The sound of the final bell had the students racing from the classroom, leaving rows of desks jumbled in their wake, trying to beat each other to the door. The royal blue and beige halls echoed with excited voices and hurried footsteps, which quickly dissipated into silence, as the halls cleared.

Inuyasha and I lingered.

He stood from his desk and waited for me, throwing his bag over his shoulder and shooting me a look of feigned impatience. I smiled and moved with exaggerated slowness, standing from my desk and putting my last book in my bag. Inuyasha put his hand on his hip and glared. I laughed, and adjusted the strap on my shoulder, before following him out.

When people saw us together, they would ask if we were dating. We always said, no. Since my father had passed away, leaving my newly-widowed mother to care for my younger brother and me, Inuyasha and I had been inseparable. He'd stepped in, when I'd felt like I was going to break, and since then, he'd never left my side.

We exited the school, but, instead of walking home, we stopped by the trail, heading to our favorite spot by the lake. It wasn't a large area, but if you veered off the main path, it opened into a space about half the size of a city block. There was a generous amount of green grass, and a park bench that sat facing the lake, surrounded by a canopy of trees. Inuyasha would always bring a blanket, and we'd lay out on the grass, until it grew cold.

He didn't have the blanket today, so we sat on the bench, by the water. Soon, the temperature dropped, and I shivered in my short skirt. Inuyasha noticed, and unzipped his jacket, draping it around my shoulders. I pulled it close and leaned into him, content enough to fall asleep.

"HEADS UP!"

Inuyasha and I glanced up just in time to see the Frisbee flying straight at my head. He was quick to put his arm over my shoulders, making us both duck as the Frisbee flew by. When I looked up, I locked eyes with a salt and pepper furred, Siberian husky, with icy-blue eyes. It playfully licked my face, leaving a wet streak from my chin to my hairline. I wiped my cheek, as a boy came trotting up to us.

He waved as he came closer, a friendly smile on his face. He was tall and lean, with long, dark hair, pulled into a ponytail. His forehead had a light sheen of sweat, and his eyes were bright. "Sorry about that. The bench wasn't occupied a minute ago."

I started to say it was okay; but, belligerent as always, Inuyasha replied with a scowl on his face, "Watch it next time, you almost took Kagome's head off."

The boy inclined his head in my direction. "Kagome?" he said, in a velvet-soft voice, as his blue gaze settled on me. He took one of my hands and bent his head to press his lips to my skin. I started slightly, at the prickly sensation, as his 5 o'clock shadow grazed my wrist. He glanced up, peering at me from underneath dark lashes. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Kagome." He said showing me a set of pearly, white teeth.

Inuyasha sprung from his seat, ripping my hand away.

"Touch her again, and I'll break your hand."

The boy's eyes widened and he exaggeratingly stepped back, raising both his hands, palms forward. "Hey, sorry! Didn't know you two were a thing" he said, drawing his index fingers together, again and again.

"We're not," we both said, in unison.

The boy in front of us raised one eyebrow, and a smile spread across his lips, "Well, then I don't need to be sorry, do I?"

"What," Inuyasha exploded. He clenched his teeth, and his fists balled tightly at his sides. I sensed the anger emanating off of him, but before I could say anything, Koga planted one fist on his hip and peered around Inuyasha's side, ignoring him.

"My name's Koga," he said, smiling at me.

"Nobody cares." Inuyasha retorted, moving to stand directly in front of me. "Get lost."

"And if I don't?" Koga challenged, finally moving his attention away from me.

"Enough" I moved from my seat to stand beside Inuyasha. I glanced, sidelong at him, fearing an altercation. Turning back to Koga I said, "It's late, we're gonna head back. See you, later."

Koga shrugged one shoulder and whistled for his dog. He squatted down and pried the Frisbee from its mouth, then stood to leave. Before taking off, he turned and winked at me. "Count on it."

Inuyasha took one step forward and yelled, "Beat it!" But Koga was already gone.

I tugged on his arm, "Come on, Inuyasha, let's go home." He turned, glaring at me.

I dropped his sleeve and took a step back, putting some space between us. "What?" I asked, bewildered. The look on his face wasn't playful, like it had been in the classroom, and his sudden surliness surprised me. I waited for him to speak, fisting his jacket in one hand, pulling it closer against the chill.

He turned to completely face me and snapped. "You know what."

"No," I shook my head at him, "I don't."

He took a step closer to me. "'See you later'? What was that?"

I narrowed my eyes, "I was trying to avoid a confrontation. What's your problem?"

"Spare me," he crossed his arms over his chest. "You were looking out for him, not me."

I released my grip on his jacket and put both my hands on my hips, shaking my head at him, disbelievingly. "I don't know what you're talking about, but you're missing the issue, here." When he continued to glare at me, I turned and walked a few paces away from him, completely exasperated. I heard him speak from behind me.

"I know what the problem is, and it's not me."

My head snapped up and I spun on my heels, marching to stand directly in front of him. I leaned forward and demanded, "What is that supposed to mean?"

He moved too, so that our faces were inches apart, "It means I'm tired of looking out for you all the time."

Something in me snapped. I narrowed my eyes, "Who asked you to do that?"

That did it.

He blinked, standing in front of me, dumbfounded. When he regained focus, he stood up straight and put his hands up, palms toward me. "You know what, you're right. Next time, I'll keep my mouth shut. Hell, I won't even tell you to duck."

My jaw dropped, and I stared at him in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?" I asked.

He stood there, and didn't say anything.

I balled my hands into fists, feeling my blood boil. "I hate you!"

He stood completely still. I watched his eyes glaze over with anger, "Then quit following me around. Go find your boyfriend. I'm tired of wasting my time with you."

I felt the tears begin to sting behind my eyes and I turned my back on him. "I'm going home."

I heard him grab his bag from the ground. "See ya!"

I glanced back to see Inuyasha striding, angrily, away from me. I could only stare after him in shock. Finally, I grabbed my bag, and started walking home. What I didn't see, was Koga crouched at the top of the hill, petting his dog. I also didn't see the smug grin on his face.