Disclaimer:

Roses R red,

Violets R blue,

Sugar is sweet,

and I don't own INUYASHA nor will I ever do.

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Chapter 9: The Good Gone Bad

The next Monday came all too quickly and soon it was afternoon inside the school's vicinity.

"Look, I am not going to go to some stupid carnival!"

"Who ever asked you!"

Sango sighed. Minutes before their team was about to fight inside the training arena Inuyasha and Kagome had got into a heated fight. Kagome had asked Sango if she wanted to go to the school's carnival with her, and possibly have the guys join them as well. But once Inuyasha overheard her—from one hundred and fifty feet away—and butted in the two began to fight, the hanyou saying he wouldn't be caught dead going out with the miko and insulting Kagome. Everything else dragged down from there. Miroku and Shippo were late and Kilala was still sick at home, so Sango feared she'd have to fight by herself.

"Grr…Sit boy!" Kagome screamed, pointing an angry finger down towards the floor. Inuyasha growled and screamed back for her to stop doing that, which she gladly responded with another yell. If Kagome weren't a girl and a human as well, she'd been beaten up by now. But like I said, Inuyasha sometimes had a soft side for women. Human women, that is.

Sango sighed again and lifted her Hirakotsu upon her back, getting ready to face their mystery opponent by herself if need be. Shifting uncomfortably she murmured curses under her breath because the school hadn't given her enough time to change from her lovely pink and green kimono into her ninja suit, while the mutt was in his red clothes and Kagome in her usual green uniform. Still, she was glad when the intercom finally called out the fighters to the arena. That shut the couple up and the three walked out together, Inuyasha still growling and Kagome still mocking him for being half dog.

Everyone's favorite male announcer was speaking into the microphone as the group entered the center stage. The crowd went wild and Inuyasha grew a smile and threw out kisses and waved his hands, greeting at everyone. Kagome was still stubborn and didn't want to do anything, so Sango had to wave for her. "Ladies and demons… are you ready to crummmble!"

The fans cheeredas the fight was about to begin and some of Inuyasha's love-struck fans screamed out love statements to him. This made Kagome wish she really knew how to use her miko powers and do to the hanyou what she had down to Naraku on her first day of school—but then again, she couldn't, and that spelled good news to our favorite halfy.

"Now...in this corner, we have Inuyasha and his gang!" the announcer began, with enthusiasm. "And it looks like they're running short, folks! Half their team mates aren't even present! Uh-oh! This spells trouble!" Inuyasha and the other two frowned. Surely they were on their own, now. They'd have to fight without Miroku and Shippo by their side.

Thankfully, the fighting class didn't include the use of the Wheel of Misfortune, so they'd only have to be submitted under the teacher's whistle, whose order was to end the fight if it got nasty. No blood, no guts, no dying. That was good.

Some cheerleaders began their normal set of routines on the far sidelines, including cart wheeling and throwing each other in the air. Those with powers blew magical messages in the air or drew the faces of their favorite players, including the school's mascot. Kikyo was there, unknown to everyone in the group except Inuyasha. He looked over to the cheerleading section to catch her eye for a second but quickly turned to look away before getting caught. He then reached into his haori, pulled out what seemed to be a necklace of some sort, stared at it thoughtfully for a while, and then hid it back into his robes.

Kagome was trying to pump herself up, remembering that this was her first time fighting in the arena ever since her first day of school. She had practiced a lot, and was now pretty good with the bow and arrow, though not as good as she could be. Inuyasha would still have to watch out for her, which she hated the most. She couldn't be known as the weakest member of the group forever and she thought I will have to prove myself today.

The announcer continued once the audience's crying and hollering was done. "…And in this corner we have…" Sango looked over to the other side of the arena, where their opponent would come out of and prepared herself for the worst.

Suddenly faint images were seen walking out of the big doors, and Inuyasha cursed once he noticed who they were. The girls still couldn't make out the students, but they learned who they were when the hanyou yelled, "Shit! What the hell are Miroku and Shippo doing over there?"

Both girls did a double take and didn't believe it was true until Shippo and Miroku arrived in front of them, with serious looks upon their faces. They seemed to be snickering, and a hint of red flashed in their eyes for a millisecond. Soon they stopped about fifty feet in front of them, a legal distance for beginning a fight.

The announcer continued. "…Miroku and Shippo! That's right, folks! The team has been split and both sides will face each other in a five minute duel! Is this some sort of cruel twist of fate, or what! Come on, you know you've been waiting to see this sort of excitement and thrill happen for a long time now!" The crowd went wild. Surely this couldn't get any better. A team put against each other? What could be better than that? "…And this is one fight folks that you wouldn't want to miss! There's a mystery fighter coming in on the last minute to fight against Inuyasha and his team, and a crushing secret will be revealed at the last second of the match! Folks, it can't get any hotter than this!"

"What do you think you're doing? Get back here right now," Inuyasha screamed at Miroku, pointing a claw towards their side of the field. Miroku maintained his hateful glare on him and Inuyasha growled. "What kind of face is that, Miroku? What are you trying to pull off, huh?" Sango was worried, too. She had never seen the monk like this—never. Sure, they had practiced fighting against each other in case anything happened, but now? Now the monk was acting too cold.

Kagome stared at Shippo frightened. He too was acting not himself, which made her worried. "Shippo, what's wrong, why are you looking at me like that?"

Shippo looked on hatefully until a wide, evil smirk broke on his face. "Heh heh heh… you're so pathetic, miko, and I want to see you die." He finished by throwing a fire bomb in her direction, which landed just in front of her on the ground, just to act tough. Kagome's heart got caught in her throat as she wished this were a dream. How could her little kitsune act like that-- especially towards her?

"Whoa! This is heating up already and the match hasn't even started yet! It seems that Miroku and Shippo are ready, so I think it's time to get this thing going, don't you think?" The announcer called for the timer to be set on the school's big screens and Inuyasha narrowed his eyebrows. He started reasoning a plan with his true teammates.

"Listen; we need to win this fight no matter what. Something about these two isn't right, and the only thing we can do for now is keep them from beating us," he instructed seriously and nodded at Sango who agreed with him. He had to work it out with Kagome for a while, but soon she gave in—the clock was about to begin, anyways, and their strategy had to be made. Kagome would hold back Shippo as long as she could, while Inuyasha fought Miroku. Sango would be helping Kagome out until Inuyasha was deep in trouble. They would have to do this right—they didn't want to hurt their friends and knew they weren't their selves, though if it was a trick or part of the school's plan and their friends were just acting up, they didn't know. Still, they were more worried about their last minute opponent. It could be anybody at all. So they would have to hold back until then, just in case.

The digital time was set on the screens and everyone cheered on. In a matter of seconds the clock chimed and the count down began descending from the fifth minute, and Inuyasha was caught surprised once Miroku attacked him head-on in a blink of an eye with his staff.

The hanyou growled and pulled out hastily his untransformed sword and used it against the monk by stopping his attacks. Everyone knew Inuyasha was holding back, since he never really used his sword in that way before.

Shippo attacked Sango fast as well, which she managed to dodge and she jumped in the air and did a flip, landing on the floor with one arm helping her keep her ninja balance. Shippo started flaring fire attacks at her and Sango was left jumping, cart wheeling and rolling on the floor to be able to evade them. Having her kimono on didn't help one bit. But never had anyone seen the kitsune fight so strongly before!

Kagome looked on at her friends worried. She didn't know what to do. She really couldn't shoot their opponents and anyways she was scared of missing her target and landing an arrow on somebody else. Sango remained busy, using her Hirakotsu as a shield and swinging her chains around to make Shippo stop his attacks for some time, while Inuyasha kept stopping the monk's attacks. Her true team kept their defense strong while the other two only used their offense against them.

Kagome gave her mind up and decided to do something. She put her game face on and remembered everything she had been taught and came up with a good plan. Taking out an arrow and locking it on her bow, she aimed to Miroku, the bigger target, and let go once she saw an opportune moment. The crowd still roared as the fight went on, but most kept quiet while the arrow was in motion.

The monk hadn't seen nor expected the shot flying towards him and Inuyasha only saw it himself once the arrow flew past Miroku's back, barely scratching his robes. The young monk turned around, his back facing the hanyou, surprised from the unexpected attack and that gave Inuyasha the opening he needed. Kagome hardly had enough time to point out to him to take this time to make his blow when Inuyasha threw a punch that landed in mid-air. Miroku was too fast and had slipped under Inuyasha's body with astounding reflexes and had managed to dodge the blow.

Miroku grinned maliciously at the open-jawed hanyou and, while still under him, as if in slow motion, he slightly turned his body upward to be able to face the hanyou chest-to-chest, and started unwrapping the cloth and beads from his right hand. Kagome screamed shocked, hoping he wasn't about to do what she thought he would do. By now Sango and the kitsune had noticed Kagome's arrow and were now looking on attentively at the other two fighters to see the outcome. Inuyasha barely let out a curse as he saw what the monk was about to do, and couldn't think of anything else but twist a couple of feet to the side and burry his untransformed sword as deep into the ground as he could.

Mroku's left hand now held his purple beads. The whole crowd went dead silent as he opened his mouth. Everyone was sweating.

"Wind Tunnel!" Just as he stood firmly on the ground and Inuyasha drove the sword into the dirt, he did it. He opened his hell hole.

Kagome let out one last, horrific cry and Inuyasha yelled, holding on to dear life as time seemed to return to normal and he tried desperately to not get sucked into the hell hole, while thousands of blades of grass flew inside it. No one made a sound, except a very frantic hanyou, scared for his life. Sango screamed at him and started running towards the two, hoping she could do something to help out.

"No! Get back!" screamed Inuyasha, reminding Sango to not get caught up in the wind tunnel as well. But it was too late. Miroku aimed his hand towards the girl, and moments later had brought her flying in the air to where they were, thanks to the suction. Inuyasha struggled onto his feet since the attention was now off of him and quickly used his claws to fight back.

"Iron Reaver!"

Miroku had noticed this and dodged the attack just in time, making Sango fall down close to where Inuyasha was. Miroku recovered and pointed his arm at the two again, and Sango saw herself about to be sucked in. She screamed and Inuyasha instantly grabbed her arm and held her with his free hand, preventing her from being sucked in. Sango immediately stuck her Hirakotsu into the ground and joined Inuyasha in their battle for their lives.

Kagome screamed and started running up to them when Shippo got in her way, throwing her fox fire, which she managed to block when she instinctively shielded herself with her bow. Pink, miko light surrounded her bow and all the fire was turned out, which infuriated Shippo. The crowd roared in excitement because of the tension between the three and the wind tunnel, but was shocked yet again to see Kagome's powers grow. That had been the second time she had used them in public.

Nevertheless Shippo used one last trick up his sleeve and created a stone statue that fell upon Kagome's now miko-free hands and kept her held closely to the floor, unable to lift herself up or move. The fans screamed and shouted.

Inuyasha and Sango couldn't think while they stood just a few feet away from Miroku's hell hole, and him laughing about it didn't help, either. They screamed for him to stop, that this was just practice, but to no avail. All seemed lost when suddenly the speakers turned on again.

"There seems to be an illegal move playing out in the field, folks. According to this fight's rules, no one is aloud to kill their opponent, so I'm sorry to say that Miroku shall be disqualified if he sucks in one of his comrades, since technically making them forever float inside his hand for all eternity falls under the death-like penalty"

Sango and Inuyasha inwardly thanked whoever told the announcer to convey those words, but realized Miroku wasn't letting down his hand anytime soon.

"Miroku! What are you doing! You heard him! You'll kill us both!" Inuyasha squirmed from his tenseness.

Just then something other than grass was seen being swallowed by the tunnel, and once Inuyasha noticed what it was he started searching inside his haori with one free hand to confirm his suspicion. What he found infuriated him and at the same time caused him mild pain. "No! Kikyo's necklace!"

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"Ah! It burns, it burns!" screamed a now half-crisp student as Renkotsu, the fire expert, made an opening for his comrades to come through and sit in their seats to watch the show. He sucked liquid from his bottle in his right hand, while holding a bag of popcorn in his left.

"Renkotsu, you didn't have to do that," said Bonkotsu, holding a hotdog in his hand and grabbing a flying nacho plate from the sky as other frantic student started running away from hem. They now even had enough room for Kyokotsu the giant to lay down if he wanted to.

"Yeah. And you got the seats black, again," complained Jakotsu folding his arms. "You know how much I hate it when I stain my beautiful clothes."

Renkotsu snarled. "Whatever. If you're going to sit, than be my guest. First time I heard you worried about getting your school uniform all wrinkled, you weirdo."

Bonkotsu blinked at the two as he caught a soda on his foot and balanced it so it wouldn't fall. He muffled out the best he could while holding a bag of fries he clenched with his teeth, "Guys, I need a little help here…"

Jakotsu put his hands on his waist. "I don't care about my uniform…it's just that mother would appreciate not having to take it to the dry cleaners every day!"

Ginkotsu looked up from skirting oil on his mechanical arm to butt in, "So stop killing people with them on!"

Jakotsu turned on his heels. "I can't! It's…it's…my calling! Besides, mother is very proud of me! I can't just go and let her down!" Crossing his arms he found a seat and stayed in it, quickly taking out his mirror to reaply his makeup. Renkotsu shook his head. Why was he always stuck with losers like him?

"Uh…guys," pleaded their leader, still under a pile of goodies their fellow—but sacred out of their wits—students left behind. Mukotsu helped him out a little and licked his poison lips, knowing the other guys wouldn't mind if he got more of their share of free food than them.

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Back at the arena, three minutes had passed already and Inuyasha and Sango were now running like wild away from Miroku, who was attempting yet again to inhale them in his powerful hand. A while ago Inuyasha had managed to let go of one hand fast enough to deliver an Iron Reaver blow to the ground, making it crumble all the way to where the monk was standing and so creating enough time to escape with the demon slayer. Kagome had almost fainted.

Now, the hanyou was trying to convince Sango for minutes into using her most secret weapon. "For the last time, no, Inuyasha! I still have my dignity!"

"Oh come on, Sango. It's our last chance at getting rid of Miroku before the secret surprise fighter comes out," yelled back Inuyasha, running around the floor, trying to evade Miroku's Wind Tunnel. The two were equal in speed and Sango still wouldn't give in. For a human girl in her kimono, boy was she fast!

"Ahh! Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha quickly screamed "Kagome!" and stopped in a halt using his feet like breaks, beginning to run in the opposite direction towards their lone friend. Kagome was about to become a flambé when Inuyasha, knowing he had no time to run to her fast enough, threw his upperrobe onto her just in time before Shippo could cook her well-done. She screamed but was alright since she was well covered, and she thanked the heavens for her savior.

At the other side Miroku was dead on Sango's tracks, never minding Inuyasha as he went to help Kagome and concentrating his target on the other girl. Sango kept looking back at him worriedly, especially since his demeanor hadn't changed, and he looked like he wanted to kill—for real. She finally gave up and did the only thing she could do—her Hirakotsu and other weapons could be swallowed by his hand, and there was no way she could harm him—so instead of fighting fire with fire, she fought fire with… flirt?

Miroku came into a halt and did a double take when he saw that Sango had stopped running from him and was now standing in front of him with her back turned to him, shaking what her momma gave her. I'm going to regret this, but…it's the only way, she thought, shakin' her bootay.

Miroku kept his right hand closed tight and paid inhuman attention to her bottom, calling out to him. "Miroku… you want a taste of this? Well here it is…and it's all just for you, my love." Sango played with his mind and whispered sexy nothings to him, tempting him to get closer. She began lifting up her kimono, showing a little leg. "You know you want some, so come and get it. I'm not going to wait all day…you pervert." She said that last word with a little more juice in it, and it worked. Miroku was now salivating and itching his curling and uncurling fingers towards her, hypnotized by her dancing curves, which her kimono showed all too well.

Sango hated herself for this, but that was his only weak spot and her only way of attacking him blindly. She kept reminding herself that all would be over once she reeled in her catch, so when he got close enough, she instantly screamed a battle cry as she swung with all her might her boomerang onto the monk's unprotected head. The crowd all cringed at the same time, hearing the boomerang's bone material make contact with Miroku's skull, knowing that that had to hurt.

"Oh! And it looks like the monk has finally been put down! I don't think he'll be standing up any time soon, huh folks?" the announcer yelled form the speaker with excitement.

Sango looked down at Miroku, who seemed to be out, cold. She hoped she hadn't killed him, for more personal reasons, but knew that her swing could have repaired any screws he had lose, since she and Inuyasha suspected evil doing. But the monk showed no signs of recovery, nor did he show movement, at all. Hoping the best, the demon slayer left him there and headed toward Inuyasha to help him out, thinking that the first thing she was going to do once their five minutes were up was to get Miroku over to the nurse's office as fast as possible.

On the other side of the arena Inuyasha had been able to tie down Shippo with his own fox magic and had knocked him out unconscious, to the horror of Kagome, who understood there as no other way.

"Ladies and demons, I'm proud to say that four minutes have past already and that our secret fighter will be coming out! So prepare yourselves for a hell of a wicked match!" the announcer screamed, making the crowd's hollers even louder. Before anyone else could react, Inuyasha was thrown like a rag hundreds of feet from where he stood next to Kagome, and since he was still taken by surprise, was unable to jump to his feet and instead hit the ground full-force, bouncing back up and down again until he rolled to a stop.

Kikyo gasped from the sidelines and instinctively stopped her cheers and dancing.

Kagome ducked as a massive wave of air and a ball of light pushed her to lie on her stomach, fearing the worst. She felt that someone had caused it, as well as Inuyasha's fall. Taking a deep breath she looked up slowly at who it was and gasped.

There, in front of her, was none other than...

"Sesshomaru," Sango whispered from afar, wide-eyed.

"Sesshomaru?" stated Kagome doubtingly, yet scared.

"Sesshomaru!" screamed the announcer.

Inuyasha heard his brother's name three times before the crowd chanted it back in thousands and could only think of one thing to say to that. "Shit." He got up as quickly as he could and saw for the first time since this morning at breakfast time his older, half brother in his school uniform, standing in front of Kagome, a smirk on his face. Inuyasha cursed again and screamed, "Hey! What are you doing here, you big ass?"

Sesshomaru hid his smirk and looked to his side, where Kagome lay. Inuyasha gasped. "Don't hurt her!" But it was too late. Sesshomaru took her by the neck with his right hand and lifted her up off the ground, minding her struggle and her hands grabbing onto his arm, frantic for air. "Let her go! Now!" Inuyasha growled. He started running towards the two, finally transforming the Tetsusaiga and screaming out as his battle cry, "Sesshomaru! You're gonna regret that!"

Coming towards his brother with great speed, he was not four feet away when he noticed in a millisecond his older sibling smirk, let go of Kagome and, with that same hand, grab him by the neck. Kagome fell with a thud on the floor, grasping her neck, when Inuyasha was already off the ground, gasping for air.

"Long time no see, dear brother," Sesshomaru said with a wry smile, adding a little sarcasm to his cold voice. He had begun to emanate poison from his claws and Inuyasha was screaming, his flesh on his hands that clenched his brother's arm burning as well as his throat. "It's a pity I can't kill you now."

Inuyasha struggled to let out some words. "Why? 'Cause you're too scared that you'll be kicked out from school if you do, huh? Heh." He tried to bring humor into the situation.

Sesshomaru's face changed drastically into his emotionless expression. He said in his deep, dry voice, "No. It's more like because someone had the nerve to tell me to kill you and you know how I am...I take orders from nobody." As soon as he said that he threw the hanyou thirty feet away and stood there, waiting for his younger brother to get up.

Inuyasha coughed and inhaled gulps of air, barely touching his neck since it still sizzled form his poisoned bruises. He remembered Kagome and feared for her life, so he got up and held himself upright in order to see what was going on. Once Sesshomaru knew he was looking at him he looked toward Kagome with a fierce glare, which made her heart freeze.

The crowd still cheered in the background but nothing could split the tension between the fighters down on the arena. Sango's brain finally told her to move since she didn't know what to do before, and she could only think of trying to get Sesshomaru off Kagome's back, even if she knew she wasn't a match for him.

Crying out she lounged toward the lord with her sword held out, but Sesshomaru whipped her weapon away with his light whip effortlessly, causing her to fall down hard on the ground. The crowd's screams kept getting louder and louder. Inuyasha had gotten close to Sesshomaru while he was distracted with Sango, but to no avail. The older demon shot poison dart from his left claw toward the hanyou, shooting stinging holes throughout his body.

Inuyasha yelled in pain and Kagome screamed for Sesshomaru to stop, receiving a death glare back from him. She couldn't say another word. Sango tried to get up but was too weak to, especially from her last battle with Miroku, and she grabbed the grass in front of her angry that she couldn't do anything. She opted to whisper from under her breath, just enough that anyone with super hearing could hear her, "Sesshomaru, please stop," her words escaping her clenched teeth and her voice hinting she was in pain.

Sesshomaru didn't show having acknowledged the two women's please, but he turned around shortly after that, his hair swiftly flowing with the breeze, and was last seen walking away, back from where he came.

The girls started breathing regularly now, feeling that he was done. Inuyasha was still on the floor looking over to them, and as soon as he knew his brother was leaving for good, he slumped back down on the floor again, exhausted and pained.

The crowd cheered on while others booed since the fight had been cut short when the announcer broke in: "…And it seems there's only one second left, folks, so now it's time for the secret to be revealed!" The three Inuyasha team members looked up towards the sky and paid attention to the next words, hoping they meant something good.

"If you haven't figured it out by now, the two opposing team mates, a.k.a Miroku and Shippo, are not themselves!" This made the guys fall back anime style, knowing that that had been more than obvious from the start. "In fact, they have been put under a spell that by saying the magic words will be let out of their zombie-like state!" The guys fell back again. Great, now they could get this over with...

"Boom, shaka-laka!" the announcer screamed, his voice bouncing off the walls and crowd, and the monk and kitsune's eyes came back to their natural state and they started to awaken. Sango looked over to where Miroku was and was more than happy to see him be able to move again, for a chance. Kagome ran toward Shippo and helped him up and realized he had no recollection of what had happened, whatsoever.

She squeezed him tightly. "Oh Shippo! You're alright!"

Inuyasha lay with his limbs stretched out on the floor, ready to visit the nurse's office soon. Shippo kept telling Kagome he was alright before he could convince her to go and help the hanyou out instead which he didn't want to accept, like always. Still, he let Kagome hold him on his left side and be used as a human crutch until they got to the nurse's office.

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Meanwhile, Sesshomaru headed towards a corner of the crowd and sought Kagura, who had witnessed the whole thing. He sensed her tense up as he came close and wasted no time in declaring his order.

"Tell Naraku I have no intension of following his orders whatsoever and that he can kill Inuyasha himself for all I care." His voice came out so cold that Kagura had to hold back a fleeting thought. "Make sure he isn't compelled into even thinking of ordering me around again-- for the next time he does, I'll kill him instead. Do I make myself clear?" He only blinked once he finished his command.

Kagura gulped silently and nodded just the same, making Sesshomaru retreat somewhere. She growled silently and opened her fan to cover her face, still watching Sesshomaru's departing form walk away with her glistening eyes. If only you knew how much I hate speaking to you like this, my dear Sesshomaru… she thought to herself, and finally left on a feather to convey his message to her cousin.

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"So, what did I do again?" asked Miroku, once he was bandaged around his head and sat on a bed in a room inside the nurse's office. Sango was with him, feeling sorry for being the one who had given him his big lump on the head.

Sango hesitated. "Uh…Nothing much. You just... wanted to suck us inside your hell hole, that's all."

Miroku nodded. "Oh. Only that, huh?" He had pleaded for his friend's forgiveness thousands of times already, but still felt like the guys weren't telling him something.

Just then Suikotsu, who had stayed this whole time in the office instead of in the bleachers, passed by and smiled at Sango. He chuckled and smiled warmly, "I enjoyed your little dance, Sango. It was rather...interesting."

Sango remembered her flirting Miroku and blushed, covering her cheeks with her hands and turning around so no one would see her face. Miroku blinked, curious to what the doctor had meant. "Dance?"

Suikotsu directed his attention toward the monk. "Yes, but maybe you don't remember because you were under the spell. Sango here started flirting with you so she could…" Sango couldn't stop him from telling the truth, so she just kept looking away, embarrassed.

Miroku never minded her deceiving him to distract him to gain control over the battle and instead inquired over the important part: "You flirted with me! And I wasn't even conscious! What rotten luck!" Sango looked at him in a flash and did a double take. Of course he wouldn't mind her boomerang attack; just as long as he had had some 'fun', first. She growled and Miroku sweat dropped. Shaking his hands in front of him he said, "No, no. you have it all wrong, Sango I only meant that--"

Sango interrupted him with a slap on the cheek and left him there as she walked away, her hands into fists. She mumbled a few things as she slammed the nurse's room door shut. "Stupid… pervert…nothing but a…"

At another room in the nurse's office Kagome helped bandage Inuyasha up, sorry she didn't helped him out sooner, while he just feh'd and let her wound the white cloth around his chest, blushing.

"You know, getting your butt kicked by your own brother in front of the whole school isn't so bad, Inuyasha," rubbed in Shippo, who was already bandaged up around his head. Even Kagome couldn't prevent him from earning a lump on his forehead from Inuyasha. "Ow! Hey!" he argued, but shut up for once.

"Inuyasha, you should get some rest. You look badly hurt," suggested Kagome, worried.

"Ah, it's nothing but a scratch!" he replied sarcastically and cockily. "I've been through worse before. Besides, like I've always said, I'm not as week as you humans. Just because we demons lost our immortality hundreds of years ago in some legend doesn't mean we still don't have our strength and powers."

Kagome sighed and looked down at the floor. She replied in a low and delicate voice, "Yeah, I know. I just…worry about you; that's all."

Inuyasha noticed he had made her sad for some reason and recalled just how sad he had made Kikyo at times. Boy they do look alike, he thought sadly. "Wait!" Remembering something else he started feeling his chest and neck for something, but cursed once he noticed nothing was there. "Shit! I really lost it! Damn!"

Kagome looked up at him. "Lost what?"

"Kikyo's necklace! She gave it to me some time ago, when we were…" his voice trailed off and he looked into Kagome's eyes. He saw that hurtful look in her face again, and continued, changing his idea. "I wore it today for, I don't know, old time's sake, and it got sucked inside Miroku's wind Tunnel."

Kagome looked at him sadly, more so because she felt sorry for his loss. "Well...I'm sorry…"

Inuyasha looked at her confused. "Sorry for what? You didn't do anything." Still, he knew she felt for him and he decided to try and make her feel better. "Ah, who cares? That thing was old, anyways. It's not like it actually meant anything to me, or anything. Just… Let's get out of here, ok? I hate being cooped up in a small place for long."

Kagome tried to smile and nodded, helping him put on his school shirt on to match with the school pants he had changed into and followed behind closely with the rest of his clothes.

Shippo hopped onto her shoulder and when he knew Inuyasha couldn't hear them, he whispered, "That necklace meant a lot to him. He never took it off until Kikyo broke up with him."

Kagome nodded. She knew that Inuyasha had been lying about the necklace and it not having sentimental value to him, but Shippo confirmed her suspicions. She knew she just had to make it up to him, even though she knew nothing that could help out. After all, who could compete with his ex girlfriend, when it was someone as pretty and strong as Kikyo?

Somehow she felt that she just had to make Inuyasha feel better by giving him something that could remotely compare to his lost necklace, but her mind was blank with any ideas.

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Yeah! Another chappie done! Hopefully the fighting sequences read right… and the story's finally catching on to a plot. Well, one of the minor ones, anyways.

Review please!