Kagome groaned, staring despairingly at the back of her favorite Inu Hanyou's head.
"What's the matter, Kagome?" Miroku asked, allowing his steps to slow so he could fall in step with the time traveling girl. Silently he suspected it to be the golden eyed man who walked ahead of them, staring ahead as if he didn't care what they were speaking about, but his ears betraying him; pointing backwards in the direction of their voices.
She made a face and looked at him, before deciding she could tell him. "I have to do this project for school. See, I'm failing history, crazy as it may be-I mean, I am history-so I have to do an extra credit assignment to help with my grades. Not that it'll help anyway; I'll most likely repeat the whole grade." She added bitterly, glaring down at the well-worn dirt path.
Miroku considered it a moment, hand on his chin. "History, did you say? Maybe we can help-what're the questions?"
She sighed, "There are no questions, I just have to do research and put together a family tree. But I don't have time to do that…" she drifted off then shook her head, "My grandpa gave me our family tree-it dates back all the way past this time period, you know- but I have to put one together that looks new, and nice and all this other stuff." She moaned. "And it has to me hand written. My hand writing's not all that great, Miroku-it practically looks like chicken scratch!"
"No," Miroku told her gently, "Shippo's hand writing looks like chicken scratch. Yours looks more along the lines of a field right after battle."
The remark had been a joking one, but it just dismayed her more. "You're right! I'm hopeless!"
Sango's intense gaze snapped over to the young monk. She'd been listening to the conversation and now grew angry with the unhelpful man. "Don't listen to him, Kagome, your handwriting's great." She consoled, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder as she continued to glare over Kagome's head at Miroku.
He shook his head, indicating he hadn't meant to upset her. He was about to say so when Shippo jumped up from his position on the ground to rest on Kagome's shoulder.
"You'll do great," he encouraged, "No matter what Miroku says. You're the smartest person I know, Kagome, how can you NOT do good?"
Kagome smiled slightly at his words, "Thanks, Shippo,"
"If you want," Miroku offered, trying to make up for his earlier mistake, "I can help you with it. I'll even write it out for you."
"You'd really do that?
"Of course!"
Kagome smiled brightly now, and jogged slightly to catch up with InuYasha, who was carrying her bag, "Thanks, Miroku!"
She dug through it as she walked, slightly faster than she would have liked due to the fact that InuYasha was carrying it, and triumphantly pulled out her family's scroll. "Found it!" She cheered, allowing herself to fall back in pace with the others.
"Keh," InuYasha scoffed, "I don't see why you're bothering. None of US went through any of that 'school' stuff and we turned out fine."
Kagome waved the scroll at him, eyes closed in a slightly disapproving manner. "That's where you're wrong, InuYasha. Miroku went to school-maybe not like my school but he learned to read and write, the kind of stuff you learn in school. And Sango went to school too-a very different type of school, but still school. In fact, we're all still kind of in school. As life goes on we learn things, maybe street-smarts, like you, or book-smarts, like me. It's still school because you're learning things, things that will help you to survive later on in life."
Kagome blushed then, noticing their stares. "But I'm just being silly," she brushed it off and was about to open the scroll when Miroku held up his hand.
"You have a point there, Kagome, we do learn things everyday." He waved if off then, dismissing the topic, "But never mind, open the scroll."
Kagome smiled slightly and unrolled it, scanning the list of names. Her eyes widened suddenly and she squeaked, quickly rolling up the paper. "Uh, um, never mind the project, you guys don't need to help me."
"What's the matter, Kagome?" Sango asked.
"Yeah, what is it? Sesshoumaru your great-great something or other?" Shippo joked.
"Ah, no, nothing like that." She picked up her pace, now walkingalongside InuYasha.
"Kagome?" Miroku asked, then shared a glance with Sango. What was she hiding?
Even InuYasha couldn't hide his worry now. "Kagome, what is it?"
"Nothing,"
The four of them exchanged glances before crowding around her. "What's going on, Kagome?"
"Nothing!" she insisted, and broke their ring, running on ahead, scroll clutched tightly in her hands.
"Kagome!" They shouted, and ran after her.
'Well,' Kagome thought to herself as she ran, 'At least I don't have to worry about getting Miroku and Sango together.'