First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who read, reviewed, favourited etc. I got a lot of positive feedback. I hope this chapter lives up to its potential.
Story so far: Kagome went to her Dad's for the first time in the New Year, only to discover she is engaged to the demon Prince, Inuyasha. They don't exactly hit it off, and she vows to get revenge on him for his tricks.
School Days
By the time school started up again, Inuyasha had all but been forgotten. His rude attitude couldn't reach me, and his superior self-importance was nowhere to be found. I actually smiled today, knowing that it would be a long time before I had to see him again. As I would now be busy with school, Dad couldn't push me to spend time with him. It also gave me the perfect opportunity to plot my revenge for the way he treated me, and for the bite mark that was slightly visible on the back of my hand. But for now, I was content to pretend he didn't exist. Nothing could ruin my good mood. Not failing class, not tripping over my own feet nor the apocalypse itself could bring me down. If the end was upon us, I'd be smiling the whole time.
"Kagome! Kagome, over here!" I looked up from my thoughts and saw three of my friends waving at me down the hall. Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi were on super-hyper mode. They were bouncing on the balls of their feet. Normally I would write this off as something bad, but I was feeling pretty good, so I didn't really care.
"Hey, girls," I said to them. There were squeals and hugs all around and plenty of "I missed you!"s and "How was your holiday?"s abound. From the way they were acting, one might think we hadn't seen each other in years, not a measly few weeks.
"It was okay. Not much happened," I said. Yeah, if you consider finding out that demons exist and learning you're engaged to their prince as not much… No. Stop that! Stop thinking about that. You're happy, remember? So BE happy!
"Kagome, are you alright?" asked Eri.
"Huh?" was my smart response.
"Eri asked if you were alright," said Yuka, "What's got you so distracted Kags? Thinking about any cute boys, perhaps?"
I didn't mean to blush, but my body had other plans. I wasn't about to deny the fact that Inuyasha was good looking; he was. It was a simple fact. But that didn't mean I thought he was cute. A rabid grizzly bear would be cuter than him.
However, my friends interpreted my blush to mean something else. They all started squealing again, at such loud decibels it would soon be impossible for the human ear to pick up. They all started talking at once.
"Oh my gosh! No way! Kags has her first crush!"
"Tell us, who is it?"
"Like you have to ask. It's obviously Hojo. He's been in love with her since the beginning of middle school."
"Of course! She's finally realized her true feelings for Hojo! This is so great!"
"Guess it was a good thing we set them up on that date for tomorrow after-"
"HOLD IT!" I shouted. My good mood was fading, fast. I struggled to hold onto it, and was only barely successful. So what if they set me up on a date? It's nothing they haven't done before. Hojo was nice guy, but I didn't like him that way. I could just come up with another excuse for not going. Yeah, that's it! Besides, I'm an engaged woman now so I'm not exactly avai-
My good mood came crashing down like a hail storm. Okay, so maybe I wasn't happy anymore, but it was just another ordinary day. The only thing that could possibly make this day the worst of my life was if he mysteriously appeared at school. I snorted mentally. Fat chance of that happening.
"Look," I said, "I know you mean well, but how many times do I have to tell you that I only see Hojo as a friend? That's all he is to me, and that's all he'll ever be. So please stop encouraging him! You're only making it worse!"
"But, Kagome-"
"And as her friends, we should respect her wishes."
I smiled as a tall girl with a long ponytail walked up to us. She grinned at me mischievously; obviously enjoying the way her words had made the other's unable to speak.
"Sango," I said to my best friend in the whole world, and hugged her. She laughed and hugged back, ruffling my hair as she did so. One of the things I loved about Sango was that she was like the older sister I never had. We did everything together. Shopping, going to the movies, hanging out, everything. She was the one person I could trust without hesitation or fear of betrayal.
"Hey Kags. The girls weren't giving you too much trouble, were they?"she asked, cracking her knuckles.
Eri, Yuka and Ayumi paled, but I laughed. They never really got her sense of humor. It was something uniquely Sango, although a lot of people didn't appreciate it. It was too bad, because they missed out on good friend.
"Hi, Sango," said Yuka, "We were just talking to Kagome about this boy she likes." She laughed nervously. She turned to her two companions in desperation. The tension stilled the air.
"What is that? It is the Super Ayumi signal! I must go defend the world from evil!" said Ayumi dramatically. She ran off with her fist high in the air, like Superman.
"And she will need the help of her loyal sidekick, Eri-girl!" Eri too exclaimed, and ran off in a similar fashion.
Yuka looked stunned. She started muttering under her breath about 'traitors' and with a good-bye to me, and a pathetic attempt to Sango, she sulked off after her friends.
I frowned. They were my friends, but that didn't give them the right to treat Sango that way. Just because she was different, they thought she was beneath him. I thought it was a horrible thing for them to do, but Sango didn't seem to care. She was used to people being afraid of her. That didn't give them an excuse to act the way they did, though.
"So Kags. You're birthday's coming up. What are planning on doing for your 'super sweet sixteen', hmm?" asked Sango, ignoring what had just occurred.
"I honestly don't know. I think Mom wants to hold a small party for me, with the family. It's been a while since Aunt Riverhaze has come to visit from America."
"Isn't she the one that joined that traveling band of tree-hugging hippies? What was it? Equal rights for the Wallaby or something?"
"Narwhal," I corrected, "Yeah, that's her. She's always busy promoting animal rights and stuff; I never get to see her anymore. It'd be nice if she could come for my birthday. It's never a real party until Aunt Riverhaze makes her entrance.
"What about me?" Sango pouted, giving me her best puppy-dog eyes, "Can't I come too?"
I laughed. "Of course, Sango. Mom won't mind. You're practically family anyway."
"Yay!" she squealed excitedly, "this is going to be so much fun! I can't believe our little Kags is all grown up!"
"You're not that much older than me, Sango," I said good-naturedly, patting her on her shoulder.
"But it's so sad! Before you know it, you'll be off to college and getting married and leaving me all to my lonely self."
I stopped smiling. Sango's words were all in good fun, but she had no idea just how fast I would be growing up. What would she say when the rest of our classmates went off to college or university, and I was at home arguing with my husband? It was then that I realized that there was something I could never tell her. There was no way I could tell Sango about Inuyasha. At least the part where he was a demon prince and we were to be married before I even finished high school.
It was a new record. My mood dropped to an all time low. Any lower and it would fall off the face of the Earth.
Sango noticed the sudden change in atmosphere, and quickly grew concerned. I wasn't the type of person to go into a deep state of melancholy, but there I was, proving that the impossible could be done with the right amount of effort and bad luck.
"Kags, what's wrong? You seem really depressed all of a sudden."
I bit my lip, wondering if I should tell her or not. I already resolved not to reveal the reason for my depression, but I could tell her some things. Sango was my best friend, and she deserved the best honesty I could offer.
"I went to my Dad's last weekend," I said. Her mouth formed a silent O, like everything made sense. I should have said nothing and just let her come to her own conclusions, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.
"No, it's not that," I said quickly, "I love my Dad and his family. It's just that when I went to visit, a couple of Dad's old friends were over. They're nice and all, don't get me wrong, but when they came, they brought their son with them. If you can call that spoiled brat a son."
"I take it you don't like him," said Sango.
"I can't STAND him! He's got this huge superiority complex. It's like he thinks everyone has to treat him with respect, but he can treat us like dirt! And look! He BIT me!"
I held up the back of my hand and shoved it in front of Sango's face, giving her a clear view of the slowly healing bite marks. She studied it carefully for a few moments.
"Jeez, he really did bite you. Looks like he's got fangs too. Wow, no wonder you can't stand the guy. I wouldn't be able to stand him either."
"I know! But at least I don't have to see him again for a long, long time," I said, comforted by the thought. My cheeriness began to escalate slightly. It really wasn't so bad. I probably wouldn't see him again until we stood at the altar. It's not like we'd purposefully go looking to spend time with each other. He was most likely going out of his way to make sure we didn't even accidently cross paths. Yes, I wouldn't see him again for a long, long-
"Time's up," said the gruff but cool voice behind me. My blood ran cold. I knew that voice. Oh Kami, I knew that voice! Why? Why me? What have I ever done to deserve such a punishment? Someone up there must really have it in for me.
I slowly turned around, and had my worst fears realized. There, standing in all his cocky glory, was none other than Prince Inuyasha himself. He wore a disguise, so his ears were human and at the side of his head, and his claws and fangs had disappeared. His eyes were still that molten gold, and his hair was still a long silvery mane. He wore black-jeans, and a red t-shirt that showed off lean muscle. He had his arms crossed and was staring at me, a smirk gracing his lips.
"Hey, Princess," he said.
I fell. My heart and any trace of happiness fell from our quaint little planet into the black unknown. There was no way I could get it back now. It was amazing, how within the span of five minutes, I'd gone from being able to smile during the apocalypse, to wishing it would come.
"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" I ground out, fists clenched at my sides.
He smiled. All the girls within a twenty foot radius, with the exception of me, sighed in unison. One of them fainted on the spot. Even Sango was gaping like a fish. All the little bugs would be flying in if she didn't shut her mouth.
"I came to learn, of course. Isn't that what we're all here for?" he asked. There were snickers from some of the girls. I felt my face heat up in anger. How dare he step into my school and make me look like an idiot in front of my classmates?
"That's what we're here for. But I thought you were too stupid to be reading past a grade one level?" I retorted.
His face flashed fury, then his careful, cool mask settled on his features once again.
"Not bad, Princess," he said, laughing as if I'd just told some hilarious joke (that didn't involve insulting him). "A bit more practice and you could be a comeback master."
I didn't get a chance to respond, because the girls snapped out of their trance, and flocked around him. They 'oohed' and 'aahed' and basically fawned over him like the love-struck sheep they were. It was disgusting.
"Wow," whispered Sango, "He is hot! Did you see that hair? It's longer than a girl's, and so pretty! And those eyes! Don't they just make your heart want to melt?" Sango said in a dreamy voice.
"Yes. I feel just like the Wicked Witch of the West," I said, laying the sarcasm on thick. Sango picked up on this.
"What's your problem, Kags? A God walks into our school and all you can do is act like he's a highly infectious disease." It's Prince, not God, I wanted to say, but I'm sure in his mind there's not much difference.
"Kami, I hope not. The last thing we need is for jerkitus to spread. Any more Inuyashas in the world and it would be the downfall of society."
"Why would you say- Wait, how do you know his name?"
My smile was as fake as a double-headed coin. "Remember that boy I told you about, who came over to Dad's? The one that bit me?"
Sango's eyes widened to abstract proportions. "No way," she whispered.
"Yep," I said, "the one and only, Inuyasha."
Sango was speechless. Was it really that hard to believe that I knew who he was? It's not like he was famous celebrity, at least not in the human world. Then again, these girls thought he was the epitome of perfection. I wonder how they would react if I told them he had dog ears?
Probably the same way as me. They'd just think they were the cutest thing, and want to touch them. I'll admit, when I first saw his ears, I had an overwhelming desire to touch them. But I would not act upon those desires, not with Inuyasha conscious anyway.
"Alright, alright, that's enough ladies. There's plenty of me to go around. No need to push."
I wanted to smack myself. Seriously smack myself. I could not believe I was going to be stuck with this guy for the rest of my life!
"He is rather egocentric, isn't he?" asked Sango, finally getting over her momentary girlishness.
"Unfortunately," I muttered.
"What is all this fuss about?" called a voice. We looked up to see the Ice Queen herself, Mrs. Watanabe walking down the hall, heading straight for the crowd around Inuyasha. The girls squeaked and ran away, terrified. That left Inuyasha, Sango and I to face her wrath.
"What is the meaning of this Miss Higurashi?" Of course, she asks me like it's my fault. Out of all the teachers, Mrs. Watanabe was the one I hated most. She wasn't too fond of me either. The feeling of loathing was what one might typically call mutual.
"I don't know. Ask him," I said, pointing to Inuyasha. Mrs. Watanabe turned her scrutinizing glare from me to where I was pointing. At once, her stern mask dropped and she simply stared at him in shock. I could see little drops of drool running down her chin.
Wow. That's all there was to say in the matter. I knew Inuyasha was handsome, but he wasn't that handsome! No one had ever made Mrs. Watanabe go gaga like that. Not even that student teacher a while back that the girls had clung to like he was super glue. Was I the only one not fooled by his appearance?
"Uh… ha… w-who a-re you y-young man?" Mrs. Watanabe stuttered, trying to regain her composure. I would have laughed at her if not for my anger at a certain dog demon.
"My name's Inuyasha Deguchi. I'm the transfer student from Kyoto."
"Deguchi?... oh…OH! Yes, I remember now! Well, welcome to Tokyo High. My name is Mrs. Watanabe. I'm the head of the math department. If you need anything, please, don't hesitate to come to me. I will be more than happy to help."
"I came to learn, of course."
"Deguchi?... oh…OH! Yes, I remember now!"
"If you need anything, please, don't hesitate to come to me."
"I'm the transfer student from Kyoto."
"I'm the transfer student from Kyoto."
"I'm the transfer student from Kyoto."
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
"Miss Higurashi! Cease that dreadful wailing immediately!"
Oops. I'd thought the screaming had only been inside my head. Judging by the weird looks I was getting, half the school heard the outburst. Talk about embarrassing. Or maybe traumatizing was a better word. The thought of seeing Inuyasha at school every day seriously freaked me out.
"Sorry, Mrs. Watanabe."
"You should be!" shouted Mrs. Watanabe, "Screaming like that in the halls! That's no proper way to behave at school!" she turned to Inuyasha. "I'm terribly sorry about that Mr. Deguchi. Just ignore Miss Higurashi. She likes to cause trouble."
Inuyasha laughed. My blood boiled. What was so damn funny?
"It's fine, Mrs. Watanabe," said Inuyasha, "she wouldn't be Kagome otherwise."
Then he did the unthinkable. He had the nerve to put his arm around my shoulders, like we were some sort of happy couple. Couple? Kind of. Happy? Not a snowball's chance in Hell. I resisted the urge to swat his arm away like a pesky mosquito.
Both Mrs. Watanabe and Sango's eyes widened slightly at his surprising move. I made a silent vow that if he didn't move that annoying limb within the next thirty seconds, I would personally remove it from his shoulder.
Inuyasha seemed to get my silent threat, and subtly removed his arm from around my shoulders, but not without painfully pulling on a strand of my hair as he did so. The others didn't take notice. Oh, he was good.
"Well, Mr. Deguchi. Since you seem acquainted with Miss Higurashi, I'll leave it up to her to show you around." Mrs. Watanabe gave me a pointed look saying, Do it or I will make sure you have detention everyday for the rest of your wretched life.
I sighed. I was just going to have to suck it up. Mom would be furious if I got another detention.
"Fine. Welcome, yadda, yadda, yadda. I hope you'll like it here blah, blah, blah. Join some clubs, meet new people, make new friends… go to hell…"
"What was that?" Mrs. Watanabe asked sharply.
"Nothing!" I responded quickly, painting the face of a perfect little angel. Sango was fighting back giggles. She coughed to cover up the few that escaped. Inuyasha looked as if he didn't know whether to be angry or amused.
"Very well," sniffed Mrs. Watanabe, "I will leave Mr. Deguchi in your care. And make sure you're not late for class again. We wouldn't want to be spending the summer together, would we?" I shuddered at the thought.
She turned her creepy smile to Inuyasha. "See you later, dear. Have a nice day."
For her part, I was kind of impressed. Mrs. Watanabe had successfully managed to hold her composure until she was out of earshot. I could see her entire body flushed with red, and she half-skipped merrily down the hall. It must have taken a lot to keep it together, because she hadn't even noticed Inuyasha wasn't wearing a uniform.
"Thank Kami," said Inuyasha; letting out a breath, "I thought she'd never leave. Now I can ditch you before people think I'm hanging out with a geek."
I had an angry retort at the ready, but Sango beat me to it.
"Who the hell do you think you are? Kagome just faced the Boogy-man for your sake, and you don't have the decency to be nice in return? I hate pigs like you! You think you're all that, but guess what? You're not! You don't have the brains of a cob of corn! I bet you don't even know what two plus two is, cause brats like you think nothing matters except themselves!"
Sango was always a good way of releasing anger. It saved my breath, because she did the shouting for me. She also knew what to say. This time, she was pretty much on the mark. Except for the part where I wasn't fighting with Mrs. Watanabe for his sake. That had been purely for my own selfish desire of not having to spend more time breathing the same air as Mrs. Watanabe than necessary.
Inuyasha was unfazed by Sango's wicked temper. He merely shrugged and started to walk away.
Sango was dumbfounded. This guy wasn't even shaking! She had always relied on her abilities to make the victims of her anger quake in fear. This was a completely new experience for her. Yeah, things were changing. And I couldn't exactly say for the better.
"Hey!" I shouted after Inuyasha. He stopped and turned his head slightly, surprisingly, listening.
"You never answered my question, not really," I said, "What are you doing here? Is it just to annoy me into an early grave, or did you really want to transfer schools suddenly?"
He chuckled lowly, turning to face me completely. "One; I never actually went to school in Kyoto. That was just an excuse. Two; coming here wasn't my idea. Mom threatened to take away my summer home if I didn't come. Though I don't want to see your face every day, I really like my summer home. So, I'm just gonna suck it up and take it till the semester ends. Don't worry, as soon as exams are over, I won't be coming back." It looked like he was finished, but he stood where he was, thinking. "Oh, and by the way, I'm in all the same classes as you. Just thought you'd like to know."
"W-Wait!" I shouted one more time. His being in the same classes as me wasn't much worse than the situation was before. There was something else nagging at me. "Are you even the right age to be in high school?" I asked. Somehow, I had my doubts.
He smirked. "Nope," he said carelessly, "I'm twenty-three."
He waved it off as nothing, then hurried away before I could ask him another question. Sango and I just stood there, paralyzed in shock. Sango couldn't believe a guy that age, who was old enough to be a college graduate, was still in high school. And as for me, I'd just discovered that the immature, childish, spoiled egocentric jerk that was my fiancé was in fact eight years my senior. Life couldn't get much worse.
Number two down. Who knows how many more to go? I'll try to update again as soon as possible, but I make no promises.
