A/N: Hello, all. This one-shot was an idea I've had ever since I was working on my Secret Santa idea back in 2007. I've finally got the inspiration to write it. It will be more of a two-shot, considering it is planned to be rather long. Well, without further ado, I present to you, Unlucky Thirteen.
Disclaimer: I own nothing besides my surprisingly original and well-thought out idea.
Unlucky Thirteen
She valiantly tried to pay attention to what was before her, but the crowd screaming and cheering all around her would be distracting to even the most focused person on the slowly rotating earth. She sighed heavily for what seemed the umpteenth time since she had placed her rear on the cold, callous bleachers next to her best friend amidst the jacket clad teenagers and parents rooting for the football team.
She glanced back down at her math homework in her lap, worrying her small bottom lip with the top row of her white teeth. There was no way she would be able to finish it before the game was over, so she was forced to lug the heavy book home among the three others that laid in her large yellow backpack sitting beside her black boot covered feet.
Kagome placed her chin on her upturned palm, the glove providing a shred of warmth for the bottom part of her delicate face. Her browned eyes peered through thick eyelashes and the bangs of her midnight black hair as she followed the ants on the field chasing each other like children. She had never had an interest in football, and it surely wasn't about to start now, just because she was at the event instead of watching it on a television.
"Kagome, stand up! You'll be able to see better." Her friend wrapped her strong, albeit feminine hands around the aforementioned girl's arm, yanking her up to stand on the bench her bottom was just occupying. Kagome wretched her arm out of the brunette haired girl's grip and pouted, crossing her arms indignantly. "Sango, I don't need nor want to see this. It's quite boring." Kagome spoke, and her eyes followed her breath on the wind as it left her freezing body.
Sango rolled her brown eyes in response and followed the crowd with their cheering, her wide eyes following the movements of the players on the field. Oh, how she wished she could be anywhere else in the world but here. But she had promised Sango, since it was the championship game they were playing. Kagome still never understood the importance for winning a stupid game, but a promise was a promise.
The clock was ticking down rapidly, and the crowd all around her started to become more intense with their screaming and waving of the red and gold school colors, as if that would magically help the team score the goal...or was it touchdown...that they needed to win the game. The blaring yellow lights on the scoreboard read 1:45, 4th quarter. She nibbled at her lip as her eyes grazed the crowd's anxious and excited faces.
The Spiders and the Canines were tied, and apparently the Canines had the ball, according to Sango. Kagome couldn't even really tell which team was which all the way from up here. Kagome logically thought sitting up at the tippy top of the bleachers would be warmest, since heat rises. Of course that was a silly thought once she climbed the metal contraption, as she realized that if there was no heat in the atmosphere, it wouldn't be rising to heat her purplish face.
The clock ticked down until mere seconds, before the announcer's voice rang out above the crowd. "TOUCHDOWN CANINES. CANINES WIN THE ALLSTATE KYOTO CHAMPIONSHIP!" he all but screamed, and everyone on the bleachers started rushing down onto the field. Even Sango made a grab for Kagome's arm before Kagome sent her a look that said 'Touch me and you die.' Sango shook her head and smiled, choosing to walk down the almost empty bleachers.
Kagome followed behind, glad that that was over. January twenty-ninth proved to be harshly cold and the frozen and blue digits on her hands protested with each small movement they made. Even beneath the gloves they had long gone numb and it would be a pain to warm them up again. The pair made their way down the bleachers, and after taking one look at the field, decided against going to congratulate their team and headed for the car instead.
The grass crunched beneath their feet as they walked hurriedly towards the parking lot, half from the cold temperature, and half to beat the crowd that was sure to quickly create traffic leaving the high school any minute now. They all but hopped into the black mazda as Kagome started her engine, letting it run for a minute or two before cranking the heat on to warm their chilled flesh.
She pulled out of the circular parking lot just as the mob was heading towards them. The drive to Sango's was relatively quiet, the music quietly playing throughout the car, the heater blaring, and Sango's fingers sliding over the buttons on her cell phone. Every once in a while a small giggle would come from the girl texting, followed by more clicking.
Kagome had to quell the urge to roll her eyes at the girl in the passenger seat. She was obviously texting Miroku. Only her crush could pull the blood to Sango's face like that. She'd had a crush on him for years now, but never seemed to go after him. He was on the football team, and a notorious pervert. Kagome had her suspicions that Sango was just protecting herself, but from what she could tell, Miroku hadn't truly taken an interest in any other girl besides Sango. 'Only time will tell, I guess.'
Kagome pulled up in front of Sango's modest house, putting her car in park. Sango was still clicking away at her buttons, oblivious of the fact that she was in front of her own humble abode. Kagome cleared her throat to get her friend to look up, smiling when Sango's eyes shot up from the phone's screen to her surroundings.
"Oh, kami. We're here already?" Sango said, unbuckling her seat belt. She shoved her phone in her coat pocket before picking up her Jansport backpack and went to open the car door. She paused and whipped around to face Kagome, a smile plastered on her still blushing face.
"I almost forgot!" Sango exclaimed, pulling her phone back out of her pocket and clicking the buttons once again. "Miroku invited us to a party tonight to celebrate them winning the big game. Go with me, please Kagome? Pretty please?" she begged, her rosy lips forming a pout and her brown eyes widening to take on the appearance of a puppy dog.
"No. No no no no no no no." A football game? Fine. A party with drunk hormonal teenagers in lieu of her warm bed and a cup of tea? No way in hell. Kagome shook her head firmly.
"Oh PLEASE Kagome! Miroku wants me to go and I can't go without you, you know my parents! Please! If you love me you'll do this," Sango pleaded, folding her hands together in a prayer formation.
Kagome seemed to think for a second or two before responding. "Sango, if I go to this insufferable thing, you need to do me a favor." Kagome said, kicking herself internally for even half agreeing to go to this. She did know how much Sango liked Miroku, and she would suffer for a few hours if it meant her friend got to spend time with him outside of the four year dramatic play that was their high school career.
"Oh my, anything Kagome. I swear!" Sango sat up a grin spread across her entire face. Her eyes lit up with excitement as she mulled things over in her head, most likely what she'd be wearing, what would happen tonight, and things alike.
There would be only one thing to keep her from crawling into bed and snuggling up with a good book. Of course, seeing her friend happy would be a pleasure in itself, but not enough to keep her at a party for hours on end. There would only be one thing she needed in order to maintain her sanity tonight.
"You don't leave my side, Sango. For anything. That includes Miroku." Kagome smirked as Sango laughed and wrapped her arms around her best friend. "Of course!" came a mumbled reply from Kagome shoulder before Sango pulled away.
"His house isn't far from mine, so just come here by ten tonight and we'll walk. Tell your mom you're sleeping here." Sango said as a parting as she grabbed her backpack once again and opened the car door, stepping out into the frigid cold. That would be one freezing walk.
Kagome just waved and put her car into drive after the door was closed, then checked her mirrors. She may not obey the speed limit very often, but she was still a relatively responsible driver. She made her way towards the shrine she's called home for seventeen years.
They wrapped their coats closer towards their bodies, reveling in the little warmth they provided. The night so far had proved, if anything, that with darkness came near freezing temperatures. They briskly walked towards the house, puffs of visible breaths flying out before them. Sango was near receiving frostbite in that dress she chose to wear, instead of the sensible skinny jeans Kagome threw on.
Sango chose a dark purple strapless dress that hugged her curves but was still left at a modest enough length. Her hair was up in a ponytail like always, although the ends were curled. Why she chose to wear heels was beyond Kagome. The girl was tall enough, why would she want to be any taller?
Kagome chose the safe route. The comfortable route. 'The boring route.' as Sango had so beautifully complimented her appearance when she arrived at her house. Kagome hadn't seen anything wrong with her outfit. Why get so dressed up when you'd just wind up having beer spilled on you and sweaty bodies rubbed against yours.
Her skinny jeans did cling to her form, but didn't cut off blood circulation like some of the other slut's...girl's did at her school. Her form fitting t-shirt with Tokyo U printed over her chest was blood red. She would be attending there come fall, and she had already fell in love with the shirt. Her winter boots were pulled over the ends of her jeans, shortening her already relatively short legs.
'Your hair doesn't even looked brushed' Sango had also complimented when Kagome had arrived. After her shower she had just ran her hands through it and let it dry. It was naturally a disaster so she never bothered to even try to do anything with it. It hung down her back, dusting the underside of her shoulder blades. Her leather jacket wrapped around her form and she hugged it closer as a gust of wind whipped the two girls hair around.
They saw the house in their view, and both sighed in relief. People were actually standing outside in nothing but the outfits they had picked to wear to the party.
"They must already be drunk." Kagome said dryly, assuming that none of the teenagers were immune to cold weather.
"Most of them are demons, Kagome. It's probably too hot for them inside. Cold doesn't effect them as much." Sango retorted, her eyes scanning the bodies outside as they got closer to the house. Kagome just rolled her eyes. "They're probably just showing off."
"FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT." A chant started from the crowd, and the girls eyes widened. So that's why they were outside. Some belligerent testosterone filled guys were fighting over something meaningless that they wouldn't even remember in the morning. A circle seemed to form around the pair-or group- fighting, and the two girls quickened their steps.
Sango nudged her way through the crowd to see who was at each other's throats and gasped. Miroku had a hand wrapped around his neck and a fist currently connecting with the other man's face. Sango couldn't get a good look at the man fighting Miroku, but she wouldn't have really noticed either way. She couldn't peel her eyes away from the black haired boy on the ground, struggling to overcome the other man.
"Kagome! Kagome please, come here!" Sango yelled over the crowd, hoping her friend had heard her. Sango nudged her way through the rest of the crowd and ran towards the men scuffling on the ground, hoping to pull the guy who was choking Miroku half to death. Kagome made her way through after her friend, standing at the front of the circle. Sango was on the unknown boy's back, while Miroku was fighting for breath.
The man threw Sango off his back and she flopped onto hers, an "oof" escaping her as her breath rushed out of her lungs. Kagome ran over to help her friend up and saw the terrified look in her eyes. Of course she didn't want Miroku to get hurt. Unless it was by her, of course.
Kagome sighed and walked over towards the men fighting, crouching down a safe distance away to be able to see the other guy's face. She gasped when she realized he was a demon. There was no way Miroku would be conscious much longer with the demon's strong hands wrapped around his fragile neck.
No one seemed to make any motion to pull the demon off, and Kagome acted before really thinking properly. She rushed to the pair, much in the same fashion Sango had. However, Kagome had a bit more luck. She landed on his back, and as soon as her form touched his, he yelped and flung her off, standing over the two fallen girls.
Sango looked almost petrified. She would usually know how to handle this situation, but Kagome supposed that because of her worry for Miroku, her brain hadn't really been working properly. A girl could only process so much through her brain at a time, karate expert or not. The demon stalked towards them, and Kagome was grateful when she saw Miroku stand up and hunch over to catch his breath. At least he hadn't died.
"You, girl. Do you have any idea who I am? How dare you," he spoke low, so only the two girls and a few surrounding demons with heightened senses could hear him. The crowd started to separate behind them and a boy stepped through it, heading towards the demon hovering over the girls.
Kagome stood up, the top of her head barely reaching the underside of his pecs. She crossed her arms and glared up at him. "You almost killed him, you idiot! Just because you're a demon doesn't mean you get to go strangling humans all the time. You deserved it, I don't care who you are."
He barred his fangs at her but stopped short when the boy who was walking towards them wrapped his large hand around the demons forearm. "Bankotsu. Shut up and get out. You weren't invited. And you surely aren't allowed to stay now that you attempted to murder the host," the boy said, barring his own fangs in a challenge.
The demon wretched his arm out of the other one's grasp and shot a glare back at Kagome before stalking off towards the street. Everyone began to dissipate back into the house or where ever it was they were headed before the fight broke out. Kagome turned to help Sango up, received a quick 'thanks' and watched her run to Miroku.
Kagome turned back to the boy who forced the demon to leave and sighed.
"Thanks, Inuyasha," she stated simply, brushing dirt off of her leather jacket. She looked back up at him and gave him a small smile of gratitude. He still barred his fangs, an angered look on his face.
"Do you know how hurt you could have just gotten? You don't just go around purifying demons just 'cause you can, Kagome." he bit out at her, a small growl slipping from his throat. She rolled her eyes and tried to walk around him to where Sango was...gone?
She cocked her eyebrow as she scanned the yard for her friend or Miroku, but both were missing. 'I specifically told her not to leave me alone, ESPECIALLY to go run off with Miroku!' she fumed, crossing her arms over her chest again. Now that the adrenaline had seeped from her body, the bitter cold was nudging its way back into her clothing to brush across her porcelain skin.
"Miroku was in trouble. I saved him. I barely gave him a shock, he overreacted," she brushed him off as she started to head towards the front door of the house. Inuyasha followed closely behind her, his anger melting off of him.
"Just don't do it again. I don't wanna have to come running to your rescue again," he huffed and stormed off into the house, his silver hair flying freely behind him. She watched as his dog ears twitched atop his head, probably listening for any signs of his best friend.
Knowing Sango and Miroku, they'd be making out in Miroku's bedroom by now and then prepare how they would react if anyone accused them of doing so. Sango had done that a few times, and assumed Kagome wouldn't notice her lying through her teeth. She still had no idea Kagome knew.
It was funny, really.
She sighed as she took in her surroundings. The house wasn't too big, but not too small either. The staircase was in front of the door where she stood, to the left was the living room and to the right the kitchen. People were scattered everywhere, red plastic cups practically glued to their hands.
She made her way through the swaying crowd and into the kitchen, grabbing one of the unused cups on the island counter top. Eyes searching the room for the keg, she spotted it. She stopped short when she noticed who was in front of it.
Kouga.
Her ex-boyfriend, Kouga. The one who tried to bed her repeatedly before she was ready and ended up with something close to a vasectomy. She huffed and made her way over, keeping her head bent towards the tiling on the floor. She pushed her way through and quickly filled her cup before turning back around and going anywhere that Kouga wasn't. He wasn't a bad guy, really. He just couldn't take a hint.
Even if the hint was her foot ramming into his genitals.
After that she still had to sit him down and tell him their relationship was over. She wasn't ready to lose her virginity and because he couldn't accept that, he was out of the picture. He still tried to get in her good graces, though.
Like right now.
"Kagome!" He called, holding up the hand that wasn't holding a drink and waved to her. Her right eye twitched a bit but she remained calm. She chugged the entire beer that was in her cup and made her way over to him, filling the red plastic up again.
"Hi, Kouga," she offered him a small smile behind the lip of her drink before taking another sip to calm her already frazzled nerves. Sango ditched her even though she said she wouldn't, she almost got murdered by a demon, Inuyasha gave her an attitude, and now Kouga. 'I should really write a book on my life one day.' she thought sarcastically to herself as the wolf demon just smiled down at her.
"Let's dance," was all he stated before grabbing her free hand and dragging her towards the back of the house, where the music grew louder with each step. She tried pulling her hand away and even sent a few pleading looks to familiar faces in the crowd, but no one would help. They were all too drunk by now to probably even realize who she was.
They reached the room where everyone danced and Kouga pulled her close, sniffing her hair. "You smell like another demon, Kagome," he said offhandedly, as if not that interested about it. He was. Kouga was the jealous type, even when they weren't dating.
"Nothing important. I need to use the bathroom. Excuse me," she squirmed out of the hold he had on her waist and wandered towards the stairs, hoping to find the bathroom up there. She didn't actually need to go, but she needed a few minutes alone to compose herself. Then she'd look for Sango. Kagome had given that girl enough time to 'make sure Miroku was okay.'
She opened a door to her left and saw an empty bedroom. Closing it, she wandered over to her right and opened that door. Before she could even look inside, she was already being grabbed into the room and the door shut behind her. Her pulse quickened as her beer sloshed around in her cup, her nerves causing her to shake a bit. She hadn't realized she'd closed her eyes until at least a minute after she was pulled, and peeled them open.
"Oh my, you scared me half to death! You can use words you know!" she screamed, smacking the hanyou on his muscled chest. She wandered over to the bed and plopped down, sighing contentedly as she sipped at her beer again. She was feeling the effects of the alcohol already.
Hey, she was a lightweight.
"Relax, wench. I didn't want anyone seeing you in the hall or people might start to talk. I don't need rumors going around that I fucked the Higurashi girl," he grumbled and laid down on the bed, forearm covering his eyes.
She peered at him from under her bangs, the edge of the cup tickling her lip as she held it there. "Why are you in here?"
"The noise is giving me a damn headache. I hate more than half the people here, and I let my friend get beat to a pulp while I did keg stands inside," he admitted, sitting up and pinching the bridge of his nose. He opened his eyes and it was as if her mother had came into her room and opened the blinds, letting the sun blind her for a few moments.
The piercing gold color stared directly into her warm brown ones for a moment longer then she had felt comfortable with.
"Why are you up here? Shouldn't you be downstairs with Kouga?" He twitched his nose, and she rolled her eyes. Those two never really seemed to like each other. Although Inuyasha never seemed to really like Kagome, either.
But what did she know.
"I'm not dating Kouga. I came up here to get away from him, actually." She pursed her lips and let her eyes glide over the room. She fiddled with her beer, the foamy substance threatening to spill from the cup if it had been agitated just another centimeter.
"Yeah, and you brought his stench up here with you. Thanks," he muttered sarcastically, reaching for his beer and chugging it in two gulps. Watching him drink the beer, she took two gulps of her own, to match his. He smirked at this and grabbed the full beer sitting next to the now empty one he had placed down moments ago.
He cracked the top of the bottle, and in an instant it was empty. He had chugged it all within a few seconds. Kagome's eyes widened a bit, noticing the challenge that lay in his eyes. She gulped once, wet her parted lips, and placed them on either side of the edge of the cup. Good thing it was only half full, or she'd have a hard time competing.
She slowly let the liquid slide down her throat, breathing out of her nose to make sure she didn't pass out from lack of oxygen. It felt like an eternity before she threw her head back with the cup still attached to her mouth, letting the last few drops of the beer run into her mouth and finally into her belly.
She placed her head right side up again, and removed the cup from her red face. She smiled up at him and winked, internally happy she could at least half way compete with him. She received a laugh.
They had always had a weird relationship. He'd pick on her, call her names, and softly abuse her some days. Then other days he would ignore her existence like she was the dried up gum on the bottom of his large shoe. After years of confusion, she decided to just ignore him everyday and wait for him to decide how he would treat her that day.
Today seemed to be the 'picking on her' kind of day.
Kagome stood up and wobbled a bit. Okay, maybe she shouldn't have chugged that beer. Inuyasha was a hanyou, he could handle it. She, however, could not. Inuyasha grabbed her arm to steady her. The concern that flashed through his eyes was gone in an instant, and was replaced by the playful mirth that adorned his eyes minutes ago.
"Come on, drunky. Let's go find Sango and dickhead so we can take you guys home." He still held her arm as he led her down the hallway to what she guessed was Miroku's room. She repeatedly tripped over her own feet, and each time Inuyasha gripped her just a bit harder.
By the time they made it to Miroku's door, Inuyasha was gripping her by the waist to steady her against his own body. She would have blushed had the beer not hit her so hard. She rarely drank and this was a new feeling for her, and she wasn't quite sure if she liked it or not.
Well, if the room would stop moving, she might enjoy it more.
A sudden lurching in her stomach made her press a hand to her mouth, trying to keep in anything that was threatening to come out. Inuyasha looked down at her and saw her stance and immediately became alert. The bedroom door in front of them opened, and before Kagome knew it, the person standing at the door had her WacDonalds all over his or her shoes.
Muffled sounds were coming from all around her, but she couldn't quite make them out anymore. All she could concentrate on was how her vision was becoming more blurry. The world seemed to nearly jump under her feet, and her legs weakened. If Inuyasha hadn't still been holding her, she would have hit the ground instead of just slump into his side.
The last thing she remembered from that night was an oddly distinct voice groaning.
"God damnit, Kagome! First I get beat up and now you puke on my favorite shoes!"
Kagome brushed her hair out of her face before grabbing her math book from her tan locker and slamming it shut. She clicked the lock closed and walked a few lockers down to Sango's, waiting for the girl to grab her books so they could walk to class.
Ever since the party that past Friday, everyone would steal glances at her, some more obvious than others. Sniggers could be heard sometimes, but she was determined not to be bothered by it. Of course the whole school had known that she'd thrown up all over Miroku's shoes. Why would it be kept their little secret? It was high school, after all. They needed something to talk about.
She assumed Miroku had passed it around to distract people from the fact that he had had his ass kicked that night as well. The girls made their way through the crowded halls as the bell for first period rung again, just as they made their way into the math class.
The class was boring, as usual, and Kagome had barely managed to pay attention. She hadn't seen Miroku or Inuyasha since that night, and half of her was still hoping she would be so fortunate as to not see them all day. The memories, what little ones she had, flooded through her mind as a calculus problem was written up on the board.
She had actually had a relatively civil conversation with Inuyasha. Alone. At a party. Drunk. And she had survived? He seemed not to mind her as much as he usually did at school.
'I puked on Miroku's shoes. I can only imagine how pathetic I looked.'
The day dragged on as any usual high school day would. Both boys she'd humiliated herself in front of had been absent in the class the group of four shared together. They'd probably skipped and did what cool kids did when they skipped. Like get high or rob a convenience store or something like that.
The end of the day bell screeched through the halls as the doors to classrooms opened and students poured out of them in a scurry. Kagome and Sango made their way to their lockers to load up what books they'd been assigned to take home for homework.
Kagome spun her combination in the lock and yanked it open, her eyes widening at what lay inside it. A single flower lay through the hooks where her coat was hung, a small white piece of paper tied to it. Her hand reached out to grab it but hesitated. What was a flower doing in her locker? Surely it had been meant for someone else. But how did it even get in here?
Kagome was the unluckiest person alive when it had come to love. Her only boyfriend wanted sex and just that, and any other man interested in her was more boring than watching paint dry.
She grasped her hand around the stem of the purple flower, and smiled to herself. A tulip. She used her other hand to open the folded paper tied to the green stem. Her eyes skimmed over it, looking for a name. There was none.
Kagome.
Valentine's Day approaches. Don't try figuring out who I am before then, because you won't. Don't let your stubbornness ruin this surprise. I need you to do something for me, beautiful. Each day leading up to Valentine's Day, there will be a solitary flower in your locker. Find out the name of the flower, and write down the first letter. For example, this flower is a tulip. So write down T. Each day, write the letters down. On the thirteenth day, you will have a clue spelled out where to meet me on the following day. Don't expect all of them to be as easy as this one, however.
I can't wait to see you again. Good luck.
Love,
Your Secret Admirer
Kagome blinked a few times, her brain mulling over the words written on the paper. Her eyebrow rose beneath her bangs in confusion. She looked around the hall to see if anyone was watching her from afar or something like that, but no one seemed to pay attention to her.
Thank god.
Her face turned red. From the note, the aspect of having an actual secret admirer, and her embarrassment rising again from the other night. At least everyone seemed to get it out of their systems throughout the day.
She brought the delicate purple flower to her nose and gave it a sniff. She smiled to herself as she closed the locker, books long forgotten. She wandered to Sango's locker, a goofy smile plastered on her face. Sango looked up with her books in her hand, but fumbled a bit when she saw the goofy look on Kagome's face.
Her eyes traveled to the flower laying in the girls hands. "Kagome, what is that?"
"A tulip," she answered simply.
"I know that. I mean, where did you get it? Who is it from?"
"My locker, and I don't know. It's from a secret admirer."
"It's only February 1st. Why are you getting things now?" Kagome held out the slip of paper for Sango to read herself. The taller girl's eyes widened as she read through Kagome's instructions.
"Oh that's so romantic!"
"I suppose."
"Any idea who it is?" They headed towards the parking lot to Kagome's car. The girl still clutched the flower to her chest, smile still plastered on her pretty face.
"No. It wouldn't be Kouga, he's not creative enough to come up with something like this. No one else has shown any interest in me, so I haven't a clue." She unlocked her car for her and Sango and they slid in. The heat kicked on after the engine revved, and Kagome gave Sango the flower for her to hold as she drove.
She was back at the shrine within the hour, flower still clutched to her chest as if she were afraid the wind might blow and rip it away from her. She opened the front door and called inside. "Mama?" She took her shoes off in the foyer to wait for a response.
"In the kitchen, Kagome!" A polite yell came from the direction of the kitchen as Kagome made her way there. She slowly sat down on a stool in front of the island counter and placed the flower on the counter. Her mother turned to her with a cup of tea in her hands and eyes landed on the purple tulip.
"Oh, Kagome. For me? You shouldn't have, dear!" Her mother smiled gently and went to reach for the flower. Kagome's hand grasped it again and held it tight, an embarrassed blush creeping along her face. Her mother's raised eyebrow forced Kagome to draw in a breath and grabbed the slip of paper from her pocket and slid it across the marble top to her mother.
She waited patiently for her mother to read it before she heard a small gasp. "Oh honey, this is the most romantic thing I've ever seen!" Her mother beamed, looking almost as excited as Kagome had. Kagome returned her smile as her mother walked around the island to embrace her daughter.
"I know, mama! Now I have something to look forward to everyday at school."
"Kagome, you should always have something to look forward to. Your studies are important." Her mother's stern tone caused Kagome to become a bit disheartened. "But, a little romantic gesture might make it easier to get up in the morning," her mother continued before walking to the stove to pour her daughter a cup of green tea.
"Well, I can't wait to see where you're supposed to meet him." Her mother placed the cup of green tea in front of her daughter and took the seat across from her, sipping at her own warmed beverage. Kagome smiled and blushed again slightly before taking a sip of her own.
"I can't either."
"Keh, shut it Houshi." His silver hair was tied back sloppily as he sparred with his friend. Sweat glistened down his half naked body as he blocked blows from the staff Miroku was holding. His tanned skin stretched over his muscles as they moved his limbs to protect himself.
"I'm just saying-ugh-Inuyasha, what happens when she finds out it's you?" Miroku, red in the face, seemed to be having more trouble than his partner with the sparring. Also shirtless, his blue eyes still shimmered with a teasing look as he attempted another blow.
Inuyasha took the wooden stick he was blocking some of the hits with and chucked it unceremoniously at Miroku before crossing his arms, signaling the fight was over. "I'll deal with it when it fuckin' gets there, pervert."
The two walked over to where their water bottles and towels were dumped and took greedy chugs, hydrating their bodies. The gym was small and quaint, and no one besides them ever used it. It was nice having a personal gym in your home. Or, in Miroku's case, having a best friend that had one.
"You aren't exactly nice to her, ya know."
"Well then it'll be an even bigger surprise," Inuyasha replied hotly, taking his towel and wiping the sweat from his face. His bangs were plastered to his forehead, sweat threatening to drip into his eyes at any moment. "I'm taking a shower. You can use the guest bedroom's bath." He walked away, hair clumped to his still sweat-clad back.
"Just try being nicer, Yash! It won't kill you!" Miroku called after him, grabbing his towel and walking out after him.
"I do what I want, Miroku!" Followed by a door slamming. Miroku sighed and headed towards one of the guest rooms with a bathroom. If only his friend was nicer. If only his friend was aware of what he was asking of her. If only...If only this bathroom had unscented soap in it! God, now he was going to smell like cherry blossoms.
Oh well. Maybe the chicks would dig it.
"So how many flowers have you gotten now, Kagome?" Sango questioned as she paused outside the girl's locker, waiting for her friend to grab the flower she received earlier that morning and her school books.
"This makes five." It was an orchid, her second favorite flower. She whipped out a pen and the folded piece of paper from her locker and placed the paper against the cool steel of her locker door. She scribbled an 'O' on it, turning to Sango.
"So that makes T-H-E G-O," she stated, slipping the paper into her back pocket and slinging her backpack over her shoulder. She had her head turned towards Sango, chatting aimlessly when she collided with a wall. She fell back unceremoniously on her butt.
"Sorry, Kagome," the 'wall' reached down and plucked her up off the ground. She looked up at him and narrowed her eyes at him. She picked up the almost crushed flower and her backpack and made an effort to walk around him. The hand that had just grabbed her forearm had stopped her from proceeding.
"Didn't you hear me, wen- uh...Kagome? I apologized for bumping in to you," he said again, his masculine hand never leaving her arm. She sighed and turned to face him, annoyance evident on her features.
"Thank you, Inuyasha. Now if you don't mind..." she trailed off, her eyes looking down at his hand. He ripped it away from her as if she had just burned him and crossed his arms. A mumbled "feh" was all that came from his mouth until his eyes narrowed as well as he sniffed the air.
"Kagome! Are you alright!" the new arrival yelled, his voice carrying through the hall in a loud echo. Many people had stopped to stare at the small group by now and were watching intently. Kouga had grabbed Kagome's hands in his, working around the flower in her grasp.
His cobalt blue eyes pierced hers before running them over her body to check for injuries. Sure that she wasn't hurt, he looked at the flower in her hands. "Who gave you that?" he pulled his upper lip back in a snarl, jealousy radiating off of him.
She yanked her hands from his, careful not to damage the flower further, and mumbled a "none of your business" before attempting to walk away. She heard a growl and turned back towards Kouga to see that he wasn't the one the sound was coming from. Turning back to face Inuyasha, she saw his fangs bared and a feral look in his eye, directed at Kouga.
"Inuyasha, what are you doing?" Miroku stepped in, trying to calm his hanyou friend down. The hand he had laid on his arm had done nothing to soothe the irate man. Kagome peered curiously at the silent battle going on between the two demons.
"Inuyasha, I'm fine. Kouga, I'm fine. Now stop acting like jealous children and go away," she stated before turning around and walking through the front doors of the school, Sango closely behind. The two demons stood there for a moment longer before Inuyasha finally relaxed.
"You're not allowed to touch her anymore, wolf."
"And you are, mutt?" Kouga retaliated, his arms crossed against his muscled chest. His eyes caught something on the ground and bent to pick it up before returning his stare to the half-demon. The white paper was folded, and taking his eyes off of Inuyasha, he unfolded it.
'THE GO-'
'What the hell does that mean? It must have been when mutt face knocked Kagome over. Maybe it had something to do with the flower she had?' Kouga seemed to completely forget his staring contest with the silver haired adonis in front of him as he held the white paper in his clawed hands.
Kouga marched away, the fight forgotten. Inuyasha stared after him, his lip pulled back in obvious distaste. After Kouga had walked through the front doors, Miroku turned back to his friend. Inuyasha had a slight pink tint to his face after realizing what a show he had put on.
"I'm surprised, my friend. I said try to be nicer to Kagome, not act like a jealous buffoon." Miroku's amusement was evident in his voice and his warm eyes. Inuyasha just huffed and stormed out of the school, making his way to his Escalade.
"Just open the damn locker, before I beat your face in!" His long ponytail swayed behind him as he moved his face closer to the janitor's. The balding man looked incredibly uncomfortable as angry blue eyes inched closer and closer to his face. The janitor gave in and grabbed the ring of keys before inching around the demon and towards the door.
236. That was Kagome's locker. The janitor clicked open the pad lock with the key and stepped back as Kouga rummaged through it. The demon was determined to find any clues as to who the idiot was that was giving Kagome that flower.
He almost gave up when he looked at the inside of her locker door and saw a paper taped up to it. He ripped it off as his eyes skimmed over it. 'Secret admirer, huh? We'll see about that.' He slammed the locker shut and marched off, going to his car.
"Now I have to keep an eye on where the hell she has to meet this asshole. I won't let anyone take her away from me," he made a promise to himself as he climbed into his jeep and sped off.
She sighed as her hand rested on her upturned palm, brown eyes scanning the room she was in. The library was always her place of sanctuary, she loved the smell of the old books and the sounds of nothing but hushed whispers and turning pages.
She looked back down at her romance novel but it couldn't hold her attention. Something about a miko and a half-demon searching the Sengoku Jidai for sacred jewel shards. She laughed to herself at the fiction book on the table before her as her eyes rose to the room again. Her mind had been drifting off a lot lately, thinking of almost nothing but who her secret admirer could be.
She had received seven flowers, yesterday being the seventh. She must have lost the paper she had in her pocket, but thankfully she remembered what letters had been there. THE GOSH. What the hell did that mean?
The Gosh darn it? The Gosh fuck me?
She chuckled to herself at the last one. No one would be that crude, right? Plus, that wasn't exactly a place to meet someone. Unless it was the name of a seedy motel room in the downtown area.
Too bad today was Saturday, or she'd have the next letter to help her guess. She never thought she would ever come to dread a weekend before. 'There's always a first for everything,' she silently mused to herself, her eyes dropping back down to the book before her. She began reading again, and just when she felt herself getting caught up in the silly fiction book, a chair scraping against the floor called her attention away from the pages.
Her eyes opened in shock as Inuyasha sat down in front of her, placing his book on the table and flipping it open. She stared for what felt like forever before his eyes finally raised up to meet her confused ones. His eyebrow shot up and his signature smirk painted itself on his face, giving him the air of over confidence.
"Can I help you?" she sat back in the old wooden chair and crossed her arms, eyebrow raising to match his. He just shook his head and his smirk broadened, eyes returning to his book. She huffed quietly, annoyed that her recent reading had been interrupted by a jackass.
There was no way she would be able to concentrate with the handsome boy sitting across from her. With determination, she stood up and grabbed her book, eyes scanning for another empty table. There were none. It was either sit with Inuyasha, or sit with a stranger.
She sat back down.
She almost missed the smirk reappear on his face. Almost.
"What?" Her tone told him she was not in the mood for any of his antics, so he appeased her. He sat back much in the fashion that she had, arms crossed over his broad chest. "Can't a guy read without having ulterior motives?"
She rolled her chocolate eyes at him and opened her book to where she left off, now intent on ignoring him. She already had to see his face five days a week, and now she was forced to see him on a Saturday as well?
Not like she minded, though. He was rather handsome.
He wasn't a jerk ALL the time, either...
But the good outweighed the bad, which is why Kagome never did anything about her crush on Inuyasha. He was out to get laid and she wouldn't be another notch in his bed post. However, if he kept looking at her like that, she might reconsider.
She couldn't take his eyes boring into the top of her head any longer. With a drawn out sigh, she closed her book and looked up at him. He smiled victoriously and closed the book he had never even started reading and folded his hands on the table.
"What are you doing here? I didn't know you could read," she threw out at him, eyes challenging. He laughed quietly, something she had seen him do too many times. Whether it was throwing her into a can of garbage, dumping spaghetti on her, or dumping water down her shirt, he always seemed to laugh.
He wasn't that creative.
This laugh seemed different, though. More genuine. She wouldn't know, though. She was imagining things.
"I come here to pretend to read and pick up smart chicks just itching to see what I've got," his voice spoke a bit too loud for a library and people sent them curious and agitated stares. She blushed and looked away.
"Keep your voice down, you ingrate. This is a library, not your bedroom."
"Believe me, Kagome. Voices get much louder than this in my bedroom," he shot right back, smirking at the blush that resonated on her face. God, what was with this guy? One second he had her angered beyond all belief, and the next he had butterflies pooling in the pit of her stomach.
"Disgusting," she all but yelled as she pretended to choke back bile that had risen in her throat. A collective "shhhh" came from around her and she sunk lower in her chair to hide her face. Inuyasha laughed again, earning another round of "shhh" sounds.
Kagome stood up and left the book on the table, grabbing her bag off of the floor. Inuyasha followed, shrugging his jacket on. They walked in silence towards the front doors, both trying to think of something to say.
It was a rare moment when they weren't at each other's throats or ignoring each other, so it was awkward to say the least. He held the door open for her as cold air gushed through, and Kagome tightened her jacket around her. She turned to face him once he stepped outside the building, waiting for him to say something.
"Do you wanna go get some coffee or something? I'm bored." She looked up at him with surprised eyes, and couldn't decide if his cheeks were red because of the harsh winter or his embarrassment.
The wind. Inuyasha never blushed.
"You're not going to poison it, are you?" she asked with a playful hint to her voice, already walking towards the coffee shop a few blocks down. He laughed that laugh again, and she had to keep her mind on the hobo sitting off to the right to stop the blush from returning to her face.
They walked in a comfortable silence before entering the coffee shop. Drinks ordered, time passed, door opened again. They had spent the better part of the day aimlessly talking, with the clever insult thrown in here and there.
Kagome stood at her car, facing Inuyasha. He fidgeted with his keys and mumbled something, but she didn't catch what he had said. "I'm sorry?" she asked, leaning in a bit closer so she could hear him over the sounds of the neighborhood.
"I said this wasn't so bad." He looked away immediately, face going red again. She decided not to question it, her heart thudding in her chest so hard she swore to herself he could hear it. She opened her door and turned back around, sending him a sweet smile, the first genuine one she had ever sent him.
"See ya on Monday." She took his grunt as a good enough response before climbing into the car and starting it. She couldn't wait to get home and call Sango. That girl would know what to do.
"Smell this." Kouga shoved the paper in Ginta's face impatiently. He watched as the fellow wolf demon took a sniff before handing it back to Kouga. "It smells like Inuyasha." Ginta watched as the blue eyed wolf demon began to growl.
"I knew it. I can't believe I didn't smell it sooner. That mutt is after my Kagome." He punched the wall closest to him, a hole now where his fist was.
"What are you gonna do about it then?' Ginta slowly backed away before he became the receiving end of Kouga's anger. Kouga looked at him, and with an evil glint in his eye, he spoke.
"Stop him."
Part one done! Finally. I've been working on this for about a month now. This will be a two-shot, fyi. Review and let me know what you think please!
-Caitlin