Crystaltears: the day in this chapter is Friday! The dance is about a week away.
It's on the Saturday after this week's Saturday. Is this confusing or what? Think of it this way: Today's Friday. Friday>Saturday>Sunday>Monday>Tuesday>Wednesday>Thursday>Friday> Saturday is the Dance.
And I think this chapter will be pretty long since the chapter plot is hard to make short. It's more like a chapter that shows how not totally mean Inuyasha is. So enjoy.
D-E-V-L41: Thx for reviewing our story!
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Chapter 5 - A deed to accomplish
Kagome had returned home shortly after she had found the little gift in her locker. Who was it from? She kept pondering this. It couldn't have been Inuyasha, since he had told her that he had a friend who owned the swords. He must've stolen it if it was from him.
Kagome shook her head. This was all too confusing. She'd think of that later. Right now she had a ton of homework to do. Not to mention typing her final draft of her report on the swords. She just didn't have time to fall behind in school. 'And if Inuyasha wants to go to the dance with a nerdy brain, fine, though I seriously doubt he could show me a good time.'
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"Hey, Sango! Wait up!" Kagome was yelling after her friend.
"Oh, hey, Kagome. Sorry, I guess, I'm a little dizzy with my new glasses." Sango turned around and faced Kagome. "I got this major headache last night, so my parents took me to the doctor, and he told me that I needed to get glasses, since I was reading so much and studying a lot more than usual. I was deciding to get contacts, but the doctor said that I would do better to start off with these." Sango motioned her hand toward her face, where a pair of pink rimmed miniature glasses rested on her nose.
"They're not that bad you know?"
"I know. But I look even more nerd than I did before. People barely notice me as the smart kid if I don't wear them."
"Don't fret so much, Sango. Lots of kids at school wear them. Besides, they're not all big and thick and round like mine." Kagome sighed. "My mom's a cheap lady, so when I needed to get a pair of glasses, she chose the cheapest ones the city had to offer. These. And she refuses to get new frames!"
"Hey Sango!" A male's voice rung out behind them.
"Why is everyone calling my name today?"
Kagome shrugged, "I don't know, but you better go talk to whoever's calling you. I'll talk to you later." And with that, Kagome stalked off down the hall.
"Sango. Sango. I've been looking all over for you!"
"Oh, it's you, Miroku." Sango turned to face him.
"Hey, cute glasses."
"Oh, um, thanks. I guess." Her mind already picturing Miroku groping her butt, "But don't you think I look even more geek than I am already."
"No! You look even cuter." Miroku smirked and inched closer to her.
"Really?" Sango rolled her eyes and unfortunately failed to notice the hand that was inching down her back.
"Yep."
A loud shriek could be heard throughout the school now, SLAP, leaving a starry eyed Miroku on the ground.
"Wait Sango," Miroku yelled slowly getting up, "We have to talk about what you're going to wear to the dance! We should match so everyone can compliment us on being a cute couple. It's only a week and a day away!"
"Oh, don't worry Miroku. I'm sure we can come up with something the night before." Sango's face was still flushed an angry red.
"But Sango! Sango?" Miroku whipped his head around to come face to face with nothing but air.
Meanwhile, Sango was speeding down the hall in hopes of getting to her class so she would be safe from all groping. "Catch you later, Miroku!"
"Hey, Sango, wait for me!" Miroku sped off after Sango waving his hands eagerly trying to get her attention. Good thing he wasn't a fast runner.
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"Hand it over!"
Hojo's gaze darted between Miroku and Inuyasha like he thought they knew what was going on. Inuyasha just stood there nodding, giving Hojo the impression that he did. As long as you LOOKED like you knew what was happening, nothing bad could really happen, right? After all, he'd look like an idiot if he admitted that he didn't have a clue as to why the four of them had to dodge into a cramped smelly closet. In all truth, Miroku really didn't have a clue either, he nodded his head along with Inuyasha…hoping that someone would unconsciously give him a hint of what was going on.
With a weary sigh, Hojo slung his backpack off his shoulder, reaching inside, pulled out some papers, and held them out to Kouga.
'Probably detailed secret codes or tips that would let Kouga beat some Game cube game. Us three have been friends since the first days of Nintendo, and even back then he was always bugging me to find out how he could reach the next levels of a game.' Inuyasha thought thoughtfully. 'I really don't get why he bothers to play the game if he's always looking for someone to tell him the secrets. The challenge is all at solving the game on my own. But, Kouga's probably too anxious to see what the graphics at the next level look like.' He rolled his eyes.
Kouga snatched the papers from Hojo's hand, "Thanks, shrimp."
Miroku reached back, unlocked the door, and opened it enough that they could slip out. This made things a ton easier to move in the little room. 'Like people would care about his lack of gaming skills.' Then it hit Inuyasha. That just had to be it. Kouga had a reputation for being tough. He probably didn't want to blow it by revealing that he couldn't master a video game and had to get help from a geek. Geeks were the absolute best source for video game techniques and such, even Inuyasha knew that.
Hojo started to brush past Inuyasha, but he put his hand on Hojo's shoulder. Hojo hunched his shoulders like he thought Inuyasha was going to punch him or something. Inuyasha didn't have a clue why, but he suddenly felt like a jerk. Hojo was a guy half his size, and even if he wasn't, why would he want to hit him?
"Hojo, right?"
Hojo just bobbed his head like he was afraid he might be giving Inuyasha the wrong answer."
"Hey, just relax. I just want to ask you to show me to where Kagome is. Since she's your friend and all.
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'Thank god the day's over. All that useless stuff we're learning in every single class! Even in my stupid Trigonometry II class.' Kagome was good at math, in everyone else's eyes of course. But in her class, she was just the average student who was glad to pass with an A. Kagome was still pondering all this when she bumped into someone.
"Oh, sorry. Excuse me."
"Well excuse you wench, I mean...I mean, hey Kag!" Inuyasha put on a fake smile, "I've been looking all over for you! Thank god your friend was here to help me out."
"Huh? Oh, wait. What? Inuyasha? Hojo? You've been looking for me?"
"Yeah. Remember the deal we had. The one you agreed to?"
"Oh yes, the one where you get me and Abe together and then I go to the dance with you so you can prove to yourself that you can show a nerd like me a good time?" Kagome flashed a quirky smile at Inuyasha, though she highly doubted he could show her a good time.
'Wow, a pretty cute smile for a wench like her, I wish she would...wait, no I don't. You jackass! You're doing this on a dare, remember?'
"Inuyasha, are you ok? You just gave me this really blank look all of a sudden."
"Huh, what? Oh yeah, yeah, I'm perfectly perfect." Inuyasha slung an arm over Hojo's shoulder, of course Hojo did that hunched-shoulder-drawing-his-head-in like a turtle imitation, making Inuyasha lean over, almost falling over. 'Oh, God, I look so stupid in a position like this. But it's worth it to earn a few points with Kagome. I mean, I am chumming up to her friend.'
Suddenly, Kagome glared at him, "Give it back."
In surprise, Inuyasha slid his arm off Hojo's shoulders. "What?"
"Give it back, NOW!" she hissed.
"Give what back, wench?"
"He...he's not the one." Hojo spoke up from behind Inuyasha's shoulder.
'Huh? I'm lost. The one. What's that supposed to mean? I'm confused.'
Grabbing Hojo's arm, Kagome hurried him down the hall as if Inuyasha had some deadly virus that would kill. Inuyasha was even more confused by now. People didn't ever want to run away from him. What had she wanted him to give back? Something belonging to Hojo, obviously.
Geeks. No wonder he didn't hang around them. They made no sense whatsoever. They had their own secret code or something.
Shaking his head, Inuyasha stared heading down the hallway to his locker. He didn't need anything, but it's not like he had anything else to do. He'd ask Kouga right now exactly what he'd taken from the kid.
"Hey Kouga!"
"Oh hey, Inuyasha."
"Just asking, but...what'd you take from the nerd in the closet?"
Kouga grinned cockily. "His chemistry homework."
'Ok, why the hell would he want to do that?' "Why?"
"Hello! My dad wants me to go to med school, so I have to ace chemistry, not to mention it's an AP chemistry course. Twice as hard, and at the same time…twice as little work, since I take it from that Hobo kid or…whatever his name is!"
Inuyasha nodded his head. Yes, definitely, he understood whatever the hell Kouga was blabbering on about. Something about acing chemistry? "So...what, are you comparing answers or something?"
"No, man," Kouga said in a voice that hinted the question was asked by imbeciles. "I'm putting my name on his work and turning it in."
Inuyasha may have been popular and oh so clueless at times, and somewhat egotistical, but he knew the difference between wrong and right. He was on the verge of telling him that it was wrong when it occurred to him that he'd sound just like his dad…or the school counselor. Oh well, it really wasn't his business. Right?
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Kagome, Hojo, and Sango were sitting in the park. It was a quiet place. And today was a relaxing day. Somehow, Inuyasha was there too. As if he suddenly noticed them, he strode over to the three.
"Hey, what's up?"
"I never thought you were that stupid. But, the sky is." Kagome said. "Why are you here anyways? Are you here to hassle Hojo?"
"Hey, me and Hojo-kolojo here are real buddies—!"
"His name is Hojo! Don't make fun of his name! And you're only friends after stealing his homework," Kagome accused.
Inuyasha held out his hands like someone warding off a wild animal. "Hey, that was Kouga, not me..."
"So you just went into the janitor's closet to look for some soap?" Kagome shot back.
Inuyasha shook his head fiercely. "I went in as a friend following a friend. It's not like I knew that he was going to demand Hojo to hand over his homework. I thought they were video gaming secrets! But now that I know what's going on...I think it's very uncool."
"And you want a medal for that?" Kagome asked harshly. 'Video gaming secrets! You don't go into a freaking janitor's closet to get video gaming secrets! How stupid is he!'
"No, I just wanted you to know that I'm not that type of person." Inuyasha was losing his temper.
"Oh," Kagome's gaze softened. "I guess I overreacted. Sorry. But all my friends are important to me. And I don't want anything to happen to them."
"Yeah that's cool." Inuyasha's anger faded.
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Kagome and Sango had stayed in the park after Hojo and Inuyasha had left. The two friends had decided to have a good talk.
"Seventeen has a test you can take to see if you're ready to make out," Sango informed Kagome, flipping the page of the latest issue.
"Sango, if you have to take a test to know that stuff, then you're not ready."
"I guess you'd make out with Abe if he asked," she mused.
"I might consider it if we were going steady," Kagome joked.
Unfortunately, Sango took it to the heart. "Of course, nothing will happen if you don't even talk to him."
Kagome sighed and rested her elbows on her knees in a thoughtful pose. It meant she was going to say something that was important. "Actually, it might happen."
Kagome's heart started thundering with the thought, the possibilities. Abe and her studying together. Abe and her sharing test scores. Abe and her walking the halls together, holding hands. Gazing into his incredible blue eyes, of course there could be some difficulty there since he wore thicker glasses than she did.
"What are you talking about," Sango demanded.
"Well...Inuyasha offered to get me a date with Abe if I would go to the dance with him next Saturday."
Sango's eyes got big and round, "He what!"
I shrugged. "I know; I was stunned when he offered."
Sango narrowed her eyes, "KAGOME! Listen to yourself! You're falling into fickle boy/bet idiocy! Snap out of it! Why would he even bother to offer?"
"He wants to take a smart girl to the dance and prove to himself that he can show her a good time." Even as Kagome repeated this, she thought it sounded sort of stupid. Sango obviously thought it sounded idiotic.
"Why his sudden desire to date smart?" she asked. "Kagome, the combined IQ of every girl he's ever dated doesn't equal half of yours. What gives?"
"Maybe he's bored," Kagome suggested.
"Bored with all the girls at our school fawning over him? Not likely. There has to be more than that." Sango flipped the magazine shut and threw it on the bench.
"Maybe he likes me?" Kagome offered lamely.
"You know that's not true. I don't know, Kagome. It's a little weird. Whatever his reason., I'm not so sure you going with him is such a good idea."
Sango held up her hand and tapped on her index finger. "Number one: going to the dance with Inuyasha might make Abe think you and him have something going on."
"But after the dance, Abe will never see me and Inuyasha together again."
Sango still looked unconvinced. She tapped the next finger. "Ok, number two: what if you start to like Inuyasha?"
Kagome laughed. "Don't joke, Sango. Does it look like I like? Does it look like I will like him? Furthermore, why the heck would I want to like someone who probably won't go to college! No way am I going to start liking Mr. Popularity. He's so...unintelligent. And his manners aren't very well developed. He also thinks that he's the high school's gift to girls. It boosts his ego…I guess guys need that kind of support…"
"He is hot to look at, I guess," Sango frowned. If Miroku had heard...he'd grope her for the rest of her life until she admitted that he was hotter than Inuyasha.
"Only in a superficial sort of way," Kagome assured her. "I couldn't ever go for someone who thought the cover was the only part of the book that mattered. And so far, he hasn't done anything to convince that he has more than a few pages to his life novel. He spends too much time decorating the cover and the title page…I mean, I can see it now: Chapter one: Inuyasha's life (from birth to teens)." Kagome mimicked a voice of Inuyasha's, "Well, I spent nearly my whole life trying to make myself look good, but in all truth, it was God's gift to me. And, I had an inspirational dream of becoming the most popular guy in school; so of course, I followed it to make up for my intellectual shortcomings. All my life, I had such good looks that I found it pointless to go to school and actually LEARN, instead I just hung out, made trouble, had fun, and I guess I don't realize that this could really hurt my future…I mean, I have too much trouble thinking ahead because I'm too STUPID. Why think about kids, a wife, and a JOB…why think about the money that I need and the house I need to live in! I have my looks, and I'll be beautiful FOREVER!—" (by this time, Kagome had begun making wide open expressions of stupid-ness, and she waved her hands in a gesture showing how "beautiful" she'd be forever)…
Kagome nearly fell off the chair when Inuyasha suddenly dropped onto the bench beside her.
"Why are you back?" She said in a very annoyed tone.
"I forgot to tell you that tomorrow morning I need you to go to the computer store with me to help me buy a computer."
"Why?"
"Because nerd boy works there. DUH! You going or not, because in case you haven't noticed, nerd boy doesn't know you exist outside his little nerd bubble. Besides, maybe he doesn't see you past his thick lenses."
Of course she had noticed. How could she not? That hurt. It hurt a lot. How could he just say that to her face?
Inuyasha, noticing that she was upset, said softly, "Despite what everyone may think, I know how it feels to like someone who isn't interested in you."
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Crystaltears: I thought this was a good place to stop.