This chapter does have a bit of strong language and a few suggestive sentences. I'd say older teens will probably be okay with reading this, but just know that you have been warned. Also, this was initially going to be titled "Arts and Crafts".

Band Together

Sesshomaru and Kagome shared art together sixth period. This class was fairly low-key, especially when compared to some of the other classes the two of them shared (such as math). The student were expected to turn in a new piece of art each week for grading, each piece of work different from the last, though they could be made using the same medium. Sesshomaru found himself feeling a bit grateful that he and Kagome were seated on opposite sides of the room. He needed a little time alone, away from her, to try and clear his head and make sense of the events of today. So much had happened and changed since their first class that morning. It was almost hard to believe that this had all happened in the span of less than one day.

Art had never been difficult for him. He loved art, in fact, though that was something he tended to keep fairly under wraps. The only reason he was taking this class was to fulfill one of the many requirements to attend a good college. He wouldn't have been in this room otherwise, whether he wanted to be or not. His mother wanted a son who was logical, not creative. Creativity, to her, was a flaw. And flaws were unacceptable. That meant he was a flaw as well, for so many reasons. Everything he did was wrong, how he did those things was wrong, why he did them was wrong, his thoughts were wrong, his feelings were wrong, the fact that he felt at all was wrong... and anything that was wrong was a flaw. And flaws were unacceptable.

He blinked, coming back to reality from his mind, and started at his paper, a frown appearing on his face. He hadn't even realized that he'd been drawing. And yet, somehow, Kagome was there, on his paper, smiling at the viewer in that way that only she could manage, her hair blowing from some invisible wind and her hands clasped gently behind her back. He frowned a bit deeper. Why did I draw her? It was then that the paper was suddenly snatched away from him.

"Why the hell are you drawing that bitch?"

Sesshomaru glared at Kikyo, who stood at his side. He had hoped that she was angry enough at him still to ignore him, but apparently that had been too much to ask. "It is none of your business."

"The hell it isn't it!" she snapped. "As your girlfriend I demand to know the truth!"

"We are not dating."

"Liar."

Sesshomaru growled. "Do not call me a liar."

Her hands moved. Paper tore. Her hands moved faster, her fingers working furiously, her face red with anger. Tiny pieces of paper fluttered to the ground. Sesshomaru glared even as she smirked. "Now that that's taken care of..." He watched as she glanced behind her and around the room, as though to make sure that no one was watching, before turning back to him. He was shocked when she suddenly grabbed a fistful of his hair, close to his scalp, and pulled hard enough to make him grit his teeth, forcing his face closer to hers. "You listen closely," she snarled softly. "You stop fucking with that goddamn bitch or I will make your life a living hell."

He jerked away from her, ignoring the sharp pain of his hair getting pulled again, and resisted the urge to smooth his hands over it to alleviate some of that pain. "Her name is Kagome," he snapped, surprising himself perhaps even more than he'd surprised her.

"I don't give a damn what the bitch's name is!" Kikyo snapped back. "Stop cheating on me with her!"

Sesshomaru glared at her. "I cannot cheat on you. We are not dating. And her and I have no such relationship."

"She's a skank!" Kikyo hissed. "She probably dropped that skimpy little skirt for you as soon as she saw you! You've probably-"

Sesshomaru cut in, heading off her next comment before it could be finished. "Kagome is nothing like you."

She gaped at him in open shock, her eyes wide in horror. Then her face contorted in fury. Her mouth opened, probably to unleash more scathing comments, but the bell cut her off.

Sesshomaru wordlessly shouldered his bag and stalked out of the classroom, ignoring Kagome's questioning look as he brushed past her. He managed to get to a rather secluded hallway in the corner of the school, a place where he often went to read, eat, or just get away from people, before Kikyo reached him, having followed him all the way here. They stood at the edge of the school's property, beside and old abandoned building with thick, solid walls. She grabbed his arm, somehow managing to get his sleeve rolled up so that she gripped bare skin, and he whirled to glare at her, his expression icy. "Don't walk away from me," she yelled, digging her nails into his arm.

"Watch me," he snapped, jerking his arm away from her and yanking his sleeve back down.

"You're an ass!" she screamed.

"I don't care," he replied coolly.

"Well you should!" she screeched. "You're a stupid, good-for-nothing, fucking asshole who doesn't know how to do anything but fuck around with every girl he sees!"

"You know nothing."

"You're stupid! An absolute idiot! I can't believe you even got into this school with that god-awfully tiny brain! How the hell do you live with such little intelligence?!"

Her comments reminded him vividly of the verbal abuse his mother so often dished out on, well, everyone. Living with it was hard enough without having the same things thrown back at him in his face when he was outside of home. "You know nothing," he repeated angrily.

"No, you know nothing! You're stupid! Completely worthless!"

His jaw clenched, his teeth gritting together tightly. She speaks just like Mother.

"Do you hear me, Sesshomaru?! You're worthless! You're good for nothing but getting into bed and-"

Sesshomaru was hardly listening any more. His head lowered so that his bangs shadowed his eyes, hiding them from view. It was difficult to speak through his teeth, which were clenched so tightly that they hurt. "Shut up," he said, his voice lowered to a dangerous level.

Kikyo continued as though he'd said nothing at all. She continued angrily, listing off everything she believed him to be. "You're worthless!" she repeated. "You're weak! You're stupid, good-for-nothing, a mistake-"

"Shut up!" he yelled, but his outburst was met by deaf ears as she continued.

"...a complete waste of oxygen and precious resources, unwanted by everyone around you, and better off dead!"

Finally, something in him snapped. His fist shot out sideways, connecting solidly with on of the abandoned building's walls. A crater erupted in the wall, cracks spreading like the lines of an intricate web. Jaw still clenched and body tense, he let him arm fall back to his side. Without a word, he shifted his bag on his shoulder and stalked away past Kikyo, who had been shocked into complete silence.

He pulled the door open to the band and orchestra room and sat down heavily in his seat, glaring pointlessly at the ceiling. With a heavy sigh, he looked down at his hand. It didn't hurt and it wasn't injured, so he rolled up his sleeve to insect the long cuts on his arm. A gasp made him jump and he looked up to see Kagome rushing toward him. "Sesshomaru, what happened?!"

"Nothing," he muttered, looking away and starting to roll his sleeve back down.

She caught his hand and gently moved it away, rolling his sleeve back up to where it had been. "This isn't nothing," she replied briskly, though not harshly. She kept her tone calm, almost gentle, almost as though she sensed how upset he was right now, how angry he was.

"I'm fine."

"I know you're a demon and these'll be healed in no time, but you're still hurt. What happened?"

"I said it was nothing."

"And you and I both now that isn't true." He didn't reply nor did he look at her, choosing instead to look at the door on the other side of the room. She placed her hands on each of his cheeks and gently turned his face so that he had to look at her. "Sesshomaru," she said softly, "what happened?"

"Noth-"

"The truth, Sesshomaru." He frowned and fell silent and she gave him a sad, serious, look. "It was one of those girls, wasn't it? One of Kikyo's friends?" She must have seen the way his expression darkened at the mention of Kikyo's name, for her own expression grew hard. "It was Kikyo, then?" He didn't reply, but they both knew she was right, so it wasn't necessary for him to respond. She sighed softly and removed her hands from his face, moving to rummage through her almost obscenely bright yellow backpack. Moments later, she pulled out a roll of thin bandages, a bottle of some kind, and a small cloth. Taking his hand, she extended his arm and poured some of the medicine on the cloth. It's harsh smell filled his nose and gave him a near-instant headache, threatened to make him dizzy. When she pressed the cloth into one of the scratches, he hissed softly. "Sorry," she murmured, "I know it stings."

"You don't need to apologize," he said, looking away, though her voice soon drew his attention back.

"These look like nail marks," she said quietly. "Why did she scratch you like this?"

He shrugged, choosing not to response otherwise, and she dabbed carefully at the scratches. They were deeper than he'd thought initially, and they were bleeding a bit more than he'd expected. To be honest, he hadn't been expecting any blood to begin with. He hadn't realized that this was anything more than a surface wound. As she wrapped the banadages around his arm, he looked away again. "Thank you."

She pulled his sleeved back down and gave it a gentle tug. As soon as his attention was on her, she gave him a warm smile. "You're welcome. Friends need to stick together, you know?"

He looked away yet again and frowned thoughtfully at the ground. "Are we really... friends?"

She sat down beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Of course we are. You just need to stop doubting yourself. People care about you more than you realize."

He gave a delicate snort. "Doubtful."

"It's true."

"It is unlikely."

She pushed him lightly with one hand, laughing softly. "You're impossible."

"No," he replied, doing his best to ignore the way she continued to lean against him. "I am improbable." That earned him a laugh and he looked away from her joyful expression, fighting down the momentary surge of emotion that accompanies the sight and sound.

Where they really friends? He had no idea. It didn't make any sense to him. Friends weren't supposed to make him feel so... odd. The slightest little thing she did accomplished that. And yet, no friend that he had ever had, even female ones, had ever made him feel like she made him feel. So where he and Kagome really friends? And if not... then what were they?

Sorry this took so long guys. Posted 04-14-15.