InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fire and Ice ❯ The World Frowns ( Chapter 2 )

A/N: Oh yeah, that's right. A second chapter. Again, I hope you all likey-likey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fire and Ice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Two - The World Frowns

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“7x + b - 35… let's see…”

 

“You've been studying for weeks and you still don't understand it?! The test is in fifteen minutes—“

 

“Shh, I'm trying to concentrate here…”

 

My friend sighed heavily and propped herself up on the counter, inspecting her face in the mirror briefly. We were in the girl's bathroom at my school. Not exactly study hall, but I tended to like a little privacy and peace when I studied for a particularly difficult test.

 

“You know... there is a better way,” Eri said as she bit her thumbnail absently. I looked at her with brimming eyes, praying that she was serious.

 

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. I reached out and she handed it to me. I peeled it open, and dropped it when I saw what was inside. “Are those… the answers?” I whispered, absolutely shocked.

 

My friend nodded. “I didn't think you'd take them before, but you've been studying so hard, Kagome! And yet here you are, panicking! I think you'll take them now… am I right?”

 

I just stared at her dully and she knew the answer. “Suit yourself,” she huffed as she picked up the sheet and made to put it in her pocket.

 

Now, I've never cheated on a test in my life. Not once. And I've never even considered it!

 

Until that day.

 

“Wait!” I stood and she halted her movements.

I bit my lip. `Just do it, Kagome. Just this once. You need to. Your education depends on it!'

 

“Oh, give it here,” I reached out and grabbed it from Eri's hand, and she smiled wickedly. “You know you feel bad ass now.”

 

“God, this is so wrong.”

 

“Isn't that what makes it fun?”

 

I laughed half-heartedly. “You have a very strange idea of fun.”

 

“Hey! At least I get out every once in a while. I'm not stuck at home doing whatever the hell it is you do all day.”

 

She had a point. Maybe after this test was over, it would be my opportunity to have a little `me' time.

 

“Maybe after school I'll… go to a movie or something. You in?”

 

Eri squealed and hopped up and down, scaring the living daylights out of me. “That reminds me! I'm having a sleepover at my house tonight! We can celebrate doing so well on the test,” she winked at me. “Yuka and Ayumi are coming, of course. So you'll come, right?”

 

I actually whined out loud. I just couldn't contain it.

 

“Please, Kagome? For your best friend?” she gave me the puppy dog eyes, and I whined again with a hint of surrender laced into it.

 

“Yay! My mom will pick you up around `five.”

 

 

 

 

~

 

 

 

 

I did my test with unease. I'd never felt so paranoid in my life! I felt like there were eyes watching me from every direction, watching me copy down the correct answers with that indifferent look on my face.

 

But the rush was indescribable. Just the knowledge that what I was doing was so stupid made me almost giddy at one point.

 

I sat at my desk, waiting for the bell to go. There was a special assembly next period, so I was thankful for the break from classes. After that, it would at last be time to go home. I sighed. Such a long day…

 

The bell went then, and I stood, grabbing my things and stuffing them in my gigantic yellow backpack.

 

“-Would all teachers please escort the students to the gymnasium for the Assembly. Thank you.-“ The muffled voice cut off from the PA. I joined the building rows of other students in the hallway, following them to the gym. I craned my neck over the crowd in search for Eri and the girls, but they were nowhere to be seen. `I Guess I'm sitting through this one alone…'

 

We all piled into the large, cold space, everyone around me scrambling for seats. I found one near the front by some miracle.

 

It was quite quiet for a while, except for the chitchat going on. Then the lights above dimmed down until it seemed like the room was only lit by candlelight, and the room went almost silent. A brighter light was beaming down in front of the theatre stage. A lone podium stood there.

 

Suddenly the door from which we had all just entered squeaked open once more, and a group of what appeared to be compiled of all men poured in neatly. As they passed me I realized they were soldiers, judging from their deep red uniforms and tall black boots.

The chatter picked up again, mostly just whispers about the guests.

 

“I heard that one of them actually killed a full-demon without any weapons!”

 

“Yeah, he'd beat them to death or something—“

 

A snobby girl behind me snorted. “Oh please, no human is capable of anything of the sort—“

 

“It's true!” the boy argued. “A friend of my father's used to send us letters telling us of the Mighty Inuyoshi, or something like that.”

 

“It's Inuyasha, you nitwit,” the other boy corrected.

 

“Well whatever.”

 

The troops stopped beside the podium, all of them looking as if they were off into space. I felt a pang of sympathy cut though my heart. I wondered what these men must have gone through during that impossibly pointless war. I could only imagine it in my worst nightmares…

 

I didn't really have too strong an opinion on the war, only that I thought it was just as dumb as any other war.

 

When I was little I used to watch the news with my mother and grandpa. I felt like a grown-up when I did, and I liked the feeling.

 

The news used to be good; a cat was saved from a tree this morning, everyone got out of a burning building alive last night… things like that. But then when I was five years old, the news started to tell of a sudden alliance between “Man and Beast”. My mother had explained that they'd meant human and youkai. I barely understood what was going on at the time, but I later found out that they had merged so that they could ultimately over-power the hanyous of Japan. I had known what a hanyou was, but I just couldn't see what was so wrong with them that anyone would want to kill them.

 

And then the news turned into a horror movie. Violence was seemingly spreading like wildfire, and I was terrified. The news reporters told of the mad rage burning inside the opposing force. That the half bloods were dangerous and needed to be contained.

 

“Never trust a hanyou.”

 

They had appeared so… ferocious, I suppose that's the right word. Like they didn't care about who they had to kill or hurt if it meant victory over us humans and the demons.

 

“Students…”

 

I was broken out of my reverie by the sound of my principal's voice echoing through the gym. I returned my attention to the podium at the foot of the stage.

 

“I welcome you here this morning. We are here today to recognize the bravery of these fine men. These are only a handful of the many humans who fought against the terrible hanyou armies. They found victory on the seventeenth of April of this year, alongside the demons. But had it not been for the determined nature of us humans, this victory could not have been possible…”

 

I stifled a yawn. Wasn't everyone else in Japan sick and tired of hearing this? Or was it just me?

 

My drooping eyes trailed over to the statue-still line of men. `Wow, what scruffy beards…'

 

They all looked positively weary and old, and I couldn't help but let that sympathy run through me again.

 

But then I noticed the man standing at the very end of the line. He looked… terribly young, underneath all the scruffiness, at least. I could almost picture him as a bright youth. His blue eyes held a bright twinkling that didn't seem to quit. And his hair was even longer than mine! He certainly was quite the unusual character…

 

And then he looked at me, and as I expected him to turn his attention elsewhere, he didn't. He continued to gape at me. He flat out stared, actually. I felt my cheeks heat up. For a very brief, wild moment I worried that maybe there was something hideous on my face, but all thoughts came to a dead halt when he buckled over and hit the floor nose-first.

 

There was a loud rumble of either worried screams or unconfined laughter. I, however, made not one sound or movement. I simply stared with wide eyes at the lump on the floor that was quickly being surrounded by people.

 

“Just— could everyone just sit back— EVERYONE BACK TO YOUR SEAT!”

 

The principal bellowed out through the microphone pressed against his lips. My hands flew to my ears. Did he have to be so loud?!

 

At least it caused a distraction for me. I still felt a little prickly. Why had he just stared at me, and then freaking collapsed?!

 

“Teachers will you please escort the students back to their homerooms! This man needs some space and air!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

~

 

 

 

 

 

 

“What was up with that?” Ayumi wondered aloud as she hugged her teddy bear. I felt Yuka shrug from behind me. She continued braiding my hair as she spoke. “Nobody knows, he just sorta… feinted, I guess.”

 

Eri sat cross-legged on her bright green bed, a pillow in her lap. She thought for a long moment before suddenly looking at me, an apologetic frown on her face. “We were looking for you, Kagome, before we went in the gym. Sorry we couldn't find you.”

 

I waved her off. “Don't worry about it.”

 

She smiled and lapsed back into thought. Maybe this sleepover wouldn't be that bad.

 

“By the way,” I said casually, shutting my eyes in complete relaxation as I lay on Yuka's lap. “Have any of you guys heard of Inuyasha?”

 

I waited for their reply of either a `yes' or a `no'. And waited…And waited…

 

I popped open one eye and sat up, looking to Eri first. She was staring at me as if I'd just described how much I liked eating raw eggs.

 

“Kagome… the guy that feinted was Inuyasha,” she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

 

“Like, duh,” Yuka hissed.

 

“Honestly, Kagome, didn't you recognize him? He was all over the news for like a whole month! He's practically famous, although there's a rumor that he has no clue about it,” Ayumi whispered.

 

I shrugged. “I guess I'm a little slow with the media these days. Aren't you guys tired of watching and listening to it all?”

 

They all looked at each other before turning back to me. “No,” they chorused.

 

I rolled my eyes and rolled off of Aymui completely, making my way over to the bed. “Shove it, missy,” I said playfully to Eri. She glared at me and replaced herself at the foot of the bed. I slipped under the blankets and snuggled into my knees. “I'm going to sleep,” I said while yawning.

 

I heard the muffling sound of footsteps against carpet and looked up just in time to see Yuka and Ayumi come flying down upon me.

 

Their tackle evolved into a monster pillow fight, and it took less than three seconds for Eri to join in.

 

I was laughing so hard that I didn't notice the dark figure flash by outside the window.

 

 

 

 

 

 

~