Disclaimer- I don't own Inu-Yasha! Have a not nice day, stupid lawyers!
Chapter One: You don't know me
You don't know me. You just don't. Inside my mind, I screamed this over and over. But the chirping, preppy girls sitting with me in a circle, they didn't hear me. They only heard what they wanted to hear- boys, money, shopping, clothes, more shopping, and more boys. They didn't want to talk about troubles of the mind, family problems, fights, or anything to do with real emotion. I turned to look at the other side of the school yard- the weird Goths I had always admired- they talked about real pain, they were close. I knew this because on several occasions, I heard them crying and comforting each other, once when a one lost their father, another time when a girl had broken their heart. They dealt with their problems together, comforting each other and helping each other figure out what to do- that made them invincible.
I wanted to talk to them- but I didn't know how. They may nice people, but they still resented people like my friends and I. And they were right. One day strait out, the white haired guy with amber eyes, Inu-Yasha (the one I could never get out of my mind) started yelling at Naraku, my boyfriend- saying he was an emotionless, heartless asshole and didn't deserve to live- because Naraku, no matter how cool- had a tendency to bully Inu-Yasha's friends. I had silently stood and cheered Inu-Yasha on- again silently I screamed that he was right, right about Naraku. And then Inu-Yasha had looked at me, just looked- and sneered. My heart crumbled because I had wanted him to see- I was different. I had a heart, and I wanted to show it! I was not like the others!
So today like any other, I was sitting with my "friends" and Naraku had his arms wrapped possessively around me, when Shippo was walking by. He was a freshman, and Inu-Yasha's youngest friend. And I knew Naraku couldn't resist- no matter what I did to stop him. As Naraku let go of me he walked his "macho" walk towards Shippo, making us (or at least, all except me) all laugh and called to him, "Hey, shrimp! Where do you think you are going, looking like that? What a disgrace to the human race!" Shippo's face turned beet red, and our little group burst out laughing, which drew Inu-Yasha's attention. "What's the matter, you little shit? If you think Inu-Yasha's gonna save you? Too bad, I've just had a restraining order put against all of your other little friends, so they can't come near me. Now, you don't want to make trouble for them now do you? Come here!" But I'd had enough. A tear trickled down poor Shippo's heavily eye-shadowed cheeks, and his friends stood up in outrage. Having my "friends" and "boyfriend" and "reputation" wasn't worth this. I stood up and slammed my stuff to the ground in fury, stomped over and slapped him. And believe me, it wasn't one of those light slaps a girl usually gave her boyfriend- WHAP! "What the fuck? Kagome, what's your problem, girl?" WHAP! BAM! POW! Plus a kick in the balls- ooh, he's OUT!
And I let it out. "YOU DISPICABLE, VICIOUS CHEAP ASSHOLE! I NEVER LIKED YOU ANYWAY! INU-YASHA WAS RIGHT! YOU HAVE NO HEART, NO FEELING! PICKING ON SHIPPO LIKE THAT! YOU SHOULD PROBABLY GET A RESTRAINING ORDER ON ME TOO, BECAUSE I AM NOT ABOUT TO LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THAT SHIT. AND YOU"- I rounded on my once sniggering friends who had now turned stone- "YOU HAVE NO CLASS. WHERE IS THE CARING, THE FRIENDLYNESS YOU CLAIM TO HAVE FOR ALL STUDENTS! YOU'RE ON THE HONOR ROLL, EVERYBODY LOOKS UP TO YOU- AND YOU ENJOY THE TORMENT OF OTHERS!"
Well, I was done, and kind of embarrassed at my outburst. But I didn't let them get to me, and holding my head up high I gathered up my things and walked out without another word, leaving my shocked group of ex-friends and a nearly unconscious ex-boyfriend on the ground. But I knew I would pay. I had just torn my position, my reputation to shreds- at least, as far as where my so called friends were concerned. The respect of others, I'd finally earned- some I had lost. But I didn't care- Shippo's face loomed in my head- tear streaked and humiliated, but happy and grateful as he had run over to the safety of his friends. And Inu-Yasha's face- I rewound back to part of the scene I had missed, and I saw surprise, gratefulness and confusion. Of course, my actions had been completely unexpected, and it thrilled me to think I may have changed his opinion of me. Maybe now he would see- I was different.
I didn't go to my next class either. But Kagome Higurashi- skip class? Impossible, no way- never! Kagome always met expectations- but was she meeting them today? Nope. I headed outside to my truck. I'm very proud of it- a very pretty, shiny black Toyota- a four wheeler, cost six thousand it did. A backseat too! I was about to get in, when I heard a very familiar voice. "Just where do you think you are going, Kagome?" I didn't have to turn around to look into his golden eyes, I knew it was Inu-Yasha. But I did turn around, to find he had brought his friends along too- and vaguely I recalled Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Keade, Kilala, Koga, Ayame, Sesshomaru, Rin, and Kohaku.
The corners of my mouth went against my will and turned up slightly, and I closed the door. "And that is your business, Inu-Yasha? I simply don't feel like staying at school, is that alright?" They all grinned, his somewhat cocky. "I was just curious- and according to the school, it isn't. Not that that has ever applied to us either," he gestured to his friends. They were friendly. I loosened my smile and crossed my arms. "Well, I think I'll get going- I don't want to get caught, and as a large group surrounding my truck, you're attracting attention," I pointed out. Inu-Yasha shrugged. "Well, that means we attracted attention coming out of the schoolyard- we'll have to follow. Now, we have all got motorcycles, you might have noticed. Will you follow us or are we going to have to follow your truck? We know a special place we usually go to. Or do you know a place?" I knew a place, but I wasn't willing to share, yet. "I guess I'll follow you guys, since I really don't know where to go without being spotted by former friends."
Miroku stepped forward. "Ah yes, which is why we came after you. We all agree what you did for Shippo was a noble thing to do, and we wish to extend our friendship, since you just lost a lot of other's." The other's nodded in agreement. Now I know I was smiling wide, and I couldn't even speak. "We also know you're quiet different from us, taste-wise, but it'd be cool for you to hang out with us. So… are we accepted or rejected, us poor peasants?" "That's cool," I was trying to remain cool. But I was almost bursting with happiness- they were coming to me, to offer friendship. Damn, this was turning out all right!
"Well, let's go then! I am starving- I want my ramen!" Inu-Yasha sure could be impatient sometimes. But… "Oh, Inu-Yasha! My love, my dearest! Where are you going? You're supposed to go to math with meeeee!" Oh no. There she was- Inu-Yasha's biggest fan, Kikyo. Oh crap. Everybody knew her- you could hear her whining after him in the halls, most kids couldn't last one period with her bragging- "Oh, Inu-Yasha said I'm the most beautiful girl in the world!" In a high pitched voice. Of course, Inu-Yasha said no such thing, for you'd have to be a blind idiot to think that- she was a total slut. She was me- with too much makeup, too small shirt and skirt (in pink) and really, really dorky hairstyles that she made herself- that she thought were in. And the most annoying thing of all was that she was trying to turn him into what she thought she was- prep, like I was supposed to be.
Oh yeah, I knew her. But I wasn't about to confirm who she really was to me. "Oh, you. Just what do you think you, are doing here? Loser?" Now she looked more like me, as she scrunched up her face mirroring my own disgusted expression. "Ah, look who's talking? Slut."
"Bitch."
"Whore."
"Hey, hey! Knock it off, will you? Kikyo, I'm not feeling up to math. I'm feeling a bit sick. And now we're all feeling sick. We're all going home, okay? You're really contagious." We all burst into laughter as Inu-Yasha pretended to look faint and then hurl. Kikyo looked sick herself. "But, Inu-Yasha- are, are you insulting me?" She actually looked hurt. Was she that great of an actor, or was she that stupid? I'd go with stupid.
"Why, yes. I think I am- but I really can't help it. Maybe if you wouldn't FOLLOW ME AROUND SO MUCH, I MIGHT BE ABLE TO STAND YOU! GO AWAY, YOU SLUT!" Inu-Yasha had lost his patience, and Kikyo burst into tears and took off like a shot. "Maybe that was a bit harsh?" Inu-Yasha looked at us. "Nah!" Everybody laughed again, and they walked off to their motorcycles, and Inu-Yasha motioned for me to get in my truck and follow. But I suddenly saw Shippo tugging at my sleeves, with puppy dog eyes. "I can't drive- usually I ride with Inu-Yasha, but can I ride with you? It's about a half hour drive, where we're going." I shrugged and smiled, and we got in.
"Look, I wanted to say thanks for what you did for me, back there. I guess you're not gonna be very popular because of that?" Still smiling, I shook my head. "Nope, as of now I'm as uncool as can be. But having everything I did wasn't worth what Naraku was doing to you." And he was going to get me back- both Shippo and I knew that. To relieve the tension, Shippo dug his CDs out of his bag- and instantly I was back in middle school. Middle school- a private New York academy, where my parents thought I'd shape up, only it turned out to make me worse. Already into my country's hard core rock bands, I was introduced to Evanescence, Disturbed, Godsmack, Seether and other American rock bands. Though my friends and family would instantly disown me for it- I'd kept up with the latest in America, and was now having a secret affair with the music of Lacuna Coil. How like my true love Evanescence, which had a tour in Europe coming up.
"I don't know if you'd like these, last I heard you were listening to Jessica Simpson." With an impish grin, he flipped through them, probably wondering which were closest to Britney Spears (impossible). Laughing, I snatched them away and pulled out a burned copy of what said "Static X." I'd only heard a couple songs and now I was hooked- and soon "Ostego Undead" was blasting, and I rocked out to the music-, which apparently shocked the hell out of Shippo.
"I didn't know you like that one." Still laughing my head off at the sudden freedom of choice, I pulled Static-X out and in went my own copy (pulled from a secret compartment in my purse) of Lacuna Coil, Comalies. I sighed with content, glad to "out" my obsession to somebody. "Well," I said grinning, "now my secret affair with Lacuna Coil is no longer a secret. What say you, Shippo?" Slowly coming out of his shocked state, he grinned too and replied in a dramatic tone, "I say, 'How is it you hide such a passion of love for such greatness, oh of the Lacuna Coil?' How is it that whenever we saw you, you were always dancing to Spears, Simpson, and Hillary Duff?"
"Well, that's what cost me to be cool, Shippo. Acting, lying, pretend- whatever you like to call it, I had to be false all the way. I was afraid I'd have no friends, which means I temporarily lost my sanity, because when I had sanity, I had no fears of being friendless, unpopular. You never felt that, did you?" I took a sharp turn, still on Koga and Ayame's tails. "No, I met these guys right in Kindergarten, before everybody started teasing me. Oh, just a few blocks away."
Soon we pulled up into what I thought was the most enchanting place I'd ever seen. On the outskirts of the city, we'd come to a wooded little area, a large red and gold miniature palace with golden dragons plastered on the four front pillars, which were mounted on the red-wooded porch. You could easily see a traditional garden and ancient Shrine in the back. There were few cars in front, but the motorcycles and my truck filled up the rest of the cement strip lining the street. As Shippo and I got out and joined the others on the enormous porch, they smiled at my amazement- I had obviously never been to a place like this before.