Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

Walking Tightropes

Chapter 2: Boy Meets Girl

Psychologists say that we develop a segregation of the sexes at the early age of six with our invention of cooties that led us running from each other screaming, "ewww!"—funny how nowadays people just want to jump each others' bones. We're supposed to stay and only associate with our own sex until our teen years which will result in a better communication with the opposite sex later. I'm serious, there are actual studies, and I believe they're right. I mean, I've been playing with guys since I learned that none of the other girls on my block wanted to play soccer and that was when I was seven. It's the perfect explanation as to why I am failing so miserably with my interaction with the opposite sex these days.

-x-

I was sitting behind the wheel in my car in the student parking lot reading Barry Lyga's The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl. I've already read it before, but I ordered Goth Girl Rising on Amazon which is like a semi-sequel to this book so I'm just refreshing my memory. Also, I'm highlighting examples of things I learned in a fiction book that doesn't bore me to death, so I can prove to my History teacher that we don't have to read nonfiction books to learn something. Really, it's my own fault for being stupid and signing up for history my senior year, but I can't just sit there in class and let him stomp all over the greatness of a good novel.

I was highlighting the reference made to Julius Caesar when I saw my best friend, Sango, walk by my car, struggling with her coffee and stack of books; just the person I needed to see. I pushed my door open, shoving my book and highlighter in my messenger bag as I hopped out, chasing after her.

"Sango!" I shouted, trying to catch up. She looked over her shoulder and stopped, but didn't look too pleased. "Hey there," I greeted as I came up next to her. "Just the person I wanted to see."

"Oh, so now you want to talk to me?" Sango asked, raising her brows. I knew this was coming. "What about yesterday morning when I found up about the break-up? Was I not good enough to talk to the twenty times I called you last night and was sent straight to voicemail?"

"Sango…"

"I was just trying to be a good friend and be supportive, but nooooo. Ms. Kagome here has to drop off the face of the earth and…" Sango moved her hands in wild gestures trying to grasp the right words. She gave up and sighed. "You know it's all over the web."

"I know," I nodded. I checked first thing Sunday morning after the run I never went on. "And that is the exact reason why I need my caring and supportive best friend now." I batted my eyes for effect.

"I'm waiting," Sango responded, tapping her foot. "Class starts in five minutes."

"Right." We began walking. "So, you know how you're the gossip columnist and it's your "job" to spread all the news about break-ups and make-ups and stuff like that?"

"Kagome…"

"Can you please keep this out of the paper? I mean, by the time publishing comes around the whole break-up thing will be a week old. What's the point of writing about old news?"

"Uh, maybe because of the fact that he told all his Facebook friends that you have a sex addiction, meaning, it was a bad break-up. Bad break-ups always make for good news."

My jaw hit the floor. "He said that!" Sango nodded her head. "Oh, that jerk! I do not have a sex addiction! That stupid jackass… I'm going to rip him into a million pieces and… and… Argh! I hate his fucking guts!"

"Yes, yes, it was a pretty low blow." Sango nodded as she shifted the weight of her books to her left arm so she could open the door and I stepped through. "But, it would explain why you date around so much."

"You know why." I hissed, looking over my shoulder to glare at the tall brunette who just rolled her eyes.

"No, I know why you can't commit to any relationship. I don't know why you choose to throw yourself into relationships you know won't work out." Sango stopped and looked me in my eyes. "Are you sure you're not a nymphomaniac?"

"Sango!" I pushed her away and she laughed. "I am not a sex addict. I just… I want to see if I can connect to someone on the same level I connected with Dai. I don't want to be stuck in this unrequited love for the rest of my life."

"Yeah… I know it's been three years and all, but I still don't get how you connected with him through a bunch of letters."

"Sango."

"What?" She shrugged her shoulders in genuine innocence. "I'm just telling you the truth."

"It's just…" I trailed off, shaking my head. Sometimes it's even hard for me to explain how I feel about Dai. "He's just real." I looked at Sango as we stopped at her locker. "Do you get that?"

"Kind of."

"Never mind," I mumbled, shaking my head, the meaning of my feelings lost on my best friend.

Dai is Bulletman and Bulletman is Dai and Bulletman rocks my world.

Bulletman is this guy who has been writing to the editor since I actually picked up a copy of the Shikon Times and he's got these really strong opinions on the way our school works and… and they just blow my mind. The first letter I read was how he was going on and on about the way our Student Body President is chosen. The person who is able to come up with the best video that isn't corny, doesn't bore us, and has some form of humor, they win. The guy who sits down and acts serious, hitting on good points, like, going to a pep rally where you can actually hear what the people are saying? Yeah, he gets blown off because he's not doing a mini music video or doing some annoying puppet show like the Harry Potter hit sensation. When I read that letter, I just connected with this guy because I thought nobody else saw how ridiculous our school system was. And then he kept writing and getting published in paper and I found myself developing one of those weird, anonymous kinds of crushes.

But then Bulletman wasn't anonymous anymore and it turned into a full blown crush on Dai Yuhara because I was reading over his shoulder once—no, I don't exactly know why—and it turns out he was writing a letter to the editor. He signed as Bulletman and I just… I fell in love with a guy who saw through all the absolute bull this school had to offer. But, on Valentine's Day Sophomore year, when I was going to tell him just how much I admired his opinions and how much I was in love with him, I found out from an obnoxiously loud cheerleader that he had asked some girl, Yoko, to be his girlfriend that morning. I mean, Yoko was a cheerleader who—and he wrote a letter about this—was just someone who wore a uniform around school to flaunt that they were part of a clique that you would never be a part of. What happened to his opinion on that?

So, anyways, Yoko and Dai—sounds horrible together, right?—have been dating for three years and I've been searching for someone to replace him for three years. Well, I'm still in love with Dai if that tells you anything about the progress I've made. None. I'm still banking on the day when Dai wakes up and sees through all the bull that Yoko is and sees that I'm someone real and he'll come up to me and ask me out. Why can't the world ever go my way?

"…in luck," Sango was saying as she slammed her locker shut and spun the dial on her luck. "There's news bigger than your break-up bouncing around the halls."

"Really?" I asked, now giving Sango my undivided attention. "What?"

"We have a new student," Sango smiled, turning to me. "A new, sexy, silver headed and dog eared student who just happens to be in your Calculus, Lit., and Weight Management class."

"Wait." As great as it is to hear that there is someone new to the school that hasn't had their mind sucked into the vacuum of creative suppression, something wasn't adding up. "It's Monday morning and you just got to school. How do you know there's a new student, let alone his schedule?"

"It's called, Friday afternoon and waiting in the office."

"What were you doing in the office?"

"Snooping. Duh," Sango said, rolling her eyes and flicking me in my forehead. "Do you have any idea how much you can learn from just sitting in the office waiting room?"

"I do now."

"Whatever," Sango waved off as we headed to Calculus together where, apparently, the new student waits. "He just came up to me and was asking me how to get to some of his classes so he wouldn't look lost on Monday. So, I looked at his schedule and noticed that y'all had a few of the same classes together."

"I see." We made a left turn and headed up the case of stairs that would deposit us right next to our Calculus class with Mrs. Muso. "So, did I tell you I found yet another fact in a fiction novel?"

"You're still going on about that?"

"Of course!" I fished out my book from my bag, flipping open to the page I was highlighting earlier. "You see, right here is a reference to Caesar! When he crossed the Rubicon River after Pompey drew the line in the sand, specifically telling Caesar not to. Factual information!"

"It actually said all that in the book?"

"Well…no. But," I hurried on before Sango could completely dismiss my point, "the fact that it mentioned the Rubicon River is enhancing my memory of the fact that the Rubicon has to deal with Caesar making the book like… a study guide of some sort."

"Okay," Sango said, nodding her head, but not really believing what I was saying.

"And I've got about three more books in my locker filled with highlighted material, waiting to be used in a debate against Mr. Kahn," I continued. "I've got my argument in the bag."

"I hope you plan to engage Mr. Kahn in a debate today," Sango spoke as we both exited the stairwell and walked across the hall into our Calculus class. "Rumor has it, that he wants to give us a pop quiz."

"Again, it's early in the morning and nobody has even taken his class yet. How do you know this stuff?"

Sango shrugged. "I have one of those feelings."

"Whatever." I mumbled as we weaved our way through seats to get to our desks in the back of the class. Mrs. Muso let us pick our seats in the beginning of the year. Sango and I were fast enough to grab seats in the back of the class where we could whisper and not get called out.

Just then Dai walked into the class, even though we don't have this class together—Dai is on the fast track for super smart people—and, like always, I was dropped into a daze that involved floating hearts dancing around Dai. He was talking to Mrs. Muso so he had no idea I was staring at him like the lovesick puppy I am.

He has no idea how amazing he is. Really, the way he walks and talks, it carries this air of confidence that is just so attractive in a guy, he doesn't realize that he has this easy going smile that makes him seem so much more approachable so…nice and, God, he has absolutely no idea how perfect he is, or how real he is. He's so down to earth it's unreal and it makes him that much cooler and he's not ugly at all. And…God, he's completely oblivious to the flips he makes my stomach do every time he's within a ten foot radius.

"Earth to Kagome!" Sango suddenly shouted, snapping her fingers in front of my face, snapping me out of my daydream. "God, you always zone out when he's around."

"No I—" Dai was waving bye to Mrs. Muso and walking out of the door and out of my view. "Damnit, I missed him!"

"You were just staring at him," Sango pointed out.

"No, I was staring at the back of him. There's a huge difference between the back and the side of his face."

Sango just looked at me blankly for a few seconds before shaking her head and turning around in her seat to face the front. "You're hopeless, Kagome. Hope. Less."

"Oh, don't lecture me." I scoffed as the warning bell went off above our heads. "Do you remember how love struck you were when you first saw Miroku?"

"I don't like Miroku!" Sango hissed, but the deep shade of red she was turning contradicted her words. "And, if I did look love struck, that was before he decided to rub his hands all over my ass!"

"You love him," I cooed, laughing as Sango's face grew redder. "You want to kiss him. You want to—"

"Shut up Kagome!" Sango shouted mortified, burying her head in her arms as I cackled. "I just might take back my promise to keep you out of the paper."

"Sorry, but here's the thing," Sango turned her head to look at me. "I can simply not publish the piece. I don't know why I didn't think of that before."

"You're so—" Sango stopped talking and she lifted her head, grinning ear to ear at something in the front of the room. "Well, lookie here."

"What?" I asked, already turning my head to the front of the class and my heartbeat stopped for a second. There stood a guy who was tall, silver headed, and had the cutest pair of puppy ears on the top of his head, but even with cute ears he wasn't cute. No, this guy was hot. He wore a pair of perfect fitting dark jeans—not too tight, not too baggy—and a simple red t-shirt but he made them look like designer clothes. And his eyes…hot damn, his eyes were gold. Gold!

"My god," I whispered to Sango, blatantly staring at the new comer. "Who is that?"

"That is the guy who is in three of your classes and saved you from getting published in this week's gossip column." I could practically hear the smile in Sango's voice. "His name is Inuyasha Takahashi."

Before I could even comment, the new guy, Inuyasha apparently, turned and looked right at me and I was caught in the act of gawking. Don't you just hate getting caught staring at someone? I do. He looked me right in the eyes and after a few seconds of me just sitting there, frozen and embarrassed, he smiled at me. And not a 'you're-so-pathetic smirk/smile', a real smile with his fangs gleaming and eyes shining and I thought I was going to faint. It should be a crime for someone to look that good.

The final bell rang above our heads and everyone moved to take their seats and Inuyasha kept his eyes on me as he found his way to an empty seat in front of Sango. It was Ayumi's seat, but I couldn't find the words to tell him that. God, would he stop staring at me already? I'm about to pass out!

Mrs. Muso stood from her desk and immediately started talking about last night's homework. That's when Inuyasha finally turned around to face the front, but, not before shooting me another lopsided grin. When he turned away, I couldn't stop staring at the back of his head. This is unhealthy. Very, very unhealthy.

I wasn't brought out of my daze until a wadded up ball of paper came flying out of nowhere and hit me in my temple. I looked around and saw Sango pointing at the paper wad, urging me to read it.

I unfolded the paper and read: Don't do it. I know that look and he's your next victim.—S

I didn't waste time replying. My next victim in what? –K

In your search to find a replacement, but it always fails and you just leave a massive trail of heartbreak behind you.—S

I gasped. I don't do it on purpose!—K

I know, but it happens and I don't see the point of you going after this guy if you know it's not going to work.—S

I don't know anything—K.

Sango looked over and gave me a look before shaking her head and writing something down on the crinkled paper.

Alright then, actually try this time. Don't go out with the guy and compare him to Dai in the back of your mind the entire time he's talking. You have to give at least one guy a fighting chance. Go out with a guy because you like him, not because you're trying to fill the void Dai left behind.—S

I scowled at the piece of paper. Where was all this coming from? So, yeah, I do have a tendency to compare everyone to Dai, but that's only because they're not being real with me. They're only telling me the stuff I want to hear. Why would I give somebody who's basically kissing my ass a real chance? I'd give them a real chance if they weren't just spitting out lies of things that they know I like in hopes of getting me in their bed. I mean, really? Should I be the one to blame here?

Still… I guess Sango does have a point. I should stop searching for Dai's replacement and start looking for an actual boyfriend. I'm not saying I plan on committing to the relationship, but I should start trying to forget Dai, not replace him. Unless he and Yoko break up, then I am definitely going after him.

I see your point, but I don't get why you're lecturing me. It's not like I'm going to go out with Inuyasha. I don't even know him, and I don't date guys I don't know. —K.

Sango read the note and then gave me a look that said she didn't believe a word of what I just wrote as she shook her head and slid the note into her backpack. She turned her attention to Mrs. Muso who was droning on and on about stuff I still didn't understand after two months of school. I tried to listen too, I really did, but the pair of twitching ears on a head of silver stole my attention away every time.

-x-

"Smile!"

I was blinded by a flash the second I walked out of calculus and I had to stop for a second, blinking the floating blobs of green and blue out of my vision.

"Ooh… that's not your best look. Maybe we should try another one."

"What the hell Bank?" I hissed at my friend, shoving the camera he held up out of my face.

"Well, good morning to you too Kagome. Yes, I had an okay morning, landed lunch detention for excessive talking last block, but you don't seem to care. That's what friends are for; not caring."

"Good to see you're still sarcastic as ever this early in the morning," Sango yawned as she stepped out of the threshold behind me. She had clocked out of class after fifteen minutes of trying to keep her eyes opened. I would have done the same if I wasn't already struggling in this class.

"What's with the flashing lights so early?" I grumbled stepping out of some guy's way as he came running past me, about to shove me into a locker. Jerk.

"Yearbook. I'm trying to convince the editor to do a page on how miserably tired everyone is in the morning. I think it would bring a good laugh."

"If you say so."

Bankoutsu has been my friend since freshman year when he ended up sitting next to me in Creative Writing. He had applied for Photography, but the class was full and administration threw him into Creative Writing which wasn't exactly Bank's forte. But we bonded anyways because I was a part of the Lit. Magazine—he submitted a lot of his photos to the magazine—and…I don't know. We had the magazine in common and our friendship just blossomed from that. Bank's on the yearbook staff, but he'll send the newspaper a few pictures because, unfortunately, not many of the really good photographers like Bank bother with newspaper.

"Speaking of pictures," I spoke up, shifting the subject. "Do you think you have any from last week's football game you're willing to spare? Aki took too many pictures of the cheerleaders.
Again." Really, do you have any idea how much it sucks to have a photographer who's in charge of the sports be a complete perv? Yeah, a lot of high school guys have raging hormones but Aki has a responsibility to the paper.

"I'll see what I have and stop by the newsroom after school."

"You're a life saver," I smiled at Bank and he puffed out his chest a bit. "I have to stop by to pick up a few things this afternoon anyway."

"Excuse me," a smooth and deep voice spoke up from behind us. I turned around and stopped breathing. "Hey, Sango right?" Sango nodded at Inuyasha. "Yeah, well I kind of need help getting around again. Which way do I go to get to…" he fished his schedule out of his pocket, "room 210?"

God. Even when he's acting humble and asking for directions with that sheepish grin of his he still looks like a Greek god. Just the way he wears his bag over one shoulder instead of two makes him seem so much cooler. And how he's actually listening to what Sango is saying and nodding his head, actually paying attention, is amazing. And the way his ears twitch on the top of his head. And the way his fangs gleam when he smiles. And how his eyes are so gold as they look at me.

They look at me…

Ah, shit. They must have asked me something and I was too busy in dreamland—which is very unhealthy considering the fact that I don't know Inuyasha—to hear what they said. Don't you just hate when that happens?

"Kagome…" Sango prodded me. I looked at her with wide eyes, silently begging her to repeat the question. "Inuyasha still doesn't get it, so don't you think it'd be easier if you just walked with him since you both have that Lit. class together?"

Walking with Inuyasha? "Of course!" I smiled at Inuyasha offering my hand and he took it, smiling a smile that would blind anybody. "I'm… uh, I'm Kagome….Higurashi. Kagome Higurashi."

"Inuyasha Takahashi," Inuyasha offered as if I didn't already know his name. Hello, my best friend is the frickin' gossip police of these halls. And considering the fact that I've been staring at the back of his head all of last class, it would be extremely creepy if I was doing that while not knowing his name. Picturing me running my fingers through his long silver hair and not knowing his name? Can you say creeper? "What's up?"

"Your hair is amazing."

It took the loud guffaw Bank let out, Sango's hand slapping her forehead, and Inuyasha's confused look for me to realize what I just said. And that Inuyasha said 'what's up', and didn't ask for my opinion on his luscious locks. God, I hate getting embarrassed like that.

"Wh-what I meant," I tried to recover, but I could feel the tips of my ears burning. "Is...Is that your, um… your hair is up, because you're taller than me and because I was thinking about your hair. I just thought about how amazing it is…I mean, silver, wow; bold choice for a hair dye."

"It's natural, actually." Inuyasha answered, running his hand through his hair, but he was smiling at me as he answered, amused. And I realized he was chewing gum because he chewed it lightly as his smile grew, and for some reason it just made him seem sexier. I bet his breath smelled really good too. I wonder how close I'd have to be to smell it.

"Wow, Kagome," Bank spoke up with laughter in his voice. "You just keep screwing up."

"Shut up, Bank," I mumbled, my entire face and neck now on fire. "I'm going to be late for class. Let's go, Inuyasha." I said, grabbing a hold of his forearm—which was huge, might I say—and started leading him down the hall.

I still heard the click of Bank's camera going off behind me though, and Sango whispering to him that she wanted that picture for her article. The picture of me holding onto Inuyasha as if I liked him. Ha! Don't you just hate it when your best friend is the gossip columnist?

-x-

Don't you believe in that study now? I mean, what else could explain the reason as to why I zone out because Inuyasha has a great face, body, smile, and hair? It's not that I like him or was struck by one of Cupid's stupid arrows. Hello, did you miss my whole Dai episode? Besides, I don't fall for guys I don't know. Period.

The main thing is, boy meets girl and girl fails miserably, and now we all know why. Get it? It's a psychological thing.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Alright, so there's chapter two of Walking Tightropes which gives you a better insight into Kagome's thoughts. I wasn't going to do an opening or ending for this, but I was struck with an idea and wrote it. Oh, and by the way, that study the psychologist really is real. I Googled it. So, if you have problems with the opposite sex, you now know why. :D REVIEW!

This chapter has now been edited by hanmojoerin and I have to keep thanking her for all her help because she is AWESOME!

~Kimiko888~