Black Roses Red, an inuyasha fanfic

Black Roses Red: a Kagome and Kurama oneshot

a/n: THIS IS AN IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!! Do not ignore the song lyrics! They go with the story perfectly and it would be a mistake to completely disregard them.

Can I ask you a question please,

promise you won't laugh at me

honestly, I'm standing here

afraid I'll be betrayed

Kagome sat up in bed. She was lucky, she supposed that she had been spared dreams that night.

It had been years since the young miko had come back from the Feudal Era and the well had sealed it's self. Unfortunately for her, she still had yet to stop dreaming about the horrors of the Feudal Era. Kagome was in constant worry over her friends. It didn't help her conscience to know that in her day and time at the very least, Sango and Miroku were, in all honesty, probably already dead.

Kagome hoped out of bed and got dressed. She was on her way to another day at Tokyo University. How she had even gotten through High School without failing astounded her. InuYasha had been a slave driver while she was in the Feudal Era, and that hadn't left much time for her to study. Which meant many sleepless nights when she got home of studying for exams or tests.

She got dressed quickly and bounded down the stairs two-at-a-time with a spring in her step. It was Wednesday, which meant the gardener who came weekly would be outside. Kagome had known for a long time that the man was a kind of youkai. A kitsune, she deduced. And he was probably a plant master by the way he kept the Sunset shrine garden so beautiful and fresh.

They had first hired the man when her Jii-chan's arthritis had become too much for him to handle bending down to care for the plants along with his other shrine duties. Hiring Shuichi, that was his name of course, had done wonders for the shrine's business, not to mention her grandfather's arthritis. The shrine was now known for its magnificent rose garden.

As twisted as it seems

I only fear love when it's in my dreams

so let in the morning light and let the darkness fade away

Shuichi Minamino, also known as Kurama to a select few, silently walked up the steps of the Higurashi shrine. He was deep in thought as he climbed to the top of the seemingly endless staircase. He still remembered the first day he had come to the shrine to begin his work as the official gardener of the Sunset shrine. He took the job because he was low on money and as a college student was constantly studying and needed to be able to work flexible hours at something he was good at. When Kurama had seen the add in the paper for a gardener he couldn't believe his luck. In his former lifetime he had been a kitsune youkai by the name of Youko Kurama who had a certain affinity for plant life and could manipulate plants as well as communicate with them. This gave him the abilities Youko possessed. The job would be easy… if it could fit into his hectic schedule.

When he had called the shrine Ms. Higurashi had answered the phone. She had been ecstatic about his answering the add. When he had mentioned the conflicts with his schedule she had been very accommodating. She had told him of her own daughter who was also in University and that she understood how busy a University student's time was.

He had been dismayed to find out she had a daughter. Girls tended to pester him. He had learned early to avoid them while being as polite as possible. Not an easy task sometimes. He had been silently bracing himself as he walked up the steps for the first time. The first thing as he stepped onto the shrine grounds an old man yelled, "Demon be gone!" and stuck an obviously fake ofuda onto his forehead. The elderly gentleman was promptly drug away from Kurama by a ravishing woman dressed in traditional miko wear.

The girl was soon introduced as the old man's granddaughter and the daughter Ms. Higurashi had spoken of. Kagome was her name. Kurama noticed her aura was very powerful and the girl herself had high spiritual power. He wondered if she was even aware of the power she held. It appeared as if she herself was a true miko. Though, later, she confided in him that she had only donned the miko clothing at her grandfather's insistence.

Can you turn my black roses red,
can you turn my black roses red

Kagome seemed to be different from all the other women he had come across in his life. She didn't jump all over him within moments of meeting him. This disappointed him slightly (and the Youko in him couldn't help but agree.) though he supposed that it was one reason he liked her so much.

But now he was getting ahead of himself. This morning was especially important. Since he had taken on the job as the Higurashi shrine gardener he had taken care of the plants dutifully and they were all "lovely" as Kagome described. The roses were his specialty and he took great pride in this. He took care to pick the most beautiful rose and infuse some of his youki to give the rose to Kagome before he left the shrine. It was so pleasant to know he had caused the blush that stained her cheeks such a pretty pink. The youki he had pushed into each rose ensured that the flower did not die and lived longer, until the next week when he presented her with yet another rose.

But as of late his beautiful roses he had so carefully cultivated were taking on a more sinister appearance. The red roses were tuning black. It was very subtle and not very noticeable to the eye but if someone were to look close enough they would surely notice. He was sure that the week before Kagome had noticed the small change in the rose he gifted her with.

And so he had resolved to take care of the problem early that morning, earlier than he usually made his appearance at the Sunset shrine. Kurama was almost positive that he had sensed some kind of demon the week before in the garden. It was brief, fleeting, but he now knew how to handle the situation and turn the roses back to their original color.

Kurama had opted to go early in the morning so that the residents of the shrine would not have to witness a demon. It was bad enough that the old man accused every breathing person who walked onto the shrine of being a demon; they didn't need to see a real one.

Drowning in my loneliness

how long must I hold my breath?

Kagome strolled outside and into the garden Shuichi kept up so nicely. The week before, the miko had sensed the presence of a youkai, a youkai other than Shuichi, of course. It appeared that the presence of the youkai's energy was causing a disruption in the garden's balance. The garden was on holy ground, a shrine. Not to mention that the fact that another youkai, Shuichi, was taking care of the plant life there.

Kagome supposed that Shuichi would try to take care of the situation today and in a way that would leave the residents of the shine grounds clueless. She herself had decided to be his backup. After all, she was a miko and she could purify the youkai if the need should arise. She was also a fairly skilled healer, so no one would have to rush Shuichi to the emergency room under the guise that there had been some sort of accident with a gardening tool. She giggled at the thought.

Kagome had her long bow at her side and she wore the traditional miko outfit. She had learned while fighting in the Feudal Era that it was a very good intimidation tactic and it seemed to work even better in her own time because youkai thought the miko's had become nearly extinct and that if there were potential mikos they wouldn't be a thereat because of their lack of training.

So much emptiness inside,
I could fill the deepest sea

Kurama reached the top of the shrine steps and hesitated. He carefully took in the scene before him. The shrine grounds looked so peaceful in the early morning light. It was the picture of serenity. He found it hard to believe that this would soon become a battlefield. Hopefully he would be able to clean up the grounds before the Higurashi's woke.

Kurama strode purposefully into the flower garden and stood in the middle of the trail. Silently he brought out his rose whip. Yes, there it was, he could feel the youkai's energy nearby.

"Come out and face me. You do not wish for me to have to go through the trouble of finding you, it makes me quite irritable." He stated calmly.

The air around him was silent and still. Then an ear-spitting roar was heard as an unidentifiable youkai leapt out of hiding and onto the path. Kurama smirked at the low level youkai. It was yet another Maki would-be escapee. Koemna would be pleased when Kurama rid him of the nuisance.

I reach to the sky as the moon looks on

my one last tear has come and gone

I'm dying to let your love rain down on me

The youkai roared again as it felt Kurama's dismissal of its power and how he thought it to be an easy target. It lunged. Kurama easily sidestepped.

This went on for several minutes as the youkai lunged and Kurama dodged its attacks with an occasional flick of the rose whip. This left many large wounds on the youkai's body, further slowing down its already slow pace.

It was during this exchange that Kurama happened to step too close to the youkai in question while moving out of the way of an attack. The youkai's powerful tail suddenly shot out and sent Kurama flying backwards. He landed a good distance away and was sent sprawled out on the ground. That was just the opening the attacking youkai needed and he was on Kurama in an instant.

The youkai slashed Kurama across the chest, shredding the shirt and Kurama received shallow claw marks before he moved out of the way. Mentally Kurama cursed himself. He had become too confident in his ability to slay the youkai and had underestimated the youkai's cunning and had paid the price.

Can you turn my black roses red,

can you turn my black roses red,

can you turn my black roses red

Kagome waited in the shadows, concealing herself with a simple spell that hid her sent and drew in her aura. She would only reveal herself if it appeared that Shuichi needed some help. The fight seemed to progress nicely and Shuichi seemed to be winning with minimal effort on his part. She watched as he became a bit cocky. That had happened to InuYasha several times back in the Feudal Era and had always turned what would've been an uneventful battle into something more. Males, they had such big egos, not matter how nice they seemed, like Shuichi… and Kagome mentally slapped herself.

As Kagome had predicted the battle took a sour turn as Shuichi got too close to the youkai and underestimated the powerful tail attached to said youkai. She watched as he paid for his cocky behavior with a nice little trip across the courtyard and a slash across his chest. Deciding she had seen enough, Kagome made her move.

Slowly the young miko drew her long bow.

Cause I'm feelin' like I'll blame it on love

I feelin' like I'll blame it on love

Kurama braced himself for another attack. The youkai was at a close range and had the advantage. His rose whip was a weapon meant for attacking an enemy from a distance and it was harder to use against an enemy closer up.

Kurama heard a scream. Looking up at the youkai he noticed the arrow embedded in its chest right before a bright pink light engulfed it and it turned to ash.

Kurama turned slowly to look at the person who had shot the arrow and killed the youkai. There she stood, Kagome, in miko garb with a long bow in hand. The air around her thrummed with the power she had suppressed and the strength of her pure aura.

I feelin' like I'll blame it on love

Kagome watched as Shuichi turned cautiously to look at her. She lowered her bow and tried to tell him, without words, that she had no reason to attack him. He approached her, walking steadily towards her but there was a kind of weariness in his eyes. Kagome smiled warmly at him. She didn't want to harm him. In fact all she wanted to do was dress his wound and sit him down for a little talk before her family woke up. They'd gone through enough hell when she had been traveling back and forth through the well, they didn't need to know about the youkai on their shrine.

"Please follow me. I think you'll be more comfortable once I see to your wound." She said softly.

Can you turn my black roses red,

can you turn my black roses red,

can you turn my black roses red

Kurama silently followed Kagome. It somehow seemed right that she knew his secret. And it felt as if, perhaps, she had known all along. With her powers as a miko he didn't doubt that she had picked up on his secret the moment he had stepped onto the shrine grounds. This fact seemed to ease his mind. He now had someone who knew his secret. It made him feel free. He no longer had to hide his nature from her.

She led him to the shrine house where her family was still slumbering. Quietly she slipped into the house and gestured for him to wait. She left and came back with a first aid kit in hand. He lifted his shirt so she could reach his wound. Kagome blushed slightly and Kurama's lips quirked up slightly. It was as she was cleaning him up that she took the initiative to speak.

"I assume we have a lot to speak of." She murmured.

"Yes. I believe we both owe each other a story." He affirmed. And she smiled.

"Thank you Shuichi-"

"Kurama." He interrupted her. "Please call me Kurama."

"Thank you Kurama, for turning my black roses red." And somehow he knew it had a double meaning.

Cause I'm feelin' like I'll blame it on love

I'm feelin' like I'll blame it on love

END

a/n: well, tell me what you think! This is my first KagomeKurama and I'm kinda anxious. If you liked this please look for an upcoming chapter fic from me called Ramen. It is also KagomeKurama and I have the first two chapters already written. I just have to type them up and post them. I've been told it's funny as hell! So please review! I was in the fluff mood when I wrote this! Can you tell? REVIEW!!