InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ This Year Might Just Be A Little Bit Different ❯ Could It Be Love ( Chapter 9 )

 

Neither of them really knew when it happened; it just did. And neither of them could deny it. It showed through in all the little things they would do for each other. The katana she bought for him on Christmas, the roses he bought for her on St. Valentine's Day. The uncomfortable silences they shared when one caught the other staring, or when he stared at her, and she looked at him, only for he to turn away blushing, muttering under his breath. They never actually came out and said they liked each other, but the signs were there, and they accepted each other like it was natural.

 

Kagome and InuYasha. That was how the rest of their class knew them. No one said just one of their names anymore, it was always the pair of them. Inseparable. Ying and Yang. Even when they fought, and they fought quite a bit, it would always be, “When are InuYasha and Kagome getting back together again?” or “The Dynamic Duo has finally reconciled this morning.” Their classmates accepted it, even the ones that had hoped for them to break up in the beginning, and the two became mascots of sorts.

 

Sango and Miroku, on the other hand, were not yet a pair. True, Sango harbored a well-concealed crush on him, but Miroku was too much a skirt chaser to take advantage of this. Yes, he liked her as well, but old habits die hard, and he was not willing to give up on his style…yet. They were mascots too, but more along the lines of, “That's what happens when you get involved with a player,” or “This is why you never hang around dangerous tomboys.” But Miroku liked to chase, and Sango would never admit, but she like being chased too, so they worked it out.

 

It wasn't easy though, for Kagome to continue on the way she was with InuYasha. He had told her a great deal of secrets, including some he had never even allowed himself to think of, including the death of his mother when he was five. Kagome had cried for him all night. But yet, she could not bring herself to tell him the real reason why she spent to much time at home, why she couldn't go to the movies with him, why she was tired all day in school. She made up excuses instead. She said that she was sick, she had been up late studying, her brother constantly annoyed her. But it broke her heart when he showed concern, offered to help her with her homework, and when she had to turn him down, waves of self-hatred washed over her as she watched his face, changing from crest-fallen to the cool mask of arrogance he wore in seconds. She longed to tell him, tell him about her fears of the future, and ask for his help, but her mother and Midoriko both forbade it, and she didn't want him tangled in affairs that weren't his to worry about.

 

Because he would worry about it, she knew that. He worried about her already, and he was possessive; he and Koga were sworn enemies now, whenever they saw each other, the fought, verbally and physically, and bringing him into her family's secret would only prove to make him even more possessive, he would stay with her throughout all of her training, and she had the sneaking suspicion that he would do his best to annoy Midoriko. It wouldn't solve anything; it would only create more problems.

 

“Kagome.” The stern voice made Kagome jump, and looked over at Midoriko a little guiltily. “That's the third time I've caught you looking off into space this hour. What's so important that it overshadows your training?” Midoriko admonished. When Kagome didn't answer, Midoriko sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, trapping Kagome with a patronizing stare. Kagome was not getting away without answering.

 

“I'm…sorry?” Kagome said hopefully, trying to arrange her face into what she thought was a good `puppy-dog' face. Midoriko shook her head, smiling slightly.

 

“Not happening,” she said bluntly. “Now tell me what's bothering you. Usually you whine about how much you hate training, but for the past couple of weeks, you've only stared out into space, sighing almost every minute. What's wrong?” Midoriko waited for an answer, slightly amused when Kagome began to squirm underneath her stare. Midoriko was patient, she could wait until Kagome broke down and told her.

 

“Well, you see…” Kagome began. Midoriko nodded encouragingly. “At school…err…you see…” Kagome fumbled for words, and Midoriko finally realized what it was that was bothering her pupil.

 

“Ahh, I see,” Midoriko said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “There's a boy you like.” Kagome stopped and sputtered.

 

“H-how?” Midoriko cut her off with a wave of her hand, and actually grinned.

 

“You forget, I was your age once, even if it was back in Feudal Japan. A mischievous look came into her eyes. “So that's what the sighing was for. You were pining away for your love!” Kagome turned red, blush moving at an inhuman pace up her face.

 

“It's not like that,” she muttered pathetically, breaking off in the middle of her sentence.

 

“Oh? Then what is it?”

 

“I…I feel …guilty.”

 

“Does he have a girlfriend?” Kagome shot up.

 

“NO!” she yelled vehemently. Midoriko held up her hands, laughing.

 

“I was only asking,” she said, as Kagome glared daggers at her. “So, if he doesn't already have a girlfriend, and I'm sure you don't have a boyfriend.” Here, Kagome's eyes narrowed into slits. “Then why do you fell guilty?” she finished. Kagome sighed.

 

“He's told me so much about himself.” Kagome's hands fisted in the folds of her skirt, tears welling in the corners of her eyes as she fought to keep the mountain of sadness from crushing her. “But I can't tell him anything about me. And it hurts when I have to turn him down, and he looks so upset…” Loathing squeezed her heart, and for a moment, she couldn't breathe, blinking rapidly to try and quell her tears. But two escaped, rolling down her face, and staining her skirt. Midoriko stood up.

 

“Well that settles it then,” she said, brushing her pants free from imaginary dust. Kagome looked up at her, fully believing the woman had no empathy whatsoever.

 

“Settles what?” she asked, anger blossoming behind her eyes.

 

“I know exactly what to do,” Midoriko continued, acting as if she had even heard the younger girl speak. “Yes, that's the only way to solve this problem.” She spoke more to herself than she did to Kagome.

 

“What? More training?” Kagome snapped, bitterness creeping through every fiber in her body. “Training solves everything, doesn't it?” she continued sarcastically, standing up, and snatching her bow and arrow.

 

“Go to the movies with you friends,” Midoriko said so suddenly, that Kagome stopped in mid-tirade and gaped at her.

 

“What?” she asked. Midoriko smiled sadly.

 

“Go. Go find him and see a movie or something. You're dismissed for the week.” Kagome's eyes widened.

 

“But…”

 

“You want to train more?” Midoriko asked, eyebrows quirked. When Kagome shook her head, she continued, “Go have some fun Kagome, you deserve it. You've worked so hard, and improved so much.” It was the first time Midoriko had ever complimented her on something to her face, and Kagome simply stared at her in shock, before about-facing and running out of the backyard, tossing her bow and arrow carelessly behind her.

 

“Yes Kagome, live a little more carefree while you still can,” Midoriko whispered, the wind taking her words and scattering them. Petals from the cherry-blossom trees swirled around Midoriko's still figure, and she was almost lost in the sea of pink and white petals. Two fingers caught a flower, and Midoriko cradled it, looking at it sadly with forlorn eyes.

 

“Ill tides are coming.” The memory was still fresh in her mind, still made her feel dread like no other could, still haunted her every waking moment. She could still feel the cold fingers of the apparition curl around her wrist; the hands of a dead woman, holding her in a terrifying steely grip, her words making icy tendrils of fear collect in the empty place where Midoriko's heart should have been. “Ill tides are coming. He comes nearer. He comes with a plan, a plan that you will never foresee, and that you are powerless to stop it.” Midoriko shivered, despite the warmth of the sun. “He is too strong for you Midoriko. You have underestimated the enemy again. You will fall, and this time, there will be no jewel to save your soul from its sins.” She crushed the delicate in her fist, memories from lives past flashing before her eyes, memories that were never to have seen the light of day again.

 

“Takei.” The forbidden name. “Takei,” she whispered again, dropping her head. “Why did you betray me?” Tears formed and fell in rivulets down her face. “All you had to do was ask. You did not have to sell your soul to demons…” Midoriko's self-composure broke, and she fell to her knees, sobbing piteously as the cherry blossoms eddied around her.

 

From the shadows of the trees, a baboon masked grinned in the darkness. He would not harm her yet, he was still far too weak, but it was enough to see her reduced to tears. Soon it would be time for his plan to be set in motion. And he would enjoy breaking every single one of those pathetic humans.

 

Meanwhile, InuYasha and Kagome were busy laughing with each other over the latest incident between Miroku and Sango.

 

“I'm not kidding,” InuYasha said, supporting Kagome's weight as she clung to his arm. “There is now a Miroku's head-shaped dent in the locker!” Kagome doubled over in laughter.

 

“I wish I could have been there,” Kagome sighed. “Sango-chan always says she doesn't like him at all, but every time he so much as looks at another girl, she goes on the offense.” She giggled again.

 

“Yeah, well, if they keep it up,” InuYasha replied. “The whole damn school is going to be demolished.” He grinned, fangs flashing, as she laughed again. He loved to hear her laugh. She looked up at him, and they both froze, eyes searching one another for permission to move closer. He puller her up, and her breath caught in her throat as he moved closer. She was drowning, drowning in his eyes that held so much emotion…

 

“Kagome!” The two jumped apart, InuYasha landing a good ten feet away, cursing, his face a beacon. Shippo grinned up at Kagome. “Did I scare you?” he asked, grinning broadly. He loved teasing them, InuYasha especially.

 

“Punk kid!” InuYasha yelled, pummeling the shorter boy on his head, leaving a few good-sized bumps in place of his fist.

 

“Kagome!” Shippo whined, tears spouting, hands holding head. “He's picking on me!”

 

“InuYasha!” Kagome scolded.

 

“Feh, he had it coming!”

 

“I did not!”

 

“Stop behaving like kids!”

 

“He started it!”

 

“Little brat, do you want me to his you some more?”

 

Shippo opened his mouth to retort, but was cut short by a high pitched voice shouting, “Shippo-chan!” He paled.

 

“Quick, hide me!” he yelped, ducking behind Kagome. Surprised, she twisted around to look at him.

 

“Shippo-chan, what are you doing?” she asked the kistune, who had crouched down in an attempt to make himself look smaller than he already was.

 

“Shh,” he whispered. “It's Souten.”

 

“Who?” asked InuYasha and Kagome simultaneously. Shippo peeked around Kagome's legs.

 

“Oh no, here she comes! Tell her I've died!” He curled up into a ball.

 

“Have you seen Shippo-chan?” the girl, presumably Souten asked. She was younger than Kagome, maybe a freshman, with large red eyes, and thick black hair pulled back into two pigtails. “Well, have you?”

 

“Err…no?” Kagome responded, looking over at InuYasha. He just shrugged, clearly as confused as she was.

 

“Damn,” Souten swore. “I could've sworn I saw him run this way.”

 

“Who the hell are you,” InuYasha asked her, tired of being in the dark. If there was one thing he hated more than his half-brother, it was being confused. And he sure as hell was now.

 

“You mean Shippo-chan hasn't told you yet?” she asked, incredulously. When they shook their heads, Souten laughed, and said, “I'm his girlfriend!”

 

“He never mentioned that,” InuYasha muttered. Kagome nodded in agreement, feeling Shippo shudder behind her calves.

 

“Shippo! There you are!” another girl exclaimed from behind them, nearly knocking Kagome over in her attempt to grab Shippo.

 

“Satsuki!” he yelled, trying to squirm away from her. “It's, uh, not a good time right now…”

 

“Who is she?” Souten asked.

 

“Did it just get really chilly?” Kagome asked InuYasha, concerned. He nodded, faintly amused.

 

“I'm,” Satsuki emphasized the `I'm.' “His girlfriend.” Shippo cringed.

 

“Says who?” Souten replied, arms crossing.

 

“Says me,” came the snappy reply. The two girls glared daggers at each other, neither noticing Shippo slinking off in a timely escape.

 

“Shippo-chan's my boyfriend,” Souten said forcefully.

 

“Yeah, right,” Satsuki replied, twisting her short hair around her finger.

 

“You wanna fight?” Souten challenged her.

 

“No,” Satsuki replied, beating a hasty retreat, leaving the three remaining to stare at the spot were she had just stood in amazement.

 

“Impressive,” Kagome said.

 

“Oh, Shippo-chan's gone,” wailed Souten, pouting. “I'll have to go find him again.”

 

“Possessive?” Kagome asked InuYasha as Souten walked off.

 

“More like obsessive if you ask me,” he replied. “Freaky thing, she was.” Kagome nodded in approval. “It's late, you should go home and get some rest,” he said suddenly. “You might still be sick.” Kagome flinched slightly, but she nodded, and he walked her home. He took her as far as her door, and declined an invitation to come inside.

 

“You sure?” Kagome asked him. “We have ramen.”

 

“I'm fine,” InuYasha snapped. Kagome pressed her hand to his forehead. “Wh-what are you doing?!”

 

“You're passing up ramen. You must be sick,” Kagome replied, laughing when InuYasha slapped her hand away. “Come on, I know you love ramen.” He snorted, and turned away. “Well fine, be like that.” She pretended to be hurt, arms crossed, and face arranged into a pout, until he turned around, giving her a quizzical look. She grinned. “See ya!”

 

“Wait,” InuYasha tugged on her arm, and when she turned around, he gave her a small kiss on the cheek. “For earlier, before that damned brat interfered.” He left, and Kagome stared at his retreating figure before doing a little victory dance on her porch.

 

“Oh, good Kagome, you're home!” her mother greeted her as she walked into the living room, spirits soaring. “I have good news! Your cousin is going to stay with us for a while!” Kagome froze, elated sprits crashing to the floor.

 

“You mean Kikyo's coming here?”

 

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And that is the shortest chapter yet! But it was still an update. Review! My birthday is coming up, so those are counted towards presents. And this story turns one year old on April 23. Yeesh, it's been a year, and all I have are nine chapters. That's sad…

 

Oh! The sakura trees are blossoming here! They're so pretty! You can say that's part of the inspiration for this chapter.