Disclaimer- I think the word 'Disclaimer' pretty much sums it up.

AN- I've seen a lot of different spellings for Hojo (Houjou, Houjyou, Houjo… you get the point) but this one is the most popular, so I will stick with it.

Also, to clear up any confusion later on, I am modeling Kagome's school year after the Japanese system, which has the end of year at the end of March with two weeks off for spring break and then the beginning of the next year at the start of April.

Jealous?

Kagome blinked in surprise. What was Hojo doing in her room? Wait… 'There's a boy in my room!'

Kagome blushed slightly at the thought and self consciously pulled her blanket a little higher. 'Wait a minutes, what am I saying? Inuyasha's been in my room for a week now… Eeek!' Now why hadn't that particular thought occurred to her before?

"Hello, Higurashi. I heard from your friends that you were sick and I thought I would stop by and see how you were feeling." Hojo flashed her a shy grin, swinging his backpack around to reach in it. "I brought your school work for you, so you would be able to keep up." He walked to her bed side to hand her two work books and a piece of paper. That was it?

"I figured you still had all your text books with you, so I didn't bring any with me."

Oh.

She glanced at the paper and groaned at the long list of assignments. Hojo chuckled at her obvious disappointment. "I know; there's a ton to do. End of year is the worst. I would be happy to help you… if you wanted." He turned a little pink in the cheeks as he said this and waited expectantly for her to reply.

"Oh, that's very sweet of you." Was it her imagination or did she hear growling coming from her window? "I wouldn't want to trouble you though. You probably have a lot to do yourself."

Hojo flapped his hand dismissively and smiled again. "No, it wouldn't be any trouble. Really."

What the heck was that sound? Was Buyo getting into a fight with the neighbor cat again? Kagome glanced out her window, but couldn't really see if her cat was out there or not.

She turned her attention back to Hojo. He was still giving her that cute little grin of his. It was really quite charming… "Well… I wouldn't want you to get sick…"

Seeing she wasn't going to reject him again, Hojo brightened, his blue eyes lighting up. "Don't worry about that Higurashi. I have a very strong immune system. It's in my family. Oh!" He reached again in his backpack and rummaged around for a bit before pulling out a small paper bag about the size of an index cad. It looked like it had something in the bottom. "Here." He handed the bag to her and she peeked inside. There was a small pile of dried herbs tucked inside. She took an experimental sniff and immediately recoiled; holding the bag out as far as it would go from her, eyes watering.

"Uhg, what is this?"

Hojo smiled proudly, as if she didn't just look as though a stink bug had crawled up her nose. "It's medicine." He scratched his head and looked thoughtful for a moment. "I got them from my grandmother, but I can't really remember what she put in it." Straightening up he gave her another smile. "But it will work wonders on your throat."

Kagome looked down at the bag with a dubious expression. "I have to eat it?"

Hojo shook his head. "Oh, no."

'Whew.'

"It tea, you need to drink it."

'Drat.'

"There's enough there for you to take a cup tonight and then one in the morning."

She placed the bag on her nightstand and gave what she hoped was a grateful smile. "Well thank you Hojo. I'll, uh, make sure to try it."

Hojo fixed his backpack on his shoulder and flashed her one more smile as he made his way to the door. "I'll let you rest now, but how about I come back Sunday afternoon? You should probably feel better by then."

Kagome nodded, not having to force the gratitude this time. "That would be great. Thanks again Hojo."

"No problem at all, Higurashi. I'll see you later. Oh and I left my phone number on the bottom of your assignment sheet. Call me if you need me to bring some more tea."

"Oh, okay." Somehow she didn't think she would need him to bring more.

He gave a small wave before he left and closed the door behind him softly.

Kagome was smiling slightly, her eyes on the door still, as she thought. 'This is great! Hojo is one of the top students. I'll be able to catch up in no time. Maybe he can help me make some notes for the finals too…'

Her thought were cut short by another growl from the window. She realized suddenly what it was a second before Inuyasha spoke up.

"Who the hell was that bozo?"

Kagome jerked her head around to the window and scowled at it. "That was Hojo, a boy from my school. You must have seen him before. I don't appreciate you growling at him you know. He was just being nice."

"Feh. He was being a little too nice if you ask me." He didn't quite growl as he said this, but Kagome heard his voice drop an octave.

"What is that supposed to mean?" How could someone be too nice?

Inuyasha ignored her question. "You're not really going to let him come over on Sunday are you?"

"Why wouldn't I?

He did growl slightly at that. "Because you don't need his help."

"Inuyasha, I've been out of school for two days, not to mention all the weekend homework I'll have to do. It would really be a lot easier if I had someone to help me with it."

"You have me," he said simply.

Kagome paused for a second. Was he…? No, there was no way.

"I don't want to impose on you."

Instead of reassuring him as she intended, Inuyasha seemed to take offence to her statement. "Impose? I live with you for crying out loud. You don't seem to care if you impose on him though. You were practically swooning when he left, staring after him like some love sick fool."

Kagome sputter in outrage. "What- I wasn't- Don't be stupid! I don't swoon!"

"You were! Staring at the door with that goofy smile on your face after he left." He pitched his voice in an imitation of hers. "Oh Hojo! Why thank you sooo much. Please come back and help me with my homework because I'm such a brainless idiot I couldn't possibly figure it out for myself"

Kagome's face was almost purple with fury. 'How dare he!'

"You jerk! I do not sound like-" Kagome broke off and started coughing violently. Okay maybe getting into a shouting match with a sore throat wasn't the smartest idea in the world.

Inuyasha paced the room as she coughed, trying to work off his anger somehow. As the minutes wore on and she was still hacking away, he began to feel a little ashamed. He shouldn't have been yelling at her like that when she was still so sick. Something about that guy just ticked him off though. Like the way he looked at her…

Kagome's coughing trailed off. She reached for the water and took a long drink. 'Ahh, that feels better.' When she felt as though her throat was as relieved as it would get, she took a deep breath and prepared to give Inuyasha a piece of her mind.

"I'm sorry."

Huh? She let her breath out in a small whoosh. At those two small words she felt her anger start to break up. "You… you're sorry?"

His voice sounded contrite as he continued. "I shouldn't have made you angry. And…and you didn't really sound like that. Not a lot anyways." He saw her bristle and open her mouth to say something. "Okay, you didn't sound like that at all." She seemed mollified by that. Despite his better judgment he couldn't seem to keep himself from saying what came next though. "But I still don't think that loser needs to be here on Sunday." Dammit, he just couldn't keep his mouth shut could he? He cringed slightly, waiting for her angry reply.

Kagome sighed softly. Well, if it would keep him from getting mad again… "Alright. I'll tell him not to come."

It was Inuyasha's turn to be stunned. She wasn't going to let him come over? He suddenly grinned. Damn straight she wasn't going to let him come over! "Good."

Kagome rolled her eyes. Not even a thank you, but then what did she expect? "You better be able to help me out like you said. I have to have this all done by Monday."

"Fine, fine whatever." 'As long as I don't have to see that stupid kid and his stupid grin.' Now why did it bug him so much when he had smiled at Kagome?

"I think you're overreacting though. If I didn't know better I'd think you were jealous."

"Feh, don't be stupid. What's to be jealous over?"

Kagome shrugged. "Nothing, I guess."

"Then drop it already."

"Fine." But Kagome silently wondered at his reaction.

The weekend went by slowly and was much less enjoyable than usual for Kagome. She called Hojo on Saturday and made up an excuse as to why he couldn't come over the following day. The boy took it well and said that he hoped she felt better and maybe some other time then. She had to reassure him that she didn't need any more tea several times before hanging up. The tea in question had been tried and was found to be just as awful in taste as it was in smell. Out of obligation she had choked down some of the liquid and found that it really did make her cough better. That didn't mean she wanted any more though. All the sugar in the world wouldn't cover up that particular taste. Inuyasha had kept his word and helped her with her assignments. While he wasn't very helpful in the science department, his skill with math and language was very good. Considering the way he spoke, she was a little surprised at how much he knew about grammar, but decided to keep it to herself. He was way too touchy sometimes.

Monday came and went. Then Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Before she knew it Friday was coming to an end and for the first time in months she was heading home with no homework to do. Finals were all next week and everyone was concentrating on studying hard. Kagome was practically skipping as she walked home, for once not loaded down with books.

"Well you sure in a good mood."

Kagome grinned widely at his observation. "Now why do you say that?"

"Because you're practically dancing."

"I can be happy if I want to be. One week! One week til school's out!"

"Yeah, then two weeks til school starts."

Kagome wagged a finger at the air. "Now don't go spoiling things with your crafty logics. It won't work."

"Can't blame a guy for trying."

"Sure I can."

"Feh."

"Fourteen."

"Nope."

"Hmmm, Seven?"

"Huh-uh."

"Twenty…five?"

"Now you're just guessing."

Kagome threw her pencil down in frustration. "I don't understand. I knew what I was doing yesterday."

Inuyasha leaned over her shoulder and looked down at the math problem written on her paper. Immediately he saw what her problem was. "It's a stupid mistake."

Kagome crossed her arms and glowered in his direction. "Gee thanks."

He rolled his eyes. "I mean, you just weren't paying attention and transferred the number wrong. You know how to do the damn thing; you just made a stupid mistake."

"Oh."

Inuyasha peered at Kagome for a moment. She had been studying for her algebra exam all weekend and had spent the last two hours staring at numbers and letters. Her test was tomorrow, but he thought she was more than ready for it. He took a closer look at her face. Her eyes looked tired and were beginning to get a little red and her shoulders were starting to slump in the way that indicated she was losing interest in something. "You need a break."

Kagome looked up from her equations. "But-"

Inuyasha grabbed her arm and yanked her out of her chair. "No buts, let's go."

Kagome felt herself being herded towards her door. "Where are we going?"

"Outside."

"Oh, alright."

"Ahh! This is just what I needed." Kagome raised her arms above her head and twirled around, her face tilted up to feel the suns warmth. Inuyasha watched her with a small smile on his lips. She looked so happy. He loved it when she looked like that. Kagome gave a small laugh as she got dizzy and stumbled a little. She shook her head to clear it and began to walk at a leisurely pace, enjoying the feel of the sun and wind. She had holed herself up in her house for the last couple days and was savoring the sensations before she had to go back and finish studying. She saw the well house coming up and felt the sudden urge to go inside.

When she reached the door she hesitated for a moment, surprisingly feeling as though she shouldn't go in. Strange, since just a moment ago she had definitely felt as though she should go in. Pushing aside the conflicting thoughts, she slide open the door. It was bright enough inside that her eyes adjusted quickly and as she looked around, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Giving a mental shrug she continued inside.

She made her way down the steps, keeping her eyes on the wood beneath her so she wouldn't trip on the old stairs. Looking up when she got to the bottom, she gave a small gasp.

"Inuyasha! I told you not to do that."

From his sitting position on the well rim he gave her a cheeky grin. "Sorry."

Kagome gave a very unladylike snort at that. "No you're not."

His shrugged, still grinning. "What can I say, you're right."

She sat beside him, tucking her feet under her. "I hope I do okay tomorrow."

Inuyasha shot her a glare. "You'll do fine, stop worrying so much. You know this stuff back and forth. Seeing how you have such a great tutor and all." He said the last part with a smug expression.

Kagome nodded seriously. "You're right, how could I possibly fail when my mom helped me so much…"

Inuyasha's mouth hung open in disbelief, his expression slowly turning from confusion to sulky and then to irritable as he saw the teasing glint in her eye. "Well, fine. I see how much you appreciate my efforts…"

Kagome immediately felt contrite. "I'm sorry. You really have been a big help Inuyasha. Thank you."

He just shrugged one shoulder and muttered a soft, "Whatever." But he lost his petulant look and she could see a pink tint creep across his nose.

"Merrrew"

Kagome looked over at the noise. "Buyo! What are you doing in here?"

"Meerrrrrow." The chubby cat waddled over to Kagome and looked up at her with big, innocent eyes.

"C'mere silly kitty." Kagome reached down to pick up her cat and froze halfway, her breath catching.

"Aaah!"

Inuyasha watched in amusement as she launched herself on top of the boarded up well with amazing speed.

"Buyo, you bad cat! Get that thing away from me!"

Glancing down at the feline, Inuyasha saw the expected worm hanging from the cat's mouth. Really, all that fuss over something so little. It was just unnatural. Kagome was hopping from foot to foot in agitation by now. Buyo made as if to leap up onto the well after her.

"No, Buyo! Inuyasha!"

"Hmm?" He glanced up at her lazily. Seeing her desperate look he finally caved and reached down to grab the cat by the scruff of his neck. He plucked the worm from his mouth and swung it towards Kagome.

"Is this what you wanted?"

Giving a little squeak, she backed up slightly, moving towards the center of the well. "Just…throw it out the window or something. Please."

Figuring it would be more fun to tease her once the worm was out of her vision, he jumped off the well and went over to a window to throw out the offending creature, watching as it hit the ground with a splat. "There, now the big scary worm is all gone." He heard Kagome's relieved sigh and shook his head. Still looking out the window, he heard another sound. An awful, heart stopping sound. Inuyasha whipped around in time to see Kagome's eyes widen and her mouth form a tiny O of surprise as the boards beneath her cracked and broke, sending her plummeting to the bottom of the well. He leapt to the edge and threw himself across the rim, trying to reach her. Too late. Seconds too late.

"Kagome!" Her fingertips brushed slightly against his as he desperately grabbed for her hand.

"Inuyasha!" Her shocked face was the last thing he saw before being blinded by a bright blue light. And then…the familiar nothingness of sleep.

AN- Let's hear it for evil cliffies!

Q and A

Q. SailorKagome- Will Kouga be showing up anywhere, anytime? Or perhaps Sesshoumaru? And does Naraku have hand in all of this?

A. Ohh, one of my favorite characters :-) Kouga will definitely be in somewhere I think, Sesshoumaru might be too, but it might be a while. When does Naraku not have a hand in something? He too shall be added into the mix…

Q. Auxana- Is Kagome able to see him all this time?

A. Nope. I agree it would be weird to be picked up by an invisible person. Fortunately Kagome was pretty out of it at the time so didn't seem to mind a whole lot. Now if someone else had happened to see them that would have been pretty funny. No one did though, just in case you wondered.

Q. Inuyasha-craver- When the hell are we going to find out the answers to when Inuyasha and Kagome are going to hook up and when is Kagome going to go through the well?

A. Such a potty mouth. LoL Did I not answer your question last time? I'm sorry. When will they hook up? Hmm, that's a good question…. As for when she will go through the well… :-P'' I hope that answers your questions!

Bye for now.