AN: Sorry I didn't update for a while... Busy is my excuse and I offer no more. And for once I don't have a lot to say in the Author's Note so I'll just start the chapter.

---

Scars
By Inu-Chan
Friends

---

Kagome sat in her room, mentally and physically tired from the days activities. She never expected having friends would be so much fun.

'It's been too long,' She thought with a frown. The last time she remembered actually having her friends over at her house was... around kindergarten. The year before her father left after her baby brother's death.

"Souta..." She breathed his name remembering his soft brown hair and playful little eyes. He was always squealing in joy, playing with his little chew toys. But then he'd gotten sick after her mother stayed out too long with them. His temperature was lower than normal and his breathing was too slow.

Her parents took him to his doctor immediately and he was diagnosed with hypothermia. The next day he died, without warning. The only thing Kagome could think about was a saying she'd heard at school from the teachers, now that she thought about it. One door closes and another one opens.

Souta's short life was quickly shut off, causing an effect of her parents fighting with each other nonstop. All she heard was slamming doors, muffled screams, and loud crying at night. She never understood what was going on until she heard a conversation between her parents just before her father left.

---Flashback---

"Keishin, you can't leave," Kagome heard her mother begging and crying to her father.

"Nami, do you not realize Kagome could have been killed, too?"

"If you're so worried about Kagome and me not being a good mother why don't you stay? Or just take her with you?" Her mother's voice was harsh.

"I can't and you know that."

"Whatever, all you're doing is blaming this all on me."

Kagome could feel her father's growing rage even from the other side of the door, "Nami! You are acting as if you've just spilled some milk! Souta is dead!"

Kagome knew her mother was glaring at him from the short silence, "Honto? I would've never guessed."

"THIS is why I'm leaving, as much as I would want to, I can't take Kagome." Shifting of fabric was heard and then her father spoke again, "Nami, when I come back and anything is wrong with Kagome..." He didn't finish his sentence but the point came across easily.

The door opened and her father looked at Kagome with sad eyes, "I'll be back soon, and I'll take you with me." He swooped down and hugged her tightly.

He released after what seemed a lifetime and walked away from her, out of the house and out of her life.

Kagome turned away from the door towards her mother; she was livid, glaring at Kagome with utmost hatred.

"It's your fault," She said in a dangerous whisper.

And the hell began.

---End Flashback---

Kagome sighed as she thought about her mother. She'd yet to get over her father and stop beating on Kagome. She just didn't get her. 'It IS her fault Souta died,' Kagome thought bitterly. If she hadn't been so busy talking with her friends, she would have noticed they way Souta had started shivering.

Kagome sighed again, bored for once in her life. She already cleaned up the house so she wouldn't have to deal with her mother.

Just as she was about to sigh for the third time, the phone rang, startling Kagome.

"Moshi, moshi?" Kagome heard Sango's doubtful voice on through the phone.

"Hello? Sango?"

"Oh, Kagome! Do you think you could come sleepover at my house?" Kagome thought about what her mother would say and decided against the obvious argument.

"I don't think so," Kagome said with a hint of sadness lacing her monotonous voice.

"Why not? It's Friday!" Sango said, whining a little.

"I don't think my mother would let me."

"Then let me talk to her, I could ask her for you." Sango was basically begging.

"Okay..." Kagome doubted it would work but she took the phone to her (now sober) mother.

"Hello?" Nami took the phone from Kagome.

"Um, Ms. Higurashi can Kagome come sleepover at my house? It IS Friday after all..."

"Of course. I don't see why not," Came her cheerful reply. Kagome's jaw almost dropped off at her mother's behavior.

"Kagome, close your mouth before I do it for you." She glared at Kagome after she hung up the phone.

'So, it was a front. She can't let anyone know, so she puts a front,' Kagome thought as turned away from her mother.

---

"Hey, Kagome! I hope you didn't get lost on the way over here" Kagome stood in front of Sango's house with her book bag in hand.

"No, I found it fine." Kagome replied shyly, it WAS her first sleepover after all.

"So what d'ya wanna do?" They were in Sango's room, with Sango sitting on her bed and Kagome sitting on her floor.

"I don't know."

Sango looked at Kagome and sighed. She knew it would be hard to get her to open up; she was surprised she even came.

"I know! I'll get Inuyasha and Miroku to come over." Sango said, knowing she would need some backup.

"For what?"

"To... hangout...?" Sango gave threw her a weird glance.

---20 Minutes Later---

Inuyasha and Miroku were sitting in Sango's kitchen waiting for the two girls to come down.

"Maybe I should go check up on them." Miroku made a move to get up from his chair but Inuyasha quickly punched him down.

"Go ahead and you'll see what happens to Little Miroku, you damn hentai." Inuyasha glared at him and then sat back down.

He was deep in his thoughts soon, thinking about his new 'friend'. Why was she always so sad? Even when she tried to put on that cold mask, sadness was always trailing her eyes and her tone.

'I'll make her better,' He thought with a smile as Sango and Kagome came down the stairs.

Kagome was in one of Sango's outfits, a light blue blouse and pair of dark blue jeans. Kagome looked at Inuyasha and noticed his outfit. He looked different in his red t-shirt and baggy black jeans. 'Kind of sexy...' Kagome blinked rapidly at that thought. Where the HELL had that come from?

Inuyasha seemed to be oblivious to Kagome's confused expression (even though he DID notice that she was showing some emotion on her face) but Sango and Miroku weren't, seeing as though they had grins on their faces.

Miroku turned his gaze to Sango, who wore a somewhat tight button up black shirt with a magenta tank top underneath with a pair of extremely baggy pair of black jeans.

"Sango, dear, when are you going to cease being a tomboy and let me enjoy your wonderful figure?"

"Miroku," Sango turned to him with a smile. She started towards him, swinging her hips in a seductive way, and stopped right in front of him. "If you say ONE more perverted thing to me, I swear to the gods of everything holy AND evil that you will be my target for exterminating practice." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Got it?"

He looked at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "As long as I'm your anything, it's ok with me." Sango felt a caress on her bottom and she gave Miroku a warning look, for once giving him a chance to run.

He didn't run, in fact he increased his groping, giving her an innocent look all the while.

She silently counted to ten, trying to ignore his hands. Of course it didn't work and she turned the darkest shade of red the screeched out "Houshi!" and began beating him bloody.

About ten minutes later, a red Sango walked out of the house with a confused Kagome in tow with Inuyasha carrying Miroku's unconscious figure.

Ah, the bliss of teenage love.


---

AN: I just realized that this is turning out to have a little much humor in it and my other story which happens to be a humor/romance fic is becoming a little serious. Damn... I can't even keep the genres straight. Anyway (although this isn't even important, I'll tell you all), I wrote this entire chapter in size 8 for the font. I normally write in size 10 but strangely since I wrote in a smaller font I ended up writing a longer than normal chapter. Funny, eh?

And for those of you who don't know, hentai means pervert, honto means really (I think) and Houshi is Miroku's last name, which incidentally (or not) means priest in Japanese.

And I shall say for the end of the chapter, Ja n-

Juicy: HEY! WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU LET US WRITE ANYTHING!

I-C: Damnit, I was so close this time.

Inu-Chan: What do you mean you were so close?

I-C: And I thought you were the smart one...

J-Boi: Hey! Don't call her stupid.

I-C: I didn't baka. Read, damnit! READ!

J-Boi: Somebody's PMSin...

I-C: twitch Do you WANT to die you fricking hentai!

J-Boi: If I get a last fu-

I-C: JESUS CHRIST AND MOTHER MARY! STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT STOP IT!

Inu-Chan: The author is having some difficulties with one of her muses-

Juicy: J-Boi, happens to LOVE annoying her so I guess we-

Inu-Chan: I, not we, will be closing the chapter for toda-

Juicy: Oh will you shut up! I'LL say it! Ja ne and make sure you reply, the author is SO sorry for not updating sooner but she couldn't OKAY!

J-Boi: Looks like I-C aint the only PMSer up in here...

Juicy: WHAT!