InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ I Didn't Know I Was Waiting For You ❯ Is She? ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3 Is She?

All throughout the rest of the day Sesshoumaru was distracted. He was unable to concentrate. The same thoughts and uncertainties plagued his mind. He was so absolutely certain she was only a reincarnation of `her' and yet she had said names only `she' would know. He was becoming truly frustrated and the humans around him kept themselves at bay. He knew he'd get his answers at the fight tonight.

*That woman looks like her, sounds like her, smells like her; but she can't be her. She couldn't have said Inuyasha. She couldn't have lived almost five hundred years ago. She can't be Inuyasha's Kagome. But she said his name. She said she loved him. She said he is dead. She can't be the same Kagome!* He snarled and his eyes glowed red under the contacts.

His sudden ferocity startled the humans near him and they backed away. Sesshoumaru glanced around, the scent of fear surrounding him. He smiled savagely at the nearest person he saw. *It's that wimpy human she sent to get her shinai.* Hojo's heart was pumping rapidly in fright and Sesshoumaru growled threateningly at him. The boys fear felt good to the demon lord.

Hojo was holding tightly to the shinai in his hands, his knuckles white. Something about delicate human hands clutching a shinai as if life depended on it reminded him of `her'. It reminded him of the past. ~~~"Sesshoumaru-sama, I can't do this, I'm no good with a sword and I never will be." Her blue eyes looked violet that day in the shaded dojo. "Yes, you can. Again Kagome, guard yourself." ~~~ He shook himself out of the reverie and noticed Hojo had used his distraction to escape to the ring of observers.

Sesshoumaru was here because he knew that her fighting style would reveal a lot about this Kagome. He noticed quite a large crowd. They were looking forward to a fight. Anticipation hung in the air like an overpowering perfume. Rieko was down in the crowd, a boken in her hand. Sesshoumaru repressed the urge to go break it over her head. She was speaking quietly with a regal looking young man in a light gray kimono. He stayed impassively where he was.

The crowd was murmuring about how talented Agasha Rieko was and how her boyfriend Daidoji Kenshin was sure to be made proud by her. There seemed to be no doubt that Rieko would win and Sesshoumaru felt a snarl of disgust start to rise in his throat. He stopped it before it came out and looked over the crowd of fools. It was 4:50 and Kagome was no where in sight. He was beginning to wonder if she would show. *No, Inuyasha's Kagome would never chicken out of anything. What am I thinking, this is not the same girl!*

The crowd's murmur settled as Rieko raised her voice above the drone. Her voice was shrill and haughty and grated on the poor dog demon's sensitive hearing. He would have killed a human for that voice alone a century ago, but now he held himself in check. "I, Agasha Rieko, challenged Higurashi Kagome to a rematch for her dishonorable cheating last spring. As we can all see, she is such a disreputable coward that she doesn't show her face if she can't cheat."

Rage rose up inside Sesshoumaru and a low threatening growl emanated from his lips. He had taken a step forward, his vision starting to glow red, when her caught her calming scent. It was the same scent he remembered from back then, jasmine and lavender after a spring rain. His eyes followed his sense of smell and saw her. His breath momentarily caught. She was wearing the typical Miko clothing, although it was in dark blue rather than red. *She almost looks like Inuyasha's corpse wench in that. But only Kagome had that type of fire in her eyes; Kikyou couldn't have even touched what I see in this Kagome's eyes.*

Her voice carried over the muttered laughter. Her voice was cold and calm *much like my own* as she said, "I thought the one challenged was supposed to chose the weapons in a duel." She did not falter in voice or step as she entered the circle of students.

"But Kagome-san," snarled Rieko, "I never said this was a duel, simply a rematch for last spring." There was a sadistic smile on her lips.

"Then why do you come armed?"

"Why do you come dressed like that?" She mocked.

"I work at the shrine as a miko in training, but you still have not answered why you feel the need to cheat to defeat me. Am I really that great a threat to you? Because I have an honorable heart where as you barely know what honor is?" *Excellent barb Kagome-chan.* And Sesshoumaru felt his lip curl ever so slightly as Rieko turned red with rage and humiliation. There were snickers at her expense from the crowd.

Rieko snarled with deadly seriousness, "Prepare for pain, bitch!" Her attack with the boken in her hand left nothing to be desired. She was skilled and graceful and knew just how to aim for an incapacitating blow.

Kagome sidestepped at the last possible moment into Rieko's body and delivered a solid punch to her stomach. As he watched her move out of the hastily swung counter attack he couldn't help but remember.~~~ Her skill was still less than his worthless brother and he slowly, deftly, and lazily avoided her strike. He moved in and had this been a real fight he'd have torn her in half with his claws. Instead he deftly picked her up in his arm and carried her to the wall. He looked down into her startled beautiful eyes. "Can you put me down, please Fluffy-sama?"~~~ Rieko was taking another swing and Kagome dodged it with false ease as she lashed out a foot at Rieko's shin, causing the girl to fall back away for a moment.

Five more attacks from Rieko, each one dodged and a pot shot taken by Kagome. Sesshoumaru reflected *it reminds me of when I used to fight Inuyasha so long ago. Kagome moves like I used to. Could this be her?* There was a slight sadness in him. It had taken the great Youkai lord over a century to realize he missed his bastard brother more than their father's sword which had vanished with him.

He took note that each attack brought Kagome closer to Hojo and her shinai. When she was within reach of him she said, "My shinai, Hojo-chan," and held out her hand. He placed it in her outstretched hand. As her finger's curled about its cloth handle, Rieko took the opportunity to strike at Hojo. The boken swung at his unguarded face, fear in his eyes. Sesshoumaru saw the shinai come up at the last second and a loud crack rang out across the field. He saw her eyes were icy fire as she threw Rieko back with her strength, "I'm your opponent, bitch!" She delivered a palm strike to Rieko's unguarded chest and knocked the already off balance girl to the ground.

Sesshoumaru could her Kagome growling at Rieko, much the way Inuyasha would be at this moment in a battle. He felt his demon blood flowing and a violent desire rising in him. A rumbling growl started to answer hers with bloodlust. He watched enthralled as Kagome moved toward the fallen Rieko, bringing her boken up in defense, and felt an almost overwhelming need to feel blood flow through his claws. Kagome brought her shinai down across Rieko's wrist as the girl attempted to defend and a pained yelp escaped the girl's lips as she dropped her weapon. *Foolish human, now you die.* He had taken about five steps toward the fight, people backed away in fear. He stopped and fought for control as he continued to watch the fight.

"Fucking bitch, you broke my wrist!" Rieko cried angrily.

Kagome stepped back from her foe, "Do you yield," she asked calmly, shinai pointed at her fallen opponent, "and swear to never come near myself or Hojo ever again?"

"Hell no!" was torn from her enraged throat as she dove at Kagome. Sesshoumaru heard her ribs crack as she impacted the shinai that glowed violet with Kagome's rage. He watched the purple haired girl fall unconscious from the impact and felt his blood slow as Kagome's rage instantly vanished. She slowly, gently lowered her enemy to the ground.

Sesshoumaru watched the tall dark haired man Rieko had been talking with approach Kagome. Again he felt himself step toward her protectively and stopped himself. The man had the stance of a warrior and his voice was deadly soft, the kiss of a ninja's steel, "Higurashi Kagome," he paused, black eyes filled with unshed emotion, "will my Rieko be alright?"
Sesshoumaru watched the bowed head, her hair loosened from the fight coving her face, as it nodded in shame. She looked up, troubled blue eyes meeting black, with moisture not yet shed as she said, "You need to get her to a hospital. I broke at least two of her ribs. Gomennasai."

"I'm Daidoji Kenshin.. I'll take Rieko to get treated." He kneeled to gather his girlfriend in his arms. His eyes flashed at Kagome again and he held hers as he said. "I give you my word, kendo master to kendo master, that Rieko will leave you and yours alone." Then he stood, Rieko gently cradled in his arms. She moaned in pain and her purple hair fanned against his light kimono. Diadoji turned and walked away, the gathered crowd parting before him like the red sea for Moses.

Sesshoumaru could see the trembling in Kagome and again his foot took an involuntary step toward her. Before a second followed, Hojo had come behind her and wrapped comforting arms about her. She leaned into him and whispered quietly, "Take me home, please, Hojo-kun." With a protective arm around her, Hojo led her away from the assembled audience. As Sesshoumaru turned to leave he heard comments from the peanut gallery that made him want to rip heads from bodies. He hurried away before he lost control. The red still clouding his vision slightly.

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okay there is a reason she fought like Sesshoumaru-I'm sure you guessed it thanks to the flashbacks.