Disclaimer- Don't own it so you can stop sending fanmail now!
AN- This fic actually came from a dream I had! Strange huh? Sorry id the characters are a little OCC. It is AU anyway. Enjoy!
Gambling Dreams
Chapter One
Inuyasha grinned as he spotted Miroku's distressed face in the courtyard. Other people milled about at the beginning of lunch going to club meetings and such. Inuyasha excelled in all the classes he took at Shinju High. While others complained about the hard math and science courses, he just breezed thorough without a glance back. It was a gift he supposed one that was superbly useful. Miroku spotted Inuyasha and began walking to him. When he reached him, he has regained the smile on his face,
"Oy Inuyasha, aha, how's it going?"
Inuyasha wasn't fooled, "So how did you do on the math test?"
"Math test?" he stuffed his hands into his pants, "What test?"
"The test you just got back you moron."
"Oh." He looked sheepish for a moment and then sighed, "I got a seventy."
"HA!" Inuyasha stuck out a clawed hand, "That's twenty yen right there, pay up."
Miroku gave him a dejected look but paid up complaining that he was stealing his lunch money. He ignored him and stuffed the money into his pocket.
"Yah know, if you stop making bets with me, then you won't be going hungry every week." He pointed out dryly.
"Yah well, it's your evil influence you know." Miroku spotted a couple of blondes that were walking out into the courtyard and stared at them openly. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and stared up at the branches of the oak he was leaning on. It was fall and the leaves though full has changed to shades of orange, red and brown. But then a flicker of black caught his attention. He scanned the branches again but he couldn't find it again so he let it go. Must be a cat or something.
"YOU PERVERT!" and then the echoing sound of a slap could be heard making him wince. Sango stood next to Miroku a look of fuming rage on her face.
"Why Sango, I can't even greet you as one student to another?" he held a hand to his bruised cheek,
"One student of another really? I would hardly say so." She edged a bit away from Miroku but she stopped once she remembered what she came there for, "Hey, have you guys seen the new girl? I was suppose to show her around."
"Oh, what does she look like?" Miroku's attention was rapt. Sango gave him a look but continued,
"Black wavy hair down to her waist, blue eyes, umm, height about up to here." She placed a hand to her eyes, " Here name is Kagome."
"Oh yes, she was in my math class, aced the test too. I wonder if she might think we could study together…" Miroku trailed off and met Sango's glare with a grin.
Inuyasha's ears flickered. A new girl that aced a test on her first day? Hmm, she might become competition. But he's not particularly worried for he was practically unbeatable. The lunch bell rang and he went with Miroku to science. A group of girls past them and then giggled openly. Inuyasha ignored them but Miroku looked at him and raised an eyebrow,
"You need to tell me how you do that."
He shrugged and they both went into class. Professor Halkei taught his science class with a stern face and eyes that squinted behind his glasses. As the class bell rung the beginning of the period, he clapped his hands settling the class then proceeded to roll call.
"Eung?"
"Here." Came the reply.
"Gaiani?"
"Here."
"Higarashi?" he called and Inuyasha perked slightly. Time to catch the face of 'Miss Aced the first test on my first day'. He expected her to be a braided thick-glasses typical nerd. Maybe some braces and enormously big ears as well. But when he looked up, he didn't see her at all. Was she lost? Late? Maybe sick even?
"Hey, do you think she cut?" Rougai two seats up whispered to another student. The person in question shrugged and they went back to work. The professor then proceeded to lecture about the origin of species. Inuyasha quickly grew bored and began to doze. He can already hear Miroku's soft snoring. But Halkei didn't care as long as you did well on the tests.
A new student cut? Not the typical nerd after all. But it was highly unlikely that she would cut on a first day.
"Hah, I found you." A voice below her called and Kagome cracked one eye open to see the blurry figure of a girl. Student guide. Sango. She groaned,
"What time is it?" she sat up from her perch. She was currently on the biggest oak in the courtyard, and the most comfortable too. She stretched and yawned like a Persian cat without a care in the world.
"Its 3:00 right now. Seems like you slept through last period. 'Cough' cut."
"Sorry. I was up late last night." She yawned again and jumped down onto her feet. Lucky for her she wasn't wearing the school uniform but instead black cargo pants or her skirt would've flown up. She hadn't received it yet she explained and it was a liable reason. They walked together out of the school then into the streets,
"What were you doing last night?" Sango gazed at her sideways.
"I was just checking out the town, you know, the ups and downs."
"You went downtown?" she sounded slightly alarmed.
"Uh sorta. Why?"
"There are gangs down there Kagome and other things like drugs, dealers, and other things that you'll never find here." They came to a four way crossways.
"How about gambling?" she asked.
Sango nodded, "Especially gambling. There are groups that specialize in winning and cheating anyway just to cheat as well. Kind of sick how desperate they get just to win a game. Believe me, I've been at the heart of it all, not a friendly place."
"What were you doing in the heart of it all if I may so boldly ask?" Kagome grinned.
She grinned back, "A story for some other time maybe. I'll see you tomorrow."
They waved and parted ways, Sango west and herself east, to downtown.
"Souta I'm home!" Kagome Yelled kicking her shoes off and dropping her school satchel by the door. The apartment was small with loud neighbors downstairs and a crying baby to her right. There were only two rooms and a small living room connected to a dining table sized kitchen.
"Hey Kagome." A boy about eight poked his head out from one of the rooms, "How was your first day?"
"Aren't I suppose to ask you that?" She asked putting on an apron and started washing some rice for dinner.
"But I was home first therefore I get to ask and you answer." He pointed out and sat on a stool. Kagome shrugged and rinsed the rice,
"It was good, aced a test, took notes, gained a friend I think. You?"
"Same here ex the aced a test part. We haven't even started plants in science yet. Kind of behind from my old school." He paused and stared at Kagome, "How long this time Kagome?"
"Just until we get ourselves on our feet and pay off that debt to our mysterious benefactor that our mom refuses to give his name. After that, maybe we'll be free."
Souta looked at his feet, "I wish that she was here instead in Kyoritsu working. I miss her a lot."
Kagome stopped and dried her hand before resting it on Souta's shoulder, "Hey, I miss her too but don't worry, things will be better soon, you'll see." Souta's hopeful smile made her even more determined to make ends meet before they had to move again. Things would begin to look different really soon.
She decided to dress up as a boy since things could get nasty if they knew she was a girl. Black seemed to be the theme tonight along with Kagome's favorite black sweater. Kagome wasn't worried, she's been in gang fights before and a street mentor, Kai, taught her some Martial Arts before she moved. She was quite as she pulled open a secret panel from her desk and pulled out her money pouch. Within it was a thousand yen stashed. She took five hundred and put the rest back. She would be gambling big tonight to pay their debt fast so they could get out of this horrible neighborhood. It was not a place for her brother to grow up in.
She left by the escape ladder out her window and slide it shut behind her. Her sneakers made little noise and once her feet hit ground, she felt more confident about herself. She pushed up her hood and started down for the heart of the city. She passed by prostitutes beggars and others alike. She just had to find that one alley that she heard about from the neighbor next doors. He said there was a huge underground type club that had everything from dope to raw cash in hard rocks. She just had to find the entrance and some how get by. A drunken man screamed and sailed across her landing in a pile of garbage by a lamppost.
"No ID, then your not in. Come back when you get it!" a heavy guy yelled at the other. Seems like she found the place. She slowly inched closer to the alley mouth. The man was guarding a door to the building she was leaning on. To her it looked like a run down warehouse with boarded up windows and graffiti all over. But if she pressed her head to the brick wall, she could feel the vibration of loud music and screaming teens. Must be soundproof walls or something close to it. She waited until the next customers arrived before she made her move and lo and behold, god granted her patience for what looked like a youkai and two humans. She waited until they were talking and jokingly smacking the guard like they were old friends and then she threw a can to the end of the alley. All of their heads whipped around and she took this chance to slip in unsuspected. The place was packed with people. There were dice tables, card tables and such. There was a dancing floor and loud speakers that blared out pop music thundering in her guts. The place was alive. Kagome rubbed her hands together, time to find a good card table.
"Did you hear that Inuyasha?" Miroku asked as he looked into the darkness, "It may be a cat you know." Inuyasha heard the loud can crash into the wall then felt wind stir behind him. He looked back but found nothing. He shook himself. He was acting all paranoid for nothing. He really needed a drink bad,
"We'll see you inside Hachi." He waved at the guard and went in without looking back.
Miroku looked at Sango who shook her head, "Why do we even come? Its not like he's going to lose his title or something."
"Hey, we're also coming because we're his friends and friends support each other. Plus we have to watch his back" Miroku said in defense. Sango sighed,
"Alright lets go."
They entered the building at the top floor. There were stairs that spiraled underground where the games were harder and the stakes higher. They were only for veteran gamblers. They followed Inuyasha through the moving crowd of half naked humans freak dancing and youkai doing the same. Inuyasha went to his favorite table but found that his usual seat was taken. By a little boy nonetheless. He was about to demand his seat back when he saw that the boy was winning by a lot judging by his chips. He was also playing against some of the skilled regulars that came almost every night. He waited and watched. Gao, a man in his thirties visibly sweated and gritted him teeth together hard almost biting though his Cuban cigar. Another, Gantt a youkai with a reptilian face, droned his finally manicured claws onto the table with irritation. But the boy just calmly threw a hand full of red chips into the already large pile and gave a good-natured smile to the other players,
"Anyone else?" When no one answered he showed them his cards. Four aces and two pairs. They just watched stunned as he collected his winnings. But he didn't gloat like regular rookies Inuyasha noticed. He's one to watch out for. He placed the chips in a bucket and stood,
"Well I like to continue this lovely evening playing with you guys but its' a school night so I'll be off."
"What?! You won't even let us try and win back our money?" Gantt exclaimed narrowing his serpentine eyes.
She shrugged, "Sorry, school night. Maybe another time?"
Immediately he stood and knocked the table askew sending cards and chips flying. The dealer fell down and Gao shouted causing surrounding people to scream. In a blink of an eye Inuyasha had Gantt by the throat and up against a wall causing more screams. He struggled until he saw it useless and tried a different approach instead,
"Ah, Inu- Inuya-yasha..h-how nice to seeee y-ou." He gasped out.
"You know the rules Gantt, you never do that you hear?" he whispered it out and his fangs gleamed. Gantt nodded vigorously knowing well what Inuyasha was capable of as well as he could and then Inuyasha threw him down. There was a moment of pause before the crowds went back to partying and playing. He searched for the boy but it seemed he disappeared during the fight. And suddenly a group of girls surrounded him suffocating him purring praise and compliments. He gritted his teeth. Where was Sango or Miroku when he needed them?
Kagome ran all the way back to her apartment, past the man in the garbage, the prostitutes, and up the escape ladder. She didn't stop till she collapsed in bed panting heavily. That was a close one. Her hood almost fell of her face when the table overturned and the table itself nearly crushed her. Who knew youkai's were really that strong! She waited until her pounding heart began to beat normally and then pulled out her winnings. Before running out she managed to exchange her chips for cash. Kagome ran out without counting them. But right now she knew this was the most she had ever won in her life. This was good, if she won this well every night, then they would be gone by the end of the month. She hid the money in her drawer and then pulled out the last thing in her bag. It was an ID card that permitted her to go back. She snatched it when the table overturned. She placed that in the drawer too and went to bed. It was almost two in the morning so when she hit the pillow, she fell asleep almost immediately.
Dad would be proud.
AN- haha, okay so how was it seriously? I 'm thinking it needs some work. Give me soe opinions please! I don't really know where I should go with this. Well, maybe I do but suggestions are good! THANK YOU!