"I stumble through the wreckage

Rusted from the rain

There's nothing left to salvage

No one left to blame

Among the broken mirrors

I don't look the same" – Billy Talent III

Chapter Thirteen- Walking a Fine Line

Kagome woke up feeling miserable. After just a couple of days of settling in, she would be starting at her new school now. Sesshomaru had not said much to her since the airplane ride. If anything he seemed rather…cold. Was it her? Was she just lacking in too much for him? The thought made her wince as her hand instantly went up to rest on her arm. She picked at one of the scabs, feeling a bit jittery.

She hadn't been able to bring her little bottle of pills and so far there hadn't been any sharp objects in sight. Kagome couldn't even find any kitchen knives. The withdrawal from the pain medication was getting more unpleasant with each passing day. Shouldn't she be happy? She was after all, out of that house. Instead she felt empty… a body without a soul.

Kagome took her time getting ready. It was the first time she would be wearing a school uniform. The sleeves weren't long enough to cover up her arms so she put on a pale blue sweater over her top. The little miko looked in the mirror. Had she always been this pale? There were dark circles under her eyes. What a way to start off her first day of school.

Digging through some of her stuff, Kagome pulled out a blue clip. She pulled her hair back, glancing in the mirror again. The clip itself was a bit flashy with its pale blue coloring and little sparkles. Perhaps it would distract people from looking at her face….

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

There was a light knock on his door as Sesshomaru got ready for school. "It's open," he answered tonelessly. He hated mornings and today he felt nervous…not exactly an emotion he was used to having.

InuTaisho entered the bedroom. He looked at his son, wondering how to word what he had to say. "Sesshomaru…do you regret bringing Kagome here?"

The younger demon sent him a sharp look. "Why would you even ask me such a thing?"

"You have barely spoken to her. Nor have you gone out of your way to spend any time with her. I just find it a bit odd….that's all."

Sesshomaru let out a sigh as he sat on his bed. "It's just strange…I don't know how to act around her. I don't understand how she can be like that."

"Do you care less for her because of it?"

"Of course not," Sesshomaru grounded out his words with a low growl.

"Then stop acting like it. Kagome is in a really hard spot right now and you avoiding her is not helping the situation at all. This new relationship is bound to start off awkward given the current circumstances. You just have to be patient and understanding. But right now Kagome needs you to be there for her."

"I will keep that in mind," Sesshomaru stated before turning away from his father. He did not want to talk about this anymore.

xXxxFirst Day of SchoolxXxx

Sesshomaru had walked Kagome to her first class. She had math first period. He had told her a little bit about her new school before falling back into his usual silence. It had felt rather awkward.

Kagome sat quietly in class as she listened to the teacher drone on about equations and how they could use them later on in life. It was easy enough to understand but also boring.

When the bell rang, Sesshomaru was already waiting for her after class. He walked her to her biology class in silence before leaving her side again. The silence was depressing.

The guy sitting beside Kagome gave her a smile and a small wave. She gave a nod in his direction as she studied his appearance. She could tell he was a demon. He had bright orange hair tied up in a ponytail and emerald green eyes.

"My name is Shippou. I saw you yesterday when I was being registered. So you're new here too?"

"Yeah…I'm Kagome."

"Cool so what class do you have next?"

Kagome got her schedule out to have a look at it. "English with ."

"Me too, I'll walk with you then."

Kagome's attention was drawn away to the front of the class as the teacher started in on his lecture. The teacher was easy to listen to and so far it was a pretty interesting class. She vaguely wondered what Sesshomaru would think of Shippou tagging along after the period ended. Would it annoy him?

Well she was about to find out. Kagome walked out of biology with Shippou as he rambled on about various things. Sesshomaru fell into step beside Kagome without a word. The fox demon paused briefly in his rambling to eye the dog demon.

"Hi I'm Shippou. I'm new here, like Kagome-chan."

Sesshomaru eyed the other demon wearily. He didn't like how friendly this one was. Ignoring him all together he looked at Kagome. "We have English together and then lunch. Izayoi packed your bento with mine so you don't have to buy lunch."

Kagome nodded, looking down at her feet. "Okay…"

Shippou furrowed his brow. "Are you guys like neighbors or something?"

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the other boy. "Are you always this nosey?"

Kagome's cheeks colored in embarrassment. She never knew her boyfriend was this rude in real life. He had always been nothing but nice and courteous when they had chatted online. Was he still her boyfriend? It didn't seem like it. It's not like she could just out-right ask him. How awkward would that be….

Shippou huffed before turning his attention back to Kagome. "Can I eat lunch with you? I don't know anyone here and I hate eating lunch alone."

"No," Sesshomaru automatically replied.

"I don't want to eat lunch with YOU, I was asking Kagome," he replied back before sticking his tongue out at the other demon.

This was unpleasant. She didn't want to anger Sesshomaru by saying yes but to say no would just be plain mean to Shippou. She wouldn't want to eat lunch alone at a new school either.

"It doesn't matter to me," Kagome mumbled while looking at the floor. She hurried over to the English teacher when they entered the classroom. She didn't have to look at Sesshomaru to know he was unhappy right now. She handed the teacher her schedule and was instructed to sit next a boy with long raven hair and icy blue eyes. Shippou was seated next to Sesshomaru. Oh what fun?

The boy beside her gave a wolfish grin. Kagome noticed a small fang sticking out when he grinned. This school was just full of demons. She idly wondered what the human- demon ration was here. Where Kagome had gone to school, there had been very few.

"So what's your name pretty lady?"

Kagome instantly disliked him. She was thankful the teacher was starting class and therefore didn't have to answer him. She ignored his constant staring and tried her best to pay attention during class. Today they were learning about Cherokee poetry and were required to write their own poem for homework. So far this was Kagome's favorite class.

"So what are you going to write your poem about?"

The raven haired miko shrugged. Maybe if she didn't talk he would leave her alone.

"I don't know either. Man, I suck at poetry. It's so stupid though. I'm Kouga by the way."

Kagome ignored him and instead started on her poem. Kouga's smile wavered for a moment before he went back to staring at her. Most girls paid attention to him. He wondered why she didn't. He could tell that she was just different somehow. The wolf demon turned to his blank sheet of paper with a smile on his face. He wasn't about to give up any time soon.

Sesshomaru watched Kagome from across the room with a frown. Why was that whelp speaking to her? What were they talking about? He couldn't hear over the noise of the classroom. Was Kagome always this friendly with guys? Annoyed at himself, he tried to banish his own jealousy. He had never been jealous before.

Lunch of course was an uncomfortable affair. Shippou prattled on for the most part with Kagome answering a question here and there. Sesshomaru sat in absolute silence, annoyed with the whole ordeal. Sharing Kagome had not been on his school agenda. Why had she allowed him to sit with them? Shouldn't they be sitting alone as a couple? Why did this even bother him so much?

Kagome half-listened to Shippou as she snuck glances at Sesshomaru. He still looked pretty pissed. A sudden thought gave her pause. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. That was strange. She tried again with the same result.

Shippou watched as his new friend did a pretty good imitation of an open mouthed fish. "Is there something you wanted to say, Kagome-chan?"

The little miko's face colored in embarrassment. She looked down at her lap before finding the courage to glance back over at Sesshomaru. "I was just wondering…if this is Japan…why is everyone at this school speaking such well English all the time? Even the teachers speak only in English. I just find that odd…"

It took a moment for Sesshomaru to process her question. It was the most Kagome had ever said in his presence. Her voice made something inside him melt.

"This school is mostly made up of exchange students from very rich English families. Demons aren't treated very well in the U.S so most of them come here for schooling…though it is only the rich that can afford it. That is why you see mostly demons around. Since English is the main language of the student population, the teachers speak it as well."

Kagome was cut off from replying as the bell rang for the end of lunch. She looked at her schedule; fourth period was Sociology. It seemed like it could be an interesting class but really she just wanted this day to end.

xXxXxXFirst Therapy SessionxXxXxXx

"So how was your first day of school," InuTaisho inquired gently.

Kagome silently shrugged as she sat down in one of the comfy chairs. She understood why she needed therapy…she just hated that it had to be Sesshomaru's dad. Didn't they understand how awkward this was for her?

"Did you like your classes?"

Kagome started at the ground. "They were fine."

"Make any new friends?"

The raven haired miko fiddled with the sleeve of her sweater. "A fox demon was really talkative with me…I'm not sure about being friends though."

"A fox demon? How nice, what is her name?"

"His name is Shippou. He is a new student too. He talks a lot but is really nice. Sesshomaru didn't want him to eat lunch with us though."

InuTaisho nodded. "Demons can be very territorial. Was Sesshomaru helpful to you?"

Kagome mechanically nodded. "He walked me to each class and told me a little about the school."

"And how does it feel, living in the same house as your boyfriend now?"

Kagome's face colored a little at the question. Why did she have to talk about Sesshomaru with his dad? Would he tell Sesshomaru everything she tells him?

"Everything spoken in this room stays in this room, Kagome. You can tell me anything," InuTaisho spoke gently.

What was he a mind reader now too? Kagome glanced nervously at the older dog demon. His golden eyes were gentle. Could she trust him?

"It feels like nothing or rather it just simply feels like living in a household full of strangers. It's uncomfortable. I feel out of place. Sesshomaru rarely even talks to me….is he always so cold?"

InuTaisho paused in thought. It was hard to answer this question. He didn't want to make Sesshomaru look bad but he also didn't want to be dishonest with Kagome.

"He may come off as distant but he's not very good at expressing emotions. It will just take him a bit to open up. I wouldn't take any of it personally. Sesshomaru really does care about you, that much is obvious to me."

Kagome let out a long sigh. "I doubt that."

InuTaisho reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a small leather book. "I want you to have this. I figured you'd like something private to write your thoughts in. Did you have one of these at home?"

Kagome gratefully took the journal. "I did have a few actually but not anymore. Thank you." She ran her hand along a blank page. She did miss writing.

"Well I'm sure you are exhausted. There are a lot of new things for you to get used to. For now I'd like us to have these sessions every other day. As you do better, we can do less sessions. Izayoi will have dinner ready by six so you have plenty of time to write in your new journal if you so please."

Kagome sat quietly in her room as she dated her first entry.

October 17th

Upon a Rock

Worlds apart
Already etched in stone
I guess really
I've always known
Darkness holds this hand
I should have ran