A/N: So! Heh! Minimal input, thanks a lump. =P j/k and…the next chapter.
Second Chances
Loss, Part I
Kagome turned off her alarm, hoping to catch just a couple more minutes of sleep. Alas, this was not to be her fate. Moaning, she pushed back her covers and started preparing for school.
Ms. Higurashi silently started making breakfast. Somehow, it felt empty without her father standing nearby, rattling off the historical facts of the Sengoku Era or something. She sighed as the plates were set onto the wooden table. Please be alright, father… Souta hopped down from the steps, cheerily asking what was for breakfast (as he did every morning) and not expecting a response.
Rushing down the stairs, Kagome quickly scarfed down a little breakfast before grabbing her backpack and coat then dashing out the door. "Thanks Mom!" was the distant call as the girl sped down the sidewalk.
Still, the winter air had a sting to it and Kagome drew her coat closer around her and shifted the bag over her shoulder. She hurried her pace, attempting to draw warmth to her shivering body. As she neared the intersection, her best friend trotted up to her.
"Hey Kagome!" Keiko greeted cheerily.
"Hi," was the mumbled response. Where does she get ALL that energy?
Shaking her head dismissively, Kagome idly listened as her friend chattered on about something or another. Occasionally, Kagome nodded and added a few comments to the torrents of gossip streaming from Keiko's mouth. To her right, a motorcycle passed, seeming like a black comet on the bare road. Something like silver silk flowed gently behind the figure, but it passed to quickly for Kagome to distinguish what it was. Shrugging, she focused her thoughts on Keiko, not wanting to upset her friend.
They arrived at school early, partly due to their quickened gait. She and her friend split ways as they strolled down to their separate homerooms. Kagome paid no heed to the multitudes of students hanging around the corridors; she focused ahead. A couple times, some casual friends stopped her to catch up on things. 'How are you? How's school? Got a boyfriend?' Kagome smiled warmly and conversed for a couple minutes before again continuing on her way.
~*~*~*~*~
He had been watching her for a few years, now. Just about everything that happened to her, he knew. Everything she did, he knew. It was only until recently that he had to actually meet with her. No, he was not a stalker. And no, he was not some rapist. He, Sesshoumaru, was the leader of a well-known, well-feared gang. In a way, they were a gang of class, the best of the best. And then again, they were group of miscreants, the worst of the worst. Whichever one they were, he did not care. What mattered was that he kept the leadership and his reputation.
"Can you see her?" a black haired teen asked, averting his gaze as if he was talking to himself.
"Yes, what of it?" Sesshoumaru answered, also averting his gaze.
"Good. Do you know of her history?"
"No," was the curt answer.
"Well," the man said slyly, softly, "she has NEVER done anything wrong. Her record is flawless."
Sesshoumaru gave no answer, unsure of where this conversation was going.
"It seems she has NEVER had a boyfriend, either," the man drawled on.
"What is your point, Naraku?" Sesshoumaru demanded irritably.
"It would be quite an accomplishment to turn her towards our purposes," the man known as Naraku said smoothly, twirling a lock of his wavy raven black hair.
"Is that a challenge?" Sesshoumaru asked softly.
"What do you think?"
Sesshoumaru shook his head in disbelief. Why had he agreed to this? Because Naraku's about to take over my position if he wins another one of his inane challenges. Sighing softly, he observed the girl, Kagome. Indeed, he had found out, her record was flawless. She was a straight-A student, and has had no long-standing relationship with any male. Slowly, he took her in. The girl possessed blue-gray eyes, warm with gentle and compassionate kindness. Jet-black hair tumbled over her shoulders and halfway down her back. The way she moved was graceful and quick. How she carried herself displayed her free, unbroken spirit. She seemed quite interesting…
He followed about ten feet behind her, strolling casually and in his elegant way. Students made way for him as he neared them. He, himself, did not have to stray off his course an inch. Everyone moved away from him. No one wanted to mess with Sesshoumaru. Even his name alone was feared. The guy was rich, gorgeous, and well known for his gang. Touch him, you die. Of course, girls' breaths still caught at the sight of him, his silvery white hair flowing lightly behind him and his golden eyes taking in anything and everything. Yes, everything seemed bent to his will. He could almost do anything he pleased, right under the administrators' noses. Smirking lightly, he silently followed Kagome, not yet ready to make his presence known. This girl puzzled him, really. Never in her life, had she paid attention to him, not that he had known, at least.
~*~*~*~*~
Keiko waved her fork around as she explained to Kagome the break-up scene of one of THE most popular kids in school, of which the names she had forgotten. Kagome, as usual, only half-listened, out there in her own little world. It was when her name was called over the intercom that she snapped back to reality.
"Higurashi Kagome down to the main office, please," was the monotonous call.
Keiko looked a bit critically at her friend as if to say, 'What did you do?' Kagome shrugged and stood from her seat, hastily leaving the noisy cafeteria.
Sesshoumaru watched as Kagome left, eying her in his peripheral vision. Naraku watched as well, smirking slightly.
"Made any progress, yet?" the black haired man asked.
"Not as of yet," Sesshoumaru answered, casually pushing himself up from the table to follow Kagome.
"Good luck, friend," Naraku said sarcastically.
Sesshoumaru shot him a glare before exiting the lunchroom. He silently strode though the empty hallways. Kagome was not far ahead of him, jogging down through the carpeted passages. When she finally reached the main office, Sesshoumaru stopped at a corner and listened as the secretary at the front informed Kagome of a call. Straining his hearing, he could just catch the soft words spoken by Kagome.
"…yeah, hi Mom…what's wrong?…yeah…so?…he…what?…Mom, I can't hear you…why are you crying?…" Kagome said.
Sesshoumaru longed to hear the words at the other end of the phone, but that would not happen. Calling school? For what?
Kagome just about dropped the phone when she heard what her mother had said.
"Kagome," Ms. Higurashi said, tone choked with tears, "it's your grandfather…he died."
A/N: Suspenseful, ain't it? Suggestions for the name of the gang are appreciated. ^_^ Critique, comments, questions? Tell me! I'll be getting on the computer a lot less often, sorry about that. Don't expect too frequent updates. =( Review, onegai!