Chapter 8 - coincidence

~*~

Inu-Yasha was mildly surprised when he one morning checked his calendar and realized that he and Kagome had been together for a whole month. It felt like a blissful forever. . . But, nonetheless, it had only been a month- and their anniversary fell upon one of the school's upcoming events, the talent show.

The werewolf was slightly annoyed to find that Kagome insisted on going. He had wanted to go for a walk around the park with her or something like that, but to his misfortune she had already discovered that he'd do anything for her- all she had to do was ask.

Which she did.

She said: "Please, Inu-Yasha? I have to go! Can you come to the talent show with me?"

Thus he found himself being dragged reluctantly along.

Oh well. It couldn't be that bad if Kagome was with him- especially when she was being especially sweet, as if to make up for dragging him here. She had even mentioned that if he didn't want to be seen with her or anything, they didn't have to hang out together. He, though, had quickly stomped on that idea, not wanting to tarnish his reputation by appearing to be there alone.

However, this brought up a whole new problem, the "boy" realized as he sat on his windowsill, dangling his feet into the night that was lit by a moon sliver: What would people say when they saw them together? At least 1/10th - which was actually quite a bit- of the school's population was a werewolf from one clan or another, and no matter what the clan, the rules were the same.

So distracted by his thoughts, Inu-Yasha didn't register how far he had leaned back-

Until he fell off the sill- crashing to the floor of his room with a loud, painful THUMP.

Ow. . .

"Dammit," he cursed; massaging his ringing temples as he slowly collected himself on the ground. But as the flashing stars left his vision, he realized his fall had knocked an insane idea into his head: Why not tell Kagome he was a werewolf, and take it from there? He could be truly honest with her- even show her his ears. Hell- she might not mind. She might even take the Trial!


. . .

What the frack was he thinking?!

Sitting up and crossing his legs and arms, Inu shook his head as if to clear it.

Kagome may love werewolves, but there was no way she'd take the Trial. There would be way too much on the line.

But. . .

Maybe he should still tell her.

She didn't seem to understand the thin line she was threatening to cross. The line between wolf and mortal, safety and danger-

Life and death.

But if he told her. . . Told her about everything- the Rules, the Trial, his ears- maybe she would understand.

But. . .

On the same token. . .

Maybe she would shun him.


Maybe she would hate him.

Maybe she would leave him.

Sighing, Inu-Yasha took off his cap and allowed his drooping ears a little air. This was the hardest decision he had had to make since Kagome's birthday present!


Well, he had made the right choice in that dilemma. . .

Hopefully, he would make the right choice here, too.

*

"Are you okay, Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked as the pair walked hand in hand down the crowded streets of Tokyo, basking in the glow of the late evening sun. "You seem a little quiet."

"I'm fine," Inu-Yasha sighed, subconsciously pushing his hat more firmly on his head as they made their way towards the school. "Just thinking. . ."

"About what?" Kag pressed on cheerfully, pushing a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Just. . . stuff." The werewolf bit his lip and then gently squeezed Kagome's hand. "Kagome?"


"Yeah?"

"Would you hate me if I was. . . different?"

The girl cocked her head in confusion. "How so?"

"Just. . . different."

"Silly," she smiled, poking him gently in the stomach in a playful gesture. "Of course I wouldn't hate you! How could I?"

"But what if I was frighteningly different?" he urged on, feeling butterflies materialize in his stomach.

Kagome just laughed as they walked up the steps of the school. "You're so stupid, Inu-chan," she giggled before kissing him on the cheek. "Now I gotta go for a while. I'll see you in a bit, kay?"

"But-!" he called out helplessly as she ran down the hall, winking at him before she disappeared around the corner. Where was she- - - ?! Oh. . .

There was no point in following her, she'd just get mad. Guess he was by himself after all. . .

Sighing, he walked alone towards the packed cafeteria, where the stage and about 3/4ths of the school was located, waiting for the talent show to begin.

*

Excited teenagers jostled Inu left and right in the cramped, crowded, sweaty cafeteria, hurting Inu-Yasha's body as they slammed into him. The bright, flashing lights that were used for effects flashed all around, hurting Inu-Yasha's eyes. The stench of hundreds of smelly teens hurt Inu-Yasha's sensitive nose. The pounding sound of the loud amplifiers and speakers hurt Inu-Yasha's covered ears. And the internal battle of whether or not to tell Kagome about his true identity was tearing his hurting brain apart.

In short, Inu-Yasha was not a very happy puppy.

`I should probably tell her,' the werewolf told himself as another tone-deaf idiot took the stage and belted out "Beautiful". Which he most definitely was not, but whatever. `She's smart and well versed in the ways of the wolf. She'd figure it out eventually- even with all the lies she's reading.'

He looked out the small cafeteria window at the rising silver crescent in the sky. The new moon had come and gone a few nights ago, and so there was barely any moon among the bright golden stars. But there was still enough to transform. . .

Perhaps he should transform to show her?

He already knew of her confusion about the last full moon- her scent lingered in their apartment: curious and disappointed. How he hated to make her anything but happy.

But. . .

Would she be happy if he told her?


Or would she be frightened instead?

`She'd be happier if I told her the truth,' Inu-Yasha reasoned with himself as the `Beautiful' idiot left the stage to a round of less then enthusiastic applause. `And she'd understand. If she can get over the fact that I killed five humans, she could get over this. Right?'

Since there was no one in his mind to answer him and his questions, Inu just shrugged and sighed. Yes, it would most likely be in both his and her best interest to get all secrets of out of the way before their relationship went any further-

But the werewolf's thoughts were distracted by someone very familiar taking the stage.

A beautiful, ebony hared girl walked into the pale blue spotlight, dressed in a short, black leather skirt and tank top, tall matching boots adorning her slender legs. Her face and hair sparkled with a touch of glitter, and silver bracelets tinkled softly on her arms. His eyes widened as they fell upon this siren, stunned. Ka. . .

Kagome. . . ?

Inu-Yasha vaguely registered the announcer as he called out his girlfriend's name and the song she was to be singing as she took the mike, looking quite calm. Gazing stonily into the crowd as the hard, heavy beat began to pour from the speakers- swirling around the packed cafeteria and into the night- Kagome opened her frosted pink lips and began to sing.

"Perfect by nature!


Icons of self indulgence!

Just what we all need

More lies about a world that-

Never was and never will be!


Have you now shame, don't you see me?

You know you've got everybody fooled!"

As he watched her sing on stage, everyone screaming happily along, his thoughts once again fell back on his current problem.

Before she had begun to perform, he had just about decided to tell her his secret. But now. . .

Now the look on her face was scaring him. Would that be the way she looked at him if he told?

But no matter how alarming her expression- Her song's lyrics frightened him more.

"Look, here he comes now!

Bow down and stare in wonder!

Oh, how we "love" you!

No flaws when you're pretending-

But now I know he

Never was and never will be!


You don't know how you've betrayed me!

And somehow you've got everybody fooled!"

The already too-bright lights were now burning into Inu's skin, the music grinding into his soul.

This was too much. . .

Blood running cold, the werewolf subconsciously began backing away, running into stupid teen after stupid teen as he tried to get away from Kagome- and the words that were the first thing to truly frighten him for a long time.

"Without the mask

Where will you hide?


Can't find yourself

Lost in your lie!"

Kag's icy glare seemed to fall on Inu-Yasha for a moment as she continued to sing. Too much. . . Finally feeling his back hit cool brick, Inu slid down the wall and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out everything around him.

And still, Kagome's song echoed through his mind.

"I know the truth now!


I know who you are!


And I don't love you anymore-

It never was and never will be!

You don't know how you've betrayed me!


And somehow you've got everybody fooled!

It never was and never will be!

You're not real and you can't save me!


Somehow now you're everybody's fool!"

And he was.

*

"So how'd I do?" Kagome bubbled as the two trailed hand in hand down the dark, deserted streets after the talent show had ended. Kag had noticed how quiet her boyfriend had been, as if he was afraid of something. Was he feeling okay?

"You did great," he murmured, looking up towards the moon.

A silence past where Kagome wondered if he was telling her the truth. What had she done wro- - - ?

"Kag?"


She blinked at him. "Yes?"

" . . . Why did you choose. . . the song you did?"

Kagome cocked her head in confusion. "Because I know you like Evanescence."

Inu was quiet for a moment, and then let out a soft chuckle.

"You got some of the lyrics wrong, in that case," he teased, feeling a bit better- and a bit stupid for not recognizing it earlier.

"I know," the girl blushed. "I realized that when I was finished. All the `he's were supposed to be `she's. My mistake."

Feeling considerably more cheerful, Inu just decided her choosing that song was a mere coincidence and let it slide. But he also decided not to tell her.

Coincidence or not- it had left him pretty shaken.

*

Breaking off a long, passionate kiss under a street lamp, Kagome giggled and bid Inu-Yasha goodnight after insisting that he go home- he looked kind of pale. Turning around to continue the last part of her journey home by herself, the girl didn't notice the dark shadow of another female watching her from the roof of a nearby building.

Watching and waiting.

Glaring at the girl on the ground, the teen on the roof's mouth pulled into the most frightening sneer one had ever seen.

It was time to separate Inu-Yasha and Kagome.

Once and for all.

*

Walking home slowly, his hands crammed in his pockets, Inu-Yasha couldn't help but sense something was wrong. He had long since let go of the whole thing at the talent show-

. . .Okay, so he was still recovering, but all the same-

This was something different.

Sure that if he concentrated he'd catch a whiff of something, the werewolf lifted his sensitive nose in the air-

And *did* smell something.

No- not something.

Someone.

Someone that made his stomach turn in fright as he realized that Kagome was their destination.

And that someone-

Was Kikyo.

*

It didn't take Kagome very long to realize that she was being followed, which was a good and bad thing in itself. Good that she realized it-

Bad that it was actually happening.

An eerie feeling of de ja vu was creeping over her, making her skin tingle and her hair prickle on the back of her neck. She could feel someone watching her. . .

Whipping around in the night, the girl looked hurriedly left and right for her stalker.

There was no one.

Her breath catching in her throat, the teen suddenly wished with all her heart that she had asked Inu-Yasha to walk home with her. What if it was that dog again?!

Suddenly breaking into a run, Kagome's blood turned to ice when she heard her pursuer speed up as well. `Oh, God- Dammit!' Racing down ally after ally, trying to confuse the beast so it lost her trail, Kag soon found herself cornered against a wall. Turning as quickly as she could to escape, she found it was too late.

The beast landed with a graceful thump in front of her, its midnight fur glistening in the star glow and its azure eyes glowing in the dim lights from the far-away street lamps.

Breathing heavily and shaking hard, Kagome fell to her knees, still leaning against the hard brick wall that kept her boxed in with this beast.

This was the end. . .

Rearing up on its hind legs to jump, the creature began to lunge at Kag-

But never hit her.

Looking up quickly through watery eyes, the girl heard the black thing snarl as another dog-like beast attacked it, landing in front of Kagome as if to protect her. `What. . . ?' She sniveled and cautiously began to uncurl her balled up body so as to get a better view of this animal. It looked vaguely familiar- this silver-white creature with bright amber eyes- full of cold furry at the black thing.

Sinking its hard, ivory-like teeth into the ebony dog's neck, the silver beast growled angrily, slicing wildly with its claws as it barked and snapped. Yet for all its threats and attacks the black creature wasn't frightened- for it was a good fighter as well, and quickly threw the silver dog off in order to take up the offence. Soon, blood was flying everywhere- from both creatures. Fur fell, snarls yelled, and anger at its peak.

Finally- limping slightly and its silver fur streaked red- the second wolf detached itself from the black dog and posed, ready to fight again, in front of Kagome as the sky slowly began to lighten.

Totally beaten, oozing buckets blood, and painfully pulling itself to its feet, the midnight beast staggered off, in obviously searing pain as it disappeared into the shadows as quickly as it had come.

Sniffing the air as if to make sure that the first creature was gone, the silver dog finally allowed itself to release a weak, triumphant bark, and then slid into unconsciousness- falling to the ground with a muffled thump and a squeak. Gasping, Kagome crawled forward, worried about the fate of her savior. "Hey!" she gently tried to rouse him, gingerly touching one of his ears as his unfocused golden eyes attempted to focus. "Are you- are you okay. . .?!" Barely registering that this beast seemed to be wearing the tattered remnants of human clothing, Kagome desperately checked to see if it was still breathing- which- thankfully- it was.

Slowly wrapping her trembling arms around the dog's neck, Kag began to gently run her fingers though the creature's silky, bloody, fur. "You poor thing," she whispered softly, never once noticing the sun as it began its long, uphill climb in the gray sky.

But she did, however, notice when the beast slowly began to change, its head still in her lap.

Yes- as the first rays of sunlight hit its body, the creature's fur began to disappear.

Paws became hands, mane became hair, claws became nails. . .

And the beast became Inu-Yasha.

~*~

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