Unsettled Depths [4] (R)

[RelenaFanel]

Summary: A particularly violent wave crashed onto the sand, carrying the rowboat a few meters from the beach. Kagome plunged into the churning white foam, desperate to take advantage of this opportunity to reach her brother. AU.. InuKag
Prologue: http://blissfulignorance.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=5667
Chapter 1: http://blissfulignorance.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=5818
Chapter 2: http://blissfulignorance.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6136
Chapter 3: http://blissfulignorance.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6381

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Kagome awoke, breathing heavy and paralyzed with the remaining fear from her dream. Eiichi. She hadn?t dreamt about him in a few months, which was relief from the nightmares that used to plague her every night in the beginning. She pushed her hand through her long hair, not surprised to find it covered in a sweaty film left from the nightmare and the humid night.

At least she didn?t go into a panic attack thinking it was blood.

She had never experienced one of the dreams from Eiichi?s point of view, and though it frightened her, she was oddly intrigued. What if she was right? Was her brother contacting her from beyond the grave? Was she psychic? Was she (and this one seemed the most likely) remembering repressed details from the police report and the trial and twisting them into an imagined reality?

Kagome rubbed her eyes wearily, cursing the early morning. Her hand was poised in front of the phone before she realized it was too early to call Miroku. What if he had a morning shift at the bookstore? He?d never begrudge her an early morning call for comfort, but she couldn?t bring herself to interrupt his sleep for selfish reasons. Miroku had been so supportive and loyal to her, grasping onto the threads of their unraveling friendship and basting them back together with unerring determination. Five years ago she had just wanted to be alone and wallow in her grief and depression, not noticing the pain in those surrounding her. She couldn?t put him through that again.

It didn?t dawn on her she was making the same mistakes over again, and this time he might not appreciate being pushed away.

She turned towards the tank, wondering if it would hold as much comfort for her if she knew one of its creatures had tried to drown her. She just felt so at home with the water. The tiny fish were arranged threateningly in a picture of a noose.

She smiled.

The fish scattered in a dramatic array of colors, exposing a scowling merman. She almost giggled because the scene looked so contrived and flamboyant. It reminded her of one of those movies on TV where there were fireworks, little fountains of water, or scantily clad women framing and enhancing the main attraction. In the movie she had recently watched it had been a fabulous male Queen singer. In her fish tank it was a less than fabulous male drama queen.

?It?s about time you woke up human.? His snarl was underlain by a good dose of disdain. ?How am I supposed to ?report? to you, if you sleep all day??

Kagome looked at the time on her alarm clock. ?Its only eight am.? She frowned, still not awake. That meant she had slept exactly seven? eight? seven hours. A good majority of the night had passed with her staring wide-eyed in terror at the creaking and scratching of tree branches outside her window, just waiting for something evil to jump through the glass and kill her with one of the slippers she had left on the floor.

He crossed his arms over his chest, a motion she had begun to recognize as impatience. ?Your father has been awake since six and on the phone since seven.?

?I?ve got a question.? She interrupted his report, annoying him greatly. ?If sound is carried by water, then can he hear you talking??

The merman looked surprised by this query, his frown deepening into harsh lines. His tale flicked with the combination of irritation at her ignorance and maybe a bit of respect for the intelligent question. ?No. I?m directing my voice to you.?

?Can you hear him from here??

?Yes. Water carries sound, you know.?

She frowned back at him. Yes, she did indeed know that. What she didn?t know was what he meant by directing his voice. It didn?t seem scientifically possible, but then again, neither did his control over the fish. It must be a mermaid thing.

?So do you wanna know what he was talking about.? The fishboy floated by with his hands resting idly behind his head. She knew by his smug smile it was not something she would enjoy hearing. ?He?s arranging a surprise party for your birthday next week. Sorry to ruin your surprise.?

He didn?t look sorry, in fact, he looked immensely pleased and malicious. He was right, she was surprised, but more by his statement about the party than the party itself. The party was a typical maneuver for her father, and so obviously a camouflage for something else.

?That?s it! It?ll be the cover for when he auctions you off. No one would notice a few extra people at a huge birthday bash.? She grinned affably; trying to show the party didn?t really bother her. It did of course. ?It?ll also be the perfect cover to get you out. He?d be so busy dealing with his influential guests he wouldn?t notice his freak show was gone.?

The mermaid bristled at the insult, but didn?t call her on it. No doubt he had a more juvenile revenge in mind. It took him a moment to formulate a response that wasn?t insulting her parentage. ?Ruining your dad in the process.? He agreed shrewdly. ?You?re a suspicious wench.?

Wench? What did he think he was, a pirate? Avast matey! Landho! ?How so?? She eyed him, speculating that he was far smarter than he looked. He didn?t look very smart. He looked like a pretty boy model who could only get a low-salary job playing mermaid at a nautical-themed restaurant.

?Your dad throws you a party and the first thing you think of is ?cover for fish auction.??

She sighed and sat in a swivel chair, twirling it towards the tank. ?My birthday is in November.?

They were silent for a moment, almost enjoying this quasi-camaraderie developing between them. He got a sardonic gleam in his eye, testimony that his next statement was a snarky and insulting one. ?Good job I didn?t splurge for a gift then. There?s a nice dead fish floating on the top of this shit-hole.?

?Yeah, you?d hate to have to give that away. Then who would you force your amorous attentions on?? Muaha, she congratulated herself on a good comeback.

?I guess I?d have to lower my standards to you.?

They glared briefly at each other, attempting to conceal the satisfaction they got out of a clever verbal sparring. Both satisfied they had sufficiently insulted one another, the conversation turned back to the matter at hand.

?You?ll be difficult to smuggle out with all those people there keeping an eye out for you.? She mused, rolling the chair slightly as she searched for an immediate solution. A thought-line appeared on her brow, mapping future creases and anxieties. She remained oblivious to his growing frustration, partly because the scowl was a permanent fixture on his face, but also because her plotting was incredibly complex and farfetched. She kept mumbling about pulleys and diversion clowns.

The merman finally snapped. His lip curling up to expose fangs as he spoke. ?Just get me out of here before the party!?

It was a simple suggestion to an obvious solution. She shook her head no. He growled at her like a threatened puppy.

?Why the hel??

?Because.? Kagome interrupted sharply, eyes sharpening in anger. ?I?ll get blamed for it.?

?You selfish little??

?Or my brother will.? She finished, resolute in her determination to convince him the party was the ideal time to escape. ?You saved him the other night, and therefore I owe you freedom.? She rose from the swivel chair, and shoved her face close to the tank so they were eye to eye. ?So if I have to let you go before, I will. I promise you. But ONLY if it?s the only way.?

He turned away from her close piercing stare and grunted. ?Feh. I don?t need your help getting out.? His chin tilted in a proud stance, daring her to contest him. She didn?t. She knew what it was like to have your dignity robbed and placed on display.

?I know!? Her whole demeanor changed into a happy and light mask. He glanced at her suspiciously. ?Let?s watch a movie.?

?A movie?? The merman questioned her sanity. What did a movie have anything to do with him getting out of this false body of water?

?Yeah, that always cheers me up.? She hurried over to the backpack Miroku had left her yesterday and hauled out her laptop with a flourish. Kagome then rummaged through the rest of the contents and located the DVD she had a hankering to watch.

Easily setting up her computer to play Freaky Friday, she turned herself so it was visible to the tank. The merman had disappeared, but secretly materialized halfway through the movie to watch it over her shoulder.

?RelenaFanel2005

[sadie003]

Freaky Friday- I love that movie. Good start on Kagome and Inuyasha's relationship. Keep going!!