Broken Glass
Chapter Two

---

"I'm so sorry," Inuyasha repeated for the hundredth time that night as Kagome sat patiently in her eye doctor's office. After discovering that he had indeed broken the girl's eye ware, he'd escorted her to the eye doctor. Currently, the said eye doctor was examining the glasses which Inuyasha's combat boots had destroyed. "I swear I will never wear these shoes again!" he said, biting his lip with a pointed canine. "I'll wear… uh… converse from now on!"

Kagome stared at her feet, where her old shoes were toeing the carpet covering the floor. She quickly shook her head. "It's okay," she repeated, a small sigh escaping her lips as the boy showered her with apologies. She wasn't mad at him, and if she was, she was too shy to show him her anger. Instead, she silently sat in her seat, her hands clasped tightly in her lap as she waited for her eye doctor to tell her if he could fix her glasses. "You didn't mean it."

She wanted to apologize to the boy herself, about assuming he was going to hurt her when she'd run into him, but kept her mouth shut. She knew bringing up the fact she believed him to be a murderer would not sit well with the golden eyed boy. Instead, she sat and waited.

"Ms. Higurashi?" Dr. Hubert called as he emerged from wherever it was that he'd been hiding. When Kagome walked up to him, slouching and shamefully staring at her feet, he smiled gently. He knew of Kagome's shyness. Dr. Hubert had known Kagome since the third grade, when she first got her glasses and he was a family friend, as well.

"Yes?" she asked weakly, her voice almost inaudible.

"Your frames have been bent beyond repair and the bridge has been snapped," he explained gently. "You will need to get a new pair. Secondly, your lenses have been cracked in several places and the right eye is missing a rather large chunk of it." He pointed to her destroyed glasses, proving there was a significant hole. "It is probably for the better, however," he said with a small smile. "You're overdue for your next eye exam."

"Oh," Kagome said weakly and dared to steal a glance back at Inuyasha, who was waiting patiently. He was staring at the ceiling, his foot resting on the forgotten bag of groceries he'd gone out to get for his grandma.

"We can have the exam now, if you don't mind?" Dr. Hubert stepped to the side and motioned for Kagome to follow him.

Kagome nodded her head and looked back at Inuyasha. He didn't have to wait for her, and if he saw her go into the exam room, he would surely leave. Feeling content for the time being, Kagome allowed the man to lead her away.

He sat her down in the chair and they proceeded to share in idle chit chat. "Mind telling me how your glasses came to such disrepair?" Dr. Hubert asked solemnly as he clicked off the lights.

"Inu… uh… someone stepped on them on my way home," Kagome explained lightly, feeling her embarrassment return full force.

Dr. Hubert didn't say anything as they proceeded into the eye exam. The giant contraption holding the lenses was placed in front of Kagome and the tedious task of saying which lenses gave her a better view began.

"Which one makes the 'O' rounder?" Dr. Hubert drawled, proving he'd done this more than once in his lifetime. "One," he switched a dial on the side of the giant eyewear and the view changed. "Or two?"

"Two," Kagome said softly, used to the exam. Afterwards it moved into the examining of the eye where he would drug her eyes in order to make her pupils look dilated, and flashed a small light into her eyes.

"So how are you, Kagome?" Dr. Hubert's small talk began and Kagome tried her best not to blink as he blew a puff of air into her eyes to test her in some way Kagome didn't understand.

The girl jumped as the air hit her right eye and a small squeak escaped her lips. "Okay," she mumbled.

"How's your mother?"

"Fine." Kagome didn't feel like talking.

"And your brother?" Dr. Hubert moved to his work area and fiddled with a temporary pair of glasses to test the prescription she was about to assign her. "Has he had any problems with his eyes?"

"Nope," Kagome said with a sigh. Souta, her younger brother, was a seventh grader at the middle school. He was blessed with perfect eyes, like her mother. "He's perfectly fine."

"Lucky boy." Dr. Hubert came forward with a pair of glasses with detachable lenses, in order to be used multiple times. "Kagome, dear, please look into the glasses and read the bottom three lines."

Kagome did as she was told.

"Does it seem all okay?" he asked as he took the glasses away.

Kagome nodded. "No headaches or double vision."

"Very good."

---

When Kagome left the exam room about half an hour later, she was rather surprised to see Inuyasha sitting in the exact same position he'd been in when she'd gone in. Granted, he'd shifted around, but it didn't look like he'd left.

Kagome quickly averted her eyes, feeling a faint rose color rising to her cheeks. She turned towards her eye doctor, who'd moved to his desk and was writing something down on a piece of paper. "When can I get a new pair of glasses?" She squeaked out, embarrassed.

Dr. Hubert thought for a moment before pointing at the wall that was opposite of Inuyasha. "You'll need to pick a new frame since this one is destroyed. Unfortunately, Kagome, the warranty on these glasses expired two months ago…"

Kagome sighed and moved slowly towards the wall, going to the section farthest from Dr. Hubert. The cheapest section.

Her family was tight for money, and therefore had to buy glasses that were under two-hundred dollars. Unfortunately, the majority of the glasses on the wall exceeded three hundred dollars. Sighing again, Kagome observed the glasses, periodically pulling them from the wall and trying them on.

She sheepishly glanced at Inuyasha in the reflection of the mirror to see he had his hands tucked behind his head and he was staring lazily up at the ceiling, his headphones on. He seemed entertained enough, but she didn't understand why he was still here.

'He's definitely not like the rumors all said…' Kagome decided and felt shame fill her stomach. 'I can't believe I actually listened to rumors… especially after…'

She shook her head and moved a pair of rimless glasses off the shelf. They felt delicate in her hands and Kagome tried them on, staring at Inuyasha through the reflection again. He didn't seem to notice, since he was lightly bobbing his head and mouthing unheard words.

After nearly a quarter of an hour observing the glasses, Kagome finally found a pair she could wear. It was similar to her old pair and fit well within her price range.

"The majority of our frames are out of stock as of now, Ms. Higurashi," Dr. Hubert said as he wrote down the number the frame was labeled with. "Shipments are to be sent in about a week."

Kagome frowned. "Should I pick a new pair then?"

"You could," Dr. Hubert ran a hand through his hair and pushed the bridge of his glasses up his nose. "But the likelihood of you choosing one that's out of stock again is rather high. Knowing how your price range works, Kagome…" And he knew about that too, after years of working with her mother and Kagome. "…They'll all be out of stock. These ones, I believe, are the only ones we have." He waved a hand absently at a row of rather expensive glasses, ones that Kagome couldn't even begin to imagine wearing.

"Right…" Kagome lowered her head regretfully.

"Secondly, it will take another week once we get your glasses to make the lenses and to shape it to fit the lenses frames."

"Can't you just do it with these?" Kagome whispered as she shyly pointed to the demo pair that stayed on the wall.

"Kagome…" His sighing voice caused Kagome to sigh as well. "It doesn't work that way. You're new glasses will be ready in two weeks. No more, no less."

"Yes…" Kagome squeaked out. "Thank you."

After the paying and the negotiations were over, Kagome turned on her heel and walked briskly away from the counter, feeling her face flamed in red. She, like the rest of her family, liked Dr. Hubert, but she couldn't help but feel very embarrassed speaking her mind like that to him. It was his job… she was just a high school student.

Kagome walked out of the store, momentarily forgetting Inuyasha and willed her disgraceful tears from her eyes. She was just so embarrassed. She got embarrassed so easily, and when she was about to cry, she felt like a failure, which caused her to cry more.

Pounding footsteps behind her caused her to do a double take as she saw Inuyasha catch up to her brisk walk. He fruitlessly tried to keep his grocery bag from falling.

"Kagome, wait," he said unnecessarily as Kagome stopped and looked at her feet. Peering at him through her bangs, she saw that he was looking at her thoughtfully. "Are you okay?"

Kagome nodded her head.

"I'll walk you home," he said firmly and Kagome, being too timid to object, only nodded meekly. They began walking in the same direction Kagome had been running off in, silent for the most part.

The only sounds on the empty streets were their footsteps, one soft the other loud, the rustling of Inuyasha's grocery bag and his mild grunts of annoyance as he struggled to keep the damp bag from shredding its bottom and having all his hard-bought groceries go flying onto the sidewalk.

"Where do you live?" he asked, trying to break the silence.

Kagome's cheeks were painted a fabulous fire engine red.

"What?" she squeaked out, her blue eyes widened as she continued to stare at her feet, hunched over.

"Where do you live? I don't know where we're going," Inuyasha said gently, shifting his bag into his other hand. He looked at her curiously, his golden eyes seeming to glow in the dimly lit street as they made their way from the main bustle of the town and moved into a more residential neighborhood. "Don't tell me you walk this far every night!"

Kagome peeked at him through her bangs, feeling a light smile quirking her lips before she averted her gaze to the side of the road. She bit her lower lip and shook her head. "No, I don't." She heard him breath a sigh of relief.

"That's a relief," Inuyasha breathed out, seeming like he truly was worried about the idea of Kagome walking on her own. "No lady should walk outside at night."

"I don't work every day," Kagome said softly, almost ashamed to break the news to him. "I work three times a week."

"So you mean to tell me that you walk alone three times a week?" Inuyasha demanded and stopped suddenly. The way he stood, with his legs spread apart and a serious expression on his face, caused Kagome to falter in her step and trip over one of his enormous combat boots.

With a small yip of astonishment, Kagome landed on the pavement, successfully dirtying her white knee socks. A rip in the otherwise silent night proved to her that she'd ripped her skirt as well. With a small cry and her cheeks ablaze, Kagome huddled into a ball and stuffed her head behind her pulled up knees and crossed arms, hiding her face from view.

Inuyasha knelt beside her immediately, his golden eyes worried. "Goddamnit, are you okay?" Despite his curse, his voice sounded anxious and worried, no traces of anger in his voice. Though Kagome still felt ashamed of herself and meekly nodded her head.

"I'm fine…" she whispered, almost inaudibly. "You can go on without me… I'm a burden to you…"

Inuyasha didn't seem to hear her as he examined her scraped knees. "Damn it," he cursed again and Kagome cringed. His voice was sharper now, though not from anger as much as it was his frustration with himself for being the cause of her injury. "Come on…" He grasped her arm gently and ushered her to a standing position before he started walking again, his hand not leaving her forearm.

Kagome felt as if her head would explode from all the blood rushing to her cheeks but stayed quiet, trying to inconspicuously wiggle her way out of his grasp without him noticing.

His grip only tightened, as if he was afraid if he let go she would fall again.

"It's my fault that you can't see," he said suddenly, causing a jolt of alarm to shoot through Kagome.

Kagome didn't answer. An answer to such an obvious question wasn't necessary. Besides, it wasn't as much of a question as it was a statement of the facts. Kagome felt her cheeks drain of color as quickly as they'd heated up.

Inuyasha came to a halt, but his grip on her still remained firm. Kagome swallowed a particularly large lump that had gotten itself lodged in her throat and refused to meet his eyes.

"I have a great idea!" His regretful voice seemed to have evaporated as his grip on her finally disappeared and he placed both of his hands on his hips. His boyish features lightened with his smile as he stared at her, waiting for her to say something.

"What's that?" Kagome peeped out, feeling herself shake under his intense gaze.

Inuyasha's chest puffed out just the tiniest bit.

"I'll be your eyes for the two weeks it takes for your glasses to be fixed," he said proudly before his eyes dulled and he seemed to sag just a bit. Kagome would have found it comical about how animated the boy was, but she was terrified by his suggestion. "I don't have enough money to replace your glasses myself," he said regretfully, seeming rather ashamed about his lack of income. Kagome resisted the urge to tell him she could barely afford them herself… but decided that would have made him feel worse.

"So," he went on, fiddling with bag in his arms. "I'll help you see things and… stuff… so that you know where you're going and what's on the board. I'll let you copy my notes and everything."

Kagome stared at the ground with wide eyes.

"You don't have to," she said weakly.

"But I want to," he insisted. "It's the least I can do after ruining your glasses."

Kagome quivered under his powerful stare. The first thought that came into her head was that this guy was a ridiculous, hormonal moron who thought he could get some. Ever since grade school Kagome had been suspicious of people she didn't know. It was not easy for someone to win her trust…

She dared to look up at him, only briefly before averting her eyes and staring at her feet again, her body sagging with her, making her slouch all the more obvious as she stood.

She felt herself shake at the thought of what would happen if she did agree to his proposal. Rumors about him spread like wildfire; crazy crackpot assumptions about who he was, where he came from, why he'd left in the first place only to come back. He was the main topic of the rumor mill as of now, and agreeing to be associated with him would mean certain death for her. She hated the limelight. And when the spotlight was being operated by evil, conniving monsters who's only happiness could be harvested off the misery of others… well… let's just say that Kagome was not too keen on finding that spotlight.

His reputation would kill her. The ideas of his drug habits, his motorcycle gang… everything… all of it would lead to his eventual downfall; and to allow herself to be pulled into the quicksand of high school destruction was so absolutely horrifying that she couldn't stop the queasy feeling building in her stomach.

But…

His concern for her well-being was admirable, she decided hesitantly. And, one of the rumors falling his personage had already been proven false. Instead of beating her up like she'd expected, he'd instead collected his groceries, accompanied her to the eye doctor, waited for her absurdly long exam to be over, was walking her home and now had offered to stay with her for two weeks. The onus job would eventually wear thin on his nerves and he'd eventually leave her alone when he realized that she was just a stupid, ugly girl.

That's what Kagome thought to herself as the silence between the two teenagers stretched on.

Inuyasha began to fiddle with one of the many necklaces hanging from around his neck. Kagome's eyes followed the path of his hand. He had on four necklaces. One looked like a dog tag, hanging tightly around his neck. Another, from what she could see, was a simple string and fell below his shirt; the third was a beaded necklace with white teeth-like things (she recognized it as a rosary), and the one he was fiddling with appeared to be-

"A star of David?" Kagome asked softly, successfully, albeit unknowingly, shifting the conversation.

Inuyasha blinked his golden eyes, their beautiful depths glowing slightly from the streetlamp overhead them. He looked down at where his hand was playing with his necklace and he nodded his head. "Yup," he said, a proud tone laced into his slightly confused and curious voice.

"You're Jewish?" she asked. She knew nothing about him, she realized. Yet here she was, out at night with him, nearly blind.

"No," he said and now his voice sounded sarcastic. "I just wear this for kicks," he drawled out and Kagome's face ignited into an inferno.

She ducked her head, feeling embarrassed and brainless.

He noticed her distress and dropped his hand. "Hey, I was only kidding," he said softly, his golden eyes narrowing as she turned her head away.

He bent at the knees so that he was her height and tried to lock eyes with her. She kept averting her gaze and turning her head. He chuckled softly and followed after her. "Hey, come on; look at me," he said softly and touched her shoulder. She tensed but refused to meet his gaze. "Please, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

Kagome didn't reply, just simply nodded her head.

"Look, I want to help you. It's the least I can do," Inuyasha said as he shoved his hand into his pocket, his other one still holding his grocery bag tightly. "Will you let me?"

Kagome felt another wave of apprehension flow over her but she simply nodded her head. She smiled a smile that didn't reach her eyes and said weakly, "If you must."

---

"Kagome," came a sing song voice near her ear. The said teenager groaned softly, rolled over and pulled her comforter over her head.

"G'way," she mumbled as she willed sleep to come back to her.

"But, Kagome…" her mother's laughing voice filtered through the comforter like ringing bells. Kagome felt the covers being pulled from over her head and she wearily turned to see her mother's laughing eyes above her. "It's rude to keep people waiting."

Kagome rubbed her eyes as she sat up, instinctively going for her glasses before remembering that she didn't have them anymore. She'd gotten home last night and had gone straight to bed, only mumbling a brief explanation as to why she was late to her mother.

"Who am I keeping waiting?" Kagome mumbled out as she rubbed her eyes again, slipping out of bed slowly and adjusting to the bright light shining through her small window.

"Why, your sweet boyfriend." Mrs. Higurashi seemed mildly surprised that Kagome wasn't aware. "Honestly, Kagome, if you had a boyfriend you could have told me."

"My what?" Kagome squeaked out, feeling as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on top of her. "I don't have a boyfriend!" Kagome protested but it was evident that her preparation for the morning was sped up with the knowledge that a guy was waiting for her.

"I'll tell him you'll be right down," Mrs. Higurashi said kindly and left the room, shutting the door softly behind her.

Fifteen minutes later, Kagome came thundering down the hallway of her small apartment, out of breath and trying to pull a white knee sock onto her leg while still managing to run and pull on her jacket at the same time.

Inuyasha stood in the foyer, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket, his backpack over one shoulder and his warm golden eyes staring at her humorous efforts to ready herself for school. He shifted from foot to foot, causing his necklaces to clack together and his silver hair to swish into his eyes.

"Morning," he chirped happily, flashing a pearly white smile. Kagome glanced at him and noted that he was wearing converse today instead of his combat boots. He'd been serious when he said he'd never wear them again… or it could be a coincidence.

Kagome stared at him for a moment before blushing and turning her face away. "What are you doing here?" she grumbled out.

"Good morning to you too, Sunshine," Inuyasha said with a faint roll of his eyes. He continued to rock on his feet. "I'm here to pick you up."

Kagome didn't say anything as she plopped down onto her bottom and began tying her shoes.

"You didn't have to," he barely heard her whisper out, not expecting him to hear her. "I could have taken the bus," she mumbled out. Her apartment complex was close enough that she could walk to school if she wanted to, but majority of the time she just took the bus.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I wanted to." Kagome seemed rather shocked that he was able to hear her, but didn't comment on it.

"Here you are, Kagome." Mrs. Higurashi appeared in the doorway of the kitchen and walked towards the girl, who stood up, slump and all. The mom handed her daughter her backpack and a breakfast bar. "Eat this, or you'll be late. Sorry to keep you waiting, Inuyasha, dear."

Kagome paled. Already her mother was being pleasant to a guy rumored to be an underground bad-ass. She shooed the thoughts aside. Last time had been a false alarm; she had to stop listening to the rumor mill, anyways.

"It's no problem at all, Mrs. Higurashi," Inuyasha said with a gentle smile and opened the door. Nodding to Kagome he stepped aside to allow her room. "Shall we?" he asked with a sweep of his hand.

Kagome gulped and walked through the door, followed shortly by Inuyasha.

The walk to school was mostly uneventful. They walked in silence, Inuyasha making sure she didn't accidentally slip and fall or run into something she may not be able to see. Kagome didn't tell him that she wasn't that blind only because she was too shy to tell him so. Instead, she busied herself by thinking of her schoolwork and other things instead of the warm, comforting hands the boy had laid on her shoulder every so often in order to steer her around. She busied herself with doing fractions in her head instead of concentrating on the tall, sweet boy behind her, whose large hands caused warmth to spring in her starting from her shoulders. A light blush painted her cheeks but insisted that it was because of the cold air around her.

"We're here," Inuyasha pointed out the obvious as they rounded a corner and their school came into view. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief as his hands left her shoulders and they walked into the courtyard of school.

Kagome felt eyes on her, but didn't look up to see who was looking at her. Inuyasha seemed unfazed by it all. He always seemed oblivious to the stares he received, the rumors and the jeers about him, the way people would stop talking when he got close. How could he just not see it all? And if he could in fact see what they were doing, how is it that he could stay so unaffected?

Inuyasha walked towards the door, glanced behind him to make sure Kagome was still there, and pushed the it open for her.

Kagome, her face bright as a fire engine, stepped inside the school. As soon as Inuyasha stepped through the doorway he released the door. As it began to swing shut, Kagome heard the courtyard erupt into whispers. Whether they were talking about her or something else entirely Kagome wasn't sure. All she knew was that she felt her heart race in her chest.

"Inuyasha," came a voice in front of Kagome. Kagome jumped in surprise as the silky voice came closer with light footsteps.

Inuyasha's head raised from where he was looking at Kagome and his eyes narrowed as he saw who was coming over. Naraku walked with a slight sway in his hips and the kind of attitude that suggested that he believed himself to be superior to everyone around him.

"Naraku," Inuyasha greeted, his hand straying to Kagome's shoulder as he gripped it tightly. Kagome remained silent and directed her eyes to somewhere away from the two boys. "What do you want?"

"That's rude," Naraku huffed and crossed his arms. "That's no way to treat a friend, is it Inuyasha?"

His grip on Kagome's shoulder tightened and Kagome resisted the urge to cringe and draw attention to herself. "What do you want?" he repeated, trying to sound cheerful and nonchalant, but an undertone in his voice told the other two that he did not wish for Naraku to be near him.

Naraku shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets casually. "Just wanted to say hi. Sheesh, is that a damned crime now?"

"I'm busy right now, Naraku; I'll talk to you later." Inuyasha steered Kagome around the black haired boy and began walking. Naraku's gaze followed Kagome for the first time and he pursed his lips.

"Why's he hanging with that little…" Naraku cut himself off as Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder and sent him a warning look. Naraku pursed his lips again and huffed. With a snort and an upturned nose, he began walking and left the school to the courtyard, to find his other friends.

Inuyasha and Kagome made it downstairs to the Spanish class where Sango was already waiting. The girl stood up and watched Inuyasha suspiciously as she grasped Kagome's hand and pulled her aside. Turning her back on Inuyasha so that he hopefully wouldn't hear, she hissed out. "What are you doing with him?"

Kagome felt her lip quiver as she hastily explained what had happened the night before. Sango turned her head and gave Inuyasha a once over as she checked him out. Inuyasha seemed impervious to this action and kept his hands in his jacket and his smile on his lips. He flashed Sango a bright smile and a nod of his head. Sango scowled and turned back to Kagome.

"And you agreed to let him follow you around?" Sango said, her worry overlaying her anger towards her best friend's stupidity. "Are you insane?"

"I couldn't say no," Kagome mumbled out sheepishly.

"Why the hell not?" Sango asked with a frown.

"He was being too nice, I didn't want to hurt his feelings…"

"Oh God, Kagome." Sango threw her head back and stared at the ceiling like it would reveal all the answers to her life's problems. "You're such a…"

Sango stopped herself when Kagome bowed her head. "I know… but… he seems nice."

"The nice ones are always the worst," Sango muttered. "Look, Kagome, I'm not trying to be mean. I just don't want you to get hurt… especially by some guy liked Inuyasha."

"But we don't even know him," Kagome protested. Kagome may be shy around most people, but with her friends and family the girl could be very outspoken. It showed a glimmer of who the girl had once been. But at her protest, the schoolgirl quieted and bowed her head. "Sorry."

Sango sighed and turned back to Inuyasha, flashing a smile that didn't come close to reaching her eyes. "Well, Inuyasha, I very much appreciate you helping my friend with her seeing problem…"

"Uh… you're welcome." Inuyasha's ears perked slightly under his hat. He'd been able to hear everything the two girls had been saying and he felt as if his lips would never stop curving upwards. For a brief moment he'd heard Kagome speak her mind. It was nice. From the time he'd spent with her she was rather reserved…

"But it's not necessary," Sango said with a shrug and placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "I can watch after her instead. It's better Kagome's with someone she trusts."

"But you're only in one class with her," he pointed out and scratched his head. "It's really no problem for me. I don't mind doing it."

Sango turned her back and whispered to Kagome some more. Inuyasha perked his ears to listen, pretending to have no idea what the two were saying to each other. He heard Sango murmur to Kagome, "He'll lose interest eventually, Kagome, so don't worry."

But Kagome didn't seem worried. She glanced at Inuyasha and flashed him a tentative smile before looking away, her cheeks painted pink.

---

Spanish and Math passed much the same way they always did. Inuyasha would follow Kagome around and make sure she could copy his notes and things the teachers put up on the overhead. During Math, Inuyasha was kind enough to show her how to do the homework. Ms. Shim, being sort of an airhead and a softy, didn't notice that the boy had sat himself down in a different seat than his assigned one. And if she did notice, she did nothing to stop it.

As the end of second period drew closer and closer, Inuyasha began packing up. "I'll see you in block, Kagome?" He asked kindly, his golden eyes looking at her. Kagome weakly nodded her head. "Need help getting to your next class?" She shook her head. "You sure?"

"Yes…" she whispered out, wishing he'd just drop it.

"I'll come with you anyway," he decided and Kagome glanced at him. A faint smile touched her lips.

---

At the end of third period, creative writing, Kagome slipped from her room and let out a small sigh. She'd spent the better part of her hour long class listening to Rin, the girl she sat next to, jabber on about things she couldn't even remember. She found the girl sweet and nice, but she was rather childish and a big talker. She spent more time talking than writing (which was what they were supposed to be doing).

Kagome had stayed after to talk to her teacher about turning in an assignment early because she had already finished it, and was getting ready to retreat to the library (where she spent her lunch hour) when she heard footsteps behind her. Thinking for a brief moment that perhaps it was Inuyasha, the girl turned around and was instead greeted with Naraku.

He stood taller than Inuyasha, his chest puffed out and his hair slicked back away from his dark eyes. He smiled at Kagome and grasped her chin before she could look away. "Hey, Kags." Kagome cringed at the name. She hated it when people shortened her name, and it sounded even worse coming from Naraku. She averted her eyes away from him, despite the painful grip on her chin. "Have you seen Inuyasha around?"

"No," she said weakly, still looking off to the side. His grip tightened on her.

"Are you sure?" He smirked cruelly. "I mean, he's seemed to have taken a liking to you."

"No," she repeated. They'd only walked to school together. He'd only escorted her to her classes. They hadn't even spent a full day together and already people were making assumptions. It made Kagome's stomach knot uncomfortably and she wished she had enough courage to tell Naraku to go away.

"Hm… you're right." Naraku released her and she took a step away from him. "Inuyasha wouldn't waste his time with a girl like you."

Kagome felt her heart flop down into her stomach. Naraku or not, she hated it when people said stuff like that. Ever since elementary school…

"Kag, babe." His mocking voice cut her like a knife and she felt sick. "This isn't a catholic school, you don't need to trot around in a pleated skirt everyday." Naraku laughed and his friends standing behind him chuckled dryly as well.

Kagome subconsciously smoothed out her pleated, knee-length skirt. She didn't like wearing pants, but hated wearing short skirts. So most of the time she wore long skirts or dresses. She never thought there was anything wrong with that… until now, at least. She continued to run her hands over the material of her blue skirt.

People like Naraku thrived off the misery of people like her. Kagome knew this but still couldn't resist the chill that ran through her. She'd always assumed that they were just high school stereotypes, overdone in stories and in television; but ever since her freshman year… she'd known that, though exaggerated in stories, it was very true. Especially in her school.

"So, Kags, how about it? Want to spend lunch with us?" Naraku laughed again. "We can find a pair of scissors and give you a nice wardrobe change. Maybe then you wouldn't look so goody-goody, huh?" More laughter. Kagome felt herself redden with shame.

"If you're finished," growled out a voice behind Naraku that caused him and his lackeys to whip around. Inuyasha stood, his golden eyes burning and his hand absently holding his backpack. He tilted his head to the side and observed Naraku. "Shouldn't you be somewhere, Naraku?"

Naraku scowled. "I was just asking Kags here where you were Inuyasha."

"Kagome," Inuyasha stressed her name as he walked to stand beside her, a gentle smile on his face. "-doesn't need to answer such questions if she doesn't want to Naraku." His eyes pierced the taller boy's. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to help Kagome find her lunch table."

And with that, he turned on his heel and ushered Kagome away.

Kagome was silent as he guided her towards the lunch room. As he was about to step through the doorway to the commons and cafeteria, she planted her feet and stopped him abruptly. "Please," she whispered out. "I don't want to go in there…"

"But I need to help you find Sango…"

"Sango's in a different lunch," Kagome murmured softly. "I spend lunch in the library."

Inuyasha was silent for a long moment before he scratched his head and side. "Okay, I'll bring you to the library." He turned around again and started walking towards the library.

"Thank you," she whispered out softly.

"I'm happy to do it," Inuyasha said with a shrug, looking indifferent and nonchalant about it all. Kagome felt herself blush again. He didn't question her as to why she didn't eat lunch when she was supposed to, didn't ask her about Naraku or why she was downstairs alone. He didn't say anything, just offered small smiles as he opened doors for her.

For the first time that day, Kagome didn't mind that she had to spend fourteen days with him.

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Beta's notes: Inuyasha a Jew!!! ::spazzes::