Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or anything related to him.

Hidden Fires

Chapter Seven: Threats and a Date

Shippo immediately went into full-blown 'work mode'. Taking a seat at the table, he whipped out a miniature laptop from his pocket. It was the size of a portable DVD player, but it was high-tech, and ran faster than any other computer in the world. But then, Shippo had made it himself. Why wouldn't it be the best there was?

Kagome smiled fondly at the man typing fervently on his computer. While he was technically as old as they were, he was still a kid at heart, and acted like one more often than not. He was the technical part of their team. Monitoring feedback, checking out info, finding anything on the Internet, hacking government databases... Those were just a few things he did for them. And those were just on the job.

Flopping into a chair, Kagome began to study the blueprints and map a floor plan, while Ayame and Sango went over to a back corner of the room. Pulling open the bottom drawer of a certain filing cabinet, Ayame watched a hidden panel swing open in the wall. Sango reached in and began pulling out equipment. Three sets of clothing, in all black, rappelling equipment, a glass cutter, gloves, three sets of wireless headpieces with microphones... The list went on.

The four teammates worked quietly into the night, preparing for the new moon, only three days away. They had a lot to do in a short amount of time.

The next day at school, the girls arrived to find the boys waiting patiently for them. Well, almost patiently. "Finally! Thought you were gonna make it here sometime next month!" Inuyasha said impatiently. Kagome just ignored him and walked down the hallway to her locker. "I had to take a shower. Or do you prefer I smell like sweat?" Kagome asked grouchily. Inuyasha raised his eyebrows in surprise; Kagome was definitely not a morning person. "Sheesh, I was just teasing. Is something wrong?" he asked.

Kagome sighed and shook her head. No, there was nothing wrong, unless you counted the late night she had last night. The planning had taken longer than expected, then Ayame and she had trained for about three hours... Kagome was exhausted, and they still weren't 100 sure on some of the details for the hit. And it was scheduled for the night after next!

"I'm just a little tired, Inuyasha. Don't worry, I'll be fine at lunch. See ya!" Kagome hurried to her first block, leaving a confused Inuyasha behind. Plopping her books on her desk, Kagome sank into her seat, tired beyond reason. Man, Ayame went all out last night. No doubt she's regretting it right about now too... Oh, the student teacher. He's talking. That's nice...

A few seconds later, Kagome dropped off to sleep.

While she was asleep, however, Kikyo decided to make her grand entrance. It didn't produce the effect she had hoped for, however. Most of the guys in the class still remembered yesterday's skirt-ripping incident, and some had even witnessed her humiliation on the archery field. Feeling rage boiling up in her, Kikyo cast a look around the room, searching for the object of her fury. Seeing Kagome sleeping, a sly and twisted smile slipped over her face.

Hurrying over to the new student teacher, who was trying to make the class calm enough to watch a movie over safety issues, Kikyo whispered in his ear and pointed at Kagome. She batted her eyelashes and gave him a shy smile of encouragement. The teacher turned an apple-red from his collar up, then stammered a "S-s-sure," and went to find the actual teacher of the class. A satisfied smirk on her face, Kikyo went to her seat.

Kagome slept on, oblivious to the power play. A few seconds later, although, she was rudely awakened by a hand slamming on her desk. The classroom was dead silent but for the screeching of the woman standing over her. "So! Kagome Higurashi! I was warned about you from the principal of your last school! You seem to think you're better than everyone else, that you can get away with things because you're special!" While the principal was screaming in her face, Kagome just blinked sleepily at her, then laid her head back on the desk and resumed sleeping.

This outraged the principal further and made her take drastic measures. Reaching down, she took a hold of Kagome's hair and pulled, waking Kagome abruptly. Only now, she wasn't just sleepy. She was exhausted, sore, and pissed. And happy to have someone to vent her rage on.

Reaching up, Kagome grabbed the woman by the wrist, squeezing so hard, the bone cracked. The sound echoed through the room, making everyone gasp. A second later, the principal began screaming, but was cut off when Kagome grabbed her windpipe. Sitting up, Kagome pulled her face to her eye level and spoke in a quiet, but deadly, voice.

"Don't bother me. I'm sleeping. Especially when I'm sleeping. I don't know what the other principal told you, but I'll give you the same advice. You piss me off, you pay the consequences. Which can be quite painful, I assure you. So, if you don't mind, I'm going back to sleep now. Have a nice day." With that, Kagome released the woman, who was blue in the face by now, and went back to sleep.

The principal scrambled out of Kagome's reach and looked wildly about the room. Spotting the student teacher, she grabbed him and dragged him out of the room, ignoring his protests. Minutes later, he stumbled back in the room and ordered Kikyo to the principal's office. She went, shooting a glare in Kagome's direction, but Kagome had drifted back into dreamland.

When the bell rang, Kagome was the first out of the door. Zipping down the hallway, she blew past the principal's office, where Kikyo was still getting chewed out, and stopped at Inuyasha's locker. A startled look was all he managed before she gave him a long kiss hello. It wasn't until the warning bell rang for the next class that she let him up for air. They were both panting, faces flushed, but Kagome recovered first. Winking, she sailed to her own locker and ran to her next block, English.

Cursing a blue streak, Inuyasha grabbed his own books, slammed his locker shut, and barely made it into his own classroom before the final bell rang. Dropping his stuff on his desk, he flopped into his seat, still a little shaken over Kagome's mood swings. First she was grouchy, then she was all smiles! And frisky, to boot. Shaking his head at his girlfriend's weirdness, Inuyasha let the teacher drone on and followed Kagome's example. Dreamland, here I come...

As for Kagome, she was actually awake this class. Which wasn't really surprising, if you knew that English happened to be the only subject she could tolerate. It didn't stop her from ignoring the teacher, though. Scrunching up in her seat, she pulled out her cell phone and TM'd Sango and Ayame. (SSS: I'm gonna use their initials so you know who's who)

K: Hey guys

S: Hey Kag. Actually awake this block?

K: Ha ha, very funny

A: Kag, next time you make out with someone, do it in private, please

K: Like you don't do the same!

A: So?

S: I'm not even gonna ask...

K: You're probably safer that way. Question, though

S: Shoot

K: You talked to Shippo yet?

A: Yep. Went into the girl's RR & called him

K: Everything ready?

S: Down to the last detail

K: Good

A: Hey, Kag...

K: Yeah?

A: When we gonna tell the guys? I had to make up some lame excuse for Kou about tomorrow

K: When the time's right, I promise

S: Better be soon! I was kinda wanting to tell Mir soon...

K: Yeah, I want to tell Inu too... Shit! Teacher headed this way

Kagome abruptly closed her phone, but not soon enough. "What do we have here? A cell phone on school property? That's against the rules!" Before Kagome could realize what the teacher was going to do, her cell phone was snatched out of her hand. "Now, let's see what you were doing... Oh, TM'ing people, huh? How bout we find out who?" The teacher was pressing buttons and going through Kagome's address book. Suddenly, the dismissal bell rang.

"All right people, you're dismissed. Kagome, you stay." The teacher waved the other kids out the door, then turned back to Kagome. "Now, where was I?" Kagome shook her head. Really, how stupid could you get? And what was with all the teachers on her ass all of a sudden? I didn't want to have to do this so soon, since I just moved here... But, it needs must be done...

"Give me back my phone," Kagome said quietly. The teacher raised a brow and sneered at Kagome. "I don't think so. It's against school rules. Besides, I think this is the perfect payback for all the times you ignored me in class." Kagome rolled her eyes. "Are you referring to all the times I was either asleep or ignoring you, and you decided to ask me a question out of the blue? And I answered all of them correctly?" She asked politely.

Flushing, the teacher shook Kagome's phone in her face. "Don't you be smart with me! It won't get you anywhere but the principal's office!" "Been there, done that. Are you finished yet?" Kagome asked, bored. Now the teacher was really angry. Getting up in her face, he yelled, "That's it! Principal's office now! And don't even think you'll get your phone back! You'll be lucky if you see it two years from now!" Sighing, Kagome swiped it from his hand, then twisted that hand until a small crack echoed through the room.

The teacher's eyes bugged and he opened his mouth to scream, but Kagome applied pressure to a point in his neck, and his mouth never opened. "Why do you think you can threaten me and get away with it? Really, you teachers are getting much too arrogant these days. Now, let's get down to business. You threaten me, or piss me off one more time, I'll kill you."

Kagome's eye were glowing as she stared at the teacher. She was in her element, and he knew it. "Do you understand?" she breathed. Nodding fervently, the teacher felt his arm throb in the excruciatingly painful grip Kagome had on him.

Smiling, Kagome let go of him. The teacher flopped on the floor like a wet fish and cradled his arm. Picking up her stuff, Kagome walked to the door. Pausing, she turned back and said, "You might want to get that looked at. I'm pretty sure it's broken." With that, Kagome went to join her friends for lunch.

"Kagome! What took you so long? We've been here for fifteen minutes already!" Ayame said. Kagome smiled at her friends, dropped her books on the table, and went to kiss Inuyasha. Turning back to her friends, she said simply, "I had a disagreement with a teacher. We had to straighten it out, is all." Ayame and Sango exchanged looks. They knew what 'disagreement' meant. Kagome had done the same thing at their last school. Shaking their heads, they went back to their boyfriends.

"So! What are you guys doing tonight? If you're not busy, want to do a triple date?" Miroku suggested. While Kouga and Inuyasha enthusiastically agreed, the girls silently communicated. Did Shippo have everything ready? They'd already gone over the floor plan, so that wasn't a problem. The equipment was set. So was the time... All that was left was to tell Shippo that they weren't gonna be there tonight. Sango pulled out her phone, excused herself from the table, and went to the girl's bathroom. A second later, she was back, with a bright smile.

Kagome turned to the guys, who were still planning that night's upcoming events. "It's a date!" she said, smiling. Letting out whoops and yells, the boys grabbed the girls and swung them around. "All right, all right! I'm still hungry, you know!" Kagome protested. Laughing, Inuyasha carted her off to the lunch line, followed by Sango, Miroku, Ayame, and Kouga.

"You know, Naraku's gonna be pissed to hear that we skipped a session tonight," Sango commented from the passenger seat of Kagome's car. Kagome glanced at her, and said blithely, "So?" Ayame giggled from the backseat, where she was typing on her laptop. "Well, as long as you're the one who deals with him, I don't care either way," she said. Kagome nodded and grinned, then focused on driving.

It was after school, and the girls were headed downtown to do a little shopping. After going home to change and drop off their backpacks, they had all piled into Kagome's car. Now, they were on a mission. A mission to find just the right outfit. One that would stun the boys at just one glance. The girls exchanged looks. Because tonight... Tonight was the night the boys got lucky.

Seven o'clock found the boys in the girl's hallway. Inuyasha reached up and adjusted his tie, then glanced at his watch. He was standing outside Kagome's door, just like Kouga was outside Ayame's and Miroku was outside Sango's.

At seven o'clock on the dot, the boy's knocked on the girl's doors in unison. Three "Just a minute!" 's rang out. Kagome was the first to open her door. When Inuyasha caught his first glimpse of her, he almost dropped the flowers he clutched in his hand.

Her hair tumbled around her shoulders in soft curls, to the top of the strapless dress she wore. It dipped into a slight V over her chest, then fell in flirty waves to her ankles. Strapless heels accented the dress with a deep crimson color, while her dress was a soft rose. Kagome gave him a smile of welcome, which deepened into a delighted grin at the sight of his bouquet of pink and red roses. Grabbing his hand, she tugged him into her apartment and gave him a kiss.

In the next apartment over, Kouga waited at Ayame's door, nervously shifting in place. A second after Inuyasha disappeared into Kagome's apartment, Ayame opened her door. Gulping, Kouga looked at her agape. She was a vision in white and lavender. The style of her outfit was more modern, but just as beautiful. The top criss-crossed over her breasts, while her stomach was bare. The skirt had a slit up the side, and fell in flounces to mid-calf. Deep purple heels completed the look. While he stared, slightly dazed, Ayame retrieved the purple orchids from his grasp.

And in the last apartment, Sango opened her door to find Miroku leaning against her doorframe with a smile hello. Smiling softly in return, Sango took the white carnations he held out to her. She turned to go put them in water, but stopped when he put a hand on her arm. Miroku closed the door behind him, then slowly turned her in a circle, in an effort to see all of her.

He dress was simple; a black sheath with straps that stopped a little above her knees. But for all its simplicity, it was still gorgeous when worn by the right person. Sango just happened to be the right person. A twinkle in his eyes expressing his appreciation, Miroku hooked an arm through Sango's and walked to the elevator. The couple arrived exactly on time with the other two. Grinning, Miroku pressed the down button and asked, "Shall we?" Nodding in agreement, the guys escorted the girls below.

By the time ten o'clock rolled around, the triple date had turned out to be a smashing success. After dinner at a romantic restaurant, they had decided to go dancing at a local club. Of course, it was nothing compared to Burn, but it was still fun. Now the guys had made a stop at the park for an after-dinner/dancing stroll. Together, it was pretty romantic.

Hand in hand, the couples had split up to different sections of the park. The girls had dictated an eleven o'clock curfew, so they had an hour to spend together. Inuyasha and Kagome walked past a pond that reflected the stars shining above them. Slipping an arm around her waist, he stopped and tugged her into his arms.

He sifted a hand through her hair and stroked her cheek. "Kagome..." he whispered softly. "Yes?" she asked, her eyes glowing softly. He closed his eyes for a second, then opened them with a determined look. "You know I like you, right? That I respect you for who you are, not how you look?" Confused, Kagome nodded. Where was Inuyasha going with this? And why was he asking her stuff like this? Sighing, Inuyasha ran a hand through his hair, then looked back at her. "Kagome... Kagome." She looked at him, eyebrows drawn over her eyes, which searched his with a soul-searing clarity.

Inuyasha pressed a soft kiss to her lips, only deepening it when she arched into his body and wrapped her arms around his neck. Opening her mouth to his onslaught, his tongue swept into her mouth, stroking hers with every other pass.

When he pulled back, she gave a slight moan in disappointment, but opened her eyes to look at him when he whispered her name again. "Kagome. I..." he trailed off. It seemed that he took a second to gather his nerve, then asked her simply, "Will you let me make love to you?"

A/N: Chapter seven, revamped. Arrgggh! It keeps getting away from me! Ok, sorry, boys, but you're not getting any just yet… The girls still gotta tell you something, first. And you need to tell them about your own past…

-S.S.S.