Beautiful Lies and Butterflies
A/N: So you're all going to hate me. I'm editing. Again. It's not that much in this chapter, but later on there'll be BIG changes. But I'm working on it, and doing this will get the whole story to make a lot more sense than it would have. I love you all so much.
Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha. Please don't sue me, I don't have money and I'm living off rice and beans at the moment.
Freaky Green Eyes
Even from down the street, the purpose of this looming, bland brick-face building was obvious. A thin line of stray students rushed through the doors. Down the left hallway and a little to the right, a slender form shut the locker before her. She looked around and walked off, just as the tardy bell rang, bringing a full round of various curses and groans from the students still milling about in the halls. A group of seniors dawdled against the wall, oblivious to the sudden rush around them.
"So, InuYasha, what's your fist class today?" A pretty girl in a tight jeans and a tighter shirt looked up at the boy next to her, their arms intertwined. Her brown eyes were cool and aloof as she looked at him, even though her touch was gentle.
"Math. Calculus, or something stupid like that." The boy had long silver hair. His mixed blood exposed itself atop his head – his ears were small and wolfish, covered in soft fur the same hue as his hair. He shrugged, gold eyes shimmering, as he smiled at the girl on his arm.
"Ah, poor InuYasha. He won't have to deal with Kikyo hounding him for a full hour and a half!" the girl opposite them laughed. Her brown eyes were as warm and sunny as her hair, and the jeans she wore hung loose on her hips. Her long hair was pulled into a high pony-tail, wrapped around with a pink ribbon to match her tank top.
"Shut up, Sango." Kikyo tightened her grip on InuYasha's hand, voice harsh.
The girl across the way tensed, and forced a smile on her face, "Never."
"Ah, Sango, my sweet, where are you going for your first class?" a boy in blue with enchanted beads encircling his right wrist cut in, smiling crookedly. His sparkling blue eyes grabbed Sango's, and her smile didn't seem so hard.
"As far away as I can get from you, Miroku," her perfect teeth flashed before them and disappeared as she walked off.
"Wait! Sango!" Miroku scurried after her, black backpack bouncing.
InuYasha sighed. "Well, I better get going." He began to pull away from Kikyo, but she squeezed his hand.
"I'll walk you. The math rooms are on my way," She smiled.
"What d'you have first period anyway?" He led the way down the hall, and let her pull him to the right.
She grimaced. "History. Nothing interesting. Wanna skip?"
InuYasha considered it for a moment, but shook his head, "Nah."
"InuYasha likes math?"
"No. It's just the only class you can sleep in, and nobody cares," he grinned, but Kikyo frowned and his smile faltered. "Besides, that's all I'd do if I skipped first period, anyway," he shrugged, finally slipping out of Kikyo's grasp.
"I was think more along... Other lines," she smiled up at him, but quickly looked down.
"Heh... Maybe some other time. See ya later." InuYasha slipped inside a classroom, much to the teacher's amusement.
"Sit down, Dog Boy. There's a seat in the back." The balding man didn't even glance up from his role book. A name plate on his desk proudly stated "."
InuYasha rolled his eyes, making a beeline for the only open seat in the back row. It was a desk away from the window. One seat over, inches from the glass, a girl sat absentmindedly staring out and over the lawn.
"Hey," InuYasha nodded to the girl as he slid into his chair.
She nodded back. Barely even glanced at him. But before any of this passed through our hero's not-so-quick mind, he got a good look at her face.
'Damn...' InuYasha eyed the girl's profile, 'Wow, she is hot!' She had warm skin, slightly tanned, that showed the nicely defined muscles rippling beneath as she moved. She wore a baggy t-shirt, but it didn't hide her full form. Her legs were long and fully covered, even in the last dregs of a too-hot summer. Her face was soft and welcoming, with high cheek bones and big eyes, full, rosy lips and long, soft black hair that fell down her back like a waterfall.
"So... Why don't I know you?" InuYasha racked his brain. He'd been in the same school system his whole life, despite the cost, so he should've seen her before...
"I'm new."
He jumped. He hadn't expected her to actually reply. He looked up "O-" The look in her eyes stopped him cold. They weren't looking at him, they were looking through him. Her eyes were the color of summer grass under the sun and were sharp as shattered glass. InuYasha thought she could see everything about him. From his bad habits to the little quirks no one, not even Kikyo, knew about. "Oh. That makes sense." InuYasha looked away, to the far wall. Her expression, calm and collected, totally threw him off guard. It was...Weird to say the least.
"Ah, I see you've met our new student Dog Boy," Mr. Worth gestured to the girl, "Why don't you introduce yourself, Miss."
The green-eyed beauty got up, a warm smile on her face, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Hi, I'm Kagome Higurashi. I just moved here from the Khakato Mountains."
"The Khakato Mountains, you say? Interesting..." the teacher turned to the board, "Thank you, Ms. Higurashi. And now for todays lesson..."
InuYasha tuned out the teacher and opted to watch Kagome instead. She had her head in her hand, a pen in the other. Her pen never left the page, and it seemed more like she was doodling than taking notes. But it was like she had... Deflated, somehow. 'Oh, well,' InuYasha settled back into his chair. 'I'm probably seeing things... Too tired to even think straight...' Within moments, he was out like a light.
Kagome glanced over at his inert form, head on his desk, ears twitching with every little sound, every turned page, every pen scratch. She took a deep breath, looking over the board. Solving for multiple variables. Easy stuff. She turned back to the flimsy piece of paper on her desk and eyed it carefully. The head was tilted the wrong way, the shoulders were too twisted. A few quick strokes, and... There! She smiled, sketching out the eyes, shaping them just right.
Pulling out a notebook, she stashed the page away, finally taking the time to study the blackboard. It was boring. Lots and lots of random facts thrown down without anything to glue them together. Kagome could see the fine lines between each piece, but even then those lines were very blurry. The teacher droned on and on, explaining polynomials over and over again. She sighed, staring at the edge of a certain piece of paper. Kagome gave up, pulling the sketch back out. Putting pen to paper, she smiled. Despite what she thought, drawing was more than enjoyable. It was soothing, almost cathartic in a way. She didn't know the boy she was drawing, but didn't that just make it more fun? And the way he had looked at her... It was too good to pass up. So there she was, periodically looking at the prone form next to her.
Dog Boy... Her brow furrowed. What was his name? The teacher, Worth, if she could read the plaque right, had called him "Dog Boy." It was obvious he wasn't human, but he didn't seem to be all demon either. Demons were usually a lot more... Extreme in their appearance. A good example would be that wolf demon she saw in the halls. He had his hair pulled back in a pony-tail, which was normal enough, but his nails were deadly. They were long and drawn to a sharp point, just like his ears. Demons were powerful, generally faster and stronger than humans. If they weren't, they had metaphysical attributes that outweighed their weakness. But then there were half-demons. Usually referred to as hanyous, they had mixed blood. More often than not, hanyous had a demon and a normal human for a parent. They were stronger than the average human, but not quite up to par with a full-fledged demon.
Kagome jumped when the bell rang, ripping a small hole through the drawing with her pen. She quickly packed up her things while the class emptied around her. Kagome glanced over to Dog Boy, who hadn't so much as wrinkled his nose amidst all the hustle and bustle. She eyed him warily, frowning slightly. With a hard poke at Dog Boy's shoulder, Kagome turned on her heel and marched off.
InuYasha woke with a start, sitting bolt upright. He looked around, and stood, frowning slightly. He grabbed his bag and walked off, sparing not even a glance at his smiling teacher. Who would've woken him up? No one really came to mind, especially since he didn't know anybody in the class. It wasn't for lack of trying, Inu Yasha was perfectly sociable, but as with most celebrities, his reputation preceded him. Notoriety never really goes away, especially when it's wrapped around things done in the dank and dark corners of unfamiliar territory. He always preferred to think of it as his daily extracurricular.
The silver-haired youth slid into a classroom just as the bell rang. He took his seat next to Miroku, who smiled at him mischievously, "I hear there's a new girl in town."
InuYasha looked over at him, rolled his eyes, and promptly went back to sleep.
An hour and a half later, InuYasha was sitting with his lunch, surrounded by people. Namely, his friends and consequent girlfriend. Sango and Miroku were snipping at each other, as usual, and Kikyo was ignoring him, also as usual. Or, at least, now it was. InuYasha sighed, looking around the cafeteria. Their school was smaller than most, but still managed to be massive. His eyes wandered over the room, stopping only to narrow at a wolf demon at the other end of the cafeteria, near the windows. Oh, extracurriculars. To put it lightly, InuYasha was working with the most ridiculous, flamboyant weakling of a demon in order to secure his future. And yes, this future is as dramatic as it sounds, involving murder, thievery, ruthless rampages, and knuckle-cracking. All in all, InuYasha was the heir to a very powerful gang. One of them, at least.
"What about you, InuYasha?" Sango snapped him out of his reverie. "How were your classes this morning?"
"Eh, mine were alright," he shrugged, "Math was bearable, but I coulda killed that History teacher." He sighed and picked at his food.
"Hey, have you seen the new girl?" Miroku's smile had mischief written all over it.
"What new girl?" Kikyo said sharply. The whole conversation stopped, three faces staring at her.
"Oh, Ka-something, right?" Sango began carefully, "I hear she's really pretty," She smiled wistfully.
"Sango, you are far prettier than she could ever be." Miroku followed suit, blinking at her somberly.
"Like I wanna hear that from you." She sniffed and turned away, smiling.
"Uh... What about you, Kikyo? Have you seen her?" Miroku smiled pleadingly at the beautiful girl beside InuYasha.
"No, and I really don't care," Kikyo tossed her long, dark hair over a shoulder. A hand instantly flew to the prayer beads at her neck, a deep red. As a miko in training, she was always very cautious with the beads, especially around demons like InuYasha. "As long as she doesn't bother me or InuYasha, she can live."
"Wow. Harsh," Sango laughed nervously.
"I've seen her." All eyes went to InuYasha. "But how did you guys hear about her?"
"Is she as pretty as they say?" Miroku's smiled, completely ignoring InuYasha's question. "Some of the guys in chemistry were reeling from shock."
"You know, for once, I agree with you," Sango nodded, "They all kinda looked like they had been smacked in the face with something incredibly valuable."
'Yeah, she does kinda have that effect,' InuYasha smiled and said, "Well, in this case, seeing is believing."
"Where'd you see her?" It really was quite pathetic, the way Miroku looked like a dog who had just found a particularly big bone.
"Math class. We sat next to each other," It took a lot of discipline for InuYasha to keep the laughter down.
"Ah, no!" Miroku's frown stayed upside-down, "you'll get to her before I do!"
"No, I actually didn't make a move on her," InuYasha's smile faded as Kikyo's intense glare bore into his back.
"Really?" He blinked, the prayer beads encircling his wrist clicking loudly. They were pale blue, a sign of a fully privileged monk, not that Miroku ever acted like one.
"Yeah. I was too tired to do anything. And she sorta creeped me out." InuYasha looked over Kikyo's shoulder, trying not to be too obvious in avoiding her icy gaze. The doors to the cafeteria opened, allowing Kagome and a tall brunette through, "That's her over there, the one with Kaede."
Kagome came into the cafeteria with her cousin, Kaede, a doe-eyed, long-limbed athlete with a slight sarcastic streak. She pointed out each of the more obnoxious ne'er-do-wells with a lovely smile and a few choice words. "On this end of the cafeteria we've got the, ah, let's say aromatic Kouga and company. He's a wolf demon, the one with the black hair, coming up on the right."
Kouga whistled, as if on cue, just as Kagome passed by. Her smile became forced, her movements much more fluid than before, as if something had just been let loose.
Kaede sighed. "Don't worry, that was just Kouga."
Kagome's smile was still in place, "It's okay, Kaede. I'd like to think my basic reasoning skills are still in tact."
"He flirts with anything pretty. Even if it's male," The taller girl tried to laugh, but it came out choked.
Kagome snorted, becoming visibly more relaxed, "It's okay."
"It's true!" Kaede was desperately trying to cheer a rather humored Kagome, much to the younger's amusement.
"It's okay."
"Just ask Ayame Sohma!" Kaede sighed again,"If you want... I'll beat him up for you."
Kagome finally burst out laughing, relaxing completely, "Don't do that, Kaede. It's really okay. And besides, you'd cream 'im."
"No, I wouldn't," she frowned as they slipped into the lunch line. "You're the one who'd do the creaming."
Kagome laughed, "You're still the stronger miko. You've got so much more control than I do."
Kaede snorted, "You've got the brute force. You can make anything happen control or no. And besides, what does that make Kikyo?" She was now glaring on top of her glower.
"Queen of us all," Kagome rolled her eyes, "And sliced turkey." She pointed to a sandwich with a mischievous smile.
Kaede laughed, "Yeah, right!" But she took the sandwich anyway. Leading the way in between packed lunch tables, Kaede kept calling names over her shoulder. "Coming up on the left is Her Royal Heinie, our Lovely Lady Kikyo." Kagome didn't have to look to know that Kaede rolled her eyes.
"Oh, hey. It's Dog Boy." Kagome pointed to his back, clothed in a red button down. Kaede had stopped at the table next to his, quickly gesturing for Kagome to come over,
"Who were you staring at?" Kaede smiled at Kagome's bewildered expression.
"That kid," She was still staring at him, brow furrowed. It was amazing he didn't notice. Or, as the case might have been, it was amazing she didn't notice how resolutely he didn't notice her. "That kid, Dog Boy. He's in my math class."
"Oh, him?" Kaede sat, taking Kagome's tray with her. Kagome sat across from Kaede, nodding absentmindedly. "That's InuYasha. He's notoriously dumb. Either that, or notoriously good at hiding whatever intelligence he has. Oh, he hates Kouga. You know, the rather unsanitary lot by the windows. I wouldn't get between them if I were you."
"Is that an actual warning?" Kagome smiled, mirth coloring her features.
"Are you being sarcastic?" Kaede stared the younger girl down.
"No." Kagome laughed, "No, not really."
"You have enough trouble on your plate already, don't go asking for more. Please," When Kagome rolled her eyes, Kaede sighed. "Really, Kagome. People like them cause more problems than they solve. It's not worth the effort."
"I know," Kagome rolled her eyes.
"Besides, they'll have to learn to work together anyways. Might as well let them duke it out now, you know?"
"I guess, but why the necessary camaraderie?"
"Kouga's dad works with Sesshomaru – InuYasha's older brother. They're at the top of some big company. I think it's a medical research thing," Kaede shrugged, pulling her tray closer.
Kagome nodded and pulled out a pen and a certain piece of paper from her pocket, completely ignoring her food. "Nanotechnology and bioengineering, right?"
"I think so," Kaede shrugged. "I don't think they even know. And just a warning, Kikyo and InuYasha are dating."
"Good to know," Kagome nodded, eying her handiwork. She sighed, chewing on her pen.
Kaede dug in, but after a few minutes of watching Kagome work, she swallowed and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Hm?" Kagome glanced up, small smile lingering on her face. Kaede gestured to the paper. "Oh! This. It's just something I started in math class."
"Can I see?"
"Sure," Kagome passed the paper over.
"Holy crap, Kagome! This looks great!" InuYasha's wandering ears picked up their conversation over the din of the cafeteria.
Kagome laughed at Kaede's awed expression. "Kaede, it's okay." She looked down at the table, laughter fading, "Not my best, but okay."
"Kagome," Kaede rolled her eyes, "This is really good."
"No, it's not," Kagome spread her fingers out on the table, still smiling.
"Yes, it is. Look!" Kaede gestured, "Do you see this? It looks just like him! Look at his eyes! You can tell he's confused!" She giggled, "It's almost like a photograph."
"I guess." Kagome took back the picture and continued to work. Silence passed over the pair as Kaede pulled out a book, and Kagome continued to draw.
Just as InuYasha's mind – and ears – began to wander, he heard something that bothered him.
Kaede glanced up from her book on anatomy, "Kagome, aren't you going to eat anything?"
"You can have it, if you want." She didn't even look up.
"Kagome, you need to eat."
"I'm not hungry."
"Yes you are."
"No, I'm not."
"Kagome, every time you come over for a meal, you eat us out of house and home. You're hungry."
"No. I'm not." She still didn't look up.
"You do know you'll die if you don't eat anything." Kaede's flat tone barely broke for sarcasm.
"The less I throw up the better of I'll be. My esophagus only needs to survive two more years before I can get the hell outta dodge." A grim smile played out over her features.
"And makes you think you'll throw up?"
The younger girl didn't answer, pointedly looking down at her pen.
"Kagome..." Kaede's eyes widened, "Is he starting before dinner now?"
Her silence said it all.
"Oh, jeez, Kagome, I didn't know."
"It's okay," she smiled, but the light seemed to fade from her eyes, "and besides, it's not as bad as..." Kagome trailed off as a shadow passed over the table.
"Not as bad as what?" the wolf demon, Kouga, flanked by three others, leaned over the table, "Hanging out with these guys?" He jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards InuYasha.
"Well, actually -" Kagome tried to say something, hard smile in place, but it didn't work out so well.
"But, ya know," the wolf demon smiled at Kagome, "the one thing I don't get is how I let a pretty little thing like you slip away."
Before Kagome's look of utter disgust could register, InuYasha cut in, "Back off, Kouga."
The wolf demon turned, "Or what?" His stance was suddenly menacing, as was that of his comrades.
InuYasha stood, flanked by Sango and Miroku. Kagome went back to sketching the fine details in the picture. When she looked up again, Kikyo had joined InuYasha. Kagome snapped her head back down to the table, a curtain of hair falling to protect her face.
Kouga looked down at Kagome, "Looks like she agrees with me, Dog Boy." He smiled, showing his fangs.
"Oh, yeah?" InuYasha didn't bother with the formalities – he bared his own teeth.
"Kagome, what is it?" Kaede whispered across the table.
"Kikyo." She enunciated every consonant, a taught resignation in her voice.
"What?"
"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got a damsel to rescue!" Kouga grabbed Kagome around the waist, who immediately socked him in the eye, and but still managed to dash out the door with her over his shoulder.
"Why, you - !" InuYasha prepared to spring, but Miroku laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Remember what happened the last time you got in a fight?"
InuYasha grimaced. He went home unscathed, but the beating his older brother gave him wasn't exactly painless.
"Damn," InuYasha punched the table, throwing its contents, including Kagome's picture, into the air. It fluttered in front of him, teasing bits and pieces of the drawing and text on the other side. He grabbed it as it floated towards the floor, "Huh? What's this?" Just before he could get a better look, Kaede grabbed the page.
"Whadja do that for?" InuYasha exclaimed, indignant.
"I'm sorry, but I really don't care." She turned to Kikyo, "You're off the hook tonight. I've got some shopping I need to do anyway, so I'll make dinner."
"Fine," Kikyo didn't even look at the other girl.
Kaede dashed off after Kagome, bowling over a few lower classmen along the way. A thought raced through her head as she burst into the hallway, 'Crap, that was close!'
"What was that all about?" Sango looked quizzically at Kikyo.
"Oh, her? That's Kaede, my older sister. Senior. Pain in the ass. The original Little Miss Perfect right down to the bone."
"Well, yeah, but what was she talking about?"
"Dinner. My parents are on some sort of business trip."
"Right."
Halfway across the school, Kagome was trying to escape a rather tenacious Kouga.
"Look - " Kagome glared at him.
"What's there to be sorry about?" Kouga was still glowing from the 'victory.'
"Your help - "
"So you admit it! It was help!"
'In your opinion,' Kagome's eyebrow twitched, " - was not needed."
Kouga's just stood there, stunned, as Kagome finally swept past him, "Thanks, though. It's the thought that counts!" She ran to her locker, grabbed her pens, and hit the nearest bathroom, just about ready to collapse in an adrenaline-soaked, extremely pissed off heap. 'God damn that Kikyo,' she splashed cold water onto her face, 'good thing I have some discipline. What's next?' She dug around in her pocket, and froze, just as the first bell rang. The page was gone. The sheet of paper that had her schedule and that stupid picture of Dog Boy. 'Oh, crap.'
Kagome sighed and slipped out of the bathroom. 'Well, at least I made copies.' She shuffled back to her locker, her anger and energy drained with the adrenaline. She began to dig through the pile of beat-up binders, second-hand textbooks, and crumpled up essays, worksheets, fliers, and packs of index cards buried at the bottom.
"Hey, Kagome!"
"Kaede?" Kagome stood up.
"Oh, jeez," Kaede was waving something in the air, "Kouga's way too fast!"
"Uh... Kaede?"
"Yes?"
"Shouldn't you be getting to class?" the tardy bell rang, blocking out all thought for a moment.
"I came to give you this," Kaede held out her hand. "You've got art now, and the room is right around the corner. Don't worry, Mr. Lyons is nice."
"Wait! Kaede..." Kagome worked past the lump in her throat, managing a small, "thanks."
"No problem. And I don't think he saw the picture, but he tore of the part with your name on it. Maybe the address, too."
"That's okay. Thanks, Kaede."
"It was nothing. I'll see you later!" She dashed off towards the stairs while Kagome made her way to the art room.
The art room was actually right across from the cafeteria. Small, nondescript door, and far enough away from the bathrooms to go unnoticed. As she neared the door, however...
"No! No! Don't touch that!"
CRASH! BOiNG! tinktinktinktinktink
And then there was dead silence.
'I guess it's now or never,' Kagome quietly opened the door and squeezed inside.
An older man was shaking his head as a baby-faced fox demon stared at a small group of stereotypical adolescents in the center of the room. There was an empty can, a large lump of electric blue clay, and a rather impressive puddle the same color as the clay spreading quickly on the floor.
Kagome stared at the mess, then back at the door, just in time to see it close with a small thud.
"Hello," the older man sighed, exasperated, "I'm Mr. Lyons." He offered her his hand, which was rough and calloused, but strong to the touch. He was tan, a little on the short side, and had shinning salt and pepper hair. "This is – or was – the art room."
"Oh. Hi," Kagome shook his outstretched hand.
"And you're Kagome Higurashi, I presume."
"Uh... Yeah." She looked back at the exponentially growing puddle, and the shocked students behind it.
"Ignore them."
"Okay. Where should I sit?" Kagome glanced around the room, immediately spotting a seat beside the window.
"Hm... Why don't you sit with Shippo? It's only him, so it'll be easy to get adjusted."
"Sure, thanks." Mr. Lyons pointed to the table at the back, right beside the source of sunshine. Kagome followed his lead, taking her desired seat in the light.
"Hi, I'm Shippo." The small fox demon trotted over, taking the seat across from her.
"Kagome. Nice to meet you." She smiled, offering her hand.
Shippo smiled and took her hand with a strong grasp, "My sister was talking about you."
"Who?"
"Sango Hara."
Confusion crossed over Kagome's features, "Sorry, I don't think I've met her yet."
"Oh, she's a pretty girl, warm brown eyes, hangs out with InuYasha?"
"Is she the one in pink?"
"That's her."
"But you're a demon. Is she half?" Kagome smacked her forehead, "Sorry, that was really rude."
"It's okay. I was adopted." Shippo shrugged, smiling easily.
"Oh. Is this an 'I'm sorry,' or 'That's cool'?" Kagome smiled back.
"Eh, it could go both ways. Do you have a sketchbook yet?" Shippo hopped off his stool.
"No," she moved to do the same, "Didn't know I needed one."
"The school gives them out," he led her over to the far wall, which was laden with shelves. Passing all of this by, Shippo pulled open a cabinet all the way at the front. He stepped aside with a smile, "Pick your poison."
Kagome didn't even have to look around. Her eyes fell on a nicely sized wire-bound book with a brown cover, proudly proclaiming "RECYCLE," in all caps. She grabbed it and followed Shippo back to the table, picking up various pencils along the way.
"We're working with charcoal right now," he said, pulling his own sketchbook out of thin air. "Mr. Lyons wants us to work with basic shapes, but that bores me to tears. Might as well go skipping through meadows picking daisies or something."
Kagome stared across the table in disbelief. After an insolent "What?" from Shippo, she laughed, throwing back her long hair. "I agree. So what have you been working on?"
The class passed by quickly, Shippo cracking jokes every chance he got. Kagome would laugh along, more heartily so whenever he became vulgar. She would show him her doodles, and he would smile and give her an honest critique. Shippo was shy about his own art, but Kagome would coax him out of his shell and return the favor. Before long, they were swapping stories like they were old friends.
"– And you should've seen his face! It was something like," and Shippo tilted his head to the side and stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth, eyes screwed up. Kagome couldn't help but crack up. "I swear, nothing has ever been so satisfying."
The bell rang, and Kagome was sad to go. She packed up, following Shippo to put her sketchbook away. With a nod and a smile, she waked out the door. The last class of the day was P.E., and it was actually pretty sobering. Without Shippo's jokes and quiet laughter, Kagome lost what little sense of direction she had. The walk to the gym was short, even with a stop to her locker to drop off her pens and schedule. She walked through the gym's double doors, looking around.
A short, burly man waved her down. "Kagome Higurashi?" At her nod, he continued, "Sit at the end of squad one," he pointed to the line closest to the wall, "I'm Mr. Abt, and you will address me as such. I will give you proper credit as long as you do what I tell you to without any of the girly complaining. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir," Kagome responded on instinct.
Mr. Abt nodded, a little taken aback, "Off to your seat, then."
Kagome followed his arm to her spot. All the way to the back and off to the side suited her fine. The only problem was the people sitting next to her.
"Hi," InuYasha watched Kagome gracefully slip to the ground, along with every other male within a thirty-foot radius.
"Hi," Kagome sighed, looking at the floor.
"Well, hello! And what would such a lovely lady be doing looking so downcast?" a boy in blue slid across the floor, right past InuYasha, "I'm Miroku Hoshi, and I was wondering..." he slid closer, and took Kagome's hand in his, "Would you bear my child?"
Before Kagome could say anything, a textbook hit Miroku in the face, "DAMN LECHER!" A pretty girl with warm brown eyes retrieved the book, "Sorry about that. He asks every girl he ever meets."
"I'm... Impressed," Kagome nodded slightly, eyebrows raised. "You're Sango Hara, right?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?" She smiled, eyes alight.
"Your little brother's in my art class."
"Oh, you must mean Shippo!"
Kagome nodded.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Ms. Higurashi."
"Huh?" Kagome jumped.
"News travels fast in such a small school. I wouldn't be surprised if everybody knew your name by the time you walked through the door," Sango smiled, "but I would like to know your first name, if you don't mind."
"Oh, it's Kagome. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too. Well, I have to get back to my seat – I don't want Mr. Abt going haywire on me!" She turned, and left.
"Yeah, you better watch out for him, he's from the military," Miroku gazed after Sango. "He can pack a serious punch when it comes to intimidation."
"HOSHI! REPORT TO THE FRONT!" Mr. Abt's voice blasted from the front of the gym.
"Aw, shit," Miroku got up, "Later, guys!"
"Good luck," InuYasha called after him and turned back to Kagome. He watched her for a moment, following her gaze to the mats lined against the wall. "Hey."
"Hi." She barely glanced at him.
'She's shy. Cute.' InuYasha tried to make small talk, knowing full well that half of the class was glaring daggers at his back, "So... How's your first day been? Better than mine, I bet."
"It's okay," she still refused to look at the hanyou.
"Didja like your old school better? Half the people here - "
"It's okay," Her tone was firm, but gentle, clearly stating end of conversation.
'Jeez. Talk about anti-social,' he grumbled.
"HIGURASHI!" Mr. Abt beckoned to Kagome, who got up with feline grace and walked to the front.
Even from the back of the gym, InuYasha could smell her indifference, and something else. 'Wonder what that's about.' He could see the mental wall in her piercing eyes. Come to think of it, wasn't Kagome chatting happily with Kaede through lunch earlier? And her beautiful green eyes had caught the light so nicely... Why wasn't she happy now? Something was wrong – InuYasha could see it... And it bothered him. Normally, if it was anyone outside his small circle of friends, he really didn't notice. Call it pigheadedness, but he considered it setting his priorities straight – if he worried about everyone he'd ever met, then he'd probably die early of a bad stroke brought on by stress.
InuYasha sighed, 'There's something else... I can't quite figure it out...' They were told to change out into the gym uniforms. It was weird. He watched her watching the class get yelled at for taking two minutes to change, then begin to "warm up." Kagome definitely reminded him of Kikyo, but only in appearance. And Kikyo had brown eyes, not the provocative green Kagome had. High and mighty Kikyo was nothing like the strong, down-to-earth girl that sat in front of him. She seemed calm and deflated, as if she was bored of the world and just wanted to sleep for the next decade or two.
Class ended with school, and the students dispersed to their respective locker rooms. By the time InuYasha came out, Kagome was gone.
Haflway across the school, Kagome was slipping and sliding in between people, grabbing her bag and stuffing her books inside faster than most.
"Kagome!" Kaede dashed over to the younger girl, "Ah, jeez, I thought I missed you."
"No," she smiled, "but a few more minutes and you would've. You definitely cut it close!"
"Well, I figured you might need to get some stuff from the office, and to get a gym uniform, so..."
Kagome sighed, "Let's go. I've got to get home fast, otherwise the fiancé'll be pissed."
"Right. Do you know where the office is?"
Kagome shook her head.
"Follow me." Kaede smiled and took Kagome's hand and led her down the hall and to the right. The administration wing was a world away from the rest of the school. It was quiet, but kinda stuffy. "You're gonna want to talk to the attendance secretary. She's kinda mean, so be careful. Over there." Kaede pointed to a desk, and Kagome cautiously approached.
"Hi," Kagome tightened her grip on her bag.
"And what can I do for you, young lady?" the stout, wrinkled old woman was curt.
"I'm new here, and I was - "
"Do you have the pink form?"
"What? Oh!" Kagome rummaged around in her back pack and produced a crumpled piece of thin, pale pink paper. "Here."
"Thank you."
"Where do you get gym uniforms?"
"Mr. Poumadee's office. Do you know where that is?"
"No."
"Here," the woman produced a map of the school, "Return the map when your done."
"Oh, it's okay," Kaede materialized at Kagome's elbow. "I can show her where it is." The secretary nodded her approval as Kaede led Kagome away.
"Thank you!" Kagome called over her shoulder.
"C'mon, Kagome," Kaede pulled at her arm, "And you'd better brace yourself. We have to go by the boy's locker room."
"Seriously?" At Kaede's nod, she sighed.
"Just hold your breath, and you'll be fine."
Kaede was right. It smelled rancid, and Kagome's nose wrinkled in disgust. They walked past the open door, and Kaede led her down a small hallway. The older girl practically kicked down the door, throwing Kagome inside.
"Can I help you?" The man didn't look up from his clipboard.
"She needs a uniform." Kaede stared the teacher down.
"The new girl. Right," he led the way out of the office, "as long as you're fast, and don't bother the boys. And I'm ."
"Kagome." Kagome nodded, and followed him to a storage closet.
"You're pretty small, so here," he threw her a shirt, "and here. You can change in the bathroom – we've already locked up the girl's locker rooms."
"Thanks," Kagome walked out of the office, past the emerging throng of boys, and into a small bathroom across the way.
A few minutes later, when she came back, the boys were running laps, and a faint blush colored her pale skin. "Mr. Poumadee? The shirt didn't fit."
"Too big?" the tall man began to rummage around the piles and piles of clothes.
"No, too small," Kagome looked down, blushing anew.
"Then the medium'll fit. Here." He threw her another shirt, "Hang on. Lemme get you some sweats, and that'll be it."
"'K. Thanks." she smiled and took the bundle of clothes, digging out her wallet. "How much?"
"With the sweats, it'll be 30."
Kagome nodded. "Kaede, do you have 15 bucks?" she turned to her cousin turned to her cousin.
"Yeah," she pulled out her own wallet, and passed the bills to Kagome's ready hand.
"Thanks," Kagome handed the money to , and followed Kaede out the door.
"Sorry, Kaede. I'll pay you back tomorrow," Kagome stuffed her gym uniform into her bag.
"Don't worry about it," Kaede smiled as she led the way out of the building, "It was a lot more expensive when I had to buy one. This is nothing."
"But - "
"It's okay. Really." Kagome nodded and fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. "Kagome..." Kaede sighed and looked at the clock on a wall. "Oh, wow. I didn't realize it was so late. Oh, jeez..."
"Yeah..." Kagome bit her lip.
Kaede looked down, brow furrowed. Suddenly her head snapped up and she burst out, "Would you like to stay with us for a while?"
"Huh?" Kagome's eyebrows went up.
"Well, it'll only be for a week or so, 'cause our parents are on a business trip, but at least it's something." Kaede was talking fast, as though trying to force the words out before she lost her nerve.
"Shit. Um, maybe?" Kagome scratched her forehead, "It'd be suicide to go back now, and I'm dead anyway, so why not?" She shrugged. "Wait. Can I borrow some clothes?"
"Yeah, definitely. But I have to go grocery shopping, do you mind?"
"No, not at all. Can I tie my bike to your car?"
"Yup. I'm stuck driving the piece o' crap jeep, so feel free. But I have no idea how to do it."
"That's okay, I can figure it out." Kagome smiled and followed Kaede to her car.
"What do you want for dinner?"
A few hours later, Kagome set down grocery bags as Kaede called, "Tadaima!"
"Okaeri – What's she doing here?" Kikyo walked in and glared at Kagome.
"She's staying with us 'til Mom and Dad get back." Kaede pulled out a pot and filled it with water.
"Why?"
"You know why." Kaede snapped, the air crackling with her anger.
Kikyo glared at her older sister, taking in the negative energy and paying it back in kind. "That's it. I'm so out of here." She stalked off. A few moments later, she reappeared with a bag over her shoulder, "I'm staying at InuYasha's. See you tomorrow." The door slammed and she was gone.
Kaede sighed, and returned to chopping vegetables.
"I can do that." Kagome reached for the knife.
"Why don't you prepare the chicken? I was gonna make a stir fry with fried rice. We can go Chinese tonight!" Kaede grinned.
"Sounds good," Kagome smiled back. After a few minutes of quiet, Kagome turned to Kaede, "What does she see in him?"
She paused, "Who? InuYasha?" When Kagome shook her head, Kaede nodded slowly. "I don't know, Kagome. Whenever I look at your father - " she spat out the word, like an insult, a curse - "I only see an arrogant scumbag with homicidal intentions and various forms of narcissism who doesn't deserve to live." Kaede slammed the rather large knife she was using through the vegetables as venom dripped from her normally sweet voice.
"Isn't that a little harsh?" Kagome laughed.
"No. Not for him."