Okay everyone, I made a booboo.^_^; I said that Inu Yasha would sell the CDs at lunch, and that all of the fighting and stuff happened before lunch, but Kag and Inu have their class after lunch. Oops. I'm going back and changing it to say after school instead. Sorry if this confused anyone.
It's official, one chapter after this is when the first majorly important thing happens.^_^ I stopped this chapter a little early because, well, that was just an awesome way to leave off in my opinion, and next chapter will have a few cute things and a little bit of turmoil, but not between the main characters.^_~ Yeah, so I just wanted to let you know.^_^ And no, Kouga and Kagome are not going to get together, even if it may look like that right now. Trust me.^_~* Okay, I guess that's it! Enjoy! *hugs*
Oh, and I don't own Hot Topic either.^_^;
Sashlea- *laughs* People in Japan supposedly bring out red rice in celebration of an important or any kind of special event.^_^ At least, that's what I've heard.^_^
The Spider- Thanks so much for replying.^_^ Heh, I always love a little critique.^_^ As for the situation at hand, no worries, that will be one of maybe three COMPLETELY stupid things he'll do in the whole story.^_^ But yeah, don't worry; I'm probably the biggest romantic anyone has ever seen, so I won't let it get too out of hand.^_^ About him getting off easy, yeah, he did, but at the same time he got the worst punishment he could, guilt. Will Miroku get caught? Well, he might, but Inu has his own problems to deal with and might not rat him out, and everyone else is dealing with both their own problems and Sango's, so it might not happen. Honestly, I'm not sure yet. Actually, I hate when stuff like this happens in a story, and so I never make it last more than a chapter, two at most perhaps in mine. Just trust me, something a little larger is coming shortly that will take this from the green "don't really know to enemies" section into the blue "slightly friends to realizing they like each other" section.^_^ Lots of mushy sweet things happen in there.^_^ Mmm…fluuufff. To be honest, the story's barely even started yet. I'm actually surprised that it took me eleven chapters to get here. 0.o; I haven't even brought in the actual plot yet.^_^; Heh, I suppose I always start off slow on that account. In my last story it took me about 20 chapters until I got to my summary point, but it won't be as long for this story. Gha! Think this is long enough?^_^; lol anyway, I love your reviews and I hope that you stay with me for a while! See you later!
CahadrasMoonShine- I know, it looks bad now, but things will be changing very shortly; I promise.^_^ For an extended explanation, read the comment I made to The Spider above. I'm a die hard Kagome/Inu Yasha fan all of the way, so there's no reason to worry.^_^ This just adds a bit of tension and relationship development.^_^
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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Putting on a bright, cheery smile, Kagome stood up straight and walked down the halls at Sango's side, looking straight ahead, and showing nothing out of the ordinary to the common student, but to two people, one to her left, and one who had just entered from down another hall, the attempt was futile. Both had seen her tears and, though her moods were known to be able to change easily, the mask that had been brought forth held an important flaw, one that could never be fixed; it had left two watery, dark chocolate pools uncovered, shimmering like a diamond through her unshed tears, and revealing her true emotions to any willing to look. Kagome had always held her soul in her eyes, and her heart on her sleeve.
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Do the Math
Chapter 11: Wake Up
Shadows rolled like fog down the walls and across the floors of the school, lining every hallway, every classroom with a sense of emptiness, a sense of longing and hopelessness, all the while hiding a figure within their midst. This being blazed with untold emotions, lighting up the otherwise dark corridor where it had lurked for the past few minutes, watching a tear-stained face hover nearby. A pair of crystal blue eyes, standing out from the darkness they were veiled within as would an oasis in a desert, stared intently as the two girls walked away. They knew that girl, those eyes, and had been watching her since before they could remember. She was Kagome, but something was wrong, out of place; Kagome didn't cry. Infuriated, those watchful globes dimmed with hatred, hatred for the one who had caused this girl pain. They knew him too, that boy who must've caused this, and he would suffer for the sin he had committed.
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Honking horns and running feet overpowered all sounds within the school as the final bell rang, releasing the students within from their servitude, if only for that evening. Although the line up in the cafeteria had been huge before that last period, there were almost no people there when school was let out. Most people were home or going there, realizing that the promise made had been broken two periods before. The few who remained seemed to be either too unaware to realize that Inu Yasha wasn't coming, or they had just heard the word and didn't know what the hold up was. Either way, Kagome was relieved; at least she wouldn't have to worry about it until she got home. With a smile and muffled sigh, Kagome declined Sango's offer to drive her home, knowing full and well that Miroku had been worried about Sango, and that he'd want to see her as soon as possible. Besides, Kagome needed some time to herself to think, and what better way to get peace than walking home alone? Seeing Sango off, Kagome set foot on the curb outside of the school yard and began her long, tiresome walk toward the shrine in which she resided. The streets passed and the occasional pebble was kicked away, bouncing into the highway to continue its journey by car, one way or another, and Kagome walked, all the while wondering; what now?
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Grrr... stupid girl, making me feel bad. Inu Yasha leaned his head into his palm and grumbled. He was slumped over the Hot Topic counter, waiting for something to do. He had already restocked everything and was eagerly awaiting a customer to come and end his silent suffering. Raking a hand through his tangled mane, he sighed and crossed his arms, inserting his left hand into his right sweater sleeve, and vice versa. It couldn't be helped; that nagging feeling from deep within Inu Yasha's heart wouldn't go away, and it was slowly eating him from the inside out. Of course, considering that Inu had had many skeletons in his closet piling up throughout the years, all of which began gnawing his nerves raw, he was pretty much used to it and it would probably take a while to make any real impact on him. Hopefully by then Kagome would be fine and he could just forget that he had ever cared in the first place. As he scratched at that train of thought, the ache became steadily worse, turning from an annoying bite into a heated sore. What had he done to deserve feeling guilty? Whatever, he'd just forget about it like he always did, by burying himself in work. Better that than actually think about it. Looking around the store, Inu Yasha realized that his master plan contained one fatal flaw; what work?
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Finally, home. A puff of air blew toward the front door of Kagome's house as she entered, leaving behind and almost invisible layer of condensation to twinkle in the occasional beam of sunlight that happened to shine through the clouds overhead. As she entered, she noticed that it was dark inside, but more frighteningly, it was quiet, something unusual for the shrine, but Kagome wasn't worried; she was too tired to worry. At least Mr. Khioto had believed her story about accidentally leaving her book in Inu Yasha's room. Then again, why wouldn't he? She *had* accidentally left her book there, only it was her diary, and she hadn't left it in Inu's room. Sighing again, Kagome made her way toward the kitchen and set her diary upon the counter. She really should've ratted him out, taught him a lesson. Inu Yasha would've gotten in such big trouble, but she hadn't wanted to deal with it then; she just wanted to go home and sleep. She'd get revenge tomorrow (how many times have I heard THAT one? lol). Seeing a note on the refrigerator door, Kagome walked slowly over and picked up the white paper. Apparently everyone was gone for the day, Souta at a friend's house, jii-chan and her mom across town, and they would be home later that night. Kagome shrugged and set the note on the counter, picking up her diary as she headed towards the stairs. She'd never leave that book behind again as long as she could help it. Then again, she wouldn't have left it with Inu Yasha if she could've helped it. Wait, that took too much thought; forget it, she just wanted to go to bed. Exhausted beyond words, Kagome practically lugged herself up the stairs to her room, diary in hand and backpack in tow.
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*Ring ring* "Mmm..." A groggy hand emerged from beneath rosen blankets, reaching blindly for the source of the offending noise, and eventually coming across a ringing telephone. Bringing it to her lips, Kagome covered the receiver while she yawned, and then spoke into it sleepily.
"Moshi moshi"
"Hi Kagome, it's Kouga." Rubbing her eyes, Kagome smiled and sat up. She turned and, feeling a slight pressure from her midsection, released the strain she had been putting on her shirt. The garment returned to place immediately, obviously thankful for the rescue, as untimely as it may have been. Looking at the clock, Kagome realized that she had only gone to bed about fifteen minutes before. She hadn't even changed out of her school uniform.
"Mmm, hey Kouga; what's up?"
"I just wanted to see if you were free today." Laying her hand beside her, Kagome shifted her weight and stood up, if a bit shakily. Wobbling over to the window, she set her hands upon her windowsill, looked outside, and shuddered.
"Sorry Kouga, but I'm really tired right now. Maybe tomorrow?" There was a slight pause.
"Did I wake you up?"
"Yeah, sort of."
"Oh," Kouga's tone held a hint of disappointment, "well, that's okay then... So are you free tomorrow?" Kagome laughed and walked back to her bed, now with the extra advantage of being awake enough to walk. She really appreciated the fact that she could get around her room without knocking into things, and appreciated even more that Kouga wanted to go do something, but at the moment it was rather cold and she'd have much preferred being back in bed. It was nothing personal mind you; she was just cold. Slipping under the covers, Kagome pushed her wrinkled skirt beneath her and pulled the covers up to her chin, making sure to get everything underneath snuggled securely within its rosy cloud.
"Hai." Spirits lifted and being more awake, the conversation continued for another ten minutes or so before Kouga had to go. Kagome, in the meantime, drifted closer and closer to warmth only found within dreamland, and was finding it continually more difficult to make coherent sentences. She was still awake, but rather groggy, and her thoughts were jumbled, even to her. Glancing at the window again, Kagome watched as tiny sparkles hit the glass and slid down. It was raining again, but it had died down somewhat since she'd gotten home, as if the sky were once bleeding, and it was slowing down, just like the ache in her heart. Strangely enough, she did feel a bit better than earlier. Maybe it was because she had all afternoon before school the next day, or the fact that she had a small nap and was warm, or maybe it was because Kouga had called, but no matter the reason, Kagome felt slightly more at peace at that moment, and decided that Kouga was to blame. For some reason, Kagome had felt closer to Kouga ever since they had found Kirara. She had been starting to notice things that she had taken for granted before, and was becoming more and more aware of how much he really did do for her. It was as if he were watching over her, trying to protect her while staying within her rules, her limits. He was dependable and nice. It was as if he respected her. Wow, that'd be nice; a guy who respects you... not like some people. Snuggling a little deeper, Kagome curled the blankets tightly around her form, and slowly drifted into a deep slumber, never truly realizing how much she actually had.
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"Inu Yasha, you can go on break now." Great, break, more time to sit around and do nothing. Inu Yasha rose languidly from his seat and, with a good natured scowl (ha!), trudged across the store, throwing only a single glance around as he walked outside and plopped himself down on a bench. What could he do? If work was boring, what would break be like?! Shoppers passed him in all directions, some looking his way while others merely looked ahead or pretended not to see him. Some girls, probably freshman, looked over at him and giggled, then walked off chatting noisily about whatever girls talked about. Grunting in annoyance, Inu began to trace little circles on his sweater and, realizing what he was doing, stiffened so that he was sitting straight up, his most bored expression in place (not the "I'm bored." expression, but the "You're boring me" one.^_^). Being that it wasn't very late in the day, the only option left to Inu should've been pointless, the food court. However, he had been too excited to eat lunch, with the presentation and all, so he was a bit hungry. Heading down to the food court, Inu scoped out the restaurants hoping to find something interesting. There was some WacDonalds, some... He almost hadn't known what had hit him.
A strong hand reached out from within the shadows of an unused hallway, roughly pulling Inu Yasha within its blackened depths, where he met face to face with two burning sapphire eyes. The calloused hands, previously wrapped about his arms, now took advantage of his momentary blindness and balled into fists, swinging at the teen before them with all of the force they could muster. Unfortunately, Inu Yasha was too fast and grabbed them, hauling them over his shoulder and throwing their owner into the food court, and into the light. Snarling, Inu Yasha began to growl, and cracked his knuckles menacingly.
"Wimpy..." Kouga jumped to his feet and ran around Inu, attempting to attack him from behind. He knew that he was much faster than the other boy, and tried to use that to his advantage. The first punch hit on target, but by then Inu Yasha had caught on and had moved to the side, jabbing Kouga with his elbow as he came in for the second punch. At that point, the two started wrestling, throwing each other around until all of the customers in the food court had stopped running and had formed a large ring around the two instead, watching them brawl. Hearing the commotion, people in the stores stepped away from their posts to see what was going on, one of which was Inu's boss, Myouga. A large crowd began forming in the halls, taking care to avoid obstacles such as benches and trash cans, and hurried to see what the tumult was all about. A few minutes later, Myouga arrived at the fight scene with mall security in tow.
What was he thinking starting a fight there, with all of those people around?! Inu Yasha swiped at Kouga with his nails and jumped aside. Sure, they'd had brawls in the past, and maybe even a rivalry, but why in the world would he have started a fight then, there? It had always been after some sort of competition, but... Inu ducked a punch as his own was intercepted, and moved out of the way as Kouga's maneuver came into full play. What contest had they been having; what did Kouga have to prove by doing his? Who did he have to prove it to/? It wasn't like he really cared much about the kids at school, and much less likely that the kids would even care about a food court fighting match for more than a day, so what was the point?
Kouga was the first to notice the boys in blue and stopped, continuing his participation in the fight just long enough to dodge one of Inu Yasha's blows. When the four men got there, three security officers and Myouga, the two teens were broken up and held back, one security guard per boy. Who was going to get the blame for this one? Well, let's just say that if Kouga hadn't said anything, he might've been set free. The first thing people had seen of the fight was Kouga being thrown from the hallway, Inu Yasha chasing behind, and the first thing the mall police saw was Inu throwing a punch at a no longer fighting Kouga. Considering this, Inu Yasha looked to be the guilty party, so what evidence would've made them think that Kouga had started the fight?
"Dog turd, stay the hell away from my woman!" That was the clue. Inu Yasha stopped dead as his breath hitched in his throat; his woman? Wait, that was all over Kagome? As realization dawned, a ferocious protectiveness welled up within him, and he struggled against the guards, all the while, fighting a seething rage which had been steadily building within him since the beginning of the fight.
"She's not your woman!" Sending death glares, both boys began snarling, daring the other to say one more word, but someone else spoke first.
"I think I know what's going on here." Both boys turned to the head of mall security, not taking their eyes completely off of each other for even a second. "Okay boys, take this one with us, and you, go back to whatever you had been doing. But, if I see you in any more fights, you're out of here, got that?" The officer holding onto Kouga began to lead him away as Inu Yasha was released of his own captor, yanking his hands free at the very end instead of waiting for them to be freed.
"Keh!" With a growl, Inu looked at each of the guards menacingly, scoffed, and stormed off, unknowingly being followed closely by his boss. Well, THAT had been a waste of a break! At least he had had something to do though. Arrggg!!! Why did everything have to be about Kagome lately?! Couldn't he have at least one second away from her?
The brazen boy strolled back to the store with the entire mall watching him pass. Through storefront windows, behind mannequins, from the doorways, they were all looking at him with eyes filled to the brim with fear again. On the inside, Inu Yasha sighed, a person could get lonely that way, but on the outside his resolve only hardened. Maybe it was better that way, with everyone against him, afraid of him; at least no one would bother him. As his scowl deepened, Myouga shifted nervously back and forth. Inu Yasha had had a distant look on his face for the last few minutes, and Myouga wasn't quite sure how to approach him. Deciding that Inu had had enough for one day, Myouga informed him that he was sending him home. When Inu Yasha turned to him, scowl still in place, he hastily added the "with pay" part of his decision, and Inu Yasha welcomed it with not so much open arms as crossed arms and a "Keh" before heading home, and away from troublesome people.
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"Oh no, the ball!" Within seconds, a hazy red blur flew behind her and caught the small, grass green orb within its hands. Laughing, a small, five year old girl ran up to him and smiled brightly. "Thanks! It's your turn now; throw it to me!" As she scampered back a ways, the little white-haired boy grinned playfully and tossed the ball into the air, watching the little girl as she ran to intercept it. As the children played, the green sphere sailed through the air countless times throughout the minutes, then hours, each time becoming less and less vivid, and being caught less and less often. Time seemed to squeeze itself rather than stretch, and soon the kids began to realize that they'd spent more time playing than the fifteen minutes it may have seemed to have been, but that didn't mean that their fun had to end. Sure, they may have been tired after playing all day, but play time is never over when you're that young. Completely exhausted, both children collapsed on the grass and laughed. Small wisps of dandelion seeds blew about them, intertwined with small pink petals and blades of cut grass. The little boy laid there a minute, golden eyes watching first, the glorious light from the blazing sun overhead, warming their bodies with its rays, and then the sky which was, at that moment, as clear and cool as a freshwater stream. Rolling onto his stomach, the little boy studied the girl before him, watching as she picked up a dandelion and blew the seeds into the soft breeze. She had her eyes closed and, when she felt that she had blown hard enough, turned from where she had previously been looking to face him, and never looked back. She was making a wish, and everyone knew that if you looked at the wish after you had wished on it, the wish wouldn't come true. Successfully accomplishing her task, the girl padded towards him and flopped onto her back in the afternoon sun. He didn't need a dandelion; she was his wish, his angel, his Godsend.
"I'll be right back." The little girl nodded and flashed him a brilliant smile, her chocolate eyes shining brightly in the afternoon sun. Grinning, he bounded off, further into the park, and into the hazy outline of the trees so far away. As he became intangible to her eyes, the girl scrunched up her face to try and get a better view, but caught sight of something else instead, something a little closer. Her raven hair blew gently across her face, covering small parts of her orange shirt as it hung from her fingers where she played with it, looping it about one finger and then another, twisting and turning it as she watched the cobalt shine run a race across the strands, trying to keep up with the speed at which they were then moving. The day was beautiful. Her ball by her side, the girl sat up, brushing off the grass from her shorts, and took a stroll over to the nearby duck pond. Leaning over to look at her reflection, she made faces at the water and giggled. Why was the duck pond always murky and not as clear as the sky seemed to be that day? Were ducks really that dirty?
Leaning over, the little girl watched as her ball lifted from her arms to float about in the pond in front of her.
"Oh!" Clutching the grass for support, she began to lean over and tried to reach her ball, when another hand fished it out instead. Her reflection darkened as two crimson eyes loomed above her, and the reflection of her ball bounced over her head. She turned and reached for her ball, already wary of the person behind her, but it was useless, the other was much bigger than she, and she couldn't reach. He began to tease her, taunt her, and toss the ball just out of her grasp so that she'd run and try to get it, but couldn't; they were much faster than she. Eventually, the little girl gave up on trying to catch the ball, and attempted to take it instead. She reached up and grabbed the other's shoulder with one hand while the other stretched high above her, reaching as far as she could with her small, slightly stocky five-year-old fingers. She was almost there; she almost had it! In one swoop of the hand she was on the ground, roughly pushed away to land face first in the grass next to the pond. Helpless and alone, she began to cry.
A thick fog settled in and the images of all around her began to swirl, melding with each other and separating again as would a puddle of water and oil lying in the middle of an old, unused road. All movements around her became sluggish, as if her entire existence were moving in slow motion, and so she waited, drawn within herself as she watched the scene unfold. After a few moments the swirls began to gain speed, traveling faster and faster until they lapped each other in a whirlwind of colors and light. Suddenly, it all stopped, and all was quiet. By the time the ground had become solid, and the trees were once again straight, only one figure was left, holding her ball in one hand, and holding the other out to her. Everything was hazy, but she wasn't afraid; she knew who it was. Smiling, she grasped the offered hand within her own and the two walked away, not even noticing the other dragging himself out of that disgusting duck pond of sludge behind them. She reached up and scratched his ear as they walked away, contented with the peaceful purring noises coming from along side her.
The park became city and the cars became houses, all merging and becoming one. Throughout it all he was there, separating her from them with his body and will alone. No matter what was out there, what could harm her, she wasn't afraid because he was protecting her; he was her savior. Groggy eyes prepared to open as the little girl returned home, standing in front of her shrine with the sun shining behind her, illuminating the two children as if they were deities or angels. She in her orange shirt, pink jelly sandals, and orange shorts, and her best friend in his red shirt and blue jean shorts by her side, her heart swelled with joy and then slowly flooded with longing. Why did she ever have to wake up?