A/N: ALAS! Here is chapter number 2! ENJOY EVERYONE!
Playing Their Game
Chapter 2: Arguments Are Supposedly Healthy
Brown eyes burned with fire as the girl sat, unmoving, glaring at the group who had placed their disgustingly painted faces in front of her. She huffed, folded her arms and continued glaring at them, blowing her hair out of her face.
People just didn't know how to leave her alone, did they? Honestly, she was getting extremely annoyed with this. First they had to go and beat her up, then this? Some girls really didn't know how to just stop.
A week had passed since the incident and her guardian had been extremely furious with the girls. Kagome herself had been spitefully glad when the girls had been missing for a week and she grinned wickedly to herself during that time. But it was inevitable that they'd return; they were only suspended after all.
All around the canteen, people were happily eating, minding their own business, not noticing the interrogation of a lonesome girl in an old, black and white tartan cotton shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. Rolling her eyes and groaning in annoyance, Kagome snapped at them, "Well? Hurry up and get it done with, I am trying to eat here."
Megumi just waltzed up and scowled. "You think that just because you got us suspended for a few days, you'd be off the hook for insulting me and slapping me?"
At this, Kagome banged her fists on the table and stood up. "I have three words for you; Get Over It." She said it slowly, as if explaining it to a child.
With that, she picked up her bento and shoved the girls out of the way as she walked, strong and extremely ticked off, out of the hall and down a hallway, towards the fire escape. Opening the door, she slumped down on the stairs and began muttering to herself as she shoved a cherry tomato into her mouth, savoring the sweetness and the tang.
"Stupid painted dolls...afraid of a little girl like me who decides to stand up for herself for once. Eugh! Annoying little pieces of trash...Well you know what? You four can just suck it up and live with the fact that I exist! Everyone else has, too! And while you're at it, go join the circus! I'm sure they'd like more female clowns with faces like yours!"
All of a sudden, an amused voice snapped her out of her rant and she all but jumped, almost losing her apple.
"Listen Brown Eyes, when you're done with your rant, could you please lend us a lighter if you have one?"
Standing up and looking down the flight of stairs, she noticed the Ravens sitting there, having their lunch. They all looked pretty amused and the girl just bit her lip and blushed furiously.
"Ohhh dear." She winced, very embarrassed indeed. "You heard all of that?"
"Ha! You bet! You were practically screaming your pretty little head off!" Bankotsu said, standing up and leaning against the wall, chucking an apple core over the side.
Throwing him an annoyed look, she retorted, "Alright, I wasn't that loud."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Well? Do you have a lighter or not?" he drawled, throwing his braid over his shoulder.
"Oi, sit down Banks! I highly doubt she smokes," came the bored voice of Suikotsu, who was examining his shoes lazily.
The braided boy turned to him and snorted. "Probably not, good girls like her don't know how to have fu- ouch!"
Getting tired of his voice and insults, Kagome pulled out a lighter form her back pocket and threw it at him, aiming for his head. His little cry of pain earned him laughs from all over the group, some of them even flashing Kagome a thumbs-up.
"Thanks sweetheart, he'll probably stop complaining now," said Sango, giving her a smile.
However, Bankotsu wasn't as amused. "What the hell was that for?" he yelled, rubbing his head.
"Quit your complaining and use it already! I need it too you know!" she snapped, giving him a glare.
"You smoke?" Ayame asked, a little surprised.
Kagome just smiled and shook her head. "It's my brother's, he's leaving it with me while he's away. I just like keeping it."
"You have a brother? What's his name?" the Taijiya asked.
"His name's Souta. He's older than me, working in Hong Kong at the moment on a business trip," Kagome supplied.
"Hm, your family must be missing him," Kikyo said, with a small smile gracing her lips.
At this, Kagome froze and quickly thought up a lie, though it made her feel slightly uncomfortable to say it. "Yeah, they're not at home with me at the moment. My father's on another business trip in Vietnam I believe, while my mother's visiting some relatives in the country. My grandmother is ill, so she's tending to her. Neither of them will be back for another few months or so. Well...my father only visits a few times a year...he works abroad, you see."
A flash of sympathy crossed their faces, but went unnoticed by Kagome.
"You must miss them huh? Who're you staying with?" the wolf girl asked again.
"I stay with my godmother and my dog. And of course my father's bikes." She laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears.
"Bikes which she probably can't even ride," Bankotsu muttered under his breath.
Kagome snapped her head towards him and rounded on the blue-eyed boy, fixing him with a dangerous smile, "Excuse me?"
Turning away and hiding a grin, Inuyasha muttered to his friend, "Dude, I think you might have just dug your grave."
"It was inevitable, the idiot never keeps his mouth shut," said Sango's brother, Kohaku, boredly though his lips harboured a little, knowing smile.
"Oi! So you're all turning on me now?" he shouted angrily, narrowing his eyes.
"Not turning on you, just...putting you in your place," Jakotsu, his brother, said, examining his nails.
Bankotsu turned to him, looking betrayed and devastated. "Et tu, Jakotsu?"
Accidentally letting out a giggle, Kagome snapped her mouth shut, trying not to smile as Bankotsu turned to her, looking quite angry. Stomping up the stairs, he backed her against the railing on the stairs, growling out,
"And what, may I ask, is so funny?"
Still struggling with her willpower to stop her mouth from contorting into a grin, she covered her face with a hand and turned away, squeaking out, "Nothing, you're just very...dramatic."
"Oh ho! Hell you got that right! You should see him when he loses a pair of shoes! He goes haywire! We almost had to call the police this one time because he was freaking out so much!" Hiten burst out, causing the group to erupt in laughter. Of course, Sesshoumaru remained as stoic, as usual.
"Shut up! Baka!" Cerulean eyes burned with anger as he fixed his gaze on the other boy. "Those were special shoes!"
"Ah ha ha. You're even more materialistic than I thought, aren't you, Wonderboy?" Kagome taunted, smirking all the while.
Facing her and grinning darkly, Bankotsu leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "Maybe...but I'm picky when it comes to clothes...especially girl's clothes. And I'm glad your lingerie is at least made of a good brand. The black lace is nice, so is the little ribbon at the top."
Turning beet red, Kagome snapped her head downwards and indeed, to her devastation, the two top buttons of her top had somehow come undone and were now revealing the top part of her bra. Screaming in fury, Kagome swiped her hand across his face, screeching all the while, "HENTAI!"
"Whoa! Di-did you see that?" exclaimed Inuyasha, standing up, eyes wide, along with the rest of the group. His brother just sighed and said,
"Yes, Inuyasha. We did see. We were right here, you stupid hanyou."
Kagome was at a loss for words at the moment, as she looked, worriedly, at the boy who was currently sporting a red, hand mark on his cheek and was looking very dark and deadly indeed. Jerkily, he turned his head towards her, his mouth set in a growl.
"Did you...just...slap me?" he asked coldly.
Jaw dropping and frowning, the girl retorted roughly, "Do I have to do it again to bring you back to reality?"
"Why you-"
"Don't you even start, Wonderboy! I wasn't the one looking down your shirt and making perverted remarks!"
At this, he chuckled and pulled backwards slightly. "Well, little girls like yourself should learn to button up a top."
Brown eyes narrowed dangerously. "And little boys should learn to keep their eyes away from places where they aren't welcome. And that goes for hands as well!"
"I'll put my hands where I like, thanks!"
"Not while I'm around!"
The two glared at each other and everyone around could just feel the tension and the crazy sparks flying in the air.
"Hey, Kikyo, you think she could do that to all the guys here?" Ayame whispered, winking at her dark-haired friend.
The tall, formidable girl just smirked and breathed out a small, "Hm, probably."
"Inuyasha...I suggest we get Banks outta there before he says something stupid," Miroku tried, sneaking a glance at the arguing couple.
"Jakotsu, should we?" the hanyou asked, crossing his arms and tilting his head back.
The older boy just smiled, shrugged and sat down again. "Why? It's fun to watch...all we need now is popcorn."
Everyone just sweat-dropped and sighed, turning their attention back to the couple.
"Hm. You know what Brown Eyes? Let's make this easier shall we? Apologize, and I wont bug you anymore. How 'bout it?" the braided boy asked, folding his arms and raising a brow.
Kagome was just speechless. Apologize and he'd leave her alone? Apologize? Are you kidding? She immediately voiced her thoughts. "Are you kidding me? Apologize? Look, there is no way, in the seven fires of hell, that I will ever apologize for anything to you! So you can take that apology and shove it up someone's ass! And it won't be mine!"
All she received was a dark grin and, "Not that I'd mind, though I usually go the other end."
Jaws from all around dropped to the ground so hard that you could practically hear the chatter of teeth.
"Is it just me, or has this gotten intimate?" Kouga quipped into Suikotsu's ear.
A deadly silence lay amongst the group as Kagome looked on, unfazed but very ticked off. So much as to the point where fire seemed to be glowing within her brown orbs.
However, Bankotsu continued. "Now unless you don't want me to perform a treacherous act, I suggest you apologize...now."
"You're not getting one word out of me, so don't bother asking."
Kagome was beginning to really get grated on her nerves as she continued trying to find major comebacks against this witty boy. But she thought sneakily, 'If he wants to play witty, so will I.'
"Well that's just too bad then. Guess I'll be having a new girl to pick on, starting today," he stated boredly.
The girl just laughed, earning her weird looks from the gang. "Bring it on, Wonderboy. I'll be waiting."
Snatching up her lighter from his hand, she picked up her apple, took a bite and stormed out, without one look back.
Seething all through lessons afterwards, Kagome had to spend a good ten minutes in the bathroom after school, cooling off. 'Idiot! Why'd I have to be so stubborn! Well...it serves him right. I'm not apologizing! He should come to me! How DARE he? I have NEVER met anyone as rude, conceited, arrogant and...and...annoying!'
Kagome washed her face and sighed, walking out again. Momo would usually come and pick her up at around this time. The dog would usually wait outside the gates under one of the trees and so, not wanting her darling to worry, she pushed up her sleeves and slung her bag over her shoulder, walking out.
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"BAKA!"
"Yes, yes, we know," Miroku droned, bored out of his skull at his friend's swearing frenzies. Bankotsu had been at it for the past three lessons, swearing, throwing, and basically seething. The Monk had been wary enough to duck several flying objects, one of which missed his head by centimetres.
"That...that...she calls herself a girl but she's a bloody vixen! Damn it! How can she be so hard?" He would have started banging his head into a wall had it not been for the sight of the certain raven-haired, brown-eyed vixen of his current thoughts. She was smiling for some reason, no doubt, to Bankotsu, because she had just out-witted him and was damn ready for anything that he threw her way.
Sighing to himself in frustration, he frowned as he looked to where she was going. "Ne, Inuyasha, what do you know about her?"
The silver-haired boy just raised a brow and asked blandly, "Why are you asking me? I've hardly even noticed her at school. Idiot, why do you let a stupid little girl get the better of you? Pfft! And I thought you were more manly than that!" But secretyly, the amber eyed boy was feeling slightly guilty for calling the girl "stupid" and for lying about his relationship with her. It had been ages since he'd last talked to her and he hadn't a clue of what had been going on in her life.
Though when he noticed his friend and Kagome fighting today, he'd seen something between the two of them. Bankotsu was one rowdy, rough, rude and insensitive bastard. Much like the rest of the group. And she had the guts to go against all of that dump them all where they belonged. But...he knew, even she wasn't very strong. Not emotionally anyway. She could hardly control her feelings back then and he was damned sure she still had that weakness now.
Sighing damply, he just stood up and frowned down at his friend. "Oi. Get up."
Cerulean eyes met amber in confusion. "Eh? Why?"
"Just get up will you? Since you're so interested in her, let's go to her place!" he shouted.
His friends' orbs widened considerably. "What? Who says I'm interested in her? Besides, do you even know where she lives?"
"Feh! Baka! Why would I be taking you there if I didn't know? Use some common sense!"
"Look who's talking! I don't see you using any most of the time! But FINE! Lets go!"
"Hey, you guys! Are you coming?" the hanyou called to the others, who were just looking at him suspiciously.
"How did you know where she lived?" Miroku asked, eyes twinkling.
Hesitating, he sighed, defeated and muttered. "We were friends, years ago. But whatever! Are you coming or not?"
"Hai, hai, Inuyasha. Keep your boots on," Kikyo said wryly, a small smile gracing her lips as she got up and fought not to chuckle.
Inuyasha sent a glare at her back but they softened when she smiled, amusedly at him. "Well, are we going, Inuyasha?"
The boy just turned away and nodded, leading the gang towards the Kagome's house. As they were walking, they noticed the change in scenery as well as the style of the houses. It was no longer the high class, luxurious place they were used to. The streets were narrower, not to mention quite uneven. Cars parked at the side of the road, narrowing them even further and the buildings weren't as clean, modern or as well planned as the city or its outskirts. They continued through the turns here and there, noting the change of the people as well.
They weren't as well-dressed, or if they were, they did stick out a great deal. But what surprised them the most was the fact that they managed to fit in quite well with the number of youngsters that prawled the place. Unlike other rich families and their children, The Ravens were rebels and thus they tended to stay away from the dresses and linen trousers. Their style was more...street style in a way. And yet...they still portrayed class and refinement, they naturally wouldn't just start sporting a pair of shorts and some old baggy shirt, they still had an image and a background to show off and keep up.
When the group suddenly came to a stop, everyone was pretty much awed at the sight before them. It was an old house, falling apart here and there, looking quite like a run down old villa that hadn't been tended to for decades. But, it was quite large and it held a sense of warmth and comfort, very welcoming indeed.
Inuyasha just walked to the front door, turned back and gave his friends a bracing look before knocking on it. Sesshoumaru had come beside him sometime ago, and the two had just walked in silence. When Inuyasha got tired of it and asked his brother why he was there, the older boy just turned to him and said, stoiclly; "I, like you, Inuyasha, have not paid attention to her for about five or so years no. I look forward to seeing her again. You are not the only one who has known her, little brother."
With that, the conversation was left to rest.
"So...this is where she lives huh?" Ayame whispered to Sango.
The Taijiya just smiled and looked at it. "It seems very old. But...very welcoming. I might actually feel at home here. What do you think, Kikyo?"
The tall girl just smiled softly. "It has a good feeling about it. But," her expression saddened somewhat. "There is pain...deep pain. But there is love, none the less... a lot of it."
Bankotsu looked at the house with no particular expression on his face. He was wondering more so at what the hell he was doing here and what he was going to say when he saw her. But then, remembering what Inuyasha said earlier, about them being friends a long time ago, it brought a strange, forlorn feeling within him. Scoffing, he just turned towards the door, only to see it opening.
"G-Gomen! Sorry I took...so...Oh!"
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A/N: ALRIGHT! Yes, here is the well awaited second installment of Playing Their Game. All I have to say is...WOW! I still cannot believe that I've gotten so many reviews and favourites for ONE chapter! KEEP EM COMING PEOPLE! Thanks so much! You've really boosted my confidence and now I KNOW I'll have fun writing this! A BIG thanks, not to mention cookies, to SilveryDarkness for being my BETA. You're a doll, honey! Thanks!
AND! As for the rest of the reviewers... dimension guardian, Kage Youkai, kagome4hiei, fireychika24, shadow miko, Saturn-fox, Kage otome. Kapitan Nemo, Shivers, bluemoon175, Kaleigh. Kitsuna, Roxie Selvetie.
THANKS ALL! And keep REVIEWING! I'm also looking for some critical advice here...NO FLAMES!
Next Chapter: In order to NOT be rude, Kagome is forced to invite everyone into her home. But what's she going to say about Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha? After all, she hasn't talked to them in years and now her old friends are on her doorstep? Hmmm...and what about Bankotsu? Is all this affection going to get our man jealous? Find out soon! damn this sounds like a preview of an upcoming episode or something.
