Here's chap. 2! Yay! Yes, updating to make up for, what, a year of silence…
Disclaimer in the first chapter.
Chapter 3Kagome sighed as she walked out of her last class, art. She felt kind of bad for being so cold toward Inuyasha at lunch, but she didn't say anything when she saw him later. She had been mad, and a little hurt at his lack of gratitude. He is such a jerk!
"Kagome," a rough voice brought her out of her musings.
"Oh, it's just you Koga."
"Kag, what is with you today?" Kagome flinched at the nickname.
"Nothing, I'm just tired of you not getting it that I am not yours. To top it off, I'm kinda under some stress right now, so could you please just leave me alone?"
"Is it that filthy half demon?" he spat.
"No, it's currently you. Did you not here that lovely speech I announced to most of our grade, or did my slapping you knock that out of your memory?"
"Kagome," he stood in front of her, blocking her progress, "this isn't you, what's wrong?"
"Did you hear a thing I just said? Wait, I know that answer, no! Look, I don't appreciate you and everyone else treating anyone who is different like they don't belong. That is what everyone has done to me, and I'm tired of dealing with it anymore, so please, just leave me alone!" Kagome pushed passed Koga and continued down the hallway, crowds moving out of her way as usual. "Ugh," she growled, "Will you all just give it a rest!" she cried at her peers and kept moving. Why am I feeling so angry? I must be still mad from lunch, wonder why that irked me so much. Kagome stopped at her locker and proceeded to open it, two slips of paper falling out as she did so. Kagome picked them up and read the first one:
Hey Kagome,
Sorry I got you in trouble, but your poems were beautiful! I saw you at lunch too, you go girl! See you at home, we can talk if you want!
SangoKagome smiled as she went to read the other note:
Kagome-The answer to your riddle is life. Don't worry about being an outcast or left out anymore, you have friends now. You're not as alone as you think.
Kagome looked at the note for a moment, there was no name. She wondered who it might be, but decided to just let it go. She smiled at the kind words and felt just a little tension lift off of her shoulders.
Inuyasha walked home, alone as usual. He was trying, and failing, not to think of Kagome. But one question kept bugging him: why did she just leave? He thought about all kinds of possibilities, but none of them made any sense. She had a seemingly perfect life, no reason or warning that she had to move. Her family had been happy together, they had enough money to get by… Ugh, she didn't make any sense! Not that she would even remember me anyway… their talk after lunch had proved that. He almost smiled at the thought that she might, that they might even become friends again. He would never admit it, but he had liked having her around, in her bouncy, perky, and playful self. She had been the only girl he ever knew who didn't stay inside to play with dolls, but instead danced in the rain with him. She had been the only person period to defend him at all, just like she had today. The last time I ever saw her had been the wedding, now that I think about it…
Flashback
Inuyasha had held onto Kagome's hand after the picture and their dance as she ran off to no where in particular.
"That was so much fun!' the nine-year old exclaimed, music swirling around the two. "I didn't even trip!"
"Yeah," agreed Inuyasha, "but you still look weird when you look like a girl," Inuyasha laughed as Kagome playfully hit him.
"Inuyasha, I am a girl!" she declared with tiny fists on her hips. Inuyasha laughed again, she looked so funny standing there lecturing him when she barely even reached his chest. "Shut up!" she cried.
"Fine, fine! Just don't get mad at me," Inuyasha attempted to calm down the feisty little girl, knowing it would work as it always did. "So what are we doing tomorrow?"
"I don't know do you want to explore the creek?"
"We've done that," Inuyasha complained.
"But if we start out earlier, we could go even farther!" Kagome's eyes shone with excitement. Inuyasha nodded.
"Alright, meet me at my house early, and don't forget." Kagome was known to sleep in and Inuyasha was always awake before her.
"I will, I promise! It's my idea after all!"
End Flashback
That's right! he recalled as he thought about the last time he had seen Kagome. She promised, but that morning, she never showed up. It was like she had disappeared. He could remember going by her house, it had been completely empty, cleared out. She had never broken a promise to him before but from then on he had been alone. Curse that wench! He continued walking home as rain began to fall.
Kagome looked up at the heavy cloud cover that had occurred so fast, or maybe she just hadn't been paying attention. In any case, she sat on the steps of the shrine her family had kept and watched as rain began to fall. What a perfect time to forget my key… damn! She watched the drops steadily increase and tap out a rhythm in her ears. She remembered dancing in the rain when she was younger, and something about that memory made her heart twinge. Oh… what could it hurt? she thought as she stood up and began to spin and twirl in the rain. Her head upturned, she smiled in delight into the falling water, and even began to laugh. She went spinning faster and faster, revealing in the mirth of youth, feeling truly carefree as she spun. She giggled again as her spinning slowed, and for awhile she just stood there, arms outstretched, now soaking hair clinging to her back. She smiled once more before taking her seat back on the steps and waiting for Sango to come home.
Why are you thereWhen I can't see your face?
Why has your image
In my heart, taken a place?
And that was how Sango found her, starring at the sky with a puzzled smile on her face. It had been the first time she had smiled like that in a long time.
Kagome dried her rain-washed hair and stared out into the rain from her window. There was something about the rain, something that felt like she should know, but couldn't. Why is it that my life is like a puzzle without the pieces? She shrugged, settling in for bed.
The day went by faster than usual, it was a Thursday so there was only one class before lunch. She shuffled through the crowds to a small table located outside and by the door, her own special seat. She had been labeled outcast the moment she entered the school. She was, after all, a brainy girl who wore Dickies. The only people who didn't' seem to care were Sango and Miroku, sitting with her and being her friends and as such being outcast as well. That was all right she reasoned, for it was better to have two great friends, even if one was perverted, than a gaggle of twits who were only there for you if it was the thing to do.
She ate a small lunch, a granola bar and all she had time to pack in the morning, than began to immerse herself into the world of words she had created in her little notebook.
"Hey Kagome, how was your second period?" Sango asked, sitting down next to her.
"Eh. I hate block schedules though." She mumbled, not looking up.
"It does seem unnecessary," Miroku agreed, sitting down as well. He looked up from his lunch suddenly. "Well come now Inuyasha, are you going to stand there all day?" Kagome's head snapped up.
"What?" Sango smiled to her friend.
"We just figured we'd include the newbie to our little group."
"What?"
"Feh. If you don't want me to be here it just gives me more reason to get the hell out of here." Inuyasha turned around and began walking away.
"Oh no," Sango grabbed him and pushed him down before he could react and escape.
"You really don't mind do you Kagome?" Miroku questioned Kagome who was watching Sango with dull interest.
"I don't care, he's just a jerk." She replied simply.
"Hey you little-" Inuyasha was interrupted by a group of girls approaching.
"Kagome, you seem to have tricked another poor sap into sitting in exile. You are so mean." The blonde said as she sauntered toward them.
"He can sit here if he wants, I don't care, and I don't trick people." Kagome replied as she stood up to meet her adversary, one of the more popular girls with blonde hair and preppy clothes, her band of followers in tow. Kagome tried not to laugh, but she didn't find little preppy clothes and pink all too threatening.
"Do you honestly think your little friends actually care about you?" She turned to the table, "She's a freak, nothing! She hasn't told you about anything has she? You won't like her so much when you hear the rumors," she sneered.
"We don't care about rumors," replied Sango. Kagome motioned her to stop. The girl got right up to Kagome's face.
"You didn't think you could hide all of your secrets did you? Or were you actually hoping they wouldn't leave you like everyone else? You're a freak Kagome, you can't hide the truth forever, the rumors have already started, just watch. They will all leave you,"
"If that includes you, then I don't care. And the truths you speak of are false, you don't know anything about me or about my friends who stay with me for longer than one fashion season."
"I know enough, and did you really think that stunt in Social Studies would do anything? We've seen you Kagome, we know more than you think."
"You go on and believe that. Sorry, but you don't scare me." They stared at each other for a second, before the other girl finally snapped.
"You pathetic wanna be! You freak! You don't even have money for real clothes! You suck up to the teachers and obviously cheat to get the grades you do! Everyone knows about what happened that night when you came here, you can't stand anyone knowing what's going on, you won't even go to the councilors anymore, though it's obvious you need mental help! Why do you always stay away from everyone huh!" the girl breathed heavily after her outburst. Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha were up and ready to beat that girl down, but Kagome held out her arms as if to hold them back.
"Is that all you can say? If your life is so boring that you have to pick apart mine, whatever, but at least get the damn story straight. And you," she gestured to the girls in the background, "don't you have any will, or do you always follow people around? Don't any of you have lives of your own? Leave mine alone!" she sighed and walked past the girls, but the blonde turned around as she past Kagome passed her and slapped her right in the head. Kagome didn't stop, just kept walking, just like she did with everything. Just keep walking…
"You under-handed, dirty, little—" screamed Sango.
"Sango, don't touch her, fighting with her won't do anything, just make your hands all dirty. Besides," Kagome turned around and smiled half-heartedly, "I can take a hit." She kept walking, and was so mad that she barely heard all the whispers all around her. The others just watched as she went outside, knowing they had to let her be.
"I don't know what the hell is going on here," Inuyasha looked up at the girls left in Kagome's dust, "but acting all high and mighty just makes you look weaker." The blonde regarded him like she would dust then scoffed.
"Figures freaks would stand together." With that she turned around and left to the more popular tables, but Sango noticed one girl sneak away.
"Anyone want to explain?" Inuyasha asked, irritated. Miroku sighed.
"We're not sure why Kagome came here, but when she did she was alone." He started, sitting down as if preparing for a long discussion.
"I met her through someone who owns the shine I work in, she apparently has the potential of some kind of priestess, and I liked her. When I found out she didn't have anywhere to call home, I invited her to stay with me. She's my best friend, the sister I never had," Sango continued, sitting down as well. Inuyasha followed suit.
"She really is a character, never one for following the crowds. However, as you've seen, some do not accept this too well. Combine that with her genius and athleticism, and you get many jealous people. She became the center or scorn and humiliation."
"It's sad, she's such a great person but no one takes time to see it." Inuyasha simply sat and thought over this new information. What happened to her family? Why is she alone?
Kiwi: All right, enough for now. That was a lot, actually, because I had to re-write a lot. So yeah. Hope you liked! R&R please! Reviews make my world go 'round...