Chapter 29: Taking the Plunge
Later that day, after Hige and Ai left the school, they weren't aware about a curious in his human disguise to eavesdrop on the convertion, thanks to his keen sense of sound. 'The nerve of that guy!' Inuyasha angrily shouts in his mind. He doesn't want to draw any unneccesary attention. 'The principal has been blackmailed to keep that girl here. He's basically making Kagome more vunerable than before.' He said in his mind. He gets out of the boys' lavotaory and head back to his class. 'This is not over. Not by a long shot.' He narrows his eyes in annoyance.
After school, Kagome had to stay after because of the promise she made earlier. Even though her hand is in its cast, she can't do much to help out with the cleaning duties. Just when she is about to enter the room where she has to go, a hand takes her shoulder. "You're off the hook." A unfriendly voice stops her. Just that one touch is more than enough to make Kagome take hold of the hand and remove it. "I assume you want to hurt me more than my hand." Kagome said she turns around with a glare. Kyoko smirks, "Oh is little Higurashi scared of me?" She spoke sarcastically.
Inuyasha is about to leave the school until he spots Kagome with the student who wounded her earlier. "I don't need your sarcasm. Now leave me be." Kagome warns her and walks away. Kyoko glares back, "You better watch your mouth Higurashi." She said to her venomessly. Having enough about this, Inuyasha has no choice but to defend Kagome. But it becomes no surprised that Kikyo comes out of the locker room. She spots the student Kagome told her earlier. "Pumatino, what do you think you're doing to my sister." Kikyo gives her glare, way scarier than Kagome. Kyoko doesn't seem intimidated. "It's none of your business. Now beat it." She demands Kikyo,
And boy was that the last thing she ever did. Kikyo's glow in an ominous pink color surrounding her body. "Do you have any idea what you did to her? Thanks to you, Kagome isn't able to do anything that much with the hand of hers." Kikyo walks up deathly towards Kyoky. "I'm not scared of you." Kikyo heard Kyoko murmur, giving it easier that she is scared to death. Kikyo opens her one hand and builds up a binding spell on her. "Kagome, you go home. I'm going to teach this person a lesson on what would happen to someone who messes with a Higurashi. Kyoko, you and I are going to talk. And I mean a long talk." Kikyo concertrates her power and takes the immopolized girl with her telepathically.
Kagome never expected her sister to stay after school as well. "She must've signed up for the archery club." She presumes and walks out of the school. "Kagome." Inuyasha calls out to her. Kagome turns around to see him coming to her quickly. "You okay?" He asks with concern. Kagome nods, "Yeah. I didn't know Kikyo would defend me against that girl." She said as they walk down their usual path. "Kagome…" Inuyasha said as he takes her shoulder. "What is it?" She asks with confusion in her eyes. "I don't want to tell you this, but it appears that the principal was blackmailed to keep Pumatino in the school."
Kagome raises her one brow. "Blackmail? What is that?" She asks him curiously. Inuyasha sighs, "Blackmail is a bargain between two people. One person uses something, like deep secrets against them to do their bidding, while the other has no choice but to do what he or she is told." Inuyasha explains so far. "Okay…So what does that mean for the principal?" Kagome asks him to get to the point. Inuyasha sighs again, "It turns out that Kyoko Pumatino's parents are on a business trip, and they're not going to be back anytime soon. And because of their departure, they pay the principal to keep their daughter in school." Kagome widens her eyes. "So that means…" She said with fright. Inuyasha nods in regret. "They cannot whatsoever expel or suspend her. We're nothing more than sitting ducks. I don't think your sister will have any convinction to make Kyoko to stay away from you either." He said with such downcast. "I'm sorry Kagome, I wish I could something about this." He embraces her.
Kagome was in sheer surprise. Never in her life did Inuyasha would embrace with tenderness. "Inuyasha…" She mumbles, cannot really say something about it. Once Inuyasha pulled away. "I know this is very hard on you. And not only that, I might think that your sister will be suspended instead." He sais hypothetically. Kagome nods because Inuyasha has a point there. Even with the blackmail that Kyoko's parents paid to the pricinpal, it'll be Kikyo to get suspended, not Kyoko. Soon enough they come to Kagome's road. "See you Monday." Kagome waves to Inuyasha as he heads towards his place. Inuyasha waves back, 'But I got an idea to turn this who thing around.' He thoughts to himself with hope and determination in his eyes.
Kagome arrives home, surprising her parents as they see her coming into the living room. "Hi mom. Hi dad." Kagome said with a shy look. Ai comes to her first. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be staying after school for something?" She hugs her though. Kagome sighs, "I did, but something awful happened that I had to leave." Ai pulls back to look at Hige. "What happened?" Hige kneels down to Kagome's level. Kagome knew that this isn't going to be easy for sure. "Kyoko was going to hit me again." Both Hige an Ai widens their eyes and gasps. "Where?" Ai said first quickly as she looks over her daughter's body to see if there were anything. Kagome shakes her head. "Nowhere. Kikyo came out of nowhere and defended me somehow with this glow aura that surrounded her body."
Kagome continued on with the story until she go home. Ai and Hige were in a bottle of mixed emotions. The one is sasticfaction because Kikyo protected Kagome. The next was pity because they would feel sorry for what will become of Kyoko. And the last is regret. Sure the first two were something to feel, but the third is hard on them. Ever since they got home from visiting the principal, they were told that they cannot expel or suspend Kyoko for any circumstances. But when it comes to someone else, they have no idea what the outcome will be. "Kagome, do you know what might happen to Kikyo if she does something that she'd regret." Ai asks as they take a spot on the sofa.
Kagome looks up at them curiously. "What's regret?" She asks them instead of the subject. Ai answers, "Regret is something that you wish that it didn't happen. That you'd feel sorry for." She tries to make it sense for Kagome's age to understand the new word. "Why would Kikyo feel sorry for? All she did was defending me." Kagome spoke innocently. Hige speaks. "Okay so where is she?" He asks Kagome.
Kagome is about to answer until the door opens up. "I'm home." Kikyo chimes as she comes into the living room, catching the expressions of indiscribale feelings that Hige and Ai are holding in their eyes, only for Kikyo and not Kagome. "Kagome, I'd like to speak to your sister." Ai stood up and walks up to Kikyo and take her to one part of the house. Hige on the other hand is with Kagome.
