Sakura's Note: Woo! The Harry Potter has arrived, and so far…it's very good. XD This chapter is dedicated to all of your patience. Enjoy!
Chapter 11: Physical Education.-..-.
Shouldering her already growing bag, Kagome headed down the crowded hall. As promised, Inuyasha stood as somber as ever at the designated spot.
Inuyasha's amber eyes turned to look in her direction lazily. "You're late."
Kagome rolled her eyes at his attitude, dodging a few random camera flashes as she headed towards him. "Well excuse me, but I was busy being attacked by pens and disposable cameras."
"You poor thing." Not meaning a word, and his tone not hinting otherwise, Inuyasha began the daily walk to lunch with the heiress trailing beside him. "You can stop acting like you're suffering anytime now. I know you're loving all this."
"What?" Stopping in the middle of the hallway, Kagome narrowed her eyes to match his. "You think I like all this attention?"
"Keh. Does it show?"
"Look, no one enjoys being mobbed, especially in such large, consistent doses! Sure, I'm flattered, but anyone whose presence brings this much hype is." Kagome poked him in the chest, "If someone was flashing a camera in your face the second you left your classroom, you would sock them in the face! Just because I take it without resorting to violence doesn't mean that I drink it up."
Inuyasha sneered, "So now you're telling me that they annoy you."
"No!"
"Then what are you saying?" Inuyasha countered.
Kagome's lower lip trembled, but her angry look stayed firmly in place. "It wears you down, Inuyasha. And since I'm going to be here for three months, I just wish that they didn't think that my autograph is more valuable than taking the time to get to know me for me. Just forget it. Somewhere along the way I've done something to make you hate me, I don't expect you to try and understand."
When she turned around to see his insensitive reaction, he was gone.
.-..-.
"Hey Miroku, what's Mario's last name? Or is Super his first name?"
Miroku chugged his fruit punch a minute before answering. "You know, that's a good question."
Koharu took a moment to ponder her inquiry before dropping it for a much more important subject. "Do you think they were kidnapped? I mean, it can happen… They could hold her for ransom."
Hiten looked up from shuffling his cards, "There are a few reasons why that hasn't happened."
Tossing his bag onto the table, Inuyasha dropped down into the seat next to Miroku with a halfhearted "Yo."
Miroku looked back at an ever-growing crowd. God forbid someone had to wait until tomorrow to get the teen royalty's autograph. "You left her over there?"
"Yeah."
Abi gasped. "What's wrong with you? You can't just leave a celebrity alone in our school – she'll die!"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her exaggeration, folding his arms behind his head. Abi always was one to blow things out of proportion. Especially that time when she insisted a flock of birds had attacked her, when in reality one only left a present on her jacket.
"She wanted to sign more autographs, so I left her there." It didn't matter that in actuality he had ditched her after their little argument. It also didn't matter that you couldn't really call it ditching since he'd run away. How could he respond to that? More importantly, why did his conscience tell him to apologize? All the confusion just made him angrier.
"Wow, that's nice of her." Koharu looked over at the large crowd gathering by the glass doors.
"Yeah, sure." Resting his chin on his upturned palm, Inuyasha stared with interest at the dollar fifty in his hand.
Miroku opened his mouth, but found a nacho stuffed inside.
Inuyasha's expression remained a tired one as he licked cheese off his finger. "Shut up."
"You don't even know what I was going to say!" Miroku protested.
"Something about Kagome?" Inuyasha supplied dully.
Abi poked at her salad. "Don't tell me you two had a fight!" Absolutely shocked, Abi threw a tomato slice at him. "Jeez, why do you have to be such a jack ass, and to her of all people!"
Inuyasha seethed, looking away pointedly. "She ain't the Queen of England, you know."
"Well duh! Kagome has power!" Forgetting her lunch in the name of curiosity, Abi caved. "Ok, I give. What's the reason you look like you've just gotten back from a 'bonding experience' with Sesshoumaru? Is she a celebrity cliché - a stuck up brat?"
Miroku spoke up before his angry friend could. "Not from what I've seen. Actually, you're describing Inuyasha so far." Earning himself an irritated look from his best friend, Miroku just shrugged. "Oh, hello Kagome."
"Hi!" Giving a quick wave with her empty hand, Kagome took his offered seat. "Some nice guy bought me lunch! What's up?"
"Nothing short of the usual." Separating himself from his food, Miroku pointed at the two girls opposite him. "Let me introduce you to the ever-charming Miss Koharu and the foxy lady Miss Abi Hime."
Coughing awkwardly, Abi tried shooting her flattering friend a glare, but ended up with a stupid grin. "Never say foxy lady again. Kagome, it's a pleasure. I'm a big fan." That was as star-struck as Abi got (at least since that Backstreet Boys concert she'd dragged the guys two years back).
"Ahem."
Miroku grinned, "Oh yeah, and this is Hiten."
"Hey." His 'hey' implied interest; interest Kagome was oblivious to but everyone else caught instantly. Hiten's 'hey's' were like that.
"Inuyasha…" A short haired girl in a black mini traipsed up to the tables with a sickeningly seductive look on her face. "I have to say, now that Kagome has boosted your popularity even more it's almost impossible to find you!" Making herself at home on the lunch table mere inches away from Kagome's food, she batted her lashes and giggled. "But I did."
Abi scoffed, hiding her mouth from the girl's view. "Doesn't she deserve a gold star?"
Kagome watched the two's interaction, moving to a safe viewing distance with the others.
Was what she was saying true? She hadn't really been paying too much attention to how much attention of his own Inuyasha was receiving. In fact, it was almost impossible to recollect anything other than hoards of fanatical teenagers.
Well, I guess that's no surprise. He seems the popular type, and since Sango won the contest…
Inuyasha didn't look very thrilled at the attention he was receiving, though, at least not from this girl. "Get off the table, Yura."
"You're so sour…" Running a finger down his chest, Yura sighed, sliding into his unwelcoming lap. "Usually it's the girl who plays hard to get."
"I'm not playing. Yura, get off me!"
Taking a big bite out of her pizza, Kagome watched in 'New to the table' fascination. Sure, she had seen Inuyasha angry, but not like this.
"Oh, you're no fun." Getting up with a pout, Yura played with a strand of her hair. "I guess I'll see you in gym, hm?" And that was the last thing she said before trotting off to a bunch of giggling girls, never once acknowledging anyone else at the table.
"You're going to have to talk to that floozy one day, Yash." Abi played with her soda tab for a moment, a deep frown set on her face. "I swear if she keeps coming around dressed like that, with that attitude, I just might kill her."
"Not until I'm done with her." Inuyasha muttered, sipping at his soda bitterly. "Then her remains are all yours."
Kagome looked like a lost deer, following the conversation as best she could.
Miroku, Informer to the Clueless, gave a tired smile. "Yura's had a thing for Inuyasha since she moved here in 9th grade. Sickeningly vivacious little thing, isn't she?"
Kagome nodded numbly. Of course Yura bothered her, anyone showing more than they were wearing had that effect on her, but that wasn't all that did.
It was the sight of multiple territorial looks coming from the surrounding tables appearing at the mere sight of Yura, including one from their own.
.-..-.
"Whatever happened to Blade?"
Ginta looked over at Hakkaku with a squinted eye. "I think he's in prison. Right Kouga?"
Kouga waved flippantly, "Yeah."
"Who's in prison?" Ayame took her permanent spot beside Kouga, biting into her contraband from the fast food joint across the intersection.
A chorus of, "Blade." answered her question.
Ayame weakly remembered it was because he had intelligently decided to attack a teenage girl that was really an old woman suffering a late mid-life crisis, dressed in tight neon clothes. He hadn't been able to look at bright colors the same way since.
"Oh, Kouga, I picked up something for you too." Ayame smiled coyly, "A double hamburger and some fries."
Tearing himself away from the interesting girl a few tables away, Kouga grinned. "Cool, thanks – you didn't forget the pickles, right?" She shook her head. "Great."
"Um, Kouga?"
He was already looking back at that table. "Yeah?"
"So I saw some art students taping up the homecoming dance posters this morning…"
"Yeah! That's perfect!" Kouga looked back at the table, grinning like an idiot.
"It-it is?" Ayame looked amazed.
"Sure!" Kouga stood up. "I should ask Kagome."
Hakkaku choked on his soda, spewing it onto an equally shocked Ginta. "What? The celebrity chick? What the hell are you thinking, Kouga?"
Kouga sent a glare towards his friends, "What are you implying?"
The guys shook their heads. "Nothing, Kouga. We ain't implying anything!"
"You better not be…" The underlying threat was obvious. "Anyway, thanks Ayame."
"What is wrong with you!" Ayame screeched, tossing her crumpled burger wrapper at him. "You are the most oblivious, rude, idiotic guy I've ever met!" Slamming her hand against the table in a last act of rage, she left.
"Ayame! Wait up!" Hakkaku followed her path, most likely trying to catch her before she reached the inaccessible territory of the girl's bathroom.
Kouga collapsed back into his seat, shooting glares at the curious onlookers. "What's her problem?"
.-..-.
The gym held more people than ever, some that Inuyasha didn't even know had gym, including some that did but never chose to come before. Kouga and his loyal 'posse' were the perfect examples. On top of the huge turn out was the uncanny number of easily sign able things. White t-shirts, cleverly hidden Kagome Higurashi-oriented magazines and pictures, and even a few cameras stuffed down pants pockets around the gymnasium.
God forbid they had to wait until tomorrow for a chance at meeting her.
The vultures…
A boy only known as 'Bison' leaned against the wall with a sigh. "It's times like these that make me wish I was born a girl."
"Better yet…morph into a girl." Bison and his friend nodded in agreement, in a dream like state.
Inuyasha watched his two fellow classmates in disgusted concern. The poor pathetic–
Miroku chose that time to return from his own personal fan club. "So today we start volleyball."
Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah."
Miroku flashed a body-melting smile at a group of his fan club girls – to all of their delights – before returning to his angry friend. "Well, I thought you'd be a bit more excited."
Inuyasha slanted him a glance. "You'd think that, wouldn't you?"
"What's up?"
"Nothing." Inuyasha crossed his arms sulkily. "Nothing at all."
Miroku leaned back onto the wall, lowering his voice. "It has to do with Kagome, doesn't it?" When didn't it, these days?
"Who else?" Inuyasha countered icily.
"What's wrong with her?" Following Inuyasha's intense stare, realization kicked in.
It was possible seeing how Inuyasha was one of the most well-known students. Adding in the factor that the school had a population of 3400, it was pretty impressive when almost everyone knew his name. It was either because of Sesshoumaru's legendary four years, or because of Inuyasha's own ways of life. And yet, now Kagome had come and beat him.
Motioning towards one of the larger clusters of waiting fans, Miroku sighed. "Are you jealous?"
Inuyasha deadpanned; his voice the epitome of sarcasm. "That must be it. I also want to be a beautiful, rich, annoying teen superstar with enough money to buy an island and a flock of fans harassing me everywhere I go."
Ah…so that was part of it.
Miroku's eyebrows arched in surprise at the bitter statement. "I'll just pretend that you didn't mean to say beautiful."
Inuyasha crossed his arms across his chest, brooding at his slip up. "Kikyo's much cuter." He had just gone from one extreme to another, but Kikyo didn't seem the type to be a fake, no one faked being that somber, quiet, and angry all the time.
Well, maybe they did, but it was much more tolerable.
Miroku blinked, somewhat surprised. "Um…ok?"
The gym doors opened, letting another group of students flow into the room. Yura pranced in with her violation mini shorts, followed by her flock of zombie-like friends. With a snap of her fingers, they would do almost anything she asked. Behind her were a displeased Ayame and a pleasant-enough Hakkaku, heading towards Kouga and the rest of their lot. Finally, came the highlight of the moment herself.
Before anyone could maul her for a chance at getting her autograph on their latest celeb gossip magazine, one of the gym teachers made her own entrance. "I want to start off today with a quick little reminder." Now adequately subdued by the presence of authority, antsy students with envious looks had to remain where they were as Kagome jogged over to familiar faces.
"Of course everyone in here knows who we have the pleasure to have in this class with us and would like to welcome her in their own way. However, this is not a concert-"
Kagome fought back a confused frown. She wasn't a singer…
"So, I would appreciate it if the fact that Ms. Higurashi is a celebrity does not cause everyone to forget why we're here." Before any complaints could form, her whistle was blown. "Ok, form four teams. Two of guys, two of girls."
Predatory looks focused on Kagome. Automatically Miroku, Inuyasha, and Kagome sensed something ominous. No, not a hurricane or earthquake…it was something much more sinister.
"I call Kagome's team!"
"Me too!"
The openly fanatical girls gathered around her, pushing Miroku and Inuyasha out of the way almost violently whilst those who seemed to resent her formed their own small alliances.
Sauntering towards the team not containing Kouga, Inuyasha folded his arms coolly. At least some things in life worked in his favor…
The dreaded whistle blew again, which signaled someone was going to end up unhappy.
Parting the hoard of girls (and guys) around Kagome, the poor teacher held the bridge of her nose. "I guess I'll be sorting you out myself." At the teacher's words, several dozen groans flooded the room. "Line up."
.-..-.
"Don't get in my way, dog-face!" Kouga leapt unnaturally high into the air, all but punching the poor volleyball down over the net.
Spiking was illegal in a practice game.
"Then get out of mine!" Knocking (more like spiking) the returning ball back over, Inuyasha noticed Yura fly gracefully (although she was sweating like mad) through the air, shorts fluttering in her self-produced wind, to hit the ball back before it could hit the floor.
In all truthfulness, the moment Kouga and Inuyasha had been placed in Team A, they'd forgotten that games were just games and had begun an all-out macho competition. The girl's had been pronounced the loser's after witnessing only two minutes worth of their rivals' skills.
Kagome lunged for the ball, "Both of you cool it! You're supposed to be playing us, not each other!" For emphasis, she slammed the ball back towards them with something Eri liked to call 'Kagome's lethal force of doom'.
She had been right in dubbing it so.
The whole gym was in slow motion as Inuyasha skidded across the floor, the renegade ball bouncing innocently off towards the bleachers.
Inuyasha looked livid. Or he would have had he been able to see straight. His nose felt heavy and warm, and his eyes were all blurry. The moment he brought his hand away from his nose, he saw why.
Blood.
"Inu-baby!" Yura screeched. Rushing to his side, she screamed. "He's bleeding!"
The girls were shrieking in either excitement that he'd been hit by theKagome Higurashi or shock that their Inuyasha was lying on the floor bloodied with less brain cells he had started out with. The guys were mostly silent, or coming to see if he was ok. However, one boy couldn't keep his laughter to himself…
Kouga was laughing it up.
Miroku was beside him, holding his game's ball under his arm, when Ayame appeared. In less than a minute, the ball was whizzing towards Kouga's head.
Ayame wasn't a happy little gangster girl.
"Kouga, shut up!"
Although not as psycho as Kagome's, the ball did hit its target beautifully. Square in Kouga's eye did it land, knocking him onto Ginta from the shock of it all.
The class was stunned.
Just when things were getting interesting, a whistle blew.
No matter how late she was, their gym teacher was not about to miss the whole show.
From what she could tell, Inuyasha had a nose bleed, Kouga had been punched in the eye, and two very guilty/angry looking girls were very close by. "What happened here?" Shrieking at the top of her lungs, the poor woman looked around the gawking student body. "Well!"
Yura, almost in tears, came forward, her loyal lap dogs right behind her. "Kagome threw the ball and broke Inuyasha's nose!"
"What happened with Kouga?"
Yura looked up at their instructor with much less worry. "Ayame threw the ball at him."
Their teacher frowned. "The same ball?"
"No, a different one."
"Kagome, Ayame, take these boys down to the nurse now!" Allowing Miroku to help hoist up the bleeding Inuyasha, the teacher gestured to the doors. "Move it!"
"Excuse me, ma'am, but I don't know where the nurse's office is-"
"Now is your time to learn. Go before he suffers from severe blood loss. Follow Ayame."
Both boys glared at their escorts distrustfully before the four left for the nurse.
A group of girls flocked towards Miroku, intent on learning what had just happened. "What was all of that about, Miroku?"
The resident ladies man shrugged, "I can't say…but whatever they did…they paid for it."
.-..-.