It was a shiny red convertible with the top pulled up, and driving it was InuYasha. He leaned over and smirked. "Need a ride?"

Star-Crossed Lovers

Chapter Two.

Kagome didn't know what to say. She opened her mouth slightly to respond but no sound came out. InuYasha didn't grow impatient, and he didn't change his expression. It was amused; curious even.

"I…no, thank you," Kagome finally muttered, turning away from his vehicle and pacing quickly ahead. She heard him pull forward, driving alongside her on the road.

"Aw, come on. You're getting soaked out there. I've got the heater on and I promise not to play any annoying music."

She slowed a bit and eyed him and his expensive car. What was the harm? Accepting a ride from a stranger wasn't that dangerous…okay, yes it was, but she was freezing and didn't want a cold.

"Fine." Kagome strode over to his car but hesitated a bit before opening the door. "Wait, I'll get your seat all wet!"

InuYasha chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I'll lay my jacket across it." He removed his leather jacket and laid it down across the seat, then patted it a couple times with a warm smile, inviting her to sit down. Kagome furrowed her brow but hopped in and slammed the door. She didn't like where this was going.

The rain prattled against the windows and InuYasha had the windshield wipers on full force. He seemed to be a pretty good driver for the most part, but Kagome wasn't too sure yet. It was a good time to get a close look at this mysterious boy, she reminded herself, glancing over slightly out of the corner of her eye.

He had decent taste in clothes, wearing a white t-shirt and jeans with tennis shoes. His long white hair nearly reached his waste and he had a firm jaw and small nose. What she found most captivating though were his eyes. They were a bright golden color that seemed to put her in a trance every time she met their gaze. Looking away, Kagome shook her head.

"You live on Cherry Hill right?" InuYasha asked after a moment, startling her.

"Y-Yes," she replied, trying to steady her heartbeat.

"That's a pretty cool place. I used to go there as a kid. Some old man held bonfires and festivals there every year and it was always packed. When did you buy it?"

His tone was curious and friendly but his eyes told her different. He felt the same resentment she did towards him. That same gripping hostility that neither could figure out yet.

"We didn't. My family has owned that temple for centuries. We just moved in yesterday."

He seemed surprised. "Yesterday huh? Wow."

"I know."

They turned a corner. Kagome chewed on her pinky nail. "So how long have you lived here?" she managed to ask. InuYasha shrugged.

"My whole life I guess," he said with boredom. "I can't remember a time when I wasn't living here. Although my dad travels a lot for business so we might have moved when I was born, or something, but I wouldn't remember."

"I see." Kagome nodded understandingly, leaning against the back of her seat. "I lived in my old town for my entire life until we moved here. I miss those days."

"What days?"

She paused. "The happy ones."

The boy sitting next to her looked puzzled, but he didn't question the topic any further. Kagome was glad, too. How could someone like him understand divorce, loss and unhappiness? He seemed like the perfect little rich boy. Or was he?

It was quiet for a short moment before Kagome's knees accidentally bumped into the small compartment under the dashboard. It fell open and the contents spilled out.

"Oh God I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed. Idiot! Why are you always so clumsy?

Leaning forward to scoop everything up and return it, she paused as a small, square picture slipped from her hands. Throwing the other things back where they belonged, she retrieved the picture and couldn't help but peek at it. And gasp.

It was of her.

Last year she had been in a magazine advertisement for spring clothing, wearing bright colors and smiling big for the camera. In her hand was that same smiling face, cut out straight from the magazine and stuffed in this compartment.

"You okay over th—" InuYasha started before stopping midsentence and staring at what she was holding. His eyes grew dark as he snatched the clipping from her small hands and shoved it into his back pocket. Kagome was silent as she pondered this situation.

"Um…InuYasha?" she whispered, twiddling her thumbs and gazing out her window, facing away from him.

"What?" he snapped.

She reconsidered. "Never mind."

He sighed and pulled to a stop. Kagome was confused before she looked out the windshield and saw the long flight of steps leading to her house. He shifted slowly in his seat to face her, not taking his eyes off his legs.

"Might think that's a little strange huh?" he asked softly, lifting his hypnotic eyes to meet her chocolate brown ones. She nodded. InuYasha looked away then, his expression unreadable. "You should go home now."

Kagome bit her lip. She wanted so desperately to know what that was all about, to know why he had a picture of a girl he'd never met until a few hours earlier. But all her questions she kept to herself as she opened the door and stepped out, closing it carefully.

He was gone before she even reached the first step.

xxx

That night, Kagome thought about the events that had happened during her day as she relaxed in the bath. She hadn't taken a bath in what seemed like forever, and it felt so soothing. The hot water loosened her freezing muscles and melted away her worries.

That is, until her thoughts wandered back to InuYasha.

What a strange person. No matter how hard she tried to understand him, nothing seemed to fit into place. He was confusing and mysterious, and seemed like the type to be alone yet so popular. He didn't have a girlfriend that she was aware of, though she could care less. Right?

Thinking about him made her insides churn. She had such a bad feeling about him, and it took over all her senses and feelings. This deep hatred was unexplainable, and she had no idea where it could have possibly come from. She didn't understand it.

"Why, why, why?!" she said aloud in frustration, slapping the water. It sent tiny droplets crashing into her face and some of the water sloshed over the sides of the tub.

Sighing, Kagome realized it was probably time to get out and start on homework. She grabbed a towel from the rack and wrapped it around her lithe body, stepping gingerly from the tub. After pulling the plug and brushing her teeth, she headed upstairs to dress and find her backpack.

"Oh, dear, how was your first day?" her mother asked when she saw her daughter, smiling kindly. She had a spatula in one hand and a yellow apron on, signaling dinner was being made.

"It was alright," Kagome smiled back weakly. Baths always made her woozy. "I met a few nice people and the teachers didn't give me too much homework." Yeah, right.

Her mother looked thrilled. "That's great sweetie! I'm glad!"

Kagome nodded and Mrs. Higurashi returned to the kitchen, letting her daughter go upstairs to her room. She threw down the towel and slipped into some comfortable pajamas. Sitting on her bed, she grabbed her bag and pulled out all the necessary books for homework. History seemed like the best to start with.

It wasn't long after she'd started that Sota called up the stairs that dinner was ready. She decided she wasn't very hungry that night and called back to say she wasn't eating. Her little brother shrugged and left, and Kagome closed her door so she couldn't be disturbed again.

It was silent until she reached math, when there was a soft knock at her door.

"Yes?"

It opened a few inches and her mother's head popped in. "Hey honey. I know you said you weren't hungry but I thought I'd bring you up some food anyways."

"Thanks Mom."

Mrs. Higurashi walked in and set a plate of rice and pork on the nightstand. She hesitated, hinting there was something she wanted to talk about. But when she didn't say anything, just smiled and scooted back towards the door, Kagome blinked.

"Anything up Mom?" Her voice was surprisingly high.

Her mother returned to the side of her bed and sat down, tracing the pattern on the covers before speaking. "Grandpa is coming to live with us soon." She grinned at this. She loved her father dearly, and Kagome could see that. She faked an enthusiastic smile.

"That's great. I love Gramps."

"I know. He's getting very old, and I'm worried about him living alone across town. I invited him to come live with us this morning and he agreed. He'll be moving in by next week." Kagome sensed that wasn't what she had really come up to talk about.

"Anything else you wanted to say?"

Her mother seemed taken back by this question. She thought for a moment, still tracing the patterns. "Well…I got a call today." She paused. Kagome waited patiently, wondering where this was headed. "About you."

"And?"

Mrs. Higurashi's voice seemed strained. "It was a voice I didn't recognize, but it was a man. He seemed young, but it was hard to tell through the static. We got terrible reception. He wouldn't tell me his name either. The call was to warn me not to let you go near a boy named…oh shoot, what was it again?"

As she tried to remember, Kagome's mouth automatically opened of its own free well and muttered, "InuYasha."

"That's it! He said to stay away from this InuYasha. Wait…how did you know that Kagome?" her eyes were questioning.

Kagome immediately backtracked. "Um…Sota told me about the call." She tried to look sincere, but it was hard, for her mind was spinning in circles. Her mother seemed to buy it though.

"He did? Oh, well alright then. Do you know this boy?"

She searched for a decent answer. "No, I don't. I've heard of him though." Better not lie too severely. Her mother bought this too and nodded.

"Good. Try to stay away from him honey. I'm not one for obeying certain phone calls like that but I'd rather not take any chances." She stood up, kissed her daughter on the head, and left the room.

Kagome sat on her bed completely stunned. It was hard keeping a straight face in front of her mother, but now she could let it twist into one of fury. Who would make such a call? InuYasha? No, the phone hadn't rung when she'd been home so it couldn't have been him. She was with him after school.

Someone had called her house telling anyone who answered to make sure she stayed away from him. But why him? And why had she immediately answered his name when her mother had searched for it, trying to remember what it was?

This was more complicated then the picture in his car. It was here first day here and already things were too confusing. She needed to step back and take a breather. Or better, she needed to move back to Nagasaki. That would help a lot.

She couldn't concentrate any longer on homework, so she tossed it aside and spread out across her bed.

She allowed herself to get lost in thought and slowly drift into a dreamless sleep.

xxx

"What are you doing here?!"

"I'm here for Kagome of course."

"You're a loser. She's not gonna start liking you."

"Hey, you never know."

The voices drifted through Kagome's open window. She blinked her heavy eyes open and sat up on her elbows in bed, facing her window. She suspected her mother had snuck in her room early and opened it, for the sun was shining brightly this morning.

Were those voices in her head? Kagome yawned and shoved the covers aside to stand up. She stumbled towards the window and stuck her head out. Sango and Miroku were standing just below it, bickering as usual. She sighed, knowing this would be a long day.

A hard knock at her door made her jump and yelp, causing her friends to look up. Grinning, Miroku waved.

"Morning Kagome! How'd you sleep?" His voice was cheerful, hopeful. She shuddered.

"Um…f-fine," she called in a tired voice, holding up her index finger to signal she needed a second. Crossing the room to her door, she opened it to find Sota standing there. He grinned at her.

"Mom says come down for breakfast and that you have a couple friends waiting to walk you to school." He seemed smug, yet happy. His grin faded when Kagome merely nodded instead of looking excited, like he'd suspected her to.

Shrugging, the nine-year-old took off down the hall to his bedroom to change. Meanwhile, his sister closed her door and heaved a big sigh. Rushing to the window again, she leaned over the edge to see her friends better.

"Hey guys, I'll be out in a sec. I need to get dressed and eat first." She waved before closing and locking her window, then grabbed her uniform out of the closet and slipped into it. The material was loose around her body and she hurried to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.

Before she opened the cupboard, Kagome's reflection caught her attention. She examined every minor feature of her face, from the glint in her soft eyes to the sleek shine of her hair. What did Miroku see in her?

Back home, she'd always had boys after her, but none of them caught her interest. The only boyfriend she'd ever had cheated on her in freshman year. Ever since, boys were a no. But maybe guys here were different…she'd already begun to notice that with InuYasha…

Shaking her head, she reminded herself that InuYasha was the last thing that should be on her mind. She scrubbed her teeth and face and hurried downstairs to eat.

Mrs. Higurashi looked up when Kagome came in. "Hi sweetie. How did you sleep?"

"Pretty well, actually." The raven haired girl took a seat at the table and smiled at her mother as she set down a plate of bacon, eggs and toast. "I didn't have any dreams like I thought I might though."

Her mother began washing dishes as she said, "Oh, that's good dear. You have a couple friends waiting to walk you to school by the way." She sounded pleased.

"I noticed." Kagome bit into her toast, a loud crunch sound echoing from the walls of the kitchen.

"They are your friends, right?" Mrs. Higurashi looked over her shoulder at her daughter, sensing the dullness in her tone. Kagome quickly nodded.

"They're the ones I told you about yesterday. I sat with them at lunch. They seem pretty nice so far." She added the so far because she wasn't sure where this friendship was leading…

"Wonderful." Her mother smiled and returned to focusing on the dishes. "Did you meet any bo—"

"You know, I think it would be less rude to eat on the way and not keep them waiting!" Kagome said quickly, grabbing a strip of bacon and hugging her mother before heading towards the front door. "Thanks for breakfast Mom! I'll see you after school!"

"Kagome—!"

But the front door slammed, and Kagome inhaled deeply as she looked up at the bright sky. The morning was nearly cloudless and the sun was burning warmly down on her skin. She smiled slightly. Until she was interrupted by her friends.

"I'm sorry Kagome." Sango was the first to approach her side, looking truly apologetic. "I told him to go away but he just doesn't listen."

"Aw, but I believe she wants me here Sango," Miroku intervened casually, flashing a toothy smile at Kagome. "I feel it is my duty to walk our new arrival to school. Be friendly and all. You seem to have the same intentions." He eyed Sango.

"Well, of course I do. Why wouldn't I?" She defended herself uneasily, taking Kagome's arm and leading her towards the steps.

"You're just lucky I warded off the rest of them," Miroku continued breezily, following alongside the two girls.

Kagome stopped. "Rest of them?"

Miroku looked amused. "Yes. There were quite a few actually. You seem to be Little Miss Popular already. I didn't think it would take that short of time, no offense."

She wasn't listening. "Wait, who came?"

"Oh, you know. Koga and Hojo. A few other boys who said they were from your class. Didn't think I should bother catching their names…"

Kagome blinked a few times to clear her head. This had never happened to her before…it was so strange, so new to her. Sango, luckily, had remained levelheaded and was still pulling her along. Now they were going down the steps, so Kagome was forced to concentrate on not tripping. This proved to be harder then she thought.

The trio walked along in silence for a little while, Kagome still dazed by her sudden popularity, and Sango trying to keep her steadily walking. Miroku was transfixed with the sidewalk it seemed like, for he hardly looked up.

"So InuYasha gave you a ride home yesterday?" The question was so unexpected Kagome nearly toppled over. She looked over at Sango, who was still looking forward.

"Well…yes," she admitted, sighing. "It was pouring and I was cold, otherwise I would have walked."

"I'm not saying it was a bad thing," Sango shrugged. "It's just you guys really didn't seem to like each other when I introduced you."

A shock went through Kagome's body and she shivered despite the sunny weather. How could she forget the first time she looked into those eyes. Those bottomless eyes.

"You like guys like that?" Miroku piped up, chancing a look at her. Kagome immediately shook her head, but regretted it when he looked hopeful. She gulped.

"I mean, I like guys like that, just not him. He's not my…type," she risked. Miroku nodded, still a hopeful gleam in his dark eyes. They were almost a purple shade Kagome noted. Sango giggled from beside her.

"That's funny. I've never heard that before. Every girl is InuYasha's type." Miroku and Kagome snorted at the same time.

"Well, I'm not." She huffed, crossing her arms. They had reached the school now and Kagome did notice that a lot of the guys were glancing her way. She furrowed her brow and kept walking. Once inside, the hallways seemed more packed then the day before. She had to struggle through the crowd just to reach her locker. Sango and Miroku watched in fascination.

When she opened her locker, more then a dozen little notes and cards spilled out. She gasped and couldn't move for a second as it dawned on her that each one had a little heart on it. Love notes?

Bending down to grab them, she stuffed them all back in her locker before Sango and Miroku could see them. They had just reached her from the throng of people. Sango found it strange how Kagome had slammed her locker without taking anything out of it or putting anything in.

"Don't you need your World History book?" she asked, looking over her friend's shoulder at the locker.

"N-No," Kagome blushed, fumbling with her bag as she tried to hurry to class. "My homework's in my bag."

Sango shrugged and followed her to class, saying good bye to Miroku on the way. As they sat down, Kagome noticed more guys in their class throwing casual admiring looks her way. She rolled her eyes. Why her?

Hojo slid into the desk next to hers, grinning broadly and inching closer to her. "I thought we had first period together!" he said enthusiastically. Kagome tried to match his huge grin and happy tone.

"That's wonderful Hojo." It didn't work.

Sango giggled on her other side and reached down to grab her History book. Kagome was thankful she wasn't the type of friend to tease or babble on about boys. Hojo remained where he was and nonchalantly opened his book and smoothed out his homework, all the while the huge smile remaining plastered across his cute face.

Kagome couldn't help but notice the jealous glares he was receiving. She felt flattered, but at the same time afraid. She wasn't used to dealing with something like this. It was strange.

This year was going to be…interesting.