Yeah, so it's been a while I am so pleased that I got reviews for my last chapter! Unfortunately I have some bad news. My laptop came down with a virus and it won't load Windows, and I might have to wipe it (and all of my stories) so I won't be updating for a while. I'm trying to figure out if theres any way to salvage my stories, I put too much effort into them to just let them get erased. Anyway, here's the next chapter Your writing extrodinarie, Signy

Chapter 2 – History Lesson Part 1

Sango greeted Kagome on the front steps of the school with an odd smile. It was the first Friday at Shikon Jewel High and the students were making the best of it. Sango was extremely relieved to see a friendly face among the chaos, but her smile faltered when Miroku strolled up to her with Inuyasha in tow. Miroku had been badgering her since she'd beat him down on Tuesday, but she still refused to go out with him.

"Sango. Date. You. Me. Tonight." He proposed.

"Miroku. No." Sango replied with coldness in her voice. She felt a slight blush creep onto her cheeks but she refused to get friendly with the boy.

"Oh, denied." Kagome saucily said, laughing. Inuyasha remained silent, staring at the ground, but a smile graced his face at Kagome's words. Miroku and Kagome did a double-take, not believing what they were seeing. Sango didn't get the significance of this event, but she figured that Kagome would explain later.

"Uh…" Miroku sputtered, breaking the silence. Inuyasha's smile instantly vanished as was replaced with his usual placid look. The group walked into the school, not exactly walking together, but also not apart. Somehow Miroku managed to bridge the gap in his own special way.

"Miroku!" Sango shouted, smacking the man who had ogled his way to her goodies. Kagome and Inuyasha barely cringed as Sango beat the boy senseless. "What did I tell you?" she yelled, kicking him in emphasis with every word.

"Still so worth the pain." Miroku muttered from the ground, a goofy grin on his face.

"Grow up Miroku!" Sango said, stepping on him as she made her way to her seat. Kagome followed wordlessly.

"Quit being a jackass, hentai." Inuyasha said. He sat down and scowled.

"I'm serious, if you do that again I won't think twice about cutting off your hand. My dad's a butcher." Sango warned, adding in the last bit as an extra warning.

"Ugh." Miroku groaned, picking himself up and dusting off his pants. "Hey Sango, I think I missed a spot, you think you can reach it?" He asked, pointing to his crotch. Sango rolled her eyes and flipped him off. He laughed and glanced at his watch. "Hey Yash, didn't Kikyou want to see you about something in the cafeteria?"

"Oh shit." Inuyasha almost yelled, his eyes getting big as he grabbed Miroku by the shirt and pulled him out of the room. The girls heard Miroku shout a goodbye, even though it was pointless because class would be starting in under ten minutes.

"Why does he always run off when Kikyou calls?" Sango asked, puzzled by the boy's behavior.

"Inuyasha smiled." Was all Kagome could say. She'd been in a daze since the event had occurred, repeating the moment in her head until she had everything about it memorized. "I can't believe he actually smiled."

"So I gather he doesn't do that often?"

"I've only seen him smile once before, freshman year when he moved here. He had just received an A on the pop-chemistry test when an office helper came in to deliver a note for him. She pulled him out of the classroom and he hasn't smiled since." Kagome said, her eyes misted over in remembrance.

"What happened? Why hasn't he smiled since then, and what made him stop smiling?" Sango asked, very curious about her friend's past.

"His mother died. He'd already lost his father the previous year. I guess it was just too much for him. Moving and losing your parents in the same year just caused him to well up. He's locked away his smiles and laughter for so long. I doubt anybody knows what kind of person Inuyasha truly is, including Miroku."

"But why doesn't he smile now?"

"What's there to smile about? He's dating Kikyou, but from what I can tell it's an emotionless relationship. She has a good looking boy that could raise her social status. He has a girl that cares only about herself, so she can't hurt him." Kagome explained.

"Good point. If I were dating someone like Kikyou, I sure wouldn't smile." Sango said with a grin. "What about Miroku?"

"Miroku? Oh, well Miroku has lived here his entire life. His mother died when he was born, father died a couple years back. It's no wonder he and Inuyasha are friends."

"Judging by his reaction, I'd say he'd never seen Inuyasha smile either." Sango noted.

"I wondered that myself." Kagome pondered. A few students had trickled in by then, and she put her books on the chair in front of her so that Inuyasha would have a place to sit. Sango followed suit with the chair in front of her. "He's always been sort of a ladies man, even though he hasn't had much luck. Miroku, I mean. He usually gives up after the girl hits him once. I think he might really like you though, by the way he's pursuing you like there's no tomorrow." Kagome giggled.

"Oh, goodie." Sango said with sarcasm, causing Kagome to giggle even more. Heat rose to Sango's face as she saw Miroku walk through the door. She cursed herself for letting herself be changed by his presence.

"This seat taken?" Miroku asked, indicating the one in front of not Sango, but Kagome. Kagome and Sango exchanged confused looks, but Kagome allowed him to sit down. The bell rang as the final students were running through the door. Miroku turned towards the front of the class but casually reached behind to Kagome's desk and laid a folded scrap of paper on it. Confused, Kagome snatched it up and opened it.

Kagome,

I need your help with Sango. Please, I'm begging you.

Miroku

"Oh!" Kagome whispered out loud. Sango shot her a look of bafflement, but Kagome just waved it off. So it looks as if Kagome's hunch was right; that Miroku really does have feelings for Sango. She grabbed a pen and scribbled a little note on the back of Miroku's parchment. Then, using her favorite note-passing technique, she tapped him on the shoulder as if asking for help and dropped the letter into his lap.

Miroku,

Stop being a lech and start listening to what she says. She'll probably say something that would make it easier for you to understand her. Understanding a girl is the first step to asking her out.

Kagome

Miroku smiled and crumpled the paper up to destroy the evidence. Kagome said to listen to her? Well he would make sure that he memorized everything that she said, not just everything that she did.

"What are you smiling about?" Inuyasha asked, bumping Miroku in the shoulder and out of his daze.

"Just something Kagome said, that's it." Miroku replied dreamily. He was thinking about Sango, but to Inuyasha it sounded more as if he was crushing on Kagome. What could Kagome have said to make Miroku turn to butter like that? Inuyasha wracked his brain for the rest of homeroom trying to figure out what they were planning.

"Hey Sango!" Miroku said, catching up to her as she walked out of the room and into the crowded hallway. "Wait up, I want to talk."

"Listen, it's never going to happen because you care more about groping me then you actually care about me. You are one of those guys who just don't get what women want. They want someone who would stand beside them, content on just standing there because they know deep down that they love you. Why don't you try relating to a girl, like you ever could." Sango fled from him in embarrassment. She couldn't believe that she'd let him to get to her like that.

Miroku stood dumbfounded as he watched her walk away. He knew she had insulted him, but despite how it'd hurt his feelings he knew that she'd let a piece of herself go out to him. He now knew what she wanted in a man. Now he needed to get to class and have another little chat session with a certain Ms. Higurashi.

"Now today class, we will be discussing the past. I want you all to write an essay about your past, and don't just write about what you did last week, I want some serious papers here. No less than 800 words, due tomorrow by the final bell." Mr. Myouga said, leaving the class groaning. He sat down at his desk and began to type on the computer. A strange grin lit up the teachers' face that caused Miroku to lean over to Inuyasha and say, "Five bucks says he's watching porn."

Inuyasha looked up at the teacher and then back at Miroku before saying in a reprimanding tone, "And what exactly are you basing that opinion on? I thought you said you left your dad's 'secret' stash alone, Miroku."

"Uh…" Miroku stuttered. "I did, but I've heard stories."

"Right, I might have fallen for that in the 9th grade, but I'm a little smarter now." Inuyasha argued.

"I doubt that. You're still dating Kikyou." Miroku seriously said, hoping to cause Inuyasha to realize how stupid he was.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Inuyasha asked, reacting just the way Miroku had predicted.

"You have nothing in common with her, you hate how she talks about people, and she doesn't make you smile." He had added that last bit to make Inuyasha think about Kagome. Miroku may be a lech, but he has eyes and knew of Inuyasha's feelings.

"Are you saying because she doesn't make me smile, I should dump her?" Inuyasha growled. "That's a stupid reason because nobody makes me smile."

"Kagome did."

Inuyasha gasped when he realized that Miroku had seen him smile at Kagome's little joke. So he'd smiled, it's not like the end of the world. Inuyasha was still unsure though, he didn't want people to see him smile. It was a weakness. "Di- did Kagome see me smile?"

"Sango did too. Face it Yash, you like her and can't stand Kikyou. That's why you've never actually kissed her. She's always been the one to kiss you." Miroku said, making his point.

"Feh, shows what you know." Was all Inuyasha could think of to say. In his head he was going over what his friend had said, and it suddenly dawned on him how right the lech was. He really didn't like Kikyou.

"Fine, ignore your feelings. I'm sure bottling them up will save you years of heartbreak and therapy."

"Feh."

Meanwhile, the girls at the back were having a little discussion of their own. Unfortunately it wasn't about the guys, it was about their homework assignment.

"Man, I hate essays like this. It's like those: "What did you do over summer vacation?" ones they make you write every year." Kagome complained, jotting down a timeline of her life. She left out the summer's events, but added when she met Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango as significant events.

"I know. Do they really want to know that much about us?" Sango added.

"What are you going to write about." Kagome asked.

"Well, I guess there isn't too much I can write about." Sango replied in a sad voice. Kagome instantly picked up on it and asked her friend what was troubling her.

"Sango, what's wrong? Was it something I said?" Kagome whispered in a gentle tone. Sango looked up from her paper with tears in her eyes.

"No, it wasn't you. I was just remembering Kohaku." She said in a shaky voice. Then, before the tears could overcome her she ran out of the room, causing the teacher to look up from his desk.

"What is the meaning of this?" he sternly asked.

"Sango!" was all Kagome said as she rushed out the door to find her friend. Miroku and Inuyasha sat up when they saw Sango tear out of the room. They knew something was wrong and even before Kagome had reached the door they had grabbed their stuff and stood up as well.

"What do you think you are doing?" Mr. Myouga demanded.

"Buck off teach, that's my girlfriend and I'm not going to let anybody stop me from getting to her." Miroku shouted, stalking out the door with Inuyasha on his heels. Inuyasha had never seen his friend in such an uproar, especially about a girl. He knew then that Miroku truly did care about Sango, despite his lecherous ways. "Where'd she go?" Miroku asked Inuyasha.

Inuyasha took a pause to sniff the air. "That way." He said, pointing to the girls bathroom. They barged in and followed the sobs to the last stall. Knocking carefully on the door, Miroku found his voice and asked that they be let in.

"Go away guys, this is the girls' bathroom." Kagome said, holding a crying Sango.

"No." Miroku said. "I want to make sure Sango's all right."

"Kohaku…" Sango sobbed, releasing herself from Kagome and opening the door. She stumbled out a mess; her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks were tear-stained, and she had a mascara trail all the way down to her neck. To Miroku, she was beautiful. He caught her as she fell forward, letting her lean into his body for support. "Last year, Kohaku turned ten. He went crazy, like someone else was controlling him."

Miroku hugged her deeper and pet her head gently. "Shh. It's alright." He whispered. Kagome and Inuyasha crouched down on their knees so they could hear Sango's strained voice.

"Our parents had a party for him, with all of our family and his friends." Sango continued in a shaky voice. "I don't know what happened, it was all laughs and giggles until Kohaku left the room. He came back with a hiccup gun. He aimed it at father and pulled the trigger." She found herself immersed in a new wave of tears, but she continued. "People everywhere were screaming, crying, trying to open the doors. He had shoved wood through the handles on the outside; we were trapped. One by one he shot the guests, slowly becoming covered in their blood. He saved me for last. I remember, he had a savage grin on his face as he said, 'come dear sister, we shall meet again someday.' Then he pointed the gun at me. I started to cry. I didn't want this, I didn't want to die. Kohaku, his face changed, back to the face I knew. He turned the gun on himself and I blacked out. The authorities found me the next day. I've been in foster homes ever since."

Miroku, Kagome, and Inuyasha all held shocked looks on themselves. They didn't realize just how bad Sango had had it before she had come to Shikon Jewel. Sango just cried on Miroku's shoulder as he rubbed her back, trying to ease the pain. She cried Kohaku's name repeatedly until she fell into an exhausted sleep.

"Come on, we're leaving." Miroku said, picking up Sango and carrying her out of the bathroom.

"But we can't just…" Kagome said, but Miroku cut her off.

"Yes we can, and I am going to. I couldn't care less if you two join me, but I'm not going to let her stay at school; that would be cruel. Come, stay, do what you want, but I'm taking her somewhere she can rest." Miroku headed for his car, leaving a dumbfounded Kagome standing next to Inuyasha.

"Let's go." Inuyasha said, taking her arm roughly.

"But!" Kagome started to protest, but Inuyasha stopped and turned to look her straight in the eyes.

"Which is more important, Sango, or this pathetic school?" Inuyasha growled. He resumed following Miroku and pulling Kagome, even though she now came willingly. They piled into Miroku's car, with Sango lying in the back seat and Miroku driving.

"Sorry guys, guess only one of you can go."

"No way." Kagome said, finding her voice. She told Inuyasha to sit in the passenger seat and then she climbed in after him, resting on his lap. Inuyasha felt as if the temperature had risen in his face as he looked confusedly at Kagome. "What? You said it yourself that Sango is more important, there's no way I'm going to leave her."

"Good. Then shall I suggest we go to my house?" Miroku said. "It's closest."

"No, the monks will be suspicious. Better head to mine." Inuyasha said. Kagome is as confused as ever. First she has Inuyasha, who is finally beginning to show her that he does care, and now she has monks? Her new friends are certainly strange. It took only a few minutes to get from the school to Inuyasha's apartment, which surprisingly was at the same location as Kagome's.

"You never told me you lived here!" Kagome said as they entered Shrine apartments.

"You never asked." Inuyasha coolly replied.

"Hello, focus on Sango please." Miroku said as Inuyasha fumbled with his keys. In his arms Sango stirred and murmured Miroku's name. "Morning beautiful." He said, smiling. Inuyasha finally got the door open and lead the way into his living room. Miroku sat Sango down on the white couch while he took off her shoes.

"How's she doing?" Kagome worriedly asked, shifting her attention to the girl lying on the couch.

"Better I think. She's waking up." Miroku said, moving Sango's legs so he could sit underneath them. He took her right foot in his hands and began to massage them, causing her to moan slightly in delight.

"Miroku, when did you get so good with women?" Inuyasha asked, taking his coat and tossing it over a white chair.

"Yeah… I've noticed that you have yet to try and grope Sango, and look at you, rubbing her feet!" Kagome laughed.

"Hey, I know what women want, all right?" Miroku said with a laugh.

"That feels nice." Sango said from the couch.

"You think it's ok if we stay here tonight?" Kagome asked Inuyasha. "I mean, I could just go to my apartment, but I don't think we should move Sango."

"Yeah, that'll be fine. Why don't you run home and get some clothes for you both. She looks about your size, and I don't want to leave her alone with Miroku." Inuyasha said.

"Got it. I'll call Sango's keeper." Inuyasha gave a confused look so Kagome explained. "She's staying with one of her mother's old friends."

"I see. I'll keep Miroku from being any more hentai then usual."

"I'll be right back." Kagome said, giving him a smile. In the background Sango was sitting up using Miroku's neck as leverage and they were watching their friends at the door.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha whispered.

"Yeah?" Kagome responded, turning back to face him.

"Uh, I'll see you in a bit." Inuyasha said, words failing him. He gave a weak smile.

"Yeah." Kagome said with a defined smile. She touched his shoulder gently and walked out the door. Inuyasha stared wistfully at the door before leaning up against his kitchen counter to support the weight he seemed the suddenly gain.

As always, don't forget to review I love hearing from ya'll! I'll update as soon as I can, and hopefully it'll be real soon! Ciao, Your writing extrodinaire, Signy