Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha… I do not own Inuyasha… I do not—I LOVE YOU, INUYASHA! Gosh, why must life be so cruel to me? Well, at least I own the plot. (HAHA, SUCK ON THAT!)

A/N: WARNING: SOME BAD LANGUAGE AND SEXUAL REFERENCES! And by the way: YOU GUYS RULE. REVIEW, PLEASE! IT'S WHAT KEEPS ME GOING! Oh, and by the way, the flower and quote kind of suck for this chapter. Sorry. :(

Summary: Higurashi Kagome's older sister, Kikyou, dumps her boyfriend Takahashi Inuyasha once he decides to go study business and all that good stuff in an American college. When he returns, he sets out to win her heart and get back what they had. Despite his persistence, however, Kikyou is frozen, for he kind of sucks when it comes to romancing women. Kagome, being the kind butterfly she is and also remembering the times she spent with Inuyasha (and Kikyou), decides to help Inuyasha win Kikyou's heart, giving him hints on love and things. But things begin to backfire when Kagome finds herself slowly falling in love with the man who's infatuated with her sister. Will Kagome stick to her promise of helping him, or will she back out, ignore him/possibly try to win his affections? As their mission progresses and the steps become more clear, will Inuyasha realize that maybe Kikyou isn't worth it, and what he's wanted all along has been standing in the sidelines all these years...?

CURIOUS OF HOW KAGOME'S SCHOOL WORKS? GO TO imtc. gatech. edu/ i-irasshai/ 2/ 207/ 207a01/ 207a01. htm (WITHOUT THE SPACE) AND THERE SHOULD BE AT THE VERY TOP OF THE PAGE YOUR TYPICAL, WEEKLY JAPANESE HIGH SCHOOL SCHEDULE.

White Rose:

Innocence and Purity, I am Worthy of You,
You're Heavenly, Secrecy and Silence.

HOW TO LOSE THE BEST THING THAT EVER CAME TO YOU

Step 4: Ignore Him Like He's an Embarrassing Mom

"Love is blind; friendship closes its eyes."

—Anonymous

"Wench, are you even listening to me?" the angry half-demon demanded, sprinting beside the miko with fire in his golden eyes. Kagome continued bicycling, her music blaring in her ears, not hearing him in the slightest. "BITCH!"

She jerked, hearing the sudden noise and not even noticing his existence. Her bike tipped over, twisting, throwing her out of her seat. Luckily, Inuyasha saw the whole thing play out, and came to her rescue. Well, if you called letting her fly into your chest, shoving you both into the ground a "heroic deed". With their legs tangled and Kagome pressed firmly against Inuyasha, they let out groans. Then both teens froze in place when they felt each other's breath on their own faces.

For a moment, Kagome just looked into those honey pools. They were the legendary windows to his heart, the illustrious portals to his soul. Ever since she'd met him two months ago, she always kept admiring them—along with the furry, triangular dog ears, of course—and, honestly, those amber orbs were the best thing she'd ever laid eyes on.

Inuyasha stared back at her as well, but Kagome didn't know why, unless he was wondering why she was staring at him and still hadn't moved from on top of him. Embarrassed, Kagome flew off her sister's boyfriend, blushing like the schoolgirl she was. "Uh, s-sorry, Inuyasha," she stammered, ripping out her headphones. She picked up her bike and set it up right again. "Were you trying to get my attention?" He just gaped at her. "I really didn't hear you," she whispered, looking down at the ground in shame. Great, him and Kikyou were only two months into dating and Kagome already screwed things up. Now he probably thought that she was a stupid little girl despite what she thought was maturity, and—

"Calm down," he muttered, taking her bike from her. He began straightening out a dent, some twists in its spokes, and the bent front wheel it'd obtained from its fall. "I just saw you on my jog and wanted to say 'hi'." He handed her back the newly improved bicycle; she gawked at him. He growled, "What?"

"Just…" Kagome wondered if she should tell him about how much she wanted to be his friend, despite the possibility of him and Kikyou breaking up. "Thank you. You know, for wanting to say hi and fixing my bike. It was really nice of you."

"K-Keh," he mumbled, his eyes expressing how shocked he felt. He quickly turned away, and Kagome wondered if she'd done something wrong. Oh, yeah, Kags, way to go. That's how you make a friend. Inuyasha began walking away, and she sighed, getting back on her bike. When she began pedaling towards him, he whipped around, almost sending her crashing down to the ground—again. Fortunately, he gripped the bike by the handlebars, placing his hands on top of hers to stop it safely. Kagome turned red at the contact, though didn't space out enough to miss it when he said, "Feh, I'm goin' to my favorite coffee shop. You can come along and, uh, we could talk and hang out."

She brightened, jumping off her bicycle. "Really?"

Surprised by the girl's zeal, Inuyasha narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but nodded slowly. Kagome silently cheered, getting off her bike once Inuyasha had finally noticed their hands touching. He tucked them into his pockets as Kagome walked by his side, bike in tow, smiling like an idiot. Inuyasha blinked, but smirked at how she went on about the wonders of junior high as they made their way to Java the Hut.

—~*~—~*~—~*~—

Once Inuyasha and I run back to class—now Technical Home Economics—Ayame tackles me, as usual. Kouga hasn't arrived yet, so we're safe from conflict for now. Surprisingly, as my friend kills me in a bear hug, going on about how Nobunaga hasn't ruined her "precious babies" yet, Inuyasha doesn't show any signs of distress. He's always hated wolf demons—I wouldn't know why, since they're technically his cousins—but he has no problem with me talking to Ayame. Maybe he's just wary about males?

Either way, Ayame pays him no mind. "Guess what?" I feign interest. "Today, we're going over how to repair a bike, so you won't get shocked like usual!"

"Shocked?" Inuyasha echoes, giving me a stern look. For some reason, he actually looks worried.

I roll my eyes before pushing Ayame towards our work bench. "Just go over to the counter and watch us from there, okay? I don't want anyone to know we're associated." Inuyasha's about to protest—I can see the fight in his eyes—but I shake my head and walk away before he gets the chance. He seethes, yet obeys orders. Yes, I know my words kind of came out wrong, but I wouldn't want to be picked on for knowing the student teacher.

And for some reason, I couldn't call myself Inuyasha's friend without him declaring it first.

Kouga rushes in late, and a few students chuckle at his roughed-up appearance. His ponytail's come loose and his dress shirt's wrinkled along with his black pants. Though most people find it entertaining, Ayame's dissecting him with her eyes. She stares at him hungrily as he makes his way over to the counter to join Inuyasha—unenthusiastically, I might add. Knowing full well all the demons will hear her, Ayame announces, "I'd tap that." At Kouga's confused look, everybody chuckles louder, making Nakamura-sensei shush us as he begins the lesson. "So, Kagome-chan," Ayame whispers, beginning to replace the popped tires. She looks overly excited about something, and a feeling of dread sets in my stomach. "Guess what?"

"Do I want to know?" I groan.

"YES!" Ayame shouts just a little too loudly. The humans jump and the demons cover their ears at her screeching voice. I slap her mouth shut, giving her a hard look before she continues in a very, very low voice—meaning it's so low, not even the demons can hear her. "There are two canine demon-blooded hotties over there, gazing in our direction."

I stupidly turn and sure enough, Kouga and Inuyasha's eyes are trained on us—or is it just one?—like we're packets of pork and they're starving deli shoppers. Kouga has smoothed out his clothes and put his hair back up in its ponytail, and Inuyasha's still neat, not having messed up his appearance the slightest since he's the Inuyasha. Blinking while my face turns red, I quickly shift my body back to the table, hoping they haven't realized I was just staring back.

The entire time Ayame and I follow directions and begin helping a bike in need, I feel eyes on me from the window counter—I'm not sure whether the penetrating gaze belongs to Inuyasha, Kouga, or both of them. It makes me feel small and awkward, so I squirm every five seconds. But thanks to Ayame's demonic strength and my bike knowledge, we finish quickly and she does an over-the-top victory dance. I laugh at her craziness, especially when the oh-so-serious Nakamura-sensei begs her to float back down to Earth.

The little bell rings, signaling us to head back to our normal classrooms for Japanese Language. I take the intermission as a chance to ask Ayame to come out to WacDonald's during lunchtime tomorrow. After a death hug and many excited remarks, she accepts before running back to Class C. I enter Class A, feeling anxious and happy about Sango and Miroku meeting my other best friend. As Miroku would say, "The more, the merrier," and as Sango would reply to that, "Not with you around, perv."

Kouga and Inuyasha walk into the room right after me. They take their spots at the counter after introducing themselves to our next teacher, Kobayashi-sensei. Our seats are boy-girl-boy-girl, so there's one male sitting in front of me, another behind me, one more to my left, and a last one to my right. Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi all are seated next to them, so we can talk without them crowding around my desk. But today, we don't talk. Instead, the boy to my right, Hojo's friend Bankoutsu, begins Smalltalk. "G'morning, Higurashi-san," he says, smiling large.

I grin back at his politeness. It's nice to have a guy your age outside of your friend circle actually talk to you. Most boys here don't bother talking to me, and when they do, they seem really tense about it, as if they're forced to. Having Bankoutsu be nice so naturally is really a relief. "Good morning, Shichinintai-kun," I say. "How have you liked our classes so far?"

"Horrible," he comments instantly, and I blink. He quickly adds, "This is school. I didn't think anyone would really like their classes." Oh, right. "And what about you? You've seemed better since your encounter with the dreaded Suzuki this morning."

I'm glad to know he doesn't think of him as a sensei, either. I beam wider. "I actually am." I'm afraid to say more. Most people wouldn't be happy to "go down to the principal's office", after all, and with me smiling, I'm already giving myself away.

For some reason, Bankoutsu's smirk grows even more charming. "So, I was wondering…" Prepare yourself. He's about to act as messenger between Hojo and me again—you know, where the boy sends his friend to the girl to try to talk her into dating the boy. "We're friends, right?"

Well. That was unexpected. "Yes," I drawl, secretly wondering what he's getting at. "I suppose."

"Nice to know" is all he says before Kobayashi-sensei launches into our Japanese lesson for today. We learn some difficult characters and read some old-fashioned literature. When I catch the two canines at the counters staring me down, I tell them telepathically to pay attention to our educator. Oddly, they both comply and do as they were told. I wonder why I'm not only obligated to keep Inuyasha in track now, but Kouga, too. Maybe it's because Ayame has an obvious attraction for him, and I'd hate for her chances to be screwed over when he's kicked out for being a bad student teacher?

Right when Japanese ends, Satou-sensei walks in and begins his plans for today. This term, we're going over the Feudal and Medieval eras. We learn more about the Muromachi period, or more specifically, the Nanboku-chou Jidai. In another week or two, we'll move on to the Sengoku Jidai before working our way up to the Edo period, which was when the little village of Tokyo got its first name: Edo. Of course, we've already learned about this in our past grade years, but we just seem to go into even more depth as we get older.

I guess that philosophy could pass with us in ways more than one. The older you get, the more depth there is. When Satou-sensei isn't looking, I scribble the words underneath my sleeve, on my wrist, in Sharpie. After reading the words, I smile as I think of all the hidden meanings packed in that one little sentence. I forget that there are many other sets of eyes to look out for, though. And I only remember when I've put away my stuff and looked up to see Bankoutsu, Kouga, and most importantly, Inuyasha's eyes gazing into me with pure curiosity.

Oh, boy.

—~*~—~*~—~*~—

I tell Miroku and Sango about Ayame eating with us tomorrow, and when they ask for some details, I confess to them her obvious attraction for one of our new student teachers—obviously ignoring the fact that I knew the other one. "Two wolf demons, eh?" Miroku echoes, rubbing his chin in a very knowing but very Miroku way. "How extremelyinteresting…"

Sango slaps his arm for being stupid and rolls her magenta eyes. I can't really blame her. Stupid perverted monk. "The dude's a student teacher, 'Roku, and despite Ayame liking him, teachers and students aren't supposed to be involved in intimate relationships. Right, Kagome?"

I'm about to agree, but then I go into thought about it. Why? I don't know. I mean, are students allowed to be friends with the student teachers? Will Inuyasha and I have to stop hanging out? My heart drops at the thought. Though I'd only reunited with him two days ago, it felt like he'd never left—but, as you're probably aware, that feeling went away when I had to lie to my family about "going over to Sango's".

Still… Seeing Inuyasha again just has me thinking more and more about him. I wonder: did he ever stop loving Kikyou? Does he think of them among "soul mate" terms, or is he just trying to get an old flame back? Will I even get any of the answers to my questions? Oh, gods, I really do hope that there's no rule against us being friends. I mean, things are so…great when he's around...

"Yoo-hoo!" a cheery voice calls. Then, angrily— "Kags!"

I nearly fall out of my seat and the WacFlurry in my hand bounces lightly in the air. I exhale with relief when I manage to hold a secure grip on it. I turn to my right, away from the window, to where Sango's sitting next to me like always. Because we, once again, really can't trust Miroku's hands. "What were you thinking about just now?" I give her a dumb look.

"You had a misty, slightly sad look in your eyes," Miroku informs me intelligently, sipping his Sprite. "What's going on in your noggin?" At this, he knocks on my head carelessly, and I make a blank face.

"Uh…" New shoes? No, that wouldn't work; I never go shopping. Work? No, I never get hung up over it; Miss Petal's Floristry is like my second home. Friends? Now that causes a spark. "The guy who sits to my right in class asked me if we were friends today, and it caught me off guard." Well, that was half the truth, though it wasn't the answer to her question.

Sango wiggles her eyebrows and Miroku oohs. I glower at them both. Ha-ha, yes, very funny, guys. Totally mature. Sango goes on to murmur, "Kaggie has a crush now?"

I shake my head furiously, feeling my blushes from earlier today come up again. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no," I chuckle nervously. "It's just… Hearing that from a guy who's only really talked to you so you could go out with his friend… It's weird."

"Oh, I know this!" Sango exclaims, tapping her chin thoughtfully. Miroku and I look at her expectantly as I scoop a cupful of Oreo goodness. She snaps her fingers when she guesses, "Is the friend Hobo?"

I nearly choke on my WacFlurry. I've only talked about Hojo once, and since we were all annoyed with him that one time, we haven't talked about him since. So of course Sango wouldn't get his surname right. "Hojo," I cough, wiping away some ice cream that'd dribbled out from my lips. "His name's Hojo."

"Let's call him Hobo," she insists perkily. "Or Homo! Either one works for me!" Excitedly, Miroku nods, though he'd agree to just about anything Sango said. Oi.

"You guys are impossible" is all I groan as I finish up my food—at a snail's pace, if you must know. Since my best friends are so conniving and hurtful—tear—I've decided to follow the goal I made last year: lose ten pounds. I'd tried before by only buying a box of four WacNuggets and one WacFlurry plus cycling afterschool and increasing my game during gym, but it hasn't been working at all. Sure, I'm always exercising and running around town—thus need my energy—but if I only eat one thing at WacDonald's during lunch, I should be able to lose a few pounds by next Wednesday. I just have to push myself harder—that's all.

After racing back to school and proving my point that, yes, I did move around a lot, I go to my next class: Physics. Here in Japan, students have to study four sciences: Biology, Physics, Geology, and Chemistry. I personally like the variety, but Eri, even being in the top twenty, has gotten low grades in each of them because she can't keep track of what's what. Which reminds me, I have to tutor her starting tonight for the next few Thursdays; Ayumi, the smartest of us all and Eri's usual coach, has begun volunteering at the library, which leaves the second smartest—me—to do the job. Not that I don't mind or anything; it'll just be a lot to put on my plate.

Today, we're in the lab, unlike yesterday, where Tanaka-sensei just wanted to read from the Geology textbook. But we're always in the lab for Hayashi-sensei's Physics class. I take my seat next to Yuka—Eri called dibs on Ayumi—and listen to her as she begins talking about her latest drive for a man. You see, whenever Yuka spots a guy she likes, she clings and does whatever she can to win his heart. She's obsessed with him until the next "cutest" guy shows up—then she moves on, forgetting about the one before.

It seems her latest conquest is not only my friend, but my sister's ex-boyfriend.

Ah. Well…

This is uncomfortable.

"Did you see how Takahashi-sensei was eyeing me during our classes?" she gushes, squealing with delight. "I swear, he should be a model! I mean, have you seen him?" Uh, yeah, Yuka. Not only outside of school, but I see him in every one of my classes. "I'm so excited! Today, he went to the boys' class—" I have to cough to make her correct that. "I mean, the Tech. class, but tomorrow, he and Ookami-sensei will have to come attend the girls'—" Another cough. "I mean, the normal Home Economics class. How great is that?"

"Very," I concur, trying not to show my discomfort. At that moment, Inuyasha comes in, walking across the room to the counter until he spots me. Then he turns a complete one-eighty, coming up to Yuka and I's table with a cheerful face. I glower at him. He wants something. I can see it in his golden orbs.

He comes to a sudden halt in front of our lab table. "Hey, can you take notes for me about the teach' and what happens in class? I gotta go meet up with Rin for a good thirty minutes. Nothing more." Since I don't respond, he almost begs, "C'mon. It's just a half-hour."

Seeing how his gawk is on me, I avert my eyes. Yuka, who'd nearly popped like a balloon from ecstasy when he headed our way—and who still has not realized he's focusing on me, not her—is now in the dumps. "Is that your girlfriend?" Wow. She didn't even address Rin as a she.

Wait, what did she just say?

Inuyasha's eye twitches and he grimaces weakly, horrified at the idea. Whether he's secretly afraid of his brother's wrath or merely sickened by the thought of knowing Rin like that, he looks horror-struck. "Sister-in-law," he informs my friend halfheartedly, trying to return to normality. I'm still not trying to look, and whenever he focuses on me, I turn away as an attempt to give Yuka an opening. Kami forbid, she'd never forgive me for cock-blocking her, girl-style.

"I'LL TAKE THE NOTES FOR YOU!" Yuka declares, and Inuyasha's ears flatten, not being able to take the high-pitched noise. She squeals at the movement, and reaches out for them.

It's all in slow motion. She stands up, her hands making their way to the top of his head, and he freaks out again. Then it's all in ordinary movement as he runs out of the room, not even saying "thank you". Yuka's hasn't sat down because she's beyond confused, and I just shake my head. Inuyasha never let anyone touch his ears—not even Kikyou—and I doubt he'd let Yuka break his streak of run-away. She asks me, "Did he just—?"

"Uh, dog demons with those ears are really picky about who touches them," I fib, though it's not a total lie. As far as I know, people with dog ears are protective of them—thing is, Inuyasha's the only person I know with animal ears. Besides, I said dog demons, meaning full-blooded ones. He's never been very comfortable with the fact that he was half, so I wouldn't reveal it to the people who can't figure out the truth. Humans, having no real abilities, would see him and think of a full-demon; spiritual beings and anyone with demon blood, however, are able to see that he only carries half of a demonic aura.

Yuka, being as clueless to things as Eri, nods brightly. "Just imagine if we had kids…" Sigh. "I wonder if he's able to please girls in bed…"

Thanks for putting that image in my mind. I really needed— No, not "really". (Yuka, that was very inappropriate. I hope you know that.) It's kind of weird to imagine Inuyasha with anyone. I question if it's because I've always seen him with Kikyou until recently when it was just us, and then I wonder if it's for other reasons…?

Throughout the entire period, Yuka's scribbling away in her notebook, determined to come up with the most thorough notes possible. I guess she wants to impress Inuyasha with her smarts, even though she ranks right above Eri in the top twenty: number eighteen. I swear, it's pure luck they'd gotten into Class A. They should be in Class C—no, D!

I mentally slap myself across the face. Why am I being so mean all of a sudden? Yuka didn't do anything, and neither did Eri. The former's just trying to get the guy she likes right now, although that'd seriously mess with Inuyasha and I's goal to get him and Kikyou back together.

When there's a minute of class left, I notice silver hair in the window of the door. Amber eyes look into the room, spot me, and I can tell he's silently asking what our next period is. I shift my eyes again, determined not to let Yuka catch on that I know him personally because I would never hear the end of it. Why didn't you tell me? Now you'll have to help with making him fall head-over-heels for me! Of course, I say back, Fine—I suppose I have no choice. Just let me help him get back together with my sister! Then I'll help you!

Yeah. That wouldn't turn out so great.

Kouga sticks his tongue out to Inuyasha, who I can imagine growling outside. Inuyasha's eyes flare before resting on me, imploring for an answer. I inwardly sigh, tired, before looking him square in the eyes and putting up my hair in a ponytail—trying to hint on that I'll need it for our next class. When that's not enough, I casually begin to stretch my muscles. His honey pools widen in realization before his silver man disappears.

Yuka, not noticing my strangeness, did see Inuyasha in the hallway. Just as I return to my normal stance of sitting in my seat correctly, she gives me a rapturous beam. I smile back, though mine's tinier since I feel kind of bad for hiding my secret sort-of-friendship with Inuyasha away from her. I feel Kouga's eyes watch me again, and I hold back from standing up and streaming, "WHAT'S WRONG WITH EVERYONE'S EYES TODAY?" Because there is something amiss if everyone's staring at me like I'm a treasure chest.

Miroku probably would find that humorous since I said the word "chest". Ugh.

Once Physics ends, we all head to our last period: Physical Education. I run into the locker-room, changing into my bloomers and t-shirt. I tuck it into my bottoms, put on my running shoes, and since my hair's already up, run outside to the volleyball area. Eri and Ayumi are still in the changing area, but Yuka's helping reset the net from the last class. The entire time, she's staring keenly at Inuyasha, who's on the bench, reading what must be the notes she'd made for him. I can tell he doesn't feel comfortable accepting help from someone he doesn't really know, but I ignore the urge to go talk to him about it. Okay, Kagome, keep it under control. No one's supposed to know about the plan, much less your relations—NO ONE. I nod to myself before running up and assisting Yuka with the net, since I'm more flexible and able to stand on my tiptoes to tie the lines to their poles. Kouga, I suppose, is acting as our main teacher for this period. He's giving orders to the girls, telling them what to do to prepare for today's game as he gets pumped up for some "action". The sight kind of looks familiar; now that I think about it, he looks just like—

Oh. That explains why he and Inuyasha were fighting. When they both went to this school—Inuyasha being the loner/bad boy and Kouga being the star baseball player/popular guy Kikyou talked about being friends with—did they not get along? Is that why Kouga's been looking at me so much today? Does he recognize me as his old friend Kikyou's little sister, or is he wondering why two strangers look so much alike…? Nah, he wouldn't; he's heard my last name quite a few times today, so that's a dead giveaway.

Speaking of the wolf, he stops his commands for a moment to look at me again. That's when I notice just what he's thinking about when he gazes at me. His eyes scan my body, then my face before he breaks out into a grin. Oh, my gods; is the student teacher, a twenty-year-old wolf demon my best friend likes, attracted to me?

Well, he's certainly not hiding it. He ogles at me openly, and I finally notice how revealing all of our darned school uniforms are. It's not any better, either, that my muscles are lengthened, thus showing my flexibility and many curves. Suddenly, I feel kind of clammy and anxious as my face turns a bright scarlet; I can feel the blood rushing to my head. Let's just say, his forwardness is making me feel weird. Though, despite how I'm self-conscious, I feel confident at the same time—an older guy, liking me. Wow. If Ayame weren't so into him, I'd be beaming despite my stomach churning at the moment.

There's a growl from behind me, making my heels hit the ground. Inuyasha? "Move over, wench," he snarls. I speculate why he's here as he grabs the netting from my stunned hands and begins tying it for me. Yuka looks shocked that he called me a wench, but she's even more confused that I do nothing about it. I ignore her. Since Inuyasha's taller than me, he sets the net up quicker and we can start our game when Ayumi gets back from the equipment room with a volleyball. I expect Inuyasha to smirk from his little achievement—you know, boys and their egos and cockiness—but instead, he shifts around a little, situating himself between me and Kouga. That's when I realize his growling hasn't faded, and he's trying to conceal me from Kouga's view.

I'm kind of touched until I realized that he's kind of cock-blocking me like I am Yuka. Except, you know, I'm a girl and don't have that anatomy.

Obviously.

I frown at him, upset that all this relationship drama's going on. Why is he acting like this, anyways? Am I not his friend like I wish, but his non-blood little sister? Gods, he's worse than an embarrassing mom—he's a protective mom!

I grumble at that, and Yuka pulls me over to the other of the court. I'm bemused—we're always on the other side—but she explains to me as Eri and Ayumi join us, Ayumi with the ball, "Didn't you hear Ookami-sensei?" Apparently not. I was freaking out too much to really notice his lips moving. "It's co-ed today. We're joining up with the boys." I still give her a blank look. "Ookami-sensei assigned us over here, to the spot closest to the bench." I narrow my eyes at that. Why? Then it comes to me:

What a jerk! The teachers are going to be watching the game from that bench.

I slap my face for real this time. Oh, hecks. This isn't fair at all. Inuyasha will have a front row seat to me possibly falling flat on my face!

Hey—just because I'm good at cycling doesn't mean I'm Volleyball MVP Sango. And I've just realized that I'm also as well more concerned with Inuyasha watching me screw up than Kouga undressing me with his eyes. Oh, well. Maybe Inuyasha's opinion matters in the long run?

Who knows. Bankoutsu comes over to our side with a few other guys from class, though, and gives us all charming smiles, his smirk widening when his eyes fall on me. Of course, he's seen me in this before, but now, ever since I noticed that Kouga's been checking me out all day, I feel naked. At least I have my shirt tucked in so it won't randomly fly off. Because I'm pretty sure that'll happen to someone one day.

After a minute of fighting over where they sat on the bench because Kouga wanted to see me in a good position whereas Inuyasha didn't want him within a mile radius of me, they are finally situated. Everyone quietly chuckles, though our student teachers demonic hearing picks up on it; it's funny because the two grown men look like they're snuggling bears instead of trying to push each other off the bench. Since this morning's class interruption, the students haven't really questioned why "Takahashi-sensei" and "Ookami-sensei" pretty much hate each other; they're all just enjoying it now.

Ayumi begins the game by serving the ball over the net perfectly. It goes back and forth a few times, both Inuyasha and Kouga growling the whole time, before it heads my way. Panicking, I do the first thing I think of: I raise my hand, ready to slap it, when I unexpectedly touch something warm and smooth—a face. Or, more specifically, Bankoutsu's jaw. Blushing, I jerk my hand in front of me, only to turn myself off-balance and fall into his front. He catches me, luckily, though his hands are gripped on my hips, on the line of my bloomers. I squirm out of his grasp once steady, but by now, my face is beyond pink and now crimson.

Now I know why Inuyasha and Kouga were growling. Bankoutsu had positioned himself right behind me.

Kami. I've never noticed how much boys have paid attention to me—

Thunk. Ow. That kind of hurt. Stupid volleyballs. Stupid male classmate who distracts you when the ball's heading your way—for your head! And just like that, it's "man-down" for me, Higurashi Kagome.

"KAGOME-CHAN!" the girls shout while the boys gasp, "HIGURASHI-SAN!" My male classmates all rush up to my side in an instant, making my blush deeper. If I'd known getting hurt would get this much attention, I should've turned into a klutz a long time ago. I flush even more when they offer me their hands to get up, asking if I'm okay or need to go down to the nurse's office. I shake my head, mortified that I was actually right and did screw up in front of Inuyasha.

Through the group of schoolboys, I see Ayumi giggling, Eri wiggling her eyebrows, and Yuka looking jokingly envious of all the attention I'm getting. That is, until her face looks both bright and dark at the same time.

I don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out why. Kouga breaks through the crowd, coming to me one moment and offering to let me stay out of the game. The next, he's shoved into the group of boys, who instantly cower back in fear. Inuyasha gives Bankoutsu a look that tells him to back off, too. Surprisingly, Bankoutsu slowly but surely scrambles to his feet, where he then takes a few steps over to my terrified classmates.

I scoff. Inuyasha may be a jerk, but he's not heartless enough to kill someone over something so minor.

I don't think…

"Are you hurt?" he asks, and I feign stupidity. He grimaces. "Stop that."

"Well, you're the idiot growling at everyone, smart one," I reply nattily. My classmates' eyes widen and walk even further away. Yuka's eyes are about to fall out of her head, no doubt about it.

"Did you just call me a smart idiot?" he questions, raising an eyebrow playfully. Great. He's decided now of all times he wants to play the let's argue until I prove I'm smarter game that I've always won.

"It's called sarcasm," I remark dryly. "Now getting back to the subject: why were you growling at every boy who even looked at me?" The boys nearby who had been looking at me blush, but Kouga smirks. Gah. Men and their pride.

Inuyasha avoids my eyes, scratching the back of his neck. I frown, even though I know I've won the game (of course). I almost say his name, but remember where we are. "Uh, Takahashi-sensei?" Inuyasha's ears flick at the new name, and Yuka nearly faints. I feel bad for stealing her guy for the next few minutes, but I need to talk to Inuyasha when I have the chance. "My head really hurts, and there's a black spot in my vision." Whew. Thank the gods I've studied medicine and remembered the symptoms for a concussion.

It's enough to snap Inuyasha back into it. At first, he expectedly panics, telling people to back away before he kills them, which is not a good way to keep your job. Fortunately, everyone's so distracted by my possible "concussion" that they would've listened to him if he told them to hurl kittens off a bridge. And although I know he's worried, I don't expect Inuyasha to swoop me into his arms and run down to the nurse's office. Once we're out of demon hearing, I demand sternly, "Put me down, you moron."

"SHUT UP!" Inuyasha yells, eyes burning into my skull. To most people, he looked pissed, upset, and furious. But to those who knew him best, when they looked into his eyes, they would've seen more than that: there's fear, worry, panic, and other melancholy feelings. It's enough to make me feel guilty about even thinking this up.

"I'm fine," I tell him softly, though he hears and comes to an abrupt stop. I bounce in his arms for a moment, but he catches me, his arms supporting the back of my legs and cradling my shoulder. He gives me a still apprehensive look before my eyes confirm I'm not lying. He sets me down carefully, those intriguing eyes never leaving my face. I repeat: "I'm fine. I lied. I just needed to get you away from the group, so I could talk to you." He looks angry, but when I give him a pleading look, he exhales and averts his gaze. At least he'll listen. "I know we're, um…" Crap. I couldn't say it yet.

Inuyasha raises an eyebrow, though still doesn't look at me. "We're… what?"

I bite my lip—my nervous movement. "Are we friends, Inuyasha?"

That makes him face me. There's disbelief and doubt written all over his handsome face. "You're seriously asking me that?"

I droop. So, my hopes weren't true. I really am just the little girl in his mind. My head hangs, but then he mutters, "'Course we fucking are. We're the best of them. What made you think we weren't, wench?"

I flush, my heart happy and my stomach doing flips. It feels so great to finally know where I stand with Inuyasha. And if he meant every word, that meant he felt the same way I did about him. Best friends. That term feels so nice, so refreshing. I finally murmur, "Just wasn't sure. But I'm ditzy sometimes." I smile up at him, and he blinks before turning away. I don't mind, though, so I go on to my explanation. "I know we're best friends, Inuyasha"—his ears twitch at the last three words, and my soul dances—"but at school, I'd like it if we kept some distance at least." He looks away sharply, and I catch my breath. "For the sake of our plans, you know? I don't want to be bullied and taunted for being friends with a teacher. Besides, I don't want to distract you from your job like I already have." He opens his mouth to argue, but I shake my head. "Please, Inuyasha? I have friends to focus on here, and it'd be nice if I…" Was I really about to say— "began dating. You know, the normal teen experience. I already have a busy schedule, one that already has you in it, so could we just hang outside of school? It's distracting enough to have you and Kouga stare at me, and Bankoutsu randomly talk to me, and tutoring Eri tonight at last minute, and having Ayame have a crush on Kouga, and Yuka having a crush on—uh, my favorite teacher." Yeah. We'll go with that. Ignoring Inuyasha's questioning look at my words, I whisper, "So please, can we just go our own paths during school hours?"

Inuyasha turns away. I close my eyes tiredly. I knew he'd be mad.

"You know, the school rules said nothing about student and teacher interaction." I look at him curiously. I'd never even mentioned that. "Can't we, I don't know, not ignore each other? What about we act like we're on simple friend terms?"

I beam, happy with the new proposition despite maybe blowing our secret if we act too familiar with each other. "So you'll be less like a protective mom?"

"Yeah—wait, what the fuck?" I laugh at his shocked expression, which quickly turns to heat. "Wench—" I shoot him a glare, demanding an answer. "Keh, fine. But if anyone feels you up, I ain't promising nothing."

I narrow my eyes. "That was horrible grammar."

"Well…" He huffs. "I'm just gonna have my limits, okay? No one disrespects you and gets away with it. No one breathes your air without permission. No one flirts with you"—I glare at him—"unless they have good intentions, or else I'll chop their baggage off. Clear?"

I mumble, "Clear." Sure. Fine. Whatever floats your boat.

He nods austerely before heading back to the volleyball court. I follow, recalling what's happened today. Why has he been so protective of me? Is it because I'm apparently one of his best friends? Gods, I'm still happy to hear I'm more of a friend than I thought before. I think I heard once that dog demons were supposed to be possessive and protective over what's theirs. Is that why he easily got irritated with boys being nearby me? Because I'm his friend, I'm technically his territory? But that wouldn't explain why he was only getting angry with the males, and not the girls.

I sigh, giving up on my mind. There's no point in questioning his motives. All I get is more questions than answers. Okay, so I don't have to think about Inuyasha—I just have to focus on the task at hand: him winning Kikyou's heart. That's all that matters. I won't ponder about him anymore. I won't try to pry into his life or become his closest associate anymore. I promise to just remain an ordinary, old best friend.

…I think.

A/N: So, there was a lot going on in this chapter, in my mind. We learn more about Kagome's friends and classmates, not to mention Inuyasha and Kouga, plus maybe Kikyou…? I don't remember. Anyways, I hoped I did not disappoint! ^.^ Oh, and check out LIFE AT DEMON SLAYER SCHOOL, my other story, whose next chapter I'm working on and will have out this weekend or sometime next week. UPDATES' DATES ARE ON MY PROFILE!

Don't forget to review, favorite, and all that good stuff; it'll help make the next chapter come by quicker. :) Oh, and READ MY NEW STORY IDEA, ONE MESSED-UP STORY! It's on my profile and your future entertainment depends on it! Okay? Thanks for reading! :D Once again, REVIEW AND FAVORITE!