InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Double Life ❯ Changing With Determination ( Chapter 1 )

"Okay, let's run this through again." Aki Sakatashi rubbed her temples wearily. "You want to go all the way to Japan to go to some high school to meet some guy?"

"No!" exclaimed Kagome Higurashi as she impatiently pounded the bed that the both of them were sitting on . "I'm going to Japan because there's a high school there that has a scholarship program that can cover the tuition to the university that I want to go to, which is also in Japan!" Kagome inhaled deeply when she finished, sucking in the needed oxygen.

"Hn." Aki's face didn't look a bit convinced. "Right. Well, what about Stanford? or UC Berkeley? I heard UCLA is pretty good too," informed Aki as her eyes looked up thoughtfully.

Kagome shook her head. "I heard the education program in Tokyo University is spectacular and you remember when I went to Japan that one time? I practically fell in love with that country," pleaded Kagome. "And you know I'm not rich. And Mom needs money to support Souta's education too. I really want to go to this university, so going to this school is a good thing."

"Alright, so you have good intentions. But why this? Isn't this a bit extreme? I mean, there must be many other ways to do this."

"Can you give any me now?"

"...No, but that doesn't mean there aren't any!"

"Aki..."

"But Kagome, this is an all boys' school we're talking about," exclaimed Aki as she started pacing and waving a brochure that said, "Yusako High School" on it. "How do you expect to do this? Just waltz right in and hope they don't notice that you're not a guy? I'm sorry, Kagome, but your body isn't exactly screaming masculinity right now."

Kagome frowned. "Are you saying that you won't support me?"

Aki sighed. "No, I'm not saying that. It's just..." She sat down next to Kagome. "Okay, what does Japan have that California doesn't?"

"Cute Asian guys." Saki cocked an eyebrow. "Okay, okay. Cheaper houses. What? It's true!"

"Seriously, Kagome..."

Kagome hesitated before mumbling. "...Makino Yasha." Her face flushed red.

Aki blinked, clearly surprised by her answer; considering that she was expecting cherry blossom parks or public baths...

Noting Kagome's uncomfortable expression, Aki cleared her throat. "I don't get it," she said, scratching her head and fumbling through the scattered flyers on the bed. "What's wrong with the all-girls' school nearby? Don't they have a scholarship program?"

"Yeah, but they don't cover all of the tuition. And the part they don't cover is still a lot of money."

Kagome looked back at the flyers and brochures of Yusako High. It had almost everything. Track clubs, kendo clubs, karate clubs, swimming clubs, and so much more. They had a huge campus along with dorms. With all the paperwork done, she was ready to go. Not only that, she would be able to meet him.

Aki smiled at her friend with a mischievous glint in her eye. "And what about the guy?"

Kagome looked up with a questioning look. "Guy?"

"Yeah. Uh, what was his name again?" Aki started to snap her fingers, trying to recall the name. "Ah! Makino Yasha!"

"What about him?"

"You're also going because he's there, right?"

"What? No! Yasha attending Yusako High is just a coincidence."

Yasha was a famous athlete, who specialized in high jumping and kendo. Ever since Kagome saw him on TV for high jumping, she had always admired him. The way he jumped was so graceful; it almost seemed that he was flying. He was only fourteen at the time and was able to jump so well. She wanted to see him jump in actual life so badly since the time she saw him on TV. When she found out that he also attended Yusako High, she couldn't help but be excited. Would she be able to be friends with him? Would she be able to see him jump?

Aki rested her face on her hand. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. So how do I come into this?"

Kagome straightened and folded her hands in her lap. "I was hoping that you would help me become a guy."

Aki's eyes snapped up. "What?"

Aki's blue eyes could look scary sometimes, but Kagome kept her gaze on her tomboyish friend. "Well, you're my best friend and I know nothing about guys so acting like one by myself will no doubtedly be hard."

"Hn."

"Please, Aki? This means a whole lot to me. I can't do it by myself."

"Meh."

"So...what do you say?"

Aki sighed heavily and gave the brochure a look one last time before tossing in front of Kagome. "Why you want to attend a sexist school is beyond me," she grumbled.

Ignoring the comment, Kagome's eyes lit up. "So you'll help?"

Aki shrugged indifferently and let out an inarticulate sound that sounded a lot like, "Yeah."

Kagome cheered happily and pulled Aki into a bone-crushing hug, thanking her endlessly.

"Gah!" Aki gasped as she wretched herself away. "Number one." Aki held a finger up. "No huggies. You'll give yourself away if you start doing that to the guys."

Kagome nodded and withdrew.

"How long 'til you go?" asked Aki.

"Two days."

"Hm." Aki looked Kagome up and down. "I'd say we'll be done in a day."

"What? Changing me to a guy?"

"Yeah. We start tomorrow."

"Hey! Kagome, stay still! I can't cut your hair if you keep moving around," scolded Aki as she struggled to snip off Kagome's long dark tresses. She tossed her long braid behind her.

Kagome scratched her neck. "I'm sorry. But this thing itches," she complained, referring to the large layer of cloth that was draped around her.

"We're almost done." Aki snipped more locks of hair off. "So, you nervous? Worried?"

"No, not really. I think the only two things I really have to worry about it getting into the scholarship program and not getting caught as a girl."

Aki cocked her head. "Don't worry about being caught. After I'm done with you, they'll never be able to tell unless you meet some gay dude, or something. You shouldn't worry about the scholarship either. I mean, you're a year younger than everyone in our class and you get straight A's."

Kagome didn't say anything. It was true. She was fifteen while everyone else was sixteen, considering that she skipped a grade once. But it because of that, she didn't have many friends in the beginning of her freshman year. Most people avoided her because of the fact she skipped a grade. The popular ones dislike her the most since she was so high in the academic level. People became too afraid to befriend her, fearful of what the popular people would do. It left Kagome depressed and gloomy for days.

But it all ended when Aki befriended her. Aki claimed that what interested her in Kagome was the fact that they were both half-Japanese. Both of their fathers were Americans, while their mothers were Japanese (Kagome didn't look American since she took after her mother's looks. It would be the same for Aki, except for the fact that her eyes were blue).

After seeing Aki's fearless actions, people gathered their courage and talked to Kagome, regardless to their peers' reactions. Kagome smiled to herself. If she never met Aki, where would she be right now? Kagome snapped from her thoughts when she realized Aki had asked her a question.

"Sorry?"

"I say, does your family know about this?" Aki repeated.

"Yeah."

"And they approved?"

"Mm-hm."

Aki nearly dropped the scissors. "Seriously?"

Kagome stared at her fingernails, finding them extraordinary interesting. "Yes. Well, I left the all-boys part out...Ah, come on, Aki!" exclaimed Kagome as Aki rolled her eyes before resuming cutting Kagome's hair. "My mom wouldn't let me go if she knew it was an all boys' school."

Aki huffed. "Well, if I found out that my daughter was going to go masquerading as a guy in an all boys' school, I wouldn't either. There." Aki slapped the pair of scissors down on a table. "Done."

Kagome reached to touch the ends of her hair. It was so short...

"It's so short..."

"Meh, well what did you expect? But it's not too bad. Go look in the mirror," Aki said as she put away the scissors.

Kagome shuffled to her drawer mirror. She stared in her reflection in awe as she pulled on the short strands of her hair. It was cleanly cut to her neck. Aki appeared over her shoulder with a big smile and her blue eyes crinkled.

"Wow! I did a great job. You know? I think I should start charging people."

Kagome rolled her eyes and moved away. She sat on her bed, eyeing the big paper bags that Aki had brought along. "What's in the bags, Aki?" she asked.

"Make-up."

"What?!"

Kagome shot up from her bed with wide eyes. There were at least four BIG bags and knowing from experience, she knew how much Aki despised make-up. She wouldn't be caught dead in the cosmetic department.

Aki laughed at Kagome's shocked face. "I'm just kidding," she said teasingly. "They're your clothes that you're gonna wear from now on. Well, unless you intend to go walking around in skirts, which I'm sure no one will notice," Saki added with a wry smile. "And I think you get your uniform at the school." She pulled out a denim vest and tossed it to Kagome.

Kagome looked at it with a cocked eyebrow. "Guys wear this?" It was small and would be tight even on her.

Aki sighed impatiently. "No...It's to hide your chest."

"Oh..."

Aki pulled out a large tee-shirt and jeans. "Try these on while you're at it."

Kagome nodded and went inside her bathroom to change. Minutes later, she came out. Aki stared with astonishment. She could really pass for a guy. She might be considered as a pretty boy, but she could still pass for one. Aki smiled brightly.

"You look good. Is the vest okay?"

Kagome nodded. "Any last advice?"

Aki smiled. "Yeah. Don't act girly." She laughed as she ducked when a pillow flew in her direction.

Kagome put a hand over her now, flattened chest. She was glad that she wasn't busty or hiding her chest would prove to be difficult. She walked in front of her mirror to observe herself. It wasn't too bad. The baggy shirt covered the curves of her body and her haircut seemed very boyish to her.

Short hair. Flat chest. Baggy clothes. She was set to go.

Aki watched silently as she placed the pillow aside. "So, you're really gonna do this, huh?"

"Yup."

Kagome looked at the mirror in front of her, straightening herself. Butterflies of excitement filled her stomach. She was really doing it. She was really going to go to Japan.

Kagome placed her luggage aside as she looked at the small piece of paper in hand.

"Yusako High School: Building 2"

She looked at the matching sign on the building. Kagome took a deep breath. This was going to be her dorm. She was going to eat, sleep, and study in there... and be surrounded by boys. She straightened herself. It was too late to back out now. She was in Japan and in front of her dorm building. She could only go forward.

With a confident expression on her face, Kagome entered the building.

The building wasn't actually very crowded. Since the school year had not yet started, only a few students were around. (It's still summer.) After memorizing part of the building map, Kagome went to look for the room listings.

One hour later....

Kagome walked down an empty hallway, mentally kicking herself for not taking that left turn when she should have. She scratched her head. Where was she? There was no one around to ask for directions and her bag was starting to get heavy. She rubbed her face wearily and half-dragged, half-carried her bag down the hall. She turned the corner when she bumped into someone and fell back with an "oof."

She felt a hand enclose around her wrist, stopping her from falling squat on her butt.

"Thanks," she mumbled as the hand released her.

"No problem."

Kagome looked up to see a very good-looking boy smiling. His short hair was tied back in a small horsetail and his violet eyes looked curiously at her. She blinked several times before realizing the strange situation.

"Ah! Uh, I'm very sorry. I got lost...I wasn't looking...I should have..."

The boy patted her head. "Nah. Don't worry about it. I'm Kizou Miroku." He held out his hand towards her.

Kagome looked at him curiously before slowly inching her hand into his and shook it. "I'm Kagome. Higurashi Kagome."

Miroku frowned, which quickly disappeared into a smile. "I've heard stranger names. Well, nice to meet you, Kagome." He released her hand. "You're cute for a guy," he stated spontateously. "Do you get that a lot?"

Kagome said nothing, unable to respond. What was she suppose to do in a situation like this? Do guys always ask questions like that?

Miroku stuck his hands in his pockets, a smile still bright on his face. "So, you new here?"

Kagome nodded. "I got lost-" she started.

Miroku held up a hand to stop her. "I know. I understand. Newbies tend to get lost a lot of times. Dorm listings, right? Follow me."

He turned away, leaving Kagome dumbfounded. After a moment of hesitation, she picked up her bag and ran to catch up with him. It was only a few minutes later when she found themselves in front of the dorm listings. Now, she felt even more stupid than before. She was lost for an hour and Miroku had found her destination within minutes.

Kagome grumbled indignantly as she looked for her name with her finger. Her finger passed over the chart and stopped at the sight of her name.

"Ah ha! Found it!" Kagome declared as she found her dorm number.

Room 210: Makino Yasha, Higurashi Kagome.

Kagome blinked. Makino Yasha? No way...

Kagome stumbled forward as Miroku clapped her back. "So, look's like you got Inu-Yasha!"

Kagome looked up at Miroku, confused. "Inu-who?"

"Inu-Yasha. That's Yasha's nickname around here. No one really calls him Yasha anymore except some of the old teachers. Don't ask me why Inu-Yasha. It's been like that even before I came here. I think it has to do with his family or something."

"He's a junior?"

Miroku shook his head, tugging her sleeve with the intention of showing her to her dorm room. "He's a sophomore, like me. I'm assuming you're a second year too?"

Kagome nodded.

"Yeah. Well, he might be a little grouchy," said Miroku. "He's been living in a two-person room so far, so having him to share all of a sudden is setting him into one of his mood swings."

"Oh..."

Kagome was still slightly in shock. She was moving in with Makino Yasha - no - Inu-Yasha. To be able to move in with her idol athlete was just pure luck.

"Hey, Jirou!"

Kagome turned around just as a large lump of fur materialized in front of her and jumped on her. The large dog knocked her to the ground, licking her face with a lopsided grin. Kagome looked at Miroku for help, but he just stood there giving her a strange look.

"What?" she asked, feeling uneasiness in her stomach as she struggled to push the energetic dog off her.

"Oh, sorry. It's just pretty rare seeing him doing things like that. His name is Jirou; he's the dog that lives around these dorms. It's just that...he doesn't like anyone but women..."

Kagome froze. What did he just say?! He wasn't...he couldn't be referring to her!

The caretaker appeared, huffing and sweating. "Sorry about that, kid." He dragged the whimpering dog away and disappeared around the corner.

Kagome glanced nervously at Miroku. Did he figure it out?

Oh please, oh please, don't!, she prayed quietly. Not when I just barely started!

Miroku rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I guess it's 'cause you look enough like a girl. Guess he mistaken you for one. Can't blame him since he's a dog and all." He stretched his arms and rested them behind his neck. He jerked his head towards the hall. "Come on, I'll show you your dorm room."

Kagome quickly followed with a hand over her pounding heart and let out a heavy sigh of relief. That was too close...

Miroku stopped in front of a door that said, "210" on it. "This is your dorm room. All your stuff should be in there already."

"Thanks..."

"No problem. Ah, and if Inu-Yasha says anything stupid, don't blame him. It's his mood swings, not him. But then again, he always says stupid things..."

Kagome looked at him with interest. "Are you close with him?"

Miroku shrugged indifferently. "Yeah, I guess, in a way we are. Well, I'll be in 207 if you need anything." He flashed a toothy smile before turning on his heel, leaving her alone in front of her dorm room door.

Kagome turned away and looked up at the door. Everything seemed to go amazingly well so far. She had already made a friend, she hadn't been discovered, and behind this door she would meet the person she had wanted to meet for so long. From where she was standing, it seemed like nothing could possibly go wrong. Kagome smiled to herself and she reached for the doorknob. Maybe attending this all boys' school wouldn't be too bad after all.

Kagome turned the knob and slipped inside the room.

It was a small room. There was a small table in the middle and two sets of desks on one of side of the wall. Near the desks was the bathroom door. On the other side of the wall was a bunk bed. The bunk bed was quite interesting, considering it was very different from the ones Kagome had seen in the U.S.

There were small curtains for both the top and bottom bunk. On the head were shelves and near the end was a ladder to go up the top bunk.

The floor was mostly covered with cardboard boxes, each labeled with the accessaries that they held. All of them were Kagome's.

Kagome stepped further into the room. That was when she spotted a teenage boy sitting on the bottom bunk of the bed with a magazine in his hand. He glanced at her once before returning his gaze to the sports magazine in hand.

Kagome felt her breath quicken. Long black hair pillowed down his lean back and his violet eyes were calm but serious. It was a face she had seen one too many times in magazines and posters.

Kagome took a hestiant step towards Makino Yasha. Mustering up her courage, she said in her most cheerful voice. "Hi! I'm Kagome Higurashi. I'm going to be your new roommate." He didn't even give her a glance. Kagome blinked. Did he hear her? "You're Makino Yasha, right?"

A grunt was the most she got. Kagome bit her lip. Obviously this "conversation" was going nowhere. Come on, Kagome, think of something to say!

"Um, I know you do high jumping and kendo. Did you come here on a scholarship?"

"No."

Yes! A worded answer!

"Oh, so you came here as a normal student?"

The boy shrugged and with his eyes still on his magazine, he said. "Yeah...but I quited the high jump and kendo."

Kagome frozed. She could have sworn her heart had stopped beating. It felt like an eerie wind came in and swept all of Kagome's cheerfullness away. She blinked once as her smile slowly disappeared.

What?

End of Chapter 1