A/N: Well… This chapter is pretty much about nothing in particular. Its sole purpose is to introduce the main characters, which we already know (DUH!). God, I'm talking gibberish. Anyways, I really don't know much about Japan, so please pardon the inconsistencies in the setting. How I wish to be born in Japan~~~ (sigh)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that belongs to the original work of Inuyasha. Please don't sue…. I'm broke anyway.

Chapter 1

"Oi! Inuyasha! How late do you reckon she'll be this time?" Miroku asked, leaning on the school windowsill and tilting his head backward. Violet eyes vanished for a moment as he closed his eyes to focus his senses on the enjoyable soothing feeling of the warm May sunshine and the slight breeze on his face.

"Don't know. Don't care," replied Inuyasha while switching to his right hand to support his head on the desk. "That girl is always late and skips class all the time. I wonder why she even bothers to come to school at all."

"Hm…True," Miroku rubbed his chin. "But you can't deny the fact that she does quite well on her tests. Remember that she beat you on the math test last week?" He teased.

Inuyasha gave a low growl. "Shut up. That won't happen again."

"Oh, but it happens all the time!" Miroku gleefully reminded him, taking out a mirror at the same time to check on his reflection. He patted his tiny ponytail to make sure that it looked perfect.

"You!" Inuyasha's head snapped up, making a few strands of his long silvery bangs fall into his eyes. He carelessly brushed them away. "Would it kill you to forget that minor detail? You're no better off! Need I remind you of your loosened jaw that 17th time you tried to grope her?"

"At least now I know what every part of her body feels like," Miroku retorted, puffing out his chest and looking proud of his…uncommon knowledge.

Inuyasha looked at him with absolute disgust. "Ew~ you pervert! Tell me again why I've befriended you." He rolled his eyes and sighed in resignation.

"Well, neither of us can really help the fact that we've been neighbours since we were still one of the thousands of sperms swimming to our mothers' eggs and had hung out together since the age of diapers. Come to think of it, we've always been in the same class since kindergarten as well."

"My entire life is cursed." The amber-eyed teen in front of him mumbled.

Miroku pretended not to have heard him and continued, "We are friends because we both admire qualities in the other that we lack; you with your intelligence and I with my charm," he paused when Inuyasha snorted out loud. "Excuse YOU. Anyways, can you deny that fate has brought us together? Oh Inuyasha, say you love me~" He gave him a sappy look.

"Go to hell" was his only response.

"You just shattered my fragile heart to a million pieces, my dear old pal," he put a hand over his heart, looking wounded and shaking his head. "Who would've thought that you're capable of such a thing, gentle as a rabbit you are."

"Gentle!? I'll show you how gentle I am!" The insulted Inuyasha jumped up and encircled his arm around Miroku's head, his right fist drilling at the other teen's black head.

"Ahhh! My beautiful hair!!" Miroku screamed as he freed himself from Inuyasha's murderous grip. He took out his mirror again (along with a comb and gel) and worked feverishly to fix his messed up hairdo.

Inuyasha sat back to his chair triumphantly, smirking. "Serves you right, Miroku. I swear you'll get jumped on one day if you don't watch your mouth."

"Get jumped on? I won't mind so much as long as it's a pretty girl that jumps on me." He grinned mischievously, and then added as a second thought. "No, let that be a girl with a nice figure too."

Inuyasha almost fell off his chair. God! How he wished for a normal friend whose mind doesn't slip to the thought of pretty girls every other second. No, make that every single second. Yet, Miroku had always been a good friend; fun to hang out with, loyal, and occasionally, just occasionally, showed signs of wisdom beyond his age, which was only 17. Anyways, he supposed that he would never find a better friend than Miroku, although he'd die first before admitting this thought to him. Blame it all on that stupid fate for making us best friends, he decided.

DING!!! The bell signalling for class to start sounded. Miroku, along with everybody else in the class, returned to his seat, which was to the right of Inuyasha who sat beside the window.

Just as their first period teacher walked in, Miroku leaned over and whispered, "Bet you 500 yen that she will be 20 minutes late."

"Deal. I'll bet for her being 10 minutes late." Inuyasha breathed back.

Miroku nodded in satisfaction and gave him a thumb-up as the geography teacher, Mr. Nonomura, cleared his throat. "Okay class, please keep quiet while I take the attendance. Answer 'Present' when I call your name…"

Boring! Inuyasha rolled his eyes while taking out his notebook and pencil case, waiting to be called.

Tap, tap, tap. Run, run, RUN! She must run. The girl panted heavily as she continued running, her long, silk-like, black hair freely flowing like a waterfall behind her. Brown eyes dared a glimpse at the nice silver watch that she got for her birthday. Oh no! I am so dead. She panicked and sped up, right hand tightly clutching her black schoolbag. Almost there, she thought to herself as she saw her destination approaching. 100m, 50m, 10m, 5m…CLINK! All 34 pairs of eyes, including Mr. Nonomura's, turned as the classroom door was thrust open.

Inuyasha glanced at the clock and mentally swore as he flicked the 500-yen coin into the waiting palm of Miroku's outstretched arm. The dark-haired young man was grinning from ear to ear. He was on a winning streak of 3 consecutive wins over this kind of bet with Inuyasha. Man, is he good or what?

Inuyasha stared sourly at the girl who was muttering apologies to a very irritated geography teacher who was giving her a reproving look and arranging for an after school detention. He wondered why it was that Miroku could usually guess the right time of when she would arrive. Perhaps, he thought evilly gaining a secret pleasure, it has something to do with the fact that he groped her 17 times.

Meanwhile, Kagome Higurashi, age 17, height 5 foot 3, was for the fifth time this month, officially late for class.