InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Wind's Fickle Heart (A Climatic Ending) ❯ Kagura's Plot and Kagome's Hair ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Kagura sat in the dark corridor of the castle. The hour drew near. The moonlight pouring in through the shaded window was torturing. 'It is soon.' Thought she. But not soon enough. Though it would be several days in waiting, days seemed like hours and like eternities at time, hours seemed like months but minutes at other times and time for her was all together warped and meaningless in many of its indificiencies for how different people accounted for it.
Kana wasn't to know. But Kagura got the sneaking suspicion that she did. And if she did, Naraku knew, and if that was the case, she was sure something was to befall her, something sinister and unexpected, after Naraku used her for one final ploy. The crypt was masked well, even masked well enough to be hidden from Kana's mirror but was it enough? Kana's mirror supposedly saw all. If Kagura trusted their ancient creed than it wasn't seen as it claimed, but Kagura wasn't sure if she could trust anything or anyone anymore.
Kagura underestimated and misjudged Kana however. It had been her previous thought, that the subtle, somber demon was in all ways loyal to Naraku and never swayed from obedience of the overly-powerful and twisted half demon. Tonight was his night of his weakness. Kagura shifted impatiently. Was she to trust the crypt? She wanted to do something while Naraku was weak, but she knew this desire to be rash and poorly planned. Kana would most definitely see her and most definitely would, after doing so, inform Naraku of her transgressions.
All the truth in Kagura's conceptions of Kana had unknowingly waned. Kana was no longer who Kagura knew her to be. Though the two demons had remained to be extremely different in their ways, and distanced in their betrayals and disagreements, they had formerly been relatively close, but Kagura had notice more and more, Kana's closeness to be fading. Kana was different now and she served an entirely different purpose.
Kagura was thoroughly unaware of this, however, and the thought never even crossed her mind. For it seemed entirely impossible. She was far too caught up in her plans anyway. 'The night of the new moon is the night of destiny. That night all that should be, will be. The ultimate freedom, revenge, taste of what should have been mine long ago will soon be mine, oh how I long for that night.' And soon after this thought had come to her, Kagura realized all hours were eternity and time began a whole new slowness, for the anticipation was grueling and the difficulty containing herself, intensifying.

Kagome sat on the cool grass in the sunshine, Inuyasha sitting near to her opening up a freshly made container of ramen. Humming, and smiling, she unfolded a chart on her lap and studied it. At this moment Inuyasha spilled his ramen, nearly getting the chart wet, but Kagome quickly moved it out of the steaming soup's path.
"God dammit!" Inuyasha cursed loudly, feeling the burn of the hot water.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried. "You nearly got my chart SOAKED!"
"Shaddup." Kagome glared at him. There was a short silence as Inuyasha began eating and Kagome continued studying the chart. "What the hell IS that thing anyway?" Kagome cast an angered side glance his way and shifted angrily.
"It's a chart of the phases of the moon and the days they occur..." she returned curtly, no longer caring, as she previously did, about Inuyasha's anger of being reminded of the approaching New Moon. Inuyasha glared fixedly at her, as Kagome looked about the chart, pretending not to notice.
"Why the hell do you always have to bring up the dumbest stuff?" Inuyasha growled. Kagome cast another vexed glance at him.
"Well, why do YOU always have take that tone and have such fowl language?" She inquired haughtily. Inuyasha grunted, not able to think of a fitting reply. "That's what I thought. And ANYWAY, I was just curious and figured we should keep track of when you turn human, its two days away you know..."
"Yeah, thanks for reminding me," Inuyasha glowered sarcastically. Kagome stuck her tongue out at him. "Childish, as always."
"Oh I'M childish, huh? Mister grunt, mister big bad temper and terrible attitude whose really just a big cream puff," Kagome returned with an angered laugh. Inuyasha gave her the worst look ever.
"Damn Kagome," he muttered, returning his attention to his ramen.
"WhatEVER, you're just in a bad mood because you stupidly burned yourself, USUALLY you're pretty nice to me on the whole lately, you know you so owe me after what happened..."
Inuyasha knew he did owe her and really wished she didn't have to bring it up. The last mix up with an evil demon they had was an extremely close shave, and Inuyasha had been continually pushing Kagome out of the way because of his pride and was nearly killed, along with her and everyone else. The only reason any of them survived was because of some quick thinking on her behalf.
Kagome noticed the uneasiness and guilt now in Inuyasha's face and tried to think of either a way to change the subject or comfort him some how. She tried to say something, but kept thinking better of herself, convinced she could think of something better, when finally, she began with, "Inu--" But Inuyasha managed to say, "Kago--" At the very same time, so they both just look dis-heartedly at their chart and ramen awkwardly. Kagome figured she'd break the ice with a silly laugh an clumsy act, so she started to laugh and tried to set the chart on her lap in the wind somehow, when at the very same time Inuyasha was attempting the same by eating overly slobberishly and comically and they only wound up making a mess of ramen on a crumpled up chart and ramming into one and other in their frenzy.
"Ow..." Kagome moaned, rubbing her forehead. Inuyasha said nothing, rubbing his head too.
"You're okay, right?" Inuyasha asked.
"Yeah...but my chart's not..." Kagome sighed, picking up the chart and analyzing it with dismay. "Ow..." She rubbed her forehead again, eyes tearing,
"You're such a baby," Inuyasha said, trying to keep back a smile.
"I am not!" Kagome whined, seeming to prove Inuyasha's point more.
"Let me see it..."
"No."
"Come on..."
"You'll just say it's nothing and say how much of a weakling I am."
"Come ON, let me see the damn thing!" Inuyasha growled, trying to move Kagome into his view and move her shielding arms away from her face.
"No!" And she turned around, pouting.
"You really ARE a baby."
"Whatever." Inuyasha frowned silently at her.
"Stupid, let me see it!" Inuyasha cried, turning her around. After some struggle, Kagome just gave up and let inuyasha see the bruise on her fore head.
"I don't know WHY you HAVE to see it!" Kagome exclaimed.
"Huh...I really did I number on you..." Inuyasha said, ignoring Kagome. "Where's your first aid kit thingy..."
"It's just a bruise! It's not bleeding or anything! NOW look at whose making the big deal!"
"Yeah, but I have a hard head, could get more serious..."
"THAT'S for sure," Kagome mumbled.
"Well for what its worth I'm sorry." Kagome wasn't sure what to say at first, and sat their frowning, arms crossed at him, as he was very pre-occupied with her injury, and finally she sighed in defeat.
"It wasn't even you're fault I mean, I was being stupid with my chart and everything, I ran into you too..."
"I wasn't talking about that."
"Huh?" Kagome said, bewildered, looking up at him.
"Im...I'm--I..." Inuyasha stammered, thinking a bit about what he was saying, "...I'm sorry for being a jerk...okay...I was in a bad mood...and taking it out on you and all..." He looked up at her with pleading eyes, right into her hers, and Kagome gasped, frozen. This statement was entirely shocking, and finally she began wondering if maybe the feeling he owed her was the cause of this oddly kind apology. "What?" Inuyasha asked, confused as to why Kagome was staring at him in surprise. Inuyasha leaned closer. Slowly Kagome's cheeks heated up.
"I didn't hurt you bad enough for you to go brain dead did I?" He inquired further analyzing the bruise on her head. Kagome's eyes averted and her face became redder.
"Um...."
"What the hell's wrong with you?" Inuyasha grunted. Kagome frowned and looked up at him with crossness.
"Do you always have to be so--so--"
"What?" Kagome just continued staring at a failure of what to say, then blushed to her roots as her gaze lowered to the ground again. "You're so weird."
"I am not!" Kagome shouted, looking up again.
"Are to."
"Am not!" Suddenly, Inuyasha grasped onto Kagome's shoulders, causing her throat to go dry and pulled her close, which made her face entirely crimson, he then pulled her down under him, and she was so surprised and bewildered and embarrassed she didn't hear him say,
"Watch out! Demon!" An arrow zoomed right above his neck skimming the hairs and hitting the tree behind him.
"Ohmigod Idiot you nearly killed him!" came a voice.
"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Really, I am!"
"What the hell...." Inuyasha groaned, looking up, and to Kagome's red-faced embarrassment, still on top of her.
"Brother would KILL you for that! He wants to fight Inuyasha, PERSONALLY, dim wit!"
"That's it, whose there!?" Inuyasha shouted, starting to sit up. One of the voices sounded a whimper.
"Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! He's coming! He's coming! He's coming! He saw us!"
"Hurry! Let's get out of here!" And with a rustle in the brush their voices sounded no longer. Inuyasha started upward.
"Hey come back you--" Just then the arrow that had pierced the tree hit, fell and hit his head. "Ow..." said Inuyasha slumping down onto Kagome. "Wait a sec...." Inuyasha picked up the arrow and propped himself up on his elbows as he took off the message attached.
"Inuyasha..." Kagome began, her face horribly red and burning.
"I'm readin' somthin', shut up for a minute, would ya?" Inuyasha said distractedly, unfolding the message. "A challenge, huh? Well I'm all for it!"
"Challenge? What sort of challenge?" Kagome asked.
"A fight, from Koga."
"Oh no! Inuyasha don't go doing that."
"Why not, bumpy head!"
"Be quite! You have a bump on your head too!"
"Oh yeah?" Said Inuyasha leaning closer to Kagome's dislike. "Yours is way worse."
"Why won't you get off of me?!" kagome cried, cheeks flaming.
"You two ready to do something interesting?" came a voice. Both Kagome and inuyasha looked up to see Miroku, and they both blushed badly. Shippo giggled.
"What were you doing?" he asked with a smirk.
"Nothin!" Inuyasha shouted, quickly sitting up and pulling away from Kagome. Unfortunately Kagome happened to be the one whose hair was unfortunately caught in his necklace of prayer beads which caused her to go crashing into him, knocking him onto the ground.
"Ow! Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!" shrieked Kagome, the roots of her hair being yanked painfully.
"That must hurt," Sango said, looking on with sympathy.
"*sigh* often when we are indulging in pleasure, we must feel pain as well," Miroku put in. Inuyasha glared at him.
"What's THAT supposed to mean?!" he shouted, vexedly.
"My HAIR!" Kagome exclaimed, still shrieking in pain. Inuyasha set to attempting to untangle her hair from his neclace but quickly grew very impatient and frustrated and--"IRON REVER SOUL STEALER!!!" he simply, cut through the hair. Kagome looked up wondering what had happened.
"OH NO!" Sango cried.
"AAAAAH!!!! MY HAAAAIIIRRR!!!!!" Kagome screamed. Inuyasha scooted back away in fear. "INUYASHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SIIIITTT!!!"
*BOOM* went Inuyasha, crashing into the ground. Sango looked very upset for Kagome, while Shippo was in peals of laughter and Miroku was shaking his head with a sigh.
"And the intimate relationship comes to a bitter close."
"WE ARE NOT IN AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP!!!" Kagome bellowed.
"Then why was he laying on top of you?" Sango asked blankly. Shippo was still laughing hysterically.
"I'm disgusted by all of you!" Kagome snapped. Inuyasha popped up from the ground.
"Hey!! Why'd ya SIT ME?!" Inuyash roared.
"LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO MY HAIR!!!!!!" Inuyasha looked silently, and as did the others at Kagome's tarnished, long black hair, which was long and bountiful on one side and quite short of the other.
"Uh...it's not THAT different Kagome, you can hardly notice!" Sango assured her nervously.
"Oh RIGHT! While ONE side is to the middle of my back and the other to the middle of my NECK!"
"Whatever happened was not my doing, so I shall take my leave," Miroku proclaimed and began to tiptoe off when Kagome grabbed the back of his robe.
"It's ALL OF YOUR STUPID FAULT!! THIS WOULDN'T HAVE EVER HAPPENED IF YOU DIDN'T TEASE INUYASHA AND ME!!!"
"You can't blame US!" Sango and Shippo at once.
"Look," said Inuyasha, "we'll just cut the other half, okay?"
"Like I'll trust YOU again!" Kagome cried. Inuyasha actually looked slightly taken aback which was rather rare. "I'll ask Kaede to do it. Old priestesses should be good at this sort of thing..."

Kaede snipped away at Kagome's hair with a pair of scissors Kagome had lent her. Being an old wise woman, she quickly figured out how to use them. "It's such a shame ye hair got cut, Kagome and now we must be rid of so much of it," Kaede said, "here in the Feudal Era, only prostitutes where their hair short." Kagome glared at her.
"Oh THANKS Kaede, that makes me feel SO much better!" Kagome cried.
"Sorry." Kaede continued cutting in silence for moments. "so ye just want me to cut this side equal to the other?"
"A bit shorter would be nice, just a tiny bit, I think it might look a little nice." Kaede didn't reply."What?"
"Except ye will look like a prostitute."
"SHUT UP!" Unfortunately, this sudden out burst caused Kaede to slip, but fortunately she managed to keep the hair the desired length.
"Phew!" Kaede said.
"What?" Kagome asked, in confusion.
"Nothing!" Kaede assured her nervously. She tried to cut more when she realized with horror that the scissor were jammed in her hair. 'Just like Kikyo! This girl's hair is thick as a horse's!' Kaede thought with alarm and frustration. She struggled and struggled to get the scissors out when, the worse happened. Kaede managed to cut and pull out so much hair that one side of Kagome's hair looked as short as a boy's. "Oh dear!"
"Ow! Ohmigod, what did you do?" Kagome asked, sounding very afraid.
"Uh n-nothing!" Kaede again returned, with an anxious laugh.
"What did you do!?"
"Just pulled out a couple of hairs, is all, no bald spots or anything, I assure ye!"
"Okay..." Kagome returned.
'Only your hair looks like a man's...' Kaede thought.
After making the other side of her hair as short as the one accidentally cut too much, Kaede nervously brought Kagome a mirror. "H-h-here's a mirror," Kaede stammered, quivering as she handed it to Kagome. Kagome took it and actually screamed when she saw her reflection.
"MY HAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

After some calming down of Kaede's, Kagome stomped out of the hut with a fury.
"Hello mister, have you seen a girl--" Miroku began when he got the worst look he had ever, ever, ever seen, ever. And was very startled and froze.
"MISTER?!!!! MISTER?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Kagome roared in his face with fury.
"Look at his--I mean her clothes--it's Kagome!" Shippo said. Sango then walked up to the three of them.
"OH MY GOD!" She cried. "I mean--um...it...looks...um...nice..." Kagome frowned.
"My mom has short hair like this, girls sometimes do, at least in my time," Kagome returned haughtily.
"Well, in that case, it's probably alright," Sango replied.
"For a man," Miroku said, about to crack up. Sango glared at him.
"Well, it IS nice and curly, wouldn't you say?" Sango beamed with an amount of falseness.
"Oh Kagome!" sobbed Shippo, "you're pretty hair is all GONE! I was sad about it already being shorter, but now THIS!" It was then Inuyasha was in sight somewhat far away and Kagome pulled her shirt over head.
"I can't let him see me like this!" Kagome exclaimed. "Shippo's right...my hair was pretty..." an audible sniff was heard from the inside of Kagome's shirt.
"Don't cry Kagome, I'm sure Inuyasha will like it," Sango said softly.
"As long as your performance paid well earlier today in the grass!" Miroku chimed, Sango hit him on the head. Kagome was heard crying from the inside.
"Oh! Why does everything bad happen to me!" she wailed.
"Well at least you have you family, Naraku killed all mine," Sango said, "and my whole village too..."
"Yes, and I have to live with this wind tunnel on my hand everyday, that will suck me into the void and end my life very soon, you have it easy compared to us," Miroku added.
"My parents are dead," said Shippo, "at least you have your mom, Kagome."
"Yeah...but everything gets me so upset...you guys are so strong, I break under everything, that's why it's so tough being me..."
"What happened to Kagome's head, where did it go?" Inuyasha asked, approaching them.
"It's in her shirt," Shippo told him, fresh tears running down his face.
"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked in confusion, walking up to her. "What are you crying about?"
"Go away, I don't want you to see me!" Kagome said, choking on a sob.
"Oh come on, it won't look bad, maybe like Yura the hair's or something..." Inuyasha told her.
"If only," Miroku sighed, thinking of what the hair really looked like. Sango hit him.
"No..." Kagome squeaked through her tears. "It's horrible!" she cried, and with that ran off.
"Wait Kagome!" Inuyasha called, chasing after her.
"How do you think Inuyasha will take the change?" Shippo asked.
"He probably won't care...if he really likes her, I wonder if he does..." Sango replied. Both Miroku and Shippo looked at her with fed-up expressions. "Why are you both looking at me like that?" Sango inquired.
"We already know that he does!" Shippo cried.
"What? We do?" Sango asked.
"Obviously! Where have you BEEN Sango?" Miroku cried.
"Well...I guess that could be true..."
"It IS true," Shippo said. "It's very obvious...and speaking of obvious LIKINGS for people..." Shippo continued giving both Sango and Miroku a look which implied the same held true for them.
"What?" Miroku inquired.
"Why are you staring at us?" Sango asked.
"Never mind," Shippo grumbled.

Kagome continued sobbing as she ran, and had pulled her head out from hiding, but was so far ahead of Inuyasha in the dense wood, he couldn't see her. She finally came to a waterfall and decided to hide behind it, only hoping Inuyasha might not find her. She continued sobbing over her lost hair and the fact that now there most likely lie no chance in Inuyasha being attracted to her whatsoever.
It wasn't long, when Kagome could see Inuyasha a ways away from behind the water fall and tried to suppress and quiet her sobs. "Kagome?!!" called Inuyasha, "Kagome!! Come on out! I'm sure it's not that bad! Come on, Kagome!" Kagome's eyes drooped sadly.
"It is that bad, it's awful," she whimpered softly.
"Hey, is there someone there?!" Inuyasha shouted, looking directly at the waterfall.
"No!" Kagome answered before she thought about it. He soon approached and went through the water fall.
"Kagome?" In reply, all she did was cover her head with her arms and hide, continuing to cry a little.
"Go away, please go away, it's awful Inuyasha! It's horrible! Please go away!" Kagome whispered. He knelt down like a dog, sitting close in front of her.
"Just show me, it probably ain't bad, I bet..." Inuyasha said in a softer tone.
"Go away."
"Just quit actin' like a baby and come back with everyone else!" Inuyasha said loudly.
"Sit," Kagome whimpered through her sobs. Inuyasha slammed into the ground, but quickly got to his feet,
"Don't DO that!" he roared. He sat by her, slumping against the stone wall of the small cave. "Can't you be reasonable, Kagome? I mean, you're making way to big a deal of this. You're crying more about this than when you thought I died."
"I AM NOT!!! I WOULDN'T DO THAT!!!" she screamed through her tears. "Just go away!"
"Look, it might even look better, so just show me and we can go back..."
"We can just go back and I can keep my head covered," she returned.
"Just show me, okay?"
"Why do you even care?"
"I just wanna see what all the damn fuss is about!" Kagome took her arms down.
"There!!! You HAPPY?!" she cried, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Kagome?" he said in confusion, not sure it was her.
"See! You can't even recognize me!" she wailed pitifully.
"Sure I can! Don't cry anymore! Why would a hair cut make so much difference anyway? Why do you care so much about me seeing it?!"
"Because I knew you'll just stare like I'm some freak, like you are now, because now I'm even WORSE THAN YOUR PRECIOUS KIKYO!" Kagome shouted, crying hysterically. "No matter what you say I can see it in your FACE that you are constantly comparing me to her! I just know it!" Inuaysha's angry expression melted away, and he only looked at her with a softened one.
"Kagome..."
"Just don't say anything! I don't care anyways! It's not like...I...I...care that you love her or anything, I'm just tired of being another Kikyo or something, like while she's gone you can just keep pointing out to yourself how I don't match up!"
"Damn it, Kagome! Why is everything so earth shattering for you?" Inuyasha cried, embracing her. "I already told you, you're not a replacement or anything, I don't get it." After several moments Kagome got over her surprise at Inuyasha suddenly hugging her and replied to this.
"You still think I'm enough like her to compare me! I don't want to be compared to anyone anymore! Especially not her!" Kagome exclaimed, crying a bit more.
"I know you hate Kikyo and all..."
"I don't hate her!" Kagome cut in with upset. "Why would I anyway?! I don't care, I told you, she can..." Kagome said the rest far more quietly because of the falseness of it, "...take you...where ever she wants...if...that's what you want...I don't care..." He was silent, he didn't know what to say much after that, He wasn't much sure if he believed her.
"...well now you're far more different than her, you should be happy right now, instead of crying right?"
"Yeah, but everyone thinks I look like a guy, and...I liked my hair..."
"You're mother has short hair."
"I know."
"Then get over it."
"I don't want to look just like her! Mom bugs the heck out of me most of the time!"
"I always thought she was nice."
"Yeah...I guess..." Kagome subconsciously snuggled in a bit closer to Inuyasha, feeling tired from all the crying. "My hair was really all that was pretty on me though...I mean...there was really nothing else nice looking about me...and now I have nothing..."
'What an idiot,' Inuyasha thought, 'How could she think that?' Kagome was finding she was drifting to sleep. "How could you say that?" Inuyasha asked slowly, "I mean...I...." he trailed off, blushing a bit, "...I always thought you were........pretty..." he blushed to his roots, not believing he had said it. But he discovered Kagome was asleep and had heard nothing that he had said of this. "Stupid..." he mumbled. 'But I guess she had a hard day...' he thought. He felt he hair a bit, and found it wasn't bad at all to run your fingers through, it made her look older and her eyes stood out more, he noted. 'Those big brown eyes...kind of more soulful and joyful than Kikyo's...innocent and healing--what am I thinking?! I mean, Kikyo...I love her don't I? But Kagome...' He looked down at her and he actually didn't care at all that her hair was shorter and was almost glad it was.