A/N – Thanks to Moonlit marauder for the review! Out of the 88 people who've read it so far, you're the only one to tell me what you think. Thanks!! Because of that, I dedicate this chapter to you, lol.

Chapter One: Day One

Kagome leaned back on her hands, the concrete rough against her smooth, pale hands. The sun was blinding her, but that didn't stop her from glaring at it, as if the sun was the cause of all her problems. Her legs were spread out before her, just barely reaching the curb and mailbox. Beside her sat a large duffle bag and a young boy. Aside from his almond brown eyes, he looked just like her.

"You know, if you'd just stop doing these kinds of things you'd never be in this situation Kagome," he muttered, leaning forward until his chin rested on his knees. His thin shoulders were tense and his back was straight as he leveled a glare at the sidewalk. He had known that something like this would happen eventually, he had just been hoping that it wouldn't be quite so soon as it was.

"I know Souta." Leaning forward and pulling her legs back, she moved into a small crouch before pushing herself up. Reaching her hands upwards, she stretched and let out a yawn, still the epitome of a calm lake. "But you'll be okay. It's not like I'm totally abandoning you. I mean, you'll be coming to the same school by next year anyway and better yet, you'll be doing it voluntarily." Looking at him over her shoulder, she smiled slightly and knelt before him, running a small hand through his soft black hair. "Look at it this way. At least now you get a bigger room, ne?"

Souta was silent for a moment more, before looking up at her with a grin. Standing up quickly so that she had to take a step back in order to even remain standing, Souta stuck out his tongue and placed a finger beneath his eye, pulling the flimsy skin down to reveal the nasty red part below. Smiling again, he turned and quickly ran back up the walk before she could pounce on him and give him a noogie.

Kagome remained with a smile until he disappeared inside, before the smile slipped away and she turned to watch the street again, waiting for the evil white buss to approach. Her hands were tight fists at her sides and she was glaring again, though at nothing in particular this time. She kicked her bag, allowing a small amount of her temper to come through.

Just then the bus pulled onto her street and it was as ugly and repulsive as the magazine had made it look. It seemed nothing could make a bus look even remotely interesting, let alone something she would actually like to ride in. Letting loose a sigh, she slowly bent down and picked up her bag, waiting for the horrible monstrosity to pull up in front of her. When it did so, Kagome wasn't surprised to see an ugly old man sitting in the seat, but she obviously didn't voice that opinion. She hesitated for a moment, still disbelieving the fact that she was actually having to do this, before climbing on at the heated glare from the bus driver.

And stopped. Her bag slipped from her fingers and hit the floor with loud thump as she stared at row upon row of boys, with only one other girl. A man in the front of the bus prodded her forward and took her back, tossing it into a pile with all the other ones. "Sit down, kid," he muttered, annoyed, "We haven't got all day."

Kagome scowled and walked quickly forward, more than annoyed at the fact that he had touched her. Throwing a snarl over her shoulder, she continued to move towards the back of the bus, catching the 

gaze of a brown haired, blue eyed boy with a wolfish grin, before taking a seat next to the girl. Who glared at her with intelligent green eyes, the sun reflecting off her reddish brown hair. What the hell was her problem? Returning the glare with her own azure pools, Kagome turned and faced the front, making sure to be as cold as possible to the other girl. She wanted to be enemies, then so freaking be it. Kagome didn't need some silly girl to talk to anyway. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back and waited for the boring ride to end.

--

"Kagome…we're tired of having to bow in apology for you every time a police officer comes to our door." Her mother's voice was soft and gently, though full of an aging that hurt Kagome to listen to. And Kagome knew that it was partly her fault. "Please, Kagome, don't fight this. Just take the way we're offering you and I promise everything will be alright." Again Kyoko's voice was quiet, filled with a pleading that devastated the normally happy girl. And what was worse was that Kagome knew the reason her mother sounded like this, knew the reason her mother was pleading so desperately with her was because of the things Kagome had done.

Staring at the coffee table and the untouched cup of tea that sat before her, Kagome could not meet her mother's eyes, not like she used to. She knew that the moment her eyes settled on her mother's that she would see the disappointment and sadness that prevailed every time Kagome looked at her. It would kill her to see her mother like that. "I'll go," she said quietly, still refusing to look up. "Call and tell them I'll be there." Standing, Kagome continued to avoid her mother's gaze, though the relief was prominent as it poured out of her mother in heart wrenching sobs.

Behind her, Kagome could feel Tenshi staring at her, surprised that she had consented to go so easily. After all, Kagome never really did things he told her to do unless she thought it would be interesting. Sighing, she trudged her way up the steps to her room and slowly opened the door, shutting it gently behind her. Walking over to her closet, Kagome pulled out her duffle bag and slowly began to pack for boot camp.

--

As the bus plodded closer and closer to the tall building, Kagome felt something akin to butterflies, a feeling that she hadn't experienced in quite some time. To top it off, she wasn't even sure why they were there, only that they were.

The brick building stood at least 4 stories tall, with windows every two feet and a huge American flag in front. Numerous buildings were huddled off to the left and right of the school and she could only guess that they were the barracks. Three groups of what looked like 50 kids stood lined up, one arm at their side, the other raised with their fingers pressed to their foreheads.

She watched silently as the person that stood in front of each group shouted something indiscernible and all three groups turned to the right at the same time with the same mannerisms. Deciding that this looked interesting if slightly foreboding as to what she would be doing, Kagome continued to watch until the bus pulled to a stop a good 20 yards away from them.

If it hadn't been for yet another death glare she was receiving from the girl seated next to her, Kagome would have been content to sit where she was and watch the actions of the small groups. But again, the girl next to her continued to glare, so with an irritated sight, Kagome stood and followed the boys off the 

bus, but was surprised when somebody grabbed her and jerked her in the opposite direction the boys were going, putting her face to face with a lady, a lady whom upon closer inspection looked frighteningly like Kagome.

"Name?" she demanded, her voice cold as she stared at Kagome with brown, unfeeling eyes. When Kagome didn't respond, the lady let out an irritated sigh, before snapping her fingers in front of the girls face, startling up a reaction. "I said what is your name, girl!"

"Higurashi Kagome," she said finally, narrowing her eyes in annoyance. Vaguely she wondered if the other woman wore so much make-up in order to hide wrinkles or age spots. Inwardly smoking, Kagome made that a task of hers to find out. She'd just have to sneak into the woman's room and snap a picture while she slept…

She dragged her finger down the piece of paper she had attached to her clip board, before stopping somewhere near the middle. "My name is Kikyo, but that's Sergeant Shikon, got it? You're in the only barrack reserved for girls, obviously. You've already met one of them, Ookami Ayame, the girl you sat next to on the bus." Kikyo had indeed seen them sitting next to each other on the bus, so when the first girl had stomped off and then this girl, she had been amused that they hadn't even spoken to each other. Oh, endless possibilities in order to get them into trouble. Smirking, she added one more thing as Higurashi began to walk away. "Don't forget to head to the barbers. Hair can't be past the shoulders." Again Kikyo smirked as she saw the girl tense, before she walked away, heading towards her barracks.

Kagome could not believe that this was happening. She had decided to go ahead and get the hair cut done and over with before she went to the barracks and had to confront that auburn haired girl…Ookami? Mentally shrugging, Kagome winced yet again as another long strand of luscious black hair fell to the floor. It wasn't that her hair was particularly long, reaching only to the center of her back, but she had been working on growing it out for quite a while. Now, as the barber cut off the last few strands into a short but surprisingly stylish cut, Kagome stared in the mirror at a reflection she didn't recognize. She hadn't realized that her hair could change the way she looked so much.

Sighing, she waited for the man to finish, before offering her thanks and leaving, shivering at the feeling of the wind against her neck, a feeling that she hadn't felt in a very long time.

Rubbing her neck, she carefully made her way over to the barracks and was surprised to see a number of other girls there, some her age, a few older and one that looked no older than 14. Most of them seem preoccupied with their own things for the time being, so Kagome walked inside and went over to the only other available bunk, the one that just happened to be beneath Ookami's.

Great…bunking under wolf girl, she thought, a disdainful look coming into her eyes.

Tossing her duffle onto her bed, she was about to flop down and ignore the other girl, when somebody suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Hey, I'm Taijiya Sango. Love the hair," she added, pointing to her own short locks as a grin spread over her features.

Kagome smiled as well, glad to have already made a friend, before nodding and offering up her own name. "Higurashi Kagome." Glancing around at the other girls again, Kagome counted 3 other girls, not counting Sango.

Sango, catching Kagome's curious look, leaned closer and began to whisper. "The tall one, the girl with the reddish-brown eyes, that one's Kagura. She's kind of weird at first, really arrogant, but she's tough. We don't really get along too well though. And next, the short one, the kid with the cute face, she's about our age; oh yeah, her name is Rin. Really sweet girl, but she has no physical strength what so ever." Stopping a moment to catch her breath, Sango winked mischievously at Kagome, before continuing, making Kagome wonder what the wink was even for. She shrugged and Sango continued. "And the girl on the bunk above yours is Ayame, but I only just learned her name, so I don't know much about her either."

Another laugh escaped Sango's lips and she wrapped an arm around Kagome's shoulder, as if they had been friends for years. "And that's all you really need to know," Sango added, dragging the poor girl over to her own bunk and flopping down together. "Any questions?"

A small smile twitched its way onto her face, before Kagome burst into laughter, holding her sides she found it so funny. This girl, Sango, was definitely going to make things better. When she had finally calmed down enough to catch a breath, Kagome found all of the other girls staring at her and Sango, to which the older girl just stuck her tongue out and the rest of the smiled and went back to what they were doing. Except for Ayame, of course, who continued to glare at her, the same way she had on the bus. Sighing but ignoring it, Kagome turned back to Sango and continued the conversation, laughing and adding comments here and there…

--

Sunlight shown through the tall windows of the barracks, reflecting off the metal of the bunk beds and flashing down onto the cold tiled floor, covering the faces of the five sleeping girls. Most were able to sleep through it, but two of them slipped their heads under the blankets, just in time to sit bolt upright when the door to the barracks slammed open. "Open up those eyes, ladies, we have lots to do today. Outside on the parade grounds in five!"

The voice was cold and hard and it definitely belonged to Kikyo, a woman she found she was quickly beginning to dislike! Rolling onto her side, Kagome groaned and burrowed further under her thin blanket, only to have it ripped from her fingers by a grinning Sango. "Let's go," she said as she bent down to finish tying her shoe, "You've got about three minutes left to get dressed."

Groaning, Kagome stared blearily up at the other girl, before the words slammed into her like a brick. Eyes wide, she jumped off the bed, tripping off the edge in the process and slammed her knee into the tiles. Yelping from the pain as well as the cold, she quickly pulled her uniform off the end of the bed and dragged herself up, before yanking the pants on and tucking in the shirt once it was settled on her thin shoulders. Hooking the hat onto her belt like Sango had hers, the two girls quickly snaked out of the room, arriving just as the five minutes ended, though their breathing was a little on the heavy side.

It turned out however, that Kagome's mad rush had all been for nothing. Kagome and Sango, along with the other three girls stood at attention for what seemed like an hour, before Kikyo finally arrived. She raked her brown eyes over the small group of girls, the only girls on the entire compound besides herself and a few teachers, before allowing a small smirk to drift onto her features. "Well then, Ladies, you 

know the drill." Kikyo was quiet for a moment, allowing her gaze to settle on Higurashi, before her smirk widened. "And I believe the length today will be eight miles."

Kagome's eyes widened, and before she could say anything in objection, Kagura snapped a hand over her mouth and Sango sent the other girl a small shake of her head.

Kikyo watched, amused when Higurashi moved to speak but was stopped when Onigumo slapped a hand over the girl's lips. The smirk still settled on Kikyo's face, she inclined her head slightly. "Is there a problem Higurashi?"

Blue spheres narrowing, Kagome shook her head. "No Ma'am, there is no problem."

Resting a hand on her hip, Kikyo nodded. "Good. Then, you won't mind having nine miles instead of eight. I'm so glad you're eager to participate on your first day here."

Bitch….

"Yes, Ma'am."

Kikyo was silent, before turning and walking away, waving a hand behind her as a signal to start. She stopped however, and called one more thing over her shoulder. "You'll be meeting me at the drill area after this, so I suggest you hurry up. We'll be trying a new program that the board would like to try."

As soon as Kikyo was gone, Kagome frowned and was tempted to glare at Kagura, but she knew the older girl had only been attempting to help. Bowing to the other girls, Kagome offered up a sincere apology for adding an extra mile to everyone's run and for the most part it was accepted. However, Ayame turned a heated glare to her and snarled, but held back whatever words were itching to seethe from her mouth, and turned to run, beginning the miles that Kikyo had set them.

Pretty soon, Kagome and Sango were in the back, with the exception of Rin who was just slightly behind them. They had both agreed to stay behind and help the girl, that way she wouldn't feel left behind. Kagome though, having found a talkative friend in Sango, found herself venting. "….I mean, really! What've I done to the girl? As far as I can tell, Ookami's hated me since the moment I stepped onto that bus! And I don't even know why!"

"Well…didn't you say that before you got on, she was the only girl on the bus?"

Kagome frowned. "Yes, but I don't know what that has to do with it."

Smiling, Sango shook her head had Kagome's naive thoughts. "You might not have noticed it Kagome-chan, but you're pretty attractive. I'd even go so far as to say that the moment you stepped onto that bus, all attention was diverted to you, perhaps even one that she might have liked? What do you think, Rin-chan? That seems plausible, doesn't it?"

Rin smiled, before speaking, though her words came between heavy puffs of breath. "Yes….I…agree….."

Glancing at the smaller girl, Kagome allowed another frown to filter onto her face. We definitely have to show her a trick to breath easier…

"I guess so, but if that's the reason, then she's got nothing to worry about." She laughed, more than amused at the fact that the other girl might be jealous of her, over some stupid little thing like that! Still laughing, she made sure to keep her pace slow enough for both Sango and Rin to keep up with and focused her eyes on the disappearing backs of the other three.

--

Kagome, Rin and Sango reached the end of the nine miles a couple of minutes after the other girls had and she watched as the other two breathed heavily and stood over panting, their hands rested on their knees.

Aside from Kanna, Kagura and Ayame, Kagome noticed that there were a number of other boys there as well, two of which she noticed had been on the bus yesterday. Although she did not know their names, Kagome was curious to find out if either of them was the one that Ayame might have had her eyes on.

One stood taller than the other, with black hair cut to a close shave, like all the other boys and what she could tell were piercing holes in his ears. From the side Kagome was able to tell that he had violet eyes. The other one, though shorter, had a slightly more rugged and what she thought some might term handsome look to him, with brown hair and bright blue eyes. Vaguely she remembered him as the one that stared at her until she had passed.

Shrugging, Kagome decided that she would have to figure out what Ayame's problem was when she noticed a tall, silver haired kid walking closer to them. Though he appeared only to nine teen or so, Kagome had a feeling that he was older than that, not to mention that he was the kind of person that demanded respect.

She glanced at the groups of boys as she heard a loud groan let loose and spotted another boy with silver hair, though she couldn't see what he looked like from the back. Frowning, she turned her gaze back to the one that was coming to them and was surprised to find him only a couple of feet away, staring at them all in disdain.

Well then, that settles it…I don't like him.

Kagome stared at him with obviously untrusting eyes, eyes that dared him to say something to her. She wasn't sure whether to smirk or feel indignant when he merely turned his eyes elsewhere, scanning the small group again.

Altogether, there were only eight of them, four boys and four girls. Kagome supposed that whoever decided the teams had wanted to make it equal in terms of where the girls came in, she just hoped that the boys weren't as stupid as they looked. For instance, the silver haired one was muttering under his breath, things even she could hear. The next thing she knew he was on the ground doing push-ups. Beside him, a boy who looked slightly younger than the rest of them, maybe about Rin's age, stood snickering, the sunlight reflecting off his brilliant orange hair. Soon, he too was on the ground, counting out loud.

Finally then, the silver haired one that had arrived after she had turned to look at the girls, sizing them up as if it was second nature, almost as if it were expected. He frowned then, when his gaze landed on her. "You four, step forward. Name's?"

"Taijiya Sango."

"Onigumo Kagura."

"Tashio Rin."

"Ookami Ayame."

Kagome was silent a moment longer than was actually necessary, earning a glare from the man. Holding back the urge to smirk, she inclined her head slightly. "Higurashi Kagome."

Finally taking his solid golden gaze from her liquid blue one, he turned to look at them all, his face blank of any emotion, though she thought she could see a small, barely noticeable spark of…excitement? Thinking this over, she listened as he began to speak.

"I am Tashio Sesshoumaru, Sergeant Tashio to you all. From this point on, all of you physical training will be instructed by me." Silent for a moment, he glanced at the group, choosing to ignore the look he was receiving from his half-brother. "As such, you will do everything I tell you to do until I dismiss you and even then, I am your commanding officer."

Right. Mr. High-and-Mighty. Definitely needs an ego check.

Kagome rolled her eyes, before tuning out the rest of the conversation, catching the important parts, like what time breakfast was to be served, when curfew was after classes; the rest of it Kagome figured she could get from Sango or one of the other girls. Letting out a soft, barely noticeable sigh, Kagome fixed her eyes onto her new Sergeant, before dropping her gaze to the ground in boredom, deciding to entertain herself with the ways in which she would smash a piece of grass. Apparently you couldn't do much when you were wearing boots. Damn shoes…

She jumped when Sango elbowed her in the side, before sending a half-hearted, side-long glare at the other girl, who was motioning for Kagome to pay attention. But Kagome rolled her eyes and went back to killing the poor little blade of grass. At least, she went back to attempting to kill the poor little blade of grass.

Unfortunately for her, Sesshoumaru happened to be looking at her when she rolled his eyes and if anyone had been looking closely enough, they would have noticed the small, distinct smirk that passed over his thin lips. "Higurashi."

Kagome glanced up at him in surprise, wondering what he wanted. Frankly, she was surprised he had even used her name. He seemed like the type to call someone by some kind of term, like maggot or rat, or something to that effect. Whatever it was the superiors called the…un-superiors? Shrugging, she waited for him to speak.

"Do you find what I'm saying boring, Higurashi?"

She was silent for a moment, before a small spark came into her eyes, lightening up the shade of blue. "Yes, sir, I do. I find it immensely boring."

A look of amusement passed over his features, though again, it was only noticeable if one was looking for it. Obviously she wasn't. He heard a groan come from two of the females in her group, as well as a snort from his half-brother. Well, that just wouldn't do.

Walking forward until he was about a foot away from her, he narrowed his eyes. "I see." Quiet for a moment more, he allowed the tension to soak the air. No one could say he didn't have fun; they just had slightly different definitions was all. "Well then, I believe you can drop and give me 50."

Kagome stared at him in surprise, wondering if he was serious. She stood with her back straight and her arms crossed in front of her, a cocky tilt to her head. Wondering if he was serious, Kagome did not move, waiting to see what he would do. Looking up into his golden eyes, she could feel the tension between them increase even more, a battle of wills in which she wasn't at all sure who would win. Glancing around at the others, Kagome took in Sango, shaking her head, staring at her as if she were an idiot. The guys on the other hand were looking as if she were some kind of freakily mutated alien. Either that or they just couldn't believe that she had talked to Sergeant Tashio like that. Kagome had a feeling that it was maybe a little bit of both. Taking one more hesitant look, Kagome finally began to realize that maybe she should do the push-ups, but a part of her still refused to do them. Narrowing her eyes and coping the expressionless face exactly, she allowed an impassive tone to fill her voice.

Oh, this is goanna be great. He totally won't be expecting this!

"I don't DO push-ups."