"Bye Mom! I'm off to school!" Kagome called as she ran down the stairs and headed for the door. "I'll come back for my stuff once I get my dorm!"

"Okay Kagome! Be safe!" her mom called back from the kitchen. "Don't forget to say hi to Sango for me!"

"I won't!"

Kagome ran as fast as she could and soon found herself at the front of the school. She stood there panting for a moment before walking inside the main building where the office was, nursing the stitch in her side. She practically sprinted inside, realizing that the bell was going to ring in a few minutes. She looked around in dismay. She had no idea where to go. A moment later, her eyes came to rest on a tall young man with long, silky silver hair that went down a little past his waist. He was wearing a white button-up dress shirt with long sleeves rolled up to a few inches below the elbows, a pair of black slacks, some plain black but still nice looking shoes, and a platinum colored messenger bag that rested on his right hip. She had a feeling that he was some sort of a demon, but for the life of her she couldn't determine his species. His skin was light and fair, and looked smooth to the touch. It seemed absolutely flawless, lacking any blemishes of any kind. It made her a bit jealous. He was holding a piece of paper in his hands that he was looking at as he stood near an open door, leaning against the wall. His nails were perfectly rounded.

Swallowing nervously, she walked over to him. "Um, do I go in there to get my schedule?" she asked a bit quietly, suddenly feeling shy for no other discernable reason than the fact that he was, undeniably, very attractive. He just nodded in response to her question, his golden, cat-slit eyes never once looking up at her. She mumbled a quick "thanks" and walked through the door, heading over to an older woman with short gray hair and wire-rimmed reading glasses.

The woman wore a formal long sleeved shirt and skirt and was sitting at a desk typing into a computer. She didn't look up. "Name?" she asked, her voice rough and sounding very bored.

"K-Kagome Higurashi," she stammered, feeling a tad intimidated. The woman opened a folder, sifted through its contents, and pulled out a schedule. She handed it to her without comment and returned to her typing. Kagome once again mumbled a quick "thanks" before leaving, looking at her schedule as she went.

Period 1: Literature and Language Arts Mr. Tanaka

Period 2: Calculus Ms. Hana

Period 3: Chemistry Mrs. Kirin

Period 4: P.E. Coach Kahn

LUNCH

Period 5: History Mr. Kenta

Period 6: Art Mr. Sho

Period 7: Band and Orchestra Mrs. Moniko

Period 8: Drama Mr. Ongaku (After regular school hours)

ALL STUDENTS MUST BE IN DORMS BY 11:00 P.M.!

This isn't so bad, I guess, she decided. It sucks that I have the three hardest classes in the morning, one right after the other, but at least I got the electives I wanted. With that in mind, she headed back outside toward the building where her first class was. After asking around a little, she learned that it was toward the back of the school, and she ran there to avoid being late. It wasn't until she actually got there that she realized that she was a few minutes early. The first bell wasn't supposed to ring for another couple of minutes. Still, she went inside and walked over to the teacher's desk to ask where she was supposed to sit.

"Let's see here, you sit in the back of the first row, the row closest to the door." Mr. Tanaka said.

"Uh, is there any chance I could sit somewhere closer to the front?" she asked, glancing to what was apparently supposed to be her seat. "I tend to have trouble seeing over people's heads."

He looked at his seating chart and smiled. "It seems like you're in luck, Ms. Higurashi," he said. "There just so happens to be one more open seat."

He directed her to the middle row, third seat from front. Glad that she didn't have to worry about craning her neck and trying to magically become a giraffe for the rest of the year, she took her seat and waited patiently for the bell to ring. A few moments later, the door opened and another student walked in. It's that boy from before, she realized, watching as he walked over to the teacher's desk to inquire about his seat as she had just done. Though his mouth moved, she never once heard his voice. She blinked when she realized she was still watching him, even after he'd already taken his seat. He sat in the last row, all the way up front on the right side of the room, farthest from the door. She forced herself to look away and focused her thoughts somewhere else besides on the attractive male who apparently shared a class with her. I wonder if Sango has this class with me too. God, I hope so. Otherwise, this could turn out to be a very awkward class period.

The bell rang just then, pulling her from her thoughts. Almost immediately people began pouring into the building. She scanned the crowd, searching for any sign of her friend. Her face brightened into a smile when she finally located Sango within the crowd. Sango smiled widely and waved at her, and Kagome waved back, happy that her friend was in this class with her. A moment later, Sango came over and plopped down into the seat to the left of hers. "Guess we're extra lucky," Sango said, still smiling, "'cause I get this seat."

They were about to start chatting, as per usual, when the second bell rang, indicating that it was time for class to begin. Once everyone was seated, Mr. Tanaka stood and started to introduce himself. "For those of you who don't know, my name is Mr. Tanaka. This class is for learning, not for socializing or sleeping. If you don't think you can handle that, I suggest you switch classes."

He's strict all of a sudden… Kagome thought, sweat-dropping a little as she wondered what happened to the good-humored man she'd met just minutes ago.

"Now then, let's get started, shall we?" Mr. Tanaka continued. "Today will be fairly simple. All I want you to accomplish is getting to know one another." Almost immediately people began to talk, but he quickly silenced them. "That's not what I meant," he said. "Now be quiet and listen. Starting with the first person in the first row, I want everyone to stand up in front of the class and introduce yourself. Just tell us your name, where you're from, your hobbies, things like that. You know, the basics, then sit back down so the next person can go. We'll go up and down the rows until everyone is finished."

He nodded for the first person to go and sat back down at his desk. The first person to go was a young woman with incredibly long, shiny black hair that went all the way down to the backs of her knees. It was pulled back into an elegant ponytail, leaving only her bangs loose. She was wearing a black, knee length PARIS dress, (RARE edition, if I'm not mistaken, Kagome thought). It had white flowers on it and was tied around the waist with a hot pink, silky ribbon. Kagome noticed that the dress was a nice contrast to the girl's light, almost fair skin.

"My name is Kikyo," the girl said with a flick of her hair, catching just about every guy's attention. "I'm from right here in Tokyo and my only hobbies are trying on new clothes, shopping, and looking good." She said the last part with a wink to one of the better looking guys in the front row, and Kagome felt the urge to roll her eyes. Such a stereotypical high school girl… She nearly gagged at the way the guys were drooling.

For some reason, she found herself looking over at the boy from earlier. He wasn't even looking up. He was reading some book, and didn't seem to be paying attention to what was going on. A few minutes later, she caught herself staring and quickly looked away. By this point, they had reached the middle of the third row and a slightly taller boy stood up. His hair was black and pulled back into a ponytail that reached a bit past his shoulders. Much like the first girl, only his bangs were loose. He looked like a demon, possibly a wolf. He was wearing an old looking brown T-shirt that said "COOLER THAN YOU" in big, bold, black letters across the chest and faded, worn jeans with plain sneakers. Another typical male, it seemed. At least he wasn't sagging, though. Gotta give him points for that… she thought.

"My name is Koga," he said, seeming a bit nervous about introducing himself at the front of the class. "I'm originally from Nagoya, but my mom moved me and my two brothers here a few years ago. My hobbies are just skateboarding and basketball."

When he was finished, he sat down and the boy behind him went. Kagome spaced out again until a younger looking boy with a shock of long fiery-orange hair and startling emerald eyes stood up. His hair was also in a ponytail, though his reached down past his waist a few centimeters or so. He was wearing a simple dark blue zippered sweater, jeans, and sneakers. He shifted slightly from foot to foot, seeming incredibly shy. "Um, my name is Shippo," he said quietly, apparently fascinated by his sneakers. "I'm from here in Tokyo and I don't really have any hobbies."

He returned to his seat quickly. Kagome noticed a few of the other guys snickering, and she fought the urge to go over and smack every single one of them. He seems like a sweet boy, she thought angrily with a frown. 'I don't understand why they're laughing at him.

A few minutes later, Sango's turn came. Being the happy, energetic person she was, she practically bounced up to the front of the room. She was wearing a casual, light pink blouse and nice jeans, accompanied by a pair of somewhat expensive looking open-toed, gold sandals. Her long dark brown hair flowed loosely, reaching down to the middle of her back. She caught the eye of several guys, though she didn't even seem to notice. "My name is Sango," she said cheerily with a smile. "I'm from here in Tokyo too, and my main hobby is shopping, though I also like to dance and go on walks." She returned to her seat afterward, and the two of them smiled at each other.

Same old Sango, Kagome thought fondly, returning her attention to the front. Though she hadn't meant to, she spaced out again. It wasn't until the person in front of her stood and headed for the front of the room that she returned to reality. She didn't really pay attention to what was said, being far too busy trying to figure out what she was going to say. When they sat down, Kagome stood up and nervously walked to the front, feeling very self-conscious in her old green and white school bit her lip a little and turned around, forcing herself to think that she was looking at a large group of friends, rather than a large group of complete strangers. Sango gave her a reassuring smile, and she forced herself to relax. "My name is Kagome," she started. "I've always lived here. My favorite hobbies are listening to music and drawing, but I also love to read."

As soon as she was finished, she practically ran back to her seat, thankful that no one had laughed at her. Sango smile reassuringly at her again, giving her a big thumbs-up, and Kagome returned the smile weakly, glad that her turn was over. Before long, they reached the last row. Because the row before that one had gone from front to back, this one was going back to front. Finally, they reached the front, where the mysterious boy from earlier was sitting.

Without a word, he stood up and silently walked to the front of the room. It was so silent Kagome swore she could hear the lights buzzing. All eyes were focused on him, but, unlike her, he didn't seem at all nervous. "My name is Sesshomaru," he said calmly, his voice quiet and smooth. It was the kind of voice that made a girl want to absolutely melt, Kagome realized vaguely as he continued. "I'm originally from Kyoto and my main hobby is reading." Without another word, he turned and headed back to his seat, completely ignoring the way everyone was staring at him. Some of the girls were staring at him hungrily, as if were some meal. It was then that Kagome realized she was staring too. She forced herself to release the breath she'd been holding.

As soon as Sesshomaru was seated again, the teacher stood back up and walked to the front of the room. "Now that we all know one another, let me give you your homework," he said casually, earning many groans. "Oh, don't be that way. It isn't difficult. All you have to do is write a short summary of what you did over summer vacation. It doesn't have to be long. At least a paragraph." A few kids glared at him. "I'll be using this assignment as an assessment to see where you're all at with your writing skills," he continued just as the bell rang. "Have a nice day everyone!"

Once they were outside, Sango tackled Kagome in a fierce hug that Kagome happily returned. "God, it's been so long, Kagome!" Sango exclaimed once they pulled away.

"I know! Man, you haven't changed a bit!" Kagome replied.

"And you haven't either," Sango said. "It's so good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, Sango."

"So what class do you have next?"

Kagome pulled out her schedule from her backpack and looked. "Math," she groaned.

"That sucks," Sango said sympathetically. "I don't have math until third period, so I guess we won't have that period together either. What about fourth?"

"P.E.," Kagome replied after a quick glance to her schedule.

"Why are you in P.E.?" Sango asked, giving her a confused look. "It's your senior year. You should be done with it by now."

"I know, but I opted out of it last of year in favor of an extra elective," Kagome explained. "Same thing sophomore year. Not the smartest choice, I know."

"So I guess I'll see you at lunch then." Sango said, heading off to her next class with a small wave. "See you!"

"'Kay!" Kagome quickly located her next class, which was located to the far left side of the school. She walked there briskly and was surprised to see Sesshomaru there as well. I guess he has this class too. Huh. With a shrug, she went up to Ms. Hana's desk to ask where she was supposed to sit. She instantly got butterflies in her stomach when she realized that she would be sitting all the way in the front, right next to Sesshomaru in the middle of the room. Swallowing hard, she walked over and sat down, forcing herself not to show that she was nervous. Why am I even acting like this? He's just a guy. It's not like he's going to bite my head off. He's just a guy. Get over yourself, Kagome!

She silently took a deep breath, forcing herself to relax, only to grow annoyed when she saw Kikyo and her entourage walk in. Of course, they were all seated together in one big cluster, while she was alone with a complete stranger. She was just glad that they were on the other side of the room. A few moments later, Koga walked in. He walked over to the teacher's desk and spoke to her for a brief moment before turning and plopping himself down in a seat on the left side of the room near Kikyo's group. "Ew, it lives," she heard one of the girls say.

Jerks, Kagome thought, feeling a bit sympathetic for Koga. Koga, however, seemed unconcerned. He just snorted, but otherwise ignored them. It was then that Kagome noticed that the entire group was glaring. At first, she thought that they were glaring at him, until she realized that they were glaring at her. She met Kikyo's furious gaze on accident, and feeling like a startled deer, she quickly looked away. Boy, is she mad! she thought, risking a quick glance back over to the group before looking away again. What did I even do?!

Before she had a chance to ponder this, the bell rang and class began. Just like before, people immediately began pouring in. She saw no more familiar faces than the ones that she had already seen before class, and she sighed a little. How was she supposed to make friends if she had entirely different people in each class? Well, that's not entirely true, I guess. There's Koga, and, (dare I say it?) Princess Kikyo, the Almighty Goddess! She'd only barely learned of this woman's existence, and already she hated her. Or at least, greatly disliked her. She didn't really know why she felt that way, but she decided to ponder on that later. And as for Koga… Well, she didn't really know much about him yet. He seemed nice enough, though. And there's always Sesshomaru, I suppose… She risked a quick glance over to him, only to find that he was reading again, just as he had been doing last period. She had just started to wonder if he ever did anything but read when Ms. Hana stood up and walked around her desk so that she was standing in front of it before the class.

"Today we will be doing an assessment," Ms. Hana said simply, her voice stern and holding no room for argument. "I know you all expected an easy first day, but this is high school, so get over it."

Kagome gulped. This was the last thing she needed: a strict math teacher. Help me… she silently prayed to whatever god may or may not be out there.

"This assessment will be used as a guide to see where the majority of you are so that I will know where to start off my classes this year," Ms. Hana continued calmly, watching the class over the top her half-moon glasses. "When I pass out the papers, you will get to work immediately. If I catch you talking or attempting to cheat in any way, you will be thrown out. Is that clear?" Just about everyone nodded. "Good. When you're finished, bring your test up to me, then return to your desk and do something quiet until the bell rings."

A few minutes later, all the papers were passed out and everyone was working. Kagome's eyes widened in astonishment when, barely five minutes into the nearly six page long assessment, Sesshomaru stood up and handed in his completed test. He took his seat again without a sound. Crap! I've been staring again! Focus Kagome, focus! she thought frantically, returning her gaze to her work. Now, how do I…? She got through the first two pages without too much difficulty, but her luck ran out after that. She stared at the equations in horror, realizing that she had absolutely no idea what to do. She didn't even know what some of the problems were asking, much less how to solve them. This is insane! she cried inwardly. How am I supposed to do these?! Did I even learn this? God, I don't even remember…

She was beginning to seriously think that the school had made some sort of a mistake when they'd accepted her. Surely they were wrong… After all, as obnoxious as many of these kids were, they had to be really smart to get in. Unless, of course, they had rich parents, thus allowing them to buy their way in. According to Sango, at least. She shook her head furiously, feeling near tears when she realized that she'd been spacing out again. There were only ten minutes left of class. Nearly everyone was finished. By the time the bell rang, she'd completely given up. She handed her test in, the last one in the class, feeling dejected and hopeless. Surely she didn't belong here…

"Don't worry about it too much," someone suddenly said, jerking her from her thoughts. She turned to the left to see Koga walking beside her, smiling a genuine, friendly smile. "Those insane problems were to see if you qualified for advanced placement," he said. "They're starting an honors math class next year."

"Oh," she managed weakly.

"My name's Koga," he continued brightly. "You're Kagome, right?"

"Yeah," she mumbled.

He grinned at her, and she found herself smiling a bit. "Cool. I'll remember that." He gave a small wave before starting to walk away. "See ya later!" he called over his shoulder.

She blinked once, unsure of what had just happened, before looking at her schedule to remind herself of where she had to go next. Chemistry. I wonder what that'll be like, she thought absently as she headed to her class. I wonder if it's really as hard as people say. When Kagome got into the chemistry room, she was given a seat in the middle of the fifth row, close to the center of the room and toward the right side. She sighed. There were no open seats, which meant she would be stuck struggling to see over people's heads all year.

A few moments later, someone else walked in. As soon as she saw silver hair, she immediately thought that it was Sesshomaru. That is, until she saw the person completely when they walked in. He had the same golden, cat-slit eyes as Sesshomaru, but that was were the similarities stopped. His skin was a bit darker than Sesshomaru's, as it was lightly tanned, and it wasn't as fair, or even as smooth looking. And his hair, while also silver, was more of a silver-white than actual pure silver. He wore a plain, faded red hoodie, worn blue jeans, and dirty old sneakers. His hands were shoved deep into his hoodie pocket and he had a bored look on his face. His long hair, which went to his lower back, swayed slightly as he walked in. He walked up to the teacher's desk and that was when she noticed them: the sliver puppy ears on the top of his head. She was suddenly overcome with the near irresistible urge to touch them, but she did her best to ignore it.

A moment later, he came over and sat to the left of her. Barely a few seconds passed before he turned to her with an annoyed look on his face. "What're you starin' at?" he asked in an annoyed voice, a slight scowl on his face.

"Oh! I'm sorry," she said quickly, her face reddening in embarrassment. She quickly looked away and, after a moment, he spoke again.

"It's fine," he sighed. "It's 'cause I'm a half-demon, right?"

She looked at him again, her eyes wide with surprise. "You are? I had no idea. That's so cool!" she said. "I've never met a half-demon before, but I've always wanted too."

"Why?" he asked with a frown. "We're nothing special."

"I dunno," she replied with a shrug. "I guess because I've always thought that, in a way, you really are special, having such wonderful parents that were strong enough to ignore the difference of their species and find love… I think that's amazing."

Much to her surprise, he smiled at her, a wide toothy grin that made him look much more friendly than he had a few moments ago. "My name's Inuyasha," he said.

"I'm Kagome," she replied, returning his smile.

"Just don't touch the ears, 'kay?" he said with a grin and a wink.

"'Kay," she laughed.

Then the bell rang and Kagome realized belatedly that most of the other seats had been filled while she and Inuyasha had been talking. There was no one else in the room that she recognized. She was rather surprised to see that Sesshomaru wasn't there, but she decided to ignore it. After all, it wasn't like he was a friend of hers, or something. Besides, what are the odds of having all of my classes with the same person?

The teacher stood then, causing the room to fall silent. Her ruby eyes shone and had a friendly light to them. "Hello class, my name is Mrs. Kirin. I have a short assignment for you to do, and then the rest of the period is yours. Let's get started, shall we?" She passed out a short worksheet where they had to answer questions about themselves and their learning styles. Within ten minutes, everyone was done and she and Inuyasha began to talk again.

"So you've met Sesshomaru, huh?" he asked several minutes into their conversation.

"Sort of," she replied. "I've only ever spoken to him once, to ask where to get my schedule." She tilted her head slightly. "Do you know him?"

"Yeah, he's my half-brother," Inuyasha replied.

"Really?"

"Yeah. We've only known each other for a few years, though."

It didn't seem like he really wanted to discuss the matter further, so she changed the subject. "Do you know a guy named Koga?" she asked.

"Him? Yeah. He's one of my friends, I guess," he replied. "Why?"

"I dunno. I was just curious…" she replied. "He just randomly started talking to me earlier like he knew exactly who I was or something. It was kinda weird."

"Yeah, he does that. Especially with girls." Inuyasha replied nonchalantly. "Speaking of womanizing guys, you'd better watch out for Miroku. That guy's a real perv."

"Yeah, I know," she laughed. "Sango and I have been dealing with him for years."

"So you know Sango, huh?" he asked with a smile.

"Yup. We've been friends since kindergarten."

"Cool." Before she had a chance to reply, the bell rang again and they got up to leave. "See ya," he said.

"Bye!" she replied.

She quickly headed to the locker rooms and changed into her P.E. uniform before heading into the gym. Throughout the entire period, they did nothing but run. Coach Kahn said it was to get everyone "back into shape", but Kagome felt certain that it was really because he enjoyed torturing his students. She thanked the gods when it was finally over and they were finally able to go to lunch. She was starving! She met Sango just outside the cafeteria and they walked inside together. While they were standing in the lunch line, they talked. She told Sango about meeting Koga and Inuyasha.

"I don't know much about Koga and Inuyasha, other than the fact that they're friends," Sango said. "They used to get into a lot of trouble together, but I hear Inuyasha really cleaned up his act last year for some reason."

"I wonder why?" Kagome asked more out of curiosity than a real expectation of having her question answered.

"Who knows?" Sango replied.

As they were grabbing their food ,a hamburger and some fries for each, plus a couple waters, they began discussing their classes. While they were talking, they paid for their lunches and sat down at a table. "Mm!" Kagome exclaimed suddenly, her mouth full of food.

"What?" Sango asked in surprise, her hamburger halfway to her mouth.

"I forgot to ask," Kagome said, swallowing hard. "Where's Miroku? I haven't seen him at all yet!"

Sango laughed. "Oh, him? He's probably stalking some poor girl right now."

"Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. Man, some things never change, huh?"

"Duh! I mean, look at you! Same old Kagome. Older, but still the same."

Kagome laughed and slapped her arm playfully."Oh, speak for yourself! You're hardly different, either."

"You think so?"

"I know so!" They laughed and Kagome quickly resumed stuffing her face. Maybe this won't be so bad. Even if my math class stinks, I'll always still have Sango to make me smile.

The rest of the day passed quickly and Kagome wondered if the gods had a sense of humor. I share five classes with Sesshomaru. She mentally began listing the classes they shared. Literature and Language Arts, Calculus, History, Art, and Band and Orchestra. What are the odds? She walked into the principle's office and swallowed nervously. "Um, you called me, Sir?"

"Yes, come on in." The plump man pulled out a vanilla folder and extracted a sheet of paper from it. "Ms. Higurashi, correct?"

"Yes."

He looked down the list printed on the paper. "Ah, here it is." He pointed to her name. "Room 22B, second floor." He frowned and looked it over again. "This can't be right."

She fidgeted. "What's wrong?"

"The first three floors are for boys," he explained. He set the paper down and gestured for her to sit. "Let me call the superintendent. I'll see if we can't get this fixed."

Kagome and sat. This is just my luck… It's probably some jerk in that room, too.

A couple hours later, the red-faced principle hung up the phone for the fifth time and rubbed his temples. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but it seems you will have to remain in that room for the time being."

"B-But… I'm a girl!"

"I am aware, which is why it is highly fortunate that each room consists of two bedrooms, one for each dorm mate."

"But-"

"Ms. Higurashi, I know this is highly inconvenient, but I'm afraid there is nothing I can do about it. You will simply have to live with it for now."

Kagome stood stiffly and walked out of the office toward the large dormitory. With each step she grew more anxious. I don't want to go… she whimpered in her head. This is going to be the worst school year ever… She opened the large double doors that lead into the building and began climbing up the stairs to the second floor. She sighed. I guess one upside to this is the fact that I don't have to climb as many stairs. Then again, I wouldn't need to worry about that anyway, if the elevators weren't temporarily out of order. She glared over the railing at the sign hanging off all the elevator doors. I hate stairs.

She trudged up the last few steps, her body protesting the entire way, and her grip tightened on her little key as she slowly approached the plain dark blue door that lead to her dorm. She stood in front of it for a moment, her reluctance to enter the room growing. But she didn't want to be questioned by any other males about why she was standing here, either, so she lifted the key. She fumbled for a moment but somehow managed to get it in and unlock the door. She pushed it opened warily and crept inside. Her dorm mate sat on a couch to the left. A pair of eyes lifted from the book their owner held in his hand, pinning her to the spot. "Um… H-Hi," she mumbled faintly. "M-My name is Kagome. I guess…. I'm sharing a dorm with you."

A/N I am SO sorry that it's taken me so long to update! *Tears* I'm finally motivated again, so hopefully it won't take me anywhere near this long to update again! Posted 02-01-15.