InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity ❯ Truth and Consequences ( Chapter 4 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
~~Chapter 4~~
~Truth and Consequences~

-==========-


' Okay, this is officially the weirdest day, ever,' Kagome thought as she pulled out the bentou her brother had dropped off moments before he'd dashed away to get to his own class just before the opening bell had sounded.  In her rush this morning, she'd forgotten her lunch, which wasn't surprising since she'd had other things on her mind—things like her sixteenth birthday and the strange sense that even her memories of it were off-kilter.

Carefully removing the lacquered wooden lid, she blinked and stared for a few seconds since the box in question contained entirely too much food for her to eat.  She wasn't sure what her mother was thinking, but she certainly couldn't expect Kagome to eat it all, did she?

"Kagome-chan?"

Dropping the lid once more, Kagome turned to look at Yuki and Eri.  "Pardon?'

The girls exchanged looks, and Kagome frowned as Yuki giggled.  "Did you and Houjou-kun have a fight?" she asked.

"A fight?  Why would we have?" Kagome asked, wondering exactly what had gotten into her friends—into everyone—today.

"Well, you usually go sit on the roof and share your bentou with him," Eri pointed out, rolling her eyes as though Kagome should've known as much.

Kagome blinked in surprise.  "I . . . I do?"

Yuki lowered the onigiri she was about to bite into and slowly shook her head.  "Are you kidding?  Seriously?  Of course you do!  You've done it for the last two years—ever since the two of you started dating!"

It was a good thing that Kagome didn't have anything in her mouth at the time.  If she had, she probably would've choked or worse.  'T-Two years?' she thought, muttering something about using the restroom as she stumbled to her feet and hurried out of the classroom.  'N-No . . . No . . .'

Even as she thought it, though, she knew that they were telling her the truth.  As though the mere suggestion were enough to remind her, fleeting memories flickered to life in her mind.  They were real enough—she'd argued with Houjou just yesterday when he pretended to have forgotten that today was her birthday, and she'd been upset enough to leave him sitting alone on the roof of the school as she'd stomped back inside to finish her meal alone.

Once in the hallway, though, she didn't head for the bathroom.  Glancing up and down the corridor, she veered to the left, ducking into the first empty room she came to: the science room.  At least it was quiet, and she uttered a low groan as she slumped against the door and slowly slid to the floor.  At least if Houjou came looking for her today, he'd probably just figure that she was still angry at him, and at the moment, that was fine with Kagome.  She just wanted to be alone, needed to shake off the strange feeling that something was off if she could only figure out what that could possibly be . . .

Why did everything feel so odd?  Why was it that she couldn't seem to remember the simplest of things?  If what everyone said was true—if she really had been dating Houjou for the last two years, then why was it that she couldn't quite shake the unsettling feeling that there was someone else?  There wasn't a name or a face to go along with that feeling, no—just a whisper in her mind, a blur of gold that couldn't be discerned . . .

Biting her lip, she closed her eyes.  Weirdest of all was that she really couldn't even remember yesterday, come to think of it.  

'Get a hold of yourself, Kagome,' she told herself sternly.  'You're too young to go crazy.'

It was true, wasn't it?  Maybe it had something to do with that odd dream she'd had this morning.  After all, she rarely remembered anything that she dreamt about, so maybe it was throwing her for a loop today.

Still, the feeling that there was something that was eluding her was frustrating at best, and while she'd been trying to convince herself that she'd never remember if she were trying to force it, that didn't help when she kept feeling the strangest sense of urgency.

But it didn't make sense, either, as far as she was concerned.  Sure, she liked Houjou.  He was a nice guy with a friendly smile, and she knew that he'd always been very popular with the girls at school, too.  She ought to be thrilled that he was her boyfriend, shouldn't she?  Yet she wasn't.  As much as she might like Houjou as a friend, she simply couldn't imagine actually dating him, no matter what anyone said—no matter what she thought she remembered . . .

Letting out a deep breath that was more of a sigh than anything else, Kagome drew her legs up, wrapping her hands around her ankles, resting her chin on her raised knees.  The headache that had started shortly after she'd arrived at school was gradually worsening into a dull ache just behind her eyes.  Lowering her chin, staring down at the school blazer that seemed so unfamiliar to her, she bit her lip.

And just as strangely, a wash of memories came back to her, as though she had to concentrate on them in order to reclaim them, as though they had been somehow misplaced.  She could remember the first day of high school.  She had trouble sleeping the night before, she was so nervous.  She'd hopped out of bed a dozen times or more, grabbing the garment brush off her desk, carefully running it over the blazer to remove imaginary lint . . . Her relief that her friends had ended up in the same class that she'd been assigned to—and her relief that Houjou had been placed in one of the other classes . . .

That thought brought on another scowl.  He was her boyfriend, wasn't he?  Why would she have been relieved that he was placed in another class?

Closing her eyes as she gently rubbed her temples, Kagome let out another deep breath and gave a mental shrug.  She was just thinking too hard, that was all.  That had to be it, right?  The girls had offered to take her to WacDnalds after school for a birthday treat.  Maybe she should go home instead and lie down awhile.  For reasons that she didn't really understand, she felt exhausted, both physically and mentally.

But even as she considered blowing off her friends, she knew deep down that she wouldn't do it.  After all, her birthday only came around once a year, right, and by this time next year, she'd be finished with school anyway.  Once they graduated and went their separate ways, who knew when they'd have the time to get together again?  That thought was enough to make her sigh.  Being finished with high school?  Moving on to college?  Those were ideas that both excited her and scared her senseless, all at the same time . . . No, things would change quickly enough.  For now, she might as well celebrate it, even if she didn't feel the greatest . . .

"Happy birthday," she mumbled, a wan smile turning up the corners of her lips though the expression didn't really reach her eyes.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-


InuYasha felt his feet hit the ground with a reassuring pressure as the immediate change of smells engulfed his sensitive nose. As many times as he had traveled to Kagome's time, he hadn't ever quite reconciled himself to the sudden change. The world was such a different place here, with more people, more scents, more everything. He sighed. There was no going back now.

He'd left everything behind. He'd almost forgotten Tetsusaiga. Had it not been for Miroku, who grabbed it before leaving Kaede's hut to follow, InuYasha would have jumped into the well without it.

He never thought it would have been so difficult to say goodbye.

Sango had tried her best not to weep. The same eyes that had glowed like fire as they had all faced down Naraku only days before had been awash with unshed tears. The tears she hadn't been able to hold back had slid down her cheeks unnoticed. Her hands came up toward his head slowly, hesitantly. He understood her unvoiced question and inclined his head toward her, allowing Sango to rub his ears. She'd never done that before, but she did so now as a show of genuine affection, and InuYasha let her as she rasped out, "Never forget, InuYasha. Even if we never see one another again, you have friends, and so does Kagome."

InuYasha cleared his throat as Sango's hand fell away. "Keep that pervert in line, will you, Sango?"

She choked out a half-sob, half-laugh and nodded, smiling through another wash of tears.

Miroku hadn't shed a tear though his eyes had been shining with them. He's grabbed InuYasha into a tight hug, which had been uncomfortable for a minute before InuYasha had hugged him back. Closer than he and Sesshoumaru had ever been, InuYasha knew he'd sorely miss Miroku, no matter how perverted the monk tended to be. Miroku had somehow grown to be more of a brother than simply a friend. "Tell Kagome how much you care, InuYasha . . . Tell her that before you tell her anything else. Hold her tight, and never let her go."

"I will," he promised.

Finally, InuYasha stopped to hunker down before Shippou. Shippou, who loved Kagome best, loved her like the mother he'd lost long ago. For some reason, after speaking with Kaede, Shippou had decided that he wanted to stay behind. He wouldn't tell InuYasha why. "Will you change your mind?" InuYasha asked softly.

Shippou stubbornly swiped at his cheek with a tiny hand and shook his head. "I must remain here. Sango and Miroku would be lost without me. Besides, you don't really want me to come."

InuYasha frowned. "What about Kagome?"

Shippou shook his head stubbornly. "Tell Kagome . . . Tell Kagome I'll miss her." He drew a ragged breath and finally met InuYasha's gaze. "Tell her that I love her."

InuYasha had to swallow a fist-sized lump that rose to choke him at Shippou's softly uttered words. "Then come with me, you pest."

Shippou cast Kaede a quick glance then shook his head again. InuYasha was unprepared as the young kitsune launched himself at him only to cling to InuYasha with a death grip around the hanyou's neck. "I'll take care of Miroku and Sango," he promised in InuYasha's ear. "They're only humans, after all."

InuYasha rasped out an incredulous laugh and hugged Shippou, just for a moment. "You do that, Shippou."

Sango stepped forward and pulled the child off of InuYasha as Kaede mumbled some sort of incantation over InuYasha's head before squeezing his hand in hers and wishing him and Kagome well. She said that the chant should hide his hanyou nature from those who wouldn't understand. For that, InuYasha was grateful. The last thing he needed was to send the people in Kagome's time into a frenzied panic. She always got nervous when he followed her home. He'd smelled the anxiety on her more than once. She was afraid his dog ears would be seen . . .

Kikyou touched his shoulder. "Are you ready, InuYasha?"

"Kikyou . . ." he trailed off as he turned to stare at her, wishing for all the world that she didn't look so sad. He reached a hand out toward her then let it drop to his side. She nodded and smiled. Though her eyes were damp, bright, her smile was genuine. He tried to return the sentiment. He just couldn't.

InuYasha glanced over his shoulder at the others and then leaned over to kiss Kikyou's cheek. As uncomfortable as he might be, leaving without properly saying goodbye—leaving without trying to thank her . . . He couldn't do that; not this time.  More tears sprang to her eyes, and she furiously blinked them back. He could only hope that the one gesture would be enough to tell her everything that he was unable to say.

Kikyou and InuYasha stared at each other another moment. "She's a lucky woman," Kikyou murmured as she brushed away the one tear that escaped to slide down her cheek.

InuYasha could feel his face warm at her words.

Kikyou stepped over to the well and leaned over to lay her hands on the surface. She closed her eyes and mumbled an incantation. The well erupted in a beautiful pink haze, and InuYasha watched in amazed silence as the water slowly receded.

"Go, now!" Kikyou gasped out. InuYasha shot her a questioning look. She was sweating and pale. He opened his mouth to say something but Kikyou interrupted without opening her eyes. "Now, InuYasha! Go!"

He didn't hesitate. "Thank you, Kikyou," he mumbled as he hopped onto the edge of the well. He heard his friends who had somehow become like family behind him. He stared at each of them for a second before dropping down into the well. He would carry their faces in his mind—in his heart—forever.

InuYasha blinked as the memory faded and heaved a heavy sigh. Here he was.

There was no going back now.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-


Kagome stared at the test paper before her without seeing the questions. Her head hurt. Her brain felt so disjointed yet she couldn't place why. Her friends had all wished her a happy birthday when she and Houjou had arrived at school. Still, it seemed like a peculiar dream. Why did she feel like there was someplace else she needed to be?

The final bell of the day rang, and Eri poked her arm. "Kagome-chan? Kagome-chan! Are you all right? You didn't even answer one question on the quiz!"

Kagome snatched her paper out of her friend's view and stiffly stood up. "I have a headache, that's all," she replied defensively as she stuffed her books into her bag and headed toward the teacher's desk to hand it the abysmal test. Eri followed her.

Kissune-sensei glanced at the paper as Kagome dropped it and tried to hurry from the classroom. His voice stopped her. "Higurashi-kun, can I speak to you for a moment?"

Kagome stifled a groan as Eri hurried out of the room. She slowly turned to face the teacher. He was leaning back against the desk with his arms crossed and a concerned look on his face. She liked  Kissune-sensei. He was her favorite teacher, actually. Yet she couldn't make herself meet his emerald eyes, looking no further than his unfashionably long auburn hair. He always wore it in a low ponytail at the nape of his neck, and, like now, the end of it trailed over his wide shoulder. "Yes, sir?" she forced herself to ask in the silence that had fallen.

He sighed. "Higurashi-kun, your work has dropped off considerably lately. Why is that?"

Kagome shifted nervously, hitching her bag strap up higher on her shoulder. "I . . . I have a headache," she replied, feeling completely lame in telling the half-lie.

When she finally lifted her gaze to meet his, she bit her bottom lip. He was staring at her in an odd sort of way, as though he was trying to read her mind. Finally, he nodded. "Boy troubles?"

"Boy wha—?  Oh, no! Houjou-kun is wonderful, great," she blurted, shoving aside that odd twinge of guilt, the same as she had experienced earlier.

Sensei's eyebrows lifted. "Houjou-kun?" he echoed. "I didn't realize you were seeing him."

Kagome forced a smile. "`Of course I am! I've been seeing him for two years now." Her smile faltered. Yes, she had been seeing him that long. Sure she had.  At least, that's what everyone had told her when they'd asked her why she wasn't going to find Houjou to share her bentou with.  She had insisted that it was crazy.  They'd told her that she did it every day . . . Unconsciously, Kagome reached up and grasped the pink orb on her necklace. It somehow comforted her. "Is that all, sensei? My friends were going to take me to WacDnalds for my birthday."

Kissune-sensei smiled and nodded. "Then you'd better run along, hadn't you?"

Kagome hurried out of the room with a sigh of relief. Maybe it was that weird dream she'd had last night, she thought to herself. It really had been strange. If only she could remember what, exactly, it was . . .

Kagome didn't see Kissune-sensei step into the hallway with a thoughtful frown as he watched her hurried retreat. The teacher sighed and shook his head before digging into his pocket for his cell phone. He punched in the first number on his speed dial and hoped that someone would be there.

The deep voice that answered sounded quite bored, almost droll. "Yes?"

"It's me. Kagome-chan just left."

A pause on the other end, then a sigh. "And?"

"And something's not right. She says she's dating Houjou-kun."

"Who is this `Houjou'?"

"What does it matter? She's not supposed to be dating anyone, let alone some pathetically clueless human."

"Hmm."

Kissune snorted. "What do you mean, hmm?"

Another sigh. "Maybe they had a tiff?"

"No way. I remember. Today's her birthday."

"And you want me to stop InuYasha?"

He pulled the phone away from his head long enough to glare at it for a moment before answering. "Yes, Sesshoumaru. I do."

"Why can't you do it? InuYasha's not going to listen to me, you know."

"Because you're closer. Take Rin with you. Maybe he'll listen to her."

Sesshoumaru sighed yet again. "Fine. I take it you'll meet us there?"

Kissune checked his watch and grimaced. "I'll get there as soon as I can."

The phone line went dead, and he clicked the device closed. Leaving the tests scattered on his desk, he closed the door behind himself and set off down the hallway at a dead run.

InuYasha would be coming through that well any minute, which should have been fine otherwise, but for some reason, Kagome didn't seem to remember a thing about the hanyou. It was as Kissune had feared for some time. On the day that she had turned fifteen, she should have started racking up absences, but she was at school each day, every day. At first, he had only wondered how that could be. After seeing the Shikon no Tama today though, looking as ordinary and plain as any other bit of costume jewelry, he knew.

He glanced around as he stepped outside. `Forget the car,' he thought as he broke into a sprint. He could run faster than the vehicle could move.

`After all, foxes are always faster.'


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N:

Bentou: Lunch box.
Onigiri: Rice ball.
Sensei: proper address for a teacher or anyone in a specialized profession.

-======-

Blanket disclaimer for this fanfic (will apply to this and all other chapters in Purity): I do not claim any rights to InuYasha or the characters associated with the anime/manga. Those rights belong to Rumiko Takahashi, et al. I do offer my thanks to her for creating such vivid characters for me to terrorize.
~Sue~