Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Clenching Water ❯ The Altruist's Folly ( Chapter 2 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Pretty in Pink 
Kurama, ever the altruist.
Anime/Manga: Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 09.21.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.0K | Visits: 840 | Status: Work In Progress
Kurama, ever the altruist.
Anime/Manga: Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 09.21.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.0K | Visits: 840 | Status: Work In Progress
So, here is the next installment.
Written to: “Crystal Eyes” by Stoney Larue and “Lady” by Regina Spektor
.
Clenching Water
The Altruist’s Folly
.
It had been two months since their first date, and they’d been out nearly every day after school since then. Kagome could only see him through the school week, as she had told him she traveled out of town on the weekends. She didn’t explain further and he didn’t press the issue.
It was summer now, mid July, and Tokyo was in the middle of a heat wave. The couple was outside on the lawn behind Kagome’s house, lounging in lawn chairs. The radio between them spilled out lazy summer tunes, filling the comfortable silence between them.
Kagome sighed contentedly, nursing her iced lemonade with relish. The sun warmed her to the bone, making her feel lazy and sated. It was a perfect day with her perfect boyfriend.
Slowly, she reached down and flipped off the radio. “Hey, Shuichi-kun,” she spoke softly, so as not to startle him.
“Mm?” was his response as he slid open one emerald eye to look at her through his sunglasses.
“Tell me the story of Youko, the King of Thieves, again.” She smiled hopefully in his direction.
Kurama grinned as he felt Youko stir in him. He’d been napping, enjoying the peaceful summer day, when he’d heard his name from the young girl. He’d taken quite a liking to her, and not just in a physical sense, though the old fox did not keep his attraction to her a secret. Still, he’d toned it down a bit since they’d gotten to know her.
Lately, by Youko’s suggestion, he had begun telling her stories of his counterpart’s past adventures under the guise of fairy tales. And to his surprise, she utterly enjoyed them. But she’d heard this one a million times.
“Why do you want that one, Kagome-chan? You’ve heard it many times before,” he told her, lowering his shades to see the adorable blush that spread across her cheeks as she pulled at the hem of her denim shorts.
“I know, but it’s my favorite,” she told him. “And,” she continued with a nervous smile, turning her face to hide her embarrassment, “I just like to… to hear your voice.”
Kurama smiled softly at her admission, and took her hand to tug her out of her chair and into his lap. She settled in between his bent knees, her stomach tickling strangely at the skin-on-skin contact of her cheek against his bare chest. Squirming a bit until she got comfortable, she wrapped her arms around his neck and contented herself with fiddling with his silky red hair.
After a short delay in which Youko made a comment about foxes being opportunists, Kurama began the story.
“Youko Kurama was the greatest thief Japan had ever known. For two thousand years, he led a group of bloodthirsty bandits on a path to fame and fortune. He was known throughout the land as a calculative and merciless outlaw who cared nothing for those who did not serve his purposes. He traveled the land with his band of brigands and stole valuables from kings and warlords and pillaged settlements in the quest for adventure and power.
He was very powerful. It was said he could send a man to his death with a flick of his wrist. Many feared him and he made many enemi-”
“What did he look like?” Kagome interrupted, absently trailing her fingers over his exposed collar bone.
Kurama blinked. Well, that was a new one. She’d asked questions, but never about something so… trivial.
‘My beauty isn’t a trivial matter, boy. Now tell her what I look like.’ Youko grinned as he remembered how Kagome had said this was her favorite story.
“Uh, well, I guess he looked like any other fox demon,” he replied vaguely.
Kagome raised her head to look up at him with an exasperated expression. “But there are all kinds of foxes, Shuichi-kun. There are red ones, brown, black, gold, gray, white, silver.”
“A silver. He was a silver fox,” he told her.
Kagome nodded, seeming satisfied with his answer. “He was a noble, then,” she concluded to herself.
Youko blinked, surprised.
Kurama copied him to the outside world. “Yes, I suppose he was.”
She didn’t reply, only sighed against his skin, so he continued with the story. “He made many enemies, and one night he led a few of his strongest bandits on a heist in a great castle. But, the king of the castle knew of his approach from a traitor in their group and he had an army of demons ready to defend his treasure. When Youko realized what had happened, he fled with his most trusted partner and best friend Kuronue-”
“Did he have ears?” the girl in his lap interrupted him again.
The boy shook his head, confused. “Did who have ears, Kagome-chan?”
“Youko,” she clarified. “Did he have ears like a fox?” She set her hands atop her head to demonstrate, looking at him with a wild, childish curiosity.
Kurama smiled at her expression and nodded. “M-hm, just like a fox.”
“And a tail, too?” she asked him.
“Nine of them.”
Her blue eyes widened at this revelation. “Wow,” she whispered. “Nine tails.”
‘I would give Hiei the key to my vault to know what was going through that pretty head right at this moment,’ Youko chuckled richly at her thoughtful expression as she once again settled against them for the story.
Kurama cleared his throat and began again. “The guards chased Youko and Kuronue into the forest where Kuronue was caught in a trap of bamboo shoots. Dying from the wounds, he told his friend to leave him or they’d both be killed. Youko didn’t want to leave, but heeded his friend’s dying wish and fled,” he finished.
Youko was strangely silent in his mind.
He looked down to see the sad expression on Kagome’s face. Her blue eyes were darkened with gray and tears clung to her lashes. “It must have been so hard for him. He may have been ruthless and brutal, but he wasn’t heartless. Youkai have hearts, too,” she whispered.
The ancient fox in him was listening intently to her, ears perked forward in interest. He fixed a thoughtful frown to his lips. ‘She talks as though she thinks youkai are real beings.’
It is strange.
“You talk as though you’ve seen these youkai, Kagome-chan,” Kurama echoed Youko’s thoughts.
Kagome seemed to be contemplating this and opened her mouth to answer him. However, she thought better of it at the last moment and seemed to sigh in resignation. ‘Who am I kidding?’ Kagome thought sadly. ‘Shuichi is understanding, but not that understanding. If I told him about… well, he’d just send me to an asylum. But I want him to know. I don’t like keeping secrets from him. And it’s getting really hard to keep all those youkai at bay. How are they showing up in my time? Where are they coming from?…’
Shaking her head, she thought of the most plausible explanation for her strange affinity for mythical creatures. “I’ve grown up with stories of youkai and spirits. Grandpa tells them as if they are real; he has a way of blurring the line between the physical realm and that of the spirits. I guess I’m just used to it.” She looked up nervously. “Is that weird?”
Kurama smiled and shook his head. “Not at all. I grew up with stories of the supernatural as well. I understand the feeling.” He neglected to mention it was no elderly relative who had passed on these stories and that his experiences with demons were quite intimate.
His girlfriend seemed satisfied with this and laid her head back down on his chest. The avatar smiled in contentment as they lounged in the warm afternoon sun.
‘You know,’ Youko began in his head, taking on an innocent countenance, ‘she does come from a shrine and is familiar with the idea of youkai. One might even say accepting…’
Kurama gave his counterpart a pitying look. He hadn’t said as much, but he could tell Youko really liked the girl too and wanted to meet her. Youko, you know we can’t do that.
The old silver fox scowled at him childishly. ‘But you’ve heard the way she talks about demons. I don’t know what it is, but I get this strange feeling that she knows more than she’s letting on,’ he tried to persuade him.
Kurama mentally shook his head. ‘Admiring youkai in fairy tales and meeting one face-to-face are two entirely different things, Youko. You remember how Maya reacted to that demon that attacked us? And the way she looked at me when I destroyed it. Like she was afraid of me…’ he trailed off sadly.
Youko rolled his eyes. ‘Maya was a weakling and a flake,’ he told him tersely. Then, a softening in his eyes. ‘Kagome’s different.’
I agree with you that Kagome is very different from Maya, but she is still human.
Youko shook his head. ’But I don’t think she is,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘She has this… aura. A weird aura. It doesn’t feel entirely human. I don’t really know how to explain it. The closest thing I could compare it to is the feel of a goddess. I met one once, in a river, and Kagome’s aura feels similar to hers, but… smaller. Quieter.’
Kurama paused at this and wondered at the fox’s explanation. It didn’t make much sense, but… What if Kagome wasn’t human? What if she could understand? Before he could raise his hopes, he dismissed the thoughts. He was projecting his emotions onto the situation. He was letting his feelings for Kagome distort his logic. It was something he’d never had to deal with before, and found the revelation somewhat disconcerting. He was letting himself sink too deep.
We can’t keep her, Youko, he said with resolution. We knew from the beginning this couldn’t last.
‘But that was in the beginning,’ was the fox’s vague reply, his energy taking on a melancholy feel as he wove himself into Kurama’s own energy so he could feel the girl in their lap. Kurama silently agreed.
They looked down as one when she shifted uncomfortably. The fox and the avatar found her concerned blue eyes gazing up at him. She was worrying her bottom lip in that little way that they both found so adorable. “Are you okay, Shuichi-kun?” she asked in a near whisper.
Not wanting to worry her, he merely nodded and pulled her in closer to place a gentle kiss to her hair. She smiled fondly and began sweeping her own kisses across his collarbone and up his neck. Tenderly, she ghosted her lips up his jaw until she found his mouth where she kissed just at the corner of his lips. She stopped and waited.
Kagome giggled when Kurama turned his head, green eyes flashing with impatience, and covered her mouth with his own in a relaxed kiss. She stared up into his strangely gilded irises before she felt his hand make its way over her hip and up the curve of her torso to rest on one of her breasts, barely covered by the thin material of her blue tank-top. Surrendering to thoughtlessness, the little miko let her eyes drift closed and gave voice to a soft moan as he lightly teased her nipple with his thumb.
Just a little while longer.
Youko was too engrossed in the girl to voice his agreement.
.
“Kagome-chan,” Kurama uttered softly to her, carefully inspecting the dark bruises that decorated her wrists. “Where do all these bruises come from?”
The girl beside him immediately stiffened and pulled her sleeves down to cover her injured wrists self-consciously. She turned frightened eyes to him. “They’re- They’re nothing, Shuichi-kun,” she stuttered, trying and failing miserably to appear nonchalant. Inuyasha was right; she was a horrible liar.
Her boyfriend gave her a stern look and pulled her closer on the couch, tucking her slight form up against his side. “You know you can tell me if someone is hurting you,” he told her seriously.
The first few weeks of their relationship, he had ignored the bruises that littered her body, attributing it to whatever accident had led her to have the surgery on her thigh that she still spoke very vaguely of. But now, there was no getting around the fact that this was an ongoing attack. Was she abused at home? He’d met her family and he couldn’t imagine any of them hurting Kagome. Who then?
The little miko sunk down into the cushions of the couch, turning her eyes away from him. He was struck by how small and vulnerable she suddenly looked in that instance. “It’s not what you think.” Her voice was so soft, even with his youkai hearing he had to strain to catch the words.
“Every time I see you, there are fresh bruises or cuts,” he shook his head in disbelief. He saw her flinch at the hardness of his voice and he lowered his tone. Taking her chin in his fingers, he turned her face so she could see into his eyes. “I’m just worried about you, Kagome-chan. I want to know who is doing this to you.”
Her eyes took on a pained look that he misinterpreted to be fear. Fear of exposure, he supposed, and of whoever was doing this. But before he could voice his concerns, she took his face in her small hands and smiled for him. She leaned in and placed a gentle, fleeting kiss to his lips and snuggled down into his lap. Pressing another kiss to the shell of his ear, she spoke softly. “I know you’re concerned, but you don’t need to worry about me. I promise you, Shuichi-kun, it’s not what you’re thinking.”
And, against his better judgment, he took her word for it. The way she was looking at him and holding him as if he was the most important thing in the world made him want to believe her. She wouldn’t lie to him, right?
.
Kagome hummed happily to herself as she bathed and prepared for the day. Just two days ago, she couldn’t believe it had been so short a time, the evil hanyou Naraku had taken his last breath on the battlefield. No one had died, though Miroku had taken in copious amounts of poison in Sango’s defense. But, with plenty of antivenin and bed rest, he was slowly working it out of his system. And the future looked bright for everyone.
Inuyasha had decided he didn’t want to be a full demon any more, so she had left the nearly completed jewel with him for safekeeping until he came for her after Miroku’s recovery. They would snuff out the last few and then say their goodbyes. Strangely, she wasn’t as saddened by that fact as she had been before. It still made her heart ache to think that she would never see her friends, her second family, again. But it didn’t feel like the end of the world anymore. She had Shuichi now. And if he felt the same as she did (which she was sure of), then they had a bright future to look forward to. She had something to hope for.
For the first time in three years, Kagome Higurashi could see the light at the end of the tunnel, the end to this long and painful journey.
Today was the day. She was going to tell Shuichi how she felt.
Just three words, she thought giddily.
Downstairs, she could hear the doorbell resonate through the halls and she quickly pulled a pretty orange sundress over her head before rushing down to answer the door. That must be him!
Today was the day. Today was the day he would let Kagome go and leave for college. Unsurprisingly, he had been accepted into Tokyo University and would be moving into a dorm on the campus this afternoon.
His heart clenched painfully in his chest. He didn’t want to leave her, but it was necessary. This couldn’t go any further. He’d strung her along long enough. It had been a selfish endeavor, but he couldn’t say he regretted their short time together. Just that in the end, though he was doing this to protect her, he would be the one to hurt her.
Gathering his resolve, Kurama trekked up the stairs, his feet feeling heavier with every step. He’d never make her smile again, never hold her or comb her hair for her or kiss her or give her flowers or regale her with stories of Youko’s past. It was a depressing scenario.
Youko remained strangely silent as they came to Kagome’s door and rang the bell once. Immediately, they heard a shuffling and a series of thumps as someone ran down the stairs. He nearly winced as he imagined Kagome’s happy smile when she discovered him on her doorstep. And he wasn’t disappointed.
The door slid open to reveal an elated young girl in an orange sundress decorated with little goldfish around the hem. Her long blue-black hair clung to her shoulders, still dripping from her bath. She didn’t seem to care as she threw her arms around him, squealing happily. “Oh, Shuichi-kun, I’m so happy to see you! I was just getting ready to come over!”
He nearly gave in to the hug, but remembered why he’d come and pulled back to hold her at arms length. He studied the new light that seemed to radiate around her. Her beautiful smile was easier, less strained. The worry lines had left her forehead. She seemed… lighter. Like a great weight had been lifted from her.
Shaking himself from his thoughts, he let a somewhat guilty frown tilt his lips. Immediately, Kagome’s countenance shifted to concern and she lifted her own pale hands to grasp his on her shoulders. “Shuichi-kun, what’s wrong?”
The redhead focused his eyes where her little hands laid over his, her worried eyes searching his own for what had caused him to become so serious. She was just so… Kagome. He was a monster for hurting her.
“Kagome, I don’t think…” he trailed off. Swallowing the lump that had suddenly gathered in his throat and wishing Youko could be the one to do this, he tried again. “You know I’m leaving for college today,” he said seriously.
She nodded with a timid smile, not sure where this was going but absolutely bursting with the effort to hold in her confession until he could tell her what was so important. She wanted to say those words so badly! She wanted him to know it! And, in the back of her mind, a tiny part of her was afraid that if she didn’t do something to solidify their relationship, he would slip through her fingers like Inuyasha had. She couldn’t handle that, not again and not with Shuichi.
“And I’m moving onto the campus, too. We won’t be able to see each other very much between both of our schedules,” he said with a grim expression.
Kagome jumped in. “But that’s part of what I wanted to tell you! You see, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to do after high school and,” she paused, blushing self-consciously and picking at the hem of her dress, “I want to try to get into Tokyo U. next year, too. I’d have to keep my grades up and work a little harder in math, but I really think I could-”
“Kagome, I don’t think we should see each other anymore,” he said in a quiet admission.
The little miko froze abruptly, shutting her mouth with an audible snap. Her stomach began to sink. “Wh-what?” she stuttered, dazed.
Kurama sighed. “I don’t think it will work out. We’ll barely be seeing each other.” He tried not to notice the tears gathering in her eyes as he spoke.
This was a dream. A really bad dream. She must have fallen asleep in the bathtub.
This couldn’t be happening. Not now, not when the future looked so bright.
She thought he felt the same!
She shook her head in disbelief, casting little droplets of water across her shoulders. “Shuichi-kun, I don-” her voice cracked with her tears, “I don’t understand.”
Frantically, she searched his eyes for any sign of what he was feeling, but they were cold and unfeeling. It was so unlike her Shuichi. Why was he doing this?
Kagome thought back to the last few months. What had she done to anger him? Had she been too needy? She tried to remember how many times she’d called him that week. But she wasn’t being needy! She just wanted to hear his voice. Was it because she wouldn’t sleep with him? No, Shuichi had never pushed himself on her and he was usually the one to pull away when their kissing got too deep. Was it all the time she spent in the Feudal Era? Was she too fat? Was she not pretty enough? Was she not smart enough?
His soft voice startled her out of her thoughts and numbly, she realized she could feel wetness on her cheeks. Was that the reason? Was she too weak?
“I’m sorry, Kagome.” His form swam in her vision as he leaned forward and placed one last soft kiss to her forehead and stepped away. She watched through her tears as he disappeared down the steps, never looking back.
Her knees felt so weak. She barely registered pain in her legs as she collapsed to her knees in the doorway. The little miko clenched her burning eyes shut and buried her face in her hands, choking back the sobs that swelled in her throat.
“But I was going to tell you today,” she whispered brokenly. “I was going to tell you. I love you, Shuichi-kun.”
.
Written to: “Crystal Eyes” by Stoney Larue and “Lady” by Regina Spektor
.
Clenching Water
The Altruist’s Folly
.
It had been two months since their first date, and they’d been out nearly every day after school since then. Kagome could only see him through the school week, as she had told him she traveled out of town on the weekends. She didn’t explain further and he didn’t press the issue.
It was summer now, mid July, and Tokyo was in the middle of a heat wave. The couple was outside on the lawn behind Kagome’s house, lounging in lawn chairs. The radio between them spilled out lazy summer tunes, filling the comfortable silence between them.
Kagome sighed contentedly, nursing her iced lemonade with relish. The sun warmed her to the bone, making her feel lazy and sated. It was a perfect day with her perfect boyfriend.
Slowly, she reached down and flipped off the radio. “Hey, Shuichi-kun,” she spoke softly, so as not to startle him.
“Mm?” was his response as he slid open one emerald eye to look at her through his sunglasses.
“Tell me the story of Youko, the King of Thieves, again.” She smiled hopefully in his direction.
Kurama grinned as he felt Youko stir in him. He’d been napping, enjoying the peaceful summer day, when he’d heard his name from the young girl. He’d taken quite a liking to her, and not just in a physical sense, though the old fox did not keep his attraction to her a secret. Still, he’d toned it down a bit since they’d gotten to know her.
Lately, by Youko’s suggestion, he had begun telling her stories of his counterpart’s past adventures under the guise of fairy tales. And to his surprise, she utterly enjoyed them. But she’d heard this one a million times.
“Why do you want that one, Kagome-chan? You’ve heard it many times before,” he told her, lowering his shades to see the adorable blush that spread across her cheeks as she pulled at the hem of her denim shorts.
“I know, but it’s my favorite,” she told him. “And,” she continued with a nervous smile, turning her face to hide her embarrassment, “I just like to… to hear your voice.”
Kurama smiled softly at her admission, and took her hand to tug her out of her chair and into his lap. She settled in between his bent knees, her stomach tickling strangely at the skin-on-skin contact of her cheek against his bare chest. Squirming a bit until she got comfortable, she wrapped her arms around his neck and contented herself with fiddling with his silky red hair.
After a short delay in which Youko made a comment about foxes being opportunists, Kurama began the story.
“Youko Kurama was the greatest thief Japan had ever known. For two thousand years, he led a group of bloodthirsty bandits on a path to fame and fortune. He was known throughout the land as a calculative and merciless outlaw who cared nothing for those who did not serve his purposes. He traveled the land with his band of brigands and stole valuables from kings and warlords and pillaged settlements in the quest for adventure and power.
He was very powerful. It was said he could send a man to his death with a flick of his wrist. Many feared him and he made many enemi-”
“What did he look like?” Kagome interrupted, absently trailing her fingers over his exposed collar bone.
Kurama blinked. Well, that was a new one. She’d asked questions, but never about something so… trivial.
‘My beauty isn’t a trivial matter, boy. Now tell her what I look like.’ Youko grinned as he remembered how Kagome had said this was her favorite story.
“Uh, well, I guess he looked like any other fox demon,” he replied vaguely.
Kagome raised her head to look up at him with an exasperated expression. “But there are all kinds of foxes, Shuichi-kun. There are red ones, brown, black, gold, gray, white, silver.”
“A silver. He was a silver fox,” he told her.
Kagome nodded, seeming satisfied with his answer. “He was a noble, then,” she concluded to herself.
Youko blinked, surprised.
Kurama copied him to the outside world. “Yes, I suppose he was.”
She didn’t reply, only sighed against his skin, so he continued with the story. “He made many enemies, and one night he led a few of his strongest bandits on a heist in a great castle. But, the king of the castle knew of his approach from a traitor in their group and he had an army of demons ready to defend his treasure. When Youko realized what had happened, he fled with his most trusted partner and best friend Kuronue-”
“Did he have ears?” the girl in his lap interrupted him again.
The boy shook his head, confused. “Did who have ears, Kagome-chan?”
“Youko,” she clarified. “Did he have ears like a fox?” She set her hands atop her head to demonstrate, looking at him with a wild, childish curiosity.
Kurama smiled at her expression and nodded. “M-hm, just like a fox.”
“And a tail, too?” she asked him.
“Nine of them.”
Her blue eyes widened at this revelation. “Wow,” she whispered. “Nine tails.”
‘I would give Hiei the key to my vault to know what was going through that pretty head right at this moment,’ Youko chuckled richly at her thoughtful expression as she once again settled against them for the story.
Kurama cleared his throat and began again. “The guards chased Youko and Kuronue into the forest where Kuronue was caught in a trap of bamboo shoots. Dying from the wounds, he told his friend to leave him or they’d both be killed. Youko didn’t want to leave, but heeded his friend’s dying wish and fled,” he finished.
Youko was strangely silent in his mind.
He looked down to see the sad expression on Kagome’s face. Her blue eyes were darkened with gray and tears clung to her lashes. “It must have been so hard for him. He may have been ruthless and brutal, but he wasn’t heartless. Youkai have hearts, too,” she whispered.
The ancient fox in him was listening intently to her, ears perked forward in interest. He fixed a thoughtful frown to his lips. ‘She talks as though she thinks youkai are real beings.’
It is strange.
“You talk as though you’ve seen these youkai, Kagome-chan,” Kurama echoed Youko’s thoughts.
Kagome seemed to be contemplating this and opened her mouth to answer him. However, she thought better of it at the last moment and seemed to sigh in resignation. ‘Who am I kidding?’ Kagome thought sadly. ‘Shuichi is understanding, but not that understanding. If I told him about… well, he’d just send me to an asylum. But I want him to know. I don’t like keeping secrets from him. And it’s getting really hard to keep all those youkai at bay. How are they showing up in my time? Where are they coming from?…’
Shaking her head, she thought of the most plausible explanation for her strange affinity for mythical creatures. “I’ve grown up with stories of youkai and spirits. Grandpa tells them as if they are real; he has a way of blurring the line between the physical realm and that of the spirits. I guess I’m just used to it.” She looked up nervously. “Is that weird?”
Kurama smiled and shook his head. “Not at all. I grew up with stories of the supernatural as well. I understand the feeling.” He neglected to mention it was no elderly relative who had passed on these stories and that his experiences with demons were quite intimate.
His girlfriend seemed satisfied with this and laid her head back down on his chest. The avatar smiled in contentment as they lounged in the warm afternoon sun.
‘You know,’ Youko began in his head, taking on an innocent countenance, ‘she does come from a shrine and is familiar with the idea of youkai. One might even say accepting…’
Kurama gave his counterpart a pitying look. He hadn’t said as much, but he could tell Youko really liked the girl too and wanted to meet her. Youko, you know we can’t do that.
The old silver fox scowled at him childishly. ‘But you’ve heard the way she talks about demons. I don’t know what it is, but I get this strange feeling that she knows more than she’s letting on,’ he tried to persuade him.
Kurama mentally shook his head. ‘Admiring youkai in fairy tales and meeting one face-to-face are two entirely different things, Youko. You remember how Maya reacted to that demon that attacked us? And the way she looked at me when I destroyed it. Like she was afraid of me…’ he trailed off sadly.
Youko rolled his eyes. ‘Maya was a weakling and a flake,’ he told him tersely. Then, a softening in his eyes. ‘Kagome’s different.’
I agree with you that Kagome is very different from Maya, but she is still human.
Youko shook his head. ’But I don’t think she is,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘She has this… aura. A weird aura. It doesn’t feel entirely human. I don’t really know how to explain it. The closest thing I could compare it to is the feel of a goddess. I met one once, in a river, and Kagome’s aura feels similar to hers, but… smaller. Quieter.’
Kurama paused at this and wondered at the fox’s explanation. It didn’t make much sense, but… What if Kagome wasn’t human? What if she could understand? Before he could raise his hopes, he dismissed the thoughts. He was projecting his emotions onto the situation. He was letting his feelings for Kagome distort his logic. It was something he’d never had to deal with before, and found the revelation somewhat disconcerting. He was letting himself sink too deep.
We can’t keep her, Youko, he said with resolution. We knew from the beginning this couldn’t last.
‘But that was in the beginning,’ was the fox’s vague reply, his energy taking on a melancholy feel as he wove himself into Kurama’s own energy so he could feel the girl in their lap. Kurama silently agreed.
They looked down as one when she shifted uncomfortably. The fox and the avatar found her concerned blue eyes gazing up at him. She was worrying her bottom lip in that little way that they both found so adorable. “Are you okay, Shuichi-kun?” she asked in a near whisper.
Not wanting to worry her, he merely nodded and pulled her in closer to place a gentle kiss to her hair. She smiled fondly and began sweeping her own kisses across his collarbone and up his neck. Tenderly, she ghosted her lips up his jaw until she found his mouth where she kissed just at the corner of his lips. She stopped and waited.
Kagome giggled when Kurama turned his head, green eyes flashing with impatience, and covered her mouth with his own in a relaxed kiss. She stared up into his strangely gilded irises before she felt his hand make its way over her hip and up the curve of her torso to rest on one of her breasts, barely covered by the thin material of her blue tank-top. Surrendering to thoughtlessness, the little miko let her eyes drift closed and gave voice to a soft moan as he lightly teased her nipple with his thumb.
Just a little while longer.
Youko was too engrossed in the girl to voice his agreement.
.
“Kagome-chan,” Kurama uttered softly to her, carefully inspecting the dark bruises that decorated her wrists. “Where do all these bruises come from?”
The girl beside him immediately stiffened and pulled her sleeves down to cover her injured wrists self-consciously. She turned frightened eyes to him. “They’re- They’re nothing, Shuichi-kun,” she stuttered, trying and failing miserably to appear nonchalant. Inuyasha was right; she was a horrible liar.
Her boyfriend gave her a stern look and pulled her closer on the couch, tucking her slight form up against his side. “You know you can tell me if someone is hurting you,” he told her seriously.
The first few weeks of their relationship, he had ignored the bruises that littered her body, attributing it to whatever accident had led her to have the surgery on her thigh that she still spoke very vaguely of. But now, there was no getting around the fact that this was an ongoing attack. Was she abused at home? He’d met her family and he couldn’t imagine any of them hurting Kagome. Who then?
The little miko sunk down into the cushions of the couch, turning her eyes away from him. He was struck by how small and vulnerable she suddenly looked in that instance. “It’s not what you think.” Her voice was so soft, even with his youkai hearing he had to strain to catch the words.
“Every time I see you, there are fresh bruises or cuts,” he shook his head in disbelief. He saw her flinch at the hardness of his voice and he lowered his tone. Taking her chin in his fingers, he turned her face so she could see into his eyes. “I’m just worried about you, Kagome-chan. I want to know who is doing this to you.”
Her eyes took on a pained look that he misinterpreted to be fear. Fear of exposure, he supposed, and of whoever was doing this. But before he could voice his concerns, she took his face in her small hands and smiled for him. She leaned in and placed a gentle, fleeting kiss to his lips and snuggled down into his lap. Pressing another kiss to the shell of his ear, she spoke softly. “I know you’re concerned, but you don’t need to worry about me. I promise you, Shuichi-kun, it’s not what you’re thinking.”
And, against his better judgment, he took her word for it. The way she was looking at him and holding him as if he was the most important thing in the world made him want to believe her. She wouldn’t lie to him, right?
.
Kagome hummed happily to herself as she bathed and prepared for the day. Just two days ago, she couldn’t believe it had been so short a time, the evil hanyou Naraku had taken his last breath on the battlefield. No one had died, though Miroku had taken in copious amounts of poison in Sango’s defense. But, with plenty of antivenin and bed rest, he was slowly working it out of his system. And the future looked bright for everyone.
Inuyasha had decided he didn’t want to be a full demon any more, so she had left the nearly completed jewel with him for safekeeping until he came for her after Miroku’s recovery. They would snuff out the last few and then say their goodbyes. Strangely, she wasn’t as saddened by that fact as she had been before. It still made her heart ache to think that she would never see her friends, her second family, again. But it didn’t feel like the end of the world anymore. She had Shuichi now. And if he felt the same as she did (which she was sure of), then they had a bright future to look forward to. She had something to hope for.
For the first time in three years, Kagome Higurashi could see the light at the end of the tunnel, the end to this long and painful journey.
Today was the day. She was going to tell Shuichi how she felt.
Just three words, she thought giddily.
Downstairs, she could hear the doorbell resonate through the halls and she quickly pulled a pretty orange sundress over her head before rushing down to answer the door. That must be him!
Today was the day. Today was the day he would let Kagome go and leave for college. Unsurprisingly, he had been accepted into Tokyo University and would be moving into a dorm on the campus this afternoon.
His heart clenched painfully in his chest. He didn’t want to leave her, but it was necessary. This couldn’t go any further. He’d strung her along long enough. It had been a selfish endeavor, but he couldn’t say he regretted their short time together. Just that in the end, though he was doing this to protect her, he would be the one to hurt her.
Gathering his resolve, Kurama trekked up the stairs, his feet feeling heavier with every step. He’d never make her smile again, never hold her or comb her hair for her or kiss her or give her flowers or regale her with stories of Youko’s past. It was a depressing scenario.
Youko remained strangely silent as they came to Kagome’s door and rang the bell once. Immediately, they heard a shuffling and a series of thumps as someone ran down the stairs. He nearly winced as he imagined Kagome’s happy smile when she discovered him on her doorstep. And he wasn’t disappointed.
The door slid open to reveal an elated young girl in an orange sundress decorated with little goldfish around the hem. Her long blue-black hair clung to her shoulders, still dripping from her bath. She didn’t seem to care as she threw her arms around him, squealing happily. “Oh, Shuichi-kun, I’m so happy to see you! I was just getting ready to come over!”
He nearly gave in to the hug, but remembered why he’d come and pulled back to hold her at arms length. He studied the new light that seemed to radiate around her. Her beautiful smile was easier, less strained. The worry lines had left her forehead. She seemed… lighter. Like a great weight had been lifted from her.
Shaking himself from his thoughts, he let a somewhat guilty frown tilt his lips. Immediately, Kagome’s countenance shifted to concern and she lifted her own pale hands to grasp his on her shoulders. “Shuichi-kun, what’s wrong?”
The redhead focused his eyes where her little hands laid over his, her worried eyes searching his own for what had caused him to become so serious. She was just so… Kagome. He was a monster for hurting her.
“Kagome, I don’t think…” he trailed off. Swallowing the lump that had suddenly gathered in his throat and wishing Youko could be the one to do this, he tried again. “You know I’m leaving for college today,” he said seriously.
She nodded with a timid smile, not sure where this was going but absolutely bursting with the effort to hold in her confession until he could tell her what was so important. She wanted to say those words so badly! She wanted him to know it! And, in the back of her mind, a tiny part of her was afraid that if she didn’t do something to solidify their relationship, he would slip through her fingers like Inuyasha had. She couldn’t handle that, not again and not with Shuichi.
“And I’m moving onto the campus, too. We won’t be able to see each other very much between both of our schedules,” he said with a grim expression.
Kagome jumped in. “But that’s part of what I wanted to tell you! You see, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to do after high school and,” she paused, blushing self-consciously and picking at the hem of her dress, “I want to try to get into Tokyo U. next year, too. I’d have to keep my grades up and work a little harder in math, but I really think I could-”
“Kagome, I don’t think we should see each other anymore,” he said in a quiet admission.
The little miko froze abruptly, shutting her mouth with an audible snap. Her stomach began to sink. “Wh-what?” she stuttered, dazed.
Kurama sighed. “I don’t think it will work out. We’ll barely be seeing each other.” He tried not to notice the tears gathering in her eyes as he spoke.
This was a dream. A really bad dream. She must have fallen asleep in the bathtub.
This couldn’t be happening. Not now, not when the future looked so bright.
She thought he felt the same!
She shook her head in disbelief, casting little droplets of water across her shoulders. “Shuichi-kun, I don-” her voice cracked with her tears, “I don’t understand.”
Frantically, she searched his eyes for any sign of what he was feeling, but they were cold and unfeeling. It was so unlike her Shuichi. Why was he doing this?
Kagome thought back to the last few months. What had she done to anger him? Had she been too needy? She tried to remember how many times she’d called him that week. But she wasn’t being needy! She just wanted to hear his voice. Was it because she wouldn’t sleep with him? No, Shuichi had never pushed himself on her and he was usually the one to pull away when their kissing got too deep. Was it all the time she spent in the Feudal Era? Was she too fat? Was she not pretty enough? Was she not smart enough?
His soft voice startled her out of her thoughts and numbly, she realized she could feel wetness on her cheeks. Was that the reason? Was she too weak?
“I’m sorry, Kagome.” His form swam in her vision as he leaned forward and placed one last soft kiss to her forehead and stepped away. She watched through her tears as he disappeared down the steps, never looking back.
Her knees felt so weak. She barely registered pain in her legs as she collapsed to her knees in the doorway. The little miko clenched her burning eyes shut and buried her face in her hands, choking back the sobs that swelled in her throat.
“But I was going to tell you today,” she whispered brokenly. “I was going to tell you. I love you, Shuichi-kun.”
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