InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Bad Influences ❯ Bad Influence # Five: Skipping School ( Chapter 5 )

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

By: ji-an

Kagome goes to give Inuyasha a lecture about staying true to one's work. What happens when she gets more than she bargened for?

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, it's the sole property of Romiko Takahashi, and I cannot take credit for her genius.

Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 11.27.2006 | Updated On: 03.22.2007 | Pages: 9 | Words: 10.2K | Visits: 3.7K | Status: Completed

WOW!! Only four chapters and already FIFTY reviews!! I freakin' love you people!! ^_^ anyway, hope you enjoy this chap as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Ban Influence # Five: Skipping School.

“This is so tiring.” Kagome sighed, dialing another number to rent more equipment. The first school event in the semester had the entire student council running around making plans and finishing errands. Sango had to make sure everything fit the budget, Kagome had to call and rent utensils needed and Tatsuya…well he was “Commander and Chief,” although his job really meant giving orders and making sure things were going smoothly. And then of course, there was Raiko, the student junior vice president was in charge putting up posters and gathering tickets. If it weren't bad enough that Kagome was dumped with constant calls for items, the other members of student council would come up with gargantuan numbers of questions and ideas for her. It was just the first school dance, not the prom!

Planning a school dance was the least of her problems though. As if it wasn't bad enough that she had all this work to do, four hours of track practice to make up, and schoolwork to finish. Now she had another problem: Tatsuya was acting…weird. Usually he was the strict, “no lazing off, you idiots” kind of person. Why did he suddenly start being so…nice to her? She didn't care what he did so long as he wasn't blaming her like he had been doing earlier, especially since Inuyasha hadn't been in school for three days. But the way he was acting now really…freaked her out. It was like he was hitting on her in a very friendly way.

The day she heard him say that he liked her, she was flattered, but had to disregard his request because she believed her education came first. At first he had understood, but he tried asking her out again later and when she refused again, he became bolder in his attempts. Attacking her the day Inuyasha joined the school was one of his bolder moves. However, now he was back to being polite. She kept wondering if this was another ploy to catch her attention. After all of his different tactics, she wouldn't be fooled by another maneuver.

Not only did she have Tatsuya's strange behavior to deal with, Inuyasha was being problematic as well. It was Wednesday, and he wasn't in class. He had skipped three days of school and hadn't stayed true to his word. As far as she was concerned, her deal with him was off, but there was no way she was going to let him get away with it without giving him a piece of her mind!

“Um, Tatsuya?” Kagome began shyly as she neared his table.

“Hmm?” He looked up from the papers he had been sorting through. “What is it, Kagome?” He asked when he noticed her nervous glance.

“We have some money left over for a costume contest. And Raiko said she got us a good deal on fireworks.”

“If you think it's a good idea for the dance then go for it. I'll let the school know.” He answered in an annoyed approach while avoiding her eyes and returning to the papers he had been sorting through.

Thanking her blessings that her conversation with him was short and simple, Kagome returned to making plans with Sango. “Wait, Kagome.” Tatsuya's voice came to her as soon as she had begun walking away. Kagome cringed inwardly; she knew what was coming. “About the dance?”

`Oh, no here it comes.' She cursed her rotten luck in her head.

“You're doing a great job.”

Kagome turned around, blinking. “What?”

“I said you're doing a great job planning the dance.”

“Oh, thank you.” Kagome said, bowing. Forgetting her surprise, she smiled and thanked the heavens that Tatsuya hadn't asked her out again. Part of her was surprised that he hadn't asked. Did he finally give up on her? She would've jumped for joy if he wasn't behind her.

Tatsuya watched Kagome walk back to her desk near Sango. He did notice the look shock on her face when he didn't ask her out. Maybe acting like he wasn't interested did have an effect on her. Perhaps she had grown used to his attention so much that suddenly having them denied felt foreign and made her needy. Or it could be that she had other plans with a certain someone and didn't want him to ruin them. Whatever the case, it didn't matter, he swore that Kagome would be his, and no school loner was going to change that.

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

Kagome sat in class with her chin cradled against her palm, watching the teacher give her usual spiel about the fundamentals of the English language. Ignoring her foreign language teacher, Kagome turned her head to look at the empty seat next to her. Where was he? It was now Thursday and he still wasn't in class. She found herself quite irritated that he had broken their deal. If it weren't for track practice and all the extra time she had to put in to plan the school dance with student council, she would've snuck into the administrations office to find his address and go over there to yell at him.

Kagome gasped at that thought. She would never think about stealing information like that! Where did she even get the idea! Suddenly, she remembered how Inuyasha had snuck into the office with her help to him regain his phone. “That obnoxious, rule-breaking, deal breaking, cocky, stupid, jerk-” Kagome mumbled under her breath, her arms crossed. Feeling a light tap on her shoulder, she turned to see Sango looking anxiously at her. She flashed her a look that asked what was wrong and Kagome answered by whispering her anger toward a certain student while the teacher went on about how most of her students moved to America and had little problem adapting the language.

“Speaking of adapting, a student of ours needs to get his homework. Would anyone volunteer to take Mr. Taisho's homework to him?”

Some the braver girls raised their hands, while Sango nudged Kagome with her elbow, indicating that this was her chance. Although, unknown to her best friend, Kagome was taking this chance to yell at him rather than see him. The second she raised her hand, the entire class looked at her direction, but she ignored them.

“Ms. Higurashi, I'm surprised that you would volunteer.” The astonished teacher said, raising her brows, the packet of homework in her hand.

“Well, you did ask me to make sure he didn't laze off remember? You moved his seat next to mine so I would make sure he does his work. What better way for me to do as you asked by taking his schoolwork to him?” Kagome replied slyly. The girls in the class that had thrown a jealous look at her calmed when they realized that she was only doing this because of responsibility.

The teacher nodded, and acknowledged Kagome as a trustworthy student to deliver Inuyasha's schoolwork. She told her to wait a bit after class before returning to her teaching, or rather her spiel. Kagome sank into her chair as the class continued. Having finished her work a day early so she could concentrate better for student council, she had nothing to do as the others kept studying. She noticed her frequent glances at the clock, wondering when class was going to end. The minutes lingered by, as if mocking her.

Finally the bell rang, and while the other students rushed out of the class, Kagome calmly walked up to her English teacher. She elder woman gave her the packet of homework as well as a paper that indicated the address of whom the papers were to be delivered to. Staring at the papers in her hands, Kagome bowed the teacher and left the room, promising to get the papers to their destination.

She whizzed past the students in the hallways before reaching her next class, hopping into her seat. Once, again after a few moments in class, she found herself staring at the clock.

Practice was dull. She kept imagining the end of her school day waiting for her at the finish line of the sprints. Racing across the fields with a skill no other on the team seemed to match, the other teammates stared at her, more afraid that shocked. Most of them knew of her behavior. She never showed this much passion in her running, unless she was either unbelievably happy or unbearably angry. Seeing the look of determination on her face proved that she was in a negative mood. No other teammate that day had gone to her. Only the coach had paid attention, saying that whatever increased the velocity in her sprints, should be used more often.

Finally the end of practice, the official end of her school day, which meant that she was now free to do as she pleased. Having that thought in mind, Kagome quickly changed in the locker room, grabbed her duffle and backpack, and rushed home.

“Hi Grandpa.” She said as she ran passed him, the old man watching his granddaughter wearily as she rushed passed the shrine's courtyard.

“I'm home.” She called as she entered the house.

“Oh, Kagome. How was school dear?” Her mother called from the kitchen. Kagome sighed contently; thank goodness her family was home. She'd prefer to come home to a noisy house rather then a silent lifeless house any day. At least, she wasn't alone. “It was normal, Mama.” Kagome answered, removing her shoes and entering the house, heading for the kitchen where her mother was setting lunch on the table.

“You must be hungry after practice.” Ms. Higurashi said as she sat at the table, seeing her daughter nod and sit down to begin eating. “Oh, Mama?”

“Hmm?” Her mother placed her chopsticks on the table to show her that she was paying complete attention.

“I have to take some homework to a student in school. He's been absent for a while.”

“Oh my, is he ill?” Ms. Higurashi covered her mouth with her fingers.

“I think so.” Kagome was trying her hardest not to glare at her food. He will be ill by the time she was done with him! They ate in silence for a while before Ms. Higurashi offered to draw a bath for Kagome. “Thanks Mama, you're the best.” Kagome gathered the rest of her school things before climbing the stairs to her room. Before long, her mother called that her bath was ready.

Entering the warm water, Kagome let the warmth soothe her tired muscles. She could hear Grandpa shouting about politics from downstairs. She smiled, sinking deeper into the water, thankful that she wasn't home alone again. Finished with bathing, She slipped into her clothes, before returning to her room to gather the homework packet.

“I'm off, Mama.” Kagome called as she headed toward the door.

“Oh, wait, Kagome, I have something for you.”

“What is it?” She asked, turning around to see her mother walk up to her, placing a bundle in front of her face. “I've prepared some food for you and your friend. Oh and there is some green tea, too. Home cooking always helps with sickness. Take it Kagome.”

“Thanks.” Taking the bundle from her, she thought that this would be the last meal she would give to Inuyasha. She waved to her mother before walking out into the street. Still in the middle of the afternoon, Kagome decided to take the train to area Inuyasha lived in. The sooner she got there, the better. She didn't want to be out by herself after sunset.

“He sure lives in a shady part of town.” Kagome said to herself as she walked through the poor neighborhood. The messy place made her remember when she had gone out to chase after Buyo and was cornered in the alley. Looking at the paper in her hand, and looking back at the buildings to see if the numbers matched, she took a deep breath before stopping in front of an old apartment complex. The manager didn't seem to mind her entrance at all, he whistled when she walked by. Ignoring him, Kagome got to the second floor and to find the needed apartment.

Reaching the door and knocking it, she wasn't surprised that no one answered. Knocking a few more times and still getting nowhere, she decided to try the knob. The door slid open without protest. ` He doesn't even lock his door?' Kagome thought to herself as she entered the apartment. “Sure is empty in here.” She said, taking in the single kitchen and the empty living room. She wasn't shocked that there wasn't a lot of furniture. She stood there in the middle of the living room looking at the badly painted walls before gathering the courage to wander deeper into the apartment. The last room was closed and Kagome had a strange feeling that something awkward was waiting for her on the other side. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

She walked into the empty room. The curtains over the single window were closed shut, creating an artificial darkness. Feeling her hand over the wall, she searched for a light switch when her foot tapped on something. She stumbled for a moment, before quickly gathering her balance again, her hand holding onto the wall for support. Standing up straight, her fingers found the lever she was looking for. Flipping the light on, she squinted for a bit before her eyes became used to the light. Looking down, she saw what it was that her foot had touched and the blood drained from her face and she dropped everything she was carrying onto the carpeted floor.

“Inuyasha!” She knelt to where he was sprawled on his stomach, trying to shake him awake with her hands on his back. “Inuyasha, wake up!” Sliding her hands under him, she managed to roll him over on his back, relieved to see his chest rise and fall in breathing. A heavy, panting breathing, but he was breathing nonetheless.

“Inuyasha?” She placed a hand to his face, only to quickly draw it back after the second of contact. He was burning! Pushing his bangs aside and placing a hand over his forehead, she felt that he was carrying a very vicious fever. His clothes seemed to be drenched with sweat. She had to get him into bed. Grabbing his wrists, she was able to make him sit upright against the bed. She jumped onto the mattress, hooking her arms under his shoulders and using all the strength in her legs to pull him into the mattress. Jumping off, she breathed in a few urgent gulps of air before she ran to the kitchen, pulling a handkerchief out of her pocket and wetting it with cold water.

Running back into the room, she found Inuyasha the same way she left him. She pushed his hair from his face, placing the cold piece of cloth over his forehead in hopes of cooling the boiling blood under his skin. She saw him squeeze his eyes, his brows coming together at the unfamiliar feeling before his eyelids slowly opened. She could see the haze in his eyes and she flinched when his attention focused on her.

“Ka-Kagome? What are…” He struggled to speak, like the fever had weakened his voice.

“Inuyasha, you're really sick. I'm going to call a doctor. Stay here and rest.”

She rose from where she had knelt next to him. Just as she was about to walk away, her wrist was jerked back, making her look at Inuyasha. It amazed her that he even had strength to hold on to her. His eyes had a pleading look in them, something she never expected from someone like him. “No. No hospitals.” He mumbled.

“But you need help! Your fever's terrible.”

“No hospitals, please?”

Looking at him, defeated, she nodded and watched as he slipped back into sleep. Looking around his room, she saw his phone resting on the small desk next to his bed. Picking it up, she flipped it open. “Sorry, Inuyasha.” She said as she dialed the number, waiting for the person she was calling to pick up. The tones in the phone seemed long to her.

“Hello?”

“Sango? Is that you?”

“What's wrong, Kagome? You sound upset.”

“I'm fine. Listen, please call my mom and tell her that I'll be staying with you tonight.”

“What's going on Kagome?”

“I can't tell you right now. Please Sango?” She pleaded into the phone, looking at Inuyasha's panting face. She heard the other girl sigh. “I'll cover for you.”

“Thank you so much!”

“Be careful in whatever you are doing.”

“Thanks.” She turned off his phone and placed it back where she found it, seeing the paper underneath. It looked like his work schedule. Inuyasha's critical breathing brought her attention back to him and she tore her eyes from the paper.

She turned to remove the now warm cloth from Inuyasha's face. He was still burning. Re-wetting the cloth and placing it over his head again, she looked over his wet clothes. She had to get him out of those clothes, too keep him from sweating more. Blushing at the task she was about to do, Kagome shut her eyes, taking a deep breath before lifting Inuyasha's arms and sliding his shirt off of him. She placed another handkerchief on his chest. Her doctor had once covered her in cold blankets to make her fight the fever, maybe she could do the same for Inuyasha. A scar caught her eye. It was a small circle under his clavicle on his right shoulder. She reached out to touch the scar, but quickly drew her hand back. “What am I doing!” She was thanking every lord she knew, that he hadn't woken up.

He needed something to drink. With his burning temperature and all the sweat he lost, he was in danger of dehydration. She opened the bundle of food Ms. Higurashi had prepared, secretly thanking her mother for possessing such a strong sense of need. How could she have known that the tea and water she had packed would indeed help with a sickness. She opened one of the water bottles, unsure of how she was going to get Inuyasha to drink it.

She tapped him on the shoulder, watching as he opened an eye slowly. “Inuyasha, you need water. Please try to drink.” He blinked and she waited for her words to register in his head. A little while later, he tried to push himself up with his elbows. “Don't strain yourself.” She said, quickly placing her hands on behind his back to help him sit at an angle. She placed the bottle to his lips and he managed to drink a few mouthfuls before chocking and coughing. She let him slide into back into bed, deciding to wake every twenty minutes to give him more water.

Between changing the cloth on his forehead and waking him for water, Kagome didn't have time go out to get some medicine. Not to mention that she didn't want to leave him and besides, it was dark and she didn't want to be out after what happened last time she left the house after sundown. Like she had been doing earlier that day, she kept looking at the clock. Every twenty minutes she woke him up for water, and every five minutes she changed the cold fabric.

By midnight, Kagome was satisfied to see changes: his breathing became less strained and his burning forehead seemed to cool, but she was still worried. At one o' clock in the morning when she woke him up to drink water, he had enough strength to hold the bottle and drink all of it. She later gave him the green tea, which he had drank greedily. Thinking that if he had enough strength to support his own water and tea, she moved about his apartment. While he slept, she washed the dirty clothes she found in the bathroom, thinking that he needed something clean to change into when he woke up. She didn't want him to wear clothes covered in fever sweat, he could get sick again.

Two in the morning and Kagome leaned against the bed, watching him sleep. She was content to see that his breathing was close to a normal inhalation cycle. He seemed to be a fast healer, so long as he had help, going from a dangerous fever to a high temperature in a few hours. Even though he seemed to be in a much calmer state, Kagome still worried that his fever would rise again. She wondered why he hadn't let her call the hospital. Was he afraid of doctors? She giggled at the thought. “Mr. Stubborn, afraid of a doctor? That's rich.”

Her eyes darted to the scar on his chest. She wondered why she had not seen it before. It wasn't like this was the first time she had seen him without a shirt. She blushed. Maybe the reason she did not notice the scar before was because she had turned her eyes away from him that day he had stayed at her house. If her mother ever found out about that…Kagome didn't want to imagine it.

She stared at Inuyasha's face. He looked so different sleeping. It was hard to imagine that this little boy was the same rude and obnoxious guy when he was awake. She felt a weight on her eyes as she continued to watch him sleep before her conscious mind faded and she closed her eyes.

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

Morning light hit his face, making him grumble and pull the blanket over his head to create a false night. When no remnant of sleep returned to him, he huffed and began to rise from the bed to look at the time, but a weight on his arm stopped him. Looking down he saw the ebony hair all over his un-blanketed arm. Her arms cradled her head on the mattress she as she leaned her body against the bed in her sleep. Slowly hazy memories of the night before came to him and he remembered asking her not to call a doctor. Had she stayed with him, up all night?

Rising from the bed, Inuyasha noticed that he suddenly didn't feel heavy anymore. When he came home on Monday, he had felt like he left the heater on too long and his body felt like gravity had increased. He felt dizzy, and the next thing he remembered was Kagome looking anxiously at him before saying that he needed a doctor.

He breathed in a relieved sigh, thanking her that she didn't call the hospital. He grunted while raising his hand to run it through his messy tufts of hair. He hated hospitals. The smell, the white walls, even the feeling of it made him sick. Being there brought memories he hated; memories of his ill mother in bed as she spent her last days. He shook his head, desperately trying to rid himself of those damned images.

Rising from the bed, he removed all the sheets and covers, leaving nothing but the mattress. Placing his hands beneath Kagome, he lifted her to rest on the bare mattress. He noticed that his upper half was unclothed, and took off the damp cloth from his forehead and chest. Taking one more look at Kagome, making sure she was still asleep, he opened the bathroom door, noticing that his clothes were cleaned, folded, and placed over the counter. She probably thought that he needed clean clothes when he woke up. “Smart girl.” He said to himself. He turned the water on, keeping the temperature cold to wash the warmth from his skin, letting the moisture wake him up fully. He put his hands on the cold tiles, leaning against the wall as the water pounded against his back before he reached for his soap. He hated strong fragrances, didn't like their scent on him, nor did he like smelling pretty, which was the reason he avoided shampoo. Soap was good enough for his hair. Finished with cleaning himself, he reached for a towel, brushing it rapidly over his head to drain the water from his scalp as he reached for fresh clothes.

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

Kagome slowly opened her eyes; she felt relaxed for a moment before she realized that the ceiling she had been looking at was not her ceiling. She bolted to sit upright, feeling the softness under her and looked down to see the naked mattress. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep worrying if Inuyasha would be awake the next day but now, where was he?

“Inuyasha?” She called, hoping to get an answer.

“Yeah?” His voice came from behind her and she turned to see him come out of the bathroom, his hair wet, sticking against the wet towel over his shoulders, over the clothes she had washed. She took a deep, relieved breath, and then realized that she had stayed at his place all night!

“Ahh, what time is it!” She yelled, frantically looking for the clock as she recalled the importance of school.

“Eleven o-clock. Why?”

“Oh no!” She seemed to be out of strength and fell to her hands and knees on the bed. “I've skipped school! My perfect attendance is gone! What will I do! What will MOM do when she finds out! What will Sango do, she was covering for me!”

Inuyasha smirked and walked toward her, leaning down and into her face. “You're first time playing hooky huh? How does it feel?”

“Terrible! Oh, I don't even want to think of the consequences!” She blushed when she noticed how close he was leaning, his face a mere breath away form hers. Rising form the mattress, her cheeks still a bit pink, she looked him in the eye before noticing that he was standing. He was able to stand, that was good, and he didn't look as pale as he did before, the slight tan returning to his skin. It didn't even seem like he had been sick the day before. She placed her hand over his forehead. He gave a small start and was about to protest before she pulled her hand away.

“Your fever's down. Thank goodness.” He nodded and she couldn't help the salt coming into her face.

“Kagome, are you crying?” He couldn't believe the site in front of him. The toughest girl he had ever known was crying, for him no less. He didn't know what shocked him more: the fact that she had stayed at his apartment all night to take care of him, or the fact that she was crying about his health when she was usually yelling angrily at him. Automatically he reached out to whip the tears away with his thumb. “Why are you crying?”

“I was worried about you, you idiot! I didn't know you were sick and I came here to yell at you! You had the worst fever I had ever seen! And you didn't let me call a doctor!” She hiccupped a few more sobs. “Inuyasha, why didn't you let me call the hospital? I was so scared that you wouldn't make it through the night.” She gasped when she felt him cup her cheek. Though, there was an arm's distance between them, she could still feel his closeness, just from the touch of his palm against her cheek. She leaned into his hand.

“Listen, I'm sorry I made you worry.”

“What happened to you?” She asked, covering his hand with her own.

He seemed to ponder for a moment, summoning the last remembrance he had before he became unhealthy. “I remember coming home after seeing my doctor on Monday. When I got here, my body felt heavy and I remember falling. I thought I was just tired so I just lay there. What day is it?”

“It's Friday.”

“I've missed an entire week of school. Is that why you came here to yell at me? Looks like the deal's off, huh?” He said with a weak smile.

“No, it's not. It would be unfair for me to break my deal when you had a completely valid reason not to come to school.” She looked up at him, seeing that he didn't take away his hand from her cheek. “Why did you see your doctor?”

“Monthly checkup.” He said bluntly.

“Does it have anything to do with that scar?” She saw his calm features drop.

“Scar?”

“The one under your collarbone, on your shoulder?” Seeing his frown she said, “Oh. I'm sorry. It's none of my business.”

“I was shot.” He didn't know why he said that. He just blurted it out without thinking but something told him that he could trust her.

“WHAT! When did this happen, why did this happen! Are you okay, I-” She was silenced by a single finger on her lips.

“Calm down, woman! I'm fine. It happened a long time ago.” Taking his finger away, Inuyasha could see that Kagome was unsatisfied with his information, but he knew that he wasn't going to tell her anything more. What happened to him four years ago was his business, not hers.

“So you really came here to yell at me? Or was it that packet of homework?” He said, pointing to the bundle of papers Kagome had put on the desk next to his bed. He took his hand away from her cheek.

Kagome almost whined when losing the warmth from his hand. “Both actually.” She watched for a moment as Inuyasha turned, sitting down on the ground, crossing his arms and legs.

“What are you doing?” She asked.

“Damn it, I need food!” Kagome smiled; she should've known he would say that. She was happy to see him back at his old self. He looked so weak when he was sick. His eyes were so empty, his skin pale. She didn't like seeing him so helpless and it fascinated her that he could bounce back without a problem. Reaching the bundle of food her mother had made, she sat down in front of him and said, “here.”

He looked at the bag in her hand then at her. “What is it?”

“Food, dummy. My mom made it.” At the mention of something to eat, he snatched the bag from her hands and opened the plastic container inside. After seeing him wolf down his food so many times, it didn't surprise her that he made the rice, vegetables, dumplings, sausages and boiled eggs disappear within two minutes.

“You sure don't waste time chewing, do you?” She said, looking into the empty container after he handed it back to her with a quick “thank you.”

“What can I say; I love to eat.” He smirked.

“I think I know why you got sick.”

“Oh, do tell.” He placed his elbow on his bent knee and leaned his chin into his hand, awaiting a long story.

“I saw your work shifts, that sheet that was on your desk under your phone. Oh, I used your phone to call Sango earlier. I hope you don't mind.”

“Keh, forget it.”

“It's not fair. You work for an eight-hour shift every day. With school, if you did work there, it would be fourteen hours, since you don't go to your last two classes. And you don't eat too often. Maybe you got too tired, you collapsed from exhaustion.”

“Maybe. It doesn't matter anyway, I quit that job on Saturday.”

“Why?”

“Hated my boss. That old man should be arrested for labor charges. I worked twice as hard as all of his lazy secretaries.” Inuyasha huffed. After his last paycheck, he decided to quit that job. He could live off of his bank account while looking for work. It was a good thing he was smart enough to open his own account without his father knowing when he decided to move out of the house. Thinking he would need the money for emergencies, he had gone to the bank to open a private account. Of course, staying in the same house as Sesshoumaru was an emergency.

“So, Ms. Vice President.” He drew his attention back to her, preferring to think about her than to think about Sesshoumaru. “Anything remotely interesting happen in that institution of boredom you call school?”

“Well, no, never mind.”

“What?”

“It's nothing. It wouldn't interest you anyway.”

“Out with it!”

“It's none of your business! So stop asking.”

He narrowed his eyes in an annoyed manner. “I'll keep bugging you till you tell me.”

Kagome glared at him. Knowing that he'll do exactly as he said Kagome answered. “Fine. I think my `stalker' finally gave up on me.”

“What the hell? Who-”

“Tatsuya. Remember the guy that attacked me the day you almost killed me.”

“Keh, you were in the middle of the road on a red light.” He stopped leaning on his hand and sat upright, crossing his arms.

“You were speeding, stupid!”

“I wasn't stupid enough to stand in the middle of the road at a red light!”

“I wasn't stupid enough to drive so fast I could run someone over like road kill!” She retorted. “You are the driver, and if I was hurt then it would be a run on your insurance, not mine!” He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it. Clearly bested in their small verbal battle, he replied with a “Keh!” He saw Kagome smile smugly, knowing that she had beaten him.

“What did you mean by `stalker?'” He finally spoke after a while, returning to the conversation that had gone astray. He did remember someone that had attacked Kagome the first day he came to that school. He remembered telling the guy off and Kagome slapping him. He saw Kagome glare angrily at the carpet, her fingers making circles.

“Well, he asked me out once. It was pleasing but I had to turn him down. I didn't have time to see anyone. He left me alone at first, and then he tried one more time. I disagreed again, but he still didn't get it. He started getting really attached, and wouldn't leave me alone in school. He'd get annoyed that I kept turning him down. The day you came, it was the first time he had asked me physically. Since you told him off, he became angry with me and would blame me for all your absences. Though, lately he's gone back to being nice. Why am I even telling you this? It's not like you care.”

She looked back up on him to see that he had gone back to leaning on his hand, his chin again in his palm, but his face was in deep contemplation.

“I don't like the sound of this, Kagome. I've seen guys like him, the way they act…”

“You don't like what? What are you talking about?”

“Nothing. Never mind.”

A short silence erupted between them, as Kagome pondered what he could've meant. She was a bit frightened. Was she in some sort of trouble?

“Hey.” He said, breaking the silence.

“What?”

“Thank you, for taking care of me. I know I can be a bit of an ass sometimes. You didn't have to come stay here all night to watch me.” He looked away and she could tell that showing gratitude was something that he wasn't accustomed to doing.

“Your welcome. And I wanted to stay here to help you get getter. I know I didn't have to, but I couldn't leave you here by yourself when you were sick. You've helped me a lot, just think of it as returning the favor.”

“Keh. So what are you going to do now? Go back to school?”

“There's no point going back now. I'm already four hours late, I don't have track practice today anyway. If I go home, my grandpa would scream my head off.” She looked down, making circles on the carpet with her finger. Hearing Inuyasha shift, she looked back up as he lifted himself to his feet.

“How about this then,” He said, offering a hand to her, which she took as he helped her to stand, “since you can't go back to school, how about you come with me and play hooky for a day?”

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

^___^ I REAALLY hope you liked it! I worked so hard for this chapter! Ji-an OUT! ;)