Hey, special shout-out to Kitten Kisses for having the same favorite characters I do and just being sweet all together.^_^ I know I don't comment much... if I ever did, but that's just the way I am.^_^; lol Sorry, but be sure that I read at least three of your fics, and the poison ivy was cuuuteee.^-^ *giggles happily*

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters in it. If I did I'd be rich, but I'm not... and if I had lots of money I'd probably spend it on anime anyway so pleeaasseee, don't sue me.^_^ lol

Oh, and as always,

_= thoughts *_* = sound/ italicized "_" = speech

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Recap:

Before anyone knew what had happened, the man was sprawled about five feet away, blood seeping through various gashes across his face, his nose, and his split lip. He was going to think twice about harassing someone next time. Realizing what he had done, Inu Yasha immediately put on a bored expression, and told another worker to phone security before heading back inside, every eye in the vicinity watching him with an odd mixture of respect, awe, ...and fear.

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Do the Math

Chapter 2: C'est la vie

Inu Yasha strolled back inside, Kagome at his heels. As they reached Sango and Miroku, both rushed to her aid, but stopped as she lay a hand on Inu's arm, causing him to turn and look at her from over his shoulder. She smiled timidly at him, looking back to the floor and then up again. Such shyness was uncommon with Kagome, and this was truly a spectacle to the ones who knew her best, mainly Sango.

"Look... thanks I...." Inu Yasha shrugged and roughly pushed her hand from his arm before walking away.

"Whatever." Both Sango and Miroku's eyes widened considerably. If her shyness was rarely seen, standing up for herself wasn't, and they ALL knew what happened when she got mad.

"Oooohh... that little!" By now steam was coming from Kagome's ears. How DARE HE! She couldn't believe it! There he was, saving her from being raped or beaten, or God knows what else, and when she actually gave him her whole, heart-felt thanks, he brushed it aside like it meant less than her forced greetings in the morning?! How rude can you be! Night in shining armor her foot!

By this time Sango had rushed to her friend's aid, but not without glaring at Miroku first. He got the warning; she didn't trust him around her friend. It was strange that it actually hurt him a little this time. It wasn't like he and Kagome were friends, but they weren't enemies either, and it took all of his will power not to try and help a damsel in distress, that and trying not to grope Sango as she tried to calm down that damsel in distress.

With a reluctant sigh, he headed to the back of the store. Inu Yasha was sure to be there, and he wanted to see what had happened. It wasn't every day that his friend was either that rude or careless... just every other day... and on special occasions. With a firm nod, he concluded that this probably classified a special occasion. Now, where could he get the champagne, and how to get Sango...

Inu Yasha snarled, "What do you want?"

"My, what a friendly greeting. Do you always go through the trouble?" At Inu's glare, Miroku smirked and continued. "Of course you realize that was one of Naraku's gang right?"

"Keh."

He frowned. "What has you so hung up anyway?"

Whirling around, Inu Yasha slammed his hands down on the counter and stared Miroku straight in the eyes. "Damnit Miroku, just drop it!" The sound echoed through the store, turning a few heads, but not for long. With his neutral face intact, Miroku left the store and left behind a smoldering Inu Yasha. If he was going to be like that, Miroku wasn't about to stand around and be used as a verbal punching bag. With Miroku gone and less customers (closing time+ fight+ yelling= less customers), Inu Yasha had some serious time to spare. Now, he could've used it by, oh, counting the money, playing games on his phone, or boredly building people out of paper clips, but nooo, he had to *think* didn't he? Even in his boredom he couldn't escape.

What *was* that about? He wondered, allowing his mind to wander, for once without a fight. To anyone in the outside world, he would seem to be looking around the shop, or perhaps even reading the stickers under the glass case (the "bad cop, no doughnut" was his favorite.^_~), and that was the way he would stay for a while. He hated internal thought, it caused problems, but when he got down to it, there was really nothing to bring him back until it was over.

Why did he step in? He didn't care about the girl, did he? No, he knew that they had both severed those ties years ago, but then, why was he so mad? Stupid thinking! All it ever did was bring up more questions! Arrgg, he should've just found something else to do. It didn't matter that the guy was going to hit Kagome, just that he was going to hit a girl. Yeah, and besides, he was Naraku's goon. Inu Yasha hated that guy, everyone did really. Naraku was sneaky, conniving, and underhanded, in other words, not exactly boyfriend material.

Okay, so it was settled; Naraku was a jerk, any excuse was worth hitting one of his creeps, and to top that off, he had touched and was about to hit Kag... a girl. Actually, forget the touching, he was just going to hit a girl. Any guy would've done the same right? Sure! Inu nodded, content in the idea that he had "figured out" his problem. Now, how to get rid of the voice in his head telling him that everything he had just said was a lie...

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"Kagome, what was that about? (Do I hear an echo?^_~) I mean, sure that guy was a jerk, but why did you get so upset?" Kagome sighed. It had been a long day for her, especially with that creep incident. All she wanted was to go home and sleep. Well, she had promised Souta that she'd play with him, so do that and then sleep. Why couldn't the day just be over?

"It wasn't that." Sango turned her view from the road to Kagome for a minute, waiting patiently for her friend to continue. "It's just... did I tell you about the conversation with mom and Mr. Khioto this morning?" Sango shook her head. "They asked us what happened."

Sango's face scrunched up a bit in confusion; "Again? What do they mean by that anyway?"

"They said that we used to be such great friends and asked why we split apart."

"And?"

"What do you mean 'and'? I don't even remember ever being close to him. I just don't get it. I remember that when I first met you... and after the Miroku thing," beside her, Sango smiled softly, "he met up with Inu Yasha, and from there everyone went their separate ways. Maybe that's what they meant?"

Sango shrugged as she pulled up to Kagome's house, "I don't really know either, but you know what I *do* remember?" Kagome shrugged. "The first time you really smacked Miroku. He had that handprint on his face for a week!" Both girls laughed a bit at the fond memories before Kagome got out of the car. She waved Sango goodbye as she drove away, and started the long walk up the shrine steps.

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It's odd isn't it, the way that you can be somewhere for so long and not really notice what's around you? That's how Kagome felt walking up he hundred plus steps of her family's shrine. After seeing something for so long, I guess you kind of get used to everything being that way, and never really notice the beauty of it after a while. In a way, people are the same way. Kagome guessed that that's where the whole "you never know what you have until you've lost it" saying comes from. It made sense to her but... wait, why was she thinking about this? Arrggg, stupid day, too confusing.

The sound of the trees swaying in the breeze and gentle footsteps on the hardwood floor of the front hall were the only signs of Kagome's entry as she made her way into the living room. Trudging upstairs, she briefly wondered what her life would be like if she could get away more often; Or to a different time... she thought, snickering to herself, yeah, that'll be the day. It was on that note that she heard Souta down below, calling to her from the ground outside of her window. Dropping her bag at the foot of her bed, Kagome slowly, yet no longer grudgingly, made her way back downstairs, and was happy to be greeted by her brother and his soccer ball in the front doorway. No matter what they said or did, even during times of sibling rivalry, she loved her brother, and he her. It was times like that, which made life worth living.

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Sunlight once again filtered through the blinds of Kagome's bedroom, pouring from the barely drawn curtains, but no longer to land gracefully upon the face of a sleeping girl. There was no forgotten alarm clock, as there was no school that day. What this morning, full of streaming sunlight, light enough to rival the weight of a feather, came not the sleeping, peaceful household that it once was, but instead the silence was filled with...

"But it's my day off!"

"And it's his day off too, so you won't miss any schoolwork! Besides, it'll be good for the both of you to get back in touch. I just *know* that thing will be like they used to once you've gotten to know each other again." Mrs. Higurashi smiled and pat her daughter's bed gently as she stood. Kagome watched her mother's raven hair shimmer as she rose, the sunlight dancing upon it fading as she walked away. The smile on her mother's face had been not only intact, but growing larger by the second. On this beautiful morning, free of school and worries, only one thought ran through Kagome's subconscious, undoubtedly winning the race against other thoughts in an attempt to fully occupy her consciousness.

"Did she *HAVE* to hire HIM?"

Yes, it was as you might fear. Kagome's grade had been steadily dropping in math. Now, that wasn't normally a problem, but it didn't seem like she could bring it back up. THAT was a problem. But, no worries; her mother had found the "perfect solution". Yeah, perfect, right. Her perfect solution included Kagome's second worst nightmare, an evening with Inu Yasha.

... was that lighting in the background?

Nevertheless, there was nothing she could do about it. It seemed that the morning before, after she had gone to school, her mother and Mr. Khioto had made a decision. At dinner that night, Sesshoumaru had supported it fully, much to Inu Yasha's objections, and it was unfortunately decided.

Inu Yasha was now Kagome's math tutor.

Oh the horror, the sick twisted irony! Okay, so maybe that was *slight* exaggeration, but come on! She's a teenager, stuck with school and neighbor boys that refuse to associate with her through preference of mental, physical, and experimental torture! Actually, come to think of it, this wasn't so bad. Maybe she could go through with it if she kept the thought that this was probably torturing him more than her. Kagome laughed softly to herself. Hey, if worst came to worst, they could fight so much that Inu Yasha would have no choice but to quit. This was going to be so sweet.

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"Kagome, are you ready honey? You have to meet Inu Yasha in five minutes!"

"Yeah Mom, almost done!" Oh yeah, so sweet.

Okay, so sure, it was Kagome's day off, and yeah, she had to spend it being tutored in geometry by Inu Yasha, but life could be worse... probably. At least she had gotten to sleep in that morning. Actually, Kagome found this situation more than just a little strange. It wasn't like she hated him, quite the contrary, well, actually, she didn't exactly like him... but really, she didn't hate him! There was just something weird about him, something not quite right. Oh well, no time for thought, her mother should be calling her any...

"Kagome dear!"

"Coming Mom!" Right on time. Shoving her geometry book and homework assignment into her yellow backpack, Kagome strolled out of her bedroom and down the stairs, wearing a genuine, cheery smile in place of the scowl that had resided there earlier.

As Kagome passed the kitchen, she grinned and waved happily to her mother before heading out the door and down the temple steps. Mrs. Higurashi smiled softly to herself as she remembered the events from earlier that morning.

"Mom!" *CRASH!*

"Kagome, *please* don't yell like that. You made me drop a dish."

"But Mom, you... you can't!"

"No 'but's young lady; I can and I have. You need a tutor and Inu Yasha is perfect for it! He's in your class and will know the material, he lives next door, and this will be the perfect opportunity for you two to get back in touch. I really don't see the problem here."

"But Mom, he's a jerk; he..." Kagome's mother sighed thoughtfully.

"Okay, let's do this. You see the dish that just broke?"

"Yea... hey, isn't that Souta's baby plate?" A soft smile filled Mrs. Higurashi's features as she picked up the plate, which was now no more than shattered bits.

"Yes, but it was yours before he was born. I've been cleaning up the attic and couldn't bear to part with this. Who knows, maybe you'll give it to your children some day."

"Mooooom..."

"Alright, alright, anyway, as I was saying, we'll use a system for this. There are about a hundred plate shards here. For every tutoring session you go to, you will be rewarded one shard. For every A you get on a test, you get two shards extra. For every B you get one shard and for Cs you don't get any extra. Once you have all of the shards and put this plate back together, if you can read what this plate once said, you may stop having the tutoring sessions if you really don't want to go."

"One hundred shards?! That'll take forever!"

"Nonsense!" She giggled softly, "Don't worry so much. You could even manage to finish in two months if you really work on it."

"Two..."

"Kagome, this is NOT up for discussion. You are having Inu Yasha as your tutor and that's final. You'd better make the most of this so take it or leave it."

Kagome sighed and smiled, "Deal."

That wasn't so hard actually. Mrs. Higurashi was suitably impressed when her daughter walked through the hall and towards the door. She had expected more of a fight, especially with the greetings the two teenagers had given each other the morning before, and was pleasantly surprised to see Kagome smiling on her way out. In a way she wondered about what had caused the sudden change in attitude, and then again, in another she was afraid to ask, for fear that this change may have been as fragile as a tender moment, shattered at even the slightest breath. Fortunately, by the lack of yelling, it seemed to be holding up better than that, but for how long?

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Inu Yasha braced himself; Well, here she comes. Ugh, I don't want to do this... Lowly growling at the knowing smirk running across his brother's face, Inu drug himself out the front door of his house, and stood on the lawn outside. Kagome actually seemed happy about this. Why, Inu Yasha would never know, but he almost envied her; Inu wished that *he* could be that happy about it. Well, he'd better make the best of this right? Maybe if we fight enough, she'll quit and I'll be free.

Kagome sighed happily. The mixture of her newfound resolution and the warm, sunny day was beginning to set her mind at ease. The grass was green; the sun was shining, and the wind whistled as it flew through the trees. Those days of warm bliss were soon to be over, so she'd better enjoy them then, while they were still there. Kagome looked around, noting the small cracks lining each step of the stairway. The shrine was centuries old, and they must have had to do some kind of remodeling for the stone to last that long, right? She then spotted her mailbox, standing tall, but at the moment, seeming almost wary of something. Kagome briefly wondered how an inanimate object could seem wary, when she saw him, Inu Yasha. He was leaning against the fence post the same way his father had the morning before. His eyes seemed more like shimmering pools of molten gold than usual in the sun's brightness, and she was almost fascinated by the way his silver locks shone even more white as the breeze picked up a few individual strands, and whipped them across his face. Keeping her cheery smile, Kagome mentally sighed. Oh great, he's smiling. How can he actually be happy about this? Hmm... well, maybe this'll actually work out better than I thought. Kagome smiled, an actual, genuine smile, and held out her hand.

"Hey Inu Yasha. I guess we're working together now." Kagome's offered hand of peace was withdrawn as Inu Yasha impulsively swatted it away with no more than a simple "Keh" and a scowl. Now, if he had been thinking, he could've just scowled and left her hand be, probably making this situation a whole lot easier, but then again, since when did he think clearly when he was mad?

"So, little Miss Perfect needs a tutor? You seem to be depending on me a lot lately." He... probably could've done without that too.

Kagome shook her head. Never mind, this guy could evoke fire from a glacier.~_~;. Her smile faltered and she began to clench her fists discreetly; "Don't let it go to your head." It had been what, a whole two minutes now? Hmm, maybe she should have made a game out of this, and seen how long it took for him to insult her from time to time, instead of the "good will towards men" approach.

"The help you need isn't worth enough to go to my head." Well, that hadn't taken long, now had it? She'd have to start a new game; this one was too easy, and frankly, she didn't know if she could count as high as the game would probably go during their little study session.

"Yeah well..."

"Look," Inu interrupted, "we have to be here whether we want to be or not, and I would personally prefer not. Let's just make the most of this and be through with it as quickly as possible. I'm wasting valuable 'sitting around doing nothing' time on you, so just tell me what homework you have so we can get it over with."

This was going to be trouble.