Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the other characters from the anime/manga. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I suppose life would be easier if I made money by writing these stories, but unfortunately, I do not.
Special thanks to my wonderful betas Ai Kisugi, Hedanicree, JMaxwell, and KeiChanz for picking this story to pieces and making it a much more bearable read!
Warning: Please keep in mind that this story is rated for language, violence and sexual situations.
'Thinking'
"Talking"
Dream or memories
Prologue
A strong gust of wind blew through the meadow, sending strands of long silver hair flying wildly. Fresh blood dripped down impossibly long claws like crimson tears as the red clad figure extracted his hand from his prey's chest. The broken body in his arms fell limply at his feet; her shredded white shirt was tainted with her life's essence, and her red hakama darkened fast as it soaked up the thick liquid. Her long, black hair spread over the dirt ground, framing her now ashen face in soft waves. Her eyes were left open as she exhaled her last breath. One could see the disbelief written in them—disbelief, and the remnants of love.
But, he didn't.
His crimson eyes were already locked on his next target. The young woman in the traditional clothes of a slayer fought desperately to free her beloved husband from his binds. He was completely lost to them now with nothing left to bring him back. The small knife in the slayer's hands was no defense against his deadly claws. They knew it. He knew it.
A wicked smirk formed on his face as he cracked his knuckles in preparation.
Chapter 1: Welcome home
Five weeks earlier…
A small plexiglass window was all that separated Kagome from a seemingly endless expanse of sky blue. She sighed deeply and stretched her legs. International flights were far too long, and she couldn't wait anymore to be in her homeland. While she stared outside, she felt the plane begin to lose altitude. Moments later, the pilots announced that they were on final approach to Narita Airport, in Tokyo. One-wing dipped as the plane began to turn. She could see the large grayish blob of the megalopolis against the green backdrop of Japan now. Placing one hand on the window, she smiled. She was back.
She'd been away from home and from her family for the last three years, running from one concert to another all over the world for most of the time. When she wasn't on tour, she had locked herself in the studio for weeks.
She had walked a rocky road to reach this place in her life. At first, she was getting the education she needed to perfect her singing skills, and then, she was performing in odd places around town before she was noticed by a rich producer. She had lived through many disappointments, but she was glad that everything she had gone through had paid off in the end.
Her family had been against her decision to leave home when she had received the offer to work with one of the most prestigious music companies in the world. In spite of all the arguments they had gone through, she had been adamant in her decision to do something significant and to see the world. In the end, they had respected her wishes.
Kagome supposed she had been lucky for not having been alone in her battles with her family and in the other struggles she had survived. Houjo, her ever loyal friend from high school, had supported her in every step she had taken. In fact, she couldn't recall a single day she hadn't seen him since the day she had been released from the hospital ten years ago.
She was told that she had been in a car crash right after her high school graduation and had been in a coma for three years. She couldn't remember the accident, though. Actually, she couldn't remember many things that had taken place before the accident, either. She was supposed to recover most of her memories in time, but when nothing came back after a year of waiting, she gave up dwelling on the past. Instead, she focused on what she wanted to do with her future.
She'd had neither a college education nor had she had the will to pursue one. Having nothing else to do, Kagome had taken up singing to pass the time while she waited for her memories to return. It had helped a lot, she would admit, in expressing the feelings of loss and sorrow she had experienced since she had woken up from the coma. At the time, she hadn't thought she was good enough to make money with her new hobby. She also couldn't deny Houjo's help in rebuilding her self-confidence and gaining the courage to take the next step. He had always come to visit her at the shrine and had complimented her singing every chance he had got.
Hojou had once told her that she had been destined to do big things and that she had been wasting her life by staying at that shrine. He thought she should explore the world for its endless possibilities. In the end, he had managed to convince her to take private vocal lessons. Then, he had suggested going to America together so that she could have her chance on Broadway. That had been too big a step for her to take early on, so she had opted to stay in Tokyo for a while longer. She had sung in a few clubs in the city for a year, honing her craft. When he had come to her with the offer from her current music company, Kagome had finally agreed that it was time for her to become a real star.
It was an undeniable fact that she owed him a lot for all the support he had given in the last decade. He had done everything he could to get her out of Japan and introduce her to the rest of the world. He had been such a good friend and the best manager ever. Now, Kagome was finally going to pay him back. He had proposed to her the year after her recovery, but back then, she had not been in a state to make such decisions. He had never given up, though.
Despite her insistence on staying just friends, he had kept proposing to her at every opportunity during the last several years. Last month, the day she had turned thirty, he had taken her to dinner and had proposed again. She could remember the apprehension in his eyes. This time, however, she couldn't deny him the happiness he undoubtedly deserved. She wasn't in love with him; she never had been. However, if there was someone in this world that deserved to be loved by her, it was him. Besides, she doubted she would fall in love with someone else. She hadn't met anyone yet that made her heart beat faster, even in the smallest bit.
What was love, anyway? She sang about it everyday, but she wasn't sure she believed in it. Maybe it was something people made up to make life a little more interesting, right? That had to be it. So, there was no reason not to marry Houjo. The fact that she was now thirty was another force that drove her to change her mind about marriage. She wanted children, and she had to hurry if she was to have a family before it was too late.
They had agreed to get married as soon as possible. The only thing they had disagreed upon had been where they would settle down. She had wanted to live in Tokyo so that her children would grow up with a big family, while he had wanted nothing to do with Japan. They'd had an argument when he had learned that she had accepted the offer from another music company in Japan without his knowledge and that she would be going back to Tokyo. In the end, he had respected her wishes, and they had decided to settle down in Tokyo. She was going to stay with her family at the shrine and prepare for the wedding, which was scheduled to take place in the next month, while he dealt with all the unfinished business they had in Los Angeles. He would return to Tokyo a few days before their wedding.
She sighed when she thought about all the work she would have to do to have the perfect wedding. At least, she would have her mother's help.
Kagome came out of her musings when the plane jerked as its tires touched the ground. This was it. She was home.
Kagome made her way toward customs with her old yellow backpack on her shoulder and the handle of her large suitcase in one hand. She wondered if her family would be on time to meet her while she thumbed through her passport. Her question was answered when someone wrapped her in a huge hug the moment she stepped past the security gates. Once she realized who it was, she let go of her baggage and returned the embrace.
"Kagome, my dear, it's been so long!" That was her mother, all right. Dear old Mrs. Higurashi was as loving and as sentimental as ever. She could already feel the wetness her mother's tears left on her shoulder.
"Mama, please. It's all right. I'm back. I'm not going anywhere again! Please, don't cry." Even as she begged her mother to stop crying, she felt her own tears threatening to fall.
Fortunately, Mrs. Higurashi soon managed to compose herself, letting her daughter go to have a good look at her. "Oh my God, Kagome! You haven't changed a bit, have you? You should tell your mother how you manage to stay so young, dear. It's not nice to keep such secrets from family."
The young woman laughed at the mock reprimand in her mother's voice. She knew Mrs. Higurashi was not exaggerating. She looked exactly the same as she had when she was eighteen, only her hair was longer.
"Look who's talking! Please, Mama! You know that my secret lies within the genes I inherited from you! Really, you look as beautiful as ever." She hugged her mother again with great force. She was telling the truth; her mother looked as good as she had when she had last seen her, if not better. She was relieved to see her mother hadn't noticeably aged, because she had been afraid to see the reminders of the time they had spent apart on her face.
When Kagome finally withdrew to see who else was waiting, her eyes landed on a handsome young man with a huge smile on his face. "Souta! Look at you! You have a beard now!" She left her mother's embrace and ran to her brother's arms. She hit him with such force that he had to take a step back to regain his balance. He hugged her back tightly once he regained his composure.
"Yeah, I didn't have a choice in that matter. Ren likes it better this way, you know? Welcome back, sis." Ren was Souta's wife of two years. They had met in college and were married right after they had both graduated. Now, they were expecting their first child. Ren was still waddling toward them slowly because she was so close to being due. Less than a minute later, she was standing at her husband's side.
"And how is my little nephew doing?" Kagome asked Ren's swollen belly after leaving Souta's arms.
"Oh, he's doing all right. He's getting heavier every day. It's me you need to worry about! I think I'm going to blow up!"
Laughing, Kagome gently hugged her sister-in-law — as much as she could manage around the large belly the younger woman was sporting. Ren was a sweet girl that could find humor in even the direst situations, and Kagome adored her for that. She was so full of life; she unconsciously brightened the mood of everyone around her. Souta couldn't get any luckier, if you asked his sister.
Now that she had greeted each member of the entourage, Kagome noticed the absence of a very important part of her family. "Where's Grandpa?" she asked, turning toward her mother.
"He's waiting for us back at the shrine," Mrs. Higurashi replied. She wore a tender smile. "He is getting older every day, you see. He complained that his old bones couldn't stand the long drive to the airport. He's very eager to see you, though." A brief, warm laugh bubbled up from the woman's throat. "He quite loudly made me promise not to linger and take you home the moment you stepped off the plane!"
"Well, we'd better not make him wait any longer, then. Let's go! I want to see my Grandpa!" With that, the young woman shouldered her backpack and linked her free arm with Ren's to support the waddling female. Souta grabbed her suitcase. Then, the foursome headed out of the airport to Souta's car.
"Grandpa!"
"Kagome!" The old man threw aside the newspaper he'd been reading under the shade of the Goshinboku and slowly got up from the bench. By the time he managed to get to his feet, his beloved granddaughter was already in front of him with her arms around his neck and her lips paying homage to his wrinkly, but soft cheeks.
Grandpa Higurashi was rendered speechless for all of two seconds before a rough but gleeful laugh burst from his mouth. "Slow down, young lady! You'll strangle me to death!"
"Sorry!" So excited to see her favorite old man in the world, Kagome forgot that he wasn't as strong as he used to be. His frail bones had lost the power they once possessed. Remembering that her grandfather needed to be treated with care, she hurriedly released his neck and got a hold of his hands instead.
"I've missed you so much, Grandpa! I was worried when Mama said that you weren't up to travel, but look at you! You look great and as handsome as ever! Any new girlfriends lately?"
"Are you joking? More than you can even count!" Laughing, he poked her nose with a gnarled index finger. "But I'm glad that my favorite granddaughter has finally returned to make my days brighter."
Kagome smiled warmly; her sapphire eyes lit up. "Me, too." Linking her arm with his, remembering to be gentle, she guided him to the house, where the rest of the family was busy preparing dinner. When they came inside, the dinner table was set. Ren was sitting in her usual chair while Souta helped their mother serve the dishes.
"Come on, you two! Dinner is served. Let's eat before it gets cold." Mrs. Higurashi urged them to take their seats while she served the last plate to herself.
Dinner was quite pleasant, filled with cheerful conversations about Kagome's career, Grandpa's latest exorcism attempts, and Ren's adventures at her doctor's. The conversation took a turn when Souta decided to talk about Kagome's expected wedding.
"So, sis, you're finally getting married, huh?" The tone of his voice was ambiguous; it was hard to decide whether he wanted to hear about her wedding plans or if he was trying to belittle her decision. Unfortunately, his attitude turned out to be closer to the latter.
When Kagome answered in the affirmative, not without apprehension, the retort was waiting right on the tip of Souta's tongue. "I don't like that Homo guy."
Kagome was rather taken aback with the coldness in his voice and couldn't find anything to say. Apparently, she wasn't the only one that hadn't expected such a rise out of Souta, for silence fell over the kitchen for a few seconds. Then, not a moment too soon, the quiet was abruptly broken when her brother's name fell from their mother's lips, her tone full of warning.
However, her son didn't heed the caution in his mother's voice. "No, Mama, I won't be silent about this. I honestly don't like that guy in the least bit, and I don't like the fact that my sister thinks so lowly of herself to find that scum worthy of marrying. I just think she should know that."
"And why do you think that, little brother? What did Houjo ever do to you?"
"You tell me. Why the hell are you marrying that guy?"
"You don't understand. He's been such a good friend to me, and he's been by my side all those times when I was alone."
"Oh, I understand everything, sis. It's you who doesn't understand shit! He was the one that did everything to take you away from us in the first place! And now you tell me that he's been with you when you were alone?" Souta snorted in disgust. "Of course, he would! That's why he took you away from us and from this place — so that he could have you to himself without interruption!"
"Souta!" Mrs. Higurashi's voice rang in their ears, effectively silencing her son and putting an end to the rapidly heating argument. "That's enough for one night, don't you think? I don't think you should bother your sister like that on her first night here."
Taking a deep breath, Souta blew it out with a sigh, and then he thrust a hand through his hair. "You're right. I'm sorry. I got a little carried away." He turned his head to Ren and inwardly winced at the distressed look on her features, feeling slightly guilty that she had witnessed his brief lapse in temperament. "I think we should be heading home now. Come on, honey." He stood, bringing his wife up with him, and then turned to his mother and sister. All previous ire vanished. "We'll drop by tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow, dear. Drive carefully!" Mrs. Higurashi stood up to walk them to the front door.
The moment they were outside, Grandpa Higurashi stood up as well, grumbling about his old bones. On his way out of the kitchen, he stopped behind his granddaughter and kissed her head. "Don't worry, dear. Everything will work out in the end. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Grandpa." Before he made it past the threshold, Mrs. Higurashi was back in her seat.
After they heard the elderly man close his door, the older woman turned to her solemn daughter. "Don't mind Souta, dear. It's just that he loves you so much and nobody is good enough for you in his eyes."
Kagome heaved a sigh and turned tired azure orbs toward the elder Higurashi. "I know that, Mama, but it still hurts. I just wish he liked my future husband as much as I like Ren. I want us to be a big family, you know? And, he is my brother. It would be nice to have his support in such a life changing decision."
Mrs. Higurashi took her daughter's hand and gave her a small smile. "You will have his support, dear. You just need some more time." As her daughter nodded her head, the matriarch got up to prepare some tea for the both of them. She called to her daughter while she poured water in the cups containing teabags. "Kagome?"
Kagome turned her head to look at her mother. "Yes, Mama?"
Mama Higurashi put the teacups down on the table and sat on her chair facing her child before continuing. "I don't want to pry, but I noticed something when you were arguing with Souta."
Her daughter gave her a curious look. She couldn't guess where their conversation was going. "What is it?"
Mrs. Higurashi continued while she put some sugar in her tea, moving as if they were chatting about some everyday topic like the weather. "When he asked you why you were marrying Houjo ..." Her voice trailed off.
"Yes?" Kagome still wasn't sure what her mother's intention was, but the too casual tone of her voice was unnerving.
The older woman started mixing her tea with a small spoon, keeping her eyes fixed on the teacup. "You said because he had been a good friend to you …," she trailed off again, giving her daughter a few seconds to guess what she was going to say next.
Kagome now knew where her mother was going with her inquiry, and she couldn't say she liked it. With a little hope that she was wrong, she prodded her mother to continue. "Yes, and?"
Mrs. Higurashi sighed and raised her eyes to her daughter, giving her a challenging look. "You never said you loved him."
"Oh." So, she wasn't wrong. It all came down to the one topic she didn't want to talk about.
Her reaction was enough for Mrs. Higurashi. The next time she spoke, her voice was deadly serious; she wanted answers. "You're not in love with him, are you?"
Seeing that she had no choice but to answer honestly, Kagome decided to tell her mother what she wanted to know. "No, I'm not."
"But you're going to marry him." Her mother was not accusing her, only stating the facts.
"Yes."
After having a sip from her tea, the older woman continued, "Because you think you owe him that …"
At that, Kagome felt the need to add something to justify herself, so she quickly interrupted her mother. "Yes, but it's not just that …"
"… and you think you will love him someday because he's good to you," Mrs. Higurashi concluded, not letting her daughter finish her comeback. She took another sip from her tea.
How was it that her mother knew everything that went through her mind? "How do you know everything?"
Mrs. Higurashi couldn't stop herself from chuckling at her daughter's stupefied expression. "Well, it has something to do with being a mother."
"Oh." Kagome turned her gaze to the teacup in front of her and started tracing the flower patterns on it with her index finger. She didn't look back at her mother when she heard her speak again.
"Kagome, I won't tell you how wrong I find your decision, but I'll tell you one thing to think about — something you should have known already. Love isn't always about deserving, dear. You can't choose who you're going to fall in love with." Having said what she wanted to let her daughter know all along, she stood up with her cup in hand and placed it in the sink. Then, she turned back to the girl who was sitting completely still on her chair with her head bowed down and her bangs hiding her face from view. Mrs. Higurashi sighed heavily as she hugged her daughter's shoulders and kissed her temple. "Goodnight, baby."
"Goodnight, Mama."
After her mother left to retire for the night, Kagome decided to go to bed as well. She put her cup in the sink and made her way upstairs to her old room. Her mind was filled with confusion by the older woman's words.
It had taken quite some time to get ready for bed since her clothes were still packed. She was bone tired when she finally put her head on the pillow. Just as she was falling into sleep, a faint voice from outside the window forced her back to consciousness. She sat up in her bed and listened more carefully. The next time she heard the voices, she recognized the sound of laughter. 'Of children?' Who would let their children outside in the courtyard at this time of night?
Grumbling about irresponsible parents, Kagome got up and made her way to her suitcase. She quickly put on the first jacket she could find and left the room to go out and scare the little monsters back to their home. Halfway downstairs, she heard her cell phone ring in her room. She swore at herself for not silencing the phone before going to bed and turned back to answer it before it woke up the entire household.
When she reached the phone to answer, she saw that it was Houjo who was calling. She sighed tiredly. Kagome wasn't in the mood to talk to him now — especially not so soon after the argument with Souta and the talk her mother had given her. She turned the phone to silent mode and went back to bed. When she finally settled down, she remembered why she had got up in the first place. However, there weren't any voices coming from outside anymore. Thinking that the children had returned home or found someone else to bother, she settled down more comfortably in her bed and instantly fell asleep.
The next morning during breakfast, she asked her mother if there were any children living nearby.
Mama answered in the negative, a look of curiosity surfacing on her features. "Why do you ask that?"
"I'm not sure, but I thought I heard children's voices last night. They were coming from the courtyard."
Her mother got misty eyed and solemn. After a while, she decided to speak her mind, although she suspected it would disturb her child. "Maybe you're hearing those voices because you wanted to have your own children by now." Just like she expected, her daughter's mouth opened in a gasp and she snapped her head up to look at her mother.
It was that moment Grandpa Higurashi entered the kitchen. "Children? Whose children are you talking about?" He looked from mother to daughter, awaiting an answer. When he received none, his eyes widened in horror. "Oh, no! Don't tell me Kagome's pregnant!"
"No!" both women shouted simultaneously before glancing at each other and sharing a laugh.
In the meantime, Grandpa took his seat while whispering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "Thank the gods."
When their laughter dwindled down to soft chuckles, Mrs. Higurashi told her father-in-law about the voices Kagome had heard the previous night.
What he said surprised both women. "Of course she would hear them, because there were children in the courtyard last night." Under their inquiring gaze, he continued, "It was those two little brats you heard. I think they live in the neighborhood, but I haven't been able to find where. It isn't the first time they've come here. They like to run away from home at night and play in the shrine grounds, the little devils." Grandpa grumbled under his breath about disrespectful children before continuing. "I'm so tired of cleaning after them every time they decide to have some fun. You see, I'm not fast enough to catch them when they come. Kagome, dear, will you be kind enough to catch them for me if you happen to see them the next time? I would like to have a word with their parents."
Kagome was relieved to hear that she wasn't losing her mind and hearing nonexistent voices. With a huge smile on her face, she agreed to do her best for her grandfather's sanity. "Don't worry, Grandpa. I'll catch them the moment they step into the shrine again."
After breakfast, Kagome spent all morning emptying her suitcase. She couldn't believe how much stuff she had managed to put in one bag. When she was finally done, she joined her family in the kitchen to have lunch.
Souta and Ren had already arrived before she was finished with her work upstairs. They were making fun of the latest discovery of Grandpa's. It was a dried up, shriveled relic that looked like a crow's beak, which he had found somewhere deep in the storage shed. While Grandpa insisted that it was an ancient artifact and needed to be respected, the young couple taunted him by saying that it was probably the only thing left from an unlucky crow that had accidentally entered the storage house a few years ago and had died there from starvation.
After the last comment, Grandpa kept grumbling about disrespectful grandchildren, who couldn't discern a historical artifact from a crow's beak, all through lunch. This only caused the younger members of the family to choke occasionally on their food when they laughed.
When lunch was over, Kagome offered the old priest some help to tidy the storage house so that it would be clean from corpses of pests and birds the next time he decided to explore it. The old man threw her a nasty look but he accepted her offer anyway.
After two hours of cleaning, they were both left breathless in the dusty air of the storage house. They decided to leave it for the day and have some fresh air to clean their lungs. They didn't even talk about where to go, for they had the same favorite spot in the shrine: the Goshinboku. They made their way to the ancient tree and sat down next to each other under its shade. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, the old priest asked his granddaughter if she remembered the story of the Goshinboku.
Kagome smiled and shook her head; her grandfather hadn't changed a bit, always jumping at a chance to tell a story. "No, Grandpa, I don't remember. Will you tell me again?"
The old man's eyes brightened in the prospect of sharing one of his stories with the young woman. "Of course, I will! I can't remember the details, though. It's been so long since I heard it from my father." Puffing out his chest, Grandpa Higurashi straightened up and tried to look important. He then cleared his throat.
"The story is about a young and brave man who was very much in love with a beautiful priestess. They say he loved her so much that he was ready to do anything for her, even give his life. Unfortunately, the story ends badly. There was someone that didn't want them to be together and separated the loving couple with sneaky games. The poor man lost his beloved forever. It is not told what happened to him, though — he probably died of grief. They say this tree has seen all and that you can feel his spirit inside the tree if you try hard enough." Seeing that his story had the desired effect on his granddaughter, he stood up and walked back to the house to have a nap, leaving the young woman to ponder about the unfairness of destiny.
Kagome didn't know why, but the story touched something deep in her heart, bringing tears to her eyes. There, under the tree of ages, she cried for the lovers' tragic fate. She looked up at the tree with puffy eyes and wondered what it would say if it had a voice of its own. Then, she remembered her grandfather's last words. Did the young man's spirit live in the tree? Would she be able to feel him if she wanted to?
Mesmerized by the idea of touching the soul of such a special person — whose great love had become a legend — she decided to try her chance and approached the tree's bark. 'Maybe I can feel how it is to love someone like that.' She raised her hand and asked aloud for the tree's permission before she touched it. "Will you let me feel him? Please?"
Before she could touch the ancient bark of the majestic tree, someone called her name, causing her to draw her hand back as if she were caught stealing. She turned around. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw who had called to her. "Houjo? Is that you?"
It was indeed Houjo calling her from the shrine's entrance. She walked towards the gates to meet him midway, all the while wondering what he was doing there when he was supposed to be in L.A. for another month.
The moment they were close enough, he hugged her strongly, knocking the wind out of her. "Gods, Kagome. I missed you so much!"
Said woman's eyes widened at the force behind the embrace. Kagome awkwardly patted his back, managing to squeak out, "O-okay, Houjo, you've seen me. Now, can you let me breathe?"
"Sorry, honey." To her relief, he let her go before explaining his presence. "I know it's been only two days, but I couldn't stand your absence and flew here just to see you for a few minutes."
"Oh. It's so sweet of you, Houjo." She gave him a weak smile, feeling guilty for her lack of enthusiasm. 'I wish I could feel the same for you.'
Luckily, he did not seem to sense her discomfort and continued with what he wanted to say. "Kagome, I know this will sound awkward to you, but you know we're getting married next month and we haven't had any intimate moments before …," he trailed off, trying to build the courage to say his next words.
However, this lapse in his speech caused disturbing thoughts to pop up in her mind. 'What?! What the hell is he talking about? Gods, he won't ask me to sleep with him now, will he?' Unnerved with where the conversation was going and wanting to hear the end of it before she killed the guy she was supposed to marry, Kagome raised one eyebrow at him to indicate to him that he needed to finish what he was going to say.
"Will you let me kiss you just once?" At her wide-eyed look, he quickly added, "I mean, it would be something to help me stand being away from you until the wedding."
Once her initial shock was over, Kagome considered his request. When she thought about it, it was quite reasonable, considering that this man was going to be her husband soon. She accepted, thinking that it was his right to at least have a little intimacy with her before the wedding. So, she closed her eyes and waited for him to kiss her.
The moment his lips touched hers, bile rose in Kagome's throat and she wanted to push him away. Before she could raise her hand to do so, she felt him being pushed back by another force. When she opened her eyes, she saw Houjo on the ground with a man standing in front of him. He was a very handsome man with long black hair, dressed in an expensive looking suit, and he stood tall and strong.
When he spoke to her downed fiancé, she learned that his voice was as strong as his appearance. "Please accept my apologies. I didn't see you there. I was in a hurry and behaved carelessly." Then, he turned to her, took her hand and placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles. "My lady."
Kagome was left speechless by the man's elegant manners. 'Oh my, I didn't know there were still such gentlemen living in this century.' She opened her mouth to say something — anything — to the courteous man, but before she could utter a word, she was cut off by the loud voice of her grandfather.
"Takahashi, you old dog, where did you come from?!" Wearing a huge smile on his crinkled face, the old priest hurried to their side and bowed to the man. The stranger bowed in return. Then, Grandpa Higurashi introduced the man, who was obviously one of his old acquaintances, with pride in his voice. "Kagome, dear, this gentleman here is the owner of the production company you will be working for."
Her mouth dropped open in surprise, and she looked from her new boss to her grandfather. Then, her expression turned to one of confusion. "Takahashi? Why does that name sound familiar?"
This time, it was Mr. Takahashi who answered. "It should be familiar. It was Ren's last name before she married your brother, after all."
"Then does that mean …"
"I'm her father, yes, and I remember meeting you once at their wedding."
"Oh, please forgive my lack of memory. I haven't been lucky in that department the past few years."
"Please, don't worry about it. I'm happy to see you again, though. I recently bought this company and wanted to work with you since I have been an admirer of yours for a long time."
"You have? Oh, I'm so flattered!" Suddenly remembering her fiancé, Kagome turned to introduce him to her new boss, but Houjo was already gone.
Before she could wonder where he had gone, Mr. Takahashi spoke again, drawing her attention back to him. "It has been indeed a pleasure to see you again, Ms. Higurashi, but I need to go now. You know how it is — Time is money."
She watched the handsome businessman go while she listened to her grandfather talk about how much Mr. Takahashi helped their shrine and how good a chess player he was. Hearing her mother call her to help prepare dinner, she excused herself and ran back to the house.
While Kagome cut the vegetables, she told her mother about her new producer. It turned out that her mother already knew everything, and she was well acquainted with the businessman. It wasn't a surprise to her, since they had been relatives for a while. Apparently, Kagome was the only one that didn't know Ren's family well, since she hadn't been home since Souta's wedding.
In all the excitement over her meeting with Mr. Takahashi, Kagome forgot all about Houjo's disappearance and what happened before that — until she went to bed.
Kagome turned in her bed for maybe the hundredth time that night. Try as she might, sleep didn't come to her. Thoughts she tried to chase away refused to leave her alone, as if they were the devil harassing her.
'What if Mama's right? Is it a mistake to marry Houjo?'
"Of course not!" she said out loud in an attempt to reassure herself. She shook her head at her stupidity. She was talking to herself, which probably meant she was going crazy. But, the little voice continued to taunt her.
'And why is that?'
'Because he's the nicest guy ever and we get along very well. Who wouldn't love someone like him?'
'Hmm, I don't know … you, perhaps?'
'Shut up.'
'What if being nice isn't really enough? What if love isn't about deserving?'
'It has to be enough and it will be enough! Besides, I already promised him and I can't go back on my word now.'
'Can't you?'
'No, I can't! The wedding is next month, for God's sake! It's too late to change my mind now.'
'Like you said, the wedding is next month. You still have time to back out, you know?'
'I can't do that to him. I'm not that cruel.'
'So you would marry someone you don't love just to keep your promise?'
'Yes, I would. And, for your information, I like Houjo enough and I will love him someday.'
'Then why did it feel so wrong when he kissed you?'
'...' Not finding the words to snap at the little voice of doubt as she did before, Kagome crossed her arms and raised her nose arrogantly like a small, spoiled child.
'You know, marriage is not only about saying yes in the ceremony. You can't stand even a small kiss, how will you sleep with him when the time comes? And that is not too far away, if you haven't noticed.'
For that, she didn't have an answer. She sighed heavily and got up. It was obvious she wouldn't be able to sleep. There was no use in trying anymore. Her eyes caught the view outside the window. It was a moonless night. If it wasn't for the faint glow of the street lamps, she wouldn't be able to decipher the vague shapes of the small buildings in the courtyard.
"So dark, just like my mind." She shook her head, as if to scatter the gloomy mood she found herself in, and she turned away from the darkness of the outside world. After turning on the bedside lamp, she made her way to the wardrobe. "It's all better now. It's just pre-wedding jitters, and I know just the thing that will make me feel better."
Kagome took out the large bag hanging in her wardrobe and placed it on her bed. She opened the zipper and took out the elegant, white fabric embroidered with small shiny stones. It was the dress she bought for her wedding back in L.A. She quickly took off her clothes to try on her wedding gown. When she was dressed, she made her way to the full-length mirror on the wall next to her wardrobe. She smiled at how beautiful she looked in it. The strapless top of the dress hugged her waist tightly, its mildly low-cut neck complimenting her breasts, while its skirts flared out in delicate waves down to the floor. She pulled her hair up with a hairpin to see how it would look that way. 'The perfect dress for the perfect wedding.' Inspecting her gown from the hem of its skirts up, she caught her gaze in the mirror. 'But, am I the perfect bride?'
She was so lost in her thoughts that she jumped in fear when she heard a sudden noise. She put one hand on her heart, as if to keep it from falling out of her chest, and tried to listen to the sounds coming from outside instead of the sound of her heartbeat banging loudly in her ears. When she heard it again, Kagome realized that it was the children from the previous night. They were screaming and laughing so loudly that she was surprised the entire household wasn't awake already.
Remembering the promise she made to her grandfather that morning, Kagome took off downstairs to catch the little devils and give them a piece of her mind. She cursed as she stepped on the hem of her skirt and fell on her knees. After standing up with difficulty, she pulled her skirt up and ran out the front door and into the shrine grounds. The voices were coming from the direction of the Goshinboku, and she rushed there to reach the children before they took off again. When she finally arrived at the base of the tree, there were no children around, and she couldn't hear them anymore.
Kagome leaned her back against the bark of the tree to catch her breath. The next moment, she could neither feel her fatigue, nor the chill of the night. All she felt was the unbelievable warmth that poured from the tree at her back. Its energy seeped into every pore of her body and her heart. She gasped when she felt another heartbeat within her and whirled around to face the tree. There was nobody there except her, but she could swear that she felt another presence next to her.
Slowly, she put her hand on the tree's bark and dropped to her knees at the intense feelings of loneliness, sorrow, longing, and desire that filled her soul. They shocked her to the core of her being. As tears flowed down her cheeks, she raised her head to look at the tree's branches, hoping to get a glimpse of the one that was responsible for this mysterious experience. She knew it was futile, though, for she somehow knew who had caused her to feel those emotions. It was him, the man from her grandfather's story, and he wasn't there anymore — that is, if he had ever been there in the first place.
"Did you come for us?"
She gasped and turned to see two small figures holding hands, standing in the shadows. She couldn't see them clearly in the darkness, but it was obvious that they were the ones she had been looking for. "Yes." Kagome slowly stood up and faced the children. "What are you doing out here this late at night?"
"We came out to play. Will you play with us?" It was the other child that spoke this time.
From their voices, she could make out that the first one that spoke was a girl, and the other one was a boy.
"I would love to play with you, but isn't it a little late to be out of bed? Won't your parents be worried about you?"
"You should come and play with us. Please?"
Kagome turned to the little girl and smiled at the pleading tone of her voice. Gods, she was going to reprimand them, wasn't she? But they were so adorable, and she found it hard to say no to them.
"Okay, I'll play with you, but only for a little while, and then you'll have to go back to your home. Deal?" When the children screamed with happiness, she had to shush them in mock anger. "And another thing! The next time you want to play, you'll come during the day, okay? Otherwise, I won't play with you again."
"Come on already, we're late!" With that, they started running away from her.
"Hey! Wait up! Late for what?!" Pulling the front of her skirt up, Kagome took off after the children, keeping them in sight.
"You'll see!"
She realized that they were running in the direction of the well house. The structure was built to cover a dry well that was considered sacred; it was definitely dangerous for small children. "Hey! Don't go in there!" To her dismay, they dove in the building even before she finished her sentence.
"Oh, no, no, no, no! I'll be dead if they fall in." She rushed inside the well house and stopped at the sight before her. It was even darker there, but she could clearly make out their small forms standing on the lid of the well.
They looked back at her and said, "Come on already!" and jumped into the well.
Kagome screamed in horror, and without thinking, she jumped in after them.
In the meantime, the old man watching the action through the kitchen window smiled sadly. His daughter cried on his shoulder. He caressed her hair to comfort the scared mother as he whispered to himself, "So it begins ..."
End of Chapter 1