Hey there!^_^
UPDATE: Okay, I had intended to write more, but I'm going to have to split this chapter into two okay? Sorry about that, but that's just the way it goes.^_^ Therefore, what is said below goes for the next chapter too, but I'll retype it there just in case anyway alright?^_^
So this time, almost every new section is centered mainly around another person and his/her thoughts and/or feelings. They only start repeating towards the end where only Kagome and Inu Yasha are involved. So yeah, be on the look out. .^_~ *giggles*
Goku's Daughter- Awww, that's so sweet!^-^ But the 'real' romance eh? Man, I'm such a sap too.^_^ Unfortunately, you'll be waiting a little while.^_~ By the looks of it... *checks her notes* there are still about five or six chapters until they start to become friends (very rough estimate). That would be the equivalent of, oh, say around episode eight and up mentality wise for Inu, but hey, I'm not going to draw this story out THAT long.^-^ *giggles* There will be a lot of cute little Inu romantic things once we get there, along with a few twists, and yes they WILL eventually get together.^_~ Heh, and just like in Memories of the Present, it won't be without conflict.^_^
frisbee - Thanks!^_^
Vampire-Elf- Lol, I'm glad you enjoyed it.^-^ Yeah, he does need to realize it, but you know that won't come easily.^_~ He is our stubborn boy after all.^_^ Actually, if he weren't so stubborn, I don't know if he'd be quite as cute. 6_~ Thanks for the comment!
Averi Malee - Lol You actually read BOTH stories, in ONE NIGHT even?! If this is the case, I praise you for your speed reading abilities. I mean, WOW that is sooo awesome! Anyway, back to the subject at hand, thaaaank yoouu!!! *hugs* You are so sweet!^_^ *giggles* Honestly, I say that to a lot of my reviewers, but that's only because it's true. ^_^; What you said *was* really sweet.^_^ Thank you so much for the review, and I hope you enjoy the chapters to come.^_^ I'll be seeing you! ... hopefully!^_^ *giggles*
lunemangelus – Heh, actually, if she walked around him in a circle and one ear (at least) was always on her, then one would swivel about halfway around his head, where it'd meet the other, which would then continue the circle. I don't think it's possible for dog ears to do a complete 360, but then again, if he was a demon, who knows. Oh, and for the fic, who said anything about demons?^_~ Heh, you won't find out about that for quite some time now.^_^
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 Also, the geometry problem came from mathforum.org. I would never dream of creating something that evil.0.o;
Oh, and as always,
_= thoughts *_* = sound/ italicized "_" = speech
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Things were as they were meant to be, and, even with life's little secrets, everyone was rather content to just go about their day, mainly so that they could go home earlier, as was the wish of most students during school hours. And yet, the lasting thought on one boy's mind was more in tune with how much sleep he would get that night and how much of a headache he'd have the next morning.
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Do the Math
Chapter 15: Curiosity Aflame (Part 1)
"Here's your next problem; if, at our school on the autumnal equinox, the angle formed by the sun's rays and a stick is 40 degrees, and our school is 2749 miles from the equator, what is the circumference of the Earth? Which of ye would like to come up to the board and solve this one?"
Two more seconds to go...
"Kagome..."
Wha?! Sitting up as quickly as possible, Kagome swerved her gaze to fall on Mrs. Miko and the ridiculously difficult problem written on the board before them. She had been sitting in this class for who knew how long watching people failing problems on the board, all of which would be on the test next class. She honestly didn't think that one class could humiliate so many, but this test was really going to be a pain, and Kagome, for one, was not ready for it in the least.
"Y... yes?" Of course, at that particular moment in time, she had more pressing matters to worry about.
Please don't make me do it; please don't make me... The clang of metal against metal sounded in the halls, its shrill wail sounding like the sweetest symphony to Kagome's ears, as she quickly gathered her bag. She did NOT want to have to stay after to do the problem. Maybe if she could leave fast enough, she wouldn't have to. Looking up from her packing, she caught Mrs. Miko glancing the other way. Maybe she really wouldn't have to after all! There was a god!
"... come here a minute." And then again...
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Aye, she seems fine, but just in case...
"Kagome..." The girl in question jumped, bumping her desk and turning to face the front as quickly as she could, still attempting to do so without letting on that she'd been watching the clock. That girl, she'd never change. Suppressing a chuckle at her behavior, Kaede was about to call her to the front when the bell rang, releasing all from their studies until their next class.
Looking around, Kaede noticed that, as the students heard the bell, their faces became elated, as if they had found a new hope, a new reason for living. They had scurried through the door as quickly as they could, not worrying about pushing or shoving one another, all with the exception of Inu Yasha. Instead, he seemed to be taking his time, standing in the back of the classroom, seemingly watching them. Maybe he was looking at the problem on the board behind her. It hadn't been that hard... had it? Maybe she should ask him. Sighing and shaking her head, Kaede turned her attention back to the task at hand. Kagome had long since stopped watching her, and was then at her desk, wrestling with the giant yellow backpack in front of her. What did she keep in that thing? It was always huge! Thank Kami *she* didn't have to carry it! Anyway, back to business.
"... come here a minute." The look on Kagome's face was priceless. Her head immediately bobbed up, looking around the room to see if anyone was left other than her. Seeing no one, as Inu Yasha had just finally left, she turned and stared, almost blankly at the problem on the board. Kagome must've thought that she was in trouble with *that* expression on her face. Oh well, no harm in scaring them a little. Chuckling softly to herself, Kaede waved Kagome over and sat down. Scooting around in her seat until she found a comfortable spot to sit in, her attention immediately darted forward as Kagome neared.
"Yes Mrs. Miko?" Eyes instantly widening, Kaede's heart beat slightly faster within her frail chest, and her instincts registered on high alert. Something was different with Kagome; something was wrong. What was she feeling from this girl? Clearing her throat, Kaede clasped her hands together and closed her eyes, looking every bit the powerful, wise old sage that she was often claimed to be.
"I noticed that ye were absent a bit this week." Opening her eyes, she analyzed the younger girl thoughtfully. "Be ye alright?" Breathing a sigh of relief, Kagome smiled and nodded.
"I'm fine, but thank you for worrying." Seeing that more of an explanation was required, Kagome shuffled her feet a bit and continued. "Momma just wanted to have me checked over at the hospital after..." She lowered her gaze, trailing off as the images of that day ran through her mind once more. Noticing the sudden tension in the room, Kaede waved the rest of her explanation away and smiled.
"Yes, yes, I know. Just as long as ye be alright." Smiling, Kagome looked up and nodded before hefting her obese bag onto her shoulders. Turning back to make sure that there was nothing else, Kagome said a quick goodbye and exited the room, more than ready to hang out with Sango in the class that next awaited her. Sitting alone, in a room once filled with students, and soon to be filled again, Kaede smiled knowingly to herself. It seemed that things would be changing soon, and she could only guess how they would come about.
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Where is she? Tiptoeing around the door, Sango peered into Mrs. Miko's geometry room, intent on finding out what was taking Kagome so long. All of the other students had left minutes ago, and if Kagome didn't hurry, they'd be late. As her line of sight passed the door frame, she caught a glimpse of Inu Yasha, watching the front of the room from over his shoulder. Ducking back outside, she leaned against the wall and played innocent, just as Inu came through the door and walked by, not once noticing her presence. She didn't get caught. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sango took a deep breath and looked in again, only to see Kagome talking with her teacher towards the front of the room. What could've been so interesting that Inu Yasha would've been watching up there?
Was he watching Kagome again? She had noticed that ever since he'd saved Kagome, Inu Yasha had been watching her best friend more closely, but had never thought anything of it. Actually, whenever she did, Houshi always came and distracted her. Pervert. Slumping her shoulders, Sango leaned back against the wall and sighed. Wasn't there anything she understood about those two anymore? Kagome was her best friend, so why wouldn't she tell her anything? Could it be that bad, whatever it was? Sango glanced up at the ceiling, eyes drawn to nothing in particular, but instead, just searching mindlessly over the tiles above as her mind worked on more complicated matters.
Why *had* Inu Yasha been watching Kagome so often? Was he afraid that she'd get hurt again? But then, he had never really seemed to care before. Had something changed? Come to think of it, he hadn't fought with her, picked on her, or really done anything outlandishly mean to her as of late either. Sure, he still acted as if they were enemies, but then, why was he so careful with her? The situation seemed less like what they wanted it to look like, and more like they had a secret. Yeah right, Kagome and Inu Yasha, sharing a secret, together, it wasn't going to happen. There was no way in heaven and Earth that they'd ever even have a secret to share in the first place. Unless...
"Sango?" Blushing madly, Sango jumped away from the wall and stood, face to face with Kagome. Her heart was beating so quickly from surprise that she thought it would break free from within her chest, and she was sure that her face must've shown it, especially given Kagome's next question. "Are you okay?" Hand over her chest, Sango smiled nervously, and nodded.
"You just scared me." The two girls turned and began walking down the, now near-empty, halls. "What took you so long?" Kagome looked to her best friend a bit sadly before turning her gaze to the floor ahead of them, her tone becoming more solemn with each word spoken.
"Sorry about that. Mrs. Miko wanted to know why I was absent, so I had to explain about me going to the doctor after..." Tilting her head towards her friend, Sango watched her reaction sympathetically.
She's still upset about it, isn't she? Looking straight ahead, Sango prepared herself for the worst.
"Kagome, were you and Kouga..." Turning a saddened gaze towards where Kagome once was, Sango quickly realized that she was no longer there. Looking further back, she saw Kagome, not three steps behind, standing rigidly, as if merely a statue of her former self. The betrayal in her eyes set off warning bells in Sango's heart, and, for a second, she wondered if she had done something wrong. "Kagome?"
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Leaning against his locker, Kouga lay his head back and stared listlessly at the ceiling above. He was near enough to his classroom that he could get there in almost any short matter of time, but right then, he had other things to think about, and didn't really want people around while he was doing so. Crossing his arms and laying one leg across the other, he stood there, deep in thought.
He hadn't seen Kagome in a while. Was she still mad at him? He hadn't actually done anything, mind you, but he knew how it had looked, and frankly, didn't blame her for being angry. If he had walked by and seen her in that situation, he would be mad too. Why couldn't Ayame see that he was in love with Kagome and not her? He didn't have a problem with the girl, heck, he'd known her since childhood, but this obsession she carried had really been cutting into his life, and now look what had happened. Why couldn't she just understand that...
"Kouga?" Snapping out of his thoughts, Kouga turned to find a certain red headed girl watching him intently. Eyes narrowing slightly, he huffed and half-heartedly glared at the girl before him. "Are you still mad at me?" Ugh, why did she have to look so sad? He didn't want her to be sad, just to understand! Groaning inwardly, Kouga shifted to face the sullen girl, hoping against hope that she'd understand.
"I'm not mad at you; it's just..." He was cut off by a gentle voice behind him.
"Kagome?"
Kagome?! Oh crap. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no. Fate wasn't going to be that cruel to him... was it? Azure eyes rotated slowly, followed first by Kouga's head, and then his entire body, to look upon the girl behind him. Her chocolate eyes were filled with pain and betrayal, her beautiful lips parted in disbelief. Yep, fate was going to be that cruel to him after all. To make it worse, if not for one element, this picture would seem a perfect deja vu to that day before, and that element was that this time, she had a friend there to join in on the glaring. If looks could kill, he would never have been born.
"Kagome, it's not how it looks; it..." Too late. Hands fisted at her sides, Kouga could only watch as Kagome turned her head away from him, holding it high as to show indifference, before storming away, literally seething with fury. Damnit, why did Ayame always have to get in the way?! She hadn't been there but two minutes and look at the trouble he was in... again! That was it, he was tired of this. It wasn't his fault how it looked, so why should he be punished for it? He was going to catch right up to her and make her listen! Damned if he was going to lose her just because of circumstance! Growling softly and building up his determination, Kouga set a foot forward while being instantaneously pulled back from behind.
"KAGO..."
"You haven't answered my question." Okay, that was it, the last straw. How much could a guy take? Teeth bared and fists balled, Kouga pulled away from the girl who now held his arm and stepped forward, away from the danger. Turning his head to look over his shoulder, Kouga growled softly, frustration evident in his features.
"Ayame!" Oh, he had intended to do so much more, but as soon as her name was out, she seemed to have realized the time and lurched forward, grabbing her bag from behind him, and ran off, towards their classroom.
"Come on or we'll be late!" Groaning softly in defeat, Kouga picked up his bag and trudged after the energetic girl ahead of him, reaching his desk just as the bell rang for class to start. Placing his bag on the hook imbedded on the side of his desk, Kouga shook his head. The things he did to stay on the track team... Raising his eyes towards the board, he laid his head in one hand and placed a pencil in his mouth. It just wasn't his day.
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"Maybe so Inu Yasha, but I don't think... oh, Sango, Kagome."
Why did they have to show up just now? As glad as he was to see Sango, Miroku and Inu Yasha had been talking about personal subjects, the kind that these particular two girls should not hear. Well, it was time to change the subject then, ne? Closing both eyes, Miroku stood tall, attempting the wise, innocent look that , judging by her face, Sango obviously wasn't falling for.
"Why aren't you two heading to class? You both have a long way to go don't you?"
"Keh." Eyebrow twitching, Miroku opened his eyes to find the perfect change of topic, one, or two he should say, that he was sure going to enjoy getting into. Grinning roguishly, he allowed his gaze to linger on the two "subject change"s, groping and touching them through amethyst eyes alone. Ogling was as close as he was ever going to get to them anyway, so he had better enjoy it while he could. Oh, it looked like that they were going to be late for class, running like that, but running was always good. Now, if only the brunette would just... Oh, right, have to answer Sango. Mustn't make m'lady wait.
"Ahh, this is true, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to say hi to the lovely Sango, now could I?" Still mentally caressing the two girls now past, Miroku dared his eyes to look towards Sango once again. Hm, why didn't she look happy?
"Apparently." Ahh, how lovely she was with fire in her eyes, such determination, but that response, she must've thought that it wasn't true. Well, surely kind-hearted, understanding Kagome would defend him. Noticing his gaze, Kagome sighed and shook her head. Or... maybe she wouldn't. Women could be so cruel. Putting on his best innocent face, Miroku feigned surprise at the comment, raising his hand as to protect himself from the non-existent abusive words.
"Why Sango, I'm shocked."
"I'm not." Suddenly, Kagome's head popped up and her eyes grew wide. Fumbling with the clasps on her backpack, she ferreted around a bit and dropped to her knees, dumping what she could from the pack onto the ground in search for something unknown. Of course, with Sango standing next to him, Kagome was next to Inu Yasha, but he wasn't even going into the implications of that, for fear of physical harm.
"Oh no! I forgot something back at the classroom!" Searching frantically through her stuff again, Kagome lowered her head in defeat. Seeing her friend's plight, Sango smiled reassuringly and offered another solution.
"If you hurry, you might be able to get it. I'll ask the teacher to wait for you, okay?" What would she ever do without Sango? Kagome's eyes lit up like the wick of a candle, once burned out and now instantly teeming with new life and vitality. One couldn't help but notice how her smile grew. She was beautiful indeed, especially when she smiled, but not as beautiful as the girl beside her.
"Thank you Sango-chan!" Kagome rose and, leaving her backpack behind to allow herself more speed, dashed down the hall, intent on reaching the class and getting to her next before the bell rang. How a man could grow to love those skirts. Sango, too busy watching Kagome run off to notice Miroku doing the same, smiled as a small wave of relief washed over her.
"Well, she seems to be feeling a little better." Sweat dropping, Miroku looked towards Inu Yasha warily, knowing full and well where this conversation was heading. It seemed that Inu Yasha had realized the change as well, fore, though not one for subtlety, he slowly bent down, reaching for and grasping his bag in slightly slower motions that one would usually see form him. It was almost as if he were trying to look suspicious. He really had no flare for that sort of thing, unlike Miroku of course. (*rolls eyes* riiight...) Smiling softly, he scooted a step away from Sango and nodded. Discretion was imperative.
"Ahh, that she does." Noticing Inu Yasha's slow retreat, Sango called out to him.
"Inu Yasha, where are you going?" Inu merely walked on, toting his backpack on one shoulder while calling back to her from over his other.
"Keh, Kagome this, Kagome that, I'm going to class." Ahh, this was good; Sango was distracted watching Inu Yasha leave. Now, if only Miroku could get away unnoticed. He, for one, didn't want to be the one interrogated, especially by Sango. They didn't call her the demon *exterminator* for nothing. Besides, who knew what she could do to him! Actually, come to think of it, if it were any other situation, he might've let her, but not then, he had too much to lose. Sticking his tongue out of the corner of his mouth in concentration, Miroku honed all of his senses for one seemingly simple act, to creep slowly past the girl in question, touching not hide nor hair of her... for once. Mm... maybe it wouldn't be so simple after all. Ahh, but how lovely it would have been though, even to touch hide, hair, and more, but ahh, the ramifications of it all! With these thoughts in mind, was it any wonder that the tight line that had become Miroku's mouth turned upward into his perverted, quirky grin, or that his heart beat with more fervor, more in thought of Sango than the perverseness of the acts? Such sordid, unabridged thoughts weren't uncommon within his mind, but sometimes they came at the wrong times, and, more importantly, in the wrong places. Expression becoming more dreamy and less concentrated, Miroku's ability to walk softly became inhibited, causing his steps to become larger and larger, and him to eventually become clumsier and clumsier about his escape. Poor Miroku, his imagination always did him in.
"Houshi?" Miroku stopped not a second later, one foot on tiptoe and the other in the air. Crap, he was screwed. Turning quickly, he smiled, pretending as if nothing had happened. Waving a hand in the air, he was about to apologize for having to leave using the classic "I have to get to class" excuse, but of course, running would only make her all the more determined, and if he ran, he would've seemed guilty right? All the more reason for her to go after him, he supposed. Oh, what was a guy to do? Well, answering her would be a good start.
"Yes Sango?"
"What do you know?" Oh boy. What was that look? He had never seen Sango so determined before, nor so inquisitive come to think of it, not even when she was hitting him for groping her! If that was his punishment then, what would she do to him now? Okay, calm down; he didn't really know anything, so what was he worried about? Yeah, that's right, he *didn't* know anything! Ha, then there was nothing for him to lose, and Sango couldn't do anything to him! Subduing the seemingly illogical fears that the question had wrought, and holding his head high, Miroku grinned, an act that seemed to mocked every power that Sango held over him. What could she do to him, after all?
"Why Sango, I don't know what you mean." So... why was she smiling like that?
"Is that so?" Running a finger up his neck and over the underside of his chin, Sango tilted his head to the side as she inclined her own, whispering a short, but sweet sentence into his, now burning, ear.
Ooooh boy. He was SO done for.