Disclaimer: Inuyasha's not mine. Blech....
A/N: I WAS gonna put this on hiatus, but for some reason I just felt like updating today, and I couldn't get the new ideas flowing outta my head. So I'll just continue to update this as I see fit, but once A Whole New World is finished I can concentrate more.... though Shades of Gray will be my first priority.
Chapter Three
Sundae
It was a monotonously average Sunday afternoon in the near invisible suburban town of Tanaka. The sun peeked out over the impending clouds, beating down upon the heads of traveling civilians and passer-bys with their heads kept down and their feet pounding an unsteady rhythm against the damp pavement. A lone tree swept overhead, looking very regal amidst the single story buildings and green, puffy bushes, but Kagome remained undaunted by it. After all, the calm serenity of this place couldn't even be compared the noisy, bustling streets of Tokyo, full of lively citizens going about their respective business with briefcases in hand, but their heads still lowered and their feet still moving at an impressive speed. It seemed to Kagome that, no matter where you went, people were always hurrying. Hurrying for school, hurrying for their doctor's appointment, or just plain hurrying about for no valid reason; it didn't matter what the circumstances. Everybody just plain seemed to conform to the societal trend of hurrying every which way, never taking the time to drink in and appreciate the natural beauties around them.
And at this precise moment, Kagome's aesthetic sense wasn't functioning particularly well either, the swaying of the trees or the whisper of the wind seemed to be the last things on the troubled girl's mind. She dug her toes into the gutter, which for whatever reason seemed to be absent of any rainwater. With a sigh, her head sank onto her hands as she sat dismally on the curb's edge, willing any passing bus to ram her and be done with it. Her will to live was slowly disappearing, though she was not so idiotic as to think even for a moment that her problems were anything particularly extreme. After all, there WERE starving homeless people in third world countries, but since Kagome couldn't really be bothered with helping them at the moment, they'd just have to wait. She had her own selfish whims to deal with.
"Bored, bored bored," she muttered softly as her head lolled to the left, her feet tapping an unfamiliar melody into the dust. Her raven locks seemed to sway a bit in time with the wind, but Kagome didn't seem to care about or even acknowledge the usually annoying gesture. In fact, she didn't really seem to be acknowledging much of anything at all. She was too busy drifting off into her own world of melancholy thoughts.
It had been only the previous Wednesday that she'd been sent to this dismal and dreary town, and Kagome despised every minute of it. No, not sent. Unwillingly dropped on her ass seemed to suit the situation to a T.
She was supossed to start school the following day, but really, did she even care? It wasn't as if life would miraculously improve the minute she strolled through the high school doors, not if television was supposed to be a tasteful sample of the real world. She understood how ridiculous it would be to believe everything you may read or hear, but she knew enough to deduct that her welcome wouldn't be embraced with open arms.
Though, strangely, hearty welcomes had been all she'd received since her arrival here. While she'd barely spoken even two words to the stoically silent Kaede, the door had almost been knocked off its hinges from all the vigorous knocking being administered upon it. At least four people had arrived bearing gifts and greetings, anywhere from a jelly pudding to fuzzy green zebra slippers. She had to admit that the jelly pudding was scrumptious, though the slippers would probably be shoved into a dark storage closet somewhere in Switzerland, but Shippo (she thought that'd been the kid's name anyhow) didn't have to know that.
Really, it had been strangely unnerving to greet all of these enthusiastic visitors, seeing as it was definitely different from the Tokyo custom she was used to of totally ignoring new people until they'd been in town at least a few weeks. When she'd first moved there, nobody had talked to her until her dear friend Eri's family had moved in across the block, making her the fresh "new kid" and Kagome a resident old-timer. She'd made sure to be especially kind to Eri, however, for she knew what the cruel conduct of the "silent treatment" could do to you.
"Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name," she hummed softly to herself, tapping a ratty sneaker to the beat. "And they're always glad you came..," she trailed off with a giggle. Oh, how she'd miss her cable T.V.
Out of the blue, a blur of dark matter shot up from the dusty road behind her, seemingly halting in midair above her head. With a high- pitched shriek, she threw her hands over her head and darted to the side, just barely grazing the rough material above her, which she now recognized as the bottom of a skateboard complete with a hot-shot surly skateboarder smirking cockily at the dazed girl.
"Sorry about that, miss," he feigned apology, though you could tell he was trying his hardest to sound convincing. Maybe kindness just didn't come natural to certain people, but Kagome shrugged off the uneasy tension plummeting into her heart. The man from above held out a hand to the fallen girl, which she gripped steadily as she allowed herself to be pulled to shaky feet. With a rueful grin, she held out her opposite hand toward the man, deciding it couldn't hurt to accept all opportunities for friendship, especially in new experiences such as these.
"Kagome Higurashi," she tried to keep her voice from quivering. Her customary shyness was beginning to harness its grip on her, and she had to battle her hardest to keep from giving in. She smiled up at the man once again, relieved to see that his hand was shooting out to reciprocate the shake.
"Kouga. Nice to meet you," he tipped an imaginary hat. "So, you're the fresh meat, huh?" he smiled, but she couldn't help but notice that the smile just seemed a little too patronized.
"If you mean the new girl, then yes, it would be me," she shook her hair back nervously. "I moved here from Tokyo just a few days ago".
"Excellent," he nodded coolly, and Kagome couldn't help but envy the confidence he seemed to ooze. Though she couldn't see his eyes under the bulky black helmet, she was confident that they were probably a piercing blue, or else a deep, murky brown. Either way, she was certain that they were full of charm and had a natural sparkle for life. Call it a 6th sense, but it had always been quite easy for her to decipher those sorts of things about people, especially strangers. "You goin to Tama High?" he studied her quizzically as she gave a jerky nod.
"Yup, I'm starting there tomorrow," she grinned lightheartedly, and he couldn't help but return the infectious gesture.
"Coolness. So I guess I'll be seein ya then. I'm off to board with some of the gang, you wanna come meet 'em?" he dropped his board out from under his armpit and leapt on it without so much as a single flinch. Kagome couldn't deny that the boy had style.
"Nah, s'ok. I think I'm just gonna stay here for awhile," her smile was beginning to feel rather plastic, and she hurriedly waved the boy out of sight. "See you during school!" she called out eagerly, and the boy returned her wave absently as he concentrated his efforts on wheelies down the road, she supposed trying to impress her.
'That or I really am becoming too conceited for my own good,' she thought dryly, turning in the direction which she had arrived from only minutes earlier to begin the long trudge back home. Truthfully, she wasn't in the mood for pleasantries, and the sooner she could arrive home and take a five hour nap, the better. She sighed drearily and ambled morosely down the road, glancing backwards toward the receding dust every so often. She was feeling awfully hungry, and she had yet to come upon any sort of eatery in this entire sad excuse for a town.
"How the heck do people eat around here?" she glanced around, a last hope for some sort of nourishment lingering within her. Her eyes lit up brightly as she spotted a tiny ice cream shop resting on the corner of the road, which, other then a real estate agency and a poor looking bowling alley, seemed to be the only structure around for a mile at least. A new skip in her step, she sauntered up to the front doorway, a small amount of her amiable demeanor renewed at the concept of a frosty, gooey ice cream cone. She pulled open the drab looking front door without much effort on her part, and basked in the front entryway for a minute or so, relishing the feeling of the air conditioner running full blast as it tussled her raven hair.
After a minute of drowning in the cool, she strolled into the ice cream parlor, her purse thumping casually against her side. Her eyes lit up delightedly, and her face broke into a jubilant grin as she took in the sights around her. This looked just like one of those American diners she'd visited with her mother only three years ago! A few stools sat before a checkered counter, each supporting an eagerly chattering student among them, though Kagome felt no inclination to go near. She didn't recognize a single one of these people from her little welcoming crew, and she had no intention of humiliating herself in front of strangers just yet. Besides, these people didn't look particularly approachable anyhow.
Her gaze lingered on the happy-go-lucky men behind the counter as they chattered away just as enthusiastically, occasionally chiming in to the conversations of the students, who listened attentively to them as if they were all gossiping high schoolers and not balding forty year old men. She wasn't sure whether to be impressed or revolted by the sight, but then decided that the thought of a city where everybody felt comfortable and associated with one another frequently was actually quite endearing and yet baffling at the same time. In her short time here, she had yet to see any fighting, hatred, crime, or even a tiny argument between friends. It wasn't as if she'd come from a criminal induced city where the crime rate rose nearly as high as the population, but compared to the pleasant demeanors she'd witnessed here, she might as well have lived in a crime infested city with street gangs and thugs around every corner.
Her eyes traveled to the walls, whose paint seemed to be peeling by the day, as half the wall was white and the other half seemed to be naught more then wood, but it wasn't this that caught the curious girl's eyes. Scattered posters littered the edges of the walls, strewn in nearly every corner or free space. Only one large gap appeared, and on a second glance, Kagome saw that the gap was none other then a windowpane. She strolled timidly toward the posters, for some reason they felt intimidating and yet intriguing at the same time. Truthfully, she didn't understand why she felt anything at all, they were mere pieces of paper after all, but even her logical head couldn't stop her imploring curiosity from exploring whatever it wished.
The first poster she glanced at had the face of a startlingly pretty girl drawn in the center, and Kagome couldn't help but notice the evident similarities to her own. Shrugging the matter off as mere coincidence, she glanced beneath the striking picture to read the text below. In large black ink, calligraphy lettering was sprinkled across the page, and Kagome knew in a second that whoever had been in charge of the calligraphy had done an awful job. After a few more glances, she was finally able to decipher the contents of the poster, having to stifle her laughter once she could read it allowed.
"Don't be a freak-yo, vote for Kikyo!" she choked out between giggles, shocked that anybody could think up such an awful campaign slogan. Turning her gaze to the poster beside it, she found she couldn't contain her giggles and clutched her sides in hearty laughter.
"Kikyo is a fine woman, but if she can't do it, Yura can!" she laughed harder. She wasn't blaming the candidates for this, for she understood how campaign managers worked, but she felt sorry for whatever organization they happened to be running for. Their group would probably go to ruins in a two day time span, and even that would be pushing the limits.
The sound of a bell tinkled behind her, signaling the arriver of a newcomer, though nobody seemed to pay him any heed. She shrugged and turned back to the posters, glancing at each one in turn, and noting with a mixture of displeasure and amusement that each one was more ridiculous then the last.
She'd just gotten past "VOTE FOR ME OR DIE, DAMNIT!" when a hand tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to whirl around and try to suppress her giggles at the same time. She found the task was impossible, however, when she found herself looking into the same amber orbs featured on the "VOTE FOR ME OR DIE" poster she'd been glancing at only moments ago. Choking in a fit of laughter, she ignored the raising of a quizzical eyebrow before her, as the boy slowly began to back away from the chuckling girl.
"O.K, you're a nut then...," he muttered softly, not exactly frightened, but not exactly at ease. Kagome seemed to sober for a second, placing a hand over her heart to catch her breath before easing toward the somewhat perturbed boy.
"I love your campaign slogan," she teased gently. "Really inspiring and all that".
He gave a sarcastic chuckle before looking back at the girl, slightly confused. "I'm not running, dimwit, that spot's for girls and wussies. That's my brother Sesshomaru you were gawking at, not me," he finished smugly, noting in satisfaction that a somewhat embarrassed flush seemed to spread across the girl's cheeks, though it disappeared within seconds of its debut.
He slid into a booth and gestured for her to sit across from him, which she did without hesitation. "So, what's your name anyhow?" he feigned polite conversation.
"Kagome Higurashi, but judging by your expression, you don't really give a shit. So tell me, what exactly ARE all those nutcases running for, anyhow?" he was startled at her accuracy, but as usual, didn't give off even a single vibe that he was even slightly impressed.
"Them? They're all running for Student Council, president of the Student Council, actually. Don't let those horrific posters fool you, though, quite a few of them are fairly bright students. They're campaign managers are the dunces," he laughed patronizingly, and Kagome raised an eyebrow.
"Who's your brother's campaign manager, then?" she inquired curiously, cocking her head to one side.
"Me," he answered shortly, either unaware of what he'd just implied, or clearly undaunted by it.
"Ahhhh," she answered wisely, but Inuyasha could hear the underlying sarcasm in her voice. He rolled his eyes at her, but decided it would be best to drop the subject completely.
"So anyway, where'd you move here from again?" he attempted to steer the topic away from himself, and luckily she took the bait.
"Tokyo," she said bluntly, not in the mood to get all talkative. She was feeling somewhat drowsy, all she really wanted was to lie down on a bed and take that five hour nap of hers...
"Tokyo? I used to live there when I was younger," he shrugged. "Sure is different here, ain't it?" now THERE was a subject she could relate to. Suddenly looking a lot more interested in the conversation, she nodded her head jerkily before pulling herself up to a sitting position, her head evacuating from its previous spot upon the table.
"Yes, to a ridiculous extent! Over there, everything is so lively and bustling and full of action and life! Over here, everybody seems friendly and sweet and just about perfect. I'm beginning to wonder if you're all drones. Where's the action? Where's the adventure?" she slammed her fist upon the table a few times subconsciously. Inuyasha chuckled inwardly, he was liking this girl's temper already, if she was this riled up over something so small, maybe he'd finally found a person with a temper to match his own fiery one.
"Things won't be so different once you go to school tomorrow. You'll see," he shrugged indifferently. "School can be as ruthless here as it would be in any city, maybe even one as large as Tokyo".
"How many students? And how'd ya know I was going to YOUR school, anyhow?" she narrowed her eyes accusingly. Why did everybody here seem to know everything about her private life?
"I'm not really sure. About two thousand, I think," he ignored her surprised gasp. "And I only knew because that old bat of yours is my tutor; she told me about your situation and told me to keep a lookout for you at school," he smirked. "So tell me, what was it like dealing drugs?" his smirk grew wider as her temper seemed to spark, just what he had been hoping for.
"I WASN'T DEALING DRUGS!" her scream could've attracted attention from her friends back in Tokyo, never mind the tiny ice cream parlor. The clerks and a few worried students turned toward her warily, and she blushed, burying her face into her arms. After a few minutes of awkward silence, the students finally engaged back in their conversations, Kagome no different. "I wasn't dealing drugs, you incompetent asshole," she'd lowered her voice considerably by this point. "I was helping to transport them, and I didn't even know I was doing it. I was being used, and I'm the one who ended up turning the whole lot of them into the police once I found out," she narrowed her eyes when she noticed his poorly suppressed chuckles. "And don't use that patronizing tone with me, you jerk, I know your kind. You'll do anything to get under people's skin. You're like one of those annoying mosquitoes that just won't quit biting!" she finished sourly, glaring at the boy, who seemed slightly annoyed at her accusations.
"Hey wench, don't go crying to me just because you're too weak to 'fess up to the past. Honestly, if it'd been me, I'd have fuckin bragged about it to anybody who came within two feet, and here you are making every damned excuse you can think of," he crossed his arms. "You're not really the girl I thought you were," he remarked callously, ignoring the fiery anger dancing in the girl's wide brown pupils.
"And you're obviously not the kind gentlemen I'd thought you to be, you sad excuse for a human!" she sprang out of her seat rather suddenly, flippantly throwing her purse back over her shoulder before sauntering toward the doorway, her head held high. "I'm going home, jerk!" she spewed crossly, her anger even more fueled by his next words.
"Hey wench, your shoelace is untied," she glanced down at her feet only to see that the boy was indeed, correct, her shoelaces were spilling all over the ground. Somewhat flustered, she waved a hand behind her, dismissing all contact with the boy.
"Maybe I like it that way," she muttered, not sure herself whether she was talking about a shoelace or lack of contact. She scowled furiously; did he really think she couldn't hear the sadistic laughter floating through the cracks in the dusty door?
"See you at school!" his shout invaded her thoughts, and she whirled around, bristling when she saw he had already long since passed. She vaguely wondered how he'd managed to move so fast, but dismissed the thoughts. She had matters much more pressing weighing heavily on her mind at the moment...
School for instance.
A/N: I WAS gonna put this on hiatus, but for some reason I just felt like updating today, and I couldn't get the new ideas flowing outta my head. So I'll just continue to update this as I see fit, but once A Whole New World is finished I can concentrate more.... though Shades of Gray will be my first priority.
Chapter Three
Sundae
It was a monotonously average Sunday afternoon in the near invisible suburban town of Tanaka. The sun peeked out over the impending clouds, beating down upon the heads of traveling civilians and passer-bys with their heads kept down and their feet pounding an unsteady rhythm against the damp pavement. A lone tree swept overhead, looking very regal amidst the single story buildings and green, puffy bushes, but Kagome remained undaunted by it. After all, the calm serenity of this place couldn't even be compared the noisy, bustling streets of Tokyo, full of lively citizens going about their respective business with briefcases in hand, but their heads still lowered and their feet still moving at an impressive speed. It seemed to Kagome that, no matter where you went, people were always hurrying. Hurrying for school, hurrying for their doctor's appointment, or just plain hurrying about for no valid reason; it didn't matter what the circumstances. Everybody just plain seemed to conform to the societal trend of hurrying every which way, never taking the time to drink in and appreciate the natural beauties around them.
And at this precise moment, Kagome's aesthetic sense wasn't functioning particularly well either, the swaying of the trees or the whisper of the wind seemed to be the last things on the troubled girl's mind. She dug her toes into the gutter, which for whatever reason seemed to be absent of any rainwater. With a sigh, her head sank onto her hands as she sat dismally on the curb's edge, willing any passing bus to ram her and be done with it. Her will to live was slowly disappearing, though she was not so idiotic as to think even for a moment that her problems were anything particularly extreme. After all, there WERE starving homeless people in third world countries, but since Kagome couldn't really be bothered with helping them at the moment, they'd just have to wait. She had her own selfish whims to deal with.
"Bored, bored bored," she muttered softly as her head lolled to the left, her feet tapping an unfamiliar melody into the dust. Her raven locks seemed to sway a bit in time with the wind, but Kagome didn't seem to care about or even acknowledge the usually annoying gesture. In fact, she didn't really seem to be acknowledging much of anything at all. She was too busy drifting off into her own world of melancholy thoughts.
It had been only the previous Wednesday that she'd been sent to this dismal and dreary town, and Kagome despised every minute of it. No, not sent. Unwillingly dropped on her ass seemed to suit the situation to a T.
She was supossed to start school the following day, but really, did she even care? It wasn't as if life would miraculously improve the minute she strolled through the high school doors, not if television was supposed to be a tasteful sample of the real world. She understood how ridiculous it would be to believe everything you may read or hear, but she knew enough to deduct that her welcome wouldn't be embraced with open arms.
Though, strangely, hearty welcomes had been all she'd received since her arrival here. While she'd barely spoken even two words to the stoically silent Kaede, the door had almost been knocked off its hinges from all the vigorous knocking being administered upon it. At least four people had arrived bearing gifts and greetings, anywhere from a jelly pudding to fuzzy green zebra slippers. She had to admit that the jelly pudding was scrumptious, though the slippers would probably be shoved into a dark storage closet somewhere in Switzerland, but Shippo (she thought that'd been the kid's name anyhow) didn't have to know that.
Really, it had been strangely unnerving to greet all of these enthusiastic visitors, seeing as it was definitely different from the Tokyo custom she was used to of totally ignoring new people until they'd been in town at least a few weeks. When she'd first moved there, nobody had talked to her until her dear friend Eri's family had moved in across the block, making her the fresh "new kid" and Kagome a resident old-timer. She'd made sure to be especially kind to Eri, however, for she knew what the cruel conduct of the "silent treatment" could do to you.
"Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name," she hummed softly to herself, tapping a ratty sneaker to the beat. "And they're always glad you came..," she trailed off with a giggle. Oh, how she'd miss her cable T.V.
Out of the blue, a blur of dark matter shot up from the dusty road behind her, seemingly halting in midair above her head. With a high- pitched shriek, she threw her hands over her head and darted to the side, just barely grazing the rough material above her, which she now recognized as the bottom of a skateboard complete with a hot-shot surly skateboarder smirking cockily at the dazed girl.
"Sorry about that, miss," he feigned apology, though you could tell he was trying his hardest to sound convincing. Maybe kindness just didn't come natural to certain people, but Kagome shrugged off the uneasy tension plummeting into her heart. The man from above held out a hand to the fallen girl, which she gripped steadily as she allowed herself to be pulled to shaky feet. With a rueful grin, she held out her opposite hand toward the man, deciding it couldn't hurt to accept all opportunities for friendship, especially in new experiences such as these.
"Kagome Higurashi," she tried to keep her voice from quivering. Her customary shyness was beginning to harness its grip on her, and she had to battle her hardest to keep from giving in. She smiled up at the man once again, relieved to see that his hand was shooting out to reciprocate the shake.
"Kouga. Nice to meet you," he tipped an imaginary hat. "So, you're the fresh meat, huh?" he smiled, but she couldn't help but notice that the smile just seemed a little too patronized.
"If you mean the new girl, then yes, it would be me," she shook her hair back nervously. "I moved here from Tokyo just a few days ago".
"Excellent," he nodded coolly, and Kagome couldn't help but envy the confidence he seemed to ooze. Though she couldn't see his eyes under the bulky black helmet, she was confident that they were probably a piercing blue, or else a deep, murky brown. Either way, she was certain that they were full of charm and had a natural sparkle for life. Call it a 6th sense, but it had always been quite easy for her to decipher those sorts of things about people, especially strangers. "You goin to Tama High?" he studied her quizzically as she gave a jerky nod.
"Yup, I'm starting there tomorrow," she grinned lightheartedly, and he couldn't help but return the infectious gesture.
"Coolness. So I guess I'll be seein ya then. I'm off to board with some of the gang, you wanna come meet 'em?" he dropped his board out from under his armpit and leapt on it without so much as a single flinch. Kagome couldn't deny that the boy had style.
"Nah, s'ok. I think I'm just gonna stay here for awhile," her smile was beginning to feel rather plastic, and she hurriedly waved the boy out of sight. "See you during school!" she called out eagerly, and the boy returned her wave absently as he concentrated his efforts on wheelies down the road, she supposed trying to impress her.
'That or I really am becoming too conceited for my own good,' she thought dryly, turning in the direction which she had arrived from only minutes earlier to begin the long trudge back home. Truthfully, she wasn't in the mood for pleasantries, and the sooner she could arrive home and take a five hour nap, the better. She sighed drearily and ambled morosely down the road, glancing backwards toward the receding dust every so often. She was feeling awfully hungry, and she had yet to come upon any sort of eatery in this entire sad excuse for a town.
"How the heck do people eat around here?" she glanced around, a last hope for some sort of nourishment lingering within her. Her eyes lit up brightly as she spotted a tiny ice cream shop resting on the corner of the road, which, other then a real estate agency and a poor looking bowling alley, seemed to be the only structure around for a mile at least. A new skip in her step, she sauntered up to the front doorway, a small amount of her amiable demeanor renewed at the concept of a frosty, gooey ice cream cone. She pulled open the drab looking front door without much effort on her part, and basked in the front entryway for a minute or so, relishing the feeling of the air conditioner running full blast as it tussled her raven hair.
After a minute of drowning in the cool, she strolled into the ice cream parlor, her purse thumping casually against her side. Her eyes lit up delightedly, and her face broke into a jubilant grin as she took in the sights around her. This looked just like one of those American diners she'd visited with her mother only three years ago! A few stools sat before a checkered counter, each supporting an eagerly chattering student among them, though Kagome felt no inclination to go near. She didn't recognize a single one of these people from her little welcoming crew, and she had no intention of humiliating herself in front of strangers just yet. Besides, these people didn't look particularly approachable anyhow.
Her gaze lingered on the happy-go-lucky men behind the counter as they chattered away just as enthusiastically, occasionally chiming in to the conversations of the students, who listened attentively to them as if they were all gossiping high schoolers and not balding forty year old men. She wasn't sure whether to be impressed or revolted by the sight, but then decided that the thought of a city where everybody felt comfortable and associated with one another frequently was actually quite endearing and yet baffling at the same time. In her short time here, she had yet to see any fighting, hatred, crime, or even a tiny argument between friends. It wasn't as if she'd come from a criminal induced city where the crime rate rose nearly as high as the population, but compared to the pleasant demeanors she'd witnessed here, she might as well have lived in a crime infested city with street gangs and thugs around every corner.
Her eyes traveled to the walls, whose paint seemed to be peeling by the day, as half the wall was white and the other half seemed to be naught more then wood, but it wasn't this that caught the curious girl's eyes. Scattered posters littered the edges of the walls, strewn in nearly every corner or free space. Only one large gap appeared, and on a second glance, Kagome saw that the gap was none other then a windowpane. She strolled timidly toward the posters, for some reason they felt intimidating and yet intriguing at the same time. Truthfully, she didn't understand why she felt anything at all, they were mere pieces of paper after all, but even her logical head couldn't stop her imploring curiosity from exploring whatever it wished.
The first poster she glanced at had the face of a startlingly pretty girl drawn in the center, and Kagome couldn't help but notice the evident similarities to her own. Shrugging the matter off as mere coincidence, she glanced beneath the striking picture to read the text below. In large black ink, calligraphy lettering was sprinkled across the page, and Kagome knew in a second that whoever had been in charge of the calligraphy had done an awful job. After a few more glances, she was finally able to decipher the contents of the poster, having to stifle her laughter once she could read it allowed.
"Don't be a freak-yo, vote for Kikyo!" she choked out between giggles, shocked that anybody could think up such an awful campaign slogan. Turning her gaze to the poster beside it, she found she couldn't contain her giggles and clutched her sides in hearty laughter.
"Kikyo is a fine woman, but if she can't do it, Yura can!" she laughed harder. She wasn't blaming the candidates for this, for she understood how campaign managers worked, but she felt sorry for whatever organization they happened to be running for. Their group would probably go to ruins in a two day time span, and even that would be pushing the limits.
The sound of a bell tinkled behind her, signaling the arriver of a newcomer, though nobody seemed to pay him any heed. She shrugged and turned back to the posters, glancing at each one in turn, and noting with a mixture of displeasure and amusement that each one was more ridiculous then the last.
She'd just gotten past "VOTE FOR ME OR DIE, DAMNIT!" when a hand tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to whirl around and try to suppress her giggles at the same time. She found the task was impossible, however, when she found herself looking into the same amber orbs featured on the "VOTE FOR ME OR DIE" poster she'd been glancing at only moments ago. Choking in a fit of laughter, she ignored the raising of a quizzical eyebrow before her, as the boy slowly began to back away from the chuckling girl.
"O.K, you're a nut then...," he muttered softly, not exactly frightened, but not exactly at ease. Kagome seemed to sober for a second, placing a hand over her heart to catch her breath before easing toward the somewhat perturbed boy.
"I love your campaign slogan," she teased gently. "Really inspiring and all that".
He gave a sarcastic chuckle before looking back at the girl, slightly confused. "I'm not running, dimwit, that spot's for girls and wussies. That's my brother Sesshomaru you were gawking at, not me," he finished smugly, noting in satisfaction that a somewhat embarrassed flush seemed to spread across the girl's cheeks, though it disappeared within seconds of its debut.
He slid into a booth and gestured for her to sit across from him, which she did without hesitation. "So, what's your name anyhow?" he feigned polite conversation.
"Kagome Higurashi, but judging by your expression, you don't really give a shit. So tell me, what exactly ARE all those nutcases running for, anyhow?" he was startled at her accuracy, but as usual, didn't give off even a single vibe that he was even slightly impressed.
"Them? They're all running for Student Council, president of the Student Council, actually. Don't let those horrific posters fool you, though, quite a few of them are fairly bright students. They're campaign managers are the dunces," he laughed patronizingly, and Kagome raised an eyebrow.
"Who's your brother's campaign manager, then?" she inquired curiously, cocking her head to one side.
"Me," he answered shortly, either unaware of what he'd just implied, or clearly undaunted by it.
"Ahhhh," she answered wisely, but Inuyasha could hear the underlying sarcasm in her voice. He rolled his eyes at her, but decided it would be best to drop the subject completely.
"So anyway, where'd you move here from again?" he attempted to steer the topic away from himself, and luckily she took the bait.
"Tokyo," she said bluntly, not in the mood to get all talkative. She was feeling somewhat drowsy, all she really wanted was to lie down on a bed and take that five hour nap of hers...
"Tokyo? I used to live there when I was younger," he shrugged. "Sure is different here, ain't it?" now THERE was a subject she could relate to. Suddenly looking a lot more interested in the conversation, she nodded her head jerkily before pulling herself up to a sitting position, her head evacuating from its previous spot upon the table.
"Yes, to a ridiculous extent! Over there, everything is so lively and bustling and full of action and life! Over here, everybody seems friendly and sweet and just about perfect. I'm beginning to wonder if you're all drones. Where's the action? Where's the adventure?" she slammed her fist upon the table a few times subconsciously. Inuyasha chuckled inwardly, he was liking this girl's temper already, if she was this riled up over something so small, maybe he'd finally found a person with a temper to match his own fiery one.
"Things won't be so different once you go to school tomorrow. You'll see," he shrugged indifferently. "School can be as ruthless here as it would be in any city, maybe even one as large as Tokyo".
"How many students? And how'd ya know I was going to YOUR school, anyhow?" she narrowed her eyes accusingly. Why did everybody here seem to know everything about her private life?
"I'm not really sure. About two thousand, I think," he ignored her surprised gasp. "And I only knew because that old bat of yours is my tutor; she told me about your situation and told me to keep a lookout for you at school," he smirked. "So tell me, what was it like dealing drugs?" his smirk grew wider as her temper seemed to spark, just what he had been hoping for.
"I WASN'T DEALING DRUGS!" her scream could've attracted attention from her friends back in Tokyo, never mind the tiny ice cream parlor. The clerks and a few worried students turned toward her warily, and she blushed, burying her face into her arms. After a few minutes of awkward silence, the students finally engaged back in their conversations, Kagome no different. "I wasn't dealing drugs, you incompetent asshole," she'd lowered her voice considerably by this point. "I was helping to transport them, and I didn't even know I was doing it. I was being used, and I'm the one who ended up turning the whole lot of them into the police once I found out," she narrowed her eyes when she noticed his poorly suppressed chuckles. "And don't use that patronizing tone with me, you jerk, I know your kind. You'll do anything to get under people's skin. You're like one of those annoying mosquitoes that just won't quit biting!" she finished sourly, glaring at the boy, who seemed slightly annoyed at her accusations.
"Hey wench, don't go crying to me just because you're too weak to 'fess up to the past. Honestly, if it'd been me, I'd have fuckin bragged about it to anybody who came within two feet, and here you are making every damned excuse you can think of," he crossed his arms. "You're not really the girl I thought you were," he remarked callously, ignoring the fiery anger dancing in the girl's wide brown pupils.
"And you're obviously not the kind gentlemen I'd thought you to be, you sad excuse for a human!" she sprang out of her seat rather suddenly, flippantly throwing her purse back over her shoulder before sauntering toward the doorway, her head held high. "I'm going home, jerk!" she spewed crossly, her anger even more fueled by his next words.
"Hey wench, your shoelace is untied," she glanced down at her feet only to see that the boy was indeed, correct, her shoelaces were spilling all over the ground. Somewhat flustered, she waved a hand behind her, dismissing all contact with the boy.
"Maybe I like it that way," she muttered, not sure herself whether she was talking about a shoelace or lack of contact. She scowled furiously; did he really think she couldn't hear the sadistic laughter floating through the cracks in the dusty door?
"See you at school!" his shout invaded her thoughts, and she whirled around, bristling when she saw he had already long since passed. She vaguely wondered how he'd managed to move so fast, but dismissed the thoughts. She had matters much more pressing weighing heavily on her mind at the moment...
School for instance.