InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shikon High ❯ A Time Before This ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: The characters of "Inu-Yasha" do not belong to me but to their respective owner, ok? Are you all happy for banishing my happy bubble?! *deep breath* Think…happy…think…tweaking Inu's ears…

A/N: Kudos goes to BigAnimeFan1 for being my 50th reviewer on FanFiction.net! Yay! Wow…five chapters already? This long and this fast…? Damn, I think I've surprised myself. I'm sorry about the mean thing I pulled in Chapter Four…not many reviewed so…. Yes, yes, I am working on "On Vacation" so don't worry. I'm just kinda in a transition stage in my head. I've decided I can no longer run on linear scheduling for writing so I gotta just let it go where it goes; the stories tell me what to do. Sounds weird, but it's true. Next thing, schedules. I'll put it up here so I don't forget like I did last time. ^^; Ok, here they are.

Inu-Yasha:Mon/Fri-Art, Chemistry, Lit/Comp, Lunch, Calculus. Tues/Thurs-Business Management, P.E., Study Hall, Lunch, Japanese History. Wed/Sat.-Psychology, Choir, English, Lunch (Dismissal on Sat.), Study Hall (Wed. only; Sat. is a half day).

Kagome: Mon/Fri-Art, Chemistry, Lit/Comp, Lunch, Trigonometry. Tues/Thurs-Home Economics, Computer Tech, Study Hall, Lunch, Japanese History. Wed/Sat.-P.E., Choir, English, Lunch (Dismissal on Sat.), Study Hall (Wed. only; Sat. is a half day).

Miroku:Mon/Fri-Art, English Literature, Physics, Lunch, Trigonometry. Tues/Thurs-Economics, P.E., Study Hall, Lunch, Japanese History. Wed/Sat.-Psychology, Choir, Accounting 2, Lunch (Dismissal on Sat.), Journalism 3. (Wed. only; Sat. is a half day).

Sango:Mon/Fri-Japanese History, Info Processing, Lit/Comp, Lunch, Trigonometry. Tues/Thurs-Home Economics, English, Chemistry, Lunch, Metal Working. Wed/Sat.-P.E., Choir, Accounting 2, Lunch (Dismissal on Sat.), Journalism 3. (Wed. only; Sat. is a half day).

Chapter Five: A Time Before This

The fireworks continued to screech, dazzling the sky when they impressively blossomed into so many hues; raining down, yet fading before even gracing the treetops, creating a dome over this enchanted world that was the festival grounds. As Kagome and Inu-Yasha finished up their walk, the girl chewed her bottom lip in contemplation.

He…he was going to kiss me…! But…why…? A dreamy warmth crossed her cheeks while she wordlessly wondered if she'd actually wanted him to kiss her. They'd been so close. A centimeter more and their lips would've met. For some reason, deep down, she felt a bit disappointed--cheated really. Then again, she hadn't known her hanyou friend very long; this was day six. Surely feelings other than friendship wouldn't start now. It just wasn't very practical or believable…right? With a muted sigh, Kagome adjusted the borrowed haori a bit with her free hand.

Inu-Yasha was trying to reckon his own actions as his gaze meandered over the area around them; however, it landed quite often on the girl whose fingers were intertwined with his. At first Kagome looked so much like Kikyo… he thought, peeking out of the corner of his eye at her. But now that I look closer, I can see the differences. He brought his peering back to the path before them. Smiling furtively to himself, he let his eyelids drift together briefly. What had been that scent on her lips…? Peppermint. That was it. What gentle scents she has….

"Those fireworks are really pretty," Kagome said softly, smiling somewhat heavenwards.

The boy nodded his concurrence. "Yeah, I guess they're ok."

"Hmm…I wonder what it'd be like to be right up there…" she murmured to herself. She closed her eyes, trusting in her companion to guide her, as she attempted to visualize the sensation of being near those vibrant bursts. If she'd not done so, she would've seen the roguish smirk spreading over the half-demon's face.

Likewise, when she felt him release her hand, she wouldn't have been so surprised when she heard him say, "Get on."

Her stormy eyes flickered open. "What?" Kagome glimpsed down to see Inu-Yasha on his haunches. Taking the initiative, she mounted his back, which felt quite brawny as she wrapped her legs carefully round his sides, though curiously doing so.

The boy waited as his charge got comfortable. "Ready?"

"What are we doing exactly?" She gripped onto his shoulders, the sleeves of the cloak hanging over a bit.

He smirked to himself again as he reached back and held her thighs firmly, close by the knees--though not harshly--lest she fall off. "We're going to see the fireworks." And all the eagerness building in his coiled muscles sprung and he shot into the air as a bright sapphire pyrotechnic mirrored the action and exploded as the couple peaked high over the treetops, grayish clouds of night here and there in the backdrop.

Far below them, as they flew over the festival grounds, a well-known voice hollered in outrage, "Dog turd! What fuck are you doing?!"

Inu-Yasha's smirk only widened as he and Kagome disappeared from the gala's sight; Kouga continued to shout things at him from the ground, waving his hands before curling them into fists and whamming Hagguku and Ginta profusely with them. Poor, abused fools.

The wind streaked passed them, as did the world while Inu-Yasha did his bout of bounding, 'fly' for a bit, land in a sprint for a bit, and bound back up. The fireworks illuminated their faces with more intense glows; the hanyou's light hair became stained with the stippled light of whatever firecracker had just gone off.

Kagome relaxed rather quickly, and was all smiles as they continued to soar through the air with ease. "Wow, Inu-Yasha, this is so amazing!" she awed as her gaze darted every which way.

"Keh, expect you to be so entertained by something so miniscule," he grunted, regardless there was no bite to his comment and a half-smirk on his face

She giggled affably behind him. "I'm only human, after all, Inu-Yasha. It's not everyday I get this close to clouds."

The people, buildings, and all the other amenities that made up Tokyo grew into an indistinct mosaic beneath them. Streetlamps cast their luminosity, as did the neon signs of local businesses and traffic lights. Whatever activity was occurring on the streets, the noise touched deaf ears. The cool air caressing their faces, the subdued festival clamor away, leaving Inu-Yasha and Kagome to enjoy their spree. Several times the hanyou boy ricocheted off the top of a stoplight, scarcely making it sway.

After a bit, Kagome queried in a contented voice, "So, where are we going now?"

"Taking you home. I told your mom I'd have you home on time so…" he trailed off gruffly. He heard her sigh-wonder why she sighed…--and a little more time ticked pass. "…Are you warm enough, Kagome?" asked Inu-Yasha suddenly, in a quiet sort of tone.

"Yeah," she replied, his mane gently touching her face. He's so warm… she thought, sinking closer to his back, having been seated a tad more upright, the chill starting to get to her.

"Good." He felt her shift but he didn't mind as be recoiled off the top of a streetlamp. "We're pretty close to the shrine, anyway."

He wasn't joking; the girl could see the Goshinboku plain as anything, even from this position (which was decidedly comfortable). Her beloved tree soon came closer into view and before she knew it, her escort had landed a few yards away from the front door, the security light coming on. Slightly sad that her first midnight cruise was over so quickly, she disembarked when he crouched down. "Thanks, Inu-Yasha," she said as the boy erected himself and turned to face her.

"It's no problem…."

A pregnant pause ensued.

When Inu-Yasha had 'suggested' they go for a jaunt, it hadn't been long after that…maladroit moment. That feeling of awkwardness blasted back at full force. How was it that oddities like this seemed to strike them like this? (Or for Inu-Yasha's state of mind, why did karma always bite him so full on in the ass?)

She stared at him.

He stared at her.

She blushed.

He blushed.

She looked away.

He looked away.

Noticing a pattern yet?

The big question remained unanswered by the abashed couple: How were they going to end this awkward night?

Well, they had several options.

One: They could shake hands oddly and walk away.

Two: They could politely bow and be on their way.

Three: They could pick up where they left off at when those stupid, ill-placed fireworks started…

Or four: Fine something common, a not too formal way of saying good-bye and/or not make asses out of themselves.

Choices…

"Well…thanks for taking me," Kagome said finally, pushing her hair behind her ear rather distractedly.

"Yeah, well…." Absolutely smooth there, dog boy…. He promenaded with her up the steps to the landing, still indirectly glancing at her. Muttering shyly, with feigned amounts of indifference, "I hope you had a good time or whatever." He rolled a shoulder backwards, a nervous habit he had that he molded into an uncaring shrug.

"Oh, I did!" She smiled at him anxiously. Not sure what else to do, she reached a hand and rubbed his said shoulder in a friendly manner. "Thanks for the goldfish."

With a soft sigh, perhaps to relieve himself of some of the pent up tension, Inu-Yasha returned the ministration to her back. "It's really no big deal…."

Observing herself, the shrine girl noticed something, which earned her faint stripe of pink over the bridge of her nose. "I still have your haori." She carefully slipped the warm weight of the cloth off and returned it to him, avoiding eye contact. "I appreciate you letting me borrow it. I hope you were warm enough without it."

"Keh, I was fine." He managed a cocky smirk, putting the cloak back on and adjusting it. "You better get inside before you freeze. I doubt your fragile, human body will be able to endure the slight chill without getting sick," he said with a slight sneer.

She gave him a half-glare. "I don't know whether to thank you for your concern, or insult you for being a jerk...both are likely and highly appealing."

He snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Whatever." Watching her, Inu-Yasha suddenly felt as if something was missing…a hollow-like feeling…like he needed to do something more before his mind sobered up and slaughtered the stint of dreaminess that was currently clouding it, and swiftly dissolving. Just as Kagome was about to open the door, the hanyou grasped onto her free hand and gave it a little squeeze.

Surprised, she turned back to him. A flashback of his face when they were on their stroll at the festival materialized in her mind. His hair and eyes had, at that time when he'd drawn her closer, an opalescent shine. She smiled, flushing slightly anew. "I'll see you on Monday."

A bit numb, he murmured, "Yeah…later…" as he released her. She only paused in the doorway to give a little wave prior to mouthing, "Night" and disappearing inside. Inu-Yasha stood there for a moment, absolutely mystified; her scent still strong, he breathed deep as the aroma emanated from his haori. Gradually, he lost his transitory bout of paralysis. Half-smirk born on his lips, he turned away and started for the shrine steps, decidedly lighter on his feet and a sense of contentment within.

Kagome had lingered at the doorway, back resting against it. Tentatively, she moved her hand from the knob up to her chest; the same one that the hanyou boy had held less than a moment ago. The world seemed muzzy to her. Her heart fluttered beneath her palm as she exchanged her bated breath for fresh inhalations. She felt tingly and warm all over, and rather giddy for some reason, as her time at the festival continued to be relived in her psyche.

Sota bounded up to her--apparently he'd been watching television or something till she got home--, Buyo the cat clinging onto his back. "So, Sis," the boy crowed, "how was your date?"

Kagome gripped onto the front of her kimono a little, gaze seeming to look passed him and onto some field of silver and amber that only she knew before answering quietly, "It…it was great."

The next morning, Kagome awoke to the phone ringing. She rolled over in her bed, emitting a few muffled groans. The phone continued to drone. "Is anyone gonna get that?" she asked, half to her pillow. In response, it rang again. With another moan of protest, she got up and shuffled across her carpet out into the hallway to answer with a yawn, "Higurashi residence, Kagome speaking."

"Hey, Kagome! It's Sango."

The girl brightened a bit as she slipped progressively into the realm of the alert. "Ah, good morning." She rubbed the sleep away from an eye with the heel of her palm. "You just woke me up. What's up?"

"Not much. Sorry for waking you. Miroku and I wondered where you and Inu-Yasha took off to last night."

"Oh?" she choked out, snapping fully awake with a red hot blush and eyes on the wider side. She'd completely forgotten to tell them what was going on. She was so startled, in fact, that she almost dropped the cordless phone; however she caught and juggled it back over to its designated place. "Uh, hehe, sorry," she nervously laughed, sweat dropping a bit on her side of the conversation. "Inu-Yasha wanted to show me the, uh, fireworks from another perspective."

"That's great! Well, you seem to be safe and sound and in one piece."

The girl laughed again with the same tone as before. "Yeah, he was too when he left." Can't make any guarantees after he left…

"Anyway, I was wondering if you'd be willing to help me with some of the yearbook stuff. It gets kinda boring by myself."

Kagome grinned. "Sounds great."

"Thanks a bunch! I'll send Miroku to go and pick you up since he seems to know the way."

"Ok, I'll see you in a bit. Bye, Sango."

"Bye, Kagome."

The girl was finished getting ready at exactly the time Miroku showed up. He'd walked up to door instead of beating the car horn-to Kagome's relief-and waited patiently as she left a note for her mother, who was currently taking Sota shopping for a new jacket-Buyo had tested his claws on it--, detailing all the necessities of her outing.

Their car ride was nothing spectacular, but they had a long discussion about senile, old people and the zany things they do…always a good topic of conversation with said people living in the household. The monk also had at his disposal many embarrassing stories about Sango and Inu-Yasha, some of which absolutely insane and would've mortified the aforementioned people to no end had they known. (He did take quite a few stabs at why she and Inu-Yasha had disappeared to the night before, earning dark blushes from the girl.) Still, upon reaching Sango's house, Miroku and Kagome were in fits of laughter.

"I'll swing by around five to take you home," the monk said as he pulled up by the curb, wiping a tear from his eye as he chuckled lightly.

She nodded with a big grin on her face. "Yup. Thanks, Miroku."

He waved his farewell as he drove off.

Still giggling slightly, Kagome made her way to the front door of the house. She spotted a vegetable garden on her right beneath a window. Raising the round knocker, she rapped on the door. Within moments, Sango's smiling face greeted her.

"Hey, Kagome! Come inside." The older girl ushered her newer friend inside and shut the door after her.

From the outside, the house had appeared more like a rather large bungalow with a paint job that was not exactly the most attention gaining work. Within, though, it was nice and inviting, with family portraits and warm colors themes, making Kagome feel very bubbly, and she was forcing herself not to skip from room to room. "I love your house, Sango," she remarked, slipping off her shoes. "It's so cozy."

"Thanks. Do you want something to eat?"

"Uh, well, I didn't eat anything at home," she sheepishly admitted.

Laughing, the girl gestured for the other to follow. "Then you'll just have an early lunch or a very late breakfast."

"I guess…." Kagome tottered after Sango, smiling at the cute, green frog slippers she had on for a bit. "Um, say, what time is it, anyway?"

"Hmm?" She glanced at her wristwatch. "Close to eleven." Ignoring her friend's nervous mirth at being such a late sleeper, Sango toddled around the kitchen searching for some chow. "Now where'd the chips go…?" she mumbled to herself before it dawned on her. "Kohaku! Did you eat all the potato chips again?"

From a nearby room, the harried crinkling of a Mylar-lined bag and the garbled, "Nope," responded.

Grumbling, the girl continued to search for food; all Kagome caught was a something that involved the words 'selling', 'brother', and 'gypsies'.

It smelled nice in the kitchen, like cinnamon or something. Glimpsing around a bit, Kagome concluded it was coming from the scented oil on the far end of the counter.

"Aha," said a triumphant Sango as she found a package of miniature chocolate chip cookies. "This ok?"

"Chocolate's always good."

"Hey, Sango, who do you have over?" a boy-presumably her brother-trotted into the room, an empty chip bag in hand. He had the same dark brown-- almost black--hair color, but his eyes were a mahogany color, with a dusty of freckles over the bridge of his nose.

Turning to him, she replied with a smile, "Kohaku, I want you to meet my friend Higurashi Kagome."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," aforementioned girl said.

He stared at her for a moment, before making a connection with the familiar name. "Hey, you're Sota's big sister, aren't you?"

She nodded. "Yup, we're siblings, alright. Is he helping you fit in on your new soccer team?"

Kohaku grinned broadly. "Yeah, he's really cool."

"Good, I'm glad." She bobbed her head in approval.

"Well, we're going upstairs," Sango said, rifling through the refrigerator.

"Ok. Nice meeting you, Kagome." The boy crunched up the Mylar bag and shot it into the trash can before whirling to wave good-bye. "Later."

After grabbing some cans of cola from the fridge, the girls trotted upstairs and into Sango's room. Her bedroom was painted a soft jade, with light colored furniture. Curled up on the rose patterned coverlets of the bed, was a cat with yellow-tinted white fur, with two tails that had little stripes of black at the tips, which the ears mimicked. The feline's two tails were scarcely touching the tip of her nose.

Climbing onto the bed, Sango began stroking the cat. "Wake up, Kirara."

Swiftly, Kirara was awake, peering at her mistress inquisitively, making little noises of greeting. Her gaze falling upon the stranger, she bounced off the bed and started sniffing at Kagome's feet.

"Hello, Kirara," she said, stooping down to caress her fur with a smile. "I'm Kagome." She giggled when the cat responded with a kittenish mew and nuzzled her hand. "I probably smell like Buyo."

"Your fat cat?" the other girl asked, breaking the seal of the cookie bag.

"Uh-huh." Hopping on the bed, cola in hand, she stole a few of the chocolate chip cookies. "So, where's all the stuff for the yearbook?"

Grinning, Sango slid off, landed in a crouch, and began digging under her bed. After a few moments, she retrieved a large, translucent, pink box. She popped the lid and all sorts of papers, books, and photos were all packed neatly within. "This is what we've collected so far." She picked up a few years books from days passed. "I kinda like to use these as templates."

"Great! Let's get started."

The girls went to work, sprawled out on the floor, shifting positions ever-so-often. (Kirara continued to dominate the bed.) They got a lot of planning done, as well as ideas for color schemes. Sango was having a blast showing off to Kagome all the pictures she'd taken as well as filling her in on some of the people she hadn't met yet, and would be best if she never did. (Sango lamented that she couldn't reverse her meeting with Kouga, though.)

"Oh, you have to see this picture!" Sango thumbed through a yearbook from her first year-as well as Inu-Yasha and Miroku's-at Shikon High. She continued to grin furtively to herself as the younger girl leaned in closer to take a peek. Reaching the back, she found the photo and passed it to her friend for evaluation, straining to contain her laughter.

Kagome took one glance at it and cracked up giggling. It was Miroku and Inu-Yasha fighting over a piece of string cheese with the most fearsome faces, as if it was some precious commodity. "They look so serious!" she snickered, passing the book back to Sango.

Her laughter free, she sniggered out, "I know! They ended up breaking it clean in half and went flying to the floor. Even now their stories of who the real 'winner' was don't match up."

Still giggling, Kagome returned to flipping through last year's book. Currently, she'd just finished checking out the sports section-which the team name was, like all the others, The Jewels-and was amazed by seeing the sports her new group of friends participated in. Miroku was in soccer and baseball. Sango was in tennis, soccer, and swimming. Inu-Yasha was not only in soccer and baseball, but the martial arts team.

I wonder if he's any good, she thought vaguely as she skimmed over to the snapshots. The one that really caught her eye was the martial arts one with Kouga and Inu-Yasha fighting rather heatedly; it had to have been some fight, judging by the faces they wore, their limbs indistinct blurs.

Skipping over a bit more, Kagome found herself at the section of the yearbook dedicated to dances and festivals and other such occurrences during the school year. Nothing more interesting than a few pictures of people she hadn't even the foggiest clue was, although she found a cute picture of Sango cuddled up against Miroku's chest as she sat in his lap, fast asleep.

Her eyes ran roved over a couple more photos. Same old same old-wait a sec… what was that? Stopping, mid page turn, the girl brought the book closer to her eyes. She gave a muffled gasp of surprise. What in the world? It's that girl! The same one from the ice cream parlor… contemplated Kagome in astonishment. She used to go to Shikon High? What was more, was the person she was sitting with.

It was Inu-Yasha.

Inu-Yasha, with a scowl on his face, sitting beside the mystery girl who was seated pretty close to him behind the lunch table, with a low-key smile on her countenance.

Noticing her friend's quiet hitch of breath, and lack of perky comments, Sango glanced over at her from her position on her stomach on the floor. "What is it Kagome?"

"This." She passed the annual to the older girl, tapping the photograph as she did.

Accepting it, she peered down at gestured spot, and her russet orbs narrowed and grew darker with unspoken distaste. "What about it?" she asked blandly, a bit of an edge in her voice, gaze not wavering from the page.

"Uh…." Kagome fidgeted, fearing she made pal mad. "I-it's just I ran into that girl last week-" she began mildly before she was interrupted.

Immediately, like someone had attached a cord to the back of her neck, Sango's noggin shot up. "You saw Kikyo?!"

"Uh, yeah. I was taking Shippo down to the ice cream parlor after my first day at Shikon High and I bumped into her." Goosebumps ran like swift-moving, cold water over her skin at the remembrance of the aberrant girl. "It was really weird…. She made me feel like I was dead or something."

Sango made a very anomalous snort. "Don't worry about it," she muttered in censure, laced heavily with revulsion, "she has that affect on everyone." She let out a rather heavy sigh as she sat slowly up on her knees.

Kagome remained silent for a moment before remarking softly, "You really don't like her, do you, Sango?"

She nodded her head glumly, the sparks still burning stoutly in her eyes. "I loathe that girl." Already guessing what the other girl was going to ask, she elaborated. "Kikyo's a cold person. She's stoic and acts as if she's gracing the world with her presence and we should all bow down and stare in wonder." Sango shook her head in disgust, her tongue creeping out a bit as if she could taste the feeling strongly in her mouth. "She's manipulative, sneaky, and cunning as all hell…." Pausing for a bit to catch her breath, she glanced at a rapt Kagome for a moment. "Any idea how long I've been friends with Inu-Yasha and Miroku?"

"A long time?" she guessed, wondering what relevance the question had.

"Since I was four-years-old. We've grown up together, which means we did pretty much everything together, including get in trouble," she recalled with a faint smile. "We could depend upon each other for everything, no matter how unpredictable either of them can be. That's just how it always was…almost always…." The grin faded, and Sango gained a tone that reminded the younger girl of a eulogy that one had to read for some great aunt that was unknown until the funeral. "It was last year at Shikon High that Inu-Yasha actually had any real interaction with Kikyo. At first, he just couldn't stand her, especially around tournament time. She'd managed to score higher for her archery than he had for his sword technique and she was so damn haughty about it. Not outgoing necessarily, but smug nonetheless. Then…somehow…he fell for her."

For some unforeseeable reason, Kagome's breath caught again, her heart clenching as she absorbed this. "So, then what?"

"Well, to be honest…you think Inu-Yasha's a jerk now?" Sango didn't even wait for a response to her question, which had sounded more like a statement. "He was ten times worse. He barely spoke to me or Miroku, which you'd think he'd at least speak to him since he was his best guy friend and could probably relate, to some degree, with him, but no. And when he did talk to us, it was always catty remarks. It was as if he didn't even know us anymore! I sure didn't know him." Letting out a tight exhale, Sango crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned against the bed, staring off at the ceiling for a bit. She looked like she was on the brink of tears.

"If you don't wanna talk about it, Sango, it's ok," Kagome offered gently, reaching a hand out and patting her friend on the shoulder consolingly.

She moved her gaze to the other girl and gave another faint smile. "It's kinda nice having a gal pal around instead of two lunkheaded guys all the time." She paused for a moment, before ceding, "I can trust you, Kagome…." Swallowing another breath, she pressed on. "It really hurt me, and no doubt Miroku, but…as much as we detested Kikyo, hoped she'd fall of a cliff or something…" she trailed off. "If she made Inu-Yasha happy, we had to respect that…if she had."

"If?"

Peering somberly at her, "She ripped his heart out, Kagome. That…stuck-up prima donna," Sango spluttered angrily, gripping onto her shirt sleeves, teeth grinding, "started dating some other guy about a week before she officially dumped Inu-Yasha like basketful of dirty laundry. It made me so mad! She was so apathetic about! Like he didn't have feelings! He was just-just a toy for her amusement! Inu-Yasha may be a cocky jerk, but he's still my best friend and I find that absolutely unforgivable. She didn't even have the courtesy to break up with him gently!" She shook her head. "I feel kind of dumb, though, because I wasn't the one dumped."

Kagome patted her friend's shoulder. "I'd feel the same way if someone did that to one of my friends…. It just shows you care a lot about him."

Concurring with a half-smile, Sango murmured, her ire subsiding a bit, "Yeah. He's about a year older than me. It's kind of like having an older brother, so, when Kikyo hurt him so deeply, it ticked me off." She sighed, feeling a bit drained. "Let's forget about Kikyo and work on the stuff for the yearbook, ok?"

"That sounds good."

~*~*~*~*

She hadn't been able to forget. Pushing Kikyo out of her mind wasn't an easy task.

Miroku had noticed that, so far, Kagome had been unusually quiet, and very pensive. He wondered what was wrong, but she dismissed it with a light wave of her hand at each interrogation.

As common with autumn days, the sun was fading already, and the sun's warm afterglow combined with the fiery hues of some of the trees that set the horizon ablaze. Looking out of the corner of his eye, Miroku gazed at Kagome. She had her cheek resting on the back of her wrist, forehead pressed against the window, as she stared the scenery. Clearing his throat, the boy made to start conversation when she beat him to it.

"Miroku…?"

"Yes, Kagome?"

"Do you…" she trailed off, biting her lip slightly. She knew she probably shouldn't be asking but her curiosity was going to kill her and she had to know. That Kikyo girl had been stalking about like a looming shadow around the depths of her mind since Monday after the ice cream parlor incident. What was more, since it involved her new friends, she couldn't help but feel the need know, as if it was imperative that she was enlightened. "Why did Kikyo break up with Inu-Yasha?" she queried hastily.

Had it been anyone else asked that question-having known the answer-they would've made fishtail swerves into another lane. Thankfully, Miroku had great self-control…it was only mentally that he about leapt out of his skin. "How do you know about Kikyo?" he asked airily, straining to keep the iciness at bay from his tone.

"I met her once," was the soft reply.

He nodded deeply several times before pulling over on the side of the fairly desolate road. "I'm not sure if I'm one to tell you that, but…" He slumped into the leatherback of the driver's seat.

"Sango told me a bit about her, it was just I figured you maybe knew some reason why they broke up."

"I see." He ground his teeth, attempting to meditate for a bit to maintain serenity. "Inu-Yasha has not had a very easy life, and he is typically slow to trust people, with you as the exception, Kagome." Miroku smiled slightly as the girl's head whipped away from the window in surprise. "He is a very loyal person, however, when he finds consul in someone. For all of his gruffness and rough exterior, he really is a decent guy within."

Kagome nodded, still trying to register what everything he was saying meant in the long run. "His underbelly's really soft, huh?"

Miroku bobbled his head. "Indeed. That is why when they broke up, it nearly tore Inu-Yasha in two."

"How long ago was it?"

"I'd say…" he stroked his chin, "around five months. He truly believed he loved her, and when he found she ran off with another man…he put himself at fault, spending insurmountable amounts of time wondering what he did wrong. I believe she spent in the area of five to ten seconds on their break up."

Kagome's cobalt eyes softened, placing a hand over her own heart. "The poor guy…. No wonder it tore him up inside." I had no idea…

"The thing of it was, Kikyo was a spoiled brat, plain and simple. She liked the best clothes by the best brands and the finest jewelry, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera," he said, accentuating his point with a few gesticulations. "She would act as if she wasn't so…needy and that she thought her man would think it best if she was always well-groomed; that was the brainwashing she used on Inu-Yasha."

"Well, that's really selfish!" Kagome interjected, suddenly feeling evermore defensive of the dog-hanyou, even if it was talking about things already past. "His love should've been enough-" She stopped herself, mid-sentence, when it occurred to her: Kikyo didn't love him in return… Slowly, the girl closed her mouth, contemplating deeply. Oh, Inuyasha… Tears began to sting at her eyes.

Giving a small sigh, Miroku agreed by saying, "That is how it should have been. Kikyo was more interested in the material things of here and now, hence why she ran off with some rich college guy named…" he paused until the moniker came to him, "Onigumo Naraku. His parents own some big time company. I don't remember what it is, at the moment. He's another flamboyant fellow. Kouga can also be placed somewhere beneath that general umbrella, as he gives Inu-Yasha a hard time for working for his wages." Pulling the Toyotaback onto the street, the monk signaled the near-approaching end of conversation.

For a few moments, they rode in silence, a few cars passing by own the surface street they were traveling; Miroku chose to try and wipe his mind blank of his best friend's ordeal as he drove, and Kagome gaped silently at her lap where her hands rested, still processing the whole thing.

"All because…he couldn't give her stuff like that…?" the girl's hoarse whisper inquired to no in particular.

Stealing a glance at her, Miroku saw how troubled her visage was, and the droplet fall into her upturned palms. "It wasn't that he didn't want to give her fine things. He did realize he had priorities, even in his most comatose of states. And to say he couldn't…"

~*~*~*~*

Halfway out the door, Inu-Yasha remembered to mind the old woman he lived with and shouted, "I'm going for a walk, Kaede, you old bat."

"Alright, alright. Such a rude child you are," he heard her chuckle.

Damn old hag knew him too well to be seriously insulted. Damn. He pulled on the doorknob as he made his way off the porch. The wind had taken on a bit nippier tone, so he'd nabbed his favorite red windbreaker before he left. He zipped it up about midway, hands shoved in the pockets as he tramped off around the neighborhood, taking the route that led by the ice cream parlor, which was open year-round.

Upon the glass, someone had painted an ice cream cone with a Neapolitan variety of three scoops. Beside it was a poster listing the days' specials, which included not only frozen treats but hot eats, too.

Continuing on past, Inu-Yasha let his feet guide him where they may. It was maybe eleven o'clockor so, but it sure felt longer to the hanyou, as he was an early riser for some odd reason, even on a Sunday. A few people were out riding bikes with their family and friends; a young, college-aged couple was promenading hand-in-hand down the sidewalk across from his; and several children were playing in leaf piles in their front yards.

Turning at the corner, he walked along a nice street, only glimpsing around a bit. Mainly, he kept his gaze pensively cast to the ground. Too much jumbled stuff was going on in his mind, and he hadn't the idea where to begin. Only…

Only, he couldn't get out of his brain how much fun he'd had at the festival with Kagome the night prior… Inu-Yasha attempted to scare the related thoughts off, utilizing many threats and tortures, but it was just too persistent, and stubbornly remained, in all its entirety, making him blush at some of the more…tender instances. What the hell's wrong with me?

After a bit, Inu-Yasha stopped walking. All he could do was gawk. How the hell had he wound up here, of all places in the world? Here he was, Tanaka Inu-Yasha, smack center of the richest district of Tokyo, standing outside the front gates of one of the largest manors in all of Japan. His ambry gaze traveled up the black, wrought iron before him, and skimmed over the white marble stones that held the gate in place. On the right hand side was the touchpad and speaker for the gatekeeper.

The mansion itself was at least two stories high-and Inu-Yasha knew there were three levels below ground--, and was made of white marble, like the stones directly fore him. There were two, large columns with which a short series of steps was situated between. A round fountain stood in the middle of the well-kept yard, water flowing merrily from the tri spouts.

He smirked. It's been a while since I've done this… With a single bound, he leapt over the gate, mindful of the alarms and invisible blockades that protected this massive palace. Nonetheless, still smirking like there was no tomorrow, he began running as soon as he heard the security German shepherds after him. He led them around for a bit before stopping at the fountain.

The pack approached him, snarling; however, as they got closer, the alpha sniffed and immediately began to wag his tail and yip like a pup. The others, also taking in the hanyou's scent, followed suit. Inu-Yasha only chuckled and gave each of them a pat on the head before striding over to the steps, the dogs barking insanely at his heels.

"Stay," he commanded firmly. "You're not allowed in the house. No." Watching as they reluctantly obeyed, Inu-Yasha swiveled back to the doors before him. Running a claw around the intricate pattern for a moment, he gently pushed his way inward, stepping onto a large mat where he wiped his feet off.

Deciding to forego the normal custom of removing ones shoes, Inu-Yasha traversed bit by bit on the deep, red carpeting that led up a grand staircase, which split in two directions at the peak. "Looks like it's still being cared for. Good." Passing by the plants that stood at either side of the railing, the boy climbed the stairs, taking his time as he looked around unhurriedly.

Paintings of people-familiar people-decorated the walls. A few vases here and there lined the walls on small end tables. As he made it to the second floor, the hanyou went around the left way and, by unvoiced memory, Inu-Yasha walked into a room filled with swords, bows, and all sorts of other weapons. The room glittered dimly as the light hit the metal.

"Not a thing's been changed…" he murmured as he reversed out and trekked a few paces down to another door. This one he was more hesitant about opening; however, taking in a deep breath, Inu-Yasha pushed open the door also.

Strewn about were a few children's playthings, and some other older kid games. He looked at the room fondly for a moment, a gentle smile touching his mouth. Going inside a bit, he only pressed inward enough to pick up a creamy colored book with glittering gold characters that read, 'And They Lived Happily Ever After'. Running a fingertip over the cover, he cracked it open and gingerly flipped through the pages. I remember these so well… he thought, stopping to look at the beautiful illustration of some powerful samurai defeating some great army whilst protecting his love, who stood fearfully behind him. Hearing the soft pattering of footfalls, Inu-Yasha laid the volume where it had once been, doting memories of fairytales prior to bed whisking through his mind as he slowly exited.

"Who's there?" a woman's voice asked from at the rear of him. Shutting the door, the hanyou whirled around to face a maid peering curiously at him with a duster in her hand. He didn't say anything, as the woman beat him to it after scrutinizing him for second, uncertain recognition flickering over her features. "Inu-Yasha? Is that you?"

"Unless there's someone ripping off my name, yeah, it's me," he responded nonchalantly.

The middle-aged woman grinned at him, controlling her joy. "Oh, it's been so long! Excuse my rudeness, sir!" she apologized profusely, giddy as she did.

He shrugged. "It's alright. It's been a while, right?"

"It truly has-and look how you've grown!" she gushed, placing her free hand on his upper arm. "You're nearly a man now! Oh, welcome back home, Master Inu-Yasha!"

~*~*~*~*

A/N: *wipes sweat away* Damn, that took a lot longer than it should have. Shorter than the others, I'll admit. Well, I've been sick quite a bit recently. Turned out I had bronchitis. Yuck, yuck, yuck. So, I've been doing a TON of make-up work. This chapter was hard to write and…well, I dunno, to tell you all the truth. It just was. In any case, I wanna thank two very special reviewers on FF.net: ShiroInu and Shadow Wraith for their constant vigils on my stories! ^^ You two rock! Another thanks to my pal tetsaiga-girl with helping with the chapter title at school Thanks to fluffyduck for reading through the drafts while we were at seminar. To Edward Tivrusky, for laughing her head off at some of the jokes I pulled while reading ideas to her on the phone. And thanks to my mom.

Before I begin torture or anything, I have three questions I pose to you, the reader.

One: What kind of company does Naraku's family own?
Two: What's Inu-Yasha's family's business?

Three: What's Inu-Yasha's job?

I'm just curious to see what people write. Now…

Inu-Yasha: You lazy ass wench, took you long enough!

I was sick. I can't help it.

Inu-Yasha: Keh, whatever. *sticks his nose up in the air*

Don't tick me off Inu, I mean it.

Inu-Yasha: Oh, yeah, what're you gonna do about it, huh?

This. *shoves him in the kitchen while her mom is using pepper*

Inu-Yasha: Ah…ah…AH-CHOO! *sneezes several times, wiping his nose*

(Thanks for the thoughts, Shadow Wraith. ^^)

Well, I'm checking out. Thanks again, and keep reading!

Ja ne,

~Moonlight Shadow