InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ This Year Might Just Be A Little Bit Different ❯ Subtle Changes ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter 5: Subtle Changes

 

Yami 396

 

 

Chapter 5! Yay!

 

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha and never will.

 

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“Kagome! Kagome, what's wrong?” Sango yelled over the phone as Kagome cried her eyes out on the other side of the line. “Kagome, what happened?!” Sango said when Kagome didn't answer her.

 

“Sango-chan…can…can I come over…” Kagome's voice broke as fresh sobs rose. Kagome desperately needed to talk to someone, even though her mother had told she couldn't tell anyone about the jewel. She understood that knowledge of the jewel's existence in the wrong hands could lead to dire consequences, but Kagome threw those thoughts out the window. Besides, she would only tell Sango. Sango wouldn't want the jewel. Right?

 

“Kagome, what's going on?” Sango asked, clearly worried about her friend.

 

“I'll tell you when I come over, okay?” Kagome said. “I can't tell you over the phone. It's not safe.”

 

“What!?” Sango was clearly confused, and more than a bit disturbed. Kagome often told her everything, but what could be so horrible that it wasn't safe to mention it over the phone? Sango remembered the day when Kagome's father had died. The two of them had spent every single minute on the telephone, Kagome desolate, and Sango trying to console her. “What could be worse?” Sango thought.

 

“I'll be right over, okay?” Kagome's voice came over the phone. “You don't mind right?”

 

“Just as long as you tell me what's going on,” Sango answered.

 

“I promise,” Kagome said, and hung up the phone, leaving a very stunned Sango to try and figure out why her friend had acted so strangely. Kagome placed the phone back in its proper place and leaned heavily on the table. She was suddenly exhausted, and she'd like nothing more than to fall asleep and wake up the next morning to find out everything that had happened was all a dream. But she knew that she wasn't dreaming, and she would have to face the music sooner or later and accept it, but she would have a friend's help in facing it.

 

Outside, a figure carefully replaced the phone line that he had been tapping into. “Stupid girl,” he muttered softly. “Don't you listen to your mother? You never know who may be listening.” He finished with a smirk. He had been planning this for years, ever since that wench had told him all he needed to know about the Shikon No Tama. She had told him who was protecting the jewel, and who would be next. She told him everything she knew about Higurashi Kagome, her strengths, her weaknesses, and her personality. Now all he needed to do was to slowly gain her trust, and make her think that she could trust him. But he would have to do it soon. That damned half-breed was a threat. His face, hidden underneath his disguise, turned up in disgust. “That half-breed is getting too close to her. If he gets any closer, then my plan won't work. We might be the same but…” he thought. He would have to take action. He pulled a cell phone out and began dialing. A voice answered on the first ring.

 

“Yes?” A woman's voice came over the line.

 

“I need you to take care of a certain half-breed for me,” he spoke quietly, never using his or the woman's name. They had agreed to this, so no one knew who they were.

 

“You want me to kill him?” she asked.

 

“No. I want you to get close to him. Break him and Higurashi apart,” he answered.

 

“Fine. Keep trailing her,” the voice commanded, and then hung up. He smirked at the phone. “Yes, keep thinking you're in charge. Keep thinking that you can boss me around. When this is over, I'll give you a death worthy of your name,” he thought, as he ridded himself of his disguise, and disappeared into the crowded sidewalk.

 

Kagome left ten minutes after her phone call, completely unaware of what had transpired outside. She had regained a little composure, and had told her mother she was heading to Sango's house for some tutoring in geometry. As much as she hated lying to her mother, it had to be done. It was fifteen-minute ride to her friend's house on her bike, but Kagome enjoyed it. It gave her some freedom, and it ended too soon for her liking as she rode up to Sango's house. She knocked on the door and it was answered by Sango's little brother Kohaku. She smiled at him.

 

“Hey, how are you doing?” she asked him.

 

“Alright,” he answered. He was a shy boy, and even though he had known Kagome for a long time, he was still a bit uncomfortable around her. “I'll get Sango,” he said, running off into the house.

 

“Kagome!” Sango yelled as she came running down the stairs. “I want to know everything! Everything! Tell me what's happened!” Sango said, as she rushed Kagome up to her room. “Kohaku, why don't you go play video games or something,” she said to her brother, who nodded and disappeared.

 

“You have to swear that you won't tell anyone else about this,” Kagome said when they had reached Sango's room.

 

“Why?” Sango asked.

 

“Just promise me, okay?” Kagome said, urgency showing through her voice.

 

“Sure, but what could be this serious?” Sango asked, becoming more confused by the second.

 

“Are you familiar with the legend of the Shikon No Tama?” Kagome asked her. Sango's eyes widened.

 

“Yeah! I've heard about it. But it was destroyed a long time ago…” Sango broke off when Kagome shook her head. “You mean it's still around?” Kagome nodded.

 

“It's my family's duty to protect it,” she said. Sango stared at her. Kagome continued. “I just found out today that as soon as I finish high school, I'll have to protect it full time from demons and evil people.”

 

“Oh, wow,” was all Sango could say. “But why you? Your Grandfather always wanted Sota to become a priest, so why not him?”

 

“I asked my mother the same question,” Kagome replied sadly. “She said that only a priestess could protect it.” Kagome could feel the sense of helplessness rise again. “I'm just so scared Sango-chan. I've never had this kind of responsibility before. All my plans for the future have changed. And what if I screw up, and a demon gets a hold of the jewel, what then?” Tears began to well up in Kagome's eyes. Sango put her arms around her friend.

 

“It's okay,” Sango said, trying to comfort her. “You'll be fine. If anyone can protect the sacred jewel, it's you.” Kagome felt a little better.

 

“Sango-chan, you can't tell anyone. Not your father, not Kohaku-kun, nobody,” Kagome said. Sango nodded.

 

“I understand,” she said. Sango had never been one to tell secrets. And she knew that this secret was one that absolutely must not get out. There were plenty of people Sango knew that would do anything to gain power, and the sacred jewel would do more than that.

 

“I should probably go home now,” Kagome said. It's getting late.”

 

“Do you want me to walk with you home?” Sango asked her, still a bit worried about Kagome.

 

“No, it's okay. I'll be fine,” Kagome said, smiling. She didn't want Sango to worry too much about her. She already felt better that she had told someone. Meanwhile, as Kagome and Sango made their way downstairs, the same figure that had tapped into Kagome's phone line was tampering with her bicycle. He didn't want to hurt her, yet, he just wanted to make sure she had, as of yet, few means of escape. He let all the air out of both tires, and retreated into the shadows just as Kagome and Sango came outside.

 

“This is weird,” Kagome said, looking at her tires. “They're both flat. They were fine when I rode here.”

 

“You probably rolled over glass or something. It takes a while for them to deflate sometimes,” Sango said, examining them closely. “You can leave your bike here, I'll fill it up with air later. You don't mind walking home, do you?”

 

“I need the exercise,” Kagome said with a laugh. “I'll be alright,” she added as Sango began to ask her if she was sure she wanted to walk home by herself. “I've already caused her enough trouble anyway, going over there and spilling all my troubles onto her like that,” Kagome thought as she walked down the street. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice she was going to crash into someone until she did. The two of them had been walking very fast, and the impact of them colliding sent them both sprawling onto the sidewalk. Kagome recovered first.

 

“Oh my God! I am so sorry! Are you okay?” she asked, embarrassed.

 

“No, no, don't be. It was my fault,” the person got up, and Kagome saw that she had crashed into a man a few years older than she. He looked down at her. “I should have been watching were I was going,” he said, smiling.

 

“It's still partly my fault. I shouldn't have been spaced out,” Kagome said, still trying to take some of the blame. He laughed.

 

“You're very sweet,” he said, causing Kagome to turn a shade darker. “Please, let me help you with your things,” he said, gesturing to the books that had fallen out of Kagome's backpack. She hadn't meant to use them; she brought them to make it look like she was going to study.

 

“It's okay. I'll get them, “Kagome said, hiding her face behind her bangs as she collected her books. “I'm really very sorry.”

 

“And I'm sorry too. Are we even now?” he asked. Kagome nodded. “Ah yes, I never got your name,” he added, looking at her. Kagome gave him a sharp look. “You don't trust me?” he said, raising his eyebrows. Kagome immediately felt ashamed.

 

“No, it's not that…I'm Higurashi Kagome,” she said, with a smile.

 

“That's a very pretty name,” he replied, which caused Kagome to blush deeper. He noticed. “Are you alright?” he asked, trying to look at her face. “You're all red, do you have a fever?”

 

“No, no…” Kagome stammered. “Umm…what about you? What's your name?” He looked at her, as if trying to study her. She shrank back, but then he smiled.

 

“Bikushi…Bikushi Kagewaki…” he answered. “I'll see you around Higurashi-san.” And with that, he was gone, leaving a very stunned Kagome standing in the middle of the sidewalk. She stood there, kind of in a trance until the sound of squealing brakes snapped her out of it, and she shook her head, and ran the rest of the way home. What she didn't realize was that the squealing brakes belonged to a very angry hanyou who had seen the part of her encounter. InuYasha cursed under his breath.

 

“Damn idiot! What was that all about?” he asked to no one. “Who the hell was that jerk?” InuYasha had been at Miroku's house, trying to teach him directions. It had taken longer than InuYasha had liked, and he had given up and left as soon as he was done with dinner. He had been driving too fast on the road when he thought he saw Kagome. He circled around the block to make sure, and was about to ask her what she was doing out so late, but then he noticed that she was not alone. She was with a guy a few years older than him, with long black hair and brown eyes. And Kagome was blushing and smiling. InuYasha hadn't realized that he had been staring behind him until he heard a shout and realized that he was about to crash into a tree. A hard break, a quick turn, and several curses later, he was in his room, blowing up aliens with fervor. “Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!” he yelled for each alien he blew up on his computer. He didn't know why he was so upset; it wasn't like she was his girlfriend or anything. But it just made him mad seeing Kagome with some other guy. InuYasha growled thinking about it, and he missed the one alien that had survived his attacks and it killed his man. “Bugger!” InuYasha shouted at the computer. His door opened.

 

“There are other people living here, half-breed,” Sesshoumaru said.

 

“Get out of my room,” InuYasha growled. He couldn't stand his half-brother on a good day, and right now he was ready to kill something.

 

“Did your human wench leave you?” Sesshoumaru taunted. InuYasha threw the nearest book at him, which happened to be his History textbook. Sesshoumaru was too fast, however, and he had closed the door, causing the book to slam into it with a satisfying crack. “I'll make you pay for that if it's ruined,” he called up.

 

“Go to hell,” InuYasha mumbled, without much conviction. He was upset, and he didn't know why, which just made him more upset.

 

“It's because you like her,” a voice told him. “You like her, and you want her for yourself.” InuYasha blushed and mentally kicked himself. “Great, now voices are talking to me,” he said to himself.

 

“Talking to yourself now, are you?” Sesshoumaru reappeared briefly and then disappeared again. InuYasha put his head on his desk. That girl, that Kagome, was slowly driving him into insanity.

 

The next, day, InuYasha decided to be a baby, and he refused to pick up Kagome, despite the protests of Miroku. Kagome couldn't say she was upset or anything, but there was a part of her that was slightly crushed that he hadn't come for her.

 

“Come on, let's go find him and make him tell you why he ditched you this morning!” the little voice in her head nagged her. Kagome ignored it.

 

“Hey, did your boyfriend dump you?” some girl sneered at her, as she passed her by the steps. Kagome twitched.

 

“Whatever gave you that thought,” Kagome replied, her voice sweet, but her eyes were narrowed into slits.

 

“You didn't get your usual ride today. Did he finally come to his senses and decide to pick a better girl for him?” The girl was about to say more, but Sango was behind her, and she looked ready to kill.

 

“And you think you're good enough for him?” Sango said, cracking her knuckles. The girl had enough sense to run off, screeching about dangerous tomboys. “Are you okay, Kagome-chan?” Sango said to Kagome.

 

“Yeah, I'm fine,” Kagome said, more worried about her friend than about herself. Sango looked around. “What are you looking for?” Kagome asked her.

 

“It's not a what I'm looking for. It's a who. Where's that InuYasha. Houshi-kun told me what happened this morning,” Sango replied. “Ah, there he is! Hey, InuYasha!”

 

“Crap,” InuYasha muttered, and he tried to get away, but he was stopped by Miroku. “What are you doing!? Let me go!” InuYasha yelled.

 

“Where were you this morning?” Sango asked him, as soon as she caught up with him.

 

“Feh, like that's any of your business,” InuYasha snapped. Sango's eyes narrowed.

 

“If it has to do with Kagome-chan, then it is my business,” she snapped back. “How come you didn't pick her up this morning?”

 

“Because I didn't feel like it.”

 

“That's no excuse!”

 

“She should've asked her new friend to pick her up. Bastard.” InuYasha added under his breath.

 

“Her new friend?” Sango asked him, looking at Kagome. Kagome thought for a little bit.

 

“I don't remember…” Kagome said, as she racked her brain for a new friend.

 

“Idiot. That guy you were with last night!” InuYasha said, his temper rising at the mere thought of it.

 

“Oh, him!” Kagome finally remembered. “He's not my friend. I just bumped into him when I was walking home from Sango's house. I didn't even know him. You were mad because of that?” Kagome asked, both surprised and slightly flattered.

 

“I hope you feel very stupid right now,” Miroku told InuYasha. “You really shouldn't jump to conclusions like that.”

 

“Shut up pervert!” InuYasha said, the color rising to his cheeks. He did indeed feel stupid, but he also felt slightly relieved as well.

 

“How can you get mad at Kagome for something that wasn't even her fault?!” Shippo yelled, causing everyone to jump. He had heard the argument, and because he was so small, he went unnoticed when he showed up. “You're pretty hopeless.”

 

“Shut up punk!” InuYasha slammed his fist into Shippo's head, causing a rather large bump to appear, and making Shippo cry in the process.

 

“InuYasha!” Kagome chided him. “Don't hit him!”

 

“He deserved it,” InuYasha said, looking away.

 

“Well, I think things are back to normal,” Miroku said, standing next to Sango. Sango's face turned pink and the all-too-familiar giddiness rose up in her. That is, until Miroku decided it was time for a grope…and his face became well acquainted with Sango's hand.

 

“You're depraved!” she shouted as she stomped down the hallway, causing more than a few students to scatter for fear of their lives.

 

Lunch, once again, proved to be the only interesting part of the school day, though InuYasha would be the first to disagree.

 

“Don't come anywhere near me, you got that Houshi-kun?” Sango said to Miroku, pointing her chopsticks at him.

 

“Yes, yes, Sango-chan,” he replied, his face still red from her slap.

 

“Don't call me that!” she yelled, her face tinged again with pink.

 

“Yes, Sango-chan.”

 

“You are going to die.”

 

“Is it just me, or does anyone else sense some bad karma around here?” Shippo asked, sucking on a lollipop.

 

“I think it's cute,” Kagome said, smiling. Sango glared at her.

 

“Hey, Miroku. Want some pocky?” InuYasha teased Miroku. Miroku turned green.

 

“No, no pocky!” he said, pushing the rest of his food away. “Hey, isn't that Koga-kun?” Miroku asked, pointing across the room.

 

“Does that bastard want another fight?” InuYasha growled, flexing his claws. He was referring to the fight between Koga and Yuki a few days ago. Yuki had won. “Cause I'll give him one.”

 

Does anyone here know a Higurashi Kagome?” Koga asked, stepping all over InuYasha.

 

“I'm Kagome,” Kagome said, wondering what Hikato Koga would want with her.

 

“Kagome,” Koga started out, grasping both of her hands. “You are my woman.” Everyone at the table fell over.

 

“What?!” Kagome said, trying to figure out what was going on. She couldn't tell if he was kidding or if he was being serious.

 

“I want you to be my woman,” he said again. This time, InuYasha stepped in.

 

“I don't think she wants to be your woman,” InuYasha snapped at him. Koga dropped Kagome's hands.

 

“Butt out of it mutt-face. It doesn't concern you,” he said. InuYasha twitched at the nickname.

 

“Say that again, you mangy wolf. I won't let you off as easy as Yuki did,” InuYasha said, cracking his fingers.

 

“You think I'm afraid of some pathetic half-breed?”

 

“Better than you, wolf-boy!”

 

“Hikato-kun is a demon?” Kagome asked Sango. She nodded,

 

“Yeah, he's a wolf demon. You can't sense it?” she asked Kagome.

 

“No, I've never been able to sense demons. My cousin can, I think,” Kagome answered. “I'll probably have to learn, though.”

Sango nodded. Miroku looked confused, but Kagome was saved from questions by the bell. Koga ran off.

 

“Kagome! I'll be back for you!” he yelled as he ran off, surprisingly fast. InuYasha glared after him. It was lucky for all of them that they had no classes with him either, so the rest of the day flew by. Kagome was heading home when InuYasha stopped her.

 

“Where do you think you're going?” he asked her.

 

“I'm going home,” Kagome said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

 

“No you're not,” InuYasha replied.

 

“What do you mean I'm not going home?”

 

“Didn't I tell you that I'd take you to the mall today?”

 

“You weren't lying?!”

 

“Gee, thanks,” he said in mock anger. “Get in.”

 

“Can I borrow your cell phone for a minute. I need to call my moth

er,” Kagome told him. He tossed her his cell.

“Hello Mom? Hi, can I go to the mall with InuYasha? He's the one that was in the kitchen the other day…thanks!” Kagome hung up. “She said yes.”

 

“Good, now get in,” InuYasha said, pointing to the seat next to him. When they arrived at the mall, the first thing that Kagome wanted to do was to go shopping. InuYasha wanted to eat.

 

“Shopping first, then we eat,” Kagome said.

 

“Eating first, and then shopping, InuYasha said. They flipped a coin. Kagome won. InuYasha sulked as she ran around stores looking at everything, but buying nothing. Luckily for InuYasha, the next store that she picked had a magazine rack, and he started to flip through one of them, not really seeing anything on the page. He w

as aware of Kagome's presence behind and he turned around.

 

“What?” he asked.

 

 

“I wanted to see what you were reading, but you turned the pages so fast, I couldn't see anything,” she explained. A person standing near then put down his magazine.

 

“I thought it was you Higurashi-san. I just wanted to make sure,” Kagewaki said, smiling at her. InuYahsa's eyes narrowed.

 

“Oh! Bikushi-san! I didn't see you there,” Kagome said, unaware of InuYasha's change of mood.

 

“Please, call me Kagewaki,” he said politely. Kagome blushed.

 

“Um, sure…Kagewaki…Oh, yeah! You haven't met InuYasha! InuYasha, this is Bikushi Kagewaki. Kagewaki, this is Toka InuYasha.” Kagome introduced him. Kagewaki bowed to him; InuYasha jerked his head. Kagome became aware of the tension rising from InuYasha. “Well, we have to leave so bye Kagewaki!” she said, starting to walk away.

 

“Let me at least treat you to something to eat,” Kagewaki said. Kagome shook her head. “I insist,” he said, taking her hand and leading her to the food court. InuYasha followed behind them, growling. While they were eating, Kagome found that she and Kagewaki had a lot in common. They talked about everything, and they left InuYasha out of the conversation. He was more than just a little irritated when Kagewaki said he had to leave.

 

“I hope I'll run into you again sometime, Kagome,” he called as he walked away. As soon as he was gone, InuYasha turned to Kagome.

 

“More than a little chatty, I see,” his jealousy evident. Kagome sighed.

 

“I was just trying to be polite,” she said, not understanding why InuYasha was so mad.

 

“Oh, you were way more than polite,” he snapped sarcastically. Kagome felt her own temper rise.

 

“You are just so stupid!” she yelled, and several people in the food court turned to look at them. “Grow up you big baby!” InuYasha was stunned to silence as Kagome ran off. He debated leaving her there, but his conscious nagged him to go find her, so he followed her scent to the benches outside of the mall. When he was close to her, he could see that she was crying.

 

“I-I-I made her cry!?!?!” he thought frantically. He had never been good with crying women, but even so, it was worse because it was Kagome who was crying and he had made her. InuYasha sat down next to her.

 

“Come on. Don't cry! You're making me uncomfortable,” he said, as people passing by stared at them. Kagome made a noise halfway between a sob and a laugh. “Come on. I'm sorry, okay? Does that make you feel better?”

 

“A little,” she said, sniffling. She felt better because InuYasha was trying to comfort her. “You want to go home now?” she asked him.

 

“Sure,” he said and he drove her home. Once he had driven off, Kagome stepped inside the kitchen.

 

“Kagome! There's someone I'd like you to meet!” her mother called her from the living room. Kagome stepped in. Her mother was sitting next to a very pretty woman, who was young and had long black hair and blue eye shadow accenting her brown eyes.

 

“Yes?” Kagome asked. She could sense something powerful about this woman.

 

“Kagome, I'd like you to meet Midoriko-san. She will be training you to become a priestess.”

 

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Okay! This chapter was waaayyy to long. Anyway, who is this person in disguise? And who is Kagewaki? Keep reading.