone out there in pants made of potato sacks and a paper bag for a shirt and no one would have cared. They would have said that it was his creative imagination or the evidence of a tortured genius and let it at that. Being a girl, you have to dress totally different. There are so many eyes on you and I know it doesn't seem like it, but I'm actually trying to help when I put you in the clothes you wear."
"Really?" Kagome muttered. Ayame nodded. "My job is to worry about the clothes so you don't have to. I hire the make up artists and hair dressers too. However, I don't want you uncomfortable anymore. I say we call a truce."
"A...what?" Kagome replied, a little dumbfounded. "Say again."
"Look, if you agree to trust my decisions a little more, then I'll agree to try to tone down the clothes you wear. We have to cooperate with each other and-"
"Deal."
Ayame blinked, her brow furrowed slightly as she scratched her head. "Just like that?"
Kagome nodded. "Just like that. Now what else did you want to ask me?"
"Oh. Um...ok then." Ayame threw her hand up in a helpless gesture, then pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket as she led Kagome toward the tuxedo boutique. "Well, there's the songs themselves. I heard that you guys are doing two."
"Yeah, that's right."
"I've never actually heard the songs, so I don't exactly know what to get," Ayame admitted. "I know that, since it's the Classics, they should be dressed up, but I don't know what to get to fit the moods of the songs."
"And that's why I'm here," Kagome realized. Ayame nodded. "The way I figured it, if anyone knew you would."
"OK then. Let's see..." Kagome sat down in one of the nearby chairs to think, her right finger tapping her left elbow as Ayame began to browse. "Miroku wrote the first song."
"Yeah, I know that," Ayame said before shaking her head at a white suit jacket with black lined penguin tails.
"OK then. Well...it's slow. Duh huh? Anyway, to me it feels like a performance piece. When we play it, I always feel like I'm in a small club. It's kinda dark where the crowd is, and the spotlight is really soft. It's a great song, but I feel like I'm on stage when we play it. It's elegant, poised and deliberate."
"Ok....I can work with that. What about the second one?"
"First off, it's totally different than the first," Kagome said after a minute's thought. "It's slow, but it's more relaxed. I can see myself singing it in the shower rather than on stage. It's easier on my voice too."
"I think we should run with that," Ayame said as she sat down beside Kagome with a jacket in her hands. "I mean, it wouldn't be hard since we practically have a twenty minute break between the first and second song. We could make the first song exactly like you said it, with a club feel and everything. The second could be like the band's coming home and relaxing. I like it. Has Sesshoumaru decided on the second part of the song yet?"
"No, not yet," Kagome shook her head. "We practice both though. Personally, I think he's going to have Miroku and I on stage by ourselves but I haven't a clue as to if he's going to actually do it or not. He may decide the day of the performance to do it, then again he may not."
"That sounds like him," Ayame sighed wistfully. "I'm sure he'll make his mind up soon. I guess I should pick up two sets of suits then."
"Eh, maybe not..." Ayame leaned back when Kagome stood up, a thoughtful look on the younger woman's face as she touched a pair of cufflinks nearest them. "Well," Ayame said after a few moments of silence. "Are you going to finish?"
"Oh, I'm sorry" Kagome apologized with a blush. "I got lost there for a sec. I was wondering if we really do need a second suit for the last song."
"Explain please."
"Ok...We know for a fact that they're going to need suits for the first song right?"
Ayame nodded. "Right."
"But we don't have a clue about the second. You could spend the money to rent both sets of suits and they only need one. Plus there's the nature of the second song. It's not nearly as demanding as the first. You said earlier that you'd see about making the second song like coming home from the club. Well what's the first thing a guy does when he gets home and he's been stuck in a suit all day?"
"He...takes it off."
"Exactly," Kagome beamed. "He starts tossing the thing off. Instead of renting a second suit, why not use the first suit and take it apart? Hey, that way if it is just us we won't have to worry about what the other guys are wearing."
"I swear," Ayame grinned as she stood up. "It's a stroke of genius! I'm going to have to talk to the guys about the idea, but I like it!"
Kagome blushed in embarrassment. "It was just a though, you know? You don't have to use it if you don't want to."
"Of course I do!" Ayame disagreed before flagging down one of the sales clerks. "It's the best I've heard so far, so that's what we're running with! Now let's get these suits out the way so we can look for dresses." Kagome mentally groaned, but proceeded to assist Ayame in finishing their first agenda for the day.
Once everything was scheduled and pick up arranged for the right day Ayame and Kagome set off down the mall again. They stared into store window after store window, neither woman able to find something the other would agree on. Kagome sighed wearily, inwardly wishing she were still at home as she trudged along behind Ayame. Kagome stopped in front of a store window, something about the mannequin in the window attracting her attention. Kagome eyed the dress it had on, unaware that Ayame was still walking until the red-head ran back to her.
"What's up Kagome?" Ayamen asked as Kagome seemed to stare into space. She grabbed Ayame's hand suddenly and dragged her into the store. She quickly found a store clerk and asked for the dress that interested her, leaving Ayame to sit in front of the fitting rooms as she tried it on. "What's going on?"
"You have to see this dress," Kagome's muffled voice called from inside her dressing room. "It's beautiful. You're going to love it."
"I bet," Ayame grumbled, remembering Kagome's modest sense of style and how drastically it clashed with her own. "Are you almost finished?"
"Yeah, hold up. I just have to...hold on....ok. Here I come!"
Ayame yawned in excitement then sat up straight when Kagome finally came out of the dressing room. Her tennis shoes drew away from the effect, but the Ayame found herself agreeing with Kagome for the first time...ever. "You like this dress?" Ayame questioned in disbelief. Kagome nodded. "Yeah. What's wrong with it?"
"Nothing, that's what's wrong with it! I just knew there was a diva hidden in you somewhere!" Ayame cheered as Kagome blushed. "I say it's perfect!"
"Are you sure?" Kagome asked as she turned in front of a nearby mirror. "Even though it's so dark a color? You don't think we should look at the red one, or the green one, or the white on-"
"Nope! That one's the ticket!" Ayame interrupted. "Now hurry up and change so we can find some shoes for that baby!"
Their shopping expedition ended three hours later, with Kagome dragging her weary body through her front door and into her dark apartment. "Man, I'm so glad that's over," she muttered to herself as she flicked on the living room light. She screamed in surprise when it came on, her hand to her heart as Marcus stood inches in front of her. "You scared me," Kagome snipped angrily.
"Yeah, I see that," he said with a slight grin. "You alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Kagome brushed off. She made to walk around him to her bedroom door when he grabbed her hand and tugged her to him. "Come on Marcus," Kagome complained as he pulled her into a loose hug. "I'm not in the mood for this. What is it now?"
"I just wanted to apologize," Marcus replied as he smoothed down her hair. Kagome inwardly bristled, but decided to keep the peace and see what he wanted. "For what?"
"For not being there when your grandfather had his stroke, and for being such an ass since then. Think you can forgive me?"
"I...guess so. Why have you been in such a foul mood lately."
"Well..." `Here we go,' Marcus thought as he pretended to stall. `Set her up...' "It's my alternator."
"What's that?" Kagome asked. Marcus smiled down at her, the tenderness on the surface belying the condescending thoughts behind it . "It's a part to a car. Anyway, mine has been giving me trouble for the past couple of weeks. It didn't start until you left for the weekend."
"Oh wow," Kagome said as she stepped out of his grasp. "That sounds like it sucks."
"You're tellin' me. The mechanic told me yesterday that I have to get a new one. He's already thrown out my old one, and I don't get paid until Friday."
"You know, I remember now not seeing your car in the parking lot," Kagome pondered. "I wondered what happened to it."
"Yeah well, now I'm stuck without a way to work."
"How much is a new one?" Kagome asked.
"About...$150."
"Wow," Kagome breathed. "That's a lot."
"Don't I know it," Marcus muttered as he sank down into the couch. "I've already paid for a new fan belt. I don't know how long it's going to be before my boss gets tired of it and fires me."
"Is that why they say you're not there when I call?" Kagome asked as she sat down beside him. Marcus looked clueless for a second, but quickly nodded. "Yeah. It stops at the worst times."
"Oh, that's too bad."
"I don't know of a single person I could borrow that kind of money from."
"Well...you could borrow it from me."
"No, I couldn't," Marcus shook his head. "I mean, you need that money for college and you're already helping me out and-"
"Don't be stupid," Kagome chided. "You need your car right? Besides, you could always pay me back."
"You're right." Marcus leaned on Kagome's shoulder, missing her cringe as his fingers walked along her outer thigh. "You sure you don't mind?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. I just have to get the money from the ATM tomorrow." She gave an over dramatic yawn, her arms raised above her head before standing up. Marcus watched her as she reached for her purse and a couple of bags near the door, then begin to walk down the hallway to her room. "I'm going to bed now," she told him as she hugged him from behind. She reluctantly kissed his cheek at his silent beckon and managed not to freeze in shock when he `playfully' swatted her rear end before disappearing in her room.
Marcus smirked after her, rolled his dark eyes and leaned against the couch with a contented sigh. `Set her up...' He turned on the tv and quickly became engrossed in a movie.
`And knock her down. That bitch is so gullible it's sad.'
IV
"I'm going to be late!" Kagome chanted as she scrambled around her room. "I'm going to be late, it's the day of the Classics and I just know I'm going to forget something! I'm going to be late!!!!!"
She ran out of her room, skidded around Marcus as he came out the bathroom and sprinted down the hallway. She set her bookbag down in a chair near the door and ran back down the hallway much to Marcus' amusement.
"What's the rush babe? I'm taking you to school today," he asked, toothbrush in hand as Kagome managed not to crash into him a second time. This time she sprinted past him with a garment bag in her hand. He stood by as she draped it over her bookbag, then began muttering to herself.
"What am I forgetting?" he heard her ask herself as she began to pace in front of the door. "What am I forgetting...oh! Oh no! I need that!" He stepped back when she once again retreated for her room, then walked over to the garment bag and opened it.
He pulled the dress from it's confinements, eyeing the garment critically as Kagome rushed into the room. "What's this?" he asked as he held it up for her to see. Kagome shoved her bangs out of her eyes and smiled. "That's my dress for the Classics! Or it's one of them. Ayame has the other one. Isn't it prett-"
"You're not wearing this."
Kagome blinked, unsure as to what she heard as Marcus returned the dress to its bag and pushed it to the floor. "Wh-what?"
"You heard me," he said as he brushed past her. "You're not wearing that."
"Why not?" Kagome asked, her anger level rising as he cooly stared at her. "What's wrong with it?"
"You'll look like a whore. You're not wearing that dress around a bunch of guys that I don't know."
"They're not a bunch of guys!" Kagome shouted as he walked into the bathroom. "They're my band members and I have to wear that dress! I don't have anything else!"
"Then find something else."
"You're being unreasonable," Kagome told him as he walked back into the hallway. "The dress is classy-"
"That dress is not classy. You only dress like that for me."
"I'm not some kind of doll Marcus!" Kagome snapped, her temper finally reaching the boiling point. "And it's not like I'm going to throw myself at every guy there!"
"How do I know that?" he quipped, a dark eyebrow raised as he stared down at her. "You're not wearing that and that's final."
"Again, I don't have anything else to wear. I have no choice but to wear it!"
"Fine," Marcus shrugged indifferently. "Then you're not performing tonight."
"WHAT?!!!" She gasped when he glared at her over his shoulder, his frigid eyes leaving no room for argument. "You can't do this Marcus," she told him as he reached for a nearby t-shirt. "I'm under contract. I have to be there."
"I'm not doing anything. You are. I said you're not wearing that. You're the one who said you have to. I'm only protecting what's mine."
Kagome glowered angrily, a look that (if anyone else were in the room) would swear it resembled a certain silver-haired guitarist as Marcus pulled the shirt over his head. "Screw this," Kagome muttered as she grabbed her books, the garment bag and flung the door open. "I'm going to school. I'll catch the bus."
She took two steps out the front door when she felt hands shove her from behind, sending her sprawling down the front steps to the landing between the floors. Kagome gasped when the back of her head hit one of the wooden posts, her vision darkening around the edges as Marcus and a few of their neighbors appeared at the head of the steps.
"Is she alright?" she heard one neighbor ask as Marcus descended the stairs to her. "Can you stand?" he asked as he helped her sit up. Kagome nodded shakily, her head swimming when he jerked her to her feet. She attempted to stand on her own but curled over immediately at a sharp pain in her right ankle.
"Ow..." Kagome whimpered miserably. "I think I sprained it."
"Let me see. You guys call an ambulance!" The neighbors scrambled away, leaving Kagome and Marcus alone as he took off her shoe and looked over her foot. "Woah," he hissed in sympathy. "It's already turning purple."
"Oh no," Kagome mumbled brokenly. "How am I supposed to perform tonight?"
"You're not, just like I said earlier." Kagome stared up at him as he set her foot on the wooden stair, then hooked a finger underneath her chin and brought her teary eyes to his. "Next time Kagome, you'll listen to me instead of running away.
V
"I'm really starting to worry about her you guys," Sango muttered as Rin paced in front of her. Sesshoumaru glared in Rin's direction, his polished golden eyes watching her unease with a look of casual boredom. Miroku glanced around the small dressing room at his fellow band members, each in his or her own little world. Inuyasha spun one of his drumsticks between his fingers, his eyes lowered to the floor as he absently tugged at the collar of his suit.
They each wore the same black suit, with black ribbon down the outer leg of the pants. Miroku had chosen a traditional collar with a black neck tie, Inuyasha chose the same collar, just without a tie, Kouga wore a black bow tie (and was currently grumbling about it) and Sesshoumaru had chosen a high collar with a single golden button directly below his Adam's apple.
Miroku turned from him to Sango and Rin, both wearing black column dresses with spaghetti straps and matching open-toed sandals. There hair was up in french rolls, something he knew nothing about until the hairstylist explained it to hi-
"Don't you think we should call her?" Rin asked as she stopped in front of him, effectively derailing his train of thought. He stared down her dress a moment, her question forgotten until Sango whopped him upside the head. "I mean, it's not like her to just ditch us. Shouldn't we try to call her?"
"I've tried that already," Sango replied as she held up her cell phone. "She hasn't answered it or her home phone."
"I'm scared you guys," Rin whimpered as she sat down beside Sango. "This just isn't like her."
"Don't worry Rin," Sango comforted as she draped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a half hug. "I'm sure she's alright."
"Why are you two so worried?" Sesshoumaru asked after stifling back a yawn. "Surely she told you she would be running a little late." He paused when Kouga, Inuyasha, and Miroku exchanged glances. "What? What am I not aware of?"
"She didn't come to school today Sesshoumaru," Miroku told her as Rin sniffed in the background. "We've been calling her since 8 o' clock this morning and we haven't gotten an answer yet. That's why everyone's on the verge of freaking out."
"I went by her house before coming here," Ayame offered quietly. Everyone else turned to her, each wondering to themselves why she never said anything before now as they urged her to go on. They looked away from her when a stage hand opened the door and stuck his head inside the room.
"Hey you guys," he waved then blanched at the less than eager response. "I just came by to tell you that you've got 45 minutes until you go on." He shut the door behind him, unaware of the panic he caused with that one statement.
"We've got to find her!" Rin exclaimed before jumping to her feet. "I can't sit here! What if Marcus did something to her? What if she's lost somewhere, and he hurt her? What if-"
"Rin calm down," Miroku interrupted, his hands raised defensively when she whirled around and full out glared at him. "Look, we're all worried about her, but panicking will get us no where. Now try to sit down. Ayame was saying something. I'd like to hear her out."
"Oh, ok then," she relented quietly, her fists still balled at her side and her eyes teary as she sat back down. "Sorry Ayame."
"Don't worry about it. I don't have a lot to tell though," she admitted sadly. "I knocked, but there was no answer. I even tried looking through one of the windows, but I couldn't see anything. I'm sorry Rin."
"Where is she?" Rin whimpered as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "Onee-chan's not as strong as the rest of us."
Sesshoumaru looked up at this, the odd name she called her sister not nearly as disturbing as what she said behind it. `What does she mean?' he wondered as the others enfolded the younger girl in a group hug. He scratched his chin thoughtfully, his eyes dark and distant as he glanced away from the others to stare at the door. `Hm...perhaps we should forfeit and find her, if only to keep her sister from -"
"Here you go miss," the stagehand from earlier said as he opened the door. "Blessed Curse's changing room, just like you wanted. I told you I would get you here." He stepped to the side and held the door open. "Do you need any help?"
"No, I've got it," Kagome said before she stepped through the door. "Hi guys," she said sheepishly as they gawked at her. "Sorry I'm so late."
They couldn't help but stare at her as she hobbled into the room, her crutches more of a hindrance than the help they were supposed to be. She nodded to the stagehand in thanks and watched as he closed the door behind her before turning to face the others. "Um..." she mumbled nervously, one hand leaving one crutch to twist the burgundy scarf in her hair. "Are you guys alright?"
"Where have you been?" Rin suddenly exploded as she rushed toward her. "We've been worried sick about you! What happened to you?!" She glanced down at Kagome's right foot and gasped at the thin wrapping surrounding it. "What happened to your foot?!"
"I, um...fell," Kagome responded weakly. "I'm sorry about making you guys worry, but I've spent most of the day in the hospital. Mom had to bring me here."
"Whatever," Inuyasha snipped as though he didn't care, though the smile on his face proved him a liar. "Just hurry up and get dressed. We've got 20 minutes until we're supposed to be on stage."
"Alright. Do you guys mind helping me?" Kagome asked Rin and Sango. Sango jumped up immediately, and together they disappeared behind a changing screen in the back of the room.
Kouga and Inuyasha exchanged glances and shrugged, more than grateful for the lighter atmosphere. Miroku and Sesshoumaru weren't as relieved, their suspensions raised the moment Kagome gave her less than enthusiastic excuse. "It's like she's hiding something," Miroku whispered as he sat down in the chair beside Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru merely glanced toward the screen, where sounds of struggling and slight arguing could be heard as well as an occasional threat to the screen itself. "Don't you think so Sesshoumaru?"
"What she hides is no business of mine," Sesshoumaru quipped as Sango grasped flipped open a set of hot rollers and disappeared behind the screen with them and a can of hairspray.
"But what if she's-"
"But what if she's what?" Sesshoumaru growled as the scent of hairspray choked the air. He raised a hand to block the smell, as did Miroku while Inuyasha complained and tossed a drumstick over the screen. His answer was angry shrieks that pierced their ears and Rin coming from behind the screen to fling the wooden instrument at him.
"Jackass!" she snarled as she shook her fist at him. "You're slowing us down!"
"Well stop spraying that shit in the air!" Inuyasha retorted angrily. "It's not like it's going to help anyway!"
Rin's eye twitched, something that was noticed by everyone but Inuyasha as she glared at him. "You know what?" she said as she stepped out of her shoes and stalked toward him. "I'm sick of your shit. I'm gonna-"
"Rin!" Kagome called as she and Sango stepped from behind the screen. She smiled and shook her head at her younger sibling. "It's alright. Let him live ok?" She hobbled alongside Sango, using her best friend as a human crutch before stopping in the middle of the room. "Well you guys," she said as she released Sango to stand on one leg. "What do you think?"
Kagome held her arms out to her sides for balance, fully showcasing the royal blue crushed velvet dress she and Ayame picked out earlier in the month. The bodice fit close to her body with a deep, cleavage-revealing scoop neckline and tiny spaghetti straps. The hemline of her skirt barely brushed her toes, but the back trailed along behind her in a little train. Kagome attempted to turn and stumbled, managing to catch herself before she fell as the stagehand opened the door once again.
"Hey, you guys are on in 5," he said, his hand raised in demonstration before leaving the room. Each member left the room quickly, with Rin and Sango holding Kagome upright as they approached stage left. "Hey you guys!" Ayame whispered as she ran toward them. "I talked to the stagehands and told them about Kagome's foot. They gave me this," she held up a wooden stool that was upholstered with a black seat. "And they said that they would keep the curtain closed until you guys were ready."
"Thanks Ayame," Miroku said as Kagome smiled at her from behind him. "We appreciate it."
"Anything for you guys. Now get ready." They turned as the audience applauded for the band ahead of them then stepped to the side as the other band walked past them off stage. The leader of the group, a tall girl with golden blonde hair, nodded to each of them in passing. She stopped at Kagome, who was silently trying to get Sango and Rin to let go of her.
"What happened to you?" she whispered as the stage curtain closed and the others began to set up onstage. Kagome shrugged. "I fell."
The girl nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I fell too once. You feelin' ok?"
"Yeah," Kagome said with a smile. "The docs gave me some great meds for it, so I should be fine."
"Alright then," the girl waved as she walked away. "Good luck."
"Thanks. Hey!" she gasped when Sango and Rin started forward. "Could you guys give me a sec?" She huffed when they ignored her and complied as they led her to center stage where Ayame stood with the stool. "Here you go Kagome," Rin said as she and Sango eased Kagome onto the little seat. "Now what?"
"You two go over there," Ayame pointed toward stage left where Sesshoumaru and Kouga were testing their bowstrings. "You guys stand to Kouga's right near the audience. Kagome, you stay here."
Kagome nodded and stayed seated, taking a moment to look around her as Ayame fretted over her dress. Inuyasha's drum set was set up on a platform behind her and Miroku and his piano were set up at stage right. She glanced at him and he smiled at her, to which she rolled her eyes and waved as Ayame lowered the microphone to her level.
"OK Kagome," she said as she tugged on the end of Kagome's dress. "You just sit here with your back straight and sing right into the mic. You don't have to do anything. Don't stand up or anything ok?"
"Alright," Kagome nodded. "Jeez, just chill. I'm alright."
"Yeah, I know," Ayame responded. "But they were worried about you. I just thought you should know that."
"Thanks," Kagome said and gave her a small salute as Ayame walked offstage. The stage darkened seconds later, leaving Kagome and the others in the dark as the announcer cleared his throat over the p.a. system.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced grandly as Inuyasha gently tapped on a cymbol. "The next band is from right here in our hometown." Kagome grinned as the crowd cheered, her ruby red lips shimmering in the sparse light. "It's got to be bad to be this good `cause ladies and gentlemen, I give you Blessed Curse!"
"Corny bastard," she heard Inuyasha grumble as the curtain opened and Miroku began to play. The stage lights came on to a low glimmer, leaving Kagome and the rest of the band in shadows as Sesshoumaru's and Kouga's violins signaled her cue.
"What do you do..." Kagome whispered as the spotlight finally revealed her to the waiting audience and the stage lights brightened again. She attempted to ignore the infectious cheering ahead of her and managed to succeed when her ankle began to throb. "When you know something's bad for you...but you still can't let go..
"I was naive. Your love was like candy... artificially sweet. I was deceived by the wrapping." Kagome crossed her legs, making sure to keep her right foot out of view as the clear mule of her left shoe swayed back and forth in the light. "Got caught in your web and I learned how to bleed. I was prey in your bed and devoured completely."
She took a deep breath and regretted it when her ankle protested angrily. "And it hurts my soul `cause I can't let go. All these walls are caving' in. I can't stop my sufferin'. I hate to show I've lost control `cause I keep goin' right back to the one thing that I need.... to.... walk away from."
`Walk away,' Kagome mused as Miroku and the others continued to play. `Is it really that hard? I guess it would be. I mean, look at me.'
"I need to get away from ya , to walk away from ya. Get away, walk away, walk away."
`I tried to do that today. Maybe not forever, but I defiantly tried to. What happened? Did I fall...or did he push me?'
"I should have known that I was used for amusement. Couldn't see through the smoke, it was all an illusion. Now I've been lickin' my wounds but the venom seeps deeper. We both can seduce but darlin' you hold me prisoner. "
`Would it have been like this if I had stayed at Mom's?' she wondered as Marcus' angry face flashed in her memory.
"Oh I'm about to break. I can't stop this ache. I'm addicted to your allure, and I'm fiendin' for a cure. Every step I take leads to one mistake. I keep goin' right back to the one thing that I need to walk away from.
"I'm about to break and can't stop this ache. `Getting nothing in return. What did I do to deserve the pain of this slow burn? And everywhere I turn I keep goin' right back to the one thing that I need....To walk away from..."
`How did I fall earlier? I can't remember...nothing but pain.' Kagome shifted and winced when her leg brushed against the stool leg, the sharp pain nearly blinding. `I think...I think he did push me.'
"Every time I try to grasp for air, I am smothered in despair. It's never over, over. Seems I'll never wake from this nightmare. I let out a silent prayer. Let it be over, over. Inside I'm screaming , begging, pleading no more...
"Now what to do? My heart has been bruised. So sad but it's true. Each beat reminds me of you."
`What do I do?' Kagome asked herself as a tear rolled down her cheek. `I don't know for sure. I'm so confused.' "It hurts my soul cause I can't let go. All these walls are cavin' in. I can't stop my sufferin'. I hate to show that I lost control `cause I keep goin' right back to the one thing that I need, oh! I'm about to break and I can't stop this ache. I'm addicted to your allure and I'm fiending for a cure. Every step I take leads to one mistake. I keep going right back to the one thing that I need, oh! I can't mend this torn state I'm in. Getting nothing in return. What did I do to deserve the pain of this slow burn?
`Somehow, I'm going to have to remember to ask Miroku how he managed this,' she noted to herself. `He's right on the nail for this one.'
"And everywhere I turn I keep going right back to the one thing that I... need to walk away from."

"The only thing I need...to do...is walk away......from you..." Kagome flipped her hair off her shoulder when Miroku stopped, the audience's applause lost to her as she struggled to keep a straight face. The curtain closed and the intermission was called as the stage hands began setting up for their next song.
Kagome slid off her seat and wished she hadn't. "Oh God," she whispered, another tear slipping from her notice as Miroku approached her. "Here Kagome, let me help."
"No thanks," Kagome said as she righted herself and hobbled away from him. "I've got this."
"But Kagome-"
"I said I got this!" she hissed furiously before making her way back to the dressing room. She felt so weak, so useless and she hated herself for it. `I'm so stupid,' Kagome berated herself as she stumbled past the stagehand from earlier. `I should have known I couldn't do this.' She continued alone down the hallway, taking short breaks to brace herself against the wall before finally arriving at the dressing room. She flung the door open and managed to close it without toppling over.
Kagome sank down onto the couch, her right foot hovering in mid air as she reached for her purse and began to dig. Her fingers wrapped around a small amber bottle when the door opened, and Kagome quickly jerked her hand free as the others walked into the room.
"Where did you go Kagome?" Rin asked as she plunked down on Kagome's right. "You just disappeared."
"Yeah, you move pretty quick for a cripple," Inuyasha smirked, then winced when Kouga smacked him upside the head. "OW! What the fuck was that for?"
"For being you," Kouga replied as he sat down in one of the three salon chairs on the other side of the couch. Inuyasha huffed faintly and decided to ignore him for once. He sat down, grabbed a pillow and proceeded to practice as Rin and Sango fretted over Kagome's foot.
"Can we see it?" Rin asked. "I may be able to wrap it better."
"I wrapped it before I got here," Kagome told her as another sharp pain shot up her let. "I'm fine. Seriously."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
"Alright then." Rin stood up and stretched as the others headed for the door. "We're going to the concession stands for some snacks. You want to come Kagome?"
"No," Kagome shook her head. "I don't think so. I'd only slow you guys down."
"Do you want anything?" Miroku asked as he held the door open for the others. Kagome shook her head. "No, I'm good." `Besides,' she thought as they walked out the door. `I don't think I could eat anything with the way I'm feeling.' She reached inside her purse again, found the amber bottle and lifted it from its dark confinements. She glanced over the label and sighed. `May cause drowsiness huh? Hmnh! They should call this stuff knock out drops instead.' She leaned over, held the bottle against her head and sighed, her eyes closed to the rest of the world.
`I'm stronger than the pain,' Kagome chanted to herself as golden eyes watched her from beside the door. `I don't need this. I'm stronger than this.' Sesshoumaru watched her as she sat there, her suffering written plainly on her face for him to see. He crossed the room silently and sat down beside her, studying her a few seconds more before reaching down and lifting her injured foot to his lap.
Kagome jumped, startled at the contact as Sesshoumaru slid her dress away from her ankle and studied the dressing. "It's too tight," Sesshoumaru told her as he loosened the bandages. Kagome huffed, folded her arms and turned away from him. "How would you know?" she snipped as the intense pressure suddenly left her foot.
"I took first aid in college," he responded as he re-wrapped her foot with sure, gentle fingers. They sat this way in silence, with Kagome watching him before Sesshoumaru broke the silence.
"You lied to them."
Kagome stared at him in shock, her eyes wide as he continued on with her dressing. "H-huh?" she stammered. `He can't know about Marcus,' she panicked. `I didn't tell anyone. He couldn't kno-`
"About taking your pain medicine. You lied to them."
"Oh," Kagome breathed in relief, then immediately took the offensive. "I didn't lie," Kagome retorted with a sniff. "I told them I had meds. I never said whether or not I took them."
"Yes," he chuckled lowly as he released her foot. "I suppose that is true. How did you manage to sprain this?"
"Well...I fell."
"You said this," Sesshoumaru told her with a frown of disapproval. "I'm asking what happened for you to fall."
"Um...well I was going to school and I...I fell down the stairs. The doc said that I should be better in a couple of weeks." Kagome relaxed when he nodded, releasing a breath she wasn't aware of holding as her shoulders slumped. `Not exactly a lie,' Kagome reasoned with herself as he moved her foot to his side of the couch and stood up.
`She's lying,' Sesshoumaru thought to himself as the others walked into the room. `It is not as if it's important to me, but why would she lie? What really happened for her to be so wary, and to suffer so much pain?'
"Hey Kagome," Sango said as she stood beside her. "Come on and get ready. One of the stage hands said that the break was nearly over." She and Rin helped Kagome from the sofa and disappeared behind the screen again, leaving Miroku, Kouga and Inuyasha with Sesshoumaru.
"Man, bad news travels fast," Inuyasha griped as he tapped on the table.
"What do you mean by that?" Miroku asked. Sesshoumaru's right eye began to twitch with each tap of Inuyasha's sticks, with visions of cramming them down his throat dancing in his head.
"Well half the theater knows about Kagome's foot," he said before finally stopping. "One of the stage hands, the one that keeps coming in here, told a few people and it spread like wildfire."
"That doesn't matter," Sesshoumaru yawned as the screen shook behind him. "He's right," Kouga agreed. "What does matter is this next song. Which version of the song are we doing?"
"The regular version," Sesshoumaru decided. "I don't believe it would be good to make Kagome stress her foot out more than necessary."
"Like you care," Inuyasha mumbled, then shrugged and continued tapping. "But if you say so." Sesshoumaru's eye resumed twitching, and he opened his mouth to say something when-
"Inuyasha, if you don't cut that out!" Rin growled from the other side of the screen. "I swear, I'm going to castrate you with one of those sticks."
"Woah..." Miroku and Kouga winced while Inuyasha paled. "That's not cool."
"But it was effective," Sesshoumaru mused with a smirk. "At least someone can control the halfbreed."
Kagome, Sango and Rin finally appeared, with Kagome dressed in a simple white nightgown with her hair curled and pinned at her crown. "Where is Ayame?" Kagome glowered as she shifted against Sango's arm.
"Why?" Ayame asked as she came into the room. "What's wrong? Wow Kagome, you look fab!"
"It's a nightgown!" Kagome snapped and winced when her foot protested the sharp movement. "Why am I in a nightgown instead of a dress or something?"
"Thought it was a good idea," Ayame shrugged. "Oh, but on a better note! Miroku, you and the piano are going to be to the left of the stage. The plan was for Kagome to stand in front of it right?"
"That was the plan," Inuyasha muttered under his breath.
"Well we can't do that now so what I worked out was for Kagome to sit on the piano and sing like that."
"In a nightgown?" Kagome continued to grumble as Ayame continued.
"See, since the entire theme is the band relaxed, I thought we could have Miroku sit at the piano and act like he was playing for himself. Kagome could already be sitting on the piano when the curtain rises, but hiding underneath this-"Ayame held up a thin black blanket. "When the music starts, Kagome could throw the blanket off like she's an attachment to the piano. Trust me, it'll be great!"
"Fine," Sesshoumaru accepted while glancing at his watch. "It's not as if we have another plan anyway. Let's go set up."
The others followed him to the stage, where the sounds of the crowd returning filtered through the thick red curtain. They quickly set up while the announcer appeared at the podium outside the curtain and the audience applauded. "Come on!" Inuyasha whispered as he grabbed Miroku and jerked him offstage. "They're getting started!" Kouga followed them offstage, leaving Sango and Rin struggling to get Kagome on top of the piano.
"You're heavy!" Rin protested as she and Sango propped Kagome against the piano's side. "What do you eat anyway? Bricks?"
"Shut up," Kagome huffed. "Come on guys. I know we can-eep!" she squeaked when Sesshoumaru, finally tired of listening to them complain, grasped her waist and lifted her effortlessly to the top of the piano. She blinked in shock, completely unaware as he pinned the tiny microphone to her front, dropped the mic's battery pack in her lap, tossed the blanket over her and dragged Rin and Sango offstage. He signaled to the stagehands as Kagome stretched out on the piano's top, her head toward the piano keys with her knees near her chest.
She gasped when the sounds of footsteps came toward her, with Inuyasha stopping to explain. "Ayame changed her mind again," he whispered as the others walked past him. "We're all going to be onstage, but only you and Miroku are performing." He patted her shoulder and walked away, leaving her in complete darkness until the curtain lifted and the band was introduced again.
Sesshoumaru reclined in a spare recliner that was rushed onstage seconds before the curtain opened, his shirt unbuttoned and his suit jacket draped against the back of the chair. The others around him were in various stages of undress, and he frowned at Inuyasha when he waved to the crowd as Miroku walked onstage. He sat down at the piano, his jacket flung over the piano seat and his tie hanging loosely around his neck.
Sesshoumaru grimaced when he cracked his knuckled, something he would have to remind him not to do as he leaned over the piano and began to play. Kagome shifted beneath the blanket, her slight movements eerie and enchanting as the first verse flowed from beneath the darkness.
"I'm so tired of being here...suppressed by all my childish fears." Her arms raised slowly, the blanket slowly lifting away to reveal her petite figureto glow in the soft light. " And if you have to leave I wish that you would just leave'cause your presence still lingers here. And it won't leave me alone. These wounds won't seem to heal. This pain is just too real. There's just too much that time cannot erase."
Sesshoumaru could hear the pain in her voice and guessed that it had little to do with the song, nor of her injury as the blanket slipped to the floor.
"When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears. When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears. I held your hand through all of these years but you still have....All of me."
Kagome sighed wistfully, her turquoise eyes soft and distant. "You used to captivate me by your resonating life. Now I'm bound by the life you left behind. Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams. Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me. These wounds won't seem to heal. This pain is just too real. There's just too much that time cannot erase."
` 'Onee-chan's not as strong as the rest of us,'` Rin's voice called from the depths of Sesshoumaru's memory. `Why does that bother me so,' he asked himself. `It shouldn't matter to me if she's capable of taking care of herself."
"When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears. When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears. I held your hand through all of these years but you still have....All of me."
`She's just another dumb female, one more to add to the scores of them in the world.'
`That's not true,' his subconscious objected. `When you were hurt, she cried for you. She wanted to help you.'
"I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone but though you're still with me I've been alone all along..."
`I did not ask for her help,' Sesshoumaru countered with a frown. `Nor did I need it.'
`But she gave it all the same,' his inner voice said with a shake of it's proverbial finger. `And she still gave it long after your wound healed. I believe that puts her in a whole new catagory, don't you?'
"When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears. When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears. I held your hand through all of these years but you still have....All of me."
Sesshoumaru blinked in surprise when the applause started, his thoughts effectively lost to the wind as the curtain closed around him. The stagehands scrambled once again as they cleared the stage, with Miroku helping Kagome down from the piano.
"I don't see how you got up there in the first place," Miroku said as he held her to his side to keep her from falling over. "You couldn't have done that on your own."
"I sort of had help, right Sesshoumaru?"
Sesshoumaru merely walking offstage and back to the dressing room but not without a parting word to Kagome.
"Let me know when you are ready to leave."
"Does that mean he's taking me home?" Kagome asked as Miroku helped her offstage. Miroku nodded. "In a way, I think it does."
VI
"Kagome?"
Marcus flipped on a light and walked into the house, taking a last glance outside to make sure no one was near his car before calling for her again. "Kagome, where are you?"
He opened the door to her room and shook his head when he found it empty. "So," he muttered as he left the house and walked down the stairs. "You left huh? Oh well." Marcus opened his driver's side door and sat down, one foot still on the pavement outside as he pulled a bottle of cologne from his glove compartment. `I guess I shouldn't be mad,' he thought as he splashed a little cologne on and combed through his hair. `I know how spirited you are. Oh well. At least you're out of my hair for a while.' He checked himself over in the rearview mirror, closed the car door and drove off as a blue Civic pulled into the parking lot.
"Right here, correct?" Sesshoumaru asked as he parked in the space Marcus just left. Kagome nodded, unaware of Sesshoumaru's concern as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She'd been quiet the entire trip, with rarely a word passed between them except for a refresher on the directions to her apartment.
Sesshoumaru parked the car and reached over to open the door. Kagome managed to beat him to it, her crutches coming out of the car first before bracing herself on them and shutting the door. "Thanks Sesshoumaru," she said with a pained smile. "I appreciate it."
"Do you...need any help?" Sesshoumaru asked, mentally beating his head against the wall for even allowing the words to slip past his lips. Kagome shook her head, her hair flying in the chilly October wind. "Thanks but no thanks. Goodnight."
He watched as she ambled up the stairs to her apartment door, his hand on the door should she look as if to injure herself further. She waved when she finally opened her door and he slowly pulled out of the parking space and out of the lot to the street. He rode in silence, his car radio playing unheard as he swam deep within the sea of his own thoughts. A stray breeze brushed against his right cheek, effectively bringing him out of his thoughts long enough to reach over and roll the window up. Something shimmered in the passenger side floor, and Sesshoumaru quickly pulled over to see what it was.
He leaned over and picked up a long, square piece of burgundy silk. Golden thread swirls and circles shone brightly against the dark background, and the scent of strawberries emanated from it like an olfactory aura. `She forgot this,' he realized as he continued home. `I will just have to give it back to her Monday.'
(End Chapter)
SF: Whoa! Wait too seconds! Don't go pounding me yet!
Kagome: I'm not going to grab you...I'm going to kill you! (Chases SF around the stage)
SF: Cut me some slack girl! I'm trying to hook you up with the hottest guy in anime and make it make sense! I think I deserve something for that!
Kagome: You deserve to be hit upside the head for this! Who told you to break my leg?
SF: I didn't break your leg! You only sprained your ankle.
Kagome: Oh. Oh yeah.
SF: (sits down) Whew. Oh yeah she says. Sheesh. Guess what? I finally figured out who my Sesshoumaru is like.
Silver Fox: Here she goes. Lord help us.
SF: Shut up! Anyway, I know the way this chapter ended was weird. There's a reason for that weirdness that will be explained later. Oh, and I realized some time last week who I normally base my Sesshoumaru on. It's David Xanatos from `Gargoyles'. I know, what the hell am I talking about right? Well if you look at it and watch him, you'll see a lot of Sesshoumaru in him. Anyway, the preview to the next chapter is below.
Miroku discovers a secret...
...Sesshoumaru admits to one...
...Sabotage...
...And a glimpse at the band before Kagome...
Next chapter: Chapter Eleven-Open Arms