Disclaimer: I don't own IY, YYH, or anything else of value, unless pocket lint is worth something...
Roast Beef
Kagome sat in detention, bored to death. Since her days in the Feudal Era had commenced, she had become adept at getting the maximum amount of work done in the minimum amount of time, meaning that by day two she had caught up on her late assignments from her days of "disease."
She wished that her little spiky-haired friend was in here. The angry glares and evil looks he gave her always made detention fun. Especially yesterday, when they had been passing notes back and forth. He had, of course, been quite rude in his responses, but she doubted that Inuyasha would have responded at all. She sighed, realizing that the hanyou had certainly lowered her standards for boys. Before her visits to the past had commenced, she wouldn't have looked at "Kuroi" twice.
She was seated in what was usually the little fellow's seat, which was directly beside the only window in the room. A highly sought-after seat, but no one was about to contest her choice of the place, as she was seen as "The Short Boy's Friend" and therefore considered about as dangerous as pure potassium in a rainstorm.
There was a chilly breeze blowing in from the direction of the outside world, and Kagome caught some voices in a conversation.
"Have you found it yet?" a soft, sensual voice was saying. "Or is that girl still harassing you?"
"Kagome?" another snorted. She immediately perked up at the mention of her name, struggling to listen in to their conversation. "I've known her for two days, and already I want to kill her."
Angrily, Kagome glared out the window, searching for whoever was speaking, and saw that it was her miniature friend. Ah, if looks could kill.
"If I did not know better, Hiei, I would say that you like her. You certainly speak of her often enough," the first voice responded in a smooth, even tone. So his name's Hiei, Kagome thought, filing the information in the back of her mind.
"Me and a ningen woman? That is so ridiculous that it is nearly humorous," Hiei answered. It took a moment for the words to register in Kagome's mind. Wait... the way he said that suggests that he isn't human... She looked at Hiei suspiciously.
"Isn't that her watching us from the window over there?" his calm companion wondered.
Kagome saw Hiei's eyes widen as they locked onto her own. She smiled and waved at him, forgetting detention for a moment. His eyes narrowed into the familiar expression that Kagome now called his "Glare of Doom," and she could almost see the anger lines emanating from him. Now he turned to his red-headed companion, who was laughing cheerfully, and attacked...
*~*~*
Kagome sat in class impatiently, waiting for the bell to ring. When it did, she would have ten minutes of free time before she had to go to detention, in which time she intended to speak to Hiei. Overhearing that conversation he'd had with his friend had given her a thousand new questions to ask him. She especially wanted to know, what, exactly, he was looking for, though she had a sinking feeling in her stomach that it was contained in a tiny glass jar that she had brought with her from the Feudal Era. Anyone who referred to her as "ningen" and was searching for something was definitely not the type of person she should be around.
Especially if she was concerned for her life.
She glanced up at the clock and nearly squealed with glee, beginning the ten-second countdown. There was complete silence for a moment, and then with a clang the bell alerted them all that class was now over. There was a stampede of students as everyone rushed out of the classroom at once, rushing to get home. Kagome would be staying for some time yet, so she was in no hurry to leave, as escape couldn't take place for a few hours yet.
She skip-hopped down the hall, searching for her small friend, and finally stumbled upon him when the halls were nearly empty. He was talking to his red-headed friend from earlier, who was (amazingly) unscathed from their earlier bout.
"Hello," she greeted them, announcing her presence. Both of them looked at her, Hiei angrily and the red-head coolly.
"Good afternoon," the red-head said, giving her a sweeping bow. Kagome gazed at him curiously; there was something strange about him, and now that she was looking for it, Hiei had something similarly odd. She wondered why she hadn't noticed it before.
"Hn," Hiei stated, barely acknowledging her presence.
For a moment, all three of them stood there, unsure of what to say, and then Kagome remembered her question. I know it's none of my business, but... "What, exactly, is it that you're looking for?"
Boy. And she thought that the looks Hiei had given her earlier had been nasty.
"It is a rather private matter," the redhead explained with a shrug.
"Oh. A guy thing?" Kagome wondered aloud. Deciding to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach, she decided to keep prodding.
"Hn," Hiei agreed, seizing the excuse. "It is a matter in which a nin--erm, female would not be interested." The red-head nodded fervently as his friend spoke.
"Oh," Kagome sighed, glancing at her watch. "Oops! Time for detention! Come on, Hiei!" She reached for his arm, but he moved behind the red-head.
"I'm not going today, girl," he announced.
"Well, then neither am I, boy," Kagome said in a fair imitation of the diminutive boy. He scowled at her.
"Hiei, lets get going. Our rendezvous with the others is in fifteen minutes," the red-head said. "We'll speak with you later, Kagome!" With a "hn", Hiei turned and walked away. His companion leaned closer to Kagome. "That's his way of saying, 'I'll see you tomorrow,'" he translated.
"I've known him for three days, and I've already figured that much out!" Kagome said with a grin.
The fellow smiled right back at her. "My name is Kurama, by the way."
"Well, then it was a pleasure meeting you, Kurama." Kagome flourished her words with a bow.
"Same to you, Lady Kagome." With those words, he left, leaving Kagome all alone in the halls.
What to do? she thought. I don't have many options. But I do want to know what... Her eyes narrowed evilly as she slunk after the two boys, humming the Mission Impossible theme song.
*~*~*
Kagome sighed, wondering if these two would ever reach their destination. How slow could you get? She had been following them for nearly an hour. And they had said that their rendezvous was in fifteen minutes! That only could mean one thing. They were super-paranoid and were therefore suspicious that she was tailing them and hoped to hide their deep, dark secret from her by avoiding their friends and...
"It looks as though they have finally arrived," Kurama announced. Or maybe their friends were just late...
"Hn. It's about time," Hiei snorted.
"Hey, Hiei! Hey, Kurama! Sorry I'm late!" a boy in green with slicked-back hair exclaimed, waving to his two friends.
"Did you find the Shikon Jewel yet?" an oversized oaf of a human being shouted in greeting.
"Baka. Do you want the whole world to know?" Hiei scolded. Kagome's eyes blanked as she sunk to the ground. They were after the Shikon Jewel, dammit. That made them enemies, didn't it? And just when she'd begun to like her new friend...
"Looks like she already knows," the fellow with slicked-back hair said suddenly. Kagome let her eyes focus on a black blur in front of her and realized that it was him. "Are you okay?" He waved his hand in front of her face. "She's officially zoned out."
The other three gathered around Kagome. "Is she okay?" the oaf asked.
"How should I know?" Hiei snarled.
"Kagome?" Kurama said, checking her pulse.
Kagome snapped out of her stupor and realized just where she was. They say I'm a powerful miko... now WHY CAN'T I VANISH!!! She squinted for a moment, struggling to access her powers, to no avail. Deciding that it would be best to play dumb, she whispered, "What is a Shikon Jewel? Is it the guy thing you said you were looking for?"
"Wait... I'm confused..." the oaf said, scratching his orange head.
"Hn. That is nothing new."
"Hey.. wait. You know them?" the fellow in green asked.
"She's Hiei's girlfriend," Kurama explained.
"Take that back, kitsune, or I swear I will..."
Kagome coughed, reminding them of her presence. Kitsune? What the hell? Like Shippo?
"The Shikon Jewel," Kurama began, hopefully about to answer her question. If they knew what it actually was, that was bad news. "is a powerful artifact. It can grant its owner's wish."
"That's it?" she whined. "It seems a bit... anti-climactic. After all you guys were doing to try and conceal what you were searching for from me..."
"Hn. Stupid girl. There ar--- Augh! What was that for?" As he spoke, his friend in green had whacked him over the head.
"If she's your girlfriend, show some respect, Hiei," Green-Boy said.
Choosing to ignore his friend's comment, he continued his explanation. "As I was saying, there are... bad people searching for this Jewel, and just knowing what we seek could attract them to you."
Kagome had always had a bit of an evil side, and now it decided to take over. "You do care, Hiei!" she giggled, throwing her arms around him. You've done it now, Kagome. You've signed your death warrant.
To her everlasting surprise, he stood there completely still for a moment, then returned the hug, though it was only so that he could get close enough to whisper, "As soon as they're gone, Kagome..." He let the threat hang on the air. She just smiled wider and hugged him harder. He smells like roast beef... she thought.