The Bet
Chapter Two: Commencements
"So hungry!" Allen whined as he sat down next to Kagome, a tray of filled with too much food in front of him. Kagome watched Allen unwrap a freshly made sandwich and bite into it, grinning widely.
She snorted. "Enjoying it?" It was no secret that Allen loved food. Food, Kagome always thought, was something Allen loved just as much as his family and friends—well, maybe even more than his uncle Cross Marian. She shuddered at the thought. Allen's uncle was a severe alcoholic, smoker, womanizer and debt collector. Allen moved in with him after his ten birthday when his foster father, Mana Walker, passed away. Kagome pitied the boy ever since because it was no easy task living with the man. He enjoyed far too much of everything that he generally could not afford, and made Allen work hard to pay off the debts he earned daily.
Her eyes softened. If Allen-kun would be willing to make a video channel, I know he'd be better off. Two years ago, Kagome was offered a partnership through the website she used to post her videos. The partnership offered her quite a bit—mostly customizing options—there was also a method to obtain payments. Sadly, because of copyright laws, she could not accept the money, but that didn't bother her.
I just know that if Allen-kun were to post up his own videos, he'd have more than enough people subscribe and follow him. Ever since Allen appeared in one her videos, there had been many inquiring about the boy. At first, countless people assumed Allen was her boyfriend; others guessed a cousin, even a stepbrother. There were so many speculations that Kagome had to film a separate video where she introduced Allen to her viewers, telling them that Allen was merely a friend, who happened to be single. That made quite a few viewers happy. She still gets a good chuckle at the thought.
Allen-kun was so awkward in front of the camera back then. The video was filmed roughly two years ago, and occasionally she'd watch it to get a good chuckle. Allen begged her to put the video on private, but she refused claiming it was "too good" to hide away from the viewers.
I remember how uncomfortable he felt in front of the camera. He'd always fiddle with his palms and look at his feet. She smiled. Now look at him. He's flashing ladies those lovely smiles like there's no tomorrow, and is talking so casually in front of the camera. It makes me so proud.
"Kagome-chan, why are you smiling like that?"
"Huh?" She looked towards Allen, who eyed her curiously. He was holding the last sandwich he bought up to his mouth with question marks hovering atop his head. Suppressing her giggles, she replied. "It's nothing, Allen-kun. Go back to eating your sandwich."
Allen looked skeptical but complied. Kagome watched him eat for a second before withdrawing her history textbook and flipping to the newest unit.
The crowds roared in excitement as their school's star centre dribbled the ball up the front line, successfully bypassing the opposing team's defence with seamless effort. The cheerleaders screamed with delight and all watched as he neared the free throw line and easily scored the winning basket.
The shouts emanating from the crowd were death defying, as everyone got to their feet, waving banners and signs alike. In every direction he looked, Lavi saw people snapping pictures and chanting his name.
"Lavi!" before he had time to react, Sachiko tackled him to the ground.
"Ouff!" he groaned, rubbing his neck. Sachiko giggled, hugging him tight.
"Lavi, you were great. Because of your awesome skills, we won the game!" She waved her pompoms widely in front of his face. Lavi wrinkled his nose and politely pushed them away.
"Thanks, Chomesuke-chan." He laughed and stood up, helping her to her feet.
Sachiko pouted, obviously annoyed. "Lavi, we've been going out for weeks now. Stop calling me by my last name!"
We've been dating for weeks? He blinked, stumped. Truth be told, the redhead had never assumed they were in a relationship. While they may have gone on a couple of dates in the past, Sachiko was not his idea of the perfect girl. She was too whiny and emotionally clingy for his preference. Originally, he may have liked the girl for her looks—who wouldn't with that robust figure and shiny hair?—but her personality and tone of voice was enough to make him call it quits… like right now, for instance.
"Chomesuke-chan, I think I hear coach calling. I'm going to see what he wants." Without giving the girl a chance to respond, Lavi jogged towards the right hand side of the gym where coach Kevin Yeager, was chatting with some parents. Upon seeing Lavi, he politely excused himself and congratulated Lavi for yet another win. The two spoke for several minutes with Lavi eyeing Chomesuke out of the corner of his eye. When seeing the girl leave the gym with Kikyou, Eliade and the other cheerleaders, Lavi ceased conversing with coach Yeager and headed for the locker room.
Finally, I'm free of her! He thought joyfully, dancing as he entered the showers. Several other members of the team looked upon seeing their captain enter and immediately began to cheer.
"Lavi!"
"Woo!"
"Best captain we've ever had!"
Lavi stopped dancing and took a minute to fake a bow. "Thank you! Thank you!"
"Baka!" hollered Kanda from the changing section of the locker room. "Stop that damn fake bowing!"
Lavi pouted and whined, "But Yuu-chan!" The other members quickly dispersed, knowing better than to be in the same vicinity as Kanda when he was mad. Only Lavi was stupid enough to venture into the dangerous territory that was Yuu Kanda's personal space bubble. It was a known fact around school that Kanda preferred his breathing space. He detested it when people got too close, and he had no trouble pushing them away with his ideal weapon, Mugen. Mugen was a sword passed down through the Kanda lineage for generations. After the death of his parents, Kanda was 'adopted' by his godfather Froi Tiedoll, a close friend of his deceased father. It was Tiedoll himself, who gave Kanda possession of Mugen at age twelve. Now seventeen, Kanda still practised daily with Mugen, and would not hesitate unleash its power against the Baka Usagi.
"Shut up!"
"Yuu-chan!" Lavi sprang forward, his arms extended wide in an attempt to hug the Japanese male. Kanda, however, was not in the mood for hugs and quickly moved away causing Lavi to nearly collide head first with the wooden bench. Lavi groaned and sat up, glaring at Kanda. Kanda reciprocated the glare and snarled before walking towards the showers.
"Yuu-chan, you're no fun." Lavi mumbled to himself and stood up, dusting himself off. Quickly gathering the necessities from his locker, he headed for the showers, a bottle of shampoo, deodorants and towels in his arms.
An hour after the game, everyone from the local and opposing schools were partying in Tyki Mikk's home. Tyki Mikk was captain of the Invaders, the team the Tigers played against and won. He was quite tall with dashing good looks and charms to match. Born in Portugal and immigrated to the United States less than a year ago, Tyki had become an overnight sensation within both schools, and happened to be quite the ladies man.
"Yo! Bookman and Kanda!"
Upon hearing their names called, Lavi and Kanda turned around and saw Tyki making his way through the crowds, carrying three bottles of beer. "Good game. You want one?" He offered them both a drink. Kanda took his with a scowl and walked off. Meanwhile, Lavi thanked Tyki for his, and opened it, sipping it quietly.
"You weren't too bad yourself, Mikk." Lavi spoke. "And thanks for the beer."
"No problem." Tyki smirked. Lavi inwardly shuddered. Unlike his peers, he wasn't too fond of Mikk. He was far too much of a player and drinker for his liking.
"Mikk! Bookman! Get your asses over here!" Miroku called joyfully, waving from across the way. Miroku Houshi, another boy who frequented Tyki Mikk's school, was a well-known trickster and womanizer. Houshi was close friends with Mikk, although the two were as opposite as day and night.
"Miroku, why'd you call us over?" Tyki inquired and took a seat next to him. Lavi was also curious. He rarely talked with Miroku—even though they got along just fine. So why did the boy usher them both over?
Miroku laughed. "We guys are playing a game, and though you might be interested to join."
Lavi took a minute to survey the other members. Besides Miroku and Tyki, there was also Sesshomaru, Bankotsu and Hiten. Everyone here – excluding Sesshomaru – were avid players, slackers and drinkers. Bankotsu, captain of the fencing and swimming team, attended Sakura Secondary, and went through several girls a month. Hiten, another one of Tyki's good friends, was notorious for ditching and skipping school. From what Lavi heard, Hiten typically spent his days down at the local bar smoking while trying to pick up women. Lastly was Sesshomaru, also known as the Ice Lord. With a glare that rivaled Kanda's, he was infamous for his cold temper. Many women admired him for his looks, yet he never gave any of them the time of day.
"Gentlemen, since we're all gathered here. Let the fun begin!" A round of cheers erupted as the guys waited to see what Miroku would do next. Watching him withdraw a hat from under the table, Lavi noticed small, folded pieces of paper were inside the upside down hat.
What could that be for? He wondered, sipping his cold beer.
Eyes glimmering, Miroku spoke. "Gentlemen, inside this hat are the names of several girls who either attend Sakura Secondary or Mei Lin Collegiate."
"Houshi, what is the damn purpose of this?" Bankotsu snipped, reaching inside his pocket for a cigarette. "What should it matter if there are names of females in the stupid looking hat? Any one of us can score any girl we want." There was a small chorus of agreements.
He arched a brow. "Any girl you say, eh, Bankotsu? Would you care to wager on that?" He leaned in closer, the horrid scents of smoke and cigarette butts not bothering him.
Now Bankotsu looked interested. "Go on."
Miroku grinned snidely. "Men, the game is simple. When you draw a name from this hat, you'll have until the end of the term to not only hook up with the girl, but also transform her."
Hiten coughed, "What the fuck, Houshi?!"
Miroku ignored him. "Let's pick the names, shall we?" He thrust the hat towards Tyki. "You go first." Tyki rolled his eyes but reached inside the hat and withdrew a name.
"Who'd you pick?" Bankotsu asked curiously.
Tyki shrugged and grinned, "My secret."
Hiten and Bankotsu scoffed before unfolding their pieces of paper. Sesshomaru refused to play when Miroku offered him the hat, much to everyone's chagrin. His sole response on the subject was, "I will not partake in such trivial matters." Simply put, he thought the game was pointless, and a waste of time.
"Bookman, you're up." Miroku's voice resonated inside his ears.
"Hmm?" he blinked and sat up straight. "Oh, um, thanks." He reached inside the hat and fished around for a piece of paper. Bringing it close, he unfolded the piece and read over the name carefully.
Kagome Higurashi
Lavi's face paled. "Crap."
Tyki moved to read the name. "Good luck, Bookman. That'll be a hard one to crack." He snorted, amused. Lavi blinked, intrigued. How did Mikk know Higurashi?
"Everyone have a name?" Miroku bellowed, clasping his hands together.
"Yep," Bankotsu snarled.
Miroku laughed. "Then let the games begin!" Bringing his bottle up to his mouth, he stopped. "Gentlemen, I forgot to mention one important thing." Everyone looked towards him. When feeling their eyes on him, Miroku paused for a minute, allowing the tension to build up. "If any of you fail to complete this quest, the consequences will be dire."
"Dire, you say?" Sesshomaru spoke. "Houshi, what are the 'consequences' for this game?"
Smile widening, Miroku leaned over and whispered. "The loser'll show up at the last game of the season bare naked with the school band playing the song Humiliation behind them."
Bankotsu rolled his eyes. "What a lame ending."
"Seriously Houshi, you can't come up with something better?" Even Tyki looked disappointed in his friend's plan. Usually Miroku was so inventive and conniving. What happened?
"Well." Miroku tugged on his jacket. "If you guys come up with anything better, let me know."
"Figures…" Hiten rolled his eyes.
Bankotsu rubbed his chin. "Give me a while, and I'll come up with the perfect idea."
Tyki shrugged, "Sounds good to me."
"In any event," Miroku continued, standing up, "let the games begin!" Everyone reached for their beers and gulped down a large mouthful. Sesshomaru watched the scene in disdain before leaving the table. Only Lavi sat there his beer untouched. No one noticed the way he was eyeing the paper in his palm, or the way his breathing changed pitches.
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. I'll try to have another chapter posted up tonight to make up for it. Anyhow, do you still like the story? I'm trying to move things along, while also bringing in more InuYasha characters. I have some ideas planned for the following characters (InuYasha, Shippou, Sango, Kirara and Koga and Ayame), so you don't need to ask when they'll show up. I already have that planned out. On a side note though, I do need some help coming up with a good ending to the bet. If one of them don't finish the bet on time, something has to happen. If you have any ideas, feel free to mention them. LOL, sky is the limit. The crazier and freakier the better. :D
Thank you for reading. In the next chapter, Kagome and Lavi will finally have their first interaction. I can hardly wait, and I know you all can't wait either (I hope). Until the next chapter,
-TFSA