Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha, so I would appreciate it if certain
dirty people would stop sending me their underwear. The stink is combining
with the dead squirrel some dumby put into the trashcan with the undies,
and it's really hot here, and it's even nastier when I have to throw out
the ferret crap, so now it's all mingled together into one big stink, and I
want to move to the house next door, but I don't mean that because I like
my house more than the house next door. It just stinks here.
Past and Present Intertwine
Chapter Four- Meetings and Greetings
Kagome precariously stood on one leg as she rubbed her free foot against the back of it. It wasn't that she had an itch, but it was more like a habit. Trying to appear pre-occupied and not a loser just standing around, she failed to take note that she looked like a flamingo and would make quite an interesting, but tacky, lawn ornament.
The squinty-eyed guidance counselor handed her class schedule to her and gave her a quick explanation of where to find her classes.
Kagome nodded, but before she could even glance at her schedule, Inu-Yasha snatched it from her shaking fingers and briefly skimmed over it.
To nervous to become angry at his rude action, Kagome unconsciously moved her foot up to scratch at the back of her leg. She jumped when the obnoxious bell sounded for class.
Without a word, Inu-Yasha grabbed her arm with his free hand devoid of her schedule and pulled her up a staircase before the undulating sea of students came crashing through the cafeteria doors and surrounded them. Kagome looked over her shoulder, but her head snapped forward again after she tripped on a step. Inu-Yasha had let go of her arm by now and was now guiding her, though she wasn't sure where.
He halted a moment later in front of a door with a single, yellowed, wilting comic strip. Glancing at her schedule again, Inu-Yasha gave it to her and said, "Bye." He disappeared amongst the students who were beginning to seep into the hall, but Kagome wasn't paying attention. She checked to make sure she was indeed at her first period History and then entered the classroom to talk to her teacher. After a quick summary of what the class had covered in the first two weeks that she had missed, Kagome took a seat somewhere in the middle of the classroom when she failed to decide whether she should sit in the front or the back. Now taking her time to actually read her schedule, she nearly choked when she learned that she was in some class called 'Parenting.' After a dull, droning lecture during first period she quickly made her way down to the guidance counselor.
"I did not sign up for this class," Kagome said, masking her fear that this mistake was a bad omen and would consequently ruin the rest of her day.
Without so much as a fluttering of his eyelashes, the counselor replied, "There were no openings available for your other choice classes."
"But I don't want to be in some parenting class. I don't have a baby or anything," she told him.
"The class isn't just for students with children. It's a valuable learning experience for all students."
"Isn't there any way I can get out of the class?" Kagome asked, ignoring his statement.
"There are other classes with openings that you could switch into," the counselor said.
"Like what?"
With an irritated sigh, he pulled a list from the drawer above the one he kept his not-so-squeaky-clean magazines in and said, "For the class period before lunch, you have the choice of taking calculus 2, trigonometry, horticulture, or parenting."
Kagome sighed, placed her schedule in her bag, and trudged to her second period without saying another word to the squinty-eyed counselor.
~~~~~
Kagome: Two and a half years old. Inu-Yasha: Four years old.
Mrs. Higurashi stared out her kitchen window into the backyard where her daughter and the boy-next-door were arguing about which game should be played next.
"Inash, Kaka wants to play Piggy Pack now. Kaka is bored with Tag. Inash had his turn, but now it is Kaka's turn," she reasoned.
"I don't want to, and quit calling me Inash!"
Kagome scrunched her face and quivered her lip. She had quickly learned that Inu-Yasha didn't appreciate a crying girl and would succumb to her will to make her eyes dry. "Puh-please, Inash!"
Pouting, Inu-Yasha retrieved his protruding bottom lip and gave in. He was too young or perhaps too gullible to understand that Kagome was being a manipulative little toddler and faking as she always did when wanting to get her way. He squatted in the browning grass, and she leapt upon his shoulders. Grasping her chubby legs, he bounced her playfully and began running around the yard.
"Yeek!" Kagome squeaked, clutching his long white hair and tugging. "Ged-yup, horsie-nash!"
"Don't call me that!"
"Whee!"
~~~~~
Present:
As the class wearily dragged along, Kagome struggled to scribble the notes written on the overhead and comprehend them all at the same time. Her pen was dying on her, and she kept slamming it onto the paper in an attempt to keep the ink flowing, but also because she was frustrated.
"Stupid calculus," she grumbled. "What is this lady talking about? What's the limit of what? How in the world did she get that answer?! What's a limit?! Oh no, I'm drowning already! I'm going to fail tomorrow's quiz! Ack! Forget the quiz! I'm going to fail the whole class!"
Kagome was too busy worrying to realize that she might be struggling with the math because she wasn't exactly paying attention.
*****
Her second class eventually ended, leaving Kagome with twenty-four math problems that had to do with things she still didn't understand. Third period passed by a bit quicker, and thankfully, she wasn't too far behind in geography. When fourth period came, she checked her schedule for the class and room number, and her shoulders drooped when she read "parenting."
Caught in the sea of students she had only had a bird's eye view of earlier, she felt like a tiny fish battling her way through the crashing waves. People from behind were pushing her, causing her to unintentionally push the people in front of her as students bumped into her on both sides of her body. Miraculously, she made it to her class before the bell rang and easily found a seat since a majority of the class was waiting until the last minute to take their seat.
Wearily dropping her backpack, Kagome sat down and ran her fingers through her hair. Her last school hadn't been this crowded and certainly would not have messed up her schedule.
"Oh well," she sighed, now patting her hair into place.
"Hey," a boy said from her right. He was the first student to say anything to her all day except Inu-Yasha.
Her hands quickly fell to her lap as she looked over to the boy. Even though he was sitting down, he looked tall. "Big boy" flashed through her mind, and she almost smiled but was trying to form a reply.
"Hi," she said. "Wow, Kagome. That sure took a bunch of effort," she berated herself.
"What's your name?" the boy asked with a slight tilt of his head, causing his tiny ponytail to swing into her view. She noticed that his ears were pierced with small blue and purple rhinestones that conveniently exemplified the features of his shiny hair. Or maybe it was just greasy.
"I'm Kagome." Her hand silently crept from her lap and began to nervously twist a strand of her dark hair. Twirling her hair was another habit of hers.
The bell rang, but several students still had not come to class; the teacher was still absent, as well. Kagome looked around the nearly bare classroom with a confused expression.
"The teacher is usually late, so many students come late, too. I'm Miroku by the way." He dazzled her with a pearly white smile, or he would have if she hadn't been looking at his generously proportioned forehead that was messily covered by cropped bangs. "You must be new," he continued. "I know all the pretty girls, and I have never had the pleasure of making your acquaintance."
"Okay," Kagome said as her finger got stuck in her hair.
Miroku gave her an almost disapproving look. No thanks for his courtesy? Why, the nerve!
Mentally whacking herself upside the head, Kagome realized she should have taken the compliment better.
"I mean, thanks," she corrected, blushing.
Miroku propped his handsome head on his large hand. "Are you not very good at receiving compliments?" he queried.
"No, not really," Kagome replied with a chuckle.
"I'm surprised that a girl of such beauty is not accustomed to such compliments."
"Okay."
Miroku stared at her.
"Ugh! Quit that!" Kagome half-demanded half-pleaded. She was blushing again now.
Miroku smiled at her again. He liked her already.
"So, um, what are you doing in a parenting class?" Kagome asked, continuing to twirl her finger around her hair. Was she flirting? She couldn't tell. Probably.
"Where is everyone?" a large-breasted woman snapped, entering the room.
"The bathroom," Miroku lied with a serene smile upon his face.
"Right," the teacher said.
"We have a new student," Miroku chirped.
"Who?" the large-breasted woman asked.
"Kagome -um- Kagome," he informed her.
"I'm Kagome Higurashi," she finished for him.
"Right," the large-breasted woman said. "Kagome, this is an easy class. If you fail, you must be dumb. It's an easy credit, so don't screw up."
"...yes," Kagome said, carefully looking at the woman and wondering if she could truly be a teacher.
~~~~~
Past (same time):
Inu-Yasha flopped onto the ground and tossed Kagome over his shoulders. Rolling into a small patch of old daffodils, she sent the white stems billowing around her, and as she sat up, some of the particles drifted near her and nestled into her black hair.
"Again!" she exclaimed, scrambling over to Inu-Yasha.
He scooted away from her, saying, "No! I don't want to play Piggy- Back anymore."
Kagome was going to start "crying" again, but a voice stopped her. Inu-Yasha stopped scooting away and listened with her.
"That sounds like my cousin!" Inu-Yasha shouted, jumping to his feet. He ran into his yard next door, disappearing behind a bush.
Kagome stood up and waddled after him, wondering whom Inu-Yasha was talking about. Shoving her way through the bush, she gathered a few leaves and a couple sticks in her hair.
"Inash?"
"Hey, Kagome. This is my cousin Sessou!" Inu-Yasha said, pointing at the older boy, who stared down at him with a slightly exasperated expression.
"That is not my name," he said.
"It is if I say it is," Inu-Yasha told him with a grin.
Sessou grinned back at him, and then they started to wrestle. They rolled around on the grass, tugging at each other's clothes and hair. Eventually, Sessou was triumphantly sitting on Inu-Yasha, wearing a wide smile as he practically made his cousin eat dirt.
Kagome was still watching them. She didn't know this boy, and she felt shy around him because of this.
"Hi, Kagome," Sessou said, standing up.
She didn't reply.
"Aren't you going to say hi?" Sessou asked.
Kagome shook her head and stared at the ground. Inu-Yasha was brushing himself off as he noticed her behavior.
"It's okay, Kagome! I'll save you from the evil Sessou!" he declared.
"I'm not evil," Sessou sniffed. "I'm just underloved."
"Because you are evil!" Inu-Yasha insisted.
Kagome watched them with uncertain eyes. This sounded like a game. Maybe it was a fun game.
Sessou pounced on Inu-Yasha and the two began wrestling again.
"Run, Kagome! I'll save you from the beast!" Inu-Yasha called from Sessou's grip.
Kagome took a step back, looking at Inu-Yasha as if worried for his life.
"Run! Run!" Inu-Yasha repeated. Sessou now had him pinned again and started to tickle him. Inu-Yasha's cries of mirth reached Kagome's pinky toe bone, and she decided to act.
"I'm coming, Inash!" she cried. She ran over to Sessou and jumped on him, squishing him against Inu-Yasha. Both boys grunted as Kagome smothered herself over them. "Doggie-pile!" She giggled.
"You have a weird friend, Inu-Yasha," Sessou told his cousin later that day after Kagome had been called home.
"She just needed to learn to open up to a stranger," Inu-Yasha the hypocrite explained.
"I meant that she was weird after she opened up," Sessou said.
~~~~~
Present:
Miss Copperland, the teacher of parenting, was the most bizarre teacher Kagome had ever had, but she didn't really care. As long as she passed the class with no problems, she was fine, and passing wouldn't be a problem because they didn't seem to do much except go over things that were common knowledge. With twenty minutes left in the period, she let them talk with one another or whatever else they felt like doing.
"I'm in parenting," Miroku said, recalling the girl's earlier inquiry, "because I love children and because I want children of my own someday."
"That's so sweet," Kagome replied since she couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Do you really think so?" Miroku asked.
"Yeah." She began to twirl her finger through her hair again. "I want children, too."
"We have something in common!" Miroku exclaimed as if this single similarity was the most wonderful thing ever in the entire existence of the earth and that all the galaxies would stop just for a moment to witness this one event.
"I - guess we do," Kagome said with a small smile.
Snatching her hand from her hair, he grasped it between his hands and looked into her brown eyes.
"You are so beautiful! Willyouhavemychildren?"
Kagome had to stop herself from saying 'okay' as she heard him squish in the last sentence.
"Hey, Miss Copperland, front office says I need to show Kagome Higurashi around the school," Inu-Yasha said from the doorway.
"Right," the large-breasted woman said without glancing away from her magazine.
Kagome pulled her hand out of Miroku's grasp. "I gotta go. Nice meeting you. Bye." She jumbled the words together as she quickly grabbed her backpack and made a dash for the door.
Shutting the door behind her, she gave Inu-Yasha a look of gratitude. "You saved me!" she said.
"From what?" he asked, starting off down the hall.
"Some guy," she stated, following. "So where we going?"
"The cafeteria," he replied.
"Then what?"
"What to you mean?"
"You said you were going to show me around the school," she said with an irritated expression. "You said so less than a minute ago."
"I lied," he told her.
She stared at him as she walked up beside him. "Why?"
"To get us out of class early, so we can get to the cafeteria first," he said.
Kagome sighed in exasperation. "I could really use a tour of the school, you know."
"Then we can use this excuse again tomorrow, saying that we didn't have enough time for one today. Tours can take up to an hour," he said, jumping down the steps.
"You want to skip class?"
"Of course not."
"Are you being sarcastic?"
"Of course not."
"You jerk," she grumbled, but she smiled and followed him.
As Inu-Yasha had hoped, they were the first people in the cafeteria, and they sat down at one of the large, round tables after they bought their lunch.
"What are you friends like?" Kagome asked as she poked at her mashed potatoes with her plastic fork.
Inu-Yasha shrugged, watching other students enter the cafeteria. "Don't worry about what they'll think of you. It's not like you're a loser or something."
"You don't think I'm a loser, Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked.
"I meant that they wouldn't think you're a loser," he said.
"But what do you think?" she prodded.
He said, "I think you're a dork."
Kagome was about to make a remark about him when a girl came up beside him, looking at Kagome, and asked, "Hey, Inu-Yasha, who's this?"
"This is Kagome," Inu-Yasha introduced. "Kagome, this is Sango."
"Hi, Kagome," Sango greeted her with a bright smile.
Kagome stared at her lap where her hands lay, thumbs twiddling. "Hi," she said.
"Jeez, Kagome, don't be so damn shy!" Inu-Yasha nearly shouted in exasperation. "You look silly."
"I look silly?!" Kagome's head snapped up. "You're the one trying to be a bad-boy with your long hair and skipping classes!"
Inu-Yasha lurched forward from his relaxed position in the chair. "You little goody-two-shoes!" he sputtered. He couldn't think of a better insult at the time, and he kicked himself for it.
"Do you two know each other or something? I mean, you seem familiar with each other," Sango observed.
"We grew up together," Kagome explained.
"You have my condolences," Sango sympathized.
"Thanks." Kagome laughed.
"Sango, you traitor," Inu-Yasha muttered, slouching back in the chair again.
"Hey hey hey!" a short girl with dark shoulder-length hair and pale skin cried.
"Hey, Kiki," Sango said.
Who you, Baboo?" the girl Kiki asked Kagome.
"I'm Kagome. It's nice to meet you." Even though, Kagome was still feeling shy, her desire to prove Inu-Yasha false was stronger, so she devoured her shyness with her turkey and noodles.
"No need to be formality-warmal, Kago-maymay. This is not Pizza Hut in the hut on Tuesday Poker Night," Kiki explained, sitting between Kagome.
Kagome looked at the other people at the table, and seeing that they weren't reacting to this girl's odd behavior, she didn't either.
"What fortune!" came a familiar voice.
Kagome looked over her shoulder and wasn't surprised to see Miroku hovering over her.
"I'm glad to see you Kagome," Miroku said, pulling up a chair beside her and pushing Kiki a few feet out of his way. Kiki merely continued to chew her sandwich and make comments about doughnuts and heart monitors.
"I think fate is bringing us together, Kagome," Miroku said.
"You two know each other?" Inu-Yasha asked, confused.
"We met in parenting," Kagome explained.
"Yes, it must have been fate," Miroku went on kiddingly. "It has brought us together, my Kagome, and I will never let it tear us apart."
"Oh, my God," Kagome groaned with a small smile, propping her elbows on the table and covering her face with her hands.
"Just forget him, Kagome," Inu-Yasha said, rolling his eyes at his goofy friend.
"I can't," she said, looking up at him as a few graceful strands of hair fell daintily over her eyes.
"What?" Inu-Yasha asked. He turned to her and stared. Did she like Miroku or something?
"I can't forget him," she said, "because his hand is on my thigh!"
She turned and pushed him away from her with all her might, shoving him into Kiki's chair, which sent Kiki into Inu-Yasha's lap and her sandwich across the table at Sango. Inu-Yasha slammed his chair back, trying to get Kiki out of his lap as she went on about the use of cotton for television antennae warmers. Sango, unharmed by the sandwich because she had darted out of the way, was laughing about it all. Kagome was giving Kiki and Inu-Yasha her apologies as Inu-Yasha picked Kiki up from his lap and tossed her into her chair where she belonged.
When they had all calmed down, Kagome said, "I'm sorry, you guys! I didn't mean to. I-"
"It's okay, Kagome. We understand," Miroku cut in. "You really just can't take a compliment very well."
Kagome glared at him. "You call grabbing my thigh a compliment?"
"What else would I call it?" Miroku asked.
"Harassment," Inu-Yasha said.
"Only to those who don't know the depths of the feelings Kagome and I share," Miroku explained.
"Miroku, I don't like you like that. You haven't even given me to time to like you as a friend. Just back off, okay?" Kagome said, turning to the boy and putting her hand on his arm.
"As you wish," he said, setting his hand on hers.
"Don't touch me."
"Okay."
*****
As the students left the cafeteria and headed to fourth period, Kagome followed Inu-Yasha closely. When she had caught up with him, she said, "It went okay, right?" She was referring to what his friends thought about her.
"You fit in pretty well," he said, glancing down at her.
"Hey!" she snapped on the offense.
"What? I said you fit in pretty well. That's good!" Inu-Yasha defended.
"I easily fit in with weird people. I must be a weird person," she sighed, melodramatically.
"Quit praising yourself," he said and turned down another hall, leaving her with that statement.
"Okay, Inash."
Author's Note: *peeks over keyboard* YEEK! I'm so sorry! I made this chapter nice and long to make up for my lack of updating. Okay? No? I'm so sorry! It's not that I was giving up or had no ideas (I have plenty of ideas! Hooray!). I just got caught up with my fall break, and then I got caught up with make-up work, and finals were this week, and I had to cram for calculus and chemistry, and now it's all over, and I was super bored, so I decided to finish this chapter. ^.^'' teehee? Well, anyway, now that I'm done groveling and making excuses for my sorry patootaloot, I'll tell you guys 'interesting' stuff! O.o Thanks to all my reviewers! I appreciate you all so much! *hands out Halloween candy* Don't worry! It isn't old. ^.^ Even though soccer ended about a month ago, my calves still hurt sometimes. I really hurt one when I accidentally whacked my right calf with my Spanish book! Thanks to the kind soul who asked about them! ^.^ They feel better to be remembered. My disclaimer was written over a month ago or so. O.o I wrote the last 75% of this chapter just now! I want to do a Gargoyles fanfic, and I want to know if any of you would be interested in reading it. If you would be interested, leave a review about this chapter, please, and in it tell me if you'd read it or not. For those of you who might not recall, Gargoyles is that nearly decade old Disney show! Japanese animators with cool English voices! Hooray! O.o None of you will be interested, I'm sure, but it never hurts to ask, right? I'm truly sorry if you think the characters are Out Of Character. I'm trying to make them believable for this day and age while using characteristics of their actual person. This chapter might be corny to you. I like it myself because it was silly, but silly is often times corny. If you thought any part of this was corny, please leave a review and tell me which parts were and why. Of course, some parts might not need explanation! Lol This is supposed to be a Romance/Humor fanfic. My humor is not corn (I hope), and I want to make sure it isn't even if it might be. I'll try to improve for you guys! I feel that my fanfics are like apples growing on a tree, and as they grow, they become more beautiful and shiny, but as they fall off the tree, they don't feel pretty anymore because they are all brown and nasty, and then they hit the ground, and apple puss squirts everywhere, and now everyone can see the apples for what they really are. Bits of corn. I made Sessou's little nickname Sessou because He might as well have a nickname, too. I couldn't remember how to spell his name. O.o
I think that's all I have to say for now. Oh! Real quick story about my baby cousin's first birthday party! Since it was near Halloween, it was a costume party, and I dressed up as a cat. I bought some bright orange yarn and made a totally tacky tail (alliteration!) and tied it to my belt-loop. I bought a headband with blue leopard print ears with blue sparklies in the middle. I tried to put orange felt over the ears, but it looked like really dumb horns, so I wore them without any felt. The best part was the make-up. My mom did an awesome job, and I looked like a cat with a really mangy tail and tacky ears. Anyway, there was this little boy dressed up as a pirate, and I was sitting on a bed, keeping an eye on my youngest brother, who was on the floor watching videos. This little boy jumps into my lap and stares at my face, and he asks, "What's that on your face?" I told him it was make- up that would come off if I washed it off or if I rubbed it off. I demonstrated by wiping some of it off with my finger and showing it to him. This little boy was a four year old at most. Probably three. He looked up at me and said, "Why don't you put it on your boobies?" I nearly dropped his ass on the floor. Instead, I told him, "Because no one's gonna see it there, and no one is ever going to see it there." Let this be a warning to you all! Even little kids can be surprisingly dirty! Happy late Halloween! ^.^
Past and Present Intertwine
Chapter Four- Meetings and Greetings
Kagome precariously stood on one leg as she rubbed her free foot against the back of it. It wasn't that she had an itch, but it was more like a habit. Trying to appear pre-occupied and not a loser just standing around, she failed to take note that she looked like a flamingo and would make quite an interesting, but tacky, lawn ornament.
The squinty-eyed guidance counselor handed her class schedule to her and gave her a quick explanation of where to find her classes.
Kagome nodded, but before she could even glance at her schedule, Inu-Yasha snatched it from her shaking fingers and briefly skimmed over it.
To nervous to become angry at his rude action, Kagome unconsciously moved her foot up to scratch at the back of her leg. She jumped when the obnoxious bell sounded for class.
Without a word, Inu-Yasha grabbed her arm with his free hand devoid of her schedule and pulled her up a staircase before the undulating sea of students came crashing through the cafeteria doors and surrounded them. Kagome looked over her shoulder, but her head snapped forward again after she tripped on a step. Inu-Yasha had let go of her arm by now and was now guiding her, though she wasn't sure where.
He halted a moment later in front of a door with a single, yellowed, wilting comic strip. Glancing at her schedule again, Inu-Yasha gave it to her and said, "Bye." He disappeared amongst the students who were beginning to seep into the hall, but Kagome wasn't paying attention. She checked to make sure she was indeed at her first period History and then entered the classroom to talk to her teacher. After a quick summary of what the class had covered in the first two weeks that she had missed, Kagome took a seat somewhere in the middle of the classroom when she failed to decide whether she should sit in the front or the back. Now taking her time to actually read her schedule, she nearly choked when she learned that she was in some class called 'Parenting.' After a dull, droning lecture during first period she quickly made her way down to the guidance counselor.
"I did not sign up for this class," Kagome said, masking her fear that this mistake was a bad omen and would consequently ruin the rest of her day.
Without so much as a fluttering of his eyelashes, the counselor replied, "There were no openings available for your other choice classes."
"But I don't want to be in some parenting class. I don't have a baby or anything," she told him.
"The class isn't just for students with children. It's a valuable learning experience for all students."
"Isn't there any way I can get out of the class?" Kagome asked, ignoring his statement.
"There are other classes with openings that you could switch into," the counselor said.
"Like what?"
With an irritated sigh, he pulled a list from the drawer above the one he kept his not-so-squeaky-clean magazines in and said, "For the class period before lunch, you have the choice of taking calculus 2, trigonometry, horticulture, or parenting."
Kagome sighed, placed her schedule in her bag, and trudged to her second period without saying another word to the squinty-eyed counselor.
~~~~~
Kagome: Two and a half years old. Inu-Yasha: Four years old.
Mrs. Higurashi stared out her kitchen window into the backyard where her daughter and the boy-next-door were arguing about which game should be played next.
"Inash, Kaka wants to play Piggy Pack now. Kaka is bored with Tag. Inash had his turn, but now it is Kaka's turn," she reasoned.
"I don't want to, and quit calling me Inash!"
Kagome scrunched her face and quivered her lip. She had quickly learned that Inu-Yasha didn't appreciate a crying girl and would succumb to her will to make her eyes dry. "Puh-please, Inash!"
Pouting, Inu-Yasha retrieved his protruding bottom lip and gave in. He was too young or perhaps too gullible to understand that Kagome was being a manipulative little toddler and faking as she always did when wanting to get her way. He squatted in the browning grass, and she leapt upon his shoulders. Grasping her chubby legs, he bounced her playfully and began running around the yard.
"Yeek!" Kagome squeaked, clutching his long white hair and tugging. "Ged-yup, horsie-nash!"
"Don't call me that!"
"Whee!"
~~~~~
Present:
As the class wearily dragged along, Kagome struggled to scribble the notes written on the overhead and comprehend them all at the same time. Her pen was dying on her, and she kept slamming it onto the paper in an attempt to keep the ink flowing, but also because she was frustrated.
"Stupid calculus," she grumbled. "What is this lady talking about? What's the limit of what? How in the world did she get that answer?! What's a limit?! Oh no, I'm drowning already! I'm going to fail tomorrow's quiz! Ack! Forget the quiz! I'm going to fail the whole class!"
Kagome was too busy worrying to realize that she might be struggling with the math because she wasn't exactly paying attention.
*****
Her second class eventually ended, leaving Kagome with twenty-four math problems that had to do with things she still didn't understand. Third period passed by a bit quicker, and thankfully, she wasn't too far behind in geography. When fourth period came, she checked her schedule for the class and room number, and her shoulders drooped when she read "parenting."
Caught in the sea of students she had only had a bird's eye view of earlier, she felt like a tiny fish battling her way through the crashing waves. People from behind were pushing her, causing her to unintentionally push the people in front of her as students bumped into her on both sides of her body. Miraculously, she made it to her class before the bell rang and easily found a seat since a majority of the class was waiting until the last minute to take their seat.
Wearily dropping her backpack, Kagome sat down and ran her fingers through her hair. Her last school hadn't been this crowded and certainly would not have messed up her schedule.
"Oh well," she sighed, now patting her hair into place.
"Hey," a boy said from her right. He was the first student to say anything to her all day except Inu-Yasha.
Her hands quickly fell to her lap as she looked over to the boy. Even though he was sitting down, he looked tall. "Big boy" flashed through her mind, and she almost smiled but was trying to form a reply.
"Hi," she said. "Wow, Kagome. That sure took a bunch of effort," she berated herself.
"What's your name?" the boy asked with a slight tilt of his head, causing his tiny ponytail to swing into her view. She noticed that his ears were pierced with small blue and purple rhinestones that conveniently exemplified the features of his shiny hair. Or maybe it was just greasy.
"I'm Kagome." Her hand silently crept from her lap and began to nervously twist a strand of her dark hair. Twirling her hair was another habit of hers.
The bell rang, but several students still had not come to class; the teacher was still absent, as well. Kagome looked around the nearly bare classroom with a confused expression.
"The teacher is usually late, so many students come late, too. I'm Miroku by the way." He dazzled her with a pearly white smile, or he would have if she hadn't been looking at his generously proportioned forehead that was messily covered by cropped bangs. "You must be new," he continued. "I know all the pretty girls, and I have never had the pleasure of making your acquaintance."
"Okay," Kagome said as her finger got stuck in her hair.
Miroku gave her an almost disapproving look. No thanks for his courtesy? Why, the nerve!
Mentally whacking herself upside the head, Kagome realized she should have taken the compliment better.
"I mean, thanks," she corrected, blushing.
Miroku propped his handsome head on his large hand. "Are you not very good at receiving compliments?" he queried.
"No, not really," Kagome replied with a chuckle.
"I'm surprised that a girl of such beauty is not accustomed to such compliments."
"Okay."
Miroku stared at her.
"Ugh! Quit that!" Kagome half-demanded half-pleaded. She was blushing again now.
Miroku smiled at her again. He liked her already.
"So, um, what are you doing in a parenting class?" Kagome asked, continuing to twirl her finger around her hair. Was she flirting? She couldn't tell. Probably.
"Where is everyone?" a large-breasted woman snapped, entering the room.
"The bathroom," Miroku lied with a serene smile upon his face.
"Right," the teacher said.
"We have a new student," Miroku chirped.
"Who?" the large-breasted woman asked.
"Kagome -um- Kagome," he informed her.
"I'm Kagome Higurashi," she finished for him.
"Right," the large-breasted woman said. "Kagome, this is an easy class. If you fail, you must be dumb. It's an easy credit, so don't screw up."
"...yes," Kagome said, carefully looking at the woman and wondering if she could truly be a teacher.
~~~~~
Past (same time):
Inu-Yasha flopped onto the ground and tossed Kagome over his shoulders. Rolling into a small patch of old daffodils, she sent the white stems billowing around her, and as she sat up, some of the particles drifted near her and nestled into her black hair.
"Again!" she exclaimed, scrambling over to Inu-Yasha.
He scooted away from her, saying, "No! I don't want to play Piggy- Back anymore."
Kagome was going to start "crying" again, but a voice stopped her. Inu-Yasha stopped scooting away and listened with her.
"That sounds like my cousin!" Inu-Yasha shouted, jumping to his feet. He ran into his yard next door, disappearing behind a bush.
Kagome stood up and waddled after him, wondering whom Inu-Yasha was talking about. Shoving her way through the bush, she gathered a few leaves and a couple sticks in her hair.
"Inash?"
"Hey, Kagome. This is my cousin Sessou!" Inu-Yasha said, pointing at the older boy, who stared down at him with a slightly exasperated expression.
"That is not my name," he said.
"It is if I say it is," Inu-Yasha told him with a grin.
Sessou grinned back at him, and then they started to wrestle. They rolled around on the grass, tugging at each other's clothes and hair. Eventually, Sessou was triumphantly sitting on Inu-Yasha, wearing a wide smile as he practically made his cousin eat dirt.
Kagome was still watching them. She didn't know this boy, and she felt shy around him because of this.
"Hi, Kagome," Sessou said, standing up.
She didn't reply.
"Aren't you going to say hi?" Sessou asked.
Kagome shook her head and stared at the ground. Inu-Yasha was brushing himself off as he noticed her behavior.
"It's okay, Kagome! I'll save you from the evil Sessou!" he declared.
"I'm not evil," Sessou sniffed. "I'm just underloved."
"Because you are evil!" Inu-Yasha insisted.
Kagome watched them with uncertain eyes. This sounded like a game. Maybe it was a fun game.
Sessou pounced on Inu-Yasha and the two began wrestling again.
"Run, Kagome! I'll save you from the beast!" Inu-Yasha called from Sessou's grip.
Kagome took a step back, looking at Inu-Yasha as if worried for his life.
"Run! Run!" Inu-Yasha repeated. Sessou now had him pinned again and started to tickle him. Inu-Yasha's cries of mirth reached Kagome's pinky toe bone, and she decided to act.
"I'm coming, Inash!" she cried. She ran over to Sessou and jumped on him, squishing him against Inu-Yasha. Both boys grunted as Kagome smothered herself over them. "Doggie-pile!" She giggled.
"You have a weird friend, Inu-Yasha," Sessou told his cousin later that day after Kagome had been called home.
"She just needed to learn to open up to a stranger," Inu-Yasha the hypocrite explained.
"I meant that she was weird after she opened up," Sessou said.
~~~~~
Present:
Miss Copperland, the teacher of parenting, was the most bizarre teacher Kagome had ever had, but she didn't really care. As long as she passed the class with no problems, she was fine, and passing wouldn't be a problem because they didn't seem to do much except go over things that were common knowledge. With twenty minutes left in the period, she let them talk with one another or whatever else they felt like doing.
"I'm in parenting," Miroku said, recalling the girl's earlier inquiry, "because I love children and because I want children of my own someday."
"That's so sweet," Kagome replied since she couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Do you really think so?" Miroku asked.
"Yeah." She began to twirl her finger through her hair again. "I want children, too."
"We have something in common!" Miroku exclaimed as if this single similarity was the most wonderful thing ever in the entire existence of the earth and that all the galaxies would stop just for a moment to witness this one event.
"I - guess we do," Kagome said with a small smile.
Snatching her hand from her hair, he grasped it between his hands and looked into her brown eyes.
"You are so beautiful! Willyouhavemychildren?"
Kagome had to stop herself from saying 'okay' as she heard him squish in the last sentence.
"Hey, Miss Copperland, front office says I need to show Kagome Higurashi around the school," Inu-Yasha said from the doorway.
"Right," the large-breasted woman said without glancing away from her magazine.
Kagome pulled her hand out of Miroku's grasp. "I gotta go. Nice meeting you. Bye." She jumbled the words together as she quickly grabbed her backpack and made a dash for the door.
Shutting the door behind her, she gave Inu-Yasha a look of gratitude. "You saved me!" she said.
"From what?" he asked, starting off down the hall.
"Some guy," she stated, following. "So where we going?"
"The cafeteria," he replied.
"Then what?"
"What to you mean?"
"You said you were going to show me around the school," she said with an irritated expression. "You said so less than a minute ago."
"I lied," he told her.
She stared at him as she walked up beside him. "Why?"
"To get us out of class early, so we can get to the cafeteria first," he said.
Kagome sighed in exasperation. "I could really use a tour of the school, you know."
"Then we can use this excuse again tomorrow, saying that we didn't have enough time for one today. Tours can take up to an hour," he said, jumping down the steps.
"You want to skip class?"
"Of course not."
"Are you being sarcastic?"
"Of course not."
"You jerk," she grumbled, but she smiled and followed him.
As Inu-Yasha had hoped, they were the first people in the cafeteria, and they sat down at one of the large, round tables after they bought their lunch.
"What are you friends like?" Kagome asked as she poked at her mashed potatoes with her plastic fork.
Inu-Yasha shrugged, watching other students enter the cafeteria. "Don't worry about what they'll think of you. It's not like you're a loser or something."
"You don't think I'm a loser, Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked.
"I meant that they wouldn't think you're a loser," he said.
"But what do you think?" she prodded.
He said, "I think you're a dork."
Kagome was about to make a remark about him when a girl came up beside him, looking at Kagome, and asked, "Hey, Inu-Yasha, who's this?"
"This is Kagome," Inu-Yasha introduced. "Kagome, this is Sango."
"Hi, Kagome," Sango greeted her with a bright smile.
Kagome stared at her lap where her hands lay, thumbs twiddling. "Hi," she said.
"Jeez, Kagome, don't be so damn shy!" Inu-Yasha nearly shouted in exasperation. "You look silly."
"I look silly?!" Kagome's head snapped up. "You're the one trying to be a bad-boy with your long hair and skipping classes!"
Inu-Yasha lurched forward from his relaxed position in the chair. "You little goody-two-shoes!" he sputtered. He couldn't think of a better insult at the time, and he kicked himself for it.
"Do you two know each other or something? I mean, you seem familiar with each other," Sango observed.
"We grew up together," Kagome explained.
"You have my condolences," Sango sympathized.
"Thanks." Kagome laughed.
"Sango, you traitor," Inu-Yasha muttered, slouching back in the chair again.
"Hey hey hey!" a short girl with dark shoulder-length hair and pale skin cried.
"Hey, Kiki," Sango said.
Who you, Baboo?" the girl Kiki asked Kagome.
"I'm Kagome. It's nice to meet you." Even though, Kagome was still feeling shy, her desire to prove Inu-Yasha false was stronger, so she devoured her shyness with her turkey and noodles.
"No need to be formality-warmal, Kago-maymay. This is not Pizza Hut in the hut on Tuesday Poker Night," Kiki explained, sitting between Kagome.
Kagome looked at the other people at the table, and seeing that they weren't reacting to this girl's odd behavior, she didn't either.
"What fortune!" came a familiar voice.
Kagome looked over her shoulder and wasn't surprised to see Miroku hovering over her.
"I'm glad to see you Kagome," Miroku said, pulling up a chair beside her and pushing Kiki a few feet out of his way. Kiki merely continued to chew her sandwich and make comments about doughnuts and heart monitors.
"I think fate is bringing us together, Kagome," Miroku said.
"You two know each other?" Inu-Yasha asked, confused.
"We met in parenting," Kagome explained.
"Yes, it must have been fate," Miroku went on kiddingly. "It has brought us together, my Kagome, and I will never let it tear us apart."
"Oh, my God," Kagome groaned with a small smile, propping her elbows on the table and covering her face with her hands.
"Just forget him, Kagome," Inu-Yasha said, rolling his eyes at his goofy friend.
"I can't," she said, looking up at him as a few graceful strands of hair fell daintily over her eyes.
"What?" Inu-Yasha asked. He turned to her and stared. Did she like Miroku or something?
"I can't forget him," she said, "because his hand is on my thigh!"
She turned and pushed him away from her with all her might, shoving him into Kiki's chair, which sent Kiki into Inu-Yasha's lap and her sandwich across the table at Sango. Inu-Yasha slammed his chair back, trying to get Kiki out of his lap as she went on about the use of cotton for television antennae warmers. Sango, unharmed by the sandwich because she had darted out of the way, was laughing about it all. Kagome was giving Kiki and Inu-Yasha her apologies as Inu-Yasha picked Kiki up from his lap and tossed her into her chair where she belonged.
When they had all calmed down, Kagome said, "I'm sorry, you guys! I didn't mean to. I-"
"It's okay, Kagome. We understand," Miroku cut in. "You really just can't take a compliment very well."
Kagome glared at him. "You call grabbing my thigh a compliment?"
"What else would I call it?" Miroku asked.
"Harassment," Inu-Yasha said.
"Only to those who don't know the depths of the feelings Kagome and I share," Miroku explained.
"Miroku, I don't like you like that. You haven't even given me to time to like you as a friend. Just back off, okay?" Kagome said, turning to the boy and putting her hand on his arm.
"As you wish," he said, setting his hand on hers.
"Don't touch me."
"Okay."
*****
As the students left the cafeteria and headed to fourth period, Kagome followed Inu-Yasha closely. When she had caught up with him, she said, "It went okay, right?" She was referring to what his friends thought about her.
"You fit in pretty well," he said, glancing down at her.
"Hey!" she snapped on the offense.
"What? I said you fit in pretty well. That's good!" Inu-Yasha defended.
"I easily fit in with weird people. I must be a weird person," she sighed, melodramatically.
"Quit praising yourself," he said and turned down another hall, leaving her with that statement.
"Okay, Inash."
Author's Note: *peeks over keyboard* YEEK! I'm so sorry! I made this chapter nice and long to make up for my lack of updating. Okay? No? I'm so sorry! It's not that I was giving up or had no ideas (I have plenty of ideas! Hooray!). I just got caught up with my fall break, and then I got caught up with make-up work, and finals were this week, and I had to cram for calculus and chemistry, and now it's all over, and I was super bored, so I decided to finish this chapter. ^.^'' teehee? Well, anyway, now that I'm done groveling and making excuses for my sorry patootaloot, I'll tell you guys 'interesting' stuff! O.o Thanks to all my reviewers! I appreciate you all so much! *hands out Halloween candy* Don't worry! It isn't old. ^.^ Even though soccer ended about a month ago, my calves still hurt sometimes. I really hurt one when I accidentally whacked my right calf with my Spanish book! Thanks to the kind soul who asked about them! ^.^ They feel better to be remembered. My disclaimer was written over a month ago or so. O.o I wrote the last 75% of this chapter just now! I want to do a Gargoyles fanfic, and I want to know if any of you would be interested in reading it. If you would be interested, leave a review about this chapter, please, and in it tell me if you'd read it or not. For those of you who might not recall, Gargoyles is that nearly decade old Disney show! Japanese animators with cool English voices! Hooray! O.o None of you will be interested, I'm sure, but it never hurts to ask, right? I'm truly sorry if you think the characters are Out Of Character. I'm trying to make them believable for this day and age while using characteristics of their actual person. This chapter might be corny to you. I like it myself because it was silly, but silly is often times corny. If you thought any part of this was corny, please leave a review and tell me which parts were and why. Of course, some parts might not need explanation! Lol This is supposed to be a Romance/Humor fanfic. My humor is not corn (I hope), and I want to make sure it isn't even if it might be. I'll try to improve for you guys! I feel that my fanfics are like apples growing on a tree, and as they grow, they become more beautiful and shiny, but as they fall off the tree, they don't feel pretty anymore because they are all brown and nasty, and then they hit the ground, and apple puss squirts everywhere, and now everyone can see the apples for what they really are. Bits of corn. I made Sessou's little nickname Sessou because He might as well have a nickname, too. I couldn't remember how to spell his name. O.o
I think that's all I have to say for now. Oh! Real quick story about my baby cousin's first birthday party! Since it was near Halloween, it was a costume party, and I dressed up as a cat. I bought some bright orange yarn and made a totally tacky tail (alliteration!) and tied it to my belt-loop. I bought a headband with blue leopard print ears with blue sparklies in the middle. I tried to put orange felt over the ears, but it looked like really dumb horns, so I wore them without any felt. The best part was the make-up. My mom did an awesome job, and I looked like a cat with a really mangy tail and tacky ears. Anyway, there was this little boy dressed up as a pirate, and I was sitting on a bed, keeping an eye on my youngest brother, who was on the floor watching videos. This little boy jumps into my lap and stares at my face, and he asks, "What's that on your face?" I told him it was make- up that would come off if I washed it off or if I rubbed it off. I demonstrated by wiping some of it off with my finger and showing it to him. This little boy was a four year old at most. Probably three. He looked up at me and said, "Why don't you put it on your boobies?" I nearly dropped his ass on the floor. Instead, I told him, "Because no one's gonna see it there, and no one is ever going to see it there." Let this be a warning to you all! Even little kids can be surprisingly dirty! Happy late Halloween! ^.^
