Contrasting
The clarity of the sky contrasted against the overgrowth of the forestry- a mountainous landscape which could be seen as a separate world from the inside. The walls were thick, plastered with the construct of decades, untamed shrubs acted as a boundary for mountain life. Dampness soaks into the soles of all inhabitants, light through the canopy acting as an agent of moisture and heat. The inside of this world thrives within a greenhouse of weather, creek openings and sun bathed patches all reflecting the warmth of their sun.
Between it all, paths had been cleared for the convenience of humans seeking to experience such an environment. These exact paths were, as of today, being greeted by third year students. With thanks to the mobile devices each individual team possessed, a geographical tag could be pinpointed on their locations. Already, differences could be seen in decision making. Ones who came across signs marking lengthier and shorter paths, ones choosing whether to take the detours in time, and those on a direct route down the mountain.
Out of the several teams to be headed down to their campsite, one remained to begin. Allocated team leader Higurashi Kagome stepped to the plate, followed by three other team members.
"And Higurashi," their teacher spoke, "I suppose your team has had enough time to prepare for today?" Kagome looked to her group, amongst them were few who had proven capable of group activities yet. With a final glance, she gestured an arm to Jinenji and gave a nod in her teacher's direction.
Sango pushed back the bad feeling lingering at the back of her head, "Not doubting my preparation skills are you, sensei?" Kagome glanced back to Sango, darting a face of disbelief. An essence of 'did you really just say that to the teacher?!' caught sight.
In an attempt to silently scold her friend's actions, Kagome was met with her teacher's response. She looked impressed to Sango's feat. With a glint in her eye, she looked again to her clipboard as though to hide a sneer remark. "It's not the skills I doubt; it's the execution of the procedure."
A comical snap broke her confidence- Sango had been taken care of in one precise shot. Inuyasha grinned on bending down to the now heavily grounded Sango, "That's gotta hurt, hey Sango?" Kagome scuttled over to her friend, shooing away the pest at hand, "If you're going to be bothersome, at least do it with the team."
He snorted, "And why would I want to bother a bunch of losers like them, when I can get the best results here?" Kagome looked to him with confusion, "Best results here? She hasn't even given a comeback—"
Inuyasha leaned in, a devious look paired with an offset grin. He pointed a finger to the indent between Kagome's nose and upper lip, "Best results here." As she looked down, he flicked upward. On realisation she had just been fooled, Kagome bawled her fists up and met Inuyasha's gaze with a silent scream of frustration.
His grin subsided, and he offered a genuine hand toward Sango. As she got up, Kagome studied his intentions. She made a mental note which was not quite the easiest to decipher. Maybe after you got to know him… he wasn't all bad? For Sango to tolerate him he must have at least one positive attribute, she thought.
"All drama aside, are you ready to begin?"
The group nodded toward the teacher, each to their own level of enthusiasm. Kagome heaved a goodbye to Sango as if they would be parting for days. She laughed in return, cupping a hand around one side of her mouth to shout nonsense.
"Don't let those boys tug you about, Kagome-chan! Kick their asses if they try anything funny on you! Watch out for that Inuy—"
Kagome threw back an irate glance, noticing the guile in her friend's words. She turned back around, running toward her group, "I can't hear you anymore!"
Entering the pathway, she swung around to face Inuyasha. He returned her look with a glare, pointing one finger to an ear atop his head. "She mightn't, but I can."
Kagome put a hand over her mouth, silencing her calls and feigning an apology. "Sorry," she whispered, a smirk containing anything but honest regret. He rolled back his eyes, continuing to walk behind the rest.
"If you're done, could we get on with this?" Hiten demanded, already a concerning distance in front the rest. Inuyasha snorted in response, "Who the fuck are you ordering around? Not my fault all she does is start shit—"
"I'm not starting anything!" She snapped back, Jinenji agreeing in defence. "Besides, we still need to go over the activity booklet- what if one of the questions relates to the start of our hike?" Hiten groaned, "You think I care about completing the bookwork? One of you pieces of shit can fill mine in for me," he threw the book at Kagome, pinning a glare in her direction. "You're team leader, you do it."
As it would seem, this ticked a pressured nerve- one that had probably began straining since Inuyasha had entered. Kagome propped the booklet against a nearby tree, bundling hers and Hiten's together. He snorted at her obedience. However satisfying, it was a pathetic sight each time another cowered before his wrath.
Eyes followed their way toward Hiten, who continued to walk off in front the group. Kagome winced, clearing her throat to sway the attention toward herself. As if she had just thought of a retort to his behaviour, or there was some need for an extended pause between one, she continued with grace. "And just who are you calling a piece of shit?"
If Inuyasha had learnt anything about Kagome in the short time he'd spent in her presence, it was that she was well advanced in luring an unsuspecting opponent closer toward her ultimate fury. A subsiding of anger only meant something major was about to occur. Jinenji looked to Inuyasha, and then to his booklet. "Unsettling…" he murmured, popping open his pen's tip and beginning to score answers on the first page.
A/N: This feels like a teaser for the next chapter more than anything, haha.