Pendulum

Chapter 5: Three Steps Back

The following day over milkshakes and fries, Kagome and her friends discussed everything but the history found within the open textbooks atop the diner table. Sulking, Kagome blew bubbles in her drink unsure of the feelings clashing within her chest. The memory with Sesshomaru on the mountain ran through her mind with the same unrelenting consistency as the newscasters reporting the devastation on the TV.

"So let me get this right, his little brother's gone on a trip and now his big brother thinks he can muscle in?" Yuka huffed. "I don't even know why you bother with these brothers Kagome, they're all just bad news."

"Tell me about it." Kagome muttered, lifting a finger to absently leaf through her textbook.

'Between you and I, there is only history...'

Pouted lips curled into a frown. What history did they have? What would've possessed Sesshomaru to accost her so passionately as he had when she returned to this era? There was no hesitation in his approach and with such boldness, it was safe to assume he expected her to be completely receptive to his advance.

Noticing her distracted friend, Ayumi smiled sweetly. "But at least the big brother is encouraging you to better yourself. That's not bad right?" she pointed out before nibbling on a fry.

"What're you talking about Ayumi?" Yuka questioned. "The guy is terrible. Who just tries to make out with someone the second their rival is out of the picture? It's weird."

Word associations were a terrible thing. The moment Yuka spoke the word 'make out', the memory of said event appeared in Kagome's mind with all the importance of a flashing road sign in the dark. In his audacious advance, Sesshomaru expressed the one thing Inuyasha often fumbled with when it came to their turbulent relationship; confidence.

Indecisiveness was a hallmark of her early dealings with her beloved hanyou. With Sesshomaru in the well house, there was no indecisiveness; only assertive arms to firmly hold her close, a gentle hand to guide her cheek, and tender lips to...

"But how did you feel?" asked Eri, who'd been watching Kagome's faded expression the whole time. "Did it feel wrong?"

"Eh?" Kagome breathed, flinching as the impassioned memory fractured like a glass bludgeoned by a sledgehammer. "It was terrible!" she declared with reddened cheeks, slamming her palms atop the table in protest. "I wouldn't want to kiss him again for all the money in the world!" In the silence following her outburst, Kagome found not only did her friends give her sheepish looks, but the surrounding WacDonalds patrons also looked to her questionably.

Red faced and ashamed, Kagome sunk back into her seat. "So it was that good huh?" Yuka asked perceptively as she sipped her soda. Kagome's cheeks rivaled the hue of the ketchup on her plate. In her embarrassment, she lowered her chin until her bangs hid her eyes.

Dismissing her mortification with a wave of her hand, Yuka continued. "Don't get caught up with his pretty face or whatever, remember this guy is a jerk."

"She's right." Eri agreed. "Even if he was a good kisser, it doesn't mean anything."

"It wasn't a good kiss." Kagome moodily muttered under her breath even as said kiss came to mind. It wasn't like she had a whole lot of them to compare it to. Her first kiss with Inuyasha had been under less than ideal circumstances and really didn't qualify as 'good'. An ache settled in her heart at the thought of Inuyasha; why couldn't it have been him who swept her away at the well? For that, Kagome would give all the money in the world just to be in his arms.

"Kagome, you don't have to lie to us." Ayumi placated. "We're here for you."

Realizing that she was being overly defensive, Kagome unclenched her palms and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." she apologized, feeling flustered and unsettled. Between Sesshomaru and being thrown from feudal era, it all was a bit much. "Everything just happened so quickly. I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye when he left and then minutes later, his big brother just shows up and ruins everything."