InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shikon High ❯ Student Ambassador ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter 1: Student Ambassador

With a quick, final glance over her shoulder, Kagome walked out into the waiting area outside of Ms. Kaede's office. Shutting the door with a click, the girl's eyes combed the room for the young man that was supposed to be her aid.

The lone person in the room was seated on a burgundy chair with spindly metal supports. He had his head tilted back, resting against the cool gray wall, the eyes closed. His legs were stretched in front of him as he lounged, clad in a white shirt, and a red over shirt, arms crossed in front of his chest.

He didn't even seem to acknowledge her, that is, if he even noticed her. Well, it would be kind of hard for him not hear her walk in. Perched on top of his head were two fuzzy dog ears that matched the silvery hair that cascaded, untamed, down over his shoulder and stomach. Gradually, he turned his face toward her and opened his eyes. They were a deep gold color….

"Hey! What are you staring at, wench?" he barked waspishly.

Kagome just stood there, startled, blinking her eyes. Wench? "H-hey, why'd you have to call me that? You don't even know me!"

"Feh, 'cause I know you're gonna be a hell of trouble for me." He stood up, arms still crossed, sticking up his nose with his eyes shut again.

"You're a jerk…" she murmured.

The boy flicked his eyes open. "I heard that," he growled.

The two remained where they were, at a standstill, mustering fearsome glares straight into the other's eyes. It appeared to be an even match. Whoever spoke first conceded defeat.

"Feh, fine, I'll show you." Inu-Yasha, rather gruffly, snatched Kagome's wrist in his hand and dragged her out like a rag doll, leading her to the center of the school. "Let me see your schedule," he barked, thrusting an impatient hand at her.

Frowning, she complied with what he asked. "Here," she muttered icily.

He gazed at if for a moment. "Art's that way, science is that way-" His fingers were in a frenzy when the girl interrupted him.

"Whoa! Wait! You're going too fast!" She stopped his pointing spree.

He sighed in aggravation. "Fine. All right. I'll show you myself. You have art first period today."

"Ok." Kagome walked along quietly with him for a moment, and released a slow, calming breath. All right, I don't have a clue why he's doing this, but maybe there's a way we can still get along…. "Um…."

"What?" he snapped, not looking at the already annoying girl.

"What's your name?"

A quizzical amber eye sideways glanced at her. "Inu-Yasha…. What about, you, girl?"

"My name's Kagome. Um, why are you a student ambassador?"

"The old lady is punishing me," Inu-Yasha answered simply.

"Punishing you?" Kagome blinked. "For what?"

"Heh," he half-smirked, "I creamed another idiot that was trying to fight me."

"I see. I take it you won."

"Of course I did!" he said arrogantly, shaking some hair out of his face, forelocks still hanging over on his chest. "Do I look like some wimp to you?" He peered at her carefully.

"Well, no," she admitted. The guy seemed to have been in more than one tussle in his life, even if he wasn't built like a body builder, there was obvious strength in him. She just sort of…sensed it. Perhaps it was the confident way he carried himself.

However, Inu-Yasha was still staring at her, fixated for some reason. The long, ebony hair-with a blue-black shine--that hit the middle of her back with large, cobalt eyes framed by dark, thick lashes; light peach skin, and pink rose lips….

"Inu-Yasha?" she queried, noticing his constant gaze. Kagome blinked from her slight confusion.

He shook his head vigorously. "Nothing." The boy turned his eyes to his feet, attempting to hide the small blush that was creeping over the bridge of his nose, his bottom lip out, almost in disappointment. She looks so much like her…Kikyo….

They meandered their way to art class in silence.

Kagome was busy taking in all the sights and sounds of her new school. The floor was that fake marble stuff, and the halls were white, trimmed in hunter. Many different students went jostling past them, yet were huddled together, chatting. She remembered what the pamphlet had said:

"Shikon High is a creative school for exceptional students. This does not apply strictly to academics, but to sports, music, and the other arts, as well. We have mixed group of demons and humans and everyone works together as a large, functioning unit. The students are normally well-behaved…"

Yeah, with the exception of Inu-Yasha; he had a completely irascible attitude. This guy…Kagome just couldn't figure him out. One moment he's calling her a wench and the next he's gawking at her like his love. What was wrong with him? At present he was staring absorbedly at his white running shoes.

"We're here," she heard him say and she glanced up to see the paint-splattered walls of the art room.

"Thanks."

"Keh, yeah, well, I'm in this class anyway." Inu-Yasha strode over to an empty table and sat down.

Kagome looked around to find a place to sit. She found a spot by a young man with black hair-he kept it in a small ponytail at the back of his neck-and violet eyes. His button up shirt was a little lighter shade than his eyes, and wearing tan slacks. "Um, could I sit here?"

He peered up and smiled dazzling up at her. "But of course." He gestured to the stool, decorated with a misty mountaintop scene, beside him.

Grateful, she released a breath. "Thanks." Kagome took a seat.

"My name is Miroku." He extended a hand.

She shook it, the other placing her stuff on the table. "I'm Kagome. It's nice to meet you."

"No, the pleasure is all mine." Miroku kissed the back of her hand suavely and she laughed.

"My, my, what a gentleman."

After a quick briefing of what they were doing in class, Kagome and Miroku got to work. Slowly, they exchanged stories, getting to know one another. Towards the end of class, they were fairly good acquaintances, perhaps even friends.

"You know, Kagome," started Miroku, cleaning off the tip of his paintbrush in their third cup of water, "you remind me a lot of my girlfriend Sango."

"Really?" she inquired, surprised. Miroku had told her plenty about Sango, and from what she picked up, she seemed like a really great person. This was a huge compliment. "Thank you," she said, staggered, "but how do I remind you of her?"

"Well, you have a marvelous laugh and a lovely smile to match. "

Kagome blushed, and giggled sheepishly. "Geez, no one's ever told me that before." She tipped her head to the side, keeping a cheerful smile.

"You do." He paused for a moment to remove a cap from a small tube of paint. "Tell me, why did you come in with Inu-Yasha?" Miroku inquired curiously, dusting some red paint flakes off the table.

"Oh, him." She glanced over at the dog-demon, who was avidly working on a sketch of something she couldn't tell from her position. She was fairly certain she saw a hand. "He's my aid for a while."

"For how long?"

"Well-"

"Two weeks," Inu-Yasha's voice interjected, still moving his pencil carefully over the paper, the side of his hand covered in graphite. "Two weeks I'm her guide. Maybe even three." He wiped off his hand, for what he figured, the millionth time that hour, with a wet cloth.

Shoving away the fact that Inu-Yasha had been listening in to their conversation, the boy turned his attention to the dog-demon. "Ah, I see. So, are you still going to be at Kendo practices on the weekends, or did Ms. Kaede really punish heavily?"

He took a long, green eraser and carefully maneuvered about the page. Finally, appearing satisfied with his contour line drawing, he looked up. "No. They can't take me off the team when we're going into the Tokyo Weapons Tournament."

Keeping a cool grin, Miroku joshed, raising his eyebrows for effect, "Aren't we modest?"

"Honest is more like it," he returned with a shrug. Inu-Yasha reached over and grabbed a black colored pencil from the clay cup before him, though the girl's face was blank of features. "I still am undefeated. They're all too easy." Intensely pleased with himself, he began adding some values to the hair of the young woman in his sketch. I wonder if the girl heard and was impressed…. He ventured a quick, out-of-the-corner-of-his-eye glance at Kagome. Yeah she probably was-hey! Why do I care if she's impressed or not? He shook his head, only feeling slightly stupid and went back to tediously coloring.

"Is he really a Kendo champion?" Kagome asked Miroku quietly.

He nodded. "Yes, he is. Inu-Yasha has never been defeated on forms or battles." Dropping his voice, he finished with, "It's his overly inflated pride that gives him trouble."

They heard a 'feh' from a nearby table.

"Also," Miroku continued, applying some light yellow paint in smooth strokes to the picture of the setting sun he was doing, "he is always in competition with someone. It's always the same guy."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. However, that deals more directly with Karate and Kempo. The other guy doesn't really like using his sword all that often."

"What about you, Miroku? Are you in Kendo?"

He grinned at her, tilting his head, giving a light chuckle. "Well, I prefer staves, myself. I never fancied swords; I could turn even a broom into a lethal weapon."

She nodded, peering at her drawing, tapping her pencil against her lip. "With proper training, I suppose that's true."

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. The typical sound of stools scraping across the linoleum floor greeted Kagome's ears when she looked up from her rough sketch of her cat Buyo. Kids were departing in buzzing, multicolored droves.

"Later, Kagome," called Miroku over his shoulder as he disappeared into the mass.

"Bye!" She carefully placed her drawing in her folder and put it in the drawer marked for her period. As she was gathering her things in her school bag, she felt a somewhat rough rap on her shoulder.

"Hey," Inu-Yasha said from behind her, "hurry up. I have to take you to the next class, remember?"

"Oh, how could I forget?" the girl mused sarcastically back. Did he always have to speak to her as if she were stupid? Whipping around and meeting with his slightly shocked face, Kagome smiled at her own accomplishment, snapping her list of classes in her hands with satisfaction. "Well, my schedule says-"

"You have Chemistry next," he supplied brusquely, sounding a tad bored. "I know." Before she could ask him, the dog-demon continued curtly, "You're in virtually every one of my damn classes…. Must've done something real bad in a past life…." He muttered the last part to himself.

"All right then. Show me where my class is." Kagome didn't even need to-half-heartedly--say anything. Earlier than she would've expected it, Inu-Yasha had grasped her by the wrist again and was to the brink of dragging her down the halls that lead to science. She wriggled a bit, attempting to dig her heels into the floor in a futile attempt to decelerate him. "Uh, hey! Could you stop being quite so rough with me?" Her face contorted in agitation as the heels of her loafers kept sliding across the makeshift marble.

Inu-Yasha stopped abruptly, and Kagome collided with his back, emitting a soft "ow". "Look," he swiveled his head and stared at her with a criticizing amber orb, "I'm getting you to class. That's my job. So just let me do mine and you quit whining, all right, girl?"

She ground her teeth. What a jerk! And then there was another thing… "Why can't you call me by my name?"

"Maybe I don't feel like it," he shot back.

"Jerk."

"Wench."

"Could we get to class?"
"Feh. That's what I was doing until you interrupted me."

"Whatever."

Inu-Yasha did cease to pull Kagome so hard and went at a more suitable pace. As people streamed by, some halted to take in the rather humorous image of the pair. They were slightly bumbling together; the girl clutching onto the strap of her bag and the boy holding on to her wrist, though much gentler than he had earlier.

They entered the Chem. Lab together; it was almost filled up. The dog-demon always hated it when people would practically shout their conversations before class. It really gave him a headache. They managed to find spots at a table on the far right of the cyan room. Along the walls were bottles of chemicals with fading, yellow labels-the occasional bright, white label-with a mammoth poster stretching across the length of one wall that listed the Periodic Table. To the left side of the room, there was a collection of work stations, with Bunsen burners and sinks. All in all, the place seemed sterile.

Inu-Yasha inclined his head and whispered to Kagome, "Just to give you some fair warning, this teacher is duller than shit. He has the most monotone voice I've ever heard, so you better have some strong convictions if you wanna listen to his lectures."

"I'll keep that in mind." Kagome pivoted her head as she leaned to down to retrieve a pencil that was beginning to roll away.

In the process, her hair swept over Inu-Yasha's nose, tickling it. Her hair was supple as well as silky, and the soft, sweet scent incense was carried along with the shadowy strands. Such a familiar fragrance. It caressed his cheek as it settled on her shoulder and slipped to her backside.

For some odd reason, that he didn't know, it made him give a small half-smirk.

When Kagome twisted around again, and saw him quietly grinning, she couldn't help but return it as she set her pencil on her Chem. book; Inu-Yasha's smile only widened as she shifted her gaze to her notebook.

True to what he said, the teacher had the most boring tone that even Kagome was having struggles maintaining her eyes open; however, something bright blue caught her eye.

Peering curiously at her book , where an origami rose lay, the girl heard a hushed, "Hey. What's your name?"

Looking from the corner of her eye, she spotted a boy with black hair, pulled back in a high ponytail with a headband round his forehead, grinning at her. He wore khaki cargo pants and a tank top. His azure eyes twinkled.

"Um, Kagome," she answered with the sound as if waiting for this to be a trick question. She peered warily at him, slight befuddlement reflected in her eyes.

"Kagome?" he repeated, sounding highly interested, moving a smidge closer. "What a beautiful name for a woman like you." He beamed more. The girl just waited for the 'ping' sound effect to come. "My name's Sawamura Kouga, of the Wolf-Demon Gang. That rose is for you."

She gave him a bemused smile. "W-well, thank you." Unsure of what else to do, she kind of moved the flower off her book, and gave it a little pat. She shifted around a tad, as if trying to find the right place for it fore her Chem. notes. It was then that she really noticed the faint rumbling from the guy on her right. Flicking her eyes to Inu-Yasha, she saw him cracking the number two pencil in his hand into little, yellow slivers.

"Kouga, you sick bastard. What are you doing?" he growled, his face twisted in a look of sheer loathing, as the pencil gave another crack. The wood and lead finally gave, and the remains exploded in the small surrounding area, hitting people over the head; some of the shards sticking in their hair or clothes.

The Wolf-Demon Leader Kouga tipped his head back. "That you over there, dog-turd?" He pretended to be straining his eyes, in a somewhat nonchalant fashion. "Heh, I should've figured as much. I was getting a foul stench for that direction." He eased his stare, drifting his eyes closed a tad. "I knew it couldn't be Kagome; her scent is that of Japanese violets."

A few noggins bowed towards the two boys. Obvious inquisitiveness sparked in a few classmates as they nudged their friends and directed them to the squabble.

"You know, you really piss me off, wimpy wolf," he hissed through clenched teeth. "Just leave her alone. She's new and she doesn't need your shit as a welcoming present." Another view of Inu-Yasha's eyes; they were starting to become a red-gold color as his temper rose. "And something else for you to chew on, don't talk to Kagome. Period." The eyes narrowed into slits, a fresh growling rumbling from his throat.

The subject of the dispute was startled that dog boy had actually used her name. Progress. Even more, he was being her…guard dog was the only phrase for it.

Inu-Yasha didn't realize, once again, why he was getting so defensive about this girl. He supposed he felt some connection to her, and maybe a tiny bit remorseful for being such a prick earlier. The least he could do was stop this bozo's clown act and save her from being wrapped up in idiot lies. Fuck, how stupid could that skinny wolf be? Couldn't he tell the difference between incense and Japanese violets? More still, he shouldn't be inhaling her scent! Uh…well, she was his charge after all, so he should keep an eye on that idiot wench.

"What's wrong, mutt-face? Wallowing in self-pity again 'cause of your inferior, half-breed blood?" scoffed Kouga with a cocky smirk.

There was a great slam, and Inu-Yasha was on his feet. His chair had tipped over and was lying on its side. "Care to say that again, dumb ass?!" he roared, readying himself for an attack. His body was in tremors as he held up his claws menacingly, his teeth grinding but twisted into a leer. The gold orbs flashed with even more red in the hue as he cracked his index and middle finger's knuckles. He snarled, baring his fangs.

The teacher, seeing as his whole, entire period had ceased paying even the faintest interest, sat down and watched with everyone else. He drummed his digits anxiously over the desktop, glancing to check the time on the clock.

Kouga bounded to his feet as well. "Yeah, no problem." He sneered, getting into a stance. "You're a damned, ignorant, half-breed, smelly, dog-demon," he spat each word, accentuating each as an individual sentence.

Prior to allowing them to ambush the other in her vicinity, Kagome popped up between the dueling boys, spreading her arms as far as they would stretch, forcing them to keep some distance. "Knock it off, Kouga! Inu-Yasha, cool it and sit down."

"Kagome-" Kouga started almost sweetly, but she cut him off again.

"No, you have absolutely no right whatsoever to provoke him because he's a hanyou." She scowled disapprovingly at him. "Stop being so petty and sit down. Maybe the rest of us would like to learn something in this class."

Obediently, the wolf-demon did; Inu-Yasha remained standing, astounded at what had just occurred. He didn't know what gave him more astonishment: Kouga shutting the hell up when someone said so, or the fact that this girl, whom he'd been such a fucking ass to, just defended him….

It would have to be the second choice.

Gradually, setting his chair upright, he returned to his own seat and scooted up to the table and peered down intently at the white tabletop.

Grinning, with a somewhat warning glint in her eyes, Kagome took her seat between them. Sheesh. That was uncalled for. Kouga shouldn't have picked on Inu-Yasha because of what he is. It's not right. Bet it happens a lot.

Stunned and stuttering, the teacher almost missed his cue to finish his notes early and assign a very minor assignment. Apparently, he was as taken aback as were the other students were after this spat. At the bell, he called, "Miss Higurashi, a word with you."

Bumping past a winking Kouga, Kagome apprehensively made her way up to the front of the room. "Yes, Mr. Tsukamoto?" she hastily babbled out, fearing for the worst. "I'm awful sorry-"

"Thank you so much," he brightly said.

"Huh?" She blinked curiously several times. "For, for what, sir?" The girl continued to blink.

"'For what'?" Mr. Tsukamoto almost laughed; he seemed a much more enthusiastic person than when a teacher. "Miss Higurashi, you are the only person who has ever stopped Inu-Yasha and Kouga from having a full-out battle in class. What are you, young lady?"

Grinning a little, she replied, abashed, "Well, the only thing I have really to my credit is that I'm a priestess at my grandfather's shrine. The Sunset Shrine."

"I see." He grinned. "Again, thank you." He bowed and she did so in return.

Hustling outside into the flow of people, Kagome managed to catch up with the hanyou, her lithe form writhing easily among the throng. "Sorry," she warily whispered to him.

"It's…ok…" he mumbled softly. He took her elbow this time and was leading her in the opposite direction of the flow. "Come on, I'm going to take you through a short cut."

"All right." She took note of his position change, and that his grasp was much more serene on her flesh.

Guiding the girl carefully, Inu-Yasha took her into a room at the back of the hallway. Along the way, he growled just enough at any guys that so much as looked at her, inaudible to most everyone else who was deep in meaningless chat. For whoever was on the end of one of these warnings, they scuttled along faster, glancing fretfully behind in case he should attack.

Toward the end of the space, there was an open doorway that led to another hallway, parallel to the one they were just in.

"This is the Success Center. You can drop by here to study or find tutors if you don't feel like going to the library. The hall we're currently in is for Literature. Our class is a composition-literature hybrid," it felt so odd for him to say that, "and we're currently studying poetry."

"That's cool! I love poetry."

Inu-Yasha shook his head. "I guess, Kagome."

"Hey," she looked closer at him, "you just said my name." Twice now!

"Yeah," he pretended not to have noticed it, "what of it?"

"Oh, nothing. You just felt like it, right?" Kagome smiled at him, tipping her head to the side a tad. Or maybe you're actually starting to warm up to me. That thought boosted her optimism.

"Yeah. I did." It was work for Inu-Yasha to force down the grin that wanted to counter the girl's. He settled for a light tip of the head. "Come on, it's this way."

Kagome let him lead her along. He didn't seem all that horrible, now that she looked at him, falling in step with him. For one, his grip was milder, but also, he had just been trying to protect her from that guy Kouga. Now that he didn't have that visage that read "I'm going to die" or "I'd rather have my fangs ripped out", this whole having-dog-boy-for-an-aid thing wasn't so bad.

"Um, say, Inu-Yasha?" she asked, testing the waters.

"What?" he replied, his voice casual.

"Uh," she skimmed the ground with her toe as they approached door number six-hundred-thirteen, "that guy isn't going to be here, is he?"

The hanyou stared at her for a moment then snorted. "That dumb shit? He couldn't find the meaning of literature if they injected it in his brain." He pointed to his own cranium for emphasis, tapping it with his claw. "Don't overestimate him."

Releasing her arm, Inu-Yasha swung the door forward into a cheery, pale blue area. For décor, there were bookshelves upon bookshelves containing the best of the ages. There was a poster listing famous quotes. Written across the blackboard was a list of 'housecleaning' for the period. Well, they were going to have a poetry bowl.

Kagome smiled; she was a very good poet herself, but she wasn't sure how she'd match up to some of the students here. It gave her a small thrill of something to do, maybe make another friend or two…she hoped that didn't make her too pathetic.

A girl walked in with long, black hair, which was tied at the base of her hair. She was wearing a green and pink splashed long sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans.

Kagome heard Inu-Yasha call, "Hey, Sango! What's up?"

The girl turned and grinned. "Hey, not much. What about you?"

"Not much. Just got in an argument with Mr. Stupid." He smirked.

Sango shook her head; Kagome observed that she had dark brown eyes. "I must agree with Miroku that you shouldn't argue with Kouga all the time over stupid stuff. Also, I agree that he does reap what he sows when he angers you."

The dog boy chuckled. "Just like you to play the fence."

Seeing the girl beside him, Sango inquired, "Is that the girl Miroku was telling me about? Kagome, right?"

She nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah. Your boyfriend told me about you. It's nice to meet you."

The girl blushed a bit. "He said he did…."

Kagome smiled. "It seems Miroku loves you quite a bit."

The flush deepened on her cheeks. "Yes, well...I love him very much, too."

Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome saw Inu-Yasha get a forlorn look on his face. But, as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. He heaved a silent sigh as he rather threw himself into his seat. "Are you two going to sit down or what?"

The pair nodded; Kagome taking a seat in front of the hanyou and sitting beside Sango. The girls were in heated conversation before class began, and soon were acting like old friends, exchanging phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

So far so good. Miroku and Sango are really nice, Kagome thought as a plump little woman with jet black hair that was starting to get streaks of gray in it strolled in the room. I guess even Inu-Yasha has his good sides, though so far he hasn't show all that much.

"Good morning everyone!" she called.

Everyone greeted their teacher back merrily.

"Well, we have a new student joining us. Kagome?" The teacher, according to her placard on the desk, her name was Mrs. Watsuki, glanced round the room for the girl.

Tentatively, Kagome raised her hand. "Um, I'm right here, Mrs. Watsuki."

The woman beamed. "Good, good. Well, Kagome, do you feel up to our poetry bowl today?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm willing to try."

The bell rang, signaling for class to ensue.

"Well, then, everyone, line up and recite a poem off the top of your head. The students will vote on each poem. If it is liked, you stay in, if it is not, you return to your seat. You will earn a grade on participation. This is an easy 'A' people."

So, the competition commenced and it went off pretty well. The students tried hard; however, some of them would've been better at just appreciating literature. Sango managed to hang in for a while, but eventually ran out of creative motivation. Soon, after some very talented people sat down, there were only two left. And, as fate would have it, Inu-Yasha and Kagome.

Kagome took a deep breath to calm her nerves as Mrs. Watsuki made commentary. "Well, it seems that it comes down to our reigning champion and our new student. This should be most interesting. Miss Higurashi, it's your turn."

She nodded, inhaled deeply again, closed her eyes and thought. She recited:

Through many meadows and forests I have run

I am a constant tattoo to the wakes and slumbers of day and night

Take heart, hold spirit, rest mind

Upon the crashing waves I illuminate it with a fiery breath

Mine eyes are but a hot, amber gaze on the smooth, silvery river

Gentle, but firm

I am the sunset

I am the sunrise

When she finished, the class was silent. They were all staring at her, jaws hanging open.

"Um, you didn't like it?" she asked quietly, her eyes growing a little as she felt her face heat up. Oh, no! Now I sound like a dork! She'd brought a nervous hand to her mouth, chewing her fingertips with her lips.

"Didn't like?" a boy in the back reiterated, dumbfounded.

"Kagome," Sango murmured in awe, "it was beautiful."

The class started clapping. It seemed as if it had been an instantaneous and a collective sound. A few guys whistled at her accomplishment.

The girl blushed badly, digging her loafer toe into the ground. "W-well…."

Mrs. Watsuki smiled. "Very good. Superb. Now," she turned her glance to Inu-Yasha, "it's your turn, Mr. Tanaka."

He deafly nodded in return. Something about Kagome's poem had him wondering…. But, everyone was waiting for him to recite something, so, might as well give the people what they wanted. Thinking would have to wait. What could he draw inspiration from?

Then it came. A bit blurred within his mind, but it came.

Deep breaths amidst pressing matters

My heart beats too hard, too fast

Got to stop it

Got to stop it now

Dreams of ebony mist in rushing eddies

I'm stuck in the middle

Vortexes of somber dejection

Bringing me to my knees in shame

Deep breath, deep breath

Deep, deep breath

Hold on

I've got to hold on

It can't be over

I've got to stay strong

I will not be gone

The students gave Inu-Yasha the same reaction as they did Kagome, and the boy looked fairly worn, like from some terrible trauma. He seemed to be rolling himself into a ball, as if plunging inside his soul for an answer. He maintained his gaze away from his classmates, a neutral look on his face.

The bell rang, signaling the end of this class and the beginning of lunchtime.

Students shuffled out, uttering kudos as they passed, even though no real winner was awarded. The mass couldn't help but gawk at the pair with wonder.

What did that poem mean to him? That was what Kagome had wondered. Then again, she was still pondering why she'd chosen the adjectives she did for hers.

Smooth silver?

Amber gaze?

Did she… No way! She just met the guy…but she felt like there was some invisible string between the two of them. It's almost like she could feel his heart inside of hers…or, rather, enveloping hers.

Sango approached her, resting a hand on her new friend's shoulder. "Anything you want to talk about?" Her eyes gave the impression that she knew what was whirling round her head.

However, Kagome shook her head vigorously, sensing the slightest, added warmth to her cheeks. "N-no."

"Sure?"

"Positive."

"Well, Miroku is in this shift, so I'll find us all a table, ok?"

"Yeah," she replied distractedly as Sango gathered her books, placing them in her bag and, with a short backwards glance, stroll out the door.

Kagome was still peering at Inu-Yasha, who was moving lethargically behind her, gathering his own things, a new expression on his countenance-well, one that she had yet to see. His forelocks drifting in silvery falls by the sides of his face, and his eyes were a rich ambry-gold. They seemed pensive, those eyes. His ears were twitching slightly, catching faint sounds as the teacher bustled past them, mumbling that they should join their fellow students.

She recognized that there was some hidden meaning within the lines of the verse he'd expressed so softly, o so softly, but with such fervency. Kagome wished she'd reckoned exactly what had driven him to think up such an ode. Whatever it was, it'd touched him profoundly.

Searching for something to say, the only thing that tripped off her tongue was, "That was a gorgeous poem, Inu-Yasha. "

His body jerked a bit, as if startled, but eased again. "Thanks," he said near voicelessly, pursing his lips, as if gnawing on them for a supply of words. "I…I liked yours, too."

"Oh, um…." She reddened again as she collected some of her writing utensils. "I'm glad."

"Yeah…. So, I better get you to lunch."

"Y-yeah."
"I heard Sango say she was saving a table for us. L-let's go…."

"'k."

Inu-Yasha slipped his hand over Kagome's elbow again, and wordlessly they trudged to the lunchroom. He kept making sideways glances at her. I can't help but want to look at her. I've known her for only a day, yet I have this consuming intuition that persists that I know Kagome…. But what the hell it means, I'm not sure. Something seemed to be prickling in his mind, the answer, but he just couldn't find the key that unlocked that portal of his mind.

They walked together into the lunch line, uncertain of what to say to the other. Every time one of them opened their mouth to speak, they'd find the other had already done the same. Not wanting to be rude, both would clamp their mouths shut, stare at each other for a few seconds, then bashfully look elsewhere. This went on as Inu-Yasha and Kagome proceeded up the line, mutely still, placing food on their dark red lunch trays.

When they got to the cashier, Kagome began digging frantically through her black school bag. To her horror, she'd forgotten her money. "Oh, no…" she moaned, bumping her forehead against the leather out of frustration. She observed in surprise as a clawed hand slipped eight hundred yen into the lunch lady's hand, accompanied with a gruff male's voice, "Here. I'll pay for her, too."

Kagome peered up from the depths of her bag and saw Inu-Yasha with a partially ticked-off look on his visage. He paid for my lunch?

The lunch lady--the pink character on her white shirt said 'Mio-smiled serenely at the pair. "Well, Inu-Yasha, it seems you have gained a new companion."

He tossed his head back defiantly. "Feh, I'm just leading this girl around for the next three weeks or so. Ms. Kaede made me a student ambassador to her."

Mio, looking unconvinced, merely nodded. "Is that so? All right. Well, see you."

Kagome followed Inu-Yasha. Once again, this guy was showing yet another side. He was more confusing than a Rubics cube! Whenever she thought she had him figured out, it'd turn out there was still another face that wasn't quite solved.

"Sheesh, girl," he grunted as they spotted Sango and Miroku waving them over, "are you always this helpless?"

"Eh?" Taken by surprise, Kagome gawked at his audacity. "Hey, you! What's your problem?" And here I thought we were actually starting to get along…geez….

He grunted again. "Nothing. Come on." Inu-Yasha was thinking as he and the girl met up with the couple awaiting there arrival at the table. I don't understand why I did that. I just…sort of…did…. Fuck, why have I been doing half the stuff I've been doing today? He sighed. I truly don't know-

"Um, Inu-Yasha?" he heard Kagome say tentatively.

Tersely, he responded, "What?"

"Th-thank you for paying for me. I…I'll repay you tomorrow, is that all right?"

The half dog-demon didn't stop to think for a second. "No. Don't pay me back. It…was a gift." Mumbling, he made sure to add, "Sorry about earlier." He stared intently down on his banana pudding and chanced a glance at Kagome.

Taken aback, the girl appeared to be in stupefaction…. Wait a sec…was she…blushing?

"Thank you," she murmured, giving him a warm, little smile.

"Yeah, well…" was all he could manage to say. Oh, yeah, real intelligent; real impressive. Not like he could control it. Dog boy's tongue had about the smoothness of gravel, sand on a good day. He felt his own newfound heat in his cheeks, so he stared down at the interesting banana pudding again until they sat at the table.

Inu-Yasha remained fairly silent during lunch period, opting to pretend he was listening to Miroku's story about how he and his foster father Mushin had come across a family of raccoons living beneath the temple-Miroku was a Buddhist monk.

The story was funny, and the boy feebly laughed at the correct intervals; however, his mind wouldn't stop spinning with thoughts and emotions that he believe he'd begun to master into obscurity.

Even more odd, which Sango noticed, as her boyfriend continued, talking animatedly, that the hanyou was barely touching his food. Normally, he would've gone up at least three times for chow. She wondered what was wrong with him.

Regardless that he was in his own world, Inu-Yasha detected his female friend's critical eyes and went to shoveling food into his mouth. He didn't even taste his meal. For some odd reason, once again, without his consent, his eyes kept drifting over onto Kagome. She threw back her head a little bit when she laughed, and when she was just listening, she still had a happy disposition….

Ugh! Why couldn't he stop gaping at her?

Kagome got up to return her tray; unfortunately, as she was stepping forward, she slipped on some spilled soup. The girl could feel herself falling rearwards, the tray flying upwards, and she pressed her eyelids together. But she didn't hit the ground. She landed on something secure. Nor did the crash of the tray meet her ears.

When Kagome ventured to open her eyes, she was bewildered when she realized that she was peering directly into orbs of ambry-gold. Um…how close was she to Inu-Yasha? The girl was able to make an approximation when she saw that her arms were pinned between him and her.

Gingerly, he set her on the bench, and proceeded with his tray and hers. The only thing Inu-Yasha said was a muffled, "Be careful."

"Did he catch it?" Kagome faintly asked, not facing Miroku or Sango. She had one arm crossed over her chest, and her other hand was supporting the elbow as she watched him stalk away. "And me?"

"Yes," Sango answered.

The couple exchanged a perceptive gaze, smiles creeping over their faces.

Miroku cleared his throat, which made Kagome jump and whip around. "Well, Inu-Yasha really is something, isn't he?" His violet eyes caught sight of the dog-demon; he was getting some more to eat, so he continued. "Sango and I have been his closest friends since childhood."

Sango nodded, her black hair sloshing over her shoulders and back. "He may act like a jerk at first, but he truly possesses a kind heart inside. It may take a while for him to show it. It does seem that he's warmed up to you, Kagome."

The girl smiled, and bobbed her head. "I figured he was more bark than bite." He certainly is something special…. She flushed lightly.

Chuckling, Miroku agreed. "Yes, that he is."

Upon returning, Inu-Yasha surveyed them all. "What did I miss?" he inquired, his hand enclosed on a peanut butter cookie.

"Oh, nothing," Sango stated as she laid her head on her boyfriend's shoulder, still grinning.

Kagome's last class of the day was Trigonometry, which she had with Sango and Miroku; surprisingly, Inu-Yasha was in Calculus. "Wait outside the classroom," he'd specifically told her, "and I'll meet up with you there. Don't leave, or you'll get lost, Kagome."

Trig wasn't very eventful. It was mainly taking notes, which the girl copied the old ones from Miroku. The teacher was a tall, thin woman with light blond hair. She seemed rather grumpy and nervous, perpetually glancing over her shoulder at the students as she wrote equations on the board.

Wouldn't be a wonder either; Sango had said that, "All last year, this same teacher had been pelted with spit wads, but she never found the culprit." At that she shot a slight glare at her humming boyfriend as he was folding up a bare piece of scrap notebook paper….

Finally, the bell sounded and school was over. Kagome had previously been told that the school days here were on the short side, but it still took her a bit by surprise.

"Miroku, why does the day end so early?" she had asked as they were filing out the door.

"Well, Ms. Kaede figures that if everyone has a chance for more studying on only a few subjects each day, we're less likely to have excessive homework."

"I see." She bowed her head, thinking for a moment. "So, do people score high?" she queried when she looked back up.

"Yeah. Most everyone is on the higher end of the curve." Miroku winked. "Math is more my specialty, but I don't mind language and literature, either. The only reason I'm not in Calculus with Inu-Yasha is because I'm taking it this summer. Mushin needed my help around the temple when they were holding the testing…that lazy, old drunkard…" he added fondly.

"Well, I've got to wait. Sango warned me that if I wander away, Inu-Yasha will freak out and go searching for me."

Still laughing, the monk said, "That is exactly what he'd do."

With that, Miroku left, and Kagome lingered for Inu-Yasha. She didn't have to wait long. His form came wriggling around clusters of humans and demons. He panted, "You ready?"

She nodded. "Yup."

Leading her to the locker bay, he inquired, "Do you remember the locker number? It's on your schedule."

Kagome opened up the paper, having left it in her pocket. "Let's see…number one-hundred-ninety-seven."

Inu-Yasha nodded, steering her in the direction of the art room. His eyes continued to flicker about the hall, she noticed. The boy's hands appeared ready for a fight.

Attempting to break him out of his psychotic combat-mode, she cleared her throat. "Where's your locker at?"

"Uh, huh?" Inu-Yasha looked at her for a moment, as if she wasn't speaking Japanese. Hastily he replied, "Oh, locker three-hundred-twenty-two."

She dipped her head. "So you're not too far away."

"Uh, guess not." Why did she want to know?

Before he could query, Kagome bubbled with, "Wow! Look at the color of the trees!"

Inu-Yasha peered outside.

The trees were gaining hues of crimson, gold, and ginger. Leaves were detached from their branches by a swirling breeze, gliding onto the carpeting of shining, emerald lawn. Some children were laughing and running around together, bounding head first into multicolored piles. One little girl had kissed a little boy on the cheek and he flushed. Another little boy pushed the first boy away and kissed the girl on the cheek and she cried.

Inu-Yasha, his brain still wandering the abyss of Lala Land, vaguely wondered if Kagome would do that if Kouga tried something like that….

"It's a cute moment in time, huh?" Kagome said, grinning. "My little brother Sota and I used to run around like that when fall came…you know, now that I think of it, we still jump in leaf piles."

"Heh." That gave him a pleasant mental image.

They moved from the picturesque scene to her locker and she fiddled with the combination for a second before it popped open. "Thanks for all your help, Inu-Yasha," she said, facing him.

"Yeah, well…" he mumbled again. Oh, wow, he could just imagine Miroku teasing him, asking him if that was his new pick-up line. "I'll see ya tomorrow, Kagome."

"Yup!" She beamed, tossing a few notebooks into her locker and shutting the door. "Well, bye!" The girl trotted off out of the halls.

Inu-Yasha waited as she disappeared out the front door before turning with a smirk. "Now to kick that fucker's ass…. Oh, Kouga!" he called merrily, cracking his knuckles.

Kagome ambled down a short ways, hitting a more suburban area. Cars went whizzing by as she kept to the sidewalk, feeling that her first day at Shikon High wasn't too bad. She walked past a forest that was to the right of the school yard. It was ablaze as well. Kagome supposed that she hadn't noticed it this morning due to her nervousness. She turned down a near-deserted street for a bit, before coming to a modest home. It had a small flower garden, which currently was devoid of any blooms. The house itself had navy shutters, and the main color was a soothing cream. Strolling up the cobblestone walk, she rapped on the door.

A woman approached the door, her long orange hair was piled on top of her head in a gorgeous bun. She heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of Kagome. "I'm so glad you're here. Shippo's already been fed, but there are some snacks for him in the usual spot. I have to get going; someone messed up the paperwork again…."

"It's really not a problem," Kagome replied, as cheerful as ever. "Where is Shippo, anyway?"

"Oh, he's playing a video game in the den." Shippo's mother tucked a nonexistent, out-of-place strand of hair behind her pointed ear. A jade green jacket was clasped tightly in her hand. "I've really got to go. Thank you so much, again." She bustled past the teenager and hurried to her car.

Venturing inside and shutting the door behind her, Kagome called, "Shippo? Where are you?"

Immediately, there was the thunderous sound of a stampede, consisting of one child, who launched himself into her waiting arms. "Kagome!" he cried, hugging her tightly. "I missed you!"

She giggled. "I missed you, too. Did you color a new picture in kindergarten today?"

"Yeah!" He tickled her quickly under the chin with his gingery tail before jumping down and snatching her hand--seemed like a lot of people were doing that today--taking her to the kitchen. He pointed to a messy picture. "This is my house, and this is me, Mommy, Pa, and you. We got to use finger-paints. I don't think it's very good though…." His face fell, his bottom lip out.

Kagome shook her head. "No, I think it's very pretty, Shippo. I like it a lot."

His face brightened up. "Really?!"

She giggled and smiled again, nodding her head. "Really. Say, I think we should celebrate, don't you?"

Shippo jumped up and down. "Yeah! Can we go to the ice cream shop, please, Kagome?" he begged, giving her big, watery blue eyes.

"Hehe. That was exactly what I had in mind." Going to the little pot of money that the little fox child's parents left her pay in, Kagome dipped in and pulled out some money. She stuffed it into her pocket and gathered the child in her arms.

They shut and locked the door and made their way down the sidewalk to the ice cream parlor down the street.

"Hey! What are you doing over here, girl?" Kagome heard a voice holler from the porch of the house beside Shippo's.

"Wh-what?" Her eyes grew so huge, she was almost positive that they were going to pop out of their sockets. "Inu-Yasha, I didn't realize that you lived over here!"

"Keh," he muttered, leaping off the porch steps and landing beside the pair. "I stay here with Kaede."

"As in the principal?" She looked stunned again.

"Tch, yeah," he replied, making it sound like no big deal, as he stuck his nose in the air with a haughty flair.

Shippo was snarling at Inu-Yasha. The young fox bounced out of the girl's embrace and smacked the dog-demon over the head. "You're crude! Can't you ever stop being an arrogant idiot?!"

"Now, Shippo," Kagome began, "that's no way to treat Inu-Yasha-"

WHAP!

Inu-Yasha had hit the kid in the head, who was now crying loudly into his babysitter's socks. "WAAAAHH! Kagome! He," sniff, sniff, "hit me!"

She frowned at Inu-Yasha who raised an eyebrow, seemingly not understanding what he'd done wrong. "You didn't have to hit him." She took a step towards him, the child clinging to her, at this point sopping wet, leg.

Taking one towards her, he countered, "Oh, yeah? That little brat started it!" He pointed a finger at the boy, who was managing fairly well to pull the skin under his eyes and stick his tongue out while still pretending to cry. Why that lousy little shit! Inu-Yasha thought, grinding his teeth. Wonder how much he'd like it if I ripped that tail of his right off his ass!

"Well, I'm ending it!" She peered at the dog-demon closely, and her irritation subsided to concern. "Hey, did you get in a fight?" Her eyes roamed over his face and arms, looking critically for abrasions. She spotted some blood splatter on the front of his shirt.

"What?" He rocked back on his heels, away from her. Inu-Yasha scrubbed his bleeding lip with a fist. "Maybe," he responded cagily. "It doesn't matter."

He did get in a fight…. Kagome sighed in exasperation, rolling her eyes, as if she was stuck babysitting the hanyou rather than the fox. "Can't you ever stay out of trouble?"

"What makes you think I'm always in trouble?" he barked, giving her a rather comical glower.

She blinked. "Um, weren't you listening to Sango while she was telling me at lunch that you spend a good deal of your time in detention, or standing in the hall with water buckets?"

"Uh…" was the best answer he could muster, pupils small, and a sweat mark sliding down his face. "Eh…."

Kagome felt Shippo tugging on her socks, his wailing over. "I have to take Shippo to the ice cream parlor. But first," she glanced at her charge, "you apologize to Inu-Yasha."

"Aw…do I have to, Kagome?" he pleaded, making it sound as if she were asking him to lift an elephant in each hand.

"Yes," she ordered him firmly.

Muttering, he unenthusiastically apologized. "Sorry."

Inu-Yasha was guffawing from watching the kid have to act contrite. The boy had his head down, kicking the pebbles on the walkway, and Inu-Yasha was pretty sure that the kid would rather be kicking him in the shin, which gave him even more pleasure. Kagome took him by surprise when she instructed, "Now, you, Inu-Yasha."

"Huh? Wha?" He stopped laughing to point a shocked claw to his torso. "Me? Why should I say sorry? I didn't do anything wrong." By the look on her face, which was pretty threatening for a teenage, human, girl, he grumbled, "Fine. Sorry, brat." He crossed his arms over his chest, staring at the ground, muttering incoherently to himself.

"Um, well, we should get going." Kagome paused, cocking her head to get a better look at his face. "Unless you'd like to come that is?"

The boy peered at her, caught off guard. "Uh, well, uh, no. No," he repeated, clearing his throat and making his voice sound final. "I've got stuff to do. Got a big Calc. test coming up soon and I have to study…." He sauntered up the sidewalk, and was nearly to the first step when he whipped around, saying, "I don't need pity, if that's what you think I need!" The dog-demon glanced around.

A lone breeze blew.

The twosome had already gone.

Mumbling scolds for making such a stupid ass of himself, he stomped up the steps and returned to the porch swing to finish his homework.

Shippo had heard Inu-Yasha's faint shout in distance as he and Kagome crossed the street. The boy basked in the thought of dog boy acting like a schizophrenic nut job. When his sitter asked what was so funny, and what that noise was, he'd insisted it was just a dumb dog that couldn't stop yapping.

Pushing the glass door and journeying over the threshold into the parlor, the two walked up to the counter. A young man stood there, grinning in a chipper sort of way. "Hello! What can I get the boy and the little missy today?"

Kagome smiled. "Let's see, what do you want Shippo?"

"A strawberry cone!"

"Ok, one scoop of strawberry on a sugar cone and I'll have one scoop of chocolate in a waffle cone."

The man rang it up. "That'll be five-hundred-forty-three yen, please."

She deposited the amount in his hand. Looking around the shop Kagome observed there were other human and demon children eating their frozen treats all around the quaint shop. The shop itself had booths all around the edges, and a few tables and chairs towards the middle, a few escaping in the more 'romantic' corners. Round lights hung down from straight, metal rods from the ceiling. The floor was salt-and-pepper tile. Before long they had their ice cram. Licking their cones, they found a nice spot near the front window.

"Um, Shippo, why exactly did you hit Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked, carrying her cone in a hand, and a few paper napkins in the other.

"Oh, him." The boy frowned. "He's a jerk! He picks on me!"

"He WHAT?!"

"Yeah. He's been living with old Lady Kaede for the past three years. He said that he stays with her because his brother is studying in the United States."

"Oh, I see."

Shippo nodded. "Uh-huh. Inu-Yasha argues with me all the time! I don't think he's very mature at all, especially since he has to bicker with a kid like me." He shook his head.

Kagome paused and waited before slowly inquiring, "Shippo…you didn't…do anything to provoke him…did you?"

"Huh? Oh, well, I might've provoked him, here or there. Like the time I hit him with the garden hose and got water in his ears, or the time I tossed a ball right in front of him while he was walking, or…"

So, he had it coming all along… the girl thought with a sigh, a small sweat drop creeping down her face.

After that, Shippo went to telling Kagome all about everything he'd done that day. How he had gotten to play dodge ball today, learned how to play four-square, and his teacher gave them all stickers for being good listeners to their special guest. He was babbling so energetically that he sloshed some melted ice cream onto his shirt.

"Oops."

Kagome couldn't help but laugh at him. He was such a mess! His hands and face were sticky, and now his shirt was, too. Thankfully, he was giggling with her. "I'll be right back. I have to get us some more napkins." The girl walked over to the condiments station where a metallic napkin dispenser sat. Humming a song to herself, she began pulling some out. Something in the air promptly gave it a subtle, icy vibration…. She sensed someone was behind her, and, as she turned, she came face to face with…herself? What was going on?

The girl was nearly identical. But there were some obvious differences. She was older than Kagome, her skin was so pearly white, and her hair was longer; the color was the same, and so were her eyes, yet they seemed so somber but abhorrent when they lighted upon Kagome….

This look alike took the napkins from Kagome's hands and gave her a mordant half-smile. "Thank you," her wintry voice murmured softly from the near-washed-out-blood-red lips; her tone matched her alabaster skin.

That voice sent shivers down the young girl's spine, making her feel paralyzed. It bequeathed her with a silently alone sensation, as if she was lost in a murky, bleak realm. Such a place existed in the steely orbs of the girl as she swept away, her ebony hair fluttering behind her in a loose ponytail at the base of her neck.

A muted, dazed moan of, "Huh?" came from Kagome while she stood there, catching her bated breath, the few napkins remaining within her grasp escaped her tremulous hands, drifting soundlessly to the floor. That girl just now…she wasn't a demon, that's for sure. She was definitely a human. But there's something very peculiar about her. Whatever it was, it's strong…real strong…. Her rosy lips continued to quake, as if she'd inhaled a mass amount of frigid wind, and was now attempting warm her frozen lungs. Eyes wide, and her spiritual powers reaching out and searching with outstretched, invisible fingers, Kagome leaned heavily against the condiment station, her breathing shallow and faint. I…I can't sense her anywhere….

"Kagome?" a little voice asked in a tentative, curious tone.

She lowered her hand for him to hold it with a sticky hand. "L-…let's get you washed up, all right?" she murmured, her cobalt eyes still wide, with a mist of angst-ridden tears over the lenses. The girl blinked them once, and rather unfeelingly, led him to the bathrooms. I just hope I never have to come across her again….

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Hey, everyone! Thanks for being patient. This has taken up most of my time so, as of late, I haven't written another chapter for "On Vacation" or "The Mysterious Little Visitor". No, don't fret, I'm not leaving them. They will be finished. I should be working on my 9th scroll sometime tomorrow. I will not give a deadline to everyone, lest I not hold up my end of the bargain. ^^; (And the 5th Harry Potter book does rock.) Anywho-yes, I do realize that is not a real word-this is actually the longest chapter I've ever written for an Inu-fiction thus far. According my pc, without this Author's Note, this is 15 pages in size 10, Book Antiqua font.

I've been working hard on this, and really hope people enjoyed it. Yes, the agendas and backgrounds of the characters will be slightly different, but this is part of Alternate Universe fic. I love reviews and mail. Write at: hanyou_miko_dreamer@hotmail.com My AIM is hanyoumiko and my MSN instant messenger is the same as the e-mail if anyone has the desire, for whatever reason, to instant message me.

A quick thanks to my friend Soranji-chan for reading my work! (Araigotu!!)

For those of you familiar with my work, here's an interview with my personal favorite torture victim-er, ahem-special guest, Inu-Yasha!

Inu-Yasha: *mutters* Special guest my ass…. Why do I have to do this?!

Because I can make you do whatever I want.

Inu-Yasha: Says who?

Says me. I may not be Rumiko Takahashi, but I am an author and, well, I can make you do anything.

Inu-Yasha: Shit, why does that frighten me.

Hehe…. It's ok, koinu-chan-

Inu-Yasha: Hey, you! Watch it!

*glare* Shut up while you're ahead, dog boy. I just might get really mean.

Inu-Yasha: Feh, yeah right. Like how?

Like this.

*Kagome comes magically into the room* Kagome: Huh? Oh, hi, Inu-Yasha.

Inu-Yasha: *whispers* What are you going to make me do?

*whispers back* Kiss her if you don't shut your trap.

Inu-Yasha: *flush* Y-you're bluffing!

Am I?

Inu-Yasha: *walks towards Kagome* Um, Kagome, I kind of need to speak to you.

Kagome: What about?

Inu-Yasha: …. *pleads to Moonlight. Mentally* Please, don't make me tell her! I'm not…not ready yet!

Well…ok…. For now.

Kagome: Huh? Wh-what did I miss?

Inu-Yasha: Uh, well, I needed to tell you that we have to tell everyone reading this bull, to *catches the glower Moonlight is giving him-the kind only a woman can give* um, read the other fics.

Kagome: Oh, ok! And also, um *pulls out a folded note* there might be a few pictures. It's in deliberation.

Well, that's all for now! Ja ne!

~Moonlight Shadow

Japanese used:

koinu-puppy

chan-little (used in terms as an ending, like Shippo is called 'Shippou-chan' a lot because he little, but also it is fondness. i.e. Sango calls Kagome 'Kagome-chan' out of affection.)

araigotu-thank you