Broken Glass
Chapter Nine

-

"Kagome?" Sango questioned and the girl looked up in surprise, staring at her best friend. A small sniffle was the only sound in the room as Inuyasha coolly pushed Sango gently into the room and guided her towards Kagome.

Sango looked back at Inuyasha hesitantly and the look that he gave her told her right away what she had to do. "Kagome…" she murmured.

"Sango?" Kagome questioned and sniffed again, her blue-eyed gaze glancing at Inuyasha before going back to Sango. Silence reigned over the classroom, the two girls staring at one another and Inuyasha leaning against the wall, observing them.

"Kagome… I…" Sango wasn't sure where to begin. Now that she ran it through her head she realized just how horrible she was to her meek and low-esteemed friend. She sighed and fiddled with a long strip of hair that refused to remain tucked behind her head. "I'm sorry," she finally mumbled out the same time Kagome did.

"Why are you sorry?" Sango asked in shock.

Kagome cast a nervous look towards Inuyasha before clearing her throat and telling Sango gently, "Because those things you said… they were true…"

"Oh, Kagome…" Sango began to protest, but Kagome's hand touched hers.

"What you said was right," she murmured out, staring at her desk. "I should have spent more time with you this week…"

Inuyasha shifted awkwardly from his position against the wall as he watched the two girls. Clapping his hands together and clearing his throat, he made sure the two girls had given him full attention. "I'll go wait outside and give you gals some time to yourself, okay?" Sango nodded hesitantly, giving him a dark, penetrating look. She still didn't trust him, that much was obvious. Kagome sent him a grateful look.

He collected his things and smiled. "I'll be outside if you need me," he explained and left the classroom, leaving the two girls alone.

He slunk down the hallway and left the school, finding a picnic table often reserved for summer when students wanted to eat or study outside. He sat down on the wooden table and opened the box Kagome had packed his lunch into. He shifted around the food and pulled out the box of apple juice she'd given him before taking a small sip. His eyes caught a small napkin with a purple marker scribbled over it.

Raising an eyebrow, he grasped the white napkin and unfolded it, revealing Kagome's handwriting. He smirked at the small gesture the girl had made and read the note she'd written him. "Happy Valentine's Day," he read softly to himself. "I hope you enjoy your lunch. Kagome." Short and simple, but undeniably sweet.

Smirking and refolding the napkin, he stuffed it into his pocket to save and unwrapped the sandwich she'd made him. "Inuyasha!" a voice interrupted him just when he was about to take a bite out of the delicious smelling lunch.

He glanced up and was a little disappointed to see that it was three of Naraku's friends -his old friends- Hiten, his brother Manten, and Musou, Naraku's cousin. They walked towards him and stood in a semicircle, surrounding the picnic table he'd been sitting on. Inuyasha munched on his food and pointedly ignored them.

"What are you doing sitting out here all by your lonesome?" Hiten said with a small smirk, mocking him with his words. Inuyasha shrugged apathetically.

Manten observed the box of food he held in one hand and the sandwich he held in the other. "You made that?"

Inuyasha shook his head, wishing they'd leave.

"Then who?" Musou questioned, a charming face smiling up at him with dimples. Inuyasha wondered idly why he was even friends with Naraku… He wondered why anyone was friends with him.

"I bet it was Kagome," Hiten hissed loudly and Inuyasha's eyes darted to him. "Why don't you come sit with us, Inuyasha? You must be bored, sitting out here all alone."

"No thank you," Inuyasha said politely and chewed thoughtfully on a carrot stick. He suppressed the anger building within him as he stared pointedly at his old friends. "I much prefer being out here alone." He hoped they'd take the hint.

Either they didn't or they just chose to ignore his unspoken request of their dismissal.

"So, where's your little puppy?" Hiten said with a small smirk, referring to Kagome.

Inuyasha tensed and turned golden eyes towards the black haired boy. "Isn't she always trailing after you like a lost dog?"

"No, she doesn't." Inuyasha's voice came out curt and warningly as he glared at Hiten. "Kagome is busy with her friend."

Hiten smirked wickedly. "Busy?" Hiten detected a sexual innuendo, and Inuyasha didn't like it. He didn't like the way they radiated confidence, it was aggravating. He growled softly, or what sounded like a growl.

"Shut up," Inuyasha barked, his anger leaving him in small threads. He grasped the last thread of his sanity tightly as he tried to maintain his control. Hiten continued to smirk and look overconfident, like someone did when they were keeping a secret from you and they'd come over to gloat about it. Hiten was certainly gloating, and it was annoying Inuyasha to no end.

"Oh, so possessive over your little whore, huh?" Manten said with a laugh quickly followed by his elder brother. The chubby boy's laugh sounded like a choking pig.

"I said shut up," Inuyasha growled dangerously, his voice quiet and strained; like the calm right before the storm that Inuyasha was obviously holding back in an attempt to retain composure.

"We heard you," Hiten laughed and his eyes glittered with mirth. "What's the matter Inuyasha?" He asked when Inuyasha frowned deeply and had a murderous looking his eyes. "Cat got your tongue?" he laughed softly, aware of what Inuyasha's name translated into and jabbing at him with sad phrase.

Inuyasha didn't grace the question with an answer. He only growled warningly. Hiten laughed again.

"Really, Inuyasha, I don't understand why you're doing this. Who would want to be hanging around such an ugly little bitch?" Hiten asked with a dark chuckle.

Inuyasha sat tensely on his table. "Hiten," he growled out, the word sounding like poison on his tongue. The dark voice caused Hiten to look startled for just a moment. "Shut the hell up. Now."

Hiten snorted with laughter. "What you going to do? Fight me? How pathetic."

"If I have to."

"So your stupid little whore can't fight her own battles? She has to have scary-looking, girly-looking Inuyasha save her?" Hiten turned towards his buddies for support in the matter, and they all laughed. With a nod, Hiten turned back to Inuyasha and scrunched himself up. When he spoke, his voice was a poor imitation of a girl.

"Oh, Inuyasha," Hiten squeaked out and made himself purposefully shiver. "Save me because I'm too much of a fat cow to do it myself, please help me!"

All resolve within Inuyasha snapped. His golden eyes narrowed and, throwing aside his lunch, he launched himself off the bench and slammed the heel of his foot into Hiten's face. The boy screeched in surprise and fell to the ground with the silver haired boy on top of him.

Manten and Musou jumped in surprise but quickly ran to their friend's aid. As the two boys approached, the murderous eyes of Inuyasha snapped towards them and they stopped in their tracks, staring in apparent fear at the growling boy. Inuyasha ground his foot into Hiten's face and smirked as a strangled screech of pain left the boy's lips. He lifted his foot only to give a swift kick to Hiten's head, nicking his ear with the toe of his shoes.

Growling in satisfaction, for the most part, Inuyasha stood up straighter and jumped off him and onto the picnic bench.

"Damn it, Inuyasha, what's your problem?" Hiten demanded, blood trickling from his nose. Fingers dabbed at the bleeding appendage and he turned angry eyes towards the boy. "That hurt," he cursed and called Inuyasha many fluent words that would make a sailor blush. His own almost-red eyes were murderous as they burned with fury. Inuyasha met his gaze evenly, the amber eyes darkened in his anger.

Inuyasha growled and glared warningly at Musou and Manten when they made a move towards him. They both froze again. The look in his eyes was petrifying. "I'll tell you the same thing I told Naraku, you shit bags," he growled out darkly. "You may insult me all you like but you will not do anything to Kagome. Taunts or otherwise."

"God," Hiten's voice droned out, sounding muffled and flimsy from the blood clogging his nose. "Why are you getting so worked up over a little-"

Before Hiten could finish his sentence, Inuyasha was at him again, straddling his stomach as he threw punch after punch against the boy's face. Fury ignited in his dark amber eyes as he growled darkly, lips drawn back to reveal slightly pointed canines. Punch after punch flew as Manten and Musou fruitlessly tried to pull Inuyasha off of the fallen boy.

A hand touched his shoulder and he turned and lashed out at it, sending Musou back into Manten, knocking them against the picnic table. The deadly gaze he held stared from them back down to Hiten, whose lips and nose were both bleeding by now. He smirked cruelly at the face before him.

"That hurt?" he asked and smirked at his former friend. Hiten struggled to choke something out but blood was caught in his throat. "Didn't think so," he threw another punch, smearing his knuckles with blood.

Manten made to go and tackle Inuyasha, but the boy was up like a bolt of lightening and charging towards him. Manten squeaked in surprise as Inuyasha's bloody fist dug into the fat boy's stomach and knocked the wind out of him.

"You're all going to pay for even looking at her," he laughed harshly, his eyes shining dangerously with the cruel amusement he received from throwing the punches.

-

"I'm sorry, Sango!" Kagome said and forced the tears from her eyes. "I really shouldn't have spent so much time as I did."

"I had no right to treat you the way I did, Kagome, so stop apologizing," Sango said gently, feeling guilt wash over her in waves. She'd been jealous of her friend and of Inuyasha. They'd been so friendly with each other and he'd been so kind with her. Her jealousy and her worry for her best friend had combined together to create her sour mood. She was shocked that her best friend had actually accepted her apology. She was even more surprised to see that her friend was apologizing to her, someone who certainly did not deserve one.

"I promise I'll stop spending time with Inuyasha and spend more time with you," Kagome gushed out quickly and fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. Though Sango was slightly relieved to hear that Kagome would start avoiding Inuyasha, she shook her head. No, it was too selfish of her. She'd already been horrible as it was.

She'd always had Kagome to herself. Kagome had always been the one she'd protected. Sango was always the one that protected her. That was the way things worked. She loved her best friend endlessly. They'd known each other since forever and Sango felt a fierce protectiveness for Kagome. Especially ever since middle school, when Kagome hadn't had the greatest experiences.

With the sudden arrival of Inuyasha Cohen and the sudden eagerness he'd presented when it came to taking care of Kagome, Sango had witnessed her first ever jealous-violent streak. She'd wanted to hurt Inuyasha. He was stealing away her best friend simply because Kagome was a clumsy girl who'd happened to run into him.

What good, possessive, and caring friend wouldn't have cared for Kagome's well-being? Kagome gave away her trust very easily and was often hurt, as demonstrated in the past. Kagome was prone to handing over her trust to the first person that would actually sit down and talk to her. She was a gullible and trusting fool who got herself hurt far more than she needed to be.

'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me,' as the saying goes, but Kagome was known for her bleeding heart, her inability to turn her back on those who were caring towards her. Anyone could march up to her and plaster on a smile and act like prince charming and Kagome would fall right into his clutches like a fly to a swatter.

And, then… Inuyasha's eyes.

No matter how startlingly beautiful, not matter how angelic. They were eyes that deceived. Kagome may not have been able to see it, but Sango had. Those gorgeous honey-colored eyes that seemed to stare right past you were perfectly masked to hide something. But what?

Sango could only believe the worst for her best friend. Despite the harshness she'd addressed Kagome with when regarding the boy she spent the last week with, Sango still held firm to her beliefs. Inuyasha was a guy. Inuyasha was a teenaged guy. Inuyasha had cloaked eyes that hid whatever he was really thinking. Inuyasha was a liar.

Sango was concerned.

Her best friend, gullible and easily swayed by a pretty face, was hanging out with a teenaged, hormonal guy with deceiving, hypnotizing eyes. How couldn't she be concerned? No guy was that sweet… and as cruel as it sounded: no guy was that sweet to Kagome.

"No Kagome," Sango finally said, after an internal struggle as she regarded her friend. Despite her dislike for Inuyasha, Sango also trusted Kagome. Despite her bleeding heart, her soft interior, and her easily handed over trust, Sango knew that Kagome had learned a thing or two over the years. Kagome would not be so completely blind. Kagome knew Inuyasha better than Sango. Kagome saw things that Sango didn't. "You don't need to do that."

Kagome looked at her in surprise. Sango smiled and leaned over the table, wrapping her arms around her friend. 'Kagome may be smitten with this guy,' Sango thought with a small frown as she buried her head in Kagome's shoulder. 'But she's my best friend. And even if she decides to hang out with him more than me, I'll always, always be here for her. No matter what.'

She smiled and pulled away. Shaking her head again, she smiled at her best friend. "You like Inuyasha. He's your friend. And if he's your friend, then you should be able to hang out with him whenever you'd like. Don't let me stop you."

Kagome beamed brightly and nodded her head. Sango laughed softly.

"Just remember to call once in a while, okay?" Sango asked gently and Kagome nodded again. "Now I've really got to go. Inuyasha pulled me out of my math class!"

Sango waved and darted out the door and back towards her math class, leaving Kagome alone.

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief as Sango disappeared and the door snapped shut. Collecting her stuff and slinging it over her back, Kagome trotted from the room and in search of Inuyasha. He'd said he'd be outside.

-

Manten and Musou cursed in pain as another roundhouse kick was thrown towards them and they were knocked to the ground by the superb fighting of Inuyasha. He'd been gone for so long they'd forgotten the skills he'd possessed.

He laughed cruelly as Musou fell to one knee and gasped for the air that left his lungs as quickly as they entered. "What's the matter?" Inuyasha asked with a smirk. "Giving up already?"

Hiten stared at him in shock. 'He's… actually enjoying this?' His eyes glowed as the cogs in his brain turned. 'Inuyasha wouldn't be enjoying this now… but he would back then. Inuyasha…' He smirked to himself. 'Have you gotten lost in the thrill of the fight so quickly?'

Inuyasha turned towards Hiten, as if sensing his amusement and sent him a cold glare. "What do you find so amusing?" he questioned, his voice rough and dark.

Hiten lay sprawled on the ground, his shirt bunched up in a vain attempt to stop the blood flow from his nose. Inuyasha stalked towards him like a lion and its prey, completely defenseless. Hiten felt dread creep into him, though he dared not show it on his face.

"You, Inuyasha," Hiten said with a superior smirk. Inuyasha growled, not liking the way his adversary looked at him with such arrogance.

"Explain." The one simple word had the darkest command he'd ever heard and Hiten shivered.

"Just like you once were." Inuyasha's eyes widened a fraction, but besides that, there was no move from the tall, silver haired boy. "You're enjoying the pain you're causing."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed and he clenched his fist.

"Leave."

The simple word sent shivers down their spines and Manten and Musou backed up a step. Inuyasha gave them a dark, penetrating glare before he turned towards Hiten.

His dark, golden eyes stared down at him. Fists clenched into tight balls, his amber eyes darkened and narrowed, his back tensed and he pursed his lips.

"Leave," he commanded the boy. "You no longer amuse me," he lied in an attempt to remain dangerous in the three students' eyes. It worked… Manten and Musou looked positively terrified.

Hiten looked up at him and managed to sit up. "God, Inuyasha. Why the hell would you get worked up over some stupid bitch?"

Inuyasha snapped to attention and threw back his leg. Before Hiten could make a move to dodge it, the silver haired boy's foot came slamming into his chest and knocked him to the ground. He coughed and fought to regain the air that the amber-eyed boy had knocked out of him. Inuyasha growled and stuffed his foot into the boy's stomach, grounding his heel.

"Leave," he said for the third time and his voice was tightlipped. The three knew now was the time to leave. Manten and Musou, not daring to go up against Inuyasha, slunk towards Hiten, shouldered his arms and dragged him away, looking very much like kicked puppies.

Inuyasha silently seethed as he watched them go. His head whipped around when he heard the crunch of frozen grass under a foot. His golden eyes widened when he spotted Kagome, staring at him with wide, uncomprehending eyes. Her mouth was parted as she struggled to speak and her hands were clasped together. How much had she seen? He feared the answer.

She quivered and turned her back on him.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha murmured and walked towards her. He reached out a hand to touch her. He felt dread creeping within him. How much exactly had Kagome seen? Did he disgust her now? Had she seen how much he enjoyed the feel of his fist against flesh?

"Liar," she whispered and it ceased Inuyasha's hand.

"What?"

"Y-you told me…" Kagome whimpered out, clenching her hands to her chest for support in some way. Inuyasha tried to touch her shoulder again but she tensed and he stilled his movement. "That you weren't like that. That you didn't do that."

"Do what?" he questioned softly, feeling shame and guilt roll in him like waves at Kagome's words. He knew what, but he wanted to hear it from her, to confirm what his fears told him was the sickening truth. He'd enjoyed beating them up. He wasn't supposed to. He wasn't supposed to make the two most important girls in his life hate him. Kagome surely hated him now, and his bubbie would be so disappointed in him.

He shamefully bowed his head.

"Beat people. Hurt them," Kagome whispered and turned to look at him. A stray tear ran down her cheek and before she could wipe it, Inuyasha's finger trailed up her cheek, taking the moisture with it. She sniffed and lowered her gaze. "You told me that you didn't beat people up." She was so meek, so fearful of his touch.

How could he defend himself? How would Kagome react if she knew he'd acted that way in an attempt to protect her honor? To protect her name? She wouldn't be grateful. She'd be horrified that he'd fight his old friends for her and actually enjoy the pain he caused.

"But, Kagome…" He stopped his attempts to defend his actions when Kagome's arms wrapped around him and held him close. Her head buried in his chest, wiping the moisture in her eyes on his shirt. "Kagome…" he whispered out and encircled his arms around her.

"Why would you do something like that…?" she murmured out against the fabric of his black hoodie. Inuyasha looked down at her softly and ran his hands up and down her back in a comforting manner. She sniffled again and pressed her cheek against his chest. His heartbeat thundered and he knew that she could hear it.

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"Why would you hurt them like that?" she whispered out feebly and didn't move from his hold. The sound of his heartbeat was comforting and welcoming, and momentarily let her forget what she'd seen. She'd seen almost all of it. She'd been too shocked to say anything, to stop it. She'd been captivated by the lethal look that surged through Inuyasha's eyes. Fascinated, albeit guiltily fascinated, by the way his body moved like fluid when he fought, the passion that he possessed as he moved like a true warrior. Despite her absorption, she was also extremely terrified by the power she saw rippling within Inuyasha.

"They said stuff… about you…" he said, straining his voice and resisting the anger that rose up in his throat like bile. He suppressed a snarl of anger and instead closed his eyes and held her tight. Her hold, in turn, tightened as well and she sniffled again, vainly trying to hold back the tears.

"You hurt them…" Kagome muttered out. "To defend me?" She wasn't sure whether to be scared and angered by it or to be comforted and flattered. She chose a mixture of both. Inuyasha hadn't beaten them out of pleasure, though it seemed to have turned into that. No, he'd done it out of protecting her honor.

Inuyasha paused and tilted his head, looking down at her. "What self-respecting person wouldn't defend the honor of their friend?" His hands came up and gently touched the crown of her head, his palm sliding along the silky texture of her hair.

Her heart fluttered at his words. Sure, they'd known each other for a week and it was only natural that they like each other. How could they spend so much time together otherwise? But this was the first time he'd actually told her that he considered her a friend. Kagome silently glowed.

"But…" Kagome said quietly to herself, her breath coming out in wispy clouds of white as her breath froze. She clenched her blue eyes shut and willed away the feeling of liberation she felt with Inuyasha's words. No matter what the reasons were… he still hurt them. And that was bad, no matter how deserving the receiving end might be. "… I'm so ugly."

"What?" Inuyasha questioned. Under his hat his dog-ears twitched. "Sorry, I didn't hear you." He gave her a concerned look. Kagome had spoken so softly that it was hard for him to hear what she was trying to say.

"Nothing," Kagome said quickly and shook her head. "Never mind." Inuyasha looked skeptical and would have protested the girl's silence when, in the distance, the school bell rang, signaling that lunch was over.

Her hands came up and grasped his right hand, where blood still smeared the knuckles. She looked at it remorsefully, a painful reminder of what he'd just done a few moments ago. She looked over him, searching for injuries, but the boy was unscathed. She stared in wonderment at his perfectly fine body.

He smiled lightly, his golden eyes lowered. "I've done a lot of fighting in my life. They were amateurs."

Kagome nodded her head.

Sighing, Inuyasha released himself from Kagome's hold, but held her hand gently as he pulled her towards the picnic table. He collected his stuff and sadly stared at his lunchbox, which was still pretty much full. He turned and smiled at Kagome delicately before stuffing it into his backpack.

"I'll eat it later," he promised and Kagome nodded, silently beaming that the boy enjoyed her food.

They were about to retreat, when Inuyasha stopped and looked at her. "Kagome…?"

Kagome paused and glanced at him, trying her hardest not to lock eyes with his. She was afraid of what she'd see.

"I want you to know," he said quietly, almost sounding ashamed. If he was, he hid it well. "That I will never do anything to you like I did just now." She looked at him in surprise. "I will never raise my hands towards you."

It was such a powerful promise. Of course, she'd never doubted that Inuyasha would protect her and not hurt her. But still, hearing it from him reassured her and she smiled shyly before nodding.

"Thank you," she murmured.

His hand grasped hers again and he began pulling her towards their next class. His rough and calloused hand, though cold from sitting out here, was comforting as it slid against her pale, soft one. She looked down at their conjoined hands. His much larger and tanner one almost completely covered the petite, pale hand of her own. She smiled shyly as they dodged their way in between students and made their way towards their block classroom. Kagome felt her heart thunder as people cast them glances, some curious and others dirty, before turning a corner and entering their classroom.

Inuyasha lead her to her seat and helped her set up before sitting back and boasting proudly, "There, got you here safe and sound." He seemed delighted with himself and who was Kagome to ruin his fun and say that she'd accidentally stubbed her toe in the doorway?

Kagome laughed quietly. "Yeah."

"Be right back," he promised and retreated to the back of the room, where a sink was installed. He quickly washed away the blood that had crusted over on his hands and rinsed them with soap, trying to get rid of the scent of Hiten's blood. He snarled quietly to himself.

'I'm just glad that Kagome's so forgiving…' he thought to himself and smiled. 'I'd hate to lose her.'

That thought surprised him and he stopped thinking about it.

-

Block moved slowly, as it always did. American history failed to capture Kagome's interest, especially when it came to the industrial revolution in America. She'd learned about the industrial revolution in Europe last year and they were essentially the same thing. So why bother learning it again? Because her school system sucked.

She rested her head in her hand and sighed.

"Class," their teacher interrupted them before the bell rang, signaling the first half of the block was nearly complete. "We'll be changing seats next period, so pack everything up and be back in here by one fifteen."

The bell rang and the majority of the class dashed outside, a handful of students went to the corners to play hacky sack, and the rest loitered about, collecting into groups and clusters at random table groups. Kagome lifted herself from her seat and trailed over to Rin and Inuyasha. Rin smiled in greeting and swished her legs as she sat on her table. Inuyasha leaned casually against the table and smiled at Kagome.

"Hi, Kagome!" Rin beamed. "Guess what you're doing in IB biology today."

Kagome blinked her eyes. "How would you know?"

"I had it earlier today." Rin grinned proudly. "You're doing a lab on osmosis in red onions."

"Terrific," Kagome said sarcastically. "I hate labs."

"Then why did you take a two year course of science?" Inuyasha questioned with a light smile.

Kagome sighed. "I don't know," she admitted and Inuyasha laughed again.

"Well, I also know what we're doing in art today," Rin bubbled to Inuyasha. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.

"You have that earlier, too?"

"No, stupid. If I did I wouldn't be going sixth period," Rin joked and stuck out her tongue.

Kagome watched the two as they exchanged comebacks and bickered with one another. She giggled softly and tucked hair behind her ear, watching them as they continued to jokingly argue with one another.

"We're drawing zodiac signs," Rin finally said with a confident sniff. Inuyasha's nose twitched. "Luckily for you, Inuyasha, it's in any style we want, so you can use your skills at making abstract crap and make it look nice."

Inuyasha laughed. "Abstract is a brilliant way to express yourself without having to worry about expectations. Everyone's expecting crap." He laughed again. "Got you there, Rin."

Rin rolled her eyes. "Well, anyways, we're supposed to draw a picture of our zodiac."

"Uh… Okay…" Inuyasha said with a shrug. "What sign are you?"

Rin beamed brightly. "Gemini," she said with a smile. "And my birthday's on June thirteenth, so I better see presents from both of you." She laughed to show she was joking.

"I'm Capricorn," Kagome added in with a small smile.

"That means you just had a birthday recently, huh, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked and Kagome nodded her head. "Happy belated birthday," Rin and Inuyasha said in unison. Kagome smiled and giggled at her two friends.

"What about you, Inuyasha? Please dispel the mystery of your birth date," Rin said with an overdramatic wave of her hand as she continued to kick her legs about.

"Scorpio," Inuyasha beamed. "Born November second."

"God, you're old," Rin declared and Inuyasha laughed and shook his head, sending tumbles of silver hair to whip his face. He self-consciously slid his beanie hat further down his head. "But seriously, that's an early birthday," she said with a snort. Inuyasha chuckled again.

"How about you, Kagome? You're a Capricorn, but when's your birthday?" Rin questioned, continuing to kick her legs and almost hit Kagome in the process. "Let me guess. Last week?"

"Rin, that's not Capricorn," Inuyasha reminded her. "That was Aquarius."

"You know too much about the zodiac," Rin scoffed.

Inuyasha was about to respond with a witty comeback when Kagome cut them off. "January first."

Inuyasha blinked his eyes and tilted his head to the side, a gentle smile on his lips. "New Years Day?" Kagome nodded her head and Inuyasha's smile widened. "That's cool."

Kagome smiled shyly and nodded her head. The bell rang and the students moved back to their designated seats. Kagome's eyes kept glancing over at Inuyasha as the teacher called out names and touched a chair where that student would be sitting. Kagome stood slowly when her name was called and was pleased when Rin was assigned to her table. Smiling at the girl, she was pleased that the other two sitting at her table weren't complete jerks and would actually get their work done when a group assignment was given. Inuyasha was situated two table groups away, but within speaking distance, should the need arise. Of course, Kagome would be too embarrassed to talk to him over the table of three that separated them.

-

"What does the Scorpio sign look like?" Inuyasha questioned Rin when sixth period art rolled around.

"How should I know? I'm the twins, not the scorpion," Rin said with a roll of her eyes. She gestured to the front of the room. "There are zodiac books our teacher left out for reference. Go look at some of those."

Nodding his head, Inuyasha trotted to the front of the class and plucked a book off the top of the pile. Moving back to the counter he was working at with Rin, Inuyasha sat down on his stool and leafed through the pages. He sighed as he located the page dedicated to the water sign of the Scorpion and read it dismissively. He didn't know much about zodiac except where each sign fell on the calendar, but found the book interesting.

Rin glanced at the boy after about ten minutes of leafing through the book and not drawing. "Find the meaning of life in there or what?" Rin asked sarcastically and Inuyasha laughed.

"It's just interesting. I don't know too much about the zodiac," Inuyasha confessed.

"Read to me about Gemini," Rin bubbled out as she scribbled on her paper, crumbled it up and threw it into the wastebasket below their counter.

"Gemini is the sign of the twins, which rule duality and partnership. Twins are born with the gift of gab, ideas, and salesmanship-whether it is of a product or of themselves. Words get them into trouble- and out of trouble. Gemini is a masculine and mutable sign, and this makes them very adaptable and intellectual. They despise stagnation of any kind and thrive for circulation and movement (like their element Air). Mercury is the planet of communication, and it rules this sign. Freedom and space is a must. They are lively, witty, trendy, and let us not forget... charming! Gemini rules the arms, shoulders and lungs - which can make them prone to respiratory ailments and carpal tunnel syndrome. Their best mates are Libra, Virgo and Sagittarius."

"Huh." Rin thought this over before smiling and nodding. "Cool. Do Scorpio now."

Inuyasha grinned cheekily and flipped through the pages, searching for his sign.

"Scorpio is the sign of the scorpion. They are magnetic, forceful, sexual, and psychic. Once a scorpion has stung you, it's hard to get them out of your skin. Scorpions are incredibly passionate, persistent, and intense. Pluto, the planet of transformations and regenerative forces in life, rules this sign. Scorpio is a female water sign and is fixed, which creates a very determined person with great power. The Water element of their strong emotions runs deep and powerful. Some Scorpions are known for being terribly secretive, insanely jealous, or even violent. Their best romantic matches are Capricorn, Pieces and Leo."

"Oh," Rin grinned and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "I know somebody who's a Capricorn."

"Be quiet, Rin." Inuyasha grinned, blushing lightly.

"Read about Capricorn. Let's learn about Kagome," Rin said and whipped long hair behind her shoulder. Inuyasha obeyed and turned the pages.

"Capricorn is symbolized by the goat. The ruling planet is Saturn, the planet of limitations and discipline, and their element is earth, making them grounding, responsible, caring, organized, smart, and family oriented. Capricorns are often excellent in matters of business. They are extremely protective of their loved ones and belongings, but they have a tendency to over think things and worry too much. They are very stubborn, especially when they think you know best, but with this come a great passion for all things. Capricorn seem as though their feet are planted firmly on the ground, yet it can seem as if life just passing them by. Their best romantic matches are Taurus, Scorpio, and Leo."

"Okay, I'm bored now," Rin declared, turned on her stool and started drawing two twins in the center of her new sheet of paper. Inuyasha chuckled and continued to read over Kagome's personality traits.

'She's kind of like that… but then she isn't. Oh well, zodiac is a bunch of crap anyway,' Inuyasha decided and turned back to his sheet of paper. He sketched idly and sighed.

After about half of an hour, he looked down and stared in shock at the goat he'd drawn instead of scorpion. He quickly hid the sheet from Rin's eyes.

-

Kagome gently pealed off a slim layer of the red onion in the bowl of water, her nose wrinkling in disgust as she realized that the sordid smell of onion would be on her fingers for a while. Her blue eyes glanced at her lab partner and cousin, Kikyou, as she leaned against their lab station and set up the microscope. Finding the slide, she slowly placed the red cell onto the slide, grasped the eyedropper and placed two drops of water onto it before slipping on the cover slide. Sighing gently, she straightened and glanced at Kikyou.

Kikyou wrinkled her nose and grasped the slide before sliding it under the magnifying lenses on their school's microscope. "I hate labs," she muttered as she adjusted the view and switched to high power.

"That makes two of us," Kagome agreed as she wiped her wet hands on a paper towel.

"Likewise," Ayame and Colby voiced from the other side of the lab station they shared. The red head beamed. A few weeks ago, before the seating arrangements had been moved, Ayame had been Kagome's lab partner and had been very nice to the girl. Colby had been in her P.E. classes in freshmen and sophomore year.

"Especially this completely pointless lab," Kikyou scoffed as she peered into the microscope's ocular and started drawing a diagram of the plant cell. "We already know how osmosis will affect this damn onion." Kikyou wasn't a big fan of biology but was even worse at chemistry and physics, causing her to take this class instead.

"Indeed," Colby muttered as he, too, started adjusting his microscope and copying down what he saw in his field of view. He glanced up at Kagome and Kikyou. "What did you say for your hypothesis?"

"That if the onion cell is dipped in a sugar solution," Kikyou drawled out evenly with a wave of her hand as she started labeling her first of three diagrams. "The cell will shrink due to the hypertonic environment outside."

"Sure that's right?" Ayame questioned.

"No," Kagome returned and the four laughed.

"So, Kagome." Kikyou decided to change the subject from the morbid topic of biology labs and onto more 'pressing' matters. She took out the slide and added three drops of sucrose solution before replacing it under the microscope. She'd have to wait a few minutes before osmosis took affect. "Anything special for Valentine's Day happening?"

Kagome remembered the rose and scarf Inuyasha had given her. The card was tucked away safely in her planner and her scarf crammed into her backpack. The rose he'd given her had been handled carefully throughout the entire day. She'd periodically place it tenderly in her backpack, only to check it every five minutes to make sure it was okay.

Kagome shook her head and smiled. No sense in telling them how romantic Inuyasha could be. "Nope."

-

Author's notes: (Uses flames to toast marshmallows) Another chapter for you, longer than last chapter. Anyways, thank you all for your support. Love you all to bits.

Beta's notes: (uses flames to burn Styrofoam and watch it melt) the ozone layer: nuuuu, I thought you loved me! TT;

Fanart:

Kagome and Inuyasha:
www(.)deviantart(.)com(/)deviation(/)15426136