The Mute

Chapter 1

Sessho's Lady

AN: Warning! This story will get lemony in later chapters. I will put of lemon part in the authors note of chapters, so if they make you squeamish, I suggest reading. I will not update this story until I get at least 7 reviews.

Five-year-old Kagome watched her father disappear into the fog as he headed to the shrine staircase.

"Have fun, Daddy! Be safe! I LOVE YOU!"

When she could no longer see his outline, she ran back into the house, her pigtails bouncing with every step. She ran straight to her parents' bedroom, but stopped outside the door. She could hear Emara (her mother) crying from inside. Cautiously, Kagome knocked on the door.

"Moma, are you okay?"

She slowly opened the door and saw her mother hiding her face in a pillow. Kagome ran forward and laid her head in her mother's lap.

"It's okay, Moma. Tell me what's wrong."

Though she was only five, Kagome had the maturity of a twelve-year-old. She was also very smart, smart enough to skip to third grade, but at the moment, she really felt her age. Why was her mother crying?

"Moma, please tell me. Why do you shed tears now? You're not injured are you?"

Emara put the pillow beside her and stroked her daughter's hair.

"I cry for your father, Kagome. I'm crying because he's gone."

Kagome lifted her head and smiled.

"Don't worry, Moma. He'll be back. He always comes home for my birthday. So you don't need to cry anymore."

Emara shook her head and began to cry harder.

"Not this time, dear. Your father wants a divorce. He's found a new, younger woman who wants him, and he wants nothing more to with either of us," Emara managed to say between sobs

Kagome let this slowly sink in. As she embedded Emara's words into her memory, she analyzed every little bit of information to be sure she understood correctly. The reality of the words hit her full force, breaking her heart into a million pieces. Emara and Kagome cried with each other for the rest of the day.

In her despair, kagome threw herself into her schoolwork and chores. She made all A's and wore a happy face for her mother. When Kagome had no schoolwork, she'd take it upon herself to clean the entire house until it sparkled inside and out and have supper ready when her mother came home from working her two jobs. Anything that would distract her from thinking of her father. As she faster and more efficient at her 'chores', Kagome began doing household jobs in her neighborhood for money to help her mom.

While Kagome was keeping herself busy, she was also cutting herself off from her peers. They began to whisper about her behind her back, even though she was younger. They began to call her a 'freak', a 'loner', and 'an emotionless geek.' And Kagome heard everything that they said.

"That midget is making the rest of us look bad."

"I heard she took on an extra science project. What kind of kid works for fun?"

"Notice that she has no friends."

"I've never heard her talk to anyone. Not even the teachers."

"She probably thinks she's better than us cause she skipped three grades."

"Yeah. She'll never be one of us, that freak."

As the years passed, things didn't improve, but they never got worse, for which Kagome was thankful. Though the taunting had stopped to her face, she still had no friends and could hear them all whisper as she walked down the hall. At least they had enough sense not to mess with her.

She never saw her father after the day he left. She got gifts from him for every holiday and birthday, but that was only because the court required him to. Sometimes, he'd send her money just in case he forgot an occasion, not that he ever did.

Kagome was still an all A student in her junior year. She never made less than a 96 in class. She also had two part-time jobs, with a thirty-minute break between them. Even with all she did, Kagome had become invisible to the world. Even her bosses ignored her because she was so efficient that by the time they thought of something for her to do, she had it done and then some.

Kagome sat in the back of the room taking notes. The teacher stopped when the phone rang and excused herself for a moment.

"Mrs. Tomoyo speaking…Okay…Okay…Right away…bye-bye."

The teacher hung up the phone and turned to the class.

"Kagome, could you please go to the office?"

Without a word, Kagome walked out of the class and down the hall, pondering why she was sent out of class. It wasn't like she couldn't make up what she missed or anything. Actually, she was two chapters ahead of everyone else, but she didn't like to be singled out. She entered the office and bowed to the principal, barely taking notice of the other student in the room.

"Ms. Higurashi, thank you for coming."

Kagome gave Mr. Kuro a worried looked.

"Don't worry. You're not in trouble. I would like to ask you a favor."

Kagome nodded for him to continue.

"This is Sesshomaru," he said, motioning to the other student leaning against wall.

"He's new and needs a guide. Since you have more than enough credits to pass this year, we would like you to show him around. We will give him your schedual as well, so you won't miss much class. Will you guide him?"

Kagome nodded and turned to Sesshomaru, taking in his appearance so she would be able to recognize him. The principal began to talk again.

"Sesshomaru, this is Kagome Higurashi. She'll help you catch up in the classes in case you're a little behind."

"Can she not introduce herself?"

Mr. Kuro saw the hurt, but indignant, look cross over Kagome's face.

"Kagome doesn't speak."

"Why not?'

Kagome glared at Sesshomaru for being nosey. But gave Mr. Kuro a signal to tell him.

"Kagome has not spoken since she was five or six. Doctors can find nothing wrong, but with eight years of silence, it is unlikely by choice. She keeps a notepad and pencil with her to communicate with people who don't know her facial expressions, but you'll be with her enough to learn them easily. And most every teacher here knows Kagome well, so they can help you."

Sesshomaru sighed, turned to Kagome, and bowed.

"My apologies for being nosey."

He rose to his full height, about a foot taller than Kagome, and looked at the girl in front of him

"May we go to our class now?"

Kagome nodded and led the strange guy down the hall.

Rumors about Sesshomaru flew through school, but unlike when it happened to Kagome, none were consistent. It seemed most girls thought he was hot, but who would want to go out with a guy who befriended a mute nobody. Then there were rumors of Kagome dating Sesshomaru and rumors of them being cousins. Some people got it right by saying they weren't friends at all.

Kagome preferred to be alone and without friends. Friends talked about their parents, which brought up unwanted memories. Sesshomaru just didn't care one way or the other. He was to use to being alone. At least when kagome was around, the other girls would leave him alone. Occasionally, Kagome would go off by herself to eat or read a book during school. As soon as she was out of sight, ten or twelve girls would come over, giggling and talking about how handsome he was. Most of the time, three or four would even ask him out. Of course, he turned every single one down without hesitation.

On an extremely boring day, when they had several free periods, Sesshomaru decided to start up a conversation. He found Kagome sitting under a tree, working on extra credit she didn't need.

"Do you always do pointless work?"

She nodded without looking up. He laid beside her and stared at the sky through the tree leaves.

"Do you ever just relax?"

Kagome shook her head.

"How about go out with friends?"

Again she shook her head.

"Have you ever even had a boyfriend?"

Kagome shook her head.

"Is there a reason you try to stay so busy?"

Kagome looked at him but didn't respond.

Sesshomaru turned his head just enough to see her face.

"Don't look so surprised. After three week of being around you, I've picked up on what you do. I have yet to see you without something in your hands. And I'm the only person you're ever around. You have no friends, do you? It's not healthy."

Sesshomaru looked at the sky and watched the clouds roll by. His eyes drifted close, and he almost missed Kagome's response.

"It's the only way…"

His eyes shot open and landed on the young girl.

"What did you just say?"

He got no answer. She didn't even seem to notice she had spoken. After a few moments, Sesshomaru was almost convinced that she hadn't. When the bell rang, she left without so much as a good-bye.

That night, Sesshomaru was sitting in his room, trying to get Kagome out of his mind, but nothing he did seemed to be working. Had she really spoken, or was he just imagining things? That led him to another train of thought.

What caused her to stop talking in the first place? Was she really mute, or just shocked into not speaking? It must have been pretty traumatic, whatever it was.

"Kagome, what happened to you…"