InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Shadow ❯ Settling Favors ( Chapter 6 )

A/N: Thanks to those who read and review my story…

 

Disclaimer: Up until now, I still do not think that I own Inuyasha. No, he's not hidden in my dresser, believe me. Nope, he's not hiding behind the bed either. The red thing you're seeing is just—um—a big carpet!  

 

 

 

 

Chapter 6

Settling Favors 

 

 

 

 

“It's just a bracelet.” Kagome said to herself, staring at the ceiling of her room. `But then—no way!' She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block the thought that was currently looming in her mind. She went to lie on her side only to find herself looking at the article Inuyasha had given to her.

The moon's subtle glow coming from her window reflected on the surface of the blue sapphire, making it more beautiful for Kagome.

“It's just a bracelet!” She told herself more resolutely this time. `Inuyasha only gave it to me because he has some money to spare. He said so himself! It's nothing special. He's just starting to be nice to me, that's all… Maybe it's his way of saying that he's sorry for all those things that he had done that made me angry with him…' Those thoughts placed a smile on her lips and she slept peacefully that night.

Things are definitely getting better for her.

 

“What a great morning!” Kagome beamed widely while she walked beside Inuyasha towards their school.

“Looks like you're extra happy today,” observed Inuyasha, looking at Kagome sideways with his hands stuffed inside the pockets of his black school pants.

“I do?” said Kagome, her curious brown eyes looking at Inuyasha with confusion written on them.

“Yeah,” replied Inuyasha, pointing a clawed finger at her forehead. “It's like you have this sign posted on your forehead saying, `I am the happiest girl in the world! No one can screw up my perfect day!' Any special reasons for that?” He mused, cocking his head a little to look at the schoolgirl.

“Well maybe it's because we had oden for breakfast this morning…” Kagome said broodingly, putting a finger on her cheek and looking like she was trying to remember something.

Inuyasha instantly noticed the glimmer from the sapphire on Kagome's silver bracelet when she raised her hand then he averted his gaze from the accessory. “Aren't you just too simple-minded?” He commented with a hint of mockery in his voice. “You feel happy about such trivial things.”

Kagome caught the ridiculing tone in Inuyasha's words but she kept her cool. It was too early to fight with Inuyasha and she didn't want to ruin her morning with another argument. “And I think it's also because I got to answer all of the numbers in our Mathematics homework.” She smiled again as she remembered the glorious moment when she, Kagome Higurashi, managed to answer all—as in every last one of them—of the problems in their homework. It gave her a sense of pride inside.

But her pride went flopping to the ground when Inuyasha replied with a sneer, “But that was the easiest set of problems we ever had.”

“Well…” said Kagome, feeling herself blush slightly. “It doesn't matter! At least I managed to answer them!” She shot back at Inuyasha, wanting so much to wring the neck of the hanyou beside her.

“So that's your reasons huh?” He looked at Kagome in a scoffing manner. “Perhaps if I buy you a candy on our way, you'll be jumping merrily and singing nursery rhymes like a little kid.”

“Oh really? And what reasons would you want me to give you then?” The miko countered testily, looking at Inuyasha closely.

“Keh! How would I know?” Inuyasha looked away from her, feeling uncomfortable under her gaze.

A sudden mischievous smile spread on Kagome's lips. She knew it wasn't true but just for the fun of being able to tease Inuyasha, she said it. “You want me to say that I'm happy because of the bracelet you gave me, don't you?” She kept her eyes on Inuyasha while she raised her right hand to make Inuyasha catch a glimpse of the bracelet.  

“No, I don't!” Inuyasha snapped at Kagome, quickly looking on the other direction to avoid her eyes.  

But just before Inuyasha's head turned, Kagome noticed the shade of red on Inuyasha's cheeks. Her smile became softer—more sincere. She lowered her right hand and looked at the bracelet intently. “Well, since I'm simple-minded—like you said—I guess it is one of my reasons to be very happy today.” She stated with pure honesty in her voice.

Inuyasha was surprised once again with Kagome's words. Her words were nice to hear and they made him feel good inside. He couldn't put a finger on the right word to describe what he was feeling. After a few seconds of thinking, he decided to give up. `Keh! Why the hell do I even bother with this girl? She's always confusing anyway.' He thought, throwing away the thought in his mental trash bin.         

When Inuyasha didn't say anything, Kagome continued to speak, putting her hand back on her side. “I mean, who wouldn't be happy if you were given such a pretty jewelry, right?” She paused to wait for a comment from Inuyasha, glancing on her left to see if he was even listening to her. She wasn't sure because he was busy watching the cars driving past them on their left. “But that's not the reason why I was happy about the bracelet.” She went on after receiving no response whatsoever from her companion. “It's because I realized that you can be nice to me once in a while. I thought you were never going to be friendly with me.”

“It doesn't mean anything special, wench!” He pointed out to her, looking at her with an irked expression on his face. “I told you I'm just giving a—”

“I know.” She immediately interrupted Inuyasha, her eyes told him that she understood.

Inuyasha hurriedly broke their eye contact because he began to feel that weird feeling again inside him. It was like she was starting to know him—starting to be close to him. `No. Impossible.' Again, he brushed the thought aside and hoped that Kagome would stop making him feel that way. It was starting to bug him. In a good or bad way, that was yet another thing he needed to think about—but didn't want to.       

Kagome was starting to get worried about Inuyasha's actions. “You're always looking away from me.” She brought up, wanting to know what was bothering Inuyasha so much. “Is something wrong?” She inquired, her face was filled with concern.

`Damn it! She is doing it again!' Inuyasha thought when he looked back at Kagome's face and saw the expression on her face. `Why does she always try to get to me?.?.?' No answer came to that question of his. `Keh! I'm not going to let her!' He mentally said with determination. “Why? Would you prefer that I stare at you?” He smirked at her, eyes flashing with arrogance and bravado. 

“Thank goodness!” She sighed in relief. “I thought something was wrong with you! It's good to know you're still your conceited jerk self.” She grinned at Inuyasha, tapping his shoulder lightly.     

“And you're still the annoying bitch I have to stay with,” replied Inuyasha, glowering at her with irritation.

Kagome was more than willing to return the glare Inuyasha was giving her. “Do you really have no plans to call me by my name?” She said between gritted teeth, burning eyes never leaving Inuyasha's.

“I'd rather use `bitch' or `wench'. You see, `bitch'—or `wench'—has only one syllable. Your name has three. It's easier to use and faster to say. Now do you understand… wench?” He gave her another smirk then added, “See what I mean?”

“Okay then, jerk.” Kagome said, matching Inuyasha's smirk with one of her own. “From now on I'll be calling you `jerk'—or `git'—since you're name is too long as well. I think that will be fair enough, won't it… git?” She smiled sweetly at Inuyasha.

“Smart ass wench.”

“Insensitive git.”

“I don't want to talk anymore!”

“Neither do I!”

“Fine, bitch!”

“Fine, jerk!”

“Yeah, fine!”

“Yeah, fine!”

“Stop copying me, wench!”

“I am not copying you, git!”

“Keh!” Inuyasha scoffed, crossing his arms in front of him. “Just fucking shut up, bitch!”

“Bite me jerk!” She answered back, clenching her fists on her sides.

“If you continue being mean to me I don't think I'll be inspired to win that duel with that stupid, irritating girl.” He smirked at her, daring her to continue their verbal argument.

“If you lose in that match, you'll have to endure the presence of your little fans club and you have to date that stupid, irritating girl too.” She reminded him, returning the smirk he gave her as if saying, `You have a lot more to lose.' Then she added to tease him, “Plus, you'll miss me terribly!”   

“Believe me, if the only condition at stake was losing you, I'll surrender without even giving a fight!” He said as he patted Kagome's head like she was an adorable puppy.

She caught Inuyasha's offending hand and dropped it on his side, giving him a `Don't-You-Dare-Do-That-Again' look. “Are you saying that I should be thankful to you?” She raised an eyebrow, eyeing Inuyasha thoroughly.

“Yes, I think I am.” He replied with another smirk plastered on his face.

“In that case, I'll say thank you after you win the duel.” Kagome sauntered on, ignoring Inuyasha's smirk completely. 

“Say thank you? That's it?” He said, sounding disappointed with the bargain he was getting. “You owe me a great favor! I want more than just a thank you.” He pointed out, grabbing the opportunity to have something good out of that pathetic match he knew he would absolutely win.

“And what will that be?” The miko asked curiously. She could smell that Inuyasha was planning to do something that she wouldn't like.

“So it's a deal? If I win, you'll have to do one favor for me as well.” Inuyasha started making a mental list of the possible things he could chose from.    

“Just as long as it's not embarrassing, stupid, evil or deadly,” answered Kagome smoothly. She knew Inuyasha was now doing his list and all of the things written there could be described as embarrassing, stupid, evil or deadly.  

Inuyasha scanned the list he was doing and found out that he would have no choices left if he eliminated the things Kagome had just said. He wasn't going to allow that, of course. “Well, that's for me to decide, isn't it?” He smiled playfully at her.

“Does that mean you're going to make me do something embarrassing, stupid, evil and deadly?” Kagome was almost certain he would. `Evil bastard.' She wanted to tell him but instead, she just shot a deadly glare at his direction. 

`Of course I will.' He wanted to answer her. `Well, not the deadly part but stupid and embarrassing will be entertaining.' He thought, still wearing that mischievous smile. “Depends on my mood. If you'll be nice to me, maybe I'll think of something that won't fall under embarrassing, stupid, evil or deadly.” Now that was going to take him some time… Maybe after a year he'd be able to think of something?

Kagome translated Inuyasha's words as `You have no choice. I'm going to make you suffer!' That was the reason why she slumped her shoulders and muttered to herself, “I'm doomed.” She could imagine hearing Inuyasha's evil snicker in the background.

But the truth was Inuyasha was just staring at her with slight amusement in his eyes. “I thought nothing can screw up your perfect day huh?” He just had to say that one.

“You just did, Inuyasha.”

“Wow…” He gasped, looking touched with her comment. “You just don't know how happy that made me!”

 

He was getting more and more impatient. It had been more than a year now and they still hadn't collected enough miko energy to produce the Shikon no Tama. He turned at the knocking sound coming from behind the door. It opened to reveal a tall woman in her early twenties, wearing a long red and white skirt with a matching blouse. Her curly dark brown hair was pulled in a tight bun, two feathers accessorizing her chosen hairstyle.   

“Kagura, tell me how's it going?” He greeted his underling, looking away completely from the window of his office.

“Not good.” Kagura responded, her red eyes looking angry with their current situation. “Solferis is making our mission very difficult. Why don't we kill the bitch behind Solferis to end our misery, Naraku?”

“Not yet,” said Naraku in a languid manner, walking towards his chair. “I'm still letting her have some fun. She'll die soon enough. How about the young miko we are targeting? Any improvement with her?”

“You mean the youngest so far?” She asked, looking interested all of a sudden. “A Solferis agent is guarding the miko. I've sent one of our men to keep an eye on her. We'll have her soon.” She would make sure they did.

“Good.” A small contented smile graced Naraku's face before he turned his chair around so his back was facing Kagura. “You may leave now. Tell Kanna, I'll be going down later to check her work.”

“Yes.” Kagura simply said then headed towards the door. A certain thought crossed her mind the moment she closed the door behind her. `There is another young miko…' She thought, walking slowly to the direction of the laboratory. `I wonder where she is now…'

“Kagura, our tracers have spotted a miko. Should we tell them to go after her?”

Kagura suddenly looked alert. She went closer to the communication device and pushed the loudspeaker button. “Is she unguarded?” She questioned quickly.

“Just two adults with her.” The answer came just as fast. “We think they're her parents.”

A pleased smile was found on Kagura's lips after hearing the answer. “Get her then.” She ordered, only a hint of excitement was found in her voice.

“By the looks of the girl she's only about fifteen to seventeen.” The man on the other line added, followed by a distant scream that said, `Run!'

`That young huh?' Kagura thought, suddenly interested in meeting this miko. `She must be extra special…' She couldn't wait to have her. Naraku would be very happy. “Make sure you catch her. Let her escape and you're good as dead.” She turned the loudspeaker off and waited. She knew she wouldn't be waiting too long.

 

Kagome grinned at the sight she saw when they reached their school. She walked a little faster saying, “Inuyasha, looks like your fans club still hasn't given—”

“Stay close to me.” Inuyasha made a tutting sound with his tongue, looking vexed with the distance Kagome was putting between the two of them—which was only three inches more than Inuyasha's basic eight inches maximum distance apart. Or maybe he was more annoyed with the fact that his fans club was still alive and more than kicking. He rolled his eyes inwardly as the girls continued to ogle at him and glower at Kagome.

“What are you talking about?” Kagome turned her head to give Inuyasha a perplexed look. “You can actually grab me if anything—” Her statement was cut short by a gasp from her mouth, feeling Inuyasha's hand grab her hand—no, not wrist—hand. “I didn't say you should do it!” She snapped, glaring at Inuyasha wholeheartedly.

“Don't start whining,” said Inuyasha, looking not at her but at his fangirls. “It's not like I did it on purpose! I'm trying to protect you here!” He protested in a low voice so only Kagome could hear him.

“Protecting me? From who?” She replied in the same manner, looking around skeptically but saw no one suspicious lurking around. Well, except for Inuyasha's fangirls who were at present holding voodoo dolls with black hair—most probably hers, shooting deadly `I-Wish-You-Were-Dead' looks at her and planning different ways on how to ambush her and throw her off the nearest cliff. “Your fangirls are sure getting scarier day by day.” She tried getting her hand away from Inuyasha's clasp.

“What do you think are you doing?” He asked, looking at Kagome's feeble attempt to free herself from his clutches.

“I'm trying to save myself from dying.” Kagome replied, still not surrendering her chances of escaping. “And you're not making it easy, believe me.” She raised her hand that was being held by Inuyasha tightly to show it to him.

“Don't try to take the credit off me!” Inuyasha objected, still not having any plans of letting her go. “I'm the one trying to save you here! There's a possibility that one of those girls is a member of Hell's Gate.” He shifted his gaze towards the flock of girls scattered in the school grounds.

“You're too paranoid!” Kagome scolded Inuyasha. “I'm not worried about Hell's Gate right now. They'll be killing me for holding hands with you. They'll think I'm flirting with you.” She was pertaining to Inuyasha's fangirls. She suddenly caught sight of Nazuna and she knew at once that she wasn't pleased to see Inuyasha with Kagome—plus the fact that they were holding hands. She tore her gaze away from Inuyasha's fangirls and looked at Inuyasha with apprehensive eyes. “Or worse, they might think we're together or something.” She was sure those girls would have thought about that. Her friends were already thinking that way so it wasn't all that farfetched. 

“Don't you just love to be my girlfriend?” He grinned smugly at her, loving the way her eyes blazed like wild embers.

“Dream on, Inuyasha.” She said with a scowl. “I never even dreamed of it.” She tugged on her hand hard, struggling again to break free.

Inuyasha squeezed her hand but made sure she wasn't hurt. “Oh sure you do dream of it.” His arrogant grin stayed fixed. “If not, why do you want to take your hand off so badly?” His smile widened when Kagome suddenly stopped pulling her hand. “Afraid that you'll melt?” They were past the ITOFC by now but just to torment Kagome some more, he didn't let go of her hand.  

“Don't flatter yourself too much, Inuyasha.” Kagome retaliated, not planning to do any further move to remove her hand from Inuyasha's grip. She wouldn't give Inuyasha the pleasure of seeing her bow down before him. `He thinks every girl will kiss the path he walks on. Well, too bad, I won't.' She thought as they headed to change their shoes before their classes started. “You're the one here who can't let go of me even when I'm obviously out of danger now.” She grinned at him before adding, “Scared that you'll lose me?”

“Keh! As if.” He scoffed, dropping Kagome's hand nonchalantly and walking straight to his locker to get his shoes.

She smiled victoriously when Inuyasha finally released her hand then followed him towards her own shoe locker. She took out her shoes then replaced them with her outdoor shoes before closing it again. The bracelet around her right wrist caught her attention—more precisely, the sapphire charm on the middle. “So how did you know about my birthstone?” She asked out of curiosity while putting her indoor shoes on.

“Huh? What birthstone?” Inuyasha, who had finished wearing his own pair, looked up absentmindedly at her.

“This sapphire on the bracelet you gave me,” answered Kagome, standing straight and pointing at the blue stone decorating her bracelet.

`Actually I wasn't the one who chose that bracelet.' Inuyasha's mind wanted to say but it came out as, “I read it on your profile.” His voice was smooth as he delivered the words.

“Oh.” She couldn't think of anything more intelligent to say. She didn't know why but she was disappointed with the answer she had gotten from Inuyasha. Maybe she was expecting something more special from him? She even felt stupid for asking such a petty question. “Of course…” She found herself saying softly, looking down at her shoes.

“Anyway, let's get moving or we'll be late.” Inuyasha walked past Kagome, oblivious of the miko's present feeling. When he found out that Kagome still hadn't moved from her spot, he turned around and walked back to her, feeling annoyed that the girl wasn't paying any attention to what he was saying. “Hey, Kagome! What's up with you? Did you forget to walk?!” He took her hand stealthily but made certain that his claws weren't in any way hurting her. Then he pulled her with him, feeling it was also his obligation to help her if ever she forgot how to move her feet. 

Kagome had raised her head in surprise when she heard Inuyasha calling her by her name—which was Kagome and not wench nor bitch. Her shock was doubled when warmth closed around her hand all of a sudden, meaning that Inuyasha took her hand once again—and began dragging her yet again while saying something about not remembering how to walk. She wasn't really listening to him. Now that her disappointment was forgotten, her mind was occupied by another thing. This time she was busy convincing herself that Inuyasha did call her by her name. Perhaps that was the reason why she didn't bother to pull her hand away.

But then again, maybe there were other reasons too.

 

“Yuka, you mean Inuyasha and Kagome didn't go on a date?!” Eri cleared what she had just heard from her friend, looking like she missed a really good, once in a lifetime show.

“But I thought they were going on a date!” Ayumi said, looking upset like Eri. “They looked pretty much like they were going on a date.”

“Yeah, I know. I also thought of it that way.” Eri agreed, putting her elbow on her desk and resting her chin on top of her palm.

“Me too.” Yuka said with a sigh, looking at Sango expectantly and waiting for her statement.

“Um… me three?” Sango said uncertainly.

The other three saw past Sango's pathetic attempt to go along with them. “You look like you don't even care!” The three chorused, their faces had the words `How could you betray us?!' written clearly. 

“It's not like that,” said Sango defensively. “I just don't think—wait a minute! How come you only told us now?” She turned her eyes to Yuka intriguingly.

Eri and Ayumi definitely considered Sango's comment and looked at Yuka questioningly. Their `How-Could-You-Betray-Us' expression was now intended for Yuka. “You should have told us yesterday!” The two said emotionally.

“Well… I sort of forgot.” She answered guiltily. “Inuyasha and Kagome were not exactly in good terms yesterday and that got me worried so—”

“You think they had a fight?” Eri asked, forgetting that she should feel betrayed. “Maybe they're okay now.”

“I really hope so,” said Ayumi, clasping her hands together on her lap. 

“Let's not worry too much,” said Yuka, in hopes of making her friends happy. “There's something more exciting that Kagome told me on the phone.” Yuka grinned seeing the excitement she had stirred on their faces. “You'll be happy about this one.” She promised, signaling them to come closer. 

The four of them huddled together, listening quietly to what Yuka was about to tell them.

“He did that?!” Eri exclaimed, her smile was so wide that it reached both of her ears.

“He did not!?” Sango was surprised beyond belief. `Kagome went with Inuyasha to HIS apartment?!' She thought disbelievingly.

Ayumi was also shocked with the news she received and said, “Don't tell me they—”

“You will be so happy with this one!” Yuka's eyes widened for a while then it was replaced with sheer joy, her eyes never leaving the entrance door.

“They did?!” Eri squealed in delight at her friend's words.

“No! I mean—”

“They didn't?!” Eri's smile dropped and she looked very disappointed.

Yuka groaned and held her friend's head lightly then turned it towards the direction she was currently looking at. “Look!”

Inuyasha and Kagome had entered the room.

While holding hands.

Great buzzing and gasping—not to mention crying—began the moment they saw the couple.

Kagome hastily snatched her hand away from Inuyasha's, trying to give out a smile to her classmates. “Good morning!” She greeted, striving hard to maintain her smile. Different reactions could be seen on their faces. Most of them were shocked while the others—also known as Yuka, Eri and Ayumi—were more than elated with the sight before them. Kagome saw Miroku sitting on his chair with a look that visibly read as `Now this is interesting…'

They weren't the ones that worried Kagome the most. It was the way Chisa and her friend were looking at her that made her feel anxious. They were seated near the entrance of the classroom so it was impossible for them to miss Inuyasha and Kagome when they went in—his hand holding hers. 

“Nazuna will definitely hear about this. She's really such a bitch.” Kagome heard Chisa say to her friend in a low whisper. That was the time her smile faltered and eventually vanished. She was almost certain that Chisa said it a little louder for her to catch—perhaps to serve as a warning for her.

“What?!” Inuyasha suddenly burst out, staring arrogantly at everyone who was looking at them. “If anyone wants to say a damn thing, go ahead and fucking spit it out!” He challenged, furious eyes looming at the girl near Kagome—the one who had just talked to her friend.

Chisa kept her head low, unable to meet Inuyasha's eyes. Silence filled the room and slowly, others also began to look away from Inuyasha and Kagome.

“Sheesh. Cowards.” He muttered in a scoffing manner, throwing a last scathing look to the girl that was ticking him off, and then turned to Kagome. “Come on.” He told her, walking to his seat.

Before Inuyasha could take another step, Kagome suddenly spoke out in a serious, almost compelling, tone. “Inuyasha, we need to talk.” With that said, she stepped out of the classroom and waited for Inuyasha to follow her.

“What?” Inuyasha asked, facing her with no particular emotion on his face. 

“Why did you do that?” Kagome asked in return, looking into his eyes to search for an answer. “You shouldn't have done something like that!” `Why is he always resorting to violence and rudeness to fix things?' She thought, unable to comprehend Inuyasha's choice of solving matters.

The least Inuyasha had expected to receive from her at that moment was a sermon. Since she was starting a fight again, he didn't want to disappoint her. “What do you expect me to do?!” He questioned, eyes suddenly sparking with annoyance. “Do something stupid and greet them like you did?!” He said with sarcasm.

Kagome didn't want a fight but she also didn't want Inuyasha acting that way to their classmates. It wasn't the right thing to do. “At least that was better than being rude!” She defended with strong resolve. “As the class president I must control the commotions happening inside—”

“Keh! Maybe you think it's better but I don't.” Inuyasha cut her, wanting to hear nothing about her lecture. “That wench was evidently insulting you! And you were doing nothing!” It was a puzzle to him that she was just letting them say anything they wanted about her even though it was offending.

Kagome was taken aback. `Inuyasha was trying to protect me?' Not that he had never protected her before. But this one was different. It wasn't her safety that he was protecting—it was her feelings. “I guess I'm used to it. Being around you so often...” She trailed away, smiling a little at Inuyasha. “It's still not right to be rude to others. I handle insults in a different way, Inuyasha but—”

“Don't worry, next time I won't be helping you out!” He interrupted once again, his eyes averting from Kagome. `Ungrateful wench.' He complained inside his mind.

“But thank you for helping me back there.” Kagome offered him another smile. This time, more sincere and definitely appreciative in quality. She walked past Inuyasha leisurely and went back inside the classroom. 

Inuyasha followed silently, a small but visible smile on the corner of his mouth. He had no more complaints.

 

“I just don't feel like talking to you. So bug off and stop talking to me!” Sango spun her head around and faced the blackboard, looking away from Miroku.

Kagome watched the two silently, getting used to the scene she was seeing. It was always like that when they didn't have a class. Miroku would always try to talk to Sango then eventually ask her on a date. It always ended with a negative response from Sango.

Miroku was quiet for a while, smiling widely at Sango's back. He knew that Sango couldn't resist him. `Three…two…' He mentally counted, his smile not leaving its post. `…one. Now, turn.'

Sango turned around exactly the moment Miroku had thought and said, “Do me a favor and don't follow me.” She stood up and left after that.

Miroku wasn't exactly listening to Sango's words so he followed her, assuming that she had just said, `Do me a favor and go outside with me.'

Kagome sighed lightly when the pair had gone. Her eyes found their way towards Inuyasha, who was seated behind her. His head was leaning on his desk, using his arms as his pillow. “Hey, Inuyasha!” She called his name, trying to wake him up.

Inuyasha didn't give out any sign that he would be waking up any time soon.    

“So Kagome,”

Kagome knew that voice perfectly well. She looked back and saw her three friends smiling at her sweetly. She knew there was no escape now. She would be grilled.

“What's with you and Inuyasha lately?” Eri inquired innocently, sitting on Sango's empty chair and studying Kagome's face with interest.

The miko rolled her eyes inwardly. `Not this again.' She complained in her mind. “How many times do I have to tell you?! There is nothing going on between me and Inuyasha.” She said those words in a weary, `Here-We-Go-Again' tone.

“Sure.” The three replied instantly in a tone that told Kagome that they didn't believe her at all.

“Kagome, we just saw you holding hands with Inuyasha.” Yuka said, reminding her about the previous scene they had witnessed earlier. “Everyone saw that! Don't tell me that was nothing too!” She added, her eyes looking at Kagome skeptically. 

“It was nothing!” Kagome told her friends adamantly. She looked at her back from the corner of her eyes to see if Inuyasha had awakened. He still had his face on his desk. His eyes were hardly seen because his long silvery white mane blocked them. She heaved a sigh of relief in her mind for that little blessing. `Good thing he's still asleep.' She thought thankfully.

“Yeah, right.” Eri commented, rolling her eyes at Kagome. “Why don't you just admit it?”

Ayumi nodded vigorously at Eri's statement then said to convince Kagome some more, “It's not like we will freak out and scream our heads off!”

Kagome paused, not knowing what to say. Actually, she thought they would exactly do just that if she had told them that Inuyasha and she were indeed together. `Well, it's not like I'll be telling them something like that anyway.' She thought at the back of her mind.

“I can't believe he followed me again!” Sango exclaimed, stopping in front of them with her face red with anger.

Everyone's attention switched to Sango at once.

“You mean Miroku?” asked Ayumi, although she was very sure that Sango was talking about him.

“Yeah, that sick stalker!” Sango verified, her eyes blazing with irritation. “He doesn't know when to stop!”

“You like him, don't you?” Yuka suddenly asked, hoping she would catch Sango off guard so she would admit it. She was starting to have a hunch that Miroku and Sango would be together some time soon.

But Sango was always prepared to rebut that certain idea. She looked at Yuka resolutely and said—loud and clear, “No, I don't!”

`Yeah right.' Kagome knew better. She could see it clearly whenever Sango and Miroku fought. `She just doesn't realize it yet.' When she made that comment, she suddenly felt queer. Was she talking about Sango and Miroku or was it...? She stopped her trail of thoughts rapidly. `Impossible.' She reminded herself. 

“Okay…” Eri dragged the word so long that it sounded really sarcastic.

“You don't believe me, do you?” Sango shot back, eyeing her friends one by one. “Never mind, no point in wasting my energy to convince all of you.” She pulled an empty seat and dropped on it. “So what are you talking about?” She needed to turn the spotlight to someone else.

“Kagome still doesn't want to admit that Inuyasha's her boyfriend.” Ayumi told Sango, pouting a little at their friend's tenacity.

Kagome sighed in frustration, still not willing to give in to her friends' constant nagging. “But he's not my boyfriend!” She asserted, slamming her right hand on her desk to emphasize her stand.

“Wow… nice bracelet.” Sango smiled admiringly at the article that adorned Kagome's right wrist. “Haven't seen that before…” She added suggestively, her eyes watching Kagome closely.

“Eh…” Kagome slowly retrieved her hand to hide below her desk but Yuka was too quick for her. 

“Inuyasha gave it to you, didn't he?” Yuka looked at the bracelet Kagome was wearing with sudden interest while she had a firm grip on Kagome's arm so she couldn't pull it away. “It looks expensive enough.” She added with a small smile, studying the jewelry's material.

“Well…” She tried to pull her arm again but Yuka didn't want to comply. “It's nothing special! He only gave it as a friendly gift!” She reverted to defending herself and proving that she had no such relationship with Inuyasha as they so much like to say.

“So Inuyasha did give it to you,” said Yuka contentedly, releasing Kagome's arm at last.

“He obviously likes you,” stated Ayumi with full confidence. “He won't give a friendly gift if he doesn't like you.” She beamed at Kagome and added, “That means you're special to him.” 

“It's not like that!” Kagome insisted once more, lowering her right arm to conceal the bracelet she was wearing. “You never listen to me!” She griped with a frown on her face.

“But with the things Inuyasha is doing,” started Sango, looking at Kagome directly. “… I'm starting to think so too.” She continued, a small smile playing on her lips. “He's not that bad, after all.”

“Sango! Not you too!” Kagome was doomed. Even Sango believed that there was something happening between her and Inuyasha.

“We can't deny the signs he's showing. He seems very interested in you,” said Sango with some level of certainty. Her eyes were suddenly distracted when someone entered the room.

Kagome stopped herself from rolling her eyes. `You don't know the real reason why.' She wanted to say but kept her silence. They would only keep on insisting if she continued to deny it.

“And it's not like we're against him,” said Eri in an encouraging manner. “If you still don't know, we want Inuyasha for you.” She placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder and smiled at her in hopes of encouraging her to finally admit.

“Do you want me to die?” She stared at her friends incredulously. “For your information, Inuyasha's fans club is already hunting me down—and I'm not even his girlfriend!” She took another glance to check on Inuyasha and was comforted by the fact that he was still sleeping. `He must be in a very very very deep sleep,' thought Kagome, pulling her eyes away from Inuyasha's direction.

“Inuyasha's there to protect you, isn't he?” Kagome heard Sango say in a comforting way. “You don't need to worry.”

`He does protect me,' said Kagome in her head. She opened her mouth to tell them that it was different though. Inuyasha wasn't protecting her because he wanted to, it was his duty. He was obligated to protect her. “But you don't un—”

“Love will conquer everything, Kagome.” Ayumi interrupted her all of a sudden. She sounded like she was giving a reassuring statement to comfort a brokenhearted person.  

`Love?!' Kagome repeated the word in her mind, feeling her forehead cringe in confusion. `This has got to stop.' She thought and stood up hurriedly. “I forgot I need to go to the faculty room to talk to Miss Homura.” She left without any further words to her inquisitors.

The three watched Kagome go then sighed in defeat.

“We still haven't got her,” said Yuka dejectedly, slumping her shoulders.

“I know,” said Eri sympathetically. “We're a failure.” She turned her head to look at Inuyasha only to find that he was no longer napping on his desk. She looked around their classroom but didn't find him anywhere. “Hey, where's Inuyasha?” She asked her companions curiously.

“He went after Kagome, didn't you notice?” Sango answered, pointing to the door where Kagome had exited.

“Do you think we should go after them?” Eri asked, looking at Yuka and waiting for her suggestion.

Yuka looked back at Eri with a raised eyebrow. “And spoil their moment together?” She said disapprovingly. “I don't think that's a good idea.”

Everyone nodded in agreement except for Sango. She was busy glaring at Miroku, who was currently flirting with one of their girl classmates.

“That jerk!” Sango muttered under her breath and walked off towards the door quickly, passing by Miroku without a fleeting glare, look or whatsoever. Miroku followed immediately, not letting another second elapse.

“You know, we better start asking Sango soon…” Yuka said to the remaining two as she watched Miroku go after Sango outside the classroom. “I can sense something going on between her and Miroku.”

“Me too.” Eri acceded with a nod.

“Me three!” Ayumi chirped happily. This was going to be more fun. They had two cases to crack now.

 

“So this is the faculty room, huh?”

Kagome looked around her and saw Inuyasha leaning on the wall near the door of the girls' bathroom. “Inuyasha?” She approached him and asked, “What are you do—never mind.” She already knew the answer Inuyasha would be giving her. `It's his task to follow you around in order to protect you.' She reminded herself. “Wait—you weren't asleep then?!” She instantly panicked when she remembered the comment Inuyasha had made about the restroom being the faculty room. `Does that mean he heard everything we were discussing a while ago?!?' Her heart began beating faster as she looked at Inuyasha nervously.

“I was,” said Inuyasha calmly, standing straight and pulling his back away from the wall he had been leaning on, “but I woke up when I heard you leaving.”

`Good.' She breathed normally again, releasing the air she had been holding for some time now. A small smile appeared on her lips as she said, “It's a good thing you didn't go barging inside the girls' restroom again.” She began walking again, not expecting to hear an answer from Inuyasha.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome's back for a second before following her until he was walking beside her.

Kagome's face looked calm but she still had that smile on her lips. The corridor they were taking was completely vacant because the others were still having classes.

“You got mad when I did that.” Inuyasha suddenly spoke, looking straight in front of him and not at Kagome's direction.

Kagome was surprised to hear Inuyasha's sudden words that she looked at him with deeply impressed eyes. “Does that mean you're trying to consider my feelings now?” She asked, feeling like it was too good to be true.

“Maybe.” His answer came shortly, chancing a quick look at Kagome. “Because if I won't, you might cancel our deal about the favor you'll be doing for me.” He added, feeling more comfortable with the second answer he had given.

Kagome's expression of appreciation left her eyes. “You really want me to do you a favor, don't you?” She asked, fixing her peeved eyes on Inuyasha.

“Why not?” He asked, looking back at the miko with curiosity. “I'm doing you a lot of favors.” He pointed out with a smile full of assertion. “Hey! Where are you going?” He suddenly stopped when Kagome turned left instead of right.

Kagome looked over her shoulder but went on walking. “Do you want to go to the canteen with me?” She questioned then added, “I'm kind of hungry.”

“It's not like I have any choice, right? I go wherever you go, remember?” Inuyasha said, walking towards Kagome with one hand in his pocket. “If you like, I'll treat you to some food.” He offered almost kindly.

Kagome stopped walking and stared at Inuyasha guardedly. “If I agree, does that mean I'll owe you another favor?”

“Relax,” said Inuyasha with a reassuring smile. “This one's free.” He patted Kagome on one shoulder then walked past her.

“Good, I won't refuse then.” She smiled cheerfully and went to go after Inuyasha.

x

“Kagome, do you want to hang out with us at McDonald's?” Yuka swung her backpack over her shoulder, standing next to Kagome as she watched Kagome put her school things back inside her own bag. `So we can continue our grilling with you.' She almost spoke the words when she didn't hear Kagome's response.

“Kagome, come on!” Inuyasha called out. He was standing near the door, arms crossed impatiently over his chest.

“All right! No need to shout, you know!” She replied, glaring a little at Inuyasha. She turned to look at her friends, who were all in front of her. “Sorry guys but I have other plans for today. Maybe some other time, okay?” She smiled apologetically at them then turned to go.

“You mean with Inuyasha?”

Kagome stilled in her position. `Please don't let them start again…' She prayed from the bottom of her heart before turning on her heels to face them again. “Well… yeah but—”

“Wench, if you don't hurry we'll be late!” Inuyasha grumbled, narrowing his amber eyes at Kagome's direction.

“Yeah, I'm coming!” She said to Inuyasha but she turned to her friends again to say one more thing. “But it's not a date so stop thinking that it's a date!” She whispered so only the three girls could hear her. “Bye guys!” She gave out a cheerful smile and then she was off.

“You think she's telling the truth?” Eri asked, looking at the three for their comments. Kagome was gone and so was Inuyasha.

The three looked at each other contemplatively for a couple of seconds.

“Nah.” They all chorused, shaking their heads.   

 

Kagura walked along the dark corridor and stopped in front of the farthest door. The light inside the room was open. Her hand clasped the knob and turned it softly.

“Kanna.” She looked at the petite girl across her. She had straight white hair that went past her shoulders and her eyes were misty like in some kind of daze.

“Kagura, what is your business here?” Her voice was monotonous and soft like she was talking in her sleep. She placed her hands in the pockets of her white laboratory gown as she watched Kagura move towards her.

“Naraku will be down here later to check on your work.” Kagura informed her, looking at the big machine that was situated at the center of the room. Most of the machine's size was the large glass globe that was shining like there were a hundred of light bulbs inside it. 

“The energy we have collected is far from enough.” Kanna showed Kagura a clipboard and pointed the numbers at the bottom. “The mikos you are bringing are fewer every passing month. This is taking too much time.” She shook her head disappointedly.

“Blame that to those agents of Solferis!” Kagura griped, biting her lower lip lightly.

“Why is Naraku prohibiting you to attack the target's residence again?” Kanna raised a curious head to look at Kagura.

“Remember the last two incidents we went to snatch the target at their respective houses?” asked Kagura, examining her claws idly as she talked. “A lot of our men were killed during the encounters and the police has been after us ever since. We need to keep a low profile. Naraku doesn't want to create large scenes so we need to work cautiously.”

“I guess Naraku's right.” Kanna watched a faint reflection of herself in front of the machine's glass. She looked like a little girl but in fact, she was older than Kagura. Being both youkais, it was hard to tell their exact ages. “It's already hard dealing with Solferis. We don't need more eyes keeping watch on us.”

“At present, we have seven targets. Three of which are located here in Japan.”

“Who's the first priority on your list?” Kanna couldn't wait to have another miko inside this room. She didn't have much to do unless there was a miko to be drained of her energy.

“The youngest one.” Kagura smiled wickedly, her eyes sparkling with interest and excitement. “The girl living at Higurashi Shrine.”

 

Inuyasha and Kagome arrived at Sougeki's without any difficulty. Inuyasha immediately rented a gun and started shooting.

Kagome stood beside him, watching him play. “Aren't you nervous?” She asked, looking at Inuyasha as he took his aim.

“No.”

“Even a bit?” She tried again.

“No.”

“What if you lose?” It was possible after all.

“That won't happen.” Losing was never included in Inuyasha's vocabulary.

“There's always a possibility.” She reminded him, not liking the fact that he was being too confident. It was dangerous and Inuyasha might act rashly.  

“Keh! I'll demand a rematch.” He pulled the trigger smoothly and was contented to find that he had hit his target head-on.

“What if Nazuna won't agree?”

`Damn wench! Why does she have to ask so many fucking questions?!' Inuyasha frowned, annoyed that she was distracting him—very much. But he answered her anyway. “I'll force her to agree.”

Kagome heaved a sigh in surrender. “So you can't lose?”

“Damn right.” Inuyasha told her, twirling the gun effortlessly on one hand and looking at Kagome with a smirk. His smirk widened when he saw the girls nearing them. One of them was Nazuna.

Kagome didn't have any time to look at her back to see who Inuyasha was smirking at. She just felt herself being pushed aside—roughly, accompanied by a cold voice that said, “You're on my way. Move, bitch!”

Inuyasha quickly outstretched his arm to prevent Kagome from stumbling towards the floor, making Nazuna frown deeply.

“Ouch!” Kagome cried out, once she had regained her balance. “Hey, that hurts!” She spun around to glower at the girl who had jostled her. `I should have known.' She thought, disliking Nazuna even more.

Inuyasha was also looking at Nazuna but he didn't say anything. He didn't remove his eyes from Nazuna then said, “Stay at the back.”

Kagome knew that Inuyasha was talking to her. When she looked into his eyes and saw seriousness, determination and something else, she knew it was better to follow than argue with him. She walked towards one of the empty benches situated at the back. It wasn't that far from the shooting area so she could still see the things happening at the shooting area.

`Inuyasha, do your best.'

 

“Ready to lose?” Inuyasha's smirk returned. He looked at the girls standing behind Nazuna and saw someone familiar among them. It was the girl who insulted Kagome in their classroom—it was Chisa.

“Shall we do this one by one or at the same time?” Nazuna inquired, looking at the shooting gallery. She wondered what game Inuyasha had decided to play. `Whether it's the stationary or moving targets, it won't change anything.' She thought to herself.

“One by one. I want to watch you lose.” He told her, amber eyes fixed intently at her. He was going to make sure he'd win this one.

“All right.” Nazuna smiled softly at him.

“You want to start first?” Inuyasha gave her the gun he had been using.

“How sweet of you.” She took the gun while not taking her eyes off Inuyasha.

“Not really.” Inuyasha looked back at her but without any kindness or warmth. “If I go first you might not get a chance to hold the gun anymore.” He said to her seriously. “Just one round. The one who shoots the greater number of moving targets wins.”

“One round? Aren't you being too confident?” Nazuna ignored the taunts Inuyasha threw at her. `He'd be taking them back later anyway…'

“Just go ahead and shoot the fucking targets!” Inuyasha snapped, tired of talking to her. `Noisy bitch.'

With that, Nazuna pushed the button and began to aim.

 

Kagome was watching the game attentively, her heart beating loudly inside her chest.  

“It's impossible for Inuyasha to win.” Kagome heard someone say from the bench beside hers. It was one of the ITOFC members. “Nazuna memorizes the whole game. She's always playing here.”

`Inuyasha…' The worry Kagome felt doubled after hearing that. But she still believed that Inuyasha could do it. `After all, he is good at guns.' She reassured herself, thinking about the time Hell's Gate had attacked them at Inuyasha's apartment. Inuyasha managed to protect her and that was because he was good at using guns. 

Someone sat beside Kagome but she didn't pay attention. She was engrossed with the play Nazuna had been showing. `I hate to admit it but… she is very good at this.' She thought, noting that Nazuna hadn't missed a single target yet.     

“Who do you think will win?”

Kagome turned her head to her left and saw a tall boy with dark brown hair, sitting beside her. She noticed that he was wearing the same uniform as Inuyasha's. “Um… do I know you?” She cringed her forehead in confusion. Maybe he had mistaken her for someone else?

The boy flashed him a friendly smile then said, “I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Youichi Houjou from Section B.” He extended a hand for Kagome to shake.

“I'm Kagome.” She took his hand with a smile on her own lips, shaking it for a while before letting go. “Kagome Higurashi.”

“Higurashi? You live at Higurashi Shrine then?” Houjou asked, showing her the charm he had bought there. “I visited the shrine yesterday afternoon.”

“Yes, I live there.” She answered him, looking back at the game. She hadn't noticed if Nazuna had missed any of the targets. She had lost her concentration in the game. She resorted to looking at the score on top of the stall. Kagome's heart skipped a beat when she saw the score. Nazuna still hadn't missed a single one.

“Nazuna's pretty good. Tsuzuki will have a hard time with her.” Houjou told Kagome, seeing that she was still paying attention to the game.

“No,” said Kagome determinedly. “I know Inuyasha will win.” She fastened her hands together and started a silent prayer. `Please let Inuyasha win…'

“Youichi?! Why are you talking to the enemy?!” One of the ITOFC members exclaimed, glaring at Kagome as she spoke.

“The enemy?” Houjou repeated, raising an eyebrow. “You mean Higurashi?” He looked at Kagome then smiled. “She's not an enemy. She's our schoolmate.”  

“Houjou, I think it's better if you just stay away from me.” Kagome said in a hushed voice, smiling a little at Houjou. “They'll think you're fraternizing with the enemy.” She made a hand gesture of quotation marks when she said the words `the enemy'.

Houjou smiled back. “Those girls are being too mean.” He said, looking at them with dislike in his eyes. He stood up and pointed to his watch. “I have to go. I need to do some errands.” He said regretfully. “I guess I'll just see you around the school! Bye for now!” He waved his hand then went on his way.

Kagome waved back, smiling at him as she watched him go. She glanced at the ITOFC girls seated on the bench next to hers and sighed when she found out that they weren't looking at her anymore. And for good reason…

It was Inuyasha's turn.

 

Inuyasha's attention was diverted when he saw someone sit beside Kagome from the corner of his eyes. He was bothered even more because it was a boy. `What the hell does this one want?!' He thought, looking guardedly at the pair. He placed his hand inside his pocket and wrapped his hand around his gun—the real one.

He guarded every movement the boy did, making sure that he wasn't touching Kagome very much. He nearly drew his gun when he saw the boy raise his hand in front of Kagome, thinking that he was about to attack her. He relaxed a little when he saw that he only meant to shake her hand.

Not until the boy had left did Inuyasha take his eyes off the two of them.

“Inuyasha?”

“Huh?” Inuyasha looked at Nazuna inattentively, still making certain that the boy had gone by now.

“I'm done.” Nazuna declared to him with a smug smile, moving aside to let him stand on the place she had been standing on.

“Good then.” Inuyasha snatched the gun from her hand and stepped on the place she had vacated from. He looked at the score but didn't look intimidated. “Fifty-nine out of sixty targets. That's nice.” He drawled, not even bothering to try to sound complimentary.

“You can't win against me.” Nazuna said for sure.

“I already won,” said Inuyasha with the same level of certainty. “By the way, I want to add a few conditions to our deal. I'll just discuss them after I hit all of the targets, okay?” He didn't wait for Nazuna's answer. Instead, he pushed the button and started shooting.

`Fucking easy.' Inuyasha thought and pulled the trigger to shoot his first target.

 

“And that makes it official.” Inuyasha dropped the gun on the table and beamed arrogantly at Nazuna. He looked once more at the score he got and then back to Nazuna's angry face.

“Inuyasha, you won!” Kagome rushed towards Inuyasha and smiled happily at him. “Congratulations!” She said, her smile not wearing off.

Inuyasha turned his head to Kagome and gave her a look that read, `I told you I'll win.'

“Give me all of your conditions then,” said Nazuna with her hands clenched at her sides. “Aside from the ITOFC's abolition including all of its activities, what do you want?” She looked at Kagome and glared at her intensely, wanting to blame her so much for all of this.

The ITOFC girls now stood behind Nazuna and they were all crying at the defeat their leader had gotten.

Inuyasha ignored all of them. “I also said that I wanted you to stay away from her,” said Inuyasha, looking at Kagome's direction, “and I want you to return her position as the archery club's president.”

“Done,” said Nazuna briefly, looking down on the floor and clenching her fists tighter. “Is that all?”

“Also…” Inuyasha looked at Nazuna and enjoyed the way she had lost. `That's what you get for pissing me off.' He scoffed at her in his head. “I want you to apologize to her…” He said, not looking at Kagome as he continued, “… for what you did to her earlier.”

Kagome looked at Inuyasha in shock. Inuyasha had just asked Nazuna to apologize to her…?

Nazuna quickly lifted her head to show her eyes burning with fury. “Why?” She asked Inuyasha earnestly. “Why do you care so much about her?!”

Kagome held Inuyasha's sleeve to call his attention. “Inuyasha, you don't need to—”

“Keh! It's my conditions. You have no choice but to obey them!” Inuyasha said commandingly, ignoring Kagome's tugging on his sleeve.

“It's true then?” Nazuna asked, looking at Inuyasha then at Kagome. “That bitch is your girlfriend?!” All of the ITOFC stopped crying all at once at the said question. They were waiting for this very moment ever since they laid eyes on Inuyasha and Kagome.

Inuyasha smiled all of a sudden, taking Kagome's hand that was on his sleeve. He pulled her towards him so Kagome was facing him. “Yes,” said Inuyasha loud and clear, looking down at Kagome's brown eyes. “This girl is my girlfriend.”

Kagome's eyes widened in horror and absolute surprise. Inuyasha's words left her in such a deep shock that she didn't even manage to gasp or open her mouth.

But her eyes told Inuyasha more than enough.

She was startled and she wanted to shout at him—but couldn't.

`It's a good thing she can't.' Inuyasha thought gratefully.

 

 

 

 

      

 

A/N: Hehe… I'm a little biased. I call Houjou by his last name. Well, you can't stop me. I hate the guy. Anyway, I'm back with an evil cliffie! Please do leave me a review. That's the only thing that keeps me from having a writer's block.