Disclaimer: I don't own jack!
Summary: Perfection was a glass box called concept. She was the ant trapped inside that box. Soon she'd tear down those walls and prove to everyone what she knows herself to be: An imperfect being.
Pairing: Kagome/Gakushu
Suggested Listening: Time Machine by Ingrid Michaelson
Imperfection
Chapter One: Fresh Start
Kagome opened her mouth and yawned loudly. It was close to five in the morning yet she found herself unable to sleep. She rolled over to her side. Using her arm as a cushion for her head, she buried her face into the crook of her bicep and forearm. It was the weekend. She didn't have any classes or reports due yet her anxiety just seemed to keep climbing higher and higher with each strike of the secondhand clock.
"I'm home." A masculine voice called out in the darkness. It was soft, as if fearful that his appearance would disturb her.
The teen sat up in her bed, "Welcome back." She called out from behind her door. Bare feet touched the cool carpet of her flooring. She stared at the faint blue paint chipping off of her toenails. She was screwed on sleep so she'd just have to busy herself with other tasks until she was ready to get more rest later in the day.
Her door swung inward gingerly. Kagome glanced up to greet her brother.
"How was work?" She inquired, standing to turn on her light. The immediate difference between the darkness she'd just been in and the bright flash of the bulb left her squinting.
The male took his usual spot at the foot of her bed. He placed his arms behind his head and laid back. The mattress creaked in protest at the weight now being pressed upon it. Her eyes finally adjusted as she took in his ruffled appearance. It looked as if he'd gone through the ringer—his clothes were filthy and the faint smell of body odor hit her.
"It was shit. Just like every day." He propped one leg over his knee, "Boss was pissed that a project didn't get finished but I ended up telling his ass off for not scheduling enough people." A smirk pulled at his lips, "He was pissed about that too."
Kagome perched herself on the ledge of her desk. She crossed her leg over her own knee as she listened to him speak. He worked nights most days and often didn't get home until well after dawn. The fact that he was here now was unusual. She was glad for the change though. Despite his crude behavior and awkward social habits, she enjoyed spending time with him.
"Can't piss him off too much. You still need that job." The teen jabbed playfully.
The male shrugged. He flipped his long braid over his shoulder after several seconds of fidgeting with it. The damn thing was a pain in the ass to lay on as it left a kink in his back every time he did. Washing it was even more of a pain, but he'd rather not think about that right now.
"Don't really care at the moment. Anything is better than this shit."
Kagome smirked, "So should I call up Ayano-chan tell her that you're taking her up on her offer?"
His look of absolute horror and disgust made her laugh, "Oh hell no! I ain't sleeping with that crazy bitch! She'd cut my throat open before the morning!"
"Relax," The girl teased through her wheezing laughter, "I was just joking. Besides, if I was going to pimp you out I'd probably sick you on Izayoi first. Kami knows she needs the action."
The azure-eyed male blinked, "You're joking right?" Her laughter slowly halted at the change of disposition.
Kagome shrugged, "Am I?" She leaned on the base of her palms, kicking her legs out as she did so.
His gaze darkened ever so slightly. The man sat up from the bed before staring down at his lap.
"What is it that you're trying to do?" The twenty-year-old suddenly queried seriously. He pinned her with a sharp stare and an even sharper tone. "If you keep running away from him then it'll only make things worse in the end."
A still silence filled her room. The teen glanced out her window to spy the first rays of dawn bleeding over the boughs of the Goshinboku. What did she want?
"How am I supposed to stop him?" Kagome asked. She glanced down back at her toenails. It'd been close to a month since she'd last gotten them done. Most of the polish had worn off but, miraculously, some still remained. Her mother had gone with her that day. It'd been wonderful. They'd spent so much time together and had bonded as parent and child should before her mother's wedding that night. Although, that was the last time she'd laughed with her since. The girl wrung her feet over one another. She really missed her.
Her brother sighed, "I dunno, kid." He closed his eyes briefly. "But I will promise you this," He stood and offered her his hand. She took it, slipping her palm over his larger, warm one and standing with him. "Whatever you decide, I'll support you."
A small smile spread across Kagome's lips, "Thanks Ban." A warmth filled her heart. This was why she loved her brother so much. Despite his rough and tumble attitude, he'd always been so considerate of her. If there was anyone she knew she could rely on, it was him.
Bankotsu smirked back at her, "Of course but you'll owe me."
The young woman laughed, "As if."
She spent the rest of the morning cooking breakfast and watching early weekend shows with him. Two hours later and the teen found herself cuddled into her sibling's side as the characters on screen attempted to get themselves out of a sticky situation that they created in the first place. She yawned into Bankotsu's dirt-stained shirt. He smelled of body odor and sweat but still, she wouldn't trade this moment for the world.
"Love you, Ban." She muttered sleepily into his ribs.
The dark-haired male's face softened just a bit.
"Love you too, kid."
Puffs of air brushed against the collar of his shirt. Bankotsu listened as her breathing evened out. Slipping an arm under her legs and shoulders, he gently picked her up. Her head lolled to the side limply. The man tried not to laugh at the image she made. For as strong as she tried to pose herself up to be, she certainly had her moments where she resembled an infant rather than the teenager that she was. The young man carried his sister across the living room and back upstairs. By now the morning's light was bleeding through the window and filling her room with its brightness. He placed her on her bed, pulled the plain, lavender colored bedding up to her neck, before heading towards her window. He grabbed the cord hanging from the side and gave it a quick tug. White blinds fell noisily into place; blocking a significant amount of light from entering the room. Good, now she'd be able to sleep properly.
Just before Bankotsu left, he took in her countenance. Dark bags hung below the girl's eyes as lines of stress were starting to take root on her forehead. She was frazzled and he honestly didn't blame her. There were only two weeks left before the official meeting with Touga. If she didn't perform to his standards then things were definitely going to change. Although what that change would entail would probably be something neither he nor Kagome would like. His lips thinned as frustration gripped him. Damn the fucker. Everything was all screwed up because of him in the first place.
He closed the door as quietly as possible behind him. It'd only been a month since Kagome's mother had married Touga. In that time the two had fought bitterly. They'd gone from being exceptionally close to fiercely divided and all because of one man's sick games. The young man sighed to himself. It was only a matter of time before their situation would escalate—he only wondered who would win the confrontation in the end.
The sun rose as he made his way back to his bedroom. At the very least he got the chance to see her before he'd have to go into work later that night. That was one good thing to come out of leaving early. The male yawned into his hand as he climbed under his own comforter. He'd handle the situation later after he woke up. Right now all that either of them needed was sleep.
Omoikiri Touga leaned back in his leather chair. It was soft and well cushioned—custom made to perfection according to his own standards. Golden eyes narrowed as he threaded his fingers together in a tight weave. The man placed his elbows on the hand-carved oak desk. It had been made in Japan only by the finest of craftsmen. He quirked his lips upwards in an arrogant smirk. He was always very particular about his preferences and this would be no different.
"So you attend Kunugigaoka Junior High, correct?" The silver-haired male began his investigation.
The teen offered a polite bow, "Of course. I'm currently the top student of our class."
"Which would be?" The businessman pressed.
"Class 3-A." The young man returned to his full standing posture, his back straight with pride and confidence pouring from his very being. "Only the best are assigned there."
Touga nodded, "I see so that's how the chairman has chosen to divide his school system." The man leaned on the back of his hands. "So what of Class 3-E? What is their ranking then?"
A brief flash of disgust flitted across the red-head's countenance, "They are what has been dubbed 'The End Class'. Deadbeats with no futures and zero academic prospects."
The man continued to nod. Ah, yes just as he had predicted. So the situation was indeed far more dire than his young stepdaughter had admitted. According to her, she had only been slightly off track. Of course that would be a situation that he'd remedy immediately. Paying off the chairman had not truly been an option as the girl's academic performance had been exceptionally poor lately. Not even money could fix those issues. As a result, he began to attribute the sudden nosedive in her grades on the divide between herself and his new wife. His lips thinned as he decided to move the conversation to the basis of this meeting.
"I suppose you are aware of why I've contacted you?" The boy did not bat an eyelash at him. Instead the teen's confidence swelled even more at the prospect.
"But of course. You mentioned it in your message. I will say this though," The young man paused as he thought over his next words carefully, "Balancing out this new task and upholding my position as the top student will be rather difficult." There was a mocking tone to his voice, one that he did not quite like but couldn't begrudge of the teen either. He was just like his father in that regard. The apple truly didn't fall far from the tree when it came to those two.
"Go on." Touga encouraged.
"Reimbursement." Lips pulled into a cocky smirk, "I'd like to be properly compensated for my time and efforts in this deal."
The Omoikiri founder laughed, "Of course, that was the intended purpose of this meeting, was it not?"
The redhead's smirk did not waver nor dissipate.
"Now then, Asano-kun, shall we get down to the details?"
Kagome stretched her arms high above her head. The sound of her clock ticking away loudly slowly began to come in more clearly as the fog of sleep began to ebb away. What time was it? She glanced over to see the hour and secondhand dials hover over the roman numeral for twelve. Well there went her morning. Bankotsu wasn't likely to wake up for another three hours anyways. He'd have to go into work by nine and get back between six and eight in the morning depending on how busy things were at the warehouse. He worked hard to bring in the income they desperately needed to keep going but sometimes it wasn't always enough to stay afloat.
The young woman sat up in her bed. In the last month her grades had gone to crap, her social life had virtually been eradicated and nearly all of her familial bonds separated. She didn't know when exactly any of it started up but she knew the direct link to her downfall.
Omoikiri Touga.
That person was responsible for every single bit of it. She and her family had been just fine before he'd ever stepped into their lives. Now since he'd chosen to inject himself into their home everything had fallen apart.
Kagome pursed her lips together as she began to dress herself for the day. While she may have a couple of weeks to prove that she could pick herself up from this rock bottom pit, she knew that she really only had a few days to pick up the slack before he'd inevitably inject himself into this situation as well. A breath of air left her lips in a heavy sigh. The very last thing she needed was his interference.
Azure eyes snapped open as her phone began to vibrate. A familiar contact flashed across the screen as her stomach dropped. Speak of the devil. With no small amount of hesitation, she grasped the object and answered the call.
"Higurashi speaking." The teen greeted softly.
"Ah, I thought we agreed that you'd change your name to Omoikiri?" Touga began on the other end of the line. "Your mother was quite adamant about it."
Kagome fought the urge to growl. Of course he'd say that. Lie, guilt and repeat. It was his best tactics.
"Sorry but I think you might have misunderstood." The dark haired teen laughed lightly as to not encourage any more of the male's ire. "Mother informed me that I was to keep the Higurashi surname until further notice. Besides," A small smile tugged at her lips as she thought of her brother, "I like it."
Silence consumed the line.
"Hn." Her stepfather snorted haughtily, "We'll see. Now as for today I shall be sending someone over that will help you in your studies. Your grades have been atrocious." Kagome briefly wondered who she had to blame for that. "He's agreed to offer you tutoring and I expect you to treat him with respect. Refuse his offer and I will take you out of that school and educate you myself. Do you understand?"
She blanched. Touga being her own personal tutor? No thanks, she had more than enough crap to deal with already. Boundary stomping stepfathers were definitely not one of those things she wanted to have to add to her growing pile of obstacles to overcome.
"Yes sir." She complied. What could be worse than dealing with her overbearing stepparent? "Is there anything else you need of me?" She inquired politely. It was all just for show. She really couldn't give a damn if he needed anything or not.
"Yes actually, I would like for you to come down to the office immediately. I have someone I'd like for you to meet." He paused as someone interrupted the conversation. A few moments of heated whispers and finally a door closing passed through the phone line before Touga returned to the conversation. "My apologies, anyways my oldest son will be here on a few business matters. It's important that you meet him before we leave town. He'll be the one in charge of the company while your mother and I go on our, admittedly delayed, honeymoon." She detected a subtly buried insult in his tone.
This time Kagome did gag. Great, just what she needed, the image of that man sucking on her mother's face. She felt her stomach churn. What a nightmare.
"Not a problem." She tried to end the conversation. "I'll be there shortly."
She disconnected the call. Well that was one hell of a way to start the day. Taking a deep breath, the teenager stretched her arms high above her head and started to count backwards from thirty silently. It was a daily routine she did to keep herself in check. The action was mostly something to occupy her mind so she wouldn't go completely crazy.
Kagome stopped as her phone lit up with a text message. This time her mother's contact flashed on the screen.
Do not disappoint.
The teen sighed as she read it. She halfway felt the urge to respond but thought better of it. Standing up, the young woman set to work on preparing for the day. It'd taken all of an hour to get dressed, shower, brush her teeth and finish prepping herself for the day. All in all she'd say that she was making some pretty good timing.
The dark haired girl quickly grabbed her belongings and wrote a quick note for her brother before running out of the house.
To trip to Touga's office was a quiet one. It'd only taken her half the time it usually did and she still had a few minutes left to spare. Not wanting to risk getting on her family's bad side, Kagome quickly rushed into the seventy-story edifice tower that her stepfather called his business. His office was, of course, on the very top floor that required its own personal elevator that she'd have to take from the fiftieth floor. All in all, it was a pain in the ass. Not to mention the zoo of insanity she'd have to cross just to get to that elevator. Azure eyes narrowed. This building sucked.
The first lift was packed to the brim with people. Men and women alike were crammed into the tiny elevator. Shoulders were pushed against walls. Feet were edging on another's toes. Binders and folders pressed uncomfortably into each other's backs. With each floor the elevator stopped on, a new dance of 'switch the spots' occurred so those poor saps stuck in the back could work their way out onto their floor.
Kagome took a sigh of relief as she finally hit floor number fifty. Ten minutes and nearly everyone had emptied out of the tiny lift. She quickly darted across the grey colored cubicles and the frantic employees desperately trying to organize all of their files.
"Bring Kurosaki's case to me! Drop Ito's off with Hashimoto. Damn it Momozono, I said to get espresso not decaf!" A portly man barked out orders left and right as people around his scattered in a frenzied hurry. The man pointed a sausage-like appendage in her direction, "Intern! I want a status report on your project in five!"
"Still not an intern Yamamoto!" Kagome growled as she pushed her way past him. Reason number one she disliked this place: Yamamoto Isamu. Touga always had a habit of employing dumbasses. Yamamoto in particular could never seem to grasp that she did not work there! The jerk always tried to boss her around and give her orders. It only briefly stopped after she'd complained to her stepfather. Although that little chat between the two never prevented the man from trying to bully her.
"One of these days I'll get that cocky ass of yours canned, intern!" Spittle of saliva flew through the air as the man started to shout.
Kagome shrugged, "Keep dreaming, idiot!"
Ding!
The private elevator opened and she was granted access to the only route that would provide her with an escape from this layer of hell. She quickly stepped in and pressed the button for the top floor. The teen waited patiently as it slowly made its twenty-floor ascent. Touga had never given her a specific time to arrive. Still, she'd prefer to be as early as possible. Better early than late as her late grandfather had always said. Too bad her brother couldn't take that example to heart.
The bell chimed and the doors opened to reveal an opulently decorated lobby of scarlet and leather. Her stepfather's secretary typed away furiously at her computer as Kagome entered the waiting area. The young woman's face was pulled into an expression of determined fury, as her hazel eyes remained locked onto her monitor. White teeth bit into the crimson rouge that covered her bottom lip.
"Hey Akane-san, is Touga in a meeting?" Kagome greeted kindly. As much as she disliked the man, his secretary was one hell of a woman to reckon with. She was the equivalent of a mama grizzly, tigress and dragon all rolled into a four-foot-five package—including her trademark five-inch heels. Short in stature and temper. Sasaki Akane was the epitome of the word spitfire.
"He's talking to lord almighty himself. They'll probably be dicking around for a few more hours. Feel free to take a seat and wait for an eternity." The woman huffed as her typing increased in its tempo. "It's going to be a bit before he'll remember that he even called you up here today."
Kagome laughed as she watched the woman's brows furrow and a string of incoherent curses left her lips.
"So what'd he do to piss you off this time?"
"Oh it wasn't him." Akane began as she slammed a few folders onto her desk. Flipping them open she pilfered through looking for tidbits of information. "It was his god forsaken, all hail the might king, first born son!"
Kagome blinked. She wasn't really sure if that was a full sentence or not. A smiled spread across her lips as she leaned on the desk.
"Oh do tell. You know how much I love this gossip."
Akane dropped her glasses down the bridge of her nose to pin the teen with a sharp glare.
"Don't you start with the sassing, young lady! I'll message your brother."
She held her hands up in the air, "Ooh, caught red handed. I surrender!"
The dark haired teen's expression dropped as several files were unceremoniously deposited into her hands.
"Good then you can make yourself useful and alphabetize those." Akane looked between the folders and her clock. "You've got exactly two hours. Start!" She patted the top of her desk as if she were to start a timer.
Kagome glowered as she sulked off into one of the leather couches in the far corner of the office.
"You suck." The teen whined as she did what she was told. If she were caught doing nothing then it was likely that her stepfather would have a few words for her, especially if there was work that needed to be completed. Oh the joys of being a multi-billionaire's child. A black colored brow twitched.
All in all time flew by pretty quickly. When Touga finally emerged from the meeting room all of the files had been alphabetized and categorized by case number as well.
"Thanks for taking the time to come down, son. How's Rin doing?" Touga inquired cheerfully as he clapped his oldest son's shoulder.
"She is managing better than expected." The silver haired stranger replied shortly. Golden eyes narrowed as the slightly taller man slipped out of his father's hold. "If you don't mind I must be going."
"Just a second, Sesshoumaru. There's someone I'd like you to meet." Touga started, guiding the other male towards her general direction.
Kagome swallowed thickly as she found herself under what she now knew to be her stepbrother's sharp stare.
"Higurashi Kagome," She bowed politely before him, "Pleased to make your acquaintance."
Sesshoumaru sniffed, "Do not prostrate before me." Gold eyes turned towards his father, "What is the meaning of this?"
"This," Touga took both of Kagome's shoulders into his hands. She shuddered against the touch and attempted to lean away from him to no avail. "Is the newest addition to the family. She's Izumi's only child and I'd like it if you'd kept an eye on her while I was gone next week."
Shame and embarrassment filled the teen as her stepbrother's eyes filled with disgust.
"That is not part of my responsibilities. You married that woman. You took her children under your wing." The oldest of the strange brood was interrupted.
"Child. The other was not born from Izumi. Bankotsu was her husband's son. Do try not to forget that." Touga quickly corrected, "Izumi is rather… particular about that fact." Kagome tried not to cringe. That was a truth that could never be denied. Bankotsu was her father's first child from his previous marriage. Her mother had never really taken to him. Never as long as she known had the two ever stayed in the same room alone; never mind speaking to one another.
Sesshoumaru glared at his father, "Be that as it may, this girl is still your responsibility regardless of where you may be. I will not stop my schedule just to tend to your messes, father."
Her nails dug into the flesh of her wrist. Ouch, well that went fantastic. So she wasn't the only one with an ax to grind against Touga. Although being the first son out of what would later be three marriages would probably end up stinging a little if she were in Sesshoumaru's shoes.
Touga's first marriage was to Sesshoumru's mother, Omoikiri Kimi. From what Kagome knew she was both elegant and eccentric. She'd become well known for her ability to agitate even the most patient of people. However as time passed Touga had grown tired of her antics. By age of thirty-five he'd divorced her and started dating the teenaged Ummei Izayoi. She had been a sweet child with a bubbly personality. Even as a woman she didn't possess a single mean bone in her body. Unfortunately as time went on Touga also began to grow tired of her. Some claim that he simply preferred his women younger and tended to 'trade out' his wives as they aged. Shortly after she gave birth to his second son, Inuyasha, he met her own mother. Everything after that was, as they say, history.
"Don't worry," Kagome suddenly piped up with a sickeningly sweet smile across her lips. Her stepfather's expression darkened as a feeling of foreboding overcame him. "I won't be needing your help any time soon. Now if you excuse me, I have a few other things to take care of today. Particularly studying. Can't fail those midterms." The teen teased as she slapped Touga's hands away from her. "It was good to finally meet you, Sesshoumaru-san." She bowed once more, "Now adieu." With that she rang the elevator and quickly made her exit—not caring whether or not she'd infuriated the men she'd left behind.
"Now look who's in the dog house!" Akane commented as both Touga and Sesshoumaru stared at the closing doors of the lift. Two sets of golden eyes narrowed.
"You should be replacing that secretary. She's a nuisance."
His father shrugged, "She's entertaining."
"Hello! I'm trying to work here!" The brunette raised her brightly colored Lisa Frank pen to point at the pair of men standing in her lobby threateningly, "Don't make me grab the spray bottle to get you two out of here!"
Sesshoumaru's expression darkened, "She wouldn't…"
Touga clapped his hand on his son's shoulder, "Oh she would. Now come, there are just a few more things I'd like to discuss before you leave." The two reentered the meeting room. It'd be another long day.
Akane sighed as her office space was quiet once more. Sometimes she felt like the only normal person in this entire building. Brightly colored furbies stared at her from her desk as she went back to work.
"Right, now to drop a little hell on Yamamoto on the fiftieth floor, right Sir Cucumber? Can't have him ranting all day." Akane smirked to herself as she composed a righteously devious email to the portly man. When the day was out, he'd quickly find himself fearing for his job—just as she liked it.
Kagome sighed as she dropped back onto her bed. Two hours at her stepfather's office only to meet a stepbrother that wasn't even remotely interested in knowing that she existed. Well at least the feeling was mutual in that regard. The teen rolled onto her back as she glared up at the white-painted ceiling.
"Screw this." She said to no one in particular.
"Is that what you said when you got these atrocious test scores back?" A vaguely familiar voice echoed from her doorway.
Kagome craned her neck to see who had dared invade her personal privacy. All color drained from her face as recognition lit up her eyes.
"Oh shit, he sent you? How'd you even get in?" The young woman cupped her hands over her eyes and peered around as if looking through the sun, "You broke in didn't you? Such a stalker!"
The red-haired teen leaned against her door as he glanced over her past tests and homework scores. If he were perturbed by her accusations than he didn't let it show.
"Your brother let me in. Said that you'd be upstairs." He held up one of the papers and pushed it towards her face, "What even is this grade? Please tell me that's an inverted three?"
Kagome snatched it from his hands, "No peeking you jerk! Besides," She tucked it under her arms away from his prying eyes. "I don't need your help." She held her nose up in the air. Screw what Touga said, she'd rather fail than take help from him! It'd be treason! Her sensei could testify to that much!
Her visitor held up another paper. This time the number '22' followed by a very unhappy octopus face was scrawled in horrid crimson ink across the top. "You mean this is manageable for you?"
She ripped that page from him as well.
"No!" Kagome cried as paper after paper was put on display. Numbers in the variations between fifteen and sixty-three flashed across her vision.
The male finally sighed as he watched the girl cry out in frustration and gather up all her papers into her arms; desperately trying to keep them from his reach.
"You need help, just admit it Higurashi."
"Never!" She turned her back on him. Kagome crouched in her corner and cuddled all of her homework to her chest. This couldn't be happening! Nope, no way! This was all just some terrible nightmare!
"Even though your grade point average is lower than Terasaka's IQ?" His lips quirked upwards at the expression of horror on her face.
"I'm not that stupid!" She growled back at him, "I'm just in a rough spot is all!"
"So are you willing to get some help, or should I just report back to Touga and tell him that you refused?" Violet eyes glanced up at her victoriously.
Her lips pursed together in frustration. Damn it all, why was he always so good at manipulating others? Bastard was definitely his father's son!
"Eat shit and die." Kagome pouted petulantly.
"No thanks, that right is reserved for your ilk."
"So…" The dark haired teen finally began after several seconds of silence, "What all did he tell you?" Smooth, now she just opened herself up to an interrogation. Great… just what she needed. Why couldn't she just keep her big mouth shut?
"All you need to know is that I'm here to help and if you refuse, you'll be the one in trouble."
Kagome glared with all of her might, "I hate you."
"The feeling is mutual." The redhead dropped a thick, hard cover textbook in her lap labeled Algebra. "Now crack that book open so we can start the process of educating an idiot of your degree." The boy smirked as he casually crossed his arms over his chest.
"Hey Asano," Kagome began. She waited until she'd received the chairman's son's prideful glare.
"Yes?" Gakushu asked with feigned interest.
"Go fuck yourself." She threw the textbook at his head.
"Ladies first." He dodged the projectile and watched as it slapped against the wall harmlessly.
This had not been a good day! Not only was she the laughing stock of even E-Class, but now the president of their whole grade knew and was liable to use this information against her. The universe must sincerely hate her.
"Now if you're done acting like a spoiled child, I'd like to get this tutoring session on with the day. I have other, more important, places I need to be." The redhead crossed his arms as he glared down the bridge of his nose at her.
Kagome smirked as she twirled her pencil between her thumb and index finger, "We'll see about that."
The rest of the night had not gone well. By the end of the session both Gakushu and Kagome were left frustrated and wondering if she'd ever be able to get her grades back up. Papers were strewn about the floor, red ink and black marker smeared across ever single page including a bit on Kagome's own nose. She swore up and down that it definitely was not due to the fact that she'd been crying in frustration before wiping her nose. Nope, absolutely not.
"You're a lost cause." The young man muttered in agitation as he glanced over her work. Every step of the way she made wrong decisions and probably wouldn't even be able to find her way out of a wet paper bag if left to chance. "Why don't you just drop out while you still can."
Azure eyes hardened as she tossed her pen at him. The object harmlessly slapped against the boy's forehead before falling to the ground.
"No way in hell!" Kagome snarled, "I might not be the smartest," She heard him snort. "But I'm not going to quit. Not now, not ever. So you can just give up on that idea."
"Suit yourself," He held up her latest report on Matsuo Bashou and his works during the Edo Period. "But this," He pointed towards the red inked grade under the thirty-percent line, "Will take a miracle to improve."
She felt her lips tick upwards in a smirk, "No not a miracle. Just a monster for a teacher."
Violet eyes blinked at her in confusion. The teen shrugged at him. Asano would only be support as her father demanded. However if anyone could help her get out of this downward spiral, it'd be her new teacher and target: Koro-sensei.
Just out of Gakushu's sight a green, plastic knife rested upon her desk. It's dark surface reflected against the sun's dying light. This was more than just the start of a new year, it was the start of a new life.
A/n: I apologize if the family dynamics seem a bit confusing right now so here's just a quick breakdown. Bankotsu and Kagome are half-siblings related through the same biological father. Ban's mother is out of the picture and Kagome's mother went on to marry Touga after their dad died. Sesshoumaru was, of course, born from Touga's marriage to Kimi and Inuyasha from his marriage to Izayoi. So things are just a bit complicated right now lol. I'll simply put it this way: Touga is a bit of a man-whore.
Anyways, let me know what you guys think! I've had this one on the back burner for a while now. In the process of writing up new chapters for Broken Stone and Play Pretend, Love. So hopefully I should have an update for those within the next couple of weeks. Thanks so much!