Chapter Four

Taking Her Stand

Normally, a teen around Kagome's age would be praying, begging even, for the day to end to they could hang around, lock themselves in their rooms, parties and the like. But not Kagome, oh no. She hung back as the bell rang, slowly packing her things away. "Gome, c'mon, hurry up!" Kikyou called. Kagome nodded, and forced a mere smile.

'Gods, why can't I just move?'

Thought the raven-haired beauty with a sigh. Slinging her back-pack over her shoulder, Kagome trudged out of her room, and glimpsed a mob of students hanging around a very flashy looking black Rolls Royce. Whispers about the lucky student who's father or mother owned that car were dashed around quickly.

Freezing, Kagome bit her lip, and glanced at her watch. Five past four. She was supposed to be home five minutes ago, and her father would never let this pass. Her father got out of the car, and gestured for Kagome to come closer. "We'll chat when we get home." He said quietly, and reluctantly opened her car door.

Sweeping the students a very aristocratic look, he himself climbed gracefully back inside, turned the engine back on, and drove off. "Woah, she's one lucky gal." "You bet! If it were anything, I'd bet my life they lived in that old, private mansion shrine thingy." One girl assured another, as the hanyou overheard their conversation.

There was something about Kagome's blank look, the way she looked at her father, with almost respectful fear. True, this may not be accurate, but he'd bet his nose that she wasn't happy at home. Glaring at the car as it faded into the horizon, InuYasha turned on his heel, and set off with the others towards their street. If anything, he'd find out what the hell was going on.

--Kagome's Shrine--

"Tell me. Why were you five minutes late?" It was a test, these kind of things were always popping up, but Kagome was older and wiser, she knew to keep quiet. Her father didn't know she had taught herself how to use sign-language. Closing her eyes, Kagome bowed deeply to her father, who knew this meant she was deeply sorry, and was merely being foolish.

"Girl, you are a pure priestess, and as such, you shall not ever be late again, understand?" Nod. She understood, loud and clear. "Priestesses are never late, therefore, I think I shall go change into something more.. fitting, and you will receive your punishment. Clear?" She nodded again, fear swelling in her eyes in the form of tears. She was getting what she didn't deserve.

Gulping, Kagome sighed, shivered, and slid down the wall, hugging her knees. He was strong, she was weak. He was right, she was wrong. He was normal, and she wasn't. That is what seperated her from Satan's incarnate who was her father. Three things, three things that changed everything in the goings on of Higurashi Shrine.

And she hated it to Hell, Heaven and the Underworld, and back with postcards. She hated him that much. A surge of confidence flew through her body, like the dove with the piece of leaf in its beak, from Noah's Ark. Hope and courage, those two things, she hadn't ever possessed, but now she felt stronger, righter and better than him.

It was better being different, and because of it, she felt this. Her father made his appearance, and Kagome stood up, hiding up her confidence with a meek mask of sorrow and fear. "Ready, bitch?" Smiling lightly, Kagome nodded, opened her mouth, and let slip a 'Yup'. The word was like poison to his ears.

"DISOBIDIENT WRETCH!" Her father shrieked, lunging at his daughter, and missed completely, she thanked school, for teaching her the basic dodging and defensive movements. "Missed." Kagome whispered in a hoarse voice, her tone rasped and rusted from sixteen years of being mute. He smirked. "That half-breed." Kagome froze. "He looked at you in a way I despise. I will kill him, unless you restrain yourself from such disobidience such as now."

Narrowing her hazel eyes, she stood up straight, nodded once and ran upstairs, locking the door to her room from the inside. A few seconds later, her father began to bang on the door. She ignored this, and threw Romeo and Juliet aside.

"Screw the crappy report.."

Kagome signed wearily to herself, picking up a manga book from under her bed, Souta's, and it had been stored under a loose floorboard. Turning the pages absently, she glanced at the door, and bit her lip. Aforementioned door was nearly off its hinges, and she knew if she didn't hightail it outta here, then she was seriously screwed.

Climbing through the window, and shimmying down the drain-pipe, she could hear the door being practically blown off its hinges. Touching the concrete, Kagome ran towards the steps, and went full-speed into InuYasha, half-way down. "Ow! What the hell was that for?!" Tears brimmed in her eyes, and she clung to him, startling him slightly. He was never the strong one when women cried. "Uhh.." He had no clue on what to say or do right now.

He needed serious help on what to do with women when they cry. Like, now. Ping! An idea struck inside his head, which was rare, seeing as he was, well, him. Rich, but completely dense. Shooting a nervous grin, he guided her to sit down on the steps, and was relived when she obliged. Bringing out his mobile, he pressed speed-dial for the contact 'Miroku'. He waited a few seconds, the ringing tone annoying him, the crying girl frightening him even more.

"Moshi moshi.."

"Hi, erm, how'd you make a girl stop crying?"

"Easy. Comfort them, why?"

"Ehh.."

"Oh I get it, Kagome comes running out of nowhere, falls into your arms and starts crying!"

"... What?"

"Intuition."

"O-kaayy.."

"Buh-bye!"

"Wait, I can't do this by myse-"

Miroku had hung up on him. Sighing, he proceeded to give Kagome a few gentle, but awkward, pats on the back. A shadow loomed over, and the image of her angry father was slightly startling. He looked furious, no, raging infact. "And you are?" "Friend of Kagome's." The father, Kai Higurashi, narrowed his eyes. "Friend?" He hissed. "FRIEND?!" The hanyou jumped up to his feet, a few steps below Kai Higurashi, Kagome in his arms.

"My daughter has training to do, leave now and do not show hide nor hair of yourself here ever again, half-breed." InuYasha growled. He would take no orders from some freak he just met. "Listen, buddy, I dunno what the hells your problem, but you need to calm down." Mr. Higurashi glared one last time at the hanyou, and stomped back off up the steps.

'I'll get the bitch later, once that half-breed is gone.'

He decided, and slammed the front door, just as the two sat back down on the steps, side-by-side. "So, he always like this?" Kagome shook her head, open her mouth a fraction, but closed it after a few moments. "What, you gonna say something?" He inquired. She shook her head again. "C'mon, I wanna hear your voice!" She blinked at him, he blinked at her, and a steady blush crept along both of their cheeks, as they realised that thier hands were placed together, his on the bottom hers on the top.

"Uhh.." Kagome's hand retreated quickly, and the hanyou yawned. The sun was setting. "Nice, isn't it?" "I can only finger-sign, sorry." "N-i-c-e, i-s-n-'-t i-t-?" "H-u-h? O-h, y-a-h." The miko giggled, as he clumsily signed back to her. "What?" "You finger-sign funny." He didn't understand what she had signed, but he seemed to catch the drift. "Heey!" His ears flattened back. "D-o-n-'-t d-o t-h-a-t, y-o-u l-o-o-k l-i-k-e a l-o-s-t c-a-u-s-e." "Am NOT a lost cause!" He whined further, ears flattened down to his skull, and Kagome let slip a girlish giggle.

He smirked. "I bet I ca make you talk!" He spectulated proudly, stood up, and tossed her over his shoulder, before leaping down the steps, and sprinting off at break-neck speed. Instead of yelling 'don't!', like anyone else would do, Kagome proceeded to kick InuYasha in the ground, where he froze in mid-run (they were currently in the park) and sat to his knee's, dumping the mute miko onto the grass, and groaned. "Dammit, what was that for? You coulda just said stop!" "I hate being picked up.." He merely scowled on, and received a foot onto of his head, the appearance of Miroku and Sango before them quite sudden.

"We saw you running, Kagome thrown over your shoulder, Kagome kicking you and you dumping her on the ground." Sango said, false cheer springing into her voice. "Hey, I was only tryin' to make her talk, damn you!" "What part of MUTE do you NOT underSTAND? You IDIOT! You could've BLOODY-WELL frikken KILLED HER!" Sango yelled, kicked him everywhere. "WHY is everyone so interested in kicking me today?!" "Because-" Kick. "You are-" Kick. "A complete-" Kick. "IDIOT!" Another kick in the family jewels.

"Eh, Sango, I don't think you should kick him there, you could take awya his advantage to have sex." Silence, then. "WHAAAT?! You PERV! I CANNOT BELEIVE YOU! HONESTLY!" Sango stormed, strode over to Kagome, who looked half frightened, and was jerked up to her feet by aforementioned annoyed Sango. "Come on Kagome, we're leaving." Sango said in a clipped tone. Kagome blinked, and followed Sango, not wanting to get kicked and screamed at like InuYasha. "Wow. Kagome's a miko and even she'd frightened of that bitch." "I HEARD THAT, DOG-BOY!" "BACK OFF!" He barked back, stood up, and dragged Miroku to the night-club, since it was well past ten now.

"So, we watchin' strippers and pole-dancers?"

Grunt Yes.

"Awesome!"

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Rae: I thought this chapter went down pretty well, to be honest.

InuYasha: What possessed you to have her kick me in the groin?

Rae: Publicity, hon.

Miroku: -hopes to God that the next chapter includes strippers and pole-dancers-

Kagome: Remeber to read and review!

Rae: Ja!