InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Leverage ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Leverage

AN: Hey Everybody! Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. Just started a new job so it took me a little while to get this chunk online. These first few chapters are just the build up for the adventure I plan to take you on! Bear with me! Also please read and enjoy and please let me know what you think about the story! Thanks and Hearts!

Chapter 3

            ;“Ok ladies! I want to see you work those hips!!” Jakotsu cheered to the students in his Hip Hop Dance class.

            ;Kagome wiggled her hips in the elaborate combo Jakotsu had instructed them.  Dripping with sweat, she and the other girls popped their hips forward, back, side to side, staring at themselves in the wall of mirrors and trying to synchronize.          &nb sp;

            ;The music stopped.  “No, no, no, no!” Jakotsu shouted, clapping in rhythm with his words.  Everyone turned around to see who was unlucky enough to receive Jakotsu's scolding.  Kagome was thankful it wasn't her; her focus was elsewhere and she was having trouble keeping in time with the others.

            ;Jakotsu approached the forbidding looking girl with the long, braided ponytail.  “No, no, Butch-Baby!  You're too stiff!  You gotta shake it with feeling!” He said, demonstrating his dramatic movements.

            ;The girl bared her teeth.  “Don't call me Butch-Baby!  I'm Sango!”

            ;Jakotsu gave her a once over, snapped his fingers and said, “Honey, with a stance like that, I was gonna call you Bob.”  Some of the girls laughed, but Jakotsu silenced them. 

“Look, Butch.  I want you to feel that gorgeous body and make the dance your own.  Here—let me show you.”  He gripped her hips on either side.

Kagome saw Sango stiffen and swing her arm around.  Jakotsu didn't stand a chance.  He practically flipped over and landed on his back.

Kagome covered her mouth with a fist to keep her giggles from becoming audible.  Sango crossed her arms and frowned down at him.  He struggled to his feet and let out a deep breath.

“Was that better?” She sneered.

The red mark on his cheek was going to darken into an ugly bruise, Kagome was sure, but Jakotsu still managed to give Sango an elegant smile and said, “Butch-Baby, you've got a lot to learn.”

The class ended right after that.  Kagome watched a red-faced Sango sloppily throw her things into a duffle bag. She was muttering curses to herself and was the first to storm out the studio.  Kagome mused for two seconds.  She wanted to talk to the teacher and make herself known, but she had to catch up with her old friend first.

“Wait!”  She called out. 

The girl with the longer ponytail turned around, “What?” she snapped, but all Sango's rage melted away when she saw who was catching up to her.

“K-Kagome?” Sango stuttered disbelievingly. As Kagome approached, she was frozen in place.

“It's good to see you, Sango!”

“Kagome, what are you doing here?!” Sango practically yelled, grabbing the shorter girl into a suffocating embrace once she was in arms reach. Sango's happiness and relief immediately turned to anger when she released Kagome. She pinched Kagome's arm hard. “Why didn't you tell me you were back in Japan?”

Kagome's smile melted into a somber expression. “I have a little time before my next class. Why don't we grab some lunch and catch up?”

Sango noticed the change in her friend's demeanor, but didn't press. She smiled. “C'mon I know a great place we can go to on campus.”

Ten minutes later the two young women were sitting across from each other at an expensive café in the South Campus. Sango Taijiya was the wealthy daughter of a large security and defense training company, simply named Taijiya Incorporated. Like her ancestors, Sango specialized in various martial arts styles, but her embarrassed mother had forced her partake in the more graceful art of dance.

“And that's why I registered late in your class.” Sango concluded her little story. She took a sip of her iced coffee.

Kagome forked over her tiny-proportioned meal. “But it is so like you to take Hip Hop dancing instead of ballet.” She said good-naturedly.

Sango stuck her tongue out. “Please! Mom should feel lucky; I was about to take Capoeira.” She then leaned forward in her seat and peered at Kagome shrewdly. “So tell me, now that we're all fed and reunited, what's been going on with you? When did you come back to Japan, Kagome?”

Kagome tensed and let out a nervous laugh. “Uh..yeah… I've been back home for a while, haven't I?”

Sango gave her a deadpanned look.

Kagome's eyes lowered. “Sango, my mother died.”

For a second, Sango felt like she'd been punched in her gut. She grabbed hold of Kagome's hand across the small table. “No, Kagome! Oh no, I am so sorry!”

Kagome nodded, her eyes starting to mist over. “It was all so sudden. I was in New York at the Dance Academy, and then I got the call from Grandpa and Souta. Mama never even seemed sick…”

Sango gave Kagome's hand a squeeze.

“Over the past year, we had to watch her waste away. It didn't make any sense.” Kagome looked into Sango's eyes. “Things are hard, Sango. They're really hard.”

Sango squeezed Kagome's arm again. Tears fell from her eyes. “But you know that I'm here with you! Oh Kagome, I wish I had known!” Sango stood up, came around the table and hugged Kagome in her chair.

It took a few light sobs and deep breaths for the two tearful friends to collect themselves. “How's everyone else?” Sango asked, once her voice was steady.

“They're good. Souta and Grandpa are coming along.”

“I'm coming over to the house soon.” Sango half-warned, half-threatened Kagome. Kagome felt like she could slap herself for forgetting she had a friend like Sango. She was about to go into the details about the house and Naraku when the news blaring on the TV on the café wall distracted her. She looked at the time beneath the headline about some guy named Sesshoumaru, and realized how much time had passed.

“I have to go!” Kagome exclaimed, shooting out of her seat.

She'd startled Sango. “What?! To class?”

Kagome nodded “Something like that.” They embraced and Kagome packed up her bag. She scribbled her number on a clean napkin. “Call me tonight, Bye!”

Sango waved her friend away and looked over the number Kagome jotted down. It was new.

Kagome sprinted through the campus, toward the library tower. Prof. Myouga's office was on the eighth floor, and she was hoping he hadn't already left for class yet.

She knocked on the door once. There was no answer. She sighed, but then she could have sworn she heard movement inside the room. She knocked again, and there was still no answer. She twisted the doorknob, and upon seeing it was unlocked she pushed it. Just as she did that, the door swung open. She would have lost her balance, if her nose hadn't collided with something hard…and warm.

Inuyasha's chest. Her gaze traveled up to those sunset coloured eyes. Inuyasha was gazing down at her quizzically. He'd caught her by the shoulders, so that they both wouldn't topple over. “What are you doing?” He asked somewhat accusingly.

Kagome blinked a few times. Inuyasha was still gripping her bare shoulders. “I need to talk to Prof. Myouga.” She said rather forcefully. Inuyasha let her shoulders go.

“He's on his way to class. Like you should be.” He smirked. Kagome tried to look around him into the office but he blocked her path. “What the hell do you want, anyway?” He asked her.

Kagome gave him a disgruntled look, then turned her nose up at him. “It is none of your business!”

He loved the scent she was giving off. A mix of sweet spice, like cinnamon and vanilla. “You should watch how you talk to me. I am the assistant teacher, ya know.”

“I thought it was teacher's assistant.” Kagome shot back.

“Doesn't matter. And I could probably help you with whatever you're going through, so you don't have to bug Myouga's old ass.”

Some language for a teacher's assistant, but she didn't have any time to waste. “I can't come into class today.” Kagome confessed.

“Damn you really are the worst student ever!”

“Oh shut up!” Kagome grumbled. “I need to make up a class with the Professor, that's why I came here.”

Inuyasha laughed at her. “Well it's a good thing you came here. I teach the make up classes.” Kagome was flooded with dread. He leaned in close to her, peering at her skeptically. “So what's the matter with you? You don't smell sick.”

Kagome gulped unconsciously. He could smell her? Well no wonder, he was a big, bad wolf or something. She noticed something twitch at the top of his head. Ears? Why hadn't she seen those before!? Probably because she was cursing him out last time.

“Um…hello? Can you focus for one second? You're making me late for class.” Inuyasha touched her bare shoulder again, secretly admiring the soft feel of her skin.

“I have some really big business to take care of at home.” Kagome said determinedly, trying to talk through the blush on her cheeks. “Please?!” She pasted on a big, cheery smile.

Inuyasha shook his head and smirked. “Fine. Fine!” He threw up his hands. “We meet here, on Sunday, ten AM. Cool?”

Kagome's phony smile slipped. “Aw, Sunday!? What?!”

“I'm sure you won't be too hungover to meet me.” He said, narrowing his eyes at her.

She returned the same glare. Even though she really did not want to get up on a Sunday morning, she was not going to give this punk any more reason to think she was a bad student. “Fine. It won't be a problem at all.”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “I'm sure it won't. Now run along little student.” He shooed her away.

“You really are a freak, you know that?” She threw over her shoulder.

Inuyasha waited for her to disappear into the elevator, before letting out a deep breath. That was close. He slid back into the office, which was a complete disaster; papers strewn about, desk drawers opened and hanging , books practically turned inside out. Inuyasha had to get this mess cleaned up and to class on time, or else he would be the one giving off the bad impression.

~~~~~~

Kagome slammed her car door closed, wearily slinging her yellow backpack over her shoulder. She'd just finished the first step in applying for historic status at the Office of National and Historic Affairs in Tokyo. Her backpack was, filled with stacks of applications, tax forms, and income statements. A bitch of a headache was forming in her skull, but at least she'd made it through the first step to keeping her family's property away from that Naraku creep.

She started climbing the massive shrine staircase, so damn tired she didn't notice the foreign, grey luxury car parked at the curb.

“Excuse me.” A woman's voice called to her.

Kagome rolled her eyes skyward. “The shrine is open.” She called back over her shoulder. It wasn't rare for the shrine to have after-work visitors. The only things on Kagome's mind right now were food and sleep.

“I'm not here to pray. I'm here to speak to you.”

Ugh. Kagome twirled around on the heel of her foot and jumped up one foot, completely startled. The woman was right behind her! Their noses practically touched. `She moves fast!' Kagome thought, trying to calm her pounding heart. Then she suddenly realized this well-dressed, red-eyed woman was a demon!

“Another demon!” Kagome bellowed, regretting the words as they fell out her mouth. The woman raised an eyebrow at her, offended but still poised.

Kagome was ashamed. First off, she was not racist, and she should have been more careful insulting a potentially dangerous demon to her face. “Sorry. What can I do for you?” Kagome bowed her head.

The woman brandished a fan at lightning speed and twirled it between her fingers. “I'm a bit of a real estate investor, and I've heard that this piece of land here is up for sale.”

All apologetic feelings were dissolved as anger flared through Kagome. “Whatever you heard is a crock of shit!! And your kind are not welcome at this place!” She snarled; sounding like her grandfather. Now she was in this woman's face.

“Take it easy! I don't want anything to do with your property.”

“Then what the hell are you doing here?”

“I know a lot about the man who is trying to buy your house from you.” The woman replied, still playing with the fan. Every time that fan went around, it gave off a little gust of air that made Kagome uneasy.

“Are you going to make your point, or should I leave you here standing on the steps with your fan?”

The woman smiled. “So fiery. You're perfect, girl. And I'm here because I want to help you.”

“Thanks but no thanks. I know there would either be a catch or a price for your help. And if you know so much about that Naraku asshole, you're probably just like him.” Kagome said, turning to leave.

“There is no price. I'm not offering you a deal or a bargain. I'm giving you the chance to gain your own means to defeat my fath—Naraku.” The woman stuttered. Kagome turned to look back at her, suspicious. Kagura continued, “I know you know nothing of me, but the exclusive circle that I'm from allows me access to the most influential people in Japan. I'm extending my advantages to you.” She handed Kagome a card. “This may seem confusing, but if you come to this address in the early evening, and I can tell you everything that you need to know.”

The woman then swiftly descended the steps, leaving Kagome stunned and staring in her wake. She gained her senses quickly though and screamed, “Don't count on getting a visit from me!” To the woman as she climbed in the expensive vehicle. As it sped off down the street, Kagome crumpled up the card, ready to toss the thing away without reading it. She didn't though. She climbed the last of the steps to the top, and her curiosity overrode her anger. She unballed the small piece of cardboard. It read Kagura's Parlor in slender calligraphy with an address and a phone number printed on the bottom. On the back was a little note written by the demon woman, `I know you'll come when you're ready. Naraku is a powerful man and you'll need someone like me to help you. The sooner you do, the sooner I can help you change your entire life!'

The woman didn't seem like the lying type, Kagome admitted to herself. And with a note written so confidently, she had to wonder if the words in it really could be true. Kagome slipped the card in her pocket. She'd only consider that woman if all her other options failed.