Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, but I own this story/concept...and your soul.
Rated for profanity.
Summary:
There are some things that can be taught and others you can only learn through experience. Some subjects you can master and others you can completely fail at. No one ever said love was easy, but damn, no one ever told Inuyasha it was THIS difficult. Love in his 30's is harder than he thought. Can he get an A in the subject of love?
Learn It by Heart
Anger 101
A lesson in the arts of being passive-aggressive
Inuyasha was in an official daze. Three days had already passed and gone and he was still asking himself...
Did that really happen?
Inuyasha leaned as far back as he could in his seat without managing to fall over. The grey ceiling didn't seem as bland as it had the week before. When did they get this hole in the ceiling? How did they get this hole in the ceiling? With it being morning time and him coming to work early, he was alone in the teacher's lounge, basking in the dark as the cracked blinds provided slight light. He had come straight into the room, went directly to his seat, and immediately started pondering the recent events in his life. The room was more peaceful when there was nothing but a little bit of sunlight pouring in and when no one was here to bother him, perfect for him to continue thinking about everything away from the solitude of his condominium.
It would most likely be another thirty minutes before the other teachers showed face and prepared their lessons for the day. He was more than grateful for the bit of time he had to himself before being thrown into the pit of lions that he called his students.
Inuyasha wasn't sure if he could concentrate today with how fast his mind was racing. All of his plans for the weekend went to shit as he was just as distracted then as he was now. How could he not be after such a strange event taking place?
"Inuyasha?"
Goodie me. Inuyasha forced himself to sit up as the lights were suddenly turned on in the calm room. Inuyasha hissed at his disturbed peace. "The lights were off for a reason."
"Oh, please forgive me, Dracula." Miroku rolled his eyes as he strutted up to the window and fully opened the blinds. After making the room bright, Miroku leaned on Inuyasha's desk, waiting with eager eyes full of curiosity. Inuyasha could only manage to stare at the man as he went back to thinking about everything. "So?"
The desperation for an update was clear on Miroku's face as he played coy, but Inuyasha refused to take the bait. "So what?"
"Don't do this to me," Miroku begged as he leaned into Inuyasha's face. Inuyasha had to all but lean back to push off a much-unwanted kiss. "I called your name three times before you finally heard me. I know something happened between you and Ms. Higurashi. Just tell me, you know you're going to anyway."
Inuyasha's eyes darted to the side. Sure, he would end up telling Miroku at some point, but where would the fun in telling him so soon be? "Honestly, there's nothing to tell."
Miroku sucked his teeth. "Tch. You know people go to hell for lying, right?"
"You know people go to hell for infidelity and cheating, right?" Miroku was not the one to preach to him about anything having to do with Hell after he's stacked up quite the resume on reasons to end up in the fiery pits.
"She didn't tell me she was married." He replied in his defense. Ah, the good old days when he had more than one woman at a time. It would do him nothing to look back on them now.
Inuyasha offered Miroku a pat on the back. "It's not like you stopped afterward though." He stretched and sighed in relief as his back cracked. "There really is nothing to tell about that night," he repeated once more before grabbing his bag and walking out of the room. Inuyasha popped his head back in knowing damn well that Miroku was prepared to follow him out. "You've got test papers I know you need to finish grading before the first class, we'll talk about it at lunch."
It was the God's honest truth. There was nothing to tell because he couldn't remember that night. Inuyasha sighed as he unlocked his classroom doors and sat at his desk. He still had to get the worksheets ready for class. It would be a long day full of complaints and questions from the students considering that they would be learning all new information.
Will I be able to concentrate enough to teach them this shit? Inuyasha thought to himself as he began to write the notes on the board.
The night was a blur, he could barely remember even drinking at the izakaya bar. He had tried his best to remember if he had made a complete fool of himself, but he was unable to recall any memory from that night. He could feel his cheeks flush with all kinds of thoughts. That night was lost to him for good it seemed, the morning after was a completely different story though.
Flashback
What the hell is this situation?
Inuyasha's eyes darted all around the room, he felt sick with how quickly he was taking in the interior around him. With the sun pouring in from the window, he knew it had to be at least some time after 6am.
"You're up?"
The very girl of his dreams looked around the corner as she stared down at him. As if he were something not to be looked at, she practically hid behind the wall leading into the living room, only allowing half of herself to be seen.
Okay, I could grow to like this view. His eyes drifted to her face, it seemed oddly red as she peered down at him. She sported an oversized t-shirt, though he could see the small peek of running shorts underneath it. Hair thrown messily in a bun and tiredness weighing down her features, she approached him at his lack of response.
His eyes darted back to the picture of her and her family, the one with her in makeup and a beautiful dress before they darted back to her once more. It was interesting to do the comparison in his head. How could she look so beautiful when being dressed up and dressed down?
"...Yea." He answered as he realized he had yet to respond to her.
"Good." She all but hoisted him up by the arm. "You've got to go."
It wasn't until her hand gripped his upper arm to pull him up that he realized that he was in a completely different shirt. It was a slightly tight black t-shirt from a random department store he assumed.
Wait wait wait. She was all but shoving him out the front door, and with haste at that. He stole a glance at his watch. It was barely even 8am. Not that she had a reason to keep him around, but what was the rush to kick him out?
Inuyasha couldn't think of a single thing to say to her as he went to put on his shoes. For one thing, he couldn't remember what the hell happened last night. Another problem was that she was pushing him out so quickly so he couldn't think of a proper way to say thank you or sorry for that matter. Third, was there anything he could really say that would keep him from feeling so embarrassed? Probably not.
As he went to slip on his left shoe, his hand hit against another pair of shoes that were lazily thrown at the door.
Eh?
Another pair of shoes.
Male shoes.
He didn't even have time to think much about it as he stood and she opened the door for him swiftly.
"Take this and get home safely." She placed a bag in his hands before closing the door behind him without a goodbye.
Inuyasha could only stare at the black of her door as he took in what happened in the last three minutes. Her reaction to him being awake and on her couch was just so strange. Inuyasha wasn't sure if he had done something to offend her at some point that night. ...Or if the male shoes at the door contributed to her sudden haste.
That would explain the need to kick me out so soon…..
But she had let him sleep on her couch, so would she have done that if he had done something to hurt her in any way?
He began walking to where he guessed he could exit out of her apartment complex as it hit him that she had given him a bag. He slowed to a stop as curiosity roamed over him like a child in a candy store.
"What the hell is this?" He opened the plastic bag she had given him. He couldn't hold back the smirk that came to his face. "Onigiri, mango juice, EVE/Advil. Basically everything needed to take care of a hangover." He pulled out a small folded note that lay at the bottom of the bag. "Take care of yourself, I hope you feel better."
So did he make a good impression or a bad impression? Or maybe she was just the nurturing type? Inuyasha was confused as hell about the woman he had spent the night with, did she like him platonically or not? The only thing he understood was that his heart was racing and it was because of a certain someone.
End of flashback.
Even just thinking about it made his heart skip a beat.
I still need to thank her. His eyes darted to the clock on the wall. It was still fairly early so there was no saying if she was at work or not.
Maybe I'll just try to look over the worksheets and catch her a good ten minutes before the starting bell.
And so he did that. Or at least attempted to. It was so hard to concentrate when he had just about a million questions and thoughts running through his head. Getting in the right headspace might as well be impossible at this point, it provided all the more incentive for him to talk to her again as he was so confused by what happened. All the same, he was curious about whatever the hell he did that night.
By the time 8:30 rolled around, Inuyasha had finished checking over the worksheets and was more than ready to see the raven-haired beauty. Students had already begun filing in for homeroom and had started chatting amongst one another.
Why did it feel suspicious that he was leaving the room to see Ms. Higurashi as more students came? It's not like any of his students would know about his weekend adventure, but it oddly felt like their eyes were on him as he stood to leave the room. He practically held his breath as he walked across the room and out the door, his heart trying to break out of his ribcage as he began walking to where he believed Ms. Higurashi's room was located.
Her room wasn't too far from his, so it made it all the odder that he rarely ever passed her room or even saw her for that matter. Much to his surprise, her room was already halfway full of students as they gathered and laughed amongst each other. There was still a good ten minutes before the morning bell and his kids typically didn't all file in until five minutes before. As his eyes landed on her, he could only stop and stare.
God, she's gorgeous.
She had yet to notice him and was focusing on reading some article on her desk. Her hair was down in loose waves, nearly covering her eyes so deep-set on concentrating on the paper in front of her. Today she wore a basic cream-colored blouse tucked into a flowing lace light pink skirt. Give her a flower crown and he just might have said she reminded him of Persephone as she resembled how he felt spring would look if personified.
It wasn't until he was in front of her door and gazing at her that he realized he hadn't put much thought into how to approach her. Should he call her to come out and speak to him briefly? It would probably be the most appropriate way to go about interacting with her. With her room full of kids, he didn't even think he'd be able to manage a conversation with her.
"Ms. Hig-"
"Mr. Takahashi, good morning!"
Inuyasha offered a courteous smile and wave to a few passing teachers as they made their way to their classroom. They hadn't stopped to talk with him, only a mere greeting before the men carried on their conversation with loud laughter. By the time Inuyasha had turned back to Ms. Higurashi, her head had already snapped up to see what the noise near her door was about.
Oh, shit.
With her attention fully on him, he was already sweating buckets. How could her gaze manage such a powerful attack on him? Her students had already started looking at him and now he was floundering as he struggled to find words to say.
"Uh, Ms. Higurashi, I ju-"
With the speed of God she practically flew across the classroom and planted her hands over his lips firmly, effectively silencing him. She stood on her tiptoes and brought her face close to his, had he moved slightly and had her hands not been over his lips, he surely would've been able to give her a knee-buckling kiss.
"Let's talk outside, Mr. Takahashi." She whispered.
She all but dragged him down the hall and away from the classroom without giving him much room to say anything. Is this what being manhandled felt like? She sure as hell was stronger than she looked as she pulled him along like a dog on a leash.
Despite saying that they would talk outside, she stopped at a secluded staircase. Her arms folded around her small frame as she looked up at him expectedly. Inuyasha could only manage to look down at the young woman, somehow stunned into silence. She had dragged him here, so it felt like she should start the conversation but he was the one that had approached her room first.
It was clear that she was waiting for him to speak as her lips remained pursed and her head tilted in what was now confusion.
Inuyasha rubbed a nervous hand up and down his neck as he averted his gaze to the side. Had the concrete walls always been this interesting?
"I-uh. Just wanted to say thanks for the other night. I'm sure I was a hassle an-"
"Let me stop you right there, Mr. Takahashi." Her gaze had turned grim as the subject of their weekend's affair was brought up. "Don't worry about that night. In fact, as far as I, and hopefully you are concerned, that night never even happened."
Inuyasha went to open his mouth, but Kagome held up a hand to signal she wasn't done talking. "What happened was that I asked you for your address and I managed to get you home. In fact, you sobered up in the car so well that you didn't even need my help getting into your home. You didn't come to my house, you did not stay the night, and I didn't help you with anything outside of what work colleagues would do- what acquaintances would do. What a decent human being would do for anyone that was drunk. There should be absolutely no mention of anything outside of what I just said if anyone asks, is that clear?" She left no room for argument as she turned serious eyes on him.
Ah, I get it. It was like she had this whole spiel memorized and down pact with how she easily had just told him that she wanted no word of them even being together getting out.
Inuyasha felt a sudden chill come across him as reality had its way with him. Had he forgotten that she had basically said nothing could happen between them just a few days ago? Of course, that meant friendship as well. How could he think he actually had a chance with someone like her.
He chuckled to himself as he turned a glare on her. "This is all my fault." He muttered under his breath. He should've known his image of her was flawed. Sure dealing with a drunk person can be annoying and troublesome, but who was she to treat him like scum of the earth? To talk down to him as if he were a child. To speak to him like he didn't even deserve to associate with her.
Even looking at her now, she didn't seem to regret her harsh words as she held her ground and awaited his answer for his understanding.
"Understood. I was just going to say thanks for taking care of me that night. I didn't realize I was such a burden. Didn't mean to intrude in your and your boyfriend's house." He matched her serious gaze with a cold one of his own. If looks could kill, she'd surely be rotting in her grave. Her demeanor wavered as the once strong look she held began to fade. "As just another acquaintance, I'll be sure to stay out of your way and keep our interactions limited." Two could sure as hell play that game. She wanted to keep their interactions to a minimum? He'd be sure to cross the other way if she happened to be walking on the same side of the street as him.
She sighed as if frustrated with the conversation and his response as she brought a hand to rub against her temples. "Mr. Takahashi-"
"I think we've had enough words exchanged between us as two acquaintances."
Before she had a chance to say anything more, Inuyasha began to walk back to his classroom. To say he was frustrated was an understatement, she had managed to piss him off before the morning even got started. He could hardly contain his anger as he felt his skin become hot with being unable to control himself. It's been a while since he had last gotten this angry at someone. He had nearly forgotten just how badly it made him feel inside.
People had talked down to him before, but for her to act as if she was so inconvenienced by him being nothing but nice to her was just the shittiest thing in the world. She had said what she meant and she had stood her ground in expressing her disdain for associating herself with him any further. It had been a long time since someone had actually made him feel like he was an...an…
Encumbrance
As if his very existence was worthless. He was steaming just thinking about her narrowed gaze on him. The sad thing was that he had never seen her look at anyone in such a way, to know that he had earned that gaze without having done anything wrong to her infuriated him.
Inuyasha tried to control himself as he entered his classroom, still seething and honestly not knowing what to do with himself. He allowed the door to close behind him with a heavy thud. Why was he thinking of all the things he could have said as a retort? He wanted to say something-anything that could have hurt her the way she had just tried, maybe even partially succeeded, to do.
The lack of remorse or even contrite as her face practically twisted in his mind caused a new surge of anger to soar throughout him.
A cough from one of his students drew his attention to his now seated students. Each student stared at their teacher, more than just a little curious about why he looked so upset. Inuyasha sighed to himself as he straightened his back and walked to the podium. Of all of the unprofessional things he had ever done at work, he didn't want to let being angry in front of his students be added to the list.
He didn't add a smile to his face, though he did do his best to change his tune to at least tolerant. "Alright, let's begin roll call."
Miroku watched with interest as Inuyasha paced back and forth. Of many things that Miroku tended to take joy from in life, one was seeing a very flustered Inuyasha deal with himself. It wasn't so much that Miroku enjoyed seeing Inuyasha upset about anything, though for trivial matters like this he found it entertaining.
"I hate her," Inuyasha said as he kicked the fence.
It was officially lunchtime, meaning Inuyasha had a good 25 minutes to release the anger he had built up before going back to his students. Their typical meeting place on the school's rooftop was where they had decided to eat today as the weather was perfect and the sun was out. Miroku sat in the shade under the visor near the door while he watched his best friend beat himself up.
It had been a while since Miroku had seen Inuyasha as angry as he was over a woman...or human for that matter.
Miroku wasn't even permitted so much as a single statement since he had sat down to eat his sandwich and watch the shitstorm that was Inuyasha kicking himself for liking such a rude person.
"I meant it," Inuyasha said as he turned a glare Miroku's way. "I. Hate. Her. Guts." He punctuated each word with a rough kick to the fence, no doubt trying to put a hole in it by the end of their break.
Miroku completely understood Inuyasha's anger, he would be angry too, though something about the situation just seemed off to him. For one thing, it just seemed completely out of character for a normally docile and quiet young woman. Not to say that his best friend was lying though because Miroku could picture the exchange taking place. Second, as shitty of a person as Inuyasha was, Miroku had never known Inuyasha to place a hand on a woman or do anything that would result in such unfair treatment.
"Inuyasha-" Miroku tried to call out to no avail.
"I'm going to give her such a cold shoulder, she'll wonder if hell has suddenly frozen over." Inuyasha all but yelled over his shoulder at Miroku as he plotted numerous ways to be passive-aggressive toward the woman. "That bi-"
"Inuyasha!" Miroku said as he stood and dusted off his pants. He wanted to stop his dearest friend before he could say something that Miroku was sure was nothing but words fueled by anger. Surely, Inuyasha didn't mean what he was saying. Miroku placed a calming hand on his shoulder, hoping that he would give him one second to interject in his long rant about the teacher. "Now, don't you think there may have been a misunderstanding between you two?"
Inuyasha racked his brain for the moment his crush had ended. The serious look. The direct meaning of her words. The unwillingness to back down with her words. What the hell could he have possibly misinterpreted?
"No," was his curt answer as he gave Miroku a deadpanned look. Why was Miroku suddenly vouching for her?
"But don't you find it a bit out of character for Ms. Higurashi?" Miroku asked.
"No, because you and I don't know her or her character." Inuyasha fought back.
She was a pretty face, that much was for sure. So what? A strong point of interest for Inuyasha was thinking that there may be more to her and that she would be interesting. Clearly he was wrong about her.
"But…." Again, Miroku was far from trying to take anyone's side right now, but the whole thing just seemed messy and strange. While Ms. Higurashi hadn't paid Inuyasha much mind throughout the night, she didn't seem the type to accost someone for no reason. Miroku had a few reasons to keep his mind a bit more open to the raven-haired young woman seeing as Inuyasha and now his girlfriend were drawn to her. Inuyasha had never been one to keep bad company, and neither had Sango, so there had to be some reason for the initial attraction to her right?
Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow up high on his head. "But?"
"Keep in mind you also don't know what you did when you were drunk. That may be a big reason that she doesn't want to associate with you right now." Miroku reminded him.
Inuyasha honestly didn't have a rebuttal for this specific issue. Maybe he had done something to offend her. Did that give her a right to treat him as so though? Maybe…? Even if he had done something to her, wouldn't it have made more sense to tell him what he did wrong rather than make him feel like shit? Or was it crazy to believe that he be treated like a decent human being?
"...Even if that were the case," Inuyasha began calmly as he mulled over his thoughts while looking out over the fence, "I think if the roles were reversed I wouldn't have said any of that shit to her." He could see some of the students in the school's garden eating and happily playing with each other. What did it feel like to be carefree without anger?
He hated to say it, but if he was the one thinking calmly about a situation given that he was such a hothead, then he may just be on to something. At this point, he could only assume that he had done something wrong if she felt the need to push him away as so.
"Just ask her what happened and then kiss and make up." Miroku sighed. "To think I got reprimanded by Sango because of you."
What? Inuyasha whipped his head around so quickly, he nearly snapped his neck. Of all the things Inuyasha was guilty of, he was sure he had nothing to do with any fights Miroku may or may not have with his girlfriend. He refused to be blamed for anything of the sort. "What do you mean?"
"I got drunk so that Sango would take me home, leaving Ms. Higurashi to tend to you," Miroku answered as if the answer did not sound bat shit crazy.
"You what!?" This whole situation was causing him a few extra gray hairs. He grabbed Miroku by his collar. "You do realize that this whole mess might have ruined my chances with her?!"
"Ah, I knew it, you do like her!" Miroku snapped his fingers as if pleased with Inuyasha admitting to him that he was in love.
Inuyasha all but shoved Miroku away from him at realizing what he had just said.
No….
Nope, he could feel it in his bones. This day was going to make him go insane. He had Ms. Higurashi with devil ears on one shoulder basically making him feel worthless, and now here came Miroku with a pitchfork to poke him with and taunt him with over his thoughts towards the other devil. He refused to lose what little bit of sanity he had left.
Inuyasha wasn't in a place where he was ready to talk about any kind of crush, especially since it was already over just as soon as it had barely developed. Not to mention, Inuyasha now had a new source of anger at hearing that Miroku had purposefully gotten drunk to give him more time with Ms. Higurashi. Regardless of if the intention was good, Inuyasha didn't ask Miroku to butt in. Hell, Inuyasha partly didn't feel comfortable talking about it because he didn't want anyone to stick their nose where it sure as hell didn't belong. He was perfectly fine admiring her from afar. And now look at the shitstorm that was his life.
Inuyasha quietly brushed himself off before opening the door and walking back to his room without another word directed at Miroku. If he knew what was good for him, he'd leave Inuyasha alone.
Can this day go by any quicker?
No. No, the day could not go by any quicker. In fact, the Gods were laughing at him as they made time go by slower.
Inuyasha couldn't even say he was agitated by how slowly the day was progressing, it was just weird that it had taken a fairly drastic dive in the slow department. Each class seemed to drag on and the students seemed to be asking the dumbest of questions. Inuyasha didn't believe in the term stupid questions, except for questions that were unasked being stupid, but it's like their minds were elsewhere during today's lessons causing him to repeat himself more than just a few times. The students that typically got good grades in his class were struggling with the new information, the ones that typically slacked off spent the entire class raising their hands to answer. Albeit, their answers were wrong half the time, but they were genuinely trying to understand.
Inuyasha stopped writing on the board as it occurred to him that today was just strange. "Did I enter the twilight zone today?" Inuyasha muttered to himself. That was the only answer to this peculiar day.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Anyways, write this problem down and we'll get started, Moegi." Inuyasha said as he finished writing down a problem from today's worksheet.
It was finally after school hours and Inuyasha had stayed behind to help a student better understand today's lesson. He took his seat in front of said student as he waited for her to finish writing everything down.
Moegi Masuda, the class representative and one of his best students, stared at the problem as she attempted to work it out in her head before relying on him. Inuyasha could honestly say he liked this student. She was hardworking and wasn't a kiss ass like some of the other students. She always had a friend on each side of her and had always worked hard to help any student she saw having difficulties, which also helped to save Inuyasha time if she worked to explain it instead. Resourceful, helpful, smart, and kind- Inuyasha could see her going places in the world if she kept it up. He also liked that she would come to his class during his after hours to ask questions rather than ask at cram school or end up frustrated with herself.
Inuyasha could see her on the path to making a mistake on the question she was working on. "You'll want to add those two numbers together, square that number, drag it down, multiply that by 5.3, and th-
"Subtract it from x." Moegi finished for him with a smile.
He laughed as he watched her fill out the problem. "So you do understand?"
"When you explain most of it for me I do." She smiled as she tried to finish the problem. "I don't think the problem is that I don't understand because I do."
"...So then why are we here right now?" Inuyasha asked as he motioned around the classroom.
"I think the problem is that I don't know when to use this formula." She replied.
"You use it when you see problems in this exact form. Any different, then you use any of the other three formulas I taught last week." Inuyasha said as he pointed a clawed nail at the formulas she had written in her notebook.
She stared at where his finger had left an indention in her notebook. Inuyasha wasn't sure why her intense gaze at the formulas was unnerving. It's like she was examining his teaching skills and was finding flaws with a formula that he didn't even create.
"So..." She asked.
"So?" Where was she going with this?
"Why didn't you tell us that in class when you were teaching this formula? I think we would've understood if you told us when to use it." She stated honestly. All of the formulas looked the same and could've been applied to various different problems. To know that this long formula was only used for specific problems in this form would've cleared up so many questions.
Inuyasha stared at the formula and tried to remember what he had told her class. "I did say that...didn't I?" It would have been the first thing he said when introducing this formula. He rubbed a nervous hand behind his head. How had he not noticed that? "I thought I did." Had he been so pissed off that he neglected to tell them something?
She shook her head as she began taking out her phone. "You did not," she replied matter of factly. "It's fine though, we're all in a group chat so I'll explain it to them."
Inuyasha began to erase the board as he realized his blunder. If he had forgotten to say that, what else had he forgotten today? Was he still drunk from Friday night?
"Thanks, Moegi." Leave it to the class rep to make sure these things were taken care of.
"It seems like you were distracted today." She commented as she put the worksheet in her bag.
Inuyasha could feel his cheeks getting warm. From anger or from the thought of his source of anger, he wasn't too sure. One thing he was sure about was that he wasn't in the mood to talk about it. Especially with one of his students.
"Even adults get distracted every now and then." He stated honestly. Maybe he wasn't on his A game today, he'd be back and teaching his best tomorrow.
Moegi eyed the back of her teacher's head thoughtfully as she weighed her options for bringing up such a topic. She liked her teacher, she honestly did, though she wasn't sure what to make of his rather air-headed behavior. It was the first time she had seen him so agitated. Even when the most annoying of students did something stupid in class, he was always unfazed or had a way of going about handling everything with playful annoyance.
She brushed a hand through her olive green hair, mindful of the pigtails she had put them in. "That's true, but it just seemed like you had other things on your mind." She said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Like you were maybe troubled over something?"
If there was anything Moegi had learned about her teacher over the last five months, it was that he was a good person. Hard-headed, but a good person nonetheless. That being said, the likelihood of him opening up to someone, a student at that, was slim to none. Even if he wanted to hide it, his emotions were written clear as day on his face. Moegi couldn't help but laugh as her teacher immediately shook his head, though his face flushed all colors of the rainbow. I pegged it right on the head.
He was as transparent as glass.
"I was distracted." He said firmly as if that were the only reason for his behavior.
She would push a little more, enjoying seeing her teacher squirm. "When someone is distracting me I either ignore the distraction or start a conversation with my distraction." This would answer her question of what was distracting him. Was it a person? As his back went rigid, she mentally patted herself on the back for her amazing detective skills.
It was like this girl was taking hits and jabs at him. One more hit and it would definitely be a knockout. "And what makes you think it's a someone that's distracting me?"
"Well if someone as beautiful as Ms. Higurashi had my attention, I'd be pretty distracted too." It was a process of deduction in her head. The only other person Moegi had heard associated with her teacher recently was Ms. Higurashi. If his flustered reaction from last week wasn't an indication that something was up, she didn't know what else was.
The eraser Inuyasha had been using to clean the board slipped from his hand with Moegi's words. Had she always been this perceptive? He could feel himself drowning in his own sweat now.
"I refuse to confirm or deny that statement."
Moegi couldn't hold back her laughter at her teacher's child-like behavior. "I'm not too sure why she has you distracted today, but Ms. Higurashi is a good teacher and she's always nice and always checks on us students every day. You should try starting a conversation with your distraction," Moegi said honestly as she zipped up her bag. "I've got to start heading to cram school Mr. Takahashi, but thanks for the entertainment." She said with a smile.
Inuyasha frowned as she walked out of the room. Why did people seem to give her the benefit of the doubt? Ms. Higurashi had clearly shown him the worst of her without hesitation and yet he seemed to be the only one that could see it.
"Keh." He sucked his teeth as he set the eraser down. "I don't like her anymore. I'll burn in hell before liking someone like that."
Anyone that felt their word was law without negotiation wasn't someone Inuyasha wanted in his life. At this point in his life, he had more than his fair share of people like that.
"She's stubborn too." He reminded himself of another flaw of hers. Surely they would clash if ever an argument were to arise.
"And she clearly doesn't know how to handle an issue and talk things out." This was a major point that would ruin any relationship.
"And she sure as hell knows how to make people feel like shit."
So why…
Why did he still feel his heart racing at the thought of her?...It must just be from pure hatred and a desire to get back at her.
Loud footsteps echoed throughout the hallway in a hurried dash towards his room. "Mr. Takahashi!"
Flustered and out of breath, Moegi came panting into his room. All worries forgotten, Inuyasha ran up to her to check her over. She was practically shaking as she tried to regain her breath.
"What happened?" She had seemed fine when she left the classroom a few minutes ago.
"Near the back of the school Ms. Higurashi and-and some students are- there's trouble!"
I don't care.
Inuyasha ran through the hallways as quickly as he could.
I can't stand her.
He all but jumped down the flight of stairs to quickly make it to the back of the school. Why did his room have to be so far away?
It's not my problem.
He pushed open the backdoors as he searched the area for Ms. Higurashi and the students.
I don't like her.
He spotted them not too far from him as their heated discussion rose. Inuyasha cussed to himself as the exit to the building was on the other side of the courtyard, away from the quarrel. He quickly made his way to the group as he assessed the situation.
"She gets everything she wants! This isn't fair!" One girl screeched as her face twisted.
Ms. Higurashi and two other students stood in front of a group of three girls. The only boy out of the group that stood near Ms. Higurashi had a clear scowl on his face, clearly more than just pissed at the girl's words. The smallest girl of the group had tears streaming down her eyes at the confrontation.
Inuyasha had seen scenes like this before, but he had never actually been involved in a fight amongst any of the girls at this school. He wasn't sure who the three girls on the opposing side were, though he had seen the tough girl act plenty of times as they appeared unruly and uncaring.
Inuyasha nearly froze as he realized who the students involved were. This was no time to hesitate. Now isn't the time. He had to remind himself as he quickly made his way to them.
"You better watch your mouth or I'll-" The male student, a tall young man with brown hair pulled behind him started but Ms. Higurashi was quick to cut him off.
She sent a stern warning his way. "Stop!"
What Inuyasha could only assume was the leader of the group looked at the boy, surprise etched on her face at his harsh words towards her. She turned an angry glare towards the small black-haired girl. "She just plays the victim!" The 'leader' of the group screamed, fed up by the innocent act. "She always does this and people fall for it every time!"
Before anyone could react, the girl stepped forward and extended her hand to slap the other student. It was as if time had stopped with the events that took place. Inuyasha tried his best to run to stop the student, but he was too far away.
A loud slap echoed throughout the back courtyard.
Ms. Higurashi pushed herself in front of the student, effectively taking the slap for the girl.
Almost immediately as the girl's sharp nails had dragged across Ms. Higurashi's face, blood pooled around the cut and began to drip down her cheek.
As if shocked by her action, she snapped her hand back. "I-I didn't mean to." Her voice was so small compared to the voice that she had used to yell at the other student.
The student Ms. Higurashi had pushed behind her was visibly shaken by what had happened as tears continued to pour down her face in a rush. She took a few steps back before running from the situation.
Ms. Higurashi turned from the students to Inuyasha very calmly, as if there wasn't blood dripping onto her blouse. "Mr. Takahashi, if you could kindly go check on that student to make sure they're okay. I'll take care of these students." She left no room for discussion as she motioned for him to go.
More importantly than anything right now, Inuyasha felt that the student was a priority. He gave her one lingering look as if to ask if she was okay enough to handle them. To his surprise, she offered him a small smile, reassuring him that she could take it from here.
Without another look back, Inuyasha quickly followed after the student. His mind was racing with thoughts of what had taken place and how everything had unfolded. To see that she had jumped in front of a student to protect them was something he hadn't expected her to do. Without hesitation, she had put herself in harm's way for a student. One that wasn't even her student at that.
Inuyasha rounded the corner as he followed where the student had run off to. If I had just been a few seconds earlier…. He just may have been able to stop everything, to step in the way rather than Ms. Higurashi. He couldn't shake the image of blood dripping down her face from his mind.
It didn't take long before he had found the very student he was looking for. Her cries echoed around him and slightly unnerved Inuyasha. She sat pushed against the wall under a secluded staircase leading to the second floor. Seeing her crying her eyes out to herself was something that angered and saddened Inuyasha. Her body racked with sobs as she failed to calm herself down.
It was something about watching a broken student that broke Inuyasha's heart. It hurt to know that there was but so much he could offer to help her.
Inuyasha felt a deep sense of caring for each student he had, though he had more than one reason to feel an array of emotions for this student. No matter the hell he gave them, he really did have a soft spot for every kid at this school. She was so small and tiny, almost like a doll Inuyasha was scared to touch as the thought of her breaking appeared, she was much too delicate. He had never been good at comforting people or helping them when they were sad, but he honestly felt he wouldn't want any other teacher beside himself to handle this situation.
He wouldn't say a single word, he wouldn't dare.
Inuyasha sat next to the student and made himself comfortable. She hadn't bothered acknowledging him as she continued to break down. Inuyasha carefully placed a comforting arm around her shoulder, mindful of his claws as he gave her arm a gentle squeeze to let her know he was there for her.
That single motion was all it took for her to latch on to him and break down even further.
As she gripped onto him like a lifeline and he continued to rub her shoulder, a strong sense of protection set in. Moments like these were exactly why he was grateful to be a teacher, why his job felt more fulfilled and like it had more purpose.
When students went through times like these, just who could they cry to?
Inuyasha sighed as he made his way throughout the school. It was already going on 6pm and he still felt like he was in the twilight zone. So many things out of the ordinary kept happening, what was going on with the day?
It was sure to get even stranger as he stood outside his destination. After having taken care of the student, Inuyasha had gone to check on Ms. Higurashi. Maybe it wasn't what acquaintances should do, but….He was going to check on her either way. Sure enough, she wasn't in her room, which meant she was most likely in one other place.
Inuyasha stood in the doorway as he watched her search around the drawers in the infirmary. She had yet to notice him as she closed a drawer with a frustrated sigh. Her back was turned to him as she struggled to find anything to take care of the wound on her cheek.
"Where is everything in here?" She mumbled to herself.
Inuyasha watched with piqued interest as she darted from drawer to drawer while muttering cusses to herself. He just might have laughed had he not wanted to see how long she would go without noticing him. It was also fairly interesting for him to watch her talk to herself while searching around.
She stood on the tip of her toes as she attempted to open one of the cabinets. He could see this ending in disaster if she went to take something out of the cabinet and knocked everything over inside. She may even end up in the hospital if something heavy falls on her.
"Ya' know?" Inuyasha asked as he came up behind her. His body gently pressed against hers as he opened the upper shelf and began scanning it for anything that may assist her. It was taking everything in him not to laugh as she went rigid underneath him. "Some people may say it's crazy that you're in here talking to yourself." He grabbed a bottle of alcohol that was pushed against the side before motioning for her to sit on the infirmary bed.
She eyed him up and down wearily. "I can do it myself."
Inuyasha didn't hesitate to roll his eyes as he opened a jar full of cotton swabs and bandages. "I didn't ask if you could do it yourself. Looked to me like you were struggling to find stuff and I know my way around the infirmary room. Sit." He ended as he went to gather more supplies.
The nurse never seemed to be in here when people needed him. Due to not wanting to bleed out all over test papers after getting a pretty bad cut when he first started working, the infirmary felt like the best place to get help. He had snooped around the office and located everything he needed that one time he actually went to the nurse. Who would've thought this knowledge would come in handy all these months later?
She didn't look too pleased with having being told what to do in such a rude fashion, though she sat without complaint. Inuyasha could feel her eyes boring into the back of him as she watched his every move. He had managed to make it this far with looking cool and like he didn't give a shit about her or her rude treatment, he would not let her gaze make him flounder. "How was the student? Is she okay?"
Inuyasha glanced at Kagome before making his way to the bed as he put on a pair of gloves. Her eyes swelled with so much worry and concern, you would've thought that student was her daughter with how much it looked like she cared. "She was okay. More so shaken by what happened and you getting slapped." Inuyasha unscrewed the top to the alcohol as he poured it on a cotton ball. "Mind filling me in on what happened before I arrived?" It seemed okay to talk about the students despite both stating that a lack of communication was best.
She sighed as she eyed the cotton ball. "I don't even really know. Something about the student you checked on getting bullied. The other student I was with-Ahh! Ow!" She winced as Inuyasha placed the cotton ball covered in alcohol on the cuts on her face. It immediately started burning as it seeped into the wound. She instantly reached out a hand to hold his in place.
"Now, Ms. Higurashi, I'm sure you would hate to get an infection, right?" Inuyasha asked as if he were talking to a mere child. It would be an understatement to say that he was pleased that she was really feeling the burn. Call him a masochist, but this was as good as any passive-aggressive act he could have inflicted on her after their spat this morning. She slowly removed her hand from his as her eyes darted to the side, clearly embarrassed by her behavior. "Continue." He said gently as he tried to be as gentle as he could while patting her cut.
She bit her lip as she tried not to let the pain bother her as much. "The other girls were ganging up on her and the boy that was there saw and tried to help her, though he seemed more angry at their behavior than anything else. I saw it as I was leaving and came in about three minutes before you did."
Inuyasha tossed the bloody cotton ball in the trash can before opening some of the antibiotic ointment. He tilted her chin up so that he had easier access to her cut and was looking at him. "What was the end result of that?"
At having him within such close proximity of her face, she felt herself heat up as she tried to back away, though he held her in place. "Well, the students were reprimanded. The principal seemed pretty fed up with it. The main girl got suspended, the other two that were with her got detention. They're probably going to ask to speak with that other student tomorrow to get the full story."
Considering how much blood had dripped onto her shirt and how swollen her cheek was, Inuyasha wasn't surprised that the principal had made a quick decision with suspending the girl. If she took care of it well, it wouldn't scar, though she'd have a mark on her cheek for sure as it healed.
"And the boy?" He asked as he opened one of the bandages.
For the first time since entering this room, her face lit up with a slight smile. "What about him? I told him to go home. It's as if he were never even involved."
While Inuyasha doubted the boy would get in trouble for trying to break up a fight, he could see how it may be a bit messy if he were to get involved with the whole situation. Especially if the main girl had mentioned that he was ready to threaten her during the whole argument.
Inuyasha could tell just from looking at Ms. Higurashi. She really cared about the students and their well-being. She took joy in doing what was best for them.
After he finished placing the bandages on her cheek, he took off his gloves. "Guess we're done here then."
Regardless of what had just taken place, the events of this morning had still happened and were fresh in Inuyasha's mind. Sure, acquaintances may not bandage each other up, but it might as well have been the same thing as going to the doctor's office for the first time, right?
Inuyasha started to make his way out of the room. After this, there was no other reason to communicate with her.
"Wait." Ms. Higurashi grabbed onto his hand as she held him in place. "I feel like there was a big misunderstanding this morning and I want to clear it up with you."
Again, Inuyasha couldn't help but question what the hell he could have possibly misunderstood about her very direct words. It's not like he was searching for some hidden meaning that wasn't there and it's not like he had even tried to fight her about it. He had a good mind to snatch his hand out of hers, but the same serious and determined look she wore earlier held him still.
"Okay, talk."
She released his hand as she searched for the right words to say. Her knuckles gripped the white sheets of the bed so tight, he could see the blood drain from them. "I just...I didn't mean to say what I did so harshly- I mean I did mean it harshly!" She rushed out. "But not that harsh."
What the absolute hell is she on about? He tried to examine their situation. It was odd for him to be towering above her as she looked like a child in the middle of being reprimanded.
Inuyasha sighed as he sat next to her on the infirmary bed. "Wanna' make a little more sense?"
She frowned at him, slightly upset that he was making her say this out loud. "I just don't want any more rumors to spread about me." Her hands wrapped around her shoulders uncomfortably. "The teachers already say a lot about me here, I don't want to give them more ammunition." She knew it, he knew it, they all knew it. The teachers in their department didn't exactly favor her.
She thought back to this morning and how the teachers that had walked by were laughing as they waved at him. Even if she told herself their conversation had nothing to do with her, it still felt like they were laughing at her, mocking her like the other teachers did behind her back. "I'm just tired of being a joke to all the other teachers. I also didn't want any kind of rumor amongst the male teachers that I'm easy or that I slept with you." She stated honestly. It wasn't so much that she thought Inuyasha would go around spreading that rumor, but if word got out that he was anywhere near her house or vice versa, people would twist the story until it became something.
For the first time in a long time, Inuyasha could say these three words.
Miroku was right.
He had been painting her like the devil all day when it really just was a misunderstanding between them. Give or take, she had been so harsh to put more distance between them on purpose, but her reasoning for doing so was one that Inuyasha hadn't thought of.
Inuyasha thought back to the young girl he had comforted just an hour ago. Seeing Ms. Higurashi with such anxiety and hesitation towards him all because of what the other teachers may say reminded him so much of students that avoid coming to school because of bullies.
She had already stated that she didn't talk much in the morning meetings because the teachers completely disregard what she says, and now she was willing to push herself away from all of the male colleagues in order to avoid rumors. It just wasn't a good way to go about life.
Look at her, she's such a pig. How much you want to bet she went out with a teacher from B department last night?
I saw them talking yesterday, that glutton.
Inuyasha recalled the conversation the two women he had reprimanded having about Ms. Higurashi. To think she couldn't even talk to another work colleague without some sort of gossip surrounding her was just beyond him. Watching her look so guilty compared to the strong look she held earlier almost made him feel bad for all of the horrible things he had thought about her.
"I get it." He got it as much as he could without actually experiencing it.
Ms. Higurashi shook her head slowly as her scowl deepened, she had yet to release the sheets she gripped so tightly in her hands. "No you don't. I've been working at this school for 3 semesters now and the teachers have yet to even show me a little respect."
That's...true….
Inuyasha had just come in at the end of the last semester and now he was well into his second. The teachers showed him more than just a little respect as they were always kind to him, often asked for his opinion or input, and had made it a point to include him in activities, even if he didn't want to be involved. He was technically still new to the school, and yet he had garnered much more respect and appreciation than he had ever even seen directed her way.
She was young. If Inuyasha was correct, she was in her late 20's, maybe 28, compared to him and the other teachers that were in their early 30's. Prior to Ms. Higurashi entering the school, the youngest member was Sango, though she has been at the school for a little over 5 years now and she would be 30 this year.
Regardless of age, that was no reason to look down on her or treat her any differently. The older teachers gossiped as if they were younger adolescents. So to think that they had completely silenced this young woman and had made a place where she should at least be able to easily interact with people a difficult task was terrible.
"You're new and the teachers absolutely love you here." She smiled. No bitterness or jealousy was held in her tone despite their very different situations. "I guess it's just a matter of me working harder and proving that I'm a good teacher, so I'll just work hard and make them swallow every bad thing they have said about me." A fair look of determination broke across her face.
Inuyasha couldn't help but laugh. She wasn't sorry about how the teachers treated her. If anything, their hatred towards her fueled her to do better and prove them wrong. It was funny to see her so fired up all of a sudden. "I see," he offered.
"But," she said as she looked at him seriously. "I still have to stick by what I said this morning."
Was it possible to look guilty while still saying you stand by your word? If so, Ms. Higurashi had certainly mastered the trade.
"Why?"
She squirmed in her seat as her eyes dropped to her lap. "Well, I know I was a bit harsh this morning, but it's better if we don't talk at all after this. They spread rumors so easily. I'm used to it at this point, but I would hate to drag you down with me. They'll definitely come after you or make up something ridiculous about us."
Inuyasha could feel his heart swell with her words. Here she was beating herself up about something she felt she had to do in order to protect his reputation and keep his name out of any gossip. To think she had gone so far for something so ridiculous was sad to him.
I really misjudged her.
He carefully placed a hand on hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. He didn't dare look at her as he found the ceiling to be of interest, but if her gasp said anything about how she was looking at him right now, he was sure her face would be just as red as his currently was.
"I honest to God do not give a damn what anyone in this school has to say about me." He forced himself to drop his gaze to look into her eyes. To see her look so flustered from his touch made him happy, though hers had the same effect on him. "Or you for that matter."
Without it needing to be said, he was sure she was embarrassed about how the other teachers may perceive her with all of the gossip going around about her.
He held a strong gaze with her as words he truly meant were spoken. "Even if I believed the shit they spewed, it's up to me to choose who I talk to, associate with, and befriend. You're someone I want to talk with, so fuck em'."
Retract
Retract
Retract
This was not how he planned to talk with her. He had always pictured their first real talk to be about something more trivial and more relaxed. Not a confession that he wants to talk with her more and sure as hell not a conversation laced with cuss words or telling people to screw off.
He rarely ever wished that he could hold his tongue, but now was one of those times.
Her laughter filled the air as she took in his words. It was like music to his ears as her laughter lightened the mood.
"Mr. Takahashi, you have certainly thrown me for a loop." She looked at his hand on top of hers. Before he could remove it, she gave it a squeeze with a smile. "If possible, I'd like to talk with you more too."
Was this a dream? Were they really touching each other? Were they really confessing to each other? Well, not exactly a confession but confessing that they want to talk to each other. Surely this wasn't really happening though, right?
"That would be nice." He breathed out.
She stood with a pep to her step as her smile widened. "Then I am in your care now, Mr. Takahashi." She gave a small bow.
This was it. This was the first real introduction that they had done as friends.
Here she was bloody shirt, bandages on her cheek, and yet radiating with a wide smile and dimples plunging in. This wasn't exactly how Inuyasha had expected to become friends with her and to get the green light to start talking with her, but he couldn't picture it happening any other way.
Inuyasha brushed a strand of his silver locks behind his head before offering her the same bow. "I'm in your care from here on out, Ms. Higurashi."
Ah, he could feel it now.
It was spring.
The time for new beginnings.
Hmmm, so now that they're friends what will happen next? Stay tuned to find out ^^
All characters in this story (Yes, the students too) are all from the Inuyasha, Inuyasha: The Final Act, or the Inuyasha video game. I just take their first name and use their voice actors last name
Have a lovely day!
Arc 1
Chapter 2/7
Posted: May 30, 2020 American time
Words: About 11,000
Pages: 25
See you in two weeks or 10 days? I might be lying, I don't know lol.