InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Waiting on a Wish ❯ Chapter 21 ( Chapter 21 )

Chapter 21

Something was wrong – he could feel it.

It wasn't anything huge or obvious. They still bickered, still had their moments of contentment and quiet. But something was wrong; it was in her manner, in the looks she gave him when she thought he wouldn't notice, and in that weird troubled way she stared off into space. Ever since that damn rogue attack at the store, Kagome had been different. Hesitant and withdrawn.

Withdrawn from him.

So InuYasha stood out on the balcony in the mid-afternoon light and looked over the wild tangle of trees that covered the property and ground his teeth over what to do.

He knew something was wrong because he'd somehow managed to be sexless for almost a week now. It wasn't like they were isolated from each other – he still touched her, and she still touched him – but the moment contact between them became something more than simple affection, she either changed the subject, suddenly remembered something else she had to do, or pleaded tiredness or a headache or any one of those female things created by the gods to frustrate men. Even her kisses, what few there had been, were reserved and inattentive. It wasn't that time of the month; he hadn't known her very long yet, but he was sure that was a ways off. Actually, the scents coming off her body recently had been thick and rich and enticing, and he was more than a little confused why she was keeping so much distance between them when it was obvious that distance was the last thing her body wanted. All those vaguely-smiled rebuffs were driving him nuts.

So he had to wonder if she was punishing him.

Except she didn't seem angry. Sad, maybe? But hard as he thought, he couldn't remember anything that he might have done in the past few days to make her either angry or sad. Sure, they'd had that dumb fight over her safety and that dumb rogue attack right after, but fights didn't seem to phase her that much and she was damn good at bouncing back.

He wasn't stupid. He knew she'd been feeling frustrated by the changes forced into her life since that bastard Nakamura had put his hands on her. He was trying his best to help relieve that until the heat died down and she could go back to a more normal routine; just last night, they'd ventured out to see the old bat and the orphanage kids, and he'd already promised to take Kagome to see Sango if his fellow hunter wasn't feeling better soon. Kagome had even taken to having tea with Jinenji and that crazy witch of a landlady every couple of days. But she still seemed...off. She was down a lot, not as smiling or cheerful. And damn if he didn't hate that more than if she'd been angry with him.

InuYasha knew his protectiveness bothered her, but that couldn't be the reason for her behavior, could it? He was sure they'd come to a truce of sorts over it after the confrontation with Nakamura. He remembered very clearly the acceptance in her eyes the night she'd promised to be more careful, just like he remembered very clearly his own realization that she had certain lines he couldn't cross without great risk to his sanity and personal well-being.

The railing bars were cool, dappled with the warmth of broken blades of sunlight; his fingers gripped hard around the metal as he scowled at the spreading branches of a tree several feet away. His ears twitched as he strained to catch the whispers of her clothed movements in the kitchen. She'd completely taken over that area of his home, and it had turned into some sort of personal project for her – something to keep her hands busy, maybe, though it wasn't as if he minded. Or he wouldn't have, if she didn't keep making random, open-ended suggestions about where to put things or what it still needed; he kept telling her to just do whatever, and kept ending up on the receiving end of those hackles-raising odd looks. And still, she kept cleaning, rummaging, and rearranging the kitchen – and it was only the damn kitchen, as if she couldn't bring herself to touch anything else in his home.

It'd been the first thing she'd done when they'd gotten home after the rogue attack at the store, right after she'd told him she would agree to stay—

His scowl grew fierce.

—only until things settle down and she could go back to her apartment. She kept mentioning it, that she was going back – as if she needed to remind him that she wasn't staying with him, that it wasn't permanent. Did she really want to go back to that tiny, stupid, annoyingly loud place so much? He didn't like the idea at all; she was so much more vulnerable over there. He liked even less the idea that it was just one more way that felt as if she were pulling away from him.

Well, fuck that.

Her place wasn't as safe as his home. She could pull as much as she liked, but he was damned if he was letting her stay anywhere alone. Sure as hell not now.

He dropped into a crouch, pressed his forehead against the iron that kept him from tumbling to the ground, and let his thoughts wander to the bed in the room behind him, to the sheets all twisted and rumpled because it hadn't been made yet.

At night – only at night – was she the Kagome he'd come to expect.

He'd had sexual encounters before (back at the fire cave when he'd been staying with Totosai, back before Kikyou and those damn flashes, back before he'd really known anything), but those had been more necessity than actual want. The physical intensity of a youkai coming into sexual maturity, and the infrequent whoever willing to scratch the itch. Never anything really personal.

But with Kagome it was different. Every night without fail, she snuggled against him in her sleep, a shockingly intimate tangle of limbs and warm bodies. And if he was too slow to respond, she moved around restlessly and made tiny sounds of dissatisfaction until he was holding her just as close – it was almost as if she didn't want him to let her go. She'd been doing it since the first night he'd stayed in her apartment. As far away as she could seem during the day, at least she still got as close as humanly possible at night. Not that he had any objections. It was no bother, spending every night with his nose buried in some part of her body, taking in the small, detailed nuances of her scent. He'd never been as comfortable in his own bed as he was deep in the silence of the night with her curled up against him as if he were a necessary part of her.

Every morning she woke up and gave him irritated looks, but it was always she who started it. He didn't understand how she could cuddle against him like that and yet still reject him when she was awake. In his less rational moments of the past few days he'd been so tempted to just snap at her, let her know that it wasn't all his fault. He might have, if it didn't feel like a precious secret, something about her that belonged only to him – as if her subconscious mind recognized a part of him that her conscious mind never would. Telling her would violate the secret, and he was selfish enough to want to keep it to himself.

Besides, she might stop.

But damn, those troubled looks of hers made him want to claw something. She looked at him as if she had somehow lost faith in him. It confused the hell out of him...and it might even hurt a little, too. What had he done to earn those flashes of doubt that made her look so grave?

From deeper in behind him, he heard the clang of pots and the rush of running water. Today's goal, apparently, was to wash everything that had been sitting around unused in cupboards for who knew how long. But no mumbling, no distracted sighs, no cheerful humming. Just a silence that made his teeth grind.

Kagome wasn't happy – not entirely anyway. And he couldn't figure out what he'd done wrong.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dishes, Kagome thought, were a surprisingly relaxing way to escape the world. The water was warm and sudsy, and the rhythm of washing and drying was mundane enough to let the mind wander. And since letting her mind wander had been one of her chief occupations for the past few days, she was finding her chosen activity to be very soothing. She bit her lip and stared down at her hands through the water's rippling surface.

The more she thought about it, the more hesitant she felt. If everything she'd found out from Rin and Fina was the truth, then InuYasha's interest in her had, from the start, had an element of spiritual intervention. Fate, taking an active hand, directing events.

That wasn't what she had such a hard time accepting, though. She'd grown up in a shrine; she understood that things happened according to their own destiny, and she could accept that they'd been meant to meet. What she didn't like was how deeply and quickly they'd gotten involved with each other. Or rather, how deeply she'd gotten involved with him. If InuYasha was protecting her from some danger that she didn't know about because he believed he was supposed to, was being with her as a lover just another part of that responsibility to him?

Ignoring the fact that her hands were wet, she smoothed an errant strand of hair back into her ponytail.

Fina had said he'd spoken of duty as a child. Kagome didn't want to be just a duty, some lifelong obligation. Not to anyone. If his feelings for her were about nothing more than obligation, how could she stay with him?

Except...leaving didn't feel like the right option. Whenever she considered breaking off their relationship and going back to simple acquaintances, her chest clutched up tight with pain and resistance. She really, really didn't want to leave him. Not metaphorically or physically. Kagome knew, even as she avoided thinking about it directly, that her emotions were already so tangled up with him that leaving would devastate her in a way she'd never experienced before. When she thought about it like that, she felt scared.

Had she made a mistake? Had she stuck herself in a relationship without choices? Was she letting something other than herself decide things that only she should decide?

She slumped forward over the sink, rested her weight on her elbows, and blew out a heavy breath. Bubbles stirred from the surface of the water; her eyes glumly tracked their progress as they floated silkily through the air before thinning, then vanishing into sudden plips of nothing. Another deep breath and she straightened.

She had to stop thinking that way.

Fate might be playing a big hand in her life or it might not; she still had to make her choices. Just like InuYasha had to make his. She could accept him getting so close to her because of a childhood dream as long as she was sure that his feelings for her amounted to more than a stupid mandate to protect. The question was how she could know for sure when he wouldn't tell her anything? And, even if he did, would she be able to trust him when he so obviously didn't trust her?

Kagome made a face at herself in the water, then let her eyes drift across the apartment.

She couldn't deny she'd been enjoying her time here. Tea with Jineji and his mother had a ritual charm to it, and she'd even met a few of the other hanyou who lived in the building: a brash set of twins lived on the second floor opposite a few of their friends, and on the first floor was a very pretty hanyou girl and her human mother. The house, the grounds, the feel of the place – it was all so relaxing and intimate without being intrusive. Sometimes, the quiet and isolation of the grounds reminded her of the shrine she'd grown up in. Still, more than the atmosphere or the people, it was being with InuYasha that really made this place so enticing to her. They had a curious routine of sharing the same space: small things, like the curious intimacy of sleeping in the same bed, or having someone care about the details of a daily schedule, both planned and unplanned. The random miniature conversations that popped up out of nowhere, simply because someone was there. Her eyes averted, going back to the sink. She had to keep reminding herself not to get too comfortable, that it wasn't permanent. She'd already made it clear that she would go back to her own apartment after the excitement died down.

Because as much as she liked being with him, being forced into it because of circumstances was one of the things she couldn't accept. Even if InuYasha didn't mind her there now, once he'd fulfilled his duty to protect her from whatever he thought she needed protecting from, how could she be sure that his need to be close to her wouldn't change? She wasn't sure how deep that “caring” of his ran, or from where it stemmed.

Before she could be truly satisfied with the way things were between them, she had to find a way to assure herself that what he cared about was really her – and not a heavy responsibility placed on him by whomever for whatever purpose, and that determination was putting a strain on her and the way she acted around him. InuYasha had begun to notice, but she wasn't even sure what to do about that when he refused to let her in on whatever secrets he felt tied him to her. Worse, she'd been feeling especially restless for the past few days, heated and sensitive in a way that made her finally understand the word “itch” in an entirely new way. It was an unexpected silver lining of their relationship. The warmth. The sensuality. She was aware now, of her body and the feelings of want, but the freedom to indulge that she should have been feeling was overshadowed by doubts. How could she take advantage of his presence by her side when she wasn't sure why he was with her? He was keeping secrets from her, important things that she should know.

And around and around it went, always with her being unsure and hating it.

It didn't help that he was always right there, giving her those confused, vaguely wounded looks, as if she were arbitrarily depriving him of his favorite toy. He might sulk a little, but he never pushed her hard for anything. A part of her appreciated the restraint, while another part of her wondered if his lack of effort was a bad thing, evidence that it didn't really matter as long as she was “safe”– whatever that meant to him.

A sigh pushed from deep in her throat. Kagome pursed her lips as she finished the last of the dishes and drained the now-lukewarm water. Her hip rested against the counter's edge as she scanned the kitchen, wondering what she should do next. The kitchen was basically done to her satisfaction, all junk food gone, fridge properly stocked and all appliances scrubbed down – and as things stood right now, she was hesitant to mess around with anything else.

From the other side of the island, her phone lit up, and she blinked at the familiar chiming tone, spending a blank few seconds trying to place it. The moment she did, she darted forward, snatching the phone off the counter and flipping it open in one movement. “Sango?”

“Kagome. How are you doing with InuYasha?”

Kagome felt her shoulders relax a bit to hear her friend's voice sounding so healthy and normal. “I've been worried. How are you feeling?”

“Oh,” Sango hesitated for just a moment. “I'm fine. It was just a little cold or something. I'm sorry to make you worry.”

Kagome stepped up onto one of the stools and sat with a frown. “I wouldn't have been so worried if they'd just let me see you. It's been almost a week.”

“It's been longer than that.” But Sango's voice held one of her smiles. “Are you still sane after spending so much time with the insensitive brick my fiancé calls a best friend?”

Kagome's mouth flickered with a responding grin. “Almost, anyway. I like it here.”

Sango sighed. “Well, that's probably a good thing.”

“Mm.” Her smile lost some of it's brightness. “Well, I almost feel as if I'm on vacation, even if I can't really go anywhere besides the orphanage.”

“Do you have to make it sound like a jail sentence?” Sango huffed. “Look, if InuYasha's done anything, just let me know and we can stash you with Kohaku or something okay?”

She felt that tightening again, in her chest, and she bit into her lower lip to ward it off. “No, no. It's not – it's fine, Sango. I'm just not used to being kept in one place like this.”

“Is that so?” Sango's suspicious tones lightened abruptly. “Then, why don't we alleviate those feelings a bit? Does a school festival sound acceptable?”

Kagome blinked and sat straight. “A school festival? Can we really?”

“Mm-hm. Rin's school festival got postponed because of some of the recent attacks, but the teachers and parents felt that the students really needed the event, so they're going ahead with it anyway. I guess some of the local authorities have promised a strong presence, and the school is assuring people of an official Alliance representative just in case, though I don't know who it's going to be. Rin's already given tickets to all her close friends, and she wants you two to come as well.” For a moment, Sango's voice dropped in smooth amusement. “She would have come herself, but she's been mostly grounded since that little adventure she had with you.”

“We won't cause any problems, will we?”

“Well, it's a big public event, but it is still only a school festival. Some local media might be there, but it won't be anything to be concerned about. Miroku's sure it'll be fine as long as you and InuYasha keep a low profile.”

“A low profile,” Kagome murmured – then, suddenly sensing another presence, turned her head to see InuYasha staring at her from across the room, arms crossed and shoulder propped negligently against a corner of the hallway, a frown forming a cautious wrinkle across his brow. She blinked at him, almost defiantly.

He blinked back, and she thought she caught a hint of wounded surprise in his eyes before they averted and he shrugged. “Keh.”

Kagome felt a vague sliver of guilt, but it was overwhelmed by a happy surge when she realized he wasn't going to obstinate about going out. “That sounds better than you know. Just tell me when and where.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~

Rin's school was a nice one, with well-kept facilities and cool stone walls that enclosed the property to keep the students secure.

“Ah! Over here, you two!” Miroku spotted them before InuYasha sniffed him out, and he called them over to where they stood just outside the tall iron gates that formed the entrance. People milled along the walls, dressed in everything from jeans-and-t-shirts to extravagant cosplay outfits, a few coming out and some waiting to get in. Apparently in the spirit of a school festival, Miroku had chosen to appear in his purple-and-black raiment, complete with shakujou. Somehow, he'd even convinced Sango to dress up, with her green skirt and a kimono striped with thick bands of white and pink. Even Sango's hair was different, hanging long and soft down her back to end secured with a loosely tied ribbon. It made Kagome, in her jeans and long-sleeved blouse, feel under dressed.

Behind her, InuYasha sighed, and Kagome grinned to herself. What could he say? InuYasha's red hakama and haori blended in with the crowd just as easily as Miroku's flashy purple robes. She'd been so surprised to see InuYasha in his Alliance garb, but he'd only snorted and told her it was because it made carrying Tetsusaiga easier; wearing a sword was no longer illegal as it had once been, but it was still odd enough to see in public, and the presence of one on a hip could bring unwanted attention if it stood out too much. Kagome shot another hesitant sidelong look at the ratty handle, wondering once again about its nature and how it affected his relationship with his brother.

Miroku distracted her from her thoughts as they met. “InuYasha. You are surprisingly on time.” Amusement warmed the violet of his eyes when he studied her. “And Kagome is looking very well despite the trying company she's been keeping.”

InuYasha growled. “You're one to talk. Sango looks like she--” He stopped abruptly, and an odd looked crossed his face as his golden eyes flicked over to Sango for a harder look than his first glance.

Kagome was busy doing her own visual appraisal of the best friend she hadn't seen in over a week. Sango was smiling, but her face somehow managed to seem both vaguely pale and flushed. Despite that, she didn't look sick, just tired. And her smile was genuine, prompting a teasing grin from Kagome. “Well, at least you don't look like you're about to take a nap on the nearest table.”

The blush on her cheeks darkening slightly, Sango rolled her eyes. “It wasn't anything more than a little too much going on at the same time. I told you not to worry about it. Besides, I just fell asleep. You fainted.”

Kagome responded with a grimace of her own. “Please don't bring it up ever again. At least I'm well rested now.” Her eyes swept the both of them appraisingly. “Which is more than I can say for either one of you.” Closer inspection showed the faint darkening under Miroku's eyes and the tense set of Sango's features.

Miroku and Sango shared a speaking glance before Miroku sighed. The rings on his shakujou jangled harmoniously as he reached up to rub at the back of his neck. “I can't say it's been the most pleasant week for us, either. Things have been getting...strange within the Alliance.”

Kagome's eyes widened. Miroku didn't usually allow weariness to sound so clearly in his voice. “What do you mean, strange?”

Miroku hesitated, but before he could frame an appropriate response, Sango spoke up. “Minister Nakamura is demanding that the Alliance submit their policies regarding youkai in the city to government oversight. It's been the main item in the news for the past couple of days.”

Kagome frowned at the mention of Nakamura while beside her, InuYasha stirred with another growl. “That bastard doesn't know how to do anything but cause trouble.”

Miroku nodded, his features grim. “We've been fielding a lot of concern from the youkai in the city and the Alliance youkai clans. They've had us beef up the hunter presence in the city to make sure none of the more rebellious elements misbehave in the midst of all this unrest.”

Kagome shook her head, fielding a mixture of regret and anger. “I hope what happened at the clinic didn't contribute to all this.” Even though she knew it had to have, considering how much of the city had seen the altercation.

InuYasha crossed his arms with a disgusted snort. “Don't let it bother you. That guy would have started all this stuff eventually anyway. He's just using whatever he can to grab at power.”

“InuYasha's right.” Miroku shook his head and offered her a smile. “It's not as bad as it sounds. This isn't the first time the human government has tried to take over Alliance dealings, and it won't be the last. We just have to make sure the balance in the city is maintained until the Council has resolved it.” His hand swept up and out to encompass the building behind him. “Anyway, no more of talk of unpleasant things. This evening's purpose has nothing to do with any of that. Shall we go enjoy ourselves?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~

They spent the afternoon visiting different booths. They played a few games, a few catch-the-fish-for-a-prize types that got Inuyasha and Miroku competitive over, and one toss-the-ring type that had Sango putting them both in their place. At one point, they happened on the kyudo club, who had set up a mini-range to promote the club's off-campus dojo. Kagome hit the target with better-than-beginner's accuracy and surprised everyone except InuYasha, who didn't really say anything after she won the prize: a couple of “free lesson” coupons. Kagome wasn't really sure, but she thought that InuYasha was acting a little strange. He seemed to be enjoying himself, but he was quiet, and frequently scanned the area around them before letting his eyes settle on Sango with a tiny frown to his brows – as if she were a visual puzzle he couldn't quite decipher. Miroku and Sango either didn't notice, or didn't think that it was abnormal, because they didn't say anything, but Kagome thought it odd.

After a while, they decided to go find seats in order to watch Rin's play: a thoroughly updated and comically altered version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, complete with musical numbers and visual gags. After the play, Rin found the four of them in the midst of the crowded hallway outside the auditorium, still in her bizarre “gown” costume of multi-layered, multicolored scarves and the heavy, impish-mime make-up she'd worn on stage. “Brother InuYasha! Kagome! You came! Did you like the play?”

“It was...interesting.” Kagome grinned. “I'm glad you invited us. I'm enjoying myself.”

Rin returned Kagome's grin and tugged at one of the colorful strips of dyed hair that had been clipped into place as part of her costume. “The school festival is always so much fun. I'm glad they didn't decide to cancel it this year.” Her dark eyes sent a twinkling look at InuYasha, who was leaning against a streamer-trimmed wall and looking extremely uncomfortable. “But still, this is the first time I've gotten him to come, so thank you. Just don't let him fight with Lord Sesshoumaru.”

InuYasha twitched, and Kagome blinked. “Lord Sesshoumaru?”

“Oh dear.” Miroku rubbed at his chin, his eyes going to InuYasha. “Is he here, Rin?”

“The bastard's here all right,” InuYasha growled, shifting on his feet. “I smelled him the second we came in.” A look passed between Miroku and Sango, and he rolled his eyes. “Don't worry. He doesn't want to see me anymore than I want to see him. Wherever he is, he's staying out of sight—probably annoyed by the damn crowds. He's probably just here to make sure that one doesn't get into any trouble.” He ended with a thumb cocked in Rin's direction and a long-suffering expression.

The news that InuYasha's brother was somewhere nearby was startling. Kagome stared at InuYasha, wondering if the uncharacteristically fidgety behavior he'd been exhibiting since they'd greeted their friends at the gates was due to his awareness of his brother's presence.

Rin just smiled at InuYasha's gesture and grabbed Kagome's hand. “You will stay for the fireworks, right? Since we're only having a three-day festival this year, some of the teachers got a local company to donate a fireworks display every night to help draw in more people. It's the first time we've had something that extravagant, and all the students are very excited about it.”

Kagome almost laughed, caught up in Rin's enthusiasm. “I love fireworks.”

Satisfied with that, Rin turned to Sango. “Kohaku didn't make it?”

A wrinkle passed across Sango's brow. “I don't know, Rin. I know he wanted to make it if he could, but being present at all family meetings is part of Kohaku's obligations as next head of the family. It will depend how long it takes my father and my uncles to get through the accounting for the past month.”

“Oh.” Rin looked disappointed, but nodded. “He told me he might not be here today. But we still have a performance tomorrow, and he promised he'd make one of them.” She smiled. “Anyway, I have to run now. I promised some friends I would help with their haunted house.” Her face twisted a little with discontent. “Well, I wanted to help with the cosplay cafe on the third floor, but the teachers absolutely forbade me to wear any of the uniforms they were using.” She sniffed. “Cowards.”

With one last chiding look at InuYasha, and an admonishment to behave if he encountered Lord Sesshoumaru, she took off down the hall, leaving InuYasha mumbling a bad-tempered, “Not if I have anything to do with it,” in her wake.

They decided they were hungry and left the buildings to browse the wealth of food booths set up among the other various game booths on the grounds around the school. It seemed quite a few people had the same idea, because the school rounds were crowded with lines of people waiting to buy food. For a moment, they stood and stared in silence.

“It's really crowded for a school festival, isn't it?” Kagome wondered aloud, though she aimed the question at no one in particular.

“Keh. Too many rogue attacks recently. People are tired of being scared, so of course they're gonna take advantage of the opportunity to pretend they're not.” InuYasha stood behind her, and his voice had the scratchy, matter-of-fact inflection that it always did, but he still surprised her. She blinked and twisted to look up at him. The movement pulled his attention away from scanning the groups of humanity that moved and laughed around them, and his amber eyes settled on her.

He frowned. “What?”

A slow smile softened her lips, turned them upward. “Nothing,” she murmured.

Miroku finished his appraisal of the situation and turned a concerned eye on Sango and Kagome. “How about this? InuYasha and I will go get something to eat while you ladies go find us a place to sit.”

Sango cocked a skeptical eyebrow at him. “Sit? Where do you expect us to find a place to sit?”

Without replying, Miroku pointed to an open span of grass that sat just beyond the booth-peppered area between the gate and school building. They could see several folding tables and chairs around the side of the main building, and beyond that, groups of people already beginning to stake out spots on a grassy slope that overlooked a soccer field and bleachers. Miroku arched a dark eyebrow in mockery of Sango's. “For firework viewing, perhaps?”
Sango deadpanned him a look that said she didn't appreciate his tone, but gave herself away when her lips twitched. She rolled her eyes and reached back to grab Kagome's arm. “Fine. I want lemonade. And don't eat all the dumplings before you get them back to us.” She started to turn away, but stopped when she met InuYasha's gaze, which had once again settled on her – though Kagome didn't think he looked confused anymore. For the first time, Sango seemed to notice the pensiveness of his gaze, because she lifted inquiring brows at him. “Something wrong?”

InuYasha gave a startled blink, then took a step back, looking defensive. “Just don't get too far away.”

Sango stared at him for a minute, then whirled, shaking her head and tugging Kagome along behind her. “Don't worry,” she called over her shoulder. “If an incredibly good-looking teenager tries to hit on Kagome, I promise to remind her that she's already got a violent, thick-headed idiot for a boyfriend.”

“Hey!”

Over a poorly-smothered laugh, Kagome called back, “Lemonade sounds good for me, too, ” and added a cheerful wave as she and Sango wove their way through the clumps of people towards the tables.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~

Miroku watched, with no small amount of pleasure, the swaying backside of his lovely fiancée as she and Kagome moved in and out of sight, heading for the unofficial eating area someone had so thoughtfully set up. He hadn't failed to notice the happy smile Kagome had shot InuYasha before their two lovely ladies left. The sight brought a satisfied smile to his lips as they joined a line. “Well, despite all the problems we've been having recently, I'm glad to see things are going well between you two. Is it everything you thought it would be?”

InuYasha’s pensive look morphed into a scowl. “Get your mind out of the gutter, you bastard.”

Miroku sighed as the line finally started to move, his expression faintly wounded. “Why must you always interpret everything I say as something dirty?”

InuYasha snorted, his gaze still scanning in the direction which the girls had disappeared. “Because it usually is.”

“So?” Miroku turned his scrutiny to Inuyasha.

InuYasha still hadn't turned his gaze from the two women as they navigated through the crowds. He grunted. “So what?”

“So you and Kagome have been blissfully shut away in that fortress of yours for a while now. Shall we have sekihan in honor of your happiness?”

InuYasha finally jerked his eyes away from the crowd to stare at Miroku with a look so utterly bewildered it gave Miroku pause. “Was blissful the wrong word?”

Muscle working in his jaw, InuYasha thrust his arms into his sleeves and turned his head away without saying a word.

“Oh?” Miroku's eyebrows crept upward, his interest growing as he took in his friend's open agitation. “I take it all is not as well as it seems in paradise.”

That earned him a snarl. “It's – she's not – we're not – ” InuYasha's teeth came together with a sharp snap and he cast a wary eye around them. In front of them was a couple trying to deal with a fussy child; behind, a group of teenagers in strange costumes talking excitedly about the fireworks. He shrugged, edged a bit closer, and lowered his voice – all without making eye contact. “She's acting weird.”

“Weird,” Miroku almost tasted the word and all the possible meaning associated with it. “Weird how?”

“She doesn't want to –” he stopped again, growled. “She's not the same as usual. She keeps holding herself back. Something is bugging her, but I don't have a damn clue what it is.”

Understanding dawned, and a pang of sympathy along with it. His, “Ah, I see,” earned him yet another growl. “Well, it has only been a few weeks for you two. It could be anything.” Miroku frowned and considered the back of InuYasha's head for a moment. “Did you do something?”

“Didn't I just say I don't know?” The low rumble in InuYasha's voice stopped, and a quiet frustration took its place. “She's been like this since she and Rin got involved with the attack at that store.”

“Hm.” That was all Miroku said, and then he waited the thirty seconds it took InuYasha to whip back to face him.

“What?”

He smiled. “Kagome is not the kind of woman to be upset at nothing. If you're certain that something is wrong,” (He couldn't see it himself, because Kagome had looked content enough to him just moments ago, but he wasn't currently living with her, either.) “and you know of nothing you did specifically, then perhaps it's something you're not aware of that's bothering her?”

Another snort. “But I'm with her all the time. Nothing's –” An odd look crossed his face. “She asked about the nightmare.”

“The nightmare?” Miroku drew in a breath. “You told her about it?”

“Of course not! You think I want her knowing?” InuYasha's gaze fell, and heaviness wrinkled his brow. “She was with me one night, that's all. She wanted me to get checked out, but that bastard got to her first.”

“Minister Nakamura?” After all the headaches, sleepless nights, and dancing-on-eggshells the man's power-grabbing had caused him recently, Miroku didn't even bother to hide the distaste in his voice when he said the name. “And she hasn't said anything about it since?”

“Once. I told her it was nothing.”

“Nothing?” Miroku's head came up in alarm. “InuYasha, lying isn't in your particular skill-set.”

They'd reached the front of the line, and the subject was dropped while they told the boy behind the thin fiberboard counter what they'd have, then stepped to the side to wait. Then Miroku turned to him once again, voice lowered. “Just tell her about the dream.”

“No.”

A long-suffering sigh pushed its way out of his lungs. “You don't have to tell her everything, just enough to satisfy her that you're not deliberately excluding her. After all, you've only known each other for a little while, and she's probably feeling uncertain about how you feel. Women are funny about things like that.”

“That's stupid. She's got no reason to feel uncertain; I've been very clear.” Pugnacious scowl in place and arms firmly crossed, InuYasha was at his most stubborn. “This time I'll protect her.”

Miroku was fascinated. He'd heard it all before, but not since they were children and a lot more innocent than they were now. “Of course.” He paused. “Then there's nothing to worry about. You can just keep on going as you have, and Kagome will be obedient and loving simply because you were meant to keep her from dying a horrible death. I'm sure you'll both be very happy that way.”

InuYasha didn't respond, but to Miroku's satisfaction his hands dropped into balled fists at his side. Miroku watched him, then decided to let the point stand on its own.

InuYasha was generally good at figuring things out on his own, but in this area he was proving particularly inept. He'd always been reticent to talk about the dream and all the complicated issues that came along with it. Miroku knew even he hadn't heard everything, and he'd been privy to more information about the dream and what it meant than anyone outside of InuYasha's parents. But Kagome was the one it all concerned. If InuYasha didn't acknowledge her rights in all this, he was going to cause himself more misery than he already had. And, while he might enjoy some misery in small doses, Miroku would never wish a lifetime of it on his best friend – or, more importantly, on the best friend of the woman who held his own balls in the palm of her hand.

The thought prompted a fond smile as a very young, very pretty teenager in an apron brought their order from the grilling area behind the booth. “Please think it over,” he said as the food was set out before them on cheap cardboard trays. “Sango might never forgive me if you make Kagome unhappy.” Miroku accepted the food with his customary flirtatiousness before he handed the drinks to InuYasha and made sure the flimsy cardboard was properly balanced in the hand not holding onto his shakujou. Then, with a shrug, he turned back to scan the area, his smile widening into a genuine grin when he found Sango and Kagome staking out a wooden bench not too far from the vendor area. “There. Our beautiful goddesses await us.”

He started towards them.

“Miroku...wait.”

Miroku turned back, surprised by the serious tone and even more surprised when he noted the renewed pensiveness in InuYasha's expression. InuYasha was not generally what he considered a deep thinker. “What?”

His friend stared at him for a long moment, but he still didn’t answer. Golden eyes darted over to where the girls sat, then back to him. His expression showed how undecided he was. “You can't say anything.”

“What?” Worry bled into Miroku's curiosity like a small-but-sudden wound. “What is it, InuYasha?”

One more glance at the women, and InuYasha sighed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~

“Dreams?” Sango furrowed her brow. “I've never heard anything about any dreams. But,” she hesitated, shifting uncomfortably on their chosen wooden bench. They'd found a group of them clustered underneath classroom windows along one side of the main building and deemed them the perfect out-of-the-crowd spot to view fireworks from. “I did know about InuYasha thinking you were special to him. Miroku told me that much. And even if he hadn't said anything to me, I saw it.”

Kagome stopped chewing on her thumb. “What do you mean, you saw it?”

“Well, he took a beating from me with hardly a word of protest.”

“You beat him up?”

“You called me in the middle of the night.” Sango leveled a wry look at her. “And you weren't exactly what I considered calm. I thought he was taking advantage of you.”

Kagome fought the red heat that crept up her neck and cheeks, but failed miserably.

A smile softened Sango's features. “When he found out I was mad about what he was doing with you, his reaction was very mild – for him, anyway. He just left.” She paused. “I really think it was because his concern and mine were the same in that case.” A sigh. “I'm sorry. I should have told you.”

Kagome thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. “No, don't worry about it. I'm not sure how I feel about it now, and who knows what I would have done if I'd known when I first met him?” If she'd known back then the things she'd been pondering this past week, she wouldn't have let herself get so caught up in the almost giddy sense of excitement that had carried her to where she was now. She might even have avoided him.

She frowned, unsettled by the thought.

Sango studied her with dark brown eyes, curious but neutral. “So, no matter what, you're happy to be where you are?”

Kagome drew a deep breath. “Who knows?” she said again, but her throat had gone tight with a flash of intuition, and she didn't say any more. Because she did know.

If she'd thought for even a moment that he had an ulterior motive – any ulterior motive – for getting so close to her, she would have stopped the relationship in its tracks. She wouldn't have gone with him to see that odd little restaurant out on the edge of a cliff, wouldn't have heard about his mother, or been such a worried mess about him after the giant rogue attack had wrecked through the city. When she thought about it like that, there was so much about the past few weeks that she didn't regret at all: his touch, his home, his human night. Sure, the way they'd gone about it was a little unorthodox, but how could she regret falling --

An excited shout echoed above the general noise of the crowd. Kagome jumped, jarred from her thoughts. Heart beating out an erratic rhythm that had little to do with the noise, she glanced around, seeking the source of the disturbance.

Sango found it first. “What is that guy doing now?”

Kagome twisted around to follow Sango’s horrified gaze to see InuYasha and Miroku through the bunches of people hovering around the booths. They were having what looked to be an intense conversation.

She saw InuYasha, looking supremely irritated, give a short, clipped nod before Miroku proved himself the source of the commotion by letting out another loud whoop. He clapped his freest hand – the one wrapped around the slim rod of his shakujou, which InuYasha consequently only just managed to avoid getting smacked in the face with – on InuYasha’s shoulder and shook him, a look of pure delight plastered across his face. The trays balanced in his other hand gave a precarious wobble.

InuYasha grabbed one with his free hand and held it away from the man shaking him. He scowled and took a half-step back, eyeing Miroku and nodding occasionally as the adult human bounced on his toes ecstatically, his mouth shooting off an excited stream of words that they couldn’t hear from so far away.

Kagome looked at Sango, who was glaring at her fiancé, and blinked. “What in the world is that about?”

Sango rolled her eyes. “I don't know. Knowing him, I probably don't want to know. Whatever it is, I wish he'd stop causing a scene.”

Kagome winced as she caught a glimpse through the crowd of InuYasha's fist coming down on the back of Miroku's head. “I think InuYasha feels the same way.”

“Oh no. And now they're coming this way. If we leave now, we can pretend we don't know them.”

A grin turned up the corners of her mouth, and Kagome waved to catch the attention of an irritated hanyou who was already stomping her way. “You can pretend you don't know yours if you like, but mine's got the food, and I'm hungry."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~

“Don't you think you should have more to eat, Sango? I'm certain that last booth is takoyaki. I could go get some for you.”

Before Miroku could jump up and run off to collect more food (for the fifth time), Sango's dark eyes pinned him to his seat better than the sharpest of weapons. “Miroku, if you buy me any more food, you're sleeping alone tonight. If you try to feed me by hand one more time, I will maim you. And if you don't stop hovering, I will remove your ability to have children. ”

Unexpectedly, Miroku's response was a lopsided grin. “How about some more lemonade?”

Confounded, Sango stared at her fiancé as if he'd grown horns and a tail.

It had been going on for almost half an hour. Miroku's bizarre behavior had accompanied him to their chosen bench, and somehow translated into an almost smothering affection projected directly onto his fiancée. Every time Sango demanded, with more than a little suspicion in her eyes, what he had done, he waved it off with a grin and another attempt to feed her by hand. Kagome had no idea what to make of it, but watching Sango try to figure out how to deal with him was turning out to be the most entertaining thing she'd seen all week.

Stifling yet another laugh, Kagome turned to eye InuYasha, who sat on her other side, as far away from Miroku as he could get, and looking very comfortable with his arms crossed and one leg folded lazily beneath him. He was doing a fair job of presenting a bored front as he slumped back against the bench, eyes fixed on the crowd moving around them and nose in the air, but Kagome caught the twitching ears that gave away the fact that he was listening avidly to everything Miroku and Sango said. She wasn't sure, but she thought she even caught a tiny curl at the corner of his mouth before he noticed her looking.

A soft smile welled up as she watched him. From the moment InuYasha had plopped down beside her, expression harassed and vaguely disgusted, the tight feeling brewing deep inside her chest had relaxed. Odd, that nothing had changed and yet she felt this way. He was still keeping secrets from her; and yet, for some reason it didn't seem as ominous as it had just that morning.

Feeling warm and mischievous, and not at all uncertain about him for the first time in days, she scooted along the bench until she could feel the heat of his body through their clothes. When he blinked and looked down at her, she didn't even try to ignore the pleasant jolt that zipped through her bloodstream and kicked up her pulse. Instead, she leaned forward until the heavy material of his sleeve rubbed and caught at the thinner cotton of hers.

“Hey,” she barely whispered, trusting in his hearing to pick it up. “Really. What did you two talk about, anyway? Miroku's been like an excited puppy ever since you two came back.”

His eyes, which had taken on a peculiar burnish that had nothing to do with the warmed-over colors of sunset, jerked up to Miroku, then skittered away. “Nothing,” he mumbled. “Don't lump me in with the idiot.”

“Nothing?”

“That's what I said, isn't it?” One white ear gave an irritated flick.

A sigh slipped past her lips, but she couldn't find it in her to be upset. “You know what, InuYasha?” She reached up, curled a thick lock of silver hair around her finger, and tugged until he'd bent close enough for her to put her mouth to brush against the fine hairs of his ear. “You're a terrible liar.”

His back stiffened.

Sango's cell phone rang.

The sound distracted them all, and they watched Sango fumble with her skirt before she found the thin black device. With a frown at the name on the display, she flipped it open. “Mother?” She listened for a moment, then her eyes flew wide and she shot to her feet. The grip she had on her phone went white-knuckled.“What?! No, slow down. When? Is anyone hurt?”

Miroku was on her feet beside her, frowning, and InuYasha sat on the edge of the bench, his body tense enough to snap. They were quiet while Sango listened some more – then InuYasha cursed. He stood as well, his hand gripping around the sword handle at his waist. Concerned, Kagome joined him.

Kagome watched Sango's mouth firm with determination before she nodded into the phone. “Yes. We'll be right there. As long as you're safe, don't move.” The phone closed with a crisp snap and Sango turned to Miroku. “Rogues are attacking the estate. Just now. Mother says all she heard was a commotion from the meeting room, and the whole house was overwhelmed with youkai. We have to go. If we –”

“No.” Miroku's fingers caught at Sango's wrist as she started to turn away. “I think it would be better if you stay here this time.”

Sango's jerked to a halt. “Excuse me?”

“You should stay here. InuYasha and I will go.”

Kagome didn't think she'd ever seen Miroku as serious as he was in that moment. His normally gentle eyes had taken on a strange glint as he stared down at Sango.

“What are you talking about? You're not a hunter. I am. Why on earth would I stay here?”

His fingers didn't budge from her wrist. “Right now, that place is filled with skilled hunters, but how many in your family can cast barriers or repel evil spirits? Besides, someone has to stay with Kagome.”

Kagome frowned. She really didn't like being the albatross around her friends' necks. “Hey, no one has to stay with me. I'm a big girl. You can all go, and I'll take the bus home.”

“No.” InuYasha's scowl made it clear what he thought of that idea.

All the warm, fuzzy feelings from a few minutes before went up in a puff of smoke. She propped her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Look, I don't know what exactly it is that you think is out to get me, but –”

Sango broke in before they could get started. “There's no reason for anyone to leave Kagome alone. Miroku and I will go help my family, and InuYasha will stay with Kagome. This entire conversation is a waste of time.” With a warning look at Miroku, she yanked her arm, trying to dislodge his restraining hand. “Mother said Kohaku was the only one able to get to his weapons before everything went to hell. They're fighting bare-handed!”

To Kagome's shock, Miroku renewed his grip and gave a gentle yank back. “There's no use in you putting yourself in unnecessary danger, either. InuYasha might even be better for this particular job, since he's less likely to be distracted by the situation.”

“That's ridiculous!” Sango's face flushed hotly. “I've been fighting beside family all of my life!”

“But this time the attack is on the home you grew up in. You're more likely to do something reckless, and you've barely recovered from your last injury.” Miroku shook his head, but his eyes, a dark and earnest violet, stayed locked with Sango's. “Please, Sango. For you're own well-being, I'm asking you not to go this time. Stay here with Kagome.”

Sango's eyes widened. “But--”

“Keh!” With an impatient sound and a matching frown, InuYasha stepped forward, bringing Sango's focus snapping back to him. “You're right. All this arguing is wasting time. The idiot is obviously worried about you.” He glanced at Miroku, his golden eyes narrowed. “Just humor him this time.”

Shock gave Sango's eyebrows a skeptical lift. “You're willing to leave Kagome?”

InuYasha grimaced; his sleeves rustled as he crossed his arms into them, but his gaze was frank. “Not unless you're willing to stay.”

Kagome almost smiled at Sango's startled look. The four of them stood in a quiet group while neighborhood families and groups of friends roamed the school grounds around them. When he realized he'd become the center of attention, InuYasha started to fidget.

Miroku broke the awkward pause with a shake of his head. “This has nothing to do with your ability. It's just the best way at the moment to make sure everyone is safe.”

Something in Miroku's face or manner – something Kagome didn't quite see – made Sango falter. “But this is my family, Miroku.”

He sighed. “I know. And we'll make sure everyone is fine. I promise. Just stay here and keep your phone on.” His fingers tightened around her wrist. “We don't have any more time to argue.”

Sango's brows wrinkled. Her eyes darted from Miroku, to InuYasha, to Kagome, and back to Miroku again. Kagome bit her lip at the torn look. “It's silly to keep any of you here just because of me,” she said, the words coming out before she thought better of them. “If it's so necessary, shouldn't I just come along then? I could stay out of the way until everything is clear, and it certainly won't hurt to have a doctor nearby if someone is injured.”

Miroku's eyebrows shot up in alarm and InuYasha's went down in immediate opposition, but Kagome was determined to ignore them. She knew it was a bad idea from the moment she said it, and frightening besides, but Sango was her best friend, and her family was being attacked. If Sango needed to help defend her family, then Kagome was willing to offer it in whatever way she could.

To everyone's surprise, Sango smiled at her. “You know we can't do that, but thank you.” She stepped over beside Kagome hooked their arms together and sent a pointed look at both InuYasha and Miroku. “Fine. I'll stay with Kagome this time.”

Miroku's relief was palpable, and he and InuYasha were already starting to weave into the crowd as he reassured Sango. “We'll keep you informed.”

“Just hurry up. And be careful.” She arched a brow. “If you're not, I'll have to take Kagome up on her offer and bring her along with me to pull both of your asses out of the fire.”

InuYasha snorted and called over his shoulder. “Maybe his ass.”

Miroku ignored him and Sango wasn't given a chance to respond before they'd disappeared. Kagome and Sango stared at each other for a long moment. Sango gave a resigned sigh and sank back onto the bench.

Kagome blinked at the people still bunched around the booths, then joined her. “Well, that was weird.”

“You think so too, huh? It's all been kind of weird lately, hasn't it? First you and InuYasha, then all the stuff that's been happening with the Alliance, and now Miroku.” Sango slanted Kagome a wry glance, then folded her hands onto her lap. Her fingers laced tightly. “Did you hear about the inquiries about you?”

“Inquiries?” Kagome's brows went up.

“I didn't think so. Miroku didn't even bother to consult you or InuYasha before he rejected them.” Sango's wry glance turned into a wry smile. “Minister Nakamura has sent the Alliance a few quiet inquiries about your health in the past couple of days. He's trying to get a meeting with you through us since Kaede and the clinic are stonewalling him. His aides claim that he simply wants to apologize for what happened at the clinic, but Miroku thinks he wants another television spectacle.”

“No.” A tremor of rejection tightened her stomach muscles. “I don't want to meet with him. I want to forget about him.” The very idea of giving that man another opportunity to put his hands on her disgusted her.

And yet...there had been something when he touched her, hadn't there? Some spark of something unpleasant but familiar?

But no. She shook her head. She wanted nothing more to do with him.

Sango's wry look turned into a laugh. “That's a very tame rendition of what InuYasha said when Miroku told him about the request. Still, you're lucky you're not really connected with the Alliance. There's a lot of pressure over there right now, and they might have given in if you were.” She sighed again, and the knuckles on her laced fingers went white. “Another rogue attack. Tonight was supposed to be a break. I hate sitting here when I could be helping.”

“Yeah.” Kagome drew a deep, stress-easing breath and placed a reassuring hand on Sango's fisted ones. “They'll be fine, and so will your family. As far as rogue attacks go, this is a pretty ridiculous one. Even without InuYasha and Miroku, your whole family is highly trained for this kind of thing. Whatever kind of rogues they are, they're obviously not very smart.”

The sun had all but set, and the sky was fast fading from pinkish orange to a deep purple. Small pinpricks of starlight started blinking into existence above their heads. The night was only a little chilly for so late in the year, and the breeze that blew through the schoolyard did more to keep people comfortable than to prompt an extra layer for warmth. All around them, excitement about a fireworks display at a school festival laced the chatter of people milling around in everything from yukatas to elaborate youkai costumes. If it was possible, the crowd looked like it had grown as sunset approached. In his rough way, InuYasha had been right: people were eager for a little cheap, relaxing fun.

As they waited on their chosen bench, tense and not quite able to join in with the atmosphere, Sango turned to study Kagome. “What made you offer to come along, anyway? You must have known that, even without InuYasha there to object, it would be too dangerous a situation for us to bring you.”

The question surprised Kagome, and her brow wrinkled as she thought it over. “You know, I'm not sure? I think maybe...I wanted to go. For a moment there, it felt really wrong to let you three go off to fight without me.” She blushed, feeling foolish. “Not that I know anything about fighting rogues. The last time I just stood there until Kohaku came around to save us.” Except, she realized, even that time at the supermarket had felt different. She distinctly recalled the need to act in defense of herself and all the people on the street, and the horrible sense of wrongness when she hadn't been able to do anything. Her chest ached, and she reached up a hand to rub at the center of it.

“Are you all right?” Sango eyed her hand.

Kagome nodded absently. “Yes. It's nothing.”

Nothing, nothing. Her brain chanted it at her, almost tauntingly. She kept saying that, didn't she? And yet, deep inside, she had the uneasy feeling that nothing wasn't quite right. When it hurt in her chest, what was it that bothered her so? I could be getting sick, she mused over her reassuring glance at Sango. But that felt wrong, too. No, if she thought about it objectively, the rigid, painful feeling she got was more like --

She frowned.

A pull? A yank on the chest, as if someone was trying to rip it out?

Beyond her, out in the distance among the crowd, a commotion began to stir. Beside her, Sango stirred and murmured something, but Kagome just shook her head in response, too absorbed in her self-diagnosis to pay attention.

No.

Even that wasn't quite right. It was more like a pressure. As if someone were standing on her heart itself, grinding down on the soft tissue with hard and gritty soles to keep it inside her body. She grimaced at the mental image, suddenly feeling sick in a very real and stomach-roiling way. Her hand dropped from her chest to her belly button, and she pressed a little harder to calm it.

She was being silly. Exasperated, she rolled her eyes. Why would she think of it like that, anyway? Why would anything have to keep her heart in her chest? It wasn't as if it was trying to get out. InuYasha's worry was obviously rubbing off on her in a strange way.

But maybe.... Maybe she should talk to Kaede, just as a precaution? Maybe it would even make InuYasha worry less if she did? Maybe then she could even get him to tell her what he was so afraid would happen to her if he didn't protect her.

“KAGOME!”

With a sharply indrawn breath and a hard startle that shook her frame, Kagome came out of her self-tuned trance. Sango had a fierce hand on her shoulder and was shaking her, her features heavy with urgency. Kagome blinked at her. “Sango? Have they started the fireworks?”

Sango deep brown eyes flashed with disbelief. “Kagome, what's wrong with you?”

“Wrong? I--”

And then she noticed the screaming. And the tripping and shoving as people ran towards the front gate. And the high-pitched bellow of something...not human. Her head jerked around to the direction of the soccer fields, where the sound had come from, and another harsh gasp ripped from her chest.

A rogue? Here?

It towered head and thick, muscled chest above the crowd scrambling away from it, a much smaller but strikingly similar version of the huge rogue that had razed Roppongi a few weeks before – except this one's skin was a deep, dark scarlet. She knew because someone had already started the fireworks, and the flashes and pops of light lit the sky behind it as its huge, clawed fingers picked up a shrieking, struggling human woman and ripped her into two blood-spurting pieces. It opened its mouthful of jagged teeth and took a chunk out of the torso half.

Another difference, Kagome thought as she choked back a stunned dry heave. This one's mouth is bigger. Fireworks continued to burst across the sky with noise and color as humans and youkai vacated the field and jumped, fell, and otherwise scattered away from the metal bleachers on either side.

Kagome's fingers took a death-grip on Sango's arm. Her nails bit into Sango's skin. “Sango. It's the same as--”

“I know.” Sango gave a jerky nod, her eyes narrowed with concentration as they made a scanning sweep of the school grounds around them. “It's not alone, either,” she murmured as another, lower-pitched bellow came from the direction of the entrance. Somehow, another one had appeared by the gate, lumbering and huge and...green. Everything else was exactly the same as the first rogue: muscles, claws, the terrifying mass of teeth. Except this one was green.

A ripple of shock and panic ran through those heading for the front gate. Above them, from the open windows of the school building, cries of alarm were starting to echo out as people inside took note of the chaos.

It couldn't be. Miroku and InuYasha had been gone for a mere fifteen minutes. The school was filled with people ripe for rogue fodder, and Sango was almost alone against the rogues. Kagome could help save the injured – but she could only do so much while the situation remained so dangerous and unstable. She was helpless to do anything against the rogues themselves.

Rogues, Kagome thought again, numb with shock. Rogues are attacking Rin's school at the same time they're attacking Sango's home.

Were there even that many in the city?

Did it matter? They were trapped inside a school that had just become the hunting ground of two very powerful-looking rogue youkai. If something miraculous didn't happen, a lot of people were about to die.

Including, maybe, them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A /N: Wah, sorry. I know it's a cliffy. The next couple are going to be like that, actually, because we're getting into the thick of things now. Should be fun, right? ^_^

Double and triple thanks to Blackberry, for the super beta job, and for various other things of much more value. Let's see... July is a special month for me. Calls for a rapid update, maybe? *twinkle* Feedback of all kinds appreciated as always, and a huge thanks to everyone who might still be reading. I can't tell you how much it means to me that you still enjoy it.

Quill