Ambiguity

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"I don't get this."

" 'Cause your not trying."

"Yes I am. This is just stupid. "

"Why don't you try? That's something new isn't it?"

"Aren't you supposed to be my tutor?"

"Yeah?"

"Then why am I not learning anything?" Taji slammed her book closed and pinned Sora with a glare. It had been a half an hour of him complaining, a half an hour that she simply repeated the same thing over again, a half an hour he got on her very last nerve. Sora immediately looked down and moved the book closer to him. Taji's expression softened as she sighed.

"Ok, let's go over this again . . ." Sora nodded and peeked up at her. Pushing the book towards her, he looked at it as she shown him how to do the problems for the hundredth time. Over in another table, the No Taisho twins growled angrily.

"He's close."

"Too close."

"Don't move." The turned to pin a young girl with a glare. Taura smiled and sat down next to them, cocking her head to the side as she stared at the two.

"What's the problem?"

"Nothing." The grumbled.

She shook her head. "If there is anything I know about you two; that," She pointed to each of their faces, "means trouble. Now what's the matter?"

"I don't like him." Kuro said simply. Taura rolled her eyes and placed her elbows on the table, sitting her chin in the palm of her hands.

"Do you realize you don't like any guy that comes within ten feet or her? Or is it just me?" She ignored the gazes they gave her. "I don't think it's anything like that anyway."

"How would you know?"

"Um, I've been her friend for like, forever. If it was, she would tell me geniouses." She said with a smirk. Taji walked over with her books as Sora gathered his things and walked out. Taura frowned.

"How did it go?"

"Horrible. You'd think someone with a stench like that would have acted better." She wrinkled her nose, ignoring the nagging in the back of her head that told her something was wrong. Aka and Kuro, however, was grinning like total idiots.

"Good. I don't like him anyway." Taji glared at her brother before sighing and standing up.

"Where are you going?"

"Out for a walk." She flattened her ears on her head. "I'll meet you guys back home."

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Taji sighed as she glared at the birds fly freely over her head. It was so unfair. They could just go anywhere they wanted when they wanted, and not worry about anything. What she would give if she could just soar in the sky and look over the earth like the birds . . .

Pitiful. Your an inu-hanyou thinking about flying. Dad would throw an ass-gasket if he heard this. She threw back her head and laughed softly. Walking past a tall brown building, she stopped suddenly and stared at the 13th window. Sora lives here? And I smell achohol. . .So much achohol. . . She sighed and thought about it for a moment. Against her better judgement, she pushed open the glass doors, and began walking up the stairs.

Sighing as she reached the 13th floor, she sniffed her way around until she walked to his apartment. Kitohoshi it read in big bold black letters. Smoke and liqour seeped through the walls, crying and fear radiated all around her, so much that her nose was beginning to go numb and she was staggering as she knocked on the door. Why didn't she noticed the way he smelled wasn't normal?

Gasping as the door opened sharply, a man of young age, but a old face that seen to much than he asked for looked her up and down and scowled. He took a sip of the beer he held in his hand and leaned on the doorway for support. Taji coughed as the fumes from the house came to her in drifts, and she had to step back. "Can I help you?"

"I'm . . . I'm Taji No Taisho. I'm Sora's classmate and guide. I was wondering if he was home? If so I was hoping I could help him with his homework? He didn't understand it at the library." The man's scowled deepened as he screamed for his son in such a way, Taji wondered if it was a good idea to come and see him. Sora immediately came to the door, and as soon as he saw Taji, he shook his head and tears formed in his eyes. Before he even reached the door, his father reached back, grabbed his hair in a big fist, and yanked him in Taji's face.

"Who the hell is this. . .bitch!" He yelled. Taji growled.

"Dad. . .She's in my class." He said softly. "She's helping me learn my way around and teaching me the stuff I don't know." His father looked her over again, and she shuddered at the way his old wrinkled eyes raked over her figure. He pushed Sora back in the house, and closed the door so that she could only see his head.

"I don't ever want to see you with my son again. Understand?" Taji watched as he closed the door, and a loud smack was heard. Instantly, she bounded down the stairs, and ran out of the building. She looked back at the window.

Sora's father's hand was lifted, and Sora was covering his head with his arms. She could hear and smell his crying, and she turned away and ran the rest of the way home. You poor thing. . .

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The next day, Sora came to school with a black eye. His excuse, him and his father were playing, and they got a little rough. The doctors said he would be fine. But Taji knew better. She ignored him the whole day, until he came to her while she was eating with Taura, and her cousin, Nyoko. He tapped her on her shoulder.

"Taji, can we talk?" Taji looked a little shaken, but she agreed and followed him to a nearby tree, where he leaned on it and sighed. "About yesterday . . ."

"I didn't mean to get you in trouble." She said quickly. "But he doesn't have the right to. . ."

"To what!" He said a little loudly. He looked around and quieted down while everyone looked at him and Taji. "To what?" He said softer. "Just . . . I advise you never come there again. Promise me you won't ever come there again."

Taji looked a little pale, but nodded. "Your eye," She ran her finger over it, and snatched it back as he winced and stepped back. "Sorry."

"It's ok. I'll be fine. So I guess I'll see you after school?" Taji wanted to refuse. She really did. But looking into Sora's eyes, she could see the fire dying out in his gaze, that he really wanted her to come. And she was rewarded with his boyish grin as she nodded her head. "Great. See you then." She walked back over to the table, sat down, and put her head down.

"What's up?"

"Nothing. I have to help him after school. I think . . . "

"What?" Nyoko asked as she sipped her juice. "What is it?"

Taji shook her head and plastered on a fake smile. "It's nothing. " She looked at the school as the bell rang. "It's nothing. Let's get to class."

It's nothing . . . Right? He's fine . . . Isn't he?

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"Just like yesterday . . . "

"I know. Your not trying. "

"Do we have to go through this again. "

"We don't if you'd just try. "

Sora picked up his pencil and tried again, just to get it wrong. "See. I tried. I don't get it." Taji giggled and showed him the correct way to do it. He blushed. "Oh. I knew that." She rolled her eyes as he tried again.

They had been meeting everyday for the past two weeks. She had never went to his house again, and he came to school more frequently with bruises that teacher always asked him about. And if they didn't, she knew they was there. And she would try her best to avoid them, but every now and then, she would slip up and point them out. But she usually covered it up pretty well.

She watched as he finished the problem and showed it to her proudly. She squeezed his shoulders and praised him. He packed his things slowly and sighed sadly. "Well, see you Monday."

"Would you like to go to the mall with us tomorrow?"

"I can't . . . I have things to do. Yeah . . Things." He looked away from her.

"Sora, is there something you want to tell me?" Taji made him look at her. He looked scared, frightened. His leg twitched, and he fidgetted and couldn't stare at her in her eyes for a long time. She sighed and looked at her watch. "You should get going. It's getting pretty late. "

He nodded and walked to the door. Looking back, he looked at her for a while before looking away sadly and leaving. She sat back down with a thump. Even though she was part youkai, how could the humans miss what was going on with him? It was practically obvious, and by law, shouldn't they do something about it? She shook her head, packed her things and left.

She didn't have to go home. She had to go to her Uncle's house. Turning the corner where she usually walked straight to go home, she sighed as she looked back, and she caught the gaze of icy blue eyes staring straight at her. He didn't live but a block away from the library, and he raised his hand in a silent greeting. She smiled weakly, and repeated the gesture. Suddenly, he winced, gave her an apologetic look and ran away from the window. She shook her head, and ran the rest of the way.

Why it disturbed her so much, she would never know. Why did she care anyway? She understood what was happening to him, and she wanted to help him. She kept his secret like he asked her to, and yet, he still seemed insecure. They became close friends, closer than she thought that they ever could. He refused to talk to anybody but her. And if she didn't go to school, Taura would tell her he would leave early, and stick around near the school until his limo came and picked him up.

She never understood the actions of him. And she didn't want it to come to adult attention. But she desperately needed help, any help, and her help was the warm smile of her aunt.

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The wind blew softly as the young hanyou stood at the top of a small hill on the beach. Dressed in a white tube top and a beige skirt that flew to the side every time she wind blew, she sighed and twitched her ears a couple of times as she blinked her eyes as a dolphin hopped out of the water. Hello to you too . . . She said with a smile.

She had been depressed all weekend. Nothing could get her mind off the problem ever since Sora came to school, and it was working her every nerve. She had never went through this in all her life, and look at her now, a living breathing mess. She tucked her hair behind her ear as she wind began blowing again.

The water shimmered beautifully as the sun reflected in it. The water reminded her of Sora's eyes, bright, clear and icy. She just wanted to become one with it. She watched as the dolphins resurfaced again, and she sighed as she toyed with the necklace around her neck.

Given to her buy her mother when she was a young girl, it was a portion of her father's rosary bead necklace when it was finally removed from him. Each of her brother's had some, as well as her parents and Shippou. Each consist of about 6 beads, and a fang. It just came naturally for her to toy with it, and she never understood why, but it sort of made her feel better, knowing that this was the bond that kept her parents from killing each other.

She cracked a smile as memories of their many ' heated discussions' flashed through their mind, and her mother screaming her father was so lucky that she removed the rosary from his neck. InuYasha always apologized and never said anything about the fight after that.

Eyes skimming over the water one more time, she sighed and turned on her heel, and began the decent walk home. She never understood why she always walked out here, but whenever she was troubled, she was always taken out here. Looking over her shoulder as a car whizzed by, she quickly crossed the street, pressing her ears to her skull as loud music drifted to them.

She was almost home. But she didn't want to go there. Where she wanted to go, she was banned from going there. So instead, she went home anyway.

Once she walked into the door, her mother was the first person checking her. "Where were you."

"Beach." She said exasperated.

"Well next time tell somebody."

"Sorry mother." She said simply.

Kagome frowned. "Is there anything wrong?"

Taji opened her mouth to say something, but snapped it back shut. "No . . ." She ignored her mother's gaze, and went into her room.

Her mother was the best person to tell. Instead, she told her aunt. Her aunt told her, to be nice to him, offer him a place to go if he needs to get away. The best thing she could do was to wait for him to come to her. But would he do that? Or was it too late for him to get away?

She laid on her bed slowly. Why did everything disturb her all of a sudden?

Maybe you care about him more than you think.

She snorted. I wouldn't blame you if I did.

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A/N

Whew! With Covetousness ending and everything and with a mixture of it being so hot, I didn't think I would be able to post this part. But I did, and I hoped you all enjoyed it!