Disclaimer: Yeah... I wish Inuyasha was mine...

wk: So here's a new story idea I got out of nowhere. It might seem like an everyday, school story, but I'm gonna spice it up, or try to, like always. It's more unoriginal than my other story, "102.5 FM", but you know. I hope you guys will like it, too, anyway. Enjoy!

Chapter One
School Sucks

Kagome had her nose in a book, as always. There were boxes and more boxes digging into her side, as well as her brother Souta's elbow. She squirmed, and yelped when the car lurched and Souta's elbow burrowed into her side even further.

"Sorry, Sis!" Souta said, trying to get off of his sibling and managing to dig further into her side.

"It's okay, Souta! Mama, how much longer?" Kagome yelled.

"Not much longer, children. Sorry about all the boxes," she said apologetically.

They were moving from their small, rural home in the countryside, and were going toward a shrine at the heart of a city.

Kagome was not looking forward to all the steps she had to climb.

Her father had died three months ago, but she wasn't really affected. I mean, she was, but she had been preparing for it since she was a little girl. They had told her that he had had a terminal disease, and that he would die in a matter of years. He would most likely not see her to adolescence. Well, they were wrong. She was seventeen and in her senior year in high school. She was just sorry he couldn't hold on long enough to seeher graduation. She loved her father with all her heart, but she had cried her tears for him. Now, she knew that she would go on living, for her father. That was the mindset her mother had taught her when she was little.

Still, she had cried until her eyes were puffy and swollen almost shut. She would miss Daddy. Souta was still not completely over it. Kagome had seventeen years to come to the fact that her father would not be around to see her adulthood. Souta only had twelve years, the poor boy.

Kagome knew her mother was affected as well, but she always smiled, at least for her children. Kagome would do the same, if just to maintain the happiness her family had had.

Still, the boxes and Souta's elbow were nearly enough to make her frown.

When they arrived, Kagome's hair was in disarray, her book lay forgotten on the floor of the car, and she was sure she had a bruise on her ribs. Souta apologized profusely, but Kagome paid him no mind. Her grandfather was already at the foot of the immensely tall stairs (she could barely see the top) and she waved. She had seen him only a few times throughout her lifetime, and the last time she had seen him, she had been Souta's age.

"Papa," Kagome's mother said as she embraced the withering old man.

"How are you holding up?" he asked sternly. Kagome's mother only nodded her head, still smiling, still showing a happy face. He turned to Kagome then, looked her up and down. "You've grown taller," he said, his nose wrinkling in distaste as he saw the amount of leg skin she was showing to the world in a small, pleated skirt.

"I would hope so, after five years, Grandpa," Kagome said cheerfully. Souta hung back a bit, not sure how to treat this little, old man that he had met only oncewhen he was seven years old.

"You have nothing to say to me, Sonny?" Grandpa rasped out. Souta looked momentarily horrified, looking to Kagome for help. She only raised her eyebrows, indicating that he would get no help from her. He gave her a "You traitor" look, and turned to Grandpa.

"Hi, Grandpa. How are you?" Souta asked in a shaky voice. Grandpa snorted.

"Fine… Just fine. Just what have you been feeding these kids? Sticks and bones, they are. You're not letting them get caught up into all this media mumbo-jumbo about 'Skinny is beautiful!' business, are you?" Grandpa asked Mama. Kagome quickly intervened.

"No, not at all, Grandpa. We eat like pigs. Fast metabolism, though, you see." Kagome patted her flat stomach, indicating she was hungry. Grandpa grunted.

"Well, come on up then. I suppose you'll want some lunch."

Kagome and Souta both sighed as they eyed the stairs with weariness. Remembering at the last moment, Kagome snatched her book from the floor of the car, and took steps two at a time before she got too tired and practically dragged herself up the rest of the way.

Strangely, the night in the house was comfortable. Kagome wondered what her grandfather did the whole day in the huge, empty house. It was probably lonely here. It was probably why her grandfather was so grouchy all the time.

"Bye!" she yelled into the house. "I'm going to school!"

"Have a good day at school dear," her mother said, coming out of the kitchen with a small sack. Kagome took it, painstakingly putting it into her bag before lifting it onto her shoulders.

"Thanks for the lunch, Mama!" Kagome said, slipping on her shoes and running out. She paused at the top of the stairs. She couldn't run down these, but she had to get to school! She couldn't be late on her first day!

She went down the steps as fast as she could without tripping and falling God knew how many steps she would have to fall on before she would land at the bottom. When she got down the steps, she looked at her watch. "Drat it!" She quickly took off at a run for the bus stop. "Can't be late, can't be late, can't be late!" she chanted to herself breathlessly as she ran nearly full speed. She got to the bench just as the bus pulled up. Panting, she got on, immediately taking one of the metal bars and making sure she didn't jostle anyone before she opened her book.

Sighing, she read until she felt the bus come to a stop. She quickly paid her fee and jumped out. Now, it was time for the train for the superior subway system that Japan had. Quickly, she boarded one, again taking a standing stance while holding a metal bar.

When she felt the train coast to a stop, she looked up and blanched. There was a boy there, and he looked mean. Well, that was an understatement. He looked like the type of guy that would tear into a live bull with his teeth and grind its heart while he punched some boulders into dust; for fun.

The doors made a sound of rushing air as they opened. To Kagome's horror, this was her stop and the boy was getting off here as well. She followed after him, making sure she kept a distance. She breathed a sigh of relief when he set off in a different direction. She followed the signs to what seemed like the exit. It was like a gaping hole into the sky, a stairway to heaven. To her puzzlement, she felt the ground remotely shake when she was at the foot of the stairs. Suddenly, the sunlight was blocked out.

She looked up, saw a group of males all lined up at the entrance. She felt the ground shake again. She looked behind her and saw another group coming towards her. She backed up against the cold wall, kneeling down to seem more insignificant and unnoticeable. The silver haired boy at the top of the stairs regarded her with no more than a passing thought. He looked cocky, arrogant. He looked liked he was the leader of the Stairway to Heaven group. The Hell group included the guy that looked like a bear.

She was in between heaven and hell.

"You gonna run again, Onigumo?" The silver haired youth asked, derision and arrogance plain in his voice. With the sunlight behind him, he looked surreal.

"Like you did last time?" Onigumo asked confidently, snickering with his fellow classmates. He looked like Hades, swathed in darkness. The two groups were wearing two different uniforms. The silver haired boy's group was wearing dark blue uniforms with a gold crest, whereas Onigumo's group was wearing light gray uniforms.

"I never ran," the silver haired boy snarled. Then, without a signal, his group surged down the stairs to collide with Onigumo's. Kagome watched in a stupor as she saw people being knocked down everywhere. Suddenly, she saw an opening to the exit, and she started to crawl, pulling down her skirt so that no pervert would try anything, even while they were fighting.

Suddenly, a hand clamped down on the back of her shirt and picked her up. She nearly choked, but he let her settle on her toes. To her absolute horror, her book dropped to the floor.

"Inuyasha, you're recruiting girls now, too?" Onigumo sneered as he held the girl and arm's length away from him, as if she was dirty. Kagome, absurd as it was, was more offended by this than she was worried for her health. Both groups stopped fighting, staring at Onigumo as he held the girl unconcernedly.

"Keh. She's just in the way. Let her go," Inuyasha said harshly. Kagome looked at Inuyasha, noticing that his face looked harder, harder than it was at the top of the stairs. Was he worried? About her?

"She's pretty, this one," Onigumo said silkily, bringing her a little closer to quirk an eyebrow at her. Enraged, and not one to just "hang around" she sharply brought the heel of her palm against his elbow. He let her go with a sharp cry, and she dropped to the floor. She scrambled to her feet, grabbing her book, and ran. She shoved, pushed, and practically bit her way through to the exit.

"Downed by a girl!" came Inuyasha's voice before she heard Onigumo's enraged cry. Normally, she would defend her femininity, but she had to get to school now!

She ran fast, grimacing as she glanced at her watch. What were those boys thinking, skipping school to get into such a large scale fight in a subway? People could get hurt! Namely, she could have gotten hurt!

Panting, and clutching at the stitch in her side, she ran into her new classroom just as the bell rang. Groaning, she went towards an empty desk. She collapsed, putting her head against her arms. The teacher came in, looking haggard. She glanced at Kagome, and motioned for her to come up to the front of the class.

"So. This is the new student?" she asked in a nasal voice, looking Kagome up and down in a disgusted manner. Kagome bristled, not liking the way she looked at her. She looked down at herself, and winced. No wonder the teacher was looking at her like some kind of hooligan. The crawling on the floor of the subway was not a good idea for her knees, and her white and blue top was smudged.

"I got caught up in some kind of fight in the subway," Kagome said in a small voice, despairing for her new school clothes.

"What was that?" the teacher asked.

"I… Nothing," Kagome said, sighing.

"Well, introduce yourself!" the teacher snapped. Oh, Kagome could tell her days in this classroom would be bright and joyful.

"Kagome Higurashi. I just moved here from--"

"Your name is all we needed. Please sit back down," the teacher said. Kagome seethed silently to herself as she took her seat again. This day was not starting off well!

"Don't worry about her," a voice whispered behind her. She turned, blinking owlishly. It was a boy, and he was smiling benignly. "She's just a little uptight," he continued, still smiling. Kagome smiled back, feeling like it was a bit strained.

"I'm not worrying. Just--" A sharp crack was heard throughout the class as a ruler landed harshly against Kagome's desk.

"Miss Higurashi… I can tell you're going to be a troublemaker!" the teacher snapped. Kagome bit her tongue, determined not to say anything to her.

"Mrs. Fujikawa can be a bit tough," the boy behind her said apologetically. "Sorry for getting you into trouble."

"It's okay," Kagome whispered out of the side of her mouth. The teacher turned, giving Kagome a dark glare. Kagome looked bewildered at Mrs. Fujikawa. Did she have some kind of "Kagome radar" or something?

She tried to pay attention as integrals, substitution, and derivatives were discussed. Calculus bit butt.

"Kagome! What's the answer to number forty-three on the homework assignment?" Mrs. Fujikawa asked, a cruel smile gracing her lips. Kagome nearly groaned aloud. Math was not her forte, and this woman was making her life a living--

The boy behind her nudged her sharply in the back, bringing her back from her vengeance filled mind. Kagome smiled, stood, took a sheet of paper, and went to the board. Needless to say, she botched it up. She completely turned the problem into something that wasn't even remotely related, and still smiling, she returned to her seat.

"So… Do you think this is right?" Mrs. Fujikawa asked, eyeing the work Kagome had shown on the board.

"Not one bit," Kagome said cheerfully. "I'm afraid I didn't do the assignment, seeing as I just moved here yesterday. So, after I study, I should be able to--"

"I do not care about 'should be', Miss Higurashi." Kagome sighed. What did this old lady want from her?

"I will do better once I--"

"I do not care for all that either. Now, is there anyone in the class that can do the work that you were supposed to do?" the teacher asked. Kagome sat back sulkily, as the boy behind her went up to the board and proved to be a capable mathematician. Kagome learned that his name was Hojo as Mrs. Fujikawa praised the shy boy.

The bell rang, and Kagome gladly stood and moved as quickly as she could out the door. She looked down at the sheet of paper she had received from her grandfather yesterday. He had signed up for her at the school, and had even gotten the schedule worked out for her.

The evil old man had signed her up for P.E.!

Grumbling, she found her way to the gym, sighing as she went into the locker room. She changed among the other girls; a simple white sweater and small, blue shorts. The white sweater was for the brisk weather.

"Hi!" Kagome said to the girl that was dressing beside her. The girl looked at Kagome, baffled, and then turned away. Kagome blinked. "Okay…" The girl sighed, turned around.

"Hi," she said. Kagome beamed.

"I'm Kagome!"

"And I'm Sango."

"Nice to meet you--"

"Before you start with the niceties, let me just warn you that not many people like me and they'll hiss at you too if you keep on talking to me," Sango said. It was Kagome's turn to look at her baffled.

"Why?" Kagome asked bluntly. Sango shrugged. Kagome huffed, annoyed. "Well, that's stupid. Anyways, as I was saying, it's really nice to meet you. I'm new here. I just transferred here from a rural area, so it's really different, although I do come to the city a lot with my mother, so I suppose--"

"You talk a lot," Sango said bluntly. Kagome blushed.

"I usually just read, so I guess when I open my mouth… Well, that's what my Mama says, anyway." Kagome put on her socks, and then her sneakers. Sango waited until Kagome dressed, smiling when Kagome continued to talk.

"So why don't people like you?" Kagome asked again, conversationally, as if she was talking about the puddle she had just stepped in.

"Because I'm in a gang" --Kagome blanched at this-- "and girls hate me for it."

"So… they hate you because they want to be in the gang?" Kagome asked. Sango shook her head.

"No. They hate me because I'm friends with… Well, the leader, who I guess has a way with the girls," Sango said. Kagome hummed her understanding.

"I see. You didn't… kill anyone, did you?" Kagome asked in a whisper. Sango gave a startled laugh, turning to Kagome with a grin on her face.

"No! Goodness no. I'm not exactly in the gang, but the leader of the gang is like my big brother, so… I help out if needed," Sango said. Kagome nodded again, and they walked down to the track.

"All right!" A buff woman yelled as all the students arrived. "New student!" Kagome groaned. She had to go through this again? She blinked as the buff woman yelled out, "But we don't have time for that right now! We have to RUN!" Gratefully, she began to jog.

Thirty minutes later, that grateful feeling she had had was gone. To her astonishment, Sango was barely winded.

"Oh my God… You're a beast!" Kagome panted out as they stopped and started to stretch. Sango shrugged.

"You'll get used to it when you're in this class. That's the easiest class she's ever given us. Something else must have been on her mind," Sango said unconcernedly. Kagome groaned again. Her teachers weren't exactly the ideal teachers she had in mind for herself. "What are the rest of the classes you have today?" Sango asked curiously.

Kagome shrugged. "I dunno. My schedule is in my book bag. We'll look once we get back to the locker room. I need a shower." They made their way through, showering quickly before getting dressed again and Sango looked at the crumpled piece of paper that Kagome pulled from the bottom of her book bag.

"Well, we have the same last class. I'll see you then," Sango said, giving a small smile to Kagome. Kagome grinned, and nodded.

The next three classes she had were an absolute bore. Yawning, she came out of her biology class to go to her last class: Literature.

"Kagome!" A voice rang out through the hall. She turned and smiled to see Sango. Sango smiled sheepishly.

"This class is really fun," Sango said excitedly. "You'll like it a lot." Kagome grinned.

"I hope so. This is my favorite subject!" Sango crinkled her nose at that.

"This is your favorite subject? Gross! I don't believe you! Then again… you were talking about reading all those books. And I didn't fail to notice that you always carry one with you," Sango said. Kagome nodded.

"It's a habit I picked up from my dad," Kagome said. Kagome noticed that Sango had opened up almost immediately to her. All the girl needed was a friend… Too bad she was in a gang… Oh well. Kagome couldn't back out of a good friendship. Besides, that didn't mean she had to be involved in the gang, right?

They walked into the classroom, and the entire class became hushed as they saw Sango with a friend, and that the friend was new-- and hot.

There was an instant uproar among the boys-- except for one, and whispers amongst the girls. The teacher came in, although no one noticed because he was so small.

"Class!" A squeaky voice cried out from the desk. Kagome looked at the desk puzzled, and squinted.

"Oh, Myouga-sensei is here!" Sango said, quickly taking her seat and nodding toward the empty seat next to her.

"We have a new student," said the squeaky voice before Kagome could obey Sango's silent command. She froze at her spot in front of the class, bashfully smiling.

"Kagome Higurashi," she said, before quickly making her way between the rows, headed towards the empty seat with mindless determination.

"Okay… So I see she's a bit shy. So, we'll move on to the lesson. Who read last night's homework?" All the class raised their hands.

"Where is he?" Kagome whispered to Sango. The girl chuckled. "He's a flea-demon! You'll probably only see him as a dot--"

"Miss Kagome and Miss Higurashi… Would you like to share your opinions with us on the literature?" Kagome leaned over a little to the side, glancing at the title of the reading assignment. She grinned when she saw it. It was the book she was reading now!

"Oh! What chapter did you all read?" Kagome asked Sango. She looked at Kagome dubiously.

"Chapters three and four…"

"Perfect!" Kagome racked her memory.

"Well, it shows that marriage is an unconstitutional basis for love, but love is a perfect basis for marriage. Also, it shows that no matter how much the people love each other, they can't have anything without trust," Kagome said. There was a shocked silence in the class.

"Well… Uh… Yes, Miss Kagome… You're right. On to the next question…" Five minutes later, Kagome was furiously scribbling down notes, and admired Myouga's lecture. He had such a broad outlook on it that he had pointed out things that even she had missed.

Suddenly, the door opened, and in strolled the silver-haired boy-- Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, you're late," Myouga said mildly. Inuyasha only shrugged, and he looked like Kagome did this morning-- ragged, ruffled, and dirty. Kagome felt her breath catch, and she looked to Sango wildly. To her ultimate, teeth-grinding horror, she found Sango waving at Inuyasha, and Inuyasha waved back. After Inuyasha strolled in, a cheerful boy came in after him, smiling although one of his cheeks was swollen. Myouga gave an aggravated sigh. "What's the point of coming to class if it's the last class of the day?" Myouga asked.

"We just love your class the most, Myouga-sensei," the Swollen Cheek boy said. He waved to Sango, and Kagome glanced at her to find Sango giving Swollen Cheek an icy look.

"So I'm guessing that," Kagome said, pointing to Inuyasha, "is your boss?"

"Not my boss… Just the leader," Sango explained patiently.

"Ah…" Kagome winced when Inuyasha glanced at her. This made Inuyasha look at her longer and harder, which caused some of the females in the room to glare at her. Kagome looked at Sango helplessly. Sango gave her an "Oh well…" look.

Kagome understood why Sango was mostly shunned now. Inuyasha must be very popular with the ladies, as they followed his every movement with their eyes and flutter of their lashes as Inuyasha sat in the back of the room. There was an empty desk between them, so Kagome could feel his stare at the back of her head.

She wanted to cut off her head and give it to him, if that meant he would leave her alone.

"Hello, my dear," Swollen Cheek said, sitting behind Sango. He gave Kagome and awkward grin, and said, "Why, Sango! Who's your pretty friend?" Kagome saw Sango stiffen, and Swollen Cheek held out his hand for Kagome to shake. Kagome took it, and he kissed the back of her hand with a loud smack. She hurriedly retrieved her hand, discretely wiping it on her skirt as he grinned.

"Miroku, you should really not do that in the middle of class," Sango said hotly. Miroku raised a brow.

"Okay, so I'll do it at the end of class," Miroku said. Kagome grimaced.

"Miroku! Do shut up when I'm talking!" Myouga shouted at the front of the class. Miroku only smiled in the direction of the voice.

"Yes, Myouga-sensei!" Miroku said cheerfully.

"I hope somebody beat you as a child," Sango said in a dark, quiet voice to him.

"Yeah, I was," Miroku said brightly. "By you, remember, Sango dear?"

"Yeah…" Sango said with a happy sigh, as if recollecting a first kiss.

The rest of the class was more notes, and then another reading assignment. The bell rang, and Kagome gathered her belongings.

"Kagome, where do you live?" Sango asked as she and Kagome went out the door.

"Well, I live with my grandfather at the shrine," Kagome said. Sango opened her mouth in surprise.

"Oh! You live at the shrine?" Sango repeated. "I know exactly where that is! I went there once, but a cooky old man-- Er, well, your grandfather-- kinda ran me out when I knocked down his small thing of good luck talismans."

"Sound like gramps," Kagome muttered. Kagome suddenly felt a hand come down on her shoulder, and she felt her heart jump into her throat as she whirled around with a squeak. Inuyasha was standing there, scrutinizing her as if she was a dissected frog out on display. She bristled. She was getting real sick of people looking at her as if she was a walking plague!

"What do you want?" Kagome snapped. People in the hall, who had stared as they passed by, stopped and gaped at Kagome. This made Kagome a bit nervous. What had she done? Only Sango was laughing.

"Don't talk to me like that!" Inuyasha hissed, bringing his face close to hers. "Show some proper respect!"

"I don't even know you!" Kagome said incredulously. Inuyasha looked at her in dumbfounded stupor.

"You don't know me?" Inuyasha circled her, looking her up and down. Oh, she really didn't like him now.

"No, I don't know you!" Kagome shouted, incensed.

"But I think I've seen you somewhere before…" Inuyasha squinted, giving him a comical appearance. Kagome choked at the injustice of being forgotten so easily.

"I was the girl that was in between heaven and hell!" she blurted out. Inuyasha looked startled for a moment. "The girl in the subway this morning! The one that 'Onigumo' or whatever grabbed!" Inuyasha peered at her for a moment.

"The… subway…" Then, her burst out laughing. Slinging his arm around her, he started to walk toward the doors. She followed, since his grip was impeccable and it was either walk or be dragged. She could feel the hateful glares on her, and her skin crawled with anticipation as she caught more than one teeth-baring glances at her.

These girls were crazy!

Sango followed next to them, on Inuyasha's other side. She seemed unaffected by the hateful looks, and Kagome wondered how. She had the nilly willies just glancing at some of these girls. She would be murdered on her first day of school by jealous school girls who had the wrong idea.

First, Kagome got caught up in a fight. Then, she was picked on by a stern, horrible, strict teacher. Then she was sentenced to death in P.E.. Not to mention her other two classes were bores. She also had a gang leader in her last period class, her only friend in this school seemed to be very good friends with him, and now girls were giving her murderous, bloody stares because Inuyasha had the gall to throw his arm over her as if she was a throw pillow.

She was not having a good day…!

wk: Hope you liked it!

Read and Review, and tell me your opinions!