Hey everyone! This was my first story ever, and it was supposed to be a oneshot, but I thought of a plot. It's gonna take a few chaps to get to it, but it'll be good. :) Ok, well, Inu doesn't belong to me. Sigh.
Youpai quickly exits the classroom and runs toward the entrance to the school. I have to catch... As she rounds the corner, Youpai sees her. "Kagome!"
Kagome turns. Youpai? "Yes?" she says. The young miko waits patiently as her schoolmate jogs up to her, the girl's long ponytail swinging behind her, her dark blue eyes determined.
Panting slightly, Youpai says, "Kagome, I was wondering if you needed any help."
"What do you mean?" Kagome asks. She tries to keep the nervousness out of her voice. She had a feeling that she wasn't going to like what the girl had to say.
Giving the young miko a stern look, Youpai says, "You know what I mean. Teacher says you've been having trouble in...well, everything--because you've been out of school so much."
Blushing, Kagome falters, "I'm doing ok..."
Youpai's voice gains more force as she places her hands on her hips. "Kagome. You're falling farther and farther behind. Aren't Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka helping you to study?"
"Um, well, they let me borrow their notes. And Hojo, too, sometimes... But they have other stuff going on and, uh, since I'm sick at home so much..." Kagome trails off. She hopes Youpai won't press her for details. So far, none of her friends had found it odd that Kagome was sick so much, which was fortunate. But her luck had just run out.
Something's strange here...Youpai tells herself, giving Kagome a slightly confused look. Shrugging off the feeling, she says, "Well, all the teachers have asked me to help you, since I'm the top student in the class now that you've been out so much." Youpai puts her hand up when Kagome tries to protest. "And no point arguing. Nobody thinks it's fair to you that school is so rough simply because you're home most days and nobody has been explaining the material to you. So, since I'm doing well in all our subjects, I've been asked to, well, tutor you 3 days a week."
Kagome gives Youpai a horrified look before quickly covering it with a smile. The girl hesitates a few seconds before she agrees. "Okay--I guess the extra studying would help a lot with getting me caught up. Do you want to start tonight?" Kagome asks, trying to keep her voice calm.
"Yeah, that's sounds good to me. I'll see you after dinner--about 7 or so?" Youpai replies. What was that look she gave me?
"That's fine--see you then, Youpai. Thanks!" Kagome waves as she walks away.
"I'd better go figure out some kind of system...flashcards maybe..." Youpai continues mumbling to herself as she walks back to class.
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Walking with her head down, Kagome is watching her shoes hit the sidewalk when a pair of bare feet and red hakamas suddenly come into view. She sighs before looking up. "Hello, Inuyasha."
"Are you ready to go yet?" Inuyasha asks rather rudely.
Kagome doesn't know whether to be annoyed or pleased that he came to meet her instead of waiting at home, so she settles for sticking her tongue out at him before replying. "I can't yet. I'm having a...tutoring...session tonight, which brings up a much bigger problem."
Annoyed and slightly confused, Inuyasha growls and fixes the baseball cap that is slipping over his eyes before asking, "What's the problem and what's this tu-tor-ing? Can't you just blow it off?"
Kagome sighs again as they begin walking. "Tutoring is...it means that someone who knows something helps another person to understand it, usually with schoolwork. Tonight a girl from school is coming to help me, because I keep getting farther and farther behind, what with going back and forth to the Feudal Era all the time."
Inuyasha grunts. "Feh. What's so important about school anyway?"
Kagome rolls her eyes and, with an annoyed look on her face, says, "I've told you before, Inuyasha. People in this time don't have to do what their parents did. They can work at any job they're willing to put in the time, effort, and in a lot of cases, many more years of school than what I have now. Some jobs you can't even get without a high school diploma. So unless you're going to take care of me in the future, I have to keep up with school!" the miko ends vehemently.
Inuyasha blushes, looking flabbergasted, and mumbles something under his breath before looking at his feet.
"What?!" Kagome asks, rather loudly.
"Nothing," Inuyasha says, sourly. "Then, so what's the big problem?"
"The problem with Youpai tutoring me...," Kagome says, "...is that she's supposed to come over 3 times a week."
"WHAT?!?!" Inuyasha yells, startling nearby pedestrians. Kagome cringes as Inuyasha continues. "But...but you can't come back that much! We'd never find the jewel shards before Naraku does!" he says angrily.
"I know!" Kagome yells back. Her voice softens a little before she goes on. "But everyone except mom, Gramps, and Sota think that I've been sick and laid up at home. Nobody else knows about the Feudal Era." Inuyasha continues to scowl at her. "I...I think I'm going to have to tell her the truth about why I'm missing school."
Inuyasha's face goes pale before turning a deeper shade of red than before. He looks as if he's going to explode again before Kagome quickly continues.
"I know I said that nobody else should know. It's still not a good idea---people would think...I don't know what they'd think, but telling just anyone that I travel 500 years into the past through the well at our family's shrine is not a good idea." Kagome lets her breathe out slowly before going on. "I don't know how long we could keep it a secret from her, either. If I just didn't show up, Youpai will get suspicious, and would eventually tell the school that I'm never home, which could lead to trouble for mom and Gramps. I'm far enough behind that 3 times a week isn't an unreasonable amount of time to have asked for, and we're meeting at my house because everyone thinks I'm sick, or dying, or something..." Kagome lets her voice trail off. Apparently no one is worried about Youpai getting sick...I knew I should have started home schooling... she thinks, making a disgusted face.
Kagome looks at Inuyasha, who has calmed down some, and now has a intense look on his face. "Can we trust her?" he asks.
The miko is shocked. She thought Inuyasha would be against telling anyone else about the well---not asking serious questions. She thinks about it for a minute before replying. "...yes. I've known her as long as Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka, though I've never been as close to her as the others. She's honest and smart--she should be able to...deal with the news. As long as she doesn't think we've lost our minds and actually believes us."
"Us?" Inuyasha asks, one eyebrow raised.
Kagome replies with a slightly devilish look in her eyes. "Of course. What better way to convince Youpai than to introduce her to someone who is actually from the Feudal Era?" she ends, smiling widely.
Inuyasha rolls his eyes at her. "Feh. Whatever."
"Come on. I'll race you home," Kagome says as she takes off running.
Inuyasha stares dumbly after her. Is she kidding? he asks himself before bounding after her.
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"Thanks mom--dinner was really good. Just send Youpai up when she gets here," Kagome says as she and Inuyasha head upstairs to her room.
"Ok, dear. Good luck," Kagome's mom replies, before walking back into the kitchen.
"Well, do you want to be in the room when I tell her, or just come in the window and scare her to death after I've finished?" Kagome says sarcastically. The half-demon narrows his eyes at the girl and sticks out his tongue, as payback for earlier. Kagome stares at him a moment before she starts laughing. He should do stuff like that more often--it suits him... Inuyasha smiles before quickly returning to his usual scowl. "Seriously though, it will probably be better if you're there from the beginning, so she can see that you're...fairly...normal, and I haven't just made everything up," Kagome says.
The girl gets another tongue shot for this comment--to which she smiles--before Inuyasha growls and says, "Whatever. Anything so that we can go back as soon as possible."
Kagome rolls her eyes at him as she enters her room. Typical Inuyasha--always ready to go. Why can't he ever just enjoy the down time we have? Who knows how long it'll be before we're able to rest without worrying? I feel bad for the others--they never get to relax like this. Maybe I'll take them some chocolate, and some bath stuff for Sango, and...
I hope it doesn't take long to convince this girl--Naraku could already have more of the jewel shards! Inuyasha thinks angrily to himself. Although...the hanyou glances at Kagome as she walks into her room...maybe staying a little longer isn't so bad...
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A soft knocking on her bedroom door gets Kagome's attention. "Come in," she says. "Hi, Youpai."
"Hey, Kagome," Youpai replies. Her smile falters slightly as she notices a boy with long silver-white hair covered by a baseball cap sitting cross-legged on Kagome's bed. He's wearing bright red old-style clothing, a sword, and a scowl. He looks familiar somehow... "Who's this?" Youpai asks, puzzled. She thought she and Kagome were going to study alone, so that they could get more covered.
Kagome introduces them. "Youpai, this is Inuyasha. Inuyasha, Youpai."
"Hello, Inuyasha. Nice to meet you," Youpai says politely.
Inuyasha gets a death-stare from Kagome before replying. "Nice to meet you, Youpai," as though he's just been forced to eat pickled demon's foot.
What's that about? It's like he's being forced to be nice.... Youpai thinks to herself, raising her brow in surprise.
The miko aims a glare at the hanyou before she turns to the other girl. "Um, Youpai, I--we, have something to tell you. And, it's, uh...we're not going to get much studying done tonight."
Youpai frowns and drops her schoolbag and books onto the floor. "It's that important that we'd lose a night of studying?"
"Yes," Kagome and Inuyasha respond bluntly.
Youpai is surprised at how resolutely they answered. What do they have to tell me? She looks at Inuyasha before asking, "Not to sound rude, but what is Inuyasha doing here anyway?" The half-demon narrows his eyes at her but doesn't respond.
Kagome smiles weakly before saying, "Moral support."
Now Youpai is confused and slightly alarmed. What could be so important?
Kagome pulls her jewel shards from the inside of her uniform and holds them up for Youpai to see. "Ever hear of the Shikon Jewel?"
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This is not going well... Kagome says to herself.
Youpai was looking back and forth between her and Inuyasha, with a look that said she thought both of them needed to be on medication
This can't...it's not...there's no way... Youpai shakes her head to clear these thoughts before saying in a shaky voice, "Assume that I believe your...story. You had to know I'd want proof--right?" The girl ends the question in a pleading tone--as if she hopes this is all a very bad dream.
Kagome turns to Inuyasha, who sighs while removing the baseball cap and raising his hands to show his claws. I hope she doesn't scream too loudly...
The scream never comes. Youpai stares wide-eyed at Inuyasha's ears, which he twitches toward the window as they hear thunder in the distance. How did he? They're real?! Surprise turns to outright astonishment as Youpai gawks at him. Gingerly she asks, "Can I touch them?"
Kagome laughs out loud while Inuyasha scowls. "Um, he doesn't like to have his ears touched," the miko says while trying to stiffle her giggles.
"Ohh..."
Youpai looks so depressed that Kagome starts laughing again.
Inuyasha snorts as if he's finally had enough of this talk before hopping onto the windowsill. "I'll meet you at the well," he utters, effortlessly dropping to the ground.
Youpai's face goes back to her earlier shock as she runs to the window. "Is he gonna...?" She stops her question as she notices Inuyasha stalking across the yard. "He's...he's...ok?" she asks, looking down the two-story drop.
"Half-demon," Kagome responds while shrugging. "There's a lot more to him--but trust me, you'll be grateful if you never see it." Youpai turns to her with a confused look, but Kagome just says, "He can have a temper sometimes."
"Oh." Youpai looks once more at Inuyasha before turning back. "Can I see your well now?"
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Kagome, Inuyasha, Youpai, and Sota each stand on one side of the well. "Why is your brother here, Kagome?" Inuyasha asks, his arms crossed and a sour expression on his face.
"Because he can't go through the well, either. If Sota's standing next to Youpai when we, uh, disappear, she'll be less likely to...freak out," Kagome says while smiling weakly at Youpai, who is frowning.
"Come on sis," Sota whines. "I got people to kill and cars to blow up," he says while making machine-gun noises while shooting an invisible gun.
Huh? Kill people? Inuyasha looks at Sota with a very puzzled frown on his face.
Noticing the hanyou's expression, Kagome says, "His video game. He's been stuck in the same spot for days."
"Have not," Sota pouts.
"So, should Sota and I jump, or...?" Youpai queries while looking down into the darkness.
"No, that's not a good idea. Inuyasha and I would be...transported if we jumped, but you two would just hit the bottom of the well, and, uh, I've done it before--it's definitely not fun falling 15 feet into darkness," Kagome responds. Youpai gives her an alarmed look before Kagome hurredly goes on. "That's why we installed the ladder on the inside, for when I have to make several trips with supplies, or when I'm coming back. I can't jump like Inuyasha, you know."
Looking annoyed, the hanyou says, "Let's get this over with. We need to get back soon."
Kagome rolls her eyes before whispering to Youpai. "He's very impatient--can you tell?" The girls stifle their giggles as the boy scowls. "And he also has excellent hearing," the miko adds with a smile. "Okay, Sota. You and Youpai climb down first, and Inuyasha and I will follow, so that when we step onto the bottom, we'll be transported and you two will stay here. Sound good?"
Youpai nervously agrees. "Yeah, I guess."
"Sure, sis. Hey, you guys wanna bring something back--like, uh, flowers or something to show that you actually went somewhere?" Sota asks.
"Hey, that's a good idea Sota," Kagome says while ruffling his hair. "When did you start using that head of yours?" The boy pushes her hand off his head, but beams at his sister.
"Inuyasha, what could we bring back?" she asks.
The half-demon gives her an impatient look, but says, "The cherry trees on the other side are blooming, yeah? And the ones outside here aren't yet, so we could bring a few of the blossoms back to show Youpai."
Kagome stares at the half-demon for a few seconds before ruffling his hair. "When did you start using your head, Inuyasha?" she asks, while Sota and Youpai giggle behind their hands.
Inuyasha glares at Kagome but doesn't move her hand away. The other two exchange a look before Sota says, "I'll go down first." He hooks one leg over the edge of the well and begins to descend. Kagome immediately jerks her hand back to her side as Youpai starts heading down the well. Inuyasha goes next, glancing quickly back at Kagome, who closely follows.
When they are almost to the bottom, Inuyasha lifts the miko onto his shoulder and jumps the rest of the way down. Kagome smiles and says, "See you in a few minutes."
A flash of blue light temporarily blinds Youpai and Sota. When they open their eyes, Inuyasha and Kagome have vanished.
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Youpai stares. But...it's...actually... Sota smiles.
"See? Isn't it cool? I wish I could go...," he says wistfully. He stares at the ground for a few seconds, his eyes unfocused. "We'd better climb up on the ladder or it's gonna get crowded in here in a minute...," the boy finally says, snapping out of his trance.
Youpai nods numbly as she and Sota start to climb. Less than a minute later, another blinding blue light appears. When Youpai looks down, standing at the bottom of the well are Inuyasha and Kagome, 3 cherry blossoms sitting on her upturned palm.
The half-demon catches the girl when she faints.
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Youpai wakes up in Kagome's bed, a glass of water on the nightstand beside her, sitting next to the cherry blossoms. She looks out the window. No blossoms...here...
Kagome and Inuyasha are standing over her with worried expressions on their faces. "Are you okay?" she asks, handing her the water.
Youpai takes a sip before asking, "How long was I out?"
"Only about 10 minutes," Inuyasha replies. "Sota's getting something for you to eat."
"I'm fine," Youpai tells Kagome, seeing her still-concerned gaze.
Kagome visibly relaxes. "Umm, so uh,...since you've seen...uh, everything..."
"Are you gonna help us or not?" Inuyasha interrupts. Kagome hits him on the arm before turning pleading eyes back to Youpai.
It...must be so hard for her...Youpai thinks to herself. She has all the responsibilities that ordinary girls our age have, plus... she's...they're... off...battling, too...how can I...
Youpai looks back and forth between the two of them and the cherry blossoms before picking one up. She inhales its sweet fragrance before slowly smiling at the two of them.
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Kagome was going back again. Since Youpai had agreed to keep their secret, the two of them had met to study on Saturday and Sunday, every other week. It wasn't much, but the miko was slowly catching up to her classmates, and her grades were getting better. Still not good, but better.
Inuyasha admired Youpai. She covered for Kagome, telling their teachers that studying was still difficult because Kagome was so sick all the time. Having some of the stress off the girl made everyone happier, and Youpai had accepted Inuyasha as he was. He came back with Kagome almost everytime she had tutoring, and she always treated him exactly like Kagome did, minus the 'sit' command--though Youpai had tried it once or twice when Inuyasha had gotten 'uppity,' as she liked to call it.
"You coming, Inuyasha?" Kagome yells. Inuyasha smiles to himself. Yes, he was glad he had let Kagome do this tu-to-ring thing.
See? Oneshot, but not anymore...