Innocent Kisses In The Rain
*
Kagome woke up late.
Her shriek woke the rest of the house up early.
'It seems that at least one scream is becoming a frequent addition to my daily schedule.' Kagome thought desperately, flying down the stairs and out the door before she had even eaten.
"Kagome! It's very unhealthy not to take a meal!" Kagome's mother cried reproachfully after her, but Kagome was already out of sight.
Kagome sprinted the length of the sidewalk, dashing across streets and spinning round curbs.
'I'm gonna be late, I'm gonna be late…' Kagome thought, running faster with each repeating syllable.
She was relieved when she found herself gaining on a school campus that was still swimming with students. She was NOT late.
She could have cried out in joy if she had not at that moment ran headlong into another person who was also running at a fast pace forward.
Kagome fell backwards and hit the pavement with a thump and a yell, cushioning her fall with outstretched arms.
The one above her had not fallen, only narrowed his eyes as he ignored the slight sting where her body had most forcefully collided with his.
She stared up at him and the bell rang; students began to disperse.
She rose hastily to resume her frenzied attempt not to be marked tardy.
The boy grabbed her arm before she had progressed two steps.
"Aren't you going to apologize?" The boy stared at her as his hand tightened, but he was mocking her.
Her anger and stress spiked when she saw the almost amused and bully-like glint in his eye and automatically jerked out of his hold.
"You were the one who ran into me! You should apologize!" She exploded.
"I wasn't running; you crashed into me while I was walking." Inuyasha defended himself.
"You lie! You would have fallen had you been walking!" Kagome cried out indignantly, hunger and dread gnawing at her stomach but the need to argue this out dominating all other sensible thoughts.
"Idiot. Tell me where Makawa's homeroom class is." His voice was rough and demanding. Kagome eye's glowed red.
"No! Firstly, it's Makawa-SAMA and secondly… You expect me to help you when you treated me so rudely?! Didn't anybody ever teach you any manners?! Leave me alone!" Kagome said as she turned on her heel to run into the looming building. The halls were beginning to empty.
Kagome was steaming by the time she stumbled into the classroom meekly with her head bowed.
"I'm sorry I was late. I was helping out a new boy…" Kagome explained hastily…
"Abandoned me is a more accurate description." The boy replied gruffly. Kagome's eyes shot up in surprise. How had he found the classroom???
"Luckily there were more decent people who would tell me the way." Kagome's eyes narrowed.
'I hate you.' She thought with all her might, hoping that he would somehow feel the mental message she was sending him.
"Please take a seat Higurashi-san so that we may continue on with class." The teachers voice said stiffly and she quickly sat down at her own desk.
The offending boy sat next to her.
"Ichiko-san, please read, starting on page forty-three." The teacher droned to a petite girl sitting a few rows up and a few aisles to the right. She was tiny and petite and wore glasses.
"… What is your name, anyway?" Kagome hissed to the arrogant boy sitting next to her.
"My name is Inuyasha, wench." Inuyasha stated as he kept his eyes firmly on the text.
"Don't call me wench. I have a name too you know." Kagome seethed under her breath.
"It would make a difference if you told me your name." Inuyasha smirked coldly back at her. She bristled.
"My name is Kagome. Stupid." Kagome retorted, her eyes turning vaguely back to the book to slip back to the place they were at.
She sighed as all the voices began to become a dull hum in her ears, the endless droning almost coaxing her into sleep.
She propped herself up on her elbow to sleepily follow her classmates' progress down the page. Seconds crawled by like hours and she waited for the day to end, like usual.
*
"We will be doing a large project this semester in which everyone will work in partners to somehow illustrate, retell, represent, or reenact a Japanese myth. This is your largest assignment, and I expect you to do your best with it. I will now name off the partners that I have assigned to be working together." The teacher said emotionlessly, the speech strangely practiced and boring.
"Tomie Ushida and Yoko Ushida.
Remi Takahashi and Ai Hamasaki
Kagome Higurashi and…"
Kagome held her breath,
"The new transfer student, Inuyasha Tsukino."
Kagome jaw dropped, her eyes bulged.
She didn't even think of watching Inuyasha's reaction.
*
Kagome waited grudgingly for Inuyasha to show up after school.
He stalked out of the building with a proud air about him but she stepped along side him without wincing.
"We have to get together and start our project." She spoke stiffly. She was too young for this.
"No we don't. You do it." Inuyasha stated.
"No way! I'd rather die you insufferably conceited jerk!" Kagome screeched back, almost slapping him.
His eyes narrowed and his lips thinned as he looked at her harshly.
"I wasn't serious you over sensitive cow." Inuyasha replied, glaring at her.
"When do you want to meet then? It can't be at my house." Kagome said matter-of-factly.
"Why not?" Inuyasha automatically replied.
"Because, first and foremost, I live at a shrine, and if you don't understand the importance of that, then it means that people will be coming in and out all day to pray. Secondly, my grandfather will most certainly think that you're a DEMON and be attacking you on and off all day." Kagome said with a cruel grin.
"I could take any old-" Inuyasha began before Kagome hit him hard over the head.
"Please don't finish that thought." Kagome growled, exasperated.
"I'll say what I please!" Inuyasha argued instantly.
"Not about my family! But anyway, it's settled then. It will be at your house and only common sense would schedule it for Sunday." Kagome said realistically, anger still evident in her eyes.
"Who gave you permission into my house?!" Inuyasha roared, finally recovering from her mean cuff.
"Unless you'd rather be attacked by Grandpa while putting us out of business." Kagome said, narrowing her eyes as if daring him to chose "B".
"Feh. Whatever wench. Sunday then, but if you're not there by noon, you'll have to do it alone or we'll just fail it!" Inuyasha sniffed.
She snarled at him. "Fine then, stupid head, where is your house?"
…
"Okay, I'll see you on Sunday then Inuyasha!" Kagome called out, intending to turn back and proceed to her swimming lesson.
"Fine, until then, wench." Inuyasha muttered back, thinking that she wouldn't hear it.
She turned back indignantly and caught herself when she saw him already walking away. Falling in step with him was a taller one slightly resembling Inuyasha who spared her only a half glance before calmly chastising Inuyasha- though she wouldn't know what for since his voice was so much more melodically soft and rhythmic than Inuyasha's loud and gruff voice.
She stared in wonder before her eyes filled with stars as she vaguely came to the conclusion that Inuyasha had a brother.
She giggled as she tried to shake his image out of her head before spinning and rushing to her swimming lesson before she was caught.