Disclaimer: I don't have enough money to own Inuyasha :( If I had that
much money, you bet I'd be begging the owners to let me buy him and
everyone in the show!
The rest of the semester went rather slowly for Kagome and her friends. They went to school and did their homework, made their usual trips to the laboratory, and hung out together after school. Nothing out of the ordinary happened at all. In fact, it was quite boring.
It was boring until the last week of school before winter break. Katori- sensai announced during their last in-class lesson that Dr. Mochizuki had offered to let one of the students from their class intern at his lab during the next semester of school. The chosen student would be under one of the other scientists at the facility and would assist them however that scientist desired. They would, however, be promised a roll in taking care of the youkai no matter what else the scientist wanted them to do.
Upon hearing this, the entire class started to buzz with excitement. Everyone, of course, wanted to be the one chosen for the internship, but only one out of the thirty-five in the class could be. The chattering went on for a while before someone asked how they could be picked. All eyes turned to the front of the classroom as they awaited their teacher's answer.
"There will be a test after school on the last day of the semester to see who gets to go. It will be over everything that you have learned about youkai during this class and your lectures from Dr. Mochizuki. The student with the highest grade will earn the internship and will hear from the lab over the winter break. Everyone else will receive their tests back, but will not be contacted by the facility. Does everyone understand the terms?"
The class nodded as everyone began pulling out their books and notes. They would have to study hard to earn this honor, and all of them were going to give it their best shot.
Kagome looked around the room at her classmates as she opened her books to begin studying. They all looked just as eager as she felt, but she really wanted this opportunity. She had not only studied all of the assigned material for the class, she had also found every available book about youkai and read them as well. Kagome now knew even more about the subject than her teacher did, although she never let on that she did. Maybe she did have a shot at this.
The day of the test came and went, as did all of Kagome's finals. By the time school let out for winter, she was completely exhausted mentally. So, what better thing to do after a mentally challenging couple of weeks than hang out with your friends.
Mai and Kagome decided to meet up with a few other friends to eat supper and go see a new movie. They hadn't picked one yet, but there were plenty to chose from. Kagome didn't really care what they saw anyway; she just wanted to relax after studying so hard.
Kin, Mai's boyfriend, was waiting for them at the mall entrance when they arrived, as was a certain other boy. Hojo smiled brightly and waved when he saw them approaching. Kagome smiled, but her teeth were clenched. Trying not to show any annoyance, she leaned over to whisper in her friend's ear.
"Mai-chan, what do you think you're doing? You know I don't really want to go out with Hojo."
"Ahh, Kagome, he's perfect for you. Just be nice. You'll realize how great he is if you just give him a chance," Mai whispered back before running up to Kin and giving him a hug.
"Higarashi-san, it is good to see you again. How have you been?" Hojo asked, bowing politely as Kagome walked up to him. She bowed slightly in return before answering.
"I'm fine," she said, trying to smile her best. She could at least give him a chance like Mai said. "And yourself? I've heard that you're doing really well in school."
The young man laughed, showing off his great smile again. "I have been doing alright, although it is nothing to brag about. You're grades are much higher than mine as always, I'm sure."
Kagome kept her smile on her face as she sighed inwardly. He was great, but he was always far too polite. She wished he would just be real with her and drop all of the pretenses. Of course, she did the same thing to him....
"Alright, you guys, should we go get something to eat? I'm starved," Kin cut into her thoughts. Everyone nodded enthusiastically and off they went to find some food.
At the end of the evening, Mai gave Kagome a ride home, since she had been the one to drive to the mall. Seeing her friend's silent nature on the way home - which wasn't normal - she asked her what was on her mind.
"Nothing," Kagome said. Turning her gaze from the window towards the driver, she smiled. "Just thinking about my tests and everything." Her smile turned into a mock-annoyed glare as she continued, "And about the date you set me up for without even asking me. Thanks, Mai."
Mai smiled back, oblivious to her friend's annoyance. "No problem. He's really just perfect for you; you just don't realize it, yet. You two were so cute when we were little."
Kagome sighed. What would she do with her? Ever since they had been in middle school she had been trying to hook her up with one boy or another. Her recent obsession had been with getting her to go out with Hojo. He was a nice guy, but still. She sighed again. What was she going to do with her?
After she got home, Kagome went to tell her family goodnight and then retreated to her bedroom where she flopped down on her bed. Mai was so happy with Kin. They had been together for a year now. They had met at the beginning of their junior year and were a couple by Christmas. Why couldn't it be that easy for her? What if she didn't ever meet the right person? She was going to graduate after this next semester, and she had never had a boyfriend before! Was there something wrong with her?
Kagome sat up, forcing her thoughts to a halt. Of course there was nothing wrong with her! She just hadn't met the right person yet. He would come one day when it was the right time, and then they would fall in love and live happily ever after. She sighed contentedly, satisfied with her conclusion. Realizing that it was getting late, she went to take a shower before going to bed. Now the only thing bothering her was how long she would have to wait before getting her tests back, and see if she got that internship....
"Kagome! You have some mail down here! Come and get it!" Mrs. Higarashi called through the house when she got home. Laying the mail down on the coffee table, she went into the kitchen to start supper. Hearing her daughter come down the stairs, she turned her head back towards the living area. "It's on the coffee table, dear."
"Thanks, Mom," Kagome said, flipping through the bills and ads for her envelope. Finding it, she opened it quickly to see what it was. She'd already received her grades and she never got mail. A high-pitched squeal could be heard throughout the house as she read what the letter said. She ran into the kitchen to her mother, waving the letter in the air.
"Mom! I got it! I got it! I got the internship at Dr. Mochizuki's lab! This is so awesome! Oh! I gotta call Mai!" In a rush of wind, she was up the stairs and on the phone with her best friend in under five seconds. Mrs. Higarashi laughed as she heard more squealing coming from upstairs.
"So, Kagome, you have been accepted for an internship at a laboratory that studies youkai. This will be a good experience for you. You will learn many good things about history and demons."
"Yes, Grandfather, I get to intern at a youkai lab where I'll learn a lot about the past," Kagome said, rolling her eyes. He was always trying to teach them something about history and evil spirits of some sort. She had never really been interested when he told them his stories.
"Ooo, Sis, that is so cool! Can I come with you sometimes? I wanna see the demons, too," Souta, her little brother, asked, practically bouncing in his seat at the dinner table.
"No, Souta, I don't think you can come with me. The youkai are very dangerous and would eat you up," she said, patting him on the head. Sulking, he continued his supper.
"This will be a great opportunity for you, Kagome. I'm very happy for you. Just make sure that you're careful while you're there. It is a dangerous job," her mother instructed. Kagome nodded and finished her supper, still elated by her news.
Winter break couldn't have gone by any slower after Kagome found out that she had received the internship. She wouldn't be able to start until the first week of the new semester, and it was long in coming. The girl was almost giddy with excitement when school finally started again. She couldn't wait until after school was out to go to the lab and meet Dr. Kumaki. Then she would find out what her job would be like for the next five months.
AN: Yea! A new chapter :) Thanks for reviewing! I won't wait for a review after every chapter before deciding to update, just wanted to be sure that people really like this fic :) If you guys still want another chapter after this, I'll start updating on a regular basis, like once a week or something. It would be faster, but I'm fixing to be really busy. I'm taking Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, and PE this semester. But I promise to continue! Please send a review! They absolutely make my day! NEXT CHAPTER: Kagome goes to the lab and discusses her responsibilities with Dr. Kumaki. And she just happens to be there when they go to take care of a certain silver-headed inu-youkai.
ICE-QUEEN605 - Thanks so much :) You're my first review for this story!
Storm-Maker - I'm so glad that you like it! I will keep writing it :) I updated as fast as I could (I wrote all day today). Hope you enjoyed this chapter, too.
Silver Eyes Bright - I liked this idea and just mulled it over in my mind until I came up with something different. I'm glad that you like it :)
hiko ghert() - Thanks a lot for your review! I was about to post when I got it. That's just really cool :) Hearing that its original and good enough to keep it up is really encouraging!
The rest of the semester went rather slowly for Kagome and her friends. They went to school and did their homework, made their usual trips to the laboratory, and hung out together after school. Nothing out of the ordinary happened at all. In fact, it was quite boring.
It was boring until the last week of school before winter break. Katori- sensai announced during their last in-class lesson that Dr. Mochizuki had offered to let one of the students from their class intern at his lab during the next semester of school. The chosen student would be under one of the other scientists at the facility and would assist them however that scientist desired. They would, however, be promised a roll in taking care of the youkai no matter what else the scientist wanted them to do.
Upon hearing this, the entire class started to buzz with excitement. Everyone, of course, wanted to be the one chosen for the internship, but only one out of the thirty-five in the class could be. The chattering went on for a while before someone asked how they could be picked. All eyes turned to the front of the classroom as they awaited their teacher's answer.
"There will be a test after school on the last day of the semester to see who gets to go. It will be over everything that you have learned about youkai during this class and your lectures from Dr. Mochizuki. The student with the highest grade will earn the internship and will hear from the lab over the winter break. Everyone else will receive their tests back, but will not be contacted by the facility. Does everyone understand the terms?"
The class nodded as everyone began pulling out their books and notes. They would have to study hard to earn this honor, and all of them were going to give it their best shot.
Kagome looked around the room at her classmates as she opened her books to begin studying. They all looked just as eager as she felt, but she really wanted this opportunity. She had not only studied all of the assigned material for the class, she had also found every available book about youkai and read them as well. Kagome now knew even more about the subject than her teacher did, although she never let on that she did. Maybe she did have a shot at this.
The day of the test came and went, as did all of Kagome's finals. By the time school let out for winter, she was completely exhausted mentally. So, what better thing to do after a mentally challenging couple of weeks than hang out with your friends.
Mai and Kagome decided to meet up with a few other friends to eat supper and go see a new movie. They hadn't picked one yet, but there were plenty to chose from. Kagome didn't really care what they saw anyway; she just wanted to relax after studying so hard.
Kin, Mai's boyfriend, was waiting for them at the mall entrance when they arrived, as was a certain other boy. Hojo smiled brightly and waved when he saw them approaching. Kagome smiled, but her teeth were clenched. Trying not to show any annoyance, she leaned over to whisper in her friend's ear.
"Mai-chan, what do you think you're doing? You know I don't really want to go out with Hojo."
"Ahh, Kagome, he's perfect for you. Just be nice. You'll realize how great he is if you just give him a chance," Mai whispered back before running up to Kin and giving him a hug.
"Higarashi-san, it is good to see you again. How have you been?" Hojo asked, bowing politely as Kagome walked up to him. She bowed slightly in return before answering.
"I'm fine," she said, trying to smile her best. She could at least give him a chance like Mai said. "And yourself? I've heard that you're doing really well in school."
The young man laughed, showing off his great smile again. "I have been doing alright, although it is nothing to brag about. You're grades are much higher than mine as always, I'm sure."
Kagome kept her smile on her face as she sighed inwardly. He was great, but he was always far too polite. She wished he would just be real with her and drop all of the pretenses. Of course, she did the same thing to him....
"Alright, you guys, should we go get something to eat? I'm starved," Kin cut into her thoughts. Everyone nodded enthusiastically and off they went to find some food.
At the end of the evening, Mai gave Kagome a ride home, since she had been the one to drive to the mall. Seeing her friend's silent nature on the way home - which wasn't normal - she asked her what was on her mind.
"Nothing," Kagome said. Turning her gaze from the window towards the driver, she smiled. "Just thinking about my tests and everything." Her smile turned into a mock-annoyed glare as she continued, "And about the date you set me up for without even asking me. Thanks, Mai."
Mai smiled back, oblivious to her friend's annoyance. "No problem. He's really just perfect for you; you just don't realize it, yet. You two were so cute when we were little."
Kagome sighed. What would she do with her? Ever since they had been in middle school she had been trying to hook her up with one boy or another. Her recent obsession had been with getting her to go out with Hojo. He was a nice guy, but still. She sighed again. What was she going to do with her?
After she got home, Kagome went to tell her family goodnight and then retreated to her bedroom where she flopped down on her bed. Mai was so happy with Kin. They had been together for a year now. They had met at the beginning of their junior year and were a couple by Christmas. Why couldn't it be that easy for her? What if she didn't ever meet the right person? She was going to graduate after this next semester, and she had never had a boyfriend before! Was there something wrong with her?
Kagome sat up, forcing her thoughts to a halt. Of course there was nothing wrong with her! She just hadn't met the right person yet. He would come one day when it was the right time, and then they would fall in love and live happily ever after. She sighed contentedly, satisfied with her conclusion. Realizing that it was getting late, she went to take a shower before going to bed. Now the only thing bothering her was how long she would have to wait before getting her tests back, and see if she got that internship....
"Kagome! You have some mail down here! Come and get it!" Mrs. Higarashi called through the house when she got home. Laying the mail down on the coffee table, she went into the kitchen to start supper. Hearing her daughter come down the stairs, she turned her head back towards the living area. "It's on the coffee table, dear."
"Thanks, Mom," Kagome said, flipping through the bills and ads for her envelope. Finding it, she opened it quickly to see what it was. She'd already received her grades and she never got mail. A high-pitched squeal could be heard throughout the house as she read what the letter said. She ran into the kitchen to her mother, waving the letter in the air.
"Mom! I got it! I got it! I got the internship at Dr. Mochizuki's lab! This is so awesome! Oh! I gotta call Mai!" In a rush of wind, she was up the stairs and on the phone with her best friend in under five seconds. Mrs. Higarashi laughed as she heard more squealing coming from upstairs.
"So, Kagome, you have been accepted for an internship at a laboratory that studies youkai. This will be a good experience for you. You will learn many good things about history and demons."
"Yes, Grandfather, I get to intern at a youkai lab where I'll learn a lot about the past," Kagome said, rolling her eyes. He was always trying to teach them something about history and evil spirits of some sort. She had never really been interested when he told them his stories.
"Ooo, Sis, that is so cool! Can I come with you sometimes? I wanna see the demons, too," Souta, her little brother, asked, practically bouncing in his seat at the dinner table.
"No, Souta, I don't think you can come with me. The youkai are very dangerous and would eat you up," she said, patting him on the head. Sulking, he continued his supper.
"This will be a great opportunity for you, Kagome. I'm very happy for you. Just make sure that you're careful while you're there. It is a dangerous job," her mother instructed. Kagome nodded and finished her supper, still elated by her news.
Winter break couldn't have gone by any slower after Kagome found out that she had received the internship. She wouldn't be able to start until the first week of the new semester, and it was long in coming. The girl was almost giddy with excitement when school finally started again. She couldn't wait until after school was out to go to the lab and meet Dr. Kumaki. Then she would find out what her job would be like for the next five months.
AN: Yea! A new chapter :) Thanks for reviewing! I won't wait for a review after every chapter before deciding to update, just wanted to be sure that people really like this fic :) If you guys still want another chapter after this, I'll start updating on a regular basis, like once a week or something. It would be faster, but I'm fixing to be really busy. I'm taking Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, and PE this semester. But I promise to continue! Please send a review! They absolutely make my day! NEXT CHAPTER: Kagome goes to the lab and discusses her responsibilities with Dr. Kumaki. And she just happens to be there when they go to take care of a certain silver-headed inu-youkai.
ICE-QUEEN605 - Thanks so much :) You're my first review for this story!
Storm-Maker - I'm so glad that you like it! I will keep writing it :) I updated as fast as I could (I wrote all day today). Hope you enjoyed this chapter, too.
Silver Eyes Bright - I liked this idea and just mulled it over in my mind until I came up with something different. I'm glad that you like it :)
hiko ghert() - Thanks a lot for your review! I was about to post when I got it. That's just really cool :) Hearing that its original and good enough to keep it up is really encouraging!