Misconceptions

Chapter Three:
Promise

"Where do you think you're going?" Kouga questioned almost angrily as he blocked Ayame's way of the hall.

Ayame sighed. Looking past him, there was obviously no way he'd go mysteriously blind in five seconds so she could find her escape. "Class," she answered carefully.

"There's something called a phone, you should pick it up sometime."

"I-I . . ." Ayame searched her head for any excuse. "I left it at Kagome's house all weekend and I couldn't get back since she was with Inuyasha."

"Do you honestly think I'm that dumb?"

"Do you want me to answer honestly?" she countered. She laughed nervously. "I mean . . . never mind." She quickly stepped back cautiously. "And before you even do anything, I think you should just know that action speak louder than words."

Kouga's response was a small grunt signaling her to shut up now. "Are you done?"

She nodded slowly.

"Good, then let's get to work. I believe you owe me a paper?"

Ayame pulled out a few sheets of typed paper. "Here. I even added a few grammatical errors so they wouldn't notice the difference between your work and mine."

Kouga looked over it carefully, letting his eyes roam every page. "Good enough I guess. Let's go."

"Go? Go where? I have class, I can't miss it. Carissa doesn't take very good notes and Kagome is out of the city till tomorrow."

"I've taken care of that." He grabbed her arm. "Now let's go," he urged in commanding tone as he dragged her behind him.

Ayame sighed as she let her heels skim over some of the pavements. She observed their surroundings. "The pub again?" She yanked her arm away. "Before I do any more work, can I at least know when this torture is going to end so I have something to look forward to?"

He didn't answer her. He only grabbed her yanked her again.

She wondered if he had gotten amnesia and forgotten everything she told him. More like she hoped he had forgotten everything. Stepping inside the local pub, Ayame sat at her usual table, along with Ginta and surrounded by books.

"Work good now," Bankotsu teased.

"I'll try to resist the temptation of having fun," Ayame spat back, angrily grabbing a book and opening it up to the page she left off at.

'Hopefully Carissa will get a clue when I'm not in class and save me!' she thought to herself.

.o0o.

So what if she hadn't even gotten one call of apology? It didn't matter, right? Oh what was she kidding? Of course it mattered. Carissa had spent all of her weekend thinking about Hideki rather than partying her night away as usual. She had to admit though; it had been a nice change. Her mind seemed more collected and she had enough time to catch up in her studies.

But all that did not change the fact that she charmed and obsessed. She began creeping herself out all together about an hour ago. 'Stop it,' she scolded. 'Stop thinking about him, now!'

The class bell ringing snapped her out of her thoughts.

"And we'll continue this next class. Don't forget to read the next ten chapters for homework and I want an essay explaining it!"

Carissa picked up her books, stuffed them in her tote bag, and walked out of the class room. What was the professor even talking about? She couldn't even remember.

"Carissa," she heard a familiar voice call behind her.

She looked back finding Landon Burke, her class mate, walking toward her. "What is it?" she asked.

"It's been a while," he added. "How've you been?"

She shrugged, running her fingers through her thick hair. "Fine I guess. How are you?"

"Good. I'm surprised I haven't heard from you in forever."

"I've just been a little busy."

"We should get together sometime—you know, to catch up?"

She smiled. "Sure, I guess. You have my number."

"Good, I'll call you later," he promised.

She nodded. "Bye,"

'See, who needs Hideki anyway?' She smirked.

.o0o.

"Come one, it's been over two hours. Me and Ginta have been working our brains out and you haven't even offered us a meal!" Ayame stomped on the floor and rested her hands on her hips stubbornly. "I refuse to work till we're fed."

Ginta pulled on her. "I wouldn't talk to them like that. That's how you end up with scars."

"I don't care," she hissed. "You also get scars by depriving a hungry girl from food." She turned her attention back to Kouga, Bankotsu and Hakkaku. "I'm waiting,"

"Hey, girlie," Bankotsu growled. "How 'bout you sit your little ass down and behave."

"Hey, you don't talk to me like that," she snapped. She suddenly felt eyes on her.

Kouga broke the ice with a low laughter. "Don't mind the wench, Bankotsu. The dog just isn't trained yet." He looked at Ayame who and been trying to burn a hole in his chest with a fierce glare. "Sit," he commanded coolly. "I won't repeat my self."

Ayame sighed. "I'm not sitting because you want me to," she countered. "I'm sitting because . . . my feet hurt." She gave another sigh in defeat. "Come on Ginta, I'm sure I'll find a mint or something we can split in my bag."

Ignoring the two pests behind him, Kouga looked at his watch. "I have to go anyway."

"Auntie pulling your puppet strings again?" Hakkaku teased.

"Let's go, Ayame," Kouga ordered, ignoring Hakkaku's joke.

"What about Ginta?" She asked slowly.

"What about him? He's not my business."

"He's your cousin, and just because he was born at the bottom of the pack, doesn't mean he should be treated differently," she argued delicately. "It's not fair that he has to stay—hungry, may I add?"

Kouga eyed Ginta for a minute. "Fine, you're done. Now get out of my face."

Ayame cautiously walked out behind Kouga. "I don't appreciate you talking down to me, you know?"

"Whatever," he snarled, dismissing her comment. "Get in loser."

"Where are we going?"

"To get you something to eat. If I wanted my girls to look like you, I would have gone to the morgue."

Ayame thought for a second. "Am I mistaken or did you not call me chubby the other day?"

"I didn't call you chubby, bird brain. I meant that you're tinier than a skeleton. It's sort of sad. You look like a deprived third world child."

She scoffed. "Thanks," she murmured, her voice tainted in sarcasm. She sighed. "Before I even step foot into your car, I need to know you won't tell anyone."

"Tell anyone you got in my car?" he asked, confusingly.

She rolled her eyes. "No, fool . . . that . . . thing that I told you in confidence. You know . . . that thing where my parents . . ."

"Oh, right that . . . don't worry, bird brain. Your secret is safe with me."

.o0o.

Hideki knocked on the door for the third time. It was odd . . . he could hear laughter but yet no one seemed to answer. He knocked once more before turning away.

"Hideki?" Carissa called after him.

He turned to her voice. She ran over to him. "Hey, I wasn't expecting you here. What are doing here anyway?"

"I . . . don't know. I guess . . . I didn't like the way we left things off." He watched Carissa rub the sleep from her eyes. "Were you . . . sleeping? I-is someone in there with you?" He shook his head. "Never mind, that's none of my business. I said what I had to say. I'm done."

"No, it's okay. I'm just a little tired is all?"

"Carissa, I'm out," Landon called.

She smiled nervously. "Um, pay no mind. That's just Landon. It's late night studying, again."

Hideki shook his head. "You don't have to explain yourself, Carissa."

"No, really. Hideki, nothing is going on with me and Landon."

"Landon? As in Landon Burke?"

"You know him?"

He nodded slowly. "I suggest you pick better study partners. I wouldn't recommend him."

Carissa's face constructed it's self into one of confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"Carissa, his father is a . . . business tycoon, for better words. He and his family only cause trouble and if it weren't for some big peace thing the country is trying to keep with him. He'd already be arrested for an account of many things."

"Are you saying Landon has something to do with hi family business?" She found her self laughing.

"So you already knew and continue to be in his presence?"

"Hideki, please, give me some credit. Besides, Landon could harm a fly let alone run any of his fathers . . . shipments. I don't agree with the way he gets his money, but it's what they do."

"Just . . . watch yourself. I've been on his tail for months."

"And yet you can't get anything on him?" she added innocently. "Have you ever thought that maybe you're on his tail for no reason?"

"Absolutely not," he countered rather loudly.

"Alright, calm down. I'll be careful."

"Don't be careful, just don't end up anywhere around him."

"Excuse me, are you telling me what to do now? You are most certainly not my father and you have no right to presume you can command me to do anything."

"Hey," he began to argue. "I'm not here for any confrontations. I'd just prefer that for our next encounter I don't have to scrape you off the sidewalk because you didn't head a friendly warning."

Carissa scoffed. "Now it's a friendly warning? I don't get you, at all! First you refuse to be with me because of whatever reason, and now you're telling me what do. You are so out of line."

Hideki rolled his eyes. "Forget it. It's useless to even advise you."

"Fine, then you can go. Thanks for nothing."

.o0o.

Ginta watched Ayame scribbled into a notebook. She suddenly felt eyes on her slowly turned her head to him. "What is it?" she asked cautiously.

"You're alive."

She slowly smiled. "I sure hope so. What makes you think I wouldn't live to see another day?"

"Well," he put down the book he was holding. "No one talks to Kouga the way you did and be seen again."

"As terrible as that sounds, I'm sure I don't want to ask why." She snapped the cap of her pen back on it. "Why do you let those guys bully you anyway?"

"Why do you?" he countered.

Ayame shrugged. "I guess . . . I feel I owe to Kouga. Granted he didn't exactly do anything but change one simple grade and now I'm left doing all his homework, but I'm sure he went through a lot of trouble. Besides, I can't exactly afford another good college and if he gets me expelled from here, I'm sure I'll end up a bag lady somewhere for the rest of my life. Now you."

Ginta sighed. "Like I said before . . . my family branch is under his. In a wolf pack, you either obey or die. His family is royalty to the brown-wolf tribe."

"But that doesn't seem fair at all. He's made with greater power than you because of his blood?"

"That and the fact that he was first born to the royal clan. It may not seem fair, but it is what it is. Soon enough Kouga will graduate and take over his family business making him more powerful than before not only because of the tribe royalty, but because he'll be one of the richest men in the world."

"But you two are family—cousins at that! I can't believe he's put his friend over his blood like that—well I guess now I have to, but you know what I mean."

Over recent days, Ayame and Ginta had spent their time working and talking. While Ayame was at her actual job, her breaks were even spent working on her own school work and Kouga's. She barely slept, and when she did it was mostly through class.

This lead to Ginta and Ayame actually having something in common. They were practically slaves. That was the only thing that linked them.

Ayame jotted down a note or two before standing up and heading to Kouga and his friends. She handed him the notebook. "I'm done," she announced. "Can I go? Kagome's waiting for me and I have class."

Kouga took a moment or two to flip through a few pages. "You call these notes? Do them over," he demanded shoving the book at her while Bankotsu and Hakkaku laughed behind them.

Ayame scoffed. "Excuse me, but I'd like to know exactly what it wrong with my notes. My notes are perfect and if you don't see it then it's your problem."

"First off, they're sloppy. Second, they just look bad."

"Well then you can do it yourself because I'm leaving."

"The hell you are." He stood up and grabbed her by her arm, pushing the notebook into her. "You're staying and making better use of yourself."

Ayame stared at him a moment and finally snatched the notebook. "Alright," she stomped to her seat next to Ginta and took in her surroundings. She looked behind her at Kouga who got back to his conversation with his friends. She immediately dropped the book, grabbed her bag and stormed out of the pub.

Kouga gawked at the recent scene. "Bitch," he swore as he ran after her.

Hakkaku and Bankotsu laughed behind them. Ginta shook his head knowing if Ayame got caught she'd get it bad.

Ayame yelped as she ran faster than she realized she could. 'I'm so stupid! I'm going to get caught. I'm going to die!' She knew Kouga was catching up rather quickly. It turned out she forgot the minor detail about Kouga's youkai blood and how it made him have the actual speed of an animal. She screamed at the thought.

They both ran down the halls of the school leaving only the sounds of their feet behind. Kouga finally caught her from behind as she tried to run into a class room and brought her down as gently as he could knowing his force would be too much and pinned her to the ground.

Her breathing was off and practically labored. He realized her terrified gaze was not on him, but on something or someone above them. He followed her eyes only to find Oshiro-sensei and the rest of his class staring wide-eyed at the scene before them.

Ayame pushed Kouga off of her. "Oshiro-sensei, what a wonderful surprise," she gloated nervously.

"Yes, indeed, concluding it is my teaching room."

"Oh, and that little detail." She grabbed Kouga by the arm. "Kouga here was teaching me a very good lesson on . . . self defense."

"Save the excuse children. Kouga it's great to finally see you. Both of you take your seats and let us begin."

They both took their seats quietly as their professor began the class. "You're dead," Kouga hissed under his breath.

A/N:

Hey, another chapter. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading and reviewing! short I know, but i've been uber busy!

A blanket disclaimer for all chapters associated in the story of Misconceptions, which is soon to be come and Inuyasha fan fiction series. R. Takahashi owns all rights to the original characters of the manga/anime series. However, for all characters not associated with the manga/ anime series, they are owned by me, Tayanese.