A Lesson In Love: A Inuyasha High School Experience 2 by Erin M.

Chapter One

Kagome lay on her bed as she flipped through her old scrapbook from the previous year. She scanned the photos of her and her friends hanging out in various places. It was almost midnight on Sunday. Kagome knew she would have to get up early, but she just couldn't get her mind to settle.

All weekend, Kagome couldn't stop thinking about him. She couldn't get his face off her mind. His beautiful silver hair and those dazzling golden eyes. She tried helplessly to find a picture of him in her scrapbook, but failed to find any photos of even a sliver of Sesshoumaru.

She slammed her scrapbook and turned off her lamp. She tried to clear her mind but she just couldn't wait for morning to come. She wanted to see him so badly!

'I wonder if he'll come up to talk to me...' she thought to herself. 'Or if he'll smile at me in the hall...'

She turned on her side and smiled. Suddenly, he eyes snapped open.

'What am I saying??' she panicked.

She sat up in her bed and put the back of her hand on her forehead.

'I must be getting something...' she thought as she lay her head back down on her pillow. 'I can't be...CRUSHING on Sesshoumaru...can I?'

'Okay...think this over,' the little voice in her head said, 'Sesshoumaru's mega popular...and you're not. He's the hottest senior ever to attend Sensae High...and well...you're not.'

'Sigh...I guess you're right.'

Kagome closed her eyes again and tried recklessly to try and fall asleep. Just then, she found herself staring back up at her white ceiling.

'But what if he actually likes you?' the little voice asked her.

Kagome laughed at herself sarcastically and turned back on her side.

"Yeah right! Like that's ever going to happen..." she whispered to herself.

The next morning, Kagome didn't get up at her usual time of 6 a.m. Her eyes fluttered open at 7 a.m. instead. She sat up in bed and savored the sleep she got.

After her shower, Kagome slipped on her uniform and rushed downstairs for some breakfast. As she entered the kitchen, her mother looked up at her, startled.

"Kagome?" he mother asked. "You're still here? I thought you would've gone to school by now."

"Well...I decided to sleep in today." Kagome replied, as she picked at some fruit on the table.

Souta and Grandpa looked at each other, then continued to stare at Kagome weirdly.

"What's up with you guys?" Kagome asked as she sipped at her orange juice.

"You never sleep in...not even on the weekends." Souta said suspiciously, continuing to stare down his sister.

"Yeah? Well...it's no big deal! I mean...I just got more sleep that's all..." Kagome stuttered, suddenly starting to feel embarrassed about herself.

Once again, Souta and Grandpa gave another weird look at her. Then, as Souta was eating his eggs Kagome could've sworn she heard him cough "boyfriend" under his breath. Kagome suddenly got up from the table and grabbed her bag.

"I'm going to school! I'll see you all later." She said angrily.

And with that Kagome slammed the sliding glass door to a close and headed down to the sidewalk to school.

Kagome entered her crowded school at 8:10 a.m., knowing she would only have 5 minutes talk with Sango. Suddenly felt somebody yank at her arm, pulling her away from Sango.

"Hey you!" Inuyasha said with a smile.

"Oh...hey." Kagome replied, suddenly remembering that she was angry at him.

Just then, Sesshoumaru stepped up behind Inuyasha. Kagome breathed in heavily and stared at him, engulfing her eyes with his gorgeous face.

"Hi Sesshoumaru." She said with a smile.

'Oh my gosh!' She thought. 'Did I just say "hi" to him? I've never said hi to him before! What the heck's wrong with me?!'

Sesshoumaru gave her a smile and replied in a deep "hey".

"Listen, I wanted to talk to you." Inuyasha said, totally ignoring his brother. "I was kind of hopping we could-"

RRRRRIINNNNGGG! The class bell had finally rung.

"Oh sorry Inuyasha!" She said, finally releasing herself from his grasp. "I have to go!"

"But-"

"We'll talk at lunch alright?" Kagome said amongst the babble of students heading for homeroom.

And with that, Kagome walked with Sango to her English class, feeling quite proud of herself.

Kagome sat herself down on the cold metal bleachers and grabbed a bag of chips. She was the first one there, but she knew her friends would join her soon. Just then, she heard footsteps climbing up bleachers. She looked up and saw who she was dreading all day.

"Hey Kagome." Inuyasha said as he sat down beside her.

"Oh...hi." She replied, stuffing another chip in her mouth.

There was just a moment of silence before Inuyasha started talking.

"Listen I wanted to talk about..." He started, "about us."

Kagome was now focused. She turned her head towards Inuyasha and started at him intently.

'Oh my gosh. This can't be happening!' Kagome thought quickly.

"You probably heard about me and Kikyo..." He said, trying not to look at her.

"Oh...yeah..." Kagome replied, feeling stab of pain in her heart.

She knew it was too good to be true.

"Where is she anyways?" She asked, not that she cared.

"She went out to lunch with her friends." He answered.

"Oh..." Kagome trailed off.

"Well...what I wanted to say is..." Inuyasha started again after another moment of silence.

"Yes?" Kagome said, hopping maybe...that her dreams were finally coming true.

"Is that...I don't think we should be friends anymore..." he said quietly.

Everything seemed to stop for Kagome, even her heart. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"What?" She whispered.

"You've been a really great friend Kagome..." Inuyasha said, now looking intently into her deep brown eyes, "but...things are starting to get serious between me and Kikyo...and...I just think it's best if we just stopped being friends..."

"But...but...why?" Kagome stammered.

Suddenly, Inuyasha's eyes grew big with anger and his face started to flush red.

"Look! I don't need a reason for everything you know!" He said angrily.

"I'm sorry..." Kagome replied, tears starting to form behind her eyes. "I...I just don't understand why-"

"EXACTLY!" He shouted, standing up off the bleachers. "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! SO JUST STOP BOTHERING ME ABOUT IT AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Kagome's mind was spinning. Everything was out of control.

"Oh...Inuyasha..." She whispered as the tears fell from her eyes to her cheeks.

Kagome quickly grabbed her bag and ran down the bleachers, before he could say anything else.

As she turned the corner...BAM! Kagome ran straight into Sesshoumaru. She turned her head upwards and looked into his confused yellow eyes. Those eyes that matched Inuyasha's...

Before Sesshoumaru could even say a word to her, she turned on her heel and ran back into the school.

"Kagome?" Sesshoumaru questioned himself.

Suddenly, he heard more footsteps coming down the bleachers. Inuyasha rounded the corner and walked right past his brother without even glancing at him.

'Something's up...' Sesshoumaru thought as he turned to follow his brother back into the school.

Kagome locked herself into one of the girl's bathroom stalls and didn't go to her last two classes. She gradually ran of toilet tissue to dab her eyes with as she perched on top of the toilet seat.

'It was her...' she thought to herself. 'It had to be her! Inuyasha would never say those things to me!'

Kagome never felt so enraged. Suddenly, she heard the bathroom door open and footsteps of many girls entering the bathroom.

"Oh my gosh! Did he really say that?" One girl said.

Kagome recognized that voice as one of Kikyo's friends...like Sayo or something like that. Kagome quickly picked up her feet and crouched on top of the toilet seat, so nobody would see her. She sat quietly and listened to the conversation unravel before her.

"Like totally!" She heard Kikyo say.

"No way! That is sooo totally scandalous!" Another chimed in.

"Tell me about it!" Kikyo replied. "But he had to do it."

"Why?" All the girls asked in unison.

"Heh...because..." Kikyo said in a deep voice. "If I want him to be all mine, I had to get him to get that freak out the way. She's only ruining things between me and Inuyasha."

"So you, like, told him to say all those things to her?" Another girl asked.

"Exactly!" Kikyo said, wrapping up the conversation. "Besides...If he didn't get to her...I would've."

"Oh you are sooo bad Kikyo!" Sayo said laughing.

And with that, all the girls exited the bathroom, leaving Kagome alone again.

'I knew it...' Kagome thought, putting her head between her legs. 'I knew Inuyasha didn't actually say all those things to me...it was all her. It was all Kikyo.'

Suddenly, the final bell rang. Kagome heard the roar of footsteps down the hall, the sounds of happy conversations being held just outside the bathroom door. She waited until all the voices died down and everything in the school was quiet again. Kagome finally unlocked the bathroom stall door and went out into the empty hall.

Kagome dragged herself up to the third story library and pushed open the double doors. All the windows were open again, and Kaede was sitting in her chair, reading another tabloid magazine.

"Well hey sweetie-pie!" Kaede said cheerfully, putting down her magazine.

Kaede instantly knew there was something wrong with Kagome the second she lay eyes on her.

"What's wrong honey?" She asked worryingly.

"Nothing..." Kagome replied in a quiet voice.

Kagome made her way to her table and sat down. She sighed heavily, put her around her head, and rested it on the table.

'I'm not going to cry...I'm not going to cry...' she thought over and over again in her tired head.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and someone with a deep voice say "hey." Kagome nearly jumped out her seat.

"Sorry!" Sesshoumaru said. "Didn't mean to scare you."

Kagome gasped for air and tried to relax again.

"No...it's okay..." She replied, sweeping her fingers through her tangled black hair.

Sesshoumaru sat right next to her.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, his deep gold eyes burning into hers.

"Oh...yeah." Kagome said, trying to act casual. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Sesshoumaru asked, continuing to stare at her, not daring to take his eyes off of hers.

Kagome stopped breathing for a moment.

'No...I can't tell him.' She thought. 'He'll think I'm a total nut-case with all the problems I have!'

"It's okay..." Sesshoumaru said softly. "You can trust me..."

All of a sudden, like a wave crashing over her, Kagome felt completely and totally secure. She felt as though Sesshoumaru's voice was an aspirin for her worries.

"Well...alright..." Kagome finally said. "It's like this..."

And so Kagome went off about the Inuaysha incident. She started from 8:10 a.m. that morning when Inuyasha had grabbed her in the hall, to the conversation at lunch, to Kikyo's confession in the bathroom. By the time she was done, she was crying again. She couldn't help it. The tears wouldn't stop flowing from her eyes.

"I'm really sorry..." Kagome said through her tears. "You must think I'm insane with all these issues I have."

"Not at all." Sesshoumaru said quietly.

Kagome tried wiping her tears on her blouse sleeve, but it was useless. She just couldn't stop.

"Come here..." Sesshoumaru said deeply, his arm extending across for her shoulder.

Kagome felt the warmth of his hand wrapping around her shoulder, pulling her into him.

'Oh my gosh...' Kagome fleetingly thought. 'Is this happening?'

Kagome let her tears fall on his shoulder as he comforted her with his soothing words.

The week went by slower than ever for Kagome. She had never been happier to hear the final bell that Friday afternoon.

Throughout the week, Sango and Miroku had both tried calling her at home, but Kagome didn't want to face them. Not now. She couldn't tell them that Inuyasha had completely dumped her as a friend and that he didn't care to see her face again.

Kagome opened the sliding glass door to her house as the day came to a close. She took a look at the message pad. Three more calls from Sango, two from Miroku, and six from Shippo.

'Poor guys...' She thought as she headed upstairs.

Kagome undressed out of her school clothes and stepped into her shower stall. She turned the water to hottest it would go, letting it sting her skin and turn her feet blood red. After a while she turned off the water, and dried her hair.

She changed into a clean skirt and a shirt and got a head start on her homework. By 8 p.m., Kagome called it quits and turned off her lamp by her bed. She didn't have the strength to change out her skirt. So Kagome closed her eyes and let her tired mind dirft her off into sleep.

TAP....TAP TAP...TAP...

Kagome made a small sound and turned over on her side.

TAP...TAP TAP...

'What is that?' Kagome thought as she opened her eyes and sat up in her bed.

She took a look at her clock. 12:06 a.m. TAP...TAP...Kagome got off her bed and went over to her window where she heard the noise. She slowly opened her window and peered into the clear night sky. Stars glittered the sky and a full moon was high in the sky.

"Psst! Kagome!" Somebody whispered.

Kagome almost jumped out of her skin. She looked across her property, listening for the voice again.

"Hey! Kagome...down here!" The voiced hushed.

Kagome's eyes adjusted to the darkness as she looked down below her window. His hair was shimmering from the moonlight.

"Se...Sesshoumaru?!" Kagome said loudly.

"SSHH!" Sesshoumaru said as he looked around to see if anybody heard.

"What are you doing here?" She pressed on.

"Come on!" He said motioning to come down. "I've got something to show you."

Kagome could barely believe it. There she was, in the middle of the night, talking to the hottest most perfect senior in the world, from her bedroom window.

"Come on!" He repeated.

"Okay! Hold on!" Kagome replied, finally shutting her window.

Kagome took a look at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess and her clothes were wrinkled. She picked up her brush and gave it a few quick sweeps through her hair. No time to change. She threw some socks on her feet slowly opened her bedroom door.

She tiptoed down the wooden stairs, her feet making quiet slapping sounds each time she landed on a stair. She put on her shoes and silently slipped out of the house.

The moon lit up her front yard, making it impossible to miss anything. So where was Sesshoumaru? Was this a dream?

"There you are." Someone breathed in her ear.

Kagome gasped and turned around. There he was. He looked so different without his school uniform on. He was wearing a pair of jeans and jacket.

"Did you know you're really easy to scare?" He laughed as they walked down the stairs that led to the sidewalk.

"Heh...yeah kind of." She replied half embarrassed.

After a while of walking, Kagome was starting to realize that they were heading in the same direction as the school.

"Uh...Sesshoumaru?" She asked after a half hour of silence. "Where exactly are we going?"

"You'll see." He answered.

Suddenly, Kagome found herself in front of Sensai High School. They entered the courtyard and went around the back of the school. Kagome was utterly confused. Sesshoumaru led her past the grandstand bleachers and on to the track.

"Wait!" He said as he stepped in front of her.

"What?" Kagome said fearfully, looking around her for who ever Sesshoumaru had spotted.

"You have to close your eyes." He said with a smile.

"WHAT?!" Kagome replied.

"Come on! Just do it! It's a surprise!" Sesshoumaru said.

More than anything, Kagome hated surprises. And once again, she faced with the dreaded peer pressure, which she faced almost every day of her life. Reluctantly, she closed her eyes as Sesshoumaru gently grabbed her wrist and led her onto the football field.

"What the heck is-" Kagome started before Sesshoumaru cut in.

"You'll see! You'll see!" He said excitedly.

'Not if I keep my eyes closed...' Kagome thought unsurely.

"Okay! You can open your eyes now!" Sesshoumaru said, releasing his grip on her wrist.

Once Kagome opened her eyes, she was speechless beyond belief. In front of her and Sesshoumaru was a large blanket spread out in front of her with another one folded on the side of it. There was a small lantern lit illuminating the set in front of her.

"Oh wow!" She whispered.

"I thought we could just hang out for tonight and watch the stars." Sesshoumaru said, offering her a seat on the blanket.

'Oh man! This is amazing!' Kagome thought as she sat down on the soft wool blanket in front of her. 'No ones ever done anything like this for me ever!'

Sesshoumaru flopped down next to her and stretched out on his back, watching the beautiful stars lying down.

"I promise I won't bite." Sesshoumaru said after a moment of silence.

Kagome was still sitting up, her knees bunched up tight to her chest. Reluctantly, she laid her head next to his, making sure to pull down her skirt as she went.

"It's really beautiful out here..." Kagome said quietly as she gazed up at the dark sky. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"Well...I didn't just bring you here for nothing." He replied.

Kagome turned her head sharply to the side and faced Sesshoumaru.

'What is he trying to say?' Kagome wondered.

"Over the past few weeks, I've gotten to know you." He started, still not looking at Kagome. "You're funny, shy, and...a really strong person."

Just then, Kagome felt Sesshoumaru slide a hand next to her leg, gently brushing it upwards towards her calve.

"You're an incredible girl, Kagome." He continued.

His hand was now past her calve, and heading up towards her knee.

"And I think..."

Past her knee, moving on up to her thigh.

"We should be together..." He finished.

'Is this for real?' Kagome thought, starting to sweat a little, 'or is this a dream?'

Sesshoumaru finally turned his head, and was leaning into her, ready to give her the kiss of her life. Then, Kagome felt it. His hand was on it.

Kagome bolted up and breathed heavily.

"What's wrong?!" Sesshoumaru asked, surprised by Kagome's sudden movement.

'No! NO! NO!!' Kagome fleetingly thought. 'There is just NO WAY I am going to tell him!'

"I should go." Kagome breathed as she started to get off the blanket.

"Wait!" Sesshoumaru said loudly, grabbing Kagome's wrist, forcing her to sit bank down.

Sesshoumaru looked into her eyes. They looked dark and frightened, as though he had stirred up unwanted memories.

"There's something wrong..." He said, calmly and quietly. "Please...you can tell me..."

'But I...' Kagome thought wearily. 'I don't...want to remember...'

~*~*~* Flashback *~*~*

It was May and the long awaited track finals had finally arrived. Kagome sat down in the grass next Sango, stretching from side to side, letting her leg muscles tighten.

"Today's the day!" Sango said happily. "We are so going to kick all these other schools' butt's!"

Kagome could barely believe it. Here she was, a freshman on the varsity track team hanging out with the coolest sophomore she knew at the National Track Finals. It all seemed so serial to her. But she had to keep her cool if she was going to win the relay for the team.

The relay was the last event to happen at every track meet. The same went for Nationals also. The track coach told Kagome not to do any other events.

"Just keep your energy up and drink LOTS of water!" the coach always told her.

The day was swelteringly hot. Kagome tried staying in some shade, but it was impossible to keep cool.

'Just relax and drink water...' She told herself. 'You're going to do fine!'

"4x100 Relay runners, on the track!" said the announcer over the loud intercom.

'Oh man!' Kagome panicked. 'What have I gotten myself into?'

"Good luck Higurashi!" Said a friendly voice behind her.

Kagome turned around and almost fainted at the sight of him.

"Uhh...thanks Inuyasha!" She stuttered, her legs melting like jelly.

"Come on Kagome! We've gotta take our places!" Sango cried, dragging Kagome away from her dream guy.

There were four girls running the relay. The first was a girl by the name of Satsuki, second was Ayumi, third was Sango, and last and most importantly Kagome. The whole race depended on the last runner; it all came down to Kagome. As Kagome took her place on the last stretch of track, her left leg shot a funny sort of pain through her thigh. Kagome shook it off and concentrated on the race. But the pain wouldn't go away.

"Runners...take your mark." Kagome heard a man say at the end of the track.

BANG! A loud start gun had gone off and the race began. The pain in Kagome's leg had become immense, but she couldn't wimp out now. Everything was depending on her...

Kagome saw Satsuki hand off the baton to Ayumi, and watched her skid to a halt.

'Relax. Relax. Relax. Ignore the pain. Ignore the pain!' Kagome told herself over and over again. Ayumi handed off the baton to Sango. She took off like a rocket. The pain was starting wear off in Kagome's leg, to her relief.

75 meters...50 meters...Sango was closing in fast. Kagome could feel her heart pounding in her chest, screaming to be let out. She felt all the blood rush to her head.

10 meters...5 meters...Kagome started to jog a little ways. Suddenly, she felt the cold yet sweaty metal baton slide in her hand. Kagome felt her legs fly into the air like a bird. So far, she was in the lead.

'Come on Kagome!' She told herself as the wind whipped her face. 'Almost there...this is it! You can win this!'

Suddenly, Kagome felt something explode in her thigh and a white-hot pain shot through her leg. Kagome gasped and crashed into the hot black track. She grabbed her leg, trying to suppress the pain shooting through out her whole leg. The baton fell from her hand and rolled away. She heard the huge crowd in the stands give sounds of amazement and shock.

'What's happening to me?!' Kagome's mind slurred, sweat trickling down her forehead

She could hear footsteps rushing over to her side. Her mind was going in and out of blackness.

"KAGOME!" she heard Inuyasha cry. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Kagome opened her eyes only to see a blurry outline of the star long-distance runner, guy of her dreams, long silver haired, yellow eyes sophomore leaning over her, breathing in her face.

"Oh my God! Kagome! Can you hear me? KAGOME!" Sango panted as she ran over to her aid.

But Kagome had already fallen into a state of shock and was unconscious. She didn't hear the howl of the ambulance as it pulled onto the track. She didn't see the paramedics haul her onto a stretcher and close her inside of that big, white truck. She didn't know that her parents and her only two friends in the world came to see her in the hospital. All she knew is that lost...she lost the only victory that would come her way.

The doctors took numerous x-rays of her leg. They discovered what had literally exploded in her thigh. Turns out Kagome had a tumor the size of a golf ball inside of her left thigh. After a day of rest, Kagome went under the knife and underwent three hours of surgery.

Luckily, they got the tumor and all the cancer that went with it. All Kagome has to remember that fateful day is a scar that is about 8 inches long.

She had never told anyone the full story of what happened that day she had lost her team the state championship. Until now...

"And...well that's it..." Kagome said hoarsely, not looking at Sesshoumaru's brightly shining golden eyes.

And there they sat. Sesshoumaru was speechless. He didn't know what to say or how to say it. After all she had been through...what could he say?

"Kagome...I'm so sorry." He finally said, reaching over to embrace her cold body.

"No...it's okay." She replied, standing up, not wanting to be touched. "It happened a long time ago...and I just want to forget about the whole thing."

Kagome stood there, feeling uncomfortable and ashamed at herself. She didn't mean to be angry...she just wanted something, anything, to forget that day. Sesshoumaru stood up off the blanket, looking at Kagome.

"I can help..." He whispered, taking her hand in his, his breath warming her shivering body.

Kagome couldn't stand it anymore. She turned to him and looked into those golden orbs of his. Sesshoumaru leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers. Kagome could feel his warm breath inside her mouth, giving her a sensation she had never experienced.

She never wanted to leave his side just then. She just wanted to stay like that forever, carefree and thoughtless. They stood like that throughout the night, their only witnesses the moon and the stars.