Chapter 2: A Less Than Amicable Meeting

Kagome stormed up to the table where a young man with black hair had another young man with orange hair in a headlock and was punching the top of his head with his fist while a young woman was trying to stop it to no avail. The thought crossed Kagome's mind briefly that this looked uncannily like Inuyasha picking on Shippou. Of course, this only served to fuel her fire. She didn't tolerate such behavior from Inuyasha and she certainly had no patience for somebody who acted in the exact same manner.

"EXCUSE ME!" she yelled to get their attention.

Yusuke froze and looked apprehensively up at the source of the interruption, surprised by the anger of the sudden shout. Kuwabara looked a bit glazed over, having been beaten in the head, but he still managed to focus his gaze on the girl standing in front of their table. Keiko tried to shrink down into the seat, embarrassed to be in the middle of such a humiliating situation.

Kagome stood there stiffly, her arms drawn tightly to her sides and her fists clenched. "Just what is wrong with you? In case you hadn't noticed, there are other people in here! If you absolutely have to do that, will you please take it outside!" She punctuated the word 'outside' with an angry foot stomp and a vehement point toward the front door.

Yusuke's and Kuwabara's eyes had grown quite large. This girl was as scary as Keiko when she was mad. Yusuke let go of Kuwabara's head, holding his hands up in the air as if a gun were pointed at him.

Kuwabara tried to straighten himself out, rubbing his head where Yusuke had hit him several times. "Eh, heh…um…sorry, Miss…" he said as politely as he could. He offered a lopsided, nervous grin apologetically. When Kagome turned her gaze on him, he felt like he might turn to ice and he stiffened, his teeth clenching with apprehension. The dark, angry look on her face was downright frightening! In addition, a familiar prickling sensation ran through his body as well, a feeling that he had come to trust the accuracy of. It didn't seem possible, though, that it could be triggered by this common school girl. He found himself just wishing that she'd turn her gaze off of him again.

Luckily, she didn't seem to have it out for him. "Apology accepted," she said quickly. "Besides, I have a feeling you're not really the one who should be doing the apologizing." She fixed her deadly glare on Yusuke, a look that made even Inuyasha cringe.

But obviously this boy didn't know her as well as Inuyasha did because he didn't know when to back off. His surprised expression eventually transformed into a somewhat smart-assed smile and he practically waved her off. "Oh, come on Miss, lighten up…we were just goofing off."

Kuwabara glared at Yusuke. "No, you were trying to strangle me and turn my head into mush, you punk!"

Yusuke made a face back at Kuwabara. "At least you don't have to worry about brain damage…gotta have brains for that!"

"UP YOURS, URAMESHI!" Kuwabara yelled, his face turning red.

"UP YOURS FIRST, MORON!" Yusuke yelled back.

That was the last straw. Kagome growled loudly in frustration and slammed her palms down on the table, making both Yusuke and Kuwabara jump in fright. "CUT IT OUT! NOBODY CAN HEAR THEMSELVES THINK WITH YOU TWO SHOUTING AT EACH OTHER! YOU'RE ANNOYING ALL OF THESE PEOPLE AND DISTURBING THOSE OF US WHO JUST WANT TO HAVE A QUIET MEAL! WHY DON'T YOU GROW UP A LITTLE?" At that, everyone else in the restaurant started clapping. Keiko turned a scarlet shade of red and whimpered in absolute mortification.

Kagome's ire was mitigated by pity for this poor girl and she calmed down. She truly identified with her situation. In a much softer voice, she addressed Keiko. "I'm really sorry to embarrass you."

Keiko looked at Kagome with an apologetic expression. "No, I'm sorry…I don't know what's gotten into these two knuckleheads today…especially this one," she said, pointing at Yusuke. Yusuke blinked in feigned innocence.

Kagome nodded. "Trust me, I understand better than you might think. Try a collar and leash…it works," she remarked in reply, making a comparison to Inuyasha that no one would have picked up on.

Keiko smiled weakly. "Yeah…one of those shock collars might come in handy," she replied as she shot Yusuke a malevolent glare. Yusuke made a pouty expression at her and crossed his arms, turning his head and staring into space as if he were ignoring her. Keiko just huffed and shook her head. "Don't worry, he won't misbehave again…I'll see to it," she said with an edge to her voice, cutting her eyes at Yusuke in a silent threat.

Kagome smiled softly and quipped, "Men…can't live with 'em…can't kill 'em." With that she turned to head back to her table. "Good luck," she offered to Keiko as she walked away. Keiko smiled at her but her smile faded as soon as Kagome had gone. She sank down further into her seat and groaned in aggravation.

Yusuke merely shrugged. "Geez, that was a bit excessive."

Keiko turned a dangerous eye on him. "Yusuke…just shut up and eat, ok!"

Yusuke blinked at her in surprise. "Okay, okay! Damn!" He snatched up a burger and took a huge bite, chewing fervently on it as he sulked in silence. Even Kuwabara knew better than to interject at that moment, though it was hard to resist the temptation to tease Yusuke for getting reamed. Instead, he occupied his mouth with his food, content for now to watch Yusuke pout. Keiko sighed in relief and finally resumed eating as well.

With the commotion having ceased, people finally stopped staring and resumed their own conversations once again. Kagome returned to her table, her three friends staring at her enthusiastically. Eri extolled her before she even sat down. "Wow, Kagome! That was pretty impressive!"

Yuka nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and I certainly hope you show the same zeal against that wacko boyfriend of yours!"

Kagome plopped down and leaned back in the seat. "Come on, guys, do we have to talk about this again?"

Yuka frowned. "Think about it Kagome…that should have been a prime example of why it's not a good idea to get involved with a jerk."

Kagome sighed and then shoved a fry in her mouth, taking out her frustration on it by chewing it vehemently. When she finally swallowed, she sighed. "Can we please change the subject?"

Eri, Yuka and Ayumi all looked at each other and then relented. "Ok, Kagome," Yuka responded. "We'll talk about…..uh…..um…..how about…..eh…." Kagome just shook her head. They spent so much time talking about her personal life that they were hard-pressed to think of something else to talk about.

"Never mind, guys," she interrupted. "I think I'm done and I have to get back to the shrine...Mom needs my help tonight." With that, she stood, hefted her backpack over her shoulder and then picked up her tray of cold, half-eaten food. "She ya later," she said, trying to sound cheery so that they wouldn't think she was leaving because she was mad. Then she started to turn to walk away.

"Oh, wait," said Ayumi unassumingly. "We'll go with you!" Kagome whined inwardly as her three friends also got up and picked up their trays. She just wanted to get away from everybody right now and be alone to think. But she just smiled patiently and nodded, planning to get rid of them once they all got outside.

On their way to the door, they passed by Yusuke's table. Yusuke was certainly glad that this hot-tempered girl and her friends were leaving. Her voice had been sharp and piercing and he was annoyed that she'd had the audacity to just come up and yell at him of all people. After all, he was Yusuke Urameshi and he did have a reputation around town among people of his age. He thought that everyone had heard of him and was afraid of him, even people of other schools. But apparently these girls weren't aware of who he was because as they passed him, they all spared him a disdainful look like he was a common lowly thug. It occurred to him that he should let them know who it was that they were being so scornful to, but an evil eye from Keiko made him stay his tongue and he opted instead just to glare back at them in silence.

Kagome and her friends then made their way to the trash bin, threw away their trash and returned their trays, Eri and Yuka grumbling about Yusuke the entire time. Right before she turned to leave, Kagome got the feeling she was being stared at and cast one last glance back at "the loud jerk" as her friends had just labeled him only to find that he was still glaring at her. She gave him her most dangerous glower and Yusuke shivered internally, his gaze shifting off of her immediately. Satisfied, Kagome stormed out, her friends following right behind her.

Yusuke was amazed…he thought only Keiko had the power to bully him like that. Yet, that girl had just made him back down with merely a look. She had even made his blood run cold for a moment. Normally, he was the one casting dangerous glares and intimidating people. It just wasn't right.

Yusuke's sulking was interrupted by Kuwabara. "Man…there's something weird about that girl," he said in a serious tone.

Yusuke rolled his eyes and retorted, "Well, that's obvious…she's nuts!"

Keiko waved Yusuke off and asked, "What do you mean, Kuwabara?"

Kuwabara was still looking in the direction that Kagome had left in. "Didn't you feel it, Urameshi? It felt like spirit power…but pent up inside."

Yusuke huffed and leaned back uncaringly. "I think your spirit radar's busted, Kuwabara. I didn't feel anything from her…unless you count an overload of bitchiness as a power."

"Yusuke!" Keiko scolded with a disapproving scowl.

Kuwabara also frowned at Yusuke. "I'm serious, Urameshi. I don't know what it is, but there's something different about her, I'm tellin' you! You know I can sense these things better than you can. She's setting off the tickle feeling."

Yusuke snickered. "Ah, yes…the tickle feeling. Are you sure you don't just have the hots for her?"

Kuwabara growled at Yusuke. "You know I love Yukina, you moron!" he snapped angrily. "That has nothing to do with it!"

Yusuke was still snickering but he put his hands up. "Okay, okay! Heh heh heh…don't blow a gasket."

Kuwabara calmed but kept his eyes cut at Yusuke. "Laugh all you want, dork…I know what I feel."

In the meantime, Kagome and her friends had stepped outside. After only a few steps, Kagome paused and set her backpack down on the ground. "You guys go ahead…I gotta check and make sure I've got everything I need."

They watched her as she knelt down and started rummaging through her bag. "Are you sure? We can wait for you if you want," asked Yuka.

Kagome shook her head. "Nah, 'cause if I forgot something, I'll have to go back and get it and I don't want to hold you guys up."

Ayumi smiled. "Ok, Kagome, we'll see you tomorrow at school. You should really get a good night's sleep tonight. I know you must have been up all night studying for today's math test and you look exhausted."

Eri nodded and added, "Yeah, just relax. There are no tests tomorrow."

Kagome offered a weak smile. "Yeah, but just trying to keep up in class is hard enough. Maybe I will go to bed early."

Yuka smiled back at her. "Go for it! You gotta take care of yourself or you'll get sick again."

Kagome nodded and smiled slightly uncomfortably. "Yeah…heh…sick again…don't want that. Well, see you guys tomorrow. Bye!" Her friends said goodbye and walked away, finally leaving Kagome by herself. She breathed a huge sigh of relief and turned her attention back to her backpack. She really did need to make certain that she had all of her catch-up work before she went home. She hauled her bag to the side, out of the way of people leaving the restaurant. Then she knelt down again and began to weed through the books, notebooks and papers one by one.

She didn't notice when a group of three walked out of the door of the restaurant and they didn't notice her because she was bent over and out of their way. She pulled a book out of her backpack to examine it when she caught a snippet of their conversation as they unknowingly passed her.

"…..so boring around here lately," came a gruff baritone that she recognized.

"Yeah," responded the voice of "the loud jerk". "I'm getting' antsy. I thought surely Botan would have had a new case for us by now." Kagome was surprised to hear those voices again so soon and stood right after they had walked by her, staring at the backs of their heads.

Still not realizing that anyone was within earshot, Yusuke continued. "I'm about ready to get back to kicking some demon ass." He punched his right fist into his left palm eagerly.

"I hear ya," agreed Kuwabara. "Demons are a lot more fun to beat up on than the local gangs." Their conversation was cut short by the sound of a heavy book hitting the ground. All three whipped around in surprise to find themselves staring at the young woman who had yelled at Yusuke just minutes ago.

Kagome stood there in shock. Had they just said demons? Of course many people did at least believe in demons of some kind, but in this era hardly anyone could really claim to have actually seen one. These guys had just spoken of fighting them like it was an everyday occurrence! Kagome just stood there, her eyes wide with astonishment. Who were these people?

'Did she hear us?' thought Yusuke and Kuwabara both in a panic. But they found her shock in return to be very odd. Most people would have just given them a strange look if anything, but she was now standing there stiff as a board, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging slightly open.

Yusuke cleared his throat and tried to recompose himself. "What?" he asked, trying to sound casual. "Uh…you never heard of the Demons? They're a…a…really bad gang that just moved into town…"

Kuwabara caught on and nodded feverishly. "Yeah! Yeah! The baddest! They're the only guys around here that can even put up a decent fight for me and Urameshi here! We're the toughest guys in the city! Hehheh…heh heh heh!" he laughed nervously.

'Don't overdo it, numbskull,' Yusuke grumbled inwardly and he stepped on Kuwabara's foot to keep him from overcompensating to the point of looking even more suspicious.

Kagome seemed to recover slightly and blinked a few times. "Oh…heh…sorry…I…I thought I heard something else…not that I was deliberately listening or anything…sorry!" She blushed slightly, feeling stupid. 'These guys are just gang members…how could I have thought…' She shook her head free of further hesitation and bent down to pick up her book. She quickly dusted it off and shoved it back in her bag. After hefting her backpack hastily onto her shoulder, she turned and walked away very hurriedly.

Yusuke, Kuwabara and Keiko all exchanged 'that was close' looks. Kuwabara sighed heavily and slumped over. "Man! I had no idea she was right behind us!"

Yusuke let air flap through his lips. "Shit…I'm starting to think you might have been right about her being strange. Did you see the way she looked at us?"

Keiko nodded. "Yeah, it was a pretty extreme reaction considering what you said."

Yusuke sniffed. "Damn straight. I mean, I know it's probably weird to hear somebody talk about demons, but why would she freak like that? It doesn't make sense."

Kuwabara looked in the direction she'd walked away in. "Like I said…there's somethin' more to her. Hey, you think we should follow her? Maybe she's trouble!"

Yusuke shook his head. "Nah…I might not be as good at sensing spirit energy as you, but I can definitely sense trouble a mile away and I'm not feeling any. She might be creepy as hell when she's mad, but I don't think she's dangerous."

Kuwabara shrugged. "I just think it's weird, that's all."

Keiko placed a hand on each of their backs. "You guys said that some people have higher spirit awareness and spirit energy than others, right? Maybe she's just one of those people and she doesn't even know it."

Yusuke frowned. "Yeah, but that still doesn't explain why she reacted the way she did to our conversation. That's still got me confused."

Kuwabara sighed. "Yeah, well, you just said she wasn't dangerous so let's just forget about it."

Yusuke smirked. "Fine by me…I really don't wanna waste time on a crazy chick like that anyway." With that the three of them left, deciding to forget about the incident altogether.