InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Student Teacher Relations ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

A/N: Yeah I know, long time no update. I’m really sorry about that. Some of you may have noticed that I write multiple fics at a time, this is in part because I simply follow whatever muse strikes me. This particular muse has been spending time down on the beach sipping lemonaid lately. Just know I have not forgotten this story and I have every intention of finishing it.

Shippou carefully turned the page of his chemistry book. A brightly colored diagram of combining molecules greeted him and text took up the rest of the page. Chewing on the eraser of his pencil, the young man began to read. Before he got through the first sentence, however, the phone rang. He hoped it was someone who could rescue him from a Friday night of studying.
Shippou pushed himself up from the table with a grunt and trotted into his bedroom. The phone sat on the bedside table with an empty glass, a paperback copy of Helter Skelter, and a digital clock. Looking at the Caller ID, Shippou frowned at the unfamiliar number.
“Hello?” Shippou asked as he put the receiver to his ear.
“Kitsune-kun?” a female voice, that sounded a little nervous and tired, asked.
“Yes. Who’s this?” Shippou’s brow furrowed. He knew that voice from somewhere, but could not seem to place it.
“This is Higurashi Kagome, from your chemistry class,” Kagome answered.
“Oh!” Shippou smiled as a small blush crept across his cheeks, glad she could not see him over the phone. “What can I do for you?” There was a pause on the other end of the line, then Kagome took a deep breath.
“I need help.” Her voice cracked slightly, “I missed the lab and I’m worried about my grade. You’re the smartest person in class. Can you help me? Please?”
“Sure, Higurashi. Do you want to come over here or should I meet you at your place?” Shippou asked with a smile.
“Well, Sango was hoping you’d help her, too.” At her answer, his smile faded just a bit. “So could you come over here?”
“Sure. Where do you live?”

&&&

Inuyasha stumbled back into his bedroom and flopped onto his bed. He had no idea how long he had been in his exercise room, but his entire body ached. His throat was parched and his breath was coming in pants, yet it seemed like too much effort to get a glass of water. After several minutes he found the energy to turn his head and look at the clock on his nightstand. He groaned, but thanked god it was Friday night… or Saturday morning depending on how you looked at it.
With some effort, he heaved himself off the bed and went to the kitchen. Filling a glass with water, he drank it, then repeated the process. When he finally felt waterlogged, he left the glass in the sink and headed back to his room. He stripped, leaving the clothing on the floor as he went, and flopped back down on the bed. He did not bother to climb under the covers – he was too hot and sweaty as it was – and let his exhaustion overcome him.

&&&

Shippou double-checked the address he had written on a scrap of paper before knocking. It was mid-day Saturday, and rain-heavy clouds had settled over the city. The apartment complex pool was empty of children, and a staff person was gathering plastic chairs to keep them out of the pool in case of high winds. The door was answered quickly, just as the first chilling blast of wind hit him. Kagome smiled brightly and beckoned him into the apartment.
Shippou shrugged off his coat and laid it across the arm of the couch as he looked around. The apartment was warm and cozy, and looked very much like two college girls lived in it. There were a number of books lying around and a thin layer of dust covered most surfaces, but it was more or less tidy.
“Thanks for coming, Kitsune-kun, it means a lot to me.” Kagome smiled. Shippou returned the smile with a nod.
“Not at all, I’m happy to help.”
“Great! Can I get you a snack or something to drink?” Kagome asked as she led the way to the dining room, where she and Sango had set up their books to study.
“Something to drink would be nice, if it’s not too much trouble,” Shippou answered as he took the empty seat and began taking out his supplies. Kagome smiled and began boiling water for tea. Sango emerged from her bedroom, still rubbing her hair dry. She gave Shippou a wave and a smile, before disappearing into the bathroom to hang up her towel.
Once everyone was seated and the tea was served, they began.
“Alright, so what do you need help on?” Shippou prompted.
“The math parts mostly,” Kagome answered. “I can’t seem to get these equations to balance for the life of me.”
“Me too,” Sango agreed.
“And then how about we go over molarity,” Kagome went on. “That will be on the next lab.”
“Yeah…” Shippou agreed slowly, “But not for two weeks. And West-sensei hasn’t even mentioned it yet, except in that reading quiz. Is something wrong, Higurashi?”
“West-sensei failed her on the lab,” Sango answered promptly.
“Sango!” Kagome blushed, though from anger or embarrassment she did not know.
“Oh. Well, I’m sure it won’t hurt your grade too much in the end,” Shippou reassured with a smile. Kagome looked at him, horrified.
“He gave me a zero, Kitsune-kun! He wouldn’t even consider letting me make it up. I bet I could have finished if he had just let me start when I got there!” Kagome huffed. Shippou and Sango looked at each other.
“I don’t know, Kagome,” Sango said carefully. “It was a pretty long lab. I barely finished in time.”
“Me too,” Shippou agreed. “And it’s not good to rush these things.”
“It wouldn’t have killed him to give me an extra five minutes,” Kagome shot back.
Shippou blinked at her as his brows knitted together. “But what about the class that needed the lab next?” Kagome’s angry frown broke into a look of confusion and the redhead chuckled. “This isn’t exactly Tokyo U, Higurashi. We only have one lab, and we have to share with all the other science classes.”
“You did know that, right, Kagome?” Sango asked, amusement dripping from her voice. Kagome suddenly felt very foolish and blushed. She muttered back that she had forgotten and turned to glare at her book.
“Besides,” Shippou joked, “What makes you so special?” Kagome’s blush deepened. Inuyasha’s words rang in her head. The words she had said in reply made her stomach do a sickening twist. Kagome could only hope she had not ruined whatever chance they still had.

&&&

Kagome carefully pushed open the classroom door. The room was empty; even Inuyasha’s chair at the front of the room was vacant. She was not surprised; class was not scheduled to start for another half-hour. Closing the door softly behind her, Kagome moved to her usual desk and set her books down. She took a deep breath and turned towards his office in the back of the room.
She paused, hand raised to knock, and wet her lips. With one more deep, calming breath, she rapped on the door.
“What?” he barked from the other side. Kagome flinched. Her courage faltered for a moment, before she grabbed the doorknob and pushed it open. Inuyasha sat hunched over some paperwork on his desk His hair was down, the first time she had seen it that way since the night she had spent at his house, and his shirt was mostly unbuttoned. There were dark circles under his eyes and he did not look like he’d slept recently. At the sound of the door opening, his head snapped up, a scowl firmly planted on his lips.
His face softened, “Ka… Higu…” He closed his mouth and looked at her.
“Do you have a minute?” Kagome asked carefully, when he seemed at a loss for anything to say. His face fell just slightly.
“Sure. Have a seat,” He gestured to the chair across from him. Kagome nodded and carefully closed the door before taking the offered chair.
The air suddenly felt very thick in Inuyasha’s throat. He had agonized over the situation all weekend, only to find there was nothing for it. Still he could not get that betrayed look erased from his mind.
“I… I just wanted to apologize,” Kagome said, looking at her hands as she spoke. “I put you in a terrible position and I’m sorry.” Inuyasha felt every muscle in his body relax. “I understand that you didn’t have a choice and I should not have tried to get preferential treatment,” Kagome started to babble. The longer he stayed silent, the more nervous she became. “And if you-”
“Kagome,” he cut her off. Her head came up to meet his gaze; he gave her a gentle smile. “I’m not mad.”
“You’re not?”
“No,” He pushed his chair away from his desk. “Come here.” Kagome rose from her chair and walked around the desk. She bit back a surprised yelp when Inuyasha grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her down into his lap. A moment later his mouth closed over hers. The kiss was short, but it was all either needed. Inuyasha helped her back to her feet with a sigh.
“What happened to you?” Kagome asked as she straightened her skirt. “You look like shit.”
“That bad, huh?” Inuyasha huffed and looked down at his less than kempt appearance. “Let’s just say I had a long weekend.” Kagome gave him a half smile, looking slightly guilty.
“Sorry.”
Inuyasha smiled and leaned back in his chair, giving her a coy look. “Well, I know how you can make it up to me.”
“...How?” Kagome asked carefully – the look on his face and their location giving her pause. Inuyasha looked around conspiratorially, leaning over so he could see if any more students had arrived. Then he pulled a piece of computer paper from his printer and quickly wrote something on it, folded it carefully, and handed it to her. Curious, Kagome opened the note.

Class canceled. Read chapters 7 & 8.

“Do me a favor, sweetie. Write that on the board before you leave,” Inuyasha gave her a smile and pat on the butt as he ushered her out of his office.