"Megumi-kun," Kagome says with a sigh, "you can't go around beating up people. At the very least, not to that extent. Some restraint would go a long way." She leans forward on the desk, her hands clasped together. The rest of the students have long since gone home and it should just be her and Megumi-kun here at the school.
"Why shouldn't I stand up for those that cannot help themselves?" he mutters, with a frown on his face. Megumi stares out the window. His short, spikey black hair completes his brooding posture. "Wasn't taught to hold back for anyone or anything." His hands move into some gesture.
Is he making a gang sign or is it some weird stretching form?
A black dog emerges from Megumi-kun's shadow, followed by a white dog. Kagome grits her teeth. These dogs feel different from the monsters she encountered on her way to work this morning.
Calmer. Not bloodthirsty.
They rest their muzzles on Megumi-kun's lap. His fingers twitch ever so slightly. If it were another teacher, they would be none the wiser. Hell, they wouldn't have even noticed Megumi-kun making that weird gesture, but one thing is for certain, Megumi-kun can sense these dogs. They came from his shadow to boot.
Did he summon them? Is that why he moved his hands the way he did?
Kagome leans back in the chair and brushes her hair back with her hand. "When you say not to hold back for anything, do you mean those dogs by your side or the other creatures?"
His attention snaps to hers like a bowstring. "You can see them?" Now he openly pets the dogs at his side. "But how? I don't sense any cursed energy coming from you."
"I don't know anything about cursed energy, but I know with power comes responsibility." She levels him with a look. The kind of look she used to give to Shippo-chan when he would play pranks on the villagers. "Am I upset that you defended those students from their bullies? No. That's not why you are in trouble." She pauses. "At least not with me. The issue is that those students had to be hospitalized."
"Serves them right. They won't mess with Tsumiki and her friends again."
Kagome sighs. This kid is nothing but a big ball of negative energy. Could have something to do with that... what did he call it? Cursed energy? "Megumi-kun, you can't say you want to protect the weak and then hospitalize them. A part of being strong is knowing when to hold back." Kagome leans forward and lowers her voice. "Next time, just knock them out and be done with it. There's no need to make their injuries so extensive they have to get treatment at the hospital."
Megumi blinks. "Higurashi-sensei, you're strange." He chuckles and then seizes up. His body straightens like a rod as if the thought of laughing is forbidden. "Fine. I won't go that far in the future. Can I go now?"
"Nope," she replies just as cheekily. "I want to meet this person who told you not to hold back. Your father?" She turns away and logs into the computer. Megumi-kun is not actually her student, but all the teachers are afraid of him. Which is just ridiculous. He may be stronger than most, but he is still a student and needs just as much attention as the others. Even if he is pricklier than most.
"I'll call him," Megumi grumbles. "And he's not my father." He reaches into his pocket and starts speaking to the person on the other line.
Kagome's hand hovers over the mouse. Who knew Megumi-kun could be so agreeable? She puts the computer on sleep mode and brainstorms how she wants to tackle this when Megumi-kun's guardian - not father - shows up. These fights are nothing new. From what she has been told, Megumi-kun has been fighting other students for years now.
She has only been at this school for a little over three months now. Perhaps his guardian is more of a handful than Megumi-kun is. The other teachers practically begged her to talk to him instead of them.
The white dog moves away from Megumi's side and comes around the desk. Kagome tilts her head. Its ears are pointed forward, its tail is down, and its fur is relaxed. There is a red upside-down triangle in the middle of its forehead. Its yellow eyes stare at her. Kagome reaches out a hand and pats the dog on the head.
So soft.
"He'll be right here..."
"That's good. This shouldn't take much longer." Kagome smiles as she continues to pat the white dog's head. The black dog makes a noise of disgust in the back of its' throat and shoves the other dog's head out of the way. "Oh, you two are just some big puppies," she coos.
"Oi! Megumi!," a voice yells out.
Kagome stiffens. The energy radiating from this person is monstrous. Oppressive. Her own powers rise, but she quickly stuffs it back down. A fight is not what she needs, not when she asked Megumi-kun to bring this person here so they can discuss Megumi-kun not fighting.
If she picks a fight with this person just because their energy keeps trying to rile hers up, then she'll look like a hypocrite.
"Ah, you must be Megumi-kun's guardian. I'm Higurashi Kagome." Kagome stands and walks around the desk. She nearly falters. This man is tall, like freakishly so. His white hair is as pure as snow. If she didn't know any better, she'd think him a demon with how otherworldly his hair color is. Not to mention the raw, undeniable power he is radiating.
Also, who wears sunglasses indoors?
"Satoru Gojo," he quips, shaking her hand. There's a sting. She sucks in a shaky breath. Is this man looking for a fight? Her heartbeat is pounding so loud it feels like her bones are shaking. Kagome glances at Megumi-kun, who looks disgusted by the exchange.
How odd.
Kagome pulls her hand back and laughs it off. "Thank you for getting here so fast on such short notice." She walks around the desk and motions for Gojo to take a seat. The two dogs do not stray from her side. It's hard to tell what Gojo is thinking or looking with those dark glasses on his face.
"I was in the area." Gojo leans towards Megumi, who leans further away. If Megumi-kun leans any further, he'll fall out of the chair. "Who'd he beat up this time?"
Kagome presses her lips into a firm, disapproving line. The dogs nuzzle her arm. "Are you the one that told Megumi-kun not to hold back?" She also doubts he was just in the area. Even if he were down the street, it should have taken him far longer to arrive than he did.
"Why should he hold back?"
"Because he's stronger, much stronger, than the students he put in the hospital." Kagome empathizes the students, hoping Gojo-san has some empathy within him.
"She can see my divine dogs," Megumi interjects to which Gojo's lips curve into a smile.
"No shit? I've been trying to get a read on her, but even my eyes aren't sure what to make of her."
The two go back and forth as if she is not there. As if this is not a parent student meeting about Megumi-kun's behavior. Kagome clears her throat. She is not the one that should be up for discussion.
"Back to the matter at hand. Megumi-kun has promised to show some restraint in the future. We can't risk another incident like this." The or else hangs between them like a string. Fragile. The principal wants to expel Megumi and some parents want to take their kids out of the school because of Megumi's aggressive ways.
Not that Kagome blames the parents, and the principal has a responsibility for the safety of all the students, but...she'd hate for Megumi-kun to get expelled when they can just get to the root of the problem.
"Fuck that. Holding back can get him killed." Gojo waves a hand in the air and gags.
"I doubt holding back against normal humans will get Megumi-kun killed." This man is insufferable. "Like I explained to Megumi-kun, a part of being strong is knowing when to hold back."
Gojo quirks a brow. His powers rise and spread out throughout the room like a blanket. Kagome is over this man's shit. This time, she allows her own to flow freely. Gojo sits up straighter. There's a flush to his face that wasn't there before.
Crap. She didn't think it would hurt him. She let out just enough to warn him to back down. At least she thought she let out a small amount.
"Gojo-san," she starts. He holds up a hand.
"Satoru, just call me Satoru." His voice drops to a low baritone.
"You're disgusting," Megumi says, getting out of his chair to call his dogs back to his side.
Kagome furrows her brow. Did she miss something? Judging from the looks Megumi and Gojo- no, Satoru are sharing, she did.
"You know, it's weird that there are no curses in this school," Satoru says with a drawl. "I'd like to think it's because Megumi is here, but a school this size should have lots of them festering about."
"Curses? Is that what you call them?" Kagome worries her bottom lip. How much information is too much information? The man does not seem agitated by her refusal to be backed down into submission. If anything, he seems damn near giddy at the exchange. "Hmm, it could be because of the barrier I put up in the morning."
"Barrier?" His glasses slide down and striking blue peeks behind the lens. "That was you?"
She nods, hesitantly. "Students come to school to learn, so they can make something of themselves when they get out in the real world. Every student deserves to have a wonderful experience when they come here, so when I saw those monsters hanging off their backs and sucking their energy away, I had to do something."
"Normally a veil stops people from seeing what is going on inside, or prevents people from leaving, but yours does not do that. How strange."
"It's a barrier, not a veil. A barrier to keep the curses away. They typically burn away the moment the students step foot on the grounds." She shrugs. It's not that impressive. If Miroku could have lived to this time, he could do it too.
"How strong are these curses?" The man scoots his chair closer to the desk. His grin is wide, practically dripping with joy.
Kagome looks to Megumi for assistance, but the dark-haired boy is more interested in giving his dogs belly rubs.
"I'm not sure?" Kagome swallows. Why does she get the feeling she is walking into something she really does not want to get involved in? "Is there a grading level to curses?"
Satoru giggles. "You know, Kagome, I'm a teacher myself. Megumi here will go to Jujutsu High after this."
"No."
"No?" He frowns. "You don't even know what I was gonna say."
"Probably something about getting me to join this sketchy high school." Kagome stands, wipes her hands on her black pencil skirt, and holds out a hand towards the door. It's overdue for them to leave so she can head over to the shrine. She promised gramps she would stop by after work and help sort through the inventory.
Gramps is forever picking up stuff he has no business collecting. Like those weird, grotesque fingers. If anyone were to raid that shed, well, they would think gramps was into some cult like activities.
"There's other students out there like Megumi that could use someone like you at the school," Satoru says, standing up.
Kagome nods her head in acknowledgment. She is sure there are other kids out there, like Megumi, that have far more abilities than their peers. Her shoulder brushes against Satoru. His hand wraps around her wrist, stopping her in her place.
"What are you doing?" She whispers, not sure if she needs to defend herself or not.
"How did you touch me?"
"You're touching me." She jerks her wrist free. This man has lost his mind, and he expects her to believe that he is a teacher too?
"No. No. I meant earlier." He shakes his hand and puts his hands up in a surrender pose. "Touch me." He says one thing, but his lips curve into a downright sinful smirk.
Kagome looks up at the ceiling and counts to three. Why is she even entertaining this? She places a hand on his chest. The dark material of his work uniform is softer than it looks. "Are you happy now?"
"Not sure yet."
Megumi walks over to them. "You shouldn't be able to touch him is what he's leaving out." Megumi holds out a hand, but it never reaches Satoru.
Kagome blinks. Looks at her hand still firmly on Satoru's chest and then back to Megumi's hand that doesn't reach Satoru.
These two are playing a trick on her. Kagome takes her hand off of Satoru and instead wraps a hand around Megumi's outstretched arm and tugs it forward, but no matter how much she tugs, his hand does not touch Satoru.
Is it because she is a priestess or is it because she is the Shikon priestess?
"Why don't we pretend like none of this has happened and Megumi-kun keeps his promise to take it easy on the other students from now on?"
"What? No way." Satoru throws an arm around her. "At least come check out of the school and let me know what you think. I promise the school can pay you way more than what they are paying you here."
"I don't work here for the money." She and Sota are well off thanks to the shrine and the investments their mother made for them. Kagome works here because sowing into the lives of others is far more fulfilling than working a normal cubicle job.
"Your talent is wasted here. There are other students like Megumi-kun who could really use someone like you around. They are struggling. Some of them might not understand why they are different from the other kids around them. Some of them may come from families that don't have the same powers they do. I'm not saying you have to commit to it, but at least check it out, because it would make a difference for them."
Damn it. Why did he have to go and phrase it like that?
Kagome sighs. Damn her stupid big heart, always getting her into situations and her equally stupid big mouth. She should have pretended to not know about Megumi-kun's dogs.
"So, it's like a kitsune school?" Kagome ducks out from under his arms and goes to retrieve her bag. Guess they are all walking out together since Satoru is so dang insistent.
"Uh... yeah?" Satoru takes her bag from her, ignoring her noise of protest. "I can just warp us all there. Be faster and all."
"So, you weren't nearby." Megumi crosses his arms. His dogs slink back into his shadow as quickly as they came.
Satoru ignores the comment and reaches out a hand for Kagome to take. "You ever teleport, Kagome?"
Megumi takes a hold of her other hand and lets out a loud sigh, clearly exasperated by the whole situation.
"Just once," she replies, right before the school disappears and her feet touch the ground of somewhere new. Kagome blinks. Where the hell was the warning? Her stomach churns.
"Eh, can you teleport too?" He lets go of her hand and bends down so his face is closer than it should be.
"No, but I was with someone that could."
"With them? Or with, with them?"
"With them?"
"Why didn't you drop me off at home?" Megumi mutters, stalking away. "Gonna be sick to my stomach."
Now that Kagome knows who Megumi-kun's guardian is, she understands why he is so angry. This Satoru is a lot to handle. He has no sense of personal space and just does whatever he wants. It could be because of the power he wields.
"So, where are they now? Could use some more sorcerers on the field," Satoru says, bringing her attention back to him.
"Not in this world."
"Sorry, I didn't know they were dead." Satoru grimaces.
"I never said they were dead." Kagome tries to take her bag back, but Satoru dodges her attempts. Instead, he places a hand on her lower back and ushers her forward. This school feels more like a university campus than a high school.
"Not dead, but not in this world."
"Something like that." Kagome bites her tongue. Stop saying stuff! The last thing she needs to do is let it slip about the demon realm. They walk until they come to a group of students sparring. Kagome places a hand over her brow to block out the sun. Is that a panda fighting?
She pinches herself. Nope, this is definitely still the human realm.
"Yep, he's a student too," Satoru answers. "C'mon I haven't shown you the dorm rooms yet."
So, this is like a university then.
"Do the students have to live on site to attend?"
"Yeah, builds community, and it is safer here on campus. There is a barrier in place, so if any curses try to get in, then an alarm will go off. Can't say the students would have that security back at home. Some of them can't go back because their clan sucks, others might come from a family that isn't a part of the jujutsu world, and some of them may have been rescued from mental institutes."
"That's really sad," she mutters as she tries to keep up with his long strides. Her heels are noisy on the hardwood floors. If she had known she'd be doing so much walking today, she would have opted for flats. "So, as Megumi's guardian and the teacher of this school, are you the guardian for the rest of the students?"
"Oh, no." He laughs, slowing his pace down to match hers. "Megumi is a special case. I took him and Tsumiki in." He continues to show her around the campus, which really should not be this huge. At this rate, her legs will give out before she reaches the third step at the shrine.
Sesshomaru and Inu would give her so much shit if they saw how lazy she has become in the modern world. Maybe she should take some time off and visit them in the demon realm. Get back to being around danger and hone her body again. She flexes her fingers at her sides. Her spiritual powers are fine, stronger even, but her body has forgotten what it is like to walk from village to village in a day's time.
"Alright, have you made up your mind yet?" Satoru asks, once they reach the end of the steps. He takes his sunglasses off and lets them hang from his jacket.
Her breath hitches. Why is he hot?
Kagome takes a step back. Distance between them is what she needs, but Satoru is keen on invading her personal space. "I'll think about it. I'm not sure what I can do here since I don't have this cursed energy you all have."
"Doesn't matter. Whatever you have can take out curses, and that's good enough." He wets his lips as his eyes dart to hers. "How about I give you the weekend to think it over?" He's closer now. His cologne is rich, warm, and far too intoxicating than it should be.
"That's reasonable," she amends. She'll just make an impromptu trip to see Inu and Sesshomaru. They might have some advice on the situation. Though on second thought, they'll more likely to try to convince her as to why she should cut all human ties and stay there with them instead. "I guess I'll see you at the school on Monday?" This time, Satoru hands her bag over, though his hand lingers on hers.
He sends another sharp jab at her. Her powers send another jab back in warning. The smile he blesses her with should be illegal. Does he like it when she zaps him? Her brows furrow together. She sends another tentative zap and his whole buddy shudders.
Ookay, guess he does like it.
Past experience tells her she should run away now, but her feet stay frozen to the ground. Even if she were to run now, she has no idea where they are. Heck, are they even still in Tokyo? Kagome wrestles with herself. She's probably going to regret this.
"I might need a crash course over this whole curse business."
His smile grows bigger, so big she can make out his dimples. His blue eyes are glowing with mischief. She really, really should walk away and put this encounter behind her.
"Don't worry, Gome-chan, I'll break ya in."
A/N: Supposed to be a one-shot, but left it somewhat open-ended in case I want to add more. Idk, ya'll let me know what you think. This will be a place for random one-shots/ requests not related to the other stories. Anddd make sure to take care of yourselves and try to stay healthy!
