A/N: No, I am still not dead. Yes, I have updated. No, I am not quitting on this story. Yes, I know I took so damn long (make that so freaking damn irritating long). No, this isn't a Kouga/Kagome fic. Sorry, but I only pair Kagome with Inuyasha in my fanfics. Yes, Sango is having a bigger role and isn't that great? No, I am not telling when Kagome and Inuyasha are getting together. I have a lot of nasty twists yet to come so until then… you can never tell when they're getting together (or if they are even going to get together in the end. Who knows, I might just kill one of them! XD). Yes, I enjoyed your reviews! Thanks for sending a lot and I hope you won't get tired to send me some more! To those who sent a couple to remind me that I'm taking so freaking long to update, forgive me. I do want to update but everything else is against me. Your reviews though are much appreciated.

x

Disclaimer: Do I look like Rumiko Takashi or something? Of course not.

x

x

x

x

x

Chapter 13

Insecurity

x

x

x

x

x

"Kagome Higurashi is being protected by a hanyou sent by Solferis." A smooth male voice coming from the speaker of the phone spoke with certainty. "Solferis has made the same arrangements so that their agent will be living together with the miko and her residence is definitely kept secured twenty-four seven."

"A hanyou, you say?" Naraku said with a slight sneer, his evil aura surrounding the whole room as it intensified together with his temper. "It took only a stinking mutt hanyou to foil our plans?.!.?" His eyes wandered away from the speaker phone and towards the red-eyed woman standing before him. "Kagura, would you mind explaining this to me?" Naraku said with serious solid eyes from behind his desk, looking disapprovingly at his female youkai underling. "The miko is just sixteen and you weren't able to catch her? What kind of idiots are working for you?.!"

"Naraku, we did get her but the miko's powerful! My men said that she has erected a barrier while she's unconscious." Kagura tried to reason out, feeling her superior's fury radiating further.

"You already got her in your grasp and you let her escape!" Naraku's eyes were narrowed like slits, his red orbs glowing darkly. "Kagura, I give you one more chance to catch that miko. Use it well because your life is at stake." He turned his chair around, his back towards Kagura. "Go now. I'm busy and I don't want to be disturbed."

Kagura quickly left without another word. She knew Naraku was serious with his words.

"Solferis has been thwarting your plans way too long," said the voice from the speaker, apparently listening to the conversation between Naraku and Kagura. "Don't you think it's time to do something about them?"

"Hm…" Naraku closed his eyes and thought for a while. "You know very well that I don't want people telling me what to do." He said warningly.

"I forgot." He replied easily and rather cheerfully. "By the way, mom is asking if you're going home for dinner. She said you need to go home more often because she's missing you already. I think I better go! I still have lots of homework to do."

"A little advice, try not to overdo the good boy act so much, little brother. It's disgusting." Naraku didn't hide the annoyance in his voice as he spoke.

The younger boy on the phone laughed then answered, "It's a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. People are so easy to fool… Stupid trusting humans…"

Naraku smirked at his brother's comment. "Tell mother I'll be home in a bit." He still needed to do something. 'White roses will be perfect.' He thought with a dark smile on his face.

x

"You mean Sango's also an agent of Solferis now and she's going to be in the mission too?.!" Kagome said that all in one breath, smiling so brightly to show her obvious delight at the good news she heard. She held Sango's hand cheerfully and gave it a tight squeeze. "It sure surprised me but I'm not complaining!"

"No complaints here either!" Sango beamed at Kagome then added, "I never really thought of you as a miko! Sure you live in a shrine but to actually be a miko! Wow!" She looked at Kagome in astonishment, her brown eyes wide with happiness.

"Yeah, I know." Kagome couldn't stop herself from grinning. That was the first news about the whole protection arrangement that she actually liked immediately after hearing it. "I also can't believe it at first." She chanced a glance at Inuyasha and was only annoyed to find him rolling his eyes at them. 'Jerk.' She quickly averted her eyes from him and ignored him.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the current conversation once again. 'Women… Why do they get easily excited on trivial stuff?.!' He thought as he was left with no choice but witness Kagome and Sango gush over the said wonderful news. Somehow, even with the happy mood of the two girls, Inuyasha wasn't affected and was left feeling rather pissed off.

"Anyway, I'm glad that I'm going to be spending my first mission around you!" Sango told Kagome, her excitement didn't seem to decrease even a bit.

And it was ticking Inuyasha more and more. "Just so we make it clear, your first mission is as an assistant, okay?" Inuyasha snapped all of a sudden, feeling that he was being ignored in their supposed to be meeting. "Don't even think for one second that you're in command because I'm still the head of this team. Got that?" He didn't know why but he wasn't exactly thrilled by Sango's addition in their mission—unlike Kagome.

"Yes Inuyasha, I know." Sango replied evenly, her eyes were glaring though.

Kagome ceased ignoring the hanyou and turned to look at him. "You're so rude! You could at least welcome Sango since she's new in the mission!" She scolded, giving Inuyasha a disapproving look. 'Why is he always a jerk?.?.?'

He cursed inwardly. 'She never fails to notice me when I do something bad, doesn't she?' He crossed his arms in front of him, grumbling crossly, "Again, I'm the bad guy!"

"Well, you are acting like one!" replied Kagome, pointing out the obvious to Inuyasha.

Of course, Inuyasha still wouldn't admit defeat. "You always see me as the bad guy!" He continued to argue, not minding Sango and Miroku on the background—plus a few students walking by that stared at them.

"I told you because you are acting so!" Kagome also didn't seem to mind that they were causing a commotion. She was too caught up with her determination to win against Inuyasha in their contest of wills.

Inuyasha too was feeling the same. "No, I don't!" He quickly contested, not letting more than a second of silence pass between them. 'Wench might think she won…'

"Yes, you do!"

"No, I don't!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"YES!"

"I SAID NO, WENCH!"

Why was it that they seemed to have this Yes-No game rather too often nowadays?

Kagome sighed in resignation. "I'm not going to waste my energy to play this Yes-No game of yours." She told Inuyasha resolutely, turning her back to him. "But you are so acting like a mean jerk!" She added as a conclusion so Inuyasha would know that she was still not letting him win.

"No, I am not!"

"Yes, you are!"

Inuyasha smirked arrogantly. "I thought you weren't playing?" 'Hah, take that bitch!'

Kagome flushed but she quickly recovered and hit Inuyasha's shoulder—hard. "Argh, shut up jerk!" She said in frustration, glowering at Inuyasha's smug face. 'Oh please! Don't let him say anything! Please! Please! Please!' She prayed silently in her head.

Silence.

Kagome couldn't believe it. Inuyasha actually shut up!

But not for long.

As if reading what was on Kagome's mind, Inuyasha's smirk widened victoriously. "I win!" He announced loudly, making sure that Kagome was looking at him as he spoke his words.

Kagome pulled at her hair in utter despair. 'How dare he!' She gritted her teeth hard and growled out, "No, you don't!"

Inuyasha's ears perked up at Kagome's reply. She was obviously playing another Yes-No game with him—yes, it was officially called Yes-No game from now on. 'It's amazing how easily you can manipulate her when she's angry…' He thought in amusement. His smirk was permanently stuck on his lips as he slowly formed one word that would continue their little fun game—well, it was fun in Inuyasha's opinion… "Yes."

The young miko-in-training's eyes were dripping with pure irritation, her left eyebrow was twitching sporadically. "No." She muttered threateningly, daring Inuyasha to say another 'yes'.

"See? I win again!" He renewed his smirk and even risked to pat Kagome's head lightly. "Inuyasha, two. Kagome, zero." He enjoyed the way little balls of fire lit on Kagome's eyes.

"You're pathetic." She slanted her eyes at him in pure annoyance, giving him a 'Take-Your-Dirty-Hand-Off-Me' look. She made a mental note to herself that she would not—definitely NOT—play Inuyasha's Yes-No game ever again.

"Aw… Don't be such a bitter loser…" He offered her a lopsided grin in an effort to comfort her.

But to Kagome it looked pretty much like he was teasing her again—who knew, maybe he was teasing her. "I'm not being bitter!" She hurriedly answered back.

'Great! Another round!' Inuyasha quickly grabbed the chance and cooed slowly, "Yes, you are." His golden yellow eyes looked expectantly at her. He could almost see another point being added under his name.

"I said I'm—" She quickly caught herself, glaring even more at Inuyasha. Why was it that he always got what he wanted from her?.! "Never mind. I'm not giving you another win, you loser!" She said dismissively, turning on her heels and leaving everyone else behind. 'He's so childish!'

"Hey! That's unfair! You can't just walk out of a game without finishing it!" Inuyasha was immediately behind her, trying to get her to play with him again. It was childish, yes, but he never grew tired of playing with her. Perhaps, because he enjoyed her reaction every time… If he was to list his likes in a slam book, playing games with Kagome—also known as teasing Kagome—would be one of them. If he was to list his hobbies, pestering Kagome would be one of them.

Unnoticed by Inuyasha, Kagome was slowly becoming part of his life—whether he liked it or not.

Sango and Miroku were left behind, contemplating silently to themselves what had just taken place before them.

"So… Does that end our so-called meeting?" Sango asked Miroku to break the silence between them. 'They act so childish… What a peculiar way to show their affection to each other…' She thought as she watched Inuyasha follow Kagome to their classroom.

"They're always like that. You better get used to them." Miroku told her, smiling knowingly. 'I think Inuyasha and Kagome are starting to like each other—though they show it in a weird way.'

Sango sighed. "Yeah… It's not like I have any other choice anyway." She shrugged then went to follow Kagome and Inuyasha but Miroku's hand caught her hand, stopping her immediately. She turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Inuyasha was just threatened of having you in the mission. I hope you weren't that upset by his behavior." Miroku said apologetically, feeling that it was his duty to explain Inuyasha's actions to Sango.

"Threatened?" Sango repeated unsurely.

"He thought you were going to replace him," replied Miroku with a small smile. Even though Inuyasha wouldn't tell him, Miroku could tell what Inuyasha was feeling. Being around Inuyasha so long, it wasn't hard to recognize his emotion—especially if he wasn't making any effort to hide them.

"I'm his assistant not his substitute." Sango cleared, although she somehow understood Inuyasha's reason. "Didn't Kikyou make that clear to him?" She asked Miroku curiously. "Plus, do you mind letting go of my hand now?" She plucked Miroku's hand from her own, looking at him with narrowed eyes.

'Damn, she noticed.' Miroku grinned sheepishly then cleared his throat to resume their serious talk. "Kikyou did but Inuyasha is still threatened. Probably because Kagome's so happy with the arrangement."

Sango rolled her eyes at Miroku's words. "I'm her friend! Of course she's happy!" She understood Inuyasha's reason all right but she had to admit that it was also pretty irrational. 'Love is irrational at times I guess…' She thought to herself.

"Well…" Miroku paused a little before continuing. "Inuyasha's a little possessive of his mission..." 'And Kagome.' He wanted so much to add.

"More like he's possessive of Kagome…" She added more to herself than to Miroku.

But still, Miroku heard her. 'You hit the nail right on the spot!' He wanted to say but instead it came out as,"That's also possible."

"Possible? It's expected. Since he's her boyfriend after all…" Her words trailed off when she saw Miroku's expression clearly saying, 'They're not really together though...' Everything suddenly fell into their places. Inuyasha being so interested in Kagome. Inuyasha being Kagome's protector. Inuyasha following Kagome around. Inuyasha being part of Solferis. Kagome being a miko.

Sango opened her mouth slowly and managed to say, "You mean Inuyasha and Kagome are not truly…?"

x

"Yes, Inuyasha's not really my boyfriend. It's just an act that we use as an excuse for him always tailing me." Kagome sighed her answer as she dried her hands then combed her hair in front of the mirror.

"You agreed to do that?.!" Sango exclaimed in pure shock, looking at her friend in disbelief. She knew Kagome and she never thought that she would agree to something like that—unless the situation was really serious like the one she was having. 'Okay… so it might be a good thing that Kagome had agreed…' She admitted to herself.

Kagome smiled awkwardly. "Well sort of… Inuyasha blackmailed me a bit but yes, I agreed nonetheless." She confessed, feeling a little relieved that she could tell the truth to at least one of her friends.

"So it's all pretend?" She heard Sango ask to follow up the flow of their conversation. The miko didn't know if she guessed right but was that disappointment in her voice? What would she be disappointed about?

Thinking that it was just her imagination, Kagome brushed the thought aside and answered cheerfully, "Yup! All pretend!"

Sango's eyebrows knotted worriedly. "Are you sure this is all right though?" She questioned Kagome carefully, watching the door of the girls' bathroom warily in case anyone entered to overhear their conversation.

Honestly, Kagome didn't like the whole deal that they had to pretend but she had to admit that their act also had its advantages. "It's easier." She told Sango as she continued to brush her stubborn wavy hair some more. "We don't have people questioning us becoming so close to each other." But sometimes, she wished that this act would stop soon before something occurred—something she really didn't want to happen.

"But how about you? What if you suddenly like him—for real?"

Sango's question left Kagome silent for a while, not finding any answer to give to her friend. 'Me? Like Inuyasha?' She said the words in her head and weighed her chances. Before she could complete her calculations, a loud rapping on the door caught both girls' attentions.

"Oi bitch!" Inuyasha called out, giving the door another loud knock. "What the hell's taking you so long in there?.! If you don't mind, I want to get moving before the next century comes!" Was it just him or Kagome was really doing everything he hated dearly that day? 'Wench is getting on my nerves pretty much…' He frowned as he threw a glare at the nosy younger schoolgirls that were watching him as they passed by. "What the fuck are you all looking at?.!" He barked at them, making them walk away faster. 'Annoying pests…'

Kagome mentally groaned, sending a couple of glares towards the door. "All right! Coming out already!" She shouted back, growling a little. 'Why does he always have to forget my name?.!' She looked at Sango, still feeling annoyed, with a 'What-Were-You-Saying-Again?' look on her face. "Me like that bastard?" She asked, looking at her friend with pure disbelief. "I must be crazy before that happens."

Sango shrugged and simply muttered, "Just asking." The truth was she actually thought Inuyasha and Kagome did like each other. 'Without the insults of course.' She added to herself as she and Kagome walked towards the exit to finally calm the fuming hanyou standing outside.

'I like… Inuyasha?' The miko-in-training gave it another thought as she opened the door of the restroom to be face to face with irked molten gold eyes.

"What is it with women and their love for taking so long inside the restroom?.!" Inuyasha greeted, quickly turning around and walking ahead of them. "Stop dragging your asses and hurry up!" He called over his shoulder.

Kagome scowled. 'No, I'm definitely not crazy.' She thought as she walked faster to catch up with Inuyasha, Sango following closely behind."You know Inuyasha, I still don't see the point why you insist on coming with me when Sango's already with me." She told Inuyasha when she finally caught up with him.

"It's my decision, deal with it." Inuyasha snapped back without looking at her.

"Isn't it good though? You'll be able to rest a little and you won't have to follow me around." Kagome offered, thinking that Inuyasha should be happy with the arrangement not cranky about it. She didn't quite understand why Inuyasha was so ill-tempered that Sango was joining the mission. 'That means less work for him, doesn't it?'

Inuyasha threw Kagome a slanted look and said with suspicion in his voice, "Is this some kind of ploy to get me to leave you alone?" 'Hah! Too bad but she won't get away from me that easily!'

'Sort of.' She nearly said but instead the words that came out were,"Well, you obviously don't want to wait that long when I go to the bathroom so I thought I'd just save you the trouble." She gave Inuyasha another sharp look to tell him that he was such an ungrateful jerk. 'I am doing him a favor here, can't he see that?.!'

'That's not a bad idea…' He began to consider the idea but he kept his face unconcerned, scowling a little to add a little more effect. "Keh!"

"That means 'thank you' in Inuyasha's own little way." Kagome translated to Sango, who just watched silently as the two talked.

Sango had finally come up with a conclusion. Inuyasha and Kagome did have chemistry. 'No wonder Yuka and the others loyally supported their nonexistent relationship and they were able to convince the whole school that they were together.'

Beyond their quarrels, they did care for each other.

Or they were just very very good pretenders.

x

The teachers' meeting still wasn't done. The students were left either to do some special class activity or play around while their teachers discussed some matters.

Inuyasha was downright bored as he rested his chin on his palm and sulked, looking out the window. His English essay that they were supposed to finish before the hour ended still remained half-done. Why did they have to write about their favorite historical place of all the places? 'Why not favorite place which is not necessarily historical?' He really hated words that had something to do with history.

He continued to curse their English instructor when all of a sudden he saw Kagome's chair move and Kagome stand up. "Hey, where do you think you're going?.!" He instantly inquired, frowning at her when his eyes noticed that she was holding Sango's hand. In an instant, this caused Inuyasha's eyebrows to become knotted.

"The restroom. I'm bringing Sango with me." was Kagome's simple reply.

She was about to turn around when Inuyasha protested violently, "Again?.!"

Kagome's eyes rolled in their sockets as she stared at Inuyasha squarely. "It's been two hours now and my bladder's full again. I want to go to the restroom." She said calmly and nicely then walked away, ignoring Inuyasha's growls.

"Oi, don't take too long this time!" He called hurriedly before she disappeared behind the door.

"Sheesh, don't worry! I'll be back before you start missing me, okay?" She waved at Inuyasha before closing the door behind her, smiling to herself as she and Sango went on their way.

A few cat calls and cheers from the male population of the class were given to Inuyasha the moment Kagome left. Yuka, Eri and Ayumi were exchanging high fives and were definitely happy with the recent conversation between Inuyasha and Kagome.

"Whatever." Inuyasha gave them all a deadpan look before returning to his sulking.

"Relax, Inuyasha. She's not going to disappear," said Miroku comfortingly, smiling at his friend casually.

"I'm not even tense!" Inuyasha defended as he sneaked a look at the door to see if Kagome had come back. 'I bet she's just using the bathroom excuse so she can leave the classroom without me!' That thought made him more annoyed than before for some unknown reason.

Miroku saw him and gave him a small smirk. "Riiiiiight."

"Keh!" He looked away from Miroku, absentmindedly drumming his claws on his desk. "I just don't think Sango's right for this job." He said in a low voice, although no one was paying much attention to them by now. All students were either goofing around or seriously writing their essays—or pretending to be seriously writing their essays but were actually goofing around too.

"I've read her file, Inuyasha. Her skills are excellent!" Miroku still believed that the reason why Inuyasha didn't like Sango was because he was jealous of the girl. Kagome practically jumped in joy when she heard that Sango was joining them. She didn't do the same thing when she heard that Inuyasha was going to stay in her house.

Inuyasha frowned some more. "You're just saying that because you plan to hit on her." So much for supportive friends... He knew he could never count on Miroku to back him up on this one. Was he the only one who thought Sango was a bad idea?

Obviously, he was the only one grouchy so…

"And you're just saying she's not right for the job because you're possessive." Miroku commented frankly, still eyeing Inuyasha with those teasing eyes of his.

"I am not!" Inuyasha automatically retorted, acting defensive.

"Yes, you are." Miroku couldn't help but grin at this all too familiar scene.

"I am—" Inuyasha caught himself right on time and glowered at the older agent. "Not playing this game with a stupid, boring, lecherous asshole like you."

Miroku grinned wider at Inuyasha's reply. "So it's exclusive between you and Kagome?"

"You're just not worthy to be my opponent." The hanyou replied listlessly, looking very uninterested to continue their conversation. He turned away from Miroku and rested his arms on his desk, his head resting on his arms while he returned his gaze to the window.

"Choosy and possessive."

The silver-haired hanyou groaned in frustration. Why was Miroku with him in this mission? "Leave me alone." He muttered dismissively, still listening carefully for the sound of the classroom door sliding open. 'She's always taking so long…' He complained inwardly, wondering how many minutes went by since Kagome had left.

Actually, it was just four minutes but to Inuyasha it felt much longer—much, much longer.

And it was unnerving—more unnerving than having him wait outside the girls' restroom. He was beginning to think it was a bad idea after all. 'Damn it, why am I so restless?.!' He thought as he stared in irritation at the blue sky outside.

x

"Finally, lunch!" Kagome chirped cheerfully as the three of them made their way to the school cafeteria.

They were supposed to be four but Miroku said he had something to do in the library first. Inuyasha guessed he had something to do in the library with the librarian.

Unfortunately, the canteen was also crammed so they couldn't get any seats there. A lot of students were eating outside and it looked like they had no other option but to do the same.

Inuyasha sat unceremoniously on the grass and frowned. Today was not a very good day and he was in a bad mood. The whole morning Kagome had been dragging Sango everywhere and leaving him behind. It was annoying—very very annoying.

"Inuyasha, I have to go and get something. Don't worry, I'll bring Sango with me. You don't need to come anymore, okay?"

"Hey Inuyasha, I got to go check out what Miss Homura wants. I'll just bring Sango, okay?"

"Inuyasha, I got to help clean the Home Economics room. You can go ahead. Sango will stay behind, okay?"

It was not okay. Inuyasha was completely pissed off. All of a sudden, Kagome's mouth always spoke Sango's name and it was not making Inuyasha feel happy at all. He reached out for his packed lunch when all of a sudden Kagome gasped.

"Oh no! I forgot to bring water!" She quickly stood up and got Sango's hand. "I'll just go buy some drinks for us, okay?" She started leaving, bringing Sango with her.

And leaving Inuyasha alone with the food.

Inuyasha emitted a low growl in his throat. "Hey wench! If you think I'm go—"

"I know! I won't get the lemon flavored one for you!" Kagome shouted back and continued walking.

"Bitch." He growled, sighing in annoyance as he watched Kagome and Sango leave. 'It's not even a day yet since Sango joined the mission but apparently she has done a lot of stuff already. It's obvious that Kagome prefers her over me. I won't be surprised if she'll take Sango home with us later.' He thought, opening the lunch Kagome's mother had packed for him. 'Who knows, maybe I will be out of this mission before this day ends.' He shrugged and started to eat his food.

Surprisingly, he wasn't feeling tingles of excitement at that thought.

x

"Here!"

Inuyasha took the drink from Kagome wordlessly and resumed his eating. Kagome sat down across him and picked up her own food. "Hey Sango, where's Yuka, Eri and Ayumi? Aren't they eating lunch?" Usually, those three ate with them but today they disappeared when the lunch bell rung.

Sango also seemed puzzled that the three were nowhere to be seen. "I'm not sure where—oh there they are!" She pointed to the three girls that were walking towards them and was shocked when they suddenly took hold of her. "Hey!" She protested as they tried to pull her to her feet.

"We have an emergency!" Yuka said seriously as she hurriedly took Sango's stuff.

"What emergency?.!" Kagome asked, looking panicked and worried at the same time.

Eri and Ayumi looked at Kagome for a second then to Inuyasha.

"Excuse us for a bit!" Eri said to Inuyasha as she grabbed Kagome's hand and the five girls huddled together a few feet away from Inuyasha.

"We're taking Sango with us." Yuka said with determination to Kagome.

"What?.! Why?.!" Kagome knotted her eyebrows in confusion. She thought there was an emergency and all they were doing was talking here?

"Can't you tell that Inuyasha's sulking?.!" Ayumi pointed an accusing finger at Kagome and frowned at her. She couldn't believe that Kagome would do something that would endanger her relationship with Inuyasha. "Kagome, he's upset about something."

Kagome was even more confused. "He's always sulking. I'm already used to it." She told her friends while still trying to figure out what had brought up all of these. "He'll be fine later, you'll see." She added when they still looked unconvinced.

"He's jealous." It was Sango who spoke this time.

"Huh?" Kagome couldn't help but gape this time. "Sango!" She looked at her with disbelieving eyes. 'Not you too!' She protested in her head. 'Why is everyone thinking that Inuyasha and I are really together?.!.? Are we really that convincing?.!'

Eri nodded, showing her agreement with Sango. "You tend to spend more time with Sango today and that's upsetting Inuyasha." She said with certainty.

"It's not like I'm abandoning him!" Kagome tried to defend herself. Why were her friends doing this to her? They were supposed to believe her, not Inuyasha!

"He feels left out, I think." Yuka looked at Kagome disapprovingly. "Kagome, you better apologize to him."

"Since when did you become Inuyasha's interpreter?" Kagome was finding their conversation more and more absurd. First of all, Inuyasha didn't look upset to her. He was just in a bad mood but that didn't mean it had something to do with her, right? 'Also, Inuyasha and I don't have that kind of relationship anyway! Why are they so concerned about us?.!'

"We're just saying you better talk to him before he gets really gloomy." Ayumi looked pretty worried, seeing that Kagome didn't seem bothered about Inuyasha's current behavior.

"You know, you're just exaggerating. Inuyasha's fine! See? He's eating his food!" Kagome looked at Inuyasha and was contented to see that he was indeed eating his food. He seemed unbothered and didn't look even a bit concerned about their conversation.

"Since when did eating food become the basis of a person's wellness?" Sango asked Kagome.

"Sick people don't eat their food, you know!" Why couldn't they just drop the topic and leave her alone? Sometimes, her friends were too concerned about her that it was getting really ridiculous.

"Whatever." Yuka waved her hand dismissingly and smiled sweetly at Kagome. "Just go and talk to Inuyasha, Sango's staying with us." She placed her hands on Kagome's shoulders and gave her a slight push. "Go on."

"You're evil." Kagome commented, narrowing her eyes at her friends.

"We're helping you save your relationship." Eri said solemnly.

"Wow, thanks." She replied dryly and grudgingly walked back to where Inuyasha was sitting. Maybe she should talk to Inuyasha and ask him.

Inuyasha didn't lift his head when Kagome came back. "What happened to Sango?" He asked casually, not looking at Kagome while he asked his question.

"Emergency girl talk."

"You're not going with them?"

"Not necessary."

Inuyasha shrugged. Whatever it was that they were talking about definitely didn't concern him. All he was concerned about was doing his job. That was all. But Kagome didn't seem to want Inuyasha doing the job anymore…

"So… isn't it great that Sango's in the mission?" Kagome started, breaking the silence between them. 'I'm going to prove them that Inuyasha's just fine! They'll see!'

"Yeah." He answered languidly. "Very." He even added. Astonishingly, he managed to say that without any sarcasm. 'Not great.' He thought as he looked at Kagome closely, wondering what was going on inside her head. 'What is she up to?'

'Okay… that didn't go quite well.' She thought, getting nothing from Inuyasha's answer. She took a deep breath and then asked out of the blue, "You're not depressed, are you?"

"Depressed? Why will I be depressed?" Inuyasha asked, looking shocked with Kagome's question. 'Damn it! If Miroku is behind this, I swear I'm going to kill him!' He thought as he continued to feign surprise.

Kagome studied Inuyasha for a while and sighed. So she was correct. Nothing was bothering Inuyasha. "It's silly actually," said Kagome softly while blushing slightly. "Yuka, Eri and Ayumi are thinking you're upset because I spend more time with Sango today. They said you're being left out but of course I know that that isn't true! They're just making a big fuss because they really think you're my boyfriend." She laughed a little and added, "I guess we really are good at acting."

"Your friends are so concerned, aren't they?" He commented sardonically, sulking some more. 'Nosy bitches. Depressed, my ass!' He mentally told himself that he was not miserable—even a bit! He was just not happy. But not depressed.

Definitely not depressed.

"I don't know why they think you're upset about Sango." Kagome really didn't understand why her friends would say that. She closed her lunch box and returned it inside her bag. "In fact, you should be happy now, right? You need not to worry about me that much so you get to rest more."

Inuyasha leaned back, resting on the soft green grass. He pillowed his head against his arms and looked at the sky. "Yeah, it's good that I get to have some break away from you. Instead of tailing you, at least I can rest more now." He replied indifferently. But at the back of his mind, he was thinking, 'That is if I get to rest. How can I rest when I don't know where the heck you're always running to!.?'

Kagome smiled a little at Inuyasha but it quickly vanished. 'See? Nothing to worry about. Inuyasha's fine with it. Why wouldn't he be? He prefers not to follow me around so I bet he's so happy about it!' She could feel a bit of disappointment starting to grow in her heart at Inuyasha's words. 'But why do I feel unhappy with his reaction…?' She gazed at Inuyasha silently, his silvery white hair perfectly contrasting the green grass he was lying on.

"You're starting to drool." Inuyasha said coolly, smirking a little as he caught Kagome's eyes staring at him.

"What?.! I'm not drooling!" Kagome disagreed violently, feeling her cheeks heat up a little. "You're always so conceited." She scowled at him.

"That's because I have a reason to be." He answered back, smirking even more at Kagome's scowl. "Kagome Higurashi was ogling me." He lay on his side and propped one arm to support his head, his wild amber eyes looking teasingly at her.

Kagome blushed even harder. It wasn't helping that she was guilty of looking at Inuyasha and she was caught in the act too. "I wasn't ogling you! I was just looking at you!" She tried to defend herself but to no avail.

"See? You even admitted it! I'm flattered." Inuyasha grinned boyishly, taking notice of Kagome's current flushed face.

Kagome groaned in frustration, wanting to make things clear with Inuyasha. She couldn't let him think that she was really ogling him. 'His ego doesn't need any more boost.' She thought as she emphasized each word she spoke. "I said I was just looking at you."

The dog hanyou shrugged then smiled smugly at Kagome. "Who knows what you were thinking while you were eyeing me…" He looked directly into Kagome's eyes and ever so slowly, a suggestive mischievous smile made its way on his lips.

"Definitely not what you're thinking right now!" Kagome hurriedly countered, glaring at Inuyasha.

"I bet you were thinking just that." He smirked once again, watching Kagome's brown eyes dance with irritation, then went back to lie on his back again. "I don't mind actually." He looked at Kagome from the corner of his eyes, his smirk widening even more.

She was blushing again.

"Dream on, Inuyasha." She threw back at him, hating herself for blushing deeply. 'I bet he's enjoying this a lot!' She thought, wanting desperately to have a change of topic. "Oh yeah, I was tasked to arrange some things in the faculty room. I think it's better if I'll bring Sango instead of you because she is also doing a task there today. You just rest and wait for me at the archery fields. I'll ask Sango to drop me there after we finish."

His smirk instantly vanished but he kept his face apathetic and answered briefly, "Sure." 'Damn it.'

Just when he thought things were getting better.

x

"It's a good thing Sango caught the vase before I totally dropped it. Jeez, that would have caused me a lot!" Kagome continued to talk as they neared the door of Higurashi residence.

"Yeah, it's a good thing Sango was there." Inuyasha replied with a hint of mockery, his eyes looking straight ahead. 'Keh! I bet I could have caught that same vase if I was the one there!' He thought as irritation built inside him.

'Is that sarcasm in Inuyasha's voice?' Kagome looked at Inuyasha sideways and began to worry. She was starting to notice that Inuyasha was too sarcastic than normal. She knew Inuyasha could be sarcastic at times but something felt not right. 'Is he angry at me? Did I take too long?' She wondered, trying to recall anything that might be the reason for Inuyasha's current behavior. 'Or maybe I'm just being paranoid.' "Are you all right, Inuyasha?" She asked hesitantly. "You seem a little um… tired?" 'Hasn't he rested enough yet?'

"I guess doing nothing is also tiring." He replied bitingly, yanking the door open. "I'll be in my room if ever you need me." He emphasized the sarcasm this time and walked towards the stairs, leaving Kagome befuddled.

"Inuyasha, wait!" Kagome tried to call Inuyasha back but he didn't even look back. 'What just happened?' She asked to herself and came up with no answer.

x

"Are you sure Sango's a good idea?" Inuyasha asked on his mobile phone, sitting up on his bed. Again, he was holding the locket that Kikyou had given to him before, his thumb absentmindedly tracing the pattern of the Chinese bellflower engraved on it.

Inuyasha detected a soft sigh coming from the other end of the phone. "She's perfect for the job. I heard from Miroku that Kagome's happy about it too." He heard Kikyou say along with some rustling of papers. He frowned at the words he had heard. Was it really just him who wasn't exactly happy with the arrangement?

"She was too happy!" He said through his gritted teeth, finding himself glaring at the black puppy Kagome had given to him. He looked away immediately and returned his gaze on the necklace he was holding. 'That wench…'

"Good then," replied Kikyou nonchalantly. It was somehow interesting, the way Inuyasha was protecting his job now. Before, he was so keen on throwing the job to somebody else but now he seemed to be holding it tightly and not even considering the idea of getting more people to help. 'Perhaps, he's starting to realize the importance of his job?' She thought with a soft smile playing on her lips.

Inuyasha held his head, massaging it lightly. "You don't get me! Kagome's practically bringing Sango everywhere and she's leaving me behind!" Was there no way to convince Kikyou at all?

It was clear to Kikyou what Inuyasha wanted in this conversation but she didn't think it was wise to take Sango off the mission. Now that she knew that Hell's Gate was indeed trying to get Kagome, it was better to have more people guarding her. "That's all right. Sango can protect Kagome even without you, Inuyasha." She reassured him.

"But Kagome's my charge!" The hanyou argued back, all of a sudden gripping the pendant tightly.

"And Sango's there to help you," said Kikyou patiently. "Just like Miroku's there."

"That's what I don't get! Miroku's with me in this mission and you still give me another. Do you think I'm really that incompetent?.!" Inuyasha snapped. All of the things he'd been hearing from Kikyou seemed to fuel his anger.

She mentally sighed before answering, "You know very well that that's not my reason, Inuyasha. Also, what are you so riled up—"

"Who said I was riled up?.!"

Kikyou ignored Inuyasha's interruption and went on. "As I was saying, you shouldn't be so riled up. You're still the one in command in this mission."

Inuyasha scowled audibly. "Doesn't look like that anymore." He muttered, throwing another pissed off look at the innocent puppy stuffed toy lying on his desk. He was having a feeling that the said stuffed animal was laughing at him.

"Go talk to Kagome about this. I think it's the two of you who needs to talk." She suggested to the aggravated hanyou.

"I think I'll do that," said Inuyasha grouchily. "When hell freezes over."

There was no hope at all. She knew Inuyasha was too stubborn to listen to anything she said. "Your call." Maybe he would be able to fix things on his own.

"Yeah. Definitely mine." He replied obstinately.

"Call me when something more interesting comes up." She returned.

"As you wish, princess." Inuyasha said with a hint of teasing in his voice. "I'll call you when I'm out of this job and back at my apartment. Maybe, that will be more interesting for you." Still, he wasn't contented with the way their conversation had turned out. Sango was still in the mission and Kikyou was being difficult—as usual.

Kikyou shook her head from side to side, smiling slightly. "I told you, I am not taking you out of the job Inuyasha."

"Then how about you take someone else out of the job? Three's really a crowd and I really don't—"

"Inuyasha…" Kikyou said his name warningly.

The Solferis agent quickly noted that she was using her scary voice. That meant he had to stop now or else… "All right, all right. I'm shutting up already." He said, giving up at last. "But if Sango starts giving me orders, don't expect me to follow them." He added.

"Don't worry, she won't. She knows that you're the team leader in this mission." Kikyou answered in return.

'I just wish Kagome knows that as well.' He thought to himself, vanishing the thought of a certain black-haired miko in his head."If you say so, your highness." This time, he allowed himself to smile. He looked down at the pendant on his hand and said gently, "Good night, Kikyou."

"Good night, Inuyasha." She smiled a little as she hung up. 'Inuyasha is weird sometimes.' One minute he was shouting at her and the next he was saying good night with so much gentleness. But she brushed the thought aside and went back to work.

She never allowed herself to linger on that thought or return to that thought once more. Because if she did, she might think about something else too—something she always considered as impossible.

x

"Inuyasha, I need your help." Kagome said earnestly, her eyes looking very serious and determined. Two seconds passed and that determination vanished. "Argh! What will I do if he rejects me?.!.? Why did he have to be angry now?.!" She kept on pacing across her room, carrying her Math notebook as she ranted. All of a sudden she stopped and said hopefully, "Or maybe he's not really angry?" A nagging voice inside her said otherwise.

She heaved a sigh. What was she going to do now?

"Hey, neechan." Souta greeted as he entered his elder sister's room, immediately settling himself on Kagome's bed. Buyo followed the little boy and curled contentedly on his feet.

"So, what do you think?" She asked Souta nervously. "Is Inuyasha in a bad mood?" She watched Souta pick up Buyo from his feet, putting the fat cat on his lap.

"Nope." Souta answered, lightly flicking Buyo's ears to make the cat tweak his ears. "He said he's just busy doing homework that's why he didn't play with me after dinner."

"Really?" 'So that's why he immediately went upstairs after dinner? It's not because he's avoiding me?' Her spirit lightened after hearing Souta's words. There might be a chance after all.

Souta looked at his sister curiously and questioned, "Why are you thinking that Inuyasha's in a bad mood anyway?" The way his sister was fussing about Inuyasha's mood was fishy. 'Heh… maybe Inuyasha-niichan and neechan are having a lover's quarrel?' It would be cool if Inuyasha was Kagome's boyfriend. At least, he knew his sister was going to be safe.

"Oh nothing, just a hunch!" Kagome threw out, not looking at her brother. "Okay, go to bed now. I need to do my homework too." She pulled Souta from her bed and hurriedly ushered him to the door. "Good night!"

"Uh… good night." Souta hesitantly returned only to find himself staring back at the door. Scratching the back of his head, he turned around and walked to his room. 'I knew it! Neechan must like Inuyasha-niichan! Now, all we need to know is if Inuyasha-niichan likes neechan too!' He thought and grinned to himself.

x

'Okay! I can do this! I'll just knock and ask for his help.' Kagome thought, eyes sparking with determination. She raised her hand to knock but stopped just before she made contact with the door. 'Don't think anymore, Kagome!' She scolded herself inwardly, gathering up her courage once again. "I need to do this or I'll be dead!" She reminded herself. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, the black-haired schoolgirl knocked.

On something that definitely didn't feel like a door.

Oops.

She opened one eye tentatively and saw Inuyasha standing in front of her. She quickly looked away and grinned sheepishly, "Um…" She quickly noticed that her hand was still raised so she hastily lowered it and hid it behind her back. "Well…" All courage seemed to abandon her now that she was face to face with the said hanyou.

Inuyasha wasn't expecting to see Kagome when he pulled the door open. He was about to go downstairs to get something to eat while doing his assignment and there she was knocking on his door—on him actually. "Well… what?" He copied her mockingly, raising his right hand and resting it on the door frame while he looked at Kagome with annoyance to hide his surprise.

She could feel herself blushing a little at their proximity so she took one step backwards before raising her eyes to him. "I was just…" Loose black pants and matching loose black shirt. They looked nice on him and even highlighted his deep amber eyes. She would have glued her eyes on him, admiring him at this moment, but his glaring eyes made her look down instead, shifting uncomfortably in her post.

Inuyasha growled lightly, trying to figure out what she wanted in the first place. "What do you want?" He shifted his eyes to the left but his pissed off expression remained. The idea of food was completely forgotten. All he wanted was to go back inside his room and avoid his charge.

"I was wondering if…" Her eyes strayed to the Math notebook on her left hand until all of a sudden, a thought struck her. "Hey wait a second! What are you so angry about anyway?.!" She asked, placing her hands on her hips and looking a little put out as well. This time she looked at him straight in the eyes but it was Inuyasha who was now avoiding the eye contact.

"Who said I'm angry?" He questioned back, his eyes still averted from Kagome. Unknown to him, he was sinking his claws a bit on the door frame he had been gripping. His temper was slowly rising.

She stared back at him as if to say, 'Duh! You were glaring at me and you definitely look angry!'

Inuyasha caught the way she stared at him from the corner of his eyes. He didn't like their conversation at all. "Keh! You think you always know what I feel!" He scoffed with an air of irritation, his eyes more interested on the door frame than the miko in front of him. All he needed to do was vex her so she would walk out from their conversation.

"I don't." Kagome answered honestly, her voice like a whisper and her eyes looking down towards the floor. 'But sometimes I wish I do.' She wanted to say as well but she decided against it.

"…" He didn't expect her to answer that. His golden yellow orbs all of a sudden stared at her but she was the one not looking at him this time.

Kagome shrugged uncaringly when she heard no reply from Inuyasha. 'It's his decision.' "Anyway, I just came here to ask for your help in our homework. But I guess you're not feeling charitable tonight and you want me out of your sight." She turned on her heels and was about to walk away when Inuyasha spoke.

"Why don't you ask Sango? After all, you always ask for her help, don't you?" There was bitterness in his tone when he spoke, his sharp eyes scoffing at Kagome silently.

She took notice of Inuyasha's tone but she let it pass. She thought it would only bring more problems to them if she confronted him tonight. "Math is not her best subject. I was expecting that you could help me but you seem busy so…" Her voice trailed off as she glanced at the door next to Inuyasha's room. "I think I'll just go back to my room."

Inuyasha smirked, looking at Kagome as she walked towards her room—which was just several meters away from his. "So you mean you would have asked her help if she were good in Math?"

"Maybe." She answered, looking over her shoulder. "Who else can I turn to if you aren't available?" 'Now that's the problem… Who else can I turn to now?.?.?' She laughed forcefully at Inuyasha. "I'm okay. I'm okay." She assured him, turning her head back to the front. 'Stupid, he wasn't asking you if you were okay!' She scolded herself.

"Who would you prefer to ask for help?" He wondered about that in his mind and without knowing it, he had said it aloud. His whole body tensed when he saw Kagome freeze in her post. She had definitely heard him!

Kagome stopped dead on her tracks and instantly looked back at Inuyasha. "Huh?" Her eyes filled with confusion. She knew Inuyasha had spoken but she wasn't able to catch his words clearly.

"N-Nothing." He could feel his heart beating furiously inside his chest and his cheeks were heating up. "I said it was nothing, okay?.!" He repeated, feeling the miko's eyes still looking at him with suspicion.

"I didn't say anything, you know…" She told him half-heartedly, not noticing Inuyasha's blush. 'What a weirdo.' She thought and headed once more for her room.

"Oi!"

"What?" Kagome inquired, looking surprised that Inuyasha had spoken again. Was she going to be stuck standing in the corridor the whole night? 'No way! I still have Math homework to do!'

"If you still need help in Math, come in." The door closed immediately after that.

'Did he just…?' She mused, unsure of what she had heard. Heaving a sigh, she turned on her heels and retraced her steps to Inuyasha's room. She opened the door and peeked her head inside. Inuyasha was seated in front of his study table, reading a book. "Um… Did you just—"

"Let me see your work." He interrupted, not bothering to look over his shoulder.

'He did say it then…' A gentle smile found its way on Kagome's lips then she laughed nervously. "Ehehe… I wasn't able to solve any."

"What?.!" Inuyasha looked at her in slight annoyance, sighing inwardly. "Fine, sit here so we can start." He vacated the chair he was sitting on and gestured Kagome to take it.

Kagome nodded and walked closer to the study table. 'I wonder what made him change his mind all of a sudden…' She thought, chancing a look at Inuyasha as she sat down.

"You better learn fast because I'm not repeating this anymore. Got it?" He warned her, putting on a frown. He didn't understand his own actions. Why did he suddenly agree to help her?

She smiled brightly at Inuyasha, ignoring his scowling face. "All right! I'll be very attentive!" She promised, looking really lively and happy at that moment.

"Jeez… Looking so happy while doing homework, you're so weird."He commented, scratching his head lightly and still looking sulky.

"It's because you agreed to teach me. I wouldn't know what to do if you didn't help me." She smiled gratefully at the Solferis agent and added, "I seriously thought you were mad at me but I'm glad to know that I was wrong."

He was annoyed all right—pretty much, in fact. Being ignored the whole day and feeling useless and not needed, who wouldn't feel that way? He placed his notebook in front of Kagome and pointed at the formula written on it, saying calmly, "Use this one for the first two problems. I'll check your work after you're done."

But now, somehow… It didn't matter anymore.

"Okay." She glanced at Inuyasha and was instantly relieved at what she saw, her heart feeling lighter and her mood brighter. 'He's not frowning anymore.'

Inuyasha got the book he was previously reading and sat down on his bed. Making sure that his face was hidden from Kagome's line of view, he slowly smirked and thought, 'It's a good thing I'm good in Math.'

'And I'm still the best person who can protect Kagome.' His confidence was clearly seen in his smirk.

His insecurity came and went without Kagome realizing it.

x

"And you said you would pay attention! I told you that this formula is not the same as the one that you're using! Why did you use it for the last problem?.!" He shouted impatiently, slamming her notebook back on his desk and glowering at his charge. "I can't believe you're this stupid!" He flopped elegantly on the bed, lying on his side so that he was still facing Kagome. "Do it again! If you get it wrong again, I'm already going to sleep." He callously ordered, raising the book he was reading at the level of his eyes.

Kagome glared back at the book Inuyasha was holding since she couldn't see his face at the moment. "You're so mean! You should have patience with me!" She turned to look back at her notebook and erased her previous answer. 'Arrogant bastard! Who does he think he is?.!'

"Keh!" He scoffed back, lowering the book for a while to shoot deadly stares at Kagome's way. "Who would have patience with a bitchy girl like you?.!"

'Bitchy?.! Inuyasha be thankful I'm so kind or I would have purified you by now!' She gripped her pencil tighter and forced herself not to look at Inuyasha's direction. 'Don't look at him anymore. Just solve the problem so you can get away from here.' She was looking at Inuyasha's notebook, which was lying on the right corner of the desk, to compare her work when her eyes found a familiar article lying on the desk. 'That necklace…' She reached for it and inspected it silently. It was definitely the same locket she had found last time—the one with the design of a Chinese bellflower on it.

"Who do you plan to give it to?" It was out of curiosity that she had asked him that question. Out of the blue, she remembered the two letters that she saw inside the pendant.

KH

'I-It's not like I'm expecting him to give it to me!' She argued in her mind, her heart suddenly starting to beat faster on its own. 'That's impossible!' She continued to think, not daring to look at Inuyasha. Her heart was beating so loudly that she feared Inuyasha could hear it too.

"Huh?" Inuyasha wasn't so sure what she was talking about so he peeked from his book and found Kikyou's necklace in Kagome's hands.

"I mean the pendant." The miko answered casually.

"It's mine." He answered without hesitation, his eyes not looking at Kagome. Instead, his amber eyes were trained on the locket, watching Kagome's hand hold it securely.

She never expected that answer from Inuyasha and actually, she didn't believe it. "No way! It's a girl's locket! You must be planning to give it to someone, right?" Now that her heart wasn't racing anymore, she decided to tease Inuyasha a little. "You don't need to be so shy about it! Who's it for?" She grinned at Inuyasha, opening the pendant. She somehow wanted to make certain that what she had seen before was real. Maybe it wasn't really KH that was written inside. Maybe she was just hallucinating back then.

But before she could take a good look at the opened locket, Inuyasha's hand was all of a sudden gripping hers, the pendant trapped in her fist. She raised her head to look at Inuyasha and found him to be glaring at her. She could tell that he was pissed off with her.

"Who's being shy?.!" Inuyasha carefully opened her closed fist and hurriedly snatched the necklace. "I said it's mine and I'm not giving it away to anyone!" Closing the locket once again, he deposited it on his pocket and returned on his bed. He returned to lying on his side comfortably, picked up his book and resumed reading—like nothing had happened.

Kagome sat still on her chair, trying to process what had just happened. Was that possessiveness in Inuyasha's voice? So it was really his? He bought it for himself? "Inuyasha… don't tell me…" She was horrified with the thought but it wasn't impossible to happen. She heard from her classmates that some good-looking men were like that. "Are you—?"

"I'm not!" Inuyasha cut her off, lowering his book to give her a 'How-Dare-You-Accuse-Me-Of-Such-A-Disgusting-Thing' look.

"You're not gay?" Kagome blinked, half-surprised that Inuyasha knew what she was about to ask and half-relieved that he wasn't gay. She even released a subconscious sigh of relief in front of Inuyasha.

But Inuyasha didn't notice Kagome's action because he was too anxious to refute her thinking to notice anything else. "I said NO!" He was still lying on the bed but he looked very annoyed and ready to kick her out soon.

"Sure?" Still, Kagome couldn't help but tease Inuyasha. In her opinion, he looked rather cute when he was flustered. His eyes had this certain gleam that made him totally adorable to Kagome.

'This wench is really pushing me, isn't she?' His deep yellow eyes glinted predatorily and his lips began to curl into a mischievous smile."Want me to prove it to you?" He quickly sat up and looked like he was ready to jump her.

"No thanks!" As speedy as lightning, she pushed her chair back to distance herself some more from Inuyasha and even bent her legs on her seat, in case he tried to reach for her legs. The way his eyes looked at her at the moment didn't look cute at all! He looked like he was really going to do something bad. Kagome's face was so red she could swear all her blood supply was currently on her face.

"Sure?" His voice was husky and tempting, just like a devil trying to seduce an angel to do something nasty. He enjoyed the way Kagome looked trapped in a corner with nowhere to run. 'Who's getting flustered now?'

"Argh! Don't come near me! Stay there!" She pointed her pencil in front of her as a form of protection, feeling very nervous. Her heart was beating madly and Inuyasha was still looking at her with that predatory eyes. "This isn't a good joke, you know!"She wanted to run but she was afraid that if she would leave her seat, Inuyasha would suddenly tackle her or something.

Inuyasha couldn't hold it in anymore. He burst into loud fits of laughter, even rolling on the bed as he laughed. "You looked like you were ready to bolt if I moved even an inch towards you!" He grinned at her and chuckled all over again. Kagome's freaked out expression was priceless for Inuyasha.

She relaxed herself and faced the desk. "Jerk." She muttered under her breath, taking a random notebook on his desk and throwing it at Inuyasha. "Don't pull that stunt again or I'll purify you!" She glared at him for two seconds then returned to her work. 'He's so annoying!'

He caught the thrown article easily and grinned. "I was just fooling around! You don't need to be so hostile." Sitting up on his bed, he leaned back on the wall and got his book again. "You almost done?"

"Wait…"

A few seconds of silence enveloped them. Kagome copied the correct formula from Inuyasha's notes and began to solve until she found herself stuck on one equation. Her mind seemed stuck as well. "So… who gave it to you then?" She asked, returning to the topic she was previously interested in. 'Oh that's why… I got this substitution wrong.'

Inuyasha didn't look at Kagome but he continued to read his book. "Back to that?.! Don't you know that it's rude to stick your nose into other people's business?"

"Your mother?" It was amazing. She could do Math while talking to Inuyasha! Before, she would lose her concentration in a conversation because Math was too difficult. Maybe she was getting better?

"No."

"Aunt?"

"No."

"Girl cousin?"

"No."

"Girl neighbor?"

"No."

"Girlfriend?" She found herself holding her breath as she waited for his answer.

"No such thing." He replied plainly, just like his other answers. "Stop pestering me!" He was getting annoyed with all the questions she had been asking to him. 'Why is she so nosy?.!' He complained, flipping a page on his book. 'And why is this book so annoying! I can't find anything good to write!' He cursed their History teacher for giving such a difficult homework.

'No such thing?' She mentally sighed at that. 'Wait—what am I feeling relieved for?.!' She blushed slightly but thankfully, Inuyasha was not looking at recalled the way Inuyasha had retrieved the pendant back then. He didn't simply snatch it from her like she had expected him to do. 'He's afraid that he might damage the necklace. Even though he did snatch it, he was still very careful. It's unusual. He didn't do things rashly this time.' With these thoughts, she was even more curious to know more about that necklace. "I'm done. You can check my work now!" She stood up and handed her notebook to Inuyasha.

"Last question."

Inuyasha looked up from Kagome's notebook, finally contented that she got it right this time. "What?"

'Is the person who gave the necklace very important to you? Who is she? Do I know her? Where is she now? Do you want to see her? Is it okay that you stay by my side? Is she okay that you're staying at another girl's side instead of hers?' Those were the things she wanted to ask but they were too long and too hard to say. Her heart felt like it was choking. "Are you sure you didn't buy the necklace for yourself?" 'I'm a coward.'

Inuyasha stood up and panned Kagome's head lightly with her notebook. "I told you I'm not fucking gay!.!.!" He grumbled, looking vexed again. He took a seat in front of his desk and got a notebook and a pen. "Annoying wench." He muttered.

"Just asking!" Kagome smiled sheepishly, not knowing herself why she had asked that question. "A lot of handsome boys tend to be gay you know. That very long hair of yours is very suspicious and a lot of your fangirls will surely be disappointed if you were—okay, I'm babbling now." She clapped her hand on her mouth to shut herself. 'I think this is a good time to start leaving.' She was about to say she was leaving when Inuyasha spoke.

"Heh…" A victorious smirk was plastered on his face and that made Kagome nervous once more. "So you finally admit that you find me attractive. That's the first."

"EH?.?.?" Kagome gasped, searching her memory for such event.

"A lot of handsome boys tend to be gay you know."

"I didn't say you were attractive!" She argued, her cheeks flaming red. 'At least not directly.'

"You were implying the same thing." Inuyasha shrugged, still smirking at her. He really loved teasing Kagome.

"No, I wasn't!" She denied insistently, panicking a little. 'Come on, change of topic! Got to have a change of topic!' She suddenly clapped her hands together and stood beside Inuyasha. "Ah! What are you doing? Is that the History homework for tomorrow?.!" She grabbed the notebook lying on Inuyasha's desk and scanned it. "Hey! You haven't written anything yet!" She pointed at the blank sheets of his notebook, looking shocked.

Inuyasha inwardly smiled at Kagome's lame way of escaping him but he let her get away with it. He was busy anyway. "Well… It's stupid. I can't find anything good to write." He took the notebook back from her and sighed.

"You can start by commenting about how the soldiers were brave and dedicated to their mission. Plus, they didn't give up even though it was actually hopeless." She suggested with a cheerful smile.

"That's what you call stupidity. They knew it was a lost battle yet they still fought. See where they end up? Dead bodies." That was his honest opinion about the topic but he knew that wouldn't look too good. He would surely get a failing grade if he said something so bad without much proof.

"Dummy! You can't put that! Our teacher said put good comments, right?" She gave Inuyasha's head a good whack and laughed. It was so much like Inuyasha to say such things.

"I told you I can't think of anything good in that battle!" Inuyasha scowled like a small kid being lectured by his tutor.

"Argh! You're really annoying!" She cried out exasperatedly, planting her hands on her hips. "Just write what I'm going to tell you!"

Inuyasha couldn't believe it. He was just tutoring Kagome a while ago and it ended up with him being tortured by her. His luck must be very bad. "Aren't you supposed to go back now?" He wondered, trying to get rid of her before she thought of more ways to torment him.

"No way! I have to make sure you do your homework correctly first!" She insisted with her usual stubbornness, smiling widely. 'It's a good thing I can help him at something in return.'

To Inuyasha's ears, Kagome words were, 'No way! I have to make you suffer some more first!' and her smile was definitely a scary one. It was pretty all right but he knew deep inside, she was planning to torture him. "You really need to get back to your room now." He told her.

"Just start writing! Put bravery, loyalty and dedication as their strong points!" She ignored Inuyasha statement and looked at his History textbook. "You can even add determination and then you can site the instances on these pages. See?"

"Wench—"

"You're welcome, Inuyasha." She smiled at him kindly and went to sit on Inuyasha's bed. "I'll sit here, okay?"

"Keh!" He looked away from her and down at his notes. 'She's stubborn to the core!'

'I guess he doesn't mind then.' She contented herself in just watching Inuyasha silently. At least, she had nothing more to worry. All of her assignments were done.

Inuyasha paused his writing and looked at Kagome's direction. "Won't this look fake if we keep praising them?" He asked, still not feeling good that he had to praise them even though they were a bunch of losers.

"Well you can put criticisms I guess but don't make it too negative! The teacher said good comments, remember?" She reminded him then adding as an afterthought, "Plus, even though they died, their deaths weren't in vain because they completed their mission."

It was true. At least, Inuyasha could give them that credit. They died but for a reason—a reason they believed was worthy of such sacrifice. "I guess so." He answered and continued with his work.

Kagome subconsciously wondered what time it was. 'Probably almost midnight?' She opened her mouth and let out a quiet yawn. Before she knew it, her eyes were drooping bit by bit and her body was starting to slowly rest on the soft mattress.

"How about this—" Inuyasha stopped when he found Kagome now asleep on his bed. "What a bother! That's why I told her to go back already!" He griped, frowning as he looked at Kagome's slumbering form. With an exasperated sigh, he decided to finish his essay first and then he would go and wake up Kagome.

It only took about ten more minutes and he was finally done. He stacked his notebooks in a neat pile and tidied his desk. After finishing, he stood up and walked towards his bed, kneeling on his bedside. "Hey, Kago—" He stopped his hand before he could touch her shoulder.

Again, he couldn't help but notice the strong resemblance Kagome had to Kikyou when she was asleep. When Kagome slept, her face was relaxed and calm just like the way Kikyou's face always looked. "Maybe Kagome's right…" He whispered to himself, sitting on the floor and silently gazing at Kagome's serene face.

"And you're always so selfish!"

"You don't care about others as long as you get what you want!"

"I am selfish." He sneered, pulling the blanket to protect Kagome's body from the cold. 'Sleep well, Kikyou.' He smiled softly as he watched her sleep peacefully. 'I'll always be here for you.'

He knew it was wrong to pretend. It was wrong to think of her as someone else. They were different but for now, he really wanted to see Kikyou.

Even though it was just a shadow of her in Kagome.

x

'I wonder if Inuyasha finished his homework.' She opened her eyes to find herself staring into deep molten amber eyes. "Inuyasha… did you—"

"Sleep well, Kagome." He said to her softly, filled with gentleness and warmth. Then he leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"WAIT! This is impossible!" She gasped, sitting up in a flash. She looked around the room but Inuyasha was nowhere to be found. 'So it was a dream?' She raised her hand to her forehead as if searching for evidence. 'It must be a dream. It can't be real…'

The door burst up and revealed Inuyasha. "Great! You're finally up!" Inuyasha greeted her, walking across the room towards his closet. "You want to go first?" He asked over his shoulder.

"Go…? Where?" She looked around in a daze, not having a hint of what Inuyasha was talking about. 'What a weird dream that was.' She looked back at Inuyasha then realized something. She looked at her hands. They were gripping dark green sheets.

Why were her bed sheets colored dark green? They were supposed to be red!

"Wha-What am I doing here?.!" Finally, it dawned to her that she was not in her own room but in Inuyasha's room—on Inuyasha's bed. "WHAT AM I DOING IN YOUR BED?.!" She freaked out even more, quickly getting out of the said bed.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her. "What the hell are you freaking out for? You slept in my bed! It's no big deal!" He turned his back once more and continued to rummage his closet for some clothes.

'WHAT?.!' Kagome felt like her body was struck by lightning. "Don't tell me you—you—you pervert!" She yelled, throwing a pillow at Inuyasha. "Why didn't you just wake me up!.?"

He picked up the pillow from the floor and tossed it back at Kagome. "Stupid! What the hell are you calling me pervert for?.!" He looked away from Kagome, slightly blushing. "I didn't sleep on the bed. I slept sitting on the floor." He explained, his eyes safely averted from hers.

"…" Kagome was speechless for a while. It was a good thing the pillow Inuyasha threw was directed at her face so her face was currently covered and safe from Inuyasha's view. Still not lowering the pillow, she smiled softly. 'He must have had an uncomfortable night then.' She thought, imagining Inuyasha sleeping while seated on the floor. She couldn't help but feel touched with his simple act. She dropped the pillow on Inuyasha's bed and headed for the door. Before closing it behind her, she stuck her tongue out and said, "I still think it would have been best if you have just woken me up! Silly!"

The door slowly clicked shut after that.

Inuyasha snickered at Kagome's comment. "I also thought that was the best." He said to himself, closing his eyes for a moment. 'But I'm a selfish jerk.'

x

"Miss Kikyou, there were flowers sent for you."

Kikyou looked up from the book she had been reading and found a pretty elaborate bouquet of white roses on top of her desk. "Thank you." She told her maid. "You may go now."

After the maid had left, Kikyou stood up and examined the bouquet closely. Such a nice arrangement of flowers. The petals were so white. So pure. She received a lot of flowers from colleagues and friends so she wasn't sure who it was this time. Finally, she found a card in between the blooms and opened it.

White roses look so pure and pretty, don't they?

Just like an angel's wings…

They suit you very well, Miss Kikyou Hijima.

Being Solferis' leader, you are like an angel.

I'll be sure to send you more in your funeral.

-Hell's Gate

P.S. I hope to meet you soon.

x

x

x

x

x

A/N: Ouch. Yes, I know you all want to kill me for taking so long but please bear with me. At least, it's not a mean cliffhanger, right? Review and tell me all your rants! I'll be glad to hear them out. You can even nag me but moderately, okay? Advanced Merry Christmas to all!