Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Inuyasha.
Pairing: Sasuke/Kagome/Itachi (The final pairing has already been decided; however, you're welcome to try to convince me otherwise).
Self-Confidence
2/1/07 – 2/3/07
It had hardly been two hours since "Operation Uchiha Sasuke" went into effect, and she was already ready to commit suicide (or homicide). In her opinion, the endeavor was not only extremely pointless, but severely dangerous too.
Even now, she was teetering on the edge of insanity.
"I will not!" Kagome growled, crossing her arms to form a big 'X' sign. "He'll definitely reject me as soon as I ask. Then, I'll turn into the school's biggest laughing stock! I'll never be able to show my face in public again!"
Sango looked bemused. "Look, Kagome-chan, even in the worst case scenario, I hardly think you'll become the school's laughing stock. At the most, you'll probably just join the rest of the female population in the failure department."
Kagome frowned. "Wow, thanks Sango-chan, now I'm practically brimming with confidence!" she snarled, sending her best friend a withering glare.
"Good, I'm glad you feel that way." Sango retorted smartly, purposely ignoring her friend's sarcasm-coated words. "Now, get in there and get yourself a boyfriend! I'll be rooting for you from the shadows!"
Before Kagome could even begin to form a protest, she was roughly shoved into the chemistry lab. Almost immediately, everyone's eyes turned to her. I'm going to kill you, Sango! Kagome silently swore as shifted nervously from foot to foot. What am I supposed to say?!?
"You're not in this class, are you Higurashi-san?"
Flushing a dark red, Kagome quickly squeaked, "No."
"Did you get lost in the hallway?"
Kagome frowned. Leave it to Hobo Hojo to ask the stupidest questions at the worst times possible. "No," she finally answered, shooting him an irritated glare. Who in the world would be stupid enough to get lost in their school anyway? Not to mention, there were directional signs posted everywhere!
"Did you forget the location of your classroom?"
How is that any different from the last question? "No..." Kagome drawled.
"Are you here on an errand?"
Kagome felt the beginning signs of a major migraine. "No!"
"Did you–"
Before Hojo could finish asking his inane question, someone finally developed the decency to interrupt. "Then, what are you doing here?"
Turning her head towards the source of the disinterested voice, Kagome's breath immediately hitched when she locked eyes with Sasuke. He's talking to me! What did he just say?!? "Um…" Flushing a dark red, Kagome quickly bowed and shouted, "I'm sorry for disturbing the class!"
Then, without an explanation, she quickly turned and high-tailed out of the chemistry lab. Running past a slack-jawed Sango, she angrily snarled, "Congratulations, Sango-chan, you just successfully ruined my life! Are you happy now?!? Now, if you'll excuse, I'm going to go live the rest of my life as a hermit!"
Sango blinked as Kagome continued to storm down the hall and out the door.
"Um, ano …" Hinata whispered, peeking around the corner behind Sango. "Do you think Kagome-chan is going to come back? Class starts in two minutes…"
"Beats me," Sango shrugged helplessly. "Anyway, if what I observed just now was any indication, we're going to have our work cut out for us if we want to hook Kagome with Sasuke."
"Maybe we shouldn't involve ourselves in their personal lives." Hinata mumbled, frowning darkly at the thought. "It isn't right to mess with other people's lives. Plus, if Kagome and Sasuke were truly meant for one another, they'll come together regardless if we intervene or not."
"Pfft!" Sango snorted. "Look, Hinata-chan, Kagome's too dense to make a move. If we, her best friends, don't help her, she'll end up wasting away her life as an old maid. You don't want that to happen to her, do you? Plus, what kind of friends would we be if we let Kagome live as a hermit and a social recluse?"
Hinata twitched. "Ano, Sango-chan, a hermit is a social recluse."
Sango rolled her eyes. Leave it to a Hyuuga to get all technical over something as simple as vocabulary. "Anyway," she continued, brushing off Hinata's correction. "I have the perfect plan to help Kagome build confidence. If everything goes according to my plan, Kagome should be confident enough to ask Sasuke out by the end of the week. So, here's my idea…" she whispered conspiringly, beckoning Hinata to come closer.
"First, we…."
Kagome shivered as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself. Despite the fact that she was drenched in sweat, she felt distinctly…cold. If she was the superstitious type, she would have said that someone was actively conspiring against her. But who would go through the trouble of doing that?
Nah, Kagome shook her head. It's probably nothing. I'm just paranoid.
Ignoring the sinking feeling in her stomach, she quickly continued on her way home. Setting one foot mechanically before the other, she made it back to the Higurashi Shrine by pure instinct alone. Tired and depressed, she tried to ease the day's humiliation from her mind by thinking happy, positive thoughts.
Sadly, it only made it worse.
The memory of the humiliation was firmly engraved in her mind, replaying itself over and over again within her mind's eyes, relentlessly taunting and mocking her for her show of stupidity…
"Argh! I can't believe I acted like a total ditz in front of the class!" she suddenly howled, pulling her hair in distress. It took her a moment to realize that she was standing in the center of the busiest street in Shibuya.
It took her another three seconds to realize that people were beginning to stare.
The next morning, Sango purposely arrived at school forty-five minutes early to instigate Plan A, which was aptly dubbed: 'Mission Self-Confidence'. Rubbing her hands craftily together, she quickly slipped into the school and snuck into the garden through the back door. Dropping to her knees, she quickly crawled her way down the gravel road and carefully examined each rose bush that lined the path.
Red? No, too cliché.
Next…
Yellow? Perfect! Too bad it hasn't bloomed yet.
Next…
Black? Nice, but completely improper for the occasion.
Moving down the path, she finally stopped before a violet rose bush. Her eyes lighted with delight as she quickly plucked the prettiest one from the bush and stashed it into her book bag, mindful of the rose's fragility. Perfect! Mission complete! Pulling herself off the ground, she was fully prepared to leave the garden when she suddenly ran smack into a muscled body.
Rubbing her bruised nose, she angrily shouted, "Okay, who's the wise guy who parked the garbage truck into the middle of the road?!?" Huffing, Sango lifted her head to meet the culprit's eyes, and immediately squeaked and backpedaled into the rose bush when she locked eyes with a pair of murderous orbs.
"Argh!" she cried as she tumbled backwards into the rose bush. "G-Gaara, what are you doing here?!?" When the silent boy failed to answer, Sango growled, "Well, don't just stand there like a space cadet! Help me up! This isn't exactly comfortable position, you know?"
Gaara's eyes narrowed fractionally as he imperiously crossed his arms over his chest. Shooting Sango a murderous glare, he coldly hissed, "Where is my rose?" When Sango shot him an incredulous look in response, he softly added, "Return it."
"Your rose?" laughed Sango, pulling herself daintily out of the rose bush to avoid further injury. "I hate to break this to you, but its school property. It doesn't belong to you alone!" After a moment, she mockingly added, "You know, you honestly didn't strike me as the sissy type who fawned over roses and sunshine."
Gaara glared. "Return the rose to me."
Sango frowned. "No!"
"I said, return it."
"And I said, no!"
"Return it."
"No means no, idiot! Do I have to spell it out for you?"
Gaara fell silent.
Sango raised an eyebrow. Okay…strange kid. I seriously hope he's not going to start crying or something drastic like that.
"I'll kill you."
Sango blinked. "Pardon me?"
"I'll kill you."
Rolling her eyes, she snorted, "Very funny, Sabaku."
Gaara's eyes darkened as he coldly repeated, "I'll kill you."
It took Sango a moment to realize that Gaara looked absolutely serious. Gulping, she quickly pushed him aside and ran. Tossing a quick glance over her shoulder once she was sure she had lost him, her eyes immediately widened when she found him right behind her – matching her step for step.
He's utterly serious! He's really trying to kill me!
A terrified scream ripped from her throat as she raced down the empty hall crying bloody murder.
The guy was INSANE!
Ten minutes before first period, Hinata finally found Sango hiding in the broom closet across from the janitor's office. Confusion marred her innocent face as she softly asked, "Sango-chan, what are you doing in the janitor's broom closet?" Opening the door completely, she gasped, "What happened? You look like you crawled out of a war zone!"
I wish! It probably would have been safer! Waving off her friend's concern, Sango quickly whispered, "Have you, by any chance, seen Gaara?"
"Gaara?" echoed Hinata, tilting her head in confusion. "Oh! You mean Sabaku-san! He's in my fourth period civics class. Are you looking for him? Because I think I saw him near the physics classroom…"
"Thank goodness!" sighed Sango, slumping in relief.
"Did something happen?"
"No, it's nothing important." Sango lied, pulling out the violet-colored rose from her book bag. Surprisingly, it looked relatively unharmed from her mad-dash through the school. Holding the rose up to Hinata, she smiled. "I got it."
"So, what are you going to do with it?" Hinata asked, eyeing the flower with interest. "It's really pretty."
Sango grinned. "I thought you'd never ask! Anyway, I was thinking that if we could somehow convince Kagome that she is destined to marry Sasuke, she'll gain more confidence in herself. So, this is where the rose comes in. According to my calculations, there are exactly thirty-two petals on this rose. Thus, if we can convince Kagome to accept the rose as sign from Fate, then our mission will be accomplished!"
Flushing in embarrassment, Hinata squeaked, "B-But how is the rose going to convince Kagome-chan of that? It can't tell the future, can it?"
"Hinata-chan," Sango sighed, "You severely underestimate the power of a rose. Do you have any idea how many famous couples in history were brought together by a rose? All of them!"
Hinata frowned. How come she didn't remember any of that from history class?
"…I rest my case."
Kagome sighed. "Basically what you're telling me is to believe that the violet rose has the power to foretell the future."
"Exactly!" smiled Sango, looking oddly satisfied.
"You could have just said so plainly from the beginning instead of forcing me to endure your twisted logic." Kagome deadpanned. "Now, thanks to you, I wasted twenty precious minutes of my life. Now, if you'll excuse me, friends, I'm going to go buy my lunch before fifth period begins."
"Wait!" Sango shouted, blocking Kagome from entering the cafeteria. "You have to consult the rose before you can eat."
Kagome glared.
"Oh, come on, Kagome-chan, it'll only take a minute!" Sango pleaded, turning irresistible, puppy-dog eyes towards her.
Sighing in defeat, Kagome gracelessly snatched the rose from Sango (mindful of the thorns), and immediately plucked off a petal. Allowing it to flutter from her hands, she mumbled, "He likes me..."
"Wait, wait, wait!" shouted Sango, catching the wayward petal before it could touch the ground. "You must start off with 'he likes me not'."
Kagome eyed her friend suspiciously. "Why?"
"It's tradition." Sango easily lied.
Deciding that it was futile to argue with her friend on matters like these, Kagome quickly snatched the fallen petal from Sango's hand and grumbled, "He likes me not."
Petal two: "He likes me."
Petal three: "He likes me not."
Pulling Sango aside, Hinata whispered, "Why does Kagome-chan have to start with 'he likes me not'? Isn't that bad luck?"
Petal seven: "He likes me not."
Petal eight: "He likes me."
"It doesn't matter." Sango answered, easing Hinata's anxiety. "Remember how I told you there were thirty-two petals in all?"
Hinata nodded.
"Well, if Kagome start out with 'he likes me,' then she'll definitely end with 'he likes me not' on petal thirty-two. So, if she starts out with 'he likes me not,' then I can absolutely guarantee she'll end with 'he likes me' on number thirty-too. And when that happens, it'll be mission accomplished for us."
Petal fourteen: "He likes me."
Petal fifteen: "He likes me not."
"Oh," Hinata whispered as Sango's ploy finally became clear. "B-But isn't that lying?!? Kagome-chan will be really angry if she finds out."
"Sh," Sango hissed. "Do you want her to hear us?"
Hinata quickly bit her lips.
Petal eighteen: "He likes me."
Petal nineteen: "He likes me not."
"You know, a little white lie isn't going to hurt anyone. Plus, it's for her good. Not to mention the fact that as soon as she ensnares Sasuke's attention, she'll be too busy thanking us for our help to care about this little setback."
"I hope you're right…" Hinata trailed, sounding unconvinced.
Petal twenty-four: "He likes me."
Petal twenty-five: "He likes me not."
Petal twenty-six: "He likes me."
"There you are." a cold voice drawled, sending shivers racing down Sango's spine. Slowly cranking her neck towards the source of the voice, she immediately flinched when she locked eyes with a set of pale, green orbs.
Chuckling nervously, Sango laughed. "Ha, ha, ha – Imagine meeting you here, Sabaku! It's a really small world, isn't it?"
"Ano, Sango-chan," Hinata whispered, oblivious to the growing tension between the two. "We attend the same school. Of course you'd meet him eventually. Why are you so surprised?"
Laughing loudly to hide her nervousness, Sango whispered from the side of her mouth. "I'll tell you later."
Gaara glared. "Return my rose."
"I don't have it!" Sango replied.
"Oh, you mean this?" Kagome asked, offering Gaara what was left of the pitiful rose. "Was it yours?"
Gaara frowned. Shooting a distasteful glare at Sango, he growled. "Keep it." Then, turning stiffly, he disappeared into the cafeteria.
Releasing the pent of breath that she had subconsciously been holding, Sango mentally whispered, "Thank goodness that episode is over!" She wasn't sure her nerves would be able to take it if it dragged on any longer. Shaking her head, she quickly turned her attention back to Kagome, who was (once again) eyeing her suspiciously.
"Sango-chan, did you really get this rose from a seer?" Kagome asked skeptically. "Because I'm beginning to get the feeling that you stole this rose from Sabaku-san."
Feigning hurt, Sango harrumphed. "Of course I got it from a seer! How can you doubt me, your best friend? Plus, why would Sabaku have roses anyway?"
Frowning, Kagome honestly answered, "When it comes to these things, I really find it hard to trust you. Also, Sabaku-san is charged (or more like punished) with the welfare of the school garden. Of course he'd have access to the roses."
Sango sweat dropped. So the infamous delinquent who was charged with the welfare of the school garden on threat of expulsion was Sabaku Gaara? Why was she always the last one to find out about these things? Giving into her curiosity, she asked, "What did he do?"
Kagome shrugged. "Beats me, but whatever he did really riled Takada-sensei because he's the one who threatened Sabaku-san with expulsion if the rose garden wilted on his watch. However, I don't know what he did to anger Takada-sensei in the first place."
"I-I know," Hinata stuttered, lowering her gaze to the floor. "I was there when it happened. S-Sabaku-san threatened to kill Takada-sensei."
"Why?" Kagome asked with morbid curiosity.
"Takada-sensei lost Sabaku-san's test results." Hinata answered, frowning grimly. "Then, before I knew it, Sabaku-san was threatening to kill Takada-sensei, who, in turn, threatened Sabaku-san with expulsion on charges of insanity."
"I don't blame the guy." Sango snorted, sympathizing with the teacher. That kid has some serious mental issues. "So, why hasn't he been kicked out of the school yet?"
"Because his family's rich." answered Hinata. "As much as Takada-sensei hates Sabaku-san, he's scared of Sabaku-san's father, who could potentially put him out of work if he kicked Sabaku-san out of the school. So, Takada-sensei settled for the next best punishment and charged Sabaku-san with the garden's welfare."
"Ah, that makes sense." Sango nodded. Pity he wasn't expelled. "Anyway," she smiled, turning her attention back to Kagome. "Hurry up and finish consulting the rose so we can go in and eat."
Shaking her head, Kagome quickly plucked another petal…and paused. Where did I leave off? Shrugging, she continued from where she thought she left off.
Petal twenty-seven: "He likes me."
Petal twenty-eight: "He likes me not."
Petal twenty-nine: "He likes me."
Sango frowned. Something was distinctly wrong with the picture, but she couldn't put a finger on it…
Petal thirty: "He likes me not."
Petal thirty-one: "He likes me."
Sango's eyes widened as she finally realized the problem.
Petal thirty-two: "He likes me not."
She mixed the words…
Kagome dropped the rose stem. Crestfallen, she sighed, "I guess that means I should give up on Sasuke. Apparently, we're not meant to be together." Shrugging, she quickly turned heel and walked into the cafeteria.
Hinata quickly followed, leaving Sango to her own devices.
Gritting her teeth, Sango growled. It's that idiot's fault! If he had interrupted, everything would have gone according to plan! But no, he just had to come and ruin my plan by messing up Kagome's words!
Clenching her hands in frustration, she lifted her head and screamed, "Sabaku Gaara, this means war!!!"
Mission Self-Confidence: Failed!
TBC
Author's note: I accepted a challenge to not watch TV or play video games for a whole month, so I'm going to have a lot extra time to write during February. Hence, the abnormally quick update. So, what do you guys think of this story so far? I tend to write serious (preferably angst) stories, so this is way out of my element. I hope it wasn't too terrible in terms of plot. :)
Next Chapter: Eye Contact
On top of trying to hook Kagome with Sasuke, Sango has declared open warfare on Gaara. The once peaceful (sort-of) school will never be the same again with this odd group of students taking the campus by storm.