I thought I should wait for at least one review, but I had exams anyway so my next chapter was delayed... Not that anyone noticed my story anyway.. ;; 'Christina', I know you're So-Jung. -.-; You can't read this... can you? o.O

Disclaimer: I might as well own Inuyasha. I've drawn his pictures and he's in my sketchbook. He's mine. :3 -gets pummeled by threats- -brandishes katana- Fine! I don't own... -mumbles something-

Hah! :P I never actually said it, and I never actually didn't say it either.

If only there was real person with Inuyasha's looks. 3 (Don't hit me.)

Anything But This

Chapter 2

Bad Day

She was lost.

Or was that the house? She wasn't sure at all. The paper in which she had hastily written the address...didn't exactly have the legible handwriting she required for herself to read it.

Scratching her head, Kagome tried her best to read the letters and numbers, and randomly picked a house. She prayed she would be lucky. Crumpling up the paper which had no use to her in the first place, she threw it behind a garbage can leaning against a brick wall and heard a cat yowl. Oops. "Sorry!" She apologized to the feline, but it was obvious she wasn't understood, for it hissed as she neared. Shrugging, she went around the brick wall to the front of the dwelling.

It wasn't a house. More of a modest mansion, with large black gates that led to a large path which in turn, led to two large front doors. Such big things overwhelmed her. Those gates were in her way. With some exasperation, she tried to push them open with her shoulder, already knowing that it was futile to do so. Oddly enough, they opened, and she stumbled in.

Dusting invisible filth off her clothes, she found that the front doors were also unlocked, and pondered why as she opened them. Either they had lousy security, or someone had just left or entered the house. They might as well have shut the doors properly though.

Stepping in, she was immediately met by exquisite architecture, grand designs and... uh. lots of rooms. What was she going to do now?...

"Blast." She mumbled slightly, before taking her steps gingerly on the rugs and carpets. They were probably worth more than her entire wardrobe combined. With her confusement, she had forgotten her previous sinister motives, and was as harmless as a kitten.

So it was not really a surprise when she gasped slightly as she saw a woman in a light purple robe, her hair wrapped in the same coloured towel. Her face was extremely queer however, and soon Kagome was able to discern it was probably a facial mask. Or...some kind of moisturizing cream? She was never good with make-up and things. Those kind of things never occured to her. Her mother wouldn't have allowed her to anyway. Even at this age...

"Tutor...?" The woman mumbled. Or was it 'Neuter?' Kagome nodded slowly, then understood a few seconds later.

"Ah!" The woman clapped as if she had discovered something extraordinary. "Hinally you haf cuh." Uh. What was that again?

The woman parted her lips again to speak, but didn't make a sound. Kagome could see a good portion of her face crack, or rather, it was whatever that was on it that was cracking. Suddenly she made a whining noise, hands coming to her face. Then a squeak, and the older woman ran out of the room.

She raised her eyebrow. Maybe whatever that was on her face had dried? Strange... But obviously very rich. She could just imagine the amount of zeros she would see soon in her wallet.

That would only happen if she taught her student, and she was obviously right in coming here. Wandering around for a bit, she found some stairs and began climbing them before she saw a boy probably two years older than her. He had long river of white hair with a silver sheen, and for a moment she was paralyzed with the desire to touch it. This couldn't be her new student, could it?

Probably not. He was obviously more intelligent than her and it didn't seem like he was waiting for someone like her to come teach him. But, better safe than sorry.

"Hi." She said softly, before regaining her confidence. Her voice slipped into her false but seemingly genuine tone of understanding and patience. Lord knows she had little of those. "I'm Higurashi Kagome, and soon to be tutoring someone who lives here. Would that possibly be you?" She smiled.

He looked at her, turning to her slowly and her thoughts were immediately confirmed. No smile, no emotion, just an impassive but almost bored look. He was intelligent, but it didn't seem like he felt anything about it. Or felt anything about anything at all.

"No." He said monotonously. "That would be my brother, Inuyasha. I am Sesshoumaru." She inwardly gulped. Unique names, peculiar names... Scary names.

Sesshoumaru looked right at Kagome strangely, and she could feel herself squirming under his stare. Suddenly he spoke. "I trust you will teach my brother well." It wasn't a question, nor a request. It was like a command from some high and powerful, and she hadn't been ordered around like so before.

Before she had a change to even comprehend that, he was already walking down the rest of the stairs and going out the door she had just come out of a few minutes earlier. She was able to conclude he wouldn't be around much, and also that she wouldn't like him.

She was getting more and more frightened as she climbed the steps. It was pretty evident that 'Inuyasha' would either be as strange, or stranger than the rest of his family. They could at least be more polite... Be more ready to welcome her, at least tell her where Inuyasha's room was!

Huffing as she reached the top of the stairs, she could hear a muffled bang. Something hard falling on carpet probably. It was behind the door to an ominous looking room. Slowly she approached, pushing open the door gently.

"Hello....?" She whispered softly.

No one was there.

She entered slowly, seeing an object on the floor that had probably been the cause of the thump. She gently dropped her bag onto a table. Picking the anonymous object up, she saw it to be a picture frame and took a closer look at the picture. A white-haired boy, with a coy smirked on his face. In his hand was a snowball, and as she continued to walk around the very large room, she saw more pictures of the strange boy. Probably Inuyasha...

Another thump.

She whirled around quickly, and inhaled sharply. Reflexively her hand flew out to slap the person. Someone grabbed her wrist effortlessly. Whirling around, she was nose to chest to....who?

Kagome rose her head slowly, and saw that same white-haired boy, but probably her age now. First she registered his looks, then she finally realized why she felt so uncomfortable. Particularly, the things that were wrong. All piling up, really.

One. He was invading her personal space. Two. Someone should know she would have been shocked enough to attack the person that alarmed her. Three. Let go of my hand!

Making an effort to keep the same expression she had had in front of Sesshoumaru earlier, she calmly spoke.

"It would be nice if you would release my hand."

Something twitched on his head. Her gaze flew to them. Then she started hyperventilating. Ears? Ears?? White ears?? What the hell was going on?

"Who are you?"

He asked roughly, letting go of her wrist. She resisted the urge to glare at him, point a finger in front of his nose and... Oh my god. Those ears had 'moved'. Clutching the fabric of her shirt at her chest, she whispered a prayer before speaking.

"Higurashi Kagome, Inuyasha's tutor. You are Inuyasha, right?"

He looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Suddenly he shoved past her to a couch, flipping out a lighter and a cigarette. Flopping down, he lit the cigarette, inhaling huge breaths at a time.

"I don't need a tutor."

Kagome didn't need that either. Although anyone else might have shrugged that away, she wasn't known for being too lenient. Especially when things were whirling in all different directions. Everything was just not 'right'. Miroku and Kouga, strange families, funky abnormal ears and a pupil that was probably her same age. She could go on with this one. Egotistic behavior, smoking...she was making lists in her head again.

"Look." She said snappishly, marching up to him boldly. "I never said you needed a tutor, or that you didn't need one. I just 'am' your tutor, so deal with it."

His eyes widened, then immediately narrowed. He rose to a rigid, straight position. It reminded her of a dog anticipating a treat or waiting for a command from it's owner. Ironic really. "Do you want to die, bitch?"

She looked at him disbelievingly and then rolled her eyes. "Petty threats don't scare me. And by the way, there are a few rules before we start our lessons. Number one. No smoking. Number two. Don't call me a bitch."

Kagome eyed the cigarette he was puffing warily. He flicked the smoldering ash onto her shoes, before standing again. He was obviously undaunted. Suddenly she regretted her words. He was awfully tall to be her student. Tall and intimidating.

"Like I give a flying rat's ass." He walked towards the window that she hadn't noticed before, but still continued to glare at him.

"You know..." He threw his burned-up cigarette outside the window before flipping something out of his pocket deftly. Between his fingers was a flat, green bill. (I'm doing dollars here. Don't like it? Don't read.) He extended his hand, the ten dollar bill flapping slightly with the breeze coming through the open window. "I've got stuff to do and places to go, so just take this and don't tell my mum or dad." His amber eyes hardened to a flawless gold.

Typically, she wouldn't take from strangers and much less this new person with white ears on his white head who didn't look at all friendly. But his eyes hadn't their soft melting honey colour anymore. It was sharp and lethal. She doubted those were actual colours. Hesitantly, she took the bill, making sure it was real. Money was good though, and she had more time to study. Win, win thing, right?

"So long then." He whipped his hand to the side carelessly and leaped out the window. Kagome gasped and ran to the edge. With an agility and accuracy a cat would admire, he jumped to the ground right below them with only a sharp 'whap' from his stylish shoes and ran off to another large extension of the house she hadn't seen. Seeing cars there, she guessed he wouldn't be walking to wherever he needed to go.

At least she was rid of one lesson, an obnoxious guy and got ten bucks along with more time for her studying than usual. Getting her pack, she noticed that it was at a different angle than she had last seen it on the table covered with pictures. Easily forgetting it, this belied her previous impatient disposition. She withdrew her wallet to insert her new ten into it. A few seconds later she realized her mistake.

"These are 'my' ten dollars!"

Another heartbeat, and her frustration was focused on one thing only. She crossed the four-step distance to the window in one leap.

"You jerk! Get back here!!" She could see him exiting with a motorcycle now. She screamed, not caring who heard anymore. "I'm telling your parents!!"

He looked at her with a surprised expression, and then smirked. "Like I said. I don't give."

A squeaky squeal slash roar noise came from the back of her throat as she tugged at the ends of her hair nervously. Accidently yanking off a few strands in the process, she clumsily found her way out of the seemingly empty house. Now she knew why he had used the window. So less complicated routes.

She could either try to stop him or something, actually follow her word and discuss this with his parents, or return home.

As much as she disliked the idea, her mother was still someone to complain to. And she was the punchbag. Besides, catching up with him, she'd need a really fast car. And if she told his mother and father, they might blame her for not even being able to watch out for him. As if she was a babysitter. Maybe that'd be better than having to teach people like her students...

Reaching the shrine, she shoved through the doors and whined.

"Maaa!!"

...

Thunk.

Guess what that sound was?

I need inspiration. Enough said.