Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Finding Kagome	By : MetsukiKaraTen Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > InuYasha/Kagome Views: 8806 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 29
- 30
- 31
DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha and company, however I
DO own an overactive imagination...

Finding Kagome

Chapter Thirty

His ears still rung
from the sound of the shattering glass.

He knew he would have
Hell to pay but the bastard had left him with no other choice. It
was either go through the window NOW, or get both of his legs
broken from the repeated sweeping kicks that kept sitting him back
down in the booth. Their scent would not last long in this odorous
city, he had needed to move quickly. Fuckin' Sesshoumaru. . .

The
challenge had been to stay in the shadows, the city streets were too
damn well lit at night, but he had succeeded, even catching small
morsels of the conversation going on between the four of them as they
walked to their cars which were parked several blocks away from the
restaurant.

The
joker who had been touching his Kagome
was a friend of that Michael, and she had only just met him. This
was a relief for the hanyou, but also it was worrisome that someone
who barely knew her felt so free to handle her. She's mine,
DAMNIT. She just
don't know it yet. . .

He
had decided that the jackass was probably right, but the thought of
not being able to talk to her. . . to hold her. . . was more than
his heart could bear.

Now
that he had found her, all he could think of was how badly he needed
her. She hadn't even looked
at him at the restaurant, she had no idea of the power she held over
him. And that power wasn't just through the rosary.

He
thought about that for a while, as he jumped rooftops following the
two cars far below. He considered the possibility of not
telling her about the rosary.
What would life be like without being sat at her whim? But then
again, that command had stopped him more than once from doing
something terrible.

Maybe he would just not tell her right away.

First
I just need to talk to her. . .

Resting a moment in a tree, his breath was
slightly labored as he watched the vehicles turn into the driveway
of a single level home. It had been a long run to the south side of
the city, and he lamented that his stamina hadn't fully returned
after his illness.

This had to be the law enforcement bitch's place,
because it was her car that went into the garage, while the other
parked behind it.

His brother's words brushed across his mind, as he watched Kagome
exit from the new man's car. 'Don't move too fast,
halfbreed, or you will frighten her.'

He leaped across the street and bound over rooftops to
rest on the one directly across the street from the house. Hunkering
down low, partially hidden by a chimney, he watched. . . and waited.

~o0o~

Sesshoumaru
stood by the register and signed the check, ripping it adeptly from
the book to hand it to the red faced, ranting manager of the
restaurant.

“He need to go to Anger Management, that boy!! Or
maybe A.A., this no good!! He can't go 'round breakin' windows!!”
the man clipped. “He need a head doctor, or somethin'. . .”
he glanced at the blank check not registering what he held in his
hand. Glaring back at Sesshoumaru, he did a double take at the
check, his tongue still wagging, “You need to keep him on a
leash, that boy!! That for sure!”

The tirade abruptly stopped.

“I trust that will sufficiently cover the damages
and inconvenience,” the Demon blandly nodded toward the check,
though he was far from feeling calm. In fact a number of choice
expletives were swimming through his mind in association with his
baka sibling.

Amazingly the man's tongue had ceased it's wagging and
he had begun to examine the Demon with a degree of astonished
respect.

“Yes, Mr. Inudono, thank you. . .”and he
offered a small bow. “I hope you find him soon.”

“Me too,” he muttered as he nodded at the
man and left.

On arrival at the limo he was relieved to find that
Tetsusaiga was still sitting on the back seat. After directing the
driver, he picked up the car phone dialing the number from memory.

“Windham,”
came the distracted answer.

“We need to talk.”

“I
think we've done enough of that for one night, thank you.”
She sniffed, rather noisily.

“He's gone,” he stated simply.

“Oh.
. . so you drove him off, too?” she
didn't sound surprised.

“I need your help. . . I need to find him.”

“You
need my help? Mr. “I-can-do-it-all-myself-bitch,
stand-back-and-watch??”

“I never used those words,” he responded
low, then cringed.

“You
didn't have to. . . I'm not your bitch,” she
sniffed again.

“No,
you are your own. . . person. . . no one
pulls your strings,” he indulged in a sigh. “Would it
help if I were to say that I am. . . sorry?” He was rewarded
with a moment of silence.

“This
must be serious. . .”

“He's trailing the miko, and I am afraid he's
going to do something. . . stupid.”

“What
miko? You aren't making any sense.”

“The girl. . . that project you told us about. .
. her name is Kagome Higurashi.”

“You
lie. . . What's your game, Sesshoumaru??”

“No
game. . . and you of all people
know damn well I do not lie.”

He waited, knowing that she would need a moment to
process what he had said.

“OK.
. . I'll give you that,”
she broke the silence. “But you sure as Hell haven't
been very forthcoming.”

“I need you,” he whispered.

“Call
a detective. . . or go sniff him out yourself. You don't need me,
tonight you made that abundantly clear.

“Once again in your infinite wisdom, you
presuppose my intentions, my Lady. . .”

“Right.
. . So. . . my Lord. . . just what the Hell are your intentions?”
there was a hint of sarcasm in
her tone

“Kagura. . .” his whispered tone held a
hint of longing. “I must see this thing through. And I know
that you too, wish for him to be. . . content.

“Of
course I do, If it weren't for him. . . and the others. . I. . .”
She took a breath.

“This is not my story to tell, however. . .
Events of the evening have brought me to the conclusion that it is
in his best interest that I . . . involve you. He's being
headstrong. He wont listen to my reasoning. Perhaps he will listen
to yours.”

“He
doesn't trust me, what makes you think he will listen to me?”

“He made certain your message was delivered to
Mr. Andrews.”

“You've
seen Mike??”

“With the miko. . . it appears that they are. .
. very close.”

There was again a moment of silence as this took hold
in her mind.

“Oh
Gods! He isn't going to try to hurt him is he??”

“I don't think so, but at this point I find it
impossible to be certain of anything,” he knew that Michael
was not the target of InuYasha's anger, however this would assure
Kagura's assistance. “How quickly can you be ready?”

“Give
me five minutes, where should I meet you?”

“Look out your window.”

It took her three minutes, rather than five.

His eyes twinkled in the half light of the street
lamps, as he watched her trot down to the car clasping her cell
phone, hair down for a change, clad in a simple tee shirt and Capri
britches. He noted the hint of swelling around her eyes, and felt a
twinge of guilt.

“You're a pompous ass. You know that, right?”
she greeted him as she climbed into the vehicle to sit beside him.

“So I have heard,” the edges of his lips
curled slightly.

“You're always so sure you can bend me to your
will.” She continued as she fiddled with her phone, avoiding
his eyes.

“No,” his tone was firm. That line of
thinking could not be allowed to continue. “I know that I can
count on you to do the right thing. That is not bending, my Lady . .
. That is trust.” And he gently grasped her chin to peer down
his nose into her eyes. “My dear, you have forgotten your
contacts. . .” and he brushed his lips lightly across her eyes.

“Damn. . . I hate it when you do that. . .”
she whispered. She then shook herself and pulled away from him to
become all business. “Let's start at Mike's apartment, and go
from there . . . any calls will come here,” and she held up
her cell phone.

“Do you think he would call at this hour?”
He glanced at the clock.

“I'm hoping that he does . . . Getting my
message via the two of you just might jolt him enough to. I am
thinking where ever he is, InuYasha won't be far.”

“Agreed.”

~o0o~

Selene's keys jangled as she worked to open the two
deadbolt locks on her front door.

“The nice thing about pulling special duty
tonight is, I don't have to work tomorrow!” she announced
brightly. “So more time for the beach!” She pushed her
way into the door, leading the rest inside.

“Beach?” chirped Hojo. “As in. . . I
bring my surfboard and you bring the beer kinda beach?”

“Won't you get your pocket protector wet, going
surfing?” Kagome turned around in the hallway and eyed him with
a smirk, as Michael shut the door behind them.

He was a surprising guy to say the least, definitely
not what she had expected with Michael's brief description back in
the hospital.

“Ah, that . . . It stays in the glove box along
with my calculator and slide rule,” joked the Engineering
student. “Can't get those wet, being my livelihood and all!”
he flashed that warm smile again and winked at her. “The laptop
can come though, as long as it stays on the beach blanket. Got to
have some tunes, right?”

“Who wants a beer!” called Selene from back
in the kitchen, as Michael led the others to the living room. She
joined them from another doorway holding a full six pack in her
hand.

“I have to take care of something first,”
Michael muttered, exiting quickly through the same door she had
entered. She turned to watch him, concern washing her features for a
brief moment, then pulled out a beer and handed it to Hojo who had
seated himself on the couch. Kagome waved off her offer, and she
shrugged, setting the carton on the coffee table she took one for
herself and plopped into an easy chair.

Kagome dropped to the floor, sitting cross legged,
listening to the flurry of activity going on in the kitchen. She
cocked her head to watch the doorway, not noticing the odd look she
was getting from Hojo.

Michael reappeared through the doorway, with a hammer
and small container of tack nails. He stopped, putting both items in
one hand he reached into a pocket to pull out a stack of Sutra.

“Inudono is one of 'em,” he informed Selene
with a pointed look. He then nodded to Kagome, raising the Sutra and
went out the front door.

Selene's eyes followed him out, then she sat staring at
the wall for several seconds.

“So. . . That explains it,” Selene watched
Kagome for a minute. “Something about that guy set me on edge
from the start.”

“One of who? Or what?” Hojo's eyes danced
between the two women.

“You can feel them too, then.” Kagome met
Selene's eyes. “Are you remembering more?” she asked
hopefully. Selene looked down and shook her head slightly.

A series of taps reverberated through the house, and
Hojo looked out the window with his brow furrowed. Leaning he could
just see Michael, working on something near the front porch.

“What the heck is he doing? Repairs at two
thirty in the morning?” his tone incredulous.

“He's trying to protect me. Those are wards,”
Kagome stated flatly.

Hojo turned back around raising his brow at her. He
settled into the couch, and took a drink from his beer. So far they
had made little or no sense to him, and she could tell it was
beginning to get on his nerves. He stared at his beer bottle for a
moment.

“Ok . . . so Mike is setting wards around your
house, and you think that Inudono is a threat of some kind. He just
said that he is one of 'them'. Them being . . . what? Some religious
cult?” he ventured.

“Not a cult, Hojo . . .” Kagome tested the
water, “You have been to the shrine, so you know something
about the legends, right?”

“Sure . . . some of it,” he replied leaning
forward, “why?”

“Well, all legends . . . they have a basis in
fact, right??” she noted that eyebrow coming up again. Maybe
this wasn't such a good idea.

“I suppose so . . . OK, I'll bite, what has this
got to do with Seth Inudono?” he glanced back as another round
of taps started just outside the open window.

“The sacred jewel . . . it was real,”
Kagome hesitated before taking the plunge. “And the youkai that
she had to fight . . .” she swallowed noticeably, looking at
the floor, “she had to kill, to get the pieces of it . . .
they were real too.”

Hojo's eyes didn't leave her for a long moment. His
face was blank but slowly morphed into one of bright disbelief, a
twinkle in his eye.

“You're kidding, right?” he grinned,
certain a joke was being played on him. His eyes moved to Selene, who
was not wearing a smile. She looked up at him, her expression all
concern as she tipped her shoulders up in a light shrug.

“There, all done,” Michael brushed his
hands as he rejoined them, “Nothing is getting past those, you
can rest easier tonight, Kagome.” He walked over to the coffee
table to grab a beer. As he was opening it he realized no one was
talking.

“So what you are trying to tell me is . . .
There are demons in San Francisco?? And Seth Inudono is one of
them???” Hojo's expression had become dubious at best, before
he started laughing.

“Oh . . .” Michael took in the scene. He
hadn't gotten that far in his little plot to bring the two of them
together, and Hojo didn't appear to be buying the new information. He
sat on the arm of Selene's chair and took a sip of his beer. He
needed to think fast.

“Wait!!” Kagome froze with one hand in the
air, the other clutching at her chest. “The vandalism at the
shrine . . .” she looked up sweeping the room. “They were
looking for the Shikon!”

“But, it's not in Tokyo, Kagome. . .”
Michael's brow furrowed. “You're apartment . . . oh god. . .
is that what they were after??”

Selene sat up straight, nearly knocking Michael off the
arm of her chair.

“He never used it . . . the grave!! They must
have thought he buried it with her . . . oh Kami!” Kagome
gasped, both elated and frightened with the revelation.

“You two aren't making much sense.” Hojo's
laughter had died down as he listened to their exchange. “What
happened with your apartment, Kagome?”

“Someone wrecked it . . . broke in and tore
everything up,” she shook her head. “Part of the list I
was telling you about earlier. . .”

“But . . . I don't think Inudono did that
damage, Kagome. . .” Selene finally spoke up. “I think he
might have been there that day, the day I saw him . . . but the
tests on the food decomposition suggest the damage was done days
before. I don't know why he was there, but I don't think he tore
your place up.”

“Hey,
guys!! Hello!!” Hojo waved his arms to get their attention.
“Inudono is a mega philanthropist! It's well known that he
contributes to multiple
charities, and even has a couple of scholarship programs at the
university . . .” Hojo narrowed his eyes at Michael wondering
how he could have forgotten that. “He's not a bad person.
Kind of a shut in maybe, but who wouldn't be with all that money.
He's probably got people bugging him all the time for something.”

Kagome took this in. Hojo seemed to have a lot of
respect for him. And Hojo was obviously an intelligent person. But,
Hojo didn't believe there could be youkai in San Francisco.

“Why don't you show him,” suggested
Michael. Selene gasped, and he put his hand on her shoulder. He
whispered in her ear, “If he's going to be around, he needs to
know.”

“He thinks youkai are a joke, Mikey. . .”
Kagome countered, clasping at the jewel through her blouse. “I
can't do this. . .” She needed to think. She needed fresh air.

“Show me what?” Hojo glanced around, noting
the varying degrees of discomfort in the three of them.

“Now you know why I haven't called Windham,”
Michael muttered.

“Oh!! I forgot! Windham left a message for you
on my voice mail of all places.” Hojo jumped up and pulled his
cell out of his back pocket. He brought up the messages, and handed
it to Michael.

“Damn . . . that woman never stops!” he
grumbled as he brought the phone reluctantly to his ear.

“You never check your own messages, baka . . .
she damn near filled mine up too. . .” Selene shot him a glare.

“I guess it's a good thing she doesn't know me .
. .” Kagome pulled herself up. “I'll be back in a few
minutes, I need . . . some alone time.” She produced the
business card and handed it to Michael. “Better call her . . .
right now. At least let her know you are OK.”

“But, it's after three in the morning . . .”
Michael sighed at Kagome's back as she left the room.

After hearing the concern in his advisor's voice, his
guilt had increased exponentially. Her personal number was on the
card, and the word urgent had been used in both instances. “Fine,
I'll call her.” He pressed in the number, then looked around as
Hojo and Selene watched him. “Happy now??” he snapped,
rising to take the call to another room.

Kagome stepped onto the back porch of the ranch style
home, noting the lack of stars in the sky, and the absence of any
breeze. It was like the world was on hold, waiting for the dawn

. Seating herself midway down the steps, she clasped the
jewel through her blouse, visions of her wrecked apartment dancing in
her head, followed by Hojo's incredulous laughter at the suggestion
that youkai could possibly be real.

The stinging behind her eyes wasn't merely from being
tired. She took in a deep breath of the early morning air, and
hiccuped as she tried to fight the crying jag that was tugging at
her.

Soon she would see for herself how bad the damage was
at the shrine. She had managed to get a flight reservation for early
June, though it had been tricky. Michael had walked in just as she
was ending the call and she had made the excuse of needing to check
her credit card balance.

The little lies were going to kill her.

Her heart broke at the thought of Kagome's grave being
desecrated. Her guilt at the deception of making the reservation, the
fear of coming face to face with such a powerful demon in the middle
of the city, her mixed feelings about meeting Hojo, all came into one
huge swelling in her chest.

The only sound in the night was a rustling in the
leaves of the ancient walnut tree in the middle of Selene's yard, as
Kagome finally allowed herself to cry. She pulled her hair loose to
cover her face, knowing that at any moment one of them was going to
come through that door.

She never had any privacy anymore. Everything in her
life had changed in a weeks time. And it seemed as though every day
that passed brought some new revelation, some new terror.

The door opened, just as she knew it would.

“Hey . . .” it was Michael. Seating himself
on the step by her, he draped an arm over her shoulder. Somewhere
nearby a dog growled, low and threateningly.

“Hey, yourself,” she sniffed.

Michael looked up into the darkness, still holding her
as he glanced over at the north fence. “Johnson's get a new
dog?”

“Dunno, maybe . . .” she sniffed again. “Go
entertain your friend, Mikey . . . I just . . .”

“Want to cry your eyes out, unhindered?” he
parted the tresses covering her face. “I just wanted to tell
you I made that call. She was awake, believe it or not. I have to go
see her on Monday.”

“Good,” she shook her head to hide behind
her hair again. “She'll talk some sense into you. . . you
can't quit.” She hiccuped, then buried her face in her hands.
“It's all my fault. . .” she sobbed .

“Nooo, honey,” he wrapped both arms around
her shaking frame, and kissed her hair. “I'm going to try to
talk some sense into Hojo.”

“He thinks we're all crazy, you know,” she
sniffled loudly. “I'll be in in a little while. . . OK?”

“Ok. . . I'm just a shout away, alright?”
he kissed her hair one more time, noting the dog was sounding closer,
and angrier. “Hm, must be after a cat. . .” and he rose,
leaving her to her alone time, closing the door softly.

Kagome hugged her knees, resting her cheek on them with
her hair still covering her face. Too much too fast, she prayed that
Michael's adviser could convince him keep going. He would make a
wonderful doctor.

“Why are you crying?” Kagome picked her
head up, eyes blearily searching for the source of the inquiry. It
was too dark, she could see only outlines of the trees in the yard.
She backed up against the side of the house, preferring the solid
feel of it behind her, as her eyes continued to dart back and forth
in the darkness.

“Wh. . . who's there?” she asked shakily,
sniffing and wiping at her eyes. “I. . . I can't see you.”

“Why are you crying . . . who made you cry,
Koi?” the disembodied voice was so gentle, it was almost
familiar, yet she couldn't quite place it.

“No one made me cry, I just. . . needed to cry.
. .” her furtive glances around the darkened yard finally found
purchase on a figure half hidden by the walnut tree. “Why are
you hiding in the yard?”

“Because I am not supposed to be here. . .”
the figure moved hesitantly out from behind the tree. “But I. .
. I needed to see you. . .”

Kagome pushed herself more firmly against the wall as
the figure slowly approached.

“You. . . stay right there!” she ordered,
pointing at him. “Who the heck are you?”

The figure stopped, and raised his hands.

“Um . . . they call me . . . Caleb,” his
eyes reflected the light from the windows, nearly glowing in the
darkness. He reached a hand out to her. “C'mere a sec.”

Caleb. She knew that name. But, she didn't know him .
. . or did she? She hesitated, as she watched him wait in the yard
patiently. Something about that voice.

She considered calling out to Michael. Caleb, that
name was so familiar . . .

Wait
. . . Inudono!! The brother . . . the drunk from the restaurant . .
. But why is he here?

“I
just . . . want to talk to you,” came her answer, as though he
could read her mind. He didn't sound drunk in the least. He moved
only one step closer, his hand still outstretched. “I could
never hurt you, Kagome. . . please?”

The way he said her name was different, and yet familiar. There was a
hint of an accent that lent an exotic sound to his speech. Kagome
closed her eyes for a moment, to stretch out her senses. Odd
. . . I don't get that 'feeling' about him, not so strongly anyway.
But his brother is very strong. . .

Her mind spun through all the good things Hojo had said
about Inudono. And now she was confronted with Caleb beckoning her
out into the darkness. She took a tentative step down the stairs,
clutching at the jewel through her blouse.

“I need. . . you,” his voice was low,
compelling. She felt inexplainably drawn toward it, the familiarity
of it.

She edged her way closer, feigning some kind of caution
she no longer felt the need for. “You aren't. . . like your
brother.”

“No, we had different mothers,” he
explained, drawing toward her to close the distance, his hand still
out.

“So. . . you are. . . half?” she asked
hesitantly.

“Yeah,” he took her hand and pulled her
gently away from the house and behind the tree, to just stand there
looking at her. On closer inspection of his eyes, Kagome gasped and
reached to push his hat back. They were not human eyes, his pupils
were elongated, almost cat-like, and it was like he was drinking her
in with them.

“Your eyes . . . they're amazing,” she
blushed at her own forwardness, breaking the contact, then asked,
“Why are we hiding, Caleb?”

“Your friends, I don't think they'd like it that
I'm here, and I know my jackass brother would be pissed. That one in
the brown sweatshirt, that guy . . . he upset you didn't he,”
he nodded toward the house.

“You call your brother a jackass?” she
ignored the question. She couldn't imagine anyone calling Seth
Inudono a jackass, after all she had heard about him.

“Well,
he is a jackass,”
he reached to take a strand of her hair, and pull it to his nose.
Kagome was taken back by the contented smile that spread across his
face.

“Why are you smelling my hair?”

“Because . . . it's your hair,” he smiled.
“It smells good. It smells like . . . you.”

Kagome
blushed deeply and looked down avoiding his gaze . . .
those incredible eyes. Just like . . .
her hand shot to her mouth, suppressing a gasp. She shook herself
slightly. Of course, if he's hanyou, then he would have
eyes like . . .

“Oi, wench. What is it?” he crooked a
finger to her chin bringing her attention back to his eyes.

“What
a funny thing to call me,” she mused.

“You haven't answered my question,” he
prodded gently. His eyes radiated affection, and curiously a sense of
. . . hope.

His head jerked suddenly as off in the distance someone
whistled shrilly. This had agitated him, and Kagome watched his
expression go from one of warmth, to hostility in a fraction of a
second.

“What is it, Caleb?” she touched his arm,
reassuringly. “Just someone calling in their dog.”

“I have to go, damnit!” his voice was dark.
Then he grabbed her shoulders with an intensity in his gaze that took
her breath. “Can I see you? Without the shadows I mean . . .”
he glanced toward the house.

“I think I would like that,” she smiled up
at him, and it melted the intensity in his gaze to the one of warmth
again. “I would like that very much, Caleb.”

The shrill whistle repeated, a little closer this time.

“I'm
coming, asshole. . .” he muttered to the side, as he leaned
down to rub noses with her, then gently brush his lips against hers.
The gesture was more intimate than even Michael would dare, and her
cheeks bloomed and her heart began to dance. The mysterious Caleb
then slipped away from her into the darkness so swiftly it was if he
had never been there at all.

Just
like a dream. . .

~o0o~

Just as Sesshoumaru was about to pierce the night with
another summons through the open window of the limo, the hanyou
dropped in front of him, glowering.

“You can knock that shit off now, asshole. . .
I'm fuckin' here.” He climbed into the vehicle, a look of shock
gracing his features as he found Kagura seated next to his brother.
“We havin' a party?”

“I enlisted Kagura's assistance in finding you .
. . You owe me for the mess you left behind at the restaurant,”
even with the reprimanding tone, there was a hint of relief in
Sesshoumaru's voice.

“So . . . She knows, huh?” he picked up
Tetsusaiga and laid it across his lap.

“Tell
me, PLEASE that you
didn't hurt Mike . . .” her eyes flashed red in the half light.

“I couldn't hurt the monk . . .” InuYasha
returned her stare with a glower. “Anyway he didn't do nothin'
wrong. It was that other jerk that had his hands all over her.”

“Monk?” her brow furrowed.

“Yeah, your guy, Michael . . . he's Miroku,”
his expression became wistful. “I told her to go on with the
others, I guess that's what she did.”

“Does he know this??” she demanded. “Does
the girl know who you think she is??”

“Not
think . . . it's her
alright,” he sat back in his seat giving his brother a knowing
look. “And she remembers me, she kept starin' into my eyes like
she was tryin' to remember, anyway. As for him, I don't know. I
didn't talk to him.”

“InuYasha,” his name pulled his attention
to his brother. “You spoke with her?”

“She was crying . . . you know how I hate it
when she cries,” his defense was shaky at best, but it would
have to do. “Yeah, I talked to her . . . and she said she
would see me again,” he smiled. “Only next time, no
sneakin' around . . . And before you ask, she fuckin' calls me
Caleb, satisfied??”

“I wonder what all this has to do with Michael
wanting to leave the doctoral program . . .” Kagura fingered
her chin.

~o0o~

Kagome fairly floated back into the house, where she
washed her face at the kitchen sink, then tied her hair back. She
wasn't certain what it was about Caleb that struck her, but something
certainly had.

Maybe it was that he had followed her, just to talk to
her and smell her hair.

Normally that would seem pretty strange, even
upsetting, but there was a sweetness about how he had approached her
that pulled at her heart.

As she dried her face, she could hear the others in the
living room.

“No seriously, I own a surfboard and I know how
to use it!” Hojo insisted.

“This I have GOT to see, what's the forecast for
tomorrow?” Michael laughed.

So
Hojo is going with us tomorrow. . .

“This overcast is supposed to blow over by noon,”
the tone in Selene's voice suggested she was ready for the day to
end. “Randy is expecting us around five, but I can call her . .
. after I get some shut eye.”

“I think that's our cue, buddy . . .”
Michael rose just as Kagome entered the room.

“You OK, honey?” asked Selene with a
worried tone.

“I'm fine . . .” Kagome brushed at her lips
with the tips of her fingers, a hint of a smile on her face. “Just
tired . . . I think I will go to bed, if you don't mind.”

“We were just going,” Michael pulled Selene
up from her seat into a warm embrace, and a kiss that would have made
Hollywood proud.

Kagome averted her eyes and waited for the resounding
slap that was certain to follow.

“Kagome,” Hojo rose and moved toward her,
“I want to apologize if I offended you.”

“It's OK, Hojo . . . you don't have to,”
her smile faded. “I know it all sounds pretty. . . outlandish,
to say the least.”

Drawing close to her, he put one hand gently on the
back of her neck as the other pulled at the leather cord that was
holding the Jewel. She raised her hand to stop him.

“Let me see it,” he prompted.

“To what end?” she asked curtly. “It's
not like it involves you.”

“It . . . could . . .” his eyes held a
question that she didn't understand.

She didn't want to
understand.

~ooO0Ooo~
- 29
- 30
- 31
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Finding Kagome