Chapter 3
AU: the vampire in the story does not have to have black eyes, black hair. It could be any color.
Seven-thirty-five is a beastly hour to begin school, Kagome thought, as she open her locker. The bell rang and she sighed. Hopefully being the new girl would excuse her tardiness. It certainly had no other perks. She thought fleeting of the hunting companions she had left behind, with whom she had crashed bashes and stalked the darkest corners of the city. By morning, rarely had a blade been left clean.
She forcibly banished such thoughts. She was here now, and it was time to begin this new life.
Her first block was American history, and though she located it easily the class had already begun when she slipped through the door.
"Kagome Higurahi?" the teacher confirmed as Kagome turned over the folded pink pass form the office. Mr. Tama was balding, tired-looking man whose crisp suit pants and shirt seemed out of place in the high school. He gestured toward the class. "Take a seat... there's one open next to Miroku-"
"Actually, someone's sitting there," one of the boys in the back of the room called. As Kagome's attention turned to Miroku, she realized that he looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place his face in her memory. He had looked up just long enough to see who had come in the door, and was now writing something in a note book. The desk next to him appeared empty to Kagome; the chair was vacant.
Mr. Tama looked surprised, but he skimmed the class again.
"There's a seat here," someone called, and Kagome glances to see who had spoken.
Sliver hair, fair skin, golden eyes. Vampire. She recognized him instantly, but Mr. Tama was already hustling her toward the empty seat.
"Sesshoumaru Takamada," the leech said, introducing himself as she slid in to her chair. He nodded to across the class. "That's my sister, Sango." The girl he had gestured to waved slightly. Though her hair was black, the resemblance between the siblings was marked-including the mild vampiric aura.
"Nice to meet you," she answered politely, though inside she grimaced. This could be a very long year.
The aura of the vampire beside her was so faint that her skin wasn't even tingling. He was either very young of very weak, and she could tell that he did not feed on human prey. Probably SingleEarth, harmless as Kikyou had said. His sister was almost as weak, and although her aura showed a hint of human blood-probably from one of the plethora of humans at SingleEarth willing to bare their throats-it was obvious she did not kill when she hunted. Neither of them would be able to sense Kagome's aura, so unless they knew her by sight, they would likely assume that she was just another human.
Mr. Tama was talking to her again, and she turned her attention back to him. "Kagome as you'll see, I like to begin class with a conversation about current events, to keep us involve in the present as well as the history." Raising his voice to address all the students, he asked, "Now, who has something to share?"
The number of hands raised-none-was not overly surprising. Most of the students looked like they were still asleep.
"I know its early," Mr. Tama said, encouragingly, "but you are allowed to wake up anytime now. Who heard the news last night? What happened in our world?"
Finally a few hands tiredly rose, but most of the students had better things to do. The girl sitting in front of Kagome was reading an English assignment. Nearby, another student was doing Spanish homework. The teacher was either obvious, or he just didn't care. The news story that was begin repeated by a girl in the first row wasn't all that fascinating, anyway.
"Did you just move in?" Sesshoumaru asked, his voice quiet to avoid the teacher's attention. He had a slight accent-not quiet a drawl, but smooth and unhurried, with a hint of south.
Kagome nodded, trying to keep a small portion of her attention focused on the dull classroom conversation, while keeping the rest on the two vampires. "My mother got a job, teaching in the next town." It was a plausible lie, which she had come up with earlier.
Mr. Tama moved back to the Civil War and Kagome took notes furiously for an excuse to avoid Sesshoumaru's attempts at conversation. The class was dull, and she already knew most of the information, but if she made a good impression now, Mr. Tama was more likely to cut her some slack later.
Sesshoumaru's silence lasted only until the bell,. "How'd you hurt your arm?" he asked as Kagome awkwardly shuffled papers into her backpack after class.
"Thrown off a horse," Kagome lied effortlessly. "She's usually a sweet creature, but something spooked her." As she lifted the heavy backpack, she wondered how in the world humans could possibly carry these things around all day. Her witch blood made Kagome stronger than an average human-her five-foot-four, 87-pound body could bench-press 400 pounds-but wondered how the humans managed.
"Do you need help with that?" Sesshoumaru offered, gesturing to the bag. "What class do you have next?"
"Chemistry," she answered. "I can handle it."
"I didn't mean to suggest you couldn't," Sesshoumaru responded smoothly. "You just shouldn't have to bother. I've got biology next, anyway, so our classes are near each other."
She examined his expression, but he appeared sincere. For some reasons, he was honestly trying to play the part of a human teenage boy-an unusually polite one, but humans nevertheless.
She didn't wasn't to make a scene, so she surrendered her backpack, and Sesshoumaru carried it without effort, which did not surprise her. If she could lift 400 pounds, as a weak vampire he could probably bench-press a ten-wheeler with about as much effort.
"Thanks," she forced out, glad the words sounded sincere.
Though her chemistry class was blessedly human, Sesshoumaru's sister was in sculpture with Kagome for the third block of the day.
Kagome skills with clay were minimal; she had signed up for this class mainly so she could do something low stress without homework. She'd be lucky if she could make a ball. Sango, on the other hand, had a great deal of talent, which helped Kagome place her in a way that the girl's weak aura had not: Kagura's line.
Kagura was the fourth fledgling of Siete, creator of all the vampires. Though Kagome had never met her, the woman was rumored to be stunning in form and fierce in temper. She was a lover of all the arts, as were almost all her descendents. Naraku, with whom Kagome had had her uncomfortable run- in the night before was Kagura's first fledging.
All these thoughts passed though Kagome's mind quickly as she watched Sango craft a young man's figure in the soft clay, humming quietly to herself as she worked. He sat upon a rustic bench, a violin perched on his shoulder. The bow was a fine coil of clay supported by a piece of wire at its neck.
Sango looked up from her art work and notice Kagome watching.
"That's really impressive," Kagome offered, surprised to find her words completely sincere.
"Thanks." Sango smiled, looking back at the form. "But I cant get the face quite right." She indicated the shapless globe where the features should be, surrounded by carefully etched hair.
"Better than mine."
Sango laughed lightly. "Considering you just started today and you're only working with your left hand, it's not bad."
The vampire carefully wrapped her figure in plastic so it would not dry, and then shifted over to offer suggestions on Kagome's project, which was a sickly-looking clay dog. They worked together for the last ten minutes of class, during which Kagome almost forgot what she was talking to.
"You could put a wire in his tail so it wouldn't fall like that. What kind of dog is it." Sango asked.
Kagome shrugged. "I don't really know. My mother doesn't like dogs, so I've never had one."
In fact, Dominique hated dogs. She was very against animals and witches mixing; the Higurashi line was one of the few that had never used familiars in its magic.
"Its could kind of look like a lab, if you square off the nose," the girl suggested. Under Sango's expert assistance the smooth white clay turned into an almost-recognizeable animal.
"What do have next?" Sango asked as they packed the dog in plastic.
"Lunch, I think."
"Great! You're with Sesshoumaru and me." The girl's exuberance was infections, but still Kagome hesitated at Sango's implied invitation. She could be sociable during class, but there were pages of laws on the Higurashi books detailing how far any relations with vampires could go. While the school cafeteria was not mentioned by name, Kagome was pretty sure it would be considered unnecessary associations.
Still Sango walked with her through the halls, and even followed Kagome to her lcker when she tried to use it an excuse to drop the vampire.
Inside the locker, on the top shelf, Kagome noticed she had not put there: a white piece of paper, on which a profile had been drawn carefully in pencil. She immediately recognized the figure as herself; her hair spilled over her shoulder and onto the desk as she wrote.
Sango just shrugged when she saw the drawing and gave an understanding smile as Kagome in light script in the bottom corner. ST. It was from Sesshoumaru; he had probably drawn it while sitting right to her in history class, when Kagome had been trying to ignore him.
AU: the vampire in the story does not have to have black eyes, black hair. It could be any color.
Seven-thirty-five is a beastly hour to begin school, Kagome thought, as she open her locker. The bell rang and she sighed. Hopefully being the new girl would excuse her tardiness. It certainly had no other perks. She thought fleeting of the hunting companions she had left behind, with whom she had crashed bashes and stalked the darkest corners of the city. By morning, rarely had a blade been left clean.
She forcibly banished such thoughts. She was here now, and it was time to begin this new life.
Her first block was American history, and though she located it easily the class had already begun when she slipped through the door.
"Kagome Higurahi?" the teacher confirmed as Kagome turned over the folded pink pass form the office. Mr. Tama was balding, tired-looking man whose crisp suit pants and shirt seemed out of place in the high school. He gestured toward the class. "Take a seat... there's one open next to Miroku-"
"Actually, someone's sitting there," one of the boys in the back of the room called. As Kagome's attention turned to Miroku, she realized that he looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place his face in her memory. He had looked up just long enough to see who had come in the door, and was now writing something in a note book. The desk next to him appeared empty to Kagome; the chair was vacant.
Mr. Tama looked surprised, but he skimmed the class again.
"There's a seat here," someone called, and Kagome glances to see who had spoken.
Sliver hair, fair skin, golden eyes. Vampire. She recognized him instantly, but Mr. Tama was already hustling her toward the empty seat.
"Sesshoumaru Takamada," the leech said, introducing himself as she slid in to her chair. He nodded to across the class. "That's my sister, Sango." The girl he had gestured to waved slightly. Though her hair was black, the resemblance between the siblings was marked-including the mild vampiric aura.
"Nice to meet you," she answered politely, though inside she grimaced. This could be a very long year.
The aura of the vampire beside her was so faint that her skin wasn't even tingling. He was either very young of very weak, and she could tell that he did not feed on human prey. Probably SingleEarth, harmless as Kikyou had said. His sister was almost as weak, and although her aura showed a hint of human blood-probably from one of the plethora of humans at SingleEarth willing to bare their throats-it was obvious she did not kill when she hunted. Neither of them would be able to sense Kagome's aura, so unless they knew her by sight, they would likely assume that she was just another human.
Mr. Tama was talking to her again, and she turned her attention back to him. "Kagome as you'll see, I like to begin class with a conversation about current events, to keep us involve in the present as well as the history." Raising his voice to address all the students, he asked, "Now, who has something to share?"
The number of hands raised-none-was not overly surprising. Most of the students looked like they were still asleep.
"I know its early," Mr. Tama said, encouragingly, "but you are allowed to wake up anytime now. Who heard the news last night? What happened in our world?"
Finally a few hands tiredly rose, but most of the students had better things to do. The girl sitting in front of Kagome was reading an English assignment. Nearby, another student was doing Spanish homework. The teacher was either obvious, or he just didn't care. The news story that was begin repeated by a girl in the first row wasn't all that fascinating, anyway.
"Did you just move in?" Sesshoumaru asked, his voice quiet to avoid the teacher's attention. He had a slight accent-not quiet a drawl, but smooth and unhurried, with a hint of south.
Kagome nodded, trying to keep a small portion of her attention focused on the dull classroom conversation, while keeping the rest on the two vampires. "My mother got a job, teaching in the next town." It was a plausible lie, which she had come up with earlier.
Mr. Tama moved back to the Civil War and Kagome took notes furiously for an excuse to avoid Sesshoumaru's attempts at conversation. The class was dull, and she already knew most of the information, but if she made a good impression now, Mr. Tama was more likely to cut her some slack later.
Sesshoumaru's silence lasted only until the bell,. "How'd you hurt your arm?" he asked as Kagome awkwardly shuffled papers into her backpack after class.
"Thrown off a horse," Kagome lied effortlessly. "She's usually a sweet creature, but something spooked her." As she lifted the heavy backpack, she wondered how in the world humans could possibly carry these things around all day. Her witch blood made Kagome stronger than an average human-her five-foot-four, 87-pound body could bench-press 400 pounds-but wondered how the humans managed.
"Do you need help with that?" Sesshoumaru offered, gesturing to the bag. "What class do you have next?"
"Chemistry," she answered. "I can handle it."
"I didn't mean to suggest you couldn't," Sesshoumaru responded smoothly. "You just shouldn't have to bother. I've got biology next, anyway, so our classes are near each other."
She examined his expression, but he appeared sincere. For some reasons, he was honestly trying to play the part of a human teenage boy-an unusually polite one, but humans nevertheless.
She didn't wasn't to make a scene, so she surrendered her backpack, and Sesshoumaru carried it without effort, which did not surprise her. If she could lift 400 pounds, as a weak vampire he could probably bench-press a ten-wheeler with about as much effort.
"Thanks," she forced out, glad the words sounded sincere.
Though her chemistry class was blessedly human, Sesshoumaru's sister was in sculpture with Kagome for the third block of the day.
Kagome skills with clay were minimal; she had signed up for this class mainly so she could do something low stress without homework. She'd be lucky if she could make a ball. Sango, on the other hand, had a great deal of talent, which helped Kagome place her in a way that the girl's weak aura had not: Kagura's line.
Kagura was the fourth fledgling of Siete, creator of all the vampires. Though Kagome had never met her, the woman was rumored to be stunning in form and fierce in temper. She was a lover of all the arts, as were almost all her descendents. Naraku, with whom Kagome had had her uncomfortable run- in the night before was Kagura's first fledging.
All these thoughts passed though Kagome's mind quickly as she watched Sango craft a young man's figure in the soft clay, humming quietly to herself as she worked. He sat upon a rustic bench, a violin perched on his shoulder. The bow was a fine coil of clay supported by a piece of wire at its neck.
Sango looked up from her art work and notice Kagome watching.
"That's really impressive," Kagome offered, surprised to find her words completely sincere.
"Thanks." Sango smiled, looking back at the form. "But I cant get the face quite right." She indicated the shapless globe where the features should be, surrounded by carefully etched hair.
"Better than mine."
Sango laughed lightly. "Considering you just started today and you're only working with your left hand, it's not bad."
The vampire carefully wrapped her figure in plastic so it would not dry, and then shifted over to offer suggestions on Kagome's project, which was a sickly-looking clay dog. They worked together for the last ten minutes of class, during which Kagome almost forgot what she was talking to.
"You could put a wire in his tail so it wouldn't fall like that. What kind of dog is it." Sango asked.
Kagome shrugged. "I don't really know. My mother doesn't like dogs, so I've never had one."
In fact, Dominique hated dogs. She was very against animals and witches mixing; the Higurashi line was one of the few that had never used familiars in its magic.
"Its could kind of look like a lab, if you square off the nose," the girl suggested. Under Sango's expert assistance the smooth white clay turned into an almost-recognizeable animal.
"What do have next?" Sango asked as they packed the dog in plastic.
"Lunch, I think."
"Great! You're with Sesshoumaru and me." The girl's exuberance was infections, but still Kagome hesitated at Sango's implied invitation. She could be sociable during class, but there were pages of laws on the Higurashi books detailing how far any relations with vampires could go. While the school cafeteria was not mentioned by name, Kagome was pretty sure it would be considered unnecessary associations.
Still Sango walked with her through the halls, and even followed Kagome to her lcker when she tried to use it an excuse to drop the vampire.
Inside the locker, on the top shelf, Kagome noticed she had not put there: a white piece of paper, on which a profile had been drawn carefully in pencil. She immediately recognized the figure as herself; her hair spilled over her shoulder and onto the desk as she wrote.
Sango just shrugged when she saw the drawing and gave an understanding smile as Kagome in light script in the bottom corner. ST. It was from Sesshoumaru; he had probably drawn it while sitting right to her in history class, when Kagome had been trying to ignore him.