Nov 14 - Rivalry

aka
Clueless Hojo Strikes Back

Kagome was walking down the corridor, praying in her heart that no one stopped her and that the certain hanyou she really liked wasn't causing any trouble at the shrine while she was hurrying back to his cute puppy ears.

She managed to dodge her classmates and was out of the school in a couple of minutes, heading for the gate. She started smiling, her eyes filling with joy, when suddenly...

"Kagome!"

'Dang it!'

"H-hey, guys!" Kagome plastered a half-genuine smile on her face and turned to see her three best friends from this time. A part of her thought about her other three best friends from the past. Ayumi was idealistic and innocent like Shippou while Yuka and Eri were stubborn and loyal, just like Miroku and Sango. But somehow... She didn't feel as connected to those three as she was to the other three individuals.

They talked for a short while when...

"Kagome, you're going out with Hojo this Friday." said Yuka. It wasn't even a question.

"Uh... What?" Kagome blinked at her.

"We arranged everything with him after English class," Eri added. "Totally going to see a movie with the cutest boy in our class. Aren't you happy?"

"Uh, guys, I already have..."

"Oi, Kagome!" all four of them looked in the direction of the call, Kagome because she recognized the voice, the rest because it was a slightly scrappy, deep male voice that promised that it belonged to a hunk.

And, boy, oh, boy, was this promise not fulfilled.

A tall boy was making his way towards them, his moves purposeful and fluid. A pair of loose jeans was riding low on his hips and a blue t-shirt was hugging his torso snugly, leaving little to imagination. His hair was long and exotically white, pulled in a ponytail and adorned with a bandana. His eyes burned with the heat of the sun and bore the same color.

And somehow he knew Kagome's name.

"Oh, gods," Kagome moaned when she saw Inuyasha, clad in a modern time attire, scowling her way. 'There goes the uneventful way back home...'

But she didn't have much time to complain, because she felt two sets of claws digging in her shoulders. After looking to the sides she saw not two bloodthirsty youkai, but Yuka and Eri grabbing onto her and staring at the approaching hanyou.

"Who is this and why does he know your name?" Yuka asked.

"Um... Uh..." Kagome wasn't sure what to do now.

"Is this your so called boyfriend?" Ayumi inquired from her spot next to Yuka.

"Kagome! Why are you stalling? We have places to go!" Inuyasha finally stopped in front of her and crossed his arms in front of himself, giving the girls a good look at his muscled forearms. Eri practically drooled on Kagome's shoulder.

"Uh... Inuyasha..." she tried.

"Are you Kagome's boyfriend?" Ayumi got tired from not getting answers from the miko and asked the boy in front of her. Inuyasha frowned while Kagome paled.

"Boyfriend?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.

"You know, are you going out with our Kagome here? Or are you free?" Yuka cleared for him.

"Yeah, I'm going out with her. Like right now. Kagome?" the hanyou glared at his favorite miko, who seemed to be paralyzed and unable to form a whole sentence.

"You are, ah..." All three of Kagome's friends looked crestfallen, but then they looked at Kagome, who was trying to collect her wits.

"Ready to go?" Inuyasha tapped his foot impatiently.

"Ah, yes, yes. Sorry, guys, we have to run," Kagome freed herself from Yuka and Eri, and jumped to grab Inuyasha's hand and drag him away before anyone could ask him anything more.

"Aw, can't we hang out together? We have questions!" Eri moaned. 'I'm sure you have,' Kagome thought sourly.

"Nah, we're already late," Inuyasha replied, just glad Kagome was already moving towards the school gate. He didn't want the three girls to hinder her progress.

"Why?" Eri pressed on, following them with Yuka and Ayumi like three love struck puppies.

"We're going to..." Kagome tried to find a good excuse. "We're..."

"We're going to see the cat healer because Kagome's cat's sick. Now give it a rest already," Inuyasha came up with a surprisingly reasoned excuse. Much better than her grandfather's.

"Aww, so sweet, you're taking Buyo to the vet with Kagome," the trio clasped their hands and looked at the hanyou in awe. Kagome internally growled at their adoring faces. 'Back off, he's mine!' With a huff she continued to drag Inuyasha towards the gate and he wasn't resisting. They were just a couple of meters from it when...

"Higurashi!"

"Fuck this!" Kagome cursed in a hushed, but full of emotions voice, then glared at the snickering hanyou. Inuyasha grinned at her, but then scowled at the approaching boy. He wanted to keep Kagome in this place for far longer than she wanted to be there.

"Hojo, what a surprise..." Kagome muttered unhappily.

"Higurashi, we need to talk," Hojo looked at the couple and smiled politely.

"Oh, okay... I guess," Kagome bit her bottom lip. "Listen, Hojo, about this Friday..."

"I can't go out with you," the boy cut her in and Kagome stared at him in surprise. "I mean... Sorry, Higurashi. I know you have a crush on me and stuff, but... I tried to give you a chance... You're really cute and nice, but I don't think it's going to work... So... Let's stay friends, okay?"

"O-okay..." Kagome nodded numbly.

"I... I started seeing someone and don't want you two start fighting over me or anything," Hojo continued. "I know I'm handsome, have good grades and there are a lot of girls having a crush on me, just like you. I'm flattered, really, but I don't like girls fighting over me. So I decided to come to you and... just tell you what I think. I don't want our friendship ruined because I couldn't end our dating... And I don't want my relationship with Azuka shadowed by my past relationship... I really like her and being her boyfriend. So... Are we okay? Friends? No hard feelings?"

Kagome needed a second to finally catch up to him. "Oh, yes! I'm so happy you have a girlfriend, Hojo!"

Hojo looked at her as if he wasn't entirely believing in the honesty of her words but then smiled and walked away. Kagome sighed in relief. She was glad Hojo got a girl and now she'd not have to deal with her friends trying to push him on her. Then a husky, amused voice spoke in her ear with the most wicked tone possible.

"A boyfriend. Now I get it."