Ball.

A single word with many meanings.

A ball is a spherical shape, it's roundness both baffling and approved of by all. Its geometic shape has called to the minds of many a genius to taunt and torment them until every member of the scientific community confirmed the truth of measurements in circumfrance, radii, diameter, and formulas of volume, mass, and density, all uniformed in the world of knowledge.

A ball was a dance of the Europeans in the day when royalty was, indeed, royalty and treated as such. There was once a fine line between the destinguished pupils in a community and the commoners, seperated by appearance and living quarters, by stance, by language, by clothing, by money, by lineage. This was then displayed further more when upperclass attended an extravagant get-together known, formally, as a ball or masqurade. These times and traditions have all but faded completely.

A ball is an adjective, a feeling. To be having fun is to have a ball.

Both this adjective and the definition of a playing object used to kick, throw, hit, dunk, spike, set, volley, or roll created what I base my view of the meaning behind 'ball' on.

Ball, to me, is freedom in the palm of my hand...

When no one is looking.

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Seventeen

By Sakura-chan88

Having a Ball... With Knowledge?

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I could feel it, the sweat trickling down my back beneath this jersey of mine, a seventeen firmly etched on its surface, proudly prounouncing its being in bold, blood red lines...

Seventeen is the number on the score board timer. It's the last half- I have to win, make the shot and bring victory to my team, the team I lead with ease and surprising calm under stress.

My silver hair weighed heavily, sticking to my slick face, my shoulders heaving with the movement of my disembodied arms, my hands connecting... seventeen... sixteen... fifteen... with the ball pounding the ground, the sound reaching my ears, echoing... fourteen... thirteen... twelve... as the cheers become nothing more than a dull roar in the back ground... eleven... ten... nine... and the faces blurred together into darkness and my path to the goal opened before me... eight... seven... six... and my feet kicked into action, eyes never leaving the white checker board-like lace net... five... four... three... It's right there, right before me... two...

Until he steps into my line of fire, golden eyes burning holes in my already heated and flushed skin, silver hair silken and smooth. His arms grab my shoulders, shaking... I'm waiting for the foul to be called, for the flag to be thrown, for the cheers to turn to a disapproving hiss at his actions...

One...

Zero.

The buzzer rings.

I wake up.

Silver and gold are not my favorite colors, albeit they're omnipresent in my life and I have learned from the start of my toddler years that I will never be able to rid myself of them, therefor I must take it and try to like it...

I also have learned, I can't try hard enough to keep the snarl from my face at the sight of those colors.

"Sesshomaru," I whine, rolling over to get a bit more shut-eye before greeting another day. "I was just about to make the goal, too... Jerk."

"Dreaming of basketball again, brother?" Sesshomaru asks. Sesshomaru used to be the star player of Shikon High's basketball team... right next to being head of the Student Council, compiler and editor of the Shikon High Times' Journal, and personal asistant to Principle Tsubaki, Vice Principle Hiten, and Secretary Nazuna.

'What a suck up.'

"Up, Inuyasha," he commands, giving my blanket a rough tug and pulling it from me. "Father's orders."

"Sure it is- your not out to ruin my life, just everything in it."

"Precisely. Now, up." I hear a shuffle of sleepy feet. "It's your first day back in high school."

"What, while you're off to college?"

"I started college a whole two semesters ago, brother," he chuckles. "Don't forget to tell Katsumata-sensei I send my regards and sincerest apologies that she must endure... you..."

"Oh, so nicely put," I grumble, tossing over to swing bare feet off the cushiony haven known as a queen sized bed... "Now, if you'll just leave..."

Sesshomaru nods, a slight smirk staining his lips, and exits my room without another word.

And so the day starts.

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I am walking down the halls, my second month of school, and I notice it...

There's... something odd about the look this person is giving me. She has to be one of the staff personel, her thick-rimmed glasses, business-like manner, dark navy blue suit, and well manicured hand, which currently held a thick beige folder, gives me this impression. She has long black hair that just barely moves when she does, dark chocolate brown eyes that catch every slight motion, and a kind smile on glossy lips.

Her intense gaze... It's... not unnerving... just irritating...

"... Yes...?" I drawl, raising an eyebrow.

"Himitsu Inuyasha, correct?" she projects.

"Yes."

She offers me her hand and I clasp it gently as she introduces herself. "I'm your councilor, Mokoto Kikyou. Katsumata-sensei has requested I look into your file..."

"She has?" I make a mental note to turn my glare up a notch during Katsumata-sensei's next lecture.

"It seems you've been... slipping... in your studies," Kikyou explains with an understanding smile. "It is very common that she makes these recommendations, so I was merely watching you to see if counciling is necessary."

"Hm," I hum, nodding curtly. "And?"

"I think a counciling session can be avoided," she replies.

"Nice to know," I mutter. "Well, if that's all-"

"If you commit to joining tutoring sessions four days a week after school for two hours."

'What is she talking about? Didn't she just say...?'

"Of course, that is merely a suggestion."

"I'll consider it, Mokoto-sensei," I grumble, casting her a glare. Never trust a councilor to make things simple.

"If you deside to try it out - just once, even - the sessions are held in the Media Center, the back-left corner area, from 2:30 to 4:45, Monday through Friday... I'm really pushing this, Inuyasha," she says, placing a hand on my shoulder to better display her seriousness. Oddly, there's nothing strange about it to me... What an ironic statement. "Please think about it- really think about it, okay?"

"I said I would and I will."

"Very well then," she sighs, obviously seeing the lie shinning in my eyes. "I'll see you around. If your grades don't improve, you may be scheduled to see me sometime soon."

"Yeah, yeah," I mutter, walking away with a nonchalant flick of my hair. "Stupid teacher buttin' in to my business... Who does she think she-" I am cut off abruptly by a body slamming into my own, an unnerving electric current flowing through me at the contact "-omph!"

My arms fly around the person to steady us both, hearing a muffled voice come from the girl in my hold. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention- I'm gonna be late for my Math class!"

I sigh at my luck. I just had to be halted from reaching my goal of approaching Katsumata-sensei and confronting her, huh? "It's okay," I tell the girl, holding back my impatience as I let my arms fall. "Just be careful next time."

The girl looks up with a shy blue-green-eyed gaze. "I'm really sorry. I hope I didn't hurt you."

"Not at all."

"Good... Well, thanks for catching me."

I twitch, impatient and slightly bothered by her eyes and the cheerfulness they held. "No problem."

She smiles and jogs away, finally, her raven tresses following her. I grumble a bit more to myself about school things in general that upset me, the encounter completely erased at the sight of Katsumata-sensei's door. So much for a monotonous year...

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"Can you believe it- a tutoring session, for god's sake!" I shout, pacing Sesshomaru's room while running my hands through my hair in frustration. I have just gotten home after giving Katsumata-sensei a piece of my mind. "My grades are fine! SO what, I went from an A minus to a C -BIG DEAL!"

"Inuyasha, just try it out - give it a chance," Sesshomaru advises. "You know, I'm part of the group that runs the tutoring sessions at Shikon High."

I stop mid-stride. "Eh?"

"The tutor session is run by college students. Myself, Gumo Kagura, Mujaki Miroku, Taijiya Sango, Ookami Kouga, and Sasayaku Ayame are regulars; However, there are others who appear occassionally," he tells me, leaning back in his chair at his desk. "It's not as bad as you think. Most students have a great time just being there. It's almost like a big gathering of people just trying to help you, not caring about who you are or what you are..."

He looks pointedly at my ears.

"Keh! You're starting to sound all sappy, again, Sesshomaru," I smirk, seeing him grimace slightly.

"It's true, though. The tutoring sessions are actually enjoyable."

"If I enjoy the first day, you can have Tetsusaiga," I joke. I knew how much Sesshomaru envied my possession of the katana forged of our father's fang five hundred years ago. "I'm not serious, you know," I state flately at the excited flash that enters my brother's eyes.

"I have a feeling your sarcastic side came from your mother..."

I can only nod in agreement. After all, Sesshomaru has absolutely no sense of humor.

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I yawn, watching the clock tick by slowly on the pale yellow wall behind Hiten-sensei, wondering about the name he gave us to call him by. He wouldn't allow his family name spoken by his students, though no one really cared. They just found it neat to be able to call a teacher by their actual given name... with the honorary attached, of course.

"The outer most electron shelf is called the valance shelf, which determineds the charge of an atom-"

Time goes by just too slow... and I still had two hours left after school stuck in the god-forsaken building. Father had finally learned - through my darling half-brother - about what Mokoto-sensei had suggested and told me, without room for defiance, to stay and try the option out before ditching it as pointless.

"- covalent bonding is the sharing of electrons of the valance shelf-"

I, at this precise moment, hate my life with an ambient kind of passion...

"-this is a review for tomorrows test, so I hope you're paying attention Inuyasha."

Everything is so boring, even with the slight twist of having to go through a torture proccess- I mean, tutor session. The only eventful part of today had to be seeing one of the all-'round-popular guys of the school flinging a portion of mashed potatoes into the air and having it land on the counter at the lunch line...

"Inuyasha, please refrain from tapping your foot or I will be forced to send you to the office."

I had also gotten a little chuckle at some new guy slipping in a puddle of spilled milk... Good thing he didn't cry, or I would have cried from the lack of oxygen at laughing so hard. Oh man, I can just see it... Him crying and me thinking, 'shouldn't cry over spilled milk.'

A chuckle escapes my mouth, both at the look of annoyance on Hiten-sensei's face - yes, I know what he was saying, but I refused to respond - and the thought running through my mind.

'... I really need more sleep.'

The bell rings, dismissing all classes for the day. I make my way to the Media Center and take a deep breath. I feel I can at least try to enjoy this, but how can you enjoy something you're forced to do?

I enter the appointed area, finding Sesshomaru already there, looking over a boy's paper and pointing out a few places where he found a mistake, telling the boy, "Check over your work, again. It always helps to view it more than once."

"You must be Inuyasha, Sesshomaru's brother," a female voice drifts into my ears. A dark eyed, black haired girl is standing beside me with an extended hand. "I'm Taijiya Sango, you may call me Sango, if you wish. I've known your brother for some time - he speaks highly of you, you know?"

"Does he?" I ask dryly, registering her words as a way to draw me into enjoying this... 'get together'.

"Not often, but occassionally," says Sango. She grins. "I can tell you're one of those high-ego types, so I'll try not to embarrass you, okay?" I snort. "Well, I'm the Biology and Psychology tutor. If you need me for anything, just ask."

"..." I surveyed her silently for a moment before walking to a nearby empty table and taking a seat, placing a scowl on my lips. This attracts the attention of Sesshomaru. 'Great...'

"Inuyasha, you're here..." He turns back to talk to the girl he was previously helping. "No, see you have your periods mixed. The Precambrian is...?"

"Before the Mesozoic period... and after the Paleozoic period?"

"Try reading over your textbook again while I go and check on someone else-"

"The precambrian era is the earliest geological era, coming before the Cambrian era. The Paleozoic era is between the Precambrian era and the Mesozoic era- it was characterized by the development of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and plant life while spaning 345 million years. The Mesozoic era-"

"That is quite enough, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru's voice cuts in. "You are here to receive help on your own work, not give answers. If you are willing to help other students, then by all means do so, but you are not to give answers."

"The same goes for all of you, students, so I suggest you all follow these guidelines," a woman with her hair pulled into a bun says. She turns her gaze to me before looking out to each of the other students. "How many of you have just recently joined this group?" Seven hands are raised into the air from the fifty or so bodies. "Hm."

"Then introductions are in order," Sesshomaru states, gathering the tutors at the front of the group of gathered students. "I am Himitsu Sesshomaru. I am majoring in History and can help with any subject that you request help in."

"I am Gumo Kagura, Chemistry major," says the woman with the bun.

"I am Ookami Kouga," the next guy in line grins. "I am a Mathematics tutor- mainly with Geometry."

"Mujaki Miroku," a short-haired man says with a smile. "Language Arts and Computer Oriented Studies tutor."

"Taijiya Sango, Biology and Psychology tutor."

"Sasayaku Ayame," a red-head, jade-eyed woman introduces herself last. "Social Sciences, Mathematics, and Foreign Languages tutor."

Sesshomaru speaks again, grinding down on my patience. I've never been one for long speaches. "Please do not hesitate to ask for help and be patient if it takes some time to get to you. We advise you ask those around you if they can help- not give answers - before you request our guidance. Any questions?"

A single hand is thrust into the air.

"Yes?"

"Can I go home now?"

Yeah, I am going to be a jerk - so what? He is the one that let Father know about my grades, thus he was the reason I am here.

"No, Inuyasha."

"Any other questions?"

Three girls put up shaking hands.

"Yes?"

"... I need help with Geometry."

"I need help on History."

"I need some advice on my Language Arts essay."

I roll my eyes, seeing the gears turning in the girls' heads. Figures they all need help on a subject a guy majored in... "Keh..."

Surprisingly, though, I find myself smiling. Perhaps it's the look of hate flaring in Sango's eyes as the guys move to the table to assist the girls. I have a feeling she isn't glaring at Miroku's back for no reason. I'm just stunned it hasn't scorched his skin, yet.

"... Um... Inuyasha, right?" a male's voice questions. I turn in my seat to find a pair of red eyes looking into my own. "I'm Naraku."

"I've seen you before..."

"I think your locker's right next to mine," he mutters, shaking his head. "Anyway, do you think you could help me? I'm having trouble with History and you seem to know a lot about it..."

"I've lived through a lot of this 'History', that's why," I grumble.

"I'm not surprised. You're, what, 17 in youkai years, aren't you?" Naraku guestimates. "I'm 16 in youkai years- 324 in human years."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Just trying to get to know someone here, that's all."

Youkai aging is much different than a humans. They become a toddler in about the same time as it takes a human child; however, after this point there were many lengthy pauses in growth until adolescence when a child gradually ages at the speed of a regular homo sapien. Still, no matter the appearance of ages, the aging was always the same- One youkai year was equivalent to twenty human years.

Youkai and hanyou aged at the same pace, which confused many humans.

"Mm... Well, I'm studying the United Statesand their war against Great Britian for independence right now and I'm messing up on the order, I think..."

I eye the youkai before sighing. "Sure, I'll help. Let me see what you've got."

'I'm supposed to be getting help, not giving it...'

Everything is going fine- I help him with History, he goes over my Foreign Language homework- yet I can't shake off the way Naraku had tried to be friendly and I'd just shook him off. Still, he remained polite and conversational - more than once, he slips into a few tangents about his life outside of school...

Eventually, I break and cave in, sighing loud enough for Naraku to snap his mouth shut and watch me curiously. "... Yeah, I'm 17 - 340 human years," I tell him finally, leaning back in my chair. "But I'm a hanyou, not a youkai."

It was surprising to see no disgusted reaction from the boy, but an understanding look. Hanyous are not common...

Naraku grins. "... So am I."

Then again, we may just be too well hidden for others like us to see...

Maybe attending this tutoring session wasn't so bad.

And I have to say, I'm glad I was only joking when I said I'd give Sesshomaru the Tetsusaiga if I enjoyed the first day...

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A/N: Alright, I wrote this a long time ago... And I'm just now getting back to it. I want to know if I should continue with it before I spend any more time with it, because school (shutters) is really a drag this year... They changed my lunch to a lunch NO ONE has... Well, almost no one... Zero out of two of my friends are in it... (Sighs)

No, Naraku is not going to be truly evil- and neither is Kikyou, but he will be a bit jealous and spiteful later on for multiple reasons... And no, don't worry readers, the rest of the story will NOT be like the prologue. (Smirks) Knew it would confuse you. : )

Anyway, please leave feedback! And be gentle with me, my mind is in a fragile state at the moment... Perhaps I need to sleep... XD

Ja!

Ashley (Sakura-chan88)