More Than What She Seems

A/N: AAAh! I'm so sorry! I haven't updated for a month AGAIN! This is becoming a habit...but don't worry! My updates should be weekly now...and if it isn't, it'll be every other week. :D

To XsangoX: Kaede isn't related to Kikyo in any way =D

Note: As you can see, I changed the rating of this story to R. NOW, that doesn't mean that it's R material all throughout the story! I just want to play it safe (especially after what said)! I mean, this story is going to obviously have some abuse scenes...

Chapter 19: The First Encounter

:o:O:o:O:o: One Week Later :o:O:o:O:o:

Four girls sat quietly in an empty classroom discussing plans for their school during their first period. Sango scribbled down some notes onto a large notepad. She had to stay on task. The head teacher that usually planned out school events was going to be busy for several weeks...so all the staff members had turned to her. Today, Sango was pulled out of class by the principal right before first period started...he told her to choose 3 girls in the class to help her. So, she chose Kagome...and since she had no clue of who else to choose, she chose Kaguya and Kanna.

"So, here's the plan," Sango cleared her voice and held up a list to everyone in the meeting. "The senior prom is going to happen in about a month and so we have to move fast. We need food, decorations, music-"

"I'll take care of the music," Kaguya spoke up. "I've got plenty of CDs."

Sango smiled faintly. Kaguya wasn't that bad when you got to know her. She was only snobby before because of Kikyo.

"That's great," she nodded.

"I, well, I can take care of the food," Kanna spoke softly. "My parents are chefs."

"Really?!" Sango squealed. "Man, I never knew that!"

"It leads me to wonder..." Kagome finally spoke up in the small group. "Why you two hung out with Kikyo...I mean, you both seem so much better than her."

Kaguya and Kanna smiled wearily at each other.

"We were what you could call...loners," Kaguya let out a small laugh. Her eyes shifted to the small girl beside her. "But Kanna and I became really good friends. We always stuck up for each other."

"And now that we're kicked out of Kikyo's group, we're going to do a little payback," Kanna giggled.

Kagome and Sango glanced at each other with a smile.

"Anyways, I guess Kagome and I will take care of the decorations and all..." Sango continued her planning.

"You could always ask the teachers for more helpers..." Kaguya suggested.

Sango shook her head, "They trust me the most. I help them A LOT...so they asked for my help and told me I could ask for as much help as I needed, but I only need a few people...there's not THAT much to do."

She stood up from her seat and held up a fist. Kagome, Kaguya, and Kanna all winced at the scraping of her chair.

"Watch out world!" Sango exclaimed. "Because this'll be the best prom ever held in this high school!"

Kaguya leaned over and whispered to Kagome and Kanna, "I think she's way over her head right now, don't you?"

:o:O:o:O:o: Lunch :o:O:o:O:o:

"It's very tragic," Miroku sighed as he and his three friends ate. "After this year, not all of the beautiful girls in my classes are going to still be in my classes...."

"It's very tragic that there's a high possibility of you being in at least one of my classes next year," Sango snorted beside him.

"It's very tragic," Kagome spoke up from across the table. "That you and Miroku aren't going out yet. Seriously, I thought that you two would be a couple by now."

Inu Yasha laughed next to her, "Yes, that really IS tragic."

Sango reddened. Miroku turned to her and leaned closer.

"The last time I asked if you wanted to be my girlfriend, you said no..." he stated. "How about now?"

"NO!" Sango clamped her eyes shut and shoved him off his chair, onto the ground.

Kagome and Inu Yasha looked on with amusment.

"Common, Sango!" Kagome stifled a laugh. "Give him a chance...I think you two could have a serious relationship."

Miroku sat back in his chair, rubbing his head, "Yeah, I've changed since last year."

"Not really," Inu Yasha remarked slyly. "And I think Miroku's groped Sango so much that she's tired of him."

Sango just sat next to Miroku with red cheeks, "Y-yeah."

:o:O:o:O:o: After School :o:O:o:O:o:

Kagome walked silently off the school campus after school was over.

'Well, back to the hell house,' she sighed.

"Kagome!" a voice shouted.

She stiffened and turned around. Her eyes met with amber ones.

"Common, I'll take you home," Inu Yasha insisted, taking hold of one of her hands. Kagome pulled away.

"I'm sorry, but not today, Inu Yasha," she mumbled.

"Why not?" he asked, confused.

"Just because," Kagome said grimly, turned away and started walking off again.

"Wait!" he called out to her. "You're house is in the other direction! Why are you going THAT way?"

"Because I can!" she snapped back loudly, still keeping her back to him. "And don't follow me!"

Inu Yasha watched as her walking turned into running.

"She's hiding something from me..." he murmured.

:o:O:o:O:o:

Kagome slowed to a stop once she reached Higurashi Shrine.

"I...can't let...Inu Yasha know that...I live here again," she panted. "I don't want him ...involved."

"Oi! Kagome!" Souta waved from the top of the steps. She looked up and smiled at her step-brother.

"How're you doing, Souta?" she called out.

"Fine! Now get up here!"

Kagome laughed and ran up the steps to him. They started heading back into the house together.

"Hurry in, you two," Grandpa ordered, sticking his head out the door. "We need to start working on dinner! Your mother is out shopping."

Kagome flinched. Her mother? More like her worst nightmare.

"Hai," the two kids answered quietly.

:o:O:o:O:o:

"I'm home!" Mrs. Higurashi slammed the door shut and made her way to the kitchen with bags of food in hand.

Souta walked up to her and asked, "Do you need help, Mom?"

Mrs. Higurashi smiled sweetly, "Yes."

He took most of the bags off her hands and walked carefully toward the table on the other side of the kitchen room.

Mrs. Higurashi's eyes flew to the stove. The scene in front of her made her frown. Kagome was cooking...and it was sad to admit: whatever she was cooking smelled wonderful.

"That smells good," Grandpa said beside Kagome.

"Arigato," Kagome smiled back.

Mrs. Higurashi's frown turned into a scowl...she felt her anger boil up inside her.

'That wretched girl!' she glared at her step-daughter. 'In no time, my father and son will love her more than me! Just like her father!'

CRACK CRACK CRACK

Mrs. Higurashi twitched at the sound.

"Uh oh.." Souta's voice gulped. "Um, Mom?"

Her eyes flew over to her son.

She seethed, "You dropped the eggs?!"

Souta backed away slowly, "Not on purpose Mom.."

Kagome jumped in, "I'll clean it up."

"You'll do no such thing!" Mrs. Higurashi barked. "Souta dropped them, so he'll clean up the mess by himself!"

"You haven't heard of helping?" Kagome shot back, ripping paper towels off a roll and throwing them to the ground. She knelt down and started cleaning up the mess.

"You have other stuff to do!"

"Like what?"

"Cooking! You want whatever you're cooking to burn up?!" Mrs. Higurashi hissed.

"Why don't you take over for me then?" Kagome stated as if that were the most obvious thing in the world. Souta was silently cleaning up the mess he had created beside her.

Mrs. Higurashi's hands clenched into fists, "Watch your mouth, young lady..."

"Why don't you?" Kagome turned her head and glared at her step-mother.

Mrs. Higurashi snapped. She rushed over to the teenager and grabbed onto a huge wad of hair. With one pull, she yanked up her step-daughter. Kagome let out a loud cry of pain.

"That's enough-" Grandpa interrupted, only causing Mrs. Higurashi to get angrier.

"NO, IT'S NOT ENOUGH!" she screamed. "THIS GIRL WON'T LISTEN TO ME AND SO NOW, SHE'S GOING TO GET PUNISHED!"

Grandpa and Souta watched in fear as Mrs. Higurashi threw her step-daughter down onto the floor. Kagome dropped onto the slippery egg slime that was still left on the floor and slid hard into a wall.

"Oomph!" she choked and stood up with a wobble a moment later.

"Get cooking!" Mrs. Higurashi commanded. She watched in triumph as Kagome walked past her. However, her victory did not last long. Kagome was walking past the stove...toward the phone.

She growled, "What the heck do you think you're doing?!"

Kagome didn't answer her. She picked up the phone and dialed 3 numbers.

911.

The hand that Kagome held the phone with trembled, "Hello? I'd like to report-"

Kagome flinched as the phone was ripped from her hands and was hung back up onto its cradle.

"Calling for help?!" Mrs. Higurashi shoved her. "You're not going to get it!"

She shoved her step-daughter again.

"Daughter, stop!" Grandpa pleaded, stepping forward.

"Stay out of this!" she snapped at him.

Mrs. Higurashi turned her attention back on Kagome.

"You know what?" she narrowed her eyes.

Kagome stared in horror as Mrs. Higurashi turned away, tore off the phone and its cradle off the wall and threw it onto the floor.

CRASH

The phone had smashed into smithereens.

"No..." Kagome whispered. "NO!!!"

Mrs. Higurashi smirked, "That was the only phone in this house too.."

"Y-you're insane!" Grandpa cried out to her. "Daughter, an evilness has taken over you!"

"Stop sprouting garbage," she muttered to her father.

Kagome's eyes welled up with tears.

'That was my only chance...' she bit her lip from sobbing. 'I can't call anyone whenever I'm home now...'

"Now finish the cooking!" her step-mother ordered again.

"No..." Kagome whispered. "Not if you're going to keep abusing me like this."

Mrs. Higurashi glared at her and gave her an enormous push. Kagome felt her right side collide with a wall...along with her head. And then, everything went black.

:o:O:o:O:o: Next Morning :o:O:o:O:o:

Kagome's eyes blinked open slowly. She shot up and looked around. She was in her room. Her stomach growled.

"That's right, I didn't have dinner..." she realized.

Kagome held herself tightly and winced as she felt a pain sear up through her right arm. She pulled up the sleeve and stared at the large, long bruise.

"Oh, Kami, help," she breathed.

KNOCK KNOCK

Kagome immediately became alert.

"It's me, Souta," her step-brother said on the other side of the door. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," she paused. Kagome walked to the door and leaned against it with a sigh.

"Kagome, it's all my fault," she heard Souta start crying on the other side. "It's all my fault...."

When she opened the door, Souta threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so sorry Kagome! I'm so sorry!" he sobbed. Kagome closed the door lightly and locked it.

"If I hadn't dropped the eggs...none of it would've happened," Souta sniffed.

"Souta.." she murmured. "What happened after I was knocked out?"

"Me and jii-chan carried you to your room," he sniffed again. "Man, Kagome. You're heavy."

Kagome laughed for the first time that morning, "Sorry."

Souta let out a small laugh himself, "Yeah...anyways, we set you on your bed and left the room...I even locked the door behind me so Mom wouldn't have been able to get in and hurt you even more."

"Thank you Souta-chan," she hugged him tightly.

"Hey, I bet you're hungry, aren't you?" he asked.

Kagome nodded.

Souta pulled away, dug into one of the pockets of his pants and pulled out a rice donut.

"I just made it this morning," he beamed proudly.

Kagome laughed again and took it.

"Well, I'll leave you to change for school," Souta said hesitantly. "You riding your bike today?"

Kagome thought for a second and then answered, "I guess."

"Okay, till then."

He left.

Kagome smiled faintly and stared down at the donut she held.

"Oh, Souta," she said quietly. "I'm scared for you...I'm scared for the both of us."

A/N: O.o Well, there you have it! Please review!

By the way, from now on, check for updates at the very end of my bio profile. I'll be keeping you guys up to date with the updating schedule.