A Few Minutes
Pairing(s): Asakura Yoh x Higurashi Kagome, Onesided!Bankotsu x Higurashi Kagome, Onesided!Tao Ren x Higurashi Kagome Rating: T
A ficlet of Chapter 21 from Sakuma-chanās Shaman King fic because I couldnāt sleep and I couldnāt control myself.
āJust stay right here. Iāll bring them all back, okay?ā
Bankotsu gave her a reassuring smile, before turning to his brother with firm instructions.
He glanced back towards Kagome, his smile faltering momentarily at the blank look in her eyes. He thought heād seen the last of that.
āIāll fix this,ā he privately promised, sharing a nod with his brother, and turned to quickly chase after their scattered party. āWait for me, Kagome. Just a few minutes.ā
---
He found the Usui siblings first.
āIām really sorry,ā Pirika whispered remorsefully, blinking through her tears.
HoroHoro rubbed her back, meeting Bankotsuās solemn gaze with his own. āMe too.ā
Bankotsu clapped a hand on his shoulder and rested a gentle hand on Pirikaās head. āJust come back,ā he said in lieu of an empty itās okay, because it isnāt. Not right now. āAlright? She needs you. All of you. I gotta look for the rest of the brats.ā
āWeāll help,ā HoroHoro insisted. Pirika nodded frantically from his arms, scrubbing her tears away even as they were replaced almost immediately. āPlease! Itāll be faster if there were more of us.ā
āSure,ā Bankotsu shifted impatiently, every second away from Kagome itched. āYou two get the Taos. Iāll find Asakura.ā
The older brother frowned. āShouldnāt we get Yoh? We know where his house is.ā
āNo, I need to talk to him. Just point me to him.ā
Both siblings pointed.Ā Ā
---
To be honest, HoroHoro was surprised to find the Taos so quickly. They were just standing by the park, conversing quietly amongst themselves, with Bason floating uncertainly by his shaman.
āRen!ā
āJun-nee-chan! Sango-nee-chan!ā
Both girls looked up in surprise, but Ren refused to face them. HoroHoro noted the stiffness of his shoulders and his white-knuckled fists.
āPirika-chan,ā Sango stepped forward in concern at the sight of the girlās tearful eyes. āWhat areāā
The blue haired girl shook her head as she passed by her outstretched hand, stopping before Ren to bow deeply. āIām very sorry!ā
The older boy stepped back instinctively, only to pause as her words registered. āHuh?ā
Without looking up, she continued, āThis is all my fault! If I didnāt suggest playing that game, weād all still be friendsā!ā
āHey,ā HoroHoro interrupted. āIt wasnāt your fault. It was mine for making Ren do that dare. I was being an asshole.ā
Pirika moved up from her bow to protest, āButāā
āIt doesnāt matter.ā
Both siblings turned to the Tao heir at his words. Ren still had his face turned away from them, his arms folded. Pirika couldnāt help but think that it came off less defensive and more withdrawn, like he was trying to protect himself. āShe made her choice, and it was Asakura.ā
āYoh left not long after you did.ā HoroHoro told him.
That got his attention. Golden eyes glared at him in confusion, his brows furrowed. āWhat?ā
āWe all did,ā Pirika added guiltily. āBan-san found me and onii-chan asking us to come back, but we offered to help look for you all.ā She glanced hopefully at the women sheād grown so close to in the past few hours that sheād known them, giving a wobbly smile of gratitude as Jun offered her a handkerchief.
Ren frowned. āWell, youāre wasting your time. Weāre not coming back.ā His expression darkened, his voice falling flat. āI doubt she would care if I returned.ā
āAre your feelings for her that shallow?ā
In a flash, Renās hands fisted into the fabric of HoroHoroās collar, golden eyes narrowed dangerously. āWhat did you say?ā
The other boy glared back, unflinching compared to his earlier cowering at the springs. āDo you even consider her a friend?ā
āHow dare youāā
āThen why are you running away?ā HoroHoro challenged. āWhy are you doubting that she cares about you? She rejected you. So what?! Did she do it intentionally? We all know Kagome-chan is ridiculously dense! Itās not like she meant to hurt you! She clearly doesnāt even know you feel that way about her! If you were really her friend, then you would know thatās not the kind of girl she is!ā
āRight now, all she must know is that all of her friends just suddenly left her,ā Sango remarked, stepping up to separate them from each other. āI understand that youāre hurt, Ren. And you have every right to be. But I think this all escalated very quickly, and that we all just need to calm down a little and talk things out.ā
āBan-san seemed very concerned.ā Pirika added, worrying the handkerchief in her hands. āI think Kagome-nee-chan needs us.ā
Renās glare wavered at that.
An image of Kagomeās tearful face flashed in his mind. His jaw clenched.
āTch.ā
---
On a different part of town, Bankotsu managed to find Yoh not that far from where heād found the Usui siblings. The brunetteās dejection worked in his favor, his footsteps slow and lethargic.
āAsakura!ā
The other boyās footsteps stopped, turning to look over his shoulder with a smile that looked forced. āAh, hey Bankotsu. Whatās up?ā
Bankotsu stepped forward. āYouāre coming back with me.ā
Yohās smile strained a little. āI donāt thinkā¦ā
Blue eyes narrowed. āI wasnāt asking.ā
āEh?ā Was the only thing Yoh could say before he dumbly found himself being bodily carried back towards the direction of the inn. āW-whaāā
āLook,ā Bankotsu scowled. āIf it were up to me, Iād prefer to keep you away from Kagome. But regardless of however we both feel, youāre still her friend. And as someone whoās known her longer, Iāll tell you right now that she doesnāt have a lot of those left.ā
He looked over his shoulder to meet Yohās startled gaze. āItās been a long time since Iāve seen her smile and mean it. And Iām not going to let you take it away from her again.ā
āā¦put me down.ā
āYouāre coming back with me.ā
āI am,ā Yoh agreed. āBut youāre walking too slow.ā
---
āI-Iāll be right back!ā Mukotsu winced as he accidentally spat at her with all his stuttering.
But she only blinked wordlessly, eyes unfocused.
āItāll only be just a few minutes.ā He told himself as he vanished for the exit.
---
āAlright, the bandās back together!ā HoroHoro cheered as Bankotsu and Yoh met up with them as they hurried back to the inn. Ren and Yoh warily glanced at one another but didnāt say a word.
āGood job, you two!ā Bankotsu grinned, ruffling Pirikaās hair and causing the young girl to blush prettily.
Sango suddenly spoke up. āYou said Mukotsu-san was with Kagome-chan, right?ā
āYeah, why?ā
āIsnāt that him?ā They all turned to see the young man walking in the same direction as them with a drink in hand.
Alone.
Yoh suddenly felt dread curling at the pit of his gut, for some reason. āWhat theā¦?ā
āMu?!ā Bankotsu called out to him. āWhereās Kagome-chan?!ā
His older brother jumped, wide eyes blinking at the large group running towards him, feeling his heartrate spike back up at having all their attention on him. Mukotsu meekly raised the can of juice in his hands. āI-I just went to get her a drink.ā
āWhere is she?ā Ren demanded sharply. Yoh noticed the sudden tension in his shoulders and the alert way he was holding himself.
āS-she was sitting in the lobbyāā was all he managed to say before the Tao heir left. Yoh quickly hurried after him, but not before quirking a smile at Mukotsu in thanks.
As they all filed back into the inn, Ren suddenly stopped, causing them all to crash into him. āRen, why did you stop?ā Yoh grunted as someone accidentally pushed him into the other shaman.
āAsakura?ā Ren said, cautiously confused, as if he knew the answer to his own question and didnāt want to be proven correct.
āYes?ā
āWho the hell is that?ā
He pointed ahead of them, where someone who looked startlingly like a longer haired Yoh pulled on Kagomeās hand and wrapped a possessive arm around her waist.
Eerily similar brown eyes flashed over to them from over Kagomeās shoulder. His smirk widened at the sight of them, causing them to bristle as he pulled Kagome flush against his body, and mouthed something in their direction.
Too late.
The feeling of dread intensified. Screams erupted in the inn as everything was engulfed by flames.
āKAGOME!ā
















