InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ This Mess We're In ❯ Reminding ( Chapter 8 )

This Mess We're In

Chapter 7: Reminding

Disclaimers: I don't own the series.

Rating: For now, it's all still PG13. Eventually there will be some adult stuff. I will continue to cut a PG13 or R version for ff.net. NC17 material will be reserved for MediaMiner.org posts, and will be eventually posted at the address in my profile.

Summary: Kagome's back in the present, but so is someone else. She and Sesshou are about to meet, and the past and present are set to collide. What exactly happened in Sengoku Jidai? They don't know yet either. 2 stories in 1. Kag/Sess.

Chapter Summary: Shady folk appear to menace our protagonists. The Higurashis tell Kagome a tale of wonder and amazement. Keiko sallies forth once more. An unexpected reunion follows a daring rescue. Everyone has brain damage. (Edited Jul7/03)

Soundtrack (available at my website):

1st half: Rainer Maria - "Lost, Dropped, Cancelled" 2nd half: Ash - "Girl from Mars"

*****

---Present Day---

After the smack-down at the construction site, the walk back to Higurashi shrine was uneventful. Kagome could still feel adrenaline and some other unfamiliar current coursing through her.

She'd phoned the police from a booth, and said she'd seen a brawl there. The gods only knew what those lowlifes would have to say about it.

The weirdest thing about the incident was that it hadn't seemed that weird at all. She wasn't shocked. Even Sesshou's incredible speed and strength had seemed kind of. . . well, familiar.

When Kagome thought about it objectively, she realized that she really should have been freaking out by now. Instead, she felt hungry, and was dreading her homework assignments as usual.

Stopping at a corner, she extended her arm, furrowed her brow, and tried to think glowy thoughts.

Nothing happened.

Kagome shrugged, kicked a pebble, and resumed her walk, rubbing her arms against the sudden chill.

In the dark, something watched her pass with famished eyes. The gloom beyond the reach of the streetlamps seemed to shift and mold into a flickering human form.

A voice rasped, cracked and raw from an age of disuse. "Finally. . ."

The lamp-light flickered, and the creature dissolved like smoke. It melted back into pools of blackness, disappearing into the cracks on the sidewalk unnoticed.

On the other side of the street, a different, dark-clothed figure watched as Kagome made her way home. He leaned against a fence, letting the night hide his stillness from her.

So she is here, he thought to himself, glancing at Kagome.

His hand moved to his side, and firmly grasped the hilt of a sword as he narrowed his eyes.

Now, he thought to himself, I just have to find him.

**********

"Mama?" Kagome called as she closed her front door. "I'm home!"

Souta peeked up at Kagome from his seat on the couch. "Mama and Grandpa went out to do some shopping before the stores closed," he informed her.

Kagome smiled, collapsed on the couch next to him. She reached her hand out and rumpled his hair in that way he always pretended to hate, but didn't actually mind that much. Souta examined her, noting the dark circles that had taken residence under her eyes for the past few months.

Inwardly, Kagome sighed at his scrutiny.

It was kind of weird; lately, her little brother was so protective and concerned for her. Just the other day, he had advised her to go outside for some sun and fresh air. He was always asking if she'd eaten, and getting her snacks when she was having late study nights.

Wasn't she supposed to be the one doing that stuff for him?

"Hey, Souta," she asked lightly. "I was wondering. Do you know if I've ever taken martial arts lessons? I know it's kind of a weird question, because it seems like I would remember that, but-"

At that moment, the front door swung open. Kagome looked up, and missed the way Souta's eyes had widened into perfect circles at her query.

Recovering himself, he jumped up from his seat and ran towards the door to help bring the groceries in. After carrying a couple of bags into the kitchen, he tugged his mother and grandfather aside.

"She asked me if she took any martial arts lessons!" he whispered excitedly.

Mrs. Higurashi's expression turned hopeful, and Grandpa visibly perked up.

"Did she say anything else?" he asked in a low voice, his grip tightening on a bag of vegetables.

"Well, no," Souta answered. "But you came in just then, so there wasn't any time."

Kagome's mother nodded, exchanged a look with Grandpa, and continued to put the groceries away.

**********

An hour later, Kagome stared down at her homework, awash in misery.

Why couldn't she have gotten math-related superpowers, she asked herself in frustration. Her calculations were way off. It looked like she was in for another long night.

She dropped her pencil and looked longingly over at her bed. She'd just lie down for a minute, she told herself unconvincingly. Then she would get right back up and kick that data's ass.

Kagome lay down, snuggling contentedly into the softness of her pillow. Her happy sigh was cut short by a knock on the door.

"Come in," she mumbled, eyes still closed. She heard the door open.

"Kagome, we need to talk to you about something."

The girl in question opened her eyes to see her mother and grandfather standing in her room with serious expressions.

She sat up, worried. This didn't look good.

"What's going on?" she asked in confusion. "Is everything okay?"

Mrs. Higurashi sat down on the mattress next to Kagome, while Grandpa pulled her abandoned desk chair to the bedside.

"Nothing's wrong," Mrs. Higurashi said with her usual beatific smile. "Did you ask Souta if he knew whether you took any martial arts classes?"

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, well you see. . ." her voice trailed off. After a moment's consideration, she decided to spill. Kagome clasped her hands in her lap.

"You know that construction site? Well, tonight when I was walking home, a bunch of guys attacked me there."

Grandpa's eyes widened, and her mother looked her over carefully. There wasn't a mark on her daughter, she realized with relief. At least Kagome hadn't been injured.

"So what happened?" Grandpa asked worriedly.

Kagome looked down at her lap. "I kind of. . . well, actually, I beat them all up," she said uncertainly.

Grandpa nodded. "Good for you, Kagome! I'm glad my granddaughter can defend herself."

Mrs. Higurashi sent him an exasperated look. "Grandpa," she said quietly, "I think you're missing the point here." She turned to her daughter. "I'm glad you're not hurt, but I'm sure that's not the biggest question you have right now."

Kagome made a sound of agreement. "It was really weird, because I don't remember learning to fight like that. There were maybe twenty of them, and I didn't even break a sweat." She paused, and her fingers relaced themselves nervously. "That's not the only thing, either." She looked up at her mother and grandfather. "I was glowing, too."

Souta appeared at the door, where he'd been listening. "You were glowing?" he interjected suddenly. Everyone's head shot up.

"Sorry," he grumbled. He entered the room and sat on the floor next to Kagome's bed, before baldly asking, "Sis, do you remember anything before a couple of months ago? Like maybe doing some traveling?" Souta emphasized the last word meaningfully.

Kagome's brow furrowed as she thought back. She'd taken a trip somewhere? Now that she was actively trying, she couldn't really say that she remembered anything very clearly from the past four years. It was all kind of foggy, as though she couldn't quite access it.

"I. . . I don't know. . ." she said in a small voice. She massaged her temples. "Well, I have really clear memories of Junior High. Gods, being a freshman was horrible. I wish I didn't remember that," she muttered. "After that, it's a bit muddy." She looked up at her family, who were all leaning forward, wearing expressions of rapt attention.

"I noticed this before, when Yuka asked me about what I'd been doing before I was accepted into college." Kagome paused. "There are lots of things I can't really remember clearly. I don't remember being sick all the time, but she told me about all the school I missed when I was either bedridden or in the hospital. I wasn't sure what to think."

Mrs. Higurashi blinked, glancing in Grandpa's direction. He looked innocently up at the ceiling.

Kagome watched the byplay without comprehension for a moment before continuing. "Then, Yuka told me about that brain tumor I had a couple of years ago, and how I had surgery to get it taken out." Grandpa Higurashi looked abashed for a moment. "I thought my memory might be a bit disrupted because of that. I didn't want to worry you all by bringing it up; I thought it would just come back. It seemed to be working; information about school and my friends just seemed to come to me, and since it wasn't really affecting me in any negative way, I figured-"

Souta's mouth had fallen open in shock as she spoke. He interrupted her. "Brain tumor?" he asked slowly. He sounded stupefied, and was staring at Grandpa in astonishment. "You told Yuka she had a brain tumor removed?"

Grandpa, in addition to turning his eyes up to the ceiling, had begun whistling in the hopes that a jaunty tune would deflect the accusing stares he was receiving from Souta and Mrs. Higurashi.

When his masterful strategy failed, he looked annoyed. "It was all for her own good!" he defended. "I was watching out for her, so don't look at me like that!"

Kagome just stared at her family in confusion, having completely lost her tenuous hold on the flow of discussion. Souta was shaking his head at Grandpa reproachfully, and Mrs. Higurashi was scowling.

Her mother never scowled.

"Mama, what's happening?" Kagome asked.

Mrs. Higurashi sighed. "You never had a brain tumor, and you never were sick in school. You just. . . didn't attend very often."

Kagome blinked, puzzled. She'd been a delinquent?

"We told your school that you were ill," Mrs. Higurashi said, raising an eyebrow at the old man. "Your grandfather made up some interesting excuses for you." Then, her voice lowered. "I knew we never should have bought that medical dictionary," she sighed, shaking her head.

Kagome flopped onto her back. Mmmm, pillow, she thought to herself. It was so much less confusing than her family.

She didn't know what to make of these developments, so she focused on formulating coherent questions. "Why can't I remember anything, if I never had a brain tumor? What exactly was I doing when I wasn't in school? How did I know how to fight like that?" she asked. She paused for a moment, waiting for her mind to catch up to her mouth. "Oh, and one more thing. What can you tell me about the glowing?"

Souta grinned at Kagome from his seat on the carpet. "Well, Sis, you have these wicked powers and you can totally kick-"

Mrs. Higurashi interrupted her son's helpful comment.

"You do have some unusual abilities, Kagome. A few years ago, you started taking. . . trips, to a different time. Your abilities enabled you to help with a problem there. That's why you were absent so much."

Kagome shot a doubting glance at her grandfather and brother, expecting to see expressions of concern over Mama's mental health. Instead, she noted in shock that they were nodding in agreement.

The world had obviously gone mad.

She listened with bulging eyes as her mother continued. To all appearances, the woman was blissfully unaware that everything she said was completely nonsensical.

"After you graduated from high school - which was quite the achievement, considering your frequent trips to the feudal era, dear - " Mrs. Higurashi beamed at that side note, "something happened." Her expression darkened. "You gave up your life in the modern world for a while, because you had to start your mission over again. We saw you a couple of times after that, but then. . ."

Kagome's mother trailed off and looked down at the floor with moist eyes, unable to continue.

Grandpa Higurashi took over. "Granddaughter, you didn't visit us again for almost a year," he said in a grave voice. "We thought something had happened to you."

Souta was watching Kagome with that gimlet eye again.

A big part of her still thought this story was completely impossible, and that they were sharing some kind of collective delusion. However, her mother was on the verge of tears, her brother was acting like a guard dog slash babysitter, and her grandfather had reached over to grab her hand as if it were a lifeline.

Even if their story sounded insane, these were honest emotions.

Her family had been worried sick about her. They had truly thought that she might be dead.

Kagome closed her eyes. She couldn't even remember what happened to affect them this way. Part of her life was gone. Admittedly, it sounded like a crazy and scary part of her life, but it was gone nonetheless.

There had to be some kernel of reality in their explanation, she acknowledged. After all, she had been glowing. That wasn't particularly sane either, but it was the truth.

"Then," she began slowly, "why can't I remember any of this?" she asked. "I mean, for some reason, I have vague recollections of gossiping with my friends, the periodic table - well, some of it - and standing Hojo up repeatedly, but nothing connected to time travel. Why?"

Suddenly, she noticed that Souta couldn't seem to meet her eyes. His hands folded tightly in his lap. "When you came back, I was the one who found you," he said in a quiet voice. "I. . . I think you had an accident. . ."

His voice cracked slightly, and he looked extremely upset. Suddenly, Kagome was glad he couldn't describe the circumstances any more. She wasn't sure how much she could deal with tonight. Between the fight at the construction site and the memory issues, the needle on her freak-o-meter was bobbing near the red zone. She was an easy-going person, but everyone had a point where they went from happy-go-lucky to foaming at the mouth.

Kagome thought she might be close to hers.

Noticing how overwhelmed Kagome looked, Mrs. Higurashi motioned for Souta to stop. He did, obviously relieved.

"We thought maybe you had an accident that affected your memory. You couldn't tell us what had happened. We decided it might be best to let it come back to you gradually," her mother explained.

Grandpa and Souta nodded their agreement.

"Don't worry yourself about it, Kagome." The old man patted her shoulder reassuringly. "There is no rush."

He, Souta, and Mrs. Higurashi got up to let Kagome think everything over.

"You'd better go to bed soon," Souta added before he exited her room. "You look like hell."

"Thanks," she mumbled blankly.

**********

After leaving Kagome's bedroom, the three of them gathered in the kitchen.

Mrs. Higurashi looked worried. "How do you think she'll take it?" she asked.

Grandpa, after a reflective pause, replied, "I'm sure she'll be all right." He smiled. "Kagome is stronger than she looks, as we all know. She'll remember eventually."

"I hope so," she said quietly. Then, she quirked a brow up at the old man. "A brain tumor?" she asked good-naturedly.

He grumbled. "Well, you two weren't coming up with anything good. You really should have taken a look through that dictionary-"

The smallest of the group remained silent. He had stopped listening, absorbed in his own worries.

Ever since Kagome had returned, he had gotten into the habit of waking in the middle of the night and looking in on her, just to make sure she was finally safe at home. Sometimes, she seemed to cry in her sleep. Other nights, she would toss and turn so much that he wondered if she had any rest at all.

Souta thought back to the day a couple of months ago when he'd found her.

He'd arrived home from school and heard strange sounds. Cautiously following them, he'd been overjoyed to see her lying on the concrete in front of the well-house. However, once his initial elation had faded, dread had filled his veins with ice.

Kagome had been curled into a ball, sounding utterly destroyed. She had been sobbing and whimpering like a wounded animal.

When he'd knelt on the pavement next to her, he'd discovered that parts of her clothing had been burned away, and that she was covered in blood. Horrified at the thought that she had come back only to die on the cold cement outside their home, he'd run to the house screaming for his mother and grandfather.

To have her back only to lose her all over again would have been impossible to bear.

While his elders had checked her over, Souta had helplessly held the small first-aid kit they kept. His ears heard only the rattling of the items in the box as it trembled in his hands. Mama had cut Kagome's clothes away with scissors, searching for injuries with unsteady fingers. They had been beside themselves with relief when they found only minor wounds. Grandpa had knelt, heedless of the hard ground, holding her as though afraid she would suddenly disappear again.

The next day, Kagome hadn't remembered anything about coming back. In fact, she seemed to think that she had been at home with them all that time. They had quickly recovered from their shock, sure that whatever trauma she'd undergone would have to be dealt with slowly. Oblivious, Kagome had gone about the business of her late application to college for upcoming semester. She had assumed that she had taken a couple of years off after high school graduation to deal with her so-called health problems. Any oblique references to what she'd been doing had been met with blank looks, or ignored completely.

Souta wondered if she would even want to remember. He wished that he could forget what it had been like to wait for months, hoping to see her come back safely. He wished he could forget the silences in the evenings, when they had all thought the same thing, but refused to acknowledge it.

Walking to the cupboard, Souta grabbed a box of cookies. Then, he put some on a plate, poured a glass of juice, and walked back to Kagome's room. As he'd expected, she was toiling away at her homework. He shook his head, putting the plate and glass next to the sheaves of paper littering her desk.

"Don't stay up too late," he scolded quietly.

Kagome looked up and smiled at him tiredly. "Thanks, Souta." She seemed to search his face for a moment. Then, she dropped her pencil and folded him into a hug.

His requisite "Hey!" of protest was halfhearted, at best.

"Thanks for taking care of me," she whispered, tightening her arms so much that he heard his ribs creak.

He rolled his eyes, smiled, and gave her a squeeze back. Then, he mumbled, "Whatever. You're welcome. Goodnight," and left her to her assignment.

**********

At that moment, Sesshou was in his bedroom, examining himself in the mirror. The markings that had come out earlier were gone.

He closed his eyes, and concentrated on the soft sounds of night traffic, the buzz of his refrigerator, and the tick of his clock in the next room. His senses seemed to expand. The faint smells of his house fore-grounded themselves, forming a vivid landscape in a new dimension. There was the dark scent of old wood and polish from the furniture, the smell of the cherry tree in his yard, and traces of aftershave, soap and shampoo from the bathroom.

His own scent marked the house everywhere: pine, fresh water, and musk together.

When he opened his eyes, he found that they had turned gold. The stripes on his face had also appeared, arching over his cheeks toward his temples and the line of his jaw.

He flexed his hands, feeling that surge of strength once more, and pulled the sleeves of his sweater up to reveal stripes coiling themselves around his wrists. He pulled one of his pant legs up. As he'd suspected, similar magenta marks wound about his ankles and calves.

Remembering how he'd fought in his dreams, he concentrated on his right hand. A faint green glow developed. Sesshou touched his finger lightly to the wall, and his eyes widened as a small hole appeared. He snatched his hand back as though it had been burned.

The last thing he needed was more household repair projects, he sighed to himself.

Deciding to try something else, he moved his hand so quickly through the air that it blurred, trying to reproduce sensations that he had only ever felt while asleep. Sharp claws appeared at the tips of his fingers, and then retracted when he relaxed. He concentrated again, and slowly, his fingers were surrounded by a halo of yellow light. With a flick of his wrist, he extended a bright lash of energy. It crackled as it cut through the air, and neatly bisected his table-lamp. He pulled it back before he could rip his house to shreds, and exhaled with relief.

He supposed there were other things he could try to do, like fly, or turn into an enormous white dog, but there was no place large or isolated enough for him to transform unnoticed. He didn't think he could take the shock of it anyway. As it was, he was having a hard time believing that his dreams had bled over into his waking life.

He was also quite positive that his immense canine form wouldn't be greeted with joy and welcome by city authorities. He'd probably be shot in the butt with hundreds of tranquilizer darts, he thought sardonically. He wasn't sure whether he, or the animal control agency, would be more stunned.

Watching himself intently in the mirror once more, he concentrated on relaxing his senses. Eventually, sounds and smells faded back to the normal levels he was used to, and the markings faded. His eyes returned to their usual dark amber colour.

It seemed like he could control this, after all.

Relieved, Sesshou undressed, set his alarm, and got into bed.

That night, he dreamed of a woman's dark eyes, and a little girl's face smiling out at him from a mass of white fur.

**********

The next day, Kagome sat in the lecture hall, absently drumming the tip of her pencil against her notebook. The page was covered in doodles.

This class was so incredibly boring that she couldn't stand it.

Luckily, she had something to look forward to. Yuka was coming to meet her afterwards. She glanced quickly at her watch, and was glad to see that there were only ten minutes to go.

The young woman bent her pencil to her notebook again, quickly taking down everything she heard without processing any of it.

She felt good today. She had slept more deeply than she had since she'd returned, despite her sudden load of strange information. Kagome had decided to put it from her mind for now, and let things come to her naturally.

Her family also seemed more relaxed after their talk last night, and the atmosphere at breakfast had been cheerful. Souta, after giving her the daily examination she'd come to expect, had grinned and told her that her `massive eye bags' had gone away. She'd swatted him on the head, happy to have her bratty little brother back. He hadn't been bugging her as much in the past couple of months, and she'd missed it.

Kagome smiled. Yes, things were looking up. She was definitely in the mood for some gossip and coffee with Yuka. After a two-year absence, she was lucky that she still had her as a friend. She'd stuck by Kagome, when others had given up on her. Her grandpa told her that she'd phoned periodically to ask how Kagome was, sending little gifts, even after being told repeatedly that she couldn't visit.

She peeked at her watch once more, and saw that class would be over in two minutes.

Kagome stuffed her books into her bag, and waited for the lecture to end.

**********

In the room across the hall, Sesshou was absorbed in the lecture. He started when his thoughts were interrupted by a very familiar, though distant, voice.

Shit, he thought to himself. He hadn't seen Keiko when he'd arrived. He had assumed that she cut class like many other students, who seemed to see college as their final chance to slack off before beginning a life of wage-slavery.

He braced himself for another quick escape. Then, he started thinking better of the idea.

Really, he thought, he should just deal with her head on. If she wouldn't leave him alone after he had fled her presence yesterday, he would just have to abandon the polite approach in favor of more direct methods. After all, he reasoned, he refused to avoid her for the rest of the semester.

It was just undignified.

In accordance with his decision, he rose from his seat and made his way to the doors at a normal pace once lecture had ended. He reached the hallway without incident.

She'd obviously given up, he thought with satisfaction.

He was dead wrong.

**********

Kagome found Yuka waiting for her outside the door, and smiled.

After the two girls had exchanged greetings, Yuka immediately leaned in and started to speak in a low whisper. "So you know that guy I was telling you about the other day on the phone?"

Kagome nodded. Yuka had been filling her in on yet another tale of romantic woe. It seemed like the girl had been experiencing a lot of that lately. Kagome shook her head at the memory. "What was he thinking?" she asked. "I mean, `I kind of have a girlfriend, but I don't really like her.' Who the hell says that to someone before asking them out?"

Yuka nodded, scandalized. "I know! I know! Plus, he's completely repulsive, and dumb as a rock - though maybe that's self-evident. Anyway, guess what he said this time?"

Kagome raised her eyebrows. "Oh no. He hasn't gotten the message?"

The other girl shook her head in frustration. "No! Today he told me that he has a son with this girlfriend that he doesn't really like, and that he's just living with them until he finds a better deal. Then, he asked me if I wanted to rent a movie with him and watch it at my place."

"Ewww," Kagome commented, wrinkling her nose with distaste.

"Of course, I told him to give up on me while he still had all extremities intact. I feel so sorry for the little tyke. I mean, really. With a dad like that? How awful. I hope his mom has enough sense to ditch the bastard."

Kagome nodded, amused by Yuka's outspoken and virulent dislike of the guy.

What an idiot, she thought, to be constantly throwing himself at someone who couldn't stand him.

Who would do a thing like that?

**********

Sesshou felt a wave of irritation pass over him as someone latched onto his arm. After having pried himself free of her talons, he turned to her and had to blink.

Keiko had gone platinum blonde. No wonder he hadn't spotted her in the lecture theatre.

He wondered if she'd used bleach, or if the pigment in her hair had simply fled from her in terror.

Keiko saw the glint of humor in Sesshou's eye, and misinterpreted it as a sign that he was glad to see her. "How are you doing, sweetie?" she cooed.

Sesshou decided to cut to the chase. He looked down his nose at her, pinning her with a vivisecting stare. "Look, Keiko. I said it yesterday, and I'll say it again." He paused to turn the frost up to full-strength.

"I. Am. Not. Interested." Each word fell like a stone.

Unperturbed, Keiko batted her plastic eyelashes at him seductively. She was actually raising a breeze with those things, he realized with disgusted fascination.

"Why? Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked coyly, continuing to move closer to him. Remembering the fiasco of the day before, he stepped out of reach before she could try to repeat the cleavage maneuver.

"No," he said flatly. "But there is no way in hell that I'd ever-"

Keiko cut him off with a titter. "Well then, I still have a chance with you, I'd say." She leaned close and winked conspiratorially, eyelashes producing another gust of air. "I tend to grow on a person."

Sesshou thought back to the time a wart had `grown on' his father after a trip to a public swimming pool. On that occasion, he recalled, the doctor had had to burn it off with acid. He looked at Keiko speculatively. Maybe that doctor had had the right idea.

"Trust me," he said, his tone caustic. "You would never grow on me. I can't stand you. Just being near you makes my skin crawl and my eardrums bleed."

Still, she persisted. A sinking sensation engulfed Sesshou as he realized that he had greatly underestimated his opponent. She was so relentless that he wondered if she was insensate.

"I'm an acquired taste," Keiko twittered in response.

More like acquired tastelessness, he thought bitterly. Perhaps her previous targets had become hysterically blind and deaf. He couldn't think of any other reason why more exposure to Keiko would end in anything other than a headline-grabbing murder/suicide.

He sent another volley. "I'm sure you are," he said curtly, in a voice that made the Antarctic breeze seem balmy. "I'd sell you to cannibals if I didn't think they'd die of food poisoning."

His eyes widened in dismay when she let out an ear-splitting laugh. "Ooooooh!" she squealed. "You're so FUNNY! I LIKE you!"

Briefly, he entertained the thought of extending his claws and cutting her head off, but with his luck, her head would probably continue to hit on him. He briefly entertained the mental image of her empty, hair-sprayed cranium bouncing after his absconding form, propelled solely by the flapping of huge, bat-like eyelashes.

Reluctantly abandoning the idea of murdering her, he thought he might try to convince her that he wasn't into girls. However, that would probably lead to equally dogged attempts to take him shopping, he thought in disgust.

There was only one thing for it.

"Actually, when I said I was unattached," Sesshou began in a serious voice, "I wasn't being accurate. The truth is, I'm deeply, deeply in love with someone."

Keiko gazed up at him hopefully, eyes dewy with romantic daydreams as she leaned closer.

"Someone ELSE!" he shouted incredulously, his composure almost completely lost. Of all the infuriating. . . Gods, was her head made of bricks?

He winced as she grabbed his arm, and violently wrenched it free of her before she had the opportunity to rub her chest against him. "I'm not buying it," she cooed. "I'm sure if you tried, you could get any girl you wanted."

Sesshou had gone pale, and was now grasping at straws and trying to back away. "I said I didn't have a girlfriend, right? Well, what I meant to say was that I have a fiancée. I'm engaged. I'm deeply, deeply in love with someone ELSE, we're engaged, and we plan to marry and have hundreds of fat babies."

Keiko looked up at him with suspicion.

Damn it, Sesshou thought desperately. Why couldn't she be as dumb as she looked?

**********

Meanwhile, Yuka had finished her tale of horror and was asking about Kagome's luck with the opposite sex. It could only be better than her own. "So, you're telling me you haven't met anyone in your classes?"

Yuka was a little surprised when Kagome nodded. "Nope," Kagome replied.

Was the girl completely blind, Yuka wondered. A few guys who passed them in the hallway had looked at Kagome appreciatively, or smiled at her.

Then, Kagome spotted a familiar shock of white hair out of the corner of her eye. Sesshou was rapidly backing away from a blonde girl - a very loud girl dressed in fuchsia, teal, red, and orange.

Kagome's eyes rounded at the unprovoked attack on all things aesthetic.

It could only be Keiko. She appeared to be going in for the kill, having weakened her prey with ceaseless giggling. Kagome still felt bad about leaving Sesshou with the harpy yesterday. She squared her shoulders, getting ready to enter the fray. After all, they'd had a bonding experience. People with weird powers had to stick together.

He had to be going through hell right now, she thought. His usually calm mask was slipping. She couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but it sounded like he was talking about fat babies.

Kagome shook her head in confusion. Just what had he gotten himself into?

"Yuka, just wait here for a second okay?" she asked. Her friend nodded, watching as Kagome walked over to Sesshou and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned, staring at her as though she were a life preserver and he was about to be swept away on a multicoloured tsunami.

"Hi, I hope you haven't been waiting for me long!" Kagome greeted in a friendly tone, offering him an excuse to escape.

She was completely unprepared for his response.

He seized her hand. "I don't mind waiting. Of course, honey, you know I want to help with the invitations and china patterns," he said in a smooth voice, regaining his composure. Then, Sesshou yanked her towards him. He wrapped his arm around her waist, as much for realism's sake as it was to prevent her from running.

"Keiko," he continued, "I'd like you to meet Kagome, my fiancée."

His supposed betrothed was utterly dumbfounded. Her brain tried to interpret what he'd said in a way that wasn't completely insane, and failed. Evidently, the guy had completely lost his marbles. It must have been the colour combination, Kagome thought in commiseration. Not even a clown would have worn those shades together, and everyone knew that clowns were the most evil beings in the universe.

When she appeared to have regained her ability to speak, Sesshou clamped the hand that wasn't anchoring her against him over her mouth and shot her a look that said, very clearly, `you owe me.'

Sesshou had noticed that his senses seemed to be sharpening in the warmth of Kagome's nearness. She smelled amazing, and felt even better, he noticed. Her scent seemed to be growing stronger. He leaned in imperceptibly and inhaled, before murmuring, "Just go along with it."

For a second, Kagome was tempted. She had to admit that the arm around the waist thing was pretty nice.

Then, she rolled her eyes. Did he actually think this would work, she wondered incredulously. Perhaps she was out of touch, but she was quite sure that men didn't keep their fiancées gagged at all times. It looked like it was going to be up to her to get him out of this one.

Her dark eyes widened as she saw the faintest beginnings of his markings appear on his skin.

When he saw her warning look, he forcibly dulled his senses again, and was a little disappointed at the loss.

Yuka viewed the strange tableau with interest. Kagome and the white-haired guy looked awfully friendly, albeit in a weird way. She could have sworn that she'd just seen some kind of silent communication. Who exactly was he, and how well did Kagome know him?

The young woman in question was getting very annoyed. Sesshou's hand was still firmly clamped over her mouth. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared up at him.

He found it strangely stimulating, until she actually bit his palm. Surprised, he withdrew his hand with an accusing look.

Keiko had gone silent, much to the delight of all eared beings in the vicinity. She was mystified. The girl in front of her looked nothing like a blushing bride-to-be, and a lot like an enraged hostage. Besides that, Keiko thought disapprovingly, her outfit was just so blah. Keiko was sure that this obvious man of taste would choose a girl with some visual panache.

Kagome recovered herself. Inspired by recent events, she came up with a plan to help Sesshou and get back at him simultaneously. She bestowed a pitying smile on him, and turned to Keiko.

"I hope my friend here hasn't been bothering you," she said sweetly. "He's a little confused. Ever since the brain damage, he just hasn't been the same."

Sesshou went rigid, and stared at Kagome in bewilderment. His mouth opened and closed uselessly.

Kagome immediately took advantage of his shell-shocked expression. "See?" she said to Keiko as she pressed her hand to his forehead, an exaggerated look of concern shaping her features. "He's obviously having one of his spells."

Turning to Sesshou, she comfortingly rubbed his arm. His mouth had fallen open again. "Don't worry, sweetie," Kagome said in a soothing tone, disregarding her hapless patient's murderous glare. "Just calm down. Everything will be better once we get you home and into your special hat."

Yuka was leaning against the wall of the hallway, doing her level best not to snort with laughter. She really should meet Kagome at school more often, she thought. This was immensely entertaining.

Confusion settled on Keiko's face, and looked very much at home there. "He's brain-damaged?" she asked uncertainly. The newly-blonde girl scrunched her face in thought. Then, she seemed to come to a decision.

Kagome suppressed a triumphant smirk, but was then stunned when the Keiko started to advance all over again.

Well, the girl giggled to herself, flipping her hair over her shoulder. With those looks, he didn't need a working brain, did he?

Kagome looked horrified for a moment before inspiration struck her once more.

"Yeah, he's been like this since the accident. Then, his car was impounded and he got his driver's license revoked," Kagome continued, shaking her head sadly and giving Sesshou another pat on the arm.

Keiko's mouth formed into a moue of dismay. No license or car? A girl had to have standards, she thought to herself.

She looked up at Sesshou. "I hope we can be friends," she said with a fake smile, before walking off at a fast clip. He stared after her in astonishment.

Sesshou was inundated with relief. Thanks to Kagome, he was rid of that monster for good.

Then, he remembered what she had said. His eyes narrowed. Kagome beamed, clearly proud of herself.

"Brain damage?" he asked, offended. "One of my `spells'?" He glowered at her, noticing that it had no effect on Kagome whatsoever. Perhaps he should work on his glare, he thought with annoyance. It seemed that, lately, its success rate had been greatly reduced.

Then, he couldn't prevent his mouth from twitching up slightly. "My `special hat'?" he asked, trying not to laugh.

"Hey," she replied, "like you were doing any better." she gave him a playful swat. "Come on. No sane person would believe that a guy would want to pick china patterns," she chided with a grin. "You were digging your own grave."

"I am forever in your debt," he replied dryly, "though my pride may never recover."

Kagome grinned. "Well, that's what you get for the captive fiancée routine," she replied. "Don't you think that was a bit extreme?"

"You have no idea what the circumstances were," he replied, before smirking. "You thought what I did was extreme? Maybe I should go and put on my special brain damage hat. I feel an attack coming on."

At least she had the grace to flush slightly with embarrassment, he saw with appreciation.

Yuka sauntered up, breathless with curiosity and long-suppressed mirth. She shot her friend an inquiring look.

Then, Kagome remembered her manners. "Oh, Sesshou, this is my friend Yuka." The two nodded towards each other.

"Well," Yuka said decisively. "That sideshow made me hungry. Let's go eat."

Yuka hadn't seen her friend this animated since Kagome had recovered from her own traumatic brain injury. She smiled to herself, glad to see that her best bud was on her way to mental health.

And, Yuka thought with a gleam in her eye, there was definitely something up with these two. Neither of them seemed to be aware that his hand still rested lightly on the small of Kagome's back.

**********

A little while later, the three of them were sitting in a booth at a nearby restaurant. Yuka and Kagome were seated on one side, while Sesshou took the other. They were talking amiably.

More accurately, Kagome and Yuka were exclaiming in shock as Sesshou filled them in on his most recent altercation with Keiko.

Yuka's mouth hung open for a moment. "She said she'd grow on you, after you told her to go away?"

Sesshou took a sip of his coffee and nodded.

Kagome laughed. "Like mold, right?" she commented.

"More like a wart," Sesshou observed. "Except warts don't sound like car alarms, as far as I know."

Kagome smiled and had another spoonful of ice cream.

"Then what did you say?" Yuka asked curiously.

Sesshou mumbled something grumpily under his breath. When the two girls looked at him inquiringly, he spoke louder. "I told her I'd sell her to cannibals if I wasn't sure they'd die."

Yuka chuckled.

"Mmrmph," Kagome contributed, trying to keep her ice cream in her mouth. Swallowing, she made an airy gesture with her spoon. "Poor cannibals," she said, shaking her head. "I can't believe that girl. You'd think she would take a hint. The fake betrothal makes more sense now. You really were running out of options," she remarked sympathetically.

Sesshou shrugged. "It didn't work too well, did it? At least I don't have to worry about her anymore." He looked at Kagome as she turned her attention back to her ice cream. Yesterday, he'd thought she was very pretty, though she had obviously been tired. Today, she looked radiant. Her eyes were bright, and her skin was luminous in the restaurant's dim light.

Yuka watched the two of them with interest. Sesshou was reserved, but when he spoke to Kagome, he became more expressive. Kagome, in turn, seemed more vivacious now than she had been in the last while. Ever since her friend's sudden recovery, Yuka had wondered if she was doing as well as she said. She'd always seemed so tired. At the moment, however, Yuka was finding it difficult to believe her friend had ever been ill.

Kagome looked up to see Sesshou staring intently at her with those unusual amber eyes, and glanced back down at her bowl, flustered.

One of Yuka's eyebrows raised slightly. Then, her phone rang. She grabbed her purse and got up. "Excuse me a second," she said with a smile, stepping outside to escape the noisiness of the restaurant.

"So," Sesshou began when Yuka was out of earshot. "Have you figured out what happened last night? Did you try it again?"

She smiled and met his eyes. "No, I haven't really had a chance. Too much homework," Kagome explained. "It would be nice to be able to control it. Maybe tonight I'll give it a go. How about you?" she asked curiously.

"I think I've got a handle on it." He glanced briefly around the restaurant, making sure no one was watching. Then, Kagome's mouth fell open as his eyes lightened to blazing gold, and the sweeping stripes darkened vividly on his cheeks. They quickly faded again.

"Wow," she said, slightly breathless. Then, her eyes sparkled with humour. "Showoff," she jibed good-naturedly.

Sesshou shrugged. "The markings seem to go with the strength and speed."

Kagome's brow furrowed. "Kind of like my glowing, I guess," she murmured ruminatively.

They were interrupted by an approaching male voice. "Sesshou! How long have you been sitting here?"

Sesshou looked up to see a familiar face. "Oh, hi," he greeted, as his friend slid into the seat next to him. "Kagome, I'd like you to meet-"

The dark haired young man who joined them cut Sesshou's introductions short.

"Higurashi!" Hojo exclaimed, obviously pleased. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

Kagome's eyes had gone wide. "Oh, hi," she stammered, caught off-guard. "How are you?" She smiled at him, and then looked down at the table guiltily when she remembered the numerous occasions she'd stood him up. He really was a nice guy, and hadn't deserved that.

"I'm doing well. You look nice. You look really good," Hojo continued.

Sesshou watched with surprise as his neighbour from childhood reddened slightly, and rapidly degenerated into babbling idiocy. He'd never seen him in such a state before.

"How is your health?" Hojo asked.

Kagome looked uncomfortable, not really knowing what to say.

Luckily, Hojo barreled on. "I was really worried about you. No one saw you for ages! Your grandfather told me a few months ago that you were still in the hospital. I hope you're okay. Hey! Did you get that herbal tea I brought by your house?" Hojo asked, seemingly unable to stop talking.

Sesshou's eyes widened slightly in comprehension. He looked at Kagome, who was now nervously shredding her paper napkin. So, he thought. She was the girl that Hojo had been crazy about all through high school. He remembered being annoyed at the way Hojo would constantly talk about her, but now it didn't seem so bizarre. Kagome was definitely an interesting girl.

"Um, the medicinal tea?" Kagome asked. Hojo nodded eagerly. "Yeah, my granddad gave it to me. Thanks." She offered him a smile, but didn't appear too enthused.

Remaining silent, Sesshou rolled his eyes. Once, years ago, Hojo had asked him his advice on how to get a girl to notice him. At the time, Sesshou hadn't had any idea what to suggest. He'd told him to get a small gift for her, since Hojo had mentioned that she was sick.

The next thing he knew, Hojo had started to drag him all over the city on a weekly basis, in search of increasingly strange homeopathic remedies. When Sesshou had commented on how he thought it might be overkill, Hojo had told him about how Kagome was chronically ill. He diligently plied her with cures, hoping that when she was well, he could take her out.

"Did you try it?" Hojo persisted. "The guy at the store said it boosts the immune system."

Kagome had serious health problems? Sesshou looked at her skeptically. She looked perfectly fine to him. She was strong, too. After all, last night she had taken a bunch of thugs down without even blinking.

Glancing back at the young man next to him, Sesshou could practically see little pink hearts floating around Hojo's head. When his eyes returned to Kagome, he saw that she was biting her lip, having completely annihilated her unfortunate napkin.

Was she uncomfortable because she was interested in Hojo? Sesshou frowned slightly, finding that he really disliked that idea. He felt kind of. . . well, possessive of her, though he had no reason to be. At that realization, his frown deepened.

Meanwhile, an oblivious Hojo stared down at the table, his cheeks turning a deeper pink. "Say, Kagome, I was w-wondering. . . um, that is, if you're in better health these days, and if you're not too busy. . . you know, with school, and that kind of thing. . . and, um, if you feel up to it sometime, do you think that we could maybe-"

The bell at the door of the restaurant jingled and interrupted Hojo's verbal meandering, much to Kagome and Sesshou's relief. Yuka rushed back to the table, and placed some money by her empty cup.

"Hey, Kagome, I have to go. That was my mother. She wants me to pick something up for her on the way home, and it's a bit out of the way, so I should probably leave now if I want to get there before-" Yuka halted, noticing the new person at the table. "Oh, hi Hojo," she greeted, surprised to see him.

"Hi," Hojo replied with a smile, before turning back to Kagome with big puppy-dog eyes. Yuka shook her head at the familiarity of it all. Sesshou remained expressionless.

Kagome stood up suddenly. "I'll go with you and keep you company," she told Yuka, pulling her wallet out and leaving a few bills on the table. "I haven't seen your mom in a while." Hojo's face fell.

Her friend shrugged. "Sure, that would be cool."

Kagome smiled brightly at the two young men. "It was good to see you two. I'm sure I'll run into you around campus," she said, waving as she went to the exit.

Yuka followed Kagome with a puzzled expression on her face.

**********

Once outside and around the corner, Yuka grabbed Kagome's arm.

"Spill," she commanded in a tone that brooked no argument.

Kagome looked up. "Huh?"

Yuka placed her hands on her hips. "How long have you known that Sesshou guy? Are you holding out on me or something?"

Kagome looked at Yuka strangely. "What are you talking about? I just ran into him a couple of times yesterday." She started to fidget, Yuka noticed. "He seems uh, nice though." More fidgeting ensued.

"Hm." Yuka sounded unconvinced. Nice? She didn't think that was really the word.

"Let's walk." Yuka started down the sidewalk, and Kagome followed silently. "So, you didn't happen to notice anything about him, right?" No response was forthcoming. "Like the fact that he's incredibly hot, and that he seems interested in you?" she continued in a nonchalant tone of voice.

Kagome halted, doing a great imitation of a stunned fish.

"Keep walking. I actually do have an errand to run, you know," Yuka continued, "though I have no idea why you wanted to come along to get my mom's orthopedic insoles from the doctor's office."

Kagome's feet started moving again. "He is really, really, hot, isn't he?" she mumbled with a blush. "At the restaurant, I was afraid I'd start drooling or something." She buried her face in her hands.

Yuka laughed. "I was wondering if you noticed, or if I had to buy you a special hat."

**********

"She's really something, isn't she?" Hojo sighed, relocating to the opposite side of the table and sinking back into the red pleather upholstery. He still looked a little moonstruck.

Sesshou barely heard him. He was too busy glaring at the table of guys whose eyes had been glued to Kagome's body as she'd walked to the door. That tailored pink cotton shirt she'd been wearing didn't do much to hide her curves, and the swing of her hips when she walked wasn't consciously sensual, but definitely attracted male attention.

Not that he'd been looking.

Oh, damn it to hell.

Hojo continued to wax poetic, unaware that his audience was only half-listening. "I'd forgotten how pretty she is. Don't you think she's pretty? She's like a flower, but. . . prettier," Hojo finished lamely.

Sesshou's attention had returned to his childhood friend. It seemed that being near Kagome turned him into a bit of a dolt, and that the effects took a little while to go away. Usually, Hojo was smart and perceptive, if a little naïve. One of the things Sesshou liked about him was that he never had a hidden agenda. The guy was utterly genuine, and didn't have a malicious bone in his body.

Sesshou had always found it strange that Hojo's dream-girl hadn't liked him back, but now that he had seen his ultra-smoothness in action, he couldn't help but wince.

He wondered what Hojo would think if he knew that, just the night before, his delicate flower had beaten the crap out of a bunch of gangsters with a metal pipe.

"So Kagome's the girl you've been hung up on all this time," Sesshou commented.

Hojo hung his head and groaned. "I know, I know," he said miserably. "I always come across as such a simpleton around her. My brain doesn't work properly. It's embarrassing." Then, he looked at Sesshou with dawning anxiety. "Hey, you weren't here. . . together, were you?"

He sighed with relief when Sesshou shook his head.

"How do you know her?" Hojo asked curiously.

Sesshou shrugged. "I've seen her around the neighborhood and at school. We've talked a few times. Today, she saved me from a fate worse than death."

Hojo laughed. "Ah, another helpless girl fell prey to your charms?" Sesshou rolled his eyes. Ever since adolescence, Hojo had found it hilarious that he was always fending off unwanted female attention.

"I wouldn't have called this one helpless," Sesshou said ruefully. "Brainless, maybe. Shameless, definitely."

"You're lucky Kagome rescued you," Hojo commented, before leaning forward. "Hey, do you know if she has a boyfriend? Has she mentioned anything?"

"I don't know. It hasn't come up." Sesshou frowned. It hadn't occurred to him that Kagome might be involved with someone, though it was entirely possible - probable, even. She was outgoing, attractive, and funny. There was something magnetic about her.

The thought that she might be seeing someone was decidedly unpalatable, Sesshou realized.

And, even if she was unattached, Hojo was clearly nuts about her. . .

Sesshou groaned inwardly.

Oh, damn it to hell.

**********

Author's Note:

I personally like teasers, so I was a bit surprised when the responses of all who had an opinion on the issue were negative. I guess I'll stop posting them.

A side note, for anyone interested: I've started putting together a soundtrack. Go to my site for the songs. It's located at:

www33.brinkster.com/volpa/tmwi/

This chapter's tracks are "Lost, Dropped and Cancelled" for the part with Kagome's family, and "Girl from Mars" for the rest.

Thanks for the reviews! I always get so excited to see that people are actually reading this.

I have exams, so I'll be incommunicado for a little while. Never fear! I will finish, I promise.