Once again, hello there. :3 I hope you all enjoy this chapter as with the chapters to come and thank you to those who reviewed last chapter. So, without further ado onto chapter fourteen!

Disclaimer: …Look at the last 13 chapters for my response. =.=

~Chapter 14~

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

The incessant buzzing of her alarm clock brought Kagome from her less than peaceful slumber. She still felt drained and tired from the previous evening, enough so that she hardly wanted to get out of bed. She sighed and swung her legs off of the mattress and sat up. Her fingers ran through her hair, and she shook her head in an attempt to wake herself up.

The brunette stood and shut off her beeping clock, glancing at the screen. She had more than enough time to get ready, but all she wanted to do was sleep more. Then she snapped out of her drowsy state. Inuyasha. She had to see him, talk to him, and apologize—she just hoped that he'd be willing after the hurtful things her mother had said to his face.

She quickly grabbed some clothes from her closet and hurried into the bathroom. She hastily took her shower, brushed her teeth, and put on her normal amount of minimal makeup afterwards. She fit on a pair of black jogging pants, not in the mood for anything fancy or flashy, then threw on a plain, form-fitting, white t-shirt and a black jacket that went with the pants.

The teen picked up her messenger bag and headed out the door, passing by her mother without saying a word. She didn't want to stick around for anything her parent might have to say to her; she just didn't want to hear it at the moment.

Kagome rushed to the bus stop just in time to catch the early vehicle. As she got on and flashed her bus pass, she thought about how much easier it'd be if her mother had two cars instead of one. That was going to be her next goal, she decided. That way she could leave when she pleased and wouldn't have to ask for permission to use the car.

'That's probably why she didn't get me a car like she said she would… All she wants is control over me. I hate it!' she silently thought to herself, crossing her arms.

The bus ride was over shortly before she knew it. Everything so far had seemed to be happening at break-neck speed… She got off and walked to the front of her school, looking around for the usually elusive teen by the steps. She checked her cell phone and noticed that there was still twenty minutes until the bell for class actually rang.

It didn't take long until she saw who she wanted to see. With a smile, she practically ran over to him and greeted him with a long kiss. Inuyasha's eyebrows rose at her enthusiasm, and he kissed back, quickly relaxing, relieved that she wasn't abiding by her mother's orders to never see him again.

He pulled back and tucked a few stray strands of her hair behind her ear. "You look like you slept well," he said playfully, a slightly sad look still on his face.

"Oh, yeah; totally. An image of beauty right here…" she laughed softly, sensing his inner tension.

"I think so," he quietly replied, leaning down and giving her a soft peck to her lips again. "I'm sorry," he finally said. "I didn't mean to—"

Kagome cut him off before he could finish. "Don't. It's not your fault, and it's not mine. But I'm sorry my mom said those things to you…"

"She didn't say anything that wasn't true."

"Shut up! She did say things that weren't true. But she's going to be watching me like a hawk when she can. Meaning we can't go to my place anymore—no doubt she'll have the neighbors on their toes…"

Inuyasha sighed and looked off to the side, still feeling as if he was the one to blame. "We have one more project for Macbeth…" he reminded her.

Kagome nodded. "Yeah…then we won't be partners anymore. I don't think she'll hesitate to call the school and tell my teacher to not pair us together after this. We'll have to go to your apartment instead," she insisted.

His steel eyes looked at her in a slight panic. "Uhm… No; let's not. Not right now. We can go the library or even the park," he said with a small reassuring smile. "It'll be better there…and it can be sort of a date." He shrugged.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. She didn't know why he was so adamant about keeping her away from his apartment. Maybe it was the neighborhood, or maybe he had another girlfriend who lived with him. She sighed and agreed, not wanting to argue over it at this point and hoping that the latter thought wasn't true. "One day, I'm going to have to come over…"

Inuyasha looked off, knowing she was right. "One day… Just not right now, okay?"

Kagome nodded and hugged him. She felt him tense against her, and she looked up at him, seeing where his attention was turned. Her ex-friends were heading up the steps of the school, a few giving her snooty looks, others glaring, and a few avoiding eye contact all together.

She rolled her eyes and tipped her head up to Inuyasha's drawing him into another kiss before grabbing his hand in hers and leading him up the steps shortly after her ex-posse.

—xxxxx—

It was after school; the day was nice despite the weather being a bit on the chilly side. The sun was shining, accompanied in the sky by a few streaks of sparse clouds.

The young couple exited their school building after packing their backpacks with their homework. "So, did you want to go to the park now?" Inuyasha asked curiously, not wanting to head back to his home yet.

Kagome quickly nodded, having the same unspoken feelings about heading back to her own house. She grabbed his hand and walked with him down the street, opting for an easy walk rather than to be crammed on a bus right after school.

"What do you think it'd take for your mom to like me?" the gray eyed teen finally asked, breaking their small silence, his eyes glued to the concrete.

"For you to be the complete opposite of who you are," Kagome bluntly responded, rolling her eyes at the thought of her mother. She didn't know why Inuyasha would choose to pick her as a topic with what had happened.

"So, a rich douchebag?" he laughed, hoping to get at least a chuckle out of the woman beside him.

"Don't forget stupid," she added with a smile.

Inuyasha smirked back and drew her closer, placing his arm over her shoulder instead. Smiling, Kagome leaned in closer to him. "You know…it's funny how people turn on you," she softly said with a sigh.

His steel eyes looked down at her as they walked. 'You have no idea…' he thought to himself, remembering all the attacks he had been the victim of just because his gang members didn't like him trying to be the good guy. Especially Naraku since he would also talk down to him, hitting his most vulnerable emotional points.

"Yeah," he replied out loud. "You just have to ignore it and move on, I guess." He shrugged.

Kagome huffed and nodded in agreement.

Soon, they reached the park. Multiple intersecting, cobblestone pathways framed different planes of grass, flowers, and trees. The park was fairly large, even having a playground on it off to the side. The two teens began down a path, heading for a small duck pond that was located in the center of the area.

"This place is beautiful in the fall, huh?" Kagome commented, looking up at Inuyasha who seemed to be looking around distractedly.

"Yeah…" he absentmindedly replied back.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, worried. Kagome stopped walking and stood in front of Inuyasha, her brows furrowed in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just looking around; that's all. I just haven't been here since I was a kid."

"Oh," she replied, grabbing his hand and leading him over to a nearby tree so they could sit down.

They both picked a spot on the ground and sat next to each other, Kagome leaning against Inuyasha's shoulder. "So, your parents took you here?"

"My dad did…" he said in a quiet voice, his eyes focused on the duck pond across from them. He sighed, remembering a day just a week before his father was killed. They had been in the park for what seemed like an entire day. Just father and son.

They had been testing out a model boat they had both built together, and it worked perfectly. Memories of that day came flooding back.

He was taken from his trance by the brunette beside him. "Inuyasha? Are you sure everything is alright?"

"Huh? Oh…I'm sorry, Kagome. I was just spacing. What did you say?" he asked, sincere in his apology to her. He didn't mean to tune her out. His chrome eyes were focused on her face as he completely invested his attention to her.

"It's okay. I had just asked how old you were the last time you were here and how come you never came back…" she trailed off.

"I was eleven. I didn't come back because…I couldn't. I never really wanted to, either, when I was younger," he quietly spoke, his eyes drifting towards the lake.

"Oh…" Kagome said, nibbling on her lower lip, not sure if she should press from the tone in his voice.

"I haven't really been truthful with you… Then again, I didn't really lie," he began with a quiet huff of breath.

Her brows furrowed in confusion, not understanding what he was getting at. She shifted and turned her body slightly towards him, listening closely.

"I think I left you under the impression that I emancipated myself from my parents… That's not really true. My mother died during labor, and my father…was…" He took a deep breath before continuing, still not making eye contact with her. "My father was killed when I was eleven."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Inuyasha…I'm sorry to hear. Why didn't you tell me before?" she asked quietly, truly feeling sympathy for him since she knew how it was to lose her own father. She moved closer to her lover and hugged him lightly.

He smiled a bit and hugged her back. "It's fine, you know… It happened a long time ago. And I didn't tell you because I didn't want you taking pity on me…"

"Just because it was a long time ago doesn't mean it can't still hurt…and I wouldn't feel pity. I feel sympathy…'cause I know how it feels. I lost my dad when I was seven to a car accident, so…" She shrugged. She felt his lips against hers and closed her eyes, kissing him back, smiling some.

"I'm sorry to hear that, too," he replied softly, shifting to get comfortable next to her. He looked down as Kagome absentmindedly poked at his thigh. "What are you doing?"

She furrowed her brows and looked at him. "What is that?"

Inuyasha knew what she was referencing. "…Don't worry about it."

Kagome huffed, being her stubborn self. "It's not drugs or anything is it?" she asked sternly, wanting to know what she had been poking in his side pocket.

"No, it's not a drug of any sort. Thanks for your confidence," he mumbled sarcastically. He knew she wasn't going to let up on her intense curiosity. He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a small wooden handle.

He quickly flicked it open, revealing a sharp, stainless steel blade. Kagome's eyes widened, but he couldn't tell whether or not it was fear or surprise…or both. Inuyasha stayed silent, letting her quietly judge away.

Kagome took the blade from his hands and closed it, dropping it on the grass. "You carry that for protection?"

"It's easier and safer than carrying a gun on me… It's something that's necessary," he added, looking away from her. "Go ahead—run, call the cops, do whatever," he said, figuring she wanted nothing to do with him now that she knew he carried a blade on him.

Kagome shook her head. "No, I'm not. It's fine. It was just a bit of a shock; that's all," she explained.

Inuyasha looked back at her with surprise. "It was a shock? I thought you would have figured I carry a weapon with me…"

"Well, I've tried to stop assuming things about you. Sorry about the drug comment… I've just heard rumors about what you do; that's all."

"Yet you still want to date me…" he said in a confused tone.

Kagome shrugged. "Everyone has their faults…and hopefully, you won't be doing this forever. I mean, don't get me wrong—I'm not saying I approve—but you're my boyfriend and also a really good friend in general."

"I'm sure I won't be doing it forever," he responded, though speaking more so to himself, leaning in and kissing her softly, picking his switchblade back up and putting it in his pocket once more.

Suddenly, they heard a voice from the side of them, one that was familiar and very angry.

"Kagome! How could you betray my trust like this yet again?" To their shock, it was her mother, and she looked ready to explode.

The brunette shot up off the ground, breaking her kiss with Inuyasha, staring at her mother who was a few feet away. Inuyasha stood up between them, trying to defend Kagome.

"Miss Higurashi, please… I asked Kagome to come here with me. It wasn't her fault; I—"

"You stay out of this, young man! I don't ever want to see you near my daughter again! If I do, I'm calling the police! I'm lucky one of my coworkers saw Kagome here with you, otherwise who knows what could have happened to her!" she nearly screamed, grabbing Kagome by her arm.

"Mom! Stop it! Let me go!" Kagome yelled, pulling her arm from her mother's grasp.

"Kagome, you're coming home now! You and I are going to have a very long talk, and you're going to start listening to me!" her mother shouted back at her, grabbing her arm again pulling her away from Inuyasha.

He stood there in shock, his eyes wide, hardly knowing what had just happened. "Miss Higurashi, please!"

"Don't talk to me. I told you to stay away from Kagome! You're never seeing her again! Remember what I said. I will call the cops next time and have you taken to jail where you belong!"

With that, she pushed Kagome off to their awaiting car, with Kagome yelling back at her to leave her be, but having no other option but to go with her mother.

Inuyasha stood behind, his fists clenched at his sides. A frustrated groan left his chest—he didn't know what to do.

'Maybe I was right… There's no way we can ever last,' he thought morosely to himself before grabbing up his backpack and heading back to his side of town.

That does it for chapter 14, I'm sorry it was a bit short, but this is about as short as it'll get, the other's will be longer 95% of the time. ^_^;; So I hope you all enjoy!

On a side note: Maid For Seduction has been uploaded! So if you haven't read it yet and you're interested, please do so and let me know what you think! ^_^

So thank you all who have reviewed Renegade so far, I hope you continue to do so ^_^ I appreciate them all and love seeing them! The next update will be on the 20th or the 21st!