InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Bad Influences ❯ Bad Influence # Four: Skipping Practice ( Chapter 4 )

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

By: ji-an

Kagome's family comes home.

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine, nor do I want it to be because that would be stealing from Romicko Takahashi.

Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.28.2006 | Updated On: 03.22.2007 | Pages: 7 | Words: 8.1K | Visits: 3.6K | Status: Work In Progress

Final Fantasy 12 is coming out this Halloween! SWEET! ^_^ I am so ready baby! Bring it on Square Enix!

Bad Influence # Four: Skipping Practice

“Uhhhh, shut the fuck up!!” Inuyasha yelled angrily as he rolled around his bed to reach the phone as the music alerted him that there was a caller waiting. Reaching the phone and opening it he answered with a curse. “What the hell do you want!” He yelled into the receiver as he rose to sit on his bed with his legs dangling off the edge.

“Really, Inuyasha, is that anyway to greet your lawyer?” A feminine and calm voice answered back.

“Oh, hi Arisa.” Inuyasha replied sleepily while scratching his head and rubbing his eyes. Looking at the time only served to anger him with the person he was talking to. “Arisa, you woke me up at FIVE in the morning!”

“I see you're still on a short fuse. I heard you moved out of your house, you are aware of the-”

“I know full well of what I'm doing. I couldn't stand it in there anymore!” He cut her off and retorted angrily. The woman on the other end of the phone sighed, mumbling something about stubborn teenagers.

“Does your father know?” She huffed.

“ Keh! Of course he knows, I made it clear when I screamed it to his face.”

“And you still left the house? You know you're voln-”

“ Stop giving me grief woman! I messed up and I paid for it. I don't want to have to listen to my father and brother's constant reminders.”

“I just hope you know what you are doing.” The woman sighed in annoyance.

“I'm not going to get in that much trouble walking in a supermarket. I'll be fine. Stop worrying.” Before the woman on the other end could come up with another worry, he snapped the phone closed and stared at the clock. He'd have to get up for school in an hour, but he was too wide-awake now to fall asleep. Cursing, he rose from the bed, placing his phone on the table, pulling out a cigarette from the pocket of the jeans he was going to wear, and flopped out on the bed while the smoke puffed into the air above him.

“I'm never going back there.”

()()()()()()()()

While the class struggled to finish their studies, students grumbling about learning the complex sentences of the English language while others gossiped about the rumors circulating the school, Kagome sat in her seat humming to herself as she finished the last of her work with half an hour to spare. Today was the day; her family was coming back from Okinawa and she didn't have to be alone in the house anymore. True, she did enjoy her few days of solitude, but she would rather her the company of her family. She didn't like being alone for long.

She had planned it out perfectly. Since her family would arrive around seven, she could go to her track practice and still have time to make sure everything was clean. She had run to the grocery store the day before, after practice, buying whatever she could with the last of the money her mother had left her. She mused to herself what she could cook for her family's “welcome back” feast. She kept wondering if two hours was enough time to prepare the dinner. “Oden for Grandpa. Dumplings for Souta, and some steamed rice for Mom. I think I have their favorites…” She repeated the recipes in her mind ten times, while hoping that she had enough time to make the Oden after practice. Now the only question remained was waiting her the day to be over…

“You sure seem exited.” Sango stated as she sat on her desk with her lunch in hand, watching her best friend pick at her lunch nervously as she sat on her own desk with her feet in her chair. “I don't want to wait until after practice! Hatari-sensei told me to slow down so I wouldn't discourage the other team members. Why should I be there if I'm not giving my all in practice.”

“Why not tell your coach about it? I'm sure she'll understand.” Sango suggested, taking a bite of her onigiri.

“That's just it! I don't want to be treated like some special case. It wouldn't be fair to everyone else on the team or Hatari-sensei.” Kagome replied, shaking her chopsticks and digging them into her steamed rice while wolfing down the next bite.

“How bout this then. Ask your coach what the point is being at practice if you're not going practice your best. Tell her that you'll do more time later to make up for the time you lost and run more laps outside of school.” A third voice came into their conversation as Kagome turned her head to see Inuyasha sitting at his desk two seats away from her with his chin in his hand, watching them with a bored expression.

“Who asked you for your advice? Don't you know it's rude to listen in on other people's conversations?” Kagome narrowed her eyes at him.

“Keh, and this is what I get for trying to help you, wench.” He said, before rolling his eyes and placing his head back on the table.

Ignoring him, she turned her attention back to Sango who was rubbing her chin with her forefinger and thumb thoughtfully. “You know, Kagome, he does bring up a good point. Why don't you follow his advice?” She looked at her friend's shocked face and sighed.

“You mean you actually side with him? I told you, that wouldn't be fair. I'm only allowed to miss nine days of practice. I can't ask my coach to let me take off one day without counting it as an absence.” Kagome said defensively.

“Then you attend, but leave an hour early.” Sango replied.

“I can't do that! It'll still count as-”

“Then take Inuyasha's advice. Tell your coach there is no reason for you to stay and tell her you'll make it up by working harder.”

“But I don't want any special treatment!”

“ You're not asking for special treatment. You're asking the coach if you can go home early and make it up by doing extra work.”

Kagome sighed, taking another bite of her rice. She really did want to leave an hour early to prepare dinner, but she didn't want to miss practice. Even if she asked her coach for extra work to make up the hour she'd lose, she would still be taking liberties that weren't fair to the other students. The other team members would wonder why Kagome was suddenly allowed to skip an hour of practice just because she had dinner to ready. It wasn't fair to them or the teacher.

“I guess I have to make a choice. Maybe my family can wait a little longer for dinner.” Kagome sighed sadly. “Work before pleasure I guess.” She heard her best friend sigh with annoyance, but didn't notice Inuyasha as he left the room.

()()()()()()()

“Hmm? If you are here for try-outs, I'm afraid you're at the wrong office. The boy's office is on the other side of the field.” The coach called out as she noticed a boy come into her office during lunch. The boy raised his brows at her for a moment, a surprise clearly written on his face, before he smirked.

“Keh! Me? On the track team? No way, I don't have time and track tryouts are over anyway. Besides, I'm too good to for the track team.” He said, waving his hand defiantly, a smug smile on his face.

“Then, tell me,” The coach began, leaning on her desk and intertwining her fingers while her elbows rested on the wood of the desk's surface, “why are you here?”

“Uh, I'm not usually one to do this, but, can you excuse Kagome from practice today?” He said while raising a hand to push his bangs back, running his fingers through his hair.

The coach raised her eyebrows in a disappointed manner. “Did she send you here to ask me this?”

“What? No! That wenc-uh girl is too stubborn to miss practice and too modest to ask. Why should she be in practice today anyway? Isn't she slowing down for the other students? I watch her run a lot. She doesn't seem to be the type that would slow down because she doesn't get enough practice. Why else would she run slower?” He lied after seeing the coach's eyes flash with mistrust.

“Who are you? And what is this really about?”

“I'm Inuyasha. I want Kagome to be excused today, since she's too much of an idiot to ask for a personal day. I heard her say that her family is coming home and she wanted to prepare dinner to welcome them back. She doesn't think that her family coming back is an excuse to miss practice. What's the point being here if she's not practicing her best anyway? Don't the rules say an optional practice can be set up during the weekend for the day she missed? So that's being fair, isn't it? She wants to see her family and makes up the day she missed. Problem solved”

“How is it you know the rules so well?”

“My last school had a track team too.” He lied. He never paid attention to any king of sporting in his older school. He was just ridding on a guess and it was just luck that there was an actual rule about an optional practice day.

“So you're the one who was able to keep up with Kagome. Too bad that you didn't try out, you could've gave the boys' team an edge. All right, I'll dismiss Kagome if she makes up her day. And I want her to ask me for a personal day, not you. She must ask me herself or I won't release her. Why are you helping her anyway?”

“Let's just say I owe her one.” He muttered before he left the room, ignoring the confused coach. He walked back into his English class where Sango and Kagome still sat on their desks eating lunch and chatting amiably. He sat himself down and leaned on his desk while waiting for lunch to end so he could go back to sleep.

“Hey, Kagome.” The girl turned her attention to him, her face confused as to what he could possibly want.

“Can't you make up the practice you miss?”

“ I don't know, I never asked.”

“At least tell your coach why you don't feel like practicing today.”

“Why?” Her voice held suspicion, as if she was trying to deduct what he could have up his sleeve and interrogate him to tell her something.

“Just trust me.” He didn't say anything afterward, ignoring her misgiving stares, and putting his head back on the table before falling asleep. He heard her sigh before his eyes closed.

()()()()()()()

To her unimaginable annoyance, the school day stretched onward and onward at a snail's pace. Inuyasha had left shortly after his fourth class, sleepily saying that he had work to do. If it weren't for the looming factor of responsibility on her, Kagome would've left early also. She shuddered that she even had considered the thought of skipping her last two classes as well as practice. What was she becoming! She would never think about leaving school just like that! She had banged her hands on the table angrily at herself, making the entire classroom turn in shook and give her a quizzical look. She blushed and sunk into her chair, covering her face with her hands and cursing herself for such a violent outburst. `You're really getting to me, Inuyasha!'

“Kagome, is something wrong?” She heard the teacher call from behind her hands. Taking her hands away from her face, she blushed again when she noticed the students stared incredulously at her, wondering why she, of all people, would show such anger. The teacher had her eyebrows raised at her in a truly scolding manner.

“I'm so sorry. It's just that I'm having a hard time understanding the problem.” She answered truthfully. Math, it had always been her worst subject and she hated it so much that she daunted the obscene amount of homework she had to do for the class every evening. She abhorred coming to this class at the end of the school day. She even wondered how she was able to get as far as Math Analysis and why she even bothered to take another year of mathematics.

“If you were so frustrated, why didn't you say something?” She teacher inquired, wondering why one of her best students would suddenly be shy about clarifying an answer.

“Uh…I'm ashamed that I couldn't grasp it on my own.” Some students bowed respectfully at her answer while others snickered. Kagome was so thankful that the teacher had explained the problem and gone back to her normal teaching. The moment the release bell rang for the last class, Kagome whizzed out of the room, desperately trying to avoid the stunned students.

Breathing in a relieved sigh when she ran into the locker room and changed into her running uniform, Kagome went to gather her teammates and begin training. Just as she was about to kneel in her block, Inuyasha's advice came flashing into her mind. Should she? Forgetting about the fifty-yard dash she had been planning to run, Kagome turned to her coach shyly.

“Um, Hatari-sensei?” She called diffidently, watching as Hatari turned and looked at her kindly. “Yes, Higurashi-san?”

“Um, I wanted to ask if I could take the day off?”

“Hmm? Why is that?” The coach asked calmly, questionably raising her eyebrows.

“Well, my family is coming home today and I wanted it to be extra special so I wanted to make dinner, but with practice I don't know if I can get it done on time and I went and got everything to make dinner and I don't want to miss a session because I don't want to have an absence and-”

“Slow down, one at a time. Is this really important?” She saw Kagome nod shyly.

“You can go home, you know.”

“But I don't want to lose a day! I can only miss nine days. What if something REALLY important comes up?”

“It's alright. You can take a mandatory make-up day on Saturday for the time you missed. However, you have to be there from two to five o'clock, no exceptions.”

“We can do that?”

“Didn't you read the rules?”

“Oh, thank you, Hatari-sensei! I swear I'll work hard!” She embraced the older woman with all her might.

“Get of out here! If you're not going to practice, then go and I'll see you on Saturday! Off with you!” She was so happy, she didn't care that the coach had just done her drill sergeant routine. Kagome knew she didn't want to look soft in front of the other team members. Bowing respectfully, Kagome dashed into the locker room, hoping into her clothing and sprinting toward her home, while the other teammates watched her disbelievingly, wondering how she suddenly sped up when she was running slower in every practice.

“I guess you can't beat that kind of passion.” A female team member said while the other members on both the boy's team and the girl's team nodded.

“It makes me wonder if she needs practice at all…” The coach mused as Kagome disappeared within seconds.

“Looks like they fell for it…” A figure said from behind the bleachers near the physical education field. “ Keh, I still got it.” Looking at his watch, he decided to get back to work before his break was over and turned toward his Lexus.

()()()()()()()()

Running around the house, making sure everything was clean and boiling the Oden on the table, Kagome had to run back and forth between the kitchen, living room and other rooms in the house to make sure that the Oden didn't run out of water, that the steamed rice and vegetables didn't burn and that everything was clean in the process. She sprinted between each room, dusting, smoothing out wrinkles in beds, taking out the garbage, and picking up anything she could've dropped when she woke up late that morning. It was difficult living alone especially when it considered school, since she didn't have anyone to wake her up in the morning. Stealing glances at the clock every few moments, Kagome rushed to finish everything before seven o'clock.

Once the stove was finished with the steamed rice and boiled vegetables, Kagome checked on the Oden still boiling on the dining room table before she began making the dumplings. She debated on whether to just fill the dumplings with pork or make them vegetarian, but quickly decided before mixing the cabbage, green onion, leek, ginger, garlic, and the ground pork all together, and adding some salt, pepper, soya sauce, and sesame oil. She excluded the sake, thinking that her family wouldn't want wine in their dish. Taking another glance at the clock, she noticed she only had half an hour left, making her heart beat in excitement and worry. Placing the ingredients into the dough and folding the dumplings closed, she began to fry them. Soon the oil from the frying pan had evaporated and Kagome began to mix the dipping sauce. Seconds after she set every last bit of food on the table, the doorbell rang, and she ran to answer, taking off the apron she had been wearing before sliding the door open.

“Mom! I missed you! How was the trip?” She screeched wildly before embracing the older woman with all her might. Panting heavily from the race she had done to make everything ready, she weakened slightly, listening to her mother's heartbeat.

“I missed you too, Kagome.” Ms. Higurashi replied as she returned her daughter's embrace.

“Where are Grandpa and Souta?” Kagome asked, letting go of her and realizing that only her mother stood at the door.

“Grandpa's having a little trouble walking and Souta is helping him. I'm afraid he doesn't like plane travel.” Ms. Higurashi answered, giggling.

“And I have a perfect reason not too! Human beings weren't made for air travel! We were made to have our feet on the ground and that's how I intend it to be from now on!” An old voice entered the conversation as Kagome eyes brightened at the site of her brother and grandfather coming near.

“Sis!” Souta started sprinting, brimming with affection at the sight of his sister. He almost knocked her down, jumping into her outstretched hands and hugging her warmly. “I missed you!” He yelled into her shoulder.

“What? There is not enough affection for your Grandfather young lady?” The old man remarked in an irritated manner, watching his granddaughter giggle and release her brother before giving him a warn hug.

“How was the trip, Grandpa?”

“Terrible! I'm never stepping into one of those dreadful planes again! The food was horrible!”

“It's a good thing I made you guys dinner then.” Kagome stated kindly watching as her brother jumped in excitement. Inviting her family inside, she took their coats, hanging them in the coat closet before ushering her family to the table where all their faces brightened at the site of the food. As expected, Souta charged for the dumplings, thanking his sister one hundred times, before filling a bowl with Oden and slipping the dumplings into his mouth. Giggling, Ms. Higurashi set herself on a chair, before filling her plate with steamed rice and vegetables as Grandpa did the same, taking his seat next to her.

“What did Uncle have to say about the will?” Kagome asked while dipping a dumpling in vinegar.

“Oh, he wanted to give us your father's inheritance, thinking that we needed it since his death. He only transferred a quarter of the money to my account. He said that he didn't trust your Grandpa to handle the money, thinking he would spend it on useless `antiques' for the shrine instead of for our finances.”

“Useless antiques! Why those things were a representation of rare ancient items filled with history!” Grandpa stated hurriedly in his defense, watching angrily as his family giggled.

“I'm sorry Kagome.” Her mother called as they cleared the table.

“Sorry for what, Mom?” She asked as she put some dishes into the sink.

“I'm sorry that we left you home alone. But you were busy with school and we needed the money. You father's death has put a lot of strain on us. I'm so sorry for leaving you alone after what happened. But his burial cost so much and he needed to pay that debt so badly…”

“It's alright Mom.” Kagome interrupted, smiling sadly. “I was fine. I spent a lot of time with Sango and-”

“And who? Kagome?”

“Oh, n-no one. Just a friend from school.”

“I miss him.” She said sadly, breaking the silence that had begun looming between them. He mother turned looking at her tragically. “I miss him too, Kagome. It was just terrible telling his family of his death. But I'm sure he wouldn't want us to morn his death forever. We will miss him, but he would want us to be happy and his memory will make things easier.” She said reassuring her daughter to the best of her abilities.

“I know. It's just not the same here without him. I feel like I'll never find someone who could run as fast as he could. I wanted to beat him a race one day, but he…he's gone and there's no one who can ever provide me with the challenge I wanted.”

“You'll find someone, Kagome.”

Once the table was clean, Kagome ran upstairs to finish her mountain of homework.

()()()()()()()

“So your folks came back yesterday, huh?” Inuyasha called her as he sat in his seat while the other students struggled to finish their work. The teacher had decided to move him so that he sat directly next to Kagome. She thought that maybe the class delinquent could learn to pay better attention sitting next to the best student in the class. At first the two of them hated the idea. Inuyasha knew that Kagome wouldn't let him slack off and she hadn't, scolding him every time he fell asleep. He on the other hand, bothered her to no end by starting a quiet fight between the two. Soon though, Kagome found him impossible and thought she should consider doing her work instead of worrying about him. Once she had decided to leave him alone, they were on better terms. Well, in a temporary cease-fire from their verbal wars.

“What do you care, Inuyasha?” She sardonically asked, ignoring him so she could concentrate on her assignment.

“Curiosity?” He gave her an annoyed look before leaning back on his chair, putting his feet on the desk and placing his hands behind his head. She looked at him angrily; ignoring the weird looks the other students gave them. Kagome sighed before answering, thinking that he wouldn't leave her alone until he got his answer.

“If you must know, yes. My family did come back yesterday and we had a pleasant dinner.”

“How did you manage to making dinner with all that practice?” He pretended he didn't know, biting his tongue so that he didn't smirk.

“I managed.” She stated and he knew she was too proud to admit that he followed his advice.

“So you're coach did give you the day off. You're going to make it up right?”

“How do you know about…It was YOU! You spoke to her, didn't you!”

“Guilty.”

“You're so stupid, Inuyasha…” She mumbled.

“Excuse me, that's the thanks I get for trying to help you?” He answered angrily, and she was surprised that he had heard her.

“But you DID manipulate me and my coach! That's not right.” She said angrily, but keeping her voice down so that she didn't cause a scene.

“Hey, you were too stubborn to ask and she was too much of an idiot to offer.” He answered in the same tone.

“She's the coach, it's her job to make sure we are at practice. And I am not stubborn. I didn't want to miss a session. It's my responsibility.”

“Don't you ever let loose and just enjoy yourself?”

“Not when I have important priorities to take care of.”

“Keh, woman.” He huffed before removing his feet from his desk and putting his head on the table.

“Thanks, Inuyasha.” She said softly.

“Where did that come from?” He raised his head in confusion.

“Well, I wouldn't have gotten home and had anything ready without your advice. So thanks, even if you did trick me into it.” She said, giving him a weak yet sincere smile, a slight pink hue in her cheeks.

“Keh.”

()()()()()()()

Tatsuya growled angrily from his seat, watching as Kagome playfully elbowed Inuyasha in the arm across the room. He couldn't stand it! Becoming another one of her rejections wasn't part of his plans. Everyone thought that they would make a good couple, even if they were president and vise president; they thought the idea of a couple leading student council as cute and he was brave to admit that he liked Kagome enough to ask her to be his girlfriend. But she had rejected him, a fact that surprised the entire school and he himself. Everyone was sure that she would finally date and be his girl, but it hadn't worked out. He wondered why she had rejected too many people. The girls would often talk about it, saying that she had high expectations. But he knew better, he knew that she didn't want a relationship because she didn't have time. She was more concerned with schoolwork than a boyfriend, an intriguing fact that separated her from most of the girls in school. He had respected her interest in important concerns such as school until he came along.

The school hadn't noticed such a small detail yet, but he had. He kept thinking that he could get Kagome to go with him once she got some time off from school. He had been planning to ask her, but that was when he saw her with him. He hadn't meant to attack her like he had, but seeing her with another guy, a guy who made her eyes sparkle with intrigue even though she didn't know it, made him lose his control.

She had no time to spend with Tatsuya because of schoolwork, but she had enough time to acknowledge Inuyasha and give him the time ofday. It made Tatsuya even angrier. The first guy she even a remote interest in, happened to be the lowest of the males in school! She was blowing her own self-respect away. He wouldn't have it! At first, he thought it was just Inuyasha and the bad effect he had on her, but he later realized that it was both his influence and her interest in him. What did that scoundrel have that interested her so? He was selfish. He disrespected every teacher and staff. He never paid attention in class. Even if he was able to finish his work and pass every test, he still gave the lowest means of doing so. What did he have that caught her attention? He would have to make sure they didn't get any closer. There was no way he would let his Kagome be taken by some lowlife. He would make certain of it.

()()()()()()()()

Uh, well here you go. I hope you liked it.

Oh, by the way:

An oniguri is a rice ball, in case you didn't know. It's often filled with different kinds of additional food on the inside like tuna or salmon.

Oden is a Nabe dish or hot pot dish prepared in a hot pot, usually at the table. It's made with various fish cakes, daikon, boiled eggs, konyaku and kombu seaweed , boiled over many hours in a soya sauce based soup.