InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Laying Down the Law: Abuna i Dansu ❯ Santal ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

I'll leave the notes until the end; read on, but not unless you have some time. This chapter is almost 20,000 words long.


Kagome exited the warehouse with electric jitters running up and down her arms; she certainly hadn't planned to point her gun at Enju's head, and especially not at her own. It had really been a passing fancy, though she might never say that. But Enju had crossed the line with her comments and a leader needed to stand up for her honor and respect. Or had she overreacted?

"How did it go, Kijo?"

Turning abruptly, Kagome noticed Inuyasha for the first time, leaning up against his Lamborghini Diablo with a small smile on his face. He looked quite handsome there, amber eyes half hooded as the summer breeze toyed with his silver hair. Feeling almost at ease, Kagome sighed and allowed her leader's facade to fall.

"It went...interesting."

"Interesting?" Inuyasha asked confusedly. "Whadya mean?"

"Well, I got kinda mad and took out my gun and pointed it at Enju, then at myself...it's complicated."

Inuyasha continued to stare straight ahead, eyes wide, even when Kagome made her way around the car to the passenger's seat. "Interesting," Inuyasha agreed finally, ducking into the driver's seat and starting the engine confidently. It purred and growled beneath his hands, causing him to smile; Kagome giggled slightly.

"Two weeks and you're still almost pee yourself when you start it up," she joked, earning a snort from Inuyasha.

He removed his jacket and tossed it in the back seat, feeling the air conditioning cool the sweat on his skin as he pulled out of the gravel parking lot. "I wasn't even close to pissing myself, thank you. But it is a hot car."

"Oh, no doubt," Kagome agreed, grinning still. Her brown eyes twinkled with mirth, though she held her tongue wisely in a strong attempt to staunch her laughter; sometimes, he was just so proud. She thought it was adorable.

It was a short drive down Salter street to the highschool, which Kagome had passed many times already during her stay. The school was enormous and cookie cutter, just about the way Kagome had imagined it, and nothing about it was remarkable or impressive. There was a good deal of graffiti on the southern wall, most of which was gang related and screamed out the name of the drawer's alma mater, but otherwise Kagome might've mistaken it for her old highschool back in Kyoto. As they parked in a senior parking spot, Kagome took a deep breath and stepped out, gazing over the sea of cars before her. Each and every one was an exotic sports car, except for the odd SUV or pick-up; the view was colorful and refreshing.

"Alright, we gotta get to the supply and uniform line before the opening assembly, which starts in..." Inuyasha glanced down at his watch as he locked the car. "Half an hour. Better hurry."

"Where's the supply line?" Kagome asked as they began joining the throng of students walking towards the main building.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Follow the crowd? I forget where it normally is."

"You're useless, 'arentcha?" Kagome joked, giving Inuyasha a slight punch to the shoulder.

Inuyasha grinned and began tickling her sides as they entered the building, which echoed with the sounds of friends reuniting after summers away and enemies renewing their hatred for one another. The hallways were tile floored and lined with classroom doors, unremarkable just like the school's dull tan brick, but Kagome couldn't help but find it all new and exciting. The chance to reinvent herself.

They passed several trophy cases on their way, most of which held dance awards and pendants. "Wow," Kagome murmured softly. "They've got quite a dance program, huh?"

"Best in the city," Inuyasha agreed. "I hope Tora know's what she's up against. She was big stuff up at boarding school, but I dunno if that's gonna mean anything here."

They continued on until they came to the largest trophy case yet, which was stocked with pictures of football teams and MVP award winners; trophies as tall as Kagome's torso and medals by the dozens were displayed behind the glass in a dazzling array.

Kagome stopped and glanced at the case, managing a double take when she recognized several faces. "Inuyasha, look! You're in here!"

Inuyasha smirked proudly, crossing his arms as Kagome pressed her face to the glass in awe. "Damn straight. City champions for three years running."

Kagome let her eyes roam over the previous year's team photo, realizing for the first time that it was comprised almost entirely of people she knew. Inuyasha, Kouga, Bankotsu, Hakkaku, Hiten and Suikotsu were on the second row from the top, all in their uniforms with their helmets in hand. Ryuukoytsusei, Manten, Naraku and Sesshomaru were on the top row, doing the same, next to Ranbou, who was located in the center of the picture. Kagome raised her eyebrows as she recognized many Southerners and Northerners next to one another, but she decided to stay quiet in order to avoid Inuyasha's unpredictable wrath; the merest mention of Naraku could set the hanyou into hysterical fits of rage.

It was then that Kagome moved to the MVP section; her eyebrows nearly raised off her forehead. "Ranbou's been MVP every season since his freshman year?!"

Inuyasha chuckled slightly. "Yeah, lucky bastard. I hate to say it, but he's damn good at football. He's like a tank. I've seen him tackled four times and that's about it; three of those were in practice."

Kagome blinked in surprise. "Wow, I had no idea. You guys really must be something."

"Yeah, we're pretty good," Inuyasha said arrogantly, head nearly ballooning to record size.

"Hey," Kagome said confusedly after a moment. "Where's Miroku? Or does he not play?"

"Naw, he's over here," Inuyasha replied, gesturing to another team picture. This picture was on the right side of the case by an entirely different set of trophies and awards. "He's on the human team."

"You have different teams for humans and demons?" Kagome asked; in Kyoto, there had only been one team for everyone.

Inuyasha rubbed the back of his head, replying, "Well, the humans can't exactly keep up with us and, I mean, they can't just tell the demons to tone it down, so..."

"Oh," Kagome muttered, giving the trophy once last glance before continuing to walk towards the distribution line. "I'd never really thought of that before. At my old school, the humans just gritted their teeth and beared it."

"It's too competitive here," Inuyasha replied; Kagome could tell by his face that South Tokyo took football very seriously.

They arrived at the end of two very lengthy lines, one which contained girls and another which contained boys; Kagome and Inuyasha broke apart, saying quick goodbyes before joining their respective lines. Kagome happened to be right behind Ayame and Inuyasha right behind Kouga, the two of which had obviously arrived just recently.

"Hey Kags," Ayame greeted brightly. "How'd your Nakama meeting go?"

Kagome sighed in near irritation. "Well, it was interesting. I'll tell you about it later. But I do have a question: do you and your Nakama get along?"

Ayame raised her eyebrows, replying with a slight smile, "Me and my Nakama are like sisters. So yeah." When Kagome began to look crestfallen, Ayame broke in once more, "But it takes time. Look, they were all really close to Kikyo and it's going to take time for them to trust you. You already have an edge, though. They couldn't respect Kikyo for anything, seeing as though she was...a little sexually promiscuous. You're not, so...maybe they can respect you."

Kagome gave her redheaded friend a grateful smile. "Thanks, but it's not looking good."

In the boys line, Inuyasha and Kouga were carrying on a rather tight conversation in attempts to occupy themselves. Tensions between the two were at an all time high since the battle, a fact which most had attributed to the general anxiety generated by all the injuries and emotional hardships. Despite this fact, Inuyasha and Kouga were fighting cat and mouse, or rather, dog and wolf. If not for their infinite boredom, they wouldn't even have attempted conversation in the first place. In this light, they were sticking to something that both of them could agree on: football.

"I mean, North Tokyo doesn't have the runners," Kouga reasoned, dissecting the faults of South Tokyo's biggest rival. "We have speed and they don't."

"Not to mention I think my grandmother could flatten their linebacker," Inuyasha agreed haughtily. "That guy...Matsumoto? Is that his name?"

Kouga remembered back to the linebacker in question, nodding slowly. "Yeah, that's him. But he graduated, right? Class of '06?"

"Oh yeah," Inuyasha murmured. "Wonder who they got to replace him."

As he said this, Kouga and Ayame arrived at the front of their lines. The student council members were running tables lined with books, schedules and uniforms, hurriedly distributing them amongst the students before them. When Ayame's arms were fully laden with books, five uniforms and her schedules, she said to Kagome, "I'll be in the locker room changing; come find me."

"Okay," Kagome agreed, turning her attention to the mousy girl running the computer behind the table.

"Name?" the girl asked.

"Kagome Higurashi."

The girl glanced up at Kagome and bowed her head respectfully; she'd obviously heard Kagome's name before. The girl searched Kagome's information on the computer and blinked in surprise. "Wow, you're ambitious, aren't you, Kijo? Sei, come down here to collect some books, please!"

A boy came running from the other table, glancing at the screen and giving a low whistle. "Holy shit, that kids got a death wish. Who is it?"

The mousy girl cleared her throat, jerking her head in Kagome's direction; Kagome cocked an eyebrow and gave the boy a dry glare, which he shyed away from by hurrying towards the book stacks. "Call it out to me, Lee."

Much to Kagome's embarrassment, the girl began calling out her course list to aid the boy at the book stacks. "AP English V, Multivariable Calculus, AP Chemistry, Honors History V, AP French Lit and Shop Class I."

Many of the girls and boys nearest Kagome went silent in awe, wondering how anyone besides Sesshomaru, Akago or Gan could possibly carry such a course load. Kagome blushed a burning red as she murmured quietly, "Um, could I transfer from Shop Class I to Shop class III, please?" Kagome had improved her mechanics indefinitely over the summer.

Lee, the mousy girl at the computer, gave Kagome a disbelieving glance before muttering, "Sure thing, Kagome-dono. If you want." Obviously, this girl was in the Wildcats.

The boy, Sei, gathered the books necessary for Kagome's classes and handed her five uniforms, complete with sweaters for the winter; this left her completely overcome with materials and she grunted slightly beneath the weight. "Thanks."

Inuyasha, who didn't have nearly as much to carry as Kagome, hurried to lighten his girlfriend's load by taking several books off the top of her enormous stack. "Holy shit, Kagome, you never told me you were some kind of genius," he grumbled as they walked towards the locker rooms.

"I just study a lot, is all," she said quietly; her blush was now a fiery crimson. "It just comes easily to me, I have a good memory."

Inuyasha snorted and replied, "Yeah, well we only have one class together, Calculus. I'm not exactly a study freak like you."

Kagome giggled as Inuyasha rolled his eyes, placing her remaining books on top of her stack before ducking into the boy's locker room, obviously miffed by his girlfriend's intelligence. Kagome managed to balance her way inside, where she promptly dropped the books on a bench and let out a relieved breath. Ayame glanced over at her friend, smiling slightly at her supplies.

"Looks like we have a mini-Gan on our hands, huh?"

Kagome just rolled her eyes and glanced down at her uniform, looking rather confused all the while. A tie? Where did the tie go? And were the knee socks absolutely, completely and totally mandatory? Because Kagome didn't normally do knee socks. The entire ensemble consisted of a red and black plaid skirt, a black blazer, white dress shirt, black knee socks and a black and red striped tie. Ayame finished tying her tie just as Kagome began to think about taking off her white leather jacket.

"Something wrong, Kagome?" Ayame asked curiously.

Kagome shook her head silently, glancing up at Ayame who happened to look quite good in the uniform. Ayame smiled encouragingly at Kagome before putting her books in the locker before her and shouldering her bag. "I'm going to head off to the auditorium; do you want me to wait for you?"

"No, go on ahead," Kagome murmured, still staring down at her uniform.

Ayame shrugged and did so, leaving Kagome behind as most of the girls slammed their locker doors shut and hurried off towards the opening assembly. Finally Kagome took off her jacket and began putting on the uniform she'd wear for the next nine months. The skirt was thin, obviously made for summer, while two of the other skirts were wool. The knee socks were made of a likewise thin fabric, though Kagome still cringed as she donned them, and the blazer was about as comfortable as blazers got, which was still quite irritating. Finally, the only thing remaining was the tie.

Kagome stared down at the offending article of clothing before biting her lip and throwing her belongings into her locker, grabbing her tie and bag as she dashed out the door.

As Kagome came running out of the girl's locker room, she noticed a familiar, angry voice echoing through the halls. She glanced down towards the supply tables, noticing a familiar snow white braid and a waterfall of golden waves; Akago and Gan. Judging by the tone of Gan's voice, she was about ready to be done with the matter of her uniform.

"Look, I've already paid for it, so just give it to me, please."

The mousy girl behind the counter, Lee, sighed and replied desperately, "I'm sorry, Gan-dono, but it's against the rules; you have to wear a girl's uniform now."

"I don't give a damn what the rules say," Gan roared, slamming her palm down on the table. "Give me my pants!"

Kagome sighed and jogged towards her friends, noticing that Akago was already dressed in the boys uniform: black slacks, black blazer, white dress shirt and school issued tie. He looked handsomely irritated, though Kagome wasn't sure if it was because of the obstinant supply workers or Gan's insistence.

"Gan?" Kagome asked tentatively.

Gan whirled to face Kagome, violet eyes burning fiercely. "Kagome! Back me up, since Akago seems to have lost his tongue; I paid for slacks and I'll damn well get them!"

"Is there a problem out here, kids?"

The students all abruptly turned to face the newcomer, who was wearing a white button up shirt and black slacks; the identification badge around his neck proved him to be a teacher. Kagome followed the badge upwards, where it was hung around a thick, tan neck, which happened to be adorned with the tattoo of a tiger. The man's face was a smooth coffee color, despite the scar running across his nose onto both cheeks, and his ears were both pierced numerous times, as were his eyebrows. His hair was the color of the ocean, a mix between dark and light blues, a mesmerizing shade of cobalt.

Akago merely readjusted his glasses, replying respectfully, "Only a civil dispute, Kayo-sensei. Uniform trouble."

Kagome blinked confusedly as the blue haired man came closer, his black eyes twinkling. "Oh?" He turned his attention to Gan, who was looking up at him with a mix of fearlessness and rebellion. "I just received a faculty memo about you, Kiretsu. Something about you just having been released from the witness protection program."

When Kagome gave Akago a confused look, Akago merely shook his head and mouthed, "Be quiet," before returning his attention respectfully to Kayo. Kagome wasn't positive, but she almost though she saw the teacher's mouth turn up in a brief smile before he murmured, "So the witness protection program dressed you up as a boy, then. Why do I find that hard to believe." Turning to Lee behind the supply table, Kayo said almost mirthfully, "Get Ms. Kiretsu here five skirts, Lee."

Gan opened her mouth to protest when Kayo interrupted her. "Don't argue, Kiretsu, just do it. Worse things have happened than you wearing a skirt." And with that, the teacher turned on his heels and walked down the hallway towards the school auditorium without so much as a goodbye.

The group of students watched him leave before Kagome turned, aghast, to Akago. "He was a teacher? With pierced ears, tattoos and blue hair?! And what's this shit about the witness protection program?"

Gan bitterly accepted the skirts which Lee handed over the counter and replied flatly, "What would you have said? 'Oh, I had a little surgery over the summer.' I had to tell them something, so I told them that the witness protection program had placed me under its care after I witness a murder six years ago and I'd been a boy ever since. But this summer, the murderer was taken into custody and I was released."

Akago smirked. "Watching her impart this information to the principal really made my day."

Gan scowled at the boy before stomping moodily into the girl's locker room, ignoring Lee as she shouted, "Wait, Gan-dono, you forgot your books!"

"I'll get them," Akago said with an upheld hand, turning to retrieve the stack of books in question. Kagome happened to glance at a few of the titles before she exclaimed, "Oh, finally, someone in some of my classes!"

Glancing up in surprise, Akago asked, "Your classes? Really?"

"Yeah," Kagome replied, smiling in relief. "Woo, this is good, I thought I wouldn't know anyone. Yeah, it looks like she's in english, math and history with me."

Akago looked down at the books in his hands, mentally wondering how he could've missed Kagome's obvious academic prowess over the past three months. Kagome happened to notice Akago's open bag on the ground and she murmured, "Oh, I'll get this, don't worry about it," before shouldering it along with her own.

"You must be very smart, Kago-" Akago began, only to be cut off by another excited gasp from the girl beside him.

"Oh, and look! You're in my French class! And my science class!" she continued, glancing down at the books in Akago's bag.

At this, Akago's eyes grew to nearly the size of dinner plates and he asked quietly, "You're in AP French Literature?"

"Yeah, I love French," Kagome replied off handedly, smiling honestly for one of the first times that morning. It was enough that she was coming to a new school, but the idea of tackling her classes alone had nearly frightened her right back out the door.

"Ceci sera une année intéressante," Akago remarked, noting that the year would indeed be an interesting one.

Kagome was silent for a moment before she said in quiet awe, "Your accent is so beautiful, Akago; it's almost like you've lived in France!"

Laughing in mild embarrassment, Akago replied modestly, "Oh no, I'm just on good terms with the French teacher; he was a Shark leader ten years before me and he's helped me through a lot of hiccups in Northern life, I must say."

This new information startled Kagome slightly. "You mean...he was is a gang? And now he's teaching?"

Akago seemed mildly surprised for a moment as he regarded Kagome with his crimson gaze. Finally, he replied, "Yes, Kayo was a Shark just like the other teachers were Fangs and Wildcats and so on. This entire school is staffed almost entirely by ex-gang members; I'm surprised no one told you that."

"Me too," Kagome replied sourly. "Who would give ex-gang members a job anyhow?"

"Well, it's not like they write 'used to race motorcycles' on their resume, Kagome. I doubt they present themselves as former Reikons, or what have you. Besides all of that, there's only room for so many mechanics in this town and most of us will go on to get an education at nearby universities and get jobs just like your average citizen. The principal himself is a former Cobra; he probably hires teachers whom he knows will understand the youth their teaching," Akago reasoned, shrugging slightly. "This may sound like the plot to a low-budget crime film, but this school facilitates the presence of the gangs and it always has. We wouldn't have remained untouched by the law for so long if the school didn't cooperate with us."

Though the idea of being taught by gang leaders and core members was rather strange, Kagome soon began to feel almost relieved, as though she'd been holding her breath. She'd wondered briefly if the school board was aware that it housed an entire city's worth of gang members in its classrooms, but she hadn't really dwelled on the thought until now. The way Akago put it made all of this seem safe and guarded. As though none of her teachers would judge her.

"This is quite uncomfortable."

Kagome and Akago turned to see Gan walking towards them, fresh out of the locker room in her new girl's uniform. She looked incredibly feminine in it, which caused Kagome to giggle and Akago to smile.

"Ah, you look lovely, Gan."

Though Gan looked as though she wanted to smack Akago across the face, she only let out an irritated hiss and grabbed her books from the boy, storming towards the locker room, grumbling all the while. Her footsteps receeded inside the room, where they smacked on the tile, and the sound of a locker door squeaking could be heard. Books thundered as they were thrown inside the rectangular space and a great slam echoed through the room and out the door as Gan came storming right back out, still agitated to high heaven.

"And now I'll have to endure the gawking and pointing at opening assembly," Gan lamented, throwing up her hands. "It's hopeless. I'll never live this down."

Kagome smiled kindly, saying, "Gan, don't exaggerate, I'm sure everyone'll get used to it. We all did."

"I dearly hope so," Gan muttered.

The trio began hurrying down the hallway, following many twists and turns until they arrived shortly at the great double doors which led them into the auditorium. The doors had yet to be opened and the students were milling about in the auditorium lobby, greeting old friends and meeting new ones as their voices raised in a loud harmony. Kagome, Gan and Akago made their way through the sea of black and red until they came to the corner where their friends had set up camp, leaning against the wall and laughing amongst themselves.

Inuyasha glanced up and nodded at his girlfriend. "What took ya so long?"

"Nothing, just waiting for Gan and Akago," she replied, saddling up beside him as she crossed her arms against the cold; the air conditioning in this school was obviously set to accomodate the wearing of school blazers.

As she thought about the school blazers, Kagome turned her attention to Inuyasha; his shirt was untucked and his blazer unbuttoned, giving him a bad boy sort of air. Kagome chuckled. "You look like James Dean."

"Naw, James Dean looks like me," Inuyasha joked, giving his hair an arrogant toss as Kagome laughed.

Meanwhile, Gan sighed as she noticed many fingers pointed in her direction, accompanied by a myriad of whispers. Akago simply said, "Ignore them," as he leaned up against the wall beside her.

"I'm trying," Gan replied, voice containing a certain amount of restraint. "I just wish they could point discreetly, or something."

As Akago's eyes swept the crowd, he murmured, "Half of them don't even recognize you, they just think you're a transfer student. Let them think it; I'm sure it's better than spreading your personal business around."

Just as Akago said this, Gan noticed a boy making his way directly towards them; he was a Reikon she'd seen briefly in passing a few times, though hardly enough to know his name or even really remember his face. He had spiky black hair and confident green eyes, a human boy with a long stride and forgettable features. For a moment, Gan wasn't sure if he was actually walking towards her and Akago, though it was soon apparent that he was. He had his jacket slung over his shoulder and obviously carried a purpose.

He stopped just short of Gan, grinning broadly as he crossed his arms in a muscular display. "Hey there, baby."

Gan's eyes grew rather wide and her eyebrows raised consequently. She glanced around before pointing unsurely to herself. "Me?"

"Yeah you, toots. Whadya say you and me hit up the town tonight?" the boy continued, placing one hand directly adjacent to Gan's head on the wall as he leaned forward, causing his nose to practically touch hers.

Gan's face was one of complete and total horror; it was rare that the famous Gun found herself unable to deal with a situation, but this was one which she'd never encountered in her sixteen years. The boy's green eyes glittered with what Gan perceived as lust and she opened her mouth to respond.

"I-I...uh..."

She tried to lean away from him, only to find the wall in her way and the boy leaning persistently nearer.

Akago had been rather surprised when this boy wandered over, though part of him was almost giddy to see how Gan would respond. He wasn't sure whether or not she would slap him, verbally assault him, or simply go straight for the family jewels; it was like Akago's personal bet with himself. The betting spirit within the Shark leader died, however, when this black haired boy came physically close to Gan and the confusion loomed up in her eyes. Something about the sight of this presumptuous Reikon leaning near his second in command made Akago want to break him in half.

Within that very second, Akago had grabbed the boy by the front of his shirt and was holding him suspended some two inches above the ground. The boy gurgled in surprise, looking down at Akago with a face full of fear; apparently his confidence was disposable. Akago stared the boy down with crimson eyes of fire, tightening his grip as he turned and pressed the boy's back against the wall.

The Shark leader leaned his face in very close, as the boy had done to Gan, and growled through clenched teeth, "I think you have somewhere else to be. Right now."

When the boy said nothing, too frozen to speak, Akago slammed him back up against the wall with a thud. "Speak up, I can't understand you!"

"Yeahotherplacestobe," the boy replied quickly, shaking his head so fast that it nearly wobbled off his neck; he was desperate to be released from Akago's clutches and his feet were jiggling in anticipation of hitting the ground running.

Akago looked as though he wanted to continue this confrontation, but Sesshomaru's thin hand appeared on his shoulder before anything else could take place. "Akago, I think that's enough."

Staring back at the Fang leader, who's gaunt face was drawn and serious; though Sesshomaru's belt was notched slightly tighter than normal, his uniform fit well enough and he looked sharp and commanding. Akago snorted and released the boy from his grip, seeming not to notice as his victim skittered away towards a group of chuckling Reikons.

Akago finally grunted, giving Sesshomaru a nod which clearly said "I'm finished." Sesshomaru gave Akago one last look of warning before he returned to where the others were gathered some five feet away, silence replacing their conversation as they exchanged glances; it was rare that Akago Tsume got violent, especially over something so miniscule.

As the talking around them resumed, Gan lifted her head to observe Akago, who was staring moodily off into the distance as he leaned back against the wall, arms crossed handsomely. The girl bit her lip; she was rather embarrassed and she wasn't sure why.

"Thank you, Akago," she finally said, voice small and meek. "I...didn't know what to say to him."

"'No' is what you should've damn well said," Akago replied almost angrily, though his anger was obviously not directed at Gan. "Or 'fuck off you stupid bastard,' would've gotten across the message quite clearly, I should think."

"I'm just not used to boys...coming up to me and...saying those things," Gan managed to get out. She leaned back against the wall with her hands folded demurely in front of her. "I'd heard the others tell stories, but I guess I'd never seen how forward they could be."

Akago snorted, angling his crimson gaze downwards as his white braid fell over his shoulder. "Well, get used to it because I'm sure you'll be getting quite a bit of attention." He turned his lowered gaze upwards until it landed on Gan's confused and anxious face. "I'm sure you've been told by the girls, but you're quite pretty, Gan. Boys are going to be forcing themselves on you because they're insensitive and arrogant. And you're blonde."

Gan had been blushing profusely at Akago's flattery until he mentioned her hair. "What does that have to do with anything?" Gan asked hottly.

"Gentlemen prefer blondes, or haven't you heard?" Akago joked.
His second in command frowned, furrowing her brow as the doors to the auditorium were thrown open and students began funneling inside. Akago pushed off the wall and smiled mysteriously, obviously loving the confusion he was causing Gan. "Shall we?" Gan only sighed as they joined the crowd waiting to enter through the doors.

"Kagome, where's your tie?" Kouga asked as they walked towards the door.

Kagome blushed rather brilliantly and glanced down at the black and red striped tie, which was still clenched in her fist. Miroku furrowed his brow. "Kagome, do you know how to tie a tie?"

When the girl glanced down at her shoes, Inuyasha chuckled slightly. "Hah, stupid girl, give it here."

"I'm not stupid," Kagome protested weakly, handing Inuyasha the tie as she stood annoyedly before him.

Inuyasha reached around Kagome's neck and tied the tie swiftly and deftly, smiling at Kagome when he was finished. She smiled back, as witnessing one of his genuine smiles was a cause for celebration, and kissed him sweetly on the cheek. "Thanks, Inuyasha. I'll figure it out eventually."

"Keh. That's a maybe," Inuyasha joked good naturedly, turning abruptly at the sound of a throat clearing.

A large, broad shouldered man was standing at the doors to the auditorium, holding it open for the students as they hurried inside. He was enormous, in Kagome's opinion: muscular arms and thick tank legs, along with a neck which Kagome reckoned was the thickness of both her thighs put together. He was bald with tribal zig zag tattoos covering his head, giving him an earthy and almost holy appearance in Kagome's mind. He looked quite odd wearing a suit, though it fit him well; he was about as fit as a person could physically become.

"Inuyasha, be nice to your woman," the man said in a voice which was deep enough to shake the nearest mountain range.

He glanced down at Kagome, who was a good foot and a half shorter than him, and grinned toothily. His blue eyes twinkled as he held out a large, meat slab hand for her to shake. "I'm Kuma Shikaruni, but the boys just call me Bear. I'm the football coach."

Kagome's eyes passed a look of recognition and she smiled in return, shaking his hand firmly with her small one. "Oh! I'm Kagome Higurashi, Rin's cousin."

Bear cocked his large head to the side, still smiling. "Sesshomaru's girl, then! Well, isn't that a coincidence? You're all a big family, aren't you?"

Kagome couldn't explain it, but something about Bear just made a person feel comfortable and at home. For the first time that morning, she felt at ease, and she smiled in near relief. The coach was warm and inviting, almost like an overstuffed arm chair.

"Yeah, guess we are," Inuyasha mentioned, rubbing the back of his neck in slight embarrassment.

Bear laughed, a great rumbling sound which reminded Kagome of a drum, and clapped Inuyasha on the shoulder; the motion nearly knocked Inuyasha over. "Don't look so freaked out, Yash, she's a great girl, very pretty. You did good."

Kagome blushed as Inuyasha grinned. "Yeah, she's pretty hot, huh? Can't tie a tie, but we'll fix that."

Bear laughed again as Kagome gave Inuyasha a whack to the back. "Oh, stop it, you can't put up your own hair."

Inuyasha blushed at the remembrance; Kagome had indeed put up his hair many times that summer when he found himself uncapable. Bear laughed heartily. "She's got you there, Inuyasha." Turning to Kagome, he whispered loudly, "Bankotsu has to braid it for him during games."

Giggling, Kagome grinned at Bear, who smiled back before ushering both a smiling Kagome and a grumbling Inuyasha inside the auditorium. "Hurry up now, gotta hear the principal give his talk."

Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's hand in his as they made their way to the right side of the auditorium, which had been commandeered by the Fangs and their associates. The left side of the auditorium seemed to belong entirely to the North and all of their friends, a group which ended up being a bit larger than Kagome had reckoned. She'd thought that after Naraku's death the North would thin out, but it actually seemed to have thickened. She reckonized the faces of several Spiders whom she knew all to well: the few who had thrown rocks at her during her imprisonment, some of the guards, some of the racers. She could make out Kagura's face from where she was sitting, picking her fake nails near the front row. Her skirt was riding up so high on her thigh that Kagome wondered if it was actually regulation length. Lastly, her eyes landed on a familiar green head; Ryuukoytsusei was sitting in the midst of the Northerners with his core surrounding him, though there was one person whom she failed to recognize. It was a small girl who looked no older than 16, her hair the same emerald green as Ryuu's and her small little face pretty and porcelain. Kagome studied her for a moment before nudging Inuyasha.

"Hey, do you recognize that girl next to Ryuukoytsusei?"

Inuyasha glanced over at the Dragon leader, focusing on the girl a moment before furrowing his brow. "Naw, never seen her before. They look related though; I mean how many green haired kids you seen walkin' around?"

"Not many," Kagome agreed, observing the girl quizically.

On the other side of the auditorium, Mizumi fiddled with the hem of her skirt and continued to cross her legs and uncross them, switching sides out of nervousness. Ryuu glanced over at her as she began tapping out a rythym on the arm chair.

"Can you sit still or not?" he asked irritatedly, glaring down at her.

She sighed in frustration and plopped her hands down in her lap, uncrossing her legs for the final time. "Sorry. I just hate stitting still and listening to people talk. It's boring."

"He hasn't even started talking yet," Ryuu pointed out, raising one of his fine green eyebrows sarcastically.

Mizumi lowered her eyebrows and crossed her arms, glaring acidically up at her brother. "Yeah, well, I'm anticipating the upcoming boredom," she explained.

Ryuu sighed and shook his head. He blinked, as though remembering something and dug down in the pocket of his blazer. "Here," he said, handing her a set of keys.

As she turned them over in her hands, Mizumi furrowed her brow and asked, "What are these for?"

"Knitting a sweater," Ryuu replied sardonically, rolling his crimson eyes. "One goes to the Mustang and the other one goes to the apartment. I have football practice after school, so just go home."

Mizumi was quiet for a moment before she murmured, "But I'm not old enough to drive here, am I? Don't you have to be 18 in Japan?"

After looking at her for a moment in silence, Ryuu responded slowly, "Kid, do I look like I give a fuck about the law?"

"Definitely not," Mizumi said with a sigh, staring down at the keys in her hands. "But you drive on the wrong side of the road here; I don't know if I'll be able to."

Hearing this, Kagura turned around in her seat, eyebrow raised saucily. "It's you Americans that drive on the wrong side of the road, little girl."

Ryuukoytsusei opened his mouth to tell Kagura to stick it somewhere unpleasant when Mizumi's small voice broke the air; she looked incredibly peeved. "Sorry, but we're having a private conversation and you're not invited. So you can turn back around and continue chewing off your press-ons."

Ryuu and Kagura both looked stunned enough to pass out, each with eyes the size of dinner plates; neither had expected such an answer out of Mizumi, who appeared quite nonconfrontational, though it was obvious that she had a great deal of spunk to her. Kagura frowned and her eyebrows lowered far down over her cruel crimson eyes.

"Look, little girl, y-"

But Ryuukoytusei interrupted flatly. "Kagura, fuck off."

Mizumi smiled slightly as her brother frowned in her defense, looking prepared to jump Kagura if need be, but the Vixen leader backed down and turned around in her seat before it could come to blows. Smiling slightly, Mizumi gave her brother a glowing look before saying, "I guess I can drive. Americans are famous for ingenuity, right?"

At that moment, the speakers in the auditorium gave a loud kick and the students cried out in surprise, clapping hands to sensetive demon ears. There were several shouts of "what the fuck" as the tall man now standing behind the podium tapped the microphone curiously, as though wondering if it were on. In response to his tapping, the monitors screeched and more whines followed.

"Sorry about that," the man said when the feedback had finally calmed. His blue eyes, clear and crystal behind rectangular spectacles, swept the audience as his mouth curled up in a smirk. "Had to get you quiet somehow. Good morning. To those of you who don't know me, I'm your principal, Numa Shikaruni."

On the right side of the auditorium, Kagome was observing the man with a rather curious face; though she wondered if it was disgusting to think so, Kagome couldn't help but find her principal quite beautiful. He was so tall and thin that he might've passed for Sesshomaru, though he had an even more dignified air about him than the Fang leader. His blonde hair was a light flaxen, pulled back in a low ponytail, and his skin was a beautiful pale peach. The way he looked at the students, as though he loved the very sight of them, made Kagome feel almost worshiped. The principal at her old school had certainly been nothing like this man.

It was then that Kagome suddenly remembered hearing the name Shikaruni only a few minutes prior. Leaning towards Inuyasha, she whispered curiuosly, "Are the principal and your coach related?"

"Brothers," Inuyasha explained, grinning when Kagome's face displayed her surprise. "Yeah, kinda weird, huh? And it gets even weirder: Bear is younger."

Kagome snorted at the irony and leaned back in her seat, trying to find parallels between the huge, muscled man at the door and the thin waif-like one on stage. Eventually, she could find no similarities but smile and eyes between the two and she leaned back defeatedly in her seat as the principal continued.

"Though I'm sure you're expecting the 'it's going to be a great year' speech, I courteously obstain from that option. Instead, I'm going to simply say welcome and I wish you good luck as you forge on. That being in the academic spirit, I say with great athletic spirit: good luck to our football team as they move towards another winning season!"

The room erupted with cheers and screams as the students called out the names of their favorite players. Many of the football players jumped up and punched their fists to the sky, simultaneously shouting, "You KNOW!"

As Inuyasha retook his seat, he was met with Kagome's curiously raised eyebrow. "You know?" she asked skeptically.

"What?" he asked defensively. "It's like a team cheer thing."

"Uhuh," Kagome responded, smirking slightly.
On stage, Principal Shikaruni quieted the thrumming audience and continued. "Yes, yes, that's all well and good. We do have graver matters to attend to, however." His face grew sober and silence captured the crowd; the principal's severity was nearly tangible. "This summer, as all the summers before, has brought us a good many unfortunate deaths in our school community and for that, I am truly sorry." Sighing, the principal removed his spectacles and set them down on the podium, observing the students with a pair of sad eyes which brought shame to their hearts. "The world in which you live is not ideal, I know. You are all part of a certain lifestyle that brings hardship with it and often, there is no room for guilt or care when dealing with those you consider to be your enemies. I hear the word 'evil' thrown around in the hallways and I address this now: it is not evil men that we must fear. It is the indifference of good men."

The auditorium was silent and heavy as the guilts and regrets of every man in the room rose to the ceiling, gathering in a cloud above their heads. Chins fell to chests and eyes began to shift nervously about, as though the students were wondering if they were naked with their sins exposed. Though they lived their years in a constant mode of indifference, Numa Shikaruni had a great talent for shaming people right into the ground. He did it not to condescend, but to teach; his pupils knew this well.

Knowing that his point had been duly made, Principal Shikaruni smiled in a forgiving manner. "Thank you very much, everyone, for your attention to my moans and groans this morning. Student Council, please stay behind to speak with Kayo-sensei and I about the upcoming month. Coach Shikaruni has asked me to inform the football team that practice starts in one hour and no exceptions will be made for tardiness. The last one there will run 30 Bear Climbs."

At this, the football team members gave groans from their seats, a great moaning chorus which shook the very walls. Inuyasha rubbed at his temples and Kagome furrowed her brow. "What's a 'bear climb?'"

Inuyasha sneered, crossing his arms angrily. "There's a huge hill at the end of the football field that separates us from the fine arts wing. Coach came up with this shit called a 'Bear Climb' where you have to sprint up one side and then tackle squat down the other, then do it again. If you start on the left side of the hill, you have to go up the hill, down the other side, up that side and down back to where you started until it counts as one."

Kagome shuddered. "Oh, that would hurt after a while."

"Yeah, like after 3."

Principal Shikaruni raised his voice above the groanings brought about by his brother's harsh law. "AND," he said loudly, bringing the auditorium to a quiet. "Poly-sensei says that all those in Advanced Dance Lab V must report to the dance balcony in thirty minutes for warm-up before class ranking auditions. Cheerleaders, please meet your captain at the field in 30 minutes for tryouts as well. That is all; dismissed."

The students began to stand and chatter broke out as friends discussed upcoming auditions and tryouts, walking in a steady stream towards the double doors on either side of the auditorium.

Ranbou tugged at the tie around his neck, scowling at the familiar constricting feeling which always accompanied the school uniform. He always imagined a snake wrapped around his neck, growing tighter with each passing moment; Ranbou had never liked ties in the first place. Shitora glanced up at the tall boy beside her, who was tugging anxiously at his collar.

"Easy does it, wolfboy," she said with a sigh, reaching up on her tip toes to loosen the knot.

Ranbou let out a breath of relief when Shitora's small hands finally relieved him of the tightness near his throat. "Thanks, Sukini," he murmured, cracking his neck routinely.

The two exited the auditorium and began walking towards the locker rooms to gather up their things. "Wanna grab somethin' to eat after I finish with practice?" Ranbou asked, glancing down at his girlfriend.

Shitora shrugged, meeting his blue gaze with her amber one. "I dunno how long auditions are gonna take; I'll be out by dinner, probably."

At this, Ranbou raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You're tryin' out for that really intense dance class? That advanced lab whatever?"

The confusion was evident in his voice and Shitora frowned. "Yeah. Why, is that a problem?"

"Naw, I'm just sayin'...I mean, dance is kinda competetive here, baby girl," Ranbou explained carefully. He certainly didn't want to arouse Shitora's anger, but he figured that auditions were going to be a painfully eye opening experience for the hanyou girl. She hadn't been going to this highschool for the past three years; how was she to know what she was getting herself in to?

But Shitora stopped walking abruptly, crossing her arms pertly over her chest. Ranbou could tell by her fierce eyes that she was angry. "What, you don't think I can do it?" she challenged.

Ranbou rolled his eyes to the ceiling and walked back towards her, ignoring the stares there were getting from their fellow students as they disrupted the flow of traffic through the halls. "No, that ain't what I'm sayin'. Just, you haven't been watchin' these recitals like I have, and believe me, they're pretty damn good. Best in town."

Despite Ranbou's placating attitude, Shitora only growled. "Like I don't already know that; I've been watching their recitals on tape since freshman year."

The wolf demon blinked. "Come again?"

"You heard me, I've been waiting to come back here and join this class for three years and nothin's gonna stop me, not you or anyone else!" Shitora shouted, pushing Ranbou roughly in the chest before storming off down the hall.

Ranbou rubbed the back of his head in confusion; exactly how had that conversation gone from good to bad so quickly? He'd suspected that when Shitora spoke of dance, it was only a passing fancy or a hobby for her. When she'd mentioned pursuing it as a career that morning, he'd likewise blown it off. But actually coming to physical confrontation in the hallway? Apparently, she was quite serious about this whole thing.

The wolf's thoughts were disrupted when someone stumbled into him from behind; the offending tripper bounced off Ranbou as though they weighed nothing at all. Ranbou turned to address whoever this clumsy kid was when he found himself rather stunned by the sight before him.

A girl was unfolding herself from a rather undignified position on the floor, looking for all the world like a walking stick figure. The girl was at least 5'11 and extremely long legged; Ranbou surmised that at least 75% of her body was strictly from her hip to the floor. She had blonde hair, so white it was nearly the color of snow like Shitora's, and a pair of blue eyes so honest that the professional assassin was ashamed to meet them. In truth, this girl was extraordinarily beautiful.

"So sorry!" she exclaimed, smiling hugely in a rather dopey way. "I'm really clumsy; sorry again!"

With this, the girl gave Ranbou one last smile and began walking down the hall; this was when Ranbou noticed something strange. The girl was limping quite noticeably, favoring her left leg with each step. The flaw marred her perfection, though Ranbou was almost positive that she hadn't been born with a defect; her legs were the same length, it appeared.

"Huh; weird," he murmured, shrugging to himself before resuming his trip towards the locker room, trying not to think of his recent fight with Shitora.

Kagome furrowed her brow as she glanced down at the numbers scribbled so dismissively on her palm; for some reason, this so called locker combination wasn't working the same way it had that morning. The brunette frowned and smacked the locker rather violently with her palm, finding less satisfaction in the metallic bang than she'd reckoned she would. Kagome sighed heavily and rubbed her forehead; here she was waging war on her locker when all she really wanted to do was make peace with it. Sort of the same way she felt about her Nakama: as though she were going about it all the wrong way.

"Hey, you skinny twat, you're in my way!"

At the sound of this shrill threat, Kagome glanced down the line of lockers to find a tall girl standing over a much shorter one, looking quite ready for a fight. The taller girl's jacket was emblazened with the winking fox emblem of the Vixens and Kagome could just make out the shorter girl's white jacket hanging from her locker door.

The tall Vixen was a voluptuous redhead with quite a bit of attitude in her hips. She glared down at the short girl, practically blinding Kagome with a rather inappropriate view of her behind as she did so. "Didn't you hear me? Or don't you speak any Japanese? I said move!" Kagome lowered her eyebrows, wondering what a girl who was already dressed in street clothes with her bags strapped across her back could possibly need from her locker; obviously, this girl had come back simply to make trouble with a Wildcat.

The smaller girl said nothing; her perfect porcelain face made her look almost like a well crafted doll, with eyes the color of a forest shrouded in mist. Her hair was such a perfect black that Kagome swore her eyes nearly mistook it for blue; this girl was so small, but so beautiful. It was then that Kagome recognized her from earlier that morning; this girl was in her Nakama.

"Hey!" Kagome shouted, hurrying towards the altercation with a storm in her step. In a single second, she'd placed herself between the small little girl and the tall Vixen. "I don't see why you can't just wait for her to finish," Kagome said crisply, staring at the redhead with violence in her normally passive brown eyes.

"I'm in a hurry," the Vixen replied angrily. Crossing her arms over her ample chest, she spat out, "This isn't the South's block anymore, Higurashi, you can't just come in here throwing around orders like you own the place."

Kagome was about to retort when another voice entered their conversation. "Step off, Chichi, before I make you eat my fist."

A tall girl with golden blonde hair and matching dog ears atop her head strutted forcefully towards them, white jacket gleaming as she practically pushed Kagome out of the way. Kagome stared at the newcomer, though her angry gaze was soon met with an equally riled gold one; this girl was obviously not in the mood to be messed with. Kagome soon placed that angry gaze from earlier that morning: this girl was likewise one of her Nakama members. As the girl in question turned back around to address Chichi, the buxom Vixen, she allowed one of her hands to drift backwards as though urging the porcelain girl to stay behind, lest she get involved in the confrontation.

Chichi narrowed her emerald green gaze, but she soon turned brusquely on her tall heels and hurried away, obviously opting to forgo her precious fight in favor of keeping her parts intact.

Kagome took a deep breath and smiled, turning to the tall blonde beside her. "Well, that was almost a figh-"

"That was no where near a fight," the blonde replied curtly, glancing down at Kagome as though she were nothing but a speck on her shoe. "You'd have to know action to understand what a real fight looks like. That wasn't even close."

The small dark haired girl behind her gave a small sigh, but still said nothing. Kagome frowned. "I've seen enough 'action,' believe me, but-"

"Whatever you want to think. Trust me; when it comes to knowing battle, you're like a virgin in a den of whores here. You know nothing about fights or violence and you won't last the week," the blonde said disdainfully, hatred practically dripping from her tongue. "Morioka, stay out of trouble." With this last warning, the blonde girl tore her eyes away from Kagome's blank face and disappeared out the locker room door, dog ears twitching madly with irritation.

"Looks like a proud new member of my fan club," Kagome said sarcastically, letting out a stream of air as she placed her hands on her hips and turned to the small doll faced girl before her. "Are you okay, Morioka? That's your name, right?"

"My name is Morioka Misuto," the small girl confirmed, inclining her head respectfully in greeting. "I'm sorry Lea was so short with you, Kijo."

"Lea, hm?" Kagome mused, taking a seat straddling the bench behind her as she watched Morioka gathering her things demurely.

The girl nodded, misty green eyes glittering mysteriously. "Her name is Lea Skinner. It's not that she doesn't care about you, since I know she must; her sense of loyalty will make her protect you despite what she feels. But...she doesn't trust easily."

"Nobody around here seems to," Kagome said wearily.

Morioka shut her locker door, finally dressed in overalls and a black undershirt. She looked quite old, despite her size, as she murmured, "Can you blame them?"

"I guess not," Kagome replied quietly. As she rose, she asked curiously, "Is Lea a half demon?"

To her surprise, Morioka shook her head. "No; the ears don't always denote half demon heritage. Lea's family is simply of a very pure breed; they've retained some of the purest dog qualities, like the ears and tail. Lea's embarrassed by her tail, though; I've only seen it once."

"Ah," Kagome mused. She drifted down towards her own locker, noticing that Morioka was obviously waiting for her to finish gathering her things. "And you? Are you demon? Human? Half?"

"Three quarters," said Morioka. Her voice was of a rich red-wine tambre. "I'm a product of a whole and half demon. I'm mostly just water demon, though I hear my father might've had some dolphin in him."

At the sound of this, Kagome quirked an eyebrow; apparently, demons really did come from all walks of life. As she refocused on her locker combination, Kagome realized that all of this struggling was getting her nowhere. "This is really lame, but I can't get my locker open," she confessed, turning to Morioka for help.

"Allow me," Morioka replied. She looked down at the numbers on Kagome's palm, which were rather blurred and indiscernable. She turned the combination lock a certain amount of turns with no success. "I don't believe I'm reading it right..."

"Let me try," came someone's cool and collected voice.

Kagome recognized the girl as Seila, the dark haired wolf demon who'd aided her that very morning in her confrontation with Enju. This was the girl with muscles the size of a country; perhaps she's good with mechanics and devices like everyone else around here, Kagome mused, she'll probably use a safety pin to unlock it or something.

"Sure, Seila, give it a try."

Seila nodded shortly before turning towards the locker. She gave the lock a quick twist, causing the entire lock mechanism to come right out of the locker with her strength at its aid. There was now a round hole where the lock had once been, but Seila merely turned to face her leader. "Try it now, Kijo."

Kagome laughed uneasily. "Hehe, thanks Seila. Guess I won't have lock problems again, hehe, yeah..."

Morioka sighed, hanging her head ever so slightly; perhaps Lea was right. Gang life contained quite a bit of violence after all.

Footsteps drew the group's attention towards the right and they all said hellos as Knight and Katia walked towards them, just having gathered their supplies after the opening assembly as well. Katia's smart blue eyes, complete with mixing yellows and greens, turned their attention to Kagome and she nodded. "Kijo," she greeted, reshouldering her bag. "We heard a fight over hear, it sounded like. Is everything alright?"

"It was Lea having at Chichi again," Morioka explained, seeming unimpressed by the face. She cocked her porcelain face to the side. "And then Seila...simplified Kagome-dono's locker."

Katia and Knight turned to examine the hole where Kagome's lock had once been. Knight blinked, scratching her purple head confusedly. "Well, I guess that's one way to do it. I always just use the combination on mine, though."

Just as Knight said this, Kagome's phone began to beep and she dug it out of her messenger bag, glancing at the text message that awaited her: 'Kagz I left u a house key under da door mat at my place. It's urz. See u after practice.'

Kagome was staring so intently at the message that Knight furrowed her brow and waved a pale hand before her leader's face. "Kijo? Hello? What does it say?"

After a while of staring at the phone in disbelief, Kagome snorted and dropped it back in her bag. "Inuyasha keyed me," she replied, looking almost sour. "We talked for like three hours today and he forgot to mention that, oh yeah, I left you a key under my door mat. What am I, the maid? The door mat?!"

The other girls winced. "Ugh, getting keyed is the worst," Katia agreed, shaking he head mildly. The leopard marks under and above her eyes stretched as she widened her eyes at the irony of the situation. "I remember when Hiten keyed me in the tenth grade; he actually put the key on my key chain before he told me three days later. I didn't even notice."

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "You dated Hiten?"

"Katia gets around," Knight said with a wide grin, throwing an arm around an irritated Katia's shoulder. "The real question is who hasn't she dated!"

"That's not true," Katia mumbled, crossing her tan arms indignantly. "I just have a lot of close guys friends."

"Wow; the dating web around here is really complicated," Kagome mused as they began to leave the locker room together.

"You think that's complicated?" Knight laughed. "Man, have we got stories for you!"

Seila and Morioka sighed; it was going to be a long walk to the parking lot.

Ryuukoytsusei blinked his crimson eyes against the sunlight outside, reshouldering his gear bag as he made his way through the school courtyard towards the football locker room. Students flooded the walkways as they laughed and talked on the way to their cars, though Ryuu walked alone. In fact, there was a noticeable sphere around him which remained untouched by any students, friend or foe. They seemed to give him an incredibly wide berth as they hurried around him, hushing their conversations respectfully until they passed. Ryuu scowled slightly, startling a group of nearby girls into squeals; while he'd worked very hard to maintain a feared reputation, he was now regretting that decision as he searched unsuccessfully for a new second in command. He'd been fine after Juuromaru's death when it was simply him and the other Dragons, but now he was leading the North; he couldn't afford untied ends and a second in command was a necessary element of his rule.

"Eep!"

Even the normally unfettered Ryuukoytsusei Tousen gave a slight start as a girl practically appeared on the ground before him, books spilling out on the earth and bag ripping wide open on the brick. The Dragon was wide eyed, eyebrow cocked curiously as he observed the sight before him with his usual air of aloof irritation. Several students nearby gasped at the sight, wondering if they were about to witness Ryuu's first kill of the school year.

The girl groaned, untangling her long limbs as she rubbed her aching palms; that was the umpteenth time she'd fallen that morning. The girl turned her honest blue gaze up to meet Ryuu's flat red one. "I'm so sorry, I just totally blocked your way. I'm just a walking disaster today."

A group of students standing nearby smacked their foreheads; who did this girl think she was, speaking so plainly with the great Ryuukoytsusei of the Dragons? She was surely going to die.

Ryuu watched blankly as this blonde girl gathered the books scattered around her, meaning to put them in her bag until she finally realized that the scraggly thing was ripped. "Oh no! My bag broke!"

When Ryuu realized that students were gathering by the bunches, he shot the small audience a crimson glare so scathing that the nearby flowers wilted in despair. The teenagers gasped and began literally running from the scene, desperate to escape Ryuu's well known wrath with their bodies intact. Soon, the remainder of the student body had passed and begun driving away in their supped up sports cars, ready to meet at their respective headquarters to begin the gang year anew.

Ryuu stood stock still, staring down at the blonde as she stacked her many books atop one another, wrapping her long arms around them before attempting to stand. As she did this, Ryuu was startled to find that she was quite tall and came up to at least his shoulder; most girls barely even reached his chest. She managed to arrive unsteadily atop her feet, but when she reached down to shoulder her ripped messenger bag, the girl's left leg gave way and she winced. The books fell to the ground along with her this time.

"I'm so useless today!" the girl exclaimed, pretty face pink with frustration.

After realizing that he was still standing in the same place as he had been two minutes previously, Ryuukoytsusei did something very unlike himself. He dropped his gear bag to the ground and crouched down, helping the girl as she attempted to regroup the books a second time.

"Thanks so much," she bubbled, already smiling again. Her smile was so radiant Ryuu almost had to look away; it was brighter than the sun he'd been attempting to escape only minutes before.

The Dragon leader looked at her with a sort of incredulity only akin to complete and total loss. His mouth was closed and his eyes rather wide, as though he were observing a new species of animal. This girl didn't seem to fear him in the least and something about this whole situation made him feel warm inside.

As the two stood to their feet, the blonde seemed to come close to tripping for a third time. This time, however, a strong hand clamped around her bicep and steadied her; the girl looked down in surprise at the strong hand around her arm and smiled sunnily.

"Thanks! I don't have the best balance, as I guess you can tell! My name is Shale Johannsen!"

The girl held out her hand and Ryuu looked down at it, staring at the slender, pale appendage oddly. Shale looked unhaltingly at him before finally urging, "What's your name?"

The Dragon leader seemed to think for a moment, as though debating on whether or not imparting such information to this girl was worth his time, when he finally responded, "Ryuukoytsusei Tousen." He shook her hand curtly, gravelly voice adding to what he was sure was a scary enough image to frighten this girl away.

"Nice to meet you Ryuukoytsusei!" Shale exclaimed, smiling up at him as though meeting him were the most fulfilling experience in her life thus far. "I just moved here from America."

The Dragon snorted flatly. "Go figure."

Shale seemed not to notice Ryuu's standoffishness and simply gathered her books from his hands, stacking them successfully this time with the messenger bag already secure on her shoulder. "It was nice meeting you Ryuukoytsusei; I've got to get going if I want to make it home before sundown, but I'll see you tomorrow!"

With this, the girl began walking through the courtyard towards the parking lot; instead of entering said parking lot, however, she turned right on the sidewalk and continued walking towards the stoplight. It took Ryuu a moment to realize that this girl was not the proud owner of a car and was intending to walk home. He also noticed her limp, which became painfully visible when her arms were laden down with a stack of books. Shaking his head at the sight, Ryuu grabbed his own gear bag and began jogging towards the locker rooms, hoping that this strange encounter wouldn't earn him 30 Bear Climbs.

Mizumi tightened the already vice grip she had around her bag handles as she walked slowly towards the doors to the dance balcony. She was dressed in a black tank top, spandex shorts and black footless tights, prepared for her first experience with the South Tokyo dance department. The bag in her hands contained every pair of dance shoes she could possibly need for this experience, but she was beginning to wonder if they would do her any good. Despite the fact that she'd been the top of her class at the dance academy, she'd heard positively glowing things about this school's department and was losing confidence with every step she took.

Pushing the door open slightly, Mizumi hesitated a glance through the door crack and saw several girls warming up on the bar, chatting excitedly. From what she could see, they looked exactly like her; dressed in dance clothes with shoe bags nearby, wide eyed with excitement and anticipation. Perhaps she had nothing to worry about after all.

Taking a deep breath, Mizumi walked quietly inside, wincing as the door shut behind her with a sort of smacking sound. None of the girls paused in their talking and stretching, so the dragon girl walked towards the bar and dropped her bag below her, reaching up to make sure her braid was secure. This was merely a nervous habit, as Mizumi's french braids had become practically flawless after all these years doing it herself, but she needed something to occupy her hands. It was always that way when she was nervous.

When no one screamed at her for being in the room, she decided to begin her warmup. Mizumi slid her leg on top of the bar, allowing her hips to disjoint peacefully as she bent elegantly over the bar until her nose was pressed against her knee cap. The girl felt finally in her element and she couldn't help but smile as she continued stretching, arching her back gracefully as though her body was made of silk. Nothing relaxed her like dance.

One of the girls nearby, a redheaded girl with spiral curls and rich green eyes, arranged herself on the bar behind Mizumi, watching as this mysterious green haired girl continued to stretch. When Mizumi reached down and grabbed the arch of her foot, raising her leg upside her body until her foot was bent completely over her head, the brunette realized that there might be more to this strange dancer than met the eye; she was flexible enough that she could've been studying for more than a decade.

"Are you new?"

Mizumi jumped at the voice, which she found incredibly embarrassing since she hadn't noticed the girl's presence in the first place. Recovering from her shock, Mizumi attempted to control her blush as she turned and faced this girl, who looked incredibly interested by her presence. "I...yeah, I just moved here from America," she explained.

"That's so cool!" the redhead replied, smiling winningly; Mizumi noticed that this girl's entire body was covered in freckles, literally from head to foot; secondly, the dragon demon noticed the absolutely enormous breasts on the otherwise thin girl's chest. "I'm Fennella, but you can call me Fenn."

"Mizumi," the dragon replied with a small smile, one which she felt didn't even compare to Fenn's enormous, sparkling grin.

"How long have you been dancing for?" Fenn asked as she lifted her leg to the bar, beginning her routine stretches. Mizumi glanced down at Fenn's legs, which were muscled and long.

"13 years," Mizumi replied, trying to seem at ease. She knew this girl seemed nice, but she'd become so wary of cuthroat dancers trying to get ahead at any cost. She hadn't made any friends at her dance academy and, in turn, had originally planned not to make friends in this department either.

But Fenn seemed not to notice Mizumi's discomfort. "Since you were three? You're a lot more intense than me; I started five years ago."

"And you're already in the advanced class?" Mizumi asked in disbelief.

Fenn merely shrugged her freckled shoulders. "Eh, I play a lot of soccer and I can jump pretty high. I have about as much finesse as a dump truck, though."

As the redhead said this, the doors to the dance balcony burst wide open and Shitora Taisho came walking confidently into the room, smiling rakishly at all the girls at the bar. "Hello ladies!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms wide in an ostentatious manner. She was wearing a red leotard with black spandex shorts and footless tights, an outfit which accentuated the perfect manner of her curves and proportions.

Mizumi's eyes widened as her eyes landed on Shitora's breasts; next to Shitora and Fennella, Mizumi felt like a washboard. "Wow," she murmured. "Who's that?"

"Shitora Taisho," Fenn replied, glancing up as the many dancers screamed in happy surprise and ran towards Shitora, wrapping their childhood friend in hugs and exclaiming in loud squeals how happy they were to see her. "She's Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's little sister; she's been away at boarding school, but I guess she's finally come back."

Mizumi gave Shitora a once over with her crimson eyes, noting the incredible shape of her leg muscles and her perfect posture; Mizumi had no idea who Inuyasha or Sesshomaru were, but she supposed they were important enough to warrant Fenn's mentioning. All Mizumi really cared about was her competition. "Is she any good?"

Fenn snorted. "She swept nationals clean last year. First in hip hop, third in jazz, second in tap."

Mizumi's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as she computed this news, watching as Shitora talked with the other girls; the hanyou obviously had enough attitude to go around, what with the way she popped her hip and gestured with her hands. Her amber eyes were mischievuos and obstinant, containing a strong, determined twinkle that chilled Mizumi to the bone.

"What about ballet?" she asked.

At this, Fenn released a small, ironic smile. "She placed like thirteenth or something."

"Really? That's seems so strange after her other good marks," Mizumi murmured, emerald eyebrows furrowing confusedly.

"Look at her feet," Fenn explained, allowing her own glance to drift toward's Shitora's bare feet.

Mizumi looked only for a moment before her crimson eyes seemed to gleam with understanding. She said quietly, "She has bad feet. And her turnout is weak."

"Very bad and very weak," Fenn agreed, sighing slightly. Her green eyes glimmered with something akin to sympathy. "Sucks, huh? She's damn good, but she could never dance Swan Lake with those feet."

Mizumi shrugged. "Feet and turnout aren't everything. If she worked really hard, she might be able to mimic Margo Fontaine and use charisma to make up for those things."

But Fenn looked incredibly skeptical. Her ample busom bounced as she straightened up from a waist bend. "Yeah, but Margo Fontaine doesn't come along but every once in a century. And without ballet in her repetoire, it's gonna be hard for her to get a job."

Though it pained Mizumi to think of a fellow dancer being unable to pursue a career in the business, she knew that Fenn's words had truth. Ballet was the root of all dancing and without a strong foundation in it, a dancer couldn't get very far. Though Shitora had placed thirteenth at nationals and this was a feat to be admired, she would need to be in the top ten to be considered as a primary for any of the worthwhile companies in town.

"Did you compete in nationals in America?" Fennella asked conversationally, green eyes curious and kind.

Mizumi nodded menially. "Yeah, I did."

"How did you do?" Fenn pressed. Despite the girl's amicable nature, Mizumi knew she was preparing to compete with each dancer in the room and not even friendship could change that.

Yet Mizumi didn't take offense and merely responded, "I did well." Even though Mizumi knew this answer wouldn't satisfy the redhead, she couldn't help but try; it wasn't in Mizumi's nature to brag.

"No, really, what places?" Fenn pushed as Mizumi had predicted.

Though she avoided the girl's curious green gaze, Mizumi still replied, "First in ballet, second in tap, second in jazz, seventh in hip hop."

Mizumi could see Fennella's stunned gaze in the mirror, but she continued to look down at her feet, focusing on her turnout as she pushed from her hips. Fenn's jaw was practically on the floor as she observed this emerald haired girl, who had come seemingly out of nowhere with a sterling record from America, of all places. Taking first in ballet in a country so large was certainly something to be admired and Fenn couldn't even bring herself to be jealous; it was hard to be jealous of a goddess.

"Dear sweet Kami!" Fenn exclaimed in a heated whisper. "That kicks Shitora's record right out the door! And in America! Holy crap!"

Mizumi continued to fight down her blush, focusing all of her attention on the angle of her left arm as she moved easily into second position. "Well, I did intensive study at a dance academy...and anyway, American technique is light years behind everywhere else, especially Japan and Russia. So...I'm nothing special."

Fenn was about to say something in response, but the dance balcony doors opened once more to reveal a tall and elegant woman of about thirty years of age. Her hair was long and curled into perfect spirals, the color of a dark blue ocean. Her eyes were a deep rose pink and her skin a perfect caramel; she was clothed in wide legged paisely pants and a tight black leotard beneath, looking like a model right out of a ballet pamphlet. Mizumi couldn't remember seeing such a beautiful woman in all her days, not even her late mother.

"Hello everyone!" the woman exclaimed, voice like the light tinling of bells. "I'm Polyhymnia Pierre, but you may call me Poly-sensei like everyone else does." The woman clasped her hands together, causing her many rings to clink. "I've taught most of you before, but I see a few new faces out there and that's great! The audition process is going to be pretty simple and probably unlike anything you've ever done before, though I think you'll enjoy it. This is going to be a memory excercise, really: I'll show you a two minute long combination and then I want you all to get out here in a big group and go for as long as you can remember. We'll do a ballet combination and a jazz combination; afterwards, we'll talk about the dance team that performs at football games and run through some steps to see who's up to performing at the game two weeks from now. Now in the combinations, I'll be looking for technique and character, so dance your hearts out and don't be nervous. While I watch you, I'll be ranking you for the purpose of selecting this year's dance leaders. Every year, we select the two strongest students to choreograph the fall and spring recitals, lead the school dance team and demonstrate in class. It's a big honor and I wish you all luck! Now everyone watch me; we'll begin with the jazz combination."

The girls gathered around as Poly-sensei started the music to All that Jazz. The girls marveled at her magnificent movements, which were perfect and precise. She looked so full of life as she pirouetted and postured, throwing her arms with such expertise that Mizumi was almost embarrassed to dance in this woman's presence. Her technique was absolutely perfect and her movements flawless; judging by her name, Poly-sensei had studied in France. This in and of itself was quite telling.

The dancers watched every move, calculated every step, and commited to memory every combination before the two minutes finally came to an end. While most of the girls were wondering how they would ever complete the complicated routine, two girls knew exactly how far they could go.

"Alright, everyone step out and give it a try!" Poly-sensei announced, not even appearing winded by the saucy steps.

As the class assembled in a group before the mirror, the teacher positioned herself by the stereo and waited until all 30 of the dancers appeared ready to start. "Everyone ready? Here we go!"

As soon as the music started, the dancers set their bodies into action. Arms lilted and legs moved with great skill as they twisted and turned, jumping and moving themselves in sometimes near impossible ways. At around the thirty second mark, the first girl dropped out and others were soon to follow. As Mizumi pirouetted and leapt into a Russian, she looked straight into the mirror to watch Fennella, who was dancing on her right in the third row. True to her word, Fenn had great legs and her flexibility was to be coveted. Though the phrase "as much finesse as a dump truck" was a little exaggerated, Fenn did indeed lack the true dancer's grace. She left the floor at about the minute mark when a good many others could remember no further.

Shitora was not nervous, nor was she even the slightest bit ruffled as she danced the routine, making sure to keep herself perfectly supported and her body at the most excellent angle. Indeed, she couldn't help but smile; dancing brought Shitora the greatest joy of anything in the world and she wasn't afraid to show it. It wasn't long before the girls were dropping like flies and the hanyou smirked, thinking to herself, Hah, just like I thought, I'm the best. I knew Ranbou was crazy; I'm always the best.

But it was then that Shitora noticed a girl dancing some five feet away from her also remained. The two were soon the only ones left as they approached 1 minute and 45 seconds, a fact which irritated Shitora to no end. Her smile began to fade as she continued executing the steps flawlessly, watching this green haired dancer in the mirror. Why wouldn't she drop? Shitora had to admit that this girl had a great deal of training and talent, making her a formidable opponent. Obviously, even her memory wasn't shod. This made Shitora quite nervous and angry for some reason. She scowled for the remaining fifteen seconds.

When Poly-sensei cut off the music, she smiled at all of the girls, allowing her grin to stop on Shitora and Mizumi. "Well done, everyone, especially you two. What are your names?"

"Shitora Taisho," said the hanyou before Mizumi could even open her mouth.

Mizumi could feel challenging and threatening waves rolling off the dog demon girl beside her, but she still responded quietly, "Mizumi Tousen."

At the sound of the name "Tousen," whispers and gasps broke out amongst the girls and Fennella raised an eyebrow; as in Ryuukoytsusei Tousen? Mizumi had tactfully forgotten to mention that during their meeting. It didn't matter to Fennella in the end, but she knew it would matter to the other Wildcats. Fennella was an integral part of Ayame's personal Nakama guard, but they didn't necessarily care about anyone in the North. Rin and Sango's Nakamas would be the ones to object.

"Yes," Poly-sensei said loudly above the whispers, "well done both of you. But, for future reference, Mizumi, you need to pay attention to your hip placement."

Mizumi nodded respectfully, saying, "Yes, sensei," while Shitora crossed her arms triumphantly. Though Mizumi obviously had her flaws, Shitora was still angered by the thought that she wouldn't be the best in this class. Something had to be done.

"Okay, girls, a minute break, and then we'll go into the ballet routine," the teacher announced, smiling a bright smile as her pink eyes shone with delight.

Shitora watched as Mizumi wandered towards the bar, never breaking focus for a moment; she was already stretching again. Shitora ignored the laughing and talking of her many friends as she walked purposefully towards Mizumi, planning to find out a little more about this girl.

"You're new," Shitora observed, leaning against the bar beside Mizumi as she rapidly moved through the positions.

Mizumi was quite startled by the voice and jumped, looking up at Shitora with wide eyes; even though the hanyou wasn't very large, she still had about four inches on Mizumi. Though she knew this hanyou girl didn't like her, Mizumi answered her anyway; she didn't need to make enemies so early on.

"Yeah. I just moved here," Mizumi replied, looking cautiously up at the hanyou with honest crimson eyes.

Shitora narrowed her amber ones, crossing her sun-kissed arms over her chest. "Really. You know Ryuukoytsusei?"

"My brother," Mizumi answered again, shying nervously away from Shitora's gaze. Though she'd easily confronted Kagura that morning, Shitora was a completely different story; it was easy for Mizumi to confront someone so obviuosly whorish and stupid because she had great disdain for people such as this. Shitora didn't seem whorish or stupid and, in fact, nearly the opposite of these things. She was also quite a good dancer, even better than Mizumi had guessed; when the hanyou danced, you barely even noticed her inferior feet and turn out.

"Huh, great, another one of you," Shitora said sourly, being purposefully rude to the girl in hopes that it might throw off her dancing.

Mizumi frowned; Yeah, okay, maybe your feet are worse that I thought. In fact, yeah, I noticed them a bunch. Terrible feet. "Do you not like my brother?"

"He's a cold hearted murderer with deep emotional imperfections, but other than that..." Shitora trailed off rudely, rolling her amber eyes to the sky in mock thoughtfulness.

Not only are your feet bad, but your turn out sucks. Sucks hard. "My brother is a good person."

"He's a good person like my brothers are tuba players," Shitora scoffed, tossing her head like a show horse. Her snow white hair, constricted in a high ponytail, gave a pompous swish as she resettled her icy amber gaze on Mizumi.

Shitty-ass feet and fucking awful turnout. "I guess your opinion is your own," Mizumi said simply, turning her back to Shitora as she dipped in a few experimental plies. Shitora scowled.

"Alright, ladies, gather round for the ballet routine! Put on your pointe shoes as I find the track."

Shitora gave Mizumi one last scathing glance which Mizumi could swear she felt all the way in her toes; it was ice cold like a winter snow drift. Shitora jogged towards her shoe bag and grabbed it fiercely, hurriedly sitting down next to some of the girls she knew as they laced up their pointe shoes, extending their toes habitually. Mizumi sighed and took a seat beside Fennella, who was sitting with her back against one of the mirrors as she donned her pointe shoes.

"I don't think Shitora likes me," Mizumi said quietly.

Fennella glanced over at the Taisho girl, who was indeed giving Mizumi ice cold glares with her fierce amber eyes. "You could be right; you're a threat," Fenn reasoned, shrugging her freckled shoulders and upsetting her large chest. "She's a dog demon after all; they're pretty territorial."

"Aren't lion demons as well?" Mizumi asked in a seemingly innocent voice.

When Fennella grinned this time, a pair of sharp fangs were visible that hadn't been so before. "You noticed; most people can't see past the cover-up spell."

"Why do you use one?" the Dragon demon asked as she slipped her final foot into its shoe, feeling her toes come in contact with the hard shoe pointe.

Fenn chuckled almost bitterly. "My clan had some trouble with the Leopard demons this summer and my dad is big in the family, so me and all my brothers are wearing one for a little while; this way, we won't have trouble at school with the Leopard kids. The spell masks our scent so they'll practically forget we're here."

"Sorry, that sucks that you have to wear a mask spell," Mizumi said apologetically.

But Fenn shook her head with that dazzling grin of hers, this time with the spell back in place and fangs gone from sight. "Not as much as you'd think. It's nice to find out what it's like to look human for a while. No one bothers me like they used to."

Mizumi furrowed her brow as she briefly entertained the thought of being human, but her musings were cut off as Poly-sensei said, "Okay, here we go!" and started the music.

The dragon demon was surprised and pleased when she recognized the music as Esemeralda's Tarantella, a part she'd played in the Dance Academy production of the Hunchback of Notre Dame the previous year. Poly-sensei danced the routine much the same way as Mizumi had and the dragon girl breathed an inner sigh of relief; this time she could focus more on her hips and less on the memory.

The combination was comprised of many turns and high kicks, which were Shitora's forte; the hanyou smirked. Now she would show that little Dragon brat what was what.

"Alright, ladies," Poly-sensei announced as she lowered back to the ground, tapping her black pointe shoes against the hardwood. "Line up!"

The girls arranged themselves before the mirror in a slightly different assembly this time; most of the dancers made sure to place themselves behind Shitora and Mizumi so that they could hopefully follow their moves if they forgot them. Shitora shot a glance at Mizumi, who had ended up right next to her, and Mizumi sighed, eyes troubled; she was trying not to think about the hanyou girl's rude words. It was all about the dance now.

When the music started, Mizumi was off in a flash, turning her wrists and clapping correctly as Poly-sensei had shown. Her extensions were magnificent and her high kicks perfectly straight as she followed the steps she knew by heart. Beside her, Shitora was keeping right in rhythm at an admirable skill level, especially for one so lacking in turnout and foot shape. The girls twirled quickly and several dancers began dropping out, this time at a much faster rate than before. Ballet was especially challenging to memorize and this routine was no small feat.

Fennella finally gave up after about forty five seconds and joined the growing throng of panting dancers near the bar to the right. They all watched in collective awe as Shitora and Mizumi continued relentlessly, showing no sings of stopping, even despite the difficulty of the steps.

"God, that Tousen girl is good!" one of the girls said, aghast.

"The best I've ever seen! Is she a senior?"

"I don't know, she's kind of small."

"She's so flexible, it's like rubber or something! She's almost as flexible as Shitora!"

"Maybe more flexible..."

"Her technique is perfect! Sure, her hips were off a little at first, but look at her now! It's like watching a professional prima!"

Fennella listened to the chatter, smiling slightly; no matter how much Shitora disliked it, it looked as though Mizumi was at the top of their class.

Shitora, meanwhile, was growing absolutely furious and hot with rage. The dragon beside her continued easily, as though she were exerting no effort, but Shitora was working her hardest to keep from stumbling over these ridiculous steps. Every single thing about the emerald haired girl irked her, her perfect positioning, the line of her legs, the happiness in her eyes, and especially her smile. That smile hadn't left her face since they started dancing and just the sight of it made Shitora want to scream and absolutely tear her to shreds.

As they approached the last twenty seconds, Shitora glanced down at Mizumi's feet and suddenly came upon a brilliant idea. It would take the perfect timing and the perfect motion, especially to fool the demons, but she didn't see any cat-like demons in the room; that would make this much easier. With superior cat vision, they might be able to discern the complications that would soon arise for Mizumi. Unbenknownst to Shitora, she was neglecting to notice Fennella as she leaned against the bar in to the right, mask perfectly in face and all traces of demon heritage gone from her appearance.

As they neared the fouettes, a group of nine full-body turns with the leg extended, Shitora made her move; it was so quick that humans missed it entirely and demons felt as though they'd blinked at the wrong moment, but it was there. Shitora allowed her anchor foot to dart out in an invisible flash, catching Mizumi's own anchor foot and kicking it out from under her.

Mizumi gasped as she felt herself falling, but it was too late. She fell towards Shitora and, as she did so, Shitora timed her turn just perfectly so that her claws met Mizumi's face at a single precise moment.Before anyone knew what was happening, Shitora's claws drew down Mizumi's cheek in what looked like an accident, causing blood to pour from three open wounds before the Dragon girl even hit the ground.

The other students gasped and Shitora put on a perfect look of mock surprise as she continued the routine flawlessly, with even more confidence than she'd had before. Mizumi hit the ground with a thud with only seven or eight seconds remaining and anxiety engulfed her; had Shitora just tripped her on purpose?

"Mizumi, good lord, are you alright?" Poly-sensei asked urgently, kneeling down beside Mizumi as she clamped a hand to her face.

Shitora bent down condescendingly and said, "Oh, sorry, but you fell on my claws!"

Poly-sensei said dismissively, "Oh, it's not your fault, Shitora, these things happen; everyone falls once in a while."

"Yeah," Shitora agreed, barely holding back her smirk; she'd just secured herself a spot in the South Tokyo dance program and she was well aware of it.

Fennella hurried to Mizumi's side, kneeling down and addressing the stunned looking girl. "Are you okay, Mizumi?"

"Um...I...I feel like she-" Mizumi glanced over at Shitora as she said this, but when their eyes met, Mizumi's words died on her lips. Shitora's amber gaze held many things, as did her smirk, but it was the determination to be the best and the ruthlessness which caught Mizumi's attention the most. Obviously, this girl was desperate to be the best at any cost. The look in those amber eyes made Mizumi freeze and, in that moment, she knew that this battle was solely between her and Shitora. If she told Poly-sensei now, it would make her look like a coward.

"I fell, my bad," Mizumi said quietly, trying to ignore the fiery burning in her face where Shitora's cold claws had done their damage. Blood was pouring over her hand and down her arm, making her look like a bloody spirit.

"You should go on down to the nurse," Poly-sensei said, smiling sadly. "She'll fix you up. Do you need anyone to go with you?"

Mizumi shook her head, which ended up being more painful than she'd planned. "No, I'd rather go alone." And with this, Mizumi rose to her feet and hurried from the room, emerald green braid flying out behind her as she left through the double doors.

Fennella watched her new friend leave in a rush and narrowed her eyes, turning her gaze back towards Shitora Taisho. The hanyou was watching the whole scene smugly, all traces of remorse gone, and Fennella concealed a scowl; the lion demon had seen it all and now she knew: Shitora Taisho would stop at nothing to be the best.

Bankotsu squinted against the brightness of the sun as he lifted his water bottle, squirting the inviting cold liquid into his scorching mouth. The heat had come back ten fold in honor of the first football practice and the entire team was sweating and miserable. Bear had made them run sprints for the first thirty minutes of practice and now they were playing a full scrimmage to practice running the ball. As the team took a water break, they tried not to listen to the sound of cicadas crying in the trees or think about the intense sun above their heads.

"Hey, Hiten," Bear called, throwing up one meaty hand.

Hiten glanced over and asked, "Yeah, coach?"

"Go check the thermometer on the western upright."

Hiten jogged to the specified upright and glanced at the thermometer, calling, "111!"

The boys groaned and several began squirting their water over the faces, ignoring the damp feeling of their pads and jerseys as it chaffed their arms.

Bankotsu rolled his crimson eyes at the news of the heat, walking aimlessly as he drank his water. He noticed Kouga sitting on the bench rolling his wrist and frowned, walking towards the wolf demon. "Ko? You alright?" he asked.

Kouga glanced up at Bankotsu, trying to hide the pain in his ice blue eyes. "Yeah, I'm good."

"I dunno, I saw you get tackled a whole hell of a lot out there," Bankotsu remembered. Indeed, Kouga, the team's all star running back, had been pummeled several times that morning by the opposing scrimmage team.

The wolf demon shrugged, lifting his black ponytail off his neck as his muscles protested even the slightest motion. "Yeah, well, that's what happens when your block doesn't happen. Know what I mean?"

Bankotsu thought about this comment for a moment before glancing over in Inuyasha's direction; the silver-haired hanyou was the designated right block, meaning that it was his job to guard Kouga when he made runs down the field. If Kouga's statement was true, and Bankotsu had the strangest idea that it was, then Kouga's numerous beatings had not been his fault as everyone had been presuming. Coach Bear had said nothing on the subject, though Bankotsu knew this was a tactic to strengthen the team bond; if they couldn't talk to each other about issues, they would never make it anywhere. And this happened to be an issue: Inuyasha was letting his rivalry with Kouga stretch onto the field.

"I'll keep an eye out; if he doesn't block you, I will," Bankotsu assured Kouga.

Grinning tiredly, Kouga murmured, "Thanks Bank, your the man."

Over on the other bleachers, Ranbou, Sesshomaru, Bear and Inuyasha were playing a tired game of "name that movie." They would each say a quote and wait for the others to yell out the movie title; currently, Ranbou was winning.

"Alright, I got one," Bear said confidently, grinning as sun gleamed off his bald head. "'Take it to the mattresses.'"

The boys thought for a moment before Sesshomaru said demurely, "The Godfather."

Inuyasha and Ranbou hissed at their defeat, cursing as they both wiped sweat from their faces and necks. As Sesshomaru readjusted his thigh pad, he said, "Alright. Try this: 'With great opportunity comes great responsibility.'"

There was another moment's pause before Ranbou said, "Miracle."

Bear snapped his fingers disappointedly. "Ah, you got me there, Bo. I almost had that one."

"Our bad, coach, we should give you some Vin Diesel quotes," Ranbou teased, bringing the surrounding boys to laughter. It was an ongoing joke between the football players that Bear looked like a taller Vin Diesel and they often called him "Mr. Diesel" just for fun.

The game began to break apart as players mingled about, many laying out on the grass during their break. Ranbou cracked his neck for the third time that day and glanced at Inuyasha, who was drinking from a water bottle beside him. "Hey, Yash, we should really get you some wall lessons," he said menially, rolling his large, tan shoulders.

Inuyasha glanced up, asking boredly, "Yeah, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you're lettin' through everybody who knocks on the right door and Ko's gettin' his ass kicked," Ranbou explained.

The hanyou could tell by Ranbou's tone that he wasn't kidding around and was actually quite serious; when it came to his family, he became so. Inuyasha continued to drink his water in silence, feeling Ranbou's lingering stare on his face, before he finally mumbled, "Sorry, m'havin' an off day." He avoided Ranbou's eyes, standing to his feet and escaping to the cooler to fill up his bottle once more.

Ranbou watched him go, frowning; it seemed that Inuyasha was copping out just as he'd suspected. Sesshomaru watched the exchange between Ranbou and Inuyasha, silently wondering how long it would take Inuyasha and Kouga to put aside their ridiculous feud. He still didn't understand their differences or troubles to this very day; ever since the day Sesshomaru had brought Kouga home after playing next door, his brother had disliked him and it was all down hill from there; where was the disconnect?

"Sesshomaru."

The voice of his coach brought Sesshomaru out of his trance and he refocused her amber eyes, which were startlingly pale as compared to their normal bright yellow. His hollow cheeks and sunken gaze made the Fang leader hard to look at and Bear was obviously struggling. His blue eyes were filled with concern as he gazed at the boy; worry looked strangely heartbreaking on Bear's kind face as he straddled the bench and crossed his arms tightly; even his tribal tattoos seemed tight with stress.

"Yes, Coach?" Sesshomaru prompted calmly.

"You're looking a little sick, Shomo; are you alright?" Bear asked carefully, looking so caring that Sesshomaru wanted to look away.

"Fine. As I'm sure you've heard, we had minor troubles this summer with one of Naraku's outbursts...his last, consequently. But everyone is suffering as we try to get back into real life," Sesshomaru said dismissively.

He looked away then as he had so badly wanted to just moments before. Bear sighed slightly, though it was very quiet.

"You and I both know thats a half lie, kiddo. Everyone's suffering and dealing with it...everyone but you."

Sesshomaru was silent and neglected to meet his Coach's eyes. His hands were restlessly playing with the chin strap of the helmet in his hands as he looked intently at the grass, seeming like a man of 50 rather than a boy of 18. Rin and Inuyasha had been nattering away at him for days, letting him know exactly how much his self-imposed starvation was bothering them. Even after all these days of begging him to eat something, they had yet to ask him why. Why was he starving himself? Sesshomaru knew the answer, as it was quite a conscious decision, but he knew the others wouldn't understand. Sesshomaru found it incredibly unfair that his friends and family were now going through more pain because of his health problems, when in all reality this entire starvation issue had to do with their happiness in the first place. In fact, Sesshomaru was almost afraid for the future at this point; he could do nothing to help himself now.

"This is me dealing with it," Sesshomaru said finally, standing to his feet resolutely and staring out at the field. "Let's get started again."

Bear nodded calmly, knowing that the answers would all come in time. This decided, the Coach stood and blew his whistle, motioning for the others to resituate themselves in their positions. The boys bit back groans as they continued their conversations out onto the field, giving each other friendly punches and grinning at the thought of playing football, even if it were in this sweltering heat.

Half the team re-donned their red jerseys, facing off against the white team with their respective quarterbacks of Ranbou and Hakkaku, who was second in line for quarterback and normally nose tackle. Bankotsu bent down, glancing across the sea of red and white bodies until his eyes landed on Kouga and Inuyasha, who were crouched silently beside one another preparing for the impending play. Keeping true to his word, Bankotsu never let Inuyasha leave his sight as the play began.

"Go!" Bear shouted.

"Hike!"

Ranbou caught the ball deftly as the two sides crashed with the plastic cracks of helmets; his eyes immediately roamed to the left, as Bear had set up the team to repeat the same play for the afternoon. The ball was going to Kouga and everyone knew it.

The football spiraled through the air and Kouga began to run, leaving Inuyasha struggling to keep up behind his speeding heels. The ball arrived safely in Kouga's arms, though trouble was upon him quickly in the form of Manten, Hiten's beastly older brother. With a roaring grunt, Manten charged towards the wolf demon running back, who was trapped by the melee on other side and had no where to feint.

Bankotsu watched in near disbelief as Inuyasha simply ceased to block for Kouga.

As Inuyasha fell back into motionless, Kouga barely had time to glance back at his blocker before Manten was upon him, hitting him so hard and fast that Kouga was literally knocked back several feet. The play came to an abrupt halt as Bear blew the whistle and the team eased their muscles into stand still positions, glancing over at Kouga as he lay unmoving on the ground; the team began to take off their helmets and wipe away the already fresh sheens of sweat on their brows.

It took a very grave matter to make Bankotsu lose control of his temper, seeing as though he practically didn't have one in the first place, but this was one of those times when he couldn't even see straight because of the crimson bleeding across his vision. In a startling display of violence, Bankotsu straightened up and ripped off his helmet, throwing it to the ground and seeming not to notice as it rolled several feet from him; he was already half way to Inuyasha anyway.

Inuyasha stared, wide eyed and confused at Bankotsu, as the boy gave him a challenging shove to the chest guard. "What the hell is wrong with you, Inuyasha?! Are you just gonna sit your ass on the line and do nothing while Kouga gets his ass kicked?! Some fucking friend you are!"

"Bankotsu, that's enough," Bear said sternly, brow furrowed as he watched his normally calm and light hearted tight-end bare his teeth in Inuyasha's face.

"NO!" Bankotsu replied hottly, stunning the rest of his teammates; Bear was like their friend, but they wouldn't dare speak to him that way. No matter how friendly, he would always be their coach and their superior. In his rage, however, Bankotsu couldn't see friend or foe. "This little bastard acts like friends, brothers and the rest of his people don't mean dick, like they aren't going through the exact same thing he is! He can't even set aside a little rivalry with Kouga, even after all the crap they went through together! Even after all that, after everything, Inuyasha is still being a selfish and immature little SHIT!"

When Bankotsu made as though to swing at Inuyasha, he found his way blocked by Bear, who was surprisingly light of foot for his size. He stared down gravely at Bankotsu, all traces of humor gone from his blue eyes as he said coldly, "Bankotsu, I said that's enough!" The muscular man gave Bankotsu a light shove towards the sideline, barking, "Get off this field and go cool off; come back tomorrow when you're ready to control your temper and respect your coach."

Scowling, Bankotsu whipped his head around and stormed off the field, black braid swinging wildly behind him. The others watched him go in deep fascination, not knowing what had become of their level headed friend and leader. The team was silent for a moment before Inuyasha cleared his throat and began walking slowly towards Kouga, who was sitting up woozily, still rolling his sore wrist.

"Sorry," Inuyasha grunted stiffly, reaching down a hand to help Kouga up.

The wolf demon examined it for a moment before taking it, allowing Inuyasha to pull him to his feet. The wolf murmured, "That's the last time I'll take your hand, mutt."

Inuyasha gave a stiff nod, which Kouga mirrored; the two had reached an understanding. Bear and the others watched this go on, marveling over the fact that it had taken a rageful outburst from peaceful, easy-going Bankotsu just to bring their feud to a momentary conclusion. Turning his eyes towards the gym, Bear watched as Bankotsu opened the door with a slam against the wall and stomped towards the locker room, probably to gather his things and head towards the Cobra headquarters.

Hoping the boy would come to terms with whatever was irking him, Bear turned to address the team. "Let's run it again, with less of a Friday Night Lights drama feel this time, ladies..."

The boys chuckled slightly before lining up once more, waiting for the whistle which determined their days.

Mizumi leaned back against the bench, staring out at the lush grass of the courtyard; she'd made it about half-way towards the main building when she realized that she didn't know where the nurse's office was and, furthermore, didn't want to go anyway. As blood ran down her face, she would occassionally wipe it away with the back of her hand, staring coldly out at the schoolyard. Even though she hadn't been given much of a choice, Mizumi wished she'd never come to this school, to this town.

"Hey."

The dragon girl jumped visibly as a dark haired boy seemed to materialize out of thin air; apparently she'd been more preoccupied than she thought. This boy was tall and handsome, well built like an athlete with a dark braid of shimmering black hair. His eyes were a darker crimson than hers, almost a burgundy, like dried blood. He seemed to be in a bit of an irritable mood, though he still looked handsome in just a white t-shirt and jeans, carrying a bag which Mizumi recognized as one which carried football gear. She frowned; practice couldn't be over already, could it?

"Um, hi," she said quietly, wiping away more blood from her cheek.

Bankotsu looked quietly at this green haired girl, who was sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest on the bench before him. Her little face was cut up by claws, as far as he could tell, but he could see that she was quite pretty in a delicate way. She looked so tiny, so fragile...but yet there was fire in her eyes.

"Are you okay and everything? I smell blood," Bankotsu explained, looking a bit awkward as he stood there holding his bag.

Mizumi was quiet for a moment. "Just some scratches, I'll be fine." As an afterthought, she murmured, "Thank you."

Bankotsu frowned. "For what?"

"For caring," Mizumi replied, smiling softly. "I haven't met a single person at this school who cares about anyone but themselves. Except for you and maybe Fenn."

Despite his terrible mood, Bankotsu smiled in embarrassment, chuckling a bit. He approached the bench until he was standing just in front of her, looking down at this myterious demon girl with large and fascinated eyes. "Wow, I don't think anyone's ever complimented me quite like that before. If it makes you feel any better, only your first week here is going to suck and then it'll get better. Or at least that's how it went for me."

"Really?" Mizumi asked skeptically. "Like, everyone jumps out next monday and goes, 'Surprise, just kidding, we don't hate you?'"

Bankotsu laughed again. "Not quite like that, but it only gets better, I promise."

"Somehow, I think it might be different for me," Mizumi replied. Her eyes became downcast as she found herself unable to look at this nice boy as she spoke her next words. "My brother might be a bit of a roadblock when it comes to me having friends."

"Your brother..." Bankotsu trailed off, narrowing his eyes; who could she possibly be related to? It was then that the realization hit him and he rolled his eyes; green hair, crimson eyes, and a fascinating aura of mystery. "Oh, you're a Tousen. You know, I'd almost forgotten the big guy had siblings, he's been living alone so long."

Mizumi sighed. "I bet you hate him; everyone around here seems to."

"I don't hate him," Bankotsu said in a rather resigned sort of way. "I mean, the guy did pop off the biggest dick around, so I could never really hate him. He did us all a big favor when we were in a bad way and I won't forget that...but some of his men don't know how to keep their fuckery to themselves. Like at races; his boys mess around with mine a lot."

Mizumi nodded slightly; from what she'd gathered, gangs were everything at this school and it didn't matter what kind of life you lead as long as you had a nice car and strong allies. Finally, after observing the dark haired boy, Mizumi murmured, "You can sit down, if you want. If you don't have to go right away."

"Sure," Bankotsu replied with a grin. He allowed his bag to drop to the sidewalk as he took a seat next to Mizumi, resting his hands on his thighs. "So what really happened to your face?"

This evoked a snort from Mizumi. "Do you want the long version or the short version?"

In response, the boy shrugged. "I've got time."

"Well," Mizumi began, wiping away more blood from her cheek, "I went to auditions for the dance class here and our teacher decided that, to see who was best, she would show us a two minute combination and we had to copy it as best we could for as long as we could. I started dancing and kept on ending up next to this girl; she seemed angry with me, but I didn't know why. Finally, at the end of the ballet combination, she tripped me and I caught my cheek on her claws."

Bankotsu let out a whistle. "That's low; what did the teacher do?"

"She didn't see the trip, no one did; it was too fast. She planned it perfectly," Mizumi replied begrudgingly.

"And I thought football was the only thing that had those kind of politics," Bankotsu marveled. "People can get damn violent over the weirdest things, you know?"

"I know!" Mizumi exclaimed, throwing her claws akimbo in exasperation. "I mean, the thing was a competition; whoever's best should win and that's that! She didn't have to trip me, she could've just danced harder."

"Who was it?" Bankotsu asked curiously.

Mizumi blinked her crimson eyes. "Who?"

"The girl who tripped you; who was it?"

The girl bit her lip nervously. "I feel bad spreading rumors; this is between me and her."

But Bankotsu pshawed. "Oh, c'mon, girl, I probably don't even know her."

Suddenly feeling so angry she simply had to tell, Mizumi mumbled, "Okay, well, it was Shitora something or other. I forget her last name."

The look on Bankotsu's face was a mix between surprise and confusion. Was Shitora really so petty? He knew she had a competitive streak a mile wide, as did all Taishos, but would she really stoop so low as to trip someone? It was then that Bankotsu realized: yes, yes, she would. As his eyes fell on Mizumi's scratched face, he felt a strike of righteous indignation on her behalf.

"Okay, well, I do know her," he said quietly. "She's kinda competitive."

"Tell me about it," Mizumi scoffed. "Please, don't tell anyone, I want to settle this just one on one."

Bankotsu smiled. "Naw, I swear I won't tell. It's your fight; I get that. Hey, this is kind of a coincidence anyway; I just got kicked out of football practice for getting in a fight with Shitora's brother, Inuyasha."

Mizumi looked prettily surprised. "You're kidding."

"Nope. He was supposed to be blocking for my friend Kouga, but he and Kouga are rivals so he wasn't doing it. Kouga was getting pummeled by this big guy every time and finally he got laid out flat. I got so mad, I just went off on Inuyasha, telling him how much of a douche he was being, and my coach told me to go get ahold of myself." Bankotsu sighed, glancing down at the concrete. "I mean, I wish I hadn't gotten so angry, but he was being a jackass; Kouga was actually getting hurt because Inuyasha wouldn't do his job."

This seemed to make Mizumi rather angry. "That's so mean! Just because they're rivals, he wouldn't block? That could ruin Kouga's season! I mean, it sounds like he was a running back, right? That's integral!"

Bankotsu grinned. "You into football or something?"

"I'm from America," Mizumi explained. "Everyone's into football. You can't live there and not know at least something about it."

The boy laughed before saying, "But yeah, I agree. Inuyasha and Shitora are just being petty because they can't control themselves. The Taishos have always been like that...except for Sesshomaru, the oldest."

"Is he really wise or something?" Mizumi asked.

"Or something," he agreed. "Right now you can't tell, cause he's lost a lot of weight from sickness or something. But he's the big man on campus: student council president, honors society, all star soccer player, really intense. He's quiet and collected, really mature, but his siblings are nothing like him. The only thing tying them together is stubborness. Sesshomaru is also your brother's arch rival."

"Oh, teriffic," Mizumi said sarcastically, rolling her crimson eyes. "Like I'll be able to keep track of all the people he won't let me talk to by the end of the year. You're probably on that list; are you big in the South?"

Bankotsu rubbed the back of his black head, replying sheepishly, "Well, I lead one of the five gangs."

"Yeah, he would never let me talk to you," Mizumi replied, laughing slightly. "I'm being a rebel right now."

"Hey, rebellion is in," Bankotsu joked.

After a moment of silence, during which both boy and girl studied each other without a single word, Bankotsu held out his hand for Mizumi to shake. "I'm Bankotsu Hiashi."

The girl smiled, placing her smaller hand in his. "I'm Mizumi Tousen."

And so it had begun.

OH MY GOD, long chapter. But so much fun; I can't explain how important/fun this was for me. It was a blast. I love conflict. Shitora is being a bitch right now, sorry about that, but the point is that people can get intense about the things they love. I know girls who would stop at nothing to get ahead on my soccer team; its the same kind of thing. Thank you everyone for the really positive response I've gotten! Review numbers are positively through the roof! A special thanks to my beat council, who are keeping me on track, and much love to everyone.

A special note: the livejournal is up! Friend me!

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http://kolu02.livejournal.com/

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I've gotten a group going as well and that should be in my groups list or whatever in my info. Check it out and join! Livejournal is really cool, so if you don't already have one, you should totally get one; its really fetch.

I would love fanart and someone asked if they could do fanfiction for my fanfiction; I'm really flattered and would love some! Let your imaginations run wild (I sound like Barney, god help me.)
The sequel is going great and it's all going to be happy until chapter 4; that will be kind of the end of the happiness for a while. So beware; gear yourself up for extreme misery and woe.

I love you guys!

KOLU