InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Cross of Blades ❯ Weapons Assignment ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: No, I don't own it. But I want it though! If you're offerin' I've got...(opens pockets) a Snicker's fun sized wrapper and...what the hell? What's this Barbie brush doin' in here?!
Chapter Two: Weapons Assignment
I
Dear Souta,
Happy birthday!
Did you really think I'd forget about my kid brother's ninth birthday? No way! That's all I've been waiting on! I can't wait for you to get the gift I sent you! You're going to love it! I had to practically beg Headmaster Leonheart for it, but it was worth it. You have to send me a picture with you holding it!
I hear your on the Scholar's List too! You're just a regular genius! I'm so proud of you!
As for me, I've been doing a few things this year. Do you remember Inuyasha and the others? Of course you do. You practically hung from Inuyasha like a Christmas tree ornament at last year's Parent/Teacher Day. Well they say hi and happy birthday. Inuyasha thinks he's so cool now that he's fifteen. He walks around like he's our dad or something. What a joke! He's so funny though, and he keeps Sesshoumaru from choking us when we play our tricks on him.
You remember his brother too right? He's supposed to be taking his SeeD test after this year's Parent/Teacher Day. He thinks he's cool too, but he's being a jerk about it.
Sango and I have started helping out in the infirmary. Now that we're thirteen, we can get paid for it too. Its only one to two hundred Gil a day, but it's better than bumming our parents for money. I've passed both my Magic 102A and 102B classes. I've already started Magic 103 with GF Applications, and it's harder than I thought it would be. It's so much fun though. By the time you see me, I'll be a regular wizard.
Sango's mother is so nice by the way. Over summer vacay, she took us to visit Winhill, where Miroku lives. It's so quiet there, nothing at all like Balamb or Timber. No wonder Miroku's always so calm. He's got that great place to look forward to.
Anyway, we've got something special planned so I've got to cut this short. We get our weapon assignments Monday! I still don't know what I want, but I think Sango wants something odd, like a boomerang or something. I remember her saying something about it. We get to start our defensive training too. I can't wait to see what the others choose. Maybe that'll help me. No matter what I pick though, I'll be sure to send you a picture of it.
Gotta go little bro. Happy birthday again and tell everyone at school hello!
Kagome
P. S. How could I have forgotten? I get to be a Mentor to someone too! He's coming tomorrow afternoon after school. I wonder what he's like...
II
Kagome quickly jotted down the notes on the blackboard as the instructor wrote them down, then grimaced when Inuyasha nudged her in the side. "What now Inuyasha?" Kagome hissed softly while he nudged Sango.
"Guess what?"
"Can't it wait?" Sango asked. "I've got to get this down. I'm practically flunking this class."
"So what!" Inuyasha huffed. "I've got something more important than some dumb old magic notes!"
"What?" Kagome quipped sarcastically. "How to be a Jerk for Dummies?"
"Real cute Kagome," Inuyasha snorted. "I'll remember that when I drive past you."
"You got your license already?" a redheaded student in front of them asked as he swivelled around in his seat. Inuyasha nodded, a wide grin spread across his face. "Yup! Got it yesterday after class!"
"Ah man," the student sighed as he turned back around. "I can't wait until I turn fifteen. It's gonna be so cool."
"What's the big deal?" Kagome whispered as Sango listened in. "What's so great about being fifteen?"
"Sheesh, you don't know?" Inuyasha grumbled. "Figures."
"Just tell us Inuyasha," Sango whispered as she rapped her pencil against one of his ears. He winced and growled a warning in her direction, then sighed when she ignored it. "See, the driving instructors start teaching you Driver's Ed a couple of months before you turn fifteen, then they give you the test and your licence on your birthda-"
"Cadet Endo?"
Inuyasha grimaced, then innocently turned toward the front of the class and the waiting instructor. "Yes, Instructor Kaede?"
The instructor turned a blind eye to his innocent act. "Cadet Endo, have you been paying attention back there?"
"Uh....yes ma'am."
Instructor Kaede sighed softly, then pointed to the blackboard. "Then you wouldn't mind naming three types of Life magic then."
"Um, no ma'am. I don't mind." `Holy crap,' Inuyasha thought when she smiled, wise old eyes twinkling mischievously. "There's...Life, Full-Life, and Cure!"
"Well done Cadet Endo," Instructor Kaede congratulated as she applauded his efforts. "That was very good. I'm impressed."
"Yeah well," Inuyasha blushed as he scratched an ear. "I told you I was paying attention."
"Of course," she smiled appealingly. "I'm so very sorry. In that case, you can answer another question."
"Go for it," Inuyasha replied confidently. "I'm ready for anything."
"Good. Is Holy considered a Life magic?"
"Nope."
"Eee," a student buzzed as the rest of the class giggled around him. "Wrong answer."
"No it's not!" Inuyasha retorted angrily.
"Actually, it is Cadet Endo," Instructor Kaede said before turning back to the blackboard and writing out a list of magic. "Holy is actually a Life category magic."
"How is that possible?" Sango asked with her hand raised as Kagome continued to scribble on her yellow notepad. "Isn't Holy much more dangerous than Life magic?"
"It is Cadet Almasy. Allow me to explain." Instructor Kaede jotted down a little mor eon the board, then dusted the chalk residue off her hands. "Just as there are four levels of magic classes, there are four levels of magic. I'm sure you all learned this years ago in your Magic 101 and 102 classes.
"With Life magic, there are equally the same levels. For Magic 103, you're going to learn about Curaga, Full-Life and Regen because those are the Level 3 Life magics. Holy is Level 4 and you won't learn about them until next year. Death is also a Level 4 and is considered a Life magic."
"But why?" the redheaded student asked. "Aren't Death and Holy destructive magic? I thought only healing magic was labeled Life magic."
"Holy and Death are considered Life magics because Holy is considered the only powerful weapon against undead monsters like zombies and walking skeletons. Death has the ability to take away Life."
"Oh, ok then," Sango replied. Kagome nodded in understanding and Instructor Kaede resumed the day's lesson. Kagome's focus drifted away from the lesson to other, superficial matters as the instructor's voice droned on in the background. `Instructor Kaede's hair is so pretty,' she mused as she muffled a stiff yawn. The instructor turned her head, the pearly white strands falling about her shoulders in deep waves. `It's all white and wavy. I hope my hair is that pretty when I get old. Who am I kidding?' Kagome asked herself with a sigh. `I'm not pretty now. What makes me think things will change when I get old?'
She glanced over at Sango and sighed again, envious of her friend as chocolate brown strands as straight as straw flowed from the ponytail at the back of her head. Though Sango and Kagome were the same age, Sango's body was already developing into the womanly figure she would possess as an adult, while Kagome's body was still rather petite and childish...that is, except for her height. To her horror, she managed to grow to 5'6" which was much taller than the average 4'5" of her classmates. Only Inuyasha, Miroku and the others in their class and higher were taller than her. She was already dealing with the teasing and insults from the other students, but more than once she wished she and Sango could switch places for a day.
Instructor Kaede glanced down when her watch began to beep, then looked up at the clock on the wall behind her. "Goodness," she said as she turned back to the class. "It's almost time for the fourth block bell. I'd better make this quick then." She reached back and lifted up the projection screen covering half of the chalkboard, revealing a list and a heading that said
Today's Homework!
"Awwwwwww," the class groaned as she handed out a work sheet.
"Now now class," Instructor Kaede chastened as the papers were passed around. "It's only a little homework and it's something you need to know."
"But Instructor, our weapons assignments are on Monday," another student wined. "All of our other classes aren't giving us homework!"
"And I'm not your other instructors," Instructor Kaede answered. "Besides, it's only a little homework." She gestured to the blackboard as the worksheets finally came to Kagome, Sango and Inuyasha's table.
"You see, your grade for this class-Magic 103 for those of you who haven't been paying attention-depends on one third of three things. One is class participation. That's quizzes, homework and class participation. The second half is all in-class tests and your final exam. The last part is an essay which I'm going to explain now."
"Aww," Inuyasha grumbled. "Not an essay! I hate essays!"
"You're to choose three elements for your essay and divide them by magic categories, GFs and opposite elements."
"What's a GF?" a student asked while Inuyasha dropped his head to the desk's surface.
"A GF is a Guardian Force. They're creatures that can be summoned to help you in battle. We'll begin our lessons on GFs Monday." The bell rang and the students stood up and gathered their books to leave. Instructor Kaede raised her voice above the soft murmurings of the cadets. "Oh, and first time Mentors, you're to pick up your assignment envelopes from the Infirmary before lunch and the cadets your assigned to after school today from Balamb Station."
"Man, this sucks," Inuyasha griped as he, Kagome and Sango left class and made their way to the elevator for lunch. "I can't believe some stupid paper is going to be a third of our grade. Gods, couldn't she have thought of something better than that to torture us with?"
"Don't complain Inuyasha," Sango told him. "You know Kagome and I are going to help you out anyway. You know we'll do whatever it takes for you to pass."
"How about doing the report for me?"
"Um...no," Kagome said with a shake of her head and a laugh at his disappointment. Inuyasha frowned and walked away, limping slightly from the weighted neon orange Styrofoam gunblade sheathed at his left side. "Hey Inuyasha," Kagome began as she and Sango ran up to catch him. "Have you ordered your gunblade gloves yet?"
"Oh crap!" Inuyasha exclaimed as he shacked himself in the forehead with the heel of his right hand. "I forgot and Sesshoumaru wants his back before Monday!"
"I thought you would, so I ordered them for you."
"Thanks so much Kagome!" Inuyasha said as he roughly patted her shoulder. "You're the best."
"Yeah well," Kagome blushed. "It's nothing. I almost forgot, I've got to go to the Infirmary for my Mentor Envelope."
"Oh yeah, you are supposed to be one aren't you?" Sango said as they took their turns in the elevator.
"Yeah. Instructor Kinneas thought it'd be a good idea," Kagome shrugged. "So I'll go there first before coming to lunch."
"We'll save you a seat ok?" Sango said after they got off the elevator and began the walk around the commons to the Infirmary and Cafeteria wings. Kagome nodded and made to sprint off when Inuyasha stopped her.
"Hey, you need a ride to Balamb later on?"
"Yeah," Kagome stopped and gave him a funny look. "You're offering to take me?"
"It's the least I could do, seeing that you helped me out," Inuyasha replied. Kagome grinned and nodded. "OK then. That'll be great! Oh, but I'll see you guys at lunch!" She veered to the left and followed the lavender pathway to the Infirmary.
III
Shippou darted out of the dormitory and toward the commons circle, his world history book in his hand as he mentally reviewed his earlier lessons and avoided running into anyone. `I don't fully understand it,' Shippou finally admitted to himself. `Instructor said that there were two wars, but the first one was said to have ended in Esthar with Sorceress Adel ostracized into space. What I don't fully understand is why they had to put her there. And wouldn't she have died just being out there by herself all the time?
`I know!' he exclaimed suddenly, a wide grin blooming on his cherub face. `I'll ask Kagome! If anyone knows, she'll know!' His grin widened when he saw her standing by the `Parking Lot' sign at the edge of the entrance, dressed as always in her `special' issue uniform. `More like she bribed Miroku for it,' he snickered, remembering full well the methods his surrogate sister had used against the older boy just for five pairs of pants.
`Then again, I would have given them to her too if I were the one that drilled that peephole in the girls' bathroom.'
He quickened his pace and had to physically keep himself from running to her when another student ran into her from behind. She stumbled forward as he fell down, papers scattered all over the hallway. Kagome turned and quickly apologized, then kneeled down and attempted to help him collect himself and retrieve his papers. The student rudely snatched them from her hands and glared at her. "Why don't you watch where you're standin'!"
"Excuse me?" Kagome squeaked angrily, her eyes blazing a fierce blue as she glared down at him. "I'm not the one that got run into you jerk!"
"Yeah well, I'm sure it's hard for you to see us normal people from way up there, butat least try not to stand in the middle of the hallway!" He walked away in a huff, throwing one last "Freak!" over his shoulder before moving past Shippou and disappearing further into the commons. Shippou approached Kagome cautiously, sensing the sudden wave of sadness coming from her as the scent of salt cut through the others surrounding them.
"Kagome?" Shippou whispered as he kneeled by Kagome's side. "Kagome, are you ok?"
"Yeah," she nodded, blinking back tears that threatened to spill at any moment. "I'm fine little buddy. Don't worry about me."
"I know Kagome but he was so-"
"Mean?" Kagome finished for him before dusting off her hands and rising to her feet. "Yeah, I know. Aren't they all? Come on," she said as she walked away. "We've got to meet the others."
Shippou followed quietly, then ran in front of her and quickly embraced her, his arms wrapping around her waist and his face buried against her right side. "I don't care what they say," he muttered as Kagome stared down at him. "I still think you're the prettiest girl in school."
It took her a minute to respond, but when she did it more than surprised him and he couldn't help the squeak that escaped when she lifted the nine year old off the floor and held him to her like an overstuffed teddy bear. Shippou managed to hug her back, his tail circling her waist to twitch behind her.
"Thanks Shippou," he heard her whisper before putting him down. Kagome took a deep breath and physically shook herself, then followed Shippou down the yellow marked pathway to the Garden's parking lot where Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku sat waiting.
"Took you two long enough," Inuyasha grumbled as he opened the door to a burgundy four door with a black leather top. "You two are so slow. Anyway, get in the car."
Shippou called shotgun, leaving Sango in the middle of the back seat with Kagome and Miroku on either end. Inuyasha started the car and sped out of the parking garage, past the gate and off the Garden grounds. Shippou looked back and sighed as Kagome stared out the window, her mind obviously miles away from her friends. She sighed softly, her eyes briefly closing before opening a file he failed to notice earlier.
"Who're we pickin' up anyway Kagome?" Inuyasha asked as he swerved around a squirrel in the middle of the road. "You never said anything about it"
"That's right Kagome," Miroku said when he turned to her. "You haven't said a wo-"
"Oooooo!" Shippou exclaimed suddenly. "When did you get earrings Miroku?"
"Miroku you didn't," Sango frowned before grabbing his chin and jerking it from one side to the other. "You're mom is going to be so mad."
"She's already mad," Miroku grumbled as he shot a glare at Inuyasha. "She saw it before we came back from winter holiday."
"Why'd you do it?" Shippou asked and winced when Miroku scowled. "I didn't do it," he said as he pointed to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha did it!"
"It's not my fault!" Inuyasha retorted with a huff. "OK, you guys know about the Deling City Christmas parade right?"
"Yeah," Sango nodded while Kagome continued to read. "It's got those really big balloons and those floats made of flowers-"
"And street performers!" Shippou chirped excitedly. "I saw it on TV!"
"Yeah, well Miroku decided to push me in front of one of those floats," Inuyasha growled. "So I boxed his ears. I couldn't help it man! He does the same thing to me!"
"But I don't have claws," Miroku huffed. "One earring is bad, but three? Mom nearly fainted."
"I don't know what you're complaining about," Inuyasha griped as he turned a corner and passed by a lush forest. "I had to buy the pervert the earrings! And I'm stuck with the look the salesman gave me for the rest of my life."
"Was it something ugly?" Sango asked sympathetically. Miroku snickered and shook his head. "It was more of a `I can't wait until you get older so we can hook up' look. That's what he gets."
"I ought to put you out."
"We're here now," Sango said as they passed through Balamb's town entrance. "So he may as well stay in the car. Put him out on the way home."
Kagome looked up from her reading and glanced outside, watching the buildings as they slowly moved past them. Balamb was mostly a residential town with a few shops, restaurants, an inn and the only train on the entire island that connected to the mainland. Kagome yawned as they followed the road around the inn to a large parking lot on the other side. Inuyasha parked in the middle, making it impossible for anyone else to park before turning off the ignition and motioning for the others to get out.
"So," Inuyasha began as he locked the doors and followed the others along the sidewalk back to the main road. "Where's this guy from anyway Kagome? You never answered."
"Oh yeah. I didn't did I?" Kagome mumbled as she flipped through the file. "It says here that he's from Trabia, just like you."
"Maybe I know him then," Inuyasha shrugged. "Eh, probably not though. I mostly stayed to myself. What else?"
"Um...he's youkai, and he's from the mountains near Trabia Snowfield."
"Trabia Snowfield?" Inuyasha growled softly as he followed the others into the train station. "Why's that so familiar...."
The train from Timber screeched to a slow stop in front of the station platform, steam releasing to cloud the air as passengers began to disembark. Inuyasha watched the crowd warily, his nose slightly twitching against the breeze when the scent of blizzard wind and frozen grass bombarded him. He growled slightly, his eyes scanning the crowd until amber clashed violently with an icy blue.
"Not that prick," he growled out angrily. Kagome and the others stopped to stare at him when his hands tensed at his sides and his ears pivoted forward. "Screw this. I'm goin' back to the car."
"Inuyasha!" Sango called out as he turned on his heel and practically stormed out of the station. "Where are you going? What's wrong?"
"Miroku, what's wrong with Inuyasha?" Shippou asked as Inuyasha rounded the corner by the items shop and disappeared. Miroku shrugged. "I don't know. I've never seen him so agitated."
"You guys go see about him," Kagome suggested. "I'll stay here and look for the new student. We're coming though."
"Alright then," Sango said before grabbing Miroku and Shippou by the shoulders, turning them around and pushing them out of the station after Inuyasha. "You sure you're going to be ok?"
"Yeah," Kagome nodded with a sigh. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."
"OK then."
Kagome sighed again as they walked away, watching the three as they began to joke around, then giggled when Sango squealed and dragged them toward the items shop at the bottom of the platform.
`Poor guys. Sango's a shop-aholic. They'll be there a while.' She turned back to the departing passengers as they began to crowd the platform. `Oh man,' she finally sighed as she began to search the crowd. `This is gonna be a while.'
)-(
He paused in the exit threshold, his eyes casually sweeping over the humans before yawning in boredom and placing his gloved right hand in his pocket. He was the only youkai passenger, but he was also the only passenger dressed in a Garden uniform. The gunmetal gray military style uniform clashed with cerulean eyes that narrowed slightly at the odor of the humans around him. He glanced over his shoulder when hands grasped the tip of his tail and met the smiling brown eyes of a little girl.
"Hi!" she grinned widely, showing off the empty space where her front tooth used to be. "Rin's name is Rin. Rin and Rin's family are moving to Es...Es...um...Rin does not remember. Rin likes your soft tail. Why do you have a tail when Rin does not?"
"It's because I'm a wolf, brat," he growled as he jerked his tail away from her. "And wolves eat little brats...especially ones that like to grab on their tails without asking. Understand?"
Rin nodded, her brown eyes wide with the fear in her scent. He smirked down at her, a single fang protruding over his lower lip. "Good." He jerked his chin toward the rest of the train. "Scat."
He grinned as she took off, resisting the primal urge to chase after what his youki would consider dinner in any other circumstance. He walked off the train to the platform and grimaced when the scent of unwashed human clashed horridly with the scent of diesel fuel and grease. "Ugh...gods, how do they stand themselves?" he wondered aloud. His eyes watered as he walked through the crowd, ambling toward who knows where with his tail wrapped around his waist and a large Garden issue backpack hanging from his right shoulder.
"Now how do I find the way out of here? I can't find the exi-"He stopped and sniffed, his head turning toward what was the proverbial light in olfactory darkness. The scent, which he noted to be water lilies upon closer inspection, grew stronger with each step he took until finally he could remove his hand from his face without gagging. He followed the scent until he stood a little behind what he thought was a human boy with long black hair pulled back in a low ponytail and dressed in a cobalt blue Garden uniform.
The boy became a girl when she turned around and he found himself intrigued with the owner of the pleasant scent. `She's not half bad to look at either,' he smirked as he leered at long legs shrouded in the blue wide leg pants. He followed her small frame to her face just as she looked up and gazed into an intense aquamarine. They darkened to a turquoise and began to mist over when he decided to `introduce' himself.
)-(
"Hey cutie."
Kagome glanced up and frowned at the young man in front of her. "Are you talking to me?"
"Yeah I'm talking to you. What's your name?"
"I make it a point not to talk to strangers," Kagome replied dryly with a quirked brow. She flipped through her folder again, then whacked his hand when it gently grasped her upper arm. "Don't touch me!
"Woah," he said. He stepped back, his hands held up in submission with a wide grin. "You're a wildcat aren't you? You're goanna be so hot when you grow up."
"Excuse you?!" Kagome nearly shouted as her left hand flew to her hip. She leaned toward him, her right finger raised to his face as her eyes changed to a dark blue-green. "Just who do you think you are buster? You can't talk to me like that! I don't even KNOW you!"
"Well if you give me a chance, I'm sure we can fix that," he countered. "What are you, thirteen or somethin'?"
"Yeah."
"That's what I thought. We're gonna date when you turn seventeen."
"Argh!" Kagome growled. She threw up her hands in frustration. "I don't have time for this," she said as she walked away. "I'm supposed to find a new student, not talk to a jerk like you."
"You're talking about a Garden student right?" he called to her back. "I'm new! I'm supposed to be transferred from Trabia Garden to Balamb!"
Kagome froze, her shoulders tensing slightly as she turned back to him. "Are you Kouga Bravaldi?"
He grinned instantly, fangs glinting in the sunlight. "Yup, that's me cutie."
"Oh, that's just great," Kagome grumbled to herself, well aware that he could hear her as she approached him. "You're from Trabia Garden?"
He tugged on the left side of his jacket and gestured toward the Garden symbol on the left breast. Kagome nodded and flipped through the folder again before reaching out to shake his hand. "I'm Kagome. I'm supposed to be your mentor."
"Are you serious?!" he guffawed, then quieted when she glared at him. "Ok then. So you're gonna show me around huh? How'd you get here anyway? You don't look old enough to be out here by yourself."
"I came with some friends. Follow me please." Kouga followed behind her, his tail loosening from his waist to languidly sway from side to side when they stepped out of the train station and onto the square. "This is Balamb," Kagome said as she gestured to the buildings around her. "This is the only town on the island, so if you need anything quickly this is the place to go. There are four restaurants, a hotel-"
"Oh yeah, I love hotels," Kouga said as they passed the weapons shop and turned toward the inn. "I've had lots of great experiences in them. I'm sure a lot of other girls have too if you know what I mean."
Kagome rolled her eyes and continued where she left off. "There's also a car rental shop at the town entrance and a pier at the end. We're going to the pier."
Kagome led him around the inn and to the pier where Inuyasha and the others were waiting. Sango looked on as Inuyasha and Shippou argued, with Shippou kicking Inuyasha in the shin as a result and Miroku doubling over in laughter. Inuyasha immediately gave chase and Shippou screeched for Kagome when she cleared her throat.
"I'm back guys. This is Kouga by the wa-"
"No fucking way," Inuyasha interrupted, Shippou forgotten as he glared at Kouga over Kagome's shoulder. "That prick's not getting in my car."
"Ooooo Inuyasha," Shippou whispered as Kouga sat on the car's hood and picked at his nails. "You cursed."
"Inuyasha..." Kouga said to himself, then turned to Inuyasha and smirked. "I remember you dog breath."
"Fuck you wolf bait! Get off my car!"
"But Inuyasha," Kagome said while Kouga stood up and moved beside her. "He's the new kid I'm supposed to be looking after! We can't just leave him here!"
"You might not be able to, but I can! Stay here with the bastard."
"I'm not leaving if you leave Kagome!" Shippou said, with Sango and Miroku in agreement behind him. "Just let him in the car Inuyasha!"
"No," Inuyasha shook his head. "That jerk isn't touching my car, no less getting in it!"
"Technically, it's the Garden's car Inuyasha," Miroku said diplomatically. "However, it wouldn't be polite to simply leave him in a town he doesn't know and allow him to fend for himself."
"Ask me if I care Miroku," Inuyasha countered, then scowled when Kouga attempted to drape an arm over Kagome's shoulders. His smile only widened when she pushed his hand away and moved to the opposite side away from him.
"You know him right?" Kagome asked, then winced when Inuyasha snarled in her face, his eyes briefly flashing red.
"FUCK YEAH I KNOW THE BASTARD!!!" Inuyasha shouted. Seagulls, affronted by the noise, flew off instantly, calling their displeasure at being disturbed into the air as they flew toward the other side of Balamb. "He was my mentor when I went to Trabia. He was so concerned about being seen with a filthy halfbreed that he practically left me at the front gate! He and his `groupies' gave me Hell that entire year! Gunk in my sheets, test papers missing, you name it he and his fucked up guards did it!"
"You're still a filthy halfbreed mutt," Kouga growled casually. Inuyasha's control nearly snapped, and before he could leap for his throat Kagome shoved him backward and onto the hood of the car. She shoved him again when he made to stand up, then stood between he and Kouga and glared at them both.
"Now it's snowing, I'm tired, I'm cold and I smell like axel grease. I want to go home."
"But Kagome-"Inuyasha began as he attempted to stand, then paused when she turned and glared at him.
"Don't care. Sit Inuyasha."
Inuyasha sat.
"Now I think you two should compromise. If you Kouga, promise not to say anything to Inuyasha-"
"I don't talk to trash like him anyway," Kouga remarked.
"Trash?" Inuyasha growled before he jumped to his feet. "Who you callin tra-"
"SIT!" Kagome waited for him to do as she `asked', then turned and glared at Kouga. "One more outburst like that and I'll let him leave you here."
"So fiery," Kouga admired with a glint in his eyes. "You know what? I'm gonna make you my woman."
"No you won't!" Inuyasha and Shippou both growled. Kagome closed her eyes and fanned herself with the folder and her hands. "Look, I'm tired. I won't say this again. Kouga, you be quiet until we get to the Garden. Inuyasha, you try real hard not to kill anyone until we get to the Garden. Everybody get in the car. Sango, sit up front with me and Inuyasha. The rest of you get in the back."
The others sheepishly did as she asked, with an occasional growl from Inuyasha as he started the car and began to make their way back to the Garden. Kagome gave a deep sigh in the silence and glanced over her shoulder at Kouga. "Once we get to the Garden, we'll do the tour and everyth-"
"I don't need the tour," he said as he reclined in his seat, rested his head against it and closed his eyes. "I won't be there that long."
"Why not?" Shippou asked from between Kouga and Miroku.
"Because I'm takin' my SeeD test in three months."
"What weapon do you use?" Sango asked as she turned around. "I didn't see one on you."
"These," he smirked as he raised a clawed fist. "These are my weapons. I don't need no sissy assed gunblade."
"Ahem," Kagome warned before reaching over and patting Inuyasha's hand. "What did I say?"
"Yeah well anyway, I don't need a weapon. I've got me. Aren't you taking the SeeD exam this year Inuyasha- puppy?"
"No," Miroku said as he watched a deer outside the window. "We're not taking it until Kagome and Sango are ready to take it."
"Yeah," Inuyasha said when Kagome and Sango looked at him. "We decided that we didn't want to do it until you two were ready to."
"What about me?" Shippou pouted. Kagome smiled and patted his head affectionately. "They meant you too. You know we're not a team without you."
"I know it!" Shippou beamed as he crossed his arms. "I just wanted to make sure you guys knew."
"What about you cutie?" Kouga asked as he leaned forward and hung between the passenger and driver seats. "What are you going to do? Become a medic or something? I'd love to play `doctor' with you."
"Kagome's going to be a SeeD," Inuyasha snarled as he clutched the steering wheel hard enough to bend it. His growl deepened when Kouga laughed and he glanced at Kagome as her anger pierced the air.
"What's so funny?" Kagome asked as Kouga snorted behind her.
"I don't think you could be a SeeD," Kouga laughed as Inuyasha pulled into the Garden parking lot and parked the car. "You're too small for that. Don't worry though," he said as they all got out and began to enter the Garden. "I'll take care of you."
"And what makes you so sure that you can?" Kagome asked.
"Because I know everything," Kouga retorted with a smirk.
"Oh, you do huh? Well here then." Kagome handed him his folder and pointed toward the other side of the commons circle to the dormitory wing. "That's the dorm. The office is right at the entrance. Since you know so much, I'm sure you can find your way around the rest of the Garden. Come on guys, let's go."
Kouga watched as they walked away without him, with Shippou stopping to stick his tongue out at him before shrinking down to a smaller size and jumping to Kagome's shoulder. `What a temper,' he growled as he turned and walked toward the dormitory. `Man, that Kagome's something else...' He grinned to himself, blue eyes sparkling merrily at the thought of a challenge.
`I can't wait to make her mine.'
IV
"Come on Kagome," Sango said as she and Shippou met Kagome Monday afternoon outside her mathematics class. "We've got to hurry and go to lunch so we can get back to the gym!"
"Why?" Kagome asked as they dragged her to the elevator. "What's going on?"
"Don't you remember Kagome?" Shippou asked as they practically flung themselves inside. "It's weapon issue day!"
"Really?" Kagome gasped excitedly. "I can't believe I forgot!"
"Me either," Sango said as they stepped out the elevator and ran to the cafeteria. They ate lunch quickly, practically woofing down their food before sprinting back to the elevator and to the classrooms above. They raced down the hall toward the gym and separated by the locker rooms, with Shippou disappearing in the boys and Kagome and Sango disappearing in the girls.
"Well, you two are early. Here, take these," the attendant greeted as she handed them a sheet of paper and directed them toward the lockers. Kagome and Sango quickly found theirs, with one locker between them, before taking the time to read the paper.
Garden Weapons Assignment
For cadets of Balamb Garden undergoing their first weapon assignment:
1). All cadet students are to wear the Garden issue gym uniform whenever inside the gym.
2). All cadets (except for gunblade cadets) are to check their weapons back to the gym after the period is over. Practice weapons can be signed out at the gym office.
3). All jewelry must be removed and long hair tied back.
4). Appropriate conduct is to be expected at ALL TIMES!!!!
"Man, that's short," Sango huffed as Kagome read her locker number and combination and opened her locker. "I guess that means they trust us."
"Apparently so. Oh man," Kagome groaned as she pulled out a pair of cobalt blue track shorts in her size. "I hate shorts."
"You hate skirts too," Sango giggled and opened her locker as the other students trolled in. "Why is that?"
"I don't know," Kagome admitted as she shed her pants and folded them on the bench in the middle of the lockers. "I just do. They're uncomfortable."
"You're just crazy, that's all."
"Excuse me?"
Kagome and Sango looked up and smiled at the girl standing in front of Sango. "Yeah?" Kagome said.
"Is that locker 145?"
Sango looked over and nodded. "Yup, sure is."
"Thanks." She squeezed past Sango to the locker between her and Kagome, then smiled and said "Hi, I'm Kikyou."
"I'm Sango," Sango replied before gesturing to Kagome. "And that's Kagome."
"Hey."
"Nice to meet you."
"So," Sango said as she tugged the white t-shirt with `Balamb Garden Cadet' written on the front in blue iron on letters. "You're new right?"
"Yup," Kikyou nodded as she opened her locker. "I've never been to a Garden before."
"Are you studying to be a SeeD?" Kagome asked and frowned at the white tennis shoes she found inside her locker. Kikyou nodded. "Yea, but I don't want to. I wanted to run my father's shop in Dollet. What about you guys?"
"My father wanted me to be a SeeD," Sango said as she tied her shoes and pulled her hair back. "It's not like he had to talk me into it though. He told me stories all the time about how great the SeeDs were and how powerful they were and stuff like that. I couldn't help but want to be one.
"What about you Kagome?" Kikyou asked as Kagome shut her locker. "Why are you here? Did you want to be a SeeD too?"
Kagome stood quietly for a moment, her head bowed slightly. "I didn't want to be a SeeD," she finally answered. "I didn't even want to come here. But I'm here now and that's what matters."
She walked away without another word, leaving Kikyou and Sango to exchange confused and worried glances behind her.
)-(
"Welcome to Weapons Assignment," the instructor, a tall blonde man dressed in a blue and red rugby shirt and a pair of denim jeans, greeted as he paced in front of Kagome. She stood at the front of the line, with Sango on one side and Shippou on the other. "I'm Instructor Dincht, but you guys can just call me Instructor Zell. Anyway, I'm your instructor for hand to hand combat, but I'm also here to make sure you guys get your weapons. You've got three weeks to decide what you want and stick with it. Until then, you can pretty much float from class to class until you see somethin' you like. Any questions?" He glanced over the cadets before him and pointed toward one near the far left side. "Yeah?"
"What weapons can we choose from Instructor Zell?" a girl with brown shaggy hair asked.
"There's four classes, but lots of weapons to choose from. There's hand to hand or close combat fighting; which is what I do, ancient weaponry, sniper and ballistics and the gunblade specialists, which is a mix of the ballistics and the ancient weaponry combined. Anything else? No?" He glanced from one end of the row to then other, then sighed and shook his head.
"Before I forget, I'm sure you've noticed the differences in your schedules now that you've begun training. From now on, the second part of your day will be spent here. The first hour and a half will be on close combat, which you have to learn whether you choose it as your weapon or not. The second hour and a half is whatever weapon you do choose. Choose wisely because after three weeks your stuck with it.
"And when you go back to your rooms, you'll notice that you have new room assignments. Most of you will be moving to dormitory D, which is where the coed dorms are. Any questions? Good. First thing you're going to learn is the salute. You salute whenever important people are nearby, like the headmaster or the president or something. This is the salute and you have to know it to become a SeeD."
He stopped moving quickly, his feet coming together with his heels clicked together. His left arm was slightly bent with his left palm resting against his thigh and his right hand raised to his forehead. "When you're in this position you can't move or make a sound until you're dismissed. Now this is attention, and your squad leaders will call it before you have to do it so always pay attention. Next is parade rest, which looks like this." He stepped to the left, his feet shoulder length apart as the back of his hands moved to rest against the small of his back.
"This is easy. You don't have to be so stiff with this one. You do still have to be quiet though until you're dismissed, so remember that. We'll work on the salute and parade rests first, then we'll begin with the defensive part of the training."
)-(
Kagome huffed and kicked her suitcase, already tired from both the long day of practice, having to move her things and moving from one end of the dorm to the other in search of her new room. `Let's see here,' Kagome said to herself as she read the room assignment. `Room 029-D...029-D...Oh! Here it is!' She opened to door, expecting the person inside to be a complete stranger. She peered inside the other room and giggled in excitement when Shippou's green eyes met hers.
"Shippou!"
"You're my roommate! Yay!" He latched on to her quickly. "I thought I would get a jerk or someth-"
"Kagome!" Inuyasha growled after flinging the door open. "I need to talk to you!"
"Looks like we have a jerk already," Kagome whispered and smiled when Shippou laughed before turning to Inuyasha. "Yes?"
"You ordered the wrong gloves!" He tossed the gloves at her and frowned, leaned against the doorframe and waited for her to say something. Kagome caught the gloves before they could slip from her hands and held them up.
"No way," Kagome said with a shake of her head. "I ordered a large! How'd you get smalls?
"I was hoping you could tell me," Inuyasha growled, then groaned and flopped down on a nearby chair. "There's no way I can give Sesshoumaru his gloves back now! He's gonna have a cow boy I tell ya!"
"I'm sorry Inuyasha," Kagome apologized. "I could've sworn I ordered large."
"What about the secretary in the office?" Shippou speculated as he jumped on the table in the middle of the room and sat down on the edge. "Could she have ordered the smalls?"
"You know what," Inuyasha said as he sat up and thought about it. "That's possible. Maybe she thought you wanted them Kagome, and ordered the size for you."
"Yeah, that would make sense," Kagome nodded. "But Inuyasha, what are we going to do about your gloves?"
"Well, since they're your size, how bout you keep them? I'll just have to order them this time. I bet they'll come in handy for something."
"Oh. Ok then." Kagome nodded and smiled as he left the room. "Thanks Inuyasha!"
"Your welcome ya brat!" she heard him yell from somewhere down the hallway. She set the left glove on the table and tried on the right one, her fingers sliding effortlessly into the smooth black leather and through the finger holes. She pulled on the right and tested them out by clenching and unclenching her hands.
"Wow," she said while Shippou looked through her backpack. "They're so soft."
"What's this Kagome?" Shippou asked as he pulled out her IBook. "Is this the I-Book thing Miroku was talking about?"
"Yup, that's it," Kagome nodded. She turned it on and motioned for him to set it down, then reached inside her pack for what looked like a laptop and plugged it to the IBook. "I need it for my homework. I was going to try to see if I could find any combat techniques in the database."
"What's that thing?" Shippou asked as Kagome opened the laptop and began typing. "What's it do? Is it a laptop?"
"Kind of," Kagome said as the images above the IBook began to change. "It's more like a virtual library. It can't do anything else, like email and instant message."
"Oh. Hey stop!" he called out when the image of a little girl dressed in a black gi appeared above the IBook. "What's that?"
"I don't know," Kagome told him as she typed in a few commands. She stopped at a video/audio file and pressed play, then watched as the little hologram began to move.
"This ancient style of fighting is called karate," the computer played as the figure jumped around. "This was popular in the years 1959-2049. Karate consists of equal strikes and blocks."
"Next," Shippou said once he got bored. Kagome clicked on an arrow on the laptop's screen and the scene changed again.
"What's on here anyway?" Shippou asked before she could click on the computer explanation.
"Um..." Kagome quickly searched for the library's ancient combat archives and rattled off the names as they appeared. "There's karate, kung fu, ninjitsu, kick-boxing-"
"What's that last one?" Shippou interrupted.
"It's kick-boxing. An ancient style that focused more on kicks than hits."
"Well let's see it."
Kagome quickly brought up the image. They watched as the figure flipped and kicked and found this style more interesting than the others she had mentioned. "Want to learn it?" Kagome asked. Shippou shrugged.
"I don't know. Can we learn it?'
"I'm sure Instructor Zell won't mind if we learn a little something on the side," Kagome said as she brought up the learning tutorial. "And it looks like fun."
"Yeah, it does look cool. Ok Kagome!" Shippou chirped with an eager grin. "If you're doin' it, I'm doin' it!"
V
Zell stood back and observed as the cadets trained around him, mentally making corrections to a wrong stance or a slightly off punch when he came to Kagome and Kikyou. The girls looked like twins(though he knew for a fact they were unrelated), with Kagome standing behind the large punching bag and holding it steady so Kikyou could practice her kicks. There were little differences, like Kikyou's calm nature to Kagome's excited one (he'd come to learn much about his pupils in the last week in a half), Kikyou's brown eyes to Kagome's electric blue-green and their subtle speech patterns. Kikyou's voice held the gentle twang one only heard from a Dollet native, while Kagome still had the gently rolled r's of Esthar.
`They seem to work well together, even though Cadet Higurashi is using a technique I've never seen before,' Zell though as Kagome and Kikyou switched places. Another girl, Cadet Almasy, approached them and the three laughed about something before Cadet Almasy moved along and Kagome began her practice. She kept her stance loose and was constantly moving from side to side, completely unlike the basic fighting technique he showed the class earlier in the previous week. `She's learning something on the side,' he determined before glancing behind him as Shippou fell forward into a handstand and back kicked the punching bag.
`And she's teaching him. `Why hasn't picked a weapon then? Is she waiting for the last moment? And....what's on her hands? Are those gunblade gloves....hmmmm...' Zell grinned then, an idea already taking shape as he called her to him.
"Cadet Higurashi!"
Kagome turned quickly, her thoughts fleeing her mind as she came to attention in front of him. "Yes sir," she said while he pulled a slip of paper from his pocket, grabbed a nearby book and began writing.
"I need you to take this to Headmaster Leonheart," he told her as he finished the note, folded it and handed it to her. "I need to know what he thinks about something."
"Alright then," Kagome said and turned toward the exit door when he stopped her.
"No, go this way," he said after pointing toward the weapons classrooms. "He teaches the gunblade classes this period."
"OK." Kagome left the gym, the sounds of her fellow classmates as they practiced quickly disappeared when the door closed behind her. `Must be soundproof,' she said as she walked down the hallway toward the gunblade class. She read the weapons specialties beside each door she passed and sighed.
`Why can't I choose something?' she wondered as she continued along the dimly lit hallway. `I mean, it can't be hard. Sango's going to do ballistics with Miroku, Inuyasha's got his gunblade, Kikyou's getting a whip. Even Shippou knows what he wants, but not me.' She opened the gunblade room and stopped as the sound of intense fighting pinned her to her spot. She watched as Inuyasha and another cadet with short brown hair charged each other. Sparks flew from the real gunblades in their hands and they rebounded off each other only for Inuyasha to attempt to strike again.
The human cadet quickly ducked and rolled to the side, barely avoiding Inuyasha's downward swing. The headmaster stopped them before Inuyasha could strike again and helped the cadet to his feet. "That was good Cadet Endo," he said. "However, you both need a lot of practice if you're going to catch up with First Cadet Endo."
Kagome glanced forward and found Sesshoumaru staring at her, golden eyes piercing into her very being. She glanced away quickly and found him looking somewhere else when she looked back.
"It's time for a break," the headmaster said as he flicked a piece of lint from the fur collar of his jacket. "Five minutes, then we begin again."
"Yes sir," the three said and snapped to attention as the headmaster left the room. They relaxed once the door closed and began to walk around. Kagome stepped to the side so Sesshoumaru could leave the room and huffed when he glared at her as he walked by.
"Rude much?" Kagome grunted as the brown haired cadet leaned against the wall beside her. "Did you say something?" he asked as he sheathed his gunblade and took it off.
"Oh, yeah but not to you," Kagome said with a laugh. He smiled in acceptance, strapped on the foam practice gunblade and shook her hand.
"Yeah, I kinda figured that. I'm Martine, but my friends call me Joseph."
"I'm Kagome."
"You're not here to join this class are you?" Joseph asked. Kagome shook her head. "No way. I don't even know what you guys do here."
"We work our tails off," he sighed as he propped against the wall and closed his eyes. "This class is hard. I mean, really hard."
"Really?" Kagome said as Inuyasha practiced in the middle of the room. "It doesn't look hard."
Joseph opened an eye to watch Inuyasha and snorted. "Yeah, that's because he's youkai. This class is brutal. Headmaster Leonheart is relentless. He's such a perfectionist. You know we have to wear our practice blades around school?"
"Why?"
"To torture us," Joseph sighed. "I'm tired frankly. I think I'm gonna quit."
"Quit?" Kagome repeated. "Are you sure?"
"Yup. As a matter of fact...." He unsnapped the gunblade and handed it to her, then opened the door to the hallway outside. "I quit right now. Could you tell Headmaster for me?"
"But-I-Well-"
"Thanks." She stood there and stared at the empty space he once occupied then turned around when the headmaster reappeared beside her.
"Are you here for something cadet?" he asked as Kagome snapped to attention.
"Yes sir. I'm here to give you a message sir," Kagome responded as she handed him the note Zell gave her. The headmaster read over it, his fingers tightening on the edges of the paper slightly before sighing heavily and shoving the note in his pocket. `Of course he'd push this on me. Damn it Zell, why couldn't you have handled this yourself? Well, I may as well do something.' He glanced at Kagome and found her still at attention, a sheathed practice blade hanging from her left hand.
"At ease cadet." He waited until she situated herself, then pointed toward the gunblade in her hands. "Where did you get that?"
"Oh, this?" Kagome said as she held it up, then blushed and held it toward the headmaster. "This was Joseph's. He told me to tell you he quit."
"I see. Hmnh. He didn't have any business in here if he couldn't tell me he wanted to leave. What's your name?"
"Kagome Higurashi sir."
"Cadet Higurashi..." He nodded to himself, then glanced back at her hands. "Where did you get gunblade gloves in your size?"
"Um..."
"That's my fault Headmaster," Inuyasha said as Sesshoumaru walked back into the room. "I forgot to order my gloves and she tried to but the office thought she was ordering them for herself. I just went ahead and gave them to her and ordered another pair."
"Oh." The headmaster nodded in understanding and glanced at Kagome. "Cadet Higurashi, unsheath that gunblade."
"Huh?" Kagome stammered in surprise. The headmaster only smiled and repeated himself. "Cadet Endo," he said as he looked to Inuyasha. "Help her put it on, then show her how to unsheath it."
"Yes sir." Inuyasha helped her quickly, showing her the tiny metal snaps that held the gunblade in place around her hips before snapping it in place. Another strip of cloth held the gunblade inside the holster-saya. Inuyasha unsnapped it and demonstrated before Kagome attempted it herself. The styrofoam came out easy enough but holding the mammoth weapon was harder than she thought it would be. She tightly gripped the handle with both hands, her feet instinctively spreading apart to shoulder length as she squared her shoulders and held the blade out parallel with the floor.
"Raise it up Kagome," Inuyasha said as he slowly held his up. She watched him and struggled to do as he did. The blade rose slowly but surely, with the orange foam tip a little away from pointing to the ceiling when she finished.
"That was hard," Kagome huffed with a laugh. "Man, no wonder you guys complain. These things are heavy."
"Complain about what?"
Kagome blinked, then blushed as she remembered what Joseph said about the headmaster's training. "It's nothin-"
"You're talking about the complaints about having to equip the practice weapons aren't you?" the headmaster asked and brushed Kagome's apology aside. "There's a reason for that isn't there First Cadet Endo?"
"Yes sir," Sesshoumaru said with a slight nod. "We wear them so our legs get stronger."
"And since our left leg is constantly weighed down, we have to wear weights on our right leg," Inuyasha said as he pulled up his pantleg. A black band was strapped to his wrist and Kagome could see the small weight inside.
"Cadet Higurashi, I have a deal for you," Headmaster Leonheart said after ordering her and Inuyasha to sheath their blades. "I want you to take this course."
"But why?" Kagome asked as Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru exchanged questioning gazes. "I don't know a thing about gunblades except for what Inuyasha's told me."
"I won't lie to you, it's hard," the headmaster explained. "You have to learn both how to attack with the sword part of it, and you have to learn when to shoot in the middle of a strike. But you like it don't you?"
"Yes but-"
"Then try it for two weeks. I'm well aware that the trial period is nearly over and I'm willing to extend yours if you try it for two weeks."
"Well...I don't know..." Kagome hesitated. The headmaster nodded. "I don't blame you. You'd have to wear pants-"
"I'll do it!"
"Great," he said after getting over the initial shock of her enthusiasm. "Then report back to Instructor Dincht and let him know that you're going to need to be fitted for the pants. You need a pair of steel toed boots too. Can you remember that?"
"Yes sir."
"Good. You're dismissed." The headmaster, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru watched her leave, her excitement so overwhelming she never realized that the gunblade was still strapped to her side.
"Headmaster, are you sure this is a good idea?" Sesshoumaru asked as he exchanged his gunblade for one of the practice ones.
"Why?" the headmaster asked. "What makes you say that?"
"Well, Kagome's so small," Inuyasha said next. "She's....delicate....she's-"
"A girl," Sesshoumaru cut to the chase. "If she were a youkai female, we wouldn't question it but she's human. Human females tend to be weaker than the males of the species."
"Don't ever let them hear you say that First Cadet," the headmaster joked before tapping his chin. "I think it's a good idea though," he said finally.
"A lot of people won't like it," Inuyasha told him. "Especially the guys. They'll give her trouble if they can."
"I'm sure they will. She'll be the first female to attempt the gunblade. I personally hope she keeps it."
"You're an equal opportunist Headmaster," Sesshoumaru quipped flippantly. "I doubt she'll last a week."
"I don't know," Inuyasha said. "I mean, Kagome's pretty pig-headed when she wants to be. I think she can do it."
"Of course you do," Sesshoumaru said as Kagome entered the room and the headmaster approached her. "You're partly human, so you would cheer for them, as weak as they are."
"Kagome's not weak," Inuyasha retorted and remembered the way Kagome handled Kouga while Sesshoumaru walked away. "Nope, Kagome's not weak," he said to himself and grinned when she waved to him. "I don't know what it is, but I get the feeling that Kagome may prove you wrong Fluffy-butt."
VI
Kouga's eyes glazed over, perfect and absolute boredom shining in their depths as he twirled his pencil between his fingers. `This class is so pointless,' he growled as Instructor Trepe lectured on the importance of proper junctioning...or something like that. Kouga wasn't exactly sure.
He glanced over at his desk partner and shook his head. His partner's head was turned away from him, braided sliver hair neatly coiled on the desk's surface as the slight scratching of his pencil caught Kouga's attention. The pencil stilled and his ears twitched once as Kouga stared.
"What is it?" Sesshoumaru whispered irritably.
"Where're your guards?" Kouga asked with a quick glance to make sure their conversation wasn't bothering the rest of the class. "I know your pop's got em around here somewhere."
"I have no need for guards, unlike certain youkai."
"But you're a prince," Kouga insisted a tad louder than he meant to. "You're supposed to have guards around you!"
"First Cadet Bravaldi?"
"Crud," Kouga growled before answering.
"Stand up and demonstrate a Fira spell."
"O...k..." Kouga stood up quickly and did as she asked. He clapped once and was instantly rewarded with a small ball of flame the size of a golf ball. "There ya go."
"That's not Fira," Instructor Trepe said with a shake of her head. "Nice try though. First Cadet Endo, would you mind showing us a Fira demonstration?"
Sesshoumaru said nothing, but gracefully rose to his feet and moved away from his desk to the middle of the empty aisle. He held out his right hand, snapped the fingers of his left and watched as a fireball the size of a basketball formed in the palm of his outstretched hand.
"Well done First Cadet Endo," Instructor Trepe congratulated before motioning for him to take his seat. "I'm sure you've all heard the rumors about the SeeD test being a month early and ...they will be. As a matter of fact, you should expect to take them after Parent/ Teacher Day next Tuesday.
"Before then, you should study your junctioning and get to know you're beginning GFs. Those that still don't have a GF should stay after class and I'll equipt you with one. Class dismissed."
Kouga stood and turned to introduce himself to Sesshoumaru, then frowned when he found the inu youkai gone. `I can't believe he just left me,' he growled as he grabbed his bookbag and followed Sesshoumaru's scent to the hallway. He quickly caught up with him just as he turned the corner toward the gym. "Hey, you could have waited on me."
He frowned again when Sesshoumaru ignored him, his eyes firmly attached to the notes in his hand. "You know, I don't see why we have to listen to those humans anyway," Kouga continued. "After all, it's not like they could tell us anything. Shit, we could take this school over if we wanted to." Kouga's temper riled when Sesshoumaru refused his attempts at conversation. He decided to change tactics, going from idle chitchat to more...interesting conversation.
"You know," Kouga began causally, his hands slipping into his pockets as he casually strolled along beside Sesshoumaru. "There's been some talk about you. Youkai are saying that the Endo family isn't as powerful as it once was. That the youngest of the tribe are...less powerful than they should be."
"Let them talk," Sesshoumaru finally muttered, though his tone was completely uninterested as he mulled over a certain passage in his writings. "This Sesshoumaru doesn't pay attention to gossiping fools."
Kouga bristled slightly at that. "You have to admit Sesshoumaru," he continued. "Between you and Inuyasha, things don't look good. Inuyasha's just a hanyou and you..." Kouga snickered darkly and shook his head, unaware of how still Sesshoumaru had become. "Well, no one's seen you fight, no less change into your youkai form. I for one don't think you can do it."
"Is that so..."
Kouga opened his mouth to answer, but gasped when a sharp pain began behind his eyes. Kouga grasped his head as the pain strengthened to a blinding, agonizing intensity that left him quivering and speechless. He fell to his knees behind Sesshoumaru, who never bothered to turn around as a soft whine began at the back of Kouga's throat.
"I consider myself a patient person wolf," Sesshoumaru growled, his head still facing forward as the other students began to stop and look after Kouga. "But I will only tell you this once. I don't care what you think of me. You're opinion means little to nothing. If you ever challenge me in such a way again I will personally insure that you're life will be much shorter than you expected."
Kouga watched through bleary eyes as he walked away, leaving him in the middle of the concerned students. His head throbbed one final time, then the pain disappeared almost as quickly as it had come. Kouga stood on wobbly feet, his hand resting heavily on another student's shoulder as he glared at the place Sesshoumaru once stood. He finally began to stumble down the hallway, pausing a moment to thank the student that helped him up while indignant anger died down to a sudden awareness.
`Sesshoumaru's a psychic,' he realized as the blood drained from his face. `How come nobody told me? Man...if he can cause that much pain without even thinking about it, then what kind of damage can he do when he wants to...he may be more dangerous than I thought.'
VII
Kagome stood against the wall, her right leg bent with her foot against the wall. She sniffed the cup of punch in her hand as she observed the gathering around her. `I'm so glad Sango `talked' Miroku out of spiking this stuff,' Kagome smiled as she remembered the rather painful bump the young man was walking around with as a result of that conversation. She sighed and listened to the conversation around her as she ran a hand through her shortened hair.
She had practically begged Sango to cut it a week earlier, ignoring the older girl's pleas to keep her long hair in favor of the pixie cut she now sported with comfort. To her surprise, Inuyasha agreed with her decision and found out that everyone that began gunblade training cut their hair in order to train without the risk of being blinded. Personally, she liked the look, even though she felt it only added to the confusion around her.
Since deciding to stay in gunblade training, every male in the Garden decided that she was Public Enemy No. 1. She was constantly teased and taunted, and not only did she have to ignore the teasing but she had to keep Inuyasha and the others from hurting someone in the process. The girls of the Garden supported her and soon Kagome found herself in the middle of a middle school age War of the Sexes.
`At least it's quiet her-`
"Kagome!"
Kagome whipped around quickly, stumbling slightly from the gunblade's adjustment to the movement and found herself crushed to Sango's mother's chest. "Hi Mrs. Almasy," Kagome mumbled as the large older woman squeezed her like a lemon. "How are you?"
"I'm fine darlin', fine. Have you seen my Sango-baby? We're supposed to meet her English teacher soon."
"Sango may be over there," Kagome said as she pointed toward the other side of the room. "That's where the others are."
"Oh. Alright then. Thank you dear." Kagome held still so Mrs. Almsay could pinch her cheeks and pat her head, then sighed in relief when she walked away. She looked to her right and found her parents talking to the headmaster. She grimaced when her father waved at her, and quickly threw her cup away and left the gathering before they could get the chance to talk to her.
`I've had enough of that anyway,' Kagome said to herself as she entered the elevator and pushed the button for the second floor. She stepped back when another body slid in at the last second and grinned in surprise when Souta gave her a hug.
"Hey Kagome!" he said as she hugged him back. "Where you goin'? I thought everyone was supposed to be at the party."
"They are, and I was at the party," Kagome said as she ruffled his hair. "Besides, would I pass up the chance to talk to my favorite little brother."
"I'm your only little brother," Souta reminded her before the elevator stopped. He followed Kagome out and into the commons, his eyes latched on the practice weapon strapped to her waist. "Is that a real gunblade?"
"No way," Kagome shook her head. "I don't get a real one until next year."
"Oh. Are you really going to be a gunblade specialist?" Souta asked next.
"No, I'm going to be a hostage negotiator. I just use a gunblade. Besides," Kagome sighed as they stopped in front of the fountain in the center of the commons and leaned against it's wall. "I don't want to just fight people. I want to save them too."
"Like Superman?"
"Yeah," Kagome nodded as she ruffled his hair again and kissed his forehead. "I want to be just like him."
"Are you coming home for the summer?" Souta asked, then quieted when Kagome shook her head. "I don't think so," she said as they began walking again. "I don't think I should."
"They miss you," Souta replied softly. "You know, Mom and Dad. They miss you. They're always talking about you."
"Yeah, I'm sure they do...."
Souta followed a little behind her and frowned at the little tear that rolled down her cheek. "Hey, I know!" he exclaimed suddenly. "Why don't you show me your gunblade?!"
"I can't just show this thing off," Kagome disagreed. "I mean, I'd get into big trouble if I did!"
"But you won't be showing off," Souta whined insistently. "I just want to see!!! Please?" Kagome groaned at the puppy eyed look on his face, knowing that she'd never be able to resist it. She finally relented and grabbed his hand.
"Where are we going?" he asked as they turned the corner toward a hallway marked in green tiles.
"We're going to the training center. That way I can't get in trouble for un-sheathing it."
"Cool!" Souta exclaimed and softly apologized when Kagome shushed him. Together they passed the giant metallic doors to the training center. They broke out into a sweat instantly, the heat used to maintain the plant and animal life inside giving the place a tropical feel. They continued down a short pathway to the training center square where Kagome stopped them before they could venture further.
"OK, here goes. Take a seat over there Souta," Kagome said as she pointed toward a large boulder near a door on the right hand side of the clearing. She waited until he was safely back to unsnap and un-sheath the orange foam weapon, the weights melded inside rubbing against each other as she set herself in a ready position. "What'd you think?" Kagome asked and grinned when he cheered.
"I think you're cool!!!!!" he told her. "I can't wait to tell the guys at school that my sister has a gunblade!!!! I'm going to be the most popular kid in school!!!!"
"Um, that's good to know," Kagome replied before taking a few controlled swings. The weight of the weapon was becoming easier to handle with each day and she found she could swing it a little faster than she could two weeks ago. "I think I'm getting the hang of this," she said to herself. She slowly raised it until she glared over it, the blade itself parallel with her face and her hands raised at her right side.
"I'm going to draw you when I get home," Souta promised as she let it slice through the air to her right side. "And I'm going to send it to you ok?"
"Fine by me," Kagome huffed in exertion. "I'd love a pic-"
RRRRrrrrrrrrrrrr!
"W-w-what's that?" Souta stammered nervously. Kagome shrugged, then squeaked when the floor beneath their feet began to rumble. Souta quickly sprinted to her side and allowed Kagome to lead him toward the exit. Another roar sounded and an enormous dinosar-like monster landed in the middle of their path. The creature stood well above the treetops, with rows upon rows of sharp teeth inside it's box-like head. It glared down at them with beady eyes, the red scales on it's hide rippling as it moved closer to them.
"What's that Kagome?" Souta whimpered.
"I don't know. Hold on." She slowly reached for the Scan card in her pocket, her eyes still on the creature as she kissed her fingers and read it's chart.
T-rexaur: Weakness: Ice
It's better to run if you encounter one.
`Well that we can't do,' Kagome thought as she struggled for a way to get her brother away from it. "Souta?"
"Yeah?"
"When I say run, you run ok?"
"OK," he sniffed, tears already streaming down his face as the monster stared at them with hungry eyes. "Kagome?"
"Yeah Souta?"
"I want Daddy."
"I know kid," she whispered. "I know." She shoved him into a nearby bush quickly, then waved her arms and ran toward the middle of the clearing. "Hey!" she shouted before picking up a rock and throwing it at the dinosaur. "You want something to eat! Come on! Dinner time you ugly old fossil!
Souta sat up and watched horrified as the T-rexuar turned his back on him and followed Kagome. "Go on Souta," she shouted before the creature roared. "Run!"
Souta stood up and tripped over a root before racing for the pathway to the door. The noise attracted the monster, who whipped around and began to chase him. A thick wall of ice appeared between it and Souta and the monster roared again before turning back to Kagome.
"You leave him alone!" she shouted angrily. She jumped when her back connected with cold steel before she pushed the button to open the door. "Come on! Come get it!"
The T-rexuar charged toward her, it's large head lowered like a battering ram as Kagome slipped through the door and pushed the button to close it. She stumbled backward when it hit, the force rocketing her three feet from the door to the broken stones at the base of an overturned tree. `There,' she said as she dusted herself off and stood up. `He can't get through that, so I'm just gonna-` She screamed when it leaped over the doorframe itself and ran before it could catch up to her.
`All I have to do is make it to the secret area at the back,' Kagome told herself as she jumped over a steel rod in the middle of the worn dirt path. `I know it won't be able to get out then. I'll just have to climb down from the balcony or something, that's all.'
)-(
Souta watched as the dinosaur jumped over the door, his round face paling at the scream Kagome didn't know she released. `Kagome's in trouble,' he said to himself as he sat down against a nearby tree trunk and began to cry. `I got her in trouble. She's going to get eaten because of me.' He sobbed quietly, fearful of whatever else was hidden deep within the room. He jumped when the nearby door opened and watched as another cadet walked out of the right hand door. Souta saw the long silver hair and ran toward him, thinking that the cadet was the hanyou he so idolized.
"Inuyasha, you've gotta help!" he begged as he tugged on the end of his jacket. "Please! She's in trouble and-"
"What makes you think I'm Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru growled as he shoved the boy away. "I'm not that filthy halfbreed."
"Oh," Souta muttered dejectedly. "But you'll help her right?" He started to cry again, bombarded by images of Kagome sliding down the monster's throat. "You have to help her. She's gonna get hurt."
"What are you doing in here anyway?" Sesshoumaru asked as he jerked Souta to his feet. "You're supposed to be at the party upstairs."
"I know but my sister left and I followed her and I begged to see her gunblade so she brought me here and-"
"You're sister's a specialist?" Sesshoumaru interrupted, then frowned when the scent of water lilies finally reached his nose. "Where is she? What happened?"
"This big red dinosaur came from nowhere and tried to eat us! She told me to run and I did but I saw it follow her behind that door!" He pointed toward the left hand door and whimpered miserably. "I heard her scream! She's scared! Please help my sister!"
Sesshoumaru gave a mental sigh, then grabbed the boy by his collar and dragged him back to the training center entrance. "You stay right here," he ordered. "I will return. If anything comes near that you do not recognize, go out into the hallway and wait."
"OK," Souta nodded meekly. Sesshoumaru un-sheathed his gunblade and stalked toward the left hand door, his ears finely tuned toward any unusual sound as he stood there silently. `Blasted girl,' he growled to himself before the sound of her heartbeat and slight muttering reached him. He thought better of running and decided to take to the air instead. He rode the little pink cloud beneath his feet toward the very rear of the training center and found Kagome waist-deep in swamp water with the T-rexuar closing in on her.
"There's got to be a water pipe or something that I can get into," Kagome said to herself as she searched but found nothing but wall behind her. She turned toward the T-rexuar hesitantly, her mind solely on her brother as the monster stood above her and snarled. `Well, I tried,' she though. `Souta's ok, and that's what matters.' She braced herself and shut her eyes when it opened it's mouth, but opened them again when a strong wind blew between them.
She looked up just as Sesshoumaru landed in front of her, his gunblade poised and ready as the monster roared indignantly at being interrupted. It bared down on him next and him instantly countered with a quick snap of his fingers. A pillar of ice speared through the dinosaur's middle, giving Sesshoumaru enough time to slice through the creature's exposed belly.
It swiped toward the inu youkai, who quickly dodged and cleaved off the offending claw with one deft stroke. Kagome watched in awe as they fought, making sure to stay out of the way. Sesshoumaru jumped to avoid the dinosaur's gigantic tail, completely unaware of the claw fast approaching him from the other side.
"Sesshoumaru, look out!"
He turned quickly and braced himself for a blow that was too fast for him to avoid when a large chunk of ice materialized above the monster's head and clocked it between the eyes. It howled and stumbled backward, it's only remaining hand pawing the resulting ice away from it's eyes. Sesshoumaru plunged his gunblade into the T-rexuar before it could recover, then allowed his poison to drip down the blade to the wound.
He grabbed Kagome by the back of her pants and dropped her onto his cloud before making his way back to the training center entrance where Souta sat waiting.
"Kagome!" he said before launching himself at her. "I was so worried about you!"
"I'm fine," Kagome assured him with a smile. "See? Sesshoumaru saved me. Sesshoumaru, this is my brother So-"
"We need to talk," he growled between clenched teeth. "Now."
"OK...um, Souta. You go back to the party ok? I'll be there in a minute."
"OK Kagome," he readily agreed. "And don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"Thanks!" She waited until he left to turn to Sesshoumaru, her hands on her hips and her eyes nearly emerald in her anger. "What's the matter with yo-Hey!" she shouted when he grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the training center. "Let go of me!" She winced when he shoved her against the closest wall, her head knocking against the bricks behind her as he glared down at her.
"What's your problem?" she hissed.
"And here I thought you were somewhat smarter than the other human females," Sesshoumaru growled in disgust. "I guess I was wrong."
"What are you talking about? OW!" she cried out when he shoved her again and her head hit the same familiar bricks. "Stop it! What do you think you're doing anyway?"
"I'm trying to knock some sense into you!" he hissed, his fangs lengthening slightly when she returned his glare. "Do you know how stupid it was to go in there with a practice blade? Or did you forget that there were real monsters running around?"
"I-"
"And not only that but you bring a civilian, a child with you. What were you thinking?"
"Um..." Kagome's head lowered in shame. "You're right. I wasn't thinking."
"I know."
"Hey!" Kagome shouted as he released her arm. "Couldn't you try to be a little less of a jerk here? I was almost eaten you know!"
"Yes I do know and again, I thought you were smarter than that." He sighed and collected himself, shoving away the little voice in the back of his head that wondered why he was so riled up in the first place. He stepped back from her, his golden eyes once again calm. "I'll allow this to slide, but pull this again and I'll make sure you never handle a gunblade again."
"You can't do that!" Kagome protested when he began to walk away. "You don't have any authority over me Sesshoumaru!"
"On the contrary, I do," Sesshoumaru answered her without stopping. "I'm four years older than you and come tomorrow I'm going to be a SeeD. I tell you what to do and you'll do it if you ever want me to consider saving you again."
"I don't need you Sesshoumaru!" Kagome shot back. An animalistic growl ripped from her throat when he finally disappeared, her green eyes narrowing into slits and her fists balled at her sides.
"You'll see," she whispered. "I don't need you to save me. From now on, I'm going to save myself."
(End Chapter)
Yeah, I know. Kagome's going through some mega changes. Come on people, she's a teenager! She's allowed to be a little strange. Don't worry though, because puberty and things are over in the next chapter and the real plot of the story begins to develop afterward. And for those of you that suggested that Kagome wield a gunblade...here you go! Hope you're happy! Me personally, I think it's pretty cool too. I'm glad you guys suggested it. I was going to stick her with double katana or something.
Let me know if you have any questions about ANYTHING and I'll be sure to answer them. Oh...wait a second. Here it is! The preview to the next chapter.
Sesshoumaru: How long has it been since I passed my SeeD test....three, maybe four years? Since then I've traveled the world, receiving and completing missions as they were given to me. For now I have a squad leader (the incompetent human) and though I do resent having to follow his orders I know that in order to lead one must follow for a time. And now I'm on my way back to Garden to receive yet another assignment....
Never would I have expected to find a little vixen on the roadside...
Chapter Four: A Near Fatality and The Bet