A.N. Updated. Don't ask whether this will be finished next.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
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The Late of Night
(Tsuki)
Chapter Eight
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(Tsuki)
"Whore! Wretched whore!" Angry voices called through the walls of their hut, "Going about with demons even after our village took you in!"
"You are no miko," snarled a second voice and a heavy hand beat upon the wooden door that stood between the wielder and the occupants.
Within the hut, two people leaned forcibly against the door. One was a raven haired woman, middle aged, with evidence of graying hair; the other was a child, merely midway through her teenage years. The older of the two looked with pleading azure eyes as she whispered fiercely, "There's a tunnel beneath my home, Kikyou… Follow it until you are out of this village. Go to Inuyasha. You two belong together."
"Open up and accept punishment!"
Kikyou shook her head and said in an equally low tone, "I could not leave you in good conscious. Don't even talk of such foolishness. I won't leave you!"
"Kik-chan, I well past my prime… You are a talented child with a lot to live for." She looked softly at the girl. "Besides, Inuyasha is too brash a boy to let this village stand..."
"I prefer that! I cannot love him knowing what it cost! They will not tire and they will not let you live!" The girl closed her eyes, "If you die, I will die with you—you have been nothing but a friend to me. Do not ask me to abandon you!"
Another voice taunted, "To think you showed such promise as a child only to turn out to be such a disgrace!"
The woman looked at her with a sad smile, "It is because I am your friend that I can not ask you to abandon your life, Kikyou. You still show promise…Those men speak only out of bigotry. They are not the majority though… There are others who still love you and give their blessing."
Kikyou shook her head and tried to protest, but her words were lost as she heard the woman murmur, "I took you in and trained you because I knew you would grow up to be the woman you are today. Knowing you has been a gif, however," Kikyou for the first time in her life, felt tears prick her eyes "I will have failed if your growth ends here today."
Kikyou swallowed hard, "If I stay—"
"You cannot."
"Don't do this, nee-chan!"
The woman placed a kiss on her forehead, "Go. Use this as incentive to finally confess those feelings to that foolish boy or he'll never know you feel the same. Think of that as my last wish." She continued to smile despite the content of the words that flowed from her mouth. "I can buy you five minutes. The entrance to the tunnel is beneath my futon. Cover it up once you leave."
"I-I'll never forget you, Kagome-chan. Thank you…"
An orphaned miko with a love of dance and performance.
An old priestess with a kind heart and a compassionate smile.
One took the other in and cared for them for nearly a decade.
Kikyou eyes were shrouded with tears. The raven haired woman touched them with shaking hands. She sat up and pushed her covers off.
She was in an apartment that she and Inuyasha had rented, in her bedroom, in her bed.
For some reason, she needed assurance, that was actually where she was and not some hovel of a home centuries in the past.
Kikyou shook at bit in vague remembrance of her dream.
The harder she tried to remember it, the less solid it seemed to feel.
But she knew the gist of it.
The woman had taken her in and kept her learning the dances and acrobatics she loved so much. She had gladly taken on the role of her spiritual guide and also her mother, sister, and friend. She had supported her when she had fallen in love with a hanyou.
And she had given her life for that love to continue.
A stream of blood trickled down Kikyou's nose as fragmented images whirled around in her mind in numbing quickness and pulsed in her skull.
In the end, she was left with a feeling that she had broken a promise to that woman. Not even when given a second and third chance, did she ever admit her love, even though it was something that burned in her for centuries.
Yet, even more damning than that…
"I'll never forget you…."
But she had. Even now, as her mind ached and her nose gushed, she couldn't even remember the name of her savior.
The name of the one person she subconsciously loved perhaps more than Inuyasha.
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(Tsuki)
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Home seemed to be the only sanctuary Kagome had. Whenever she was home, it was as if her life hadn't taken a complete one-eighty turn.
Auntie Love remembered Kouga—she asked about him all the time. 'When is he visiting?' or 'Invite him over soon, dear,' were constants in their conversations at dinner.
Even Rin and Souta knew about her and Kouga.
She was running out of excuses as to why he never called anymore or why he didn't stop by.
It meant though, that she had never imagined her relationship with Kouga. It had actually existed…
It was just the rest of the world that was in this alternate reality.
She mentally scoffed as she picked at her dinner, 'It's probably that …thing's way of messing with me by reminding me of what I don't have…' She forked a cube of meat into her mouth dejectedly.
The part of her mind that had absorbed years of her grandfather's tales of demons, miko, and the Edo era abruptly seemed to surface.
'Or maybe it's because we're in the shrine… Perhaps that's why,' her eyes lit up at the realization. Her paranoid grandfather had blessed their house more times that she'd ever be able to count.
Sesshoumaru was clearly some evil, malicious spirit from the deepest depths of hell. He couldn't enter her house, could he?
Auntie Love looked with uncertainty at the display of emotions running across her niece's face. Even the tempo at which she ate would alter with each passing expression.
Finally though, the raven haired girl seemed to settled with a cheerful veneer. Auntie Love shook her head slowly and murmured, "As long as she's eating again."
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(Tsuki)
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The next day at school, Mirouku and Sango completely disappeared from her classes. No one seemed to take note of that and it was as if they had never been there in the first place.
In fact, Kagome almost would have thought they had gone for good, but that morning, she had seen them, driving up with the rest of them in a vermillion painted Mazda three.
The only difference, though, was most of them were not dressed as students.
Sesshoumaru stepped out first, his hair neatly braided back and a pair of thin frames balanced on his nose. He was dressed in a shirt in tie, not unlike the way the faculty dressed.
Ayame followed next, still uniformed and still looking infuriated. Her hair was in fiery curls and her lips had been painted a deep red. Her turquoise eyes were opaque with rage. Even as the epitome of wrath, she looked beautiful even to command attention.
From the back came Sango and Mirouku. Sango showed no evidence of yesterday's injuries. Even though Kagome had managed to conceal most of her scrapes and bruises, some could not be fixed with a lengthening her skirt and wearing the winter issue long sleeve tops. Yet there Sango was, dressed like a female version of Sesshoumaru. Sleek ponytail, black pencil skirt, white blouse… But now evident bruises.
Mirouku and Inuyasha too were the epitome of professionalism.
Clearly they were trying to be teachers today.
Kagome stayed long enough to see them exit before she went into the building. However, she failed to notice the person not among them.
She only noticed Kikyou was not there, when she went for lunch.
It was unavoidable that she noticed Ayame and Kouga eating lunch together in a corner and the group of aesthetically perfect, unrealistically young teachers at another. The two tables just drew attention to themselves.
Kagome knew her eyes were not alone in being magnetized to that direction. Everyone in the cafeteria seemed just as intent in catching a glance.
That's how it had been all day. Her schedule had undergone another transformation. The classes were the same…but the teachers were rearranged.
She had skipped an entire morning of classes because Mirouku had been her Chemistry teacher, Sango had covered her class with Kouga, and Sesshoumaru would have led her English class.
She had gone to the school's track and stayed there for several hours… Simply thinking.
What exactly were the odds?
The raven haired girl moved to a deserted table as far as possible and out of sight of Ayame and Sesshoumaru. It was behind a pillar and after a wipe down with a napkin, was decent enough to sit at.
Kagome took her aunt's homemade lunch from her backpack. No sooner had she set it down, did she receive company.
Mirouku sat across from her as if it was a perfectly normal thing to do.
His raven hair was still pulled in a low ponytail at the nape of his neck and the only change to his person was the crisp white button up, and the iris toned tie he wore.
Kagome was at a loss for what to say. She fiddled with the brown bag that held her lunch, "C-can I help you?"
Mirouku frowned after a moment, "I don't know. Can you?"
She wet her lips and cast a fugitive glance to her right, but her sight only met pillar. "Won't your 'boss' get mad?"
He snorted a bit at that and murmured almost to himself, "If he didn't get mad at Kikyou for playing hookie, I don't know what he'll punish us for…."
"How nice for you. I guess it's only with me that I piss off the antagonistic hell creature," she muttered sarcastically.
The man across from her rubbed his brows, "You said his name, Kagome… You see us interact with these people, but never long enough for them to address us more than once. Last names mean nothing—they are fictitious words… but our names—especially his are purely damning."
Her eyes flashed and she smiled tightly, "Pardon me for not heeding the warnings of something I found in a fiction aisle of a used book store."
"I am not here to argue with you!" He clenched his jaw, "Sesshoumaru's not going to let me spend that long with you, so I need to say what I came here to say."
Kagome closed the top of her bag, "Go ahead."
"What do you remember, Kagome?"
The girl blinked. That hadn't exactly been what she expected. "We've met before… don't you remember that?"
Even his eerie attempts at story telling would have been preferred…
Kagome felt more flustered than she should have by the question. Her hands returned to her lunch and she began emptying it to occupy her hands, "I-I disagree… This is our first meeting...I would know if I saw you before this," she said shakily and pulled out a wrap her aunt had prepared for her. She took a bite, even though her stomach felt as if was about to be in her throat. She swallowed hard and put her food down on the clear wrap that it had been contained in, "Just go before you get in trouble."
Mirouku suddenly reached over and his hand gently touched her hand, "How is it possible that I remember you and you have no recollection?" He seemed almost as if was pleading with her, "There was a village several centuries ago that I wander into—"
"I hadn't even been alive for several decades," she hissed. "There's your problem!"
"Listen! There was a young boy, a monk, sitting on the embankment of a river… That night he met a young girl—She took him in and along with her mother, became that wretch's only family… Do you remember that?!"
Before Kagome could stop herself, she murmured in uncertainty, "…Boulder?"
Mirouku smiled a genuine smile for the first time since she had met him. He continued to hold her hand in his pleading grip, "Think hard, Kagome… Please…"
Kagome looked away from him and did as told.
A boy… a river…
"I wanted to talk to you. You seemed so lonely…I thought you might want company. I tripped though on the way down and that's why I bumped into you."
Kagome's eyes lost focus and Mirouku felt a strange elation.
It abruptly turned into fear. Mirouku let go of Kagome's hand as if she had burned him. The girl looked sharply over at him and the fuzzy memories in her brain dissipated. The raven haired man across from her looked with pained violet eyes at her for one fleeting second before he slammed his hands on the table and rose.
She was left only to watch him depart.
The girl forced the rest of her lunch down her throat and tried to forget what just happened.
Yet, somewhere in the back of her mind, something was screaming at her that that was the last thing she should be doing.
It screamed that she needed to remember.
Before it was too late.
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(Tsuki)
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"Return to the castle. I do not wish to see your face here right now."
The gardens….Once again they were in a garden.
Sango stood from her position behind Sesshoumaru, "I disagree with your decision, Sesshoumaru-sama. Housh—Mirouku," she corrected herself, "has done nothing wrong!"
And then the silver haired man turned to her, "Would you like to go with him, Sango," he drawled. "As you two are so congruent in thought, it would be the wiser decision to get rid of you both, wouldn't it?"
Ayame smirked and looked up the two in question, "There's no need for sympathizers here. That's why that bitch isn't completely miserable! When Mirouku leaves, I vote we make her a social pariah. His students think they're pretty fond of him and after that disgraceful display at lunch, rumors of a scandalous relationship are floating. I propose we make it seem like our Kagome-chan got Teacher-of-the-Year kicked out for indecent conduct." Her eyes flashed, "They already are so attached to him, so it's perfect!"
Sango ran a hand through her hair pulling at the strands as if to alleviate the insanity that was building up, "I refuse to have a hand in this!" Kohaku moved to her side at the sound of the distressed tone and tried to calm her.
Sesshoumaru looked at the six around him and narrowed his eyes, "These memories that you say you are having," he addressed them all in cold tones, "do not change the fact that you are all mine. Do as I command or I will send you back to the hell I took you from."
Inuyasha walked over to his brother and said evenly, "And what if I disobey you? What would you do if I choose her over you, brother?"
Sesshoumaru did not show any sign of composure loss. He opened his mouth to speak, but the red head seated tensely on the ground, rose.
Ayame hissed and took his hand. She placed it against her face coaxingly, "Just send them all back! They should not be so full of themselves! Find people who are actually worth being in your presence, Sesshoumaru!"
Kikyou scowled, "Manipulative, conniving, little brat! You sickening creature! Who is full of their self but you?"
Sesshoumaru snatched his hand back and turned back to the matter at hand. He was only interested in speaking to Mirouku, "You are the one on trial and yet you say nothing? For someone so charismatic that is shocking."
Mirouku looked at the silver haired man, "What if you're making a mistake? When we take a soul and deem it unworthy, they stay for all eternity in hell. There is no second chance…there's no reversing the process. Why don't you find it strange that you can't stay impartial? Why don't you feel like you're walking into a trap?"
Kikyou spoke up and said with a bitter amusement, "Do you really think that we are privileged, Sesshoumaru? Who would be foolish enough to think that this was a position of power? This is a curse! We are damned creatures being punished for something…"
Sango cradled Kohaku to herself, "She's right… We all know her or feel like we do… and that part of me—of us, thinks you're a fool."
Inuyasha placed a hand on Sesshoumaru's shoulder, "My guts keeps telling me that taking away that girl's life would end yours…"
And for one brief moment, Sesshoumaru was beginning to believe that…
Why did he despise her so? He couldn't think of a reason.
Ayame stepped in between the two brothers and growled, "Don't give him ideas! Don't try and change his mind! It has been made up—you mutinous traitors will leave!"
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and turned the girl around, "Do not speak for me. Stand down. You are beginning to annoy me."
Turquoise eyes brightened before turning crimson red. Ayame's voice deepened and Inuyasha drew cold as she spoke, "And you are beginning to annoy me, too, Sesshoumaru." With a hate filled glance backwards, Ayame left.
Inuyasha went pale and with staggered steps away from where Ayame had just departed, he murmured, "That was Naraku."
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(Tsuki)
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A.N. Thanks you for reading.
R&R