Inutori: Either this story isn't very good, or people don't like me anymore. I think it's that people don't like me anymore. Maybe my not updating all summer turned everyone against me…

Inuyasha: Whatever gave you that brilliant idea? Of course there are hard feelings after you completely ignored their pleas all summer. And now you're writing this instead of finishing up other stories.

Inutori: I don't own Inuyasha, and I'll try to get out the rest of some of my other stories ASAP, okay?

Kagome: You better, or you'll be hated by all readers on

Chapter 3

Going Wild

Kagome clenched the pencil with frustration. She had convinced Inuyasha to let her stay until finals were over. Unfortunately she hadn't gotten him to leave, and so she really hadn't had any time to study.

The test in front of her was finished save for a few problems that involved a formula she couldn't put her finger on.

'What formula do you need?'

Her head jerked up in confusion; sure she had heard someone talking to her. They were in the middle of a final, wouldn't they get in trouble with the teacher?

'Not if the teacher can't hear us.'

That's strange. Kagome furrowed her eyebrows, trying to figure out if she was going crazy or not.

She heard a rich, enduring laughter envelop her, and began to wonder why she was the only one reacting to the voice in the entire class.

'They can't hear me, only you can. So what's the equation that's giving you trouble, maybe I can help.'

Kagome wasn't sure what to do, how could some strange voice in her head help her with a math test?

'You'd be surprised, just try me.'

It was problems involving the quadratic formula, but Kagome couldn't remember the equation. And why was this voice helping her anyway?

'I finished my final and you're the only person to talk to. The faster you finish, the sooner we can chat. X equals the quantity negative B plus or minus the square root of B squared minus 4AC all divided by 2A.'

Kagome quickly jotted down the formula as it was given to her, pleased with the voice that had found it's way into her head.

'I have a name, you know.'

Just because this girl had a name, didn't mean Kagome knew it.

'Call me Nutty.' Kagome thought she hinted a trace of a snicker in that phrase.

But why should this strange voice be called Nutty?

'Because I'm insane! Well, hurry up and finish your test so I can talk to you.'

With a sigh, Kagome bent over her final once more and began to slave away, this time at a bit more of an advantage since she now knew the formula to plug her numbers into so as to solve the problems. She felt kind of like she had cheated, but at the same time was grateful to this Nutty girl.

'I didn't give you the answers, so it's not cheating.'

She kind of wished the voice would get out of her head and get into someone else's, but it didn't really matter that much as she shuffled the test together. Finally it was all over and done with.

'Took you long enough.'

Kagome huffed a little, annoyed with being insulted.

'Sorry, didn't mean to be rude. I guess I need to work on my patience, huh?'

The raven-haired priestess rolled her eyes in a way that said "Duh." Class was almost over and she'd have to go back home soon.

'What, don't like chatting with me?' The woman's voice sounded like she was pouting. It reminded her of a certain hanyou when he didn't get his way.

That thought made Kagome snicker. A picture of Inuyasha with a frown plastering his babe-like face carved itself into her mind.

'Hmm…who's that?' That girl Nutty was still around, obviously.

Kagome sighed again. She had been doing that a lot lately. It wasn't really on her agenda to explain Inuyasha to some strange girl.

'He doesn't quite look full demon…and he kind of looks like a cat or dog. But Inuyasha hints at him being a dog.'

Nutty was talking…or thinking…in Kagome's head. Inuyasha was a hanyou, obviously she had caught hint of that.

'A hanyou, aye? You don't see those around often. Especially in this era.'

This person apparently knew about demons and the like, but why wouldn't she just mind her own business? Having one's mind read and not being able to have any privacy gets kind of frustrating.

'Sorry. If you want, I'll mind my own, but that's only if you agree to meet with me under the sakura trees across the street.'

Kagome sighed in resignation. If meeting the girl was the only way to get her out of the head, than that was the only thing she could do.

'Okay then, see you in a few minutes!'

A strange sensation of being alone overcame Kagome and she realized that Nutty must have left. She picked up her test and stood up, walking to the front of the room slowly.

Nutty must be another priestess like herself, but Kagome never knew about any psychic powers. Kaede must have skipped that.

Her answer sheet and final found their way to the teacher's desk and Kagome turned back around, deep in thought. Inuyasha would flip out on her if he found out about Nutty. That made her smile softly.

Wouldn't it be perfect to get him mad by befriending this strange girl? She let out a snicker as she sat back down in her chair, gaining her a few glares from students still taking their tests.

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Nutty closed her eyes, feeling the soft afternoon breeze flow through her raven locks and smelling the blooming cherry blossoms surrounding her. Nature was a peaceful thing, unlike the humans who reigned.

School had just ended and she was waiting for that young girl who possessed spiritual powers. There was something familiar about her. And what was more was the fact that she had something that seemed faintly like the Sacred Jewel only significantly smaller.

That girl was intriguing, and Nutty wanted to know more about her. She hadn't seen her at school before. Than again, Nutty wasn't exactly Miss Perfect Attendance herself. Skipping class and resting in the park under the trees was one of the best things you could do with your time.

The approaching warmth of the miniature Shikon no Tama made Nutty aware of the girl that she had told to meet her here. She opened her eyes lazily and turned towards the girl with blue eyes and black hair.

Nutty breathed in deeply, picking up the scent of this new girl as she strode closer. Every person had a unique scent, and Nutty had learned at a young age to differentiate people based on their smell.

This girl smelt of her strawberry-scented shampoo and a little animalistic tint. She probably had pets; that or it was that hanyou she smelled.

"Hi. Are you Nutty?" The young girl smiled at her, obviously a little scared, if what her scent gave off was correct.

"Yup, I am." Nutty gave the girl a toothy grin, tilting her head to the side and letting out a small giggle. "You know my name, but I don't know yours."

"It's Kagome."

Kagome sounded vaguely familiar. She must have heard it before somewhere. Unfortunately, she couldn't place where, frustrating her considerably. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Kagome. How come I've never seen you before?"

The girl smiled sheepishly, shrinking back into herself. Nutty almost prodded her mind, but then remembered her promise not to do it again if she met Nutty in person. "I'm sick a lot and I miss a lot of school. And stuff…so yeah…"

Nutty took in a quick breath through her nose. Kagome was lying, but she wasn't going to say anything. Sure, it irritated her when people lied to her face, but it was still rude to confront them about it. "I see."

Kagome's face turned slightly red. "Well, I really have to be going. Lots of homework and all."

"Today was the last day of the semester. How can you have homework? Anything missed at this point is stupid to make up. Teachers are turning grades in tonight."

The girl took a step back, the grin on her face obviously forced. "I meant chores. Lots of chores to do. Got to get home or my mom will flip." She turned around and bolted, apparently not wanting to be caught in anymore of her lies.

Nutty almost followed her just to see what she was hiding, but decided against it since it was really none of her business.

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Shippou pouted once more as Miroku stopped him from pouncing on the little she-demon. His mouth was just watering to eat her. Rabbit hadn't been on the menu for quite some time now. It was always Kagome's ramen or rice and fish.

But he had always eaten rabbit when he was with his dad. Rabbit was just so tasty and delicious. Why were Miroku and Sango being so mean?

Sango was attempting to talk with his dinner, and he knew if he didn't catch it soon, it would just bolt away and he would be left with an empty stomach. He let out a little growl, at which Miroku cocked an eyebrow at him. Did he really sound that pathetic? Shippou was sure that by now his growl would have been a bit more intimidating.

He decided to tune in to what Sango was saying, since that would determine when he could feast.

"What were you doing in the bushes?" Sango was apparently trying to baby the tender piece of meat. What good would that do? Why couldn't they just dig in? Honestly.

The rabbit looked his way, her eyes full of fear and dread.

"Ignore him, he can't do anything." Except eat you. Shippou let one of his fangs slip out of his mouth; its white gleam making the rabbit jump slightly. Sango turned and glared menacingly at him: a warning to back off or die.

A waft of undeniable fear filled his nostrils, only exciting him more. Shippou shifted from foot to foot, getting ready to charge his next meal. A painful jolt on his head sent him face first into the ground. Miroku had hit him with the staff again.

"Come on, little one. We're not going to hurt you. What were you doing in the bushes there?" Shippou picked up on the irritation in Sango's voice. He was pretty sure it wasn't for the rabbit but for him. Whoops. He shouldn't have pushed his luck with Sango.

"I…I…Usagi-oni-chan…I…"

"Your name's Usagi-oni-chan?" Shippou's nose twitched. The smell of rabbit was irresistible. Then he remembered that both Miroku and Sango would kill him if he tried anything.

"H-hai." Her soft voice made his claws itch to rip her up. Rabbit meat. He felt another pounding on his head.

"What was that for?!?" He grabbed the top of his head and jerked to a sitting position, tears pooling in his eyes. "I want Kagome-chan!"

Shippou realized his mistake too late. The rabbit saw how weak he was and relaxed. The fear that once was glued to her face was completely erased with his single outburst.

She giggled. She laughed at him!

"You're a big baby!" She was openly laughing at him. What happened to her fear that she had harbored just moments before? He was the predator and she was the prey. What had happened?

Sango joined the little pest in their purposeful humiliation of Shippou.

"Stop it!" He glared at the pair angrily, turning to Miroku for help. But Miroku had been silently laughing as well. Shippou huffed indignantly, crossing his arms and giving all in the clearing an evil look of betrayal.

He watched in silence as the rabbit with the fluffy white tail jumped to the ground and out of Sango's arms, apparently not caring that he was there any more. Instinct overtook him again and he charged at her, dodging Miroku's staff and Sango's boomerang.

The rabbit didn't move, much to his surprise. Instead, as he got within an arm's length of her, she punched him.

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Sango's eyes lit up with the sight of Shippou being punched and kicked by a little female demon. The two children both had bushy little tails, the only difference being that the little girl's tail was white and not auburn like Shippou's.

Shippou was curled up into a little ball, his hands up on his head, letting out whines every time the girl hit him.

"Usagi-oni-chan, I think you've done enough." Sango bent down and tried to separate the pair, to the protests of the little bunny.

"No! He's a little butt-munch and needs to pay!"

Sango had to fight the laughter at the little child as she scooped up her wiggling form and rescued the little kitsune demon from the little girl's wrath. "That may be true, but let's not sink to his level, okay?" She really felt like she was mothering the kid. But she wasn't a mother. Didn't Kami realize that?

The little girl nodded, her pale blues eyes full of innocence and youth.

A smile crossed the taijiya's lips. This little girl was so adorable. Soft white ears protruded from the top of her head, reaching nearly a full foot above her actual height. Her hair was also the color of wispy clouds on a summer day and her skin was pale and fair. Usagi was wearing a small kimono that was light blue with a darker blue wrap and her hair was pulled back in pigtails with pale blue ribbons. The child's hair must have been only a little longer than Shippou's, but it still gave off the same raggedy effect as the kit's.

Shippou continued to pout, a bruise forming around one of his eyes and his cheek smudged with dirt. Sango flinched when she thought of what Kagome would say when she saw her darling fox-demon.

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Inuyasha twisted his hair around his finger, bored out of his mind. Kagome was sitting in her room cleaning up the disaster she had created while studying for her 'finals.' Well, actually, it was Inuyasha that had created the mess, but Kagome had to pick it up.

Still, it was boring beyond belief to just sit on the bed while Kagome shuffled papers here, hung up clothes there, stuffed scrap paper into a bag, etc. She wouldn't let him help since apparently he just made matters worse.

He really wanted to get back to the Feudal Era and hunt down Naraku and retrieve the rest of the Sacred Jewel, but Kagome refused to leave with her room a disaster. How he wished that the room would just clean itself; then it wouldn't take up his Kagome's time.

A growl escaped his mouth as he shifted on the bed. His legs were falling asleep from lack of circulation, and if Kagome didn't hurry it up, he may just become paralyzed. That would not bide well.

He lay down on his side and continued to watch Kagome. Her lips were pursed in concentration and her eyes were focused on the clothes she was folding. She wasn't wearing her school uniform as was usual, but loose pants that were black and had white faces with red hair all over them. It also said 'Bad Hair Day' under each head, but Inuyasha wasn't quite sure why.

Kagome looked over at him, her expression unreadable. It kind of scared him to see her look like that; it sort of reminded him of Sesshoumaru.

"Inuyasha. Get off of my bed. I want to get some sleep." Kagome definitely sounded tired. Her eyes didn't hold their normal shine. Perhaps that's why she looked so scary.

"I told Sango we'd be back tonight." Inuyasha shifted slightly so he was sitting up, his legs crossed below him.

"Then go tell her I'll be there in the morning. I want to get a decent night's sleep." Kagome pouted at him, but Inuyasha was determined not to give in.

He stood up on her hard floor and scooped Kagome into his arms. "We're going tonight." His word was final, and there was no questioning it. Thankfully, Kagome didn't even try. She just let out an annoyed sigh and wrapped her arms around his neck to keep from falling.

I

Do

Not

Sleep

Inutori: This chapter is extra long to make up for slow updates. I know it's still fairly short, but I try. At least give me credit for that. And if I could just get a couple of reviews to know I'm not totally hated, I'd love you all!