Disclaimer: Not even in my dreams do I own Inuyasha. That's how pathetic it gets.

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Chapter 13: Love Stinks

Miroku tagged along miserably behind Sango through the carnival equipment and booth preparations. When he'd think his chores were done, she'd find him another and even more challenging one for him to do. He groaned, exhausted.

"Oh, come on, Miroku. Don't tell me you're tired already?" Sango asked, not really caring for a reply. Her carnival preparations had progressed tremendously, and she owed it all to the monk's help.

"If we finish early, we could go out and share a shake," she encouraged. That turned a light bulb inside the monk's head, and he instantly ran off to help anyone in need, desperately. Sango laughed. Works every time.

And maybe he'd be willing to do a disappearing act, too, she thought.

In her path, first she saluted the thunder brothers and sister, who were in charge of the kissing booth, to her dismay. Yura of the Hair had claim over the deadly jungle gym obstacle course, while Rin, to her surprise, had managed to per sway Jaken into a frog-tossing competition. She laughed, remembering why it was Sesshomaru had less time these days to tend to his little ward. He was too caught up in homework with Len.

Walking up to the mirror forest, she called out for Kanna and kept as far away from the little girl as possible, just in case she got any ideas. Kanna came out, all in white as always, and filled the slayer in on the details that still needed tending at her booth.

Meanwhile, Kagome and a very unhappy hanyou walked side by side in one of the school's halls, looking over their list of things to do for their class.

"Hmm," Kagome eyed the list. "'Honeymoon', check… 'cooking', check…uh…'pet'…."

Inuyasha keh'd and held up a dishonored Myoga who was tied to a flea leash. "Check," he grunted.

"'Have tradition'. Uh…what does she mean by that?" Prof. Mankle obviously laid no expense in making their miserable lives even more miserable.

"What? That too?" Inuyasha barked. "What's next? A baby!"

Kagome muffled his mouth with her hands. "Shh! Don't give her any ideas!"

Myoga, still dangling by his neck from the leash that was caught in his master's claws, thought he could give them both a clue. "Well, if I may say so," the two teens nodded and gave him their full attention. "Ahem. A couple's tradition. What lovers do every once and a while; you know, like when celebrating their anniversaries. They might agree to go some place special to them on a special date each year, or exchange gifts instead. It's a very important and touching idea that keeps their lives in touch with one-another."

Kagome smiled at Myoga's speech. Surely he too was a romantic, like her. On the other hand, Inuyasha was ready to barf.

"Yeah, yeah. As long as it isn't mushy or anything."

Kagome's grin faded. "Oh, why do you have to be so grumpy and uncaring all the times? I think that this tradition thing is great! But what could we do?"

"I dunno. You figure something out. I'm going to get some lunch." Kagome sighed. Why did everything somehow end as her task? "Oh, and," Inuyasha looked back as he walked towards the cafeteria, "walk our 'pet', won't you?" He threw Myoga over to her, which she caught instinctively. Again, she was left to do all the work. Lucky her.

Myoga jumped to her shoulder as she was left in her thoughts, and suggested, "Well, if it's lunch time already then I think it's your responsibility in feeding your flea, Kagome." He made his way over to her neck and barely laid a foot on it as a hand came and smacked him dead, leaving him to flutter to the ground like a piece of paper.

"It's dog food for you, flea," she said nonchalantly, to his dismay.

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The group had joined for lunch, but Sango was the last to make it, practically falling on her seat once she arrived at their usual table. "I'm pooped," she made out exhausted.

"Dear Sango, I have brought you a meal," smiled Miroku thoughtfully, handing her a tray of food.

"Thanks Miroku."

"Wow. It's that tiring, huh?"

Sango sighed, grunting. "You won't believe all the mess I have to put myself into everyday, Kagome. Its pure torture. If it weren't for Miroku's help, I wouldn't know what to do."

Miroku beamed with pride at helping out his unofficial girlfriend. Surely every girl was impressed by a handy man.

Sango eyed him up and down. He was too giddy. "Down, boy," the slayer ordered.

"Well, what are you going to use the chicken suit for, Sango?" Inuyasha asked, hoping the conversation didn't end up making him have to wear it again, for some reason.

"I don't know and frankly, I don't know what to do anymore! I give up!" The slayer buried her face in her folded hands on the table. She was going insane!

"Awe, poor Sango," Shippo commented, hopping to her side and patting her on the shoulder.

Kagome tried to cheer her up. "Well, at least you don't take Prof. Mankle's class, Sango, or you might of ended up having to go through this stupid assignment with a guy as well."

"Oh, I don't think that would've been too bad," Miroku pointed out, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

"Yeah? Well what if your 'wife'," Inuyasha said, distaste running on the last word, "could make you hit the ground every time she said 'sit', for some supposed unknown reason."

"I said I was sorry!" screamed Kagome. "Geez! How many times do I have to tell you that! I don't have the slightest clue why it happens, so stop getting all in my face about it!"

The hanyou growled, taking his anger out on her, just knowing she must be behind all this, making him look like a fool in front of everyone for her own amusement.

"Oh yeah! Then how can you explain the beads attacking me and the necklace around my neck that won't come off, huh! Don't tell me you don't know about them too, wench!"

Kagome joined him, spreading her hands on the table, yelling at him face to face. "I told you already I don't know what happened! Kaede gave me those beads and somehow they just…came alive, or something! I didn't' do anything!"

"Kaede sure is weird," noted in Shippo. "She's always lurking around the school, doing things." He shook his head, closing his eyes. "If you ask me, she's always up to something, but no one knows what. And," he huddled his teen friends closer to him, as if saying a hidden secret, "they say that Totosai somehow has something to with all that she does." He shivered at the thought of the two teachers being an 'item'.

"Well," Inuyasha assured, "then I have a bone to pick with the old hag."

"Inuyasha," Kagome said angrily, "stop calling people names and just sit down already." She barely made it through the sentence before light flashed and the hanyou was hitting the floor face-first.

"Oops. Sorry, Inuyasha," remarked a very apologetic wife, towering over him. "I-It was an accident. Really!"

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He was glad to be finally home, throwing himself on the sofa in exhaustion. Who knew school could be so hard! It had been easy until now, but recently being with Kagome all the time made him feel strange.

"Hungry, brother?" That implication was a have-you-been-sat-by-that-human-again-and-eaten-dirt question.

Inuyasha scowled. He didn't need this tonight.

"Well, Sesshomaru, that depends; are you willing to share that pastry with me? I'm still hungry." That's it. Start the hard offense.

Sesshomaru merely continued looking at his book from his favorite chair. He rarely wasted his precious sight on his sibling, so why start now? He was bothering him enough as it was, breathing his air. The living room wasn't big enough to hold the two of them.

"Well?" Inuyasha insisted, perhaps believing he'd be getting a real answer from him anytime soon.

"Well what?" Sesshomaru wanted him to shut up and leave already. He knew he wanted something.

Inuyasha stared intently in his brother's eyes, his mind elsewhere. "Have you at least opened the box yet?"

Curiously, he wanted to know if the lord had actually tasted whatever that human who was 'betrothed' to him had concocted up. Yeah right. Like she could cook. He'd found that out while on those weird tasks his teacher had given him. He wasn't stupid enough to taste her cooking.

"No." A clear sign to 'bug off or I'm really going to kill you'.

Inuyasha sighed and turned to lie on the sofa once again, leaving his left leg to sway consistently to the side, barely touching the floor.

"Well, why don't you, then?"

That's it! Where was Tokijin when you needed it! "What is it you want?" His older-brotherly eyes gleamed at him through his glasses, wishing he had the power of laser beam.

Inuyasha continued to stare at the ceiling. "Why don't you just taste it? I bet she worked hard on it for you."

Since when did he care for what he ever did? "What?"

Inuyasha turned his body just enough to face him. "Well, I mean, Len isn't all-that and she's weird at times and all…" Okay. So that wasn't helping him. "But girls are like that, ya know? They do a lot of unreasonable stuff that no one ever understands, and seem to enjoy them."

Sesshomaru barely blinked. Was he serious? "Your point is?" He was obviously losing the patience he didn't have already.

"My point is," answered Inuyasha, feeling smart all of a sudden, "that you should at least have thanked her or something. She's always bummed out about something, and now it's just pitiful the way she's always so gloomy. I bet that if you were nice to her, just a little, she'd be less sulky all day." He opened an eye to see his brother's reaction.

He had left.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. He knew that wouldn't have worked. He had told Kagome that but no, she wouldn't listen. She just had to insist he just 'try' and convince his brother into being 'nice'. "Feh." Yeah, like that was going to happen.

He sat up and stared down at his bare feet for a while, the words he had just said out loud repeating over and over again in his head. Kagome had told him to say those words. And Myoga had spoken to him about them before returning home.

She was telling him something, he thought. Girls like it when someone is 'nice' to them.

He sighed and went up to his room, mind locked on going straight toward a special box he held under his grand bed. Not like he had thousands of more places to put it in, since he lived in a mansion, but he liked being old-school.

He ducked under the mattress and took it out. He opened it up, eyes gleaming softly when he saw what it was he had wanted to see.

He lifted it up, the light reflecting off it brilliantly as he turned it on all sides, making sure it was still the same trinket he had last seen it as. Beautiful, important. He looked over at a clock.

Good. There was still time…

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Kagome brushed her hair softly, humming a sweet tune as she prepared herself for a good night's rest, happily in her chair. He mother came to check up on her one last time before saying goodbye, kissing her tenderly on her forehead.

"Now, don't stay up too long, you here?" Kagome nodded, smiling back.

"Okay, mama." The door shut quietly after that. Kagome yawned and began tucking herself under her sheets, ready for a goodnight's sleep. She had turned off her night stand lamp when she heard a light tap on her window.

Her eyes shot open, thinking of what it could be. But after a while she closed them again, thinking it to be a branch or something.

Her eyes bolted open again. The noise had come back, this time, a bit louder. A few seconds later, she told herself the third knock against her window was no coincidence. Some one must be throwing something against it.

Not turning on the lights as if it could warn her window-tapper of her getting up, she opened her window to see just who or what it was, but not before having to doge another fast-flying object directed towards her. She looked at her bedroom floor to find that it was a small pebble which had clinked against the flooring.

She looked outside to see Inuyasha on the lawn in position to strike at her again. "Inuyasha! Wait! What are you doing?"

Inuyasha stopped mid-swing, almost losing his balance. He had been caught red-handed by the girl, the bigger rock falling from his hand miserably.

"What are you doing here?" Kagome tried to whisper as loud as she could, as if her prior screams hadn't been enough to wake her family up already.

"I need to talk to you." His golden orbs gleamed in the dark like two cat eyes up at Kagome, who didn't find his presence at the base of her house odd.

"Can I come up?" His ear twitched.

Kagome didn't know what to say. He'd catch her off guard. She'd never had a Romeo come to her window before.

"Forget it, I'mcoming up." Before she could reply to that Inuyasha had leaped onto the roof next to her window, staring at her as if awaiting her permission to come in. She had jumped back, surprised from his decision, but understood his silence and thought of what to say.

"Uh…c-come in?" He ducked as not to hit his head on the window frame, getting in one leg at a time.

"So...are there any lights in here?" he asked as soon as he was settled in. Kagome turned on the lights in her room, wondering what was wrong. For him to come all the way to her house like that at this time and hour, she must be the only person to have something he desperately wanted.

"W-what are you doing here?" That was an obvious question to ask.

Inuyasha stopped roaming the pink room with his sight curiously and looked to the side, as if his words decided to betray him for a moment. He hadn't changed from his haori yet, so Kagome assumed he had yet to return home, or had just come from there in a hurry.

Silence rained in the room for what seemed like minutes, until he suddenly shifted a little, most likely waiting for her to begin conversation.

That gave her the signal to ask what it was that had been bugging her all this time. "How did you know where I lived!" It came out more of a surprise than anything.

He looked up at her, the question had never been expected. "I…followed your scent…"

She looked at him; he was telling the truth. But the reminder on how impeccable his smell was began to disturb her a little.

"Well, then why didn't you just call if you wanted to talk? Why didn't you knock like everyone else does?" He seemed to not like that second comment.

"Keh. I just came to bring you this." He stretched out his palm, releasing its contents into her own open hand before he ever regretted doing it. He folded his arms inside his sleeves and looked away quickly, a slight blush coming on his cheeks.

Kagome looked down at what she held; it was a light pink jewel fragment that dangled from a silver necklace. Her mouth opened slightly, not knowing what to expect or say from it.

"It's a necklace that belonged to my mother," he began, still looking to the side. Kagome lifted her head to him. "Father gave it to her once. It's a replica of the last Shikon Jewel fragment that's supposed to bring the wearer good fortune, as in the legend."

Kagome looked at it again, this time as it sparkled hundreds of pinkish rays all over the walls and across the boy's figure. "It's very precious to me, so don't lose it, okay?" This time he was facing her. Kagome looked at him warmly and nodded, knowing she'd ruin the moment by asking why he was doing it. His diseased mother was involved; she couldn't ask about her straight forward. He loved her a lot.

"Well, you can only have it until the Shikon Carnival, alright? By then I'll have to take it back." Inuyasha turned to the window and climbed out of it, ready to jump down.

"Inuyasha, wait!" He looked back to her as she made her way to the window herself. She poked her head out of it, looking at him all over, as if thinking about something.

"You did this because of our assignment, right? The 'tradition' thing we were supposed to do?" Inuyasha simply nodded. It looked like he was desperate of getting out of there as soon as he could.

"Well," Kagome continued, moving a tad bit closer to him, "I'm not sure if it would count as 'tradition' or anything, but I still have to give you something in return."

Inuyasha looked on speechless as he saw her move closer to him, feeling a small, chaste peck on his right cheek. He touched it as soon as she backed away.

"Goodnight, Inuyasha." Kagome smiled, making him blush deeper. He'd never seen her smile like that before, and he wasn't completely sure why she'd done any of what she'd just done.

He swiftly turned away, jumping off the roof and landing neatly on the ground underneath. He looked back up at her who apparently hadn't stopped smiling still, and made his away down the street again, running back to his own home. Kagome watched him go and closed the window once he was out of sight.

She picked up the shard and stared into it, thinking over how she had willed herself daring enough to pull that kiss off as she looked the Jewel over. This was expensive. Very expensive. Thank goodness he hadn't been angered by the small thank-you, she thought, and left when he did or she'd become as red as he was. She read aloud the words imbedded into the glass before turning off the lights again.

"To my Izayoi…"

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Next week at school Kagura walked up to her cousin's favorite hiding place, knocked on the door in code, and came in once he let her enter.

"Naraku, we need to get a better hideout than this. It's got bad decor, not to mention it's a bit…dark."

Naraku's eyes gleamed at her from a dark corner. He chuckled. "Just the way I like it." He made a sound that resembled that of throwing a book down. "Now, have you made that order yet?" Kagura put a hand in her pocket and threw him a little piece of paper she had taken out. Naraku read it and Kagura just knew that he was smirking once he knew what it was.

"It's the receipt, whatever that is." She had ordered boxes and boxes of who knew what and hadn't received a reply from him about what he was planning. "I even got that special where they send everything by express mail." Naraku sounded pleased so she turned to leave and when she put a hand to the door, she asked, "Say, you never do tell me what book it is you read."

Naraku seemed to get angry and defensive at her comment but answered anyway. "It's nothing you need to know." Kagura knew he was hiding something from her, but what exactly, she didn't know. Closing the door behind her she was determined to find out what, sooner than later.

Next came in Kohaku followed by Kanna, both holding the first of many big, brown boxes in their hands. They sat them down on a table and Naraku walked over to them, eyeing them hungrily. He read the imprint on one box.

"'Bundles of Love'. Kohaku, Kanna? You have done well." His silky, conniving voice trailed off as the two kids thought it was their cue to leave, leaving the mad man alone with his awkward pass times. They left, closing the door behind them.

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Professor Mankle, every hanyou's favorite cat demon teacher, snickered wickedly as she looked every student in the eye, as if knowing something they didn't know. "I have grrreat news, my little kiddies. Today will be the day that we really take this year's lessons to heart," she trailed off and started laughing to herself, which made everyone in the room rather uncomfortable.

Kagome sunk into her chair. Man. What could be worse than learning how to knit, giving guys facials, or sticking utensils inside rotten corpses, just to see what dead guts look like? She almost got nauseous thinking about that last one.

Kikyo, on the other hand, was kind of looking forward to it. "I wonder what interesting things we'll do next. This year's class is a lot better than last year's. That fetus documentary was splendid!"

Kagome looked to her right at her, remembering how the teacher had made them sit through hours of film, ranging from every stage in one's growth, including puberty, adulthood, flirting, mating—in PG 13 rating, of course—and last but not least, birth. Yes, actual child birth; the screaming, sweaty and painful part of it. She groaned.

"Is something the matter, miss 'I'm a priestess, so shoot me'?" Kagome jumped up in her seat, startled by her teacher's comment. She had to remind herself every now and then that all her tutors had excellent hearing, not to mention had higher senses than all the humans. "Do you have something you would like to share with the class? Because that grunt you just made seemed like you had something on your mind." Kagome got red, since everyone was staring at her now. Some of the kids, even chuckling.

"Well then, I think I have my first volunteer. Come here, Kagome." The teacher stretched out her claw to her and signaled the girl to walk to the front of the classroom, which she did, embarrassed. Mrs. Mankle smiled and held Kagome's shoulders once she got in front of her, and Kagome kept a very close eye to where those nails of hers pointed at.

"Now. Does anyone know what this week's assignment is? Anyone?" Mrs. Mankle squeezed Kagome's shoulders as she said this, which made her wince, but no one seemed to raise a hand. "Now, don't everyone raise their hand all at the same time, now," the professor insisted, receiving a reply from a demon bird from the back of the room. "Yes, dear?"

"Um...I uh," the red bird fidgeted. "Uh…c-cooking lessons, maybe?"

The teacher smiled warmly. "Oh, well, that's close, but no cigar. Now, anyone else?" A cricket was heard chirping and that made a vein pop on her forehead. Kagome's shoulders were in danger, now.

"Grr…I said, no chirping in class, you nimrod!" Prof. Mankle slashed out toward one of the front desks and in a blink of an eye, one less cricket was left enrolled in the school. Most of the students fell sorry for him, but he should have known better than to chirp like that—in her class.

Prof. Mankle licked the gooey green slime off her claws. "Meow. Now, anyone else think this is funny?"

Just then, as if on cue, a snooze bubble popped audible enough for everyone to hear, and all eyes turned to look at Inuyasha's desk who, at the time, was fast asleep. His face lay in his arms on his desk, hidden, and his back lifted and fell with his short, dreamy breaths, his right ear twitching every now and then.

The room fell silent as the Prof. lurked around him, like a shark to a broken-legged surfer, and all watched as she took out her ruler and slapped it on his desk, making him jump up immediately.

"Wha-- what's going on?" he asked, still a little dazed. Sesshomaru, in the far back corner of the room, rested his head on a finger and almost sighed, disturbed at his younger brother's impertinence. When Inuyasha quickly got the cat's scent, he said dully, "Oh. It's you."

Prof Mankle bared her teeth in a growl and closed her eyes, more than annoyed. "Why you—" she thought of clawing him to death when she remembered there were far more worse things than death—well, dead-dead, anyways, if you know what I mean.

She grinned, almost too nicely. "Inuyasha, my favorite half breed student." Half her sentence was kind and gentle-like, the other half (the part concerning the half-breed remark) was done between clenched teeth. She handed him her claw. "Would you care to be my second victim—I mean, volunteer?"

Inuyasha just knew something was up but he knew he had to accept if he wanted to get her off his back. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." He got up from his desk with arms folded in front, and by now he wished he had his haori on instead of his school clothes so he could hide his angry fists in them. Pouting, he stood next to Kagome, and looked at her from the corner of his eye, wondering just what was awaiting them. But he knew that if it involved Kagome, it couldn't be good. He feh'd at her, for old time's sakes. Kagome cared less about his attitude and concentrated more on what they would have to do.

"Ladies and demons, I give you…Family number 'one'."

Kagome did a double take, thinking she heard wrong, while Inuyasha brought down his hands and opened his eyes in bewilderment. Both had a surprise and confused look in their faces and replied at the same time, "Huh?" The students kept silent.

Prof. Mankle smirked now, cockily. "I've been waiting for this day ever since day one with the ring assignment, meow!" She walked over to the two and stood behind them, hugging them both with her arms, bringing them together. They looked like triplets, the way they were squished together.

"Now that we've finally covered the 'important' material that would lead us to the miracle of life and yatta, yatta, yatta that birth—kami forbid—brings and everything was brought to you by means of tape, we are now ready to take this class head-on and, dare I say it—oh kami I've been dying to say this—get physical."

Inuyasha and Kagome looked at each other and it wasn't hard to do, since they were literally cheek to cheek, and were left without words.

"Ah, the beautiful sound of the church bells! The rice in the air! The wonderful taste of wedding cake!" She stopped dramatizing her statement to poke her head in between that of the two victims. "And not to mention…the honey moon," she finished her slick sentence with the sexiest meow any student had ever heard from her in the years they studied with the cat demon. She threw in a little purr and a swish of her tail to emphasize her sweet taste of victory over all the years she had to put up with Inuyasha.

"But nothing could compare to this!" She searched inside the box on her desk, pulling out what could only be explained as a small, brown flour bag with a plastic, infant's head on top.

"Welcome to parenthood, my kitties…"

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