Hey guys, sorry it's taken so long to write this chapter, work and school and all.

Tomorrow's my birthday! (yay) And it would be the coolest if I check my email and have a bunch of reviews from you guys! Please!! No one wants to review my story (sniff) and I just want to know what you guys think of it. So if you have the time to write a couple sentances about what you think, it would be very very cool.

Okay, I'll stop whining... here's the new chapter:

Chapter Six

From Bad to Worse

When Akemi had awoken that morning, Kagome was already up and helping her mom with breakfast. Groaning at the intrusive sun, Akemi found the school uniform Soto had left with her.

Akemi had never been a morning person, finding everything was more difficult to do at an early hour. After her shower, Akemi realized her hair straightener wouldn't fit into Japanese outlets and her dad had neglected to buy her an adapter. Great. Without it, her red hair flowed down in waves. She had never liked her wavy hair, it was too hard to control.

They had left ten minutes late due to Akemi's morning troubles, and when they had finally gotten to the school, Akemi quickly parted herself from Kagome and found her way to the principals office.

Soto was sitting at his desk enjoying his only cup of coffee for the day. His wife had decided to limit his caffeine intake. Though he had considered simply masking the coffee with mints and timed precision, Soto swore his wife could read his mind and decided against defying her.

Staring intently at his schedule for the day, Soto was thoroughly surprised when his door burst open and in walked Akemi, unannounced.

"Hey Uncle Soto." Akemi smiled as she plopped into one of his chairs.

She is so incredibly willful. Soto rose his eyebrows slightly at Akemi's blatant lack of etiquette. "Good morning Akemi. You should have waited for my secretary to announce you, I wasn't aware you were here."

Akemi grinned sheepishly. "She looked busy."

Soto closed his eyes and gave a deep sigh. No wonder Toshi was afraid she'd get herself into even more trouble if she stayed there, she's even more of a handful than we were. "What can I do for you Akemi, why aren't you in class with Kagome?"

Akemi leaned forward and stared hard into Soto's eyes. "Please tell me everything you know about Kagome."

Soto's eyebrows rose completely. "Why? Is there something I should know about?"

"No, I just..." Akemi's sight turned inward for a moment. "I feel unprepared, I didn't know anything about them until I got here. I feel I'm entitled to a little background information, that's all."

Soto at least respected Akemi's directness. He was silent for a moment, weighing his options. "Very well, I suppose you're right. What do you want to know?"

"Why did they agree to take me on such short notice?" Akemi searched his face as she waited for an answer.

"Well, it's a lot of extra credit." Soto replied matter-of-factly.

"Why does Kagome need a lot of extra credit?" Akemi fingered her pendant unconsciously as she spoke.

"Kagome has taken almost chronically ill and has been absent many times." Soto wondered after he answered if he had made the correct decision in telling Akemi.

"Sick? With what?" Akemi's brows furrowed, Kagome seems in fairly robust health to me. Not frail or sickly like she would be if she were chronically ill.

"Oh, a variety of things. That poor child seems to have the lowest immune systemof anyone I've ever met." Soto grimaced as he spoke. He was sure that he'd said too much now.

Akemi sat in thought for a moment. This just doesn't make sense. I'm missing something important. "Can you tell me anything else?" Akemi asked after a moment.

"Only what I observed upon meeting her. This is a large school and I never had reason until last year to look so closely at Kagome." Soto hating having to admit he overlooked some students due to the sheer volume of the school.

Kagome only began getting sick in the last year? Akemi's eyes betrayed nothing of her thoughts, but inwardly she was fitting pieces into place.

Soto cleared his throat as he rubbed his eyes for a moment. "I think that is enough for today Akemi, you should be getting to class."

"Oh...of course Uncle Soto." Akemi quietly stood from her chair. Did I perhaps push him too much? Soto seemed to be Akemi's only alley there and she didn't want to damage that. "Thank you for your time Uncle Soto." Akemi bowed as respectfully as she could and turned to go.

"Akemi." Soto's voice made her pause at the door.

"Yes." Akemi replied, turning to look at him.

"That uniform seems to fit you well." Soto smiled slightly for a moment. "I think your father would be very pleased if he could see you right now."

Akemi flushed with the unexpected compliment. "Thank you...Uncle Soto."

Akemi found she enjoyed school in Japan about as much as she enjoyed school in Seattle; not very. She was able to follow most of the lessons, though it seemed to Akemi she suffered most when it came to her lack of cultural knowledge.

Kagome wasn't much help at the moment. She had been quiet all day, her attention on a hidden part of her mind. Akemi had decided it was best not to press Kagome about it, but she was pretty sure it had something to do with that guy at Kagome's window the night before.

During their lunch, Akemi met Kagome's friends.

"Wow! Kagome didn't tell us she was hosting an exchange student." Yuka remarked when Kagome introduced Akemi.

"Really, this is very tenacious of you Kagome." Eri remarked.

"Kagome has so much energy!" Ayumi clasped her hands together in enthusiasm.

"Yeah, it was kind of a last minute thing..." Kagome flushed deeply as she scratched her head.

"It's nice to meet the three of you." Akemi smiled nervously.

Kagome turned to Ayumi with a pleading look on her face. "Hey...Ayumi, do you have the notes from yesterday's geometry lesson? Will you please let me copy them really quickly?" Kagome asked hopefully.

"Sure Kagome, just run to my locker with me and we'll grab them before lunch is over." Ayumi smiled as she rose from her seat.

"Akemi, do you mind if I go with Ayumi for a moment?" Kagome asked. Maybe I shouldn't leave her alone on her first day, I'm the only one she knows besides the principal after all.

"She'll be fine, we'll show her where to go." Eri suggested cheerfully.

"Yeah, we'll keep her company 'til then." Yuka grinned with Eri innocently.

Akemi cocked her head to the side and gave a half-smile. "I'll be fine Kagome, please go and do what you need to."

Kagome found herself smiling genuinely for the first time that day, nodding as she ran after Ayumi.

"So...how do you like Tokyo Akemi?" Yuka asked after Kagome and Ayumi were out of sight.

"It's beautiful here, though I admit I haven't seen much yet." Akemi flushed slightly. She hadn't bothered to look at any of the scenery during her brooding.

"You have lots of time yet." Eri assured her cheerfully.

"What do you think of Kagome?" Eri asked after a moment.

"Kagome seems really nice. I think it's incredible though that she's taking on all this responsibility with her fragile health, don't you?" Maybe I'll get some answers form her friends that I couldn't from Soto.

Yuka's chin lifted slightly into the air as she scrunched her lips to her nose. "I think Kagome's health issues are more male than contagious."

"Yuka." Eri's eyes widened with surprise.

"Eh?" Akemi looked from one girl to the other, this is what's been missing from the equation.

"It's her troublesome boyfriend that keeps Kagome in poor health if you ask me. Always upsetting her with his jealousy and infidelities." Yuka crossed her arms, daring Eri to disagree with her.

"Maybe so, but that is Kagome's choice after all." Eri sighed in defeat.

"Kagome had a boyfriend?" Akemi asked after a moment.

"Not that any of us has met him yet, not even good enough to meet her friends, humph." Yuka clearly had strong opinions on this matter, Eri didn't seem to disagree.

"He's rude, violent, and selfish by Kagome's own admission and yet she can't seem to leave him. He even has another girlfriend on the side, and yet Kagome's still with him." Eri admitted after a look from Yuka.

"Does he go to a different school or something?" Akemi asked. It's pretty strange that Kagome hasn't introduced him to any of her friends.

Yuka blinked as the thought occurred to her. "We don't know, Kagome's never gone to in depth about him. But I suppose you'll meet him though Akemi, since you live with Kagome and all."

"Yeah, maybe you can talk some sense into her after you meet him." Eri suggested.

"Maybe, though I don't know Kagome very well yet." But she doesn't deserve to be treated like that. When I meet him , I'll make my decision, and at least if it gets ugly, I can defend both of us. Papa's training does come in handy from time to time.

"Someone should anyways, then Kagome could go out with Hojo-kun, he'd treat her a lot better than that creep." Yuka fumed for a moment as the class bell rang, informing the students that lunch was over.

"Well, come on Akemi, I have the same class as Kagome next, so we can walk together." Eri waved to Yuka as they took off in opposite directions.

"It was nice to meet you Yuka!" Akemi called as she followed Eri to her next class.

I suppose I should help Kagome if she's in trouble, letting me stay with her and being my friend, I couldn't look at myself if I didn't get her out of an abusive relationship. Akemi silently made up her mind as she was sitting next to Kagome in their class. Akemi would confront Kagome's boyfriend tonight, she was sure he would come to Kagome's window again. Jealous is as jealous does after all.

So what'd you guys think? Please R&R :)

Attica