Disclaimer: That's a negative.

A/N: As soon as I finished Chapter 7, I started this one right away. And I must say I'm pleased with my reviewers. If you're worried about Miroku being left out, I promise to try and put more of him in these next few chapters. But yeah...I don't plan on leaving anyone out at all.

Special Thanks To...
Beautiful.Black.Joy, Sienna-shirou, pinky101, and a NEW REVIEWER! Copper storm, I'm glad you like it so far.


Chapter 8 - Uproar

Inuyasha and Miroku sat on the cement steps just outside of their school. They couldn't help but noticed students staring at them as they passed, talking to each other in hushed whispers. Frankly, it annoyed the hell out of both of them.

Miroku scratched the back of his head and turned to face Inuyasha. "Where are they? It's not like them to be late for school..." Inuyasha had shown him the magazine the night before, and he was more or less horrified.

Inuyasha grunted and leaned forward, his white hair curtaining his troubled face. "I don't know. Kagome sounded pretty mad when we talked yesterday. Knowing her, the first person to say anything will go home with their head on a platter."

Miroku shook his head softly and leaned backwards so he was laying across the steps. "She really that bad?" he asked and crossed his arms behind his head.

Inuyasha smirked wryly and turned to face his friend. "When she wants to be."


Kagome, on the other hand, was feeling quite the opposite. 'Oh my god...I can't do this. What if Inuyasha won't talk to me? I have to apologize...but what's everyone saying?!' she wondered frantically as she clutched on to Sango's arm. "Sango...is it too late to transfer schools?"

As soon as Kagome's mother had come the night before, she told her everything. A small bit of her worries faded, however, when Kea mentioned that the magazine was only sold in Tokyo. But still, Tokyo was a big place. What could they do? Deny all of the rumors? Would anyone believe them if they did?

They were now standing about a block before Sengoku Jidai High, and hadn't moved for the past ten minutes. Sango clutched her backpack straps so tightly her knuckles had turned a ghostly white, and Kagome had turned very pale in the span of a second. Needless to say, they were both terrified about what was ahead.

Sango gently nudged Kagome forward. "Come on, or we're going to be late. We can't stand here forever. It'll seem even more suspicious if we don't turn up for school." Though as she said these words, they weren't helping her in the least. She observed vaguely that as she pushed Kagome ahead of her, her hands were trembling slightly. "I'm right here."

Kagome nodded weakly, drew herself to her tallest height, and continued on. Sango didn't hesitate to follow this time. "Oh man..."

As soon as they walked on to school grounds, every single pair of eyes turned to face them. Kagome kept walking, however, until she noticed that Inuyasha and Miroku were staring at them as well. She stopped dead in her tracks and felt her hands began to shake. 'I can do this...I just have to walk straight past them...' As she repeated this over and over in her mind, she made her way towards the steps and ran up them.

"Kagome, wait!"

She stopped again and tried to count to ten, only succeeding in making it to five. "What, Inuyasha?" she muttered weakly and raised a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. Was staying in bed all day too much to ask?

Just then the bell rang, and Kagome found this a perfect opportunity to high tail it out of there. "We'll talk later, Inuyasha. I don't want to be late for class," she explained and pulled open the school entrance. The next second, she had disappeared inside.

Sango turned towards Miroku and Inuyasha and shrugged helplessly. She mouthed a 'sorry' before she followed Kagome inside.

Miroku sighed and turned towards Inuyasha. "Man, she really is mad. It's going to be hard to get through to her, Inuyasha." The only thing he received was a grunt before they made their way into the school.


A man faced the large window at the back of his office, donning a black business suit with his long black hair pulled into a ponytail. One leg was crossed over the other, showing off the shine on his expensive black shoes. His fingers were intertwined and rested solemnly in his lap. From his office on the tenth story of the building, he could see the top of Sengoku Jidai High.

A beep sounded from the intercom on his desk, and a voice made its way through the speaker. "Naraku, sir, Kagura is here to see you."

Naraku spun around in his chair and pushed a red button on the intercom. "Very well. Send her in," he responded and leaned back. The door to his office opened shortly. The woman, Kagura, stepped in; her black hair was in a messy bun at the top of her head, and she was wearing a magenta skirt and blazer, with a lighter pink shirt underneath.

"I've done what you asked, Naraku. The girls just entered the school," Kagura stated, her red eyes staring down at the floor. She held a black briefcase in front of her, and after a moment, moved forward to set it on Naraku's desk. "And this is some information that's been gathered. That's all I have for now."

Naraku nodded and unlocked the briefcase, quickly sifting through the papers and pictures. A smirk grew on his face as he closed it. "You've done well, Kagura. You may leave."

Kagura gave a short bow before turning around and exiting through the door she had entered. Naraku kicked his feet up on the desk and clapped his hands together. A deep chuckle began to rise in his throat. "I will make them fall..."


As soon as Kagome stepped into the Ms. Rikei's science room, the voices instantly died down and some of the students turned to stare. She glared at all of them until they turned away. With an almost inaudible sigh, she slid into a desk and sank down as far as she could in her chair.

She wasn't deaf - she could hear the poorly muffled whispers, she could see the pointing fingers. Yet not one student had actually approached her or Sango. Perhaps they didn't believe it...but then what about Inuyasha and Miroku? One would have to be a complete and utter idiot to not recognize them. She began rubbing her temples gingerly, hoping that her intensifying headache would cease. No such luck, however, when she heard Ms. Rikei speak from the front of the room.

"Mr. Takahashi and Mr. Houshi...I hope that next time you decide to show up for class, you choose to do so a few minutes earlier. Take your seats."

Kagome stifled a groan as she sank even lower in her chair, if that was possible. Now more than ever, she wished that she could once again be the unnoticed student, one nobody ever paid attention to. She closed her eyes and willed herself to disappear, preferably reappearing again in her bed at home or some other secluded place. Anything besides school...

She peered under her bangs, and caught sight of Inuyasha sitting a couple of seats in front of her, Miroku faithfully sitting next to him. She didn't dare say anything, as Ms. Rikei had already begun writing on the board. Instead, she began plotting a revenge against the person who sent those pictures in to the magazine in the first place.


Sango sighed as she shut her locker door. Kagome's metal door was slammed shut seconds later, and slowly, with Sango at her side, she began to walk towards the back of the school. That was where they usually had lunch. There was a small, wrapped lunch box in Kagome's hands.

Sango noticed that Kagome was unusually quiet, even for her. "Kagome, is something wrong?" she asked carefully. There was no one left in the halls, thankfully, so the two were left alone.

Kagome shook her head and sighed softly. "This whole day...I know what people are saying. Everyone's talking about those damn pictures, and they won't stop staring. Inuyasha and Miroku are getting the same treatment. If we never had to go to that stupid signing, we wouldn't be in this mess."

Sango frowned slightly at her friend's words - she had never heard her speak of something with such aversion. "I know, Kagome. But we still need to talk to Inuyasha; ignoring him forever isn't the answer."

"I know," Kagome replied softly as she pushed open one of the school's back door. There were some tables set up outside, as well as trees perfect for sitting under. "Which is why I was planning to talk to them now." It wasn't hard to pick the two boys out - they sat by their 'posse.' "Well...uh...do you think we should bother them now?"

Sango rolled her eyes, though she was feeling just as nervous. "'Course we should. It's now or never, Kagome."

Kagome nodded as she and Sango began walking through the grass towards the table where Inuyasha and Miroku sat. It was a shame that it was such a distance away, because before they had made it half way there, an unfortunate obstacle stepped in their way. "Hey Kagome, Sango. Everyone's talking about the magazine that came out during the weekend. I'm sure you know the one I'm talking about."

That. Was. It. The nerves at the sides of Kagome's mouth began to tick uncontrollably. The lunch box in her hands started shaking. As if it was bad enough that Kikyou had to come and get in their way, she spoke loud enough for everybody in freakin' Tokyo to hear. "You know, Kikyou," she began slowly, completely aware that everyone was staring. "You chose one hell of a time to get in my way. I suggest you leave, now."

A chorus of 'ooooh's' went up from her friends. Sango was smart enough to know to back a couple of steps away from Kagome when she was like this. But Kikyou just didn't know how to shut up. "I guess Kagome here can talk big. But that's probably it." Snickers rang through her clique this time. Did they actually know how to talk? "Do you have a secret that you want to tell us, Kagome? What about you, Sango?"

Sango coughed and glared at Kikyou wearyingly. "I really don't think this is the time, Kikyou. Don't say I didn't warn you." Though she said this, Kikyou didn't move an inch.

Kagome appeared completely calm as she set her lunch box on the nearest table. It was dead silent, which was odd, because usually people would never shut up. "I thought that you, Kikyou, would at least have a speck of common sense. I guess I was wrong, because if you did, you would be long gone," she enunciated carefully. Out of the corner of her dark chocolate eyes, she saw Kikyou take a hesitant step backwards.

Kikyou drew herself to her fullest height (which was a whole three inches higher, thanks to her stilettos), and put both hands on her hips. "Higurashi, how dare you talk to me that way! What, did you wake up on the wrong side of the cardboard box this morning?"

Several things happened in the next few moments, and if you blinked, you would have missed it all. Kagome lunged towards Kikyou, but thanks to Sango grasping hold of her wrist, didn't actually do any damage. At the same time, Inuyasha and Miroku ran forward and caught hold of Kikyou's arms, in order to hold her back. The two girls stared at each other now, Kagome appearing all the more threatening. What's a girl in three inch stilettos and an ultra mini skirt going to do?

Inuyasha and Miroku held Kikyou's hands behind her back, although she hardly moved. "If I ever hear you speak to Kagome like that again, no one's going to hold her back. I think it'd be best if you used this time to leave," Inuyasha threatened. They released her arms, and after receiving a deadly glare, Kikyou stomped away. Her friends glared at Kagome and Sango in turned as they marched after Kikyou.

"Thanks, Inuyasha, Miroku," Sango muttered as she let go of Kagome's wrist. She picked up the lunch box on the table and handed it to Kagome's still trembling hands. "Here."

Kagome nodded and grabbed the small box, instantly collapsing at the nearest table. It seemed everyone had already disappeared... "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so out of hand." Inuyasha and Miroku sat on the opposite side of the table. "That was my fault. I shouldn't let Kikyou get to me so easily."

Miroku shook his head and placed one of his hands over Kagome's, in a friendly gesture. "I'm sure Inuyasha here would have done the same thing."

Kagome shook her head and sighed. "I owe you guys an apology, too. I really didn't mean to say those things, Inuyasha. God...I don't know what's come over me lately."

Inuyasha frowned and leaned forward slightly. "It's not your fault, Kagome. Don't beat yourself up over this. Kikyou's a bitch, and you had every right to say everything you did."

Sango smiled softly and rested a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "I don't think anyone else is going to have the guts to come up to you today. And we still have ten minutes until we have to get back to class."

Kagome poked her chopsticks at the assortment of rice and fish. "These past few days; the signing, magazine pictures, and now school. I don't know what I would do without you guys."

Miroku smirked and propped one of his elbows on the table. "If it wasn't for us, you would have ripped Kikyou's hair out. Then you would have been expelled from school. We couldn't let that happen."

Sango laughed lightly and stretched her arms above her head. School was only half over, and she was already exhausted. "So, I can see you guys are getting plenty of attention today," she alleged with a small smirk.

Miroku frowned and raised one hand to rub the back of his head. "Don't remind me. Nobody knows how to shut up anymore," he muttered with a slight sigh. "I don't know how you do it."

Kagome stood up, a now empty lunch box in her hands. "So I'm guessing you guys don't like the attention all that much. Funny how you can change your mind so easily," she muttered and began walking back towards the school. "We should be getting back to class. The bell's going to ring in a few minutes, and I would really prefer not to be late."


Lunch period, it seemed, was always too short, Kagome realized as Mr. Myouga's nasally voice droned on about something she couldn't care less about. She was continually tapping her pencil on her desk, all the while staring out the window, hoping for something more...provocative to happen. Perhaps teachers were only hired to make students' lives a living...

"Ms. Higurashi! Pay attention in my class!" Mr. Myouga squeaked at the top of his lungs. Her classmates shifted in their chairs to stare at her, but she didn't move. Instead, she shrugged and continued tapping her pencil on her desk.

"Sorry," Kagome muttered, though she didn't sound at all apologetic. Tap, tap, tap, tap... Mr. Myouga huffed and turned back to the board. She turned back to the window as the students turned to face the front. Unfortunately, the only person in this class she was vaguely familiar with in this class was Kouga. So, more or less, she was alone.

There were only two words that caught Kagome's attention. 'Project partners.' Since she hadn't been paying any attention at all, she didn't have a clue about the sleazy teacher was talking about.

After a few moments of staring at the board, she realized that Mr. Myouga was going to assign partners, and together, they had to create a presentation on one of the topics listed on the board.

She could have died.

Mr. Myouga was already calling out students' names from a clipboard. Kagome crossed her fingers and sunk as low as humanly possible in her chair. She had never been could at projects, especially if she had to work with someone else. That usually meant going to other people's houses...

"Ms. Higurashi, you will be partnered with...Kouga Ookami."

She almost died.

Kagome peered under her bangs at Kouga, who, to her horror, was staring back at her with a smirk on his face. More than anything, she wanted to heinously wipe that smirk off his face. Oh, the temptation. Instead she turned back to her window and closed her eyes, hoping that she could disappear, even if it was only for a few minutes. If only...

"Alright, class, that will be all for today. I suggest you talk to your partner and choose the topic you would like to research, and then tomorrow you can use class time for preparation. Class dismissed."

Kagome groaned silently as she stood up, bending backwards slightly. She straightened herself when she heard her back crack satisfyingly. She knew Kouga was walking towards her, and so she decided to try and disappear as quickly as possible. But it wasn't enough, because he caught hold of her wrist, making her bounce backwards. She whipped around to face him with a venomous glare. "What, Kouga?"

Kouga chuckled lightly as he glanced down at her. "Well, we're partners. Don't you think we should be discussing our topic?"

Kagome rolled her eyes and yanked her arm away. "Listen, Kouga; we can discuss this tomorrow. But I gotta go. Sango's waiting for me. I'll see you later," she dismissed in a none-too-kindly way. In the span of a second, she was already out in the hallway and heading towards her locker.

Once Kagome had made it to her locker, she banged her head on the metal door a total of five times. The contact made a dull metallic sound, making Sango glance around her locker door to see what was going on. "Whoa, Kagome, what's wrong? You better stop before you give yourself a concussion..."

Kagome groaned and opened her locker door, unceremoniously throwing her history books inside the small space. "We have to do a presentation in history, and what do you know, Kouga's my partner. I swear, Mr. Myouga is out to ruin me."

Sango shook her head and sighed sympathetically. "Maybe he is. But what are you going to do now? You know he won't let you exchange partners. Kouga can't be all that bad, anyways."

Kagome considered this for a moment as she shut her locker door - they were headed to calligraphy, a class where they, thankfully, didn't need to carry any heavy books. "No, I guess not. He doesn't actually seem that bad, just...weird. What topic are you going to do?"

Sango laughed lightheartedly as she stopped before the Calligraphy classroom door. "Don't know yet. I got partnered with that girl...Rin, I think her name is. She seems nice enough."

The two sat at a group of desks nearest the back, regarding the fact that Inuyasha and Miroku were sitting near the center of the room. Kagome restlessly placed her hands on the surface of the desk, occasionally glancing at Sango or Miroku and Inuyasha. Calligraphy was one of the only classes she was able to pay attention to, though she really didn't see the purpose in learning it. Maybe that was the reason she liked it so much; it was pointless.

The sound of the phone ringing made it to her ears, as well as the teacher's voice talking in hushed tones. What she wasn't prepared for was when the teacher called her name.

"Ms. Higurashi? Your mother's on the phone. She says it's important."


Sango: I hope everything's alright...

Miroku: I'm sure it's fine, my dear Sango.

Inuyasha: Keh. Probably no big deal.

::Kagome throws a hard covered workbook at Inuyasha's head::

Inuyasha: Ow, dammit, wench! That hurt!

Stephenie: Er...review please!

A/N: Alright, I apologize for the cliffie. (Actually, I don't, but whatever.) You wouldn't believe how necessary they actually are. Anyway, I understand that this chapter is shorter than the last one. I just started another fic, along with Turn Tables, so now I'm balancing three at once. But I promise to make the next chapter longer, just for you guys. R&R, please!


Hey...maybe you guys should do what the button says. It might not be very happy if you don't...