Chapter 2

The school campus was quite empty by the time Sesshomaru left Chemistry. He always had trouble with chemical equations, and had to stay back a while to get help from the teacher. Sesshomaru's brain was stuffed so full of numbers and elements that he failed to notice that Kikyo's car had broken down. So if you have carbon dioxide plus water equals glucose plus oxygen, to balance it you have to add six to the carbon…

Sesshomaru's train of thought flew right off the tracks when he finally realized Kikyo was there in the empty parking lot. She had her back to him, and there was a cloud of hazy smoke rising from under the hood of her blue Ford convertible. Without hesitation, Sesshomaru approached Kikyo and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She whirled around, slightly freaked out. When she saw that it was Sesshomaru, she shot him an angry glare and turned back to her work.

"Hey, do you need help with that?" he offered kindly.

Kikyo ignored him and continued to fumble with the pipes. It was obvious that she had no idea what she was doing. Not questioning any further, Sesshomaru gently nudged her aside and took a look himself. He had lots of experience with cars since he worked with his uncle who was a mechanic. Let's see…this goes here, that should be screwed on tighter…there's a leak in this tube, better get it fixed…

He worked fervently for ten minutes straight, and when he finally finished there was oil and soot smeared all over his hands and jeans. Kikyo was now staring at him attentively, as though she was expecting him to perform another miracle. Sesshomaru's heart was beating so violently in his chest that he thought it would explode. Nevertheless, he kept a straight face and even managed to fake a grin.

"This beauty is good as new" he said, trying his best to stay calm.

Kikyo brushed past him and inspected his work, even though she didn't know enough about cars to correct anything. "Um…thanks" she muttered hastily. In two seconds time she zipped into the driver's seat and backed out of her spot. As she drove away, Sesshomaru could've sworn that he saw traces of a smile of her lips.

Sesshomaru had a pleasant ride home after the incident. He couldn't help feeling proud of himself for it. Now she'll respect me he thought gleefully. But he was wrong. The next day Kikyo disregarded him even more, as if nothing had happened the day before. This frustrated Sesshomaru, seeing as the effort he put into impressing her was wasted. He brought up the topic during lunch while eating with Jaken and his other close friends.

"Have you ever tried to impress a girl, and then they give you the cold shoulder?" he asked, digging into the rice on his tray.

Jaken laughed, revealing some half-chewed food on his tongue. "Dude! Any normal guy has acted like a fool in front of a girl. I'd be surprised if there was someone out there that hasn't."

Sesshomaru grinned sheepishly, feeling a bit of color flush his cheeks.

"Besides" Jaken continued. "Getting a girlfriend is like fishing. Sometimes they can sneak away with the bait without getting snagged."

"But then how do you make sure they don't?" Sesshomaru responded, puzzled.

"You gotta act quickly, you see. Make a move and go for it. Don't just sit back and expect the fish to catch itself."

Sesshomaru contemplated this as he chewed on a piece of chicken that had the consistency of rubber. It was time to take things a step further if he really wanted a girlfriend.

Jaken studied his friend's face curiously. "Hey, what's up with you?"

Sesshomaru shook his head and stared down at his chopsticks. "It's nothing. Just thinking."

"You got a girl in mind?" Jaken persisted, his curiosity growing.

"What?"

"Oh come on! Don't try to deny it. I know you're up to something."

Sesshomaru didn't like where this conversation was going. He wasn't about to tell Jaken what was going on, because he had a big ass mouth and would announce it to the whole school. Instead, Sesshomaru tried to change the subject.

"I bet the school gets its food from the tire store" he said, still gnawing on the same piece of chicken.

"Don't change the subject!" Jaken insisted. "If you're uncomfortable telling me, then say so. I won't get mad."

A small wave of relief washed over Sesshomaru. He was never good at lying, and knowing that Jaken wasn't going to press him further for answers he let down his guard.

Just then the bell rang, and he was off to PE. When he got to the gym, he scanned the area for Kikyo. She was no where to be seen. With a sigh, Sesshomaru plopped down for attendance. Luckily, the guy he was working with the other day wasn't there either. This sparked a bit of hope in Sesshomaru.

"Alright" said Kiyoshi-sensee, standing on a large blue mat he had set up in the middle of the floor. "Hopefully you all practiced yesterday, so today you should be ready to fight seriously."

The class moaned, and Kiyoshi gave everyone a stern look. "Karate is the key to protecting yourself in threatening situations. It's very important to learn. Now, I need two volunteers."

Kiyoshi-sensee spotted Sesshomaru and called him up to the front. "And his opponent?" he asked.

A door opened and slammed noisily behind them, and a voice replied, "That would be me."

Kikyo walked over and took her stance in front of Sesshomaru, much to his surprise. His stomach did a somersault at the sight of her.

"Very good. Now, remember to start off with a bow..."

Sesshomaru and Kikyo bowed deeply to one another. But while Kikyo aimed her eyes towards the floor, Sesshomaru kept his locked on her face.

"…and let the match begin."

Kikyo wasted no time, and lunged at Sesshomaru almost eagerly. Afraid of hurting her, he decided to go easy. But after a couple minutes of being slammed continuously into the mat, he decided that it was fairly unnecessary. Even when he put more effort into it, Kikyo was too fast for him. She grabbed his arms and flipped him over her shoulder, then wrestled him on the floor. Their faces were inches apart; Sesshomaru heard her panting as he struggled for breath as well. Her sleek black hair, tied up in a high ponytail, brushed against his skin as she dug her fingers into his shoulders. Despite the slight pain, Sesshomaru was enjoying himself. Especially since her body was pressed against his. Kikyo on the other hand, narrowed her eyebrows and looked very determined to beat the crap outta him.

"You're….quite good" Sesshomaru commented in between pants.

"Don't underestimate a girl" she smirked.

They began to lose track of time, and just as Kikyo was about to drag Sesshomaru up for another slam, Kiyoshi-sensee had to break them apart. Half of the period had already gone by.

"Okay, that's enough" he said. Kikyo felt like she was leaving unfinished business, but got up nonetheless. Sesshomaru stood up after her, feeling a grin spread across his face. It wasn't the way he imagined this would happen, but it still satisfied him to know that they had made intimate body contact. He was humming a happy tune throughout the next two periods, and he wondered why the people in neighboring desks were scowling. On the way out of Calculus, Sesshomaru caught sight of a brightly colored flyer attached to the bulletin board. His eyes skimmed the headline, and he was immediately interested. It read:

Juniors and Seniors of Takatori High School! Don't miss the Halloween dance going on October 31st. Put on a costume and dance all night long! Student id is required. 500 yen per person. If you care, be there!

It was like New Years fireworks going off inside of him. Somehow, he would get Kikyo to go with him. If only he could perform miracles….

Sesshomaru was barely paying attention to Naoko-sensee in Chemistry; he saw her gesturing towards the periodic table of elements with a yardstick, but wasn't listening to her. His mind was concentrated on matters of utmost importance (but not really). He could imagine exactly how it would go down: he would dress up as a vampire and pick up Kikyo, who would be wearing a sexy netted outfit. They would dance until midnight….they're faces would move closer…they'd kiss romantically…

"So Sesshomaru? What's the atomic number for Iron?" Naoko asked, her voice suddenly penetrating his deep thoughts. Sesshomaru's mind was as blank as his paper, which was supposed to be covered with notes. "Come on, we worked on this yesterday."

He squinted at the periodic table, trying to make out the number in the top left corner of the box labeled 'Iron.' But his desk was too far back in the classroom, and he forgot to put in his contacts. Bewildered, he guessed the first number that came to mind. "Um…30?"

Naoko-sensee shook her head in dismay and sighed, obviously displeased with the progress he was making in her class. Sesshomaru was barely holding on to a D. "That is far from right. Can anyone else tell me what the correct answer is?" Naoko questioned.

A hand shot up in the front of the class. It was the smart one, Akiko. She knew anything and everything; considering the fact that she studied 24 hours a day to cram as much knowledge as humanly possible into her abnormally large brain. She was like a sponge the size of Asia that could soak up oceans of information at a time. Naoko did not hesitate to call on her.

"The atomic number for Iron is 26" she said, almost robotically.

"That is absolutely right. Iron is a transition metal, and is grouped with other elements you probably recognize like cobalt, nickel, copper…"

From then on, Naoko's voice became a subtle drone as Sesshomaru's thoughts trailed back to Kikyo.