Title: A Game to Die For
Author: Noir Rouge
Summery: Kagome, a 14 year old local private school girl, loves nothing more than volleyball. After becoming the best on the 16 and up team, the head coach of Young Athletes "Youkai" Volleyball Organization Moves her to the male 16 and up team. She only has one problem, her team captain Inuyasha . . . Kag/Inu San/Mir AU
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, please don't sue . . .
Enjoy the game . . .
ABC
Kagome was rather sore for the next few days. Luckily for her they weren't going to have practice for 2 days, giving them some time to recuperate.
Kagome and Sango were walking amongst the crowd of the students during lunchtime making their way toward their seats. They walked by a familiar group of boys, Smiling as they approached. Some of them waved at them.
"Hey Kagome, that was a great first game huh!" Shippo stated smiling at her. Kagome instantly noticed the bandages on his nose and winced inwardly.
"You're still cheerful about that huh?" Kagome asked smiling.
"How can we not be?" Kouga piped up. "We won the first tournament no sweat. That's great luck!"
No sweat was an exaggeration. Shipo had broken his nose and by the looks of it Hojo would be wearing that wrist support for a few weeks.
Kagome spoke once again to Shippo. "How long is your nose going to be tapped up?" she asked.
"Not very long, just another week. It wasn't that bad, it just bled a lot." He stated nonchalantly.
"That's good news." She said smiling and started to walk off.
"Kagome, we still have two seats if you want to join." Hojo offered.
Kagome stared once again; almost considering taking the offer, then looked over at her seat only a few rows away.
She looked back at Hojo forcing a smile. "Sorry, we have seats. But thanks for offering. See you at practice tomorrow."
With that she walked over to her table claiming her seat next to Kagura, with Sango sitting right beside her.
"Congratulations Kagome sempai!" Rin said with a huge smile at Kagome. "You guys won all your games! We lost like 3 times!"
Rin was two years younger than Kagome, 12, and in the 7th grade. She played on the 13 and up volley ball team and attended almost every match. Kagome had no idea why.
"Thanks Rin-chan." She smiled back. "Did you guys have fun at your match?"
"Yup! The ball got stuck on the upper track around the gym 3 times. (A lot of courts have those…)" she giggled recalling the memory.
"We got second in the tournament. The judges were idiots." Kagura stated.
"I think that one team was on steroids! They were Amazon chicks!" Sango declared. A few of the girls recalled the team and giggled at her remark.
There lunch continued with other meaningless chatter, and for some reason kagome felt out of place. She glanced over at the boys who were laughing and shoving each other jokingly. She looked at Inuyasha who didn't seem to participating as openly. For a moment she smiled lightly then rejoined the conversation with the others.
ABC
"Ow, ow, ow . . ."
Kouga laughed. "You still sore Kagome?"
"Yes, I feel like my Hips are going to split. I thought I was used to this." Kagome said breathing heavily. Inuyasha was pushing them, it seamed, harder than usual.
"Don't worry you will."
They were on the third lap around the gym at a slightly fast pace when Kagome Tripped. She saw the ground coming at her, she wasn't quick enough to catch herself and blocked her face with her hands.
She awaited the painful hit of the gym floor to hit her any second. When it didn't Kagome started to question her sanity. She lowered her arms and opened her eyes to see the ground only a few inches away from her nose. She suddenly became aware of the arm tight around her stomach.
Kagome looked up to see Inuyasha staring at her. She blushed and quickly standing up and stared at the floor.
"Thank you . . ."
"Feh." He simply replied running past her back to the front of the line. Kagome didn't seem to notice his slightly flushed face.
She continued to run fallowing a little slower behind the rest of the team. 'That was so embarrassing!' she thought he face still flushed.
Kagome defiantly started to feel the burn while peppering with Hojo. Inuyasha was really pushing them harder than usual. Every time Hojo or Kagome tried to talk to each other, or any one else for that matter, Inuyasha would yell about how they needed to concentrate and pay attention.
When the practice was a third of the way through Kagome could barely stand. Inuyasha called a water break just in time for her to collapse on the floor with exhaustion.
"Don't worry about it Kouga, there just running their mouths. They won't back it up at all." Hojo stated sitting down by Kagome, Kouga sitting down beside her as well.
"What are you talking about?" kagome asked Hojo.
"Gokuraku. They have sent threatening letter to Shippo and me." Replied Kouga
"I haven't received any threats." Stated Kagome
"Probably because you're a girl." Shippo added joining in on the conversation.
"Anyway you're walking home right?" asked Kouga asked Kagome.
"Yep."
"Well you should walk home with someone. Were trying to stick together so they can't single us out."
"I live around your neighborhood so I can walk home with, all right?" Hojo said.
ABC
Kagome had just walked in the door when she heard the phone ring. She sighed, exhausted and drained. She slowly made her way up the stairs to her room, ignoring the ringing phone. All she wanted to do was sleep. She groaned internally, remembering she still had homework. Juggling school, running, volleyball, and homework was really starting to get to her.
"Kagome, the phone is for you." Her mother called from the kitchen.
"To tired. Call back latter." She responded.
There was a slight pause then kagome heard her mother's voice once again. "It's Miroku from volley ball. He says it's important."
"Take a message."
Kagome continued making her way up the stairs then heard her mother hang up the receiver rather forcefully. Then her mother appeared at the bottom of the stairs holding her car keys.
"Kagome putt your stuff in your room and then get out to the car."
"What is it?" Kagome asked hearing the fright in her mother's voice.
"Kouga's in the hospital. He got mugged."
ABC
Shippo was standing by Kouga's bed side shaking with fury and tears. Hojo was in the corner looking gloomy and distant staring at the floor. Hiten was sitting in a chair by the window glaring at everything that was within glaring range. Inuyasha was pacing back and fourth obviously annoyed that a team member had been hospitalized at such a crucial time for them. Kouga's mother was sitting by her son holding his hand and crying softly.
Kouga however was the worst one in the room. He had a bandage wrapped around his head and a black eye. His arm was in a sling and his chest was all bandaged up.
Kagome stared in horror at the condition of her team mate. She stood in the doorway quietly staring at the scene before her. After a while she walked over and hugged Shippo. Shippo hugged back eagerly. He was devastated; Kouga was one of his closest friends on the team. They were like siblings, Kouga always stood up for Shippo.
After releasing Shippo she bent over and lightly hugged Kouga who grunted in response and tapped her on back, a mock of a hug, but the only thing he could do.
She nearly started to bawl, tears welding up in her eyes.
"Aw, come on Kagome, don't cry. You don't look nearly as cute." Kouga begged smiling a little at her.
"What on earth did you do to get all mangled up?" Kagome asked, her mood switching to anger at him for being so careless. Kouga just closed his eyes and sighed. Shippo and Hojo walked out of the room making motions for kagome to fallow them. Kagome fallowed obediently walking out of the room and over to the hallway by the waiting area.
"It was Gokuraku." Hojo stated.
"What was?" Kagome asked.
"Kouga walked home alone and those cowards cornered him!" Shippo shouted in fury. After all, now he had a lot to hate Gokuraku for.
"Kagome I think it would be a good idea if instead of going home walking with us to the Y.A.C. after school. You can still run two miles, and get your homework done during free time. It's just not a good ideal to walk around alone anymore." Hojo said.
With that Kagome's fate was sealed. No more free time.
ABC
"That's awful! To think people could get so low as to mug an opponent to win a tournament. It's just really immature." Sango spoke with strong distaste of what Kagome had told her about Kouga.
"What ever happened to good sportsmanship, and love for your fellow players! It almost makes me ashamed to play the same sport as them." Rin pouted.
"So what about the roller rink after school Kagome?" Kagura reminded her.
"Oh yeah, about that, I'm really sorry. Because of the threats and the muggings I have to go to the Y.A.C. right after school with the guys every day. I'm sorry I can't make it." She apologized. Kagome was not having a very good week, with Kouga's mugging, her score on the math quiz, and loosing all of her free time in the evenings. She felt like crap and really just wanted to hang out, eat fattening foods, and sleep.
"That's all right, we were thinking about going to a movie on Sunday around 2:00pm. Can you make that?" asked Sango.
"Not sure, I might get grounded, my math score and all. I'll tell you on the phone tonight all right."
"Hey Kagome! Big news!" Shippo stated loudly approaching the table Kagome sat at with her friends, Hojo in tow. "Practice starts an hour early today. With Hojo in the support, and Kouga in the hospital, Inuyasha says we need to bring up our game to stay in the tournament."
"Shippo, Hiten and I will walk with you to the center after school, meet us at the front gate on our side." Hojo commented.
"Is Inuyasha not coming?"
"Inuyasha has a ride home after school. Big business with school and the center. Inuyasha studies probably twice as much as he practices." Shippo piped up.
"The center?"
"Not sure, just a bunch of stuff about his brother and running things around there."
Kagome realized she really didn't know much about Inuyasha or his family. . .
"Well thanks for the info, you guys can leave Kagome alone now."
Kagome glanced at Kagura, shocked by her statement. The noticed that Kagura had probably thought the boy's presence was bothering her when Kagome had become silent for a moment.
The boys glared at Kagura for a moment before walking away silently. Kagome felt guilty for not saying something. But Sticking up for the guys would look strange when the schools were purposefully trying to keep them apart. She still felt bad though . . .
ABC
That afternoon Kagome walked around the school to the front of the girl's school. She crossed through along with the mob of girls leaving to get rides home or walk. However she went in the opposite direction of the mob once through the school gate and entrance. She stopped a few moments later, standing next to entrance of the boy's school. Just like the girl's school a large crowd of young men were exiting through the gates.
Kagome kept a safe distance from most of the boys, slightly annoyed and shocked when she received a few cat calls and boys yelling something about waiting for her boyfriend. It was expected though; girls did not normally stand by let alone near the boy's school.
She waited for about 5 min. before she saw Shippo Hojo and Hiten coming towards the gate. She was sweating from the extremely uncomfortable situation. She would give anything to go rollerblading at this time.
"Hey kagome! Why'd you wait out here?" Shippo walked up to kagome with a questioning look on his face. "We were waiting by the door for you."
"But. . . you said to meet you at the gate!" she looked accusingly at her male companions.
"Just kidding Kagome, hurry up you'll make us late." Shippo along with the other two boys started of in the direction of the center. She walked behind the group feeling more than slightly out of place.
"Shippo how can we be late? The practice doesn't start till 4:00. Its only 2:45." Kagome asked with and edge of sarcasm.
"Set up crew." Hojo stated. "Guys who set up get court till practice."
Kagome stared. Know wonder every one on the team was good, they would show up and hour out of there way just to scrimmage with the other boys. She didn't feel out of place anymore, just left behind. She remembered how hard if felt to feel out of place with people who share the same interests. But left behind, she most DEFENITLY was.
Before practice that day Kagome set up the equipment with the other boys and scrimmaged with them. They ran the daily two miles with her and joked around. She didn't understand why the school kept them apart. She got along with the guys just fine.
Practice came and went. She was shocked, a whole four hours (thanks to the extra hour) had gone by and she hardly even noticed. She had joked with the guys about random things and had worked her butt off during drills, but failed to complain about the long practice.
Walking home with Hojo she talked about it with him.
"Yeah," he commented "Things are finally back to normal during practice."
"What do you mean 'back to normal'? They have always felt that long."
"Well I guess there was a lot of tension between you and the team because your new and . . . well you're a girl. We were really uncomfortable at first with a girl coming on the team. But now I think because you have sort of been through some really awkward time with the team, that because we see that you share the team burden we think of you as a fellow team mate."
Kagome had nothing to do but stare at her shoes. She was startled and yet happy about what Hojo had just said. She was a member of the team and everyone was ok with that. She hadn't even noticed how much this fact had bothered her till it had seemed to be solved.
"You guys are sooooooooo good to me!" Kagome shouted playfully jumping on Hojo and hugging him. Hiding her face so he couldn't see the stray tear that fell. She giggled as Hojo tried to shake her off and told her she was heavy.
She didn't care about her team number; she didn't care about her position. She didn't care if the won or lost. She cared about her team, like a real player should.
Kagome and Hojo went there separate ways at the corner of her street.
Kagome was light headed and felt great, like she just won a running marathon.
Kagome noticed how dark her street was, and was immediately aware of everything's position down the street. Her house seemed miles away.
She started to sprint towards her house. Just as she felt someone yank her arm and pull her backwards, while knocking her legs out from under her she remembered. She remembered Shippo's nose all taped up and all the blood that had fallen from it. She remembered the large muscles of their opposing team that day. But most of all she remembered Kouga lying in the hospital with several injuries bandaged up.
She looked up as 5 figured surrounded her all staring down at her face. Some looked angry some with strange sadistic looks, Kagome couldn't tell because It was so dark.
"So your youkai teams bitch."
Kagome tried to run and scream, but was immediately stopped from doing both . . .
ABC
COMMENTS: Hi! (doges random flying objects) I'm back! (gets hit with random gym sock).
ABC scene change O-K!
Sorry I haven't updated in like a year . . . wow that a long time. Well I got the story going again (not to mention with a juicy cliff hanger) and I will try to keep the creative juices in my non-existent mind flowing.
R & R please
Love
NOIRROUGE! (IM BACK DAMN IT!)