Author's note: please review!

As I showered, I thought about what was happening with Inuyasha. How would I feel to know that my father had had an illicit child while still with my mom? Granted, my father and mother had divorced just two years after I was born, but it would probably still hurt.

After letting the hot water pour over my body for a few more minutes, I finally shut it off and wrapped my hair in a towel, dried it for a moment, then wrapped it around my body. Sighing, I went to put on my clothes.

Llll

The next day I'd gotten to school early, so I met Kikyou in front of the school before class.

If you saw Kikyou, you'd think we were sisters, since we looked so much alike (according to everyone else). That must have been because of our similar length black hair, same heights, and similar body types. Kikyou was beautiful, with bangs hanging above her eyes and smooth hair following down her shoulders. Her eyes were a very deep black, and her face was flawless. When she spoke, her voice had an intriguing, almost commanding way with it. People listened to her, and that was more than I could hope for me.

We'd been friends forever, and despite her popularity both with friends and with guys, she's still remained cool. Unlike me, Kikyou wasn't a one-guy girl. She liked to "Test the waters" as she put it. It seemed every week she had a new guy on her arm. I used to be jealous of it, back in eighth grade, when it seemed like she was changing. I used to think Inuyasha was interested in her, but now I knew different. I didn't let any of it affect our friendship anymore.

Like me and Inuyasha, Kikyou had an incomplete family as well. I think that's why we all bonded so well together. Kikyou had lost both her parents when she was really young, and she grew up with her grandmother, Kaede. However, whenever we talked about it, Kikyou would always laugh and reassure us that she didn't even remember her parents enough to feel pain. I liked to believe it.

Now, when I saw her, she was wearing a loose white, V-necked sweater, with a tight red micro micromini with thigh-high schools. She was clinging to who I recognized as Naraku Onigumo, the resident mysterious, brooding teenager in our school. AS far as I knew, every girl had been trying to get him go out with them since he transferred here. If any girl could do it, it was Kikyou.

"Hey Kagome!" Kikyou called excitedly as I walked towards her. She smiled and introduced me to her new boyfriend even though I, along with every other girl in school, knew who he was. "This is Naraku. Naraku, meet Kagome."

"Nice to meet you." I smiled at him, not sure what to do. After all, it was Naraku.

He slowly drew his hand out and smiled back, a move I'd never seen him do since he transferred (the smile, not the handshake). I took it awkwardly and then flinched a little. His skin was icy cold and hard. He noticed me flinch, even though Kikyou didn't, smiled wider, and withdrew his hand.

"Come on, let's get to class." Kikyou said, squeezing his arm as we walked inside the school. "I'll see you at lunch, okay?" She asked towards me, as we began walking separate directions.

I nodded and smiled. "Yeah." Then, I headed towards my locker, where I knew my favourite silver haired guy was waiting.

And sure enough, he was there, wearing the red cap that he was so obviously forbidden to wear at school. I smiled, and even before greeting him, I slipped my arms around his neck and gave him a warm kiss. He returned it affectionately, wrapping one arm around my waist. When I pulled apart, I smiled, "Good morning." I said sweetly.

"Yeah. It is." He grinned cheekily. Then he frowned. "Well, for now at least. That son of a bitch is moving in today. For once, I'm glad I have to go to school, just so I won't have to be part of the welcoming committee." He spat the last part.

"Oh come on, lighten up." I advised. "Don't think about it." I patted his cheek and smiled. The corners of his lips raised, but he didn't smile. "Stay distracted." I offered.

He grinned at that one, tightening his arms around my waist. "Are you offering to be the distraction?" He teased.

I giggled and pretended to think about it. Impatiently, he groaned and kissed me again. I raised a hand to his cheek, encouraging him.

Eventually, we had to part for breath, and he finally let me go long enough for me to open my locker and sort my books through. He leaned on the locker beside mine, watching me. "You're beautiful." He said, grinning.

I looked up and said, quite cheekily, "It's a little early in the morning for compliments, don't you think?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe you should hold them off and shower me with them afterschool, when we can actually be alone?" I suggested.

"I like the alone part." He admitted, and I laughed.

.

At lunch, I met up with Inuyasha and we entered the cafeteria together.

Our cafeteria was pretty small, with rows and rows of grey tables, then a food aisle far back. However, it was always extremely crowded. I spotted Kikyou and pulled Inuyasha along to find her.

A few tables down from her, Inuyasha suddenly pulled back and asked, "God, who is she sitting with?", in a slightly repulsed tone, referring to Naraku.

"That's Kikyou's boyfriend. Sort of." I offered. "Come on, let's go join them." I ordered, tugging on his arm to get him to move. Reluctantly, he followed after me.

"Kagome!" Sango, sitting across from Kikyou, greeted.

I'd met Sango in Sophomore year when she'd transferred into my class. She was really nice, and she had a really independent personality. Not only was she strong emotionally, but also physically, on account of her parents being martial arts teachers. She was also one of the prettiest girls Kagome knew. With her light brown hair and pink cheeks, she was definitely one of the most sought after girls. Well, she used to be, right after she transferred. But these days, not a lot of the guys had the guts to chase after her after she threatened to punch their daylights out.

"Hey Kagome." Miroku said, looking up from his cell phone. "Hey Inuyasha." He added.

Miroku, however, was one of the braver males and had continued pursuing Sango (as well as every other girl within a mile radius). He make moves on her very often though, because he was often still recovering from an injury she had provided him. Through all that, though, he was a funny guy.

"Hi you guys." I said, smiling. Inuyasha, still looking grim about being forced along, remained silent. I pinched him.

"Ow! Oh, hey." He offered, after giving me a glare.

When Kikyou and Naraku finally stopped kissing, Kikyou introduced him. "Inuyasha, this is Naraku." She said with a sunny smile. Naraku, propped up on one elbow, smiled without his teeth.

"Yeah, I know." Inuyasha said angrily.

I was confused. "What's up?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "Forget it." He said bitterly, taking a bite and keeping his eyes downcast. I sighed. I was used to Inuyasha's bizarre reactions.

I looked back up. Kikyou was confused, but she didn't let it bother her. She struck up a conversation with everyone else on the table right away. Naraku, leaning on his arm, looked me lazily through one of his eyes. Then he lifted two fingers in my direction and grinned slowly, like he was acknowledging something.

Lllll

After school, Inuyasha had calmed down, and I met him in front of the school, where we walked to his house.

Inuyasha's dad was extremely wealthy, owning huge companies around the world. Therefore, his house was amazing. Outside, there was a huge gate that opened when you identified yourself. Beyond that, on both sides of the path, was a spectacular lawn, with stunning flowers. The house itself was old fashioned and large, with beautiful white pillars and balconies. The patio we stood on was sparkling.

We were let in by Inuyasha's father's assistant, Toushi. He was frail looking, but spoke with the firm voice. Pushing his spectacles higher up his nose, he informed Inuyasha, "Your half-brother is upstairs moving into his room. Your father requests you be polite." He said, waving a finger at him.

Inuyasha tensed, and I squeezed his arm just as he was about to retort. He looked and me and rolled his eyes, but just nodded at Toushi.

We were standing in the main hall of the house. No matter how many times I'd been here, the beauty of it never ceased to amaze me. In the huge, open room, the floors were clean, sparkling marble. On either side of the room were doorways leading to the next rooms. Beside each doorway was the white stairway, leading up to the next floor. They joined at the top.

I slowly tugged Inuyasha up the stairs. He didn't say a word. Finally, we reached his room. It was the usual mess of posters and clothes. I sat down on the chair and looked up at him. He was still sulking silently. "Inuyasha…" I was about to say something else when someone outside the room spoke.

"I thought I heard some noise."

I was about to ask who it was, because a voice that smooth and well, sensual, did not belong to Inuyasha's father. However, I didn't need to ask, because a moment later, a boy, or rather, a man, stepped into the open doorway.

I might have gaped, and I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped. He was unquestionably the most beautiful male I had ever seen. There was no questioning who he was, either. His silver hair gave him away as Inuyasha's half brother. Unlike Inuyasha, his hair was cut to his shoulders, and layered so parts folded out. Silver bangs hung just above his eyes. They had the same brown eyes, so light they were nearly golden. That was where the similarities ended. Sesshomaru was half a foot taller, and his skin was a lighter shade. He had impeccable bone structure, the way he held his head up. His body was that of a model, with shoulders that weren't too broad, and a thin waist. It was also obvious he had just taken a shower, as his hair was wet and dripping onto the blue sweater he wore.

While I gaped, Sesshomaru just leaned against the doorway frame casually, and ran a hand through his wet hair. He had a slightly amused smile on his face. "Well, little brother? I come all the way here and I don't even get acknowledged?" His tone was taunting, but it was hard to believe someone with that voice could say anything that sounded anything other than angelic.

Finally, I tore my eyes away from Sesshomaru and back to Inuyasha. I knew well enough that his calm exterior was only a veil he held over his bristling temper. Even his fists began to tremble slightly, while his face remained unemotional. I quickly stood up and walked slightly behind him, encircling my arms around his waist. I felt his body relax.

Calmly, Inuyasha answered, "Hello, Sesshomaru." He nearly spat the name.

Sesshomaru pushed up from the wall and then let his eyes flicker around the room. "I can see you're still living up to your…", he paused for a moment, perhaps searching for a word. "..High standards." He was very obviously referring to the mess in Inuyasha's room. "No. No, I think it's actually gone to a whole new level." He said lazily. "Were you working on it while I was gone?"

I was beginning to get annoyed. I could see why Inuyasha never told anyone about Sesshomaru. He was a downright jerk. "Stop it." I said, taking a step forward.

Sesshomaru looked at me, and then looked back at Inuyasha. "Who's that?" He asked, almost as if he wanted to say 'what', instead of 'who'.

Inuyasha scowled. "None of your damn business." He nearly growled out.

"Well," Sesshomaru said, the smile gone, but his face remaining calm. "I'll leave you, seeing as you're…," He looked at me, "entertaining. I hope you enjoy your time in the pig's pen." Then, he turned and left smoothly.

"What a jerk!" I exclaimed the moment I closed the door. "How did you put up with him?" I asked angrily.

Inuyasha seemed to be calming down. He sat on the carpet, leaning back on the edge of his bed. I bent down beside him. "I almost didn't." He said slowly. Then his anger seemed to spark up again. "Who does he think he is? Some kind of freaking king or something?" He asked rhetorically. His face was slightly flushed.

"Inuyasha, calm down." I said quietly, touching his hand.

He didn't stop. "He thinks he can just walk in there and express his damn opinions on what I do? What makes him think he's so much better than me?" He nearly shouted.

"Just calm down." I said a little firmer, reaching up to touch his arm.

He didn't seem to hear me. "One of these days, I swear I'm going to-"

I bent down to kiss him hard, to stop him from continueing. It worked, and a moment later, he was pulling me down to his chest, and I was giving in.