Oh my god...this update took forever. So sorry, you guys!! .
Hey I got a Japanese teacher!!
...Sorry, I just had to say that...anyway...
This fic is getting lots of reviews!! However, Trust and Betrayal remains my most popular fanfic. It has now defeated Caught in the Rain...-.-;; Anyway...
Last chapter, I found an error...so I replaced it...but then the ANs and review responses got deleted too. Sorry. ::Sweatdropping heavily, feeling stupid::
Review Responses:
Theatre of War: Welcome! ="3
puffin: We shall find out more about Inu-chan soon!! XD
cherryblosomz: Sorry!! I know updating takes soooo long...lol. I try not to, though! You can't blame me... ...Ok, so you can... .....
bakapenguin: Me, like Kikyo? No, no!! . ::Whacks Kikyo's head repeatedly with violin case:: XD Haha!! Lol...yeah, the image kinda...freaked me out too...-.-;;
llij: ...Actually, he is. n.n;; Ehh...in chapter two, I mentioned...::checks::. Oh. Not directly, but the fangs and white hair. Well...this chapter kind of...reveals it...-.-;;;
Smurf2005: ::Takes a deep breath:: ...POCKY!!!!!!!!!!! ::Squeals:: Arigatou!! XD Yeah, Tsubaki is the 'kuromiko'...'dark magic user'. Heh...well, we both share a passion for hating Kikyo...But anyway, this is AU, right? ::Sweatdrops:: So...yeah...-.-;;
SilverWolf-Ryuki: LMAO!! Well, Sesshy-kun will not be a 'commoner'. =) That's all I'm telling. He's coming in next chapter anyway. Why the hell were you listening to 'Kokomo'!? Lol. By the way Sessy-kun, you're going to be respecting a lot more than your father in this fic. ;)
animemistress419: Oooohhhh do they get closer!! XD Seems we all envy Kag...but she hates her life....lol.
AP gato: Cool! Lol, maybe it's 'typical' but to them...hmm...not being them, I wouldn't know. So, nevermind. -.-;; Heh. So then, how'd you come to name Irie? ...if you named her at all...::sweatdrops::
kairinu: Thanks!! XD
Empress Inuyasha: Lmao!! Yeah...Naraku in a hot pink leotard was funny to write too...though my mind's eye really, really hated it. Heh...we shall see what I shall do to Naraku!! Muhahhahaa!!
Moonglow gal: You feelstupid? You think YOU feel stupid!? I'm the one who replaced the last chapter, hoping to improve it, and I succeeded in doing was delete the ANs!! ::Sigh:: I should start questioning Naraku's sense of fashion...
Rushyuo: ...OO;; Have you been talking with Naraku lately!?
Akiraton: Yes, Inu-kun will hook up with Kag-chan. ;)
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Righty...so...here we go...!
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Disclaimer: Nope, don't own him...yet! Muhhahahaha...ha? Ok, so I'll never own him...
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The High Rankers
Chapter Three: A Rose among Weeds
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"So, your last name is Taijiya?" Kagome asked Sango. She nodded. "Interesting... does your family slay demons?"
Sango grinned. "Well, my ancestors used to. That's way back in the feudal age, though. I've got my own weapon, which used to be my many times great grandpa's. It's called Hiraikotsu. Do you know anything about your ancestors?"
Kagome sighed inwardly. Now she had to tell another person about the whole Midoriko thing...
"Well, I am a descendant of Midoriko, creator of the Shikon no Tama."
Sango's eyes bugged out. "Whoa!"
The two were exchanging information about themselves. They were seated outside, at a picnic table in the yard. It was lunchtime, after all. They had just come back from ordering take-out from the local restaurant, The Lotus Garden, the most expensive restaurant in the area.
"The Shikon no Tama was created in my ancestor's village, you know?"
"Yes. I've learned that it was created in an old hidden village of demon exterminators."
"So, can you tell me more about your life? Personal experiences? Goals and dreams?" Sango asked excitedly.
Kagome stared at the sky longingly before turning back to Sango. "Hmm...ok. I hate my life."
Sango froze. "What?"
"My life is nothing. I have fame, riches, but what's it all for? I don't have any uses for it. I want a normal life. I miss my old life. When I was young, my mother and father and I lived in a small, one roomed apartment. We were a very happy family, even though we were a poor one. Every night, when we ate dinner, we'd laugh and tell jokes...
"But then, education was starting to be a problem. I was a very intelligent student in my school. I won many awards in subjects like math, language, and music. So, my parents decided to send me off to a private school. The tuition was expensive, so my parents had to find better jobs to pay for it."
Sango listened intently. She was hearing a celebrity's life, told by Kagome herself!!
"My life began falling apart from there. My parents started working until very late, taking on several jobs. I was 11 at that time. Before, I'd always come home after school, to the warmth of my apartment, and the smell's of my mom's cooking. But, then...after, each day, when I came home, even though school was fun, the apartment would be empty. Things only got worse from there.
"We moved into a condominium. My family started undergoing financial struggle. Everyday, my parents would argue. There would be times where they would be so furious at each other that they'd just stop talking to each other. That's when my father started working in the stock market. He rose quickly, and we were lifted out of our debt. But...my mom started working in the stock market too. We moved to a large house, you could call it a mansion. At that time, I was 13. My parents started hiring tutors for me, and teachers for private music lessons, and other academic subjects. I rose to be, once again, the best student in my school. I was happy at school, but my life was in shadows at home."
Sango felt saddened by Kagome's history. And here she thought that famous people had a wonderful life. Well, now she knew Kagome didn't.
"Six months after, my mother moved out. She had had enough. My father completely ignored her. They got divorced. She moved in with her father, my grandpa. My grandpa owns a shrine-house, and runs the shrine too. Then my mother re-married, and had Souta, my half-brother.
"A year after that, right after my 14th birthday, my father rose to the very top of the stock market. That's when the Higurashi name started getting out. On my 15th birthday, we moved into the estate I live in now, complete with over 100 servants. And now, I hate it.
"So, that's my life." Kagome finished off.
"I'm sorry...I never knew...the details were never opened out to public...I only knew that your family rose quickly in the stock market, and soon became...well, the famous Higurashis." Sango said.
"Well," Kagome sighed. "We didn't really want it opened out to the public in the first place, so...yeah. You're probably the first person who I've revealed my whole life to."
Sango giggled. "I feel so special now."
Kagome smiled, and said in a fake arrogant voice. "You should."
The two girls were laughing when Miroku and Inu-Yasha came over.
"Hello ladies." Miroku greeted Sango and Kagome. "Having a nice lunch so far?"
"Yes, actually," Sango glared at him. "Until you came. You had better not do anything perverted."
Kagome watched Sango tell Miroku off for being a lecher, while Miroku just smiled, occasionally defending himself. She wished people would treat her like a normal person...not...an idol, or celebrity. And more than that...she wanted for someone to love her. She watched the two, and it looked like...
"A lover's quarrel." Kagome spoke out loud.
"What?" Sango demanded strictly.
Kagome smiled. That was how everyone should talk to her. Not as an idol. As an equal.
"I said, you and Miroku's argument looks like a lover's quarrel."
Sango flushed bright red. "No!! I'm just saying he shouldn't be a lecher!"
Kagome smirked. "Uh huh."
Inu-Yasha examined Kagome. He had seen her look longingly while Sango and Miroku had their little argument.
'Why is she like that? What else could she long for? She has every damn thing she can want. What could she not have?' Inu-Yasha pondered.
"Inu-Yasha, please come sit down." Kagome called out. She, Sango, and Miroku were all seated at the table already, eating the previously forgotten take-out.
"Eh?" Inu-Yasha sweatdropped. "Oh..." he tried to sit down beside Miroku, but found there was no more space. Each side of the table could only seat two people.
"Shove your ass, Miroku!!" Inu-Yasha commanded.
Miroku grinned. "Why would you want to sit beside me? It's cramped here. There's plenty of space on the other side of the table with Kagome."
Inu-Yasha frowned at his best friend. "I told you to shove."
"But you can go sit beside Kag- "
"Why don't you come sit beside me?" Kagome asked, patting the empty space beside her. Inu-Yasha blushed profusely, but sat down anyway. He sat stiffly, and didn't attack any of the food, like he normally would. Actually, he didn't eat anything at all. On the contrary, he watched the others talk and laugh and eat.
Miroku was loudly slurping noodles, and Sango was spilling rice all over the place. Kagome however, was eating delicately and soundlessly.
When she was done, she dabbed at the corners of her mouth with a napkin. That's when she felt him staring at her.
"Can I help you?"
Inu-Yasha glared at her. "Immaculate wench."
Suddenly, Sango gasped, and Miroku was shaking Inu-Yasha's hand.
"You broke your record!!" Miroku exclaimed.
Kagome blinked. "What record?"
Sango grinned. "He used a word with more than three syllables!!"
Inu-Yasha's dumbfounded look immediately turned murderous.
"You have five seconds." He stated flatly.
Miroku and Sango exchanged horrified looks, before running away screaming.
Despite his threat, Inu-Yasha just stayed where he was. He finally picked up his chopsticks and started eating.
"There's not much left, you know." Kagome told him.
Inu-Yasha shrugged. "I can go for a long time without food."
"Because you're a hanyou, right?"
Inu-Yasha turned to stare at her. "How do you know?"
"Ears, fangs, claws."
"They could be fake."
Without saying anything, Kagome leaned over towards Inu-Yasha. His face turned bright red.
'Is she going to kiss me!?'
A part of him didn't want her to, but the majority of him did...
...he found himself leaning in too...
Kagome suddenly reached up and yanked one of his ears.
"OW!!!!!!"
Kagome giggled.
"What the hell was that for!?" Inu-Yasha snarled at Kagome. Kagome grinned.
"I just proved that your ears are real. Besides, you emanate a demonic aura, so, obviously you're a hanyou."
The said half-demon blinked stupidly, then narrowed his eyes. "How can you see my demon aura? It's concealed with a spell..."
Kagome scoffed. "First, that's a very, very, very low quality spell. And secondly...I'm a miko. I can see through any spell, anyway."
Inu-Yasha finally gave in. "Ok, yeah, I'm a hanyou. Now what are you going to? Tell everyone?"
Kagome flicked his forehead lightly. "No. There'd be no point. And half the people I know are already demon or half-demon anyway. You've heard of Kagura Kaze, right?"
"Uh, I think so. She's...the most famous model in Japan or something."
"Yeah. She's a wind demon. But, she has a concealment spell placed on her. I conjured that concealment spell."
Inu-Yasha's ears perked up. "You can conjure concealment spells?"
Kagome nodded.
"Then you one for me, right?"
Kagome nodded again.
"...Are there any fees?"
"Nope."
"...can you conjure one now?"
"Sure, why not?"
"Ok...well, I sorta wear carry this bracelet everywhere I go..."
"You want me to cast the spell onto the bracelet?" Kagome asked. Inu-Yasha nodded.
"You can, right?"
Kagome nodded. "Let's see it first."
Inu-Yasha took out the said bracelet. It was basically just a silver chain.
Kagome stared at it. "Fake silver. You realize that if this breaks, the spell will disappear?"
"I know."
"This bracelet is possible to break at any time."
"...can you really conjure concealment spells!?"
"Yes, I can," Kagome sighed exasperatedly. "I'm telling you that it's best to have the highest quality of things, ok?"
"So then what do you suggest, oh-so-great one?"
Kagome unclipped one of her hairclips. "Here."
Inu-Yasha sweatdropped. "A hairclip? No. Too girly."
Kagome thought for a moment.
"Take off your shirt."
"What!?"
"I can cast the spell on your shirt. And you probably won't ever lose your shirt, right? So as long as you don't rip it or anything, it'll be fine."
Inu-Yasha raised an eyebrow at Kagome, but she just stared at him firmly.
Finally, Inu-Yasha sighed and took it off. "Here..."
Kagome took the black shirt from him. Her eyes wandered to his bare chest.
'He's really kind of cute... No!! Bad Kagome!'
She stared at his shirt, concentrating her powers on it. Her hands began to glow light blue, as did Inu-Yasha's shirt. The light blue glow slowly dissipated. Kagome handed it back to him.
Inu-Yasha put his shirt back on. "But...only this one has the spell on it. I can't wear this one shirt all the time."
Kagome smiled at him reassuringly. "Don't worry. I've got it covered."
Inu-Yasha looked at her strangely, but just let it pass.
Sango and Miroku came creeping back. "So..." Miroku trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"So..." Sango repeated.
"How about you guys come over tomorrow? To my place?" Kagome suggested abruptly.
"You're serious!?" Sango squealed, happy beyond belief. Miroku looked like he has won the lottery. Inu-Yasha was totally...wow-ed.
Kagome grinned at her new friends. "Dead serious."
Sango squealed again, and hugged Kagome. "Oh my god!! I'm going to Kagome's house!! Oh my god, oh my god!!"
The said girl felt completely overjoyed. She finally had real friends who treated her like Kagome, as a normal person (exclude the occasion of once in a while), and it felt great. She'd never been so happy in her life.
She could get used to this.
======================
Saki: ::Sigh:: ...
Naraku: Omg!! I can't believe these bitch!! She deleted the part with me!!
Miroku: ::Scared:: Naraku...wh-what are you wearing?
Naraku: ::Looks down:: Oh, this? ::Points at bright yellow bikini...his nails are painted bright orange, hair tied up with bright orange ribbon::
Inu-Yasha: ::Freaked shitless:: ...yeah. Wait, I don't want to know...
Naraku: Ooohh!! Kikyo got this for me! We went on a shopping spree yesterday!! :Squeals::
Miroku: ::Faints::
Sango: Oh dear...what are we gonna do?
Inu-Yasha: ::Almost pissing pants:: Kikyo? Uhhh... I'll be...going...
Saki: You're staying right here. Remember the announcement?
Inu-Yasha: ::Suddenly goes back to being cocky and arrogant:: Oh yeah. Well, of course I know, wench.
Saki: ::Dryly:: Uh huh.
Inu-Yasha: People!! You havta help the wench over here think of a name for the band me, Miroku and Sessh are gonna be in. No instruments, we're just singing.
::Sessh walks in::
Sessh: What's going o- OH MY GOD!!!!
Saki: O.O Sessh is...not being...stoic!!
Sessh: What the hell, Naraku!?
Naraku: ...hm? Oh, hey Sesshy!!
Sessh: ::Looks around frantically, points at random place:: Hey it's Jakotsu!!
Naraku: Jakotsu-kun!? ::Starts talking to a metal pole::
Sessh: ::Wipes forehead:: Alright...review. I swear...I have to stop coming in here...