High School

After Party

Kagome had been smiling and greeting all of the friends she hadn't seen in six months for the past three hours. Everyone she had spoken to seemed really happy to see her and she was happy to see them. After Jak had dragged her away he had taken her back to her house/Shrine and forced her into a pair of low-rise, hip hugger jeans and a purple belly shirt and had been practically squealed like the girl he dressed as when he saw her belly button ring. Jak had then proceeded to do her royal blue eyes in the style she had wanted him to teach her the day they first met (he still hadn't but there was hope). She had been getting compliments on the outfit and her general hotness all night, but not from the one guy she really wanted to notice her.

Sesshomaru had yet to make an appearance at his own graduation party. Kagome had been wandering the vast halls of Miroku's home for the past hour looking for him. Stupid Fluffy, she grumbled in her head, glaring down at the red solo cup she held in her hand. It was at times like these she wished she drank. With a cup of beer in her hand the time might have passed much more quickly, or at least she would have been having more fun. As it was, her red solo cup was full of Diet Coke. Kagome sighed and brought the plastic container up to her pink lip glossed lips and took a sip. The drink fizzled in her mouth pleasantly.

Unbeknownst to Kagome a pair of red, reptile eyes were watching her carefully from a corner. A menacing smile played across Susei Ryuko's thin lips as he eyed the young miko up and down. He was truly impressed by how much his arch nemeses' chosen woman had grown in the brief period she had been gone. She was almost…appetizing.

When the miko took another sip of whatever drink was in her red solo cup an evil though entered Susei Ryuko's mind. Without her beloved Sesshomaru to protect her and the remainder of her friends busy elsewhere, the miko was vulnerable. The dragon-youkai didn't believe that any miko had the ability to cause him any harm, plus, as an added bonus, there were other youkai here at this party and the miko would surely be hesitant to fight back if she thought innocent bystanders would be hurt. Miko were like that and it was that weakness Susei Ryuko intended to exploit.

Kagome felt the powerful yoki approach. She knew who it was just by the malicious aura that hovered around Susei Ryuko like a cloak. She turned to the dragon-youkai and tried not to flinch away from the slimy look he leveled at her. "Susei-kun," she said formerly.

"Ah, my dear Kagome, there's no need for such formalities. After all, we have known each other for a very long time."

Kagome felt like gagging. An involuntary shiver of disgust ran up her spine at Susei Ryuko's overall creepiness. Kagome knew all she needed or ever wanted to know about Sesshomaru's hated rival. Susei Ryuko had a reputation for not taking no for an answer and he hated Sesshomaru with ever fiber of his being. Kagome edged away from him, looking hopefully around for any of her friends. None were in sight.

Susei Ryuko took a menacing step forward, following Kagome as she backpedaled. "Come now, Kagome," he said her name in such a way that she wanted to go take a scalding hot bath to cleanse herself of his filth, "there's no reason for such shyness." He made to grab her wrist.

Kagome jerked back but she needn't have bothered. Another hand, pale and clawed, darted forward and closed around Susei Ryuko's forearm in a vice-like grip. "I suggest you leave Kag-chan alone," a voice snarled.

Kagome looked thankfully to her rescue, expecting to see Sesshomaru. The sight of the youkai who had protected her caused her eyes to widen in surprise.

Onigumo Naraku stood next to Susei Ryuko, holding onto the dragon-youkai's arm so hard that, if he wasn't youkai, Susei Ryuko's bones would have broken. Kagome blinked stupidly at Naraku. The spider-hanyō, while having never been outright mean or cruel to her, had also never stood up for her either. In fact, in their group of friends, he was the one most likely to tease her mercilessly. Now, to see him defending her Kagome felt a sudden surge of warmth in her chest for the older spider-hanyō she had never felt before.

Susei Ryuko glared at Naraku. He despised the spider-hanyō almost as much as he despised the Tetsuki brothers but a quick glance behind Naraku showed him that the spider-hanyō had backup. Not three feet away stood Shichi Bankotsu. The long purple diamond on the war mage's forehead glowed dimly in warning. Susei Ryuko, who would have no trouble defeating Naraku or Bankotsu on their own, knew better than to fight them both at the same time, especially Bankotsu because fighting him also meant fighting his six mage brothers as well and those boys could cause serious damage.

Susei Ryuko snarled and jerked his arm from Naraku's iron grip. With one last glare that would have killed just about anyone who hadn't grown accustomed to such looks by extended proximity with the Ice King himself, the dragon-youkai stalked away.

Kagome sighed in relief as she watched him go. Truly, his disgusting yoki had been suffocating for her. When he had he finally disappeared from their sight Kagome turned to her rescuers only to find Naraku had disappeared. The only one left of the dynamic duo that had saved her was Bankotsu. "Thanks, Bank," she said with a smile.

Bank smiled down at her, his purple diamond marking now back to normal. "It was our pleasure Kag-chan." Then, he frowned. "What are you doing all by yourself anyway? Where's Sesshomaru?"

A flash of sadness crossed Kagome's face. She quickly tried to cover it up with a seemingly nonchalant shrug. "I don't know."

Bank's frown deepened. It was unusual for Sesshomaru to allow Kagome to attend a party by herself. He was so protective and possessive of her he insisted in being within five feet of her at parties. To find her alone and Sesshomaru absent was strange.

"I don't think he's coming," Kagome added. She looked back down at her red solo cup in an attempt to hide the tears that had sprung to her eyes. This night was not going as the short miko had planned at all. Kagome had meant to make a dramatic entrance at Sesshomaru's graduation. She had also dreamed that at the sight of her Sesshomaru would be so happy that he would sweep her off her feet in an uncharacteristic display of affection. Sesshomaru's newfound coldness had completely thrown her off.

"Hey Tana," Bank called, seeing a white head topped with pierced dog ears through the open doorway.

Tana instantly backpedaled at her name, poking her head around the corner. "You rang?"

Bank waived her towards them. "Come 'ere."

Tana obliged, joining them in the mostly deserted hallway other than the couple randomly making out at the other end. "What's up?" she asked, flashing a fanged smile.

"Where's Sesshomaru?"

Tana shrugged. "Fluffy's at home," she said, using the nickname reserved explicitly for Kagome, Rin and herself.

Bank frowned. "Why? It's his graduation party too?"

Again Tana shrugged. "You know how he's been lately, all cold and stuff. He point blank refused to come hang out with the rest of us. He said, and I quote, he said "Why would I want to be surrounded by slobbering, bumbling fools?" I swear, he gets his bitchyness from his mom. It sure as hell doesn't come from Dad."

An increasing state of grumpiness had risen within Kagome at every word Tana uttered. With a huff she whirled on her heel and marched down the hall, tossing the red solo cup into a trashcan in one fluid movement as she passed. Bank and Tana watched her go. "Oooh," Tana cackled gleefully, "now Sesshy's gonna get it."

Bank raised a black eyebrow at his crush's strangeness but couldn't help but agree with her. Sesshomaru was most definitely going to get it.

Kagome barged into Sesshomaru's dark room not twenty minutes after she had left the party at Miroku's house. The room itself had changed over the years but one thing was still the same: it was pristine. Not a single piece of clothing littered the gray carpet, the desk was immaculately organized, the rolling chair pushed neatly under it. Even the bed was made though it was slightly rumpled because the over-six-foot-tall inu-youkai she sought was lying on it as he stared up at the ceiling.

Sesshomaru looked away from the ceiling at Kagome's entrance and his golden eyes narrowed.

"What the hell, Sesshomaru?!" Kagome demanded angrily.

"Who do you think you are to come barging into my room?" Sesshomaru snarled back.

Kagome growled. If InuYasha had been there he would have said that Kagome was definitely an inu. As it was, her impressive imitation had no effect on Sesshomaru. "Who do I think I am? I'm your best friend, Sesshomaru! Since when have I needed permission to come in here?"

Sesshomaru sat up and matched Kagome's glare.

"Furthermore, what the fuck is wrong with you? What the hell happened to make you such an asshole? I've been back in town a grand total of six hours and not once have you said, "Nice to see you, Kagome" or "I'm glad you're back, Kagome" or "You look good, Kagome" or, god forbid, "Hello"! The least you could have done was say hi! Do you have any idea how much trouble I went through to make sure I got back in time for your graduation?! School isn't even over in America right now but I made sure that I took all my finals, got all my credits transferred, all my stuff shipped back and booked an early enough flight so I wouldn't miss it! And what do you do? You ignore me! You fucking ignore me! So, I ask again, what the fuck is wrong with you?!" By the time Kagome was done she was panting. Really, she was so angry with the jerk off she wanted to beat him over the head with his baseball bat.

Sesshomaru let her yell herself out. Then, raising one perfect silver eyebrow, he said, "Wow. Impressive language Higurashi."

Kagome gave a strangled scream and reached for the Louisville Slugger placed neatly on the rack nailed to the wall.