Thinking out loud

~~First Encounter~~

It was seven thirty in the morning and I had my behind in a cold, metal chair in the back of the library. I don't even remember what I was doing, I think I had forgotten to make a works cited page for a research paper and it was due today, so I was rushing. Instead of the usual, 'Get er Done' attitude that I usually sported, I sat there with the gracefulness of a lump on a log, and fell asleep. It was seven thirty in the freaking morning! What the hell was I thinking?! Even the students wouldn't be up at this time, this was one of the stupidest ideas I'd ever hatch.

I bolted upright just when my mind had tricked me into thinking there was someone else here. I muttered a couple of brainless words, before swiping at the slob that accumulated in the corner of my mouth. I quickly adjusted my glasses, my eyes shifting over the aisle and rows of colorfully dull books.

'No one, ne?' I thought sheepishly, scratching at my head. Sighing, I continued with my forgotten mission and before I could curse at myself for this asinine idea of mine, I heard the familiar click of the library's automatic doors swinging open. I paused just as I went to flip a page of the magazine and listened. I couldn't hear anything because of the carpeted floors and I relaxed slightly as I figured it had to the old creepy librarian coming in from wherever. I doubted it could be a student, classes wouldn't start for another hour.

Another hour of sleep your MISSING! My mind wailed, and I cringed at my inner voice.

I sighed again, trying to make as little a noise as possible by turning a flimsy piece of paper. For some odd reason, whoever walked in unnerved me. Holding my breath, I waited a beat, training my ears on any noise other than my thundering heart. Slowly exhaling, I decided to forget about it. I had a paper due, so that would have to come first. Finding my peace, I scribbled down the information I would need and just as I lifted my pencil from the parcel, a lady wearing our uniform skipped around the corner of the aisle, right in my line of view. It didn't take me long to recognize her and I could've groaned. Slim pale figure, red lips and matching nails. Mischievous red eyes and that trademark white feather dangling from her short ponytail.

Kagura.

I grimaced inwardly, I have her in my Comp class. The only reason she hasn't been sent to remedial classes is either because of one: She cheats off the nerd's paper, two: The nerds volunteer to do it for her or three: She's banging the teacher. I don't know, it could be all three. She's the type of free loader that could 'whoo' herself right into the white house. The dumb, introverted retards that probably couldn't tell a rat from a squirrel. Oh well, if its cool, then people hardly notice.

While in my rant, I didn't notice she had an arm linked to something behind her at the time and as she paused to study my slightly rumpled form, a shocked expression painted on her pretty face, I forced a wry smile.

She smiled back in reply to mine, so sickly sweet and fake, I could just feel the bile rise in my throat. If I wanted to be sick, I would've stayed in the dorm and listen to Ke$ha…On repeat.

Quickly, but trying not to seem like I was rushing, I piled my papers back into my folder. Apparently she wanted privacy and even though there was more than this one seat in the library, I could tell by the way she stood that Kagura wanted this particular spot.

"Sorry to rush you, but we have some work to do." she said, her voice thick and sultry, but yet soft and patient as if she were talking to a four year old.

Raising my eyebrow at my book bag as I packed my folder in I thought, 'We?'.

As I lifted my gaze back toward the desk, I found out who.

He was standing with his slender and statuesque profile facing me as he joined Kagura, who had a firm grip on his forearm. His regal white hair tied perfectly in a slim ponytail that draped down his back. His piercing amber gaze focused ahead. His pale hands folded neatly in his pockets. The man was a walking, stotic angel. He reeked of authority and arrogance so much so that I nearly broke into a sweat. Everybody knew him and wanted to be him. Evidently everybody but me had wet dreams about him. Sesshomaru Tashio, one of the famous Tashio brothers. Their father owned every bank in Japan pretty much and a couple in the states. His services stretched pretty far, and lately there has been talk of Sesshomaru taking over once his father retired.

He stood there like he'd been there the whole time. Of course, he could've been, I wasn't looking. I was now and I had to stop my jaw from hitting the floor. I've never seen him so close before. There were clubs made strictly for him, and the women took it very seriously. Nobody could get within twenty feet of the man before getting the crap knocked out of them, just for walking in his general direction. So seeing him this close, without his ninja goons constantly scouting ahead, was like running into a Unicorn in the middle of a forest baited with booby traps. I felt like pulling out my camera.

I restrained the urge when I heard Kagura clear her throat. I blinked slowly, a red flush covering my cheeks once I realized I'd been staring. I smiled nervously and packed my stuff with more enthusiasm than intended. As I zipped my backpack closed, I could hear Kagura as she made her silent approach. "I'll see you later in Comp. Ka-Ka-.." she hesitated.

"Kagome." I said as I hefted my bag of my shoulder and fixing my glasses. Swiftly, I maneuvered out of her way, and streaked behind Sesshomaru, catching a whiff if his cologne in the process.

I blushed momentarily, noting how the scent somehow fit him and silently shuffled out the doors. Once I made it, I paused a moment and turned to look back, just to make sure it wasn't my imagination. Sure enough, he was still standing there, but this time he was facing me, his eyes burning into my skull.

I jumped and nearly ran into the trash can while making my get away. When I thought I was a hall or two away from the library, I leaned on the larger door like window and took a breath. That was an awkward situation that I would hopefully not find myself in again. That one encounter would be enough. Sighing, I checked my watch and it read eight fifteen. I groaned out loud, pulling my hand over my face.

"Well, maybe I could get a little sleep." I muttered hopefully and back tracked to the dorms. Questions drifted around in my mind at the time, like when did Kagura hook up with Sesshomaru? No scratch that, how did she do it? Why are they in the library? But the one that struck me most was the most obvious.

What were demons doing on our side of the campus?

Now I know what your thinking, demons have the same right as we humans right? They can go wherever they want. Well, the answer is somewhat simple. The demons have the left part of the campus for themselves and us humans the right. Usually we stay separated until we sometimes interact in mixed classes, like my Comp class or any Sports. And we both have lunch at the same time, but other than that, we hardly see them. So what was the one and only Sesshomaru doing with Kagura in our library?

It doesn't matter, so just get over it I thought and huffed up the stairs to my dorm. Some where in the back in my head I knew this was a wasted effort. Once I opened the door, I noticed Sango, my roommate slash best friend, was up and in the bathroom and I could hear the sounds of a shower taking place. I whined as I dropped my bag, kicked off my shoes and staggered to my bed. Sango only woke up twenty minutes before classes, therefore I would only have twenty minutes of sleep. I laid on my side facing the bathroom door and watched a little detached as Sango stepped outside of it, wisps of steam curling around her shapely legs.

She was toweling off her long black hair as she exited. When she saw me, she stopped for a second in acknowledgment. " This is the first time I've ever seen you up before me." her eyes widened. " Where is my camera?! This day needs to be remembered." she laughed as she shifted through a pile of clean clothes. I rolled my eyes at her back.

"I'd forgotten to complete my works cited page for my research paper." I grumbled, "So I decided to hurry up and finish in the library." I yawned and stretched, allowing myself to get more comfortable. "Guess who else I saw?"

She looked behind her shoulder at me, clearly intrigued, "Who?"

"Kagura and Sesshomaru." I said. I giggled as I gauged her reaction. Her expression went from, placid, to skeptical and then confused. "What the hell are they doing in our library?"

"Once more," she held up a finger, "Why and how is she with Sesshomaru? The man's untouchable."

I laughed a bit more before responding, " I wondered the same thing."

I watched as she dressed in the uniform, a white dress shirt underneath a black blazer, our school crest embedded in golden thread on the pocket. The skirt is black and pleated, but a little too short for my liking. She was too busy trying to tie her red sash into a neat bow to notice me. I sat up groggily, slightly angry I didn't get a minute or two of sleep and fixed my thigh high socks. One had sagged down to my ankle. Along with a different campus, the demons also had their own uniforms. The skirts where red instead of black, and the boys ties where white instead of red.

She ran a brush through her damp hair and slipped on her penny loafers and made for the door. I followed suit, grabbing my bag in the process. As we walked down the corridor, we greeted classmates and made small talk.

When we arrived to the lunch room for breakfast, we were later joined by Eri and Yuri. We settled at our normal table, in the corner away from the preps and the wannabes. I told both of them about the library incident and even they were baffled by it. "Maybe there's a book in our library that they don't have."

Yuri scoffed, "They have way more books in there's compared to our little old library."

Sango shrugged and sipped her orange juice, "Maybe they wanted to fuck."

I choked on my pancakes and looked at Sango with a appalled expression. "What?! That's horrible! Surely they can do that in their own."

She laughed at my reaction before patting me on the shoulder. "I was just kidding."

"Yeah I hope so." I mumbled, stabbing at my sausage. Although I'm pretty sure it's happened more than once. I scanned the room and watched as it filled up with it's normal occupants, demons and humans alike. I watched as Koga and his gang of jocks jabbered about something, while Kikyo the emo woman and her crew sat at a table staring at the food they wanted to eat. Nothing was stopping them from eating, but they would just sit there and stare and probably feel sorry for eating it, which only lead to the question, why the hell where they in here in the first place?

I rolled my eyes and scanned through the slightly crowed room. I could hear Inuyasha and the other populars, laughing about whatever and sitting at their normal table, front and center of the lunch room. The only reason he was there was because Sesshomaru was his brother, although half. Sesshomaru in turn never ate in the lunch room, only because he'd probably get flooded by his groupies.

Pretty soon, the bell rang for signaling the beginning of class. As our little group broke and dispersed to different areas, I wallowed to my Comp class. I should've been happy, I finished the paper and the works cited page on time! I should've been skipping down the hallway singing 'oh happy day' at the top of my lungs.

Heh, that would never happen! I thought darkly. I merged with a group of students heading the same direction and slid in the door to homeroom. I greeted our teacher, Mr. Abarai and quickly took my seat in the very back, by the wide, shade-less, window. I prepped my desk with my folder, a pencil and a book. Usually, I'm the first to make it to class, while others wouldn't arrive until the last minute.

As the class filled with the regulars, I realized just how small our class really was.

Kagura and Ayame were our only demons, Hojo, Kikyo and Miroku plus a couple of others made up the whole class. So, it was only eight of us. Hojo was kind and a gentleman, but a spaz. He tried to talk to me on more than one occasion, in which I'd politely decline. He sat in front of me now, cheery as usual. He turned in his usual greeting, a nice and warm smile on his face. "Hiya Kagome, I hope your having a wonderful morning!"

I couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah, so far, you finish your paper?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! Hopefully I did the works cited right." he replied, scratching his head sheepishly.

"I'm sure you did fine." I said encouragingly.

He seemed to glow brighter, as he nodded and turned back to his original position. I smiled grimly. Aw, I made his day.

Miroku, the class playboy, was busy trying to finish his rough draft for his paper, which was due two weeks ago. I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Don't you ever do anything on time?"

He had his sleeves rolled to his forearm; his white tie ruffled and loose around his neck. Miroku's head snapped up from his hasty work and his violet eyes met mine. "My dear Kagome…"

He started, but I held up a hand to stop him. "Forget it dude, I'm not helping you out of this one."

Over-exaggerated tears streamed from his eyes. "But Kagome, Sango will have my head if she knows I'm failing this class."

"Uh-Huh," I hummed carelessly, my nose deep in my romance novel. Sango and Miroku had been a 'thing' for a least a month and a half. Ever since that one time they were paired for a project together, they'd been inseparable.

I shook my head again and continued to read until Mr. Abarai cleared his throat and straightened his tie, signaling the being of lecture.

"As you all know, your reports are due today." He said. " Now if you could pass them to the front, I'll gladly take them off your hands." He chuckled and walked around his desk, in front of ours. I passed mine's up, grateful it was out of my hands now and sighed. Maybe he would take it easy on us today, maybe give us a couple of reading projects.

"I have a real treat for you all today." He announced, " Mrs. Honda and I have come up with a special assignment."

My eyebrow perked at this. Mrs. Honda? The Comp teacher for the demons?

As he made his way back behind his desk, papers in hand, he motioned towards the door. Quiet suddenly, it opened, and Mrs. Honda walked in, followed by her students. Koga, Ginta and an annoyed Bankostu. The notorious Naraku, sauntered in with the grace of a stalking snake while a dopey Hakkaku trudged in behind. The class murmured and gasped in unison as the person I least expected to see entered the room last. Sesshomaru joined the group in their ragged line, his face betraying no emotion.

" This project will have you paired with one of Mrs. Honda's students." he announced. The female percentage squealed with delight, while the boys groaned. Kagura batted her eyelashes seductively toward Sesshomaru, who in turn didn't bother with an reaction.

This was one of the stupidest idea's Mr. Abarai had ever cooked up. I would gladly write a five page thesis about the book 'The Odyssey,' and read it in front of the class in nothing but a skimpy two piece swimsuit….

Wait. Pause, Scratch that part off. Just reading in front of class is enough of a challenge for me.

"Your project is write a two or three page biography about your partner and vise versa." he said. He grabbed his clipboard off his desk as Mrs. Honda added, "You have been randomly paired with one of my students. Please note that you will not be able to swap out partners after your name is drawn."

Their were a couple of frustrated grunts from our class and the demons as she said this but all I could do is hope and pray I would be paired with Hakkaku. That boy was just as gullible as Hojo.

"Alright, shall we begin?" Mr. Abarai mumbled adjusting his spectacles.

Kikyo and Bankostu." Kikyo rolled her eyes while Bankostu groaned.

\"Hojo and Ginta." he continued.

"Koga and Kagura." She nearly screeched as Koga smirked.

He hadn't called my name yet and because of that, I was freaking out.

"Miroku and Hakkaku."

"Ayame and Naraku." Ayame cringed in her desk as Naraku's eye slid over her. I genuinely felt sorry for her. He was one of the creepiest demon's on campus.

"And last but not least," he paused, " Kagome and Sesshomaru."

My heart literally skipped three beats as everything became a distracting thud in my ears. My heart could of exploded from my mouth and tapped danced on the desk. That's how stunned I was. My eye's flitted to his face and it was just as solemn when he came in. His cool, amber eyes focused on mine and his silver eyebrow hitched a bit. I nearly chocked on air as I dropped my gaze. This could not be happening to me.

Sweet Jesus!

"You have the rest of this period to discuss your paper." As he laid the clipboard back on the desk he asked, "Any questions?"

My hand shot up quicker than it ever had in ages. He blinked a moment or two before nodding for me to continue.
I smiled nervously, "Are you sure about this?" I hesitated, " I mean, maybe I could trade with Hojo?"

" I'm sorry, but the pairing is final, no trading."

I shook my head and sulked down into my seat. I could already feel Kagura's glare slicing into me. As I glanced over, she had death in her eyes and just behind her Ayame mouthed the words "good luck". I smiled wistfully and thanked her. As I re organized the stuff on my desk, I caught movement out the corner of my eye. In the seat that was empty a second ago now sat Sesshomaru, his regal markings in clear contrast against his face. I gulped, before concentrating on writing my name. There was an unspeakable tension between us, and I was probably making it worse by refusing to speak.

" You're the girl from the library." his smooth timbre said from my side.

My heart was beating triple time in my chest as I looked up from my doodling.

"Uh, yeah, I'm Kagome." I said, introducing myself for the second time.

"And you're a Miko." He stated, slightly interested.

I stared at him like he had sprouted a hand where his eye should be. How did he know?

Apparently, I wear my emotions on my sleeve, because he then stated, " It is in your aura, you hide it well for a child."

A child?!

"Thanks, I guess." I replied, my eyes returning to the paper. " So, would like to start now?"

"No." He said before glancing at his watch and standing from the chair. I balked. 'No?!'

I made no move to stop him, but I did want to get this project over with. "When do yo-"

"Meet me in the Library tomorrow at six." He interrupted. " Do not be Late." He added from over his shoulder as he calmly walked from the room, thirty minutes before we where dismissed.

I stared after him confused. Which library did he mean? What just happened?

His senses had to sharp to point out that I was in fact a Miko although it is irritating to be called a child. I sat in my chair muddling over libraries and freaking out about our little 'meeting'. I wondered if he would kill me if I brought a friend. I laid my head on the cool desk, concentrating on breathing and the others around me. Soon enough, the class was dismissed and as I sulked to my next one, I ran into Sango. She'd just left from her History class and she was stuffing papers in her bag. When she saw me she waved, I managed a smile. She better believe she had a story coming her way.